ChipalattAwards for June 2026

The Astros had their best month of the regular season in June at 16-11. That seems like a solid month, but surprisingly, it was tied with the Rangers for the best record in the AL in June.

How do the Astros’ stats look vs. the other teams in the American League?

  • Offense
    • .237 BA (11th) / .309 OBP (10th) / .722 OPS (9th) / 126 runs (7th) / 37 HRs  (5th) / 7 SBs (15th)
  • Pitching
    • 4.33 ERA (10th) / 16 Wins (T-1st) / 1.30 WHIP (9th) / 254 Ks (1st) / 93 walks (T-5th most) / 39 HR (T-4th most)

You stare at these numbers and wonder how the heck they had such a good record with basically below-average numbers on offense and pitching.

  • They won the close ones. They won 13 of the 16 wins by 1 or 2 runs.
  • Though the Astros were mostly in the bottom half in most offensive categories, they rode their very good home run numbers to a top-half number in runs scored.
  • They rode very good bullpen numbers to win so many games. Look at those great bullpen ERAs from Josh Hader, Steven Okert, Brian King and AJ Blubaugh and some very nice but limited numbers from youngsters Alimba Santa and Miguel Ullola.

But enough of the team stuff. How did the individuals do in June?

Here is a quick stat chart of the Astros’ pitchers in the month of June.

NameGmWLSvsIPERAWHIPKs/9 IPBAAOBPAOPSABAbipIR/ IS
Mike Burrows6120276.001.6306.0.299.361.866.3020/0
Hunter Brown300014.22.451.2959.2.222.333.685.270N/A
Peter Lambert5210293.101.3807.8.211.283.742.197N/A
Tatsuya Imai430017.25.091.24515.3.243.303.631.410N/A
Spencer Arrighetti5030259.001.60011.5.293.381.906.367N/A
Kai-Wei Teng5130227.771.8648.2.323.407.963.365N/A
Josh Hader13208130.690.53814.5.049.152.274.0530/0
Enyel De Los Santos1401114.16.911.4658.2.304.350.921.3336/2
Bryan King1320011.20.770.9436.9.189.273.489.2338/4
Steven Okert13100150.600.8009.6.154.214.445.20011/3
Bryan Abreu100128.24.151.26911.4.258.324.807.3330/0
AJ Blubaugh10200171.591.11811.6.186.279.568.2890/0
Jayden Murray3000514.402.20016.2.375.4231.256.5000/0
Alimber Santa50007.21.171.3044.7.192.313.543.2171/0
Nate Pearson810012.14.381.4598.0.255.340.680.3143/1
Logan VanWey210033.001.3330.0.400.364.764.3640/0
Miguel Ullola100020.001.00018.250.250.500.5000/0

Note – I added the IR (Inherited runners) / IS (Inherited runners who scored) stat for the relievers.

  • Starting Pitcher of the Month– Peter Lambert – He had both quantity and quality, putting up a team-leading 29 innings and a very good 3.10 ERA.
  • Runner-up – Hunter Brown – Brown put up good numbers despite having to work through a number of things in his last couple of starts. There could be an argument for giving him the top spot, but it felt like Lambert took the top spot this time around.

Last Month Starting Pitcher of the Month – Spencer Arrighetti / Runner-up – Kai-Wei Teng  

  • Special Acknowledgment – Truth in advertising – in my first draft I was originally acknowledging Tatsuya Imai for his better performance lately….that died on Tuesday night when he once again could not get out of the early part of the game.
  • Relief Pitcher of the Month –  Josh Hader – He not only was near perfect (look at his stat line for the month), but his return seemed to allow the rest of the leveraged part of the bullpen to find another gear in June.
  • Runner-up (Tie) –  Steven Okert and Bryan King – Speaking of which – these two men had 0.60 and 0.77 ERA respectively in June – just excellent.
  • Last Month Relief Pitcher of the Month – Bryan King / Runner-up – Enyel De Los Santos and Steven Okert
  • Special Acknowledgment – AJ Blubaugh – After some shakier stats early in the year, possibly linked to overwork, Blubaugh was excellent in June with a 1.59 ERA over 10 appearances and a very good slash line.

Here is a quick stat chart of the Astros’ position players in the month of June.

NameABsRunsDblsHRsRBIsBBsKsBAOBPOPSBAbip
Isaac Paredes941465211318.277.377.877.270
Jose Altuve88102410624.207.261.639.241
Jeremy Pena1021953131119.319.392.865.377
Christian Walker10396313931.214.277.655.275
Cam Smith9194511622.231.276.737.246
Yordan Alvarez932046211917.344.4551.036.371
Yainer Diaz37521327.270.325.730.310
Jake Meyers606314515.167.231.497.205
Joey Loperfido416214810.122.265.558.133
Brice Matthews505124218.160.192.492.200
Christian Vazquez48720239.146.196.384.179
Taylor Trammell446235416.227.292.769.280
Nick Allen19210018.211.250.513.364
Ray Delgado38311424.286.333.762.304
LaMonte Wade Jr.12221413.333.3851.135.375
Collin Price12110016.167.231.481.333
  • Positional Player of the Month –  Yordan Alvarez – He led the team in runs scored, home runs, BA, OBP and OPS (for everyone who had more than a few ABs) and tied for first in RBIs for the month.
  • Runner-up –  Jeremy Pena – Excellent slash (.319 BA/.392 OBP/ .865 OPS) out of that leadoff spot. They badly need him back off the IL soon.
  • Special Acknowledgment – Isaac Paredes – he could easily be the runner-up this month. On top of that he had quite a few clutch moments as he warmed up during the month.
  • Special Acknowledgment II – It was only 12 ABs, but Lamonte Wade Jr. gave the team a little spark before he was injured.
  • Last Positional Player of the Month – Christian Walker / Runner-up – Yordan Alvarez
  • Biggest Surprise (Positive) –   Ray Delgado – Bought from the Tampa Bay Rays – he has showed a solid left handed bat in his major league debut with the Astros. (But may be headed to the IL).
  • Runner-up  – AJ Blubaugh – Settling in – he has been giving the Astros increasingly good coverage of the bridge innings between the starters and the back end of the bullpen.
  • Last Biggest Surprise (Positive) – Braden Shewmake / Runner-up – Nick Allen
  • Biggest Disappointment –  Jake Meyers – he has never gotten close to the kind of offense he showed in 2025 and is frankly working himself out of a job.
  • Runner-up –  Jose Altuve – In no universe should Altuve be hitting .207 over 88 ABs. Is it just my imagination or is he standing too far away from the plate?
  • Last Biggest Disappointment – Offense as a whole / Runner-up – Lance McCullers

Some Comments on June

There are some interesting and puzzling things that happened to the Astros in June 2026:

  • In April – Altuve walked 17 times and struck out 24 times and had decent hitting numbers. In June he walked 6 times and struck out 24 times and has been bad.
  • The starters were 7-9 won-loss in June, while the bullpen was an excellent 9-2. Part of that was the Astros starting to get a late inning rally mentality.
  • Cam Smith and Taylor Trammell were the only OFs with even close to decent numbers for the team in June.
  • After an excellent April, Christian Walker has had two months where his numbers have been falling each month. He is still playing sterling defense and he has been good in the RBI department, but they need a little bit more April Walker as they wander along.

As usual, it is your turn to comment. Any awards you disagree with? Any new ones you want to award?

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26 responses to “ChipalattAwards for June 2026”

  1. Good morning everyone. Chip, thanks for stopping in and helping out. I hope you’ll stay around regularly. Great to have your perspective.

    And Dan, you were missed. Welcome back!

    Looks like the pen and some timely hitting saved us in June. With all the injuries and lack of depth, we remain a patch job. That will not change in 2026. Tough losing Pena again. He’s the motor Jose used to be. And yes Dan, just the other night my brother and I were agreeing that Altuve is further from the plate than ever. I rarely agree with my brother on anything. Is he cheating, hoping to turn on those wayward Crawford Box offerings? I know he can’t get the bat around. And he sure can’t reach the outside of the plate. I wish he’d figure out away to recreate the good eye he’s been able to show in the past. It’s a sad decline though.

    Yordan, even going through a mini slump, is still the guy that carries the offense. didn’t he finish June 0 for 16 or something similar? Maybe Walker has gone through the worst of his slide. But how is his back feeling? We really need Cam to step up and consistently show he can hit ML pitching. It’s a thing of beauty when he gets around on one. And we need Taylor Trammell to keep hitting too. Probably a bit of a long shot, but you’re got to play him now.

    So a few pundits are talking about AJ Blubaugh being the most realistic, valuable Astro trade chip as the deadline approaches. Someone at ESPN, Rome, and a couple of the no-names that always jump in. I don’t think this team is going to end up good enough to make a Blubaugh trade worth it. Sure, we’ve not lost much talent over the past few years when trading our prospects. But AJ has already shown what his value to the Astros might be for the next several years.

    Let’s face it. We could have gone 11 and 16 in June. We got a batch of gifts from the crummy teams we played. We sure don’t have anything resembling a reliable rotation right now. We don’t have much of an offense. We’ve got a solid, if overworked pen and mostly good defense. Dana Brown is not going to suddenly acquire a power house built to go deep into the post season in 30 days. He’s already had 3 and a half years.

    Dan, sorry to highjack the awards post again. To everyone, have a safe and wonderful Independence Day Weekend. I was in New York for the 1976 celebration. It remains the most memorable historical moment of my life.

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  2. The comments about Altuve standing farther from the plate are spot on. The Mrs. and I have commented on that many times. He is set up to be played by the opposing pitcher with their low and outside pitches for strike three.

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  3. Daveb – have to agree that the team could easily have had a losing record in June.

    Sarge – Altuve used to be able to spoil pitches low and away (sometimes) but now can barely reach the outside corner.

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    • Yes, Dan, I quite agree. It is a mystery as to why he is doing this. Surely, he can still get around on inside fastballs.

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  4. Altuve seems to be too far off the plate to me also. He is already vulnerable to outside sliders in striking out or grounding into double plays. There is sudden interest around the league in A. J. Blubaugh. To me, he is the kind of player the Astros need to keep . Good long man, dependable young and with club control for a few years. This club is flawed and even if they make the playoffs, will not go far . If they feel they need to make a move, consider Pena. He would bring a good return. He has been injured most of the year anyway. He would be a hurtful loss, but he is on his way out of the Astros anyway. I would probably get rid of Dana Brown now also

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  6. Good to see Arrighetti have an excellent game. Seems the focus might have been on pitch quality rather than putting up K’s.

    Another frustrating night from the bats. Small sample: Jose leads off the 6th and gets to 2-0, then tries to ambush ball three, way up and out of the zone. He eventually lifts another pitch out of the zone to left field for the first out. Yordan follows with the homer. If Altuve can’t accept the fact that he needs to take a walk in front of Alvarez, then Isaac should be in front of Yordan.

    Altuve was not the only guilty party though. Kelly came in and got 5 outs from 7 pitches. The Rays pen used three guys and just 28 pitches to get the last 11 outs of the game. The Astros looked like they wanted to get home for dinner.

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    • I know they want to get Altuve some pitches to plug in front of Yordan, but a guy with a .302 BA should not be leading off, I don’t care what the back of his baseball card says.

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  7. Happy 4th of July and 250th anniversary of our country’s birth. It doesn’t feel like 50 years ago that we were celebrating the bicentennial (until I think about all that has happened since).

    Astro thoughts:

    • The Astros are 26-22 with Jeremy Pena and 17-23 without him. Need him back quickly.
    • Spencer – we will take that kind of quality as often as you can bring it.
    • One of those rare games that the bullpen lost lately.
    • Six guys with ofers is not going to win very often.
    • Yordan on a pace for 48+ homers – Bagwell’s club record of 47 is still in play.

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  8. Happy Independence Day to all! Hate to be a party pooper but we’re 4 games under 500 and with two more against the Rays followed by the strangers and Nationals I’m not optimistic that we’ll get there before the All Star break. If not l’d say our chances diminish significantly and no one trade is going to do it for us. If that is the scenario, I would want us to look to building for the future. Just my 2cents worth.

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    • Happy 4th to you too sir!

      Zanuda, I believe we’re all mostly in the ‘build for the future’ camp. But, unless you have a secret connection we don’t know about, it appears that Jim and Dana are determined to build for ‘today’ and buy later this month.

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  9. Happy 250th birthday Americans!!! What a privilege it is to be born and raised in the best country of the world, under God.

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  10. The guy that has to post Astros transactions to the MLB site needs a bonus.

    Maybe Wade will show up and give some offense.

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  11. Obviously, Hunter Brown was not ready to pitch today. Also, why is Espada pitching to a player who has hit 10 home runs in 10 consecutive games only to allow him to now have hit 11 in 11 consecutive games. Then, to rub salt into the wounds, TB has men on first and third. The man on first runs to steal second and Diaz throws to second while the man on third comes home. NOOO!!! Geez! Fundamentals guys!!

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  12. Meyers and Loperfido were optioned to SL – Lamonte Wade Jr and Zach Dezenzo activated.

    Meyers has less than 5 seasons under his belt so he has to accept the demotion

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    • I was happily surprised at them sending Meyes down. As I stated above money $$$ talks. Meyers makes the most money and that was the surprise.

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  14. It’s a mediocre team having a mediocre season, but that hasn’t stopped me from enjoying Yordan. Second time in two weeks my office chair ended up slammed into the wall behind me as I screamed like a 7 year old. I understand not wanting to walk him and put the winning run on second but why challenge him in the middle of the zone? They had that one a coming.

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    • Yeah, I have a pretty good idea where this club is going and not going in 2026. When you get down 7-2 early against a very good club with your struggling ace on the mound, thoughts are bleak. But then you come back and score 8 of the last nine runs of the game with Yordan providing the final blow. It’s all good. Our club might be a mediocre group in whole, but it’s a stubborn mediocre group.

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  15. Good morning!

    Yesterday was Star Spangled Sunday, a production by NBC/Peacock and MLB that blacked out more games to more fans than ever before. If you did not have Peacock or were not familiar with a way to stream the Astros game, legally or otherwise, you probably did not watch the Astros yesterday. It’s a sign of things to come.

    When the Astros were down 7-2 in the 4th of July on Saturday, it did not look like they’d be winning their 9th in a row on that date. Ours is a patriotic group. And it did not look like we’d be winning the series again the Rays at that point. On Sunday, It was an unremarkable contest based on the condensed game, which did not require a whole lot of condensing. Peter Lambert has held on to his accidental ace title for the time being. And our guys collectively shut out a quality Rays team.

    Can we sweep a series?

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