Growing up, the All-Star break was always taken as the halfway point of the major league season. It might not have been the exact halfway mark, but it was closer than it is today. For instance, back in 1968, the year the Astros hosted their first All-Star Game, the break came after the Astros’ 83rd…

Heard a story about the Astros interviewing the Blue Jays announcer about this four-game series that spanned Canada Day to the 4th of July. Paraphrasing what he supposedly said, “You know what we call the 4th of July here in Toronto? Thursday.”

Due to a late-month surge, including a seven-game winning streak, the Astros had the best month in the majors in June at 17-8. After the early season swoon, this helped the team ease over the .500 mark at 42-41 and back within a reasonable gap behind the plummeting Seattle Mariners.

The Astros’ frustrating 7-2 loss Friday night to the Mets, in which they were held to 2 runs despite putting up 12 hits and four walks, left the Astros at 40-41. After talking to my CPA and a couple of Nobel Laureates, it was revealed that 81 games mark precisely the halfway point to an…

It is unclear whether the Astros have turned the corner, having cut 4-1/2 games off their 10-game deficit in the AL West in the last week, or at a crossroads on the season.

There has been a lot of focus on the Astros’ starting pitching problems this year, mostly due to their many injuries. The hitting discussions have been more sporadic and spent a lot of energy on the undeniable truth that Jose Abreu needed to go. Well, Jose is gone, but the offense still has problems. Kyle…