Why frustrations about Houston Astros bullpen should include some critical perspective, context
23 September
Will Houston's bullpen live up to expectations?Composite Getty Image.
After a dreadful start to the season, here the Astros are once again, looking to clinch the AL West and head back to the postseason.
Astros GM Dana Brown stood by this team when things were at their bleakest, adamantly saying this team was too talented to be “sellers” at the trade deadline.
The club is on an impressive run, and you don't have to look any further than the 2023 World Series champion Texas Rangers to remind yourself that sustaining success like the Astros is very difficult to do.
The Rangers have already been eliminated from playoff contention, silencing the assertions that the torch had been passed from the Astros to the Rangers. Not so fast, Ranger fan.
Bullpen concerns
If the Astros are going to put together another deep playoff run, they're going to need the bullpen to pitch better. Josh Hader coughed up the lead on Sunday, allowing four runs and only recording one out. Which led to the Angels avoiding the four-game sweep.
It hasn't been all bad with Hader this year, but his ERA has jumped from 1.28 in 2023 to 3.67 in 2024. It's interesting that the Astros felt like they needed a more dominant closer after Ryan Pressly finished with a 3.58 ERA in 2023. Only to have Hader post a higher ERA than Pressly did last year and this year.
A matter of perspective
It's not like the Astros are below average in the pen, they're just not elite like they were in 2022. And who knows, Hader could bounce back with a spectacular season in 2025. He's just not living up to the highest salary in MLB for a closer.
It's important to keep in mind, several of the teams the Astros could face in the postseason won't have a bullpen as strong as Houston's. So as bad as it seems after Hader's poor performance on Sunday, the 'Stros bullpen is better than most.
Don't miss the video above as we discuss how prospective plays a big role in fairly assessing Houston's bullpen, and much more!
*Catch our weekly Stone Cold ‘Stros podcast. Brandon Strange, Josh Jordan, and Charlie Pallilo discuss varied Astros topics. The first post for the week generally goes up Monday afternoon (second part released Tuesday) via The SportsMap HOU YouTube channel or listen to episodes in their entirety at Apple, Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts.
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The Houston Astros clinched their fourth straight AL West title with a 4-3 win over the Seattle Mariners on Tuesday night, overcoming a terrible start to reach the playoffs for an eighth consecutive year.
“That’s our goal every year we get to spring training is to win the division,” new manager Joe Espada said. “That’s where everything starts. And their commitment and their purpose is behind everything we do … and that’s something that we take very seriously here.”
The Astros are the first team to win the AL West in four straight seasons since Oakland won five times in a row from 1971-75. It’s the first time they’ve won four consecutive division titles, after winning three in a row on two previous occasions (1997-99 and 2017-19).
Houston limped out to a 7-19 record and trailed Seattle by a season-high 10 games on June 18. But the Astros won their next seven to start a 13-2 stretch as they improved to 46-42 by July 5.
They moved past the Mariners into first place in mid-August and cruised home to their latest division crown by going 79-53 after that awful 26-game stretch.
The Astros overcame numerous injuries to return to the postseason in their first year under Espada, who was hired as a first-time manager after Dusty Baker’s retirement.
Houston’s rotation was decimated by injuries early, with José Urquidy and Cristian Javier both undergoing Tommy John surgery in June, and Framber Valdez missing most of April with elbow inflammation.
The injuries forced the Astros to insert Ronel Blanco and rookie Spencer Arrighetti into the rotation. Blanco threw a no-hitter in his season debut and is second on the team with 12 wins and a 2.88 ERA. Arrighetti has made 28 starts and was selected AL rookie of the month for August after going 3-2 with a 1.95 ERA.
But their problems weren’t limited to pitching. Houston was left scrambling to find an answer at first base after releasing veteran José Abreu with $30.8 million remaining on his contract after he hit .124 through June 13. The lineup went almost three months without Kyle Tucker after the All-Star right fielder fractured his right shin on a foul ball June 3.
Yet the Astros found a way to overcome those obstacles and get back to the playoffs again, as they aim for a third World Series championship after winning in 2017 and 2022.
Houston, which has reached seven consecutive AL Championship Series, captured two other pennants during that stretch before losing World Series matchups with Washington in 2019 and Atlanta in 2021.
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