ASTROS REPORT

5 Astros stats you may have missed during this red-hot stretch

Astros Yordan Alvarez, Jose Altuve, Kyle Tucker
What a hot stretch for Houston! Composite image by Jack Brame.
3 reasons the Houston Astros newest lineup is raising eyebrows

The Astros are coming off back-to-back series victories over the Boston Red Sox and the Minnesota Twins and are scoring runs consistently again.

Houston scored a combined 45 runs over this 6-game stretch and the Astros now rank first in hits, batting average, OPS, runs and runs per game this season.

This offensive showcase can be attributed to a certain player returning to the lineup as well as multiple Astros contributing at the plate, on the mound and even on the base paths.

Michael Brantley came off the 10-day injured list on Tuesday against the Red Sox. He wasted no time at all, picking up right where he left off in terms of hitting. He played in five games last week and had 12 hits and 6 RBIs over that span. His .337 average and 1.4 WAR were missed by the Astros, and it looks as though Brantley is fitting right back in to this dynamic offensive lineup.

Kyle Tucker continues to increase his productivity at the plate on a week by week basis. The Houston outfielder is riding an 8-game hitting streak and increased his batting average by 11 points this week. Tucker got off to a terribly slow start and was batting an abysmal .173 on May 1st. The slugger has turned things around, and is becoming one of the Astros most formidable players this season.

Since his three run home run at Yankee Stadium, Jose Altuve has increased his batting average from .256 to .288 and has returned to looking like the Altuve from years past, not the one we saw last year in 2020. There is no doubt that no one has received more heckling at the plate than Altuve to this point from fans and opposing players. This may have affected him at the start of the season, but he has come to accept the boo birds are here to stay, and if anything it might be fueling his recent resurgence at the plate.

Another key player the Astros are getting contributions from is Yordan Alvarez. The 23-year-old as been Houston's primary designated hitter since he was called up in 2019. Lately, Alvarez has been getting some reps in left field, further bolstering his range with the team. He earned his first career stolen base on Sunday against the Twins, proving he can be a threat at the plate, in the field and on the base paths. Yordan can do it all.

Good pitching has also been a contributing factor for the Astros winning ways. No pitcher has been better than Framber Valdez. In his fourth year with the Astros, the lefty has earned a career best 1.42 ERA after four starts this season. He has thrown for at least seven innings in three consecutive starts. The Astros may have to make some tough decisions with six pitchers vying for five spots in the rotation, but Valdez does not have to worry about losing his spot in the order anytime soon the way he has been dealing on the mound.

Up Next: The Astros start a 6-game homestead with two games against the division rival Texas Rangers and a four-game series against the Chicago White Sox.

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The Texans are the class of the division. Photo by Tim Warner/Getty Images.

The Houston Texans received a lot of praise for their moves in free agency across various outlets. And for good reason, most people believe the team got significantly better with the additions of Danielle Hunter, Azeez Al-Shaair, and Denico Autry among others.

But there's another factor to consider this offseason. How much have the other teams in the AFC South improved?

When looking at the PFF grades in free agency, the Colts received a B-minus. Most of the Colts moves this offseason involved spending a lot of money re-signing their own players. Which is great in theory, but it's hard to improve the overall quality of your roster when you're bringing back players that were already there to begin with. A lot will be riding on player development for the Colts to see a big jump this season. A healthy quarterback wouldn't hurt either.

The Jaguars have made some big additions financially this offseason by signing receiver Gabe Davis and defensive tackle Arik Armstead. They also lost the top receiver on the market, Calvin Ridley, to the Titans. Gabe Davis wasn't able to establish himself as a reliable No. 2 receiver with Josh Allen throwing him the ball in Buffalo. So it's hard to believe he'll take the next step in Jacksonville. Their best move of the offseason might have been retaining edge rusher Josh Allen by using the franchise tag on him. So what did PFF think of Jacksonville's offseason? They received a B-minus, just like the Colts.

The Titans have a lot of turnover heading into the 2024 season, and not just on the roster. They have a new head coach in Brian Callahan, who's looking to revamp Tennessee's offense. Early in free agency, they agreed to terms with former Cowboys running back Tony Pollard, signing him to a 3-year deal at $8 million per season. Which is more money than the Ravens are paying for Derrick Henry, who left the Titans in free agency. Calvin Ridley was the most notable addition to the squad, he received a 4-year, $92 million deal. And while this could be viewed as an overpay, at least he gives the Titans' offense some upside. Their receiving corps looks a lot more dangerous with Ridley added to DeAndre Hopkins and Treylon Burks.

They also spent big at the center position, adding Lloyd Cushenberry on a 4-year, $50 million contract.

Because the Titans spent a lot of money on some highly coveted players, PFF gave them a B.

Now that brings us to the Texans. The Texans re-signed some of their own players like Dalton Schultz and Noah Brown. But they also made some big splashes with Hunter, Autry, Al-Shaair, and Joe Mixon. But the Texans spent their money in a more conservative way by not handing out many contracts over two years in length.

The Texans managed to add the best pass rusher in free agency with Hunter, but it's only a two-year deal. The overall talent level is going up on this roster, and GM Nick Caserio isn't having to sign players to long contracts that could come back and haunt him.

That's why we're seeing post-free agency power rankings coming out with Houston in the Top 10. And that's also why PFF gave the Texans an A for their moves in free agency.

Be sure to check out the video above as Craig from Sports Talk Extra takes an in-depth look at PFF's grades for the AFC South, and much more!

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