ASTROS REPORT
Let's discuss the keys to a stellar second half for Astros
Jul 12, 2021, 1:48 pm
Getting Alex Bregman and Carlos Correa back will be huge. Photo by Jamie Squire/Getty Images.
MLB projected win totals are coming out and the Astros sit alone at the top
After an incredible come from behind victory to beat the New York Yankees on Sunday, the Astros now sit at top the American League West standings with a 55-36 record.
As it currently stands, Houston has the 2nd best record in the American League only behind the Chicago White Sox.
With the official first half of the MLB season in the books, the Astros look to continue their winning ways and make a playoff run for the 5th consecutive year.
Here are the keys to Houston's success entering the second half of the 2021 season.
In order for the Astros to continue their winning ways, they need consistent production from their All-Stars. Jose Altuve, Carlos Correa, Michael Brantley and Ryan Pressly all made the All-Star team this season. Although none of them are playing in the Midsummer Classic this year, they will use this opportunity to heal existing injuries and spend time with their families.
Atluve has a .278 batting average and leads the team in home runs with 20 this season. His latest was a three-run, walk-off home run against the aforementioned Yankees.
The other All-Star sluggers Correa and Brantley have and great seasons as well with Correa continuing to showcase he is one of the best shortstops in the game at the plate and on the field. Brantley is continuing to mash at the plate as he leads the team in bating average and is 2nd in the American League (behind Vladimir Guerrero Jr.) with a .326 average.
One Astros hitter who should have been an All-Star was Yuli Gurriel. He leads the team with 96 hits this season and has a .313 batting average with 54 RBI's. The first basemen is putting up career numbers across the board and has become one of the Astros best hitters this season.
Other Astros hitters who have made tremendous progress are Kyle Tucker and Myles Straw. When George Springer and Josh Reddick left the team after the 2020 season, both Straw and Tucker were given the opportunity to become everyday players for the Astros. Both outfielders got off to slow starts to start the season, but have become tremendous guys Dusty Baker can put in his lineup consistently.
This Astros hitting core leads the league in runs, hits, batting average and OPS. It's safe to say if the Astros continue to hit consistently, this team can defeat any team in the league.
Finally, Houston is expecting to get some of their injured players back here soon. Both Alex Bregman and Aledmys Diaz should be back to bolster this batting lineup and give the Astros some depth. Jose Urquidy should be back soon as well to help out this starting rotation.
After the All-Star break, the Astros will head to Chicago to start a three-game series with the White Sox before coming home for a six-game homestand against the Cleveland Indians and the Texas Rangers.
It’s May 1, and the Astros are turning heads—but not for the reasons anyone expected. Their resurgence, driven not by stars like Yordan Alvarez or Christian Walker, but by a cast of less-heralded names, is writing a strange and telling early-season story.
Christian Walker, brought in to add middle-of-the-order thump, has yet to resemble the feared hitter he was in Arizona. Forget the narrative of a slow starter—he’s never looked like this in April. Through March and April of 2025, he’s slashing a worrying .196/.277/.355 with a .632 OPS. Compare that to the same stretch in 2024, when he posted a .283 average, .496 slug, and a robust .890 OPS, and it becomes clear: this is something more than rust. Even in 2023, his April numbers (.248/.714 OPS) looked steadier.
What’s more troubling than the overall dip is when it’s happening. Walker is faltering in the biggest moments. With runners in scoring position, he’s hitting just .143 over 33 plate appearances, including 15 strikeouts. The struggles get even more glaring with two outs—.125 average, .188 slugging, and a .451 OPS in 19 such plate appearances. In “late and close” situations, when the pressure’s highest, he’s practically disappeared: 1-for-18 with a .056 average and a .167 OPS.
His patience has waned (only 9 walks so far, compared to 20 by this time last year), and for now, his presence in the lineup feels more like a placeholder than a pillar.
The contrast couldn’t be clearer when you look at José Altuve—long the engine of this franchise—who, in 2024, delivered in the moments Walker is now missing. With two outs and runners in scoring position, Altuve hit .275 with an .888 OPS. In late and close situations, he thrived with a .314 average and .854 OPS. That kind of situational excellence is missing from this 2025 squad—but someone else may yet step into that role.
And yet—the Astros are winning. Not because of Walker, but in spite of him.
Houston’s offense, in general, hasn’t lit up the leaderboard. Their team OPS ranks 23rd (.667), their slugging 25th (.357), and they sit just 22nd in runs scored (117). They’re 26th in doubles, a rare place for a team built on gap-to-gap damage.
But where there’s been light, it hasn’t come from the usual spots. Jeremy Peña, often overshadowed in a lineup full of stars, now boasts the team’s highest OPS at .791 (Isaac Paredes is second in OPS) and is flourishing in his new role as the leadoff hitter. Peña’s balance of speed, contact, aggression, and timely power has given Houston a surprising tone-setter at the top.
Even more surprising: four Astros currently have more home runs than Yordan Alvarez.
And then there’s the pitching—Houston’s anchor. The rotation and bullpen have been elite, ranking 5th in ERA (3.23), 1st in WHIP (1.08), and 4th in batting average against (.212). In a season where offense is lagging and clutch hits are rare, the arms have made all the difference.
For now, it’s the unexpected contributors keeping Houston afloat. Peña’s emergence. A rock-solid pitching staff. Role players stepping up in quiet but crucial ways. They’re not dominating, but they’re grinding—and in a sluggish AL West, that may be enough.
Walker still has time to find his swing. He showed some signs of life against Toronto and Detroit. If he does, the Astros could become dangerous. If he doesn’t, the turnaround we’re witnessing will be credited to a new cast of unlikely faces. And maybe, that’s the story that needed to be written.
We have so much more to discuss. Don't miss the video below as we examine the topics above and much, much more!
The MLB season is finally upon us! Join Brandon Strange, Josh Jordan, and Charlie Pallilo for the Stone Cold ‘Stros podcast which drops each Monday afternoon, with an additional episode now on Thursday!
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