Here are the 3 most important Houston Astros lessons learned so far in 2023
HARD LESSONS
12 May 2023
The Houston Astros received a lot of positive feedback in the offseason for their free agent acquisition of first baseman Jose Abreu. Many fans were disappointed to see Yuli Gurriel leave, but understood there was an opportunity to add some pop in the lineup by signing Abreu.
Houston also re-signed reliever Rafael Montero and outfielder Michael Brantley to bolster the roster. What do all these things have in common? All three of these moves occurred while the Astros were without a general manager after James Click was relieved of his duties.
So it's no surprise that many are lumping all these signings together because at this point in the season, none of these decisions have worked out. Abreu still isn't hitting and continues to be slotted in the cleanup spot by manager Dusty Baker. Montero has an ERA over six, and Michael Brantley is still dealing with a shoulder issue and hasn't played for the Astros.
Even at the time of these signings, many people did not feel like these were typical Astros moves. So is it fair to be critical of Astros ownership for these deals not working out? Or is it unfair to point the finger at the Astros when most fans and media loved the Abreu and Brantley signings when they took place?
Don't miss the video above as we address these tough questions.
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Rockets’ late push falls short as struggles continue in third straight loss
Mar 4, 2025, 11:06 pm
Tyrese Haliburton scored 28 points and matched a season high with 15 assists, and the Indiana Pacers recovered after blowing a 17-point third-quarter lead to beat the Houston Rockets 115-102 on Tuesday night.
Pascal Siakam scored 18 points and Myles Turner added 16 for the Pacers, who have won six of eight.
Alperen Sengun scored 25 points and Tari Eason had 16 points and 14 rebounds for the Rockets, who dropped their third in a row.
Indiana led 90-73 with three minutes left in the third quarter but immediately allowed a 15-0 run by Houston. The Rockets pushed ahead 96-95 on a layup by Amen Thompson with 8:45 left in the fourth, but Aaron Nesmith responded with a three-point play that kicked off an 18-3 run by the Pacers.
Takeaways
Rockets: They were 32-14 on Jan. 28 but have lost 11 of their past 16 games.
Pacers: Six of their next seven games are on the road. The stretch includes home and away meetings with Milwaukee, which beat Atlanta Tuesday night to remain in fourth place in the Eastern Conference, with the same record as fifth-place Indiana (35-25).
Key moment
Ben Sheppard made a 3-pointer — his first basket of the game — early in the fourth quarter to stop Houston's 15-0 run and give Indiana a five-point advantage.
Key stat
Haliburton reached double digits in assists for the sixth straight game, his longest such streak this season. He entered averaging 8.8 assists per game after leading the league in that category last season at 10.9.
Up next
Rockets: At New Orleans on Thursday night.
Pacers: At Atlanta on Thursday night.
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