ASTROS REPORT
Astros end slump at Minute Maid and may have found a hidden gem
Apr 26, 2021, 4:12 pm
The Astros got a much-needed series win. Photo by Bob Levey/Getty Images.
After starting their season with a 6-3 record, the Houston Astros were swept by the Detroit Tigers, lost two of three games to the Seattle Mariners and were swept once again by the Colorado Rockies (who had the worst record in baseball at the time) in a 2-game series.
During this 1-7 stretch the Astros offense was atrocious as they were unable to score runs consistently.
Sure they didn't have Alex Bregman, Robel Garcia, Martin Maldonado and Yordan Alvarez in four of those games during that stretch due to being placed on the COVID-19 reserve for contract tracing, but other players were not stepping up as they should have.
One player in particular who has had a tough season is Kyle Tucker.
His batting average is .181 to start the year with 16 strikeouts.
Martin Maldonado is another Astros' player who is slumping as his batting average is .111 and leads the team with 23 strikeouts.
The two bright spots of the 1-7 slump were Michael Brantley and Yuli Gurriel.
Both batters continued to stay hot at the plate has they were able to hit above .300 and keep the team afloat during this valley portion of the season.
The Astros looked to change their fortunes by starting the first half of an eight game homestead against the Los Angeles Angels.
Thursday night's game to start the series was historic, as it was the first time the Astros played exclusively on YouTube.
The popular video sharing site seemed to bring good luck, as Houston went on to score the most runs in a game since their initial 4-game series against the Oakland A's.
A more likely factor for their good offensive fortunes could be that Astros' manager Dusty Baker made a change to his lineup by putting Carlos Correa as the leadoff hitter for the first time in his career.
This seemed to work as Correa had two hits, two RBI and scored three runs.
Alex Bregman had his best performance since returning from the COVID-19 list landing three hits and three RBI.
Cristian Javier made his Astros return after spending some time at the alternate site. He struck out a career-high nine batters and threw five scoreless innings.
The Astros broke their 3-game losing streak and beat the Angels 8-2.
Friday's game proved to be more difficult as Houston needed extra-innings and an unlikely hero to win their second straight game against the Angels.
Los Angeles took a 2-0 lead in the 5th inning but Gurriel tied the game with a two-run home run in the bottom of the 7th.
The Angels scored two runs in the top of the 10th on RBI singles by David Fletcher and Astros' headache Albert Pujols off Ryan Pressly to take a 4-2 lead. These were the first earned runs given up by Pressly this season.
The bottom of the 10th started with Kyle Tucker on second base and went to third on a fly ball by Aledmys Díaz. Myles Straw singled to score Tucker and the lead was cut to 4-3.
Jason Castro then hit a ground-rule double into the right field corner to send Straw to third. The play was reviewed to see if it was a foul ball, but the call was upheld.
Correa was able to score Straw on a sacrifice fly to tie the game 4-4.
With two outs in the bottom of the 10th, the number 2 spot came up in the batting order. Instead of the usual Michael Brantley hitting in that place, it was Robel Garcia, who just returned from being on the COVID-19 reserve list.
Brantley was pinch run for by Chaz McCormick earlier in the game and Garcia was pinch hitting for McCormick.
Garcia took two quick strikes from Angels closer Raisel Iglesias but hit an RBI single to score Castro to win the game 5-4 for the Astros.
Saturday's game was arguably the best game for the 'Stros, as they scored a season high 16 runs and found an unused gem in their bullpen.
Jake Odorizzi started the game for the Astros, but only lasted 1/3 of an inning as he left the game early with an injury.
Enter Kent Emanuel who didn't think he was going to pitch anytime soon.
"All of the sudden they were like: 'Hey, you better start loosening up,'" he said. "I was like ... 'here we go."' Emanuel said after the game.
The former Astros minor leaguer made his major league debut by pitching the remaining 8 2/3 innings of the game.
"It's pretty wild," Emanuel said. "But I've been expecting this moment for quite some time now. So, I was ready."
He allowed five hits and two runs and became the fourth pitcher to have a relief outing of 8 2/3 innings or more in the modern era. Fred Smith (1907), Maury Kent (1912) and John Montefusco (1974) were the others just in case you were wondering.
The Astros gave Emanuel a lot of run support to say the least.
Correa, Bregman and Kyle Tucker all hit home runs in this game to give the Astros their best offensive performance of the season.
Sundays' game ended the week on a sour note, but was still eventful nonetheless.
Lance McCullers started the game and pitched more than five innings for the first time and left the game with a no decision after Yuli Gurriel hit his fourth homer of the season to tie the game 2-2.
Angles two-way superstar Shohei Ohtani broke the game open with a solo home run off Luis Garcia in the top of the 8th to give the Angels a 3-2 lead.
The Halos won the game 4-2, but still lost the series to the Astros 3-1.
This was the first series win since their first one of the season in which they swept the Oakland A's in four games.
UP NEXT: The Astros finish out their homestead with four games against the Seattle Mariners before heading on the road Friday to take on the Tampa Bay Rays.
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!
*ChatGPT assisted.
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