With one third of the season in the books, the Astros are still trailing the Mariners in the AL West and have yet to reach .500 this season.

With such high expectations every year in Houston, many fans are looking for someone to blame. Enter new manager Joe Espada. It's human nature to notice what's different from last year, and point the finger.

And considering the Astros' record, Espada shouldn't get a free pass for the club's struggles. But if we're being fair, we have to wonder how many of the decisions he makes are his own?

Which brings us to Jose Abreu. The Astros' front office is giving Abreu every opportunity to justify his albatross of a contract. Why else would they bring him back to the big leagues after struggling in the minors, and then drop him in the starting lineup to face the dominant Mariners pitching staff? One theory is they wanted to bring Abreu back while they were on the road, to avoid fans booing him at Minute Maid. If that is true, we have to question the logic. If he struggles in his return on the road, why would that keep fans from booing him when the club returns to Houston?

Back to Espada. Playing both Abreu and Jon Singleton in the same lineup is on him. He has better options in Mauricio Dubon and Victor Caratini. We keep hearing that Abreu will have to play regularly if he's going to find his swing again. But that doesn't appear to apply to Dubon, Chas McCormick, and Joey Loperfido. Loperfido proved he could hit at the big league level and was rewarded by being demoted to Sugar Land to make room for Abreu.

We hate to say it, but it appears giving Abreu every opportunity to turn things around is more important than making the playoffs. And if they do miss the postseason, don't be surprised if Espada is the “fall guy” for the poor decisions from the front office. From the outside looking in, we believe Jim Crane and Jeff Bagwell are running the show, with Dana Brown and Espada just following orders.

Don't miss the video above as we address the biggest concerns facing the Astros, who deserves the most blame, how they can turn things around, and much more!