After sweeping the Minnesota Twins on Sunday, the Astros are currently riding a 5-game winning streak and hold a 4.5-game lead over the Seattle Mariners in the American League West.

Despite their early season struggles and having a long list of players on the injured list, Houston has turned things around thanks to an offense led by players stepping up in significant ways and having one of the best rotations in baseball.

Pena's prominent rise

After losing both Alex Bregman and Kyle Tucker during the offseason, the Astros knew they needed to get more production from players other than Jose Altuve and Yordan Alvarez to stay competitive. Enter Jeremy Pena, who is having the best season of his career offensively.

Over the offseason, the 27-year-old reworked his swing and has seen a dramatic increase in his offensive numbers.

The 4th-year shortstop not only leads the team in batting average (.325) but is second in the American League in WAR behind Aaron Judge.

Since Pena moved to the leadoff spot on April 27th, the Astros are 28-17 and have become one of the more productive offenses in baseball.

Pena should earn his first All-Star Game appearance and will be a key factor for the Astros' success as the season goes on.

Cam Smith and Jake Meyers continue to rake

Another player making a significant impact is Cam Smith. The 22-year-old rookie was playing in the College World Series for Florida State around this time last year and now has solidified himself as the Astros' new everyday right fielder since making the roster on Opening Day.

Smith has a .253/.327/.363 slash line and earned his first career walk-off hit against the Twins over the weekend. The former Florida State Seminole is giving the Astros an everyday, reliable bat to put in their lineup while playing elite defense in right field.

Houston's other outfielder making notable strides this year is Jake Meyers. The Nebraska native has the second-highest batting average on the team (behind Pena) and is having a Gold Glove-caliber year in center field.

Meyers is having his best season at the plate since his rookie year in 2021 and is steadily moving up in the Astros batting order.

With the multitude of injuries Houston has endured thus far, it is a luxury having two consistent bats in their lineup who can produce offensively and also play defense at an elite level like Smith and Meyers.

An underrated rotation

Speaking of injuries, the Astros are without three starting pitchers this year, with several more on the injured list.

Ronel Blanco and Hayden Wesneski were supposed to be mainstays in the rotation this year, but both pitchers are out for the remainder of the season with Tommy John surgery. Spencer Arrighetti is also on the IL with a broken thumb but could come back sometime around the All-Star break.

Most teams who suffer this many injuries to their rotation would fall apart, but this Astros' pitching staff is resilient and contains two of the best pitchers in baseball.

Hunter Brown entered this season as the clear number two option for the Astros but has elevated his game to become the co-ace of this staff at minimum.

The 26-year-old leads the team in wins with an 8-3 record and has the lowest ERA in the American League at 1.88. Brown consistently pitches deep into games and also leads the team with 105 strikeouts.

The former Astros' top pitching prospect should be in the Cy-Young Award conversation along with guys like Max Fried and Tarik Skubal with the numbers he has put up thus far.

Framber Valdez (7-4) is having an All-Star-caliber season, too. The 31-year-old leads the team in innings pitched and is just behind Brown in strikeouts with 96 k's this season.

Having a one-two punch of Brown and Valdez has been essential for the Astros' success this year, and both pitchers have the numbers needed to make All-Star Game appearances as well.

The rest of their rotation is becoming a strength for this team, with Lance McCullers Jr., Colton Gordon, Ryan Gusto and Brandon Walter seemingly improving with each start.

Having a six-man rotation worked well for the Astros in previous seasons and gives the pitchers more time to recover between each start.

Players like Cristian Javier, Luis Garcia and JP France could all return at some point this season to further bolster this pitching staff.

Houston has the talent to compete with any team this year and will only improve once players such as Spencer Arrighetti and Yordan Alvarez return from their injuries.

With an offense that is continuously improving and a pitching staff that is one of the best in baseball, the Astros are well-positioned to make another playoff run and keep their championship window open for the foreseeable future.