Coming off a series loss to the Rays, the Astros sit one game back in the AL West as they head to Arlington to take on the Rangers.

Houston only scored one run in the final two games against Tampa Bay, highlighting the biggest problem the club is currently dealing with. The lineup is not very good, and the offense is not scoring nearly as many runs as earlier this season.

They clearly miss Kyle Tucker, and the top of the order is not delivering, especially when it comes to power numbers. Yordan Alvarez has only hit one homer in the past month, and Jose Altuve only went deep once in the month of July.

To make matter worse, once pitchers get past the top four hitters in the 'Stros lineup, it's smooth sailing until the top of the order comes back around. Jeremy Pena isn't getting the job done in the five spot, and the rest of the lineup isn't doing any better.

Jake Meyers will keep getting starts in center field because of his abilities on defense, but his batting average is now all the way down to .232.

First base remains one of the biggest weak spots on the team, and Astros GM Dana Brown recently said they may look to Sugar Land to give Jon Singleton a breather.

Prospects Zach Dezenzo and Shay Whitcomb were mentioned specifically by Brown as options that could be called up to give the team a spark. Both players are putting up big numbers in Sugar Land.

Chandler Rome made an interesting observation in his column for The Athletic this week. Neither Dezenzo nor Whitcomb have nearly the amount of experience at first base compared to Joey Loperfido. And Loperfido never got a start at first base before he was traded last week.

It's hard to believe Joe Espada would start Dezenzo at first when he only has one minor league start at the position on his resume. Lopefido couldn't get an opportunity at first with 59 minor league starts under his belt.

Finally, it sounds like Kyle Tucker won't be back until possibly September. Can the Astros hold down the fort with pitching and defense until Tuck returns?

Don't miss the video above for the full conversation!

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