ASTROS OUTLOOK
Breaking down 4 Houston Astros that are heating up in May
May 5, 2022, 6:08 pm
Kyle Tucker and Yordan Alvarez are swinging the bat well for Houston. Composite image by Jack Brame.
After completing a sweep of their division rival Seattle Mariners, the Astros are only 2 games behind the Los Angeles Angels for first place in the American League West.
Similar to last season, Houston’s bats got off to a slow start during the month of April, with only Michael Brantley hitting consistently above .270.
Once the calendar flipped from April to May, their offense has awoken and multiple players are ending their offensive woes.
King Tuck awakens
Kyle Tucker for the second consecutive year started off the season slow at the plate, and at one point had an abysmal .087 batting average on April 22nd.
The 25-year-old outfielder has since found himself out of this hole, and is hitting .455/.500/.727 over his last seven games. Tucker is also tied for second on the team in RBI with Yordan Alvarez, who also got off to a slow start this season.
Air Yordan is now boarding
Similarly to Tucker, Alvarez was hitting below .200 until the Astros went to Arlington and beat the Rangers in three of four games.
Since the conclusion of that series, the 24-year-old native Cuban is hitting .333/.448/.833 with four home runs and eight RBI during that span.
Tucker and Alvarez were two of the main reasons Houston had the best offense in baseball last year, and now that these two are hitting like they did during the 2021 season, there is no limit to how far this offense can take the Astros this year.
It's not just the hitters who are improving at the right time, as two veteran pitchers are finding their strides as well.
JV is still dealing
Justin Verlander’s start to the 2022 season has been nothing short of spectacular.
After undergoing Tommy John surgery in late 2020 and missing the entire 2021 season, the former Cy-Young award winner looks as if he hasn’t missed a beat during his time away from the game.
Through five starts this season, the 39-year-old has a 3-1 record and a 1.93 ERA. His fastball is hitting the mid 90’s as in years past, and is putting away batters with his slider and curveball with ease.
Verlander has not given up more than three runs in any of his starts and has the 6th lowest ERA in the American League.
“It's just one start at a time," Verlander said. “This game will bring you down in a hurry so you can't be complacent. But I would say it’s better to get off to a good start than a bad one, but I've just got to keep working."
If JV continues to pitch like this, the Astros staff will be in good hands every time their ace is on the mound.
Don’t discount Jake
Jake Odorizzi had the worst start by any Astros pitcher two weeks ago when he was pulled after allowing 6 runs in 2/3 of an inning.
His two starts since that outing were much better, and it seems as though the veteran pitcher has much more confidence on the mound. The 32-year-old pitched through 6.2 innings on Monday (his longest outing as an Astro) and didn’t allow any runs to score.
“It’s just good to be able to have success, go execute a game plan, give the team a chance to win," Odorizzi said.
The Astros are 8-2 over their last ten games, in large part due to their offensive resurgence and stellar starting pitching performances as of late.
Assuming the Astros can have consistent performances at the plate and on the mound, there is reason to believe Houston will be vying for their 6th consecutive postseason appearance.
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!
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