How these last hopes for Astros must repair unlikeliest of foundational cracks
FIXING THE ASTROS
04 June 2024
Can the Astros turn this season around? Composite Getty Image.
The Houston Astros are coming off another crushing series loss and now sit 7.5 games behind the division leading Seattle Mariners.
And while things haven't been going well for the club this year, some areas of the team are showing improvement. Despite all the injuries to the starting rotation, the pitching has been excellent as of late.
Hunter Brown and Spencer Arrighetti appear to be developing into quality back of the rotation starters. Which is key with the injures to Jose Urquidy and Cristian Javier.
Alex Bregman seems to have found his power stroke at the plate, but now that he's hitting, Jose Altuve, Kyle Tucker, and Jeremy Pena are struggling. It's just been one of those years for the Astros. They can't seem to get hot at the same time.
And when the pitching and hitting give the bullpen a late-game lead, they've struggled to hold it. Josh Hader and Bryan Abreu seem to have overcome their early season issues, but Ryan Pressly is another story. His command has been a problem for most of the year. His walks per nine innings (3.2) haven't been this high since 2015. When he makes a mistake, there's often a runner on base, which has cost the Astros several games.
Look at the bright side
One possible saving grace for this team is their schedule. If they can start stacking up series wins against the Cardinals, Angels, Giants, Tigers, and White Sox, maybe they can get back to .500 and put themselves in striking distance of the Mariners.
Be sure to watch the video above for the full discussion!
Catch our weekly Stone Cold ‘Stros podcast. Brandon Strange, Josh Jordan, and Charlie Pallilo discuss varied Astros topics. The first post for the week generally goes up Monday afternoon (second part released Tuesday) via The SportsMap HOU YouTube channel or listen to episodes in their entirety at Apple, Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts.
Astros test new formula as Espada mixes the pieces
Aug 1, 2025, 4:05 pm
The Houston Astros kick off a pivotal weekend series against the Boston Red Sox on Friday night at Fenway Park — and they'll do so with a familiar face back in the lineup. Carlos Correa, reacquired in a stunning trade deadline move on Thursday, is set to make his return to the Astros and will hit cleanup in his first game back with the team that drafted him No. 1 overall in 2012.
Correa rejoins a Houston club that sits atop the AL West at 62-47 and is coming off a resounding 9-1 win over Washington on Wednesday, fueled by Jose Altuve’s four-hit performance. The Astros are 27-23 on the road and enter Friday with the fourth-best on-base percentage in the American League (.321).
The Red Sox, meanwhile, have won six of their last 10 games and hold a 34-21 record at home. Boston enters the weekend third in the competitive AL East at 59-51. Outfielder Jarren Duran has been a spark plug, hitting .265 with 29 doubles and 12 triples on the year.
Houston will send right-hander Hunter Brown (9-5) to the mound, while Boston will counter with RHP Cooper Criswell (1-0).
Friday marks the first meeting of the season between these two clubs.
All eyes will be on Correa’s return in a stadium where he’s delivered countless postseason moments. Now, he begins the next chapter of his Astros career, joining a team counting on him to help fuel their playoff push.
Starting lineup
So how will Joe Espada deploy his new toys? Pena is back at shortstop and leading off, with Altuve hitting second and serving as the DH. Jesus Sanchez gets his first Astros, start hitting third, and playing left field. Correa begins his Astros reunion hitting fourth and playing third base.
Big night in Beantown.
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Yainer Diaz (C) will hit fifth, followed by Christian Walker (1B), and Taylor Trammell (CF). It's interesting to see Cam Smith hitting so far down the lineup at eighth. He'll play right field and finally, Mauricio Dubon will hit ninth and play second base.
Betting odds
BETMGM SPORTSBOOK LINE: Astros -134, Red Sox +113; over/under is 8 runs
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