Surging Astros find critical answers for postseason march, still searching in other areas
IT'S ALL RIGHT THERE!
19 August 2024
Starting pitching is leading the way for Houston. Composite Getty Image.
The Houston Astros are on a roll, winning nine of their last ten and now leading the AL West by four games.
One of the biggest reasons for their recent success has been dominant starting pitching, especially from Framber Valdez and Hunter Brown.
And don't look now, Justin Verlander is set to return to the club on Wednesday, starting the series finale against the Red Sox.
The vibes are certainly good in Houston right now, but there are some areas of concern. The Astros are about to be tested with a brutal stretch on the schedule beginning this week.
The club has upcoming series against the Red Sox, Orioles, Phillies, Royals, and D-Backs. Certainly the pitching has been great, but the 'Stros will have to get the bats going to compete with some of the top offenses in baseball.
The bottom half of the lineup has struggled to get anything going, that's why we've seen the so many minor league prospects elevated to the big league club. Manager Joe Espada is looking for a spark, but it's just not happening.
Outside of Yordan Alvarez, the lack of offensive production from the outfield can't be overstated. This team misses Kyle Tucker, and he's' not a lock to return anytime soon.
The infield is also struggling, with Alex Bregman missing time with an arm injury and Zach Dezenzo going four straight games without a hit after his big home run at Fenway.
With three right-handed pitchers starting for Boston this week, don't be surprised if we see Jon Singleton get more opportunities at first base. Yainer Diaz is starting at first Monday night, so maybe we see him more at first base in the coming days.
Power outage
Bleacher Report posted an article recently about the “biggest red flags” for every team. For Houston, Jose Altuve has seen a big dropoff in power after the first 80 games of the season.
Altuve “slugged .473 through his first 80 games, but since then he has only seven extra-base hits and a .353 slugging percentage.”
Altuve hit a home run on Sunday to give the bullpen some breathing room, but the falloff in his slugging percentage is real. Is he dealing with a nagging injury, or is he showing fatigue from playing so many games at 34 years old? Our guess is the latter, but it's hard to know for sure.
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.
José Soriano and two relievers combined for a two-hitter and Oswald Peraza hit his first home run since a trade from the Yankees to lead the Los Angeles Angels to a 3-0 win over the Houston Astros on Sunday.
Soriano (10-9) allowed one hit and struck out eight in seven innings. Luis García allowed one hit in a scoreless eighth and Kenley Jansen threw a perfect ninth for his 25th save.
There were two outs in the fifth when Peraza connected off Hunter Brown (10-7) into the bullpen in right-center field to put the Angels up 1-0. His homer comes after his two-run single in the ninth inning Saturday helped Los Angeles to a 4-1 victory that snapped a three-game skid.
Yoan Moncada walked to start the eighth and scored on Mike Trout’s double that bounced off the wall in center field to make it 2-0. Taylor Ward walked before Luis Rengifo reached and Trout scored on an error by Lance McCullers Jr. when the pitcher overthrew first base.
Yordan Alvarez singled with no outs in the first and Soriano walked a batter in the second and sixth innings. The Astros didn’t get another hit until Ramón Urías doubled with one out in the eighth inning. Los Angeles outfielder Taylor Ward was injured trying to make a catch on that hit when he crashed face-first into the metal scoreboard in left field.
He was carted off the field holding a towel to the right side of his face. He was taken to a hospital by ambulance where interim manager Ray Montgomery said he would receive stitches to close the cut and be evaluated.
Brown allowed three hits and a run with five strikeouts in six innings. McCullers Jr. allowed three hits and two runs in his first relief appearance since 2018.
Key moment
The home run by Peraza.
Key stat
It’s the fifth time the Astros have been shut out this month.
Up next
LHP Yusei Kikuchi (6-9, 3.68 ERA) will start for Los Angeles in the series finale Monday against RHP Luis Garcia, who’ll make his return after sitting out since May 2023 recovering from Tommy John surgery.
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