How Astros league-leading offensive outburst has definitely not gone as planned

GOING DEEP

It all comes down to this for the Houston Astros. With just four series left in the regular season, the Astros now have the firepower to win games with their bats regularly. Now if they can just get the pitching to give them enough to get by.

The Astros have been in the Top 10 in team ERA all season, but they've been middle of the pack when it comes to the offense. Specifically, their team OPS. But how quickly things can change.

Many Astros fans would be surprised to learn that the Astros are No. 1 overall in team OPS (.880) over the last 30 days. They're also No.1 over the last 15 days. How about slugging? No. 1 overall (.514) over the last 15 days.

It took the club a while to get things going, dealing with injuries to Yordan Alvarez and Jose Altuve for big chunks of the year. But with their full assortment of weapons available to them, no team is swinging the bats better than the 'Stros currently.

So why aren't they winning more games? It all comes down to consistency. When the Astros explode for 12 runs one day, and follow that up with only 2 runs the following day, they're likely going 1-1, despite scoring 14 runs over two games.

And if you have been watching this season, you know what we're talking about. When you see the Astros drop 10 runs on an opponent, you start wishing for them to save some runs for the next game. Because you've seen how this usually plays out for this year's team.

The other factor that's holding the Astros back is the pitching over the last month. While the team ERA has been Top 10 all year, they've fallen to 20th over the last 30 days. So as the offense climbs to the best in the majors, the pitching falls off to the bottom half of the league.

Monday's loss to the Orioles is a great example. The offense comes storming back and takes a 7-5 lead, only for Ryan Pressly to blow the save, losing 8-7.

Be sure to check out the video above as we discuss Houston's ascending offense, and try to figure out how they can get the pitching back on track.

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Opening Day is just days away for the Astros, and the biggest storyline leading up to the season has been Cam Smith. Smith put together an impressive spring, but many wondered if that would be enough to make the big league roster. Well, we don't have to wonder anymore.

Manager Joe Espada announced that Smith will start in right field against the Mets on Opening Day. And it gets even better, the Astros captured the moment Smith found out he made the club on video.

Be sure to watch the video below as Smith's mother breaks the exciting news to Houston's new slugger!


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