How Astros league-leading offensive outburst has definitely not gone as planned
GOING DEEP
19 September 2023
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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C.J. Stroud and Anthony Richardson found themselves in the same spot when they met in Week 2 last season.
Both quarterbacks were top-five draft picks, lost their season openers and seemed to be facing a steep learning curve.
Richardson won Round 1 in Houston, although he didn't finish the game.
Stroud took Round 2 in Indianapolis with the injured Richardson watching from the sideline as Texans clinched the AFC South title and Stroud locked up his runaway selection as NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year.
On Sunday, each QB begins his second pro season — with a lot still to prove.
“I’m excited. First official game back with my guys and my teammates,” said Richardson, who had season-ending shoulder surgery last October. "I want to win. So, whatever I’ve got to do to do that, I’m going to do it.”
Winning a season opener certainly would be a welcome change for a franchise that last started 1-0 in 2013. The 10-game winless streak is easily the NFL's longest active streak.
But that's just a start for Richardson.
He needs to improve his accuracy after completing a pedestrian 59.5% of his throws in 2023 and must demonstrate he can finish games. He missed 13 last season and only finished one of his four starts because of an assortment of injuries, including the concussion that knocked him out of that Week 2 matchup at Houston after he ran for two scores.
Stroud, meanwhile, is coming off one of the most successful rookie seasons in NFL history.
He became just the third player in a half-century to lead the league in yards passing per game (273.9) and touchdown-to-interception ratio (4.6 to 1), won a playoff game and made hist first Pro Bowl appearance.
How can he improve on a season like that? By showing last season was a building block — not a fluke. He has a stronger supporting cast, too, with Joe Mixon, a four-time 1,000-yard rusher, and Stefon Diggs, who has four straight 100-catch seasons, now in the mix.
The long journey begins Sunday in Indianapolis.
“I want to just start fast,” Stroud said. “It doesn't have to do with a certain game, just in general this season. Last year, we started off really slow and just kind of had to build our way back. It's not an easy thing to do, so I would say this year we want to start fast.”
Houston receiver Nico Collins had two of his biggest games last season against Indy — catching seven passes for 146 yards and one TD in the Week 2 matchup only to outperform those numbers with a 195-yard day that included a 75-yard TD catch in Week 18.
He could play an even bigger role this time with Indy's young secondary trying to match up not only with Collins but also Diggs, Mixon and tight end Dalton Schultz.
“Nico is a playmaker,” Texans coach DeMeco Ryans said. “Every time I see him, he’s a true playmaker. So, you just have to get Nico the ball in any way, shape or fashion. Just find a way to get him the ball just to see how explosive and how dynamic he is.”
Injuries and a contract dispute prevented Jonathan Taylor from replicating the form he used to win the 2021 NFL rushing title. Starting against the Texans could be just what he needs.
In six games against Houston, Taylor has rushed for seven TDs and 135.2 yards per game — his highest average against any team he's faced multiple times. And in that rematch with Houston in Week 18, he finished with 30 carries for 188 yards, the NFL's highest single-game total all season.
Houston defensive end Will Anderson, last season’s AP Defensive Rookie of the Year, will play Sunday after recovering from an ankle injury that limited his training camp snaps.
The No. 3 overall pick in 2023 had 45 tackles, 10 for loss, and 7 1/2 sacks as a rookie. He expects to be even better this season.
“I’m way more comfortable,” he said. “Just going into Year 2 knowing the scheme better, knowing what to expect a little bit more and knowing what’s going to happen gives you more confidence.”
The Colts lost their 2023 sacks leader, Samson Ebukam, with a torn Achilles tendon during training. But they may have the perfect replacement.
Laiatu Latu was the first defensive player taken in April's draft, at No. 15 overall, and he's shown coaches that the moves he used to record 23 1/2 sacks over his last two college seasons can work in the NFL.
“We know that there’s going to be a learning curve there," defensive coordinator Gus Bradley said. "We know there are going to be plays that we’re going to come in and say there were some good plays, and there were plays he wishes he had back — we understand that. But just his overall mentality and skill set, we’re very excited to see.”