The Houston Astros are on an 8-game tear and the offense is doing its part despite the absence of slugger Kyle Tucker.

One of the main reasons for the team's success has been Yainer Diaz's ability to protect Yordan Alvarez in the lineup while they await the return of Tucker.

Diaz has made several improvements this season, one of which is significantly decreasing his strikeouts. Clearly, Diaz feels a lot more comfortable at the plate in 2024.

Hitting coach Alex Cintron told The Athletic recently that he believes Diaz was pressing last season, thinking if he didn't produce at a high level, he wouldn't get regular playing time.

But as we look back at last season, there really wasn't anything Diaz could have done to replace Martin Maldonado at catcher. Dusty Baker was unwilling to play any catchers over Maldy no matter the results or pressure from the front office.

When Astros GM James Click traded for Christian Vazquez in 2022, Baker held steady to playing Maldy. Baker also allegedly convinced owner Jim Crane to veto a trade for catcher Willson Contreras.

Last season, GM Dana Brown said he would like to see Diaz get more playing time at catcher. Dusty stuck to his guns with Maldy, despite the aging player's historic lows on offense and Diaz making a run at Rookie of the Year.

When the playoffs arrived, Diaz didn't get one start at catcher, and zero starts period in the ALCS. Maldonado hit .125 in that series, just a few points higher than his .119 batting average in 2024 with Chicago that led to him getting DFA'd.

Furthering the case that Maldy was done last year, but Baker wouldn't make the switch.

One has to wonder if giving Diaz more playing time at catcher during the regular season could have provided the Astros with the edge needed to overcome the Rangers and return to the World Series.

A new day

Houston's manager and front office now seem to share the same vision. Joe Espada is much more willing to give young players opportunities to prove they can do the job. When Dana Brown promotes players to the big league roster, Espada gives them a chance to play.

There doesn't seem to be friction between the manager and the front office. And you never know when a young player can give a team a spark.

The Rangers had no problem elevating prospect Evan Carter in 2023. They brought him to the big leagues in September, and he was a force in their offense that helped the team eventually secure a championship.

That's why it's exciting to see Espada and Brown give opportunities to guys like Zach Dezenzo, Joey Loperfido (before he was traded), and Pedro Leon.

Plus, look at the perception of Espada now with Astros fans. Many were ready to run him out of town early in the year, and hope Baker would come save the club.

Fast-forward to August, and the Astros hold a three-game lead over the Mariners for first place in the division.

Be sure to watch the video above as we examine the impact Diaz and Espada are having on the streaking 'Stros, if the Astros missed a big opportunity in 2023, and much more!

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.