The Rockets alternate jersey? Meh. Courtesy photo
This is the best time of the year for sports fans because of the NBA, March Madness, MLB right around the corner, and NFL free agency so instead of focusing on one topic, here are a few things that have me pondering:
If you have a team falling in the second round of the playoff, why not just pick the upset in the first round? At the end of the day, this is just a numbers game and if you don’t pick at least 3 out of 4 in the Final Four AND the champion, you’re more than likely out. Won’t it be way more fun when you get to brag to your group that you picked South Dakota State over Ohio State?
The Rockets win streak is over, but my biggest takeaway from that game was how dope the Raptors OVO City Edition jerseys looked. I know I’m nitpicking and it isn’t my money, but the Rockets Chinese City Edition jerseys are such a meh. I wish we had some dope ass unique jerseys like the rest of the NBA, but I guess paying LeBron won’t be cheap so gotta get that money!
I finally stopped being cheap a bought a decent surround sound system for my sports viewing pleasure and I asked this question on Twitter: What’s the first song you would play on your new system? My pick is Mountains from the Interstellar soundtrack. What is yours? Add to the tweets.
Hey everyone, just a reminder, TruTV is on DirecTV channel 246, Dish 242, Xfinity 1430, and ATT U-verse 1164. You’re welcome.
$10 billion. Can you guess why this number is important? No, this isn’t the total amount of Bitcoin bought (or lost) in recent months. This is instead the total dollar amount people will wage, put in a pool, or bet otherwise during March Madness! Oh by the way, only 3% of that will be waged legally. *Insert debate about making sports betting legal*
My biggest issue with Odell Beckham Jr.’s video was that he ordered a crappy hotel pizza and not something from Uber Eats or DoorDash.
Please stop sharing that Kanye West song bracket because it doesn’t even have Lost in the World as one of his best songs. Bye.
Shout out to all the companies that will let employees watch the NCAA games and work. I’ll never take for granted the opportunity to work in an industry that encourages us to watch basketball during work hours. This really is my favorite time of the year.
Be sure to follow me on Twitter for my brackets: The Raheel and Del listener bracket, Baby Trixster Picks The Games bracket, and my official bracket!
Most Popular
SportsMap Emails
Are Awesome
Listen Live
The Houston Astros (20-19) are just 4–6 over their last 10 games, but the numbers tell a more encouraging story. Despite the record, Houston is slowly but surely gaining ground in the AL West, sitting just two games back with a division-best +21 run differential. The standings may not fully reflect it yet, but the Astros are showing clear signs of being on the other side of their early offensive struggles.
Through the first month and change, the team’s season-long offensive stats still look pedestrian—14th in OPS (.697), 21st in slugging (.375), 20th in runs scored (163), and just 25th in home runs (33). But zoom in on the last 15 games, and the picture shifts dramatically.
In that span, the Astros have quietly put together one of the most productive offenses in baseball. And that's with Yordan Alvarez and Jose Altuve missing time due to injury. Houston ranks 4th in OPS (.805), 6th in slugging (.442), 7th in runs (64), and 5th in doubles (22). For a team with playoff expectations, that kind of turnaround is exactly what fans have been hoping for.
The resurgence has been powered in part by rising bats in the middle of the lineup. Christian Walker, who looked stuck in a rut early on, has caught fire over the past week, hitting .385 with a .500 slugging percentage over his last 7 games. Yainer Diaz is heating up too, hitting .310 with a .448 slug over that same stretch. Zoom out a little further, and Diaz has been even better—.339 average and .559 slugging over his last 15 games. His bat is starting to match the hype.
On the mound, the Astros have had their share of turbulence, particularly in Lance McCullers Jr.’s rocky return. Saturday’s 13–9 loss to the Reds underscored some of those struggles. McCullers failed to escape the first inning, giving up walks and hitting a batter before allowing a barrage of hits. Across his two starts since returning from injury, the right-hander has walked three batters and hit one in each outing.
Even so, Houston's pitching remains a strength overall. The Astros rank 8th in team ERA and lead the majors in WHIP (1.14), while holding opponents to the second-lowest batting average (.213). The bullpen, in particular, has been nails. Steven Okert, Josh Hader, Bryan Abreu, and Brian King have all posted ERAs of 1.59 or lower, keeping games within reach when starters falter.
There’s still work to do, and the standings don’t lie. But if the last two weeks are any indication, Houston is turning the corner. The bats are waking up, the bullpen is elite, and the rotation has room to get healthy and sharper. It might not show up in the win column just yet, but make no mistake—the Astros are trending in the right direction.
We have so much more to discuss. Don't miss the video below as we examine the topics above and much, much more!
The MLB season is finally upon us! Join Brandon Strange, Josh Jordan, and Charlie Pallilo for the Stone Cold ‘Stros podcast which drops each Monday afternoon, with an additional episode now on Thursday!
*ChatGPT assisted.
___________________________
Looking to get the word out about your business, products, or services? Consider advertising on SportsMap! It's a great way to get in front of Houston sports fans. Click the link below for more information!