Houston Astros: They’re good, but let’s curb the enthusiasm
By Travis Koch
The 40-16 Houston Astros are the talk of Major League Baseball. They are clearly dominating, but has their dominance been the result of team talent or lack of competition?
The Houston Astros enter play Sunday afternoon as the best team in Major League Baseball. Houston’s 40-16 record makes them the only team with a .700+ winning percentage, and it has bolstered them to a 12.5-game lead in the American League West. The team’s dominant start has them on pace to flirt with the single-season record for wins, a record currently held by the 1906 Chicago Cubs and 2001 Seattle Mariners.
The hype surrounding the Houston Astros is certainly justified. Not only do they have the record to prove it, but the Astros check off the entire list of what makes a team great. Dallas Keuchel and Lance McCullers Jr. make up an elite one-two punch atop the rotation. Houston has a supremely talented offensive core, consisting of Carlos Correa, Jose Altuve and George Springer. Plus, they added a much-needed veteran core involving Carlos Beltran, Nori Aoki, Brian McCann and Josh Reddick. The Astros’ bullpen has even impressed in 2017.
Houston is firing in all facets of the game. In fact, they have avoided a single false step thus far. But the road will grow tougher. Focusing on the teams the Astros play most often, their division rivals have been far from competitive this season. It could easily be argued that the American League West has been the weakest division in all of baseball, though the National League East may have some say in that. Nevertheless, the Houston Astros have benefited from the weak division in which they lead.
vs. the Texas Rangers
The Astros are 5-1 against the Texas Rangers in 2017. Houston had looked completely helpless against the Rangers in each of the two previous seasons, but the opposite has been on display so far this year. The Lone Star rivalry has been very one-sided as Houston has outscored Texas 41-26 in their six meetings. Sheer dominance, but it has been against a depleted Rangers team.
Texas has been without Tyson Ross all season, and injuries to starters Cole Hamels and A.J. Griffin have forced a makeshift starting rotation. Adrian Beltre recently returned after missing the team’s first 51 games, and center fielder Carlos Gomez has missed significant time due to a hamstring injury.
This is not a prediction that the Texas Rangers will go from a below average team to a sensational team. However, it is obvious Texas will be much improved once their impact players return to full health. Houston’s matchups against the Rangers will be significantly tougher come August and September.
vs. the Los Angeles Angels
The Astros are 5-2 against the L.A. Angels in 2017. Houston has made short work of the Halos, holding them to fewer than three runs per game in their combined seven meetings. The Astros will host the Angels once again beginning on June 9. Los Angeles will of course be without Mike Trout in the three-game series.
The Angels are another team that is a shadow of their usual selves. Like the Rangers, Los Angeles has been ailed by the many injuries to their pitching staff. Starting pitchers Garrett Richards, Andrew Heaney and Tyler Skaggs are currently on the 60-day DL. Additionally, late-inning reliever Andrew Bailey and closer Huston Street are on the 60-day DL. And, in case you’ve been living under a rock, Mike Trout will miss 6-8 weeks after undergoing thumb surgery this past week.
In summary, the Angels’ best player will miss significant time, and their top three starting pitchers and two of their key relievers will continue to miss significant time. The good news is each of these injuries are expected to be healed prior to the season’s end. Thus, the Angels will be far more competitive later on, posing as an eventual threat to the Houston Astros.
vs. the Seattle Mariners
The Astros are 5-2 against the Seattle Mariners in 2017. Houston opened the regular season against the Mariners by taking three out of four games in the series. They defeated Felix Hernandez in game one and Hisashi Iwakuma in game two. Houston faced a primarily healthy Mariners team in their two series meetings this season, though things have changed since.
Seattle was expected to contend in the AL West, but nearly their entire starting rotation went down with injuries simultaneously. James Paxton recently returned from the DL. Paxton has lived up to his potential in 2017. The lefty slinger is 4-0 with a 1.26 ERA, but has been held to only seven starts due to injury. Hernandez and Iwakuma remain sidelined due to shoulder injuries. There is no defined timeline on either of their returns. Lastly, Drew Smyly has yet to debut with his new team due to a left elbow injury.
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On the offensive side, Jean Segura, who has been the Mariners’ most consistent bat in 2017, has been on and off the disabled list. As has Mitch Haniger, who was impressing early on in his rookie campaign.
The Mariners lack depth, therefore they are not a team that can withstand this amount of injury. Point being, we’re looking at a Seattle Mariners team with a completely different makeup once these players return.
vs. the Oakland Athletics
A quick note on this matchup – the Astros are 4-1 against Oakland this season. Contrary to the point of this article, the Athletics have been a primarily healthy team this season. Oakland simply is not talented enough to compete in the AL West even when healthy.
The American League West is a generally strong division. Yet injuries have made it weak. The Houston Astros find themselves running away with the division early. While the rest of their competition may already be too far gone, the Rangers, Angels and Mariners will make the road to glory far more difficult for Houston as the season progresses.
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Houston will face their divisional foes in 51 more games this regular season. Most of those meetings will take place in the second half of the year. Their lead is strong and the chance of them forfeiting it is very minimal, even with it only being the first week of June. But things have been a little too easy for the Houston Astros, in a game that is supposed to be unpredictable from the first pitch thrown.
The Astros have possessed the kryptonite which seems to affect each of their division rivals. Look for the rest of the West to grow stronger in 2017, and to challenge the new-to-the-spotlight Houston Astros with some major adversity as the season nears an end.