For the first time this season, an opponent swept the Houston Astros. Since it came against the lowly Texas Rangers, should fans be concerned?
There have been few, if any days, in which Houston Astros fans were worried about the club this season. It makes sense, considering the reigning World Series champions lead the American League West by four games.
But after a three-game sweep at the hands of the Texas Rangers, there may be a cause for concern. It was the first sweep Houston endured all season.
The club’s current four-game losing streak is its longest since September of last year. That was also the last time an opponent swept the Astros.
Yet, Houston’s season is not spiraling out of control, though the loss of All-Star Jose Altuve won’t help. Moreover, Carlos Correa remains out and the closing situation isn’t exactly solved.
The Astros’ poor hitting performance combined with shoddy pitching in the three losses during the weekend.
Dallas Keuchel, who has been consistent recently, surrendered three runs on Friday. But the bullpen kept the Houston out of reach, yielding eight runs in the final four innings.
Surprisingly, Justin Verlander and Hector Rondon coughed up most of the runs in Saturday’s bout. The other run came against newcomer Ryan Pressly.
And it was essentially deja vu on Sunday, when Lance McCullers posted a solid start but still earned the loss.
Houston enters a three-game series with Seattle and then a World Series rematch following that. Essentially, the Astros could be in second place in the AL West by the end of the week.
Since the All-Star Break, Houston’s offense hasn’t been as nearly as potent as usual. The team is hitting .198 as a team, which ranks last in the MLB in that span.
Meanwhile, the pitching staff owns a bloated ERA above 5.00 since the break. But just one starter across that frame allowed more than three runs.
Springer’s turnaround
Although many Astros hitters are in a dry spell at the dish, outfielder George Springer has done the opposite.
The reigning World Series MVP entered the break hitting any abysmal .190 in June and .220 in July. But since the flip to the second half, he owns a .281 average with three home runs.
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Houston’s leadoff hitter also just one of two players with double-digit total bases since the break. He leads the team in RBIs in that span as well.
Though Springer’s recent success has pushed his average above .250, he still sports his lowest average since his rookie season. His OPS is also the lowest it’s ever been since his promotion to the bigs.
Nevertheless, the Astros outfielder, like every MLB players, typically undergoes a slump at some point in the season. But it could be behind him already.
Springer’s power numbers look similar to his career average. Yet, he will have to continue this hot stretch throughout much of the second half to come closer to his 34 homers from last year.
The 28-year-old’s second-half numbers during 2017 and 2016 were worse that his first-half stats. But maybe Springer can turn that trend around as he leads Houston through a formidable schedule.
If the Astros expect to claim the AL West once again, they will need him.