At this time, the Houston Astros might just be playing themselves out of postseason play. They are in a collective funk right now, thanks to a fault-filled offense that’s pretty lifeless.
Of course, it does not help when a bullpen blows a lead as it did Monday night. The Astros and Texas Rangers are clashing in a regular-season American League West Division series in Arlington, Texas. On Monday night, the Astros’ anemic offense managed to scratch out three runs. It wasn’t good enough, though, to secure a victory.
Pitching Pretty Solid For Houston Astros
Shortstop Jeremy Pena was hit by a pitch from Rangers reliever Kirby Yates, giving the Houston Astros a 3-2 lead in the 10th inning. Newly-acquired Astros reliever Caleb Ferguson came on in the bottom of the 10th inning. His role was to keep that one-run lead. He couldn’t do it. Ferguson struck out Robbie Grossman and Jonah Heim with Adolis Garcia at second base.
Josh Smith, though, connected on a Ferguson pitch, hitting a game-winning, two-run home run to right field. That gave the Rangers a 4-3 victory, yet another extra-innings loss for the Astros.
When looking at the Astros’ lineup right now, key hitters like Jose Altuve, Yordan Alvarez, Alex Bregman, Pena, and others are not hitting well. The team managed to pull itself into first place in the AL West after a horrible start this season. They did it with solid hitting and good starting pitching.
Now, the starting rotation has been, for the most part, pretty solid. Spencer Arrighetti and Hunter Brown have turned their seasons around, shoring up an injury-depleted rotation. Ronel Blanco has been a highlight reel at times, too. Justin Verlander and Luis Garcia are making inroads on getting back at some point this season. Lance McCullers, though, has been shut down for a second season.
“We scraped [across] a couple of runs, and it looked like at the end it was going to be enough, but yeah…” Houston Astros manager Joe Espada said, according to MLB.com. “We’re trying to grind through it. We needed a big hit and we didn’t get it today.”
Losing six of their past eight games has moved the Astros into second place in the AL West. They are now 1.5 games behind the Seattle Mariners.
Ferguson sized up his initial Astros’ outing after giving up the game-winning homer. “Just tried to get it away and it leaked back middle on me,” he said. “A team in contention and you get over here and want to make good first impressions and I made a bad pitch. Forget about it and move on to tomorrow.”
The Astros went up 2-1 in the eighth inning on a Pena infield hit. But Corey Seager smacked a game-tying solo home run off reliever Ryan Pressly in the home half of the eighth. Bregman, who hit a solo homer in Monday’s loss, sized up the situation for the Astros coming into Tuesday night’s game.
Offense Needs To Step Up Play
“That’s baseball,” Bregman said. “Sometimes you got to tip your hat. Seager took a really good swing on a good pitch and Smith took a great swing, as well. You just tip your hat and move on to the next day and come back and continue to compete.”
The Astros have two more games against the Rangers at Globe Life Field, a place that’s been pretty welcoming to the Astros’ offense in recent history. Who, as an Astros fan, could forget Altuve’s clutch home run in last season’s American League Championship Series?
But Houston needs a lot more clutch, and timely, hitting at this point. The starting pitchers continue to do well in spite of the rotation’s shortcomings. Alvarez and Altuve need to pick up their as-expected offensive prowess. Houston Astros general manager Dana Brown could not pull the trigger on a trade for another bat ahead of the MLB trade deadline. He’s made it known that the team might dip into its minor-league system for some first-base relief.
Jon Singleton has been performing well with more playing time. He’s been doing his best to pick up the slack after the Houston Astros designated Jose Abreu for assignment. Yet Singleton’s not been able to amass large offensive numbers, and some fatigue might be setting in as well.
Anyone ruling out the Astros from postseason play at this time should take a wait-and-see attitude. The team has been on a postseason run that’s simply incredible in the past few seasons. But there are challenges ahead for the Astros, so they need to pick up their play. Astros fans can take heart, though. Their team is not even close to being as bad as the Chicago White Sox. They remember those lean years, too.
For More Great Content
Are you desiring top-tier content that covers everything? From thrilling sports and intoxicating entertainment news to gaming tips and professional betting advice, Total Apex covers it all. Delve into our no-fluff articles to stay ahead of the game with the latest sports action, uncover the hottest trends in entertainment, and get the latest scoops in the gaming industry that will take your experiences to the next level.
Finally, our betting advice will give you a decisive edge over the competition and increase your odds of beating the books. Whether you’re looking to stay updated or gain a competitive edge, Total Apex is your one-stop shop for all things compelling and relevant. Don’t forget we cover Fantasy Sports, too!
Check out all our sites: Total Apex Sports, Total Apex Fantasy Sports, Total Apex Entertainment, Total Apex Sports Bets, and Total Apex Gaming. Out of the ashes of obscurity will rise a beast. Always remember to Respect The Hustle! Follow us on Twitter/X @TotalApexSports to stay informed.
