Much like the entire season, it has been a wild week for the Astros. There were big wins, struggles, successes and a slew of injury news items. As the All-Star game approaches next week and we reach the midpoint of the season, it feels like a good time to assess where the team is right now. If there was ever a team that desperately needed to live in the moment, it is this one because the past is nuts and the future is murky at best.

So, let's see where we are at today.

Offense Making Strides

On the team's recent road trip, they averaged over six runs per game (they went 6-4), which is WAY up from where they have been. Jose Abreu, who has been much maligned for his miserable performance since joining the team has an OPS well north of .900 since Yordan Alvarez went on the IL. Corey Julks and Yainer Diaz, a pair of rookies, likewise have seen their stars rise. During the road trip, Kyle Tucker caught up to Alvarez in RBIs, and Chas McCormick solidified his spot in the lineup with huge hit after huge hit.

If there were ever at time for the bats to come around, this was it. Offense has been the problem for the ballclub this entire season even with the myriad number of injuries to the pitching staff. They just cannot seem to score runs until suddenly they do. More importantly, they are getting quality at bats up and down the lineup, particularly late in games when they are needed most. They could still use another good hitter, but it seems like they are finally starting to turn around a miserable season offensively just as we hit the halfway mark.

The Pitching is Still Shockingly Good

If we were to tell you that the Astros starting rotation would include JP France, Brandon Bielak, Ronel Blanco and Shawn Dubin by the middle of the season, you would either think we were crazy or the team was perhaps the worst in the AL. What if we added that Lance McCullers, Jr. and Luis Garcia would be lost for the season, Jose Urquidy would miss a significant stretch with an injury, and Cristian Javier was going to struggle terribly?

Remarkably, and we aren't really sure how, this remains one of the best pitching staffs in baseball. France has been a discovery, Framber Valdez has been the ace we hoped he would be, and Hunter Brown is as solid as he was at the end of last season. Blanco has turned himself into a reliable starter at the far back end of a rotation and even Bielak, after a stint at AAA, gave the Astros seven innings of shutout baseball on a day when their bullpen was severely taxed.

Oh, and they beat the division-leading Rangers three-out-of-four despite Valdez being scratched from the lineup and needing Dubin to take his place. Whatever pitching coaches Josh Miller and Bill Murphy are doing, someone needs to patent it and lock the formula away in the basement of Minute Maid Park forever.

Did we mention Rafael Montero has also basically imploded? Just wild.

Good News, Bad News Injury Updates

Injuries really have been the story behind the stories throughout this season. We've covered the season losses, but there have been a ton of others that took guys out for a week or two and that has a cascade effect on the entire team. The bad news is that Michael Brantley, who hasn't played since last June, has been taken off baseball activities as his shoulder has flared up yet again. They will try to resume in a few days, but it seems more and more likely that he will not play this season.

If that weren't enough of a bummer, Jose Altuve was scratched from the lineup on Tuesday when he appeared to strain an oblique muscle during batting practice. Interestingly, it was not the same oblique that sidelined him earlier this year right after his return from the broken thumb he suffered during the WBC in Spring Training.

Fortunately, there is good news. It appears that both Alvarez and Urquidy are fairly close to returning. Urquidy threw live batting practice this week and has thrown off the mound without discomfort. He could be ready for a rehab stint after the All-Star break. Alvarez is hitting and throwing while recovering from his oblique strain. Like Urquidy, Alvarez should be ready for a rehab assignment after the break. We'll take it.

The Week Before the Break

Tucker was named to the All-Star game as a replacement for Mike Trout, who broke his wrist, and he'll join Framber Valdez and Yordan Alvarez as the Astros player representatives (Dusty Baker will manage). The rest of the team will get some much needed rest — if any team needs it... — but before then, there is an opportunity to do some damage.

Coming off the huge series win in Arlington, the Astros took the first game from the Rockies 4-1 on Tuesday. They have two more with Colorado before hosting the awful Mariners for four games. This gives them an opportunity to rack up some wins and perhaps even close the gap a little more between themselves and the Rangers, which stands at three games as we write this.

And, not to look ahead too far, but out of the break, the team goes on a West Coast road trip with series against the Angels, Mariners and A's before coming home to face the Rangers in Houston. There is a chance they could be the division-leading Astros by that point. Fingers crossed.