The Astros have won eight straight heading into their series against the worst team in baseball, the White Sox. Their lead in the AL West is now three full games, once a ten-game deficit. From the outhouse to the penthouse, this is a team now firmly in control of their destiny in the feeble AL West. So, what happened?
Lots of things have to happen for this kind of resurgence. Good decisions. Great plays. Smart coaching. It takes the entire team. But there have been some standout decisions and play that lead the list. Let’s take a look.
The back three…but not those three.
To start the season, the belief was that, after the addition of Josh Hader, the Astros would have the seventh, eighth and ninth innings on lock. Early in the season, that didn’t materialize. Since those struggles, Josh Hader has been amazing with a team record 26 straight saves. Bryan Abreu has returned to the form we remembered in 2023. Ryan Pressly, while good in stretches, has struggled, however.
Enter Taylor Scott, who is rapidly emerging as a key leverage reliever late in games. Raise your hand if you had Scott’s success or even his inclusion on the 40-man roster on your Astros bingo card this year. Now, put your hand down because you didn’t know. Now, it seems this group of relievers could have the sixth covered as well. Impressive.
Young pitching.
We were all surprised by the start of Ronel Blanco and his continued dominance, just as we were confused by the awful start from Hunter Brown. Brown struggled mightily in April, but since he has been lights out. The guy many hoped would be a future top-of-the-rotation starter really looks like one now just absolutely dominating every time on the field. But, he is not alone.
Spencer Arighetti, a pitcher no one was certain would even make the ballclub, has become a stable middle rotation arm and a strikeout machine. He struck out 12 and 13 in consecutive games, an AL record for a rookie. His confidence continues to grow and it bodes well for the Astros future.
Lefties.
Yes, Framber Valdez has been very good again, coming just one out shy of his second no hitter recently. And, sure, Yordan Alvarez is, once again, one of the most feared hitters in baseball. When Kyle Tucker gets back from his injury, he will join a ballclub with some very talented lefties. But, at the trade deadline, GM Dana Brown made a move many fans hated, sending away a pair of talented minor leaguers for a 33-year-old starter, Yusei Kikuchi, who had an ERA over eight in his last month-plus of pitching.
Since arriving, Kikuchi has been nearly perfect. In his first three starts, he has a 2.70 ERA, allowing just five runs over 16-plus innings with 24 Ks and just six walks. Once again, the Astros pitching staff has taken a player many thought could be past his prime and rehabilitated him immediately, asking him to lean on a great changeup he seldom used.
Alex Bregman.
Plain and simple, we were worried. The free agent third baseman was in the worst funk of his career, a start that was terrible even by Bregman’s terrible start standards. Since the first part of May, Bregman has been torrid. His OPS is over .850 and his has 18 homers in that span. That is in addition to his typically sparkling defense at the hot corner. This turnaround could have happened with Bregman just being average, but his success has fueled it.
The future present.
Despite being recently ranked 30th out of 30 teams in farm systems, the Astros continue to move players into the majors with success. But, it’s two young veterans who are clearly the future of the team in Jeremy Peña and Yainer Diaz. Peña has cut down dramatically on his K rate, keeping his batting average above .270 and gradually inching up his home run total (12 currently).
But perhaps the most impressive single player for the entire season has been Diaz. He has put behind him the doubts in his defensive weaknesses, but has managed to transition to a multi-position player and valuable DH. He has been flirting with a .300 batting average all season and, like Peña, has been slowly increasing his power at the plate while leading the team in RBIs. For these two, the future is now.
This article appears in Jan 1 – Dec 31, 2024.
