What is the deal with the Astros and bad teams? Maybe it is playing down to competition. Maybe it’s an injury-plagued rotation and lineup. Whatever the case, going just 4-3 against the A’s and Angels isn’t great, particularly when you are about to face top NL division leaders this week.
Of course, the Astros are above .500 against teams that are over .500 themselves and 27-13 at home where they are heading for the week, so we’ll see. Let’s take a look at the week.
Last Week Record: 4-3
This Week Opponents: Phillies (47-31), Cubs (46-31)
Current Record: 45-33 (1st in AL West – 5.0 games)
Get ready for a National League barnstorming tour.
It’s a unique quirk of the schedule that the Astros have four straight series (two at home, two on the road) against NL teams. The fact that three of the four are also leading their respective divisions makes this a big test for an Astros team that is piecing together lineups like a jigsaw puzzle missing the corners (more on that in a moment). The Phillies and Cubs are in town this week, the Phils coming off a series win over the Mets. They are 8-2 in their last 10. The Cubs are just 5-5 in the last couple weeks, but the series at Diakin Park marks the return of Kyle Tucker (and Ryan Pressly).
After that, it’s the road against the worst team in baseball at the Rockies, which means nothing given their recent struggles against the A’s, followed by a series against the other most injured pitching staff in the majors, the Dodgers.
Dana Brown is juggling the roster like a circus clown juggles bowling pins.
As of this past week, the Astros were among the top team in baseball in innings pitched by rookies – 144.2 to be exact. No one had Ryan Gusto and Brandon Walter and Colton Gordon on this team’s starting rotation bingo card when the season opened, but here we are. With Spencer Arrighetti still weeks away from returning and Lance McCullers nursing a foot sprain, it’s rookies to the rescue.
Brown has also had to deal with Yordan Alvarez being out for an extended period, Jacob Melton on the IL, while trying to figure out how to balance a lineup and still give days off to veterans. The result is a lineup that makes the average fan scratch their head and say, “Um, who’s that now?” Returning some of these guys over the next few weeks will be a boost (assuming the rest remain healthy), but it’s not making things easy on the Astros GM.
And there may be a rookie who should be in the bigs…now.
If you want to complicate matters even further, consider the case of Brice Matthews. The middle infield prospect has been absolutely destroying at Triple A Sugar Land over the last month. He was already pushing to make the roster out of Spring Training, but it wasn’t to be. Given his recent success and the Astros willingness to fast track certain players (see: Smith, Cam), it wouldn’t be a shock to see Matthews in the bigs sooner rather than later, particularly given the rather glaring hole the team has at second base with Jose Altuve in the outfield.
The problem is the roster. To make room for Matthews, someone will likely have to face waivers given their 40-man roster is currently full. Brendan Rodgers might make the most sense with Matthews likely taking over his spot at second, but the team could wait until the trade deadline to clear some room that way.
Don’t look now, but the trade deadline is looming.
Speaking of, the July 31 trade deadline is about five weeks away and the Astros figure to be in the market for some potential starting rotation help and a left-handed bat. Brown has been clear that the team would love another lefty in the lineup, but could Alvarez’s return accomplish that without a move? The team also promoted veteran Taylor Trammell who was injured in Spring Training, and Melton should return giving additional southpaw options at the plate, but Brown will be hunting for help as the deadline approaches.
It may still be a month away, but with all the injuries, there is no good reason for any changes to begin in haste.
