Astros Off to A Very Slow Start, Can They Bounce Back?
After snapping a five-game skid last night against the Rockies and winning again today, the Houston Astros have a record of 9-19. Before Saturday’s beatdown in Mexico, the Astros got swept by the Chicago Cubs and lost three out of four games to the Washington Nationals. Due to this horrible start, Houston is in fifth place in the American League West and is six games out of first place. They are behind two of the worst teams in the American League in the Los Angeles Angels and the Oakland Athletics, who won’t even be playing in Oakland next season. This start is surprising to many fans across the league, so what’s going on?
Newly acquired star closer Josh Hader is off to a very bad start, sporting an abysmal 8.38 ERA and a -0.5 WAR through his first 11 games of the season. With the addition of Hader, the Astros were supposed to have one of the best bullpens in the MLB, joining Ryan Pressly, Bryan Abreu, and Rafael Montero. Hader, a five-time all-star, is off to the worst start of his career. Another big component in their slow start has been the play of first baseman José Abreu who’s a former MVP, and might just be the worst hitter in baseball right now. He’s batting .104 with a horrible .284 OPS and only has one extra-base hit on the season. If the Astros are going to turn it around, he needs to play a lot better or get benched. They have also been plagued with the injury bug, with Justin Verlander, Cristian Javier, Framber Valdez, Lance McCullers Jr., and Luis Garcia missing time already this season.
The Astros, obviously, have a loaded roster, as they have seven straight ALCS appearances. Kyle Tucker, Jose Altuve, and Yordan Alvarez are off to hot starts. Verlander is also back on the mound. He is a key piece of their roster and will help the injury-riddled pitching staff. They are more than capable of turning around this horrible start. With a fully healthy team and with everyone playing like they should, the Astros are one of the scariest teams in the MLB.
