On May 8 the Houston Astros were 12-24 and 10 games behind the first place Seattle Mariners. Since then, the Astros have the best winning percentage in the MLB and have completely erased the deficit.
As of Aug. 27, the Astros (75-63, 1st AL West) hold a season-high six-and-a-half game lead in the division over the Mariners (69-70, 2nd AL West). The bottom has completely dropped out on Seattle’s offense, and they have all but handed their playoff spot to the surging Astros.
Yordan Alvarez, Yainer Díaz, and Jose Altuve have been the head of the snake for the Astros on the offensive side of the ball this season. They have been hovering around a .300 average for most of the year and have been the epitome of consistency. Alvarez hit for the cycle July 21 in a season highlight, becoming the second Astro to do so in the last two years, after Altuve accomplished it last year in Fenway Park.
The Astros pitching has completely flipped the script after a dreadful start to the year as well. They have weathered injuries to rotation mainstays such as Justin Verlander and Christian Javier. Framber Valdez, Hunter Brown, Ronel Blanco, trade deadline addition Yusei Kikuchi and rookie Spencer Arrighetti have all stepped up.
Brown has had the most incredible turnaround of anyone on the Astros. He had an 8.89 ERA after his start May 5, one of the worst in the league. Since that start, he has pitched to a 2.33 ERA in 119.2 innings. Brown and Valdez have combined for 24 wins this year, and both are in the top 15 in the league in the stat. Valdez has returned to his 2022 form, and has been dominant since the all star break.
The bullpen has made massive strides and locked down countless games behind the emergence of relievers like Tayler Scott. Scott is pitching to the tune of a team-best 1.86 ERA, and he has pitched in high leverage situations behind the likes of Bryan Abreu and Josh Hader. Hader was the biggest offseason acquisition, signing a five-year, $95 million contract. He started the year very rocky, but has stabilized, and is in the midst of an Astros-record. Rookie call up Bryan King has also been a pleasant surprise, with a 2.05 ERA in 22 innings.
Verlander coming back and reliever Kendall Graveman eyeing a potential playoff return should continue to stabilize and improve the pitching staff. The bullpen will look to replicate their 2022 playoff performance where they allowed one run across thirteen games.
Kyle Tucker has a much more puzzling injury than the other injured Astros. After fouling a pitch off of his shin June 3, Tucker’s return date has continually moved back, and his lack of progress in recovery has raised questions as to whether he will return at all this year. Before his injury, Tucker was an AL MVP front-runner, and he still ranks top-50 in the MLB with 19 home runs, despite his lengthy absence. However, Tucker has made some serious progress, and is currently with the team in Cincinnati as they take on the Reds.
The Astros have had a top three team batting average in the MLB for almost the entire year, and they have hovered around .260 during that time. While Altuve, Alvarez and Díaz are the three main reasons for that, as they are all batting around .300, the entire lineup has made contributions. Platoon bats like Victor Caratini and Jon Singleton have been more than serviceable when called upon. Outfielders like Jake Meyers are also having career years and helping shoulder the load of the offense.
The Astros lost rookie outfielder Joey Loperfido and rookie pitcher Jake Bloss, along with a few prospects in a highly controversial trade with the Blue Jays that nabbed them a veteran arm in Yusei Kikuchi. However, since the trade, Loperfido has slumped, and Kikuchi is pitching the lights out. Loperfido did add a very above average glove and, at one point, an electric bat for the ‘Stros, though.
The Astros have seen it all so far in 2024. From a horrendous start and numerous injuries, to the best hot streak in the MLB all season, they have weathered all of the storms, and look inevitable once again.
