Although the Houston Astros (4-10) are top 10 in batting average, slugging percentage and OPS, while also being tied for third in home runs through 14 games of their 2024 MLB season, they are in last place in the American League West. That's right, even the Oakland Athletics have figured out how to win five games before April 12th.
Houston has already been swept twice this year. The Astros have experienced slow starts before and still forged an unexpected path to the World Series (29-31 in COVID-shortened 2020 season), but suffering four beatdowns in the span of a week is going to dampen morale.
The last two days in Kauffman Stadium have been particularly ugly, as the Kansas City Royals treated their home fans to consecutive thrashings. Thursday's game got out of hand in the blink of an eye.
KC torpedoed starting pitcher Hunter Brown, scoring nine runs on 11 hits in the first inning. Bobby Witt Jr. blasted his first of two homers to go with five RBIs, Vinnie Pasquantino stayed hot and Brady Singer continued to lead the Royals' elite rotation en route to a 13-3 win.
This lifeless loss, which comes in the midst of a truly dismal stretch of baseball, might concern many fan bases. But a perennial powerhouse like the Astros have earned some trust. That is what first-year manager Joe Espada thinks, anyway.
“We’ve been tested early, and this team has been tested before,” he said, per ESPN (originally Associated Press). “This is going to make us better. It’s hard to swallow those losses, but {I have} faith in that group in there. We’ll figure it out. When things are just not going your way, that’s the stuff that happens.”
Astros have the championship pedigree to weather this storm
Chicken Little is not racing over to Minute Maid Park just yet. Aside from the infamous sign-stealing scandal, this franchise has been the standard in professional baseball for the least seven years. In that time, cracks have formed, pressure has mounted, star players joined new teams and other clubs began their own ascension.
But Houston is still standing, nay thriving through all the unwanted attention and normal adversity that befalls most MLB teams. The Astros were one home victory away in 2023 from competing in their third-straight World Series. Many viewed the Texas Rangers' triumph as proof that a new era could be underway in the AL.
This rough start to the 2024 campaign will only reinforce that notion. It seems unwise, however, to put this group in the casket before it offers concrete evidence that a decline is imminent. At this moment, the most glaring takeaway is a lack of high-quality pitching.
And that could be solved by a dash or two of injury luck.
Can the pitching staff hold up in 2024?
The Astros' biggest problems in the early goings have arguably been their unreliable bullpen and meager production with runners in scoring position. Injuries to the starting rotation have only exacerbated their issues.
One has to imagine that a lineup led by Yordan Alvarez (batting .327 with four home runs) and Jose Altuve (.370, three homers) will eventually rediscover its clutch gene, especially when Kyle Tucker gets into the groove fans are accustomed to seeing. However, the questions concerning pitching could reasonably persist during the long 162-game season.
Justin Verlander started the campaign on the injured list with a shoulder issue and Framber Valdez just joined him there after dealing with left elbow inflammation. The former just pitched in a rehab game for the Sugar Land Space Cowboys (Triple-A), and the latter could still avoid a worst-case scenario, but Joe Espada might be navigating these type of obstacles all yearlong.
The unforeseen dominance of Ronel Blanco (no-hitter, zero runs allowed in 15 innings) and Cristian Javier's torrid start (1.10 ERA in 16 1/3 innings) have not been enough to lift this club out of the bottom in ERA rankings. Josh Hader and the bullpen must perform up to their capabilities. Otherwise, Houston's offense is at risk of becoming mentally exhausted from being forced to claw its way back from early deficits night after night.
Espada is justifiably having faith that muscle memory and skill will kick in for his squad in the immediate future. Prevailing in their upcoming series against the defending champion Rangers might just be the elixir the Astros need to recapture their mojo.
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