An Early MLB Season Surprise

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http://www.sportstalkflorida.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/10/Houston_Astros_Logo_2012.jpgFor far too long the Houston Astros have been a dormant Major League Baseball team. The Astros have not been to the postseason since 2005 when they won their first and only National League Pennant. And the Astros have not had a winning season since 2008. Under former team owner Drayton McLane. the Astros would fall into financial shambles and they would be sold to Jim Crane in 2011 for $680 million. Since then the Astros have been in complete rebuilding mode as Crane assumed debt when he purchased the team. The Astros have become a glorified minor-league team as they suffered through three consecutive seasons in which they lost at least 100 games. The Astros would leave the NL Central and begin playing in the American League West in 2013 and the other teams in the division would lick their chops to welcome the new whipping boys. The Astros began to make progress last season as they won 70 games for the first time since 2010 and they are building off of that in the early stages of 2015.

As the month of April is in the books, the Astros are in first place in the AL West and they are also the only team in the division that currently has a winning record. The Astros have won 13 out of their last 15 ballgames and they’re currently on a eight-game winning streak. The Astros have won their last four series and under new manager A.J. Hinch, this is a team that is playing loose and they are also gaining traction.

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Jose Altuve

For his time in an Astros uniform, second baseman Jose Altuve has been the team’s only bright spot. Altuve is a two MLB All-Star and he led the league in batting last season (.341). Altuve has picked up right where he left off at in 2014 as he is batting (.376) this season, but the Astros lineup is more than him now. In the off-season the Astros acquired third baseman Luis Valbeuna from the Chicago Cubs. Like Altuve, Valbeuna is a native of Venezuela and he is also currently leading the Astros in home runs with 5 as he is on pace for one of his better MLB seasons at the plate. Utility infielder Jed Lowrie got off to one of the best starts of his career as he was batting .300, but a torn ligament in his right thumb will sideline him for the next 8-12 weeks.

However the biggest part of the Astros early season turnaround can be attributed to their pitching staff. Last season the Astros team earned run average of 4.11 was 12th in the American League and they’ve been near the bottom of the category in Major League Baseball since 2009. But the Astros are second in the AL this season in team earned run average this season (3.04) and the lead the Junior Circuit in quality starts with 15. Starting pitcher Dallas Keuchel continues to improve as he is now in his fourth MLB season (all with the Astros). In five starts this season, Keuchel is 3-0 with an earned run average of 0.73. This past Thursday, Keuchel went 8 innings and he only allowed a single run in the Astros 7-2 victory. After being an afterthought with both the New York Mets and Colorado Rockies, starting pitcher Collin McCugh is finding his comfort zone with the Astros. 2014 was the first year in which McCugh reached double digits in starts. Last season McCugh went 11-9 with an earned run average of 2.73. McCugh is building off of 2014 as so far this season he is 3-0 with an earned run average of 2.92.

There are five months remaining in the Major League Baseball season and anything can happen. The Texas Rangers are trying to rebuild while the Oakland Athletics and Los Angeles Angels are each attempting to find their groove. The Seattle Mariners entered this season with lofty expectations that they’ve been unable to live up to so far and all of this equates to an American League Western Division that is wide open. The Astros have picked themselves off of the canvas as they are tired of losing. And being that they are currently playing with house money, they are only going to gain more confidence in themselves the longer that they are able to hang around in the divisional race while the other teams there are attempting to figure it out. The Astros were 35-41 in the AL West last season while they’ve gotten off to a good start this season as they are 12-5 within it.

When Minute Maid Park in Houston opened in 2000, it was an attendance boom which has fallen the wayside in the past few years with the Astros poor play. But if the Astros are able to keep up their strong play, they will once again have a solid home-field advantage.

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