Astros Kept Season Afloat During Brutal Strech Despite Several Obstacles

The Houston Astros may have a lot of new faces in the lineup and on the pitching staff in 2025, but the same attitude and demeanor that the franchise has become known for over the last few years still exists.

Another slow start this season occurred, which had some wondering whether or not the Astros would be able to bounce back from the disappointment they felt last year during the playoffs.

Their seven-year streak of advancing to the ALCS was snapped by the Detroit Tigers, who defeated them in the Wild Card round.

Given how much talent the team lost during the winter, it was fair to wonder if the dynasty was officially over.

Homegrown stars such as third baseman Alex Bregman and right fielder Kyle Tucker were no longer around, signing with the Boston Red Sox in free agency and being traded to the Chicago Cubs, respectively.

Future Hall of Famer Justin Verlander and Yusei Kikuchi departed in free agency, agreeing to deals with the San Francisco Giants and Los Angeles Angels.

Veteran reliever Ryan Pressly was traded to the Cubs, as well.

Early on, it was evident that some time to adjust was needed with so many new faces in the clubhouse.

Slow starts were nothing new for Houston, but they were no longer receiving the benefit of the doubt, especially with so many key contributors, such as designated hitter Yordan Alvarez, who is on the injured list, and second baseman-turned-left fielder Jose Altuve struggling.

Houston Astros Successfully Overcame Brutal Stretch in Schedule

Add on the injuries to the starting rotation, with Hayden Wesneski needing to undergo surgery on his elbow and Spencer Arrighetti still sidelined from a freak accident earlier in the season, and things were stacking up against the Astros.

A brutal stretch of playing 17 consecutive days would test their mettle.

Houston passed the exam with flying colors, capping the 17 games in a row by winning three out of four against their American League West rivals, the Seattle Mariners.

“This team has been grinding for 17 days, man,” manager Joe Espada said via Brian McTaggart of MLB.com. “[We went] 10-7, [had] all hands on deck. Just proud of our effort and how we’re piecing together -- our bullpen, grinding at-bats, getting big hits when we need to. Just an outstanding job.”

Finishing that stretch with a winning record, and those wins specifically over the Mariners, put the Astros right back in the divisional race, now only 1.5 games behind in the standings.

Capping the series was a home run by beleaguered first baseman Christian Walker, whose tenure with the franchise has not gotten off to a good start.

Hopefully, that long ball and a superstitious change in the locker room will get him on track and help the team win more in the future.

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