Astros’ Offseason Cannot Overlook Their Recent Postseason Collapse

At the same time that this losing streak has seemed unstoppable and remains active, Houston’s main offensive core still has not resolved the situation. During the regular season, they led the league in home runs and, yes, in the Wild Card, they hit four more. But four of them came with the bases empty.

All of that also leads us to question how devoid of potential the lineup looks when it cannot get extra bases. If there was something that characterized the Astros, who every year seemed destined to reach the World Series during much of the last decade, it was the combination of power, speed and determination to define the key moments. This team does not reach a .150 batting average with runners in scoring position over the last three postseasons.

The reason? Nobody has been able to be consistent enough around Yordan Alvarez , especially when we analyze the performance of the main hitters who have made up the most stable core of the Astros’ offense. Yainer Diaz has averaged a .237 OPS with no home runs and one RBI in 30 plate appearances since 2023, precisely during the stretch of consecutive losses. Jeremy Peña has a double and a home run as his only extra-base hits in 58 plate appearances. Jose Altuve has accumulated just two RBIs in 67 trips to the plate, with 11 strikeouts, just two walks and a .284 on-base percentage.

Christian Walker and Isaac Paredes, who reached the playoffs with Houston for the first time in 2026, combined to go 1-for-12 with five strikeouts.

The Astros’ numbers hold up only when Yordan enters the equation, with a monstrous .397/.446/.793 offensive line, 10 extra-base hits, six of them home runs, 15 RBIs in 15 games and a 1.239 OPS.

As it should be, the White Sox found a way to keep the pitches far enough away and avoid making the mistakes that other teams went through in past postseasons against Yordan. And that was part of the success, because before and after he came to the plate, nobody else could really offer quality at-bats when they were needed most. Houston’s ending could not have been any different.