Astros Suddenly Showing Signs of Becoming Dangerous Again

Reality is an important thing in sports, and it is notable that this team has been struggling. There is only so much you can blame on injuries, especially when that’s been the excuse for more than a year now. So, let’s be honest and point out things that true baseball fans already know.

Combined no-hitters are imperfect and they aren’t as impressive as one guy going the distance, but they certainly still matter and they are hard to achieve.

Let’s also note that the Rangers sent a depleted lineup to the plate, which is something Astros fans can certainly relate to. This is true, but it still doesn’t diminish what this team just accomplished.

Imai is a guy who signed a $54 million contract, and with that came some huge expectations. Unfortunately, those were not coming true and in fact, it was worse than anyone expected.

He still carries a 6.17 ERA and has 18 walks in 23.1 innings this season. When he made his first rehab start, it was, well, less than impressive. There’s no other way to say it, he didn’t look like he was ready to be back on the MLB field.

Friday night was a surprise to all involved. If the truth were told, it might have even been a surprise to him. He threw 97 pitches, six innings, zero hits, four walks, two strikeouts.

There is that nasty walk count again, giving up four in just six innings is nothing to brag about. The Rangers never came close to a hit, though, and his overall performance is the exact reason why Houston signed the international phenom to begin with. This is the guy they thought they were getting.

Let’s hope he can keep these types of performances up and he doesn’t turn out to be as inconsistent as he has looked so far.

Some Interesting Math for the Astros

Delving into the AL West standings, the story gets interesting. The A’s lead the division at 27-26, just one game above .500. They certainly are not running away with the division. The Seattle Mariners are 25-29, while the Rangers are carrying a 24-29 record.

The Astros current record of 24-31 puts them four games back. One great series could cut a large chunk of that away and given that pitching has heated up, the offense is matching the effort.

Brian McTaggert noted on X that Alvarez is on pace for 45 home runs this season while his teammate, Walker, is on pace for 42. The offense is doing its job. If the pitching can continue functioning, the Astros are still a threat.

The Walking Wounded Are Walking Back

If the no-hitter was exciting, then this part should be genuinely captivating. The guys are on their way back.

Josh Hader has been chipping away at his rehab assignments. He just threw a scoreless inning on May 24 in Double-A Corpus Christi. He should join the MLB team sometime in June.

Hunter Brown threw his first rehab start on May 24 and went two scoreless innings, where he struck out five batters. He will make his next start this weekend at Triple-A Sugar Land. If everything goes as expected or better, then mid-June seems reasonable for his return.

If all those things occur, and let’s not hold our breath, that would give Houston Arrighetti, Imai and Brown to anchor the rotation. This is a legitimate starting core.

Continuing down the IL, Taylor Trammel hit two home runs in a rehab game on May 23 and should be back in the MLB dugout soon. Joey Loperfido is also close. Cristian Javier’s report shows a June return.

Lance McCullers Jr. and Jose Altuve don’t have projected return dates yet. Carlos Correa’s season is over. These are considerable losses for the team, but overall, the IL is starting to trend in the right direction.

The Case for Believing

It’s pretty easy to be a cynic, and then it is just as easy to have false hope. Numbers don’t lie, though.

Arrighetti is 6-1 with an impressive ERA of 1.32. Pair that with a 1.69 batting average against, and he is the real deal. This is quite the stat line if you remember that he started the season in Triple-A.

Kai Wei Teng has a 2.61 ERA with a .198 average against. Now the astericks that goes with him is the fact that he was an afterthought in January.

Yordan Alvarez needs no explanation; the man looks like an MVP candidate. Walker is right behind him. The lineup is very capable, even with some of the stars missing.

The 7-3 surely is not a fluke, and hopefully, this team is showing what they are capable of. At just four games back in a notably weak division, the Astros can gain ground quickly, and it is starting to look like they are making a move.