Astros Turnaround Can Be Attributed to This Clutch Stat

Carlos Correa had the most plate appearances in the majors over that stretch with the bases loaded. He posted a .600 OPS over those 10 at-bats. He had five at-bats with the bases loaded before March even ended. The team wasn’t striking out more in these scenarios. They were mostly putting the ball in play softly and suffering from strong opponents’ defense and weak contact. These clutch numbers resulted in their 23-31 record on May 24.

Bases-Loaded Turnaround

Things turned around for the Astros on May 25 and haven’t looked back since. On that day, the Astros’ Nick Allen worked a bases-loaded single. Since then, Houston has hit five home runs with the bases loaded. The team has added two doubles, two walks and a hit by pitch. The total OPS over this 51-game stretch with the bases loaded comes out to a blistering 1.380. The Astros are hitting .441 with the bases loaded over that span.

The Astros have raised their season bases-loaded OPS to .878 and their average to .321. That OPS number ranks sixth in baseball, a long climb up from the bottom six in the league in which they sat on May 24. Despite not hitting any grand slams in the first 54 games, the Astros are ranked tied for fourth in the majors with five grand slams this season. Surprisingly, the struggling Giants actually lead the league in grand slams with eight.

These bases loaded numbers for Houston is a result of clutch hitting which is not the most repeatable of outcomes. Nevertheless, it’s still good to see the team come through in clutch moments. There is little chance they keep up the 1.380 OPS they posted over the last 51 games, but if they can use that confidence to continue to hit well with the bases loaded, they’ll be hard to deny a spot in the postseason.