New-Look Astros Providing Same Tried and True, Dominant Results on the Field

There are a number of people who believe the 2024 MLB postseason marked the end of an era for the Houston Astros.

In some ways, those people were correct.

Their streak of seven consecutive ALCS appearances came to an end at the hands of the Detroit Tigers, who happened to be managed by the same person who began the Astros’ dynasty: A.J. Hinch.

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There were numerous connections between the two franchises, as it was the Tigers who traded Justin Verlander to Houston in 2017 to help jump-start this impressive stretch.

Anyone who was writing off the Astros looked to have some firm ground to stand on after the team saw Alex Bregman, Verlander and Yusei Kikuchi depart in free agency, signing deals with the Boston Red Sox, San Francisco Giants and Los Angeles Angels.

On top of that, Kyle Tucker and Ryan Pressly were traded to the Chicago Cubs in separate deals.

That is a lot of talent and production for a team to lose in a single offseason, which certainly contributed to another slow start. However, this time around, Houston was no longer being given the benefit of the doubt that they could once again overcome an early hole.

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Alas, anyone who thought their run atop the American League West was over has been proven wrong.

The Astros are right back to where they are accustomed to being, atop the division with a commanding lead nearing the All-Star break.

With a record of 55-36, they are 6.5 games ahead of the Seattle Mariners.

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Despite the cast of characters on the roster being changed, the results remain the same as it has been business as usual for Houston.

“The uniforms are still the same. The bullpen is still electric. Jose Altuve is still around, although he plays left field now. Yes, the Astros have adapted well after an offseason of upheaval. The Kyle Tucker deal netted Isaac Paredes and Cam Smith, who have added energy and enthusiasm to the lineup,” wrote Andy McCullough of The Athletic (subscription required) in this week’s edition of the MLB power rankings.

The theme this week was taking a look at how each team’s preseason playoff odds stack up to where they currently stand.

Houston is one of the teams exceeding expectations the most, with preseason odds of 52.3% being increased to a near lock at 98.1%.

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Coming off a dominant sweep of the defending World Series champion Los Angeles Dodgers, confidence is on the rise for the Astros.

A lot of the inconsistencies that plagued the lineup earlier in the year are going by the wayside with players regressing to the mean.

This is an intimidating team that is only going to be scarier when Yordan Alvarez and Jeremy Pena return from injury.

For more Astros news, head over to Astros On SI.