When the Houston Astros swept the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim in a four game series at the beginning of the month, some may have thought the Astros were starting to turn things around.  Unfortunately for them that wasn’t the case.  Currently, the Astros are 23-44 and in last place of the AL West. 

When the season started, the Astros weren’t expected to do anything this year and they’ve proved that to be true.  They are a rebuilding franchise and losing is just part of rebuilding and developing young players.

A bright spot for Houston is their second baseman, Jose Altuve, who has been putting up some nice numbers for the Astros this year.  He’s batting .294 with three homeruns and 26 RBI.  First baseman, Chris Carter, has provided some power at the plate for the Astros with 13 homeruns, but his strikeouts are concerning and are hurting his .213 average.  Carter has 93 strikeouts and it’s only June.  Power hitters do strike out often, but having 93 in June is quite alarming for Houston. 

Pitching wise, the Astros some starters have done well.  Bud Norris is 5-6 with a 3.47 ERA, Jordan Lyles is 3-1 with a 3.48 ERA, Dallas Keuchel is 3-3 with a 4.37 ERA, Lucas Harrell is 4-7 with a 4.52 ERA, and Erik Bedard has been the worst with his 1-3 record and 5.34 ERA.

While some of the young players have started to do better for the Astros, they continue to lose games.  They’re 17 games back in the West and are 4-6 in their last 10 games as they have lost five in a row.

That little win streak they had going, was just a fluke and won’t make a difference in the long run.  Sweeping a team like the Angels like that could give a team a major confidence boost, but the Astros just don’t have stellar talent to compete with the big teams in the MLB.