Most irrelevant stat of this young season is that the Astros have hit as many home runs as the Mets.

However, a more accurate reflection of the current state of competition offered up by the Astros can be seen among the following:

Offensive indeed.

To show how a positive can become a negative in the context of these abysmal numbers, look no further than Adam Everett. Adam's started the season very nicely, and is hitting .308, and OPSing .819, which is over 150 points higher than his career OPS.

Great, right? Except . . . that Adam is second on the team among regulars in both those categories.

No offense to Everett, who is having the successful start that we had all hoped for, but when AE is pacing your club offensively, you know that you are truly and well in the shitter.

My favorite nugget?  Perhaps this: that tow the three teams pathetic enough offensively to actually place below Houston in OBP are nonetheless collectively undefeated against us.

littlevisigoth had quoted Berkman the other day as saying that the thing he (Puma) hated about the start of the season was that everything is so needlessly magnified. And I understand what they (Berkman and littlevisigoth both) meant by that.

I have little doubt that Berkman and Lee will put up big years, simply because first and foremost, both simply know how to hit.

But at the same time, I wouldn't be doing my job if I didn't point out just exactly how bad this start has been.

Hopefully that poor start becomes a thing of the past this afternoon.