Astros Trending, June Review, Hitting: It’s been a tough month, but our boys survived.

From time to time we step back and review the statistical performance of the Astros. Here we look at their hitting, season statistics, trends of the last month, and how the Astros bats compare to the league. It's good for the avid baseball fan to bath in numbers now and then. Here's our monthly shower in the numbers, cleansing away our misperceptions and false assumptions.

Team Record:

53-32, 1st in AL West, 6.5 games ahead of Rangers. Third place in the AL, one game behind 2nd place Minnesota, and 2.5 games behind the New York Yankees.

Record Since June 1st: 15-12

Pythagorean W-L 51-34. 426 runs, 342 runs allowed. (+84 ) On May 24th the differential was +94. Since May 24th the differential has been -10

SRS, 0.9, highest in AL. Down from 2.0 on May 24th

Team Hitting:

During this period of injury to three of the Astros Core Four, hitting has, of course, declined. And yet, the Astros still lead the league in wRC+, but that is scant compensation for being 7th in runs scored, the stat that wins games.

This discrepancy between getting on base and actually scoring runs is due to a batting average with runners in scoring position that is 11th in the AL at .250. This is .017 below the overall team BA. By contrast, the league leaders in runs scored, the Yankees and Twins, are +.038 and +.018 in BA with runners in scoring position compared to overall BA, respectively. Assuming regression, this is a positive harbinger for the Astros going forward. But that BA with RISP has been holding pretty steady all year.

For American League team stats for the year go HERE.

While 6th in wRC+ for the month, slightly above average at 106, they are 9th in runs at 128. The BA with RISP is .257, 9th in the league, but for the month that is about in line with the team BA of .255 for the month.

Astros Individual Hitting, Year to Date

The Astros have eleven players on the roster with OPS+ above average. Of course, every Astros fan knows of the superb production of George Springer, Alex Bregman, Carlos Correa Michael Brantley and Robinson Chirinos. Who would have predicted that by July 1st Jake Marisnick would be just ahead of both Josh Reddick and Jose Altuve in OPS? One of the greatest concerns is the low production from 1B/DH Tyler White, from what would normally be considered two of the power positions in the field. Three home runs, .654 OPS means when Aledmys Diaz and Carlos Correa return from IL, he is most likely to be out of a job in Houston.

Astros Individual Hitting, 6/1 - 6/30

During this time when the Astros have lost almost all or all of the at bats of superstars George Springer, Carlos Correa, and Jose Altuve, and mere All-Star Aledmys Diaz, who has stepped up in their place? Well, we’ve already seen that the team’s hitting has suffered in their absence, but there have been replacements to mitigate the damage.

YORDAN ALVAREZ of course. In 16 games and 69 PAs seven home runs, 21 RBI, a 1.139 OPS. Every sentient Astros fan knows the broad outlines of his amazing debut in the majors.

Perhaps a little under-sung, the sample size is only 55 PAs, but Myles Straw has a .400 OBP, and with the havoc he wreaks on the bases he is emerging as a dangerous MLB weapon.

On the other side of the ledger we have seen substantially less production from Jake Marisnick and Michael Brantley during June, although Brantley’s decline was not enough to keep him from being voted by the fans onto the All-Star team, along with George Springer and Alex Bregman.

Astros Leaderboards

Before the injuries in late May the Astros dominated the leaderboards, but with the lost playing time for Correa and especially Springer, now not so much.

Astros wRC+ leaders

Alex Bregman, 149, 2nd (behind Mike Trout)

Michael Brantley, 133, 16th

Carlos Correa and George Springer do not currently qualify

Astros fWAR leaders

Alex Bregman, 3.5, 6th

George Springer, 2.8, 12th

Astros Home Run Leaders

Alex Bregman 22, 3rd (tied with Mike Trout, behind Edwin Encarnacion and Gary Sanchez)

George Springer 18, tied for 13th

Astros RBI Leaders

Alex Bregman, 52, 12th

George Springer, 45, 26th

Astros Runs Leaders

Alex Bregman, 55, 11th

George Springer, 43, 36th

For a chart on the entire leaderboard of AL Hitters, go HERE

We’ll have an update on monthly pitching tomorrow.