SB Nation Reacts: How confident are you about the Astros?

Welcome to SB Nation Reacts, a survey of fans across MLB. Each week, we send 30 polls to plugged in fans from each team. Astros fans, sign up HERE to join Reacts.

Let's face the simple, yet painful reality: The 2020 Astros are a middle of the pack baseball team. Not great, but not terrible. Firmly entrenched in the middle at this point. But compared to the last three seasons (2017-19), this year’s edition is far from reaching the heights of their recent predecessors. That four-game sweep from the Angels this weekend only reinforces the notion.

Generally speaking, the Astros have largely under-performed in the season’s first 40 games. Fans seem to agree as nearly 80 percent of a recent poll suggests.

The main culprit behind Houston’s mediocre performance in 2020 is mainly attributed to injuries. Sorry, but when a club loses nearly all of its key relievers, it doesn’t usually end well. A walk rate of at least 13 percent doesn’t translate into success. Again, see this weekend series against the Angels.

The Astros are also without the services of various star contributors in Justin Verlander, Alex Bregman, Yordan Alvarez, and Jose Altuve at various points. I dare say that there isn’t a team more snake bitten with injuries than Houston right now. To be frank, anything other than a vote for under performance would’ve been a surprise at this juncture.

There are only 20 games left in the 2020 regular season. Barring a sudden reversal, the A’s are likely running away with the AL West title. For the Astros, health is the key factor in whether the team qualifies for the postseason. There isn’t much time left to right the ship, however.

To vote in the Reacts surveys and have your voice heard each week, sign up here.