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The Houston Astros’ offense went from being on top to being on the floor. Since late June, the hitting side of the team has pretty much been in an abysmal slump and has not looked like the monster lineup we’ve come to know. If it wasn’t for a combination of good pitching and the Athletics not playing that well in July, it could be a much worse scenario.
From April 1 to June 24, the Astros averaged 5.8 runs scored per game, as well as 9.8 hits, 2.0 doubles, and 1.3 home runs. They also posted a healthy, monster .281/.352/.459/.811 slash line.
But things have notably changed since then. From June 26 to Sunday’s 3-1 victory against the Rangers, a span in which the team has a 14-11 record, the Astros are averaging 3.9 runs per game, 6.6 hits, and 1.0 home run, along with a .211 batting average.
Over the cited period, they have the second-worst batting average in the Majors, the third-worst on-base percentage, the worst slugging percentage, and the second-worst OPS — though these rankings from FanGraphs do not include Sunday’s game.
Some notable slumps:
- Yuli Gurriel is homerless through his last 35 games. His last four-bagger came on June 11 against the Twins.
- Yordan Álvarez is hitting for a .150 BA (6-for-40) since July 10.
- Carlos Correa is 2-for-41 since July 6 (.048) with 17 strikeouts.
- Myles Straw is averaging .167 (5-for-30) over his last 13 games.
- Martín Maldonado has posted a .095 BA (4-for-32) since July 6 (12 games).
Fortunately for the Astros, star third baseman Alex Bregman is expected to return in early August and will be a major addition to the lineup. Hopefully, Bregman helps the other guys get into rhythm again.
The upcoming games aren’t supposed to be easy for the ‘Stros as they’re going to have five games against the San Francisco Giants (3) and the Los Ángeles Dodgers (2), two of the best pitching teams in the Major Leagues.
The Astros have to decide whether they’ll be adding bats before the July 30 trade deadline or not. The clock is ticking for them as other teams are making some moves. It seems they have some offensive and pitching needs to address. Whether they’ll be aggressive or not, remains to be seen.