It’s June 18. The big bad Houston Astros are a whole 10 games back of the AL West division leading Seattle Mariners. A man by the name of Jonathan Cannon, who hadn’t even reached the 10-start threshold at the major league level, tossed 8.2 scoreless innings for the lowly Chicago White Sox.
The club’s most consistent hitter during the early parts of the campaign Kyle Tucker wasn’t even participating in on field activities after injuring his shin in early June. It was the lowest of lows for the outfit from the Space City. It all looked to be heading toward a disaster. Was this run of ALCS appearances about to come to an end? Would the injuries do them in?
If you weren’t already aware, the response to those two inquiries is very much no.
This is exactly why you can’t come to conclusions in Major League Baseball until at least August (unless you’re the White Sox). Houston is alive and well. It has been for quite some time. Since that series opening defeat to the South Siders, Houston has strung together a 48-29 record, all while posting the second best earned run average in baseball since the All-Star break.
Players stepped up to make that happen. The resurrection of its offense, combined with dominant pitching in the rotation (led predominantly by Hunter Brown and Framber Valdez) and out of the bullpen has put Houston in prime position for another potential return to the ALCS.
Joe Espada and company are gaining momentum, sparked by the long-awaited return of the reigning American League RBI leader. This timely reintroduction could be the catalyst that propels this experienced powerhouse toward a strong finish to the season.
