There is no doubt the Houston Astros are looking forward to another magical October run to the World Series.But before they get there, the defending world champions still have some work to get done in this last half of September.
The Astros entered this week with just a 1.5 lead over the Texas Rangers for the top spot in the American League West, while needing nine wins down the stretch to even clinch a playoff spot.
There is reason to be concerned, but don’t look for manager Dusty Baker to be worried at all about his club, despite some head-scratching losses to struggling teams.
“I don’t worry. I don’t like it,” said Baker, whose club is trying to clinch its third straight AL West division title. “But worrying does no good. It doesn’t do anything but make it worse.”
But the Astros did themselves no favors in two recent series against the non-playoff contenders Oakland A’s and Kansas City Royals. In fact, the Astros needed a 7-1 win in Game 3 against the Royals to avoid a three-game sweep.
It’s not quite the locked-in nature you would like to see at this juncture from a club with goals of another memorable October run along with repeating as World Series champions.
But the Astros, who entered this week 84-66, seem confident they are on the right track.
“At this point every game is important,” said outfielder Jake Meyer. “Showing up and trying to win the game that day is really important to us. I think that’s what we are going to do moving forward.”
While the pitching staff hasn’t been as dominant as it was during last season’s playoffs, it’s 1-2 punch of ace Framber Valdez and Justin Verlander gives the Astros a chance. It’s just a matter of figuring out the rotation behind them that includes rookies J.P. France and Hunter Brown along with veteran Christian Javier.
The Astros have also gotten everything they can out of out slugger Yordan Alvarez, who entered the week batting .300 with 110 hits, 93 RBI and 28 home runs on the season. Kyle Tucker’s bat has also been lively, batting .283 with 32 doubles, two triples and 27 home runs.
But the Astros had to overcome injuries to key players like Lance McCullers, Jose Urquidy and Luis Garcia, who all made key contributions during last season’s run.
Still, the Astros feel they are right there and have more than a realistic chance of getting back to where they want to be. They are in the middle of a six-game home stand and have a chance to put some distance between themselves and the Rangers and Seattle Mariners in the process.
“It doesn’t feel good to lose those [first two games], but the more important thing is we were able to stay on top, stay in first place,” Valdez said following his sweep-saving win over the Royals. “It’s going to happen sometimes. Teams are going to have some lows, but it’s important to win the games that we need to win.
“Obviously, we still think we can make it to the playoffs, make it to the World Series and win the World Series, so it’s important we win the games we need to win.”
