Three reasons the Houston Astros are dominating the AL West (again)

By Pedro Moura
FOX Sports activities MLB Author

The Houston Astros are working away with the American League West. Once more.

This needs to be the fifth consecutive full season by which the Astros win their division. Every of the earlier 4, they received it by greater than 10 video games. They already boast a lead bigger than that, and supervisor Dusty Baker famous this week in Anaheim that his crew is just not loosening its maintain on the reins because the All-Star Recreation nears.

The Astros really feel like they need to maintain pushing due to what awaits over the following week: an after-sunrise arrival in Houston on Friday morning, then three video games in fewer than 60 hours to complete the primary half. Their second half begins with a house doubleheader in opposition to the world-beating Yankees, instantly adopted by a six-game street journey.

“We’re making an attempt to create as a lot room, as a lot distance, as we are able to previous to the break,” Baker stated. “That is one purpose we need to add to our lead — as a result of that is gonna be a really tough stretch of video games.”

Are the Astros going to catch the Yankees?

In Ben Verlander’s Week 14 MLB Energy Rankings, the Yankees are on the prime once more, however are the Astros gaining floor?

The Astros have excelled this season by balancing short- and long-term pursuits. They’ve stored 39-year-old Justin Verlander wholesome partly by supplying him with extra relaxation as he returns from Tommy John surgical procedure. For 12 of his 16 begins, he has acquired at the very least one additional day, and he’ll get at the very least per week forward of his final begin of the primary half. 

However inside his begins, Baker is unafraid to increase Verlander previous the 100-pitch mark, most friends’ boundary lately.

It helps, too, that the remainder of the division has flailed. Coming into play Wednesday, the Angels had received solely one-fourth of their previous 44 video games. The Mariners have been scorching, however they began slowly sufficient that they continue to be out of the divisional hunt. The Rangers should not terrible however are irrelevant, and the Athletics are each.

Listed below are three key causes the Astros have as soon as once more pulled forward within the AL West.

1. They’ve a brand new core.

The Astros’ three Most worthy gamers this season — Yordan Álvarez, Kyle Tucker and Jeremy Pena — are all 25 or beneath. None was a big contributor in the course of the crew’s back-to-back 100-win seasons in 2017 and ’18 or a part of the 2017 sign-stealing scandal. Tucker and Álvarez have been a part of the playoff run in 2019, however Pena simply arrived this spring, as a ready-made alternative for Carlos Correa.

Yordan Álvarez and the Astros are on hearth

Ben Verlander thinks that whereas the Yankees have had a implausible season up to now, the Astros are baseball’s crew to beat.

These three rival any crew’s prime place gamers, and they’re collectively making simply greater than $2 million this season. Their arrivals have allowed the Astros to drag again their payroll to tenth within the sport, their lowest positioning in 5 years, and stay this aggressive.

2. They stored a few of their outdated core.

Along with that new star trio, Jose Altuve, Alex Bregman and Yuli Gurriel are nonetheless there and, largely, nonetheless contributing. Altuve has regained his prime type. Bregman has been 25% higher than common. Gurriel, at 38, remains to be beginning each day. 

Along with their on-field contributions, these gamers have stored the clubhouse’s tone the identical. Reliever Ryne Stanek famous that at the very least a number of of the crew’s veterans approached him on his first day with the crew in February 2021. He remembered being within the weight room and gamers corresponding to Altuve and Bregman telling him they anticipated him to contribute to a different championship that fall. The directness took him without warning.

Stanek in contrast the circumstances with the Astros to his expertise ascending by means of the Tampa Bay Rays’ group, the place his cohort of younger gamers had received championships at each stage of the minor leagues and have been thus accustomed to successful. 

“It is laborious to show folks methods to win in the event that they’ve by no means received,” he stated. “Many of the guys right here have received — lots — and the expectation, no matter folks we lose or accidents, is that we’re going to win each day. Feeling like you are going to win issues. I feel that is an unsung causation for successful.”

3. Their pitching has been dominant and remarkably deep.

Of the 14 pitchers who’ve thrown double-digit innings in an Astros uniform in 2022, the worst ERA belongs to Jose Urquidy, who, with a 4.08 mark, has been a superbly competent back-end starter. That is how good the Astros’ group has been, certainly partly as a consequence of Martin Maldonado’s game-calling prowess.

For example of how uncommon their across-the-board success is, 19 males have pitched double-digit innings for the cellar-dwelling Cincinnati Reds. Fifteen of them have worse ERAs than Urquidy. Twenty-one males have pitched double-digit innings for the Angels, the crew that was speculated to problem the Astros in 2022. Eleven of them have worse ERAs than Urquidy. Even the Dodgers, who’ve a roughly equal ERA to Houston’s total, have a few struggling relievers.

Houston has none. 

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Verlander and Framber Valdez are the crew’s All-Stars, however loads of others have been worthy of consideration. Stanek has a 0.63 ERA. Cristian Javier is placing out the world. Houston’s complete 13-man pitching workers is carrying an above-average WHIP. They usually’re about to get Lance McCullers Jr. again, so long as his restoration from a forearm damage continues on its tempo. 

It is an unusual assortment of competence, and it bodes effectively for the Astros’ capacity to final three extra months on prime.

Pedro Moura is the nationwide baseball author for FOX Sports activities. He beforehand coated the Dodgers for 3 seasons for The Athletic and, earlier than that, the Angels and Dodgers for 5 seasons for the Orange County Register and L.A. Instances. Extra beforehand, he coated his alma mater, USC, for ESPNLosAngeles.com. The son of Brazilian immigrants, he grew up within the Southern California suburbs. His first ebook, “Tips on how to Beat a Damaged Recreation,” got here out this spring. Observe him on Twitter @pedromoura.

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