The Houston Astros are kicking off their series with the Cincinnati Reds on the road today after a brutal ending to their Dodgers series.
The Astros have proven they can make a serious comeback after a tough loss, but everything needs to go right for them, and they are down a veteran in Carlos Correa, which doesn't help.
Pitching has been the biggest struggle for the Astros this season, but with a solid performance on the mound, they can be a dangerous team.
To start the series, Mike Burrows will be the starting pitcher. Burrows has had his struggles this season, posting a 5.97 ERA and 1.65 WHIP through his first 37 2/3 innings, but the numbers don't tell the whole story.
Even with his ERA being high, some of the damage against him has come down to bad luck more than just bad pitching. Opponents have a .373 BABIP against him, meaning a lot of contact against him has still been dropping for hits.
During his outing against the Yankees, the 26-year-old righty set a career-high with eight strikeouts over five innings, keeping New York's lineup off-balance for most of the night. He stayed in control for most of his outing, and it wasn't until he stepped off the mound that things began to fall apart for Houston.
He did continue his trend of issuing walks, surrendering three along with two runs. But for a pitcher who's been grinding through a tough start to 2026, that night felt like something to build on. However, he did take a loss against the Red Sox last week, allowing three runs on eight hits with three strikeouts over six innings.
Now, pitching has been the key factor in Astros wins this season, but the batting order has also made a big impact on the Astros' success this season.
Here is a look at today's lineup:
Jose Altuve (R) 2B
Yordan Alvarez (L) DH
Isaac Paredes (R) 3B
Christian Walker (R) 1B
Cam Smith (R) RF
Brice Matthews (R) CF
Zach Dezenzo (R) LF
Christian Vázquez (R) C
Nick Allen (R) SS
Having Isaac Paredes behind Yordan Alvarez has proven to be clutch, and then with Christian Walker next, they could do some serious damage. Especially if Alvarez and Paredes get on base and Walker hits his 10th homer of the season, but obviously that is the best-case scenario. That being said, the opportunity is there.
Just like the rest of the season for the Astros, if everything goes right, they have a shot. But if they start to unravel in any aspect of the game, things could go downhill fast.