The Houston Astros have spent the entire season digging themselves holes they have to climb out of, using up energy just to get back on track instead of pushing toward the top of the division. They should be leading by dominance, not by default. If you put the Astros in the AL East, no one is talking about them.
They have the talent and have shown that time and time again, but if they don't stop wasting all of their energy crawling out of holes they dug themselves, they are eventually going to run out of fuel.
Dropping the series to the Mariners was a missed opportunity that should have added cushion to the lead in the AL West. Now they head into the series against the Los Angeles Angels, and this should be an automatic sweep. The Angels are 49-76 (.392). Anything less than a sweep, or at the very least two out of three, would be an embarrassing letdown.
After dropping the series against Seattle, here is a look at two things the Houston Astros need to change if they want to hold onto the lead in their division.
Rotation Stability
The pitching staff has been an issue all season. They lack consistency and are injury prone. And the players returning from Tommy John or even just a shoulder strain can't seem to find their rhythm, and that needs to change. They need length, and the bullpen needs a rest.
Cristian Javier will take the mound for the series opener. He was out for a good chunk of the season with a shoulder strain, but he still hasn't found his groove. He struggles, and his starts have been tied to a losing streak.
Ethan Pecko will make his major league debut Wednesday, a moment that says as much about Houston's need for pitching depth as it does about Pecko's own readiness. He's been the organization's top pitching prospect, but throwing him into his first big league start against a division opponent, even a struggling one, is still a real test of how thin this rotation has become.
Peter Lambert will take the mound Thursday for the series finale. Outside of Lambert, the rotation's consistency is still in question. Lambert has been the most consistent pitcher for the team all season, but he can't hold the staff together all by himself.
Cleaning Up the Defense
Saturday's loss to Seattle featured two infield errors, plus a Taylor Trammell baserunning mistake, and those mistakes actually mattered in a game Houston lost 10-5.
Small mistakes like these compound against good teams, but they're exactly the kind of thing a team should be able to clean up against a last-place opponent. They cannot get caught sleeping because they are up against the worst team in the division. If they do, they could easily drop the series.
A series against the worst team in baseball is the right time to work these things out, not to take a break. But "should win" isn't the same as "will win," the Mariners series just proved that.
