All That Chas

 

The Astros have lost two games in August thus far. Both of them...have been at the hands...of the New York Yankees.

I was genuinely worried that the Astros would catch up to the Rangers, and I still am, but this Yankees series slowed that process a little. And what this series told me was that the king-killer move the Astros had in mind, bringing back Justin Verlander, isn't as ironclad as they thought it was. JV is 40, and he's acting like it a little, and he gave up 2 runs and 7 hits in his first start for the Astros in...less than 9 months [see now why I was so bored by this move?]. There's been a few 'now we've got them' moves that have backfired for the Astros recently; the return of Jose Urquidy was also imperfect thanks to the Yankees' offense, and Kendall Graveman's Stros reunion has also resulted in a 5.40 ERA in 3 games. 

Some of the returns have gone well, as both Alvarez and Altuve have been productive since returning from respective IL stints. Altuve's had hits in the last 5 games, Alvarez has 2 homers in the last three games. Building on what they already have are some of the outfielders, including Kyle Tucker, who is now hitting .295 with 77 RBIs, and Chas McCormick, who's hitting .275 with 15 homers and 47 RBIs. McCormick and Jake Meyers struggled to fit into this outfield schematic when the team was more crowded, but as Michael Brantley stays out with late-career injuries and Corey Julks returns to the minors, they both have chances to start in the outfield, and they're both taking full advantage of this period by playing extremely solid baseball. 

This is the reassurance the Astros need; younger guys like the outfielders and Yainer Diaz beginning to inherit the team, all while everybody else seems to be sticking around, and the only major free agents are older players that they've been waiting to clear up space for anyhow. It is also inherently terrible for anyone wishing for a change of pace in the AL West, like me. And as strong as the Rangers have been recently, their strongest pieces are beginning to drop; Heim went first, then Eovaldi, now Jung. And while the Rangers are thankful enough to fall right into useful replacements, it's still worrying as the Astros continue to rise and not get hurt as often.

The challenge this week for the Astros? Take down the Orioles while the eyes of the league are upon Baltimore following that bullshit with the ownership not liking the broadcaster talking about losing at Tropicana Field. The matchups seem simple enough, but they're gonna have to square off against Jack Flaherty, arguably the single most effective trade deadline pickup of them all. The O's are hotter than even the Astros have been, and this is the exact kind of series they've been waiting for in order to prove their own legitimacy. The Astros will do everything they can to not be embarrassed, and for the first time in a while, I'm not sure whether or not it will be enough.

Coming Tomorrow- Ironically, someone the Orioles gave up who's found a much better home out west.