Remember when Josh Hader to Houston was supposed to be the kingmaker move? The kind of move that would ensure the Astros would stay in the hunt perpetually going forward despite the aging core and the loss of more and more key players? And instead, Hader might actually be one of the few things that have stayed consistent about the Astros since Joe Espada took over?
The Astros are in second last now. I know people don't like when I do this, but it's very much by default. The A's have completely fallen apart, the Mariners refused to win more than one game in a crucial division series, the Rangers are in first by a thread but just lost Josh Jung. The Astros are under .500, still not entirely a threat, just lost Spencer Arrighetti and expect Peter Lambert and a rehabbing Hunter Brown to do all the work. This is a meritless second place. They won 5 straight and then Munetaka Murakami absolutely embarrassed them, and when the White Sox earn a win more than you, you're fooling a lot of people, including yourself.
It's not like this is a completely bad team, because Yordan Alvarez and Jeremy Pena represent the absolute best this lineup has to offer. This lineup was a lot better when you actually had George Springer, Alex Bregman, Kyle Tucker and Yuli Gurriel draped around them, but Alvarez is headed for MVP votes and Pena had a 2-homer day today, representing 2 of the 3 runs the Astros were able to score. Pena's total is now 11 homers and 30 RBIs in 58 games, very much doing a lot in a small amount of time. Same with Josh Hader, who was activated midyear, he's got 12 saves and a 1.35 ERA in 22 appearances, this is vintage Hader with no real troubles. Definitely a huge addition to a really rough bullpen with a broken Bryan Abreu and a lot of mostly okay performances.
'Broken' is a good word for a lot of these guys. Lance McCullers just got DFA'd by the Brewers because he didn't really have anything left. Cristian Javier has a 9.37 ERA and is struggling mightily. Ronel Blanco's gotten absolutely annihilated in both his starts back. Tatsuya Imai still hasn't fully figured out MLB pitching. Even Mike Burrows somehow couldn't handle pitching for a better team. Even if they keep worming their way up the standings, the lack of sturdy pitching will do the Astros in. Everyone is so tired. So exhausted. EVEN FRAMBER VALDEZ IS FATIGUED OVER IN DETROIT.
The Astros could still persist in the top of the AL West standings, and they may even make a run...but again, it's the case of an Astros team that refuses to realize that they are not capable of meeting the moment. This is not the team, and this is not the year.
Coming Tomorrow- A future Hall of Famer having a very human season for the first time since his early 20s.
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