Phoenix, AZ – The score goes final and the Houston Astros have pulled out another win against the Arizona Diamondbacks. The Astros have completed the two-game sweep of the DBacks in Phoenix, and are heading home Wednesday to play another two game series against Arizona.
From Woe to Wow: The Houston Astros
The Astros have won eight of their last nine games, bringing them to 24-29, just five games shy of .500. A week ago, the team was sitting at twelve games under, with no hope in sight. Now they’re headed home for a five game homestand against the Diamondbacks for two and the Athletics for three before heading up I-45 to play the Texas Rangers at Globe Life Park in Arlington, Texas.
Winning Conspiracies
The interesting notion that the Astros have begun to play better baseball after the demotion of Carlos Gomez to the minors suggests that center field was the only issue with the team. Since Gomez has been sent down, the Astros have gone 9-5 without him in the line up. Before he left, the Astros were 8-7 with him in the lineup.
George Springer has been batting leadoff for a while now, which has also contributed to the Astros success. Fans have been clamoring for manager A.J. Hinch to shuffle the lineup in some way, and that’s exactly what he did. Having Evan Gattis back in the lineup, albeit as a catcher, has given the Astros a much needed offensive boost. Jose Altuve, once again showing why he’s a legitimate All-Star candidate, is batting .327 entering Tuesday’s game. Carlos Correa, another name expected to be featured in the American League All-Star lineup, has come through in the clutch in the last week. Correa notched a walk-off single in the 13th inning on May 24 against the Baltimore Orioles, and crushed a go-ahead, pinch-hit homer in the 13th inning against the Los Angeles Angels on May 29.
The Astros also have had success with rotating the outfield depending on whether or not the opposing pitcher is left or right handed. Tony Kemp was recently called up from the minors and is hitting .208 in eight games with the club. George Springer has been making solid, consistent contact as of late, and is now hitting .288.
This upcoming home stand is going to be a good test for the Astros, and they’ll need to win at least three of the five games to ride positive momentum into Arlington, where they were swept in their last meeting against the Rangers. The Rangers have also played well lately; they’ve won nine of their last eleven, and currently sit atop the American League West.
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