Houston Astros Players Explain Reason for Home Struggles

The Houston Astros have struggled at home all season and their hitters have opened up about why it's happening.

The Houston Astros have been a juggernaut at home in Minute Maid Park since 2019. They have had a winning percentage of .630 or above every single season, except for this one. It's a weird phenomenon that is taking place for the Astros, who have dominated teams in their home ballpark. 

That's because the complete opposite is happening this year.

Entering Friday which starts their six-game homestand, Houston sits with a 35-34 home record. That's compared to their 45-27 record on the road, which is the third most wins away from home in the league.

Even if the Astros win all 12 of their games remaining at Minute Maid Park, they'd finish the season with a home winning percentage of .580, easily their lowest in the last five years.

So what's the reason behind their home struggles this season?

According to Chandler Rome of The Athletic, multiple hitters have told him they aren't seeing the ball well in the home park's batter's eye.

He writes, "One player described the batter’s eye as 'not high enough' with 'too much stuff behind it.' A Budweiser sign and some television screens on the right side create problems, too, the player said."

Houston has an AL leading .800 OPS on the road this season further giving credence they aren't seeing the ball well at home.

One player told Rome, "It’s like night and day" when it comes to hitting at home and on the road.

But is this just one abnormal season after years of dominating in their home ballpark?

Numbers would say that this decline has been happening for the past few seasons.

The Astros' home OPS numbers have declined every year since 2019, when they hit .848. In 2021 they hit .783, in 2022 they finished with a .743 OPS and this season they're hitting .734.

Outfielder Chas McCormick is one of the players who has put up better numbers in Minute Maid than on the road.

He said to Rome, "I think I see the ball all right there. There are times where I’m like ‘Whoa, I didn’t see that one,’ but I hear some guys talk about that. It’s kind of hard to see, but I don’t know."

It's certainly an interesting subplot to Houston's season. Based on the decline that's been happening over the years, it would be surprising if all of a sudden things got turned around at home.

The question will be if these struggles come back to hurt them in the postseason.