Houston Astros Two Youngsters Could Be Key to Their Turnaround
After an impressive series sweep over the weekend against the Baltimore Orioles, the Houston Astros are getting an off day on Monday.
For a team who has dealt with tons of injuries to their starting pitching staff already this season, this allows them to take a breather and figure out how they're going to piece things together until Justin Verlander returns.
Maybe they don't want the day off, though.
The Astros are playing their best baseball of the year, winners of five in a row and seven out of their last 10. They have put themselves in striking distance of a Wild Card spot, and even the division, if they can maintain this hot play.
But that's the question.
Can Houston continue to play this well?
Last time it looked like they had figured things out when they put together a hot stretch earlier in the season, they completely crumbled in the following weeks and lost all the momentum that came from winning those games.
However, things might be different this time around.
With Jose Abreu no longer on this roster, manager Joe Espada has been able to inject some more youth and speed into his lineups with reigning Gold Glove utilityman Mauricio Dubon and newly promoted star prospect Joey Loperfido.
"It's exciting. It's athleticism. It's explosiveness. It's exactly what we're looking for, that little spark that we need," the skipper said after the Friday's game per The Athletic.
Having a change-of-pace option to slot behind veterans Jose Altuve and Alex Bregman is huge, especially when their star slugger Yordan Alvarez will never be confused for a speedster.
This allows the Astros to put more pressure on the opposing defense, while also being able to cover more ground when they're in the field, something that was on full display against the Orioles.
There's been a clear lineup shift for Houston since Kyle Tucker has gone down with his injury that is taking longer to recover from than expected.
Dubon has become more of a factor, and following Loperfido's most recent promotion, there has been a noticeable effort to have him in the lineup and on the field more often than in the past.
How things are impacted once Tucker returns is unknown right now, but the Astros should continue to do what has been working, because entering Monday, they finally look like the team who was predicted to be American League champions entering the year.
BRAD WAKAI
Brad Wakai graduated from Penn State University with a degree in Journalism. While an undergrad, he did work at the student radio station covering different Penn State athletic programs like football, basketball, volleyball, soccer and other sports. Brad currently covers the Philadelphia Phillies, Chicago Cubs and Houston Astros for Sports Illustrated/FanNation. He is also the Lead Contributor for Nittany Lions Wire of Gannett Media where he continues to cover Penn State athletics. Brad is the host of the sports podcast I Said What I Said, discussing topics across the NFL, College Football, the NBA and other sports. You can follow him on Twitter: @bwakai