Are The Houston Astros Already Doomed?
The Houston Astros are off to their worst start in over a decade.
This season just keeps getting worse for the Houston Astros.
Thursday brought another humiliating defeat for the Astros, who surrendered nine runs and 11 hits in the first inning alone. Houston never recovered and lost to the Kansas City Royals 13-3, completing an embarrassing three-game sweep.
The Astros were completely dominated by the Royals, who outscored them 28-8 and have now won eight of their last nine meetings. Kansas City scored more runs in the first inning of Thursday's game than Houston scored in the entire series.
After winning the AL West last year, the Astros now found themselves in last place at 4-10, behind even the lowly Oakland A's. The last time Houston started a season this poorly, it was trying to lose.
The Astros still have a lot of time to turn things around, but they're already digging themselves into a considerable hole. Every game they lose now sets them back even further, and their playoff odds at Baseball-Reference are essentially a coin flip.
Houston's rotation has been decimated by injuries, but there are no guarantees that Justin Verlander, Framber Valdez, Jose Urquidy and others will be the same when they return. In the meantime, rookies Blair Henley and Spencer Arrighetti both got shelled in their MLB debuts, so they may not be able to hold down the fort.
Meanwhile, Houston's offense continues to struggle, and there doesn't seem to be a lot of faith in first-year manager Joe Espada. The bullpen is still undermanned after losing three key relievers last winter.
The Astros' next two series are against the Texas Rangers and Atlanta Braves, so things might keep getting worse before they start getting better.
