Houston Astros Reportedly Believe They Have Turned Their Season Around
The Houston Astros have had the worst start to their season imaginable as they entered the year with championship aspirations after losing in the American League Championship Series last October.
Despite the departures of three key bullpen pieces, adding Josh Hader and maintaining a lineup that has dominated Major League Baseball for just under a decade was enough to give anyone confidence that they could win their third World Series championship.
Yet, they entered their two-game Mexico City slate against the Colorado Rockies with a 7-19 record, sitting last in their division and with the second-worst record in the American League.
The Astros were able to dominate the Rockies, outscoring them 20-6 and reminding people of what this roster can do if everything is clicking.
Because of that, many Houston players think they have turned their season around and are about to go on a hot streak.
"We're going to get super hot and go on a run," Alex Bregman said according to Alden Gonzalez of ESPN.
The star third baseman has struggled mightily so far this year with his numbers down across the board. But after an 0-5 showing in the opener, he rebounded to go 2-4 with an RBI that might get him back on track to get out of his patented slow start.
Bregman isn't the only one feeling confident either.
Manager Joe Espada thinks they might have found something, saying, "We want to use this series as a springboard to play better than we have. I think we demonstrated over these last two games the type of team we are."
For struggling teams, getting out of the usual grind that the long Major League Baseball season presents is always welcome. When they traveled down to Mexico and went through different festivities leading up to the series, it seemed like that could be their opportunity to hit the reset button and get things back on track.
"It was like we were starting a new season," Yordan Alvarez said after their introductions which mirrored Opening Day. "I told the guys, 'This is the moment to believe our season starts today.'"
Whether they are able to turn things around will be seen.
The Astros headed back home after the much-needed dominant series win to get ready for their matchup against the American League's best team in the Cleveland Guardians on Tuesday.
That will truly be a measuring stick to see how they look and if they have turned things around.
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