How Astros Continue to Survive in American League Playoff Chase

Enyel De Los Santos did the job at the precise moment. Peter Lambert had gotten into trouble after walking Colson Montgomery with the bases empty and two outs in the top of the fifth inning. With the Houston Astros leading 2-1 against the dangerous Chicago White Sox, manager Joe Espada felt it was time to open his bullpen.

Two pitches later, Chase Meidroth hit a slow ground ball of just 71.9 mph to second base and ended the inning. The Astros increased the lead with a three-run blow in the bottom of the fifth, led by a bases-loaded walk to Christian Walker and a double by Cam Smith. De Los Santos got into trouble by issuing three walks in the sixth, but Bennett Sousa came to his rescue and prevented the White Sox offense from waking up.

Steven Okert and Bryan Abreu took care of the final two zeros on the scoreboard at Daikin Park. The Astros won again with the invaluable help of their bullpen, covering 4 ⅓ innings while allowing just two hits and one run—the solo home run by Colson Montgomery, his No. 29 of the season, against Sousa to begin the seventh.

The sample in the box score may look small, but the impact of Houston’s relievers has saved the team’s season. The Astros lead the league in the second half of the season in several key areas every bullpen needs: the lowest rate of inherited runners scoring (just 24 IS%), the highest Soft% allowed by relievers (17.4), and they also lead in SwStr (14.6%) and K/BB% (20.4%), per Baseball Savant.

That effectiveness has prevented the collapse of a rotation that has dealt with injuries and inconsistencies and continues to navigate questions when it comes to dominance and durability. Of course, we cannot forget the work of Houston’s offense and defense, but the efficiency of its relief corps has been one of the crucial contributions that has allowed the Astros to remain in the fight to win their division.

Behind Hader, Houston Is Also Finding Answers

Houston Astros relief pitcher Josh Hader (71). Mandatory Credit: John Jones-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Josh Hader has been the big man here. As expected, Houston’s investment in the star left-hander has delivered the expected impact. Hader has saved 47 of his last 48 opportunities and remains almost untouchable. He has not allowed a run in his last 18 appearances, with 20 strikeouts, just three walks and five hits allowed. Houston has gone 15-3 during that stretch. He is 21-for-21 in save situations with a 0.74 ERA in 37 appearances.

But behind Hader’s customary dominance, there are also arms that continue to show consistency. During this second half of the season, Bryan King, Bryan Abreu and Steven Okert have continued making adjustments. Abreu has raised his K/9 rate to 11.3 and, although he still has to keep working on his command, he has not allowed home runs against the 87 batters he has faced.

The cases of Cristian Javier and Tatsuya Imai also stand out. Both have been part of the starting pitching staff, but in their relief roles since the All-Star break, they have experienced improvements in their command. Javier has not issued a walk against 41 opponents and has generated an 11.3 K/9 rate, a notable recovery compared with his struggles as a starter.

Ronel Blanco will return to the starting rotation Tuesday against the White Sox, and it is likely that this move will send Sousa back to the bullpen. The Astros need their starters to provide greater durability, but even so, having the consistency of their relievers is a relief down the final stretch of the season.

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