PANIC BUTTON?
Astros deal with tough losses, inexperience with MLB’s first quarter almost complete
Once-formidable offense continues to struggle amid four-game funk, mustering just five hits in falling to A’s 3-1 to drop 4½ back in AL West race
Who are these guys?
That was the fun, smart question to ask way back in 2012 and ’13, when the Lastros made losing more than 100 games a season fashionable and turned blatant tanking into Major League Baseball’s hippest trend.
Seven seasons (and a sportchanging sign-stealing scandal) later?
Who are these guys is again defining the Astros, who entered Saturday night with a backward 6-8 record and had spent the previous 10 days perfecting the art of losing late, painful heartbreakers.
Los Angeles Dodgers 4-2 in 13 innings.
Los Angeles Angels 5-4 in 10. Arizona Diamondbacks 5-4 via a walkoff.
Oakland Athletics 3-2 in 13. Notice the frustrating trend? And that’s not even mentioning that you basically have to be an unproven rookie to be allowed to pitch in the Astros’ bullpen.
From the end of 2011 through the early days of January 2020, the Astros were ultimately defined by the franchise’s master plan. They would lose, lose, lose. Then they would win, win, win like never before — 311 victories in three combined seasons; three consecutive American League Championship Series appearances and the organization’s first World Series title — and be set up as an annual championship contender for at least a decade.
I am not going to overreact to a few tough losses in early August. Stuff happens, especially in baseball.
I will, however, factually point out that this MLB season is missing 102 games, and these Astros currently look nothing like a serious World Series contender with just 46 regular-season games remaining.
The Astros also hadn’t been below .500 at least 10 games into a season since 2016, when the team’s chemistry was off all year and the club significantly disappointed for the only time under A.J. Hinch.
The chapter after the conclusion of the franchise’s now-tarnished golden era wasn’t initially scripted like this. The normal golden-era Astros also wouldn't already be 4½ games out of first place in the AL West.
New manager Dusty Baker sounded determined and resilient Saturday, before his team tried to move a game closer to the Athletics in Oakland. Baker also sounded frustrated and tired, acknowledging his team’s recent struggles and the challenging road that still awaits.
He began an answer by saying that, big picture, the Astros are where they are.
He ended the same answer by stating: “Like they say, the sun don’t shine on the same dog’s (butt) every day. So it’s about time it shined on us.”
“We’re limping right now,” Baker said. “Things aren’t going our way. But you’ve got to keep fighting and fighting.”
Early bright spots: Carlos Correa, Michael Brantley, Cristian Javier, Brandon Bielak, Blake Taylor, Framber Valdez, Zack Greinke on Friday night.
But a healing George Springer entered Saturday hitting .182, Jose Altuve was batting .190, Alex Bregman was at .228 and Yuli Gurriel was at .231.
The Astros ranked 11th among all teams in batting average
(.242), 16th in ERA (4.09) and 28th in WHIP (1.47).
As a whole, the Astros’ rookie arms have impressed. But 10 rookies on a 15-man staff doesn’t scream a late October run … or look anything like ex-general manager Jeff Luhnow’s old master plan.
Add in all the important names that Baker can’t use — Justin Verlander, Roberto Osuna, Yordan Alvarez, Jose Urquidy, Aledmys Diaz, Brad Peacock, Chris Devenski — and it made perfect sense when the club’s new skipper referenced a philosophical Funkadelic line from a 1971 super jam: “I knew I had to rise above it all or drown in my own (crap).”
The Astros entered this season dealing with a relentless national spotlight and the weight of the baseball world.
Then the long 162 was shortened to 60. A single victory feels like sweeping a three-game series. Four consecutive stinging defeats translate into a 12-game losing streak.
“You really earn your money during tough times,” Baker said. “This game of baseball is relatively — it’s kind of easy during good times. But during the tough times you’ve got to dig deep. … You can feel sorry for yourself all you want to and all they’ll do is bury you. And there are people out there that are loving this. There are other teams out there that are loving this. We’re not getting any sympathy and don’t want any from anybody.”
It’s early. But in a 60-game season, it’s not.
The injuries are clearly out of Baker’s hands. But his daily lineup is still ready-made for the postseason and the Astros should be better than they have been. Baker must be calm, precise and decisive in the heat of the moment. Not lost in the chaos. If the Astros somehow fail to make the playoffs during a season when more than half of MLB will, owner Jim Crane will have to fire two managers in one year.
Way back in February when spring training began, the hope was that the 2020 Astros would ultimately answer everything by their play on the field.
Lance McCullers Jr., Josh Reddick, Altuve, Springer, Correa, Bregman, Brantley, Gurriel and Greinke remain.
But almost a quarter of the way through MLB’s crazy 60game season, the Astros’ play between the lines has only created more questions.
What’s happening to the Astros?
They will rise above it all. Or they will be dragged down by their own (crap).
“All right guys, I got to go to work,” said Baker, ending another daily video interview.
Another test awaited.
Just 14 games into a new season, his beat-up Astros really needed a win. A below .500 club must now wait until Sunday for its next W to potentially arrive.