New Look for the Astros in August

The month of August represents a turning point in the future performance of the Astros. Gone are Hunter Pence, Michael Bourn and Jeff Keppinger to be replaced by several promising rookies this year and some promising prospects in the years to come. So far, it has worked well.

Three players promoted from AA Corpus Christi have had very successful debuts in their first full month. Left fielder, J.D. Martinez has hit .293 with 5 home runs and 29 RBIs in 30 games, second baseman, Jose Altuve has hit 305 and scored 21 runs in 39 games and third baseman, Jimmy Paredes has batted .297 in 27 games. Center fielder, Jordan Schafer and pitcher, Henry Sosa, both obtained in the trades also performed well for Houston in August.

The Astros record in September was an unimpressive 12-17 which was their best month of the season. However, the Club went 9-6 after August 15 and finished the month with 4 straight wins and 7 straight quality starts from the pitchers.

The Astros have the 4th highest team batting average (.261) in the National league and continue to lead the league in doubles. However, they are near the bottom in home runs and walks resulting in an average of only 3.85 runs per game despite an increase to 4.10 runs per game in August. The bigger problem is that they give up too many runs (4.92 per game for the season and 4.66 in August).

There were a few pitching bright spots in August. Wandy Rodriguez had a good month (3-2, 3.32 ERA) and J.A. Happ has had two strong starts since returning from a brief stint in the minors. Among the hitters, utility player, Matt Downs batted .447 for the month and Brian Bogusevic, playing regularly in right field, batted .338 with 4 home runs in August.

A team with a record like the Astros doesn’t have much to play for in September. However, the young players are playing hard and the veterans are joining in. The success in August did not attract many fans and some of the lowest paid crowds in the 12-year history of Minute Maid Park were recorded.

In order for the Astros to avoid losing 100 games for the first time, they must have a record of 16-9 in September.