Astros Show Some Improvement in June

The Astros entered the final weekend of the month of June with a 12-12 record and a chance to have their first winning month in years.  However, they were swept at home by the Los Angeles Angels and finished 12-15 for the month. The month started on a positive note as the Astros won their first three games, completing an unlikely 4-game sweep of the Angels in Anaheim.

Unfortunately, the hot start didn’t last as it was quickly followed by a 6-game losing streak.  A 4-game winning streak put the team at 11-10 on June 22.  Things went downhill from there as the team absorbed consecutive losses by scores of 14-6 and 13-3 and won only one game the rest of the month.

The team had a record of 30-52 at the end of June in a virtual tie with the Miami Marlins at 29-51.

The bright spot for the month was the starting pitching with an ERA of 3.14 for the month.  All 5 starters had an ERA of 3.53 or better, led by Bud Norris at 2.77.  Unfortunately, it was a bad month for the bullpen.  Jose Cisnero (0.77 ERA) and Jose Veras (1.64) had strong months but the rest of the bullpen recorded an ERA of 6.70.

The overall ERA for the staff for the season is 4.89, much improved from the figure at the end of May (5.23), but still the highest in the major leagues.

A major disappointment in June was the offense.  In June, the Astros were last in the major leagues in batting average (.212), on-base percentage (.269) and next to last, ahead of only the Yankees, in slugging average (.346) and runs per game (3.33).  The only player with a batting average of over .241 was Jose Altuve (.275).  Chris Carter led the club in runs (14), home runs (5), on-base percentage (.357), slugging average (.518) and, of course, strikeouts (34).  However, Carter is no longer on a pace to break the record of 223 strikeouts held by Mark Reynolds.

The Astros four full-season minor league teams continue to do well and the three short-season teams are off to a good start with some of the recent draftees.  No. 1 draft pick, Mark Appel is working out in Florida and should make his professional debut in July.