It’s not insurmountable but they’ve used ALL of their mulligans already. They have to play well consistently for the rest of the season, and they have to play especially well over the next 3 months to be in position not to sell at the deadline. Now, just as they were super cold, they could get super hot; a 10 game winning streak in May would get them above .500 and take a lot of pressure off. But because of the hole they’ve dug, injuries to any key players would be devastating and probably tank the season.
Every year, people (even the most knowledgeable) truly forget how long the baseball season is. The major concerns this team should have right now are if Pressly’s regressions are age-related or mechanics, the rehab/recovery of the pitchers yet to return, and the continued healthy/well-being of the current everyday players that need to produce. Pressly had good spin two nights ago, but velocity remains down. The rest of the stuff (“who bats 2nd? Why is Dubon playing over Myers? Is Jon Singleton always as high as the ball he hit last night? Is Diaz going to swing at every pitch?”) can be played on a loop ad-nauseum and still will likely end up in a wash depending on the above factors.
While you are right that pitching is a big part of whether this team can overcome the poor April, all the things you mentioned ( and more) contribute. We Saw in 2005 how a poor offense can doom a team with great pitching. We saw in 2021 how poor pitching can doom a team with great run production. Everything adds up and the fewer issues a team has unsolved as the season finishes, the better chances they have to win it all.
Nothing “doomed” those teams… they made playoffs and won pennants. If you’re solely worried about why your team is always losing in the WS… you’re a spoiled fan base. Also 2021 had good pitching… they were just young and got the needed experience to have even more success in 2022.
The Astros are closer to first this season than they were near the end of June last season. The defecit is nothing, if we play the level of ball we expected to it will take care of itself with room to spare. We don't need to get exceedingly hot or anything.
Pena reminded us that he is a truly great short stop with a play to first base that had to be viewed in slow motion to to see.
Just about the worst start imaginable and only 5 games out of first with about 80 percent of the season left to go. I'll take it!
The slow start to the season could be a blessing in some respects, as it provides A) motivation throughout the remainder of the season; and B) the knowledge that we need to add to the team at the trade deadline if we want to win the World Series. Motivation is a gift if channeled properly.
Winning the World Series worth a team of all stars would be no better than a coinflip. It’s highly likely all this team needs to add is production and health (continued health) from 3 of JV, Garcia, Urquidy, Javier, LMj, Brown and Arighetti. I think we like the answer to like 4 or 5 of those. I’m assuming back end of the pen will pitch to the level of the back of their baseball cards and this years FIPs, and that Framber and Blanco are at least solid and innings eaters if not spectacular as they’ve been so far.
The team looks like they are starting to believe in one another again. That’s dangerous for the rest of the league. This is only the very beginning of guys starting to play well and the team going on a monster run. I believe.
I think the additions from the injured list are going to be far more impactful than what we get in the trade market.
