Bill Gilbert is a vetrean member of SABR and a regular contributing writer for The Pecan Park Eagle,
Did the Astros Turn the Corner in May?
By Bill Gilbert
Led by George Springer, Jose Altuve, Dallas Keuchel and Chad Qualls, the Houston Astros posted a record of 15-14 in May, their first winning full month since September, 2010. Included was a 7-game winning streak in which the Astros outscored the opposition 39-12. The first 6 games in the streak were started by 6 different pitchers who all pitched well. Springer carried the offense with 7 home runs in 7 games and an eleven game hitting streak.
The highlight of the streak was Major League Baseball’s 8th annual Civil Rights Game played in Houston this year before a crowd of 38,482, the largest home crowd since opening day. Included were Commissioner Bud Selig, Hank Aaron, Frank Robinson, Jim Brown, George Foreman, Dave Winfield and Bob Watson among others as the Astros won their 7th straight game, 2-1, with an improbable 2-run rally in the 7th inning featuring two baserunning blunders and four clutch hits by the bottom of the batting order, Matt Dominguez, Alex Pressley, Robbie Grossman and Jonathan Villar.
The Astros batted .251 in May which was 5th highest in the American League. The on-base average of .335 was third highest in the AL. The pitchers had a 3.42 ERA for the month, second only to Oakland. These numbers were a sharp contrast to April when the batting average was .210, the on-base percentage was .282 and the pitchers’ ERA was 4.87. In May, the Astros averaged 4.27 runs per game and allowed only 3.79 runs per game.
There were several strong individual performances in May. Jose Altuve batted .357 and stole 11 bases. He leads the American League in hits and steals. Dexter Fowler posted a .420 on-base percentage for the month and Springer hit 10 home runs with 25 RBIs and a batting average of .294. On the pitching side, Dallas Keuchel won 4 games with an ERA of 2.14 and Jarred Cosart won 3 games with an ERA of 2.76. Chad Qualls converted all 4 of his save opportunities and did not allow a run in his 10 appearances. Lefty Tony Sipp, picked up at the end of April, appeared in 9 games and didn’t allow a run.
All four of the Astros full-season minor clubs have winning records for the season and are contenders in their leagues. The Astros farm system is regarded as one of the best and a number of top prospects are being developed, although probably not as quickly as long-suffering Astro fans would like. Springer’s arrival and success is an example of what Astros management has been promising and the fan base is anxious to see more of the same.
After two months, it’s probably safe to say that the Astros aren’t as bad as they appeared in April but probably not as strong as they appeared in the last part of May. At the moment, they don’t have the worst record in the majors with the Tampa Bay Rays, Arizona Diamondbacks and Chicago Cubs all having worse records than the Astros. It would be premature to say that they have turned the corner but there is at least a ray of hope that has been missing for so long. The string of 100 loss seasons should be a thing of the past.
Bill Gilbert
5/2/14
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SIDEBARS
Babies vs. ’27 Yankees Resumes at 3:00 PM today in 1927. With the Yankees leading the 4-wins-in-7 computer simulated time travel series by 2 games to o, the Babies host their first home game at Cow Pasture # 2 on the then (1927) still active George Ranch. The game site is located a few miles to the south of the little town of Sugarland, Texas, back in the days those folks still allowed the town’s name to roll on as one word. Bob Dorrill has asked all Babies players to bring a shovel. We may have some pre-game grounds keeping to do after we move the cattle to a corral before early practice starts. A report on Game 3 of the series will appear tomorrow n the Thursday edition of the Pecan Park Eagle.
Congratulations, Jason Lane! – This good news comes the Eagle courtesy of Tal Smith: Jason Lane had quite a pitching debut for the Padres last night He came on in relief in the 4th with Pittsburgh leading 4-0, 2 on and 2 out. He proceeded to strike out Neil Walker swinging and then retired the side in order in the 5th, 6th and 7th. Ten up, ten down with 3 K. First pitcher in franchise history to face 10 or more batters in his ML debut without allowing a base runner and first in ML since Max Scherzer in 2008. Lane flied out to RF in his only AB. – Tal Smith.
Congratulations and Welcome, Jon Singleton! First baseman Jon Singleton made his Astros debut another in the rookies “Big Bang Theory” series last night. He blasted a monster home run to right center and also drew a bases loaded walk as his major contributions to the club’s 7-2 win over the Los Angeles Angels at Minute Maid Park. How cool is that? Between Jon and George Springer, and others on the way, it looks like we may be on the way to playing big league baseball in Houston again soon.
The Pecan Park Eagle 
June 4, 2014 at 1:36 pm |
Hurray for Jason Lane! He is my 6-year old son’s favorite player from his time with the Skeeters – when we play ball together, my son will often say, “Okay, I’m Jason Lane, and dad you be [whomever].” Jason never had that “I’m better than you are” attitude that too many big leaguers (or even ex-big leaguers) these days often project. He gave autographs, posed for pictures with the kids, and was extremely gracious all the way around. It’s fantastic to see him back in the majors at his old college position of pitcher. And what a debut! I can’t wait to tell my son when he gets home from school today.