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LAKE CHARLES WEATHER

Astros Rising

Aug 16, 2024 10:19AM ● By Kelsey Swire
By Jim Gazzolo


The Houston Astros are hot.

They are likely going to stay hot over the weekend as well.

Winners of their last eight games, the Astros have vaulted into first place in the American League West, passing Seattle in the process.

Houston has more than made up for a slow start that had many people worried the end of their playoff days was near if not already here.

It has been a good run for the Astros.

Since 2015 Houston has made the playoffs every season but one, winning the only two World Series championships in the franchise’s history during that stretch. But the tough beginning had fans wondering if it was not time to think about another rebuild.

The Astros have changed all those thoughts in a quick moment, winning their way back into the playoff conversation.

And with three games this weekend over the hapless Chicago White Sox, who have just 29 wins, the Astros have a chance to really make some noise. 

Wednesday night Houston won a game in which they had just two hits. The Astros finished a nine-game road trip with a 2-1 win in 10 innings in Tampa. That gave them an 8-1 trip that seems to make them the team to beat the rest of the way.

“A heck of a road trip,” manager Joe Espada said. “We took care of business. We beat some really good teams on the road and we played really well.”

Espada, who’s in his first season since taking over for Dusty Baker, was on the hot seat early in the year. Now, he has the Astros playing their best baseball. 

Houston is 65-55 heading into the weekend with a three-game lead over the Mariners with 42 games remaining.

The Astros’ rise in the standings this season corresponds with the hitting of LSU product Alex Bregman. Tuesday night in a 3-2 win, Bregman hit his 19th home run of the season and set a personal best by homering in four straight games.

Bregman, like his team, had a terrible start to the season and thoughts were he could be a real trade candidate at the deadline. With free agency looming at the end of the season, Bregman’s future in Houston still isn’t known, but the present looks good again.

Instead of trading away pieces at the deadline, Houston added a few and now is starting to pull away from the field. It is as if the club realized that with all that might be coming this offseason, one final run would be a good way to end this stretch of good year. 

“Just urgency, there’s fire,” Espada said. “This a team that loves winning. They know how to win. They stay together. We fight through up and downs, and that’s the character and makeup of this team. It’s what makes this group so special.”

It is a club that has learned how to turn things on down the stretch. It is also one though that is getting a little long in the tooth, making changes expected.

Those changes could come sooner rather than later as Houston tries to figure out ways to keep the older guys they want in mixt in some new blood. They also would like to be financially flexible to make the moves they must when holes in the roster come up.

That is not easy when you have a team of veterans who have won their share and expect to be paid accordingly.

All this leaves management in a hole. Houston doesn’t want to get caught like other teams and lose their way when they shift over. They want a smooth transition to the next generation of players.

Still, this team is turning some heads with the post-All-Star Game hype. 

It is one that the Astros themselves seem to be embracing as if they know that they might not have too many more with this group.


Jim Gazzolo is a freelance writer who covers McNeese athletics. He is the host of Poke Nation on CBS-Lake Charles
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