Astros Don't Miss a Beat

By Jim Gazzolo

First, the Houston Astros traded away Kyle Tucker, then Alex Bregman. 

It was an offseason of change for a team that had won two World Series titles and seemed destined for a few more.

The moves did not sit well with Astro fans, who wanted to keep their team intact and keep the winning going. They figured another long rebuild had begun.

Having sat through the years of 100-plus losses, nobody in Houston was looking forward to a repeat of those days. Not after the franchise had climbed its way out of baseball’s basement and into the penthouse.

They much preferred seeing their team rubbing elbows with the Dodgers, Yankees, and Red Sox, baseball’s elite. Squaring off against the A’s and Angels wasn’t nearly as exciting.

Yet that is where many figured the direction the Astros were heading as two still relatively young stars were sent packing. Tucker went to the Cubs, Bregman to Boston. 

Things would even be worse when the new season started, as the face of the franchise, Jose Altuve, was moved from second base to left field. And the All-Star looked lost, as did his team when the games began.

Surprisingly, as the July 4th weekend comes around, a big time in the baseball race, the Astros are far from the bottom of the standings. Even with slugger Yordan Alvarez missing games with an injured hand, Houston is still winning.

The Astros are in first place in the American League West, easily outpacing the rest of the division. They have found their groove, a different one led by Altuve and some new players, but still producing a winning formula.

Things are going so well that even the news on Alvarez has been good recently.

“Yordan Alvarez and the Astros received some encouraging news from a hand specialist that examined Alvarez's sore right hand on Wednesday,” the Astros said in a statement. “As part of the examination, additional imaging was done on his right hand, which revealed that the main cause of his current pain is due to inflammation. The specialist also indicated that at some point in the recovery process, the small fracture that had been sustained is now a non-factor in the discomfort that Alvarez is currently experiencing.” 

Getting the left-handed slugger back would only add to the Astros’ postseason hopes and their fans’ joy. 

A couple of young players, Cam Smith and Hunter Brown, have made it easy for Houston to move past Bregman and Tucker.

Brown is coming off a June when he was named the A.L. Pitcher of the Month. The young right-hander allowed just four runs in just over 30 innings of work in June and has continued to build on a hot finish to the 2024 season. 

He has become the ace of a surprisingly solid starting rotation. Josh Hader was named the A.L.’s reliever of the month, as he continues to rack up saves.

The rookie Smith has helped fans get over the trade of Tucker, who is a free agent after this season. Smith, who came over in the deal for Tucker, meanwhile, will be around Houston for some time to come.

There is still a lot of baseball left to play this season, but the Astros have shown they can bounce back from any loss and are going to be in the race until the end.

And fans should no longer be surprised.

Jim Gazzolo is a freelance writer who covers sports in Southwest Louisiana. He is also the host of Poke Nation, which airs weekly on CBS-Lake Charles.