Recent hot streak shows why Astros aren't done yet
Houston Astros starting pitcher Spencer Arrighetti.
The Houston Astros' season may still be alive.
After being read its last rites in mid-May, Houston, which reached .500 for the first time this season after a 7-1 home win over the Rockies on Tuesday, is the league's hottest team.
Houston has won seven games in a row, the longest current streak in MLB.
Since May 9, no team in baseball, entering Wednesday, had more wins than the Astros (27), and only the Guardians (.675) had a better win percentage, per FanGraphs.
Improved pitching has ignited the turnaround.
During Houston's 12-24 start — its worst in 10 seasons — Astros pitchers had an earned run average (ERA) of 5.05, the third-worst in the league.
Over their last 43 games before Wednesday, they ranked second in MLB with a 3.31 ERA.
Astros rookie pitcher Spencer Arrighetti had his best outing of the season in the 7-1 win over Colorado. He entered the game with a 6.36 ERA, including 7.53 in June but pitched seven scoreless innings while allowing just three hits and striking out 10 batters on 89 pitches, 70 of which were strikes.
The team's hitting has been consistent through the pitching staff's ups and downs. In its first 79 games, Houston ranked 13th in the league in runs scored (360) and first in team batting average (.263).
Arguably, the only thing standing in the way of the Astros returning to the playoffs for the eighth consecutive season is league precedent.
After losing to the Yankees on May 8, Stathead posted on social media that only three teams have made the playoffs since 1901 after going 12-24 or worse during their first 36 games.
The Astros are 4.5 games behind the Mariners (46-37) for first in the AL West and three back of the Royals (44-38) and Red Sox (43-37) for the league's final wild-card spot.
That horrible start is ancient history, but Houston still has work to do if it wants to outrun its past.
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