We’ve all known for a while that one of the Astros’ main goals in 2026 as a lineup was to see more pitches, following a 2025 season in which this team had the second-highest chase rate and saw the third-fewest pitches per plate appearance in baseball. Not to mention that the 2024 lineup also saw the fewest pitches per plate appearance. But the lineup scuffling down the stretch without Yordan Alvarez last season cost Troy Snitker and Alex Cintrón their jobs, leading to a new philosophical approach in 2026, led by new hitting coaches Victor Rodriguez and Anthony Iapoce, along with a newly promoted Dan Hennigan (now with Wake Forest), with mostly the same hitters.
Lo and behold, there hasn’t been a lineup in baseball that has shown more improvement in this area than the Astros. They’ll likely end this season being roughly league average in 2026 (league average: 3.88 Pit/PA).
Frankly, I was doubtful to see if this overall team approach could noticeably change without substantially altering the lineup itself. The Astros seeing fewer pitches in their plate appearances compared to the rest of baseball wasn’t only a single-season blip. No, it has been a constant approach for this team since 2022, with a healthy Alvarez in tow until 2025. Even the 2021 team was only around league average, seeing 3.90 pitches per plate appearance. But this lineup is full of veteran hitters that have long established themselves with those past approaches. It would certainly be a departure from typical norms to see multiple veteran hitters alter their respective approaches all at once.
In hindsight, former GM Dana Brown was doing what he could to improve this lineup, knowing the limitations he had, outside of some adjustments on the margin. Other than a healthy Alvarez, a different approach from new coaches was probably the most efficient way to possibly improve offensive output without drastic roster measures. Of course, the Astros did see their offensive output improve, scoring 4.51 runs per game this season compared to 4.23 per game in 2025. But I would guess the increase in run production is mostly due to Alvarez being healthy, with perhaps some measure of it due to taking more pitches on average per plate appearance.
Diamondbacks @ Astros Game Information and Gamethread Details
The Astros’ lineup might have issues scoring runs again on Sunday with Eduardo Rodriguez (2.59 ERA in 167 innings) starting for the Diamondbacks. Hopefully Peter Lambert can reverse some of his recent struggles in what could prove to be an intriguing game from a starter perspective.
On a roster note, Miguel Ullola is now on the active roster, with Kai-Wei Teng being sent to Sugar Land.
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It makes sense to call up Ullola. The bullpen has been running on fumes for awhile now. Ullola offers true swing and miss potential. So long as he can hold down his walks, which can still be problematic, he provides clear strike out potential out of the pen.