The Launch Angle

Another day, another game lamenting the bottom half of the Astros lineup. Or, in this case, most of it.

There are only so many ways to say that this isn’t a postseason-caliber lineup, even with a potential AL MVP in it. The outfield is a mess. The infield isn’t much better as of late. Well, except for Isaac Paredes. I will not tolerate slander about him. But, in general, this lineup is bad.

Just bad, bad, bad, and more bad.

Whoever the next general manager is will certainly have a challenge in revamping this offense. It won’t be an easy task. Honestly, the front office will likely need to find three new starting outfielders. Carlos Correa will be back by then, so the infield logjam returns. But that brings up a point that I think is worth discussing to a small degree: what to do about Christian Walker. Because, by wRC+ by month entering Friday’s game against the Braves, Walker is increasingly unplayable.

• March/April – 155
• May – 104
• June – 89
• July – 98
• August – 69
• September – 15

For as much as I prefer Walker’s defense compared to José Abreu’s, we’re well past the point when the defensive value doesn’t outweigh the offensive production, or lack thereof. And, all due respect to Abreu, it wasn’t difficult to replace his defensive value. Back to Walker, though, as we’re now approaching two months of him being among the worst hitters in baseball territory. Only six qualified hitters have a lower wRC+ than Walker’s 52. Again, only six. I didn’t dig too deep into the payroll numbers, but I venture to speculate that Walker’s salary is higher than some combination of those six hitters.

There are still eight games, and possibly a postseason appearance, remaining, so I don’t want to get too ahead of myself. But, if this team is serious about improving the roster, you’d have to consider next steps with Walker and his $20 million salary for 2027 in the offseason. Again, a potential lockout would complicate matters for everyone. That said, if you’re playing baseball at some point next year, I think a change at first base is warranted. Preferably, not another veteran who is about to experience a steep decline, but beggars can’t be choosers.

Back to the game…

As you can tell from the lineup screenshot above, the Astros couldn’t generate much offense. Again, not a shocker if you’ve been following this team for the past several weeks. Paredes drove in both runs. Alvarez had a generally productive day at the plate, scoring a run and drawing two walks. LaMonte Wade Jr. had a hit and scored a run. Otherwise, it was bleak. The Braves are good, no question, but Houston struck out 12 times compared to two walks. Daulton Varsho, Walker, and Taylor Trammell were a combined 0-for-12 with seven strikeouts.

For the pitching staff, it was a mix of both good and bad.

Peter Lambert, to his credit, has found a second wind in his last few starts, throwing 5.1 innings of two-run ball. He struck out six in the process. AJ Blubaugh might be running out of gas, though, allowing a two-run homer to Ronald Acuña Jr. to make it a 4-1 Braves advantage. That was the point in the game when it felt like the Astros were truly going to lose. Enyel De Los Santos had a scoreless eighth but allowed a two-run homer himself in the ninth, this time to Matt Olson. A dagger to make it a 6-1 lead for Atlanta, and the game was over by that point.

The Rangers won their game against the Blue Jays, so both Houston and Texas are now tied in the win-loss column. Of course, the Astros still own the tiebreaker, which effectively acts as a one-game cushion. But with only eight games left, there isn’t much margin error for either club.

Feature photo from Astros on X