Two Houston Astros youngsters could be key to their turnaround

After an impressive series sweep this weekend against the Baltimore Orioles, the Houston Astros get a day off on Monday.

For a team that has already dealt with tons of injuries among its starting pitching staff this season, this allows them to take a breather and figure out how they’re going to piece things together until Justin Verlander returns.

But maybe they don’t want to take the day off.

The Astros are playing their best baseball of the year, winning five games in a row and seven of their last 10. They’ve put themselves within striking distance of a Wild Card spot, and even the division, if they can keep this game hot. .

But that’s the question.

Can Houston continue to play well?

Last time it looked like they had things figured out when they went on a hot streak earlier in the season, they completely fell apart in the following weeks and lost all the momentum from winning those games .

However, things might be different this time around.

With Jose Abreu no longer on this roster, manager Joe Espada was able to inject some more youth and speed into his lineups with reigning Gold Glove utilityman Mauricio Dubon and newly promoted star prospect Joey Loperfido.

“It’s exciting. It’s the athleticism. It’s the explosiveness. It’s exactly what we’re looking for, that little spark that we need,” the skipper said after Friday’s match. Athleticism.

Having a change-of-pace option to slot behind veterans Jose Altuve and Alex Bregman is huge, especially when their star slugger Yordan Alvarez will never be mistaken for a speedster.

This allows the Astros to put more pressure on the opposing defense, while also being able to cover more ground while on the field, which was on full display against the Orioles.

There has been a clear roster shift for Houston since Kyle Tucker suffered an injury that is taking longer than expected to recover from.

Dubon has become an increasingly important factor, and following Loperfido’s most recent promotion, there have been notable efforts to have him in the lineup and on the field more often than in the past.

How things will be impacted once Tucker returns is unknown at this time, but the Astros should continue to do what has been working, because as of Monday, they finally look like the team that was supposed to be American League champions at the beginning of the year.