Houston Astros go on hot streak to reach best record since early April

The next few days will be huge for the Houston Astros and their playoff chances.

Houston’s horrible start to the season has been the subject of much discussion, mostly because of how shocking it was. But right now, they look like a new team that could gain some confidence at the right time.

After picking up a series win over the Baltimore Orioles on Saturday afternoon, the Astros now sit at 37-40. The last time they were just three games under .500 was April 8, when they were 4-7.

The Seattle Mariners’ lead in the AL West had reached 10 games, but now sits at just seven, which remains a tough hill to climb. Houston’s real chance to make the playoffs will be in the Wild Card race. They are now just 4.5 games behind the Boston Red Sox and five games behind the Kansas City Royals.

The Astros are entering a potentially season-defining period. Sunday will see their final game against Baltimore. A two-game series against the Colorado Rockies, who have the third-worst record in the league, begins Tuesday. If Houston wins all three games, they will be at .500 for the first time this season.

After Colorado, it will be the red-hot New York Mets before facing another team in decline, the Toronto Blue Jays for a four-game series. By the second week of July, the decision could be made on whether they should start selling players or regrouping for the playoffs.

At one point in the season, Houston found itself with a depleted roster and double-digit games under .500. The team is now playing with a newfound confidence that seems achievable.

The re-emergence of superstar slugger Yordan Alvarez played a huge role in the season’s turnaround. The normally reliable hitter had hit a slash line of just .239/.323/.420 when the season was at its worst.

In the month of June alone, he has an absurd .359/.417/.797 line while hitting seven home runs with 19 RBIs. Houston is just 8-18 in games where Alvarez went hitless. His bat is a big part of this team’s success.

Another player who can be thanked for changing the situation is pitcher Hunter Brown. In constant chaos with the pitching staff, Brown managed to put together a career-best run.

He looked like a cause in April, when his ERA rose to 9.78. Over his last nine outings, he has a 2.45 ERA and hitters have slashed just .207/.277/.346 against him.

Although they haven’t reached contender status yet, the Astros are finally starting to look like themselves again.