AL
The Astros Are The Hottest Team In Baseball
Is 2015 the season the Astros finally are contenders again?
Watching MLB Network on Thursday night, I saw something I have not seen in a very long time, the Houston Astros dominate another game and won their seventh straight of the season.
The Astros joined the American league in 2013 and that first season they lost 111 games, finishing 45 games out of first. Last season, they improved and only lost 92 games, finishing 28 games back. But their start to the 2015 season has them in first place and looking like a contenders.
In the first 10 games of the year they started out 4-6, but since they have become the hottest team in baseball at 11-1, overall 15-7 on the season and four games in first place in the American League West, ahead of the Angels who are 11-11. The ‘Stros have also been dominate away from home going 10-2 on the road, and just 5-5 at home.
Their pitching has helped lead the surge to first place, with their starters having won nine games led by Dallas Keuchel (3-0, 0.73), Collin McHugh (3-0, 2.92), and with six wins coming out of the pen led by relief pitchers Luke Gregerson (2-0, 1.64, 4 saves) and Tony Sipp (2-0, 0.79).
But if you look at their offense, only three are actually hitting over .300, Jake Marisnick (.379), Jose Altuve (.367), Jed Lowrie (.300). The rest of the team is batting under .260, but each have gotten timely hits when it has counted to help the team surge to the top.
On Thursday night, Altuve, who currently has a nine-game hitting streak, hit an RBI single to plate the winning run in the bottom of the 10th inning to keep the streak alive. In Altuve’s own streak, eight of the nine games have been of the multi-hit variety. Simply the defending 2014 Batting Champ is on fire and leading this revamped Houston squad.
The Astros head into May, looking to continue their hot streak and distance themselves from the rest of the pack.

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