Once firmly atop the AL West, the Houston Astros have slipped of late with a 3-7 record in their last 10 while getting swept by the Atlanta Braves.
Now, the Astros are a game back of the Texas Rangers for the division lead, three games back in the Wild Card race, and two games below .500 in a weak American League. If the season ended today, Houston would not be in a playoff spot.
This would be a major letdown for a team that was in the fight for an AL first-round bye and could very well have the AL MVP and Triple Crown winner.
After the sweep by the Braves, designated hitter and outfielder Yordan Alvarez called a team meeting on Sunday, according to The Athletic’s Chandler Rome.
What Did Houston Astros Superstar Yordan Alvarez Say?
After scoring seven runs in a three-game series against Atlanta, it knocked Houston out of a playoff spot. At least for now.
The Astros’ play upset Alvarez to the point that he had to call a players-only meeting.
“Through an interpreter, Yordan Alvarez said he called a team meeting after today’s game and spoke to the club,” Rome wrote. “Alvarez called this weekend ‘three slaps in the face’ and was about as frustrated as we’ve ever seen him in a public setting.”
While it hasn’t been a strong season on paper for Houston, Alvarez has been the offensive firepower the Astros desperately needed.
The pitching, however, has not been good at all. Out of all teams still in the playoff race, Houston has given up the most runs by far, with 747. What upset Alvarez was likely the pitching and the situational hitting after him.
The 2019 AL Rookie of the Year and World Series champion has had a career year. In 152 games, he has slashed .313/.430/.597 with 40 home runs and 99 runs driven in. He currently leads in batting average but falls just short in home runs and RBIs.
However, he is just one off of Junior Caminero for the home run lead and six RBIs behind Pete Alonso.
While it will be tough to get the Triple Crown, it would be quite an accomplishment for Alvarez to have it. But will the Astros get him to the playoffs?
Looking At the Rest of the Season
After an off day on Monday, the Astros will take on the Seattle Mariners for a two-game series. Then, Houston will face the Athletics for a four-game series to conclude the regular season.
Seattle will put out Logan Gilbert and George Kirby against Cristian Javier and a to-be-determined pitcher. This could be a difficult series as the Mariners look to play spoiler.
While Houston should take care of business against the Athletics, they also need some help from the New York Mets and Minnesota Twins to beat the Rangers.
The last Wild Card spot is likely out of reach, with the Chicago White Sox and Cleveland Guardians duking it out for the AL Central and the Astros tied with the Toronto Blue Jays. One of the two AL Central teams will likely get the final Wild Card spot, barring an absolute collapse.
However, that just means their one ticket to the playoffs will be through the AL West.
Astros’ Yordan Alvarez Takes Action After Sweep by Braves