Ever since the Astros have gotten rid of their most famous and highest paid players, they have been playing the best ball of the season. They have gone 14-8 in their last 22 games with a team ERA of 2.18 in that stretch. We swept the playoff contending Phillies and have shutout the Cardinals the past two games. Outstanding pitching has led the way with timely hitting. By no means do I think that the Astros have a shot at making the...don't say it...playoffs (Oh he said it!). But they are only 10 games out of .500 and have a better than .500 record at home. As a loyal Astros fan, I had already written this season of as a waste. But I was early to do that. The Astros have surprised me and have made it exciting again. Its not exciting because they have a serious shot at the playoffs, but more so because I like to see them spoil the chances of other teams.
Lets take a walk down memory lane for a second. On this day in 2004 and 2005 the
Astros were 3.5 and 4.5 games above .500, respectively. In 2004 they were one game away from the World Series and actually made it to the World Series in 2005. All Astros fans remember what a magical era that was. Both of those seasons, mind you, started out in typical Astros fashion: another sub-par season that is just enough to maybe get us to the playoffs but stall out quickly and more importantly, keep ticket sales up.
2010 started out the same, if not worse, but has turned into exciting baseball. Although they may not get anywhere this season, it is fascinating to watch and leaves me wanting more. The Astros have an ambitious, young group of guys that I see a great future in.
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