Can Houston Astros give baseball fans in Houston something to cheer about
Success has not always come easy for the Houston Astros. Prior to their modest run of playoff seasons in the late 1990s and early 2000s. In fact, prior to the six playoff births the team earned from 1997-2005, the Astros had only been to the post season three times in over 30 years of play.
For that nine year span the team appeared to have the right collection of talented players that were able to come together and give baseball fans in Houston something to cheer about. After getting swept in the NLDS in 1997, the Astros came on strong in 1998, and ended the regular season with the most wins in a season in club history (102). Sadly, the team would once again be ushered out of the post season in the Division Series round.
It seemed as if the Astros were good enough to compete for the division title, but had a hard time succeeding the post season. Four of the six playoff births they earned from 1997-2005 ended in the Divisional Series round. However, there luck seemed to change during the 2004 season playoffs.
After winning the wildcard to get into the post season, the Astros finally won a division series beating the Atlanta Braves 3 games to 2. They would compete against their division rival, the St. Louis Cardinals, for the right to go to the World Series, but would end up losing the NLCS 3 games to 4.
When you come that close there is a sour taste left in your mouth that can either make or break your team in the following season. It appeared as if it was going to sink the Astros in the 2005 season when they got out to a 15-30 record a little more than ¼ into the season. However, Houston would come roaring back to win the wild card. Once again they would beat the Braves in the NLDS; this time they would beat the Cardinals in the NLCS. While they played well in the World Series, they still ended up getting swept.
World Series Hangover
Houston appeared to suffer the typical World Series loser hangover in 2006. While they still managed to earn a winning record it was not enough to return to the post season. The following year the team would finish for the first time since the 2000 season with a record under .500.
The following season would see them climb back over .500 with 86 wins, but in a tougher division it was only good enough for third. However, the 2009 season saw their fortunes turn south once again. The team finished under .500 again with only 74 wins. It was the first time they finished fifth (or worse) in the division since a 6th place finish in 1991.
What went wrong?
Houston has not had the strongest offense, even in their World Series year in 2005. During the regular season (in 2005) they finished with a team batting average of .256, good enough for 27th in the league. Over the next four seasons the team would maintain a batting average close to that, earning a .259 one over all four seasons. So far in 2010 the team has the worst batting average in baseball at .227.
With such a low batting average, it was their pitching that carried them to the World Series in 2005. That year they finished with the second best team ERA (3.51), just 2 points higher than their division rival, the St. Louis Cardinals.
Over the next four seasons with the offense still relatively quiet, it was left to the pitching staff to carry the team. Over that time frame they still ranked among the best in baseball (8th), but saw the team ERA almost increase by a full run (4.42). So far in 2010 it stands at 4.11, but with the worst offense in baseball they are losing games.
At this point in the season it would be premature to say the season is a loss. Five years earlier the Astros had gotten out to a 15-30 record before getting it together in time for post season play. If that is going to happen this year though, a lot of young guys are going to have to play above current expectations.
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