The Astros edged the Rockies 2-1 in 11 innings on Tuesday thanks largely to an eight-inning gem from veteran right-hander Zack Greinke (box score). That marks the Astros' sixth straight win -- their longest win streak since September of last year -- and pushes them to a season-best three games above .500. Houston was able to prevail despite a lineup that lacked center fielder George Springer (wrist), shortstop Carlos Correa (rest), and DH Yordan Alvarez (placed on the IL with knee discomfort).
The Astros endured a rough start to 2020, as exactly a week ago a loss to the lowly Giants dropped them to three games below .500 for the season. While the Astros have dealt with cheating scandal-related upheavals in the front office and dugout, expectations were still high. That's especially the case since Houston returned many core contributors from teams that won a combined 315 regular season games from 2017 through last season. Lately, though, they're playing to type.
It must be noted that four of the six wins constituting this streak have come against the Giants and Mariners. The other two, though, have come against the Rockies, who have been a quality squad so far. For Houston it's been a story of pitching. Over these six wins, they've allowed a total of seven runs. Yes: The Astros have allowed seven total runs in their last six games. That's particularly encouraging for a team with serious concerns about rotation depth. Right now, ace Justin Verlander is on the IL with a forearm injury, and it's not known whether he'll pitch again this season. That's in tandem with the free agent losses of Gerrit Cole, Wade Miley, and Collin McHugh.
Thanks to the Astros' roster strength, the SportsLine Projection Model (@SportsLine on Twitter) remains bullish on them. Prior to Tuesday's win, Dusty Baker's club was given a 97 percent chance of making the expanded playoff field. That figure is now a bit higher. Absent this streak, the Astros might have allowed themselves to be buried for good in the AL West. The A's hot start, the Astros' slow one, and the abbreviated 60-game regular season all made that possible. Now, though, the Astros could be just two games out of first place when Tuesday's games go final.
Thanks to this recent run, the Astros are looking very much like what we thought they'd in 2020 -- threats to once again go deep into the postseason.
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August 19, 2020 at 06:32AM
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Astros rebound from shaky start with six-game winning streak fueled by strong pitching - CBS Sports
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