HOUSTON -- A year ago at this time, the Astros were searching to find out how one of the most successful teams in baseball over the previous decade could suddenly lose its mojo. Houston was 7-17 after 24 games in 2024 and had many believing the golden era of Astros baseball was over.
The Astros turned things around at the end of April and ran down the Mariners to win another American League West crown, but the long division race sapped so much from Houston that it fell flat in the playoffs and was swept by the Tigers in the AL Wild Card Series.
Astros second-year manager Joe Espada emphasized getting off to a better start while in Spring Training, focusing on improved defense and being aggressive on the bases. When it came to hitting and pitching, Espada believed he had the personnel to compete with anyone. And through 24 games in 2025, the Astros are playing like ¡ the Astros.
Christian Walker -- Houston¡¯s biggest offseason addition -- continued his hot streak by slugging a homer to spark a three-run second inning, and rookie starter Ryan Gusto held the Blue Jays to one run and three hits in 5 2/3 innings to lead the surging Astros to a 3-1 win Wednesday night at Daikin Park.
¡°If we continue to do what we¡¯ve been doing, honestly, I think we¡¯re in good hands,¡± said closer Josh Hader, who closed out Wednesday¡¯s game for his seventh save.
The Astros (13-11) went 5-1 on their homestand by taking two of three from the Padres, who came in with a 15-4 record, and sweeping three games from the Blue Jays to give them a season-high three wins in a row.
¡°Honestly, it¡¯s a great feeling,¡± Espada said. ¡°We¡¯re seeing ourselves in a different position than we did last year. We are healthy, we are playing really well, we are really pitching. I really like how the guys are getting after it every single day. We made sure in Spring Training -- and that was a theme of mine -- let¡¯s get out to a good start. Let¡¯s get out of the block playing good baseball. We know exactly what we need to do to do that, and I think we¡¯re doing just that.¡±
Behind Hunter Brown, Ronel Blanco and Gusto, Astros starting pitchers dominated Toronto in the series by posting a 0.93 ERA in 19 1/3 innings, allowing seven hits, two runs and four walks while striking out 18 batters. Meanwhile, Astros relievers threw 7 2/3 scoreless innings in the series with nine strikeouts, two hits and one walk.
Houston¡¯s resurgent offense posted double-digit hits in three consecutive games for the first time this season. Walker, who went 3-for-3 on Tuesday, homered and singled in his first two at-bats, Yainer Diaz was 2-for-4 and Zach Dezenzo went 3-for-4. Astros shortstop Jeremy Pe?a extended his hitting streak to 14 games with a seventh-inning single.
¡°We understand what makes this team a good club is we always pitch, we always play good defense,¡± Espada said. ¡°Those are areas we really emphasized in Spring Training. We really talked about being more aggressive on the bases. Our roster is starting to change a little bit. We¡¯ve got some younger guys, younger legs, different look. Let¡¯s get after it on the bases and create some run-scoring opportunities, and I think we¡¯re doing that. If we do that throughout the season, we¡¯re going to find ourselves in a good position to win a lot of games.¡±
Still, several of the Astros¡¯ key bats are underperforming. Yordan Alvarez is slashing .221/.323/.338 with two home runs and Diaz is hitting .173/.205/.280 with one homer. Walker is 5-for-7 in his past two games after entering the series hitting .156.
¡°Shoot, if you look at it, we¡¯ve got dudes that aren¡¯t themselves right now and we¡¯re still winning games,¡± Hader said. ¡°So to me, just imagine once they get in full swing and they¡¯re rolling, it¡¯s a scary thought.¡±
The Astros were 33-for-99 at the plate in the series against the Blue Jays, including 10-for-32 with runners in scoring position. Houston never trailed at any point in the series.
¡°I think the offense is putting out right now,¡± Walker said. ¡°It¡¯s great when you come up with guys on base. Pitchers are forced to really execute, and I think that¡¯s when mistakes start showing up. It¡¯s nice to fit into a good, rolling offense at the moment.¡±