While the Astros sit comfortably with a 66-36 record, the team has underachieved by various degrees. BaseRuns calculates that the Astros should be 68-34 while the team’s Pythagorean record is 71-31. Take away the hypothetical records and go solely by your eyes, then you can probably come to the same conclusion. In that case, you had probably seen Houston’s bullpen falter upon occasion.
Underachievement, like overachievement, does not last forever, though. If the Astros were to start clicking anytime soon, the rest of baseball should watch out.
Observation #1: George Springer is heating up
It has been no secret that Springer has struggled to a certain extent in 2018.