In 2017, the Astros faced a batter 334 times with a left-handed reliever on the mound. Not dead last, mind you, but only four other teams finished the season with fewer totals from a southpaw reliever. That figure would slip even lower in 2018 at 260 batters faced before bottoming out at 228 in 2019, which was ultimately the lowest of any team last season.
It wasn’t a well-kept secret that the Astros had experienced some difficulty finding a reliable lefty reliever in recent years. After all, Tony Sipp never quite lived up to the three-year, $18 million contract he signed prior to the 2016 season.