They didn’t take the easy route, but the Houston Astros are headed to the playoffs for the eighth-straight season. But this time, the road to the AL West title was difficult, even exasperating.
The Astros began the season with a thud, going 0-4 in March and the early season went from bad to worse. Houston lost 60% of its games in April. Clutch hitting failures; bullpen lapses; starting pitcher meltdowns—you name the problem, and they had it. Each week it seemed like another starting pitcher was injured. By early May, the Astros were 12 games under .