If there was one thing that the Astros could bank on last season was their incredible run prevention. Not only was the pitching staff among the best in baseball but their defense was also top notch. Whoever was pitching that day usually kept the game close enough when the lineup sputtered. The fielders did their job, too.
That script on the field worked so well that the Astros basically ran it back. I mean, why wouldn’t they? Sure, we can quibble about lineup choices or certain front-office decisions from last offseason, but the framework was still there to run this thing back in 2023.