[SirGreatWhite]

Sorry for the delay in updates! Back to the grind now in the dog days of summer.

The Astros enter the All-Star break (which was in the back end of July - 21st to be exact - 99 games in to the season) with a 71-28 record. They hold a 12 game lead over the second place Angels (58-39). The rest of the division races are still very separated, as has been the case most of this season. The Rays (62-34) lead the Yankees (45-51) & Red Sox (46-52) by 17 games at the All Star break in the AL East! The Indians (68-27) lead the Twins (49-47) by 19.5 games in the AL Central! The Mets (59-36) lead the Braves (47-48) by 12 games in the NL East! The Dodgers (63-33) lead the Diamondbacks (50-47) by 13.5 games in the NL West! And the ONLY division without a 12+ game lead is the tight race in the NL Central: the Brewers (57-41) lead the Cubs (55-40) by 0.5 game and the Cardinals (52-43) by 3.5 games. Most of the postseason races seem to already be set...but the games still need to be played.

From a pitching perspective, Gerrit Cole has been the halfway CY Young front runner (13-2; 2.74 ERA; 1.01 WHIP; 145 K's). Lance McCullers Jr. has been healthy all season after his Tommy John surgery last year and is doing very well despite a monitored pitch count (8-2; 2.97 ERA; 1.05 WHIP; 148 K's). Alex Reyes (11-1; 3.35 ERA; 1.12 WHIP; 142 K's) has been as good as he was last year when the Astros acquired him. He's made a strong case for an All Star reserve spot, but unfortunately all teams must have at least one representative in the All Star game. Blake Snell missed most of spring training and the first part of the season dealing with a strained forearm. He's recovered from that and struggled in his first couple of starts, but has been on fire since...until his most recent minor injury. He's pitched to the tune of a 7-1 record with a 3.33 ERA & a 1.11 WHIP with 79 K's in 73 innings. The Astros opening day starter (and last year's Cy Young runner up) Justin Verlander has been the only one to struggle some. The Astros aren't sure if it's a mechanical issue in his pitching motion or if father time is starting to catch up to the 37 year old veteran pitcher. He is 7-6 with a 4.27 ERA and a 1.38 WHIP with 109 K's in 111 innings. Certainly not his typical numbers. If the postseason started today, he would likely be a bullpen arm. The bullpen has been tremendous all season, despite some minor injuries here and there. Derbin Feltman (acquired last season in a trade with the Red Sox) has been a huge piece so far, earning his first All Star selection despite not being a closer. He has a 1.45 ERA with 15.4 K/9. Ryan Pressly also earned his second consecutive All Star selection despite not being a closer. He has a 1.83 ERA with 14.1 K/9. Other bright spots in the bullpen include Ken Giles (2.29 ERA; 13.3 K/9), Travis Bergen (2.61 ERA; 14.4 K/9), and Framber Valdez (2.43 ERA in mostly long relief appearances).

The lineup has been top notch and has avoided major injuries so far. Kyle Tucker, the Astros top hitting prospect heading into last season is the early season MVP leader with a line of .341/.410/.634/1.044, 24 HR, 81 RBI, 72 runs scored, and 18 stolen bases. Other Astros rookie and top hitting prospect, DH/1B Yordan Alvarez, has been equally solid with a stat line of .304/.385/.513/.898 with 15 HR, 61 RBI, 64 runs scored. Both have earned their first All Star selections. Additional All Star nods go to: CF George Springer (.290/.383/.463/.846; 16 HR, 54 RBI, 69 runs scored), 3B Alex Bregman - despite his recent slump (.291/.394/.497/.891; 13 HR, 64 RBI, 63 runs scored, and more walks [61] than strikeouts [58]), Catcher Yasmani Grandal (.240/.360/.456/.816; 14 HR, 41 RBI).

But the biggest surprise of all has been OF Derek Fisher! Fisher rotates throughout the outfield positions to keep regular guys fresh. He has played in about half of the games so far, starting 40 of the 49 games he's appeared in, and has an incredible stat line of .361/.457/.611/1.068 with 10 HR, 40 RBI, 36 runs scored, and 23 stolen bases!! Despite his limited starts and appearances, he also earned his first all star selection as a reserve.

Another pleasant surprise has been utility man Aledmys Diaz. Diaz had a very disappointing first season with the Astros in 2019 and was nearly traded in the offseason but has bounced back nicely: hitting .303/.341/.434/.775 with 3 HR, 11 RBI, 16 runs scored, and 2 steals in spot starts around the infield to keep regulars rested.

The most disappointing pitcher has been Trevor May. May, the Twins closer last season, was given a 2 year contract by the Astros this offseason - one that was a bidding war with the Cardinals. May has a 4.86 ERA in 33 innings pitched. Most of his appearances have been 6th-7th inning appearances. Thankfully, despite his subpar performance, he has not been a problem in the clubhouse.

The most disappointing hitter - though not an every day guy - has been Jake Bauers. Bauers, acquired from the Indians in spring training last year, was a bright spot for the Astros last year. Starting about half the team's games last year he hit .286/.346/.480/.826 with 12 HR, 56 RBI, and 8 stolen bases. He was expected to take on a more prominent role by taking Yuli Gurriel's backup first baseman spot, plus some of Derek Fisher's left field starts and play about 3 out of every 5 games. But his early season struggles led to a AAA demotion. He only recently was brought back up with a minor injury to Jose Altuve. His current stat line through 19 starts is .208/.358/.302/.660 with 1 HR and 10 RBI.

Some minor injuries to All Star 2B Jose Altuve and LHP Blake Snell occurred 2 games before the All Star break. Both players went on the IL. Snell will likely only miss 1 start thanks to the All Star break being part of the 10 days. Altuve will likely miss a week after the All Star break; he was slated to be an All Star reserve, making the All Star team for the 7th consecutive season, and 8 of the last 9. Roberto Osuna, the Astros closer, was sidelined at the beginning of the season with a strained triceps and missed 6 weeks, was injured on July 1st with a sore elbow and was initially expected to only miss 2 weeks. He still has not returned and is unlikely to return by the end of July. This could be a problem and something to keep an eye on as one of the projected strengths of the Astros team heading into the season was their powerful bullpen.

All in all, it's been a historic first half of the season for the Astros. The 71 wins is the most in MLB history before the All Star break - granted with the most games played before the All Star break too.