The Houston Astros, after leading the American League West for the majority of the regular season, are now in danger of being surpassed by either the Seattle Mariners or the Texas Rangers. Houston could miss the postseason entirely if it struggles down the stretch.
Houston is now tied with Seattle, while Texas is just two games back of the Astros. With series against both teams coming up, the Astros' next week will be imperative towards the team's chances of making the postseason, let alone winning the AL West.
How did the Astros fall so far in the second half of the year? Bob Nightengale of USA Today outlined a clear reason for the team's struggles since the trade deadline: the offense has been terrible.
Houston's new-look offense isn't working
At the trade deadline, the Astros added a trio of players to their starting lineup and their bench. Carlos Correa joined the team as Isaac Paredes was on the injured list. Jesus Sanchez was a left-handed-hitting outfielder the team desperately needed. Ramon Urias was a Gold Glove utility man who could help fill in for many spots on the infield.
But those moves haven't helped the Astros, as the team has faltered and is now in danger of losing out on the AL West and potentially missing the postseason.
"Well, they (Astros) have scored MLB's fewest runs since August 1st," Nightengale writes, "averaging 3.74 runs a game, while scoring three or fewer runs in 20 games since the trade deadline."
Houston began their post-trade deadline era with a three-game sweep in Boston, scoring just five runs in three games, including an extra-inning thriller.
They rebounded after that, winning their next three series. But the offense was still struggling at times. Houston went 13-15 in August, and in September, they've gone 6-6.
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Their offense in this time frame has been the worst in baseball, as Nightengale mentioned, and in the last 30 days, their offensive numbers show such a sign.
Houston has a .683 OPS in the last 30 days, which ranks 26th in Major League Baseball. They've also scored 107 runs, which is 25th in baseball over the last 30 days.
While the offense as a whole has been the worst at scoring runs since the trade deadline, its top competition has been surging. The Rangers have a .780 OPS, while the Mariners have a .738 OPS in the last 30 days, both significantly higher than the Astros' .683 OPS.
Considering the Astros made a huge financial commitment to Correa and swung two other trades while also seeing a few key players, like Yordan Alvarez, Jake Meyers, and Jeremy Pena return from injury, this offensive streak is concerning.
If a revamped offense, with stars returning from injury, can't manage to put together a strong showing, then the Astros have a lot to be concerned about. With little wiggle room in the AL West, the Astros' offense needs to turn things around to close out September.
Both the Mariners and the Rangers have climbed back to within reach of the Astros, and it's thanks in large part to the Astros' offense being the worst run-scoring group in baseball since the trade deadline.
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