While the Astros’ lineup has been one of the best in baseball, these injuries have us unwilling to bet on them to win anything. One big reason for that is Ronel Blanco. The 30-year-old had an incredible start to the season, posting a 1.65 ERA and a no-hitter in April. However, he began to regress in May, finishing with a 3.42 ERA.
While Blanco may not completely fall apart, Houston has relied on him to be an elite arm. With Valdez finishing with a 5.34 ERA across five starts in May and Verlander no longer the elite arm he once was, the Astros' top trio won’t be able to make up for a broken back end of their rotation.
We also consider that McCullers hasn’t played since the 2022 World Series, and Garcia made just six starts last year. Both will take time to return to form, assuming they do at all. Given how late they will be returning and how bad Houston’s record is, it’s hard to imagine them saving the team’s season.
Lastly, there is always the chance the Astros could end up as sellers at the trade deadline. They have holes in their lineup and a lot of aging stars, which could lead them to rebuild instead of parting with prospects to boost a bad team.