On paper, the Astros pitching staff is a talented group. Not the best collection of talent mind you, but a capable one.
The starting rotation in 2016 after all featured the 2015 AL Cy Young winner and one of the more promising arms in baseball. Solid pitchers were pencilled in to take over the mid-rotation jobs. Outside of the final rotation spot, there wasn’t much cause for concern for Houston’s rotation.
And the bullpen was designed to be best one in recent memory. You probably have to go back to the remnants of the mid-2000’s playoff teams to find a comparable collection of talent in the ‘pen.