HOUSTON - By now, the new-season smell for the 2024 season has long worn off. Everyone has had a home stand and a road trip or two. There are some early stories of teams blowing well past expectations (hello Kansas City). Then there are teams that are, uh, not quite playing to expectations.
The latter seems to apply to the Houston Astros, who, for the 5th straight season, find themselves starting a season at least two games under .500. “I mean, are you really shocked?” noted one unnamed staffer in the Astros organization. “For a team that has been to seven straight ALCS, just how high do you expect this group to get for games in March and April?