The Astros’ split with the White Sox in the opening-season four-game series could have been worse. Astros pitching allowed 45 hits, the most in MLB (although many teams have only played three games), while only getting 29. And there was almost no power. ISO was .063, 3rd worst in baseball, yet the strikeout rate was 27%, 9th worst. For the weekend, the Astros had an 85 wRC+, 19th in MLB. Needless to say, the Astros were near the top in all these categories in 2022.
The pitching, the team's main strength in 2022, was equally mediocre. The 45 hits allowed equated to a 1.