{"id":714880,"date":"2026-06-01T23:09:16","date_gmt":"2026-06-01T23:09:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/714880\/"},"modified":"2026-06-01T23:09:16","modified_gmt":"2026-06-01T23:09:16","slug":"are-the-houston-astros-trending-in-the-right-direction","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/714880\/","title":{"rendered":"Are the Houston Astros Trending in the RIGHT DIRECTION?"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Always look on the bright side of LIFE!<\/p>\n<p class=\"\">While the Astros are in the throws of another slow start, despite some recent success there aren\u2019t many Astros fans who see any trends going in the right direction. The Clubhouse would tell you a different. Here are a few of those bright spots:<\/p>\n<p>Advertisement<\/p>\n<p class=\"\">We recently heard Spencer Arrighetti speak up and say that there was no quit in the clubhouse. <\/p>\n<p class=\"\">\u201cI know it sounds dumb to say where we were sitting right now,\u201d Arrighetti said, \u201cbut this is a really special group, and I really believe in every single player that\u2019s in this locker room right now, and I think we need to take it a little more personally.<\/p>\n<p class=\"\">\u201cI\u2019m sure there\u2019s stuff being said right now that makes it seem bleak. I don\u2019t think it feels that way in here.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"\">Quote taken from Chandler Rome, The Athletic from his article written on May 29, 2026.<\/p>\n<p class=\"\">Spencer Arrighetti is a BIG part of the Houston Astros staff in 2026, and in the absence of <a class=\"link \" href=\"https:\/\/sports.yahoo.com\/mlb\/players\/12141\/\" data-i13n=\"sec:content-canvas;subsec:anchor_text;elm:context_link\" data-ylk=\"slk:Hunter Brown;sec:content-canvas;subsec:anchor_text;elm:context_link;itc:0\" data-yga=\"{&quot;yLinkElement&quot;:&quot;context_link&quot;,&quot;yModuleName&quot;:&quot;content-canvas&quot;,&quot;yLinkText&quot;:&quot;Hunter Brown&quot;,&quot;ySubModuleName&quot;:&quot;anchor_text&quot;,&quot;yHasCommerce&quot;:false}\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Hunter Brown<\/a> due to his IL stint, Arrighetti has taken the bull by the horns. You need young players to step up, especially when it\u2019s your veterans who have been injured, or not been performing up to par.<\/p>\n<p class=\"\">Overall his numbers are impressive despite being considered the luckiest pitcher in 2026, sometimes its better to be lucky than good? I know even Spencer knows where he stands and the kid will, in my eyes see where the league is looking to exploit him, so he can continue his success.<\/p>\n<p class=\"\">2nd Bright Spot: <a class=\"link \" href=\"https:\/\/sports.yahoo.com\/mlb\/players\/10883\/\" data-i13n=\"sec:content-canvas;subsec:anchor_text;elm:context_link\" data-ylk=\"slk:Yordan Alvarez;sec:content-canvas;subsec:anchor_text;elm:context_link;itc:0\" data-yga=\"{&quot;yLinkElement&quot;:&quot;context_link&quot;,&quot;yModuleName&quot;:&quot;content-canvas&quot;,&quot;yLinkText&quot;:&quot;Yordan Alvarez&quot;,&quot;ySubModuleName&quot;:&quot;anchor_text&quot;,&quot;yHasCommerce&quot;:false}\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Yordan Alvarez<\/a><\/p>\n<p class=\"\">Despite not having the eye popping numbers he did in the previous month he is still the only hitter to have an OPS over 1.000, tied for 2nd (at the time of this article) in Home Runs in the AL, leads in many key offensive categories, and allows other hitters in the lineup to get better pitches through out the game. Not to mention how well he does when he faces a pitcher for the 2nd time.<\/p>\n<p><img alt=\"\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"960\" height=\"960\" decoding=\"async\" data-nimg=\"1\" class=\"standard-img\" style=\"color:transparent\" src=\"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/83c1c97a5daf9c5b1f5260526d9495fb.jpeg\"\/><\/p>\n<p class=\"\">Numbers calculated May 28, 2026 by Locked on Astros.<\/p>\n<p>Advertisement<\/p>\n<p class=\"\">3rd Bright Spot: The Astros are playing better baseball as the season progresses. <\/p>\n<p class=\"\">The Houston Astros record by month:<\/p>\n<p class=\"\">March 4-2<\/p>\n<p class=\"\">April 8-18<\/p>\n<p class=\"\">May 15-14<\/p>\n<p class=\"\">You may not think much about a club that is one game over .500 in a month, and probably should have at least 5 more wins in the W column. The fact that they did this, with players being out, getting players off the IL, as well back up players becoming starters, and the pitching starting to turn things around. I would say the trend is welcomed in Astros nation.<\/p>\n<p class=\"\">A second part to the 3rd Bright Spot is the runs given up has gone down. This is one of those good news\/bad news kind of bits, just hear me out. April their totals were 129 Runs Scored and 166 Runs against, moving into May the run production slowed down, where they only had 103 runs scored, but also only gave up 110 runs against. I see this as a very positive thing, also recently the runs have started to tick up.<\/p>\n<p>Advertisement<\/p>\n<p class=\"\">The fact that baseball is a 162 game season, where our favorite team is entrenched in a weak division as well sub .500 league in the A.L. should give some hope to the Astros fanbase. I would say that it does still seem very bleak when it comes to chances at a playoff run or even a deep playoff run, but we are only this far into the season, 61 games completed. with 101 games left.<\/p>\n<p>Why all the fuss? Always Positive, Always Stros guy?<\/p>\n<p class=\"\">Well I have been with this team since I was 2 years old, no I wasn\u2019t checking box scores then, but I have seen far more losing seasons than I have seen winning. I do believe that a healthy lineup, with a healthy starting rotation and back end bullpen, can yield solid results. I am not calling the Mayor for a parade route, I am also not willing to say they are 100% not going to make the playoffs. Here is what I am saying.<\/p>\n<p>1. You\u2019re getting <a class=\"link \" href=\"https:\/\/sports.yahoo.com\/mlb\/players\/10131\/\" data-i13n=\"sec:content-canvas;subsec:anchor_text;elm:context_link\" data-ylk=\"slk:Josh Hader;sec:content-canvas;subsec:anchor_text;elm:context_link;itc:0\" data-yga=\"{&quot;yLinkElement&quot;:&quot;context_link&quot;,&quot;yModuleName&quot;:&quot;content-canvas&quot;,&quot;yLinkText&quot;:&quot;Josh Hader&quot;,&quot;ySubModuleName&quot;:&quot;anchor_text&quot;,&quot;yHasCommerce&quot;:false}\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Josh Hader<\/a> and Hunter Brown back real soon. That is improvement.2. You have Yordan Alvarez, <a class=\"link \" href=\"https:\/\/sports.yahoo.com\/mlb\/players\/9846\/\" data-i13n=\"sec:content-canvas;subsec:anchor_text;elm:context_link\" data-ylk=\"slk:Christian Walker;sec:content-canvas;subsec:anchor_text;elm:context_link;itc:0\" data-yga=\"{&quot;yLinkElement&quot;:&quot;context_link&quot;,&quot;yModuleName&quot;:&quot;content-canvas&quot;,&quot;yLinkText&quot;:&quot;Christian Walker&quot;,&quot;ySubModuleName&quot;:&quot;anchor_text&quot;,&quot;yHasCommerce&quot;:false}\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Christian Walker<\/a> and <a class=\"link \" href=\"https:\/\/sports.yahoo.com\/mlb\/players\/11768\/\" data-i13n=\"sec:content-canvas;subsec:anchor_text;elm:context_link\" data-ylk=\"slk:Jeremy Pena;sec:content-canvas;subsec:anchor_text;elm:context_link;itc:0\" data-yga=\"{&quot;yLinkElement&quot;:&quot;context_link&quot;,&quot;yModuleName&quot;:&quot;content-canvas&quot;,&quot;yLinkText&quot;:&quot;Jeremy Pena&quot;,&quot;ySubModuleName&quot;:&quot;anchor_text&quot;,&quot;yHasCommerce&quot;:false}\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Jeremy Pena<\/a> to anchor this offense.3. <a class=\"link \" href=\"https:\/\/sports.yahoo.com\/mlb\/players\/8996\/\" data-i13n=\"sec:content-canvas;subsec:anchor_text;elm:context_link\" data-ylk=\"slk:Jose Altuve;sec:content-canvas;subsec:anchor_text;elm:context_link;itc:0\" data-yga=\"{&quot;yLinkElement&quot;:&quot;context_link&quot;,&quot;yModuleName&quot;:&quot;content-canvas&quot;,&quot;yLinkText&quot;:&quot;Jose Altuve&quot;,&quot;ySubModuleName&quot;:&quot;anchor_text&quot;,&quot;yHasCommerce&quot;:false}\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Jose Altuve<\/a> I believe will come back motivated to hit the ball, he\u2019s inching closer to 3,000 and we all know he wants that.4. Spencer Arrighetti, <a class=\"link \" href=\"https:\/\/sports.yahoo.com\/mlb\/players\/66492\/\" data-i13n=\"sec:content-canvas;subsec:anchor_text;elm:context_link\" data-ylk=\"slk:Tatsuya Imai;sec:content-canvas;subsec:anchor_text;elm:context_link;itc:0\" data-yga=\"{&quot;yLinkElement&quot;:&quot;context_link&quot;,&quot;yModuleName&quot;:&quot;content-canvas&quot;,&quot;yLinkText&quot;:&quot;Tatsuya Imai&quot;,&quot;ySubModuleName&quot;:&quot;anchor_text&quot;,&quot;yHasCommerce&quot;:false}\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Tatsuya Imai<\/a>, <a class=\"link \" href=\"https:\/\/sports.yahoo.com\/mlb\/players\/63484\/\" data-i13n=\"sec:content-canvas;subsec:anchor_text;elm:context_link\" data-ylk=\"slk:Kai Wei Teng;sec:content-canvas;subsec:anchor_text;elm:context_link;itc:0\" data-yga=\"{&quot;yLinkElement&quot;:&quot;context_link&quot;,&quot;yModuleName&quot;:&quot;content-canvas&quot;,&quot;yLinkText&quot;:&quot;Kai Wei Teng&quot;,&quot;ySubModuleName&quot;:&quot;anchor_text&quot;,&quot;yHasCommerce&quot;:false}\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Kai Wei Teng<\/a>, <a class=\"link \" href=\"https:\/\/sports.yahoo.com\/mlb\/players\/10467\/\" data-i13n=\"sec:content-canvas;subsec:anchor_text;elm:context_link\" data-ylk=\"slk:Peter Lambert;sec:content-canvas;subsec:anchor_text;elm:context_link;itc:0\" data-yga=\"{&quot;yLinkElement&quot;:&quot;context_link&quot;,&quot;yModuleName&quot;:&quot;content-canvas&quot;,&quot;yLinkText&quot;:&quot;Peter Lambert&quot;,&quot;ySubModuleName&quot;:&quot;anchor_text&quot;,&quot;yHasCommerce&quot;:false}\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Peter Lambert<\/a> and Co. are looking to continiue their improving performances on the mound.<\/p>\n<p class=\"\">Now with this being said, there are many things that HAVE to go right. I understand that, but to sit here and say there is no way, shows that maybe you haven\u2019t observed enough up and down Astros baseball. So this is what I ask of you. Sit back, enjoy the wins when they come. Don\u2019t focus on the standings, and hope that the team can find a month like June where they can capitalize on their opponents. In June the Astros face the: Pirates, Athletics, Angels, Royals, Tigers Guardians, Blue Jays, Tigers again, then the Twins.<\/p>\n<p>Advertisement<\/p>\n<p class=\"\">What do you predict they will do in June. I if I am going to take the optimist and say they go 16-8, The realist approach would be more like 13-11, So tell me what will their June record be?<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Always look on the bright side of LIFE! While the Astros are in the throws of another slow&hellip;\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":714881,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2389],"tags":[42,5,24,100,139,54,3211,1328,5828,817,1109,37588,4,10195,4678,4658,2264],"class_list":["post-714880","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-houston-astros","tag-astros","tag-baseball","tag-chicago-cubs","tag-christian-walker","tag-houston","tag-houston-astros","tag-houstonastros","tag-hunter-brown","tag-jeremy-pena","tag-jose-altuve","tag-josh-hader","tag-kai-wei-teng","tag-mlb","tag-peter-lambert","tag-spencer-arrighetti","tag-tatsuya-imai","tag-yordan-alvarez"],"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/channels.im\/@mlb\/116677375747357919","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/714880","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=714880"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/714880\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/714881"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=714880"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=714880"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=714880"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}