3 ways the Astros can become contenders again after disastrous start to season

After winning their division for the seventh straight season in 2023, the Houston Astros were expected to be among the league's best teams yet again. However, that vision has not gone according to plan, even remotely.

With seven wins and seventeen losses, the Astros are currently nursing the second-worst record in the American League, and the worst start to a season since 2013, when the team finished with just 51 wins.

Although many seem to believe that the team will heat up with the weather, that may not be the case. Here are three ways the Astros can change things around.

Three ways the Houston Astros can turn their 2024 season around

3. Realize that the AL West is not getting easier

For the better part of a decade, the Astros could rely on a fairly weak division. The Los Angeles Angels have not made the postseason since 2014, and the Mariners and Rangers were not much better.

"The Houston Astros have a worse record than the Oakland Athletics??!" - Jonny's Lasagne

Now, after winning the World Series last year, the Texas Rangers staked their claim to the division. Supplemented by sweeping changes in Seattle and Anaheim, the Astros' grasp on their division is far less iron-clad than it used to be.

2. Underperforming Stars

Perhaps counterintuitively, the Astros' .263 batting average is the best in the American League. However, a closer inspection of the numbers reveals a worrying inequality when it comes to production. 42% of the team's total hits have come off of the bat of Jose Altuve, Jeremy Pena, and Yordan Alvarez.

When bats lower in the lineup come under scrutiny, the picture is not as good. Alex Bregman, who will see his $100 million contract expire this season, is hitting just .203 without a home run. Additionally, left fielder Chas McCormick is 16-for-65 while Jose Abreu is hittless in his last 20 at-bats.

"Ok I know Jose Abreu has been bad but I didn’t know it was THAT bad" - Ben Garrett Cooper's gone

1. Improve Starting Pitching

Perhaps the thing that the Houston Astros relied on most through all their World Series wins, starting pitching for the team is a shell of what it used to be. Two of their starters, Hunter Brown and JP France, have ERA figures over 7.00. Although the pitching of starters Cristian Javier and Ronel Blanco has been sublime, the Astros' bullpen continues to throw games.

With a combined ERA of 5.28, Houston Astros relievers have combined for the second-worst ERA in MLB this season to date.