Climbing Tal's Hill

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Struggling Astros’ bats picked the absolute worst time to hit the snooze button

5 days ago | climbingtalshill.com | Drew Koch

The Houston Astros need a reset. The hitting has been attrocious to begin the season, and the stats bear that out. Houston ranks among the worst in the American League in batting average, slugging percentage, and OPS. Only the Kansas City Royals and Chicago White Sox have been worse since the season got underway three weeks ago. While Thursday's off-day could be a shot in the arm for a lineup looking to come unglued, the Astros' upcoming matchup against the San Diego Padres will not be pleasant.
Astros' lineup solution to Christian Walker's latest slump could be tricky

1 week ago | climbingtalshill.com | Drew Koch

Through the first few weeks of the 2025 season, Houston Astros first baseman Christian Walker has looked almost as bad as his predecessor, Jose Abreu. Houston's biggest offseason acquisition has been abysmal, and heading Wednesday's series finale against the St. Louis Cardinals, was hitting just .164/.282/.230 with a staggering 22 strikeouts 61 at-bats. Walker's whiff rate is a problematic 30.6% and he's striking out 31% of the time.
Astros' succession plan seemingly unfolding, but a familiar stumbling block exists

1 week ago | climbingtalshill.com | Drew Koch

Hunter Brown proved once again that he's the future ace of the Houston Astros starting rotation. The right-hander went six strong and allowed just four hits while striking out four and held the St. Louis Cardinals scoreless during Houston's 2-0 win on Tuesday night at Busch Stadium. So far this season, Brown is now 2-1 with a 1.50 ERA, 22 punch outs, and a 0.83 WHIP through his first four starts.
Cam Smith's on-the-job training is far from ideal, but the Astros don't have a choice

1 week ago | climbingtalshill.com | Drew Koch

Cam Smith wowed the Houston Astros coaching staff and front office (along with everyone else) during spring training. Smith performed so well that he left Joe Espada and Co. no choice but to add him to the team's Opening Day roster. Smith hit .342/.419/.711 with four home runs and 11 RBI during Grapefruit League play. But the Astros rookie has been unable to maintain that red-hot hitting once the season got underway.
2 Astros players who are already earning more playing time, 3 who deserve less

1 week ago | climbingtalshill.com | Drew Koch

The Houston Astros' start to the 2025 season has been less than stellar. Offensive ineptitude has plagued Joe Espada's crew through the first two weeks of the season, and Houston is sitting below .500 once again to start a year. Houston was able to overcome their troubling start last year, but neither Kyle Tucker nor Alex Bregman are part of the Astros roster this time.
Astros reveals potential return date for Lance McCullers Jr., but fans won't be happy

1 week ago | climbingtalshill.com | Drew Koch

Lance McCullers Jr., who has not thrown a pitch in the big leagues since October 3, 2022 against the Philadelphia Phillies, is very close to making his return to Major League Baseball. The Astros' right-hander has been plagued by a series of injuries the past few seasons, but after a rehab outing this past weekend that saw him toss four innings for Triple-A Sugar Land, McCullers just needs one more successful rehab start before returning to the Astros rotation.
Key Astros' offseason acquisition proving why Houston wanted him so badly last summer

1 week ago | climbingtalshill.com | Drew Koch

Isaac Paredes was one of the most sought-after players at last summer's MLB trade deadline. The former Tampa Bay Rays' slugger was drawing interest from a number of contending ball clubs, including the Houston Astros. Unfortunately, the Cubs swooped in at the last minute and provided Tampa Bay with an offer they couldn't refuse. The Cubs sent third baseman Christopher Morel and pitching prospects Ty Johnson and Hunter Bigge to the Rays in exchange for Paredes.
Astros' early-season struggles are eerily similar to 2024, with one major difference

1 week ago | climbingtalshill.com | Drew Koch

The optimistic Houston Astros fan looks at the team's slow start this season and thinks to themself, "Hey, I've seen this before. No need to panic, right?" Well, yes, we've seen this before. In fact, the Astros got off to horrible start last season and rallied to win the AL West for the seventh time in eight seasons. At the end of April last season, Houston was sitting in the AL West basement. The Astros were 10-19, 6 ½ games back of the first-place Seattle Mariners, and looked absolutely lifeless.
Astros' return in Rafael Montero trade officially revealed

1 week ago | climbingtalshill.com | Drew Koch

The Houston Astros were surprisingly able to offload Rafael Montero earlier this week after working out a trade with the Atlanta Braves. I guess, when you're tied for the worst record in Major League Baseball with the Colorado Rockies and Chicago White Sox, desperation starts sink in. The details of the trade were not immediately available, with Astros fans just excited to see Montero exit stage left.
Cubs-Kyle Tucker contract talks will anger Astros fans, but focus should be elsewhere

1 week ago | climbingtalshill.com | Drew Koch

The Cubs gave up quite a bit in order to land Kyle Tucker this past offseason. The Houston Astros shipped their star outfielder to Chicago in exchange for Hayden Wesneski, Isaac Paredes, and Cam Smith. Given the high price tag the Cubs had to pay, it should come as no surprise that Chicago is looking to double-down on their investment and keep Tucker in the Windy City for the next several seasons.