Roller Coaster

Astros split four games with Rays in wild fashion

Yes, the Astros split four games with the Rays to conclude a 7-3 10-game homestand, with the outcomes being wildly different.

A 13-3 loss followed by a 2-1 win, followed by a 16-3 drubbing, followed by a 1-0 win, left the Astros with a 2-2 record and a -21 run differential in the four games.

If you understand how our expected win totals and projected standings work, you know that’s not good news.

The two one-run wins push the Astros’ “luck” to the positive, meaning they have 0.29 wins more than they “should” have.

Batter and Pitcher Season Projections

Who’s Hot/Not May Edition

Record by Starting Pitcher

Rando Stats of the Day

Hunter Brown has 8 wins, the Colorado Rockies have 9 wins.

Cam Smith is slashing .217/.288/.300 with a 70 OPS+ on the road in 66 plate appearances. The Astros have 6 road games this week.

As a team, the Astros are slashing .226/.291/.355 with an 86 OPS+ on the season.

Houston is 10-15 on the road this season.

The Pittsburgh Pirates are 13-16 at home, while the Cleveland Guardians are 17-11 in Cleveland.

Only 3 Astros have an OPS+ of 100 or greater on the road this season: Jake Meyers (178), Isaac Paredes (116) and Mauricio Dubon (100).

Players that have struggled on the road (OPS+): Christian Walker (41), Jose Altuve (54), Brendan Rodgers (54), Yainer Diaz (56) and Cam Smith (70).

As always, thanks for reading.