Astros Through 2/3 of Season: What MUST Happen in Final Third to Make Playoffs

Jun 2, 2015; Houston, TX, USA; Houston Astros shortstop Jonathan Villar (2) low fives right fielder George Springer (4) after the Astros defeated the Baltimore Orioles at Minute Maid Park. Astros won 6 to 4. Mandatory Credit: Thomas B. Shea-USA TODAY Sports

The Houston Astros are officially (a little more than) 2/3 of the way finished with the 2015 season. I tried to write this article after game #108 but couldn’t bring myself to write in the middle of that Rangers series mess.

So, here we are after the Astros have played 110 games and have a 61-49 record on the season. They lead the Los Angeles Angels by 2.5 games in the AL West and just got back to their winning ways with a wild late night victory over Oakland last night.

I wrote an article 56 games ago when the Astros had played exactly 54 games and made some predictions, so let’s check those out.

My Prediction Back Then: Astros will go 29-25 through the middle 54 games and have a 63-45 record after game #108.

• What Actually Happened: Astros went 26-28 through the middle 54 games and had a 60-48 record after game #108.

Ok so a lot has definitely happened in the last 54 games, but overall I wasn’t that far off. If the Astros had only 1 extra-inning loss in the last 54 and then picked a game up vs. the Rangers, I would have been perfect. But anyways, I was right about saying that the Astros would see Carlos Correa and Vincent Velasquez wearing an Astros uniform between the time I wrote that article and this one now. So, I’ll take a 1-1 record on predictions. Not too shabby.

That’s enough talking about my problems, so let’s look at how the Astros fell a bit in their most recent 54 games and what they must do in order to finish strong in 2015.

Next: Why the Astros went 26-28 from June 4 to August 4