At the halfway point

Saturday’s 7-2 loss to the Angels was the Astros’ 81st game of the season, putting them at exactly the halfway point. The team’s record stands at 30-51, meaning they are on pace to go 60-102 for the year. That would be an improvement over last year and a lot better than most of the so-called experts predicted for a rebuilding team transitioning into the American League. So, I guess you could say the Astros had a good first half.

After a 10-30 start the Astros have managed to win almost half of their games over the last six weeks. I don’t think they can keep up that pace for the remainder of the season but seeing them play near .500 for an extended period of time is encouraging. No one knows how the second half will unfold. Hopefully it is better than last season’s catastrophe. But, for now, let’s take a look back at the first half and hand out some praise/criticism.