Astros 2014 Review

May 25, 2014; Seattle, WA, USA; Houston Astros right fielder George Springer (4) hits a two-run homer against the Seattle Mariners during the sixth inning at Safeco Field. Mandatory Credit: Joe Nicholson-USA TODAY Sports

May

On May 2nd, the Astros brought in a reliever who absolutely blossomed in an Astro uniform in 2014, and that reliever is Tony Sipp. He was on a minor league deal with the Padres, and requested his release to pitch in the majors. He signed with Houston on the same day, and never looked back. He was one of the only consistent parts of the pitching staff that saw many changes in the month of May, and for the remainder of the season. This month though, was all about George Springer. He hit his first “Springer Dinger” on May 8th in Detroit, and he took off from there. He hit 7 HR’s in a span of 7 games from May 21-May 29 and was a big reason the Astros went on a 7 game winning streak from May 24-May 30. The 7 game winning streak was the longest winning streak since July 27-August 3, 2010. Springer hit 10 HR’s and drove in 25 RBI’s while posting a .294 BA to earn himself the AL Rookie of the Month. Springer’s success was a big part in the Astros posting their first winning record in a month (15-14) during any season since September 2010. Simply put, things were looking a lot better than they were in April.