Houston Astros: If you boo them, they will score

While the Houston Astros snagged the second game of the Opening Series against the Oakland Athletics, the offense put up nine runs in another big win. As the booing from opposing fans progresses, Astros’ hitter continue to rake. Fans have every right to boo a team that bent the rules of the game, but it is evident that the spirit is back in the Houston clubhouse.

Cristian Javier went three perfect innings, but a long offensive fourth, led the right-hander to more time in the dugout. Although not escaping the fourth inning, Javier will need to get over that hump down the stretch. No need to fret, but once the whole roster is healthy, the right-hander could become a long reliever.

While the booing continues, the Astros’ bats continue to bang.

In the second matchup against the 2020 AL West Champions, the Astros collected nine runs across 14 hits. As Yuli Gurriel started to find his swing again, the right-hander struck three hits, while not even having three hits in a game in 2020. An expiring deal is attached to Gurriel’s name, as 2021 is a season to raise his free agency stock.

The 2021 Astros look like they are in good spirits this season, even with the fans of a fifth placed 2017 team yelling their heads off. Alex Bregman launched a home run early in Friday’s game, which led to a celebration through their dugout in Oakland:

It is early in the year, but after a rough 2020 regular season full of loss, injuries and underperforming, everyone looks alive like they did in 2019. The box score doesn’t provide enough justice to their hitting performances, while most of their outs have been hard hit balls to warning track power.

While the core from 2017 has heard the most boos, Bregman has been hitting to an MVP-like level through the first two games. As he’s battled hamstring injuries the past few seasons, the right-hander is aggressive at the plate and is making a statement. Moving across the diamond, Jose Altuve is playing like his old-self and somehow scored on an infield fly out:

The Astros are back on field on Saturday at 3:07 p.m. with Lance McCullers Jr. making his 2021 debut against Cole Irvin. The boos will continue, even if the Astros’ player wasn’t with the team in 2017. As the bats stay hot, this team has nothing to prove; they will just need to play their baseball and win games.