Houston Astros offense: the boys are back in town

As Thin Lizzy once said, “the boys are back in town,” and for the Houston Astros, the offensive powerhouse looked to have returned in their first home game since April 14. As the dwellers of Minute Maid Park posted eight runs on Thursday, it was their highest offensive scoring game since April 4, while eight runs was more than they had scored in the Colorado series.

While five players were sidelined due to health and safety protocol, other players are dealing with their respected side effects due to the COVID-19 vaccine. The survive and advance mentality of Billy Beane is most evident at this earliest part of the season, and while being down key arms and bats, the offense turned it around against the Los Angeles Angels.

As players recover, the bats are breaking their slumps.

Myles Straw has taken the most shots for early struggles in the field and at the plate, but after sitting out Wednesday’s game, the right-hander turned it around in Thursday’s matchup. Straw went one-for-four with a triple, a run and two RBIs. While showing off the wheels one again, the centerfielder also made a diving catching in the field.

More from Climbing Tal's Hill

• Just how much better is the Houston Astros playoff rotation than the rest?
• Houston Astros: A Lineup Change to Spark Offense
• Astros prospect Hunter Brown throws 6 shutout innings in debut
• Always faithful Astros World Series champion Josh Reddick defends the title
• Michael Conforto declines Astros’ 2-year, $30 million offer

Batting right behind Straw is Martin Maldonado, who broke a 0-for-13 slump with a double as his only hit of the night. While these two have seen their early season funks at the bottom of the lineup, their two big hits are worth noticing for guys that are known as single merchants.

Carlos Correa also got his opportunity to hit leadoff for the first time this season, while he and Alex Bregman ended the game as finalist for the YouTube player of the game award. While the right-hander went two-for-five with three runs and two RBIs, he is profiting well as the one-hole hitter. Yuli Gurriel was the only player to not guarantee a hit on Thursday, after a hot start at the plate.

A fun thing I like to point out in the game of baseball is superstitions. While the Astros were on a streak of wearing their orange jerseys in the 2020 postseason, they were dominating teams that were deemed better. In Thursday night’s game, Michael Brantley went with the high socks, while Carlos Correa didn’t, which ended in eight runs. Just a cool coincidence.