Astros are winning the wrong battle by erasing their gains with fatal flaw

In some ways, the Houston Astros are exceeding expectations. After a disappointing offseason that added no meaningful help to the lineup, their offensive production has been far better than some may have projected. Houston's .821 OPS ranks second in MLB, just behind the Los Angeles Dodgers.

The Astros run prevention, however, is one of the worst in the league. The Houston pitching staff has a combined 6.32 ERA through the first two weeks of the season. In a battle between these two extremes, the Astros are allowing their weaknesses to overshadow their strengths.

The Astros have given up more runs than any other team in MLB

The Astros rotation is a clear issue, and injuries haven't helped. Hunter Brown came into the season with high expectations but was placed on the 15-day injured list with a shoulder strain. Cristian Javier also hit the IL for the same reason.

Aside from struggling to stay healthy, several pitchers have simply underperformed. Tatsuya Imai was the team's biggest offseason addition, and his 7.27 ERA over 8⅔ innings point to concerns that he may not have the impact the organization was hoping for. In his most recent start against the Seattle Mariners, Imai gave up three runs, walked four batters, and recorded just one out.

The bullpen isn't helping the situation either. Bryan Abreu has seen significant regression since attempting to fill the role of closer while Josh Hader is on the IL. Relievers like AJ Blubaugh and Ryan Weiss have simply pitched to unacceptable results that should warrant a trip back to the minor leagues.

The Astros are 6-8 entering play on Saturday, and the lack of any semblance of quality pitching has overshadowed the admirable efforts of the lineup. The Astros simply can't go on like this, especially if they have postseason aspirations.

The 2026 season is still in its infancy and there's plenty of baseball left to be played before any team can be categorized as a contender or bystander. Unfortunately for Houston, it hasn't taken long for its problems to be clearly exposed to the rest of the league.

The Astros need to find an answer soon, but with only a few factors within their control, 2026 may prove to be quite a disappointment in Houston.