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Given the Houston Astros' run of success since 2015 or so, it shocked the baseball world to see them struggle as much as they did at the start of the season. At the end of May, Houston was eight games under .500 and it looked like the 2024 season was falling apart in front of our eyes, especially as the injuries on the Astros' roster continued to pile up.
Fortunately, it looks like the team has turned things around. The Astros' hot streak in June in particular allowed them to enter the All-Star break four games above .500 and just a game back of the Mariners in the AL West. What a difference a month can make.
While many Astros fans were understandably worried that this season was going to spiral out of control, don't count former Astros All-Star shortstop Carlos Correa among them. During a recent interview, Correa said he was surprised at the Astros' slow start, but knew a turnaround was coming.
Carlos Correa was never worried about the Astros' slump, but hurdles remain in the second half
It is weirdly comforting to see a former player of Correa's stature go on record and say nice things about the current Astros roster. So often, we get the canned "I'm focused on my team now, but I wish those guys the best" answers. Correa definitely didn't do that, as he heaped praise on the Astros as a dangerous team that he never thought would struggle all year, even if the early slump surprised him.
Thankfully, Correa's faith in the Astros wasn't unwarranted and they were able to play their way back into contention. However, hanging around in the second half could be easier said than done. We still don't really know when Justin Verlander and Kyle Tucker will return from their injuries, and what they will even look like when they do rejoin the action. Even if they come back and play well, the Astros still will need to address their starting pitching depth (and probably first base) at the trade deadline to be truly competitive.
The good news here is that it does appear things are finally trending in the right direction. Houston is playing better, their injury situation should at least have more clarity very soon, and the Astros' front office appears to be very engaged in the trade market. It is only a matter of continued execution the rest of the way.