Seldom-discussed Astros roster flaw continues to cost Houston games with time running out

“It’s a very simple game. You throw the ball, you catch the ball, you hit the ball.” Nuke LaLoosh summed up baseball pretty well in Bull Durham. There might be a little more to it, but, in the end, it’s pretty basic. The Houston Astros certainly hit the ball. They came into play on Monday sitting in fifth in baseball in wRC+ with a pretty sizable lead over sixth. They’re not quite as good in runs scored at seventh, but still good enough. But they also have one of the worst defenses in baseball, and it cost them a game this weekend.

There are many defensive metrics, but the three most commonly referenced are Defensive Runs Saved (DRS), Outs Above Average (OAA), and Field Run Value (FRV). In those three, the Astros rank 22nd, 21st, and 19th, respectively. Another metric, Def on Fangraphs, looks at full defensive value. The Astros rank 24th in that. Any way you measure it, they’re one of the worst.

The Astros' defense is making any chance at a season rebound just that much harder

Of course, not everyone on the Astros is bad, but the team is built with some of its most important players playing some of the worst defense of anyone out there. Jose Altuve has been terrible at second base. Yordan Alvarez hasn’t played much left field, but he’s been a liability when he’s out there. Jeremy Peña has struggled defensively in his limited time this year. With Jake Meyers out, center field has been a problem. So when one of the best defenders makes a mistake to ultimately cost a game, that hurts even more.

In the fifth inning on Saturday night, the Astros had just scored on Braden Shewmake’s third home run of the year. This one was off Chase Burns, who has been excellent to start the season. Spencer Arrighetti, who has also been excellent, was tasked with protecting a 1-0 lead in a tough park to pitch and go the first out with a strikeout of Nathaniel Lowe. But he gave up a single, a stolen base, and a walk, which brought up Jose Trevino.

Trevino is not the world’s most skilled hitter, at least to start 2026, and Arrighetti made a good pitch to get a fly ball to right field. It wasn’t the easiest fly ball, but Smith drifted to his right out of the sun and into a shadow. The ball hit the heel of his glove and just…dropped. So instead of two on and two out (likely a runner on third as Spencer Steer should have been able to tag on the flyout), the Reds had the bases loaded and one out.

While there are quality defenders on the team, the injury to Carlos Correa means that there just isn’t anywhere to turn. Isaac Paredes is a subpar defender, and he’s now tasked with playing third base again. Relying on Brice Matthews in center field is tough. He’s a great athlete, but it’s not a position he has a lot of familiarity playing. Zach Cole is an okay enough outfielder, but he’s nothing more than that. As previously mentioned, Altuve has become a full-on liability.

The construction of the Astros makes an elite defense nearly impossible to achieve

The options just aren’t there for the Astros to be a better defensive team. And the pitching staff gives up too much contact to rely on a subpar defense. It’s a big reason why the start has been so poor for this team. The pitching hasn’t been good enough, but they also haven’t been able to rely on defense to help them get big outs.

A top defense doesn’t guarantee success. By DRS, the Red Sox are far and away the best in baseball, but have one of the worst records. But generally, LaLoosh is right. Catching the ball is one of the three basic things you need to do, and the Astros simply don’t do it well enough.

Add us as a preferred source on Google

The Astros' defense is making any chance at a season rebound just that much harder

The construction of the Astros makes an elite defense nearly impossible to achieve

Schedule