Fans, analysts, and writers tend to talk a lot about the New York Yankees, the New York Mets, and the Los Angeles Dodgers.
And it’s hard to blame them: they are three of the best teams in the league, if not the best three.
But sometimes, they leave the Houston Astros out of the discussion, and they remain an elite squad.
Their talent, determination, and resolve was tested in the last week, and they aced the test.
“The Houston Astros just had a really weird part of the schedule where they had to face the first place team in both the American League (Yankees) and National League (Mets) for 9 games straight. Home/Away/Away/Home. They went 7-2,” analyst Ben Verlander tweeted.
The Houston Astros just had a really weird part of the schedule where they had to face the first place team in both the American League (Yankees) and National League (Mets) for 9 games straight.
Home/Away/Away/Home
They went 7-2
— Ben Verlander (@BenVerlander) July 1, 2022
It feels like people are sleeping on the Astros, and that’s a big mistake.
An Elite Team, Top To Bottom
First of all, this is a team that just went to the World Series a few months ago and was two games away from taking the championship.
They also did it without Justin Verlander, who is back at the top of the rotation.
They lost Carlos Correa and replaced him with one of the contenders for the AL Rookie of the Year award, Jeremy Pena.
And Yordan Alvarez, Jose Altuve, Kyle Tucker, and Alex Bregman are all having a great year.
The Astros have an elite offense and an underrated staff behind Verlander.
Jose Urquidy, Cristian Javier, and Luis Garcia are reliable starters, and Framber Valdez is blossoming into one of the game’s best lefties.
Oh, and Lance McCullers Jr. will return soon, too, barring any setbacks.
The Astros will be a tough foe for the MLB powerhouses, because they are one, too.
NEXT: Yordan Alvarez Played Like An MVP In June