The defending World Series champion Houston Astros are entering the 2023 season as prepared as ever to try and pull off a repeat.
With a stout offense that features Jose Altuve, Jeremy Pena, Alex Bregman, Kyle Tucker, Yordan Alvarez, and Jose Abreu, the Astros are going to be tough to beat.
But that doesn’t mean that their prolific offense doesn’t have its weaknesses.
There were two pitchers in 2022 who beat the Astros three times.
One of them was then-Oakland Athletics left-hander Cole Irvin, who threw 37.2 innings against them and posted a 3.58 ERA in those games.
Needless to say, there will be no tears from the Astros with Irvin now headed to the Baltimore Orioles.
During 2022 there were only 2 pitchers who beat the #Astros 3 times. Cole Irvin was one of them and Ohtani was the other. No other pitcher pitched more against Houston than Irvin (37.2 IP), and as the numbers show he did really well (3.58 ERA).
In H-Town 🤘 they won’t miss him. pic.twitter.com/IWeZ4kZ977
— Javier Gonzalez (@Astros_Coverage) January 27, 2023
Even the best offenses have their weaknesses.
The Astros are no different.
While the other pitcher to have beaten the Astros three times, Shohei Ohtani, is still in the AL West for at least another year, things should be a little bit easier with Irvin now in the AL East.
There is even a distinct possibility that the Astros may not have to face him at all, depending on the schedule and how the season plays out.
At the same time, while Ohtani is still with the division rival Los Angeles Angels, there are fewer games between teams in the same division thanks to a more balanced schedule, so the Astros may not have to face him as frequently either.
But clearly, there are no qualms about Irvin no longer pitching for the A’s, something that may benefit the Astros in 2023.
NEXT: New Astros GM Outlines His Goals For 2023
