The Astros season officially started on March 30 with a 3-2 loss to the White Sox, which was then righted with a 6-3 win on the 31st. The Astros have had a few changes lately, losing three time Cy Young winner, Justin Verlander, as well as first baseman Yuli Gurriel.

The Astros are also down one of their top batters, Jose Altuve who is out on injury. The second baseman broke his thumb while playing in the World Baseball Classic, requiring him to get surgery and miss the start of the 2023 season. He is expected to return to baseball activities in a couple months and likely won’t be fully back until the summer. Micheal Brantley missed out on most of the 2022 season due to a shoulder injury requiring surgery. The outfielder is expected to return to the game in the late spring of the 2023 season. Starting pitcher Lance McCullers is out after a strained arm muscle, with a return expected for this April.

While the Astros are down a few key players, they still have a strong staff. They have five starting pitchers, Framber Valdez, Cristian Javier, Hunter Brown, Jose Urquidy, and Luis Garcia. They have a long list of batters, including veterans Alex Bregman, Yordan Alvarez, Kyle Tucker, Jeremy Pena, and catcher Martin Maldonado. They also acquired a new first baseman, Jose Abreu, who came from the Chicago White Sox.

With 9 wins and 10 losses, the Astros are currently standing in third place in the ALW(American League West), behind the Texas Rangers and the Los Angeles Angels. Their last series consisted of three games, and they came out with a win 2-1 against the Blue Jays. The Astros ended the first inning 0-0, but then in the second inning Myers scored a double, putting the Astros in the lead 2-0. In the top of the eighth the Blue Jays scored a run, moving the score to 2-1 Astros. However, in the bottom of the eighth the Astros managed to score six runs with a double from Abreu that sent Dubon and Bregman home, followed by a single from Tucker that sent Alvarez home, and ending with a three-run home run by Pena, resulting in a final score of 8-1 Astros.

 On April 21 the Astros will begin a three game series against the Braves, which will last through April 23, followed by a series against the Rays. The season is in full swing with games set through October 1, so grab your tickets now and look out for CISD staff discounts.