Tied for 2nd!

With the Phillies' loss to Florida, the Brewers' unfortunate win over the Reds, and the Cubs' close one against the Shitbirds, the Astros are now tied with Philly for 2nd. Unfortunately, both clubs still sit 4 games back of Milwaukee.

The Good News: the Astros have cut their RS-RA differential significantly. It's still negative, but I think that maybe the club should be given a mulligan on the early season. They're overperforming significantly, but maybe not as significantly as the basic numbers might suggest.

The Bad News: We're up against the Cubs on Friday. We swept them at Wrigley last time, but it's going to be tough. Really tough. They're the best team in baseball, but they're slumpin' hard.

Kaz, Wiggy, and El Burro are still out. Carlos is hanging around the dugout during games, and I don't know how well he is. It might be that maybe (just maybe) he'll be back later on. It would be great to have him back for the last week or so, if nothing else. They've done well without him, but the Good Guys need the big man. Wigginton is desperately needed, too.

I've doubted this team all season. I still don't think it's a great team. It's probably barely a .500 club. But sometimes it's better to be lucky than anything near good, and the Astros are showing that off.

However, it's not been all luck. Hunter has improved significantly in the last few weeks. Maybe that's just him getting hot and nothing else, but it might be the Spaz we knew and loved last season shining through. The bench has delivered like no other. The bullpen is fucking solid.

Anyways, this next series will be key. If the Astros can walk away without losing ground in the race, they will be doing great. Even if they only lose a game, I'll count it as a win. But a sweep would pretty much end the Astros' chances at this point.

Of course, I've said that before. I said that in June, after they just looked awful. I said that after they got swept by the Pirates. But each time they seem to be out of it, the Astros have sat on that tantalizing edge of postseason possibilities.

Back in June, some writer said that this year's Cardinals are like the old-time "Gashouse Gang" of wheneverthefuck. At this point, I think the Astros are a more apt comparison. If the Astros pull this off, then they will have had the most epic comeback since the '69 Mets. Here's hoping against all reason for it to happen.