Astros’ Offensive Slump Results in Another Losing Month in August
The Houston Astros’ struggles at the plate during August have tightened the race in the American League West, where their once-comfortable lead has nearly vanished.
Back on July 1, Houston sat atop the AL West with a solid seven-game lead. But as September begins, that cushion has shrunk dramatically.
The Astros closed out August with a 3-0 loss to the Los Angeles Angels on Sunday, marking their second consecutive month with a losing record. Now sitting at 75-62, Houston has dropped two straight games and four of its last seven, holding just a two-game edge over the surging Seattle Mariners.
August Collapse
As noted by MLB.com’s Brian McTaggart, the Astros finished August with a 13-15 record. After Sunday’s defeat, they had gone 15 straight innings without scoring. The Athletic’s Chandler Rome also pointed out that Houston had scored two or fewer runs in 11 of its last 18 games.
While Seattle went cold in the middle of August — dropping 8 of 10 from Aug. 13–23 — Houston failed to take full advantage. The Astros went 5-5 over that same stretch, only slightly extending their lead to three games.
But inconsistency persisted. Houston was shut out four times in August, including three straight games against the Orioles and Tigers. Their offense produced just one win when scoring fewer than four runs, a 2-0 victory over the Angels on Friday. Across their last three games, they’ve managed only three total runs.
Offensive Woes in the Numbers
Houston’s offensive performance in August was among their worst all season — comparable only to their early-season struggles in March and April.
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March/April: .236 AVG / .310 OBP / .357 SLG, .667 OPS, 25 HR, 110 RBI
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August: .238 AVG / .306 OBP / .385 SLG, .691 OPS, 31 HR, 96 RBI
The 96 RBIs in August were the lowest monthly total this season and the only time the team failed to surpass 100 RBIs in a month.
If the Astros want to fend off both the Mariners and the Texas Rangers in the final stretch of the season, their offense will need to snap out of its slump — and fast.
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