The Houston Astros dropped to 7-19 so far this season following their 3-1 loss to the Chicago Cubs on Thursday, their worst record through 26 since 1969.
The Houston Astros were unable to avoid getting swept by the Chicago Cubs on Thursday, and they earned an unsavory spot in their franchise’s history books as a result.
Houston did strike first Thursday afternoon, scratching one run across via a sacrifice fly in the top of the opening frame. That was all the damage their offense would do, however, as Chicago scored three in the sixth and won 3-1.
Coming off the back of a 4-3 loss on Wednesday and a 7-2 loss on Tuesday, the Astros have now dropped five games in a row and are 1-8 since April 15. The club has been swept four times in its eight series on the season.
At 7-19, the Astros are off to their worst start since 1969.
The Chicago Cubs sweep the Houston Astros.
The Astros are now 7-19.
It is their worst start since 1969.
The only team in the American League with a worst record are the Chicago White Sox.— Bob Nightengale (@BNightengale) April 25, 2024
That squad lost its first five games of the season, as well as 20 of its first 24. They went on a 19-4 hot streak immediately after, though, even managing to get 10 games above .500 by mid-August. The 1969 Astros finished the year much like they started it, however, ending the regular season at 81-81.
At that point, the Astros were just eight seasons into their time in MLB. 81-81 was their best record in franchise history until 1972, and they didn’t make the playoffs until 1980.
The modern day Astros have very different story, having won the World Series in 2017 and 2022. Houston is also fresh off its seventh-consecutive ALCS appearance and was given an 85.7% chance of making the postseason by FanGraphs prior to Opening Day.
The Astros’ -36 run differential ranks No. 26 in the league. While they rank ninth with a .722 OPS, their offense has only produced the 20th-most runs. On the mound, Houston ranks No. 28 with a 5.07 ERA, but perhaps that number can come down a bit with Justin Verlander and Framber Valdez off the injured list.
Houston now has a 42.5% chance of earning a postseason bid, per FanGraphs, but their chances may be even slimmer than that.
The worst 26-game start by an eventual playoff team in MLB history came from the Oakland Athletics in 2001. They opened the season one game worse than this year’s Astros at 8-18.
The recently-expanded playoff format could work in the Astros’ favor, but a lot will have to go right over the next five months in order for them to erase such a historically brutal start.
Houston has a rare day off Friday prior to its weekend trip to Mexico City, where it will face off against the Colorado Rockies. The last-place team in the NL West boasts an identical 7-19, after staging a late comeback to beat the San Diego Padres on Thursday.
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