Observations from an Astros doubleheader split to end an awful April

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Only 12 other clubs in the Astros’ 65-year existence have lost at least 20 of their first 32 games. Eight of them finished with a losing record, and another, the 1969 group, ended the season at .500. Of the 132 teams since 1995 that started 12-20 or worse, only four made the playoffs. Two of them were Astros teams: the 2024 American League West champions and the 2005 National League pennant winners. Precedent exists for a resurgence. Whether this club is equipped to author one is another matter. The pitching staff issued 15 more walks on Thursday and inflated its league-worst ERA to 6.08 — a full run higher than the Washington Nationals, who have the second-highest mark in the sport. Reinforcements aren’t close to returning, either. Injuries have rendered Houston’s group of position players into an almost unrecognizable state, problematic for a team that entered the season with little depth of which to speak. That Dustin Harris — a 26-year-old waiver claim with 85 career major-league plate appearances — hit fifth in Thursday’s second game underscores it. Harris drove in three runs in the 11-5 win, offering a reminder of baseball’s fickleness. He had three hits during the doubleheader, an 18-inning stretch in which the Astros out-hit the Orioles 27-12. Winning only one of those games feels unfathomable, but it is reality for a team that boarded a Boston-bound airplane Thursday night tied for the American League’s worst record. In the fifth inning of Thursday’s first game, manager Joe Espada acted with the aggression required to resurrect a team teetering toward disaster. His team needs wins — for a more favorable spot in the standings and for his own job security. Managing as such is mandatory, even if it is only April. Espada did it during his first season, too, and it aided in the turnaround from a 12-24 start to AL West champions. Doing so as a first-year manager with, at least, some security will generate a far different reaction than Espada’s current reality. General manager Dana Brown offered his manager a vote of confidence last week, but make no mistake, Espada remains in a precarious position after this awful April. Every move Espada makes is magnified, even if sometimes there aren’t any correct choices. On Thursday, sensing a chance to seize control, Espada summoned southpaw Steven Okert with one out in the fifth inning. The Astros trailed by a run, Baltimore had a runner in scoring position and had the top of its order looming to see starter Peter Lambert for a third time. Lambert had thrown 91 pitches. At least 41 outs remained for baseball’s worst pitching staff to secure during this doubleheader, but Espada managed like someone not in a position to worry about the future. Deploying Okert against left-handed-hitting Orioles leadoff man Gunnar Henderson was the matchup “I wanted since the beginning of the game,” Espada said. And he received the desired result: a check-swing ground ball that exited Henderson’s bat at 45.4 mph. That it traveled 82 feet and still resulted in a single felt appropriate. No AL pitching staff entered Thursday with a higher batting average on balls in play than the Astros’ .324 mark. Only 13 teams in major-league history have ever finished a full season with a higher BABIP. Some positive regression should come. When it didn’t on Thursday, it opened Espada to criticism. Right-handed hitting outfielder Taylor Ward and switch-hitting catcher Adley Rutschmann followed Henderson in Baltimore’s batting order. Okert throws left-handed, but has still limited right-handed hitters to a .693 OPS during his major-league career. It’s as platoon neutral as a lefty reliever can be, and, with a 1.05 WHIP and 2.70 ERA in 15 appearances entering Thursday, Okert is perhaps the most reliable reliever in Espada’s volatile bullpen. The other, Bryan King, is also left-handed. Okert walked Ward on five pitches, prolonging the pitching staff’s season-defining propensity. Facing Okert allowed Rustchman to hit right-handed — where he has better career numbers, but worse numbers this season. Smoking a grand slam off Okert helped to reverse that trend and put Houston in a five-run hole from which it could not recover. Espada must live with the result, even if the process seemed sound. But pulling Lambert at 91 pitches is curious. Though the third time through the order penalty is real, hitters were 1-for-11 this season when facing Lambert for a third time. Then again, Lambert had generated just five whiffs on Baltimore’s 35 swings against him. Decisions like this are set up to be second-guessed. Espada signed up for this job understanding that. When his team sits eight games under .500, the noise only grows louder. Pete Alonso covers 24.9 feet per second when he sprints. Only 21 qualified major-leaguers are slower. Yordan Alvarez is one of them, but the slugger still enjoys an occasional start in left field, including during the first game of Thursday’s doubleheader. Alonso stood on first base when Jeremiah Jackson hooked a fourth-inning double down the left-field line. There were two outs, so Alonso ran on contact, but Alvarez’s inability to collect the baseball quickly allowed the lumbering first baseman to score without even a throw. Jackson’s line drive exited the bat at 100.2 mph. Neither Alvarez nor any outfielder on Houston’s roster could’ve caught it, but others are far more equipped to cut the ball off before it reached the corner. Alonso’s run broke a scoreless tie and underscored the problem with playing Alvarez in left field with any regularity. He is more athletic than meets the eye — two running catches on Thursday showed that — and he has enough arm strength to keep opposing third-base coaches honest. But all of Alvarez’s value is tied to his bat, a fact Espada tried to reiterate throughout an offseason in which he promised to limit Alvarez’s exposure in left field. Though Espada never mentioned a number, Alvarez’s career-high of 56 games started in left field always seemed like a benchmark the team did not want to cross. Alvarez has started in left field eight times in the season’s first 32 games. Assuming he plays all 162 games, that puts Alvarez on pace to make 41 starts as a left fielder. Circumstances can always change, but consider this: Houston has three outfielders on the injured list and it hasn’t altered the team’s plan for Alvarez’s playing time. For a team with such a suspect pitching staff, finding any additional way to prevent runs is paramount. So is ensuring the Astros can out-score opponents. Deploying Alvarez as a primary designated hitter fulfills both edicts. Spot the pattern. Connect the terms Find the hidden link between sports terms