The Houston Astros have hit a rough patch, dropping to 10 games below .500 after a 3-1 loss to the Seattle Mariners on Monday. This marks a new low for the team as they cross the quarter pole of the season, mired in a three-game losing streak. The skid comes on the heels of a 16-game stretch where the Astros managed to play .500 baseball against tough opponents like the New York Yankees and Los Angeles Dodgers—no small feat given an injured list that seems to stretch on forever.
With 42 games in the books, there's been a mix of highs and lows. Let's hand out some awards to break it all down.
MVP: Yordan Alvarez
After a disappointing 2025 season where he posted a career-low 117 OPS+ over 199 plate appearances, Alvarez has bounced back in a big way—despite a slow start to May. He slashed an impressive .356/.462/.737 in March and April, earning American League Player of the Month honors for the first time since September 2023. While May has been tougher (.184/.262/.289), his presence in a depleted lineup still lifts the hitters around him. Even with that rough 10-game stretch, Alvarez's 1.044 OPS ranks second in all of baseball, and he's tied for fifth in home runs. Most importantly, he's been an iron man, starting all 42 games this season.
Biggest Disappointment: Yainer Diaz
Three years ago, Diaz looked like a future All-Star. Now, he's trending toward non-tender territory if things don't turn around. The 27-year-old catcher landed on the IL 10 days ago with a left oblique strain, but before that, he was performing below replacement level. His slash line of .238/.255/.347 with a 67 OPS+ in 26 games tells the story of a hitter in decline—his OPS has dropped from .846 in 2023 to .766 in 2024 and now .701 this season. The offensive struggles would be easier to overlook if Diaz were excelling defensively, but he's regressed there too. In 2024, his first year as the primary catcher, he ranked in the top quartile for blocks above average and caught stealing above average, though he was below average in framing and pop time. This year, those numbers have slipped, making his overall performance a tough pill to swallow for Astros fans.