The Houston Astros are 7-3 in their last 10 games, a streak that has resulted from the team finally starting to click on all cylinders. They have won their last three series in a row against the Milwaukee Brewers, Detroit Tigers, and the Oakland Athletics. Kyle Tucker looks like a possible candidate for the AL MVP this season, and Jeremy Pena and Jose Altuve are battling each other for the leader in the AL for total hits. What’s next for the Astros and details on their current situation in the AL West will all be included in this weeks article.

Last Week of Astros Baseball

Over the past week, the Astros have seemed to finally regained their mojo from their previous years of success, other than last nights game against the Angels, where they blew a 6-1 lead in the fifth inning. Past that seven run inning, the Astros hitting has been up, their defense and pitching has looked like there is some improvement being made, and players have been stepping up overall. One of those players is Jake Meyers, who is hitting .290 on the season with a .885 OPS. In fact, according to Baseball Savant, Meyers is projected to have a .309 batting average and a .921 OPS, which would make him one of the more dangerous hitters in the MLB. Has this has been luck? In my opinion, no because Meyers has seen incredible improvement in his game. After being bottom 5% in exit velocity per ball hit in play with 86 MPH, Meyers has shot up to top 10% in the league with a 92.3 MPH exit velocity.

The main narrative I have seen with Meyers is that it seems as if he is seeing the ball better, which has led to his increased overall confidence. A 6.3 MPH increase in one season is from having boosted belief in yourself and having a coaching staff that supports you. The last week has been filled with many ups, and Meyers seems to be one of the main positive outlooks throughout the week.

Can King Tuck Win the MVP?

As it stands today, Kyle Tucker’s odds of winning the AL MVP are currently at +850 according to DraftKings. He is currently behind Yankee Juan Soto (+250), Royal Bobby Witt Jr. (+300), Yankee Aaron Judge (+450), and Oriole Gunnar Henderson (+500). As known by much of the social media world, Tucker has been known to be extremely underrated over the past couple of seasons. Whether it be due to the fact that he’s not as involved in the media as the other players listed above or the fact that he’s on the Astros, I would say he’s one of if not the most underrated players in the MLB. Tucker this season is slashing .288/.421/.618 with a 1.039 OPS, which currently leads the American League. If Tuck can continue to put on this masterclass of hitting, he has a solid shot to win his first MVP and be the first Astro to win a MVP since Jose Altuve in 2017.

The Ultimate Astro Battle

Over the first quarter of the season, Astro shortstop Jeremy Pena and second baseman Jose Altuve have been battling for the hits leader on their team. Not only is this a battle for their team, but the two of them are currently leading the MLB in total hits. Pena is batting .326, which puts him second in the AL, while Altuve is batting .306 which places him fourth in the AL. As it stands today, Pena is first in the AL with 60 hits while Altuve is second with 59, a stat tied with Yankee Juan Soto. I believe that other Astro media members have also noticed this fun little battle, and I think that it is a fun fact that you could tell with your friends if you really wanted to. Past showing off your knowledge with your friends, the season is so youthful, so this battle may not last throughout the season. This definitely should be something to monitor though as it can be a little competition between the two players.

Astros Future

Over the next week, the Astros will wrap up their series with the Angels, start and finish a series with the Athletics, and start a four game series with the Mariners. For the Astros to continue to fight for that AL West first place spot, I believe that they will need to take the last two of the Angles series, at least win three against the A’s, and at least split the Mariners series. As it currently stands, they are 5.0 games behind the Mariners for the first place spot, which would guarantee them a slot in the Playoffs. They are also only 3.0 games behind the Rangers, and as an Astros fan myself, it would be nice to get ahead of them to rub something in their face. Overall, though, this next week and especially the four game series against the Mariners can be very important in displaying the success the Astros may have in the AL this season.