Oakland Athletics’ Division Race: Checking In On the Competition

Houston Astros

Rank: First Place in the AL West
Record: 48-36
First-Half MVP: Dallas Keuchel, who not only has the most impressive pitching line, but also the most impressive beard.

After Monday’s game against Cleveland, Dallas Keuchel owns a 2.14 ERA and an 11-3 record, with 110 strikeouts in just over 130 innings. The Astros’ surge to the top of the division has been unexpected, but with pitching like that, they could be unstoppable.

Add in players like second baseman Jose Altuve, who is batting .301/.344/.418 with seven home runs and 24 stolen bases, and it seems likely that Houston will find themselves in the playoffs.

The Astros have finally had the opportunity to call up the prospects they’ve been stockpiling. Shortstop Carlos Correa has a .932 OPS and five stole bases in 25 games, and outfielder George Springer has swiped 14 bags while knocking in 13 home runs so far this year. The loss of Springer, who fractured his wrist on a hit-by-pitch last Thursday, will hurt them, but they have so much talent that it’s hard to imagine them being devastated by a single injury.

The rest of the rotation hasn’t been as solid as the Astros had hoped – Collin McHugh has posted a 4.54 ERA, despite striking out 85 in 107 innings and obtaining a 9-4 record, and no other pitcher has managed to really impress. Lance McCullers has not been bad, posting a 2.16 ERA in 58.1 innings, but he’ll need to keep that effort up if he wants to remain a part of the rotation.

Houston needs to add an arm quickly, before they start to lose the lead they’ve worked so hard to build. A trade deadline move is imperative – and they certainly have enough talented prospects to fetch a big-name pitcher who can help them take home the pennant. It’s hard to believe, but the Astros’ might be the Oakland Athletics’ biggest obstacle in the division race.