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The Houston Astros have lifted off.
On Saturday, the Astros improved to 40-30, their first time 10 games above .500 this season, with a 3-2 walk-off win against the Minnesota Twins.
Rookie Cam Smith remained hot as he drove in the winning run, hitting a two-out single in the bottom of the ninth.
Over Smith’s last 25 games entering Saturday, the 2024 first-round pick, acquired in the trade that sent outfielder Kyle Tucker to the Chicago Cubs, has a .294/.341/.388 slash line with 25 hits and 11 runs batted in in 91 plate appearances.
His uptick in production has coincided with an overall improvement from Houston batters. The Astros had been the league’s hottest hitting team since May 24, entering Saturday, ranking first in team batting average (.275). (h/t FanGraphs)
Only the New York Mets had a better winning percentage (.789) than Houston (.722) during that span.
Saturday’s win was the Astros’ fourth consecutive and 14th in their last 19 games after falling to 26-25.
Houston is finding its stride and could be hard to derail. Astros batters are in rhythm, and the pitching staff has been dominant of late.
Since June 1, Astros pitchers have an MLB-low 2.30 earned run average (ERA) and rank first in strikeouts per nine innings (11.11).
Starting pitcher Hunter Brown continued his sensational season against the Twins on Saturday, allowing two earned runs and three hits with 12 strikeouts in seven innings. This season, he has a 1.88 ERA.
After seeing their streak of seven consecutive ALCS appearances snapped last season and stars Alex Bregman and Tucker exit, the Astros entered 2025 with more question marks than they had in years.
Through 70 games, any fear Houston may have had about its outlook appears unfounded. It’s still among the AL’s best teams. Thanks to Smith’s walk-off hit, it’s also the hottest.
