When the Houston Astros appointed Joe Espada, they hoped that he’d follow in the footsteps of Dusty Baker. The legendary skipper did have his detractors, but Baker’s tendency to support players during tough times was second to none. However, the disastrous start of Espada’s tenure (the team’s currently 7-17) has given major doubts to all of the Astros fans. 

The worry isn’t that the Astros are losing, it’s that there looks to be no fire in the team. Currently, the Astronauts are not only last in the AL West but are quite close to ending the season even before June begins. That’s a disaster for the team, which has been a perennial favorite for years. However, a top analyst has noted that part of the reason for this struggle could be the change in the philosophy of the team after Baker’s departure.

The most basic thing in any team sport is a squad’s chemistry. That naturally happens as the players get used to playing with each other. However, the Astros have changed their lineup 17 times in the last 22 games! Top Astros analyst Jeremy Booth talked about this at Gallant and George. “Dusty Baker I thought stuck with people way too long. I thought there wasn’t enough fluctuation there. There wasn’t enough moving guys around but you don’t need to have 17 lineups in the first 22 games either,” Booth said. 

That isn’t a new complaint for Espada. His managerial stint has been marked by constant questions and doubts over his suitability for the Astros’ system. However, while Espada has the excuse of injuries ruining his plans, his constant tinkering with the squad might not be helping with the Astros’ present predicament.

But then, Espada cannot be given complete blame. He’s been forced to play with limited cards. The fact that he can’t hit a jackpot just shows how the Astros’ management may have missed the boat this offseason.

Houston Astros’ shortcomings and Joe Espada’s tough luck

Espada is currently operating without 5 of his starting pitchers. While that is a big enough loss, his bullpen has been quite close to being a total disaster. The Astros’ bullpen has lost 6 of the 8 games where they were in a “save” situation. “No team in the sport has a lower save percentage,” said The Athletic. And that is coming from a team with perhaps the most expensive bullpen in baseball today. 

However, Espada has chosen to be optimistic during these hard times. “I want the guys just to understand that this will pass,” Espada said. “But we need to make adjustments and we need to do things different.”

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The Houston Astros fans certainly agree with this statement. For seven years, they’ve seen their team absolutely dominate the league. They remember the pre-2017 period; the times when the Astronauts spent more time in the sea than in space.