After missing out on the playoffs last year, the Houston Astros are sitting second from the bottom in the AL West with a below .500 record. As if a losing streak in April and poor recent numbers weren’t enough, some serious injuries have plagued their rotation. Despite the disappointing record this season and a lopsided loss against the Cleveland Guardians at home, Houston reliever Bryan King, who has performed well this season, feels adversity is part of the game and that the Astros can still recover. 

“There’s a lot of baseball left. We got over half the season, I think we know that we can catch our stride at any point and get hot,” he said during an MLB Network Radio interview on June 21 following the 1-8 defeat against the Guardians. “So there’s no reason to press a panic [button] yet and go out and play baseball. And see if we can get ourselves back in first place.”

The Astros have a 36-42 record this season. They went through an eight-game slide earlier in April and are still recovering from that. The Astros won three consecutive games at Minute Maid Park, including a 9-3 win against the Guardians. But Cleveland leveled the series with a stronger comeback. 

But King doesn’t bog down after defeats. In fact, he emerged extra motivated for a win.  

“I think the biggest thing is being able to punch back when you get punched,” the 29-year-old said on SiriusXM. “You know it’s inevitable, right? Like you’re going to give up runs. You’re going to have teams that get you. You’re going to have bad days. And the biggest thing is just being able to recover from that.”

King has performed pretty well this season. Many believe that his confidence in his teammates stems from his own outings. He has a 2.59 ERA with 24 Ks over 31.1 innings this season. 

The lefty started 2026 with an early defeat, but turned that into a 2-1 record in his last two games. More importantly, he has 6 saves and has held 5 more so far. 

Bryan has remained effective throughout the season. And his positive outlook isn’t new to his teammates. 

King has delivered similar messages before

The Houston Astros were struggling through a heavily injured rotation in the middle of their 2024 season. They decided to bring up a minor leaguer to help the bullpen. King not only showed good command after his TJ recovery but also played a small but significant role (2.39 ERA over 26.1 innings) in helping Houston reach the playoffs. 

But the following season wasn’t as fruitful for the Astros. They were fighting for a playoff spot in September, and King reflected the same mindset after sweeping the Texas Rangers at home. 

“I mean, we are resilient, right? We have been battling stuff all year. And we’re gonna keep fighting till the very end,” he added.

Unfortunately, the Astros narrowly missed the playoffs despite finishing 87-85. 

This time, they are in a worse condition. They are 2.5 games behind the division leaders and 2.0 games behind a Wild Card spot. 

However, King himself is performing better. He has improved his ERA from 2.78 to 2.59 and also has a better winning percentage this year. While the Astros have yet to find consistency, King remains confident. 

And the Houston loyalists are eagerly waiting for their team to adapt to the reliever’s “punch back” philosophy and get back in contention.