Houston Astros: Five biggest road blocks to a World Series title

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Houston Astros /

Cleveland Indians

The team that nearly went all the way last year is the team that is above average in all departments. Starting pitching, bullpen, defense, offense, managing. You name it, they are at least adept and better than most of the majors at it.

The addition of Edwin Encarnacion cannot be overstated enough in terms of his impact. Losing Mike Napoli, their team leader in home runs and RBIs from last year, could have left this offense in shambles. But they were able to sign Edwin Encarnacion and as a result the offense is at around the same pace as last year’s near world championship team.

They are a balanced line up top to bottom and while the Indians this season and last season don’t rank in the top 15 in home runs, they still were top five in runs scored last year and are top eight in runs scored this year, mostly due to being top 10 in OPS both seasons.

One major thing they have in common with the Astros offense by the way, they don’t strike out a lot. They are in second place in terms of least amount of times whiffing on offense behind the Astros as mentioned three slides above in the Dodgers slide, with the Indians whiffing 937 times to the Astros 878.

So what makes them the most scary proposition is that they are so complete. Not only is their offense top 10 in most categories, but they lead the league in strikeouts from their pitching staff with 1,293. The Astros are in second in the majors at 1,290. But the Indians are second in all the majors in ERA at 3.60 and WHIP at 1.20, pitching in the league that has the designated hitter, making that accomplishment all the more impressive.

The team that nearly went all the way last year is the team that is above average in all departments.

And it’s not as though the rotation or bullpen are carrying those numbers and covering up for the flaws of the other. Their rotation is fourth in the majors in ERA, third in WHIP and sixth in batting average against, while their bullpen is second in the majors in ERA, WHIP and fourth in batting average against.

And then of course they have Terry Francona who nearly managed them to a World Series championship despite being heavily outgunned by the Chicago Cubs and missing two thirds of the best part of his rotation.

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And good managing can’t be understated in the playoffs. It’s the difference between Francona utilizing Andrew Miller to such perfection that he got a reliever to win the ALCS MVP award and Buck Showalter not using Zach Britton in a tight Wild Card game and receiving all kinds of flack for it.

Managing matters and the Indians are not the best in nearly any category, but they’re above average in every category. And that’s what makes them the scariest team to face if we get to the ALCS. Because the most complete teams are the ones that go on to win.

The best offense in the world doesn’t mean anything if our bullpen can’t hold a lead. And while the Astros bullpen actually leads the league in strikeouts and is fifth in batting average against, their ERA is what is most concerning.

Oh and if you were wondering what the common thread for all five of these competitors are. They are the top five in bullpen ERA and top six in batting average against for bullpen, with the Red Sox being sixth place. Number five is the Astros.

Next: Five Most Devastating Series in Astros History

This season has been a special one for Astros fans, and now more than ever with all the devastation Hurricane Harvey has wrought, Houston could use something that helps the city heal in the wake of a terrible natural disaster. Here’s hoping they can pull one out for the hometown fans and give them a season to never forget.

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