Houston Astros: Week 5 Recap – All They Need is a Miracle

PHOENIX, AZ - MAY 05: Starting pitcher Charlie Morton #50 and catcher Brian McCann #16 of the Houston Astros prepare for the MLB game against the Arizona Diamondbacks at Chase Field on May 5, 2018 in Phoenix, Arizona. (Photo by Jennifer Stewart/Getty Images)
PHOENIX, AZ - MAY 05: Starting pitcher Charlie Morton #50 and catcher Brian McCann #16 of the Houston Astros prepare for the MLB game against the Arizona Diamondbacks at Chase Field on May 5, 2018 in Phoenix, Arizona. (Photo by Jennifer Stewart/Getty Images) /
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After a decent April start, the Houston Astros open the month of May with an extremely rough week 5 to start the month. Hold onto your hats!

A rematch fumble and some desert heat. These were just a couple of things that have hit the Houston Astros hard to begin the month of May. Here now is the Houston Astros: Week 5 Recap!

Cole Train Express!

Among the positive things that happened this week was another dazzling start from Gerrit Cole. On Friday, he struck out 16 batters in his first ever complete game shutout. The team went on to win that game 8-0. Max Stassi was also incredibly stellar behind the plate for him.

Additionally, a report from Yahoo and subsequent tweet from Brian McTaggart notes that his 77 total strikeouts on the season are the most by any pitcher in his first 7 starts in all of MLB history. This is a record previously held by none other than Chris Sale. Talk about being in some pretty decent company!

MVP B-Day!

Also in the Houston Astros: Week 5 Recap is another reason to celebrate. Jose Altuve turned 28 years old yesterday. Among players his age, he has certainly achieved so much in that time. Here’s the list of accomplishments:

More from House of Houston

  1. World Series Champion
  2. American League MVP
  3. Gold Glove
  4. 4 Silver Sluggers
  5. 5-time All-Star

Good news for us fans, he’ll be an Astro for the next seven years. Ideally, it’s the ultimate franchise tag. It also wouldn’t surprise me if he can go for longer than that!

A sigh of No Relief

The biggest woe from this rough May start has been the bullpen. Collectively, they’ve gone from the second best ERA to the 8th best in the span of a week. Worst of all, Astros relievers also rank 23rd in the league in total saves.

Of course, it doesn’t help that the run support hasn’t really been there for any of the pitching staff. We already know the glaring holes in the offense already. Now, even the fellas that were doing well in April are starting to hit the skids.

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The team now heads to Oakland to begin a series with the divisional rival Athletics. Historically, they have not done well in the Coliseum. Honestly, all they need is a miracle! Here’s to hoping that this week is better than last!