The Houston Astros Are Making Strides Going Into The All-Star Break

(Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images)

The Houston Astros enter the All-Star break 44-44 and are fourth in the NL Central, three and a half games back from the division leading Cardinals. The Astros are in the best place in the division at the All Star Break since 2003, when they were leading the

division.

Here is a recap of the Astros' season before the All-Star Break.

Hitting

The Astros have scored 368 runs, an average of 4.2 per game, ranking 23rd in the major leagues. Michael Bourn leads the team with 57 runs, Lance Berkman is second with 49, Miguel Tejada has 48, Hunter Pence has 45, and Carlos Lee has 35.

The Astros have improved their average as a team, ranking ninth with a .267 batting average. Pitcher Mike Hampton has the best batting average on the team, batting .333. Tejada leads the everyday players with a .329 average. Lee is second with a .308 average, Pence is batting .298, Bourn is batting .286, and Geoff Blum is batting .281.

Houston is among the worst in the league in drawing walks, ranking 25th with 269. Berkman leads the team with 66 walks, Bourn has 38, Pence has 36, and Lee has 24.

The Astros rank 25th in home runs with 71. Berkman leads the team with 18, Lee has 13, and Pence has 11.

Overall the Astros started the season slow in hitting but has picked up the pace some but still need to improve their hitting.

Overall Grade: D+

Base Running

The Astros have stolen 61 bases in 92 attempts ranking 10th in the major leagues. Bourn leads the team with 32, Pence and Kazuo Matsui each have nine, and Berkman has six. Houston ranks 21st in total bases with 1,203. Tejada leads the team with 167, Lee has 159, Berkman has 153, Pence has 151, and Bourn has 135.

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