Astros Treading Water In a Competitive Central Division

The Astros' season thus far has been up and down, to say the least.

Injuries have been to blame for some of of the inconsistent play, but not all of it. The Astros have seemingly been in every game, but have also let some winnable games get away. 

That said, they are in a very solid position as we close in on the All-Star break, as they are only 5 1/2 games out of first place in the always tight NL Central race.

Let's start with some positives of this season for Houston. 

One has been their surprisingly high team batting average, as the middle of the lineup has been as good as any group in the major leagues. Not very long ago, Miguel Tejada and Hunter Pence were first and third in the league in batting average, respectively. Michael Bourn has also flirted with a .300 average for the majority of the season and also leads the league in stolen bases. 

The back end of the bullpen for the Astros has also been very sturdy. Chris Sampson and LaTroy Hawkins have really anchored down a bullpen that has been riddled with key injuries. 

Wandy Rodriguez has been spectacular in all but a couple of starts, and the starters in general have actually had a better season than I would have predicted. 

The Astros have faced a very difficult interleague schedule, and have fared pretty well. It was especially tough on their recent road trip, where they had to face Minnesota and Texas.

There have, however, been some glaring inefficiencies that will need to be fixed in order for the Astros to be contenders. 

First of all, they have to play better at home. They are scoring almost one more run per game on the road than at home. 

It seems that when the Astros face an ace pitcher, they almost do not expect do do well, and usually only end up scoring one or two runs against them. That really puts pressure on the pitching staff to avoid making mistakes. 

I have also noticed a few more errors being committed by a team that in the past few years has been among the league's best on defense.

Also, I have seen an inability to play quality small ball down the stretch. Bunts are not getting put down in bunt situations, and they are grounding into too many double plays.

Although the Astros have had some shortcomings this year, there have been some moments to drink in.

What I will remember the most from this first half are the milestones that were reached:  Pudge Rodriguez setting the all-time record for games caught in major league history, and Lance Berkman hitting home run No. 300. The two more iconic members of the team have really given this season something to remember.

I am really looking forward to the second half of this season. Hopefully, the Astros can get healthy enough to be poised for another late season surprise. They have a ton of talent and experience that should make them a formidable team.