Houston Astros Aiming for Piece of Team History Tuesday

The Houston Astros sport the best record in MLB by a wide margin and also carry an 11-game winning streak into Tuesday's affair against the Kansas City Royals.

Should the Astros collect their 12th consecutive victory Tuesday, it would match the longest winning streak in team history, per ESPN Stats & Info. The club reached that total both in 1999 and 2004, winning their division in '99 and finishing second in '04 to the St. Louis Cardinals.

Houston is led by a core group of players that are reaching or are already in their prime, providing the team with multiple building blocks. Among them are center fielder George Springer (27 years old), second baseman Jose Altuve (27), third baseman Alex Bregman (23) and shortstop Carlos Correa (22). Backed by a resurgence from ace Dallas Keuchel and some veteran bats, the Astros possess the makeup of a contending team.

Despite the success, the team—especially the starting rotation—has the potential to improve further. Collin McHugh has yet to pitch for the Astros this season due to an elbow injury, while Joe Musgrove and Charlie Morton remain sidelined due to injury. The club also sports some promising young prospects including Francis Martes, who could either make an impact this season or could serve as trade bait when the Astros go shopping around the trade deadline.

The Astros took down the Royals 7-3 in the first of the three-game set Monday. They will send David Paulino to the mound Tuesday, attempting to keep the streak alive and to work toward the team's first playoff berth since 2015 and second since 2005.