Houston Astros do not have worst record in American League
By Hayden Kane
The Houston Astros do not have the worst record in the American League. With 58 games in the books this season, one cannot simply point to a small sample size to explain away this inexplicable statistical tidbit.
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This truly does not seem possible, but there is a team in the AL with a worse record than the Astros.
The team with a worse record? The utterly disappointing Tampa Bay Rays.
The Astros (24-34, .414) are not the worst team in the American League right now. Rays’ .404 winning percentage is slightly worse (23-34)
— Evan Drellich (@EvanDrellich) June 2, 2014
The Astros do however face the largest deficit in the AL, 11 1/2 games. Rays are 10 1/2 out. Cubs 12.5 back, Padres 11, D-backs 15(!)
— Evan Drellich (@EvanDrellich) June 2, 2014
The Astros have held permanent residence at the bottom of almost every power rankings you can find this season. They have upset people around baseball with their unconventional approach, their extreme commitment to rebuilding, and the low quality of the lineup that they have trotted out on certain days.
Things are different in Houston, at least right now. Some surprisingly solid starting pitching has been one factor in their improvement. The torrid hitting of rookie George Springer has also given the team a spark.
The Astros swept the Kansas City Royals and earned a series split with the Baltimore Orioles this past week. They will now turn their attention to what has become an oddly intriguing series with the Los Angeles Angels this week. As for the middling Rays, they will face the Marlins in a home and home set of four games this week.
In two weeks the Rays play the Astros in a weekend series. Is it possible that Joe Maddon‘s bunch will enter that as the worse team? It seems crazy to think, but we know better by now than to rule it out.