While the Houston Astros have been powering up into the American League West Division lead, they’ve been doing so with a Band-Aid-type lineup. Yordan Alvarez, who has been out with a hand injury, suffered another setback in his rehab. Starting pitchers like Christian Javier have been out as well.

But the Astros have been winning lately with a patchwork lineup. Jeremy Peña has been hot, making a statement before the All-Star break for possible AL MVP honors. Jose Altuve, the most hated Astros player in opposing MLB ballparks, just took over second place on the club’s all-time hits list.

Houston Astros Get Big Lift From Cam Smith

Let’s not leave out Cam Smith, who came over to Houston in the Kyle Tucker trade with the Chicago Cubs. He’s been playing lights-out ball, hitting much better and showing a lot of range in right field.

Still, this team needs help, especially with Alvarez out. Their starting lineup has been doing magic tricks, it seems like. First baseman Christian Walker has been decent in the field, but he’s looked pretty sad at the plate. That free-agent contract Walker signed with the club is looking like another bust.

The road between Houston and Sugar Land, home of the club’s Triple-A team, has been getting worn out. Players like Shay Whitcomb have been plugged in to fill gaps.

The team roared ahead of the slumping Seattle Mariners to regain a foothold on the AL West top spot. Starting pitcher Hunter Brown is slowly getting himself in position to become the staff ace.

Of course, that’s not to leave out what Framber Valdez has been doing as well. Valdez is the ace at this time, yet his future with the ballclub might hang in the balance with his contract. It’s been tough watching Lance McCullers Jr. struggle to get his game back on course.

Astros Need Big RBI Bat In Lineup ASAP

This team needs an RBI-producing bat. Houston needs to go out there and work the MLB Trade Deadline in earnest. Forget about Alvarez coming back anytime soon. He might be out for the entire season. The team isn’t always forthcoming with health updates, something that has frustrated fans for a long time.

What will Astros general manager Dana Brown look to do? He’s stated in recent interviews that he’s looking for a solid left-handed hitter. Some chatter has been directed around Baltimore Orioles star Cedric Mullins. The Orioles aren’t going anywhere this season, shuffling along in the AL East Division. They might be sellers at the trade deadline, a good fit for what Brown wants to do.

Heading into a series finale against the Colorado Rockies on Wednesday, July 3, the Astros own a seven-game lead over the Mariners. Houston has put together a 52-34 record so far this season, a mindboggling statistic given their injury situation. Their ability to pull off one-run victories —a significant shift from the Astros’ 2024 season —has been key to the Astros’ surge.

There’s a lot of work to do for Brown and the Astros’ front office.

End Of My Houston Astros Rant

Watching this team put together victories in some remarkable ways this season has been fun. The Astros are going to need to keep the foot on the pedal after the All-Star break. What Houston needs is almost an Alvarez 2.0 bat in the lineup.

It might be wise for the Astros to consider dropping Walker. That would look bad on the team after that contract they signed in the offseason. But he’s not been the answer, even with a decent series against the woeful Rockies.

I’d love to see someone take the RBI load off some of the Astros’ lineup. Brown has a chance to show Astros fans that he, too, wants to win. The fanbase is often fickle, preferring a “win-now” attitude over a more passive approach.

The Astros can drop the hammer on AL West teams with a couple of key pickups. Get to it, Dana.