
By Outs Above Average (OAA) last season, the Astros were a relatively subpar defensive team, edging closer to average at a cumulative negative two outs. Yes, Alex Bregman won a Gold Glove at third base, having an OAA of plus-seven outs and preventing five runs, in addition to Jake Meyers being his typical self in center field. However, as a whole, the defense was relatively weak at several positions. May I remind you about first base?
Even with numerous changes in player personnel, including the departures of Bregman and Kyle Tucker, Houston has generally played above-average defense for the first 44 games in the 2025 season. First base, for example, is no longer a black hole of despair in the field. Instead, it is closer to average, which has to be worth a win or two by itself. Second base is grading out well with Jose Altuve’s exposure at the position now at a bare minimum. Cam Smith has acquitted himself well in right field. Isaac Paredes and Jeremy Peña have handled third base and shortstop efficiently. Paredes, in particular, has proven a better defender at the hot corner than I initially thought. No, he won’t make anyone forget Bregman at the hot corner, but Paredes and new third base coach Tony Perezchica deserve their fair share of credit.
Even without Bregman, the Astros’ infield defense in 2025 has improved significantly if these early trends continue to hold. To be honest, I was expecting some improvement, but not quite at this level.

According to Statcast’s calculations, only the Cardinals’ defense has prevented more runs and contributed more outs than the Astros to start the season. In a season in which Houston’s run prevention has kept them in ballgames more so than their lineup, a stronger defense has already paid dividends. Of course, that doesn’t mean this team isn’t prone to the occasional mistake, which has happened and will happen again. But I hope those errors, forced or unforced, don’t occur in bunches as they did on Saturday against the Rangers.
The game started on a promising note, thanks to Christian Walker’s RBI double in the first inning that gave the Astros an early 1-0 lead. Following Friday’s six-run outburst in the seventh inning, I hoped to see this lineup ride that momentum a bit. But I then remembered that this is baseball, and momentum doesn’t exactly work that way. Instead, we saw more of the same: wasted opportunities with runners on base and a lack of run scoring. Drawing four walks and five hits, the Astros created some traffic on the basepaths. In five innings, there was at least a baserunner on at one point or another. But Tyler Mahle and Texas’ bullpen did enough to keep runs off the scoreboard.
Once the promise of Walker’s RBI double faded away, it became clear Houston would need its typically dependable run prevention to keep this game close and hope the lineup has another breakthrough. Although Ronel Blanco, coming off his eight-inning shutout against the Reds, wasn’t spectacular, he was good enough. Three earned runs across six innings, you honestly can’t hold this game against him. His slider, in particular, was nasty all start long, racking up nine whiffs on 19 swings. It also doesn’t help with how the strike zone was called tonight, but I’ll be the bigger person right now.
Down only 3-1 after six innings, there are worse places to be. For example, the Diamondbacks, at last check, gave up 13 runs to the Rockies. Bennett Sousa, however, failed to keep the game within striking distance, especially with a lineup that has mostly struggled in this series. Throw in two throwing errors — one to Jeremy Peña and the other to Walker — along with a fielding error by Issac Paredes, the Astros were sloppy enough on multiple fronts to lose this game. Yes, a run didn’t score following two of those errors, but it wasn’t the best executed game on Houston’s part. Sousa would allow two runs in his one inning of work, putting Texas ahead 5-1 after seven.
Yes, that was pretty much the ballgame.
Ryan Gusto had an up-and-down experience in the ninth inning, walking two but escaping the frame without allowing any runs. More importantly, with him pitching tonight, the Astros have opted to start Framber Valdez on four days’ rest on Sunday as they aim to split the four-game series. The Rangers will counter with Jack Leiter.