You can only blame injuries so much.
Hunter Brown pitched today; certainly considered one of the top five Astros pitchers when the season began, injuries or not. By giving up three runs in only four innings, he actually improved his season ERA to 9.68.
It’s not just injuries; it’s not just unexpected underperformance from key bullpen pieces.
I never thought I’d say this, but there seems to be a lack of motivation, a lack of leadership, a missing spark. It feels like this team has just grown tired of winning after all these years of competing.