'We're not done': Astros ride momentum from impressive road trip

ARLINGTON -- The amount of key injuries the Astros suffered in the first two weeks of the season created roster chaos, where starting pitching depth was tested -- and didn’t respond very well -- and the club was plucking position players off the waiver wire just to field a competitive 26-man roster.

The Astros went 8-18 in April and found themselves lingering near the bottom of the American League West -- a division in which every team has spent most of the season under .500. There were calls from the outside to make leadership changes and even trade away key assets with an eye towards the future. Was the Astros’ window finally closing?

Inside the organization, meanwhile, hope flickered. The Astros believed if they could get healthy, if the pitchers could throw more strikes and stabilize the rotation and the offense returned to its April levels -- specifically slugger Yordan Alvarez -- they could make a run in the division. And here they come.

The Astros are suddenly 2 1/2 games out of first place in the AL West after a 7-3 road trip which they capped Thursday night with a 5-1 win over the Rangers at Globe Life Field, where Houston won three of four games from their Lone Star State rivals. Houston is 14-12 in May.

“Pitching, defense, slugging, played with energy, focus, intensity, purpose,” manager Joe Espada said. “That’s the whole idea of us putting April behind us, to have a good May. Make every month better, every day better. We’re not done. We’ve got to get ready for a good Brewers team that’s coming to town.”

Indeed. The Brewers, who lead the National League Central, will hit Daikin Park this weekend, with flame-thrower Jacob Misiorowski scheduled to start Sunday. Houston will face Paul Skenes and the Pirates next week, as well, but it's coming off a Rangers series in which it walloped 10 home runs -- five by Alvarez -- and scored 25 runs in four games.

“This is a good catapult for us moving forward,” said right fielder Cam Smith, who robbed Brandon Nimmo of a homer in the first with a leaping catch at the wall.

The catch came after the Astros got first-inning homers from Jeremy Peña and Isaac Paredes off Nathan Eovaldi and then rode another strong outing from pitcher Spencer Arrighetti, who didn’t have his best stuff but battled through six innings to improve to 7-1 with a 1.34 ERA.

Astros pitchers have a 3.80 ERA in May with help on the way. All-Star closer Josh Hader is expected to come off the injured list next week and ace Hunter Brown will make his second rehab start Friday, for Triple-A Sugar Land, putting his return a couple of weeks away. Second baseman Jose Altuve (oblique) will be back working out with the club this weekend and could be nearing a return.

“I think that this is really good momentum for the team,” Arrighetti said. “Obviously, just knowing and now seeing that we're capable of going on a streak like that makes the vibe in here a lot better. Our starting pitchers have been doing a really great job recently. We’ve taken some workload off of the bullpen, and those guys have been awesome when they come in behind us because of it.”

Peña, who spent a month on the injured list with a hamstring strain, clubbed his first two homers of the season in the Rangers series, and is 6-for-19 in his past five games. He was the Astros’ best offensive player a year ago, and he’s just now rounding into form after a pair of injuries so far this year.

“It was a great road trip,” Peña said. “Shout out to the pitchers, shout out to the offense and defense. I feel like we’re clicking on all cylinders and we have to keep bringing that energy on this homestand."

The June schedule is favorable for Houston to continue its push. The only teams currently with a winning record on their schedule in the month are the Pirates and the Guardians. Still, Espada said the team will have to remain consistent to continue its surge, which starts with preparation.

“Pitching is coming around,” he said. “The guys in the bullpen are starting to settle in and get some big outs for us. The guys are slugging. We're getting healthy, and that’s huge. We're getting guys coming back and that creates momentum, not just the talent we’re adding to the team, but we’re starting to feel complete. Our team is coming together.”