how Houston Astros shook off ugly start to reclaim AL West pushed the issue Baltimore they exude veteran cool and always act like they've been there before because goodness they most certainly have reached seven consecutive American League Championship Series and win a pair of World Series in that span and yes the Houston Astros have earned every benefit of the doubt every expectation that since they have so much respect for the grind of 162 Game season that they desired outcome will await them in the end and as summer creeps toward Autumn there they go again a 7060 record a 4 and a half game lead in the AL West a nearly 90% chance of making the playoffs and a 63 to 41 rally that inspired their Chief competition to fire their manager yet make no mistake the Astros have a little panic in them too there was good reason 26 games into rookie manager Joe ESP spata's tenure they were 7 to 19 and in the West Cellar facing a 6 and half game deficit that would grow to 10 games by June 18 the forthright public proclamations that things would turn bide and early season urgency the Astros simply hadn't needed in this era don't get me wrong we're in here knowing what's going on veteran pitcher Justin Verlander tells USA today's sports we know we need to turn it around we had some team meetings and okay we can't wait to turn this around we need to make this happen let's play our playoff brand of baseball for a little while push it we need to push the issue to make things turn these guys did just that nobody's played better than Houston since that Grim beginning as they overcame an entire pitching rotations worth of injuries the dismissal of a historically bad veteran bat and The Growing Pains of young pitchers taking their lumps at the big league level and eventually flourishing Houston caught the offensively foundering Seattle Mariners by July 19th left them behind for good on augre 12th and hits the stretch drive with confidence while Seattle faces the storm with a firsttime manager anointed just days ago [Music]