Bregman 'a big presence' missing for Astros

HOUSTON -- The Astros entered their series opener against the Mariners on Friday in a position many teams would like to be in -- they’re in first place in their division, have the second-highest run differential in baseball (+164 prior to the game) and look poised to extend their run of postseason appearances to five consecutive years.

But August has been rough. After losing three of four games in Kansas City, the Astros arrived home staring at a 7-9 record this month, and, like most teams, they’ve had to navigate through the absence of several key players, either to injury or the COVID-19 IL. Rarely has the team played at full strength, often leaving Houston to piece together an offense that has gone cold of late.

“We haven’t had our whole team -- probably 10 games, maybe 15?” manager Dusty Baker said. “I don’t look it up, because I don’t want to get scared.”

Entering Friday’s contest, the Astros had lost 10 of 17 since July 31. They were 25th in the Majors in runs scored during that stretch; yet, they were still tied with the Rays for the most runs scored in the Majors overall this season.

The Astros have had stretches where they’ve had to play without Yordan Alvarez, and they’re currently awaiting the return of Kyle Tucker, who has been out since Aug. 14 due to health and safety protocols. The biggest void might be the one created by the absence of Alex Bregman, who is slated to begin another rehab assignment with Triple-A Sugar Land on Friday. There is no timetable for how long he’ll be with the Skeeters this time.

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It’s been a long, arduous process for Bregman, who has had to back off of his rehab regimen before slowly ramping up again. The third baseman has tweeted videos of himself in the past week working out in Sugar Land that show him running at or close to full speed, with the comment, “your daily quad update.”

There seems to be optimism that Bregman could return to the Astros soon, but it’s worth noting his absence has hardly been the only reason the offense isn’t clicking. Consider this -- from the day Bregman went on the IL with the quad strain on June 17, through the Astros’ final game in Kansas City Thursday, the Astros offense’ was still fourth in the AL in runs scored, and they were tied with the Twins for sixth in the league with a .747 OPS.

In other words, they’ve held up without their star third baseman until very recently. Still, Bregman, according to Baker, is feeling the weight of not being with the club.

“He wants to play,” Baker said. “It was worse when we were getting beat up by Kansas City. He really felt guilty about not being there and supporting his team. I told him, ‘You just get yourself right and hopefully, you’ll be here for the rest of the year and the postseason.’ We definitely miss him.

“That’s a big bat, a big presence. Defensively, offensively. It’s tough not to rush him. But we have to take care of him.”

The Astros’ August swoon could be attributed to the fact that it is, well, August. Fatigue hits teams this time of year, just before the adrenaline kicks in for contenders playing for something in September. Losing streaks happen. Bats go cold. The object of the game is to get through it and still be standing when the postseason arrives.

Getting everyone back, healthy -- assuming that happens -- could prove beneficial for a Houston team known for its strong finishes.

“When you’re out there without Bregman, when you’re out there without Alvarez, you’re out there without Yuli [Gurriel] and now Tucker,” Baker said. “The replacements are doing well, but I’ve always said, if I keep my top team on the field more than you, there’s a good chance in the long run, I’m going to beat you.”