Last season, after falling to a season-worst 56-60 record on August 14th, the Stros won 36 out of their next 46 games, a run that included 12 and seven game winning streaks, the latter of which ended the regular season and clinched the National League Wild Card playoff spot. That club went on to get within a few outs of the World Series.
With another win in last night’s game, this Stros club — after falling to a season-worst 15-30 record on May 24th — has gone 41-17, won six games in a row and won 12 of their last 13. The Stros now lead in the National League Wild Card race by one game and are in second place in the NL Central, 8.5 games behind the Cards. Given the way the NL Central race has gone the past couple of seasons, that equates to a pennant race.
Given this club’s weak hitting, the Stros will not be able to sustain this level of play for the remainder of the season. But make no mistake about it, this has been an incredible run, even more remarkable than last season’s.