The Houston Astros have the best pitching staff in baseball, and they have been virtually unhittable in the majority of their games this season. To get an idea of just how dominant they have been, look no further than the record they set on Wednesday.
Justin Verlander lowered his ERA to an eye-popping 1.08 on the season by allowing just one earned run in six innings in a 4-1 win over the San Francisco Giants. With that, the Astros have now allowed fewer runs in a 50-game span than any team in the live ball era.
The Astros have allowed 126 runs through 50 games, which are the fewest in the Major Leagues since 1920 (live ball era). The previous record of 128 was set by the Indians in 1968.
— Brian McTaggart (@brianmctaggart) May 23, 2018
The Astros have a team ERA of 2.39. Two of their starting pitchers have an ERA of under 2.00, and Dallas Keuchel has been the “worst” of the five with his 3.43 ERA. They have pitched so well that one opposing player accused them of coming up with a way to doctor the baseball.
If the Astros can stay healthy and continue to pitch anywhere close to this well, it will be tough to imagine them being stopped in the postseason.
