7-3 homestand

It seems like homestands or road trips often come down to the last game, the one that makes the difference between good and so-so. The Astros’ 7-3 homestand, ending with two wins over a team ahead of them in the standings (I know, all of the teams in the Central are), is quite solid but just one win more than acceptable. Six is the minimum, seven is good, eight and nine are outstanding and 10 is break up the Astros.

Still, they trail by 5 games and the Astros have played 34 home games. Sometimes I count the standings this way: Wins Minus Home Games. By that score, the Astros are -7.

The MLB standings would look like this:

Boston +7, New York +5, Toronto +3, Tampa Bay +1, Baltimore -7.

Detroit +5, Minnesota -3, White Sox -6, Cleveland -2, Kansas City -5.

Texas +4, Seattle 0, Los Angeles Angels +3, Oakland -4.

Philadelphia +9, Mets +2, Atlanta -3, Florida -5, Washington -16.

Milwaukee +5, St. Louis -1, Cincinnati +3, Cubs +3, Astros -7.

Dodgers +8, Giants +4, San Diego -2, Colorado +5, Arizona -8.