So the Astros closed out a four-game series at LA with another win last night, giving them a six-game winning streak, and a stretch in which the Astros have won seven of their last eight games and eleven of their last 17 games.
For me, this is the weirdest four-game sweep on the road since the Astros swept the first-place Phillies at Citizens Bank Park from August 23-26, 2010 in which the Astros - who had recently traded Roy Oswalt and Lance Berkman, and were 16.5 games back - swept the Phillies, who were 2.5 games back in the NL East (beating Joe Blanton, Cole Hamels, Roy Halladay and Kyle Kendrick).
*The 2012 Astros had a stretch of road games from June 29-July 22 in which they went 1-16.
*The 2013 Astros won their 12th road game in their 28th game. The 2012 Astros won 20 road games all season, and didn't win their 12th road game until August 14 - their 59th road game.
*The 2003 Tigers' longest winning streak of the season was four games. Longest road winning streak was three games. The 1962 Mets' longest winning streak was three games, and actually was on the road.
*On May 14, the Astros lost to the Tigers to drop to 10-30. Since then, the Astros are 11-7, which is tied with the Rays for the 3rd-best record in the AL (the A's, helped by their sweep of Houston, are 15-3; the Red Sox are 13-6).
*In those 18 games, the pitching staff has a 3.42 ERA/1.38 WHIP. The offense is hitting .247/.308/.400 with 155K:52BB.
We didn't come out here to play tiddlywinks, son.
-Hal Smith
