Dubón: Astros' dreadful start 'a slap in the face'
Houston Astros utility player Mauricio Dubón is stunned by the poor play of his team, which is off to its worst 26-game start to a season since 1969.
"It's a slap in the face. If you'd have told me we were going to be like this after we broke camp, I probably would've called bullshit," Dubón said following Thursday's 3-1 loss to the Chicago Cubs, according to The Athletic's Chandler Rome.
"Things are not going our way right now. We just have to battle through, stay positive and keep playing baseball."
The Astros lost a season-high fifth straight game Thursday, dropping their record to 7-19. They sit last in the AL West and own the fourth-lowest winning percentage (.269) in MLB behind the Chicago White Sox (.120), Miami Marlins (.231), and Colorado Rockies (.240).
It's a surprising turn of events for a normally consistent Astros club that has won two World Series and six division titles since 2017.
"No one is going to hand us anything. We have to fight through this," first-year manager Joe Espada said, according to Rome. "If there's a team that can do it, it's this club.
"I know we can turn things around, but there has to be a little more urgency. There has to be more fire in the middle of the game."
The Astros are off Friday before traveling to Mexico City for a two-game set against the Rockies beginning Saturday.