Have Houston Astros Finally Righted The Ship?

For most of April, the Houston Astros couldn't do anything right.

Timely hits eluded them, quality innings were hard to come by, and the bullpen couldn't hold a lead to save its life. The reigning AL West champs quickly became acquainted with last place, falling to 7-19 after getting swept by the Chicago Cubs last week.

For all of the Astros' constant misery during April, the skies finally seemed to clear for them at the end of the month.

They dominated the Colorado Rockies in Mexico, earning their first sweep of the season (albeit only in two games). Then they followed it up with a thrilling 10-9 win over the Cleveland Guardians in their return to the states, extending their winning streak to a season-high three games thanks to Victor Caratini's walk-off two-run homer.

That wasn't the only good news as April came to a close.

Houston announced the demotion of struggling veteran Jose Abreu, paving the way for star prospect Joey Loperfido to take his place in the lineup. Even Josh Hader started looking like himself, finishing the month with no earned runs allowed over his last three innings.

After a nightmarish opening month, things are finally looking up for Houston.

Justin Verlander and Framber Valdez are both back in the rotation after missing time with injuries. The offense has finally figured out how to get guys home, erupting for 30 runs in the last three games. The bullpen doesn't seem afraid of its own shadow anymore.

That said, the Astros still have a long way to go.

They're still in last place in the AL West and have the second-worst record in the American League at 10-19. The hole they've dug for themselves is pretty deep.

But maybe, just maybe, they're finally starting to climb out of it.