Does anyone think the small sample size might have an effect on the numbers being skewed?
They will be on the bad end of some blowouts, most likely, which will even things out. Either that, or they will start being on the winning end of more close games.
I'm thinking the blowouts are more likely.
The Pythagorean record really doesn't tell anyone much anyway, even after a full season. That run differential in each game, though? Lots.
I think run-differential is interesting, and I do see a lot of positive signs from the offense this year, but I think Noe and others make a really good point: it's about driving in runs
when you need it most. They piled on runs against the Nats because Davey Johnson left Tom Gorzelanny in there to take a beating and save the rest of the bullpen. Scoring runs hasn't come so easily off of the Axfords and Kershaws and so on of the league, and time will tell if the losing record thus far is mainly because they've faced a lot of tough pitchers in close games, or is it that too many of the Astro hitters (*coughJohnsoncough*) have a terrible approach in those situations, and they're trying to "do too much" and swinging at terrible pitches (or letting hittable ones go by).
Not to leave the pitchers off the hook for their part in the close-game Ls... it will be interesting to see how things shake out with this staff. So far, pretty mixed results.
