Brett Davis-USA TODAY Sports
I assumed the Texas Rangers were going to beat the Houston Astros easily on Opening Day.
It was just the opposite.
Houston absolutely crushed Texas in their first-ever American League game. This Astros team is still going to lose a lot of games this season and they will most likely land in last place of the American League West division (I would even say they will lose 100 games for a third straight season).
Houston dismantled Texas starter Matt Harrison, who I expected to shut down the Astros. Too bad I was wrong, again.
But think about this: for at least a day this year, the Astros are winning the AL West. They are a full game ahead of the Rangers and half a game against the Los Angeles Angels, Seattle Mariners and Oakland Athletics.
I cannot say whether the Angels will win their game against the Cincinnati Reds tomorrow with the sexy pitching matchup of Jered Weaver and Johnny Cueto. But I will say I think the Mariners, with Felix Hernandez starting, can beat the Athletics.
Imagine if the Angels lose and Seattle beats Oakland. That leaves Seattle and Houston at the top of this impressive division where they are expected to end up, most likely be by August, at the bottom two spots in the division.
This game doesn’t prove anything for Houston — they will still end at the bottom of the division at the end of the year, but it was a nice way to start a new era.
