Top 8 Houston Astros Moments So Far In 2013

Houston Astros' Shining Moments

The Houston Astros' 2013 season isn’t far from what was expected. Another 100 losses are looming, and they again hold down last place in the MLB.

But boy, have they been exciting.

So many leads have been taken by the Astros into the late innings only to be squandered by an ineffective bullpen. So many individual efforts stand out to be remembered.

What they lack in wins, they make up for with youth and excitement.

It’s the beginning of the new generation of Astros, and not surprisingly, the majority of the moments in this list were accomplished by the future faces of the team.

The first half of the season was a bit lacking in highlights, but the second half has had plays that are impossible to forget — solo efforts that even playoff contenders haven’t accomplished. For that, the Astros deserve some commending.

Even knowing they have nothing to play for except that first-overall pick again, the Astros continue to come out and play hard day in and day out as if they were right in the thick of a playoff race. If these plays are any indication of what the Astros could be in just another couple of years, it’s a fantastic sign as these guys are here to play, and they have the winning instinct in them. There are just a few more pieces that need to fall into place.

So here they are: the top eight Astros moments thus far in the 2013 season, with more surely yet to come.

Follow Josh Sippie on Twitter, like him on Facebook, or add him to your network on Google.

8. April 3

Yu Darvish had gotten 26 outs in a row when Marwin Gonzalez stepped into the box. The Astros appeared to be preparing to get embarrassed yet again, and it was on opening day.

But Gonzalez had other plans as he took the pitch right back up the middle for a basic single to end Darvish's perfect game.

7. May 15

The Astros were holding a 7-5 lead against the powerhouse Detroit Tigers. And who better to be at the plate for the Tigers than Miguel Cabrera?

With the bases loaded and two outs, Jose Veras delivered a pitch to Cabrera that he launched into deep right-center.

But it wasn't enough, as Brandon Barnes went crashing into the wall to make the catch and preserve the victory.

6. July 23

Oakland Athletics closer Grant Balfour was 26-for-26 in save opportunities on the year. So when Matt Dominguez came into the batter's box down 4-2 with a man on first, nobody thought anything of it — except Dominguez.

The young third baseman turned on the pitch and tied the game in one swing of the bat.

5. July 23, Part 2

Two batters after Dominguez tied the game, Jonathan Villar doubled and Jose Altuve followed with a walk.

It appeared that Altuve was caught dead in the water when he fell down on the base paths, but the throw by catcher Derek Norris got away and Villar sped around from second to score and send the Astros home as winners.

4. August 5

The Astros are full of young pitching talent. Brett Oberholtzer had been coming out of the bullpen for some time, and with little success. But after a scoreless, seven inning spot-start, he was given another start.

Oberholtzer made the most of it, putting up another scoreless seven innings, becoming the first player since 1980 to have his first two starts go at least seven innings with no runs allowed.

3. July 12

Jarred Cosart, a life-long Astros fan, had been biding his time in Triple-A, knowing full well he'd be in the majors as soon as possible.

His opportunity came on July 12 against the hottest team in the league, the Tampa Bay Rays.

Cosart made the most out of his opportunity, taking a no-hitter into the seventh inning and a shutout into the ninth en route to his first major league win in his debut. He threw eight shutout innings.

2. July 31

It doesn't happen very often — not since 2010, in fact. But Jonathan Villar was likely unaware of that as he stared at the back of Wei-Yin Chen's jersey.

He was paying too little attention to Villar, who broke for home and managed to slide in before Chen could get the ball to the plate.

1. July 20

Brandon Barnes has made his fair share of sparkling plays in center field, but the top Astros moment this year was accomplished by Barnes' offensive prowess.

Going 5-for-5 on the day, Barnes hustled out a double in his final at-bat to accomplish the cycle, one of the rarest offensive feats an individual can achieve.