Early Season Low -- What we learned from Astros/A's

Photo courtesy of Stan Szeto/USA TODAY Sports

The Astros' first road trip of the season mercifully came to an end on Sunday afternoon, with a 7-2 clobbering by the hands of the Oakland Athletics that was more noteworthy for its contextual antics than its on-field performances.

The loss marked the end of a west-coast trip that saw the Astros go 3-6, dropping them to 6-9 on the season. It featured everything that had plagued the Astros in their injury-maligned season thus far -- inconsistent hitting, spotty pitching, and heaps of frustration.

Here are three things to take away from the Astros' sweep in Oakland:

1. The Bullpen takes shape

Considering that there were ten rookie pitchers thrust into the pitching staff at the start of the season, it was given that Dusty Baker would have trouble figuring out who would be able to pitch in specific scenarios. After Oakland, it seems he has an answer.

The most reliable relief pitchers for Houston thus far have been Blake Taylor, Andre Scrubb, and Enoli Paredes. Taylor and Scrubb have both pitched exceptionally well so far, with neither giving up a single earned run on the season (Taylor has an ERA of zero through 8.2 innings of relief, while Scrubb has the same ERA through 7.2 innings). Paredes came through in a big spot for Houston in the first game against Oakland and was clutch throughout his two innings of work.

Where there is light, however, there is also dark. Cy Sneed has struggled mightily in the major leagues this season, leaving Oakland with a 7.50 ERA while being directly responsible for losing the first game of the season. The younger guys -- who have been on the team for less than a week -- are also getting batted around by big league hitting. Nivaldo Rodriguez hasn't had a 1-2-3 outing yet. Carlos Sanabria has only pitched two innings, and has a 9.00 ERA.

After much tumult, the bullpen seems to have finally rounded out into who Dusty can trust in high-leverage situations, and who he can't. It helps that Ryan Pressly finally seemed to get back into a groove after a disastrous last outing in Arizona. There's still plenty of ways things can go wrong, but for now, the bullpen seems to be figured out.

2. Clutch Hitting is still a problem

The Astros' first game against Oakland went into extra innings after a superb start from Zack Greinke. Fans and players alike were hoping that the Astros would manage to turn around their luck in extras that saw them go 1-2 in previous outings. Unfortunately, it didn't.

As they had shown all season, Houston was unable to get the clutch hit to end the game until it was too late. Their one score with a free runner on second was in the thirteenth inning, which only reached that far due to a sensationally clutch performance by Enoli Paredes and Humberto Castellanos.

It would be too late, however, as Cy Sneed proceeded to blow the game with only one strike left, giving up the tying run before allowing the A's to walk off Houston.

Houston went 5-25 (.200) with runners in scoring position in Oakland. They left 46 men on base during the series. Runs in general were a problem in all three games, but when the Astros needed a big hit, they weren't able to get it.

It's been a theme all year so far. One has to think that things will eventually go the Astros' way in terms of clutch hits that score runs, but the Astros will need to start pushing the envelope now during the shortened season if they want to turn things around.

3. The Frustration is Mounting

The Astros aren't in a good place right now. They're third in their division, are coming off a sweep by the hands of their division rivals, and can't seem to do anything right at the moment in the batters box or on the mound.

The same could be said for the mental state of the Astros. Sunday marked the second instance of a benches-clearing scuffle between an opponent, which devolved into a brawl after Ramon Laureano and Alex Cintron started exchanging words.

Realistically, no one would have any sympathy for Houston heading into the season. Every win would be skeptical, and every loss would be celebrated. Every microscopic miscue or mistake would be ridiculed and mocked relentlessly from baseball fans. National talking heads and media would be quick to remind the Astros of the fraudulent season they undertook, and were now righteously being punished for by the players and fans alike.

But, the Astros knew that. This season aims to be a reminder that Houston is still a very, very good baseball team with scores of talent. That even though what they did was wrong, they can still win and make it to the promised land by themselves. They fell short by a single game last year, but they're still capable of making it, and they know it.

The season so far has shown doubts in that belief. The pitching staff, marred by injuries and departures, is struggling. The hitting is wildly inconsistent, especially among the top bats in the lineup. José Altuve slammed his bat angrily against the ground yesterday after striking out in a 1-4 performance that seemed to encapsulate his performance thus far into the year, during which he's batting an awful .182.

Obviously, the sky isn't falling, and the Astros still have more than a good enough shot at the playoffs before the season ends, especially with this year's odd formatting. But the Astros want to dominate on their way to the playoffs, rather than barely squeak in. They know they're capable, but for now, they'll have to endure their many lackluster performances along with jeering from opposing fans.

"The sun don't shine on the same dog's ass every day," Dusty Baker said after the walk-off loss to Oakland on Friday. "It's about time it shines on us." Heading back to Minute Maid Park, the Astros can only hope that day will come sooner rather than later.