Altuve, youngsters highlight Astros’ uneven year

HOUSTON — It was a season full of high expectations for the Astros, which is what made the way it finished so disappointing. Most expected Houston to make it back to the playoffs in 2016, but a woeful April and injuries at the end of the season proved to be too much to overcome.

The Astros found themselves with too many holes in the starting lineup on most nights, and a starting pitching rotation that vaulted them to the playoffs in 2015 took a step backward before injuries to ace Dallas Keuchel and Lance McCullers ravaged the club in September.

Still, the Astros had some significant positives. All-Star second baseman Jose Altuve made a run at the American League Most Valuable Player Award with his best season yet, and outfielder George Springer proved to be a force, playing in all 162 games. Carlos Correa followed up his Rookie of the Year season with a strong campaign, and rookies Alex Bregman, Chris Devenski, Joe Musgrove and Yulieski Gurriel all emerged. Here’s a look back at the Top 5 Astros storylines of 2016:

5. Enter the Dragon Devenski, the rookie right-hander nicknamed the “Dragon,” came out of nowhere and was perhaps the Astros’ most valuable pitcher. The 26-year-old with the great changeup went 4-4 with a 2.16 ERA in 48 games, including five starts. He set the club record for a rookie reliever in both ERA (1.61) and WHIP (0.81) en route to finishing fourth in the AL Rookie of the Year voting.

4. Midseason surge The Astros’ 7-17 start to the season nearly derailed their entire year, including bottoming out at 17-28 on May 22, but Houston rallied throughout the summer and got back into the playoff race before fading in September.

From May 24-Sept. 6, the Astros posted the best record in the AL by going …

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