The Astros finished an underwhelming first half with an underwhelming 2-4 road trip through Washington and Arlington, leaving the club four games under .500, but somehow still within legitimate striking distance of a playoff spot. The Crawfish Boxes' Adam Spolane joins The Athletic's Chandler Rome to discuss the first half as a whole, best and worst moments and the difficult decisions forthcoming for general manager Dana Brown.

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The Astros have the American League's worst rotation — and now must confront some difficult questions at the All-Star break. Tyler Stafford and The Athletic's Chandler Rome discuss the continued struggles of Spencer Arrighetti and Tatsuya Imai and what the team could do to reinvigorate its rotation before analyzing the end of Justin Verlander's Hall of Fame career and Yordan Alvarez's desire to never play for another team.

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Mike Burrows had his worst start of a brutal first half, prompting serious questions about where the Astros go from here in their rotation. Tyler Stafford and The Athletic's Chandler Rome try to answer some of them, including whether Burrows would be better served in the minor leagues, how Cristian Javier fits in all of this and the dilemma Joe Espada faces each night. Stafford and Rome also discuss Yordan Alvarez's continued pursuit of the Triple Crown and the decision to option Jake Meyers.

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