"It's a slap in the face" - Mauricio Dubón gets brutally honest on Astros' wretched start after series sweep by Cubs

The Houston Astros are amid one of their worst starts to an MLB season and the team's 3-1 loss to the Chicago Cubs on Thursday instigated a brutally honest reaction from utility player Mauricio Dubon.

The 2022 World Series winners have been one of the most consistent teams in the division but a 3-1 defeat to the Cubs was their sixth consecutive loss, marking the team's worst start to the regular season since 1969.

Mauricio Dubon gave his honest opinion on the situation following his team's wretched start to the season. While the Astros have been notoriously slow starters in recent years, Dubon is shocked by the historically bad start to the 2024 season.

"It's a slap in the face. If you'd have told me we were going to be like this after we broke camp, I probably would've called bullshit.

While the team remains at the bottom of the Americal League West, Dubon kept a positive outlook for the future, hoping to turn things around in the upcoming games.

"Things are not going our way right now. We just have to battle through, stay positive and keep playing baseball."

Astros GM Dana Brown backing his team despite underwhelming start

The Astros have won six consecutive division titles since 2017. They were one of the favorites to stretch their run after a seventh-consecutive ALCS appearance last season that ended in defeat to rivals and eventual World Series winner Texas Rangers.

While the team is struggling to stitch together a run of victories, Astros GM Dana Brown is not too bothered by the team's atrocious start to the season that has upset fans.

“I think we’re going to be fine,” Dana Brown said on Wednesday. “We’re 5 ¹/₂ games out [now 6 ¹/₂], and we’ve got 138 [now 136] games left.”

The team has slumped to two more defeats following Brown's statement on Wednesday. Astros have not been helped by injuries to their pitchers with ace starters Framber Valdez and Justin Verlander on the sidelines.

“I can’t recall a time when all five of the starters were on the IL prior to May 1. I’m at the intersection of disappointment and optimism,” Brown pondered.

Although the two-time World Series winners are struggling at all fronts, the return of Justin Verlander to the mound and a resurgence in form of star sluggers Jose Altuve, Alex Bregman, and Yordan Alvarez could see a change in fortunes for the AL West bottom dwellers.