The Astros have started the season 18-8 and lead the AL West, and fans are "starting to take notice as television ratings are up dramatically, and attendance is inching higher," according to David Barron of the HOUSTON CHRONICLE. There is "justifiable optimism" at Minute Maid Park, a "welcome change for an organization that lost more than 100 games" in three of the last four seasons. Attendance "continues to lag among the lower half of major league teams," with the club averaging 24,164 fans through Thursday's game, compared to 21,627 for the complete '14 season. But the summer months "should help in that regard." On the TV front, Astros ratings on Root Sports Southwest, the RSN launched last November that "offers more than double the potential audience" of bankrupt CSN Houston, have "quadrupled from a year ago." Astros games through last Wednesday averaged a 1.39 local rating, up from a 0.35 a year ago on CSN Houston, which was "not available to AT&T U-verse and DirecTV viewers." Astros C Jason Castro said, "With the buzz we've created this year, it will definitely bring back some fans that maybe stepped away over the last couple of years because of the inconvenience of not being able to flip on a TV and watch an Astros game." Astros manager A.J. Hinch described the team's play as "loose but aggressive." Barron noted it "makes for good viewing in person or on TV." Astros GM Jeff Luhnow said that he "hopes local fans remain focused on a young, improving ballclub" (HOUSTON CHRONICLE, 5/2).
