The Houston Astros beat the Baltimore Orioles 2-0 in the first game of three-game series on Friday night at Minute Maid Park in Houston. With a win in one of the next two home games, they will have captured 13 of their first 16 series.Nearly a third of the way through the season, Houston boasts a nine-game lead in the American League West ahead of the Texas Rangers and the Los Angeles Angels.And it may finally have what it takes to win a World Series.The foundation of this team was built around underperforming to get great draft picks, using superior analytical data to identify the best players in the United States and abroad and then executing a strategy to bring them into the fold. You know the names: Carlos Correa, Jose Altuve, George Springer, Alex Bregman, Dallas Keuchel and Lance McCullers.The Astros reached the 2015 postseason, but something was still missing as it lost the AL Championship Series to the Kansas City Royals. It turned out that while the numbers -- and Houston is exceptional at analyzing them -- aren't everything in baseball.This past offseason, the Astros brought in two respected veterans with postseason experience and great respect: Carlos Beltran was signed as a free agent and Brian McCann was acquired in a trade with the New York Yankees. Those additions appear to be making a difference the numbers never reflected."How do you not love working with McCann?" ace Dallas Keuchel recently asked about Houston's new starting catcher. "He caught maybe three of the best pitchers in our game. ... He makes you better. He sees things about how (hitters) are swinging. He knows how to prepare a pitching staff. He brings out your best."Best indeed. Keuchel has opened the season 7-0 with a 1.84 ERA and pitches Saturday after missing a start with a neck issue. McCullers is 5-1 with a 2.43 ERA and 65 strikeouts in 59 1/3 innings. And Astros relievers are 11-6 with a 3.32 ERA and 16 saves.Those numbers by the bullpen are significant as it was the club's biggest liability in the 2015 postseason.The emphasis on how a bullpen performs has never been bigger than it is today. The Houston end game features closer Ken Giles (13 saves in 14 opportunities), set up by Chris Devenski (3.21 ERA), Michael Feliz (2.66 ERA) and Will Harris (2.61 ERA).McCann, who comes off the seven-day concussion DL on Saturday, is hitting .269 with 25 RBIs in 30 games. Beltran, notoriously a slow starter, has five homers, 15 extra-base hits and 15 RBIs in 43 games.But it's not just about the on-field communication. These veteran presences may be making differences in other ways."They see me in the weight room. They see me studying pitchers. I invite them. If I see something, I share. That's what it's all about," said Beltran, a likely future Hall of Famer. "At the end of the day, I want to play this game, but I also want to be remembered for being a good teammate and being a good person and being able to motivate these guys to understand baseball and they take something to add to their game. I do it because I love it."When I was young, veteran guys came to me and helped me understand the game a little bit. It's important for me to share that with them.""(Beltran) has made an impact on every position player," manager A.J. Hinch said.This isn't to say the Astros have established themselves as the frontrunner for the AL pennant. The have lost two series to the defending AL champion Indians (now second in the Central), dropping five of six games. But they beat the AL East-leading Yankees in three of four games. They've won five of seven from the Angels and three of four from the Rangers.Still, the trimmings are there for postseason success. The younger Astros got their first taste of success two years ago -- and their first taste of disappointment."This is a team that is hungry to get back to the playoffs," Beltran said. "They know what it is like now because of (two years ago). But they also know how much more they could do. I can tell when I talk to them, even in the spring and now, they have their goals."There's a lot of talent and it's hungry. ... That's all you can ask."