*Trinity River: -
*Houston: -7.5
*Seattle: -9.5
*Oakland: -15.5
*Anaheim: -18.5
WC1: -1.5
WC2: -1.0
*FanGraphs gives the Astros a 23.2% chance of winning the division and a 53.2% chance of making the postseason.
*FiveThirtyEight gives the Astros a 21% chance of winning the division and a 46% chance of making the postseason.
*Simone Biles dominated the first pitch.
*Lance McCullers - who had his best start of the season yesterday - praised George Springer:
You're talking about an All-Star caliber, Gold Glove...right fielder. If he's got 19 home runs before the break, what he's done for us at the top of the lineup and what he does defensively, I don't think really can be measures. There's that WAR stat, but we have some of the best players in the whole league playing on our team.
*Hinch was impressed by McCullers' breaking pitches yesterday. Hinch:
He's learning. And he's getting better and better.
*Robinson Cano:
Don't get me wrong. That's a great curve, but we were chasing a lot of bad pitches, including myself. He won the game. We had a situation with the bases loaded...and he got out of that inning. You have to give him credit for the way he pitched, but there's nothing more you can do.
*ESPN took a closer look at McCullers' start.
*Hinch can't figure out why the Astros struggle against lefty pitching.
*Will Harris and Jose Altuve are the only two Astros' all-stars for Ken Rosenthal.
*Alex Bregman hit two home runs last night because he is a magical unicorn. Tony DeFrancesco told the Fresno Bee:
Definitely a guy who's got many tools. We'll see how he continues to perform. He's in the same class of a Carlos Correa. They're able to make adjustments quick in their career and has a chance to get to the bigs real quick.
*Lancaster's Bobby Boyd brings old-school skills to the Astros' organization, writes Today's Knuckleball.
*The Rangers apparently scouted the Twins' Ervin Santana last Friday night.
*Robbie Grossman made MLBTR's list of top under-the-radar trade candidates.
*Before You Go:
Tidbit on @Rodg_20 that didn't make story; was in Little League & College WS. H/T @vrodgers24. @ASU_Baseball #Astros pic.twitter.com/0x1cjaccct— Paul Braverman (@PaulBraverman) July 5, 2016
