Monday, June 5, 2017

Monday Morning Hot Links

*Well. Okay. The Astros completed their sweep of the Dealey Plaza Rangers yesterday with a 7-2 win. It's their 10th straight win and the Astros are 13.5 game up in the division. Since getting swept by Cleveland the Astros are 12-1.

*It's the first series win against the Rangers since April 10-12, 2015 May 2017. It's the first sweep of the Rangers since the Astros did it in Grand Prairie from July 7-9, 2014.

*The Astros are 21-6 on the road, and the win yesterday eclipsed the 2012 Astros' road win total (they went 20-61).

*A.J. Hinch:
This team continues to show up every single day with a great will to win and we take the aggressive approach and have done a lot of damage. 

*Shin-Soo Choo:
I don't think there is anything wrong. Houston just played better than us for three games...We don't have any problems, they just played better than us.

*George Springer hit two home runs, now leading the team with 16. He has hit seven home runs in his last eight games. Over the ten-game winning streak, Springer is hitting .435/.480/.913

*Brad "The Revelation" Peacock got a win as a starter for the first time since September 2, 2014, throwing 6IP, 4H/2ER, 9K:1BB.

*Richard Justice: Everything is clicking for the Astros.

*What was thought to be a one-start absence for Joe Musgrove is now two starts, as he will not pitch tomorrow (Tuesday) night against Kansas City. David Paulino will make his second start. Hinch:
He's responded well to the treatments. He's feeling better than when we put him on the DL, but we're going to push him back continually and just see where it fits later in the week.

*Luke Gregerson is totally lost on the mound, writes Jake Kaplan, noting that Gregerson has allowed a .320 batting average when the Astros are up by one run. Gregerson:
I felt great in Spring Training. The ball was coming out of my hand the best it's ever felt. Then for something like this, where I can't get that timing back, I don't know what it is.

*ESPN's David Schoenfield is the only one at the Worldwide Leader showing the Astros any love, noting that the Astros are the 7th team in the Divisional Era (since 1969) to win 41 of their first 57 games. Of those, the 1998 Yankees, 1984 Tigers, and 1986 Mets won the World Series while the 1970 Reds and 1974 Dodgers lost in the World Series. The 2001 Mariners make me sad and I don't want to talk about it.

*Buster Olney apparently felt obligated to tweet about the Astros this morning, noting that the Astros reached 25 games over .500 in the fewest games since the 2001 Mariners.

*Nick Cafardo notes that Jose Quintana's trade value is cooling off in light of his struggles this season.

*Potential trade target Justin Verlander left his start yesterday with tightness in his groin. [Insert Kate Upton joke here].

*Watch Quad Cities' Yordan Alvarez hit a ball into the dad gum Mississippi River.