Carlos Correa Is Back!
But anyways, I suppose we should talk about last night's Astros game. I had to work but got home just in time to catch the 8th inning so as far as I'm concerned, we won 1-0 off a Tyler White walk-off in the 9th. Sick game!
No but for real, JV got tattooed harder than a guy who gets tattoos really hard..and deep..into his skin. Okay but anyways, he allowed 6 earned runs in two innings before being ejected "arguing" a balk call.
The highlight of the game offensively had to have been Tony Kemp. He was 3-4 with 2 RBIs and now is back to hitting .300 on the season. He also can hang his hat on this fun fact. We may have found our answer to James Paxton (who by the way is the only Mariners starting pitcher to beat the Astros this season).
Houston is now 4.5 up on Oakland and 7 up on Seattle. Also, the Chicago Cubs now are the first NL team to have a better winning percentage than the AL West 3rd Place team Mariners.
Let's post some Hot Links now, shall we?
Player's Weekend jerseys have been revealed. One player missing from this list is Roberto Osuna, who will be wearing 'No Panic' on his jersey. Probably not the best idea, but the reasoning can be found here.
The Best and Worst Player's Weekend jerseys from across the MLB can be found here.
Lookout Landing has posted a pretty cool series preview for all the numbers folks.
Roberto Osuna's role will develop with time in the Astros system.
Mookie Betts completed his cycle thanks to Ken Giles. His ERA with Toronto sits at a cool 20.25 with a 2018 ERA of 6.21.
Justin Verlander opened up about his injuries and depression, and how Kate Upton kept him on track to succeed.
I guess people were conflicted about watching an Astros game against an AL West rival, who can still very much take the division if we start to slide, over an exhibition football game.
Craig Biggio will join Geoff Blum, Preston Wilson, and Luke Scott in the *ahem* Legends Weekend Home Run Derby.
Is Kyle Tucker the left fielder of the future and if not, who might be the one to take that spot?
LMJ hurt himself swinging a bat because the National League is super stupid.
The Post Oak Little League team from Houston will meet the Astros before they head to Williamsport.
Chandler Rome talks Hector Rondon.
Jeff Sullivan from FanGraphs writes about the Astros' emerging superstar.
Dallas Keuchel has found his changeup, which is probably why his ERA in the last 2 months is 2.29.
Consuming crickets is actually very good for you.
Cow poop is the reason for the E. Coli in the lettuce.
This guy nicknamed "Uncle Pokemon" attached 11 smartphones to his bike so he could pedal around and play Pokemon Go! on 11 smartphones.
On This Day in Baseball History
In 1944, Red Barrett defeated the Reds 2-0 throwing a 58 pitch, complete game shutout. The game lasted 75 minutes.
In 1971, Harmon Killebrew hit his 500th home run.
In 1995, the Dodgers had to forfeit against the Cardinals because people wouldn't stop throwing baseball on the field.
In 2004, Adam Dunn cleared the wall, cleared the boat, and dropped the ball in the Ohio. The ball traveled am estimated 535 feet, a Cincinnati record.
Also in 2004, Tom Glavine was injured in a taxi accident. He required over 40 stitches to his face.
In 2010, the Reds and Cardinals got in a massive brawl that injured catcher Jason LaRue and pitcher Chris Carpenter. Reds pitcher Johnny Cueto was also suspended 7 games for kicking and spiking Yadier Molina.
We didn't come out here to play tiddlywinks, son.
-Hal Smith
Friday, August 10, 2018
Thursday, August 9, 2018
Thursday Morning Hot Links
The last 9pm start is on August 24. There are four more off-days between this morning and the end of the regular season. That's crazy.
Houston has a 5-game lead on Oakland and an 8-game lead on Seattle, who are now 15 games over .500 with a -29 run differential.
Playoff Odds Check
FanGraphs (103-59): 98.3% to win division, 99.6% to make playoffs, 23.6% to win World Series
FiveThirtyEight (102-60): 95% to win division, >99% to make playoffs, 20% to win World Series
Baseball Prospectus: (102-60): 96.3% to win division, 99.9% to make playoffs, 16% to win World Series
-A couple of notes here: FiveThirtyEight gives the Red Sox a higher percentage of winning the World Series. Baseball Prospectus hadn't updated since yesterday morning.
*Houston is +450 to win the World Series again, slightly behind the Vegas' favorite Red Sox, at +400.
I'm going to cherry-pick a stat here, but Jake Marisnick - May 24-August 7 (97 PAs): .282/.371/.529.
Jake Marisnick, June 1 - present: .303/.410/.576
George Springer, June 1 - present: .214/.326/.383
*The Astros have 11.2 fWAR currently on the DL.
*Hinch will go with a four-man rotation, thanks to the three days off in the next nine. Hinch:
We knew the off-days in August were going to be important. But never did we know that we were going to be talking about them being an advantage to maybe take a couple of games from a DL stint for a large number of our players.
*Jake Kaplan discusses who might replace Lance McCullers in the rotation. So does Chandler Rome. Hinch:
Trying to get to September is key. There's only a couple starts before September, when we will have as many pitchers as we want to take the innings.
*Josh James leads the leaderboard for FanGraphs' Triple-A pitching call-ups.
*SI's Ben Reiter with a story about which I'm sure you're not tired of hearing: How J.D. Martinez became the Astros' greatest mistake.
Sheryl Crow's "My Favorite Mistake" > J.D. Martinez
*FanGraphs' Sheryl Ring: Roberto Osuna, Immigration Law, and Crimes of Moral Turpitude
*The Astros have agreed to meet with "representatives of several organizations" that provide services to victims of domestic violence.
*Carlos Correa had a foul ball land in his fiancee's lap.
*Wanna see something crazy? On Tuesday, Buies Creek struck out 20 times...and won.
*Framber Valdez, who has struck out 120 batters in 94.1IP at Corpus, has been promoted to Fresno.
*Be sure to check the Masked Marvel's Reinforcing the Astros posts each morning, this morning's included.
*Former Astros Great Tim Federowicz signed a minor-league contract with Cincinnati after refusing a Triple-A assignment from the Astros.
*Oh man Future Astros Great Buddy Boshers was claimed off waivers by the Pirates, making the Astros' 40-Man Roster totally devoid of grown men answer to "Buddy."
*Carlos Beltran makes Tim Brown's list of the next wave of MLB managers.
*Please read my friend Levi Weaver's account of how Jeff Baker sprained his thumb during a high-five celebration for the Arlington Ramgers.
*Lookout Landing's Isabelle Minasian writes about the potential end of King Felix's reign in Seattle's rotation. I take no pleasure in linking to this, but it is well-written.
*From a couple of days ago, here's ESPN's Alden Gonzalez on how the shift ruined Albert Pujols.
*Sex Offender Luke Heimlich may or may not have signed with a team in Taiwan.
*Justin Verlander will go for Career Win #200 tonight against James Paxton, who is going for Win #200 against Houston.
*Watch Hero Home Plate Umpire Greg Gibson save Baseball from the temptations of exciting young player Juan Soto. Take a breath. Baseball lives another day.
*2018 Record: 73-42
*2017 Record: 71-44
Houston has a 5-game lead on Oakland and an 8-game lead on Seattle, who are now 15 games over .500 with a -29 run differential.
Playoff Odds Check
FanGraphs (103-59): 98.3% to win division, 99.6% to make playoffs, 23.6% to win World Series
FiveThirtyEight (102-60): 95% to win division, >99% to make playoffs, 20% to win World Series
Baseball Prospectus: (102-60): 96.3% to win division, 99.9% to make playoffs, 16% to win World Series
-A couple of notes here: FiveThirtyEight gives the Red Sox a higher percentage of winning the World Series. Baseball Prospectus hadn't updated since yesterday morning.
*Houston is +450 to win the World Series again, slightly behind the Vegas' favorite Red Sox, at +400.
*Change in OPS through 115 games, 2017 to 2018:
Alex Bregman: + .065 (.835 to .900)
Evan Gattis: -.020 (.820 to .800)
Jose Altuve: -.134 (.991 to .857)
Evan Gattis: -.020 (.820 to .800)
Yuli Gurriel: -.087 (.803 to .716)
Josh Reddick: -.095 (.830 to .735)
Brian McCann: -.115 (.721 to .606)Jose Altuve: -.134 (.991 to .857)
Carlos Correa: -.134 (.966 to .832)
Jake Marisnick: -.156 (.830 to .674)
Jake Marisnick: -.156 (.830 to .674)
George Springer: -.198 (.970 to .772)
Marwin Gonzalez: -.255 (.962 to .707)
I'm going to cherry-pick a stat here, but Jake Marisnick - May 24-August 7 (97 PAs): .282/.371/.529.
Jake Marisnick, June 1 - present: .303/.410/.576
George Springer, June 1 - present: .214/.326/.383
ERA/WHIP through 115 games, 2017 to 2018:
Dallas Keuchel: 2.87 / 1.11 : 3.53 / 1.24
Lance McCullers: 3.92 / 1.29 : 3.93 / 1.19
Charlie Morton: 3.83 / 1.25 : 2.81 / 1.14
Brad Peacock: 3.07 / 1.26 : 2.96 / 0.97
Will Harris: 2.86 / 0.95 : 4.24 / 1.22
Collin McHugh: 5.32 / 1.36 : 1.00 / 0.72
Chris Devenski: 2.76 / 0.85 : 4.19 / 1.19
Tony Sipp: 6.47 / 1.48 : 1.61 / 1.07
By Game 115 of the 2017 season, pitchers who are no longer on the active roster (Fiers, Musgrove, Gregerson, Feliz, Giles, Hoyt, Martes, Paulino, Dayan Diaz, Guduan) had thrown 479 IP. That's insane. A team that won the World Series shed 479 IPs through 115 games and got better.
*The Astros have 11.2 fWAR currently on the DL.
*Hinch will go with a four-man rotation, thanks to the three days off in the next nine. Hinch:
We knew the off-days in August were going to be important. But never did we know that we were going to be talking about them being an advantage to maybe take a couple of games from a DL stint for a large number of our players.
*Jake Kaplan discusses who might replace Lance McCullers in the rotation. So does Chandler Rome. Hinch:
Trying to get to September is key. There's only a couple starts before September, when we will have as many pitchers as we want to take the innings.
*Josh James leads the leaderboard for FanGraphs' Triple-A pitching call-ups.
*SI's Ben Reiter with a story about which I'm sure you're not tired of hearing: How J.D. Martinez became the Astros' greatest mistake.
Sheryl Crow's "My Favorite Mistake" > J.D. Martinez
*FanGraphs' Sheryl Ring: Roberto Osuna, Immigration Law, and Crimes of Moral Turpitude
*The Astros have agreed to meet with "representatives of several organizations" that provide services to victims of domestic violence.
*Carlos Correa had a foul ball land in his fiancee's lap.
*Wanna see something crazy? On Tuesday, Buies Creek struck out 20 times...and won.
*Framber Valdez, who has struck out 120 batters in 94.1IP at Corpus, has been promoted to Fresno.
*Be sure to check the Masked Marvel's Reinforcing the Astros posts each morning, this morning's included.
*Former Astros Great Tim Federowicz signed a minor-league contract with Cincinnati after refusing a Triple-A assignment from the Astros.
*Oh man Future Astros Great Buddy Boshers was claimed off waivers by the Pirates, making the Astros' 40-Man Roster totally devoid of grown men answer to "Buddy."
*Carlos Beltran makes Tim Brown's list of the next wave of MLB managers.
*Please read my friend Levi Weaver's account of how Jeff Baker sprained his thumb during a high-five celebration for the Arlington Ramgers.
*Lookout Landing's Isabelle Minasian writes about the potential end of King Felix's reign in Seattle's rotation. I take no pleasure in linking to this, but it is well-written.
*From a couple of days ago, here's ESPN's Alden Gonzalez on how the shift ruined Albert Pujols.
*Sex Offender Luke Heimlich may or may not have signed with a team in Taiwan.
*Justin Verlander will go for Career Win #200 tonight against James Paxton, who is going for Win #200 against Houston.
*Watch Hero Home Plate Umpire Greg Gibson save Baseball from the temptations of exciting young player Juan Soto. Take a breath. Baseball lives another day.
Juan Soto ejected. Didn’t do a whole lot. pic.twitter.com/H3E5Go1OmF— Rudy Gersten (@DCBarno) August 9, 2018
With our next homestand on deck, today’s #DK60 moment shares a clip of insight into preparation and approach. As the old saying goes we are in the #DogDaysofSummer ⚾️ pic.twitter.com/NFNFxiyenr— Dallas Keuchel (@kidkeuchy) August 9, 2018
Reinforcing the Astros: August 7 & 8
So the Astros organisation bid farewell to Buddy Boshers, reducing the number of players on the 40-man to 38. No word yet on who will start in McCullers' place, but because of the off day today, then the four game set against the Mariners, then another off day, the Astros won't have to make a decision until Tuesday next week, when they play the Rockies at home. Having a few off days scattered throughout August has certainly assisted the Astros.
It is possible that the reduction of the roster to 38 portends some kind of starting pitching promotion next week. Evidence supporting this: when McHugh appeared against the Giants, he threw only 0.2 of an IP before being replaced with Tony Sipp. That does not seem to be consistent with some kind of stretching-out programme to me. Brad Peacock threw two innings the last time out (against the Dodgers), but that was his first multi-inning appearance for nearly four weeks (since 11 July). The most he has thrown this year was all the way back on 4 April, when he went three against the Orioles. So neither looks like an immediate candidate to replace McCullers. Perhaps the Astros will just bullpen it, Rays style.
This column has been going for a little while now - about 2 weeks - and that is nearly enough time for us to start looking at the trends, rather than just picking through box scores. So over the next few days, I will review the main candidates for what I think are the positions potentially up for grabs. It may be useful to look at lefty relievers, mop-up pitchers (mostly for September), starting pitchers (for McCullers' spot in the rotation), outfielders, and corner infielders / DH. I will try and do one a day, but no promises. I have a hectic few weeks coming up.
Fresno: Fresno finished up their series with the Memphis Redbirds yesterday, before they were granted a day off today. Yesterday's game yielded 29 runs in a game which Fresno won, 15-14. Fresno scored 9 runs in the last three innings (including 7 runs in one frame), and gave up six runs in the last two. Memphis also had a seven run inning early in the game that turned a 3-0 deficit into a 7-3 lead. So there are some box scores to sift through here.
First, I guess, the good news. Everyone on the Grizzly roster reached base. Kyle Tucker was the star, with a 4-6 night which included a double and a home run. Jack Mayfield was right there with him (3-5, single short of the cycle), and AJ Reed went 2-4 with a double, a home run, and a sac-fly. Other notable performances for the right reasons included CF Myles Straw (0-3, 3BB) and 3B Nick Tanielu (3-5, HR). Yordan Alvarez went 1-3 but walked twice. Garrett Stubbs had a comparatively poor night - 0-4, BB.
Cy Sneed got the start, and he had a rough night. His final line was ugly - 1.1IP, 4 hits, 3 walks, 7 runs (all earned). Ralph Garza relieved, and managed 2.2 innings of 1 hit, 1 walk, 1 run, and one strikeout relief. Matt Ramsey threw two scoreless frames. Dean Deetz got the win, striking out 1 in 1 inning, lowering his ERA to 1.04.
From there, it got a little ugly. Brandon McCurry gave up three runs on 4 hits and a walk. Reymin Guduan gave up three hits and two walks (3ER) while retiring two, and was bailed out by Riley Ferrell, who got the last out with runners in scoring position. So... not a good night for the pitchers.
Corpus Christi: Corpus has come away with two wins in their last two days - the Carlos Correa effect, some would say. He started both games, and took the field at shortstop. The August 7 game featured a comfortable 4-1 win to the Hooks - Ryan Hartman tandem started, and gave up 1 run on 4 hits, striking out six in five innings. The lone run scored on a home run from DJ Peters from the Dodgers system. Akeem Bostick finished the game, with 4 innings of 1BB:6K hitless ball.
Two Hooks had two hits - CF Ronnie Dawson went 2-4 with a HR, and 2B Ryne Birk went 2-3 with a 2 run double. No other Hooks had extra-base hits. Randy César went 1-4, and Josh Rojas went 1-3 with a walk. Carlos Correa went 0-3 with a walk and no strikeouts.
Todays game was a tense, one run affair, with the Hooks prevailing 3-2, walking it off in regulation. The Hooks managed only 4 hits and 1 walk, with DH Carmen Benedetti the offensive standout (1-3, BB, HR) and 2B Ryne Birk hitting a triple in a 1-3 night. Ronnie Dawson and Josh Rojas both went 1-3. Carlos Correa went hitless (0-3), but was credited with an RBI on a groundout. So perhaps he isn't quite back in midseason form, but at least he is on the field.
Brock Dykxhoorn skated around disaster all night: 4.2IP, 4H, 3BB, but he allowed only 1 run (on a home run) and struck out five. Brandon Bailey also allowed a run in 3.2 innings of 5H, 1BB, 6K baseball. He also allowed a home run. Kit Scheetz and Alex Winkelman both got one out each, the former in relief of Dykxhoorn and the latter in relief of Bailey.
Right, so that sums up the last two days in the upper levels of the minors. I will be back tomorrow with more summarising, and more musings. Thanks for reading.
It is possible that the reduction of the roster to 38 portends some kind of starting pitching promotion next week. Evidence supporting this: when McHugh appeared against the Giants, he threw only 0.2 of an IP before being replaced with Tony Sipp. That does not seem to be consistent with some kind of stretching-out programme to me. Brad Peacock threw two innings the last time out (against the Dodgers), but that was his first multi-inning appearance for nearly four weeks (since 11 July). The most he has thrown this year was all the way back on 4 April, when he went three against the Orioles. So neither looks like an immediate candidate to replace McCullers. Perhaps the Astros will just bullpen it, Rays style.
This column has been going for a little while now - about 2 weeks - and that is nearly enough time for us to start looking at the trends, rather than just picking through box scores. So over the next few days, I will review the main candidates for what I think are the positions potentially up for grabs. It may be useful to look at lefty relievers, mop-up pitchers (mostly for September), starting pitchers (for McCullers' spot in the rotation), outfielders, and corner infielders / DH. I will try and do one a day, but no promises. I have a hectic few weeks coming up.
Fresno: Fresno finished up their series with the Memphis Redbirds yesterday, before they were granted a day off today. Yesterday's game yielded 29 runs in a game which Fresno won, 15-14. Fresno scored 9 runs in the last three innings (including 7 runs in one frame), and gave up six runs in the last two. Memphis also had a seven run inning early in the game that turned a 3-0 deficit into a 7-3 lead. So there are some box scores to sift through here.
First, I guess, the good news. Everyone on the Grizzly roster reached base. Kyle Tucker was the star, with a 4-6 night which included a double and a home run. Jack Mayfield was right there with him (3-5, single short of the cycle), and AJ Reed went 2-4 with a double, a home run, and a sac-fly. Other notable performances for the right reasons included CF Myles Straw (0-3, 3BB) and 3B Nick Tanielu (3-5, HR). Yordan Alvarez went 1-3 but walked twice. Garrett Stubbs had a comparatively poor night - 0-4, BB.
Cy Sneed got the start, and he had a rough night. His final line was ugly - 1.1IP, 4 hits, 3 walks, 7 runs (all earned). Ralph Garza relieved, and managed 2.2 innings of 1 hit, 1 walk, 1 run, and one strikeout relief. Matt Ramsey threw two scoreless frames. Dean Deetz got the win, striking out 1 in 1 inning, lowering his ERA to 1.04.
From there, it got a little ugly. Brandon McCurry gave up three runs on 4 hits and a walk. Reymin Guduan gave up three hits and two walks (3ER) while retiring two, and was bailed out by Riley Ferrell, who got the last out with runners in scoring position. So... not a good night for the pitchers.
Corpus Christi: Corpus has come away with two wins in their last two days - the Carlos Correa effect, some would say. He started both games, and took the field at shortstop. The August 7 game featured a comfortable 4-1 win to the Hooks - Ryan Hartman tandem started, and gave up 1 run on 4 hits, striking out six in five innings. The lone run scored on a home run from DJ Peters from the Dodgers system. Akeem Bostick finished the game, with 4 innings of 1BB:6K hitless ball.
Two Hooks had two hits - CF Ronnie Dawson went 2-4 with a HR, and 2B Ryne Birk went 2-3 with a 2 run double. No other Hooks had extra-base hits. Randy César went 1-4, and Josh Rojas went 1-3 with a walk. Carlos Correa went 0-3 with a walk and no strikeouts.
Todays game was a tense, one run affair, with the Hooks prevailing 3-2, walking it off in regulation. The Hooks managed only 4 hits and 1 walk, with DH Carmen Benedetti the offensive standout (1-3, BB, HR) and 2B Ryne Birk hitting a triple in a 1-3 night. Ronnie Dawson and Josh Rojas both went 1-3. Carlos Correa went hitless (0-3), but was credited with an RBI on a groundout. So perhaps he isn't quite back in midseason form, but at least he is on the field.
Brock Dykxhoorn skated around disaster all night: 4.2IP, 4H, 3BB, but he allowed only 1 run (on a home run) and struck out five. Brandon Bailey also allowed a run in 3.2 innings of 5H, 1BB, 6K baseball. He also allowed a home run. Kit Scheetz and Alex Winkelman both got one out each, the former in relief of Dykxhoorn and the latter in relief of Bailey.
Right, so that sums up the last two days in the upper levels of the minors. I will be back tomorrow with more summarising, and more musings. Thanks for reading.
Wednesday, August 8, 2018
Wednesday Morning Hot Links
The Astros completed the most frustrating sweep of the season as they somehow won again, this time 2-1 yesterday afternoon against San Francisco. Tyler White hit the go-ahead home run and is now batting .267 with 4 home runs and 7 RBIs in 60 at bats this season. We are now 6-2 this road trip, playing without a lot of key players. Here is an excellent recap of yesterday's game here.
Cody Poage talks Andrew McCutchen to Houston on Climbing Tal's Hill.
Jake Kaplan has the pitching matchups for the weekend series with Seattle. Yes, we have to face James Paxton again.
In an unfortunate turn of events, Buddy Boshers was claimed by Pittsburgh. We will not have Buddy in Houston.
AP Sports Writer Noah Trister assesses all of the bullpens that added new pieces post-deadline.
There is a happy ending for the boy with Down Syndrome who lost his Woody doll at the Astros game I wrote about last week.
ESPN announced the Astros will be playing Sunday Night Baseball 2 straight weeks in a row September 2nd and 9th.
Its time to face facts: most sports organizations just aren't "The Great Moral Crucible" we wish they were. Michael Baumann wrote an excellent piece on lying, winning, and morality in sports.
Derek Fisher's confidence has been renewed after being recalled from Fresno.
Carlos Correa went 0-3 with a walk in a Hooks rehab assignment yesterday. He should join the Astros either Thursday or Friday. There is no new news since the @AstrosCounty Meat Wagon Update from yesterday.
Read Katie Strang writes about how the Osuna ruling could change MLB's domestic violence policy. People such as Jay Jaffe and Ken Rosenthal did and loved it. ($)
Episode 19 of Baseball Stories featured Jeff Bagwell. He is so interesting to listen to and I highly suggest you find 22 minutes of your day to sit down and watch/listen to this (I'm listening to it as I write this).
641 men are getting screwed over by the MLB. They aren't receiving a Major League Baseball pension because they played in the league before 1980.
These baby capybaras look JUST LIKE this big capybara.
THERE IS A WORLD DOG SURFING CHAMPIONSHIP!
These goofballs in New York thought that if they wrapped their cocaine package in Minnie Mouse gift wrap that the police wouldn't eventually find out it was a cocaine package.
On This Day in Baseball History:
In 1976, the White Sox decided to wear shorts.
In 1988, Wrigley Field had the first ever night game. It was not an official game however as it was rained out in the 3rd inning.
In 1998, Paul Molitor becomes the fifth player ever to have both 3,000 hits and 500 steals.
In 2014, B.J. and Justin Upton both hit home runs in the same game for the fifth time, setting a sibling major league record.
Cody Poage talks Andrew McCutchen to Houston on Climbing Tal's Hill.
Jake Kaplan has the pitching matchups for the weekend series with Seattle. Yes, we have to face James Paxton again.
In an unfortunate turn of events, Buddy Boshers was claimed by Pittsburgh. We will not have Buddy in Houston.
AP Sports Writer Noah Trister assesses all of the bullpens that added new pieces post-deadline.
There is a happy ending for the boy with Down Syndrome who lost his Woody doll at the Astros game I wrote about last week.
ESPN announced the Astros will be playing Sunday Night Baseball 2 straight weeks in a row September 2nd and 9th.
Its time to face facts: most sports organizations just aren't "The Great Moral Crucible" we wish they were. Michael Baumann wrote an excellent piece on lying, winning, and morality in sports.
Derek Fisher's confidence has been renewed after being recalled from Fresno.
Carlos Correa went 0-3 with a walk in a Hooks rehab assignment yesterday. He should join the Astros either Thursday or Friday. There is no new news since the @AstrosCounty Meat Wagon Update from yesterday.
Read Katie Strang writes about how the Osuna ruling could change MLB's domestic violence policy. People such as Jay Jaffe and Ken Rosenthal did and loved it. ($)
Episode 19 of Baseball Stories featured Jeff Bagwell. He is so interesting to listen to and I highly suggest you find 22 minutes of your day to sit down and watch/listen to this (I'm listening to it as I write this).
641 men are getting screwed over by the MLB. They aren't receiving a Major League Baseball pension because they played in the league before 1980.
These baby capybaras look JUST LIKE this big capybara.
THERE IS A WORLD DOG SURFING CHAMPIONSHIP!
These goofballs in New York thought that if they wrapped their cocaine package in Minnie Mouse gift wrap that the police wouldn't eventually find out it was a cocaine package.
On This Day in Baseball History:
In 1976, the White Sox decided to wear shorts.
In 1988, Wrigley Field had the first ever night game. It was not an official game however as it was rained out in the 3rd inning.
In 1998, Paul Molitor becomes the fifth player ever to have both 3,000 hits and 500 steals.
In 2014, B.J. and Justin Upton both hit home runs in the same game for the fifth time, setting a sibling major league record.
Tuesday, August 7, 2018
Tuesday Morning Hot Links
Dereck Rodriguez, the son of Former Astros Great Pudge Rodriguez and who definitely flat-irons his hair, shut the Astros down. The whole Giants pitching staff did until Will Smith (stand down, the jokes have already been made) allowed a three-run home run to Marwin with two outs in the top of the 9th. Astros win, 3-1. Houston is 72-42 and have a 4.5-game lead on Oakland.
*On the road, Houston is 40-18 with a +154 run differential. Two teams - the Orioles and the Royals (who were both in the ALCS in 2015!) - don't have 40 wins total this season. Their road run differential (322 road runs scored, 168 road runs against) by itself would be the 2nd-highest run differential in baseball.
*Houston has won five of their last six since losing five straight.
*When Correa and Altuve were both healthy and available, from the start of the season until June 25:
-Houston was 52-28, with a .771 team OPS, scoring 5.15 runs/game.
*Since Correa last played on June 25:
-Houston is 20-14, with a .732 team OPS, scoring 4.56 runs/game.
Since Correa and Altuve have both been out:
Houston is 5-5 with a .735 team OPS, scoring 4.2 runs/game.
*Hector Rondon:
I know that we miss those guys, but these guys who are here, they are good too. We come here every day trying to win the game.
*Marwin had two of the Astros' four hits. When recording four or fewer hits, the Astros are now 3-9. Four of those four-or-fewer-hit games have come since the All-Star Break.
*Giants SP Dereck Rodriguez threw a start with a 78 Game Score, the highest Game Score by an opposing pitcher in a game in which the Astros won all season, and the highest since the Astros beat Toronto 2-1 after Marcus Stroman had a 79 Game Score on August 1, 2016.
*Houston's Win Expectancy% when Josh Reddick flied out for the 2nd out in the 9th: 7.6%.
*Marwin's resurgence can be traced back to July 13. Over the 18 games since July 13, Marwin is hitting .298/.403/.561 with four home runs. He has three 2-hit games in his last five. Prior to July 13 Marwin was hitting .224/.302/.350. He had four home runs in his previous 60 games.
Marwin's home run was the first home run that Giants reliever Will Smith had allowed since July 30, 2016.
*Charlie Morton: 7IP, 3H/1ER, 8K:3BB. It's his 5th start of 7IP, 0-1ER this season. In his last three starts he's thrown 19IP, 13H/4ER, 21K:8BB. 16 of his 22 starts have been Quality.
*Roberto Osuna threw five pitches, and got the win. Osuna is now on pace to win every game in which he appears. Osuna:
Especially like being in such a great team with great teammates, it's easy to forget about the stuff that's going on off the field, and being able to play and help the team win is unbelievable. I really like my teammates. They've been treating me with a lot of respect, and I'm really comfortable.
Hinch:
It was a quick look obviously with five pitches. He's got a good arm. First game back is always important, it's the next step for him to get incorporated into our games, coming away with the win. A good first impression on the field.
*Hector Rondon has made 43 appearances this season, 21 at home and 22 on the road.
-Home: 19.1IP, 23H/10ER, 24K:8BB, .805 OPS-against, 4.66 ERA / 1.60 WHIP
-Away: 21.1IP, 10H/0ER, 27K:3BB, .340 OPS-against, 0.00 ERA / 0.61 WHIP
*Meat Wagon Update:
-George Springer sprained his thumb but did not sprain his UCL in his thumb, so he's expected to miss two weeks.
-Lance McCullers has a strained forearm muscle, and isn't expected back until September. But it's not Tommy John surgery!
-Carlos Correa took last night off and is expected to play full games for Corpus tonight and tomorrow.
-Altuve is scheduled for more baseball activities this weekend.
-Chris Devenski has begun a throwing program.
-McCann caught a Verlander bullpen session.
Whomever takes McCullers' spot in the rotation will be the 6th SP to start a game for the Astros this season. It's August. That's insane.
*From Our Boy Tyler Stafford: How Dallas Keuchel got his groove back.
*Check the Masked Marvel's Minor-League Recap.
*Seth Beer was named the Astros Minor-League Player of the Month. Framber Valdez is your Minor-League Pitcher of the Month.
*When the Astros swept Oakland on the road from June 12-14, Oakland was 34-36. Since then, however, Oakland is 33-10 and has the best record in baseball. And Oakland just traded for Mike F. Fiers.
*The Hardball Times' Stephanie Springer has an update on wearable technology in MLB, and the ethics that go with it.
*Will Leitch looks at the players who will be on the same team in 2025.
*Did Stephen King's son solve a 44-year old mystery?
*On the road, Houston is 40-18 with a +154 run differential. Two teams - the Orioles and the Royals (who were both in the ALCS in 2015!) - don't have 40 wins total this season. Their road run differential (322 road runs scored, 168 road runs against) by itself would be the 2nd-highest run differential in baseball.
*Houston has won five of their last six since losing five straight.
*When Correa and Altuve were both healthy and available, from the start of the season until June 25:
-Houston was 52-28, with a .771 team OPS, scoring 5.15 runs/game.
*Since Correa last played on June 25:
-Houston is 20-14, with a .732 team OPS, scoring 4.56 runs/game.
Since Correa and Altuve have both been out:
Houston is 5-5 with a .735 team OPS, scoring 4.2 runs/game.
*Hector Rondon:
I know that we miss those guys, but these guys who are here, they are good too. We come here every day trying to win the game.
*Marwin had two of the Astros' four hits. When recording four or fewer hits, the Astros are now 3-9. Four of those four-or-fewer-hit games have come since the All-Star Break.
*Giants SP Dereck Rodriguez threw a start with a 78 Game Score, the highest Game Score by an opposing pitcher in a game in which the Astros won all season, and the highest since the Astros beat Toronto 2-1 after Marcus Stroman had a 79 Game Score on August 1, 2016.
*Houston's Win Expectancy% when Josh Reddick flied out for the 2nd out in the 9th: 7.6%.
Marwin Gonzalez destroyed a ball in the ninth inning. pic.twitter.com/SBeGhL6fHk— Christian Boutwell (@byCBoutwell) August 7, 2018
*Marwin's resurgence can be traced back to July 13. Over the 18 games since July 13, Marwin is hitting .298/.403/.561 with four home runs. He has three 2-hit games in his last five. Prior to July 13 Marwin was hitting .224/.302/.350. He had four home runs in his previous 60 games.
Marwin's home run was the first home run that Giants reliever Will Smith had allowed since July 30, 2016.
*Charlie Morton: 7IP, 3H/1ER, 8K:3BB. It's his 5th start of 7IP, 0-1ER this season. In his last three starts he's thrown 19IP, 13H/4ER, 21K:8BB. 16 of his 22 starts have been Quality.
Alex Bregman interrupted Charlie Morton's postgame interview.— Chandler Rome (@Chandler_Rome) August 7, 2018
Bregman: "You look great, Chuck."
Morton: "Aw, thanks pal, you too."
Bregman: "I'm talking physically. Handsome."
Morton: "OK"
*Roberto Osuna threw five pitches, and got the win. Osuna is now on pace to win every game in which he appears. Osuna:
Especially like being in such a great team with great teammates, it's easy to forget about the stuff that's going on off the field, and being able to play and help the team win is unbelievable. I really like my teammates. They've been treating me with a lot of respect, and I'm really comfortable.
Hinch:
It was a quick look obviously with five pitches. He's got a good arm. First game back is always important, it's the next step for him to get incorporated into our games, coming away with the win. A good first impression on the field.
*Hector Rondon has made 43 appearances this season, 21 at home and 22 on the road.
-Home: 19.1IP, 23H/10ER, 24K:8BB, .805 OPS-against, 4.66 ERA / 1.60 WHIP
-Away: 21.1IP, 10H/0ER, 27K:3BB, .340 OPS-against, 0.00 ERA / 0.61 WHIP
*Meat Wagon Update:
-George Springer sprained his thumb but did not sprain his UCL in his thumb, so he's expected to miss two weeks.
-Lance McCullers has a strained forearm muscle, and isn't expected back until September. But it's not Tommy John surgery!
-Carlos Correa took last night off and is expected to play full games for Corpus tonight and tomorrow.
-Altuve is scheduled for more baseball activities this weekend.
-Chris Devenski has begun a throwing program.
-McCann caught a Verlander bullpen session.
Whomever takes McCullers' spot in the rotation will be the 6th SP to start a game for the Astros this season. It's August. That's insane.
*From Our Boy Tyler Stafford: How Dallas Keuchel got his groove back.
*Check the Masked Marvel's Minor-League Recap.
*Seth Beer was named the Astros Minor-League Player of the Month. Framber Valdez is your Minor-League Pitcher of the Month.
*When the Astros swept Oakland on the road from June 12-14, Oakland was 34-36. Since then, however, Oakland is 33-10 and has the best record in baseball. And Oakland just traded for Mike F. Fiers.
*The Hardball Times' Stephanie Springer has an update on wearable technology in MLB, and the ethics that go with it.
*Will Leitch looks at the players who will be on the same team in 2025.
*Did Stephen King's son solve a 44-year old mystery?
Reinforcing the Astros: August 6
Alright, so the awesome has happened!! The Astros have all of their up-the-middle starters in the DL at the same time. Carlos Correa seems to be a couple of days away (read: back in late Sept), José Altuve and Brian McCann are both "making encouraging progress" (read: the black pox-like spots have disappeared or something) and George Springer is expected not to need surgery (read: his thumb is so mangled, surgery would not assist).
But even if / when all those guys are back and everyone else is super-healthy, the Astros could still need another bat for either LF or DH, or possibly both. In addition to that, there seem to be bullpen spots available as well, and Lance McCullers will be missing 6-or-so weeks to heal his forearm strain so the Astros may elect to leave Bradley J and Collin McHugh in the 'pen, and start someone different.
Derek Fisher is back with the big-league club in George Springers' place. He gets another look despite his poor early season showing (.176/.222/.419), which is probably fair. At the time of his promotion, he was hitting .259/.384/.477 at Fresno, with 37 walks and 67 strikeouts in 232 plate appearances. Let's see if that plate discipline and occasional power translates to the major leagues.
Right, let's see who else is making a bid for some big league playing time...
Corpus was off today, so only Fresno (65-49) played. They beat down Memphis (71-43) by a score of 12-3. So there were lots of offensive contributors (in no particular order):
But even if / when all those guys are back and everyone else is super-healthy, the Astros could still need another bat for either LF or DH, or possibly both. In addition to that, there seem to be bullpen spots available as well, and Lance McCullers will be missing 6-or-so weeks to heal his forearm strain so the Astros may elect to leave Bradley J and Collin McHugh in the 'pen, and start someone different.
Derek Fisher is back with the big-league club in George Springers' place. He gets another look despite his poor early season showing (.176/.222/.419), which is probably fair. At the time of his promotion, he was hitting .259/.384/.477 at Fresno, with 37 walks and 67 strikeouts in 232 plate appearances. Let's see if that plate discipline and occasional power translates to the major leagues.
Right, let's see who else is making a bid for some big league playing time...
Corpus was off today, so only Fresno (65-49) played. They beat down Memphis (71-43) by a score of 12-3. So there were lots of offensive contributors (in no particular order):
- OF Myles Straw went 2-5 with a double and three strikeouts
- OF Kyle Tucker went 2-5 with a 2R HR, a K, and a stolen base
- INF Jack Mayfield went 2-2 with a walk, and a grand slam.
- 1B / DH AJ Reed went 2-5 with a 3R HR
- DH Yordan Alvarez went 1-5 with a 3R HR
- C Garrett Stubbs went 0-3 with a BB
None of these guys have been consistently hot over the last week or two. All have shown signs of life. Yordan Alvarez hit 3HR in his last 7 games, but still has a .179 average in AAA. AJ Reed has hit one HR in his last 10 games. Kyle Tucker is 7 for his last 19 with 1 walk, 5 strikeouts and 1 HR. No one seems to be making much of a case at this point.
In terms of the Grizzly pitching staff, Kent Emanuel got the start and managed 5 innings of 1 hit, 1 walk, 5 strikeout ball. The other three pitchers allowed 1R/ER each: Riley Ferrell in 1IP allowed 2H and 2 walks while striking out three, and Buddy Boshers* and Ralph Garza both threw one inning, striking out 1 apiece. Both also allowed one double each.
*Buddy Boshers was brought into camp at the beginning of the year as a LHP swing-man-type. His last 10 games in AAA are not good (12IP, 5.25 ERA, 12K, 4BB, 11H), so the AA pitchers guys covered yesterday may be ahead of him in the queue.
Tomorrow: Cy Snead (9-6, 3.59) gets the start for Fresno. Ryan Hartman (9-3, 2.87) gets the start for Corpus. The plan is for Carlos Correa to play back-to-back games in the field, then head to Houston if he recovers ok.
Monday, August 6, 2018
Monday Morning Hot Links
I hope you enjoyed your weekend without any Hot Links, because Thickie Don (if that even is his real name) probably abandoned us on purpose over the weekend and I had things to do this weekend as well so I was not able to step in. So, we have 72 hours worth of Hot Links to work through (this is not true because a lot of these Hot Links have become old news at this point, but we will have only the highest quality hyperlinks on this website application today).
As a quick recap, the Astros took 2 of 3 from our 2017 World Series opponents with scores of 2-1, 14-0, and finally 2-3, all while the Astros were still without Correa, Altuve, and for a brief period of time during this series, George Springer. Overall, this was a great series for Houston, who needs every win during this tough August schedule with Oakland and Seattle still breathing down their neck. It's off to San Francisco for a quick two game series before coming back home for the Mariners this weekend (make sure to come for the goodies).
Bad news, Jose Altuve has had a setback.
Good news, Brian McCann is getting better.
Bad news, Springer is "in discomfort". But good news, x-rays came back negative. But bad news, he could still go on the DL and something might turn up on the follow-up MRI.
Good news, Carlos Correa "feels great" after his most recent rehab start. He should be back sooner rather than later.
Here is another article on just how good Bregman has been, this one by Neil Paine over at FiveThirtyEight.
The Mariners are trying. They are trying SO HARD.
Roberto Osuna has joined the Houston Astros. Player/Management comments are quote in the article, but the full videos will be linked below.
Bregman
McHugh
Hinch
Luhnow
Osuna
Jake Kaplan writes about what the Astros will be doing with Lance landing on the DL ($).
Negan is going to be in the new Tekken 7 DLC. Yes, that Negan. From The Walking Dead.
Space is finally trying to do something about our stupid moon problem.
Wild Hogs Destroying Lawns In This Community.
A 90 year old woman skydived over the weekend and I still don't like leaning over the railing when I'm on the second floor of the mall
ON THIS DAY IN BASEBALL HISTORY:
In 1890, Cy Young made his MLB debut.
In 1988, Pirates RP Jim Gott balked 3 times in 1 inning.
In 1992, Nolan Ryan was ejected for the only time in his 27 year career.
In 1993, Tony Gwynn got his 2000th hit. In 1999, he got his 3000th hit.
As a quick recap, the Astros took 2 of 3 from our 2017 World Series opponents with scores of 2-1, 14-0, and finally 2-3, all while the Astros were still without Correa, Altuve, and for a brief period of time during this series, George Springer. Overall, this was a great series for Houston, who needs every win during this tough August schedule with Oakland and Seattle still breathing down their neck. It's off to San Francisco for a quick two game series before coming back home for the Mariners this weekend (make sure to come for the goodies).
Bad news, Jose Altuve has had a setback.
Good news, Brian McCann is getting better.
Bad news, Springer is "in discomfort". But good news, x-rays came back negative. But bad news, he could still go on the DL and something might turn up on the follow-up MRI.
Good news, Carlos Correa "feels great" after his most recent rehab start. He should be back sooner rather than later.
Here is another article on just how good Bregman has been, this one by Neil Paine over at FiveThirtyEight.
The Mariners are trying. They are trying SO HARD.
Roberto Osuna has joined the Houston Astros. Player/Management comments are quote in the article, but the full videos will be linked below.
Bregman
McHugh
Hinch
Luhnow
Osuna
Jake Kaplan writes about what the Astros will be doing with Lance landing on the DL ($).
Negan is going to be in the new Tekken 7 DLC. Yes, that Negan. From The Walking Dead.
Space is finally trying to do something about our stupid moon problem.
Wild Hogs Destroying Lawns In This Community.
A 90 year old woman skydived over the weekend and I still don't like leaning over the railing when I'm on the second floor of the mall
ON THIS DAY IN BASEBALL HISTORY:
In 1890, Cy Young made his MLB debut.
In 1988, Pirates RP Jim Gott balked 3 times in 1 inning.
In 1992, Nolan Ryan was ejected for the only time in his 27 year career.
In 1993, Tony Gwynn got his 2000th hit. In 1999, he got his 3000th hit.
Sunday, August 5, 2018
Reinforcing the Astros: August 4 & 5
Scouring for replacements for Lance McCullers and George Springer. When McCullers misses a start (he has been placed on the 10-day DL), this will be the first start missed by an Astros pitcher this year. If Springer hits the DL, the Astros will have all their up-the-middle players (which is, like, their strength) on the DL at the same time. It is best that this happens in August and not September or October, but man, Weiland Island is starting to look a little crowded.
Corpus Christi: If you are looking for second lefty arm for the Astros' bullpen, and for some reason you had soured on Cionel Perez, then the August 4 Hooks game was a must-see. Brett Adcock toed the rubber to start the game (he did well: 5IP, 3H, 1R/ER, 2BB, 5K, with his ERA remaining at a solid 2.25) and he was replaced by Framber Valdez (he did less well: 1.2IP, 4H, 4R/ER, BB, 4K). One of the hits was a home run, the other was a triple.
In terms of the position player side of things, that Carlos Correa guy had a good night, going 1 for 3 with a walk and a home run. He struck out once, and played short. But his performance was eclipsed by CF Ronnie Dawson's performance: 3 for 4 with a double and a home run, and a caught stealing. Randy César went 1 from 4. Abraham Toro went 1 from 4 with a triple.
The Hooks lost by a score of 5-3, if that means anything to you.
The August 5 game saw another Hooks loss, this time by a score of 5-1. Corbin Martin struggled to start the game, giving up all 5 runs (all earned) in six innings. He allowed 7 hits (two doubles and a second inning grand slam to Jurickson Profar) while walking two and striking out five. And if you wanted a "long shot situational lefty" update - Anthony Gose struck out the side in 1 inning of work, walking one and allowing a hit.
At the plate, the Hooks obviously weren't great. But Carlos Correa went 2-4 with a double as the DH. Randy César also went 2-4. Anibal Sierra had the other extra-base hit (1-4 with a double). Ronnie Dawson, after his great game yesterday, fell back to earth with a 0-5, 4K night.
Fresno: Fresno opened a series with Memphis on August 4, and The Griz won by a score of 9-3. DH Yordan Alvarez hit a Grand Slam in a 1-5 night. CF Derek Fisher staked his claim to an outfield slot, having a 2-3, 2BB night with a double. 3B Nick Tanielu went 2-4 with 2 doubles. LF Kyle Tucker went 2-5. 2B Jack Mayfield went 1-4 with a walk, and Garrett Stubbs went 1-4.
On the pitching side of the equation, Trent Thornton started and pitched 7 frames, allowing 7 hits and a walk, striking out one, and allowing 2ER. The "lefty reliever" crowd would be interested in Reymin Guduan and his one scoreless inning of BB, 2K ball.
Things weren't so rosy for the Grizzlies on August 5, when they lost an extra inning contest 6-5, after being up 5-0 after 4 innings. AJ Reed was the standout offensive performer, with a 3-5 night which included a double and 3RBI. C Jamie Ritchie and SS Alex De Goti had Fresno's other extra-base hits (both doubles) in a 1-4 and 1-5 night respectively. CF Myles Straw went 2-6 and two SB, and 2B Jack Mayfield went 1-4 with a walk.
Josh James got the start, and he allowed 3R/ER in six innings of 3H, 1 walk ball. The three runs scored off him were all via a home run by CF Lane Thomas. James struck out 7, so he continued to make his peripherals look impressive (154K against 42BB in 99IP over two levels this year). Dean Deetz relieved, and he allowed 2R/ER in 1.1 IP, and Brandan McCurry wore the loss, with 1.2 IP of 2H, 1R ball, against 4K. Remember that a runner starts on second base in an extra-inning game in the MiLB.
So overall, the Astros potentially created two new spaces on their roster over the last two days. Carlos Correa has started to hit, and may not be that far away. The lefty relief prospects seem to be stuggling a little, with no one really standing out at this time. No bats are consistently performing in the high minors, with some of the names we know having the odd good night, but not putting any sort of streak together.
That said, I will keep sifting through box scores and video to see if anyone is getting hot. See you tomorrow.
Corpus Christi: If you are looking for second lefty arm for the Astros' bullpen, and for some reason you had soured on Cionel Perez, then the August 4 Hooks game was a must-see. Brett Adcock toed the rubber to start the game (he did well: 5IP, 3H, 1R/ER, 2BB, 5K, with his ERA remaining at a solid 2.25) and he was replaced by Framber Valdez (he did less well: 1.2IP, 4H, 4R/ER, BB, 4K). One of the hits was a home run, the other was a triple.
In terms of the position player side of things, that Carlos Correa guy had a good night, going 1 for 3 with a walk and a home run. He struck out once, and played short. But his performance was eclipsed by CF Ronnie Dawson's performance: 3 for 4 with a double and a home run, and a caught stealing. Randy César went 1 from 4. Abraham Toro went 1 from 4 with a triple.
The Hooks lost by a score of 5-3, if that means anything to you.
The August 5 game saw another Hooks loss, this time by a score of 5-1. Corbin Martin struggled to start the game, giving up all 5 runs (all earned) in six innings. He allowed 7 hits (two doubles and a second inning grand slam to Jurickson Profar) while walking two and striking out five. And if you wanted a "long shot situational lefty" update - Anthony Gose struck out the side in 1 inning of work, walking one and allowing a hit.
At the plate, the Hooks obviously weren't great. But Carlos Correa went 2-4 with a double as the DH. Randy César also went 2-4. Anibal Sierra had the other extra-base hit (1-4 with a double). Ronnie Dawson, after his great game yesterday, fell back to earth with a 0-5, 4K night.
Fresno: Fresno opened a series with Memphis on August 4, and The Griz won by a score of 9-3. DH Yordan Alvarez hit a Grand Slam in a 1-5 night. CF Derek Fisher staked his claim to an outfield slot, having a 2-3, 2BB night with a double. 3B Nick Tanielu went 2-4 with 2 doubles. LF Kyle Tucker went 2-5. 2B Jack Mayfield went 1-4 with a walk, and Garrett Stubbs went 1-4.
On the pitching side of the equation, Trent Thornton started and pitched 7 frames, allowing 7 hits and a walk, striking out one, and allowing 2ER. The "lefty reliever" crowd would be interested in Reymin Guduan and his one scoreless inning of BB, 2K ball.
Things weren't so rosy for the Grizzlies on August 5, when they lost an extra inning contest 6-5, after being up 5-0 after 4 innings. AJ Reed was the standout offensive performer, with a 3-5 night which included a double and 3RBI. C Jamie Ritchie and SS Alex De Goti had Fresno's other extra-base hits (both doubles) in a 1-4 and 1-5 night respectively. CF Myles Straw went 2-6 and two SB, and 2B Jack Mayfield went 1-4 with a walk.
Josh James got the start, and he allowed 3R/ER in six innings of 3H, 1 walk ball. The three runs scored off him were all via a home run by CF Lane Thomas. James struck out 7, so he continued to make his peripherals look impressive (154K against 42BB in 99IP over two levels this year). Dean Deetz relieved, and he allowed 2R/ER in 1.1 IP, and Brandan McCurry wore the loss, with 1.2 IP of 2H, 1R ball, against 4K. Remember that a runner starts on second base in an extra-inning game in the MiLB.
So overall, the Astros potentially created two new spaces on their roster over the last two days. Carlos Correa has started to hit, and may not be that far away. The lefty relief prospects seem to be stuggling a little, with no one really standing out at this time. No bats are consistently performing in the high minors, with some of the names we know having the odd good night, but not putting any sort of streak together.
That said, I will keep sifting through box scores and video to see if anyone is getting hot. See you tomorrow.
To non-Astros fans: Please boo us. Then do better.
This one is for the non-Astros fans. I realize that this is an Astros fan blog, but I'm going to be pushing this link around, so I'm hoping this will spread.
If you're the type of fan who reads baseball fan blogs, then you're probably also the type of fan who has some idea of the big headlines around the rest of MLB. Which means you've probably heard that the Astros last week traded for Roberto Osuna. Which means you probably also know why Toronto was looking to trade a young, cheap, controllable All-Star closer at all. If you don't know, type "roberto osuna" into Google News and you'll figure it out quickly enough.
I grew up in the Astrodome, but myself and many other Astros die-hards have been alternately angered and saddened by our favorite baseball team's decision that acquiring a young, cheap, controllable All-Star closer at a domestic violence discount was more important than upholding the organization's alleged "zero tolerance policy" for such incidents. GM Jeff Luhnow stumbled in reconciling that policy with this trade, notably including words like "remorseful" (to Osuna's lawyer's chagrin) and notably avoiding words like "innocent." Osuna officially joined the Astros roster today, as his 75-game suspension from MLB expired, and I'm ashamed of my team. I'm also ashamed of many fellow Astros fans who have been eager to ignore or brush aside a still-pending criminal case because our new closer is not in jail and he can throw a baseball good.
Please boo us.
I don't mean you should boo Astros fans (although if you spot someone wearing an Astros Osuna shirsey, by all means, ask questions). I'm certainly not advocating for violence or bad behavior of any kind. But the Astros deserve all of the bad publicity and dislike that they invited on themselves by making this trade.
I'll confess, Yankees fans, that it was convenient to me when the Yankees traded for, and then later re-signed, Aroldis Chapman. I already hated the Yankees - as most non-Yankees fans do - so it was easy for me to compartmentalize that "of course the hated team would welcome a hated player." I was #MadOnline for about 20 minutes over Chapman's $86 million free agent contract, then I forgot about it. I'm ashamed now that I too dismissed it so easily.
If you're feeling good about your team because you didn't trade for a player with active domestic violence allegations last week, then great! By all means, feel good. If you feel that the Astros deserve boos because they did make that trade, then please, go ahead and boo too. If you do boo the Astros for that, though, then you're saying that you don't like domestic violence. Also good - any human being with a pulse should feel the same.
My challenge is this: If you don't like domestic violence, go ahead and boo your disapproval. Then go and actually DO something about it.
BALTIMORE
House of Ruth Maryland
BOSTON
Jane Doe, Inc.
NEW YORK
New York State Coalition Against Domestic Violence
TAMPA/ST. PETERSBURG
CASA (Community Action Stops Abuse)
TORONTO
Nellie's
CHICAGO
CAWC (Connections for Abused Women and their Children)
CLEVELAND
DVCAC (Domestic Violence and Child Advocacy Center)
DETROIT
MCEDSV (Michigan Coalition to End Domestic & Sexual Violence)
KANSAS CITY
Hope House
MINNEAPOLIS/ST. PAUL
360 Communities/Lewis House
ANAHEIM/ORANGE COUNTY
Human Options
OAKLAND
A Safe Place
SEATTLE
WSCADV (Washington State Coalition Against Domestic Violence)
DFW/ARLINGTON
SafeHaven of Tarrant County
ATLANTA
Partnership Against Domestic Violence
MIAMI
Safespace Foundation Miami
PHILADELPHIA
Women Against Abuse
WASHINGTON, DC
DCCoalition Against Domestic Violence
CINCINNATI
YWCA Greater Cincinnati
MILWAUKEE
Milwaukee Women's Center/Community Advocates, Inc.
PITTSBURGH
Women's Center & Shelter of Greater Pittsburgh
ST. LOUIS
Lydia's House
LOS ANGELES
Peace Over Violence
SAN FRANCISCO
Riley Center of St. Vincent De Paul
PHOENIX
Chrysalis
DENVER
SafeHouse Denver
SAN DIEGO
YWCA San Diego Becky's House
You don't even have to wait until you get the chance to boo the Astros in person before you can click on one of those links to donate or volunteer your time and actually make a difference in fighting domestic violence in your own community. I gathered those links via the National Domestic Violence Center Hotline, but there are a great many more organizations out there also doing great good. If you have a favorite, give them your support.
Roberto Osuna is an active, paid MLB player again now, and whether or not you agree with that, we should all agree that domestic violence is a serious problem, and that the victims need our help more than any pro athlete needs our praise. Many Astros fans - myself included - already have been and will be donating to the Houston Area Women's Center in response. If you feel strongly enough about domestic violence to boo an accused opposing player, then back that up by proving that you care enough to support real victims too.
If you're the type of fan who reads baseball fan blogs, then you're probably also the type of fan who has some idea of the big headlines around the rest of MLB. Which means you've probably heard that the Astros last week traded for Roberto Osuna. Which means you probably also know why Toronto was looking to trade a young, cheap, controllable All-Star closer at all. If you don't know, type "roberto osuna" into Google News and you'll figure it out quickly enough.
I grew up in the Astrodome, but myself and many other Astros die-hards have been alternately angered and saddened by our favorite baseball team's decision that acquiring a young, cheap, controllable All-Star closer at a domestic violence discount was more important than upholding the organization's alleged "zero tolerance policy" for such incidents. GM Jeff Luhnow stumbled in reconciling that policy with this trade, notably including words like "remorseful" (to Osuna's lawyer's chagrin) and notably avoiding words like "innocent." Osuna officially joined the Astros roster today, as his 75-game suspension from MLB expired, and I'm ashamed of my team. I'm also ashamed of many fellow Astros fans who have been eager to ignore or brush aside a still-pending criminal case because our new closer is not in jail and he can throw a baseball good.
Please boo us.
I don't mean you should boo Astros fans (although if you spot someone wearing an Astros Osuna shirsey, by all means, ask questions). I'm certainly not advocating for violence or bad behavior of any kind. But the Astros deserve all of the bad publicity and dislike that they invited on themselves by making this trade.
I'll confess, Yankees fans, that it was convenient to me when the Yankees traded for, and then later re-signed, Aroldis Chapman. I already hated the Yankees - as most non-Yankees fans do - so it was easy for me to compartmentalize that "of course the hated team would welcome a hated player." I was #MadOnline for about 20 minutes over Chapman's $86 million free agent contract, then I forgot about it. I'm ashamed now that I too dismissed it so easily.
If you're feeling good about your team because you didn't trade for a player with active domestic violence allegations last week, then great! By all means, feel good. If you feel that the Astros deserve boos because they did make that trade, then please, go ahead and boo too. If you do boo the Astros for that, though, then you're saying that you don't like domestic violence. Also good - any human being with a pulse should feel the same.
My challenge is this: If you don't like domestic violence, go ahead and boo your disapproval. Then go and actually DO something about it.
BALTIMORE
House of Ruth Maryland
BOSTON
Jane Doe, Inc.
NEW YORK
New York State Coalition Against Domestic Violence
TAMPA/ST. PETERSBURG
CASA (Community Action Stops Abuse)
TORONTO
Nellie's
CHICAGO
CAWC (Connections for Abused Women and their Children)
CLEVELAND
DVCAC (Domestic Violence and Child Advocacy Center)
DETROIT
MCEDSV (Michigan Coalition to End Domestic & Sexual Violence)
KANSAS CITY
Hope House
MINNEAPOLIS/ST. PAUL
360 Communities/Lewis House
ANAHEIM/ORANGE COUNTY
Human Options
OAKLAND
A Safe Place
SEATTLE
WSCADV (Washington State Coalition Against Domestic Violence)
DFW/ARLINGTON
SafeHaven of Tarrant County
ATLANTA
Partnership Against Domestic Violence
MIAMI
Safespace Foundation Miami
PHILADELPHIA
Women Against Abuse
WASHINGTON, DC
DCCoalition Against Domestic Violence
CINCINNATI
YWCA Greater Cincinnati
MILWAUKEE
Milwaukee Women's Center/Community Advocates, Inc.
PITTSBURGH
Women's Center & Shelter of Greater Pittsburgh
ST. LOUIS
Lydia's House
LOS ANGELES
Peace Over Violence
SAN FRANCISCO
Riley Center of St. Vincent De Paul
PHOENIX
Chrysalis
DENVER
SafeHouse Denver
SAN DIEGO
YWCA San Diego Becky's House
You don't even have to wait until you get the chance to boo the Astros in person before you can click on one of those links to donate or volunteer your time and actually make a difference in fighting domestic violence in your own community. I gathered those links via the National Domestic Violence Center Hotline, but there are a great many more organizations out there also doing great good. If you have a favorite, give them your support.
Roberto Osuna is an active, paid MLB player again now, and whether or not you agree with that, we should all agree that domestic violence is a serious problem, and that the victims need our help more than any pro athlete needs our praise. Many Astros fans - myself included - already have been and will be donating to the Houston Area Women's Center in response. If you feel strongly enough about domestic violence to boo an accused opposing player, then back that up by proving that you care enough to support real victims too.
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