Tuesday Morning Hot Links

The Astros beat the Royals in a one-game rematch of 2015 ALDS G4. Since Houston won, they went on to beat the Blue Jays in the ALCS and the Mets in the World Series. 2017 was their 2nd World Series title in franchise history. That's just how it is. Houston is 21-14 and have won three straight games for the first time since May 14-16.

*The Astros are 11-3 at home.

*It was Jose Altuve's birthday and went 0x3. He is 4x22 in the Majors on his birthday.

*George Springer, Carlos Correa, and Robinson Chirinos each hit a home run. Correa was 3x4 and had the only hit of the game w/RISP, and is on a career-high 16-game hitting streak. Brian McTaggart notes Correa's post-game routine to keep his back healthy. Correa:
When it comes to my body, I spend a lot of time every single day stretching and doing everything that I need to do in order for me to be able to stay healthy every day. That's why you don't see me after games. It takes me an hour in order for me to do my routine and wake up the next day feeling good.

Correa has homered in back-to-back games for the second time this season. He did it twice in 2018, before the back injury. Maybe, just maybe, Correa was hurting really badly when he came off the Injured List and IT HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH HIS FIANCE AT ALL.

Chirinos:
You guys have seen this before, it's not something new. I feel like this lineup from one to nine can do damage. Even the guys on the bench.

*The Astros' eleven home runs over the last three games are tied for the 3rd-most in franchise history in a three-game stretch. They hit 13 home runs over three games in September 2000, 12 in three games in August 2000, and 11 in September 2012 and May 2015.

*Houston has hit 3+ home runs in three straight games for the 9th time in franchise history. The record is 3+ home runs in four straight games, which they did from August 13-16, 2000.

*It was Springer's 27th career lead-off home run. He's now over halfway to Craig Biggio's franchise mark of 53.

*The Astros put up six runs despite getting a combined 0x7 out of Altuve and Brantley.

*Gerrit Cole got the win with 6.1IP, 7H/4ER, 9K:0BB, 2HR. He has allowed 23ER this season and ten of those runs have come via the home run. Last night's two home runs allowed were each with a man on base, the first two not-solo home runs he has allowed all year. Cole:
I was glad I got through the first. I was clean, I was focused, so that was good. I thought the stuff was good and the command was good. Those two fastballs were just unfortunate.

Cole, 9+ K / 0 BB starts, by year:
2013: 0
2014: 1
2015: 1
2016: 0
2017: 1
2018: 4
2019: 3

Gerrit Cole, 98mph Fastball (foul) and 82mph Knuckle Curve (bends the knee/K), Individual Pitches + Overlay. pic.twitter.com/AvQr4KqrQU

— Rob Friedman (@PitchingNinja) May 7, 2019

*Roberto Osuna threw 1IP, 0H/0ER, 1K:0BB. Since allowing an earned run on April 5, Osuna has thrown 11.1IP, 1H/0ER, 7K:0BB. He has retired 43 of the 46 batters he has faced in 2019.

*Check out Jake Kaplan's mailbag in The Athletic, in which he talks rotation upgrades and Yordan.

*Speaking of The Athletic, here's Jonah Keri's indispensable The 30 power rankings post, which sees the Astros sitting at 2nd, behind the Rays.

*Justin Verlander had some thoughts:

Justin Verlander on juicing the balls: "Did they do it again? I don't fucking know. The balls don't lie. This game's been around for 125-odd years. We've had the dead-ball era. Now, we're past the live-ball era, we're in a different generation."

— Chandler Rome (@Chandler_Rome) May 6, 2019

*Derek Fisher was unsurprisingly sent back to Round Rock yesterday. He just got, like, a free trip to Monterrey. Let's all be Derek Fisher.

*Yeah, the Astros want to go back to Mexico.

*Yordan Alvarez was the PCL Player of the Week. He hit .591 last week. Yesterday he went 2x4 with a walk, a double, and a solo home run - his 13th of the year - in a 6-5 Round Rock win.

*

"He flips over the wall! Did he catch it?"

YES HE DID! @Chazzyfizz makes the catch of the year to rob a home run and end the inning! #SCtop10 pic.twitter.com/D6TPSfIkGf

— Corpus Christi Hooks (@cchooks) May 6, 2019

*Yahoo's Tim Brown interviewed Dallas Keuchel. It is typical Keuchel: thoughtful, measured:
This was not the plan at all. I would love to be out there playing ball and helping a team win. Because, to my career at this point, I've done more winning than I have losing and at a much higher clip. So what team wouldn't want me to be out there? Am I the best at this point in time? No. But am I more than or better than some of the offers I've been given? Absolutely. That's not me being greedy. That's just my compensation in the market from what the analytical data is telling me.

*Check out Ken Rosenthal's article on Gary Denbo, a noted ass hole and Derek Jeter's right-hand man in Miami.

*The Hardball Times' Mike Bates: Ted Turner and the Rise of a New Kind of Baseball Owner.

*Hurricane Harvey victims got their day in court.

*Fast Company: The $70b quest for a good night's sleep.

*Vice: We Will Always Be In Search For Ian Curtis.

*A Musical Selection: