The Astros were off Monday. Thank you for visiting Astros County Dot Com. Have a very nice day.
*Been a while since we've done a Playoff Odds Check. Let's do it:
FanGraphs (100-62): 99.4% to win division, 21.2% to win World Series
FiveThirtyEight (100-62): 95% to win division, 17% to win World Series (behind the Doyers, who are at 24%)
Baseball Prospectus (100-62): 98.9% to win division, 21% to win World Series (behind the Doyers, who are at 25.2%) - this was before games of June 24.
*The Marlins took Riley Ferrell (3rd Round - 2015) in the 2018 Rule 5 Draft. They returned him to the Astros yesterday, and he was promptly outrighted off the 40-Man Roster and assigned to Corpus. He has pitched 6.2IP in 2019.
*Chronicle: Tyler White has followed up a disastrous April/May with a solid June.
*Brian T. Smith: Yordan's PAs are already must-see tv.
*Have you heard the new episode of Lima Time Time?
*According to FiveThirtyEight's MLB Predictions site (which so accurately predicted the 2016 presidential election that it cannot be ignored) says the Astros have better than a 60% chance of winning every game against the Pirates and Mariners this week.
*The NY Times' Tyler Kepner says the Astros offered New York a potential glimpse at the postseason.
*The new futures odds from BetOnline dot AG has the Astros at 5/2 odds to win the American League, behind the 2/1 Yankees.
*MiLB.com's Sam Dykstra writes about Round Rock's Brandon Bielak
*Ken Hoffman roasted A.J. Pierzynski.
*Former Astros Great Mike Foltynewicz got optioned to Triple-A.
*Daryl Morey's daughter is a film student at NYU and made a documentary about the James Harden trade.
*Danny Boyle has confirmed that there will be a 28 Days Later sequel.
*"We are part of the problem:" Billionaires and their heirs are demanding a wealth tax.
*Really interested in getting my hands on this book (out today) - Up in Arms: How the Bundy Family Hijacked Public Lands, Outfoxed the Federal Government, and Ignited America's Patriot Militia Movement.
*Deadspin: When the Robert Kraft case fell apart, the women were left to pay the price.
*Toronto Life: The $500 Million Family Feud.
*FiveThirtyEight: How the USWNT survived against Spain.
*GQ's Alex Hannaford: A dirty, rotten, double crossing (true) story of what happened to the Italian-American mob.
*Missed this from last week from My Dude Adam Sternbergh: Carson Daly is TV's Ultimate Survivor. While you're at it, read his book The Blinds.
*A Musical Selection:
We didn't come out here to play tiddlywinks, son.
-Hal Smith
