* Martin Maldonado had quite the 34th birthday yesterday. He threw out two baserunners, had an RBI and also stole a base for the first time since 2016. He's an inspiration to old dudes like James everywhere.
* The Astros are 24-2 in their last 26 games against Seattle. It is my opinion that they simply do that to every team.
* Yordan Alvarez was scratched from the lineup on Sunday with right knee discomfort. Dusty Baker said he hurt himself sliding into third on Saturday. He is hopeful Alvarez will return to the lineup on Monday. It should be noted that Baker was planning on giving Alvarez Sunday off before Brantley went to the IL.
* James Click told the Astros radio crew before the game on Sunday that Forrest Whitley is in "shutdown" mode with a forearm strain.
* In the same interview, he said Justin Verlander plans on picking up a baseball sometime this week. That is the first of many hurdles for Verlander to rejoin the team this year, but it's a start.
* Yesterday, the Negros Leagues celebrated their 100th anniversary. Dusty Baker wore Josh Gibson armbands and talked about the impact the Negro Leagues had.
* I have a copy of We Are The Ship: The Story of the Negro Leagues in my classroom. It's great and I highly recommend it if you're looking for somewhere to start.
* Joe Posnanski's The Soul of Baseball is also fantastic.
* Major League Baseball is considering classifying the Negro Leagues as Major Leagues. This is the right thing to do, even if it is 100 years too late.
* A Very Handsome Young Man wrote ($) about Dodgers pitcher Tony Gonsolin for Baseball Prospectus and his battle for the fifth spot in their unbelievably loaded rotation. You do not have to read it, but you do have to click on it so I don't get fired.
* The Astros travel to Colorado for a two game series before a weekend series against the most exciting team in baseball, the Padres. Baby Boy Brandon Bielak is on the Bump.
I'm going rogue on my musical selection and posting a video of Phoebe Bridgers talking about her song "Kyoto."
