Tuesday Lunchtime Hot Links

I don't care who wins the NLCS, I will be their biggest fan for the next two weeks, despite the fact that I'll likely not watch a minute of the World Series. This is a time for resetting, for reacquaintance, for recharging. More at the end.

To the Links:

*Only two teams in MLB history have lost all four home games in a seven-game series: the 2019 Astros and the 2023 Astros. As much as I hate the Rangers right now, I might hate the Astros just as much. 

*Chas McCormick, who got 16 plate appearances in seven games in the ALCS:

I mean, we just didn't play well enough at home. That's what finished our season. We didn't win at home. Game 5, when we came back and won, I was like, 'We have this. We're going back to the World Series.' It's a different taste in the mouth just because I've been in the World Series my first two years in the big leagues, so it's different.

Martin Maldonado, who went 1x7 with runners in scoring position in the ALCS:

It's frustrating, but at the same time, I feel like we accomplished a lot of stuff. It wasn't easy all year. We had a lot of injuries. I'm really proud of this group of guys. We never gave up. Just to make it seven in a row, it's pretty special. 

Jeremy Pena, who hit .160/.192/.160 in the ALCS:

I wouldn't consider [this season] a success.

Kyle Tucker, who hit .150/.292/.225 in the 2023 postseason, 0x6 w/RISP in the 2023 ALCS, and .180/.295/.326 in 24 games in the 2022-23 postseasons combined:

We had a good year, a lot of ups and downs throughout the season. And we at least had the opportunity to get there.

Dusty Baker, who is not under contract for the 2024 season and has indicated that 2023 would be his last in the dugout:

There's a whole bunch of stuff you can point to in that ballgame. And so we just got beat. Sometimes there's no rhyme or reason. Sometimes you lose and sometimes you get beat. There's a difference. We got beat. 

*Dusty Baker is going to take some time to evaluate his situation for 2024:

I haven't had time to evaluate or think about my future because I'm not that kind of dude. I don't want to steal the spotlight or anything from these guys. You've got to savor what we did. You've got to think about how we can get better. And then I'll evaluate my situation and my life. 

Not a single person has any negative thing to say about Dusty Baker's character. 

*Alex Bregman, who only had four hits in the ALCS but included a triple and two home runs:

I think we fully expected to be here, and we expected to win. We got outplayed, and we'll learn from the mistakes this offseason. We'll get after it and be ready to get back to competing.

Justin Verlander, who allowed 12H/6ER in 12.1IP in the ALCS:

I think moving forward, there's still a good window available. It's a little early to say I'm excited about next year (Ed. note: SAME) I'm still dealing with this, but that was on my mind.

*Career Postseason Home Runs, MLB History:

1. Manny Ramirez: 29

2. Jose Altuve: 27

3. Bernie Williams: 22

4. Derek Jeter / Kyle Schwarber: 20

6. Alex Bregman / Albert Pujols / George Springer: 19

The Astros are apparently focused solely on extending Jose Altuve this off-season.

*Yordan Alvarez, 2023 Postseason: .465/.510/.977, 6HR/15RBI. Yordan's 41st career postseason RBI moved him into a tie for 18th all-time with Lance Berkman and Alex Rodriguez. His .949 career postseason OPS is 5th all-time among players with 50 postseason games played.

*I had completely forgotten that The Bastard Chris Young threw 4IP in G1 of the 2015 ALDS for the Royals. I don't think I've ever hated another team's GM more, and I hope his bicycle gets stuck in a cattle grate and skins up his knee real bad. 

What To Watch, October 24:

2:00pm Central: Champions League: Arsenal at Sevilla.

6:15pm: New Jersey at Montreal

7:07pm: DiamondBacks at Phillies.

*Please allow me a moment of introspection and vulnerability: 51 days ago I decided to stop drinking, which is my personal longest streak since the day I was born until the day I turned 21. It was enough of a problem that I recognized it as a problem. It was not recommended by a doctor (mainly because I don't go to the doctor), it was a personal choice. The first few days were really hard. There were certain triggers around particular days of the week and work milestones and whatnot that I recognized were particularly difficult. Still, I made it through with the help of my wife, a couple of friends who are various stages of their sobriety journey, and a lot of mineral water. I didn't want me opening a beer to be the soundtrack of my kid's childhood. I didn't want to have anxiety about what time I got home in the evenings based on when I could have a drink. It hasn't been easy. It still isn't easy, but I'm not fragile. This weekend I'll go to the wedding of one of my best friends (who happens to be a Ramger fan despite not being able to name three Ramgers on the active roster) armed with a six pack of HEB Lime Mineral Water, and it'll be fine. I feel better, I eat better, I can actually feel rested after sleeping, and get up and go to the gym. I was emotionally dependent on alcohol, and probably will continue to feel that way for a while, but I'm doing fine. If I can make it through an Astros postseason - especially this absolute pile of dogshit of a postseason - without drinking, I feel like I'm invincible. I don't know why I'm telling any of you this, but if you feel like you're in a similar circumstance or vortex or whatever you want to call it, feel free to reach out. FTR. 

*A Musical Selection:

Immediate Thoughts on Game 7

Where do you even start with this? Do you start with the Astros losing every single home game in a seven-game series after winning every road game in the same seven-game series...for the second time in five years. I make a motion that the Astros bulldoze Minute Maid Park and build a new stadium in Idontfknknow Sugar Land? Katy? Port Lavaca so it feels like a road game? 

*It's the 6th time the Astros have allowed at least 11 runs in a postseason game. It's the 6th time in postseason history a team has allowed at least 11 runs in a Game 7, the 3rd time out of those that the home team did it, the 2023 Astros joining the 1912 Red Sox, and 1934 Tigers. 

*There will be time to get into the Ins & Outs of Game 7. We'll do that another day. Maybe. But let's just sit back and look at how in the actual hell:

The Astros went 1-5 (with five straight losses) at home this postseason, getting outscored 37-17 while going 5-0 on the road, outscoring opponents 35-15.

The Astros went 40-47 at Minute Maid Park in 2023, including playoffs.

The Astros started the 2nd Half of the season 8-4 at Minute Maid Park, and then went 7-21 at home, including playoffs. 

How the Astros went 4x31 with runners in scoring position in four home games in the ALCS.

How Framber Valdez threw 7.2IP in the 2023 ALCS, allowing 12H/7ER, and how just maybe two fewer ER in Game 2 win that game. 

How Kyle Tucker went 6x40 with 10 strikeouts this postseason.

How Jeremy Pena still hasn't hit a home run since July 5. 

*Here are the impending Astros free agents, with their 2023 salary in parentheses:

Dusty Baker

Michael Brantley ($12m)

Hector Neris ($8m)

Martin Maldonado ($4m)

Ryne Stanek ($3.6m)

Phil Maton ($2.55m)

*A Musical Selection:

Saturday Morning Hot Links

Yep, just checked again, last night actually happened. We're one ridiculous Game 2 First Inning away from last night being the Series. Let's check in on the morning after, and the day before. Everything is Cope-acetic up in Aledo.

*Verlander:

I don't think anybody is mad about him pimping a homer, it was the biggest homer in his career, quite honestly.

Nathaniel Lowe:

Wearing this jersey, having Adolis be my teammate, it feels pretty intentional. There's a history, obviously, between these two teams. I'm sure Alvarez didn't like the ball high and tight to him either. But in today's game, we throw fastballs up. If you want to get emotional about something like that and take it out on a guy that hit a three-run homer, that's too bad. I don't really stand for it. 

That's some mental gymnastics, saying it's okay for Alvarez to get brushed up and in by Aroldis Chapman (who does have a history of hitting people) but not Garcia because Garcia is a hot-head. It's ackshually Alvarez's fault for not getting mad. Hmph. [stomps foot].

When half your bench is running out in a hurry and guys on the injured list want to run their mouth and starters who aren't involved want to get involved, it seems like there are more emotions tied in than gameplay.

*An anonymous Ramger:

One of the best relievers in baseball just suddenly lost command? Maldonado's smart. They got exactly what they wanted, Adolis riled up. Crazy coincidence, isn't it?

Willing to put a small amount of money on the Anonymous Ramger being GM Chris Young. But if Maldonado told Abreu to hit Adolis Garcia to put two men on with nobody out in the bottom of the 8th, down 4-2, just because he knew Adolis Garcia would get pissed off and delay the game for 11 minutes, thus icing Jose LeClerc, who barely ever gives up home runs, so that he would give up a single to Yainer Diaz, who hadn't gotten a hit since September 24, and then walk Jon Singleton, who hadn't received an AB since October 1, thus allowing Jose Altuve to hit a go-ahead three-run home run and take the series back to Houston up 3-2...then Maldonado's new name is Baba Yagaldonado, because that's 18th Dimension Wizard Chess. 

What this tells me is that there are various and sundry Rangers who have night terrors and Martin Maldonado is always holding the knife. 

*Adolis Garcia:

He could have hurt me.

Dubon:

That helped us out a little bit, I think, focus a little bit more. It's crazy. The emotions were high. Everyone knew what was going on. It's baseball. It's fun baseball. It set a different fire, I think, inside everybody.

Marcus Semien:

Everybody on their side is going to say it wasn't [on purpose]. Everybody on this side is going to say it was. The only one who really knows was the pitcher. 

*If there is a suspension for Abreu, it likely won't take effect until the 2024 regular season.

*The ever-even-keeled @RangersInsiders:

Why do good things happen to bad people?

*A Musical Selection:

Game 5 Hot Links

Ahem. Now we have a rivalry. The Astros won Game 5, 5-4. It was the Astros' 7th straight postseason road win, their last postseason road loss coming in 2022 World Series Game 3, the "Let McCullers Get Shelled and Then Throw A No-Hitter" game.

FanGraphs: Houston 78.4 - 21.6 Six Flags.

Let's look at the Win Expectancy Roller Coaster:

1st Inning - Bregman solo homer: 55.8% Astros

4th Inning - Lowe solo homer: 53.8% Ramgers

6th Inning - Jose Abreu RBI single: 73.8% Astros

6th Inning - Adolis Garcia 3-run homer: 82.7% Rangers

8th Inning - Adolis Garcia HBP: 96.0% Rangers

9th Inning - Yainer Diaz single: 84.3% Rangers

9th Inning - Jon Singleton walk: 72.2% Rangers

9th Inning - Jose Altuve 3-run homer: 82.9% Astros

9th Inning - Mitch Garver single: 65.2% Astros

9th Inning - Jonah Heim single: 53.2% Rangers

9th Inning - Evan Carter strikeout: 100.0% Astros

*Let's talk about that Adolis Garcia HBP:

-Did Adolis Garcia pimp his three-run homer in the 6th? Absolutely! Did he have every right to do that? For sure! I would still be moonwalking between 1st and 2nd base if I had hit that home run, which was actually Adolis Garcia's 100th career home run. That home run was massive. Absolutely no issue with Garcia slamming the bat down and yelling. 

-Did Abreu try to hit him? Obviously I'm biased. I've spent a number of years referring to the Rangers as being located in a different random Metroplex suburb. I hate that team. That said, there is absolutely no reason to hit Adolis Garcia. Evan Carter was on 1st base after Abreu walked him. It was 4-2 Rangers, and the Astros had three outs to play with before having to go back to Minute Maid Park needing to win both games to win the Pennant. I'm sure the Astros have won back-to-back home games in 2023...but I can't quite remember when. (September 9-10 vs San Diego).

-What I'm trying to say is that intentionally hitting Garcia would be the height of stupidity. Garcia had woken up the World's Largest Storage Unit already, there would be no reason to fan the flames. I think Abreu was trying to blow an fastball by him. There were 0 outs. Maybe get a GIDP. 

-I also understand why Garcia was pissed off. If someone hit me with a 97mph fastball you would see my soul ascend (I'm assuming I'm going to Heaven) on a cloud, playing a harp. There wouldn't even be dental records, such would be my demise. 

-Shoutout to Dusty Baker for actually getting out of the dugout and putting his finger in one the faces of this awful umpiring crew. Dusty: "I haven't been that mad in a long time."

-Altuve's homer got Marvin Hudson off the hook for what was an absolutely God-awful job behind the plate. I didn't know Dusty had it in him. It also got Altuve off the hook for trying to bunt with Tucker on second base. 

-Ultimately Garcia's outburst may have actually cost the Ramgers that game. He iced LeClerc, which is French for "The Clerc," for 11 minutes after he got Michael Brantley to juuuust get under one to end the inning with Kyle Tucker on second base. LeClerc's 9th Inning: Walk, Walk, Homer (then some outs). 

Bruce Bochy:

I was concerned about that delay. I really was. It as a long one. It was taking too long, to be honest. The whole thing is a bunch of crap, to be honest, what happened there. Who knows what intentions are, but it's not the first time it's happened, and couldn't get the game going again.

LeClerc:

I'm not used to waiting around that long to pitch again, but it's no excuse. I needed to execute my pitches and do a better job.

That doesn't happen if Adolis Garcia just walks to first. 

-But if Abreu did it on purpose, then he's dumb as hell and deserved to get tossed. And suspended.

*Abreu apparently told Garcia that it wasn't on purpose, and Garcia responded: "Bullshit."

*To the "Game:"

Verlander made one bad pitch. That pitch also moved Verlander out of a tie with Clayton Kershaw for the 2nd-most postseason home runs allowed and past Andy Pettitte's 31 playoff homers and into sole possession of most postseason home runs allowed, at 32.

Of the 32 postseason home runs Verlander has now allowed, 19 have come with the Astros. That breakdown:

Solo: 13

2-Run: 3

3-Run: 3

Grand Slams: 0

It's the 9th time Verlander has allowed 2HR in a postseason game, and the 6th time it's happened with the Astros, who are now 2-4 in postseason games in which Verlander gives up 2HR. 

*Jordan Montgomery vs Houston, ALCS: 11.2IP, 10H/2ER, 9K:3BB.

*Shoutout to Yainer Diaz, who got his first career postseason hit. 

*Shoutout to Jon Singleton, who drew a walk that became the tying run in his first plate appearance since October 1. Singleton:

You put in the hard work, and you stay ready so you don't have to get ready. That's been my motto so far this year. 

*Jose LeClerc had only allowed 23 homers in 302.1 career IP. He had given up 5HR in the 2023 regular season. Only one of those career home runs had more than one on base - a grand slam to Julio Rodriguez on July 15, 2022. And then came Jose Altuve. 

*Jose Altuve hit his 26th career postseason home run to record his 54th career postseason RBI. It was his first multi-RBI game since 2021 ALCS G2. Altuve had 3RBI in his previous 25 postseason games combined. Listen to Robert Ford's call of the home run.

Altuve:

I know everybody is talking about the homer. But if you go and see Diaz's base hit and then Singleton's walk, especially when he hasn't played in a lot of days...coming from the bench facing probably one of the best closers right now in the playoffs, I think the key was these two guys and to be able to score all those runs. 

*Alex Bregman's 18th career postseason home run moves him into a tie for 3rd in franchise history with Carlos Correa. He needs one more to tie George Springer for 2nd. 

*Kyle Tucker got two hits in a postseason game since 2022 World Series Game 1.

*It was Ryan Pressly's first career postseason six-out save, and just the 2nd six-out save of his career. 

What To Watch, October 21

Everton @ Liverpool: 6:30am Central

Leeds United @ Norwich: 9am

Penn State @ Ohio State: 11am

Arsenal @ Chelsea: 11:30am

Tennessee @ Alabama: 2:30pm

Texas @ Houston: 3pm

Washington @ Montreal: 6pm

Utah @ USC: 7pm

*A Musical Selection:

Friday Morning Hot Links

The Astros got to an early lead, choked it up, and then monstered all the way to a 10-3 win. The ALCS is tied 2-2. Houston has one more opportunity in this series to take advantage of being on the road. But we know that the Astros will be forced to play at least one more game in Houston.

*FanGraphs: Houston 55.6 - 44.4 Six Flags. 

*When a 7-game series is tied after four games, the Game 5 winner has won the series 71% of the time. One exception: the 2017 ALCS, when New York won Game 5 and then the Astros won Games 6 & 7. 

*The Ramgers have now given up 10+ runs at home 10 times in 2023. The Astros are reponsible for five of those.

The Ramgers have allowed 402 runs in 84 games at Globe Life Park in 2023. The Astros are responsible for 81 of those (20.1%) in nine games. 

*Martin Maldonado:

The beauty about this team, there's not an easy out. When you think there's an easy out, something big happens.

*Jose Altuve was 3x4 with a walk and three runs scored. It's the 10th 3-hit postseason game of his career, and the 6th time he's scored three runs in a postseason game. Altuve's last ten plate appearances (Games 3&4): Flyout to the track, home run, flyout to the track, single, out, double, single, walk, out, double. 

Jose Altuve home runs, Minute Maid Park, 2023: 5

Jose Altuve home runs, Globe Life Field, 2023: 8

*Only seven players in MLB history have appeared in 100 postseason games: 

1. Derek Jeter: 158

2. Jorge Posada: 125

3. Bernie Williams: 121

4. David Justice: 112

5. Manny Ramirez: 111

6. Yadier Molina: 104

7. Jose Altuve: 100

Bregman, on Altuve:

It's been an honor to be his teammate - a Hall of Fame player and a Hall of Fame person, incredible leader every single day. From Day 1 of Spring Training, he shows up, works his tail off. He always has a smile on his face. He's so nice to everyone that he comes into contact with - players, coaches, staff, people at the stadium, fans. He's an unbelievable human being, and to be able to be his teammate, it's been an honor. Hopefully I can be his teammate forever. 

*Yordan Alvarez was 2x4 with 3RBI. Those 3RBI bring his postseason total to 39 in 55 games, tying him for 4th in franchise history with Yuli Gurriel. Postseason RBI, Astros, career:

1. Carlos Correa: 59

2. Alex Bregman: 52

3. Jose Altuve: 51

4. Yordan/Gurriel: 39

6. George Springer: 38

...

13. Jeff Bagwell: 13

16. Craig Biggio: 11

Yordan has three straight postseason games with at least 2+ RBI. It's only the 28th time in MLB history that a player has three straight postseason games with multiple RBI. The last person to do it was Yordan Alvarez, who did it from 2022 World Series G6 to 2023 ALDS G2. The all-time record is four games, set by Giancarlo Stanton (2020) and Reggie Sanders (2005). 

*Jose Abreu crushed a crushing three-run home run and stole a base. Thanks to the incredible Sarah Langs, we now know that Abreu is the oldest player since Fred Clarke in 1909 to hit a homer and steal a base in a playoff game. Abreu:

We're the Houston Astros, and we never give up. It was very important to give credit to all these guys here in this organization who never give up. It's up to us to be able to turn this around.

Abreu, Opening Day-June 13: 273 PAs, 3HR

Abreu, 2023 Postseason: 33 PAs, 4HR

*Mauricio Dubon was 2x5 in G4. He has started four postseason games in his career - all in 2023 - and is 8x17 with three runs scored.

*Chas McCormick hit his first postseason homer since 2022 ALCS G3, at New York. 

*The Astros were 8x16 w/runners in scoring position, which is approximately nine more hits than they got with runners in scoring position in Games 1 and 2. 

*The only Astros player to not get on base a single time (in a game with 10 hits and seven walks): Kyle Tucker, who went 0x5 with a strikeout.

Tucker, since hitting two homers in 2022 World Series G1: 13 games, 55 PAs, .089/.236/.156

*Bullspen Matchup, Game 4:

Ramgers: 8.1IP, 7H/7ER, 8K:6BB

Astros: 6.2IP, 3H/0ER, 5K:1BB

*Phil Maton: 2IP, 1H/0ER, 2K:0BB. It's his first postseason six-out appearance since his second career postseason appearance in 2020 Wild Card G2 against the Yankees.

*Hunter Brown: 3IP, 2H/0ER, 2K:0BB. Stanek, on Brown:

He's grown into knowing what he's supposed to be doing and how to handle himself. He came in last year, didn't have a whole lot of experience under his belt and pitched in the playoffs, did really well and then came into this year, and he's had some trials and tribulations. And he's battled and grown and learned and handled it well. It's a hard job to have, especially being a young kid and being a starter, and then he was out in the bullpen. You've got to do a lot of different things, and he's just handled it really, really well. It's awesome to see. 

*Stanek is the third pitcher in baseball history to throw one pitch and get the Win in a postseason game, joining St. Louis' Jeff Fassero (2002 NLDS G2) and Lance Lynn (2011 NLCS G2).

*Justin Verlander is ready to adjust for Game 5.

*The Hall of Fame announced eight candidates for the Veterans Committee to consider for induction in 2025: Managers Cito Gaston, Davey Johnson, Jim Leyland, Lou Piniella; executives Hank Peters and Bill White; umpires Ed Montague and [snicker] Joe [guffaw] West. 

*Before you see Killers of the Flower Moon, read Brian Phillips on The Legend of John Joseph Matthews.

*Esquire: Sixty years in, the Rolling Stones still have something to prove. I'm listening to "Hackney Diamonds" right now and...it's pretty damn good.

*The seven greatest Men's Health recipes of all time.

*A Musical Selection:

Thursday Morning Hot Links

A quick story, one that I'm not terribly proud of (but proud enough to lead the Hot Links with): I live in Ramger Country. It's gross. I shower four times a day. Anyhow, a co-worker was giving me crap about the Astros being down 2-0. Annoying. So I hollered back, "I've watched the Astros lose more World Series in the last five years than your middle aged ass has ever seen the Rangers play in." Might have ended it with, "Bitch." I'm not sure. I was a little Ragey. 

Anyhow, the Astros won 8-5 to make the series 2-1. Michael Brantley:

They eliminated the big inning for the first two games against us. So we had a nice crooked number to put up on the board. But at the same time, it's a great offense over there. We had to keep scoring. We continued to keep pressure on...and we have to continue to do that throughout the entire series.

Bregman:

I thought we did a heck of a lot better job passing the torch to the next guy.

FanGraphs: Houston 37.9 - 62.1 Six Flags.

Houston has won 17 of their last 20 road games. They're 3-0 on the road in the 2023 postseason. 

*Five Astros runs scored with two outs. 

*Jose Altuve's PAs, Game 3:

1st Inning: 100.7mph off the bat, flyout to dead center. A homer in 13/30 parks.

3rd Inning: 104.4mph off the bat, homer. A homer in 30/30 parks.

5th Inning: 102.4mph off the bat, flyout to dead center. A homer in 12/30 parks.

That would have been 3HR in 3PAs if the game was played at Wrigley, Cincinnati, whatever the White Sox call their field, Angel Stadium, Dodger Stadium, Milwaukee, or Oakland.

It was Altuve's 25th postseason home run of his career. He needs four more to tie Manny Ramirez for the most all-time. Altuve:

Down in the series 0-2, it feels like we had no choice but to win tonight. 

*Yordan Alvarez: 2x4, 2RBI. He has 10RBI in the 2023 postseason. The Astros have scored 32 runs in the 2023 postseason. It was the third game out of seven in the 2023 postseason that Yordan didn't hit a home run, but...

Alvarez's 6th Inning flyball that was robbed by Leody Taveras had a 1.000 xBA and would have been a home run in 22 out of 30 ballparks. 

*Kyle Tucker hit 6th in the order for the first time since June 11, 2022 and went 0x1, 3BB. It was the 7th 3BB game of his career, and just the 3rd multi-BB postseason game of his career. He also got a double, his 3rd hit of the 2023 postseason, and his first XBH since ALDS G1. 

*Mauricio Dubon had three hits for the 12th time in his career and the 7th time in 2023. He's 6x12 in the 2023 postseason and got his first career postseason RBI. Dubon:

I was telling somebody today that, yeah, I got smarter, I got a little stronger. But my ability hasn't changed. For me, it was a matter of getting a chance. And the Astros gave me a chance to get out there and show people what I can do.

*Martin Maldonado was 2x4 with 2RBI - the 3rd 2-hit game of his postseason career, and 2nd of the 2023 postseason. It was his first postseason RBI since Game 1 of the 2022 World Series. 

Maldonado, on his AB vs Scherzer:

He can throw any pitch any count. Because he bounces a slider doesn't mean he doesn't come back with another slider. So I was trying to see something up, just to put a good swing on it.

*Alex Bregman hit a ball in the 9th (stop me if you've heard this before) that Leody Taveras caught against the wall. It would have been a home run in 18 out of 30 ballparks. 

*Cristian Javier: 5.2IP, 3H/2ER, 3K:1BB.

Four career postseason starts: 22IP, 5H/2ER, 26K:1BB, 0.82 ERA / 0.27 WHIP.

How Cristian Javier re-found his fastball.

*Hector Neris gave up a single and a home run to make it moderately interesting, the 3rd homer he's allowed in the 2023 postseason. 

*Bryan Abreu allowed his first earned run since July 15 - a streak of 32 games / 33IP

*Ryan Pressly has converted his 14 of his last 14 save opportunities in the postseason. 

Four of Six Flags' runs came courtesy of 2-out 2-run homers by #8 hitter Carl Josh Jung. All five Ramger runs were with two outs. 

*Michael Brantley's shoulder survived his enormous catch.

*It's Game(s) 4 Hero Jose Urquidy vs. Andrew Heaney tonight in Game 4. 

*ESPN: How the Astros-Ramgers rivalry defines the state of Texas.

*BBC: How I rewired my brain in six weeks.

*Odes to the Texas Indie Bookstores.

*A Musical Selection, in which I discover that I really like French-Canadian Synth-Pop Girls:

Tuesday Morning Hot Links

We got hoodwinked, Framboozled, led astray, run amok. Framber was bad. The Astros offense was...offensive, going 0x6 w/RISP. Houston goes to Six Flags down 2-0. 

Since 2004, teams that went up 2-0 in the LCS are 18-2 in the series. The 2020 Dodgers came back from 0-2 down to win the NL Pennant over the Barves. Otherwise, in non-Mickey Mouse years, the 2004 Red Sox came back from 3-0 down against the Yankees, and I highly suggest that you watch the "Four Days in October" 30 For 30 before Game 3. Speaking of, here's Derek Jeter on the 2023 ALCS:

This team in Houston is great on the road. Just because they're down 2 games, it's not over. We've lost the series being up 3-0. I don't want to bring it back up...but my point is, everyone in this Texas Rangers clubhouse knows this series is not over. 

FanGraphs: Houston 23.7 - 76.3 Six Flags

*Bregman:

We have an off day, and I think everyone's gonna regroup and focus on winning the next pitch. That's all you can do. You've got to take it pitch by pitch in the postseason when you're playing against a great team like them. Come in and compete and try to execute just a little bit better. I don't think we've played terrible; they've just played a little bit better than we have. 

*The "Houston" "Astros" are 5-14 at Minute Maid Park since September 1. They're 11-3 on the road in the same time frame.

McTaggart: There's no place like the road.

*The Astros had the bases loaded with nobody out in the 5th. Yainer Diaz, finally pinch-hitting for Maldonado, struck out. Altuve struck out. Bregman grounded out weakly to end the inning with no runs scored. The Astros had runners on 1st and 2nd with two outs in the 8th with no runs scored. This feels impossible. But it's true.

*Altuve: 0x5, 2K. He has one hit in his last 18 PAs, and is 4x25 in the 2023 postseason. Since the beginning of the 2022 postseason, Altuve: 

Altuve, postseason, 2015-2020: 63 games, 286 PAs, .306/.378/.565, 18HR/40RBI

Altuve, postseason, 2021-2023: 35 games, 165 PAs, .193/.261/.353, 6HR/10RBI

It's the 5th 0x5 in Altuve's 98 career postseason games. 

*Framber Valdez had yet another terrible start: 2.2IP, 7H/5ER, 6K:1BB.

Framber, 2022 postseason: 25IP, 14H/4ER, 33K:8BB.

Framber, 2023 postseason: 7IP, 14H/9ER, 11K:4BB.

The Astros, as a franchise, have only had 16 postseason starts in which the starter did not record nine outs. Framber has four of them:

2021 ALCS Game 1: 2.2IP, 6H/2ER, 2K:3BB

2021 World Series Game 1: 2IP, 8H/5ER, 2K:1BB

2021 World Series Game 5: 2.2IP, 4H/5ER, 1K:2BB

2023 ALCS Game 2.

Should this series come back to Houston, I don't want to see Framber until 2024. 

Framber:

I thought the quality of my pitches was good. There were a couple balls that they didn't hit well that fell for base hits. It happened a couple times there.

The xBA on the Rangers' five singles that scored four runs: .470, .450, .950, .910, .320

*Yordan Alvarez hit his 11th and 12th career home runs in his 53rd career postseason game - his 2nd 2HR game of the postseason, and his career. It's the 11th 2HR postseason game in franchise history. 

He also drew a walk and scored on Michael Brantley's double. It's his 35th, 36th, and 37th career postseason runs scored, tied with Carlos Correa for fourth in franchise history. 

Dubon, on Alvarez:

I've seen him get frustrated. This is a guy that expects excellence from himself. But I never see him doubt.

*Alex Bregman passed Carlos Beltran with his 17th career postseason home run and into a tie for 7th-most all-time with David Ortiz and Jim Thome. 

*Yainer Diaz is 0x10 with 5K in the 2023 postseason.

*Kyle Tucker was 0x4 with a strikeout. He's 2x22 with a double, 7K:3BB this postseason - an .091/.200/.136 line - just what you want in the middle of the order. Tucker, on his ABs:

They're terrible. I feel fine, just my swing is not there. I haven't done anything with any of the pitches. It's been tough. 

Dusty:

It's frustrating when you're not getting hits. And I'm sure he's frustrated. We need Tuck. He's a big part of our team. Big part of our offense. I just know that Tucker will come across and come through with it in [Six Flags].

*Astros bullpen: 6.1IP, 1H/0ER, 6K:2BB. Just shameful to waste that. 

*J.P. France: 2.1IP, 1H/0ER, 1K:1BB. Congratulations to J.P. France, who became the 95th pitcher in Astros history to make a postseason appearance. 

*Ken Rosenthal:

It could be that everything finally is catching up to the Astros. All those years of playing so deep into the postseason, which perhaps contributed to injuries to Lance McCullers, Luis Garcia, and Jose Urquidy and the inconsistencies of Valdez and Cristian Javier. All those years of spending modestly in free agency while the Rangers invested $800 million on the open market the past two offseasons.

*Cristian Javier will start Game 3 against Max Scherzer. 

What To Watch, October 17

Four Days in October

Minnesota @ Montreal: 6pm Central

Diamondbacks @ Phillies: 7:07pm

Ghana @ United States: 7:37pm

*A Musical Selection:

Monday Morning Hot Links

Well Jordan Montgomery did his best Pablo Lopez impression and the Astros now find themselves down 1-0 in the Series. Is it ideal? [sensibly chuckling] No, but it's not the end of the world.

Astros Down 1-0 in a 7-Game Series, 2015-present:

2017 World Series (Won 4-3)

2019 ALCS (Won 4-3)

2019 World Series (Well...)

2020 ALCS (Lost 4-3)

2021 World Series (Lost 4-2)

2022 World Series (Won 4-2)

So that's 3-3 after losing Game 1

*FanGraphs: Houston 42.6 - Six Flags 57.4

*It's the first time the Astros have been shutout in a playoff game at home since 2021 World Series Game 6. There wasn't a game after that. 

*Houston got five hits - all singles - against Six Flags last night. Dusty:

Sometimes you've got to say: 'Hey, the guy threw a great game tonight against us, excellent game. And they say good pitching beats good hitting, but when you don't hit, everybody wants to know what's wrong. There's not a whole bunch to say. He threw a real good game against us. 

*Justin Verlander pitched really well - Evan Carter's 2nd Inning run happened because he took an extra base on his shot underneath Abreu and then hustled to home. The 5th Inning run was one mistake from Verlander. This offense should have bailed Verlander out. 

Verlander's 2023 Postseason: 12.2IP, 10H/2ER, 11K:5BB

It's the 17th postseason start of Verlander's career in which he has thrown at least 6IP and recorded 0-2 earned runs. His teams are 12-5 in those games. He's done it with Houston 10 times, and the Astros are now 8-2 (2017 World Series Game 6 was the other one with the Astros). 

Verlander:

We lost Game 1 in the World Series last year. We've lost Game 1 of some playoff series before. And that's the great thing about this team. Obviously nobody is sitting in the locker room right now happy. But it's very matter of fact, okay. We just got punched, how do you answer?

*Yordan Alvarez had one of the worst games you'll see him have, going 0x4 with 3K and a weak grounder. In 52 career postseason games, it was just the 3rd time Yordan struck out three times. 

Jeff Passan: How Jordan Montgomery finally solved Yordan Alvarez.

*1-5 in the lineup (Altuve-Bregman-Yordan-Abreu-Tucker) went a combined 2x19 with 5K:1BB. Of course Bregman was robbed of a double by Evan Carter, and then was a fraction of a second away from tying the game in the 8th. So that's kind of a hard-luck 2x19, but it still happened. 

Tucker is "hitting" .111/.238/.167 in the 2023 postseason. He's 3x34 in his last ten postseason games. 

Bregman:

Overall, just didn't do enough tonight, offensively. I thought JV threw the ball tremendously, but we need to string together some better at-bats.

Sinkers and curves sunk the Astros in Game 1.

*Jeremy Pena was 1x3, giving him a hit in 16 of his 18 career postseason games. 

*Dusty:

This is the best team I've been around about moving on. And there's nothing you can do. If you're going to lose a game, you'd rather lose it in the first game versus in the middle of the series. And so we know we've got a tough pitcher in Eovaldi tomorrow But we also have a tough pitcher in Framber on our side. 

Eovaldi vs Houston, postseason career: five appearances (2018 and 2021 ALCS), 17.2IP, 19H/10ER, 14K:6BB.

Eovaldi vs Houston, regular season career: 3-4, 53IP, 55K:26BB, 45K:19BB, 4.42 ERA/1.40 WHIP.

Game 2 is at 3:37pm.

What To Watch, October 16:

Sweden @ Belgium: 1:45pm Central

Six Flags @ Astros: 3:37pm

Arizona @ Philadelphia: 7:07pm

*SI: The Wild Quest to Create A Fake Indian Cricket League...That Was Just The Beginning.

*We Salted Nannie: A True Southern Ghost Story

*A Musical Selection, as I have to start getting ready:

Saturday Morning Hot Links

One more sleep, and then it's Gameday. 

Astros Hitters vs Rangers Pitchers:

Chas McCormick: 10 Games, .438/.500/.938, 3HR/15RBI, 8K:4BB

Jose Altuve: 8 Games, .286/.342/.886, 7HR/8RBI, 7K:2BB

Kyle Tucker: 13 Games, .400/.571/.650, 3HR/7RBI, 2K:15BB

Yordan Alvarez: 7 Games, .308/.471/.731, 3HR/8RBI, 6K:7BB

Alex Bregman: 13 Games, .314/.407/.451, 1HR/7RBI, 6K:7BB

Jeremy Pena: 9 Games, .325/.357/.425, 0HR/4RBI, 7K:1BB

Martin Maldonado, 11 Games, .222/.282/611, 4HR/6RBI, 15K:3BB

Mauricio Dubon: 13 Games, .264/.291/434, 2HR/6RBI, 5K:2BB

Jose Abreu: 13 Games, .231/.298/.462, 3HR/17RBI, 8K:5BB

Yainer Diaz: 9 Games, .206/.194/.471, 3HR/9RBI, 9K:0BB

Ramgers Hitters vs Astros Pitchers:

Marcus Semien: 13 Games, .431/.508/.706, 4HR/12RBI, 5K:7BB

Mitch Garver: 7 Games, .350/.480/.650, 2HR/5RBI, 5K:5BB

Corey Seager: 7 Games, .346/.379/.654, 2HR/5RBI, 6K:2BB

Travis Jankowski: 12 Games, .361/.395/.528, 1HR/7RBI, 6K:2BB

Josh Jung: 10 Games, .279/.295/.465, 2HR/5RBI, 19K:1BB

Jonah Heim: 13 Games, .279/.313/.419, 1HR/4RBI, 8K:7BB

Nathaniel Lowe: 13 Games, .231/.333/.404, 2HR/9RBI, 9K:7BB

Leody Taveras: 13 Games, .286/.308/.408, 1HR/9RBI, 10K:2BB

Adolis Garcia: 12 Games, .188/.200/.438, 3HR/10RBI, 13K:1BB

Ezequiel Duran: 8 Games, .091/.143/.091, 0HR/0RBI, 12K:2BB

*MLB.com: Four keys for the Astros and Rangers to take the ALCS.

*Dusty vs. Bochy.

*Evan Grant: This is a different Rangers team than the one the Astros beat the dog piss out of in September.

*Max Scherzer is apparently "ready to go." Oooooooo.

*How "aggressive discipline" keeps Corey Seager elite. It would be pretty bad ass to keep Corey Seager from winning a World Series for a second time. Seager, 2017 World Series: .222/.290/.370, 1HR/4RBI, 9K:3BB.

*Six trends that have marked the 2023 postseason.

*MLBTR: Seattle Mariners Offseason Outlook.

*Made a quiz: Name the 86 players who won a World Series ring in 2017 and/or 2022.

*What To Watch, October 14:

2pm Central: USA v Germany

2:30pm: Oregon @ Washington

2:30pm: Texas A&M @ Tennessee

6pm: Chicago @ Montreal

6:30pm: USC @ Notre Dame

7:30pm: Mexico v Ghana

*A Musical Selection:

Friday Morning Hot Links

We are three days away from what will absolutely 100% be the most toxic ALCS in recent memory. Maybe 2004. I can't freaking wait.

*The Rangers haven't been in the ALCS since 2011. They beat the Detroit Tigers in six games. Justin Verlander lost Game 1 and won Game 5. Six Flags lost in the World Series. 

Franchise Tale of the Tape:

Houston:

Regular Season Record: 4921-4892 (.501)

Postseason Record: 79-69 (.534)

Division Titles: 12

Pennants: 5

World Series Championships: 2

Six Flags (not including their time as the Washington Senators)

Regular Season Record: 4000-4186 (.489)

Postseason Record: 26-34 (.433)

Division Titles: 8

Pennants: 2

World Series Championships: 0

*Justin Verlander will start Game 1 on Sunday. Game 1 is at 7:03pm. Game 2 is at 3:37pm Monday.

*MLB.com: ALCS Game 1 FAQ.

*Houston Chronicle: Astros/Ramgers Preview. Michael Brantley:

It's going to be a good battle. They worked hard to get here as well. We're really familiar with one another. I know we have a lot of history and we look forward to going out there Game 1 and competing against them and it's going to be a great series.

*Astros' OPS, ALDS:

Yordan Alvarez: 1.783

Jose Abreu: 1.228

Michael Brantley: .879

Mauricio Dubon: .800

Chas McCormick: .727

Alex Bregman: .694

Jose Altuve: .647

Jeremy Pena: .646

Kyle Tucker: .508

Martin Maldonado: .397

Yainer Diaz: .000

Imagine what'll happen if/when Bregman/Altuve/Tucker get hot. 

*Max Scherzer could make Six Flags' ALCS roster.

*Look at this mess from WFAA: A Rangers' fans guide to hating the Houston Astros. It's hilarious. Someone who definitely watches baseball regularly wrote this. 

*Arbitration Projections are out! Or, I guess, have been for a few days. Anyway. Juan Soto leads the way at a projected $33m The Astros' arbitration-eligible players (with projections in parentheses):

Kyle Tucker: $12.6m

Framber Valdez: $12.1m

Jose Urquidy: $3.5m

Chas McCormick: $3.1m

Mauricio Dubon: $3.1m

Luis Garcia: $2.1m

Bryan Abreu: $2m

*If you like to live dangerously, you can wager on the Angels (+100,000) and Nationals (+200,000) to win the 2023 World Series.

*Division Winners, 2023 Postseason: 6-14

AL/NL East, AL/NL Central, NL West Division Winners, 2023 Postseason: 3-13

100-win Teams, 2023 Postseason: 1-9.

*Minneapolis Star-Tribune: The Twins reverted to their early-season selves.

*ESPN: How a twist of fate and family advice helped make Falorin Balogun the USMNT's next big thing.

*A Musical Selection:

Sunday Morning Hot Links

We're just a group of guys, ready to make a dynasty in Houston.

-Alex Bregman.

The Astros won their third pennant in franchise history, 14 years to the day since their first pennant in franchise history. Folks, you and I have come a long way together. Let's hug.

*Correa:

It's a great series. We knew they had a great team. Like they call themselves, they're savages. But in this jungle called the American League, we're the apex predator.

Correa totally workshopped that quote with his buddies Daniela.

*Jose Altuve, a savage in the box, undid a whole lot of Lidge-induced PTSD in the bottom of the 9th Inning off of Aroldis Chapman, in an extremely offensively frustrating series. It was Altuve's 5th home run of the postseason, his second of the ALCS. It's the 5th time a Pennant has been clinched on a walk-off homer.

It was Altuve's 2nd Walk-Off Home Run of his career, the first since July 23, 2015, when he did it against Boston. Verlander, on Altuve:

People ask me about him, and I say he's a giant in every sense of the word except for his height. In everything else, he's 7-foot tall. Teammate. Baseball player. Everything.

Chandler Rome: One swing, "complete mayhem," and the American League Pennant. Gerrit Cole, on Altuve:

Coming from having to beg for a professional contract, coming from losing 100 games three times in a row to winning 100 games three times in a row, there's nobody that embodies the underdogs better than Jose. And there's really nobody that's ever played the game that's quite as talented as he is.

Houston is 10-1 in the postseason when Altuve homers.

Jenny Dial Creech: Jose Altuve cements his Houston legacy.

*Chapman, on the Walk-Off:

When [Altuve] hit that, I couldn't believe it. I didn't think he could get a hit like that at that time and walk us off in such a manner. But that's baseball. He's a great hitter, and I didn't do my job. That's why we lost.

Altuve:

We're not going to the World Series because of me, we're going to the World Series because of everybody in the clubhouse.

Hinch, on Altuve:

It's the same old quote of: Everything that's right about the Astros is Jose Altuve. He's been here the longest and seen this organization grow from the ground up. I'm so proud of him. I'm so fortunate to be his manager.

Altuve is your 2019 ALCS MVP. Tom Verducci, on Jose Altuve:

All that is great about baseball is packed into that 5-foot-6, 165-pound body, like one of those super-concentrated detergents. A little goes a long way. Altuve plays baseball like the wag of a puppy's tail. He plays joyfully. And he plays well.

*Aroldis Chapman's career postseason home runs allowed:

2016 World Series Game 7

2019 ALCS Game 6

*Houston is going to the World Series thanks to two massive diving catches by the corner outfielders: Reddick and Brantley. Brantley, who doubled up Judge:

I wanted to make sure I completed the play. I knew I had a chance to double him up, I had to make a good throw. Yuli did a good job picking it for me. I didn't throw it in the air, I wanted to keep it down. We got out of that inning.

The Aaron Hicks liner Brantley came up with had an expected batting average of .370. Reddick's catch negated a Gardner hit that had an expected batting average of .570.

Reddick:

I ate a little bit of dirt and grass on it. But that's fine. Whatever it takes to make the play and make the out, that's all that matters.

*Yuli Gurriel's first inning 3-run home run were the first runs for the Astros with two outs in the series. It's the third straight year that Gurriel has hit a 3-run homer in the postseason (2018 ALCS G1, 2017 World Series G5). Hinch, on Gurriel:

It's nice when you take the lead, especially in an elimination game, on the other side, it puts an immense amount of pressure on those guys. It wouldn't surprise me that Yuli was in the middle of it, because he's been mere feet away from being in the middle of virtually every good thing that's happened to us offensively in this series.

Gurriel:

I had all the bad luck. And I hope I get the good luck in the World Series.

*Houston is 89-2 this season (postseason included) when leading by three or more runs, and 51-0 at Minute Maid Park when up by three.

*Astros, 2019 postseason:

Altuve: .349/.417/.767, 4K:5BB, 5HR

Brantley: .262/.340/.333, 9K:5BB, 1HR

Bregman: .257/.435/.429, 8K:10BB, 1HR

Gurriel: .209/.239/.302, 0K:2BB (yes, Gurriel has not struck out this postseason), 1HR

Correa: .171/.227/.366, 18K:3BB, 2HR

Yordan: .171/.227/.244, 19K:3BB, 0HR

Springer: .152/.235/.283, 15K:5BB, 2HR

Reddick: .136/.174/.273, 7K:1BB, 1HR

Chirinos: .091/.231/.227, 10K:3BB, 0HR

The Astros are going to the World Series with six hitters in the lineup hitting .209 or worse, and went 5x46 w/RISP in the ALCS, and Gerrit Cole only pitched once. 

*Jose Urquidy: 2.2IP, 3H/1ER, 5K:1BB. Hinch, on Urquidy:

He was incredible tonight. What's hard for a young player is not really knowing what was going to happen or how he was going to be used. It probably would have been easier on him emotionally just to start the game and have the normal routine, and we weren't going to do that...We don't win this game if Urquidy doesn't come in and get the outs that he did at the time in which he did to turn it over to the back end of the bullpen.

Matt Young: How Urquidy carried the Astros in Game 6.

*Will Harris, on the Astros' bullpen:

We have a lot of guys with a lot of pride that are really good at their jobs. And I was excited for the opportunity for us to prove that today.

*Osuna, on the LeMahieu home run:

I knew that was gone. That was a terrible feeling. I felt terrible. When Altuve hit the homer, obviously I came back to life and pretty excited right now.

*Brad Peacock was the first pitcher since 1924 to finish a postseason game and then start the next day. He slept in the Astros' designated nap room at Minute Maid Park Friday night.

*Gerrit Cole asked Hinch twice if he could pitch in Game 6.

*Ryan Pressly, who came out of the game after recording a one-pitch out, says he'll be ready for the World Series.

Just some scar tissue that broke off. It was bound to happen at some point. I just didn't think it was going to happen in the middle of that game. I'll be good and ready to go next week.

*6-9 in the Yankees' lineup (Gregorius, Sanchez, Urshela, Gardner): 7x14, 3 runs, 2RBI.

*Yahoo's Tim Brown: The 2019 ALCS highlighted Baseball's greatness, and its flaws.

*Postseason wins, 2013-present:

Los Angeles: 33

Houston: 25

Kansas City: 22

Boston: 19

Chicago: 19

St. Louis: 17

New York Yankees: 14

San Francisco: 14

Washington: 13

Cleveland: 12

Toronto: 10

New York Mets: 8

Milwaukee: 6

Tampa: 5

Detroit: 5

Atlanta: 4

Pittsburgh: 3

Baltimore: 3

Arlington: 2

Oakland: 2

Colorado: 1

Arizona: 1

*Updated AL West Playoff Wins, 2013-present:

Houston: 25

Oakland: 2

Arlington: 2

Anaheim: 0

Seattle: 0

*Wade Miley had a quote on his plans for free agency:

If I'm not back in Houston, I won't be back in the AL. Because I don't ever want to have to face this lineup. 

*Aaron Judge, on the Yankees' season:

It's a failure. In Spring Training, we talked about winning the division and putting ourselves in a good spot in the postseason to win a World Series. We came up short. No matter how many games we won in the regular season or what else we did, this season is a failure.

This is the first calendar decade (XXX0-XXX9) in which the Yankees won't play in the World Series since the 1910s. Hate to see it.

*The Astros will now be able to line up Cole-Verlander-Greinke in Games 1-3 of the World Series, Cole could throw Game 5 on normal rest.

An interesting note about Greinke in Game 3 is that it allows him to hit in Washington. In nine starts against the Nationals in his career, Greinke has held them to a .197/.227/.271 line. He's 6-1 with a 1.27 ERA / 0.83 WHIP against the Nationals in his career. At Whatever Their Ballpark Is Called, he's 2-1 in four starts with a 1.11 ERA / 0.90 WHIP. Luhnow:

We're going to have a tough road ahead of us. Washington's a great team, but to be able to open up here and be here for the next several days and not have to travel, it's a huge advantage for our team, huge advantage for our team, huge advantage to have Gerrit Cole probably lined up to go Game 1 and Verlander to go Game 2.

*Hunter Atkins: Could the Astros have a Bullpen Game in Game 4?

*FanGraphs has the Astros winning the World Series at 72-28. FiveThirtyEight has it 60-40 Astros.

*David Roth: What's wrong with the baseballs is what's wrong with Baseball.

*Leeds United 1 Birmingham City 0.

*Texas Monthly: The Great Texas Whiskey Boom.

*A Musical Selection:

Here is Altuve's walk off set to Game Over by Lil Flip pic.twitter.com/zZ24hIfUSh

— Gerrant Caule (@grantraun) October 20, 2019

Saturday Morning Hot Links

Okay, well, Justin Verlander had a rough four minutes and the Astros continued to Not Hit All That Much and dug themselves into such a hole that they still maintain a series lead and have both games at home.

*FanGraphs still gives the Astros a 77-23 edge in the series, though they have their matchups switched around. FiveThirtyEight has it 81-19 Houston in the series. MLB.com's Do-Hyoung Park:
In all best-of-seven postseason series, teams holding a 3-2 lead have gone on to win 72 of 103 times (70%). In series with the current 2-3-2 format, clubs holding a 3-2 lead and heading home for Games 6 and 7 have gone on to win 34 of 45 times (76%).

*Verlander's 1st Inning: 4H/4ER, 2K:0BB, 29 pitches
Verlander, Innings 2-7: 1H/0ER, 7K:0BB, 76 pitches.

The 1st was one of the worst innings of Justin Verlander's career. It was the first time he'd allowed four 1st Inning runs since August 2014. It was the first time in his postseason career he'd allowed 2HR in the 1st inning. DJ LeMahieu joins Coco Crisp as the only players to leadoff a postseason game against Verlander with a home run. In 34 starts, Verlander had allowed 4ER just six times. He had not allowed four runs in an inning in his career as an Astro prior to last night. The most runs he had allowed in an inning in the 2019 regular season was three (twice, June 18 at Cincinnati; July 5 to Anaheim.). And Hicks' three-run home run clanked off the freaking foul pole.

If anything, Verlander's outing saved the bullpen for what will be a Bullpen Game, saving a potential Cole/Severino matchup for Game 7. Verlander:
I thought I could have made some better pitches. I had some opportunities. I got the strikeout and then had Hicks in the hole and wasn't able to execute anything. I got ahead of him early and had opportunities to get a strikeout or a weak fly ball. I let him back into the count and hung the slider, 3-2.

Yep, that's pretty much how it went. Chirinos, showing why he's handled this pitching staff so well:
[Verlander] didn't miss as much after the first inning. I think he was missing up, up with his fastball, and the slider was backing up. I feel like the game was fast in the first inning. I should have called timeout and talked to him. That was my fault.

*The Athletic's Marc Carig has three quick observations on ALCS G5.

*James Paxton, career vs. Houston (postseason included):

89IP, 83H/31ER, 93K:30BB, 3.13 ERA / 1.27 WHIP.

*The Astros hit nine balls 95mph+ off the bat last night. They got three singles, three lineouts, two flyouts, and a force out. Chirinos' bomb in the 6th had an expected batting average of .610. At some point, surely, that luck has to turn around.

*Astros w/RISP: 0x6. In the 2019 postseason, the Astros are 9x68 w/RISP and have left 73 men on base through five games. You don't need me to tell you that this is Unacceptable.

*Yordan Alvarez: 0x4, 3K:0BB. In 10 postseason games, Yordan is "hitting" .184/.244/.263, 17K:3BB. In the ALCS: .053/.143/.053. Brantley, on Alvarez:
Everybody believes in that young man. He carried us throughout the season. He had quality at-bats, and everything is going to be just fine with him.

Yordan will DH and hit 7th in tonight's game. I smell a big game from him. Could just be this sinus infection, though.

*Verlander:
We are in the driver's seat and we are going back to Houston, but that's a great ballclub. [New York] is stacked. They gave me great at-bats in Houston and they continue to do so tonight....These boys are not going to lay down for us, and we have to go and take care of business at home. 

Bregman:
As you know, it's baseball and we're facing really good pitching. I think we do a good job of staying in the zone tomorrow and passing the torch to the next guy, we'll be successful.

*Jose Urquidy said he's comfortable in whatever situation he's put in, but would prefer to start Game 6.

*SI's Tom Verducci: The Yankees' star-studded bullpen has them on the brink of collapse.

*Jerome Solomon:
Seriously, nobody is even hot; the team is just that good. Granted, you can get scorched just walking past Gerrit Cole and Justin Verlander, but otherwise the Astros have methodically pressured the Yankees, who can't match their depth.

*Yahoo's Hannah Keyser: On the Yankees' visiting team's bullpen and the fans who torment it.

*NY Times: MLB is pushing for a massive overhaul of the Minor-Leagues.

*FanGraphs' Ben Clemens: So You Wanna Buy A Baseball Team.

*A Musical Selection:

Friday Morning Hot Links

The Astros are up 3-1 in the ALCS. They have won both games in Yankee Stadium. Zack Greinke was good to pretty good. The Astros got some big hits. Game 5 is tonight at 6:08pm Central.

*FanGraphs has the Astros at 88.3-11.7 to win the Series, though FanGraphs gives the Yankees at 51-49 edge for Game 5. FiveThirtyEight says it's 90-10 Astros, with a 51-49 edge to the Astros in Game 5.

*Teams that are up 3-1 in a Championship Series have gone on to win 73 of 86 series. Most recently, the Cubs did it in the 2016 World Series.

*The Astros were 3x14 w/RISP, the Yankees were 0x8. Series total:

Astros w/RISP: 5x32
Yankees w/RISP: 6x31

Also series total, wins:
Astros: 3
Yankees: 1

Aaron Boone:
We played poorly tonight, there's no other to explain it. And we need to flush this immediately.

*Altuve:
We're not thinking about the World Series yet, because we're playing against one of the best teams in the big leagues. 

*Zack Greinke: 4.1IP, 3H/1ER, 5K:4BB. Robinson Chirinos took responsibility for a couple of those walks in the 1st inning.

*In 3.2IP thrown by relievers not named Josh James (Pressly, Harris, Smith, Osuna): 0H/0ER, 6K:2BB. Pressly:
It doesn't get any better than pitching in the Bronx in the postseason. This is what you dream of as a kid.

*Carlos Correa:
I think it's disrespectful that every time we score a lot of runs, people talk about tipping. Nobody was tipping today and we scored, what, eight runs? We're great hitters. We've been doing it for a whole season. 

Correa is the youngest player to hit 10 postseason home runs, doing it quicker than Albert Pujols. His home run had a launch angle of 17 degrees. Our dude Daren Willman notes that only 0.8% of home runs were hit at 18 degrees or lower. Correa, on what he told Ryan Pressly before he took the mound:
This is your moment. I remember when we were in the training room both rehabbing at the same time. This is the moment we worked really hard for, for moments like this, for moments for you to shine and give us a chance to win the ballgame.

*Springer, who hit his 13th postseason home run, going ahead of Altuve by one:
To get out of the first inning with only one I think was absolutely huge for us, and then to come back and score off a really, really tough pitcher, a guy that doesn't give up runs at all in the playoffs. He's been unbelievable throughout his career.

*It's the sixth time that Springer and Correa have both homered in the same postseason game.

*Hinch, post-game:
When the game ends and we go into the next game, I love the fact that we have JV on our side. And he's going to set a tone tomorrow that hopefully leads us to the World Series.

*A win tonight means that the Astros would have three full days of rest before Game 1 of the World Series, Cole would start Game 1 and Verlander would start Game 2 on normal rest. Osuna:
It means a lot, especially because we would get a couple of days off. Gerrit Cole would be able to get ready for Game 1...We're going to work to get this done [tonight].

*Pour one out for CC Sabathia.

*Yankees fans, 84% of whom have a sexually-transmitted disease, taunted Zack Greinke about his mother, and his battles with anxiety and depression. Aaron Boone had to record a video for the Jumbotron asking Yankeefan to not throw their literal crap on the field.

*Luhnow said that allegations the Astros are cheating are "ludicrous."

*Tim Brown: Yankee Stadium in October is no match for these Astros.

*Bench coach Joe Espada apparently had a really good interview for the Cubs gig.

*A Musical Selection:

Thursday Morning Hot Links

Well the Astros game got canceled, as you by now well know. What that does tell us is that yesterday was the "Travel Day" instead of Friday. Tonight's game is at 7:08pm Central, Friday's game is at 6:08pm Central. Let's get right to it:

*A.J. Hinch pretty much immediately said that Zack Greinke would start Game 4, and Justin Verlander in Game 5. The Yankees are probably going to go back to their Games 1 & 2 starters of Masahiro Tanaka and James Paxton. Hinch:
It was our plan if this happened. It's Zack's normal day. He was going to pitch on Thursday no matter what game number it was [and then] JV on regular rest in Game 5. The sooner we can use our best pitchers, the better for us. It was an easy decision. 

This makes sense to me because, and let's just assume every single thing goes the way the Astros want it to (which automatically makes what's about to follow completely invalid): Steal a win from Tanaka on Thursday (up 3-1 in the series), Verlander locks down Game 5 on Friday (Astros win series). The World Series starts on Tuesday, so Cole would be good to go on extra rest, Greinke on normal rest Wednesday, and Verlander would get an extra day before Game 3. That's assuming the absolute best-case scenario.

Let's say it's a mid-case scenario: Tanaka beats Houston again, and the series is tied at 2-2. I would rather have Verlander in Yankee Stadium for Game 5 on regular rest than to throw Urquidy - who literally started the season in Corpus. That's nothing against Urquidy, at all, but Verlander knows what to expect. Save Urquidy for Houston, if needed.

So let's draw it up if the Astros leave New York up 3-2. You could throw Urquidy/Peacock in Game 6 and have Cole for Game 7, in which the next-best-case scenario is that you don't need Cole. Or you do need him and, assuming he wins, he'd be good for Game 3 of the World Series, again behind Greinke and Verlander.

Let's go worst-case scenario, that the Yankees win both Games 4&5 in New York and fly to Houston up 3-2. The Yankees are going to have to throw a bullpen day on Saturday in Game 6, on their 3rd game in a row. If the Astros counter with their own bullpen game, as Todd Kalas notes, it'll come on the heels of a Verlander start, so you can reasonably expect the Astros' bullpen won't be as taxed as the Yankees, with Paxton throwing. Or you can start Gerrit Cole. Then you can start Gerrit Cole on Sunday, when the Yankees bullpen is on its 4th game in four days. Of course the Astros will be in the same position, but Houston's rotation is built to eat innings. There are an awful lot of variables here, but, as Hinch said:
We'll look into whatever Game 6 is going to bring, but there's so much baseball that has to be played we haven't begun discussions on if or when or whether or not that would even be important or relevant at this point.

*FanGraphs has Greinke/Tanaka in their matchups, and the Astros are 50.5-49.5. Astros in 5 or 6 are the highest probabilities. Overall, Dan Szymborski adjusted ZiPS down to 70.5-29.5 Astros for the series. Dan Szymborski:
In the end, who wins the American League championship will come down to what the Astros and Yankees do, not the rain. Which, really, is how it should be.

*MLB.com's Do-Hyoung Park has a wider-angle view of the impact of the rainout.

*The Athletic's Lindsey Adler: Assessing the Yankees bullpen workload, and the ones that got away.

*USA Today's Bob Nightengale: Mother Nature dealt a body blow to the Yankees.

*The forecast tonight for 8pm Eastern in The Bronx calls for no rain, but temps in the mid-50s with strong winds out of the west. That would push the ball to that short right-field porch.

*Whenever the Astros beat a playoff team suddenly it's because they're cheating. A.J. Hinch finds that funny. Hinch:
If they don't want to tip their pitches then they should take consideration into doing the same thing over and over again.

*Cole, Verlander, and something called a "Lucas Giolito" are the AL finalists for the Players' Choice pitcher of the year award.

*Get a full-size print of Josh Reddick's Hudson River School-esque catch in front of the wall

*Stephanie Apstein: The changed postseason baseball and our new reality.

*FanGraphs: Brian McCann's fascinating Hall of Fame case.

*Wall Street Journal: Daryl Morey was the target of a "troll mob" of pro-China disinformation campaign.

*Very cool story on ESPN yesterday morning, which you can now see here, on the Unbreakable Bond between DeAndre Hopkins and his mother.

*Meanwhile, as we wait for the Astros to continue playing in their third straight ALCS, you can read this Rodger Sherman piece in The Ringer about the Astros and tanking and UH football and tanking.

*Scenes from Japan in the aftermath of Typhoon Hagidis.

*A note about today's Musical Selection: There's this dude from Minnesota named Sean Tillman, and he is a genius, and I have been obsessed with his music for about six years. He's one of the Old Dudes in the scene from Pitch Perfect, and his album "Bye Bye 17" is one of my favorite albums of the 2000s, definitely in my Top-15/20 of all time.

Monday Morning Hot Links

Holy Hannah what a game, what a home run, what a momentum swing. Carlos Correa, who had caught All The Slander over the last few months, goes into Game 3 a hero. The Astros win 3-2 in 11 innings, and tie the ALCS at 1-1. Game Three is Tuesday afternoon in West Connecticut.

#WEPLAYLOUD pic.twitter.com/6OqfBkOxq2

— MLB (@MLB) October 14, 2019

*It's the first walk-off home run in the postseason for the Astros since Chris Burke in 2004 NLDS G4. Since 2005 WS G3, Houston is 4-0 in extra-inning playoff games.

*Aaron Boone continued to utilize the Rays' "blueprint" of throwing multiple pitchers, nine of them, to be exact, in an 11-inning game. That vaunted Yankees bullpen? 7.2IP, 3H/2ER, 11K:4BB. Houston's bullpen? 4.2IP, 1H/0ER, 5K:2BB.

The Astros faced nine Yankees pitchers in Game 2, which tied a postseason record. The Astros also faced nine Rays pitchers in the ALDS.

*The Astros took back the lead in the ever-important Projections battle, at least according to one site. FanGraphs has the Astros back to 52-48 of winning the series, with a narrow 51-49 edge in G3. FiveThirtyEight still gives a 52-48 edge to the Yankees, but another 51-49 edge to Gerrit Cole in G3.

*Hinch:
It's hard to say what it's like to go through it. We're in the second round of what could be a seven-round fight. Obviously we know what's at stake. The emotions are real out there. The intensit, our fans were incredible these two games. We're going into a crazy environment at Yankee Stadium tied 1-1.

Bregman:
There was no losing this game. We were winning this game. Everybody in this clubhouse believes in each other, and we're looking forward to going up there. 

*Hinch:
This was an epic game in the playoffs with everything on the line. So obviously this has only just begun. I'm not drawing any conclusions on anything for [Boone] or for me. We're doing the best to try to put our players in the best position possible.

*Here are some facts and figures from ALCS G2.

*Aaron Judge:
It's tough. Yeah, we had a lot of chances that game, you know, we had them on the ropes basically all game and just weren't able to seal the deal. We're confident going back home, you know, splitting the series, splitting the two games here and now we have three of them in the Bronx.

*Verlander has made seven postseason starts against the Yankees: 45.1IP, 31H/12ER, 48K:13BB, 2.38 ERA / 0.97 WHIP. The home run Verlander allowed to Aaron Judge was the hardest homer he had allowed all year.

Verlander's vs Yankees in the postseason as an Astro: 22.2IP, 15H/3ER, 28K:4BB, 1.19 ERA / 0.84 WHIP.

His teams are 6-1 against the Yankees in the postseason.

Verlander needs 13 strikeouts to set the MLB Postseason record (199, John Smoltz).

*Correa:
Not playing a couple of weeks before the playoffs and then not producing for my team offensively, obviously it's tough, getting hurt and everything. But it's all worth it for moments like this, moments like this where you give your team a chance to win every day, it's worth it, man.

*Correa, who went 2x5 with 2RBI, on his walkoff:
Going into that last inning, I thought, 'I got this.' I felt like I got this. And I had the right approach against [Former Astros Great J.A. Happ]. I've been successful against him going the other way. And that's what I tried to do. I saw a good pitch down the middle, and I drove the other way.

Correa:
As soon as I hit it, I knew it was going over the fence. The adrenaline started pumping like crazy. I don't even know what I did. I've got to go watch the video. But I know I was hyped.

Bregman, on Correa:
I mean, he knew he was gonna end it when the pitching change came in. He told us. Then he did it.

Correa is the 7th player in MLB history to have multiple walk-offs in the postseason, though Correa's home run in G2 was his 1st walk-off home run in his MLB career. The last time Correa had a walkoff hit? 2017 ALCS G2 vs. New York.

On the play in the 6th that nailed DJ LeMahieu at the plate, Correa:
When it hit [Altuve], and I saw the ball go my way, I just went after it. And I grabbed it, and when I looked up and I saw he was sending the runner, I thought, 'Oh, I got this guy.' So I threw him out. I don't know why he sent him, but thank you.

*Jenny Dial Creech: Correa's swing is back. Hinch:
We've got these guys' back when they don't play well. When they do play well, we celebrate. Carlos being right in the middle of it having had the roller-coaster year, health-wise, is big for him moving forward.

*Houston was 1x10 w/RISP in Game 2. Bregman and Gurriel were each 0x2, Yordan was 0x3. In seven postseason games the Astros are 10x45 w/RISP, but they're 4-3 in October.

*George Springer hit his 12th career postseason home run. Ten of them have come from the leadoff spot, most in MLB history.

*Giancarlo Stanton was not in the lineup last night after suffering a quad strain in G1. He's day-to-day.

*There is currently a 100% chance of rain in New York on Wednesday. A rainout of Game 4 to move it to Thursday would allow the Astros to throw Greinke on normal rest, instead of Urquidy/Bullpen.

*The support person in the dugout who got hit with a Michael Brantley line drive is in the hospital in stable condition.

*Matt Young has a cool story with Jose Lima, Jr. and where the Astros fit in to his life.

*Evan Drellich, in The Athletic: MLB has lost the trust of the public over the baseballs.

*A Musical Selection: