Sunday Morning Hot Links

Not even losing to the Orioles could ruin Annual Astros County Date Night. Go see Will Hoge in concert whenever you can. Houston is 44-22, 23-9 at home. Don't forget that even the 2013 Astros beat teams 51 times.

I didn't watch a minute of this game, but once again the Astros struggled to get anything going against a team with legitimately the worst pitching staff in all of baseball. It's a game that, if you're an Orioles fan, gives you Hope and makes you think that Baseball is actually worth it, at least for another week. Orioles manager Brandon Hyde:
Our guys have a ton of heart. We've been playing tough games and having tough losses. To play in a game like that and pull away was awesome.

Hinch:
We couldn't get anything started. We couldn't get the ball off the ground against Cashner and then we just never got the break. Yuli misses the homer by a foot and then we get doubled off.

Here's how I imagine the rest of that interview with Hinch going...

HINCH: That's a [giggles] good team over there. Sometimes you have to tip your cap to the other team [punches hole in wall].

*Framber Valdez pitched well: 7IP, 5H/0ER, 7K:0BB and in only 84 pitches. Good for him for giving the bullpen a rest. Valdez:
This opportunity was a privilege, and to be able to take advantage of this opportunity when it presented itself, I'm very happy about that and I want to keep doing what I'm doing.

*Reymin Guduan did not pitch well: 1IP, 1H/2ER, 2K:1BB. He has a 14.54 ERA, but it's not like it's fluky, because his FIP is 12.61. Guduan has faced 24 batters in 2019, 11 of them have reached base and have a 1.353 OPS. Don't put Reymin Guduan in any more close games.

*The "offense" had four hits - all singles. It's the fourth time this season that the Astros have not gotten an extra-base hit. They're 0-4 and have scored a total of two runs in those games. It's only the second time this season Baltimore has thrown a game in which they didn't give up an extra-base hit.

*Shoutout to Josh Reddick, one of those singles was his 1000th career hit. Here's where the rest of the Astros stand on the career hits leaderboard:

Altuve: 1454
Brantley: 1273
Springer: 699
Correa: 551
Bregman: 445
Gurriel: 408
Marisnick: 348
White: 157

This is a reminder for everyone out there who is told that they will never make it or accomplish their goals. Don’t let ANYONE tell you you’re not good enough or that you can’t do it. I’m a living example the you… https://t.co/OYJ4ObrSsn

— Mr. Irrelevant (@RealJoshReddick) June 9, 2019

*Word around the campfire is that the Astros are calling up Yordan Alvarez. The Astros don't do knee-jerk reactions, so I doubt that a listless performance against Andrew F. Cashner was the catalyst behind the call-up, but how flat the offense has been in the last few games probably played at least a small role. The move has not been confirmed, though the Astros would have to clear a spot on the 40-Man Roster. The easiest two ways to do that:

-DFA somebody.
-Transfer McCullers to the 60-Day IL.

*Jose Altuve "ran the bases vigorously" prior to yesterday's game.

*Drew Ferguson became the 2nd Round Rock player ever to get six hits in a game, in a 19-5 win over Salt Lake City. Matt Harvey sucks.

*A Musical Selection:

Sunday Morning Hot Links

*Hold the phone: the Astros won a 1-run game...on the road...against the Rangers? Unreal. Tense as it was, the Astros held on to a 6-5 win to improve to 40-16. Matt Young tells us that eight other teams in the last 50 years have won 40 of their first 56 games, and seven of them went to the World Series.

*The 2016 Chicago Cubs' record after 56 games: 40-16. Prior to that, the 2001 Mariners (who went 116-46) were actually 44-12 after 56 games and wouldn't lose their 16th game until June 18 to put their record at 52-16.

*The Astros' 40-16 record is the best in baseball, five games better than the 2nd-place Nationals, 6.5 games better than the Yankees, who have the 2nd-best record in the AL.

*Just some perspective, there are 106 games left. If the Astros go 53-53, they'll finish the season 93-69. 60-46 (a .566 win%) would give them a 100-win season.

*A.J. Hinch:
None of these are easy. It may look easy when we score double-digit runs, but we're going to have to win games like this. 

*The Astros are 14 games up on the Rangers, with 13 games left to play against the Witches of West Forney.

*The Astros have 111 hits in their nine-game win streak.

*Rougned Odor didn't want to talk about the game. Andrew Cashner:
That's a tough team, a tough lineup. But we have a great lineup over here, too. It just comes down o making pitches for us. I think the biggest thing for us right now is we need that big hit with runners in scoring position.

Rangers' LOBsters by inning, thanks to the bullpen:
5th: 2
6th: 1
7th: 2
8th: 0
9th: 1

*Lance McCullers allowed four earned runs in all of May combined (36.1IP). He got hit around a little bit last night with 4.1IP, 6H/4R (3ER), with 8K:2BB. McCullers didn't make it out of the 5th for just the second time in his 12 starts. Hinch, on McCullers:
His command was fading. He got into the game a little rough with his command, then he settled in nicely, and as he got a little tired and a little bit deeper into the fifth inning, it was time for him to go.

*Altuve and Beltran were each 3x5 with a home run; Beltran's opened the scoring, and Altuve's closed it out as the eventual go-ahead homer. Altuve has had 110 3-hit games since his debut in 2011.

*Luke Gregerson balked - for the first time in his career - sending Elvis Andrus to 2nd. Will Harris came in after Gregerson walked Adrian Beltre and got two strikeouts to end the 7th. Gregerson's night: three batters faced: single, strikeout (balk), walk.

*Ken Giles has allowed a run in back-to-back appearances for the first time since allowing runs in three straight appearances from April 6-15.

*George Springer is not your stereotypical leadoff hitter.

*The Fort Worth Star-Telegram's Mac Engel says Nolan Ryan's move back to Houston hurt the Rangers more than it helped the Astros. And then he throws this smoke bomb:
Not even a team from Houston, where choking is a celebrated way of life because of the humidity and sports teams, could blow a division lead this big. The Astros are not going to maintain a plus-.700 winning percentage, but the AL West now goes through Houston.

By all means, get riled up. I'll always encourage getting rowdy against a DFW writer, but click the link and you'll get some measured analysis about the direction the Rangers are trending.

*Ah, the old "You have a problem" headline, but flipped on the Rangers.

*Brian T. Smith says that this team begins and ends with Dallas Keuchel.

*Lance McCullers: "For me, it's look good, feel good, play good."

*FanRag Sports: Should the Astros regret signing Yulieski Gurriel?

Read more here: http://www.star-telegram.com/sports/spt-columns-blogs/mac-engel/article154251319.html#storylink=cpy

Read more here: http://www.star-telegram.com/sports/spt-columns-blogs/mac-engel/article154251319.html#storylink=cpy

*A.J. Hinch said that Derek Fisher is probably ready to come to Houston, but he won't be called up to sit the bench:
He's got many tools that can be weapons up here. He's still in the development stage and he's made quite an impression. 

*In an article about Hooks starter Kyle Smith, who threw five perfect innings last night, manager Rodney Linares talked about how the progress made in the analytics department has impacted his managing.

*Bob Grossman's slash line since debuting for the Twins in May 2016: .280/.394/.449.

*Former Astro Luis Gonzales helped a woman out of a burning car after a wreck.

*Adult baby Brandon Phillips thinks the Reds should have retired his number by now.

*Before you go:

I wonder if Houston Astro's starting pitcher & 3x Gold Glove Award winner Dallas Keuchel knows that he is a fake beard model in New Zealand? pic.twitter.com/0z1YtkSpw5

— Paul Williams (@PaulWilliams_12) June 3, 2017

Tuesday Morning Hot Links

*The Astros beat West Shreveport 6-2 last night behind a 5-run 7th inning, the rally occurring one inning after Lance McCullers threw behind Mike Napoli, which hurt the collective butts of the Rangers team and the angst-ridden corner of Rangers Twitter.

Napoli:
Obviously, I didn't like it. I understand how things work. All he had to do was put one in my hip and I go to first base. But nobody likes 95 behind the back. It caught me off guard.

Cashner:
They threw at Napoli on purpose. I hit two guys on the elbow and they threw behind Napoli's head.

(Ed. note: It wasn't behind his head).

Hacksaw Jeff Banister:
I think anytime somebody throws behind a hitter's head (Ed. note: It wasn't behind his head) it's going to create some tension. They had two guys diving and get hit on pads and he gave up a home run to Napoli and then throw behind his head (Ed. note: It wasn't behind his head). Yeah, I think that deserves a little anxiety and anger. 

So let me see if I have this right: Andrew Cashner had hit Altuve and Gurriel earlier in the game. Neither plunking looked like it was done with intent, though Altuve took it more squarely than Gurriel. Napoli had also hit a home run earlier in the game. So McCullers threw behind Napoli with two outs in the 6th. Napoli is upset. Why? Not because McCullers hit him - Napoli said "all he had to do was put one in my hip and I go to first base." This says to me - a person with reasonably good reading comprehension skills - that if McCullers had actually hit Napoli, nothing would have happened. But since, again (and try to stay with me), McCullers actively did not hit Napoli and missed him entirely with a pitch, it's throw-down time. This makes no sense.

McCullers sent a message. How many times did we rail on Hinch and the team last year for getting hit multiple times in a game and doing nothing about it? McCullers didn't hit Napoli, he ended up striking him out to end the inning, but a message - one where nobody was hit with a ball - was sent.

But still, let's check in on paid Rangers employee Jamey Newberg:

Astros continue to be adorable.

Clowns.

— Jamey Newberg (@NewbergReport) May 2, 2017

They're a very good baseball team, and they're pathetic. Doesn't appear that changes, even with all the veteran infusion.

— Jamey Newberg (@NewbergReport) May 2, 2017

*Jeff Banister, on whether he thought McCullers' pitch to Napoli was intentional:

Ask him. Tell him to grab a bat. 

*Jeff Banister lamented the Rangers' leadoff walks and the hit batters.

*Evan Grant thinks (hopes?) the "brawl" could be "soul-cleansing."

*Alex Bregman apologized for his #BTSOOTR tweet, further proving the WUSSIFICATION OF SPROTS.

*Gurriel sure did have a pretty slide in the 7th to avoid the tag.

*The Astros are skipping Frankie Tuesday's next start due to "mild abdominal soreness."

*Jeff Blogwell wrote about when Billy Wagner gave up an inside-the-park grand slam.

*Boston fans gonna Boston. (Note: this is completely unacceptable).

Friday Morning Hot Links

*The Rangers beat the Royals, the Angels beat the Red Sox.

*Houston is 3.0 GB of East Fort Worth and 0.5 GB of WC2.

*With Doug Fister on the paternity list, Tyler White is set to rejoin Houston in Detroit. In 34 games for Fresno, Tyler White is hitting .288/.352/.583.

*Jon Heyman says the Rangers "are determined" to get Chris Sale. He also says that the Astros called the Padres about SP Andrew Cashner, and then called back two days later to say that Cashner wasn't enough of an upgrade over Mike Fiers (/holds sides from laughing).

*Jerry Crasnick says the Astros are not in on Jonathan Lucroy.

*McTaggart says to keep an eye on the Astros' interest in Brewers' LHP Will Smith.

*I'm telling you to keep an eye on the possibility of Boone Logan.

*Read this SI For Kids profile on 2016 1st Round pick Forrest Whitley. In two appearances in the GCL this season, Whitley has thrown 3IP, 1H/1ER, 4K:1BB.

*David Paulino threw a rehab start for the GCL Astros yesterday, his first outing since June 18 when he got (a) suspended for violating team rules and (b) sidelined due to arm soreness.

*Fresno's James Hoyt's last ten games: 10.2IP, 8H/1ER, 15K:2BB, 9 saves. Hoyt has 83 strikeouts in 49IP (1.65 ERA/0.88 WHIP) this season and should at least be a September addition to the active roster.

*2010 9th Round pick Tommy Shirley was released this week, and has signed with the Tigers. In 319.2 career IP, Shirley had a 2.70 ERA/1.15 WHIP with 319 strikeouts.

*Do you want Wade Davis? Well, you have to take Ian Kennedy, too.

*Jose Bautista's epic bat flip from the 2015 playoffs against the Ramgers will be a goal celebration in NHL 17.

*Bryce Harper's slump might not have an easy fix.

*Before you go, Giants Nuts

The #SJGiants take the victory over Modesto in tonight's game! pic.twitter.com/jAP7rmdUFb

— San Jose Giants (@SJGiants) July 29, 2016

Wednesday Trade Deadline rumors

It is July 29, so let's spend the whole day obsessing about grown men and where they're going.

10:18pm: Not Fausto will be DFA'd as Lowrie will rejoin the club tomorrow

9:41pm: The Astros put together a "strong package" for Hamels but he refused a trade so screw him.

9:41pm: Final deal because Ruben Amaro doesn't know what he's doing - and Cole Hamels is an asshole - Matt Harrison, Alec Asher, Jerad Eickhoff, Nick Williams, Jorge Alfaro, Jake Thomspon for Hamels, Jake Diekman, and money.

9:31pm: Hamels, an asshole, and Jake Diekman, goes to Texas for four prospects - but not their two biggest bats. Which tells me Hamels wouldn't waive his no-trade clause to go to Houston.

8:59pm: CSN Philly's Jim Salisbury says Hamels-to-Arlington deal is being finalized

8:22pm: EVERYTHING IS INSANE

8:01pm: Mets got Carlos Gomez

7:40pm: And Ross just took a liner off the leg

7:26pm: The Astros sound like they're more interested in Tyson Ross than Andrew Cashner

*The Astros and Padres "are gaining steam" in a deal over pitching, according to Evan Drellich, with Cashner, Ross, and Kimbrel all in play.

-Break to play with daughter-

3:31pm: Bob Nightengale says the Astros "hate" to give up prized prospects for a rental, but understand that Price could get them to the World Series.

3:16pm: Still no Lowrie in the lineup

2:52pm: Bob Nightengale handicaps Dodgers, Yankees, Blue Jays as favorites for Price, Astros as long-shot.

2:50pm: Reminder of Hamels' approved trade list: Yankees, Rangers, Dodgers, Mets, Nationals, Braves, Cardinals, Cubs, Padres. Two AL teams, seven NL teams, three NL East teams.

2:46pm: The Tigers are now listening on all rental players, which includes Price, Cespedes, Avila, Soria, and Rajai Davis. Good work Phillies, you screwed yourselves over by holding on to Hamels too long. Again.

2:42pm: The Astros "should" be in on both Price and Cespedes (with pretty much every other team)

2:37pm: The Tigers are now willing to move David Price and Yoenis Cespedes

2:35pm: There is apparently a third team involved in that Dodgers/Marlins trade

1:56pm: If Hamels gets traded, Jayson Stark says, it won't be until tomorrow or Friday. Remember his next scheduled start was moved from Thursday to Friday.

1:49pm: Whoever the Rockies GM is says that it's "ridiculous" that they will trade Carlos Gonzalez

1:21pm: Jon Heyman says the Astros have "checked in" on Justin Upton

1:19pm: Olney expects the next 48 hours to be a "flurry" of trades with the Padres, because AJ Preller is a dummy and wants a mulligan on last offseason.

1:06pm: Evan Drellich says the Astros are still "in" the Hamels race, but the org thinks he'll go somewhere else.

All eyes on Cole Hamels as trade deadline approaches. pic.twitter.com/XyGaW7DkFN

— Ted Berg (@OGTedBerg) July 29, 2015

11:44am: CSN Philly's Jim Salisbury "strongly believes" that Hamels' next start will be in Arlington. For the Rangers, in case that wasn't clear.

11:06am: The Yankees, Dodgers, and Blue Jays are ready to have an "all-out bidding war of prospects" for the Tigers' David Price.

10:51am: Your annual reminder that the Marlins are a complete joke.

10:40am: And the Dodgers still want Price or Hamels.

10:35am: The Dodgers - one of the two most-mentioned destinations for Cole Hamels - have traded for Mat Latos, Michael Morse, and a pick.

10:31am: Crasnick tweets the Astros are still looking for a starter and outfield depth. They like Tyson Ross and Samardzija, but Samardzija might be staying put. (We linked to a report yesterday that the White Sox aren't sure if they're sellers).

10:22am: Jerry Crasnick tweets that he doesn't think it was ever likely for Hamels to come to Houston, refusing to waive his no-trade clause.

9:43am: Gammons clarifies that the org feels like Hamels "won't" go to Houston.

8:59am: This tweet makes more sense if there is supposed to be a "won't" in between "Hamels" and "go"

Astros owner Jim Crane has given the all-in for a big trade, but the feeling in the organization is that Cole Hamels go to Houston

— Peter Gammons (@pgammo) July 29, 2015

Wednesday Morning Hot Links

AL West Recap: The Astros won, and of course so did the Angels (because they never lose), as did the Rangers and Mariners. Oakland lost. This means FanGraphs gives the Astros a 28.0% chance of winning the division and a 65.6% chance of making the postseason.

*So the Astros beat the Red Sox, 8-3, giving Vince Velasquez his first major-league win in seven attempts. Hinch:

He's done his job a couple different times and not gotten anything to show for it, so it was nice to reward him with a win.

*But the big news of the night is that the Astros are apparently "serious" about trading for Cole Hamels.  Evan Drellich's "baseball source" said the Phillies are taking the Astros' advances seriously (try this link if that one asks for a subscription), putting Houston in the top three or four teams in the running. The Astros have also had at least preliminary conversations with the Padres about Andrew Cashner and Tyson Ross. Luhnow:

With the 25 men on the roster and the guys in the minor-leagues that have been up and down, can this team make it to the playoffs?...The chances are reasonably good that can happen. Could we help the team by adding a piece or two? I think there's a chance that could happen as well. It's all going to come down to what the cost is of acquiring those pieces. And when I say cost, I'm not so much talking about dollars and cents - I'm talking about the talent we're going to have to give up on the farm...There'll be a lot of second-guessing no matter what we do.

You got that right, brother.

There is no indication of any contact between the Phillies and Hamels about the Astros, who would need Hamels to agree to a trade to Houston, Drellich says. 

*Yes, Jeff Luhnow knows that David Price's dog is named "Astro."

One thing to note, as well, is that the Astros designated Joe Thatcher for assignment yesterday for Vince Velasquez, which they didn't necessarily have to do (from a purely roster construction standpoint), they could have just optioned a player on the 25-Man roster to the minors. By DFA'ing Thatcher, they cleared room on both the 25-Man and the 40-Man roster. The 40-Man stands at 38, with Peacock and Lowrie on the 60-Day DL. 

*Speaking of Lowrie, he's set to make some rehab appearances in Corpus, possibly up to a week, during which he'll play 3B, SS, and possibly 1B. I bet you can guess why. 

*George Springer won the Astros' Heart and Hustle award.

*Randy Johnson said playing in Houston, performance-wise, was the best two months of his career. If you have half an hour to kill and you'd like to revisit how the Astros got Randy Johnson, you might be interested in this. 

*On August 6, the Fresno Grizzlies will be known - for a game - as the Fresno Tacos. 

Sunday Morning Hot Links

Oh Jeez. It's happening, the collapse is happening. In the two weeks since July 4, the Astros' odds of winning the division have fallen from 62.3% to 29.4% and their postseason odds have taken a nosedive from 80.5% to 55.4% (all via FanGraphs). We're all going to suffer and die. OR you could look at it like it's now a 70-ish game season and the Astros are 1.5 games back behind a streaking team that is 15-5 in their last 20 games. On to them Hot Links...

*Scroll down a post and you can read the Masked Marvel's very good recap of last night's dumb 7-6 loss. A.J. Hinch said:
We had a chance to win the series tonight and we didn't do it...We didn't use our outs well enough early in the game and we ran out of outs. If you wonder if games in July matter, tonight is proof positive. 

Rangers manager Hacksaw Jeff Banister, likely holding an American flag and a 2x4:
Our guys are not going to be pushed around

Feldman, on Rougned Odor:
I don't really know that Odor guy much, but he's got some good veterans he can learn the game from over there...He doesn't need to act like that.

Conger:
Whatever was exchanged between me and (Odor) is between me and him, but at the same time I wasn't too pleased about him taking his time getting into the box.

*What with Carter's ankle injury (which doesn't seem to merit a DL stint), Luis Valbuena and Hank Conger took grounders at 1B before last night's game.

*The Astros and Padres have held preliminary talks regarding a trade for starting pitching, presumably for Andrew Cashner and/or Tyson Ross, according to sources of the San Diego Union-Tribune, but "there are no indications of anything imminent."

Cashner, a Conroe native, won't be a free agent until 2017. Ross won't be a free agent until 2018.

*Buster Olney tweeted that the Phillies are engaged with multiple teams on trading Hamels, and are pushing to get a Papelbon deal finished.

*Dayn Perry wrote about Carlos Correa's power.
Is Correa already the American League's top shortstop? After six weeks or so of Correa, yes, that question can be asked plausibly. Of a 20-year old.

*A.J. Reed hit his first Double-A homer last night.

*Here's a fantastic article on Astros 40th Round pick Steve Naemark.

*What the Heck Bobby, has a cool look at former Astros players in Independent Ball

*A week ahead of Craig Biggio's Induction to the Baseball Hall of Fame, we wrote about why Nolan Ryan is wearing a Rangers cap on his plaque.