The Astros beat the Fightin' Ausmuses 5-4. Anaheim was 1x12 w/RISP, so it's nice to see them Astros that game up. Houston is 83-47 with a 7.5-game lead. There are 32 regular season games left. Nine of their remaining 32 games are against teams over .500.
*The Astros have won five of their last six games. They're 14-7 in August. Remember that six of those losses came in an eight-day stretch.
*Zack Greinke stayed perfect as an Astro, though he worked in and out of trouble. Greinke's line: 6.2IP, 10H/3R (2ER), 1K:0BB. It's the first time since May 25, 2017 that a pitcher has thrown at least 6IP, allowed 10+ hits, and had 0-1 strikeouts, and still got the Win. It's the 8th time in franchise history that's happened, and the first since Mike Hampton did it on July 28, 1999.
Hinch:
He can just really pitch. I know nowadays we're fixated on power and stuff and the strikeouts and wipeout this and spin that, and that's all fine and good. But when you see the artistic side of Zack Greinke and how he pitches, how he moves the ball around the strike zone, how he challenges one of the best hitters in baseball in Mike Trout and beats him, there's just an art that he has the It Factor.
Greinke is the 3rd Astros pitcher to win his first four regular season starts, joining Roger Clemens and Justin Verlander.
*The bullpen of Harris-Rondon-Osuna threw 2.1IP, with only a solo home run from Rondon allowed. Rondon has pitched in 50 games this season, and has had a clean outing in 16 of them. Harris struck out Shohei Ohtani to end the 7th with runners on. Hinch:
Zack did a great job and then handed the ball to Will in one of the biggest outs of the game. Rondon comes in, and luckily for us, we tacked on a run...I don't care how we get our 27 outs, and it might go in a different order.
"Luckily for us we tacked on a run" is Rondon's new Player's Weekend Nickname. Kole Calhoun is hitting .239/.330/.484 in 2019. He's hitting .361/.452/.611 against Houston in 2019.
*Yuli Gurriel hit a 2-run home run off The Coward Noe Ramirez (he's the one who plunked Marisnick that set the Astros on fire in July). It was his 26th home run of the season. Gurriel hit 31 home runs in 2017 and 2018 combined.
*Roberto Osuna hasn't allowed a run in six straight appearances. Gerrit Cole gave him some tips on his four-seam fastball that paid dividends.
*Abraham Toro was 2x4 for his first major-league hits - both singles.
*Chandler Rome has a new mailbag in which he addresses how much playing time Kyle Tucker gets in September, the Cy Young race, and Aaron Sanchez's tiddy.
*Richard Justice noticed how Altuve and Gurriel have been two of the hottest hitters in the 2nd half.
*Aledmys Diaz should begin a rehab stint in Round Rock this weekend ahead of his potential activation on Tuesday.
*Josh James threw his first rehab outing for Round Rock on Thursday night. Now, Round Rock verifiably got the crap kicked out of them by Memphis, 14-2. But Josh Big Flames James threw 0.1IP, 2H/3ER, 1K:1BB with two wild pitches. But his fastball sat 95-99mph.
*Bob Nightengale says Gerrit Cole will get $200m+ this offseason.
*The Dodgers, Astros, and Yankees (in that order) have three of the five best home records since 1995, which is why the Astros need to catch the Yankees for home-field advantage. FanGraphs' projections for best overall record:
Dodgers: 104-58
Astros: 103-59
Yankees: 102-60
FanGraphs says the Astros will go 20-12 over the course of the rest of the season, and the Yankees will go 18-14. The rest of the Yankees' regular season: @ Los Angeles Dodgers, @ Seattle, v Oakland, v Texas, @ Boston, @ Detroit, @ Toronto, v Anaheim, v Toronto, @ Tampa, @ Arlington.
*2020 Rotation Candidate Cristian Javier got promoted from Corpus to Round Rock. It's deserved.
Javier, 2019:
Fayetteville: 28.2IP, 15H/3ER, 40K:16BB, 0.94 ERA / 1.08 WHIP.
Corpus: 74IP, 31H/17ER, 114K:39BB, 2.19 ERA / 0.95 WHIP.
He'll be 23 next March.
*Oh, I found out why Reymin Guduan got suspended.
*In his first trip back to Houston as an Angel, Max Stassi recounted the weirdness of his July 31.
*Been a rough 36 hours for the Astros, PR-wise. The Athletic's Britt Ghiroli writes about how the Astros could have handled the Verlander v. Fenech issue differently.
*Our buddy Brady Rodgers got unconditionally released, and will be a free agent.
*The Phillies were up 7-0 on Miami. And lost 19-11.
*SI: Who is the most hopeless team in baseball?
*I have a history blog, where I can dork out doing deep dives on American history stuff that I find interesting. Earlier this week I wrote about Isabella Stewart Gardner and the most famous art heist in history, if that's your kind of thing. If you're looking for a new podcast, might I suggest "Last Seen," a collaboration between WBUR and the Boston Globe, about the robbery.
*CityLab: Why the Amazon is on fire.
*The Guardian: The Machine Always Wins: What Drives Our Addiction to Social Media.
*A Dead Cat, A Lawyer, and a Five-Figure Donation: How the media fell short on Jeffrey Epstein.
*A Musical Selection:
We didn't come out here to play tiddlywinks, son.
-Hal Smith
Showing posts with label Brady Rodgers. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Brady Rodgers. Show all posts
Saturday, August 24, 2019
Friday, August 23, 2019
Friday Morning Hot Links
Holy Hannah. What a day yesterday was. The Astros beat the Tigers 6-3 but there was so much going on that it felt a little bit like an after-thought. Houston is 82-47. There are 33 regular season games left.
Let's get some game stuff out of the way. The Astros have won four of their last five games. They're one game back of the Yankees for the best record in the American League.
*Houston is 46-16 at home. The 2013 Astros won 24 home games all season. The 2018 Astros went 46-35 at home.
*Best home record, franchise history:
1998: 55-26
1980: 55-26
2015: 53-28
2005: 53-28
1986: 52-29
1979: 52-29
1969: 52-29
1999: 50-32 (they played 82 home games, and 80 road games in 1999. I'm looking into it.)
1978: 50-31
2019: 46-16
Remaining home series in 2019 are against the Angels (6), Rays (3), Mariners (4), A's (4), and Rangers (2). The Astros are a combined 30-13 against these teams and would need to go 10-9 to break the franchise home single-season record.
*Gerrit Cole's hamstring is apparently okay, as he threw 7IP, 2H/0ER, 12K:1BB. His outing put him in 1st Place in the ERA Title, at this point. Verlander is 2nd, CFM is 3rd, and Wade Miley is 5th.
It's the 10th time Cole has struck out at least 12 batters while allowing no more than one walk. Nine of those have come with the Astros. It's worth noting again, because it's absolutely remarkable:
Cole, 10+ strikeout starts, by year:
2013: 1
2014: 2
2015: 1
2016: 0
2017: 2
2018: 8
2019: 14
So, six double-digit strikeouts in 127 starts for Pittsburgh (4.7%). 22 double-digit strikeouts in 58 starts for Houston (37.9%). Hinch, on Cole:
He was letting it go and pitching very effectively. I was very impressed with how he approached the game from the very beginning. He was going to set a great tone for us after a tough loss. Comes out and punches out a bunch of guys and commands the game.
The 14 double-digit strikeout starts tie J.R. Richard's 1978 and 1979 franchise record.
Cole's 13.09 K/9 rate is 4th in MLB history for a starter, behind:
1. Chris Sale, 2019 (13.32, and he's done for the regular season, so...)
2. Pedro Martinez, 1999 (13.22)
3. Randy Johnson, 2001 (13.20)
4. Gerrit Cole, 2019 (13.09)
*Michael Brantley has a 15-game hitting streak dating back to August 3, with ten of those being multi-hit games. He's hitting .476/.522/.762 in that span. Brantley is leading the AL with a .338 average, and Sarah Langs takes a look at how he's doing it.
*Bregman's 31st home run of the season ties a career-high.
*The Biggest News of the Day was from Baseball Writers who were Outraged over Justin Verlander's actions after last night's CG 2H loss. So let's try to recreate this:
The Astros blocked the Detroit Free-Press' Anthony Fenech from entering the Astros' clubhouse to ask Justin Verlander questions. Verlander was "adamant" about this. That was wrong. They should not have done that. It's a violation of the CBA, and the CBA is what keeps the gears of baseball moving. Don't like it? Negotiate a new one. The link outlines all the ways the Astros and Verlander decided to avoid the issue/violate the CBA.
Now, Anthony Fenech has been around for a while. He has reported on the Tigers for a good while, and doubtless has had a number of interactions with Verlander. There's no way of knowing what happened between those two in the past that would create the animosity that would lead Verlander to ask Astros' staff to not let One Guy in. Fenech released a statement (because that's apparently what happens now):
I'm extremely disappointed with the Astros' inexplicable decision to limit my [BBWAA]-credentialed clubhouse access on Wednesday night. In my time as the Tigers beat writer for the Free Press, my foremost goal has been fair and ethical coverage. I am confident that goal has been clearly and consistently achieved in my body of work and with the personal and professional way I build relationships across baseball. As I do with every player in the clubhouse each season and dozens whom I have covered over the past five years, I wish Justin Verlander good luck and good health for the remainder of the season.
This is the statement of someone who has had a lot of time to craft a response. It's well-written, but Anthony Fenech is a good writer. I have had no issue with any of his reporting across which I have come. The Free-Press editor said they'll protest. And of course the Baseball Media rallied around Fenech.
But we don't know why Verlander freakin hates Fenech. Our Dude McTaggart has been around for a while and has not embarrassed himself or his employer. Alyson Footer, Richard Justice, Chandler Rome, hell, Hunter Atkins. It had to have been egregious enough for Verlander to act this way.
Verlander tweeted:
I declined to speak with the [Free-Press reporter] last night because of his unethical behavior in the past. I reached out to the [Free-Press] multiplie times before the game to notify them why and to give them an opportunity to have someone else there. Ironically they didn't answer.
Predictably, Verlander - and the Astros - got savaged by The Media, one of which Fenech is obviously one. Gene Dias, the Astros' VP of communication, decided to side with Verlander, and why wouldn't he (this is not a position I'm endorsing). Verlander is The Man in this team, and if The Man decides to bust up the CBA, then what team executive is going to stand in the way?
But still, the Collective Bargaining Agreement trumps all of this. If Verlander had just stood before Fenech and maintained awkward eye contact while not saying a word, that would have beenballer acceptable, I guess. Ultimately, Verlander won this round, because the organization rallied around their guy at the expense of the CBA. Not sure if/how this is a long-term win.
I bet it gave Gerrit Cole the Cy Young Award. I don't approve of the way the Astros handled this situation. And in response, the BBWAA will collective blast Springsteen's "Born To Run" as they remove Verlander from their consideration.
*MEANWHILE: Ryan Pressly is going to have arthroscopic knee surgery today. Hinch:
You lose an All-Star reliever, it's a tough blow for the bullpen and for our team. Quite honestly, I'm glad we have answers. We've been battling something similar for a few weeks - sometimes getting the good version of Pressly and sometimes getting the sore version of Pressly. It got to the point we were seeking answers.
Pressly will be out 4-6 weeks. Four weeks would bring him back on September 20. Six weeks would be October 4. The regular season ends on September 29, so there is the possibility that Pressly is not on the ALDS roster. Luhnow:
Worst-case scenario, he's not available for the division series. But I think he will be. And I think we need him because whoever we face is going to be a strong opponent. And, late in games, Pressly knows how to get those guys out.
Luhnow deferred comment on what the "small issue" is in Pressly's knee to Pressly himself, who was not made available to reporters.
*Chandler Rome went on 790 and said that Correa will be out until early September. No surprise there. There is no structural damage to Correa's back. I'm glad he didn't structurally damage his back swinging in the 1st inning. Correa told reporters that it's not as bad as it was last year. He plans to play rehab games during the first week of September.
*Abraham Toro made his major-league debut and Hinch says he'll primarily play 3B. Bregman played SS last night. And that's probably how we'll see the lineup shake out. Jake Kaplan wrote that Toro, with the help of hitting coach Troy Snitker, made a mechanical adjustment last fall which led to his breakout season. Toro went 0x4 last night, but absolutely smashed a ball that went foul. To make room for Toro on the 40-Man Roster, Brady Rodgers was DFA'd.
*FanGraphs: The best bullpens in baseball.
*SI's Stephanie Apstein: MLB's punishment under the domestic violence policy needs to change. (Inject boner sauce into your veins? No playoffs! Violent towards your spouse/significant other? Playoffs!)
*A Musical Selection:
Let's get some game stuff out of the way. The Astros have won four of their last five games. They're one game back of the Yankees for the best record in the American League.
*Houston is 46-16 at home. The 2013 Astros won 24 home games all season. The 2018 Astros went 46-35 at home.
*Best home record, franchise history:
1998: 55-26
1980: 55-26
2015: 53-28
2005: 53-28
1986: 52-29
1979: 52-29
1969: 52-29
1999: 50-32 (they played 82 home games, and 80 road games in 1999. I'm looking into it.)
1978: 50-31
2019: 46-16
Remaining home series in 2019 are against the Angels (6), Rays (3), Mariners (4), A's (4), and Rangers (2). The Astros are a combined 30-13 against these teams and would need to go 10-9 to break the franchise home single-season record.
*Gerrit Cole's hamstring is apparently okay, as he threw 7IP, 2H/0ER, 12K:1BB. His outing put him in 1st Place in the ERA Title, at this point. Verlander is 2nd, CFM is 3rd, and Wade Miley is 5th.
It's the 10th time Cole has struck out at least 12 batters while allowing no more than one walk. Nine of those have come with the Astros. It's worth noting again, because it's absolutely remarkable:
Cole, 10+ strikeout starts, by year:
2013: 1
2014: 2
2015: 1
2016: 0
2017: 2
2018: 8
2019: 14
So, six double-digit strikeouts in 127 starts for Pittsburgh (4.7%). 22 double-digit strikeouts in 58 starts for Houston (37.9%). Hinch, on Cole:
He was letting it go and pitching very effectively. I was very impressed with how he approached the game from the very beginning. He was going to set a great tone for us after a tough loss. Comes out and punches out a bunch of guys and commands the game.
The 14 double-digit strikeout starts tie J.R. Richard's 1978 and 1979 franchise record.
Cole's 13.09 K/9 rate is 4th in MLB history for a starter, behind:
1. Chris Sale, 2019 (13.32, and he's done for the regular season, so...)
2. Pedro Martinez, 1999 (13.22)
3. Randy Johnson, 2001 (13.20)
4. Gerrit Cole, 2019 (13.09)
*Michael Brantley has a 15-game hitting streak dating back to August 3, with ten of those being multi-hit games. He's hitting .476/.522/.762 in that span. Brantley is leading the AL with a .338 average, and Sarah Langs takes a look at how he's doing it.
*Bregman's 31st home run of the season ties a career-high.
*The Biggest News of the Day was from Baseball Writers who were Outraged over Justin Verlander's actions after last night's CG 2H loss. So let's try to recreate this:
The Astros blocked the Detroit Free-Press' Anthony Fenech from entering the Astros' clubhouse to ask Justin Verlander questions. Verlander was "adamant" about this. That was wrong. They should not have done that. It's a violation of the CBA, and the CBA is what keeps the gears of baseball moving. Don't like it? Negotiate a new one. The link outlines all the ways the Astros and Verlander decided to avoid the issue/violate the CBA.
Now, Anthony Fenech has been around for a while. He has reported on the Tigers for a good while, and doubtless has had a number of interactions with Verlander. There's no way of knowing what happened between those two in the past that would create the animosity that would lead Verlander to ask Astros' staff to not let One Guy in. Fenech released a statement (because that's apparently what happens now):
I'm extremely disappointed with the Astros' inexplicable decision to limit my [BBWAA]-credentialed clubhouse access on Wednesday night. In my time as the Tigers beat writer for the Free Press, my foremost goal has been fair and ethical coverage. I am confident that goal has been clearly and consistently achieved in my body of work and with the personal and professional way I build relationships across baseball. As I do with every player in the clubhouse each season and dozens whom I have covered over the past five years, I wish Justin Verlander good luck and good health for the remainder of the season.
This is the statement of someone who has had a lot of time to craft a response. It's well-written, but Anthony Fenech is a good writer. I have had no issue with any of his reporting across which I have come. The Free-Press editor said they'll protest. And of course the Baseball Media rallied around Fenech.
But we don't know why Verlander freakin hates Fenech. Our Dude McTaggart has been around for a while and has not embarrassed himself or his employer. Alyson Footer, Richard Justice, Chandler Rome, hell, Hunter Atkins. It had to have been egregious enough for Verlander to act this way.
Verlander tweeted:
I declined to speak with the [Free-Press reporter] last night because of his unethical behavior in the past. I reached out to the [Free-Press] multiplie times before the game to notify them why and to give them an opportunity to have someone else there. Ironically they didn't answer.
Predictably, Verlander - and the Astros - got savaged by The Media, one of which Fenech is obviously one. Gene Dias, the Astros' VP of communication, decided to side with Verlander, and why wouldn't he (this is not a position I'm endorsing). Verlander is The Man in this team, and if The Man decides to bust up the CBA, then what team executive is going to stand in the way?
But still, the Collective Bargaining Agreement trumps all of this. If Verlander had just stood before Fenech and maintained awkward eye contact while not saying a word, that would have been
I bet it gave Gerrit Cole the Cy Young Award. I don't approve of the way the Astros handled this situation. And in response, the BBWAA will collective blast Springsteen's "Born To Run" as they remove Verlander from their consideration.
*MEANWHILE: Ryan Pressly is going to have arthroscopic knee surgery today. Hinch:
You lose an All-Star reliever, it's a tough blow for the bullpen and for our team. Quite honestly, I'm glad we have answers. We've been battling something similar for a few weeks - sometimes getting the good version of Pressly and sometimes getting the sore version of Pressly. It got to the point we were seeking answers.
Pressly will be out 4-6 weeks. Four weeks would bring him back on September 20. Six weeks would be October 4. The regular season ends on September 29, so there is the possibility that Pressly is not on the ALDS roster. Luhnow:
Worst-case scenario, he's not available for the division series. But I think he will be. And I think we need him because whoever we face is going to be a strong opponent. And, late in games, Pressly knows how to get those guys out.
Luhnow deferred comment on what the "small issue" is in Pressly's knee to Pressly himself, who was not made available to reporters.
*Chandler Rome went on 790 and said that Correa will be out until early September. No surprise there. There is no structural damage to Correa's back. I'm glad he didn't structurally damage his back swinging in the 1st inning. Correa told reporters that it's not as bad as it was last year. He plans to play rehab games during the first week of September.
*Abraham Toro made his major-league debut and Hinch says he'll primarily play 3B. Bregman played SS last night. And that's probably how we'll see the lineup shake out. Jake Kaplan wrote that Toro, with the help of hitting coach Troy Snitker, made a mechanical adjustment last fall which led to his breakout season. Toro went 0x4 last night, but absolutely smashed a ball that went foul. To make room for Toro on the 40-Man Roster, Brady Rodgers was DFA'd.
*FanGraphs: The best bullpens in baseball.
*SI's Stephanie Apstein: MLB's punishment under the domestic violence policy needs to change. (Inject boner sauce into your veins? No playoffs! Violent towards your spouse/significant other? Playoffs!)
*A Musical Selection:
Saturday, June 8, 2019
Saturday Morning Hot Links
The Astros finally beat the Oriololololes in a game that was completely stupid and unnecessary. They won, so yay, but got dang. That game was dumb. Houston is 44-21, and the lead is back to 10 games over Arlington.
*Houston has an MLB-best 23-7 record over their last 30 games. They're 9-5 vs AL East teams in 2019. (Baltimore is 9-18 vs AL East teams in 2019).
*The Astros are 4-0 in extra-innings and 12-6 in 1-run games.
*Houston won their 2nd straight extra-inning game on a Maybe slide by Gurriel after Chirinos doubled in the bottom of the 11th. Hinch:
You can't really tell did Yuli touch the plate or not. Whatever he called was going to be the play that he saw. He's the closest guy there...it's a tough play and nearly impossible to be perfect. I'm still not sure what happened, but I like the ruling.
*Gerrit Cole threw a gem: 7IP 4H/3R (1ER), 14K:0BB. The 14Ks are the second-highest of his career (16Ks vs Arizona on May 4, 2018). He got a career-high 29 swings-and-misses. More on Cole's mean streak from the Chronicle here.
It's the fourth instance across MLB this season in which the starter struck out 14+ and didn't walk anybody (Chris Sale has done it twice, Shane Bieber did it for Cleveland, and now Cole). In three of the four instances in 2019, Baltimore has been on the Walking-Back-To-The-Dugout end.
It's the first start in his career in which Cole has had a 14K:0BB line. It's the 10th time he's had double-digit strikeouts and no walks.
*Gerrit Cole's 1st Innings this year:
-March 29 @ Tampa: 0H/0ER, 2K:0BB
-April 3 @ Arlington: 2H/1ER, 3K:1BB
-April 9 v. New York: 1H/1ER, 1K:0BB (1HR)
-April 14 @ Seattle: 1H/1ER, 2K:0BB (1HR)
-April 20 @ Arlington: 4H/5R (4ER) , 1K:2BB
-April 25 v Cleveland: 0H/0ER, 2K:2BB
-April 30 @ Minnesota: 0H/0ER, 0K:2BB
-May 6 v Kansas City: 0H/0ER, 1K:0BB
-May 11 v Arlington: 0H/0ER, 2K:0BB
-May 17 @ Boston: 1H/0ER, 1K:0BB
-May 22 v Chicago (AL): 0H/0ER, 1K:0BB
-May 27 v Chiacgo (NL) 1H/1ER, 2K:1BB (1HR)
-June 2 @ Oakland: 0H/0ER, 1K:2BB
-June 7 v Baltimore: 2H/3R (1ER), 2K:0BB, 1HBP
Mostly pretty good. A bad one against Arlington, somewhat inconsistent to set the table.
*Cole's 130 strikeouts lead the American League.
*Cionel Perez threw 3IP, 0H/0ER, 2K:0BB and got his first career MLB win. Good for Cionel Perez, good for Us. Hinch, on Perez:
It was a night where we needed Cionel. It was his game, and he was going to continue to pitch. He's had a rough season in Triple-A and strike-throwing has been an issue for him. He throws a ton of strikes and is really conservative with his pitch total - no hits, huge innings. Just an incredible night for him.
*From May 7-June 6 the Orioles' pitching staff had allowed 251 hits in 241.2IP, a 5.77 ERA and a 1.48 WHIP. So of course the Astros got six hits in eleven innings.
*Top four in the lineup (Fisher-Bregman-Brantley-Gurriel) went for a combined 1x18 with two walks, both via Derek Fisher. Alex Bregman went 0x5 for the 7th time in his career, and the first time since March 31, 2018.
*Josh Reddick homered and stole a base in the same game for the first time since July 4, 2018. Tony Kemp homered into the upper deck, as well.
*Baltimore's Rio Ruiz plated the 2nd and 3rd Oriole runs. Why does that name sound familiar? Because the Astros picked Ruiz in the 4th Round of the legendary 2012 draft. Houston traded him to Atlanta as part of the deal that brought in Unconscionably-Unemployed Evan Gattis. The Braves waived him in December 2018, and Baltimore picked him up.
*A tranzaction as the Astros work to get healthy and also to not lose against horrible teams. Via McTaggart:
-Cionel Perez is up, Brady Rodgers was optioned back to Round Rock.
Hinch:
Fourteen innings will create a little urgency to mix things up and find a fresh arm. [Cionel Perez] has been here before, has been in the 'pen before and he's stretched out to help us as much as he can in a very tired and depleted bullpen after the road trip.
Rodgers made his 2019 debut on May 22 and threw 37 pitches. Then he didn't pitch again until June 4, where he threw a clean inning. And then he pitched on June 5 (the rough one against Seattle) where he threw 63 pitches. I don't know that 12 days off in between your 1st and 2nd outings are ideal, following by a 60+ pitch outing the next day. Tough situation for Brady Rodgers.
Meanwhile, Altuve, Springer, Diaz, Stassi, and McHugh could go on a rehab assignment by the end of the homestand.
*Framber Valdez gets the start tonight.
*Jose Urquidy threw 6IP, 3H/0ER, 8K:0BB as Round Rock beat Salt Lake City 10-0. Yordan Alvarez, who is still in Triple-A so he can work on his defense, got the start at DH and hit his 23rd home run of the year. Josh Rojas hit three doubles.
*Seth Beer hit his third home run of the season for Corpus last night.
*Fayetteville's Chad Donato threw 6IP, 2H/0ER, 4K:2BB.
*You hate to see it:
*Lance McCullers threw a no-hitter as himself on MLB The Show.
*Dallas Keuchel is now an Atlanta Brave and Former Astros Great Mike Foltynewicz (and Josh Hader) credit Keuchel for taking them under his wing. He'll make $4.9m less than he would have if he/Boras would have accepted the Qualifying Offer from the Astros.
*Seattle's Mitch Haniger was put on the IL after Thursday's game against Houston with...a ruptured testicle.
*Corpus' Abraham Toro gets a nice shoutout from Baseball America in their latest report.
*Math With Bad Drawings: Why Baseball Statistics Matter
*How John Smoltz went from a media darling to the topic of debate.
*Outside: A Supposedly Fun Thing I Might Do Again
*Check out this Texas Monthly interview with Shea Serrano, a Legit Legend.
*Deadspin's Laura Wagner: Competitive musical chairs is New York's friendliest sport.
*A Musical Selection:
*Houston has an MLB-best 23-7 record over their last 30 games. They're 9-5 vs AL East teams in 2019. (Baltimore is 9-18 vs AL East teams in 2019).
*The Astros are 4-0 in extra-innings and 12-6 in 1-run games.
*Houston won their 2nd straight extra-inning game on a Maybe slide by Gurriel after Chirinos doubled in the bottom of the 11th. Hinch:
You can't really tell did Yuli touch the plate or not. Whatever he called was going to be the play that he saw. He's the closest guy there...it's a tough play and nearly impossible to be perfect. I'm still not sure what happened, but I like the ruling.
*Gerrit Cole threw a gem: 7IP 4H/3R (1ER), 14K:0BB. The 14Ks are the second-highest of his career (16Ks vs Arizona on May 4, 2018). He got a career-high 29 swings-and-misses. More on Cole's mean streak from the Chronicle here.
It's the fourth instance across MLB this season in which the starter struck out 14+ and didn't walk anybody (Chris Sale has done it twice, Shane Bieber did it for Cleveland, and now Cole). In three of the four instances in 2019, Baltimore has been on the Walking-Back-To-The-Dugout end.
It's the first start in his career in which Cole has had a 14K:0BB line. It's the 10th time he's had double-digit strikeouts and no walks.
*Gerrit Cole's 1st Innings this year:
-March 29 @ Tampa: 0H/0ER, 2K:0BB
-April 3 @ Arlington: 2H/1ER, 3K:1BB
-April 9 v. New York: 1H/1ER, 1K:0BB (1HR)
-April 14 @ Seattle: 1H/1ER, 2K:0BB (1HR)
-April 20 @ Arlington: 4H/5R (4ER) , 1K:2BB
-April 25 v Cleveland: 0H/0ER, 2K:2BB
-April 30 @ Minnesota: 0H/0ER, 0K:2BB
-May 6 v Kansas City: 0H/0ER, 1K:0BB
-May 11 v Arlington: 0H/0ER, 2K:0BB
-May 17 @ Boston: 1H/0ER, 1K:0BB
-May 22 v Chicago (AL): 0H/0ER, 1K:0BB
-May 27 v Chiacgo (NL) 1H/1ER, 2K:1BB (1HR)
-June 2 @ Oakland: 0H/0ER, 1K:2BB
-June 7 v Baltimore: 2H/3R (1ER), 2K:0BB, 1HBP
Mostly pretty good. A bad one against Arlington, somewhat inconsistent to set the table.
*Cole's 130 strikeouts lead the American League.
*Cionel Perez threw 3IP, 0H/0ER, 2K:0BB and got his first career MLB win. Good for Cionel Perez, good for Us. Hinch, on Perez:
It was a night where we needed Cionel. It was his game, and he was going to continue to pitch. He's had a rough season in Triple-A and strike-throwing has been an issue for him. He throws a ton of strikes and is really conservative with his pitch total - no hits, huge innings. Just an incredible night for him.
*From May 7-June 6 the Orioles' pitching staff had allowed 251 hits in 241.2IP, a 5.77 ERA and a 1.48 WHIP. So of course the Astros got six hits in eleven innings.
*Top four in the lineup (Fisher-Bregman-Brantley-Gurriel) went for a combined 1x18 with two walks, both via Derek Fisher. Alex Bregman went 0x5 for the 7th time in his career, and the first time since March 31, 2018.
*Josh Reddick homered and stole a base in the same game for the first time since July 4, 2018. Tony Kemp homered into the upper deck, as well.
*Baltimore's Rio Ruiz plated the 2nd and 3rd Oriole runs. Why does that name sound familiar? Because the Astros picked Ruiz in the 4th Round of the legendary 2012 draft. Houston traded him to Atlanta as part of the deal that brought in Unconscionably-Unemployed Evan Gattis. The Braves waived him in December 2018, and Baltimore picked him up.
*A tranzaction as the Astros work to get healthy and also to not lose against horrible teams. Via McTaggart:
-Cionel Perez is up, Brady Rodgers was optioned back to Round Rock.
Hinch:
Fourteen innings will create a little urgency to mix things up and find a fresh arm. [Cionel Perez] has been here before, has been in the 'pen before and he's stretched out to help us as much as he can in a very tired and depleted bullpen after the road trip.
Rodgers made his 2019 debut on May 22 and threw 37 pitches. Then he didn't pitch again until June 4, where he threw a clean inning. And then he pitched on June 5 (the rough one against Seattle) where he threw 63 pitches. I don't know that 12 days off in between your 1st and 2nd outings are ideal, following by a 60+ pitch outing the next day. Tough situation for Brady Rodgers.
Meanwhile, Altuve, Springer, Diaz, Stassi, and McHugh could go on a rehab assignment by the end of the homestand.
*Framber Valdez gets the start tonight.
*Jose Urquidy threw 6IP, 3H/0ER, 8K:0BB as Round Rock beat Salt Lake City 10-0. Yordan Alvarez, who is still in Triple-A so he can work on his defense, got the start at DH and hit his 23rd home run of the year. Josh Rojas hit three doubles.
*Seth Beer hit his third home run of the season for Corpus last night.
*Fayetteville's Chad Donato threw 6IP, 2H/0ER, 4K:2BB.
*You hate to see it:
The Seattle #Mariners, who opened with a 13-2 record, have since gone 13-38. The Houston #Astros, who opened with a 2-5 record, have since gone 41-16. That’s a 25-game gap in just two months for those counting.— Bob Nightengale (@BNightengale) June 7, 2019
*Lance McCullers threw a no-hitter as himself on MLB The Show.
*Dallas Keuchel is now an Atlanta Brave and Former Astros Great Mike Foltynewicz (and Josh Hader) credit Keuchel for taking them under his wing. He'll make $4.9m less than he would have if he/Boras would have accepted the Qualifying Offer from the Astros.
*Seattle's Mitch Haniger was put on the IL after Thursday's game against Houston with...a ruptured testicle.
*Corpus' Abraham Toro gets a nice shoutout from Baseball America in their latest report.
*Math With Bad Drawings: Why Baseball Statistics Matter
*How John Smoltz went from a media darling to the topic of debate.
*Outside: A Supposedly Fun Thing I Might Do Again
*Check out this Texas Monthly interview with Shea Serrano, a Legit Legend.
*Deadspin's Laura Wagner: Competitive musical chairs is New York's friendliest sport.
*A Musical Selection:
Thursday, June 6, 2019
Thursday Morning Hot Links
The Astros, well, it didn't go so well. Houston got a run in the first and then didn't do much of anything against Mike Leake (after getting handled by Wade LeBlanc earlier in the series!). And then the wheels fell off the pitching. Seattle won 14-1, though it was 2-1 Seattle at the end of the 5th. Congratulations to the Mariners for winning the World Series. Houston is 42-21 with a 9-game lead and 99 games to play.
Loss Stuff
*Last night was the fifth time in the last six series in which the Astros won the first two games, and then lost the third.
*The Astros had allowed 14 runs in their previous five games combined.
*The 13-run margin is the largest defeat for an Astros team since May 4, 2013, and just the 25th time in franchise history that the Astros lost by 13 runs.
*It's the second time this season the Astros have allowed their opponent to hit five home runs. They're 1-1 in those games.
*Brad Peacock did not deserve the loss: 5IP, 4H/2ER, 6K:2BB. Hinch, on Peacock:
It's a tough loss for him because he pitched better. The score is going to look up on the board that it was a blowout and it was actually really close when he was in there.
Peacock has allowed 2ER or fewer in ten of his 13 starts. Since allowing 7ER against the Twins on May 2, Peacock: 34IP, 21H/5ER, 41K:11BB. 1.32 ERA / 0.94 WHIP.
*Brady Rodgers became the 3rd reliever in 2019 to allow 8ER in 2IP, joining Milwaukee's Taylor Williams and Miami's Wei-Yin Chin. Williams did it all the way back on Tuesday night. Rodgers is just the 2nd Astros reliever to ever do it, the last being Xavier Hernandez on May 2, 1990. Rodgers gave up a 3-run pinch hit home run to a guy who had been released by the Giants, signed to a minor-league deal, and was making his first PA for Seattle. Hinch:
I was going into it not trying to use our primary guys. We've worked them a ton, so some other guys haven't got to pitch on a daily basis. They struggled tonight and it got really ugly.
*Reymin Guduan was handed a 2-1 game and allowed two hits and a walk. All three runners scored. Guduan has made four appearances in which he has recorded one out. Those four appearances: 1.1IP, 6H/5ER, 0K:3BB. Guduan's lone good appearance of 2019 came on April 20 when he threw 2IP, 0H/0ER, 3K:0BB in a 9-4 loss to the Rangers. Guduan, a "lefty specialist" has faced lefty hitters eight times in 2019 and allowed a single, double, home run, and a walk. He has not struck out any of them. Guduan:
My command has been good. Just the slider today wasn't falling the way I wanted it to. Unfortunately, that's part of the game. I need to do better next time around. These are things that happen in baseball and I need to maintain my confidence...and (keep) my head high and attack the zone and keep doing my job.
Chandler Rome: The Astros do not have a reliable lefty in the bullpen.
*Houston was 1x10 with runners in scoring position.
*The Astros are hitting .271/.351/.489 with the bases empty, and .253/.331/.457 w/RISP.
*Jack Mayfield is 0x22 since hitting a double in his MLB debut.
Draft Stuff
*The Astros stocked up on college players and righty pitchers in the draft.
*2nd Round pick Grae Kessinger is no stranger to the Major Leagues.
*"The sky is the limit" for Astros' 3rd Round pick Jordan Brewer.
*4th Round pick Colin Barber ran out of a final to hug his coach.
*Garrett Stubbs gave an in-depth scouting report of his brother, 10th Round pick C.J. Stubbs.
*While there wasn't the in-depth coverage of yesterday's Rounds 11-40 of the 2019 MLB Draft, you can at least get the latest news and financials over at this here page. Some notable draftees from the late rounds:
37th Round: Max Dias, son of Astros VP Gene Dias.
38th Round: J.C. Correa, brother of ol broke rib head lookin ass boiiiii Carlos Correa, whom they drafted in 2018, as well.
*Here's a cool story on 21st Round pick Davis Vainer.
*SI has some ideas on How to fix the Draft.
*Keith Law: An oral history of how Mike Trout fell to the Angels in the 2009 Draft (not paywalled). Still think Jio Mier could pan out, guys.
Injury Stuff
*George Springer hit on the field yesterday. Jose Altuve ran the bases yesterday and "looked great." Aledmys Diaz is "doing everything." Collin McHugh threw off the mound yesterday.
Other Stuff
*MLB.com's Mike Petriello: Even after losing Morton, Keuchel, and McCullers, could the 2019 Astros' pitching staff be the best of all time? How? (Lots of fun stats in here).
*The Yankees and Braves are favorites to land Dallas Keuchel.
*Emma Baccellieri: How and Why MLB adopted the Save.
*Rob Manfred addressed the potential for more netting at ballparks, but probably just went back to trying to figure out how to negatively affect Baseball right after.
*This is great:
*The Gambling Nuns of Torrance, California.
*A Musical Selection:
Loss Stuff
*Last night was the fifth time in the last six series in which the Astros won the first two games, and then lost the third.
*The Astros had allowed 14 runs in their previous five games combined.
*The 13-run margin is the largest defeat for an Astros team since May 4, 2013, and just the 25th time in franchise history that the Astros lost by 13 runs.
*It's the second time this season the Astros have allowed their opponent to hit five home runs. They're 1-1 in those games.
*Brad Peacock did not deserve the loss: 5IP, 4H/2ER, 6K:2BB. Hinch, on Peacock:
It's a tough loss for him because he pitched better. The score is going to look up on the board that it was a blowout and it was actually really close when he was in there.
Peacock has allowed 2ER or fewer in ten of his 13 starts. Since allowing 7ER against the Twins on May 2, Peacock: 34IP, 21H/5ER, 41K:11BB. 1.32 ERA / 0.94 WHIP.
*Brady Rodgers became the 3rd reliever in 2019 to allow 8ER in 2IP, joining Milwaukee's Taylor Williams and Miami's Wei-Yin Chin. Williams did it all the way back on Tuesday night. Rodgers is just the 2nd Astros reliever to ever do it, the last being Xavier Hernandez on May 2, 1990. Rodgers gave up a 3-run pinch hit home run to a guy who had been released by the Giants, signed to a minor-league deal, and was making his first PA for Seattle. Hinch:
I was going into it not trying to use our primary guys. We've worked them a ton, so some other guys haven't got to pitch on a daily basis. They struggled tonight and it got really ugly.
*Reymin Guduan was handed a 2-1 game and allowed two hits and a walk. All three runners scored. Guduan has made four appearances in which he has recorded one out. Those four appearances: 1.1IP, 6H/5ER, 0K:3BB. Guduan's lone good appearance of 2019 came on April 20 when he threw 2IP, 0H/0ER, 3K:0BB in a 9-4 loss to the Rangers. Guduan, a "lefty specialist" has faced lefty hitters eight times in 2019 and allowed a single, double, home run, and a walk. He has not struck out any of them. Guduan:
My command has been good. Just the slider today wasn't falling the way I wanted it to. Unfortunately, that's part of the game. I need to do better next time around. These are things that happen in baseball and I need to maintain my confidence...and (keep) my head high and attack the zone and keep doing my job.
Chandler Rome: The Astros do not have a reliable lefty in the bullpen.
*Houston was 1x10 with runners in scoring position.
*The Astros are hitting .271/.351/.489 with the bases empty, and .253/.331/.457 w/RISP.
*Jack Mayfield is 0x22 since hitting a double in his MLB debut.
Multiple injured superstars? The @astros train KEEPS ROLLIN' 🚂— MLB Network (@MLBNetwork) June 5, 2019
Dive into the tape, @LaurenShehadi!#TakeItBack pic.twitter.com/oSNcHEZLqb
Draft Stuff
*The Astros stocked up on college players and righty pitchers in the draft.
*2nd Round pick Grae Kessinger is no stranger to the Major Leagues.
*"The sky is the limit" for Astros' 3rd Round pick Jordan Brewer.
*4th Round pick Colin Barber ran out of a final to hug his coach.
*Garrett Stubbs gave an in-depth scouting report of his brother, 10th Round pick C.J. Stubbs.
*While there wasn't the in-depth coverage of yesterday's Rounds 11-40 of the 2019 MLB Draft, you can at least get the latest news and financials over at this here page. Some notable draftees from the late rounds:
37th Round: Max Dias, son of Astros VP Gene Dias.
38th Round: J.C. Correa, brother of ol broke rib head lookin ass boiiiii Carlos Correa, whom they drafted in 2018, as well.
*Here's a cool story on 21st Round pick Davis Vainer.
*SI has some ideas on How to fix the Draft.
*Keith Law: An oral history of how Mike Trout fell to the Angels in the 2009 Draft (not paywalled). Still think Jio Mier could pan out, guys.
Injury Stuff
*George Springer hit on the field yesterday. Jose Altuve ran the bases yesterday and "looked great." Aledmys Diaz is "doing everything." Collin McHugh threw off the mound yesterday.
Other Stuff
*MLB.com's Mike Petriello: Even after losing Morton, Keuchel, and McCullers, could the 2019 Astros' pitching staff be the best of all time? How? (Lots of fun stats in here).
*The Yankees and Braves are favorites to land Dallas Keuchel.
*Emma Baccellieri: How and Why MLB adopted the Save.
*Rob Manfred addressed the potential for more netting at ballparks, but probably just went back to trying to figure out how to negatively affect Baseball right after.
*This is great:
In the 32nd round, the @BlueJays select RHP @BradenHalladay from Calvary Christian HS (FL), son of the late Roy Halladay. pic.twitter.com/Z4wBaPqmyi— MLB (@MLB) June 5, 2019
*The Gambling Nuns of Torrance, California.
*A Musical Selection:
Wednesday, May 22, 2019
Wednesday Morning Hot Links
Unsurprisingly, we curb stomped the White Sox again, this time 5-1. Verlander took a no-hitter into the 6th. It was dominant. Notes:
Gurriel: 2-4, Solo HR
Brantley: 1-4, 2 RBIs
Diaz: 2-4
Verlander: 8 IP, 1 H, 1 ER, 1 BB, 12 K
Full Box:
Actually, everyone in the Astros organization brought home a win last night.
MLB.com ranked the top 7 most important unsung heroes for the Astros so far this season.
As you can see from above, Aledmys Diaz is back. Altuve is not, but he is being "encouraged" to do "more and more activities" so whatever that means.
Collin McHugh landed on the IL yesterday andCionel Perez Brady Rodgers got the call. Here's a couple potential reasons why.
Is Madison Bumgarner seriously an option for the Astros at the deadline?
Check out these baby pictures of the 2019 Astros!
Seth Beer made his AA debut with the Hooks. See how he did along with some other familiar faces.
Roger Clemens son Kory was hit with a DWI.
Erik Kratz got traded to the Rays, which means he is playing with probably his 37th unique MLB team.
Plano, Texas is making dog-friendly movie theaters. These are the headlines I like to see.
On This Day in Baseball History
In 1999, Mark McGwire became the 3rd player to ever hit a ball out of Dodger stadium. It traveled an estimated 483 feet.
In 2006, Jake Peavy fanned a Padres franchise record 16 batters in a 3-1 loss to Atlanta.
In 2009, Michael Cuddyer completed the cycle with a broken bat triple.
Gurriel: 2-4, Solo HR
Brantley: 1-4, 2 RBIs
Diaz: 2-4
Verlander: 8 IP, 1 H, 1 ER, 1 BB, 12 K
Full Box:
Actually, everyone in the Astros organization brought home a win last night.
MLB.com ranked the top 7 most important unsung heroes for the Astros so far this season.
As you can see from above, Aledmys Diaz is back. Altuve is not, but he is being "encouraged" to do "more and more activities" so whatever that means.
Collin McHugh landed on the IL yesterday and
Is Madison Bumgarner seriously an option for the Astros at the deadline?
Check out these baby pictures of the 2019 Astros!
Seth Beer made his AA debut with the Hooks. See how he did along with some other familiar faces.
Roger Clemens son Kory was hit with a DWI.
Erik Kratz got traded to the Rays, which means he is playing with probably his 37th unique MLB team.
Plano, Texas is making dog-friendly movie theaters. These are the headlines I like to see.
On This Day in Baseball History
In 1999, Mark McGwire became the 3rd player to ever hit a ball out of Dodger stadium. It traveled an estimated 483 feet.
In 2006, Jake Peavy fanned a Padres franchise record 16 batters in a 3-1 loss to Atlanta.
In 2009, Michael Cuddyer completed the cycle with a broken bat triple.
Wednesday, March 6, 2019
Wednesday Morning Hot Links
The Astros did not play yesterday. What am I even going to put here? It's going to feel like mid-January again.
Roster Moves (via Chandler):
Optioned out of major league camp: Brady Rodgers and Francis Martes
Reassigned to minor league camp: Lorenzo Quintana, Ryan Hartman, Erasmo Pinales, and Jose Hernandez.
These three Astros hitters are trending up in spring.
Lookout Landing (the Mariners people) did their preview of the Astros to try and look at things from an unbiased perspective.
George Springer should look to steal more bases in 2019. Keep this in mind as you draft your fantasy teams.
Michael Brantley seems to be fitting right in with the Astros.
Jessica Mendoza now works for the Mets but will also still work for ESPN.
MLB is looking to add a 26th man to the rosters in 2020 as well as putting someone on second base in extra innings.
Somebody tried to smuggle approximately $86,770 worth of turtles in the Manila airport.
Roster Moves (via Chandler):
Optioned out of major league camp: Brady Rodgers and Francis Martes
Reassigned to minor league camp: Lorenzo Quintana, Ryan Hartman, Erasmo Pinales, and Jose Hernandez.
These three Astros hitters are trending up in spring.
Lookout Landing (the Mariners people) did their preview of the Astros to try and look at things from an unbiased perspective.
George Springer should look to steal more bases in 2019. Keep this in mind as you draft your fantasy teams.
Michael Brantley seems to be fitting right in with the Astros.
Jessica Mendoza now works for the Mets but will also still work for ESPN.
MLB is looking to add a 26th man to the rosters in 2020 as well as putting someone on second base in extra innings.
Somebody tried to smuggle approximately $86,770 worth of turtles in the Manila airport.
Saturday, February 23, 2019
Saturday Morning Hot Links
The Astros play today. I'm going out of town with the family later this morning until tomorrow (Sunday). The Hot Links will likely be on the 1-Day DL with discomfort for Sunday. There you have it.
*Marwin F. Gonzalez signed a 2yr/$21m deal with Minnesota. I do not have a rational explanation for the reason why the Astros could not re-sign him for a similar deal. A $10.5m deal for Marwin is $2.7m less than what Dallas Keuchel made last year. Clearly the Astros believe that Aledmys Diaz - and his 2019 salary that is approximately $10m cheaper than what Marwin just signed - can at least come close to replicating Marwin. Who am I to disagree? Maybe this is why I am a disaster of an owner after five years of OOTP, because I reward past performance and nostalgia. Maybe don't let a history teacher be the GM of your team. Still. Gonna miss Marwin. Good for him.
You cannot tell the complete story of the Houston Astros without Marwin Gonzalez:
Revisit Jenny Dial Creech's column on Marwin's Game 2 Homer.
*But this is when MFG became a True Astros Hero:
*Here's the Minneapolis Star-Tribune's Patrick Reusse with a Houston-based scouting report of Marwin. Basically what's not to like about a guy who can play 6-7 positions with decent-to-good defense at all of them and a good bat.
The only good thing that can come out of this is the Twins keeping Cleveland and the Extremely Problematic Tyler Bauer out of the playoffs. Reminder that Tyler doesn't think climate change is a thing, likes Chief Wahoo, is an Obama Birther, and thinks the Astros cheat.
*Unlike Tyler, Alex Bregman is not an actual corn-filled chunk of crap and did a really cool thing for a 9-year old kid.
*Bleacher Report's Joon Lee writes about Alex Bregman wanting it all. Bregman:
I don't find that much wrong with baseball...Stop saying no. Start saying yes.
*Ken Rosenthal: Alex Bregman means Bidness.
*Here's a 16-minute SportsRadio 610 (or whatever the spacing is) segment about whether Dallas Keuchel could return to the Astros.
*Chandler Rome: Brady Rodgers has come full-circle for the Astros.
*Jake Kaplan: Myles Straw wants to steal all the bases.
*The Houston Press' Jeff Balke asks if Kyle Tucker can take the next step in 2019, comparing Tucker's limited PAs to Bregman's limited PAs to open his MLB career.
*Catcher Scott Manea - acquired in the J.D. Davis trade with the Mets - handled a Verlander spiked curve and caught an "Attaboy" and felt very good about himself. Manea:
For [Verlander] it's a low-stress situation, but for me it's probably the most stressful situation I've been in so far this year.
*The Crawfish Boxes have a "Where Are They Now" edition for the 2012 Astros' Top Prospects.
*Should you be a subscriber, and I am decidedly not, of Baseball America, they have an "If Every AL West Team Was Homegrown" article.
*The New York Times' Tyler Kepner takes a look at the new direction of the Baltimore Orioles, which is similar to the New Direction of the Houston Astros But Seven Years Later.
*FanGraphs' Jeff Sullivan has accepted a position with the Rays, and we are all worse for it.
*Facts & Figures from SI's Top 100 MLB Players list.
*Christopher Hasson plotted attacks from his desk.
*A Musical Selection:
*Marwin F. Gonzalez signed a 2yr/$21m deal with Minnesota. I do not have a rational explanation for the reason why the Astros could not re-sign him for a similar deal. A $10.5m deal for Marwin is $2.7m less than what Dallas Keuchel made last year. Clearly the Astros believe that Aledmys Diaz - and his 2019 salary that is approximately $10m cheaper than what Marwin just signed - can at least come close to replicating Marwin. Who am I to disagree? Maybe this is why I am a disaster of an owner after five years of OOTP, because I reward past performance and nostalgia. Maybe don't let a history teacher be the GM of your team. Still. Gonna miss Marwin. Good for him.
You cannot tell the complete story of the Houston Astros without Marwin Gonzalez:
Revisit Jenny Dial Creech's column on Marwin's Game 2 Homer.
*But this is when MFG became a True Astros Hero:
*Here's the Minneapolis Star-Tribune's Patrick Reusse with a Houston-based scouting report of Marwin. Basically what's not to like about a guy who can play 6-7 positions with decent-to-good defense at all of them and a good bat.
The only good thing that can come out of this is the Twins keeping Cleveland and the Extremely Problematic Tyler Bauer out of the playoffs. Reminder that Tyler doesn't think climate change is a thing, likes Chief Wahoo, is an Obama Birther, and thinks the Astros cheat.
*Unlike Tyler, Alex Bregman is not an actual corn-filled chunk of crap and did a really cool thing for a 9-year old kid.
*Bleacher Report's Joon Lee writes about Alex Bregman wanting it all. Bregman:
I don't find that much wrong with baseball...Stop saying no. Start saying yes.
*Ken Rosenthal: Alex Bregman means Bidness.
*Here's a 16-minute SportsRadio 610 (or whatever the spacing is) segment about whether Dallas Keuchel could return to the Astros.
*Chandler Rome: Brady Rodgers has come full-circle for the Astros.
*Jake Kaplan: Myles Straw wants to steal all the bases.
*The Houston Press' Jeff Balke asks if Kyle Tucker can take the next step in 2019, comparing Tucker's limited PAs to Bregman's limited PAs to open his MLB career.
*Catcher Scott Manea - acquired in the J.D. Davis trade with the Mets - handled a Verlander spiked curve and caught an "Attaboy" and felt very good about himself. Manea:
For [Verlander] it's a low-stress situation, but for me it's probably the most stressful situation I've been in so far this year.
*The Crawfish Boxes have a "Where Are They Now" edition for the 2012 Astros' Top Prospects.
*Should you be a subscriber, and I am decidedly not, of Baseball America, they have an "If Every AL West Team Was Homegrown" article.
*The New York Times' Tyler Kepner takes a look at the new direction of the Baltimore Orioles, which is similar to the New Direction of the Houston Astros But Seven Years Later.
*FanGraphs' Jeff Sullivan has accepted a position with the Rays, and we are all worse for it.
*Facts & Figures from SI's Top 100 MLB Players list.
*Christopher Hasson plotted attacks from his desk.
*A Musical Selection:
Thursday, June 21, 2018
Thursday Morning Hot Links
So here's the deal: today my kid, my wife, and I leave for our first vacation in, like, three years. We were supposed to go to Corpus for our anniversary last Labor Day Weekend. You know what happened: Hurricane Harvey. We ended up repurposing those hotel points to tourist hotspot Temple, Texas. It was fine, but it wasn't Corpus. That said, we're headed to the mountains. Given that it's currently 4:45am and I'm very much awake, I don't foresee an issue where there are no Hot Links over the next eight days. But still, I'm tired of being awake at 4:45am. If I can sleep, I'mma sleep.
*I'll be at the Rockies/Marlins (thanks, Baseball Gods) game on Saturday. I guess I shouldn't be snarky about having to watch the morally-bankrupt trash can of an organization Marlins in order to cross Coors Field off my list - there are only, like, three good NL teams, so my chances weren't that high. I'm going to catch Charlie Blackmon in a bear trap and shave him bald.
*The Houston Astros did the Good Thing against the Rays last night, winning 5-1 on the back of some back to back to back power and solid pitching. Houston is 50-26. They are now apparently 1-15 at home. Not a typo. The Astros have a three-game lead for the first time since May 25. They're 14-4 in June. They're the first team to 50 wins.
*When the 2017 Astros won their 50th game - in Game 74 - they had a 12.5-game lead. By that point 14 pitchers had recorded a win: Dallas Keuchel, Lance McCullers, Brad Peacock, Chris Devenski, Joe Musgrove, Will Harris, Charlie Morton, Michael Feliz, Luke Gregerson, James Hoyt, Ken Giles, Mike Fiers, Francis Martes, and David Paulino. The 2018 Astros have had 12 pitchers record a win.
*Charlie F. Morton threw 6IP, 2H/1R (0ER), 4K:4BB. It's Morton's 11th Quality Start in 15 outings.
That said, it's Morton's third straight start of 4+ BB. His last three starts: 15.2IP, 7H/6R (4ER), 17K:14BB. Morton:
Usually, if I get ahead quick, I get a little tempo going and I'm aggressive in the zone, and things usually work out. But I make a bad pitch or two, and then I lose the batter. I try to get back into my timing and delivery, and repeating my delivery. That's been a struggle for a few starts now.
*Brad Peacock, Chris Devenski, and Ken Giles combined for 3IP, 2H/0ER, 3K:1BB. Giles allowed a hit and a walk in the 9th.
*The Astros hit four home runs and enjoyed back-to-back-to-back jacks (Springer-Bregman-Altuve) in the 6th inning. It's their 3rd 4HR game of the year. They're 8-2 when they hit 3+ home runs. It's the first time Houston has hit three consecutive home runs since Miguel Tejada, Lance Berkman, and Carlos Lee did it on May 2, 2008. Bregman:
It was awesome to get the place rocking. Springer, big swing, gets us going, and then we kind of just fed off George right there, Jose and I. Pretty cool when that happens. I've never been a part of something like that before. It was fun.
*Every Astro in the lineup had at least one hit. Altuve was 3x4 with two solo home runs and 2RBI - his 10th 3+ hit game of the year and the fourth multi-homer game (third regular season game) of his career. He last hit 2+ home runs in Game 1 of the ALDS against the Red Sox, and the Astros would go on to win the World Series. His last 2HR regular season game was July 24, 2016. Altuve's 2nd home run was 112.3mph off the bat, the hardest ball he's hit in the Statcast Era.
Altuve, on coming back after a day off:
It felt good. It's always good to sit down and think about how you feel. And I came back strong today.
The world would be a better place if we all just got the day off, sat down, and thought about how we feel.
*Hinch:
The way the game was going, you start thinking about manufacturing runs, you start thinking about how you're going to pull out a close win. It felt like the game was going to be kind of a make-or-break type of game on who could come up with the big hit. In a span of a few pitches...what energy got put back into the building, and also our team.
*Josh Reddick has a hit in eight of his nine starts since returning from the DL.
*Tony Kemp got himself an RBI single in the 7th last night (in which he was thrown out trying to get to second). Kemp has 26 hits in 2018 - seven of them for extra-bases - in 97 PAs. Jake Marisnick has 23 hits - nine for extra-bases - in 136 PAs.
*Proceeds from the Hugs For Homers shirt will go to the Astros Youth Academy. Here's Chandler Rome on the Hugs For Homers thing.
*The Ringer's Zach Kram: Oh yeah, the Astros have the best lineup in baseball, too.
*Jeff Luhnow says the Nationals' acquisition of Kelvin Herrera "doesn't affect" the Astros. Luhnow:
What we're going to look at is 'Who are we likely to face in the postseason? Who are the hitters, and do we have the pitchers who match up well with those hitters? And who are the pitchers and do we have the right lineup to match up against those pitchers?' If we think there is an opportunity to improve either of those by acquiring a player from another team that's available, we're going to have to look at it.
So I guess Luhnow isn't going to invoke Prima Nocta and take Mike Trout from the Angels before the deadline.
*Craig Hlavaty wrote about doing The Wave, and ya boy is quoted. (Don't do The Wave).
*Randy Cesar tied the Texas League, which has been around for oh only 130 years, record with a hit in his 37th consecutive game. The last 37-game hit streak in the Texas League was back in 1969. Manager Omar Lopez:
This is a big day for him and I'm happy for him. Because it's not easy. It seems like it could be easy but it's not. And he's been having a tremendous year, and hopefully he can carry out the rest of the season like that.
The Hooks just went 7-0 on a road trip.
*Seth Beer went 2x5 and Tri-City put up a 7-spot in the 3rd inning for an 11-5 win over Aberdeen. Brady Rodgers made his debut rehab start as he works his way back from Tommy John surgery. He threw 37 pitches in 2IP, 3H/4ER, 3K:1BB.
*6th Round pick R.J. Freure signed for just over $111,000 over the slot. Updated draft financials are here.
*Read this Jesse Spector piece on what it's like to get DFA'd.
*New York scored the final five runs of the game, including two in the bottom of the 9th, to walk it off against Seattle. The Mariners are three games back, 18 games over .500 with a +15 run differential.
*A rabid bobcat attacked a woman, who strangled it to death, quietly, so as not to wake up her granddaughter. Be the boss you want to see in the world.
*I'll be at the Rockies/Marlins (thanks, Baseball Gods) game on Saturday. I guess I shouldn't be snarky about having to watch the morally-bankrupt trash can of an organization Marlins in order to cross Coors Field off my list - there are only, like, three good NL teams, so my chances weren't that high. I'm going to catch Charlie Blackmon in a bear trap and shave him bald.
*The Houston Astros did the Good Thing against the Rays last night, winning 5-1 on the back of some back to back to back power and solid pitching. Houston is 50-26. They are now apparently 1-15 at home. Not a typo. The Astros have a three-game lead for the first time since May 25. They're 14-4 in June. They're the first team to 50 wins.
The Astros are the 5th reigning World Series champion in the divisional era (since 1969) to be the 1st team to 50 wins. None of the previous 4 repeated as champs (via @EliasSports)— ESPN Stats & Info (@ESPNStatsInfo) June 21, 2018
*When the 2017 Astros won their 50th game - in Game 74 - they had a 12.5-game lead. By that point 14 pitchers had recorded a win: Dallas Keuchel, Lance McCullers, Brad Peacock, Chris Devenski, Joe Musgrove, Will Harris, Charlie Morton, Michael Feliz, Luke Gregerson, James Hoyt, Ken Giles, Mike Fiers, Francis Martes, and David Paulino. The 2018 Astros have had 12 pitchers record a win.
*Charlie F. Morton threw 6IP, 2H/1R (0ER), 4K:4BB. It's Morton's 11th Quality Start in 15 outings.
That said, it's Morton's third straight start of 4+ BB. His last three starts: 15.2IP, 7H/6R (4ER), 17K:14BB. Morton:
Usually, if I get ahead quick, I get a little tempo going and I'm aggressive in the zone, and things usually work out. But I make a bad pitch or two, and then I lose the batter. I try to get back into my timing and delivery, and repeating my delivery. That's been a struggle for a few starts now.
*Brad Peacock, Chris Devenski, and Ken Giles combined for 3IP, 2H/0ER, 3K:1BB. Giles allowed a hit and a walk in the 9th.
*The Astros hit four home runs and enjoyed back-to-back-to-back jacks (Springer-Bregman-Altuve) in the 6th inning. It's their 3rd 4HR game of the year. They're 8-2 when they hit 3+ home runs. It's the first time Houston has hit three consecutive home runs since Miguel Tejada, Lance Berkman, and Carlos Lee did it on May 2, 2008. Bregman:
It was awesome to get the place rocking. Springer, big swing, gets us going, and then we kind of just fed off George right there, Jose and I. Pretty cool when that happens. I've never been a part of something like that before. It was fun.
*Every Astro in the lineup had at least one hit. Altuve was 3x4 with two solo home runs and 2RBI - his 10th 3+ hit game of the year and the fourth multi-homer game (third regular season game) of his career. He last hit 2+ home runs in Game 1 of the ALDS against the Red Sox, and the Astros would go on to win the World Series. His last 2HR regular season game was July 24, 2016. Altuve's 2nd home run was 112.3mph off the bat, the hardest ball he's hit in the Statcast Era.
Altuve, on coming back after a day off:
It felt good. It's always good to sit down and think about how you feel. And I came back strong today.
The world would be a better place if we all just got the day off, sat down, and thought about how we feel.
*Hinch:
The way the game was going, you start thinking about manufacturing runs, you start thinking about how you're going to pull out a close win. It felt like the game was going to be kind of a make-or-break type of game on who could come up with the big hit. In a span of a few pitches...what energy got put back into the building, and also our team.
*Josh Reddick has a hit in eight of his nine starts since returning from the DL.
*Tony Kemp got himself an RBI single in the 7th last night (in which he was thrown out trying to get to second). Kemp has 26 hits in 2018 - seven of them for extra-bases - in 97 PAs. Jake Marisnick has 23 hits - nine for extra-bases - in 136 PAs.
*Proceeds from the Hugs For Homers shirt will go to the Astros Youth Academy. Here's Chandler Rome on the Hugs For Homers thing.
*The Ringer's Zach Kram: Oh yeah, the Astros have the best lineup in baseball, too.
*Jeff Luhnow says the Nationals' acquisition of Kelvin Herrera "doesn't affect" the Astros. Luhnow:
What we're going to look at is 'Who are we likely to face in the postseason? Who are the hitters, and do we have the pitchers who match up well with those hitters? And who are the pitchers and do we have the right lineup to match up against those pitchers?' If we think there is an opportunity to improve either of those by acquiring a player from another team that's available, we're going to have to look at it.
So I guess Luhnow isn't going to invoke Prima Nocta and take Mike Trout from the Angels before the deadline.
*Craig Hlavaty wrote about doing The Wave, and ya boy is quoted. (Don't do The Wave).
*Randy Cesar tied the Texas League, which has been around for oh only 130 years, record with a hit in his 37th consecutive game. The last 37-game hit streak in the Texas League was back in 1969. Manager Omar Lopez:
This is a big day for him and I'm happy for him. Because it's not easy. It seems like it could be easy but it's not. And he's been having a tremendous year, and hopefully he can carry out the rest of the season like that.
The Hooks just went 7-0 on a road trip.
*Seth Beer went 2x5 and Tri-City put up a 7-spot in the 3rd inning for an 11-5 win over Aberdeen. Brady Rodgers made his debut rehab start as he works his way back from Tommy John surgery. He threw 37 pitches in 2IP, 3H/4ER, 3K:1BB.
*6th Round pick R.J. Freure signed for just over $111,000 over the slot. Updated draft financials are here.
*Read this Jesse Spector piece on what it's like to get DFA'd.
*New York scored the final five runs of the game, including two in the bottom of the 9th, to walk it off against Seattle. The Mariners are three games back, 18 games over .500 with a +15 run differential.
*A rabid bobcat attacked a woman, who strangled it to death, quietly, so as not to wake up her granddaughter. Be the boss you want to see in the world.
Wednesday, March 14, 2018
Wednesday Morning Hot Links
Reportedly the competition between J.D. Davis, Tyler White, and A.J. Reed will come down to absentee ballots. But I'm really excited about filling out a bracket today and earning the opportunity to lament it when it gets busted based on my deep knowledge of having watched eighteen minutes of college basketball this season. March Madness is the death rattle of winter and is a fine time-waster until baseball officially starts. If you fill out more than one variation of a bracket you're a monster.
*The Astros beat the Mets 6-1 yesterday as they finally stuck to baseball.
-Gerrit Cole went 4IP, 4H/1ER, 7K:2BB.
-Carlos Correa was 2x3.
-Evan Gattis was 1x2 with a walk and 2RBI
-J.D. Davis was 2x3 and is hitting .394 with an 1.111 OPS for the Spring.
-Alex DeGoti hit a 2-run home run.
-Frankie Tuesday threw 2.1IP, 1H/0ER, 5K:2BB.
-Brad Peacock and Ken Giles each had scoreless innings.
Hinch, on being 13-5-2 (41 points, well clear of the relegation zone) this Spring:
It's a good culture, {winning) obviously creates a positivity and guys are playing well.
*A.J. Hinch is impressed with Gerrit Cole's mental game. Hinch:
Most of the time when a guy has power we don't talk about his cerebral part of his game, but he's impressive on the mound both physically and mentally. He's a very meticulous guy on the mound.
*J.D. Davis is making the most of his Spring Training, writes Jerome Solomon. Hinch:
He's playing as much as anybody on our team. You come into camp and you can draw a team out on paper...now there's a little competition in a couple different spots that I think will be interesting until the end.
*If you were busy yesterday zooming in on team photos at the White House to see which guy(s) were on Your Side, you may have noticed the absence of Carlos Correa. Slow your roll, because Carlos Correa spent Monday arranging for more supplies to go to his native Puerto Rico, which is still a part of the United States and where more than 30% of the island still does not have power and suicide rates are increasing. But, sure, go ahead and get mad that he didn't wear a nice suit to Washington.
*Brady Rodgers threw off a mound yesterday for the first time since Tommy John surgery last May.
*Get that Astros Gold merch at the Team Store at midnight on March 19.
*If you're one of those people that thinks domestic violence is only bad when there's video (see: Rice, Ray; Mixon, Joe), here's the video of former Astros prospect Danry Vasquez repeatedly hitting his girlfriend in a stairwell at Whataburger Field.
*Sam Miller wonders which MLB team would be the best if each player on the team was in his prime. The Astros performed alright.
*Rian Watt looks at the Most- and Least-Confident of Projections.
*Shoutout to 13-year old Virgil Smith of Dickinson, who will receive the Medal of Honor.
*Terrible news out of Channelview yesterday morning. All the best to the students, their families, their friends, and their community.
*The Astros beat the Mets 6-1 yesterday as they finally stuck to baseball.
-Gerrit Cole went 4IP, 4H/1ER, 7K:2BB.
-Carlos Correa was 2x3.
-Evan Gattis was 1x2 with a walk and 2RBI
-J.D. Davis was 2x3 and is hitting .394 with an 1.111 OPS for the Spring.
-Alex DeGoti hit a 2-run home run.
-Frankie Tuesday threw 2.1IP, 1H/0ER, 5K:2BB.
-Brad Peacock and Ken Giles each had scoreless innings.
Hinch, on being 13-5-2 (41 points, well clear of the relegation zone) this Spring:
It's a good culture, {winning) obviously creates a positivity and guys are playing well.
*A.J. Hinch is impressed with Gerrit Cole's mental game. Hinch:
Most of the time when a guy has power we don't talk about his cerebral part of his game, but he's impressive on the mound both physically and mentally. He's a very meticulous guy on the mound.
*J.D. Davis is making the most of his Spring Training, writes Jerome Solomon. Hinch:
He's playing as much as anybody on our team. You come into camp and you can draw a team out on paper...now there's a little competition in a couple different spots that I think will be interesting until the end.
*If you were busy yesterday zooming in on team photos at the White House to see which guy(s) were on Your Side, you may have noticed the absence of Carlos Correa. Slow your roll, because Carlos Correa spent Monday arranging for more supplies to go to his native Puerto Rico, which is still a part of the United States and where more than 30% of the island still does not have power and suicide rates are increasing. But, sure, go ahead and get mad that he didn't wear a nice suit to Washington.
I hate the 🏆😂 pic.twitter.com/u1QF8qmhAA— Jose Altuve (@JoseAltuve27) March 13, 2018
*Brady Rodgers threw off a mound yesterday for the first time since Tommy John surgery last May.
*Get that Astros Gold merch at the Team Store at midnight on March 19.
*If you're one of those people that thinks domestic violence is only bad when there's video (see: Rice, Ray; Mixon, Joe), here's the video of former Astros prospect Danry Vasquez repeatedly hitting his girlfriend in a stairwell at Whataburger Field.
*Sam Miller wonders which MLB team would be the best if each player on the team was in his prime. The Astros performed alright.
*Rian Watt looks at the Most- and Least-Confident of Projections.
*Shoutout to 13-year old Virgil Smith of Dickinson, who will receive the Medal of Honor.
*Terrible news out of Channelview yesterday morning. All the best to the students, their families, their friends, and their community.
Sunday, February 18, 2018
Sunday Morning Hot Links
*When the Astros acquired Gerrit Cole pretty much everybody said that, with a tweak in his mechanics, he should return to form. Well, A.J. Hinch says Cole doesn't need it:
Gerrit Cole is pretty damn good. He's been an effective big league pitcher. Did he give up a few home runs last year? Yeah. Did he have a slightly down season compared to his standards? Yes. That doesn't mean he can't be a top elite pitcher in the American League just given his stuff, his makeup and his ability to pitch.
*Brian T. Smith: Jim Crane knows he has a team that's built to last.
*Ken Giles worked on his endurance this offseason, and he cares not for your worries about him.
*In The Athletic (subscription required) Francis Martes has made the Astros well-pleased with his refined delivery.
Here's a similar story in the Chronicle. Hinch:
He's throwing as hard as anybody in camp. It's still really early, but he came really prepared.
*Brady Rodgers and Jandel Gustave - both coming off Tommy John surgery in 2017 - are on a restricted program that involves some "light throwing."
*Luhnow said that, had Colin Moran not fouled a ball off his face, the Astros might not have traded him to the Pirates:
I think had he been given that opportunity, I think he would have hit .300, I think he would have hit for power. We might not have traded him because we might have wanted to figure out a way to keep him on our club.
*Luhnow talked to Newsday's David Lennon about the slow offseason and the thinking behind the front office slow-play:
We all have great young players in our system and on our big-league teams. And because the investment is so high in young players, they get to the big leagues fairly early. They're still developing at the big leagues, and so swapping one of the young players out for an established veteran is not as attractive today as it would have been five years ago or 10 years ago...It could be that there's just simply fewer spots because a lot of the younger players are taking up spots and they're contributing. It doesn't explain everything, but part of the dynamic is that we're doing a good job as an industry developing young talent and valuing that talent.
You look at who would make a list of the Great GMs in the game right now, and it's a fairly short list: Theo, Luhnow, Dayton Moore, Billy Beane (?), Brian Cashman. How did they get there? It's through drafting - and developing - that talent. We are now in a cycle in which GMs that rely on trades and free agent signings to bolster their team aren't doing so well (see: Dipoto, Jerry). Perhaps the most important "skill" for a GM right now is the ability to draft well.
Look at the playoff teams from 2017 and how many players on the current 40-Man roster - with 1.0+ years of service time - were acquired through the draft, signed as an amateur free agent, or a Rule 5 pick:
Colorado: 14
Washington: 13
Cleveland: 12
Minnesota: 12
Arizona: 11
Boston: 10
Houston: 9
Los Angeles: 9
New York: 8
Chicago: 5
Okay, I'll be honest, I didn't think Chicago would rank last here, but it is what it is. The average number of players who meet this criteria for 2017 playoff teams is 11.1 players/per roster.
Let's look at the teams that finished under .500 with the same criteria:
New York Mets: 15
San Francisco: 13
Detroit: 12
Arlington: 11
Baltimore: 10
Pittsburgh: 9
Cincinnati: 9
Chicago White Sox: 8
Philadelphia: 8
Toronto: 7
Anaheim: 6
Kansas City: 6
Miami: 6
Seattle: 6
San Diego: 5
Tampa Bay: 4
Oakland: 3
Atlanta: 2
The average number of players who meet this criteria on sub-.500 teams is 7.0 players.
There are a host of asterisks that could go along with this list: maybe you traded for a guy in A-ball and you developed him into a Major-Leaguer (see: Martes, Francis) and, as a result, he's not on this list. Maybe your team sucks, and the guys that have made this particular cut simply aren't very good, and that's why your team was 64-98 (cough, Mets/Tigers, cough). There are also issues with making this an annual exercise: the White Sox, Padres, and Braves are going to be good soon, but they won't show up as highly on this list because the building blocks they're using were acquired through trades. But I'll let the point stand. I guess.
*Riley Ferrell talked about getting notified of his Spring Training invitation while duck hunting:
About 3:30pm, birds [were] about to start coming in, [and] I was excited for that. I get this text message, and I'm like, 'I don't know who this is.' Looked at it, and I was like 'Oh, I got invited to big league camp. That's pretty cool.' No longer was I worried about birds.
*2016 4th Round pick Brett Adcock (117Ks in 107.2IP at Buies Creek last season) is ready for the season:
I obviously have things I need to fine-tune. If I didn't, I'd be in the big leagues right now. I'm just trying to make myself 1 percent better each day. If I can do that, hopefully I can end up in the right place.
*Josh Reddick, in all his Josh Reddickness (Reddickulousness?), talked about the ballistic missile scare in Hawaii:
I went back to my room (after it was clear that the alert was not real) and it was actually frustrating, because me and my girlfriend were going to visit with the Dolphins that morning. We got there on time. We got to play with the dolphins that morning. It was plenty of time. She wasn't even worried about dying; she was worried about seeing the dolphins. I said, 'Those dolphins can wait, we can see them tomorrow if we're still here.' Still had a great time.
*Rich Hill has chilled out about the 2017 World Series. In a sample poll of Rich Hill and myself, 50% of respondents have chilled out about the 2017 World Series.
*If you find yourself in Fresno on May 12 you can pick up this sweet Carlos Correa Starting Lineup figure.
*Eric Hosmer signed an 8yr/$144m deal (with an opt-out after five years) with the Padres.
*The Rangers have backed out of the deal to sign reliever Seung-Hawn Oh after concerns about his MRI. So here comes a bunch of editorials comparing them to the dastardly Astros and their treatment of Brady Aiken, yes?
*Chris Archer says the Rays could have the best rotation in MLB. And then they traded Jake Odorizzi to the Twins, so who knows now?
*Fernando Abad, who signed a new deal with the Phillies for 2018:
2010-2012 w/HOU: 84.2IP, 5.10 ERA / 1.56 WHIP, 1.97 K:BB ratio.
2013-present: 233IP, 3.13 ERA / 1.21 WHIP, 2.58 K:BB ratio.
*The Haunting of Lindsey Jacobellis.
*From No Depression: A musician's life on social media.
*The Globe and Mail's Michael Harris: I Have Forgotten How To Read.
Gerrit Cole is pretty damn good. He's been an effective big league pitcher. Did he give up a few home runs last year? Yeah. Did he have a slightly down season compared to his standards? Yes. That doesn't mean he can't be a top elite pitcher in the American League just given his stuff, his makeup and his ability to pitch.
*Brian T. Smith: Jim Crane knows he has a team that's built to last.
*Ken Giles worked on his endurance this offseason, and he cares not for your worries about him.
*In The Athletic (subscription required) Francis Martes has made the Astros well-pleased with his refined delivery.
Here's a similar story in the Chronicle. Hinch:
He's throwing as hard as anybody in camp. It's still really early, but he came really prepared.
*Brady Rodgers and Jandel Gustave - both coming off Tommy John surgery in 2017 - are on a restricted program that involves some "light throwing."
*Luhnow said that, had Colin Moran not fouled a ball off his face, the Astros might not have traded him to the Pirates:
I think had he been given that opportunity, I think he would have hit .300, I think he would have hit for power. We might not have traded him because we might have wanted to figure out a way to keep him on our club.
*Luhnow talked to Newsday's David Lennon about the slow offseason and the thinking behind the front office slow-play:
We all have great young players in our system and on our big-league teams. And because the investment is so high in young players, they get to the big leagues fairly early. They're still developing at the big leagues, and so swapping one of the young players out for an established veteran is not as attractive today as it would have been five years ago or 10 years ago...It could be that there's just simply fewer spots because a lot of the younger players are taking up spots and they're contributing. It doesn't explain everything, but part of the dynamic is that we're doing a good job as an industry developing young talent and valuing that talent.
You look at who would make a list of the Great GMs in the game right now, and it's a fairly short list: Theo, Luhnow, Dayton Moore, Billy Beane (?), Brian Cashman. How did they get there? It's through drafting - and developing - that talent. We are now in a cycle in which GMs that rely on trades and free agent signings to bolster their team aren't doing so well (see: Dipoto, Jerry). Perhaps the most important "skill" for a GM right now is the ability to draft well.
Look at the playoff teams from 2017 and how many players on the current 40-Man roster - with 1.0+ years of service time - were acquired through the draft, signed as an amateur free agent, or a Rule 5 pick:
Colorado: 14
Washington: 13
Cleveland: 12
Minnesota: 12
Arizona: 11
Boston: 10
Houston: 9
Los Angeles: 9
New York: 8
Chicago: 5
Okay, I'll be honest, I didn't think Chicago would rank last here, but it is what it is. The average number of players who meet this criteria for 2017 playoff teams is 11.1 players/per roster.
Let's look at the teams that finished under .500 with the same criteria:
New York Mets: 15
San Francisco: 13
Detroit: 12
Arlington: 11
Baltimore: 10
Pittsburgh: 9
Cincinnati: 9
Chicago White Sox: 8
Philadelphia: 8
Toronto: 7
Anaheim: 6
Kansas City: 6
Miami: 6
Seattle: 6
San Diego: 5
Tampa Bay: 4
Oakland: 3
Atlanta: 2
The average number of players who meet this criteria on sub-.500 teams is 7.0 players.
There are a host of asterisks that could go along with this list: maybe you traded for a guy in A-ball and you developed him into a Major-Leaguer (see: Martes, Francis) and, as a result, he's not on this list. Maybe your team sucks, and the guys that have made this particular cut simply aren't very good, and that's why your team was 64-98 (cough, Mets/Tigers, cough). There are also issues with making this an annual exercise: the White Sox, Padres, and Braves are going to be good soon, but they won't show up as highly on this list because the building blocks they're using were acquired through trades. But I'll let the point stand. I guess.
*Riley Ferrell talked about getting notified of his Spring Training invitation while duck hunting:
About 3:30pm, birds [were] about to start coming in, [and] I was excited for that. I get this text message, and I'm like, 'I don't know who this is.' Looked at it, and I was like 'Oh, I got invited to big league camp. That's pretty cool.' No longer was I worried about birds.
*2016 4th Round pick Brett Adcock (117Ks in 107.2IP at Buies Creek last season) is ready for the season:
I obviously have things I need to fine-tune. If I didn't, I'd be in the big leagues right now. I'm just trying to make myself 1 percent better each day. If I can do that, hopefully I can end up in the right place.
*Josh Reddick, in all his Josh Reddickness (Reddickulousness?), talked about the ballistic missile scare in Hawaii:
I went back to my room (after it was clear that the alert was not real) and it was actually frustrating, because me and my girlfriend were going to visit with the Dolphins that morning. We got there on time. We got to play with the dolphins that morning. It was plenty of time. She wasn't even worried about dying; she was worried about seeing the dolphins. I said, 'Those dolphins can wait, we can see them tomorrow if we're still here.' Still had a great time.
*Rich Hill has chilled out about the 2017 World Series. In a sample poll of Rich Hill and myself, 50% of respondents have chilled out about the 2017 World Series.
*If you find yourself in Fresno on May 12 you can pick up this sweet Carlos Correa Starting Lineup figure.
*Eric Hosmer signed an 8yr/$144m deal (with an opt-out after five years) with the Padres.
*The Rangers have backed out of the deal to sign reliever Seung-Hawn Oh after concerns about his MRI. So here comes a bunch of editorials comparing them to the dastardly Astros and their treatment of Brady Aiken, yes?
*Chris Archer says the Rays could have the best rotation in MLB. And then they traded Jake Odorizzi to the Twins, so who knows now?
*Fernando Abad, who signed a new deal with the Phillies for 2018:
2010-2012 w/HOU: 84.2IP, 5.10 ERA / 1.56 WHIP, 1.97 K:BB ratio.
2013-present: 233IP, 3.13 ERA / 1.21 WHIP, 2.58 K:BB ratio.
*The Haunting of Lindsey Jacobellis.
*From No Depression: A musician's life on social media.
*The Globe and Mail's Michael Harris: I Have Forgotten How To Read.
#Astros Joe Smith 2017 Pitch Quality— MLB Quality of Pitch (@qopbaseball) February 17, 2018
5.87 QOPA
Late Break (Top 1% MLB)
Horizontal Break (Top 1% MLB)
Location (Top 6% MLB) pic.twitter.com/DDMtkyltsl
Thursday, January 11, 2018
Thursday Morning Hot Links
I have approximately 14 minutes before I have to go, so let's get to it.
*Check Jeff Blogwell on the Astros career of pitching legend Gerrit Cole.
*Yu Darvish has narrowed his preferred list of destinations to New York, Chicago, Arlington, Minnesota, and Houston, though the 2017 Silver Medalists seem to still be in the mix.
*Forrest Whitley hears his name in them trade rumors.
*Brady Rodgers, who had Tommy John surgery on May 2, feels that he can be ready for Opening Day.
*Jay Bruce signed with the Mets, which is interesting because the Astros apparently considered Bruce as a fall-back option had they traded Derek Fisher.
*First pitch on Opening Day (March 29) will be at 2:35pm.
*Yo here's a wild story about the head of CSE Talent's baseball division getting fired for allegedly filming his clients in the shower.
*Check Jeff Blogwell on the Astros career of pitching legend Gerrit Cole.
*Yu Darvish has narrowed his preferred list of destinations to New York, Chicago, Arlington, Minnesota, and Houston, though the 2017 Silver Medalists seem to still be in the mix.
*Forrest Whitley hears his name in them trade rumors.
*Brady Rodgers, who had Tommy John surgery on May 2, feels that he can be ready for Opening Day.
*Jay Bruce signed with the Mets, which is interesting because the Astros apparently considered Bruce as a fall-back option had they traded Derek Fisher.
*First pitch on Opening Day (March 29) will be at 2:35pm.
*Yo here's a wild story about the head of CSE Talent's baseball division getting fired for allegedly filming his clients in the shower.
Tuesday, December 26, 2017
Tuesday Morning Hot Links
Man, there is a whole bunch of nothing going on right now. So let's do this one more time for the end of the year:
BreakingT is having a massive Boxing Day sale today through the 29th in which the store is 20% off with the discount code YEAREND20. Get you some shirts today!
*Missed this from a few days ago, but Brady Rodgers (Tommy John surgery) looks to be ready to pitch again in June.
*Alex Bregman jumped out of a box to surprise his family.
Speaking of Bregman, one of the more prescient posts on this forsaken web site was Jeff Blogwell's "Alex Bregman Has Been Good and He is About to Get Better," posted back on June 19. Check the lede:
From now until the end of the season, Alex Bregman will be the fourth-best hitter on the Astros, right behind Correa, Altuve, and Springer. Book it.
Okay, Mr. Smartypants, let's see what it has to say, because on June 18, 2017 Bregman was hitting .244/.320/.391.
From June 19 to the end of the season, here's how it went:
Carlos Correa (46 games): .331/.408/.589 - .997 OPS
Jose Altuve (84 games): .358/.416/.557 - .973 OPS
Alex Bregman (89 games): .311/.374/.532 - .906 OPS
George Springer (76 games): .284/.376/.495 - .871 OPS
So you were wrong, Jeff You Idiot, he was the 3rd-best hitter, behind Correa, Altuve but ahead of Springer. Haha.
*Arizona's 1st-Round draft pick Pavin Smith paid off his parents' mortgage, and all of a sudden these allergies are flaring up.
*One of my favorite discoveries from 2017 is Roads & Kingdoms.
*
BreakingT is having a massive Boxing Day sale today through the 29th in which the store is 20% off with the discount code YEAREND20. Get you some shirts today!
*Missed this from a few days ago, but Brady Rodgers (Tommy John surgery) looks to be ready to pitch again in June.
*Alex Bregman jumped out of a box to surprise his family.
Speaking of Bregman, one of the more prescient posts on this forsaken web site was Jeff Blogwell's "Alex Bregman Has Been Good and He is About to Get Better," posted back on June 19. Check the lede:
From now until the end of the season, Alex Bregman will be the fourth-best hitter on the Astros, right behind Correa, Altuve, and Springer. Book it.
Okay, Mr. Smartypants, let's see what it has to say, because on June 18, 2017 Bregman was hitting .244/.320/.391.
From June 19 to the end of the season, here's how it went:
Carlos Correa (46 games): .331/.408/.589 - .997 OPS
Jose Altuve (84 games): .358/.416/.557 - .973 OPS
Alex Bregman (89 games): .311/.374/.532 - .906 OPS
George Springer (76 games): .284/.376/.495 - .871 OPS
So you were wrong, Jeff You Idiot, he was the 3rd-best hitter, behind Correa, Altuve but ahead of Springer. Haha.
*Arizona's 1st-Round draft pick Pavin Smith paid off his parents' mortgage, and all of a sudden these allergies are flaring up.
*One of my favorite discoveries from 2017 is Roads & Kingdoms.
*
Breaking news: pic.twitter.com/jTR63N2BQN— Crap Local News (@CrapLocalNews) December 26, 2017
Wednesday, May 3, 2017
Wednesday Morning Hot Links
*Well well well. How the turns have tabled! Mike Fiers was hot garbage yet again - more on him soon AND later today - but the Astros turned yet another 5-run deficit into a W. After Jonathan Lucroy hit the Rangers' 4th home run of the game in the 4th inning, the Rangers had a 92.3% Win Expectancy. Altuve's 2-run homer still gave the Rangers the a WE of 79.3%. But Marwin's grand slam in the 8th shifted the probability 71.2% in the Astros favor. Luke Gregerson had to make it interesting, but Will Harris shut the door to preserve the Astros' come-from-behind win.
*Beltran, who went 3x5:
As a team we believe in ourselves and we know we're a good-hitting ball club. At one point people are going to get hot and we're going to be able to do just what we did.
*That was Marwin's first career grand slam, and the second 2HR game of his career. Furthermore, he hit a homer from both sides of the plate last night. Marwin, on the grand slam:
It was an unbelievable moment to be able to come back in the game like that. We have been doing that the whole year, and hopefully we can keep doing that and we're going to be in a good spot for playoffs.
SHHHHH you don't talk about playoffs in May, Marwin, come on you know better than that.
*Mike Fiers is now allowing 4.26 HR/9 innings. Among pitchers in 2017 who have thrown at least 20IP, that's the worst in baseball by almost a full home run. Among qualified pitchers in 2016, the league-worst HR/9 was James Shields, at 1.98 HR/9. In fact, from 1962-2016, the qualifying pitcher with the highest HR/9 was the Patron Saint of Lima Time Time, Jose Lima, who gave up 2.20 HR/9 for the 2000 Astros.
Also, 46.2% of the fly balls he is giving up end up leaving the yard. For as long as they've been keeping track of HR/FB, Jaime Garcia allowed an all-time worst 20.2% HR/FB rate in 2016. That is obviously unsustainable, but maybe because the Astros can't afford to see if it's unsustainable. I know they have the best record in baseball, but Fiers is a train wreck right now. What options do they have? Well, the best starting pitcher in Fresno - Brady Rodgers - had Tommy John surgery yesterday. Within the confines of the 40-Man roster, the Astros could flip Peacock and Fiers, but who knows if Peacock's success is owed to him embracing his new role as a Devenski-style long man? For now I think the Astros just strap Fiers in a seat, pry his eyelids open Clockwork Orange-style, and make him watch film of his mechanics. Fix your crap, Fiers.
*Collin McHugh may start playing catch this weekend, putting his return approximately around the time the Astros won't need him anymore.
*This was the 3rd time the Astros have come back from a five-run deficit this season, and because symmetry is just gorgeous, it's also the third time the Rangers have blown a five-run lead.
*The Astros have scored 68 runs off of relief pitching in 27 games. The 2013 Astros didn't score 68 runs all season this is a fact.
*Shoutout to James Hoyt for striking out five in 2IP.
*Regarding Rodgers and his Tommy John surgery, Luhnow:
...We felt like he could really make a difference up here this year. It's not going to happen.
In response, the Astros purchased the contract of LHP Casey Coleman and sent him to Fresno. Coleman will be 30 in July and appeared in parts of four seasons with the Cubs and Royals. He has a career 5.72 ERA/1.69 WHIP.
*Cole Hamels was scratched from his scheduled start last night due to tightness in his oblique during warm-ups.
*Carlos Gomez is still salty about the dust-up between McCullers and Napoli:
You want to hit him, hit [him], why do you want to be a tough guy?
[Pause to remember that McCullers, in fact, did not hit Napoli, but threw a ball behind his shoulder blades. This resulted in a catastrophic lack of injury to Mike Napoli, God preserve his soul.]
Gomez, on McHugh:
He is standing up in the dugout when he is on the DL and yelling. If he has something to say, say it to me. He is not man enough to stand in front of me and say it.
*Evan Grant says an Astros/Rangers rivalry is good for baseball.
*David Paulino threw 2IP in an extended spring training game yesterday.
*Adam Jones went to town on the Red Sox organization.
*If you're looking for a starting pitcher that won't cost half of your Top 20 prospects, Buster Olney says Trevor Cahill could be available.
*Grant Brisbee on the fan reading the newspaper about the Giants winning the 2014 World Series from his front row seat at Dodger Stadium.
PreStros Report - Games of May 2:
Fresno (11-15) fell to Sacramento 5-4 last night with Brian Holmes allowing 6H/5ER, 2K:4BB in 3.1IP and pushing his ERA to 7.89. Kevin Comer, Tyson Perez, and Dayan Diaz threw 5.2IP, 2H/0ER, 6K:1BB in relief. Tyler White went 3x4, Derek Fisher was 2x5 with a double and an outfield assist; Andrew Aplin was 2x2 with 2BB and 2RBI. Reid Brignac hit his 3rd homer of the year.
Corpus (15-10) lost the opener of a series at Midland, 6-1. Rogelio Armenteros wiggled in and out of trouble, allowing 7H/2ER, 3K:2BB in 3.2IP. Eric Peterson allowed 4H/3ER in 1.1IP. Josh James allowed 4H/1ER, 3K:2BB in 3IP. Bryan Muniz was 2x4 with an RBI. Jon Singleton was 1x3 with a double and a walk.
Buies Creek (18-8) allowed the tying runs to score in the bottom of the 9th but a Kyle Tucker homer in the top of the 12th gave BCA a 4-3 win over Carolina. Matt Bower threw 5IP, 5H/1ER, 3K:2BB; Carlos Sierra threw three hitless innings. Ryan Deemes got the BS/W with 4H/2ER, 3K:2BB in 3.1IP. Kyle Tucker was 1x4 with the aforementioned homer, walk, and 2RBI. Osvaldo Duarte and Arturo Michelena had a triple and a walk. Jason Martin was 1x4 with 2BB.
Quad Cities (13-10) scored the last six runs of the game for a 9-5 win over Fort Wayne. Enoli Paredes went 5IP, 3H/2ER, 8K:3BB; Ryan Hartman allowed 2H/3ER, 4K:3BB but got the win. Jake Rogers was (wink) a triple shy of the cycle with 3RBI; Randy Cesar was 2x3 with a double, two walks, and 2RBI; Rodrigo Ayarza was 1x2 with a homer and 2RBI. Stephen Wrenn was 2x5 with an RBI.
*Beltran, who went 3x5:
As a team we believe in ourselves and we know we're a good-hitting ball club. At one point people are going to get hot and we're going to be able to do just what we did.
*That was Marwin's first career grand slam, and the second 2HR game of his career. Furthermore, he hit a homer from both sides of the plate last night. Marwin, on the grand slam:
It was an unbelievable moment to be able to come back in the game like that. We have been doing that the whole year, and hopefully we can keep doing that and we're going to be in a good spot for playoffs.
SHHHHH you don't talk about playoffs in May, Marwin, come on you know better than that.
*Mike Fiers is now allowing 4.26 HR/9 innings. Among pitchers in 2017 who have thrown at least 20IP, that's the worst in baseball by almost a full home run. Among qualified pitchers in 2016, the league-worst HR/9 was James Shields, at 1.98 HR/9. In fact, from 1962-2016, the qualifying pitcher with the highest HR/9 was the Patron Saint of Lima Time Time, Jose Lima, who gave up 2.20 HR/9 for the 2000 Astros.
Also, 46.2% of the fly balls he is giving up end up leaving the yard. For as long as they've been keeping track of HR/FB, Jaime Garcia allowed an all-time worst 20.2% HR/FB rate in 2016. That is obviously unsustainable, but maybe because the Astros can't afford to see if it's unsustainable. I know they have the best record in baseball, but Fiers is a train wreck right now. What options do they have? Well, the best starting pitcher in Fresno - Brady Rodgers - had Tommy John surgery yesterday. Within the confines of the 40-Man roster, the Astros could flip Peacock and Fiers, but who knows if Peacock's success is owed to him embracing his new role as a Devenski-style long man? For now I think the Astros just strap Fiers in a seat, pry his eyelids open Clockwork Orange-style, and make him watch film of his mechanics. Fix your crap, Fiers.
*Collin McHugh may start playing catch this weekend, putting his return approximately around the time the Astros won't need him anymore.
*This was the 3rd time the Astros have come back from a five-run deficit this season, and because symmetry is just gorgeous, it's also the third time the Rangers have blown a five-run lead.
*The Astros have scored 68 runs off of relief pitching in 27 games. The 2013 Astros didn't score 68 runs all season this is a fact.
*Shoutout to James Hoyt for striking out five in 2IP.
*Regarding Rodgers and his Tommy John surgery, Luhnow:
...We felt like he could really make a difference up here this year. It's not going to happen.
In response, the Astros purchased the contract of LHP Casey Coleman and sent him to Fresno. Coleman will be 30 in July and appeared in parts of four seasons with the Cubs and Royals. He has a career 5.72 ERA/1.69 WHIP.
*Cole Hamels was scratched from his scheduled start last night due to tightness in his oblique during warm-ups.
*Carlos Gomez is still salty about the dust-up between McCullers and Napoli:
You want to hit him, hit [him], why do you want to be a tough guy?
[Pause to remember that McCullers, in fact, did not hit Napoli, but threw a ball behind his shoulder blades. This resulted in a catastrophic lack of injury to Mike Napoli, God preserve his soul.]
Gomez, on McHugh:
He is standing up in the dugout when he is on the DL and yelling. If he has something to say, say it to me. He is not man enough to stand in front of me and say it.
*Evan Grant says an Astros/Rangers rivalry is good for baseball.
*David Paulino threw 2IP in an extended spring training game yesterday.
*Adam Jones went to town on the Red Sox organization.
*If you're looking for a starting pitcher that won't cost half of your Top 20 prospects, Buster Olney says Trevor Cahill could be available.
*Grant Brisbee on the fan reading the newspaper about the Giants winning the 2014 World Series from his front row seat at Dodger Stadium.
PreStros Report - Games of May 2:
Fresno (11-15) fell to Sacramento 5-4 last night with Brian Holmes allowing 6H/5ER, 2K:4BB in 3.1IP and pushing his ERA to 7.89. Kevin Comer, Tyson Perez, and Dayan Diaz threw 5.2IP, 2H/0ER, 6K:1BB in relief. Tyler White went 3x4, Derek Fisher was 2x5 with a double and an outfield assist; Andrew Aplin was 2x2 with 2BB and 2RBI. Reid Brignac hit his 3rd homer of the year.
Corpus (15-10) lost the opener of a series at Midland, 6-1. Rogelio Armenteros wiggled in and out of trouble, allowing 7H/2ER, 3K:2BB in 3.2IP. Eric Peterson allowed 4H/3ER in 1.1IP. Josh James allowed 4H/1ER, 3K:2BB in 3IP. Bryan Muniz was 2x4 with an RBI. Jon Singleton was 1x3 with a double and a walk.
Buies Creek (18-8) allowed the tying runs to score in the bottom of the 9th but a Kyle Tucker homer in the top of the 12th gave BCA a 4-3 win over Carolina. Matt Bower threw 5IP, 5H/1ER, 3K:2BB; Carlos Sierra threw three hitless innings. Ryan Deemes got the BS/W with 4H/2ER, 3K:2BB in 3.1IP. Kyle Tucker was 1x4 with the aforementioned homer, walk, and 2RBI. Osvaldo Duarte and Arturo Michelena had a triple and a walk. Jason Martin was 1x4 with 2BB.
Quad Cities (13-10) scored the last six runs of the game for a 9-5 win over Fort Wayne. Enoli Paredes went 5IP, 3H/2ER, 8K:3BB; Ryan Hartman allowed 2H/3ER, 4K:3BB but got the win. Jake Rogers was (wink) a triple shy of the cycle with 3RBI; Randy Cesar was 2x3 with a double, two walks, and 2RBI; Rodrigo Ayarza was 1x2 with a homer and 2RBI. Stephen Wrenn was 2x5 with an RBI.
Monday, May 1, 2017
Employees of the Month: April 2017
The Astros are 16-9 and are 1st in the AL West. Life has meaning again and everything is fun. Let's get to the Employees of the Month. These players get to park at the front and get 10% off in the Team Store.
Houston
Evan Gattis: Hitting .321/.400/.518 with 9K:7BB gets Gattis the Employee of the Month for April. Gurriel was a strong possibility but Gattis' top-to-bottom month gives him the nod.
Dallas Keuchel: No-brainer for Pitching Employee of the Month. Keuchel allowed 25H/6ER, 36K:11BB in 44.2IP for a 1.21 ERA/0.81 WHIP. These are stupid numbers.
Fresno
Jon Kemmer: Kemmer hit .356/.406/.559 for Fresno in April.
Brady Rodgers: Limited by elbow trouble, Rodgers still gets the nod because the rest of the pitching staff has been hot garbage. Rodgers made three starts, allowing 14H/2ER, 11K:1BB in 16.1IP.
Corpus
Catching prospect Garrett Stubbs hit .341/.413/.634 in eleven games in April - the next-highest OPS trails Stubbs by 191 points.
Dean Deetz: Deetz threw 13.2IP, 4H/1ER, 13K:3BB in three April games for a 0.66 ERA/0.51 WHIP.
Buies Creek
Kyle Tucker hit .301/.372/.566 with six stolen bases in April.
Franklin Perez pitched in three games, throwing 14.1IP, 3H/0ER, 14K:3BB for a 0.00 ERA/0.42 WHIP.
Quad Cities
Even though he only played in ten games, I'm rolling with Marcos Almonte over Jake Rogers. Rogers hit .258/.370/.565 with ten of his 16 hits going for extra-bases. But Almonte hit .359/.406/.667 with 6K:2BB in 39 ABs.
Carson LaRue: Over 20IP, LaRue allowed 12H/2ER, 18K:7BB. Walks are a little high, but a 0.90 ERA/0.95 WHIP over a month will play.
Houston
Evan Gattis: Hitting .321/.400/.518 with 9K:7BB gets Gattis the Employee of the Month for April. Gurriel was a strong possibility but Gattis' top-to-bottom month gives him the nod.
Dallas Keuchel: No-brainer for Pitching Employee of the Month. Keuchel allowed 25H/6ER, 36K:11BB in 44.2IP for a 1.21 ERA/0.81 WHIP. These are stupid numbers.
Fresno
Jon Kemmer: Kemmer hit .356/.406/.559 for Fresno in April.
Brady Rodgers: Limited by elbow trouble, Rodgers still gets the nod because the rest of the pitching staff has been hot garbage. Rodgers made three starts, allowing 14H/2ER, 11K:1BB in 16.1IP.
Corpus
Catching prospect Garrett Stubbs hit .341/.413/.634 in eleven games in April - the next-highest OPS trails Stubbs by 191 points.
Dean Deetz: Deetz threw 13.2IP, 4H/1ER, 13K:3BB in three April games for a 0.66 ERA/0.51 WHIP.
Buies Creek
Kyle Tucker hit .301/.372/.566 with six stolen bases in April.
Franklin Perez pitched in three games, throwing 14.1IP, 3H/0ER, 14K:3BB for a 0.00 ERA/0.42 WHIP.
Quad Cities
Even though he only played in ten games, I'm rolling with Marcos Almonte over Jake Rogers. Rogers hit .258/.370/.565 with ten of his 16 hits going for extra-bases. But Almonte hit .359/.406/.667 with 6K:2BB in 39 ABs.
Carson LaRue: Over 20IP, LaRue allowed 12H/2ER, 18K:7BB. Walks are a little high, but a 0.90 ERA/0.95 WHIP over a month will play.
Friday, April 28, 2017
Friday Morning Hot Links + PreStros Report
*Chris Devenski made one bad pitch and that sealed the series loss at Cleveland. Astros lose a second consecutive one-run game, 4-3.
*Hinch decided to give Altuve and Springer another day off, as well as a scheduled day off for Carlos Beltran.
*Jose Altuve - who had a pinch-hit single - was caught stealing in the 9th, just before two straight singles.
*David Schoenfield has the strategy breakdown of last night's game.
*Here's a good article from Sam Miller about stabilization rates, and Dallas Keuchel's historically-impressive start to 2017.
*Brady Rodgers is being evaluated for an elbow injury.
*These Hot Links posts are better than Jon Heyman's notes.
*MLBTR has the latest update on Cuban OF Luis Robert
*Ben Lindbergh wonders if GMs are gaming the 10-Day DL.
*Paul Lukas looked at how teams set up their home/away unis.
*FanGraphs: What can you learn about minor-league plate discipline?
*The Red Sox' 2014 9th Round pick was critically injured in a car crash Wednesday night.
PreStros Report: Games of April 27
Fresno (9-12) fell to Reno in a lopsided 8-1 loss. Brian Holmes allowed 3H/3ER, 2K:4BB in 5IP. Aaron West and Kevin Comer were bitten by the Unearned Run Bug. The "offense" was 0x12 w/RISP and left 12 men on base. Derek Fisher and Preston Tucker each had two hits. Reid Brignac had a double.
Midland scored two runs in the 7th to send their game at Corpus (12-8) into extra innings, where Midland got three runs in the 10th for a 6-3 win. Joshua James threw 4.2IP, 4H/1ER, 6K:3BB; Ryan Deemes allowed 3H/2ER, 3K:0BB in 2.1IP, Ralph Garza struck out four in 2IP and Eric Peterson took the L with 2H/3ER, 0K:2BB in the 10th. J.D. Davis was 2x5 and stole home. Bryan Muniz was 3x4 with two doubles. Bobby Boyd (BB), Garrett Stubbs and Mott Hyde (RBI) had two hits each.
Buies Creek (14-7) beat Winston-Salem 2-0 in a rain-shortened six-inning game. Matt Bower threw all 6IP, allowing 3H/0ER, 5K:1BB. Johnny Sewald was 2x3, Oswaldo Duarte was 2x2, and the BCA stole five bases in the game.
The River Bandits got got by a 9-run Clinton 3rd inning in a 10-5 loss. Cuban lefty Cionel Perez made his stateside debut and allowed 5H/7R (6ER), 2K:2BB in 2.2IP. Brett Adcock threw 4IP, 3H/1R (0ER), 4K:1BB. Randy Cesar was 2x4. Taylor Jones and Carmen Benedetti were each 1x3 with a double and 2RBI.
*Hinch decided to give Altuve and Springer another day off, as well as a scheduled day off for Carlos Beltran.
*Jose Altuve - who had a pinch-hit single - was caught stealing in the 9th, just before two straight singles.
*David Schoenfield has the strategy breakdown of last night's game.
*Here's a good article from Sam Miller about stabilization rates, and Dallas Keuchel's historically-impressive start to 2017.
*Brady Rodgers is being evaluated for an elbow injury.
*These Hot Links posts are better than Jon Heyman's notes.
*MLBTR has the latest update on Cuban OF Luis Robert
*Ben Lindbergh wonders if GMs are gaming the 10-Day DL.
*Paul Lukas looked at how teams set up their home/away unis.
*FanGraphs: What can you learn about minor-league plate discipline?
*The Red Sox' 2014 9th Round pick was critically injured in a car crash Wednesday night.
PreStros Report: Games of April 27
Fresno (9-12) fell to Reno in a lopsided 8-1 loss. Brian Holmes allowed 3H/3ER, 2K:4BB in 5IP. Aaron West and Kevin Comer were bitten by the Unearned Run Bug. The "offense" was 0x12 w/RISP and left 12 men on base. Derek Fisher and Preston Tucker each had two hits. Reid Brignac had a double.
Midland scored two runs in the 7th to send their game at Corpus (12-8) into extra innings, where Midland got three runs in the 10th for a 6-3 win. Joshua James threw 4.2IP, 4H/1ER, 6K:3BB; Ryan Deemes allowed 3H/2ER, 3K:0BB in 2.1IP, Ralph Garza struck out four in 2IP and Eric Peterson took the L with 2H/3ER, 0K:2BB in the 10th. J.D. Davis was 2x5 and stole home. Bryan Muniz was 3x4 with two doubles. Bobby Boyd (BB), Garrett Stubbs and Mott Hyde (RBI) had two hits each.
Buies Creek (14-7) beat Winston-Salem 2-0 in a rain-shortened six-inning game. Matt Bower threw all 6IP, allowing 3H/0ER, 5K:1BB. Johnny Sewald was 2x3, Oswaldo Duarte was 2x2, and the BCA stole five bases in the game.
The River Bandits got got by a 9-run Clinton 3rd inning in a 10-5 loss. Cuban lefty Cionel Perez made his stateside debut and allowed 5H/7R (6ER), 2K:2BB in 2.2IP. Brett Adcock threw 4IP, 3H/1R (0ER), 4K:1BB. Randy Cesar was 2x4. Taylor Jones and Carmen Benedetti were each 1x3 with a double and 2RBI.
Thursday, April 27, 2017
Thursday Morning Hot Links + PreStros Report
*The Astros aren't going to win them all, but you could point a few different fingers in a few different directions: McCullers' lack of sharpness, Tony Sipp (single, sac bunt, wild pitch, walk), Michael Feliz allowing a two-run single. Reddick's missed catches. The Astros had the bases loaded with one out and Correa and McCann strike out. Astros lose 7-6.
*That said, the Astros put up six runs on a contender on the road with Altuve and Springer on the bench.
*Tyler Bauer was asked how he's 6-0 against the Astros. Bauer:
Random variation. It won't continue. At some point, it will break.
*Lance McCullers struggles last night further highlight his road v home splits
*Jose Altuve was not in the starting lineup last night, but it appears to be a precautionary measure.
*Jack Mayfield was promoted to Fresno yesterday seemingly in response to Tony Kemp's call-up to replace Teoscar Hernandez, who was placed on the 10-Day DL. Mayfield - a 2B - was hitting .258/.310/.455 for Corpus.
*I wrote about the 34 teams since 2000 that started out 14-6 or better.
*Brady Rodgers - seriously the lone bright spot in Fresno's currently-God-awful rotation - left his last start with "an arm issue." Rodgers has thrown 16.1IP, 14H/2ER, 11K:1BB. Fresno's pitching staff currently has a 5.71 ERA/1.74 WHIP.
*Felix Hernandez was put on the 10-Day DL with shoulder inflammation. So was Mitch Haniger.
*The familiar lousiness of the ESPN layoffs.
*Pray for Wayne Dolcefino.
PreStros Report: Games of April 26
Fresno was off.
Corpus (12-7) never trailed in a 5-3 win over Midland. Rogelio Armenteros threw 4.2IP, 4H/2ER, 5K:2BB. Andrew Thome and Michael Freeman combined for 4.1, 3H/1ER, 4K:4BB. Garrett Stubbs was 3x4 with a double; J.D. Davis was 2x4 with a solo home run - his 5th of the season; Jon Singleton was 1x3 with a two-run homer and a walk.
Buies Creek played a double-header to make up for Tuesday's rainout. Game 1 saw BCA and Winston-Salem trade 5-run innings, with Winston-Salem coming out on top in a 12-6 win. Alex Winkelman got touched up for the first time this season, allowing 6H/5ER, 0K:1BB in 0.2IP. Sebastian Kessay allowed 4H/5R (4ER), 1K:2BB in 2.2IP. Jason Martin (2RBI), Kyle Tucker (2B, RBI), and Dexture McCall (2B, RBI) had two hits each. Anthony Hermelyn was 1x2 with a walk and an RBI.
In Game 2, BCA jumped out to a 3-0 lead after the top of the 1st and beat Winston-Salem 5-3. Justin Ferrell allowed 3H/1ER, 7K:2BB in 5IP; Gabriel Valdez gave up 3H/2ER, 2K:0BB in 2IP. Johnny Sewald was 3x4 with three doubles and an RBI; Kyle Tucker was 2x3 with a triple and 3RBI.
Quad Cities (11-9) cruised to a 6-1 win over Peoria. Carson LaRue threw 5IP, 4H/0ER, 4K:2BB and Abdiel Santana allowed 4H/1ER, 4K:1BB in 3IP. Rodrigo Ayarza was 2x3 with two doubles and 2RBI. Stephen Wrenn was 2x4 with a double; Ronnie Dawson, Jake Rogers, and Randy Cesar all hit home runs. Daz Cameron was 1x3 with a double and a walk to improve his slash line to .191/.288/.412.
*That said, the Astros put up six runs on a contender on the road with Altuve and Springer on the bench.
*Tyler Bauer was asked how he's 6-0 against the Astros. Bauer:
Random variation. It won't continue. At some point, it will break.
*Lance McCullers struggles last night further highlight his road v home splits
*Jose Altuve was not in the starting lineup last night, but it appears to be a precautionary measure.
*Jack Mayfield was promoted to Fresno yesterday seemingly in response to Tony Kemp's call-up to replace Teoscar Hernandez, who was placed on the 10-Day DL. Mayfield - a 2B - was hitting .258/.310/.455 for Corpus.
*I wrote about the 34 teams since 2000 that started out 14-6 or better.
*Brady Rodgers - seriously the lone bright spot in Fresno's currently-God-awful rotation - left his last start with "an arm issue." Rodgers has thrown 16.1IP, 14H/2ER, 11K:1BB. Fresno's pitching staff currently has a 5.71 ERA/1.74 WHIP.
*Felix Hernandez was put on the 10-Day DL with shoulder inflammation. So was Mitch Haniger.
*The familiar lousiness of the ESPN layoffs.
*Pray for Wayne Dolcefino.
PreStros Report: Games of April 26
Fresno was off.
Corpus (12-7) never trailed in a 5-3 win over Midland. Rogelio Armenteros threw 4.2IP, 4H/2ER, 5K:2BB. Andrew Thome and Michael Freeman combined for 4.1, 3H/1ER, 4K:4BB. Garrett Stubbs was 3x4 with a double; J.D. Davis was 2x4 with a solo home run - his 5th of the season; Jon Singleton was 1x3 with a two-run homer and a walk.
Buies Creek played a double-header to make up for Tuesday's rainout. Game 1 saw BCA and Winston-Salem trade 5-run innings, with Winston-Salem coming out on top in a 12-6 win. Alex Winkelman got touched up for the first time this season, allowing 6H/5ER, 0K:1BB in 0.2IP. Sebastian Kessay allowed 4H/5R (4ER), 1K:2BB in 2.2IP. Jason Martin (2RBI), Kyle Tucker (2B, RBI), and Dexture McCall (2B, RBI) had two hits each. Anthony Hermelyn was 1x2 with a walk and an RBI.
In Game 2, BCA jumped out to a 3-0 lead after the top of the 1st and beat Winston-Salem 5-3. Justin Ferrell allowed 3H/1ER, 7K:2BB in 5IP; Gabriel Valdez gave up 3H/2ER, 2K:0BB in 2IP. Johnny Sewald was 3x4 with three doubles and an RBI; Kyle Tucker was 2x3 with a triple and 3RBI.
Quad Cities (11-9) cruised to a 6-1 win over Peoria. Carson LaRue threw 5IP, 4H/0ER, 4K:2BB and Abdiel Santana allowed 4H/1ER, 4K:1BB in 3IP. Rodrigo Ayarza was 2x3 with two doubles and 2RBI. Stephen Wrenn was 2x4 with a double; Ronnie Dawson, Jake Rogers, and Randy Cesar all hit home runs. Daz Cameron was 1x3 with a double and a walk to improve his slash line to .191/.288/.412.
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