The Astros didn't play last night. Oakland did play, and won, so they're 6-4 - a half-game ahead of the Astros in the division. It's the first time the Astros haven't been in 1st place on the morning of August 4 since 2016.
Lead, on the morning of August 4:
2020: -0.5
2019: +8.0
2018: +5.0
2017: +15.0
2016: -6.5
2015: +3.0
2014: -22.0
2013: -27.5
2012: -30.5
2011: -24.5
*Check Episode 133 of Lima Time Time, recorded last night.
*Brian McTaggart: What's gone right - and wrong - for the Astros so far. I would go so far as to say that losing your ace and your closer in the first 10 days of the season is a really Wrong thing.
*The Astros signed reliever Chase De Jong from the Sugar Land Skeeters. His velocity is apparently up after throwing around a weighted ball. De Jong is a former 2nd Round pick - taken 20 picks after the Astros drafted Nolan Fontana. Here are his stats.
*Jake Kaplan and Zach Buchanan revisited the Greinke trade a year later from both teams' perspectives.
*Brandon Bailey talked about what it's like to make his MLB debut in 2020.
*Psyche: How to read more books.
*Vice: The public submissions for Mississippi's new state flag are pretty much exactly what you would expect.
*Today at 1:45pm Central on ESPN+, Brentford and Fulham will play in The Richest Game in Football. Whoever wins this one game will get promoted to the Premier League, and will make between £135 and £160 million (or $175m-$227m) over the next three years.
*A Musical Selection:
We didn't come out here to play tiddlywinks, son.
-Hal Smith
Showing posts with label Brandon Bailey. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Brandon Bailey. Show all posts
Tuesday, August 4, 2020
Monday, July 27, 2020
Monday Morning Hot Links
Just. I mean. So the thing is. If you really think about it. No, I got nothing. First things first, some streaks came to an end in Sunday's game: the 15-game winning streak over Seattle, as well as the 27-game streak of hitting a home run. Then Justin Verlander is apparently dead. First, the game:
*Zack Greinke lasted just 58 pitches, throwing 3.1IP and allowed 4H/3ER, 2K:2BB. It was his shortest outing since March 28, 2019, when he got 11 outs and allowed 7ER. That was also his first start of the season. The last time Greinke recorded fewer outs in a start was August 14, 2016 (1.2IP).
Greinke said:
Not too happy with anything. Command wasn't great, stuff wasn't great, endurance wasn't even good at all.
*The four runs allowed by the bullpen (one to Biagini, three to Devenski) were the first runs allowed by the Astros' bullpen this season. Blake Taylor, who was acquired from New York for Jake Marisnick: 1.1IP, 0H/0ER, 2K:0BB.
*Chris Devenski, 2016-2017: 189IP, 129H/50ER, 204K:46BB, 2.38 ERA / 0.93 WHIP.
Chris Devenski, since: 118.1IP, 115H/62ER, 127K:35BB, 4.72 ERA / 1.27 WHIP.
*Brandon Bailey, who was acquired from Oakland for Ramon Laureano, made his MLB debut. So did Taylor Jones, who GIDPd and then struck out on three pitches with the bases loaded.
*Bryan Abreu faced nine batters: two HBPs, two walks, 13 of 31 pitches for strikes.
*Jose Altuve drew two walks for the second game in a row, which only happened once in 2019 (April 25-26, 2019), once in 2018, once in 2017. He had five walks in 57 games in 2011.
*Josh Reddick tripled to lead off the 6th, and then the Astros couldn't get him another 90 feet. They were 3x13 w/RISP in Sunday's game. It's the first time as an Astro that Reddick got a triple and the Astros lost the game (they were previously 9-0 when Reddick tripled).
*Thanks to Our Dude Chris Peixoto we find that Martin Maldonado's six RBIs over the first three games are the most by an MLB catcher since Brian McCann did it in 2007. Maldonado has never had 2+ RsBI in three straight games before.
*Alright, on to it, I guess. Let's recap the events:
Friday: Justin Verlander threw 6IP, 3H/2ER, 7K:1BB. 73 pitches. He told the Astros his arm was tender.
Saturday: Verlander had an MRI.
Sunday: Chandler Rome reported that Verlander was shut down for the year with an elbow issue. Dusty said after Sunday's game that it's a forearm strain and Verlander will be shut down for two weeks and re-evaluated.
Dusty:
It's not a pleasant situation to think about Verlander or to think about how many young players we have in the bullpen and organization but we'll go back to the drawing board.
"Currently missing the rest of the season." Losing Verlander long-term is obviously one of the worst-case scenarios coming into the 2020 season, an entire team outbreak of COVID aside. But let's hold off on doom-and-gloom on the baseball front for two more weeks, or just bottle it up and assume the worst privately, like an adult. We did this already with Lance McCullers (or pretty much every pitcher), where a forearm strain was a precursor to Tommy John surgery. Maybe this isn't it. But it probably is.
Jake Kaplan: What now for the rotation?
*In McTaggart's pre-game Notes we find that Blake Taylor and Enoli Paredes were the first Astros pitchers to make their MLB debut on Opening Day since Wesley Wright in 2008 and Josh James' backyard MLB-regulation mound.
*There are no updates on Austin Pruitt or Brad Peacock. RIP.
*Basically MLB's worst-case scenario is playing out with the Miami Marlins. Honestly, if you had to pick a team to be the Plague Rat Team, it would be Miami. It's bad. Jayson Stark and Ken Rosenthal: Why did the Marlins play on Sunday?
*Also with elbow soreness: Former Astros Great Ken Giles.
*Congratulations to the Houston Dash after winning their first NWSL Cup.
*A recipe for chewy chocolate almond cookies.
*The Tale of John and Ann Bender and Their Quest for Paradise.
*The Sly Psychology Behind Magicians' Card Tricks.
*A Musical Selection, warranting of the times:
*Zack Greinke lasted just 58 pitches, throwing 3.1IP and allowed 4H/3ER, 2K:2BB. It was his shortest outing since March 28, 2019, when he got 11 outs and allowed 7ER. That was also his first start of the season. The last time Greinke recorded fewer outs in a start was August 14, 2016 (1.2IP).
Make of it what you will, but Zack Greinke averaged 87.7 mph with his fastball today. He averaged 89.9 mph in 2019.— Chandler Rome (@Chandler_Rome) July 26, 2020
Greinke said:
Not too happy with anything. Command wasn't great, stuff wasn't great, endurance wasn't even good at all.
*The four runs allowed by the bullpen (one to Biagini, three to Devenski) were the first runs allowed by the Astros' bullpen this season. Blake Taylor, who was acquired from New York for Jake Marisnick: 1.1IP, 0H/0ER, 2K:0BB.
*Chris Devenski, 2016-2017: 189IP, 129H/50ER, 204K:46BB, 2.38 ERA / 0.93 WHIP.
Chris Devenski, since: 118.1IP, 115H/62ER, 127K:35BB, 4.72 ERA / 1.27 WHIP.
*Brandon Bailey, who was acquired from Oakland for Ramon Laureano, made his MLB debut. So did Taylor Jones, who GIDPd and then struck out on three pitches with the bases loaded.
*Bryan Abreu faced nine batters: two HBPs, two walks, 13 of 31 pitches for strikes.
*Jose Altuve drew two walks for the second game in a row, which only happened once in 2019 (April 25-26, 2019), once in 2018, once in 2017. He had five walks in 57 games in 2011.
*Josh Reddick tripled to lead off the 6th, and then the Astros couldn't get him another 90 feet. They were 3x13 w/RISP in Sunday's game. It's the first time as an Astro that Reddick got a triple and the Astros lost the game (they were previously 9-0 when Reddick tripled).
*Thanks to Our Dude Chris Peixoto we find that Martin Maldonado's six RBIs over the first three games are the most by an MLB catcher since Brian McCann did it in 2007. Maldonado has never had 2+ RsBI in three straight games before.
*Alright, on to it, I guess. Let's recap the events:
Friday: Justin Verlander threw 6IP, 3H/2ER, 7K:1BB. 73 pitches. He told the Astros his arm was tender.
Saturday: Verlander had an MRI.
Sunday: Chandler Rome reported that Verlander was shut down for the year with an elbow issue. Dusty said after Sunday's game that it's a forearm strain and Verlander will be shut down for two weeks and re-evaluated.
Dusty:
It's not a pleasant situation to think about Verlander or to think about how many young players we have in the bullpen and organization but we'll go back to the drawing board.
The report that I’m currently missing the rest of the season is not accurate. There is a forearm strain... I’m hopeful that with some rest it will heal and I’ll be able to return soon. Thank you for all the well wishes. 🙏🏻— Justin Verlander (@JustinVerlander) July 26, 2020
"Currently missing the rest of the season." Losing Verlander long-term is obviously one of the worst-case scenarios coming into the 2020 season, an entire team outbreak of COVID aside. But let's hold off on doom-and-gloom on the baseball front for two more weeks, or just bottle it up and assume the worst privately, like an adult. We did this already with Lance McCullers (or pretty much every pitcher), where a forearm strain was a precursor to Tommy John surgery. Maybe this isn't it. But it probably is.
Jake Kaplan: What now for the rotation?
*In McTaggart's pre-game Notes we find that Blake Taylor and Enoli Paredes were the first Astros pitchers to make their MLB debut on Opening Day since Wesley Wright in 2008 and Josh James' backyard MLB-regulation mound.
*There are no updates on Austin Pruitt or Brad Peacock. RIP.
*Basically MLB's worst-case scenario is playing out with the Miami Marlins. Honestly, if you had to pick a team to be the Plague Rat Team, it would be Miami. It's bad. Jayson Stark and Ken Rosenthal: Why did the Marlins play on Sunday?
*Also with elbow soreness: Former Astros Great Ken Giles.
*Congratulations to the Houston Dash after winning their first NWSL Cup.
*A recipe for chewy chocolate almond cookies.
*The Tale of John and Ann Bender and Their Quest for Paradise.
*The Sly Psychology Behind Magicians' Card Tricks.
*A Musical Selection, warranting of the times:
Thursday, July 23, 2020
Thursday Evening Hot Links
Yeah, I know there was one this morning. But! Baseball is back. We can debate the wisdom of even attempting to fly around the country and play in front of zero fans in the middle of a global pandemic. I've caught heat for being a "Corona Bro" (actually it was "Cornoa Bro" but that tweet was deleted) which, if I recall from the context, means that I think the government should be more proactive in stopping the spread of a virus that at least four million Americans have caught by implementing the European model of paying employers to keep their payrolls intact. And I do think that! There's a very clear playbook on how to weather an economic storm created by a global pandemic, and we just...threw it out the window. This is the first time I'm actually not excited about baseball being played since 2011. It's not that I don't want baseball to be played, I just think it's a high-risk/low-reward scenario. We have no idea of the long-term impacts of COVID-19. We know that you can be asymptomatic and spread it, we know that actual symptoms vary from person to person, from a stuffy nose, to permanent organ damage. I do not think we should just shut everything down until there's a vaccine. But as someone who does actually look at history for a living, you can't Business-As-Usual it. You just have to understand that these things come along periodically throughout human history, and I don't think it's unreasonable to allow for time to adjust to a Brand New Virus. For me, the last four months have shown me who I really am - and lot of who I regularly interact with really are. It's not been a pleasant journey, and I would like it to end (the virus, not my journey). Anyway, Baseball, I think!
*The Astros set their 30-Man Roster in advance of tomorrow night's alleged season opener. Here they are, with their number of MLB games played in parentheses:
Infielders
Jose Altuve (1243)
Alex Bregman (517)
Carlos Correa (546)
Aledmys Diaz (389)
Yuli Gurriel (455)
Jack Mayfield (26)
Abraham Toro (25)
Outfielders
Michael Brantley (1199)
Josh Reddick (1195)
George Springer (744)
Myles Straw (65)
Kyle Tucker (50)
Catchers
Dustin Garneau (123)
Martin Maldonado (717)
Garrett Stubbs (19)
Pitchers
Bryan Abreu (7)
Brandon Bailey (0)
Joe Biagini (217)
Chris Devenski (221)
Zack Greinke (488)
Josh James (55)
Cristian Javier (0)
Lance McCullers (83)
Roberto Osuna (310)
Enoli Paredes (0)
Ryan Pressly (362)
Cy Sneed (8)
Blake Taylor (0)
Framber Valdez (34)
Justin Verlander (453)
That's 13 players out of 30 who have played in fewer than 100 MLB games (postseason not included), nine who have played in less than 50, and six - all pitchers - who have played in less than ten MLB games.
*Chandler Rome has your 30-Man Roster analysis.
*Check out this great Joe Trezza story on Brandon Bailey.
*There is no update on Yordan Alvarez, or Jose Urquidy. Perhaps they never were... James Click, on the timetable for their return:
Unfortunately, I can't comment on timelines or expectations on that. We're doing everything we can to get them back on the field as soon as we possibly can.
*Here's how the 2020 Postseason will go:
-Top two teams in each division qualify for the postseason (12 teams)
-Two next best teams in each league qualify for the postseason (4 teams)
-1st Round: Best-of-Three Wild Card series, all played at the park of the team with the better record.
-1st Round winners advance to Best-of-Five division series
-Championship Series and World Series are Bests-of-Seven
*Dan Szymborski: The Official 2020 Preseason ZiPS projections. He projects the Astros at 35-25, two games better than Oakland, with a 43.9% to win the division, 15.9% to win a Wild Card (God knows there's gonna be 10 Wild Cards), 7.5% to win the World Series, behind only the Dodgers and Yankees.
Meanwhile, FanGraphs has their own Playoff Odds, which puts the Astros at 35.7-24.3, 62.5% to win the division, 17.2% to win a Wild Card spot, and 16.1% to win the World Series, behind only the Dodgers.
So, circling back (I'm a "Circle-Back" guy now), if we use FanGraphs' Playoff Odds as a guide for what the postseason would look like using their simulated numbers:
AL East: Yankees, Rays
AL Central: Twins, Spiders (the rebranded team in Cleveland)
AL West: Astros, A's
AL Wild Cards: Red Sox, White Sox
NL East: Nationals, ATLiens (the rebranded team in Atlanta)
NL Central: Cubs, Brewers
NL West: Dodgers, Padres
NL Wild Cards: Mets, Reds
The six division winners - which would be the Astros, Yankees, and Twins in the AL; Dodgers, Nationals, and Cubs in the NL - would then pick their opponents in a five-hour selection show, leaving the two teams that did not get picked, I guess, to play each other. It's insane, I think. It just might be genius. Because let's say the Astros are blessed enough to pick their opponent. You think that, if they choose the White Sox (just throwing a name out there), that the White Sox won't feel the immense disrespect? To win the World Series this year, I think it means you have to win 13 games.
*Jake Kaplan, on what Mookie Betts' extension means for George Springer. TL;DR: Maybe not all that much.
*Dusty Baker and the Astros Foundation are giving 3,000 masks to people in homeless encampments around Houston.
*The Astros are still waiting on the results from their COVID tests after learning of Hunter Dozier's positive test.
*Juan Soto - who is still somehow 21 - tested positive for COVID-19 on the day the Nationals are to play the AL Silver Medalists to start the season.
*The Astros are 3rd in SI's Opening Day Power Rankings.
*Get your new Astros gear at ApolloHOU.
*Sam Miller: A Newbie's Guide to the 2020 Season.
*MLB players plan to stand for a "Moment of Unity" before this evening and Friday's games.
*SI's Emma Baccellieri: The end of missing baseball.
*Vice: 21 Non-Boring And Safe Ways To See Friends This Summer.
*Buzzfeed: Facebook's employees reckon with the social network they built.
*NY Times: How some janitors are asked to keep you virus-free.
*A Musical Selection:
Be happy in every moment you possibly can, but remember that there's comfort in grief.
Welcome back, old friend. It is so good to see you. #OpeningDay— MLB Network (@MLBNetwork) July 23, 2020
🖊️ Written by Tom Verducci
🎙️ Narrated by Jon Hamm pic.twitter.com/wO1R01rWrG
*The Astros set their 30-Man Roster in advance of tomorrow night's alleged season opener. Here they are, with their number of MLB games played in parentheses:
Infielders
Jose Altuve (1243)
Alex Bregman (517)
Carlos Correa (546)
Aledmys Diaz (389)
Yuli Gurriel (455)
Jack Mayfield (26)
Abraham Toro (25)
Outfielders
Michael Brantley (1199)
Josh Reddick (1195)
George Springer (744)
Myles Straw (65)
Kyle Tucker (50)
Catchers
Dustin Garneau (123)
Martin Maldonado (717)
Garrett Stubbs (19)
Pitchers
Bryan Abreu (7)
Brandon Bailey (0)
Joe Biagini (217)
Chris Devenski (221)
Zack Greinke (488)
Josh James (55)
Cristian Javier (0)
Lance McCullers (83)
Roberto Osuna (310)
Enoli Paredes (0)
Ryan Pressly (362)
Cy Sneed (8)
Blake Taylor (0)
Framber Valdez (34)
Justin Verlander (453)
That's 13 players out of 30 who have played in fewer than 100 MLB games (postseason not included), nine who have played in less than 50, and six - all pitchers - who have played in less than ten MLB games.
*Chandler Rome has your 30-Man Roster analysis.
For me, the only roster surprise is that Brandon Bielak didn't make it. He seemed ahead of Brandon Bailey throughout summer camp and has experience in Triple A whereas Bailey hasn't pitched above Double A.— Jake Kaplan (@jakemkaplan) July 23, 2020
*Check out this great Joe Trezza story on Brandon Bailey.
*There is no update on Yordan Alvarez, or Jose Urquidy. Perhaps they never were... James Click, on the timetable for their return:
Unfortunately, I can't comment on timelines or expectations on that. We're doing everything we can to get them back on the field as soon as we possibly can.
*Here's how the 2020 Postseason will go:
-Top two teams in each division qualify for the postseason (12 teams)
-Two next best teams in each league qualify for the postseason (4 teams)
-1st Round: Best-of-Three Wild Card series, all played at the park of the team with the better record.
-1st Round winners advance to Best-of-Five division series
-Championship Series and World Series are Bests-of-Seven
*Dan Szymborski: The Official 2020 Preseason ZiPS projections. He projects the Astros at 35-25, two games better than Oakland, with a 43.9% to win the division, 15.9% to win a Wild Card (God knows there's gonna be 10 Wild Cards), 7.5% to win the World Series, behind only the Dodgers and Yankees.
Meanwhile, FanGraphs has their own Playoff Odds, which puts the Astros at 35.7-24.3, 62.5% to win the division, 17.2% to win a Wild Card spot, and 16.1% to win the World Series, behind only the Dodgers.
So, circling back (I'm a "Circle-Back" guy now), if we use FanGraphs' Playoff Odds as a guide for what the postseason would look like using their simulated numbers:
AL East: Yankees, Rays
AL Central: Twins, Spiders (the rebranded team in Cleveland)
AL West: Astros, A's
AL Wild Cards: Red Sox, White Sox
NL East: Nationals, ATLiens (the rebranded team in Atlanta)
NL Central: Cubs, Brewers
NL West: Dodgers, Padres
NL Wild Cards: Mets, Reds
The six division winners - which would be the Astros, Yankees, and Twins in the AL; Dodgers, Nationals, and Cubs in the NL - would then pick their opponents in a five-hour selection show, leaving the two teams that did not get picked, I guess, to play each other. It's insane, I think. It just might be genius. Because let's say the Astros are blessed enough to pick their opponent. You think that, if they choose the White Sox (just throwing a name out there), that the White Sox won't feel the immense disrespect? To win the World Series this year, I think it means you have to win 13 games.
*Jake Kaplan, on what Mookie Betts' extension means for George Springer. TL;DR: Maybe not all that much.
*Dusty Baker and the Astros Foundation are giving 3,000 masks to people in homeless encampments around Houston.
*The Astros are still waiting on the results from their COVID tests after learning of Hunter Dozier's positive test.
*Juan Soto - who is still somehow 21 - tested positive for COVID-19 on the day the Nationals are to play the AL Silver Medalists to start the season.
*The Astros are 3rd in SI's Opening Day Power Rankings.
*Get your new Astros gear at ApolloHOU.
*Sam Miller: A Newbie's Guide to the 2020 Season.
*MLB players plan to stand for a "Moment of Unity" before this evening and Friday's games.
*SI's Emma Baccellieri: The end of missing baseball.
*Vice: 21 Non-Boring And Safe Ways To See Friends This Summer.
*Buzzfeed: Facebook's employees reckon with the social network they built.
*NY Times: How some janitors are asked to keep you virus-free.
*A Musical Selection:
Be happy in every moment you possibly can, but remember that there's comfort in grief.
Saturday, March 7, 2020
Saturday Morning Hot Links
The Astros won 3-2 on a walkoff homer by Chas McCormick, despite outhitting the Mets 9-4, and drawing four walks.
-Lance McCullers threw 2IP, 2H/2ER, 2K:0BB.
-The Astros went 1x13 w/RISP.
-Carlos Correa was 2x3 with a double
-Alex Bregman was 1x3 with a walk
-George Springer was 1x3 with a walk and a stolen base
*17 of McCullers' 29 pitches went for strikes as he worked on his four-seam fastball location. LMJ:
The one thing I was working on today wasn't great, but all the other stuff I typically throw was excellent today. I've just got to keep on.
*The Astros made their first round of cuts today, sending seven pitchers to minor-league camp:
Cristian Javier, Kent Emanuel, Cionel Perez, Dean Deetz, Riley Ferrell, Brendan McCurry, and Ryan Hartman.
Dusty, on Cristian Javier:
Javier is a big-time talent. All the years I've been managing, this is probably the worst time of year for me because you're bursting bubbles out of people that are close to achieving their lifetime goal....You can't really tell them, 'You'd be the first call-up.' You don't want to lie to them or give them false hope. You want them to go down and work and don't get the big league-itis when you go down because you don't know how close you are to coming back.
James Click, on Yordan Alvarez, who has been out since Tuesday:
This is something that he has dealt with before, and we're going to get a plan in place and we have every expectation he's going to be out there and going to be fine.
Also, Brandon Bailey (selected by the Orioles in the Rule 5 draft last December) was returned to the Astros.
*Justin Verlander is the one player the Astros can't live without.
*Myles Straw is planning on being an integral part of the Astros' season. Dusty, on Straw:
He's like three players in one. He can run, he can play different positions, and he's becoming better as a hitter. He's very valuable.
*In FanGraphs' Fantasy Shortstop Rankings, Alex Bregman (9th) outranked Carlos Correa (13th).
*Taylor Jones is making a big impression (get it, because he's 6'7") with the Astros. Jones:
Being on the 40-Man Roster, you know that you're getting close and you know they've got a plan for you and all that, so it's reassuring coming into camp. Once we got here and got rolling here, it's a good environment with Dusty being around. He provides a good players' environment where you feel comfortable.
*Today's game against the Cardinals will be available in Houston on MLB Network beginning at noon.
*SI released their Fantasy SP Rankings. Click the link for the write-ups.
2. Justin Verlander
19. Zack Greinke
47. Lance McCullers
55. Jose Urquidy
64. Josh James
118. Brad Peacock
...And Fantasy Closer Rankings:
6. Roberto Osuna
36. Ryan Pressly
*Former Astros Great Collin McHugh was introduced in Boston yesterday. On the Sign-Stealing Scandal:
You've got to be willing to stick up for what you believe in and what you believe is right and what you believe is wrong. And I think a lot of the guys on that team, including myself, are looking back and wishing we had been as brave in the moment as we thought we were beforehand.
*Jayson Stark: Managers are starting to put together strategy for the three-batter minimum rule.
*MLB's rule changes are only creating confusion for players. Click this link for more info regarding the former Angels' visiting clubhouse attendant who gave his signature pine-tar/rosin mix to pitchers.
*Aaron Judge has a broken rib and is out indefinitely. When was it broken? Apparently September 2019.
*In a wide-ranging Get Off My Lawn interview, Goose Gossage hates baseball and said Robin Yount and Paul Molitor were the best at stealing signs.
*Kris Bryant knows that, even as a rookie, he would have stepped up and stopped one of the elder statesmen of the game and his bench coach from stealing signs like the Astros did. What a hero.
*How to prepare now for the complete end of the world.
*How to tell if you have the flu, Coronavirus, or something else.
*Reddit lets users connect with one another via the Crisis Text Line partnership.
*A Musical Selection:
-Lance McCullers threw 2IP, 2H/2ER, 2K:0BB.
-The Astros went 1x13 w/RISP.
-Carlos Correa was 2x3 with a double
-Alex Bregman was 1x3 with a walk
-George Springer was 1x3 with a walk and a stolen base
*17 of McCullers' 29 pitches went for strikes as he worked on his four-seam fastball location. LMJ:
The one thing I was working on today wasn't great, but all the other stuff I typically throw was excellent today. I've just got to keep on.
*The Astros made their first round of cuts today, sending seven pitchers to minor-league camp:
Cristian Javier, Kent Emanuel, Cionel Perez, Dean Deetz, Riley Ferrell, Brendan McCurry, and Ryan Hartman.
Dusty, on Cristian Javier:
Javier is a big-time talent. All the years I've been managing, this is probably the worst time of year for me because you're bursting bubbles out of people that are close to achieving their lifetime goal....You can't really tell them, 'You'd be the first call-up.' You don't want to lie to them or give them false hope. You want them to go down and work and don't get the big league-itis when you go down because you don't know how close you are to coming back.
James Click, on Yordan Alvarez, who has been out since Tuesday:
This is something that he has dealt with before, and we're going to get a plan in place and we have every expectation he's going to be out there and going to be fine.
Also, Brandon Bailey (selected by the Orioles in the Rule 5 draft last December) was returned to the Astros.
*Justin Verlander is the one player the Astros can't live without.
*Myles Straw is planning on being an integral part of the Astros' season. Dusty, on Straw:
He's like three players in one. He can run, he can play different positions, and he's becoming better as a hitter. He's very valuable.
*In FanGraphs' Fantasy Shortstop Rankings, Alex Bregman (9th) outranked Carlos Correa (13th).
*Taylor Jones is making a big impression (get it, because he's 6'7") with the Astros. Jones:
Being on the 40-Man Roster, you know that you're getting close and you know they've got a plan for you and all that, so it's reassuring coming into camp. Once we got here and got rolling here, it's a good environment with Dusty being around. He provides a good players' environment where you feel comfortable.
*Today's game against the Cardinals will be available in Houston on MLB Network beginning at noon.
*SI released their Fantasy SP Rankings. Click the link for the write-ups.
2. Justin Verlander
19. Zack Greinke
47. Lance McCullers
55. Jose Urquidy
64. Josh James
118. Brad Peacock
...And Fantasy Closer Rankings:
6. Roberto Osuna
36. Ryan Pressly
*Former Astros Great Collin McHugh was introduced in Boston yesterday. On the Sign-Stealing Scandal:
You've got to be willing to stick up for what you believe in and what you believe is right and what you believe is wrong. And I think a lot of the guys on that team, including myself, are looking back and wishing we had been as brave in the moment as we thought we were beforehand.
*Jayson Stark: Managers are starting to put together strategy for the three-batter minimum rule.
*MLB's rule changes are only creating confusion for players. Click this link for more info regarding the former Angels' visiting clubhouse attendant who gave his signature pine-tar/rosin mix to pitchers.
*Aaron Judge has a broken rib and is out indefinitely. When was it broken? Apparently September 2019.
*In a wide-ranging Get Off My Lawn interview, Goose Gossage hates baseball and said Robin Yount and Paul Molitor were the best at stealing signs.
*Kris Bryant knows that, even as a rookie, he would have stepped up and stopped one of the elder statesmen of the game and his bench coach from stealing signs like the Astros did. What a hero.
*How to prepare now for the complete end of the world.
*How to tell if you have the flu, Coronavirus, or something else.
*Reddit lets users connect with one another via the Crisis Text Line partnership.
*A Musical Selection:
Friday, December 13, 2019
Friday Morning Hot Links
Let's get caught up, shall we?
*On his honeymoon, Carlos Correa called Jeff Luhnow to ask about the trade rumors, Luhnow told him to get back to being a married man and not worry about [waves hands] all that. Luhnow, on 2020:
We'll probably be favored to win our division, depending on what happens, and have a chance to go deep in the playoffs again. Last year we lost Charlie and Dallas and we were able to get back to the World Series, so we're going to have to reload. That's part of operating as a successful baseball operation. You've got to plug in for the pieces you lose every year and losing pieces is inevitable. This isn't going to be the last year. It's going to continue. That's why we work so hard to find the next version of hopefully Gerrit Cole that we can bring in...and someday he may leave.
*The Astros have apparently received a ton of interest in Abraham Toro, while the Astros have allegedly asked the Dodgers about catcher Austin Barnes.
*The Astros lost three players in the Rule 5 Draft on Thursday: pitcher Brandon Bailey (Baltimore), pitcher Yohan Ramirez (Seattle), and infielder Jonathan Arauz (Boston).
-Bailey, 25, had a nice season in Corpus, striking out 103 batters in 92.2IP with a 3.30 ERA / 1.22 WHIP. He came to the Astros in the Ramon Laureano trade so, I guess you can chalk that win up to Oakland (though there wasn't exactly room for Laureano in the outfield at the time, or at the present, so...whatever).
-24-year old Yohan Ramirez split time between Fayetteville and Corpus and put up really impressive strikeout numbers (158 in 106IP), but walked 6.3 batters per nine innings.
-21-year old Jonathan Arauz has consistently played at levels in the minors 2-3 years younger than his competition. He's generally been ticketed as a glove-first guy, but didn't hit a whole lot between Fayetteville and Corpus in 2019 (.249/.319/.388 in 473 PAs). Arauz came to Houston in the Ken Giles trade.
Baltimore taking Bailey makes a lot of sense because they're where the Astros were in the depths of their rebuild, and Mike Elias knows the Astros' system really well. The Mariners taking Ramirez makes a lot of sense because it had been about 15 minutes since Jerry Dipoto had acquired literally anything (the latest being "Pizza for Cash Considerations"). The chances of the Red Sox turning a 21-year old .700 OPS guy into Dustin Pedroia in 2020 seem remote, but with carrying the extra active roster spot, I guess there's a chance. Don't get too broken up about losing these guys. You can't keep everybody and, if you care about these dudes on a personal level, well, they're probably in a better spot in regards to their Major League careers. And, whose spot are they going to take on the Astros in the near future, anyway?
Kevin Goldstein:
We thought we'd lose one or two, and we lost three. I don't use the word, 'loss.' I think we have three guys taken and we don't count them as a loss until they stick on the roster all year for the big league teams that took them.
There are a couple of scouting report write-ups on the Rule 5 picks at FanGraphs. The Astros didn't take anyone in the Rule 5 Draft because it's not 2013.
*Long-time Dodgers reporter Molly Knight has a piece in The Athletic about how the Astros' silence regarding the Sign-Stealing Scandal is reflective of their guilt. It's...something. I tended to think that their silence showed that the investigation was still ongoing but to each their own. Knight:
Hinch seemed somber and defeated. His shoulders hunched forward in protection as tiny sweat droplets formed on his forehead. During what were probably among the most uncomfortable 19 minutes of his career, Hinch didn't appear anxious. He just looked resigned.
Okay.
St. Louis hitting coach Jeff Albert, who was the Astros' minor-league hitting coordinator in 2017, was interviewed by MLB, which is an impressive amount of detail. MLB is reviewing 76,000 emails as well as telephone records with over 70 in-person interviews as they try to find evidence of a loss of "institutional control" by the front office. SI notes (previous link) that the investigation could wrap up in January. Can't wait. LA Times:
It is considered unlikely that the league would strip the Astros of their World Series title. Fines, suspensions, and the loss of draft picks are among other possible sanctions.
I would welcome the opportunity to open my front door and find Rob Manfred standing there demanding the return of all of my 2017 World Series gear.
*Mattress Mack and Alex Bregman surprised a pregnant mom of eight with $10,000 worth of furniture.
*Today would have been Larry Doby's 96th birthday. Larry Doby was the first man to integrate the American League, playing with the Cleveland Indians and hitting .283/.386/.490, led the League in home runs twice, RBIs once, and Runs Scored once. His career was good enough for a 136 OPS+ and a rightful place in the Hall of Fame.
*Things aren't looking good for disgraced baseball writer Jonah Keri. In July 2019 Keri was charged with assaulting his wife and then later breaking the conditions of the separation related to that case. Wednesday Keri received eight new charges from incidents prior to that July charge that include assault with a weapon, assault causing bodily harm, criminal harassment, and uttering threats involving his wife and a child.
*ESPN: Inside the troubled life and death of 1994 Heisman winner Rashaan Salaam.
*The wartime spies who used knitting as an espionage tool.
*There's a new kind of inequality, and it's not about income.
*The gore, guts, and horror of an NFL fumble pile.
*A Musical Selection:
The Hot Links Music playlist is at 247 songs lasting over 15.5 hours. After the last six weeks of being an Astros fan, there are days I wish this was just a music blog.
*On his honeymoon, Carlos Correa called Jeff Luhnow to ask about the trade rumors, Luhnow told him to get back to being a married man and not worry about [waves hands] all that. Luhnow, on 2020:
We'll probably be favored to win our division, depending on what happens, and have a chance to go deep in the playoffs again. Last year we lost Charlie and Dallas and we were able to get back to the World Series, so we're going to have to reload. That's part of operating as a successful baseball operation. You've got to plug in for the pieces you lose every year and losing pieces is inevitable. This isn't going to be the last year. It's going to continue. That's why we work so hard to find the next version of hopefully Gerrit Cole that we can bring in...and someday he may leave.
And on Gerrit Cole and the Yankees, Luhnow:
We prefer he went to the National League, but he's in the American League. We faced the Yankees three out of the last five years in the playoffs, so maybe we'll do it again. But I'm glad he's not in our division. We'll face him but we won't face him quite as much. The Yankees will be strong. They'll be favored to win their division, but we plan to be right there.
*Luhnow would like to add a catcher (Chirinos and Jason Castro make the most sense, in which a whole bunch of us will have to go back and scrub some tweets if the Astros reunite with Castro), a starting pitcher, and a reliever. Chandler Rome wrote up how the Astros now have a limited pool with which to work behind the plate. Garrett Stubbs, one of the two backup catchers on the 40-Man Roster, will play some infield this spring, a season after playing some outfield.*The Astros have apparently received a ton of interest in Abraham Toro, while the Astros have allegedly asked the Dodgers about catcher Austin Barnes.
*The Astros lost three players in the Rule 5 Draft on Thursday: pitcher Brandon Bailey (Baltimore), pitcher Yohan Ramirez (Seattle), and infielder Jonathan Arauz (Boston).
-Bailey, 25, had a nice season in Corpus, striking out 103 batters in 92.2IP with a 3.30 ERA / 1.22 WHIP. He came to the Astros in the Ramon Laureano trade so, I guess you can chalk that win up to Oakland (though there wasn't exactly room for Laureano in the outfield at the time, or at the present, so...whatever).
-24-year old Yohan Ramirez split time between Fayetteville and Corpus and put up really impressive strikeout numbers (158 in 106IP), but walked 6.3 batters per nine innings.
-21-year old Jonathan Arauz has consistently played at levels in the minors 2-3 years younger than his competition. He's generally been ticketed as a glove-first guy, but didn't hit a whole lot between Fayetteville and Corpus in 2019 (.249/.319/.388 in 473 PAs). Arauz came to Houston in the Ken Giles trade.
Baltimore taking Bailey makes a lot of sense because they're where the Astros were in the depths of their rebuild, and Mike Elias knows the Astros' system really well. The Mariners taking Ramirez makes a lot of sense because it had been about 15 minutes since Jerry Dipoto had acquired literally anything (the latest being "Pizza for Cash Considerations"). The chances of the Red Sox turning a 21-year old .700 OPS guy into Dustin Pedroia in 2020 seem remote, but with carrying the extra active roster spot, I guess there's a chance. Don't get too broken up about losing these guys. You can't keep everybody and, if you care about these dudes on a personal level, well, they're probably in a better spot in regards to their Major League careers. And, whose spot are they going to take on the Astros in the near future, anyway?
Kevin Goldstein:
We thought we'd lose one or two, and we lost three. I don't use the word, 'loss.' I think we have three guys taken and we don't count them as a loss until they stick on the roster all year for the big league teams that took them.
There are a couple of scouting report write-ups on the Rule 5 picks at FanGraphs. The Astros didn't take anyone in the Rule 5 Draft because it's not 2013.
*Long-time Dodgers reporter Molly Knight has a piece in The Athletic about how the Astros' silence regarding the Sign-Stealing Scandal is reflective of their guilt. It's...something. I tended to think that their silence showed that the investigation was still ongoing but to each their own. Knight:
Hinch seemed somber and defeated. His shoulders hunched forward in protection as tiny sweat droplets formed on his forehead. During what were probably among the most uncomfortable 19 minutes of his career, Hinch didn't appear anxious. He just looked resigned.
Okay.
St. Louis hitting coach Jeff Albert, who was the Astros' minor-league hitting coordinator in 2017, was interviewed by MLB, which is an impressive amount of detail. MLB is reviewing 76,000 emails as well as telephone records with over 70 in-person interviews as they try to find evidence of a loss of "institutional control" by the front office. SI notes (previous link) that the investigation could wrap up in January. Can't wait. LA Times:
It is considered unlikely that the league would strip the Astros of their World Series title. Fines, suspensions, and the loss of draft picks are among other possible sanctions.
I would welcome the opportunity to open my front door and find Rob Manfred standing there demanding the return of all of my 2017 World Series gear.
*Mattress Mack and Alex Bregman surprised a pregnant mom of eight with $10,000 worth of furniture.
*Today would have been Larry Doby's 96th birthday. Larry Doby was the first man to integrate the American League, playing with the Cleveland Indians and hitting .283/.386/.490, led the League in home runs twice, RBIs once, and Runs Scored once. His career was good enough for a 136 OPS+ and a rightful place in the Hall of Fame.
*Things aren't looking good for disgraced baseball writer Jonah Keri. In July 2019 Keri was charged with assaulting his wife and then later breaking the conditions of the separation related to that case. Wednesday Keri received eight new charges from incidents prior to that July charge that include assault with a weapon, assault causing bodily harm, criminal harassment, and uttering threats involving his wife and a child.
*ESPN: Inside the troubled life and death of 1994 Heisman winner Rashaan Salaam.
*The wartime spies who used knitting as an espionage tool.
*There's a new kind of inequality, and it's not about income.
*The gore, guts, and horror of an NFL fumble pile.
*A Musical Selection:
The Hot Links Music playlist is at 247 songs lasting over 15.5 hours. After the last six weeks of being an Astros fan, there are days I wish this was just a music blog.
Sunday, February 10, 2019
Sunday Morning Hot Links
Good morning. Pitchers and Catchers report in three days. They play an actual Spring Training game in 13 days.
*The Astros are excited about the addition of lefty Michael Brantley. George Springer:
I'm certainly happy to have him. He's an extremely professional hitter and extremely professional player. Seeing him on the other side for a few years and being a pest and being the guy who's always hurt us, I'm glad he's on our team now.
*Chandler Rome has some Spring Training questions like, "Will everyone be healthy?"
*For $44.99 you can get the base package from Fubo that will carry AT&T SportsNet Houston, with which you can watch Astros and Rockets games without a typical cable subscription.
*MLB.com: Sizing up each MLB team's vision for the future.
*Beyond the Box Score: When the Astros traded Ramon Laureano to Oakland for Brandon Bailey, they might have gotten hosed.
*Former Astros Great Josh Zeid is going to the Cubs' analytics side.
*Jay Jaffe: The sustained excellence of Frank Robinson.
*Want to apply for a job with the Astros for which you are supremely unqualified?
*This Italian soccer team was trapped at their training facility by angry sheep's milk farmers.
*Pitchfork: Why is a random 1994 Dinosaur Jr. song charting in Japan?
*A Musical Selection:
Note: I heard this song two years before I knew who it was. I was in a coffee shop in Ohio where I heard it, but wasn't able to catch it on Siri or Shazam or whatever. I asked the barista. He didn't know. No one knew. It sounded like Gorillaz, to me. I spent the next two years periodically trying to listen to every Gorillaz song. I'm not that big of a Gorillaz fan. Then, I was listening to Spotify Radio in class while students were working and it came on as one of them asked me - excuse me, *tried to* ask me - a question. I said to them, "Shut up and let me see who this is." Here it is:
*Don't forget you can follow the oft-updated Hot Links Music playlist on Spotify.
*The Astros are excited about the addition of lefty Michael Brantley. George Springer:
I'm certainly happy to have him. He's an extremely professional hitter and extremely professional player. Seeing him on the other side for a few years and being a pest and being the guy who's always hurt us, I'm glad he's on our team now.
*Chandler Rome has some Spring Training questions like, "Will everyone be healthy?"
*For $44.99 you can get the base package from Fubo that will carry AT&T SportsNet Houston, with which you can watch Astros and Rockets games without a typical cable subscription.
*MLB.com: Sizing up each MLB team's vision for the future.
*Beyond the Box Score: When the Astros traded Ramon Laureano to Oakland for Brandon Bailey, they might have gotten hosed.
*Former Astros Great Josh Zeid is going to the Cubs' analytics side.
*Jay Jaffe: The sustained excellence of Frank Robinson.
*Want to apply for a job with the Astros for which you are supremely unqualified?
*This Italian soccer team was trapped at their training facility by angry sheep's milk farmers.
*Pitchfork: Why is a random 1994 Dinosaur Jr. song charting in Japan?
*A Musical Selection:
Note: I heard this song two years before I knew who it was. I was in a coffee shop in Ohio where I heard it, but wasn't able to catch it on Siri or Shazam or whatever. I asked the barista. He didn't know. No one knew. It sounded like Gorillaz, to me. I spent the next two years periodically trying to listen to every Gorillaz song. I'm not that big of a Gorillaz fan. Then, I was listening to Spotify Radio in class while students were working and it came on as one of them asked me - excuse me, *tried to* ask me - a question. I said to them, "Shut up and let me see who this is." Here it is:
*Don't forget you can follow the oft-updated Hot Links Music playlist on Spotify.
Thursday, August 2, 2018
Thursday Morning Hot Links
The Mariners might have a shot at winning the division if they [Scooby Doo villain voice] DIDN'T HAVE TO PLAY THOSE BLASTED KIDS FROM HOUSTON. Astros did the Good Thing and took the series from the Mariners based on some bombs and some solid pitching from Dallas Keuchel. Houston is 69-41. They have a five-game lead with 52 to play. Houston is 6-3 against Seattle this season, outscoring the Mariners 42-25.
*Houston hit four home runs in the game for the fourth time this season. The Astros are 10-2 when hit three or more home runs this season, and both losses were to the Indians. They're 37-6 when they hit 2+ home runs.
*The Astros struck out 10 times in a game for the 26th time this season, and are now 11-15 in those games.
*Marwin hit two home runs, his first home run since June 27. It's just the 3rd 2HR game of his career, and his first since May 2, 2017 against the Ramgers (the Grand Slam Game). Marwin:
Every time you hit a homer you feel good, obviously. I can't even remember when my last one was from the right side. I've been hitting better from my right side but not for power, so that was a surprise after my second homer.
*Prior to the game Kyle Tucker was optioned to Fresno and Jake Marisnick was brought back to Seattle. Hinch:
Jake has done his part in Triple-A and had gone down and played well. He hit well and got a lot of at-bats. Tucker was starting to find his way out of the lineup more than not. From a development purpose, we really need Tucker to play every day. Tough call when you have a young player with the potential that Tucker has. We feel like it was better for him to go down and play and continue to develop and take the lessons he learned while he was here and come back soon.
See you in exactly one month, Kyle.
Here's Jake Kaplan, on Tony Kemp simply outplaying Kyle Tucker.
*Jake Marisnick was 2x4 with a home run and two strikeouts. It's Marisnick's 8th home run of the year. Just for reference: Joey Votto and Jose Altuve each have nine home runs. Alex Gordon and Jason Hayward have seven home runs, as does David Freese (whom I just now found out was still playing). Adrian Beltre has five home runs.
The two Marisnick hits brought his batting average to an even .200, the first time he's been at .200 since April 3.
*Evan Gattis got his 6th 3-hit game of the season, two of them were doubles. After going 1x30 from July 9-24, Gattis is 10x24 since.
*Dallas Keuchel went 7IP, 8H/3ER, 2K:1BB. He needed just 99 pitches to get 21 outs - 72 of those pitches were strikes.
He has four or fewer strikeouts in 11 of his 23 starts, but allowed 0-2 walks in 18 of those starts. That said, Keuchel's last six starts: 39.2IP, 33H/9ER, 25K:9BB. Keuchel:
For us to get a series win here was big, but it's not make or break. We know we're good enough to win this division. It's just a matter of getting guys healthy.
Nelson Cruz hit his 5th career home run off of Keuchel - no other MLB player has three. He's given up 15 homers to the Mariners, most against any one team.
Keuchel, on Marisnick:
He's as much a part of this team as anybody else. I didn't necessarily like the move when he was sent down. I personally don't care if he's hitting .100, he's a valuable part of our team and you can see why. He's kind of a wild card. He's a high-intensity guy, and that's what we need right now.
*Brad Peacock has faced six batters over his last two outings. The last time he recorded two perfect outings in a row was March 29-April 2.
*Hinch:
When you look at our team when we're at our best, it's guys like Marwin and Reddick earlier in the series, there's Yuli, there's our catching group. This is a very deep team, and (when) you go through some stretches where you don't play your best, you can kind of forget this team is built pretty well, built to withstand injuries or poor performance.
*The Mariners are now tied for 2nd place with Oakland. Seattle is 10-14 since July 1, 7-13 in their last 20 games. Oakland has won 30 of their last 40 games.
*There's a lot going on in this update from McTaggart, such as:
-Springer is expected to avoid the DL.
-Correa is headed for a rehab assignment with Corpus starting tonight.
-Altuve talked about the Astros' acquisition of Roberto Osuna. Altuve:
We don't know what actually happened, so it's really hard for me to get behind a mic and a camera and just fire up a guy when I don't have an idea of what really happened...He's one of our teammates, so now you have to be paying attention to the details. He's going to be here sometime soon...and after that happens we're hoping to find out what happened. We're a team, so everything we do we're going to be on the same page.
*FanGraphs' Dan Szymborski has the AL version of his Trade-Deadline ZiPS roundup.
*Do you have Roberto Osuna Tiredhead yet? Buckle up!
-Osuna had his court date yesterday in which...nothing was decided. Nothing will actually be decided until September 5, one month after he's eligible to join Houston. His lawyer said they're hoping for a peace bond with no trial. Oh, and Luhnow talked about Osuna showing remorse? Nah. The lawyer:
I think (Luhnow) is the one you might want to ask what he meant by remorseful. I can tell you that my client is not remorseful of being guilty of any criminal activity.
-Ben Reiter - of Astroball fame - wrote about how the front office so lavishly praised for their incorporation of the human element in a mathematical framework could make such a PR-unsavvy move. Reiter:
The Astros' long-term-focused front office, though, views everything it does through a probabilistic lens, and in this case its bet is apparently this: that Osuna's appalling offense will remain a one-time event; that his mere presence won't upend a clubhouse that is already being tested by injuries and a stretch of uncharacteristically poor play; and that he'll use that fastball and slider to help the club close out another World Series, as Aroldis Chapman - similarly suspended for domestic abuse two years ago - did for the Cubs in 2016.
*Brandon Bailey threw 8IP, 1H/0ER, 8K:1BB for Buies Creek yesterday...and BCA lost 2-1. Bailey's last five starts: 30IP, 15H/0ER, 33K:5BB. That's disgusting.
*Gizmodo: The "quietest place in America" is becoming a warzone.
The last time the trio of Altuve, Correa and Springer did not play for the #Astros was on Aug. 4, 2017. The Astros beat the Blue Jays that day 16-7. 🤷♂️🤷♂️🤷♂️— Steve Grande (@AstrosGrande) August 1, 2018
*Houston hit four home runs in the game for the fourth time this season. The Astros are 10-2 when hit three or more home runs this season, and both losses were to the Indians. They're 37-6 when they hit 2+ home runs.
*The Astros struck out 10 times in a game for the 26th time this season, and are now 11-15 in those games.
*Marwin hit two home runs, his first home run since June 27. It's just the 3rd 2HR game of his career, and his first since May 2, 2017 against the Ramgers (the Grand Slam Game). Marwin:
Every time you hit a homer you feel good, obviously. I can't even remember when my last one was from the right side. I've been hitting better from my right side but not for power, so that was a surprise after my second homer.
*Prior to the game Kyle Tucker was optioned to Fresno and Jake Marisnick was brought back to Seattle. Hinch:
Jake has done his part in Triple-A and had gone down and played well. He hit well and got a lot of at-bats. Tucker was starting to find his way out of the lineup more than not. From a development purpose, we really need Tucker to play every day. Tough call when you have a young player with the potential that Tucker has. We feel like it was better for him to go down and play and continue to develop and take the lessons he learned while he was here and come back soon.
See you in exactly one month, Kyle.
Here's Jake Kaplan, on Tony Kemp simply outplaying Kyle Tucker.
*Jake Marisnick was 2x4 with a home run and two strikeouts. It's Marisnick's 8th home run of the year. Just for reference: Joey Votto and Jose Altuve each have nine home runs. Alex Gordon and Jason Hayward have seven home runs, as does David Freese (whom I just now found out was still playing). Adrian Beltre has five home runs.
The two Marisnick hits brought his batting average to an even .200, the first time he's been at .200 since April 3.
*Evan Gattis got his 6th 3-hit game of the season, two of them were doubles. After going 1x30 from July 9-24, Gattis is 10x24 since.
*Dallas Keuchel went 7IP, 8H/3ER, 2K:1BB. He needed just 99 pitches to get 21 outs - 72 of those pitches were strikes.
He has four or fewer strikeouts in 11 of his 23 starts, but allowed 0-2 walks in 18 of those starts. That said, Keuchel's last six starts: 39.2IP, 33H/9ER, 25K:9BB. Keuchel:
For us to get a series win here was big, but it's not make or break. We know we're good enough to win this division. It's just a matter of getting guys healthy.
Nelson Cruz hit his 5th career home run off of Keuchel - no other MLB player has three. He's given up 15 homers to the Mariners, most against any one team.
Keuchel, on Marisnick:
He's as much a part of this team as anybody else. I didn't necessarily like the move when he was sent down. I personally don't care if he's hitting .100, he's a valuable part of our team and you can see why. He's kind of a wild card. He's a high-intensity guy, and that's what we need right now.
*Brad Peacock has faced six batters over his last two outings. The last time he recorded two perfect outings in a row was March 29-April 2.
*Hinch:
When you look at our team when we're at our best, it's guys like Marwin and Reddick earlier in the series, there's Yuli, there's our catching group. This is a very deep team, and (when) you go through some stretches where you don't play your best, you can kind of forget this team is built pretty well, built to withstand injuries or poor performance.
*The Mariners are now tied for 2nd place with Oakland. Seattle is 10-14 since July 1, 7-13 in their last 20 games. Oakland has won 30 of their last 40 games.
*There's a lot going on in this update from McTaggart, such as:
-Springer is expected to avoid the DL.
-Correa is headed for a rehab assignment with Corpus starting tonight.
-Altuve talked about the Astros' acquisition of Roberto Osuna. Altuve:
We don't know what actually happened, so it's really hard for me to get behind a mic and a camera and just fire up a guy when I don't have an idea of what really happened...He's one of our teammates, so now you have to be paying attention to the details. He's going to be here sometime soon...and after that happens we're hoping to find out what happened. We're a team, so everything we do we're going to be on the same page.
*FanGraphs' Dan Szymborski has the AL version of his Trade-Deadline ZiPS roundup.
*Do you have Roberto Osuna Tiredhead yet? Buckle up!
-Osuna had his court date yesterday in which...nothing was decided. Nothing will actually be decided until September 5, one month after he's eligible to join Houston. His lawyer said they're hoping for a peace bond with no trial. Oh, and Luhnow talked about Osuna showing remorse? Nah. The lawyer:
I think (Luhnow) is the one you might want to ask what he meant by remorseful. I can tell you that my client is not remorseful of being guilty of any criminal activity.
-Ben Reiter - of Astroball fame - wrote about how the front office so lavishly praised for their incorporation of the human element in a mathematical framework could make such a PR-unsavvy move. Reiter:
The Astros' long-term-focused front office, though, views everything it does through a probabilistic lens, and in this case its bet is apparently this: that Osuna's appalling offense will remain a one-time event; that his mere presence won't upend a clubhouse that is already being tested by injuries and a stretch of uncharacteristically poor play; and that he'll use that fastball and slider to help the club close out another World Series, as Aroldis Chapman - similarly suspended for domestic abuse two years ago - did for the Cubs in 2016.
*Brandon Bailey threw 8IP, 1H/0ER, 8K:1BB for Buies Creek yesterday...and BCA lost 2-1. Bailey's last five starts: 30IP, 15H/0ER, 33K:5BB. That's disgusting.
*Gizmodo: The "quietest place in America" is becoming a warzone.
Tuesday, March 20, 2018
Tuesday Morning Hot Links
*I feel like the Astros are in one of those New England college basketball conferences, ones where it feels like (just by watching the ticker at the bottom of ESPN) Iona, Siena, Albany, and Binghamton play each other 100 times during the season. The Astros are in that conference, only playing the Mets, Nationals, and Cardinals.
Iona beat Siena 2-0 yesterday. Carlos Correa hit his 1st home run of the Spring. Justin Verlander was dealing: 7IP, 5H/0ER, 3K:1BB. Verlander:
I was around the zone a lot, my offspeed stuff probably wasn't as sharp as it's been this spring today. But I was still able to make some good pitches, quality pitches when I needed to. If anything, I might have been around the zone too much, but overall, it was a good day.
*Big news of the day yesterday was the Astros officially announcing the Altuve extension. Here are the details, year by year:
Upon approval by the Commissioner's office: $1m
2018 salary: $6m
July 1, 2018: $10m signing bonus
2019 salary: $6.5m
July 1, 2019: $10m signing bonus
2020 salary: $26m
2021 salary: $26m
2022 salary: $26m
2023 salary: $26m
2024 salary: $26m
So the Astros will officially pay Jose Altuve more in 2018 than they will, say, Tony Sipp. I'll have a breakdown of future payroll soon. Notice that the deal kicks in right in as Verlander's deal comes off the books.
Luhnow:
We'd love to keep all the guys I'm looking at here for their entire careers. Jim is committed to keeping the best team on the field for as long as possible and giving us a chance to win multiple championships, and part of that is developing our own players and keeping our own players and bringing in the right types of players. And we've done that. We'll see what the future holds but we certainly have a desire and an intention to keep our core together as long as possible.
*Sean Pendergast has four thoughts on the Altuve deal.
*USA Today's Jorge L. Ortiz says Altuve can make more money with bonuses for awards and a no-trade clause. Agent Scott Boras:
This was a goal of his, because he was able to stay in Houston, he got a value he was proud of. This contract represents a five-year, over $30 million commitment, which only one other (position) player has in all of baseball at that: his countryman Miguel Cabrera. It gave him respect.
*Brian McTaggart says the Astros back-to-back tour has started.
*Brian T. Smith writes that it's easy to believe the Astros have a decent encore prepared.
*A couple of pieces from Jake Kaplan in The Athletic worth reading:
-After years of discussions, the Astros and Altuve struck another long-term deal.
-Q&A with new bench coach Joe Espada. Espada was the Yankees' 3B coach, and about that ALCS:
...How clean (Houston) played in that series, credit goes to the coaching staff and how good these players are. That's one of the reasons why I said, 'I've gotta be an Astro.'
*A.J. Reed came to Spring Training down 25 pounds, hit .298/.365/.511, and just got optioned to minor-league camp. It's obviously now between J.D. Davis and Tyler White on who makes the Opening Day roster - and I still think the bulk of the 1B reps while Gurriel is out will be held down by Marwin.
*Gerrit Cole can't stop smiling.
*Baseball America posted their Bold Predictions for the 2018 season which includes the Astros winning the AL West but only one writer picking them to win the Pennant, and then lose the World Series.
*"Can Derek Fisher play left field" is one of Richard Justice's ten burning questions for 2018.
*Here's a cool story in his hometown paper about Astros' manager of research & development Colin Wyers.
*Brandon Bailey - who came to Houston from Oakland in the Ramon Laureano trade - has a fun blog post about a recent day in camp.
*Further proof that Jeff Luhnow is an omnipotent cyborg: Franklin Perez, the center-piece of the Verlander deal, has a lat strain and will be out for three months minimum.
Iona beat Siena 2-0 yesterday. Carlos Correa hit his 1st home run of the Spring. Justin Verlander was dealing: 7IP, 5H/0ER, 3K:1BB. Verlander:
I was around the zone a lot, my offspeed stuff probably wasn't as sharp as it's been this spring today. But I was still able to make some good pitches, quality pitches when I needed to. If anything, I might have been around the zone too much, but overall, it was a good day.
*Big news of the day yesterday was the Astros officially announcing the Altuve extension. Here are the details, year by year:
Upon approval by the Commissioner's office: $1m
2018 salary: $6m
July 1, 2018: $10m signing bonus
2019 salary: $6.5m
July 1, 2019: $10m signing bonus
2020 salary: $26m
2021 salary: $26m
2022 salary: $26m
2023 salary: $26m
2024 salary: $26m
So the Astros will officially pay Jose Altuve more in 2018 than they will, say, Tony Sipp. I'll have a breakdown of future payroll soon. Notice that the deal kicks in right in as Verlander's deal comes off the books.
Luhnow:
We'd love to keep all the guys I'm looking at here for their entire careers. Jim is committed to keeping the best team on the field for as long as possible and giving us a chance to win multiple championships, and part of that is developing our own players and keeping our own players and bringing in the right types of players. And we've done that. We'll see what the future holds but we certainly have a desire and an intention to keep our core together as long as possible.
*Sean Pendergast has four thoughts on the Altuve deal.
*USA Today's Jorge L. Ortiz says Altuve can make more money with bonuses for awards and a no-trade clause. Agent Scott Boras:
This was a goal of his, because he was able to stay in Houston, he got a value he was proud of. This contract represents a five-year, over $30 million commitment, which only one other (position) player has in all of baseball at that: his countryman Miguel Cabrera. It gave him respect.
*Brian McTaggart says the Astros back-to-back tour has started.
*Brian T. Smith writes that it's easy to believe the Astros have a decent encore prepared.
*A couple of pieces from Jake Kaplan in The Athletic worth reading:
-After years of discussions, the Astros and Altuve struck another long-term deal.
-Q&A with new bench coach Joe Espada. Espada was the Yankees' 3B coach, and about that ALCS:
...How clean (Houston) played in that series, credit goes to the coaching staff and how good these players are. That's one of the reasons why I said, 'I've gotta be an Astro.'
*A.J. Reed came to Spring Training down 25 pounds, hit .298/.365/.511, and just got optioned to minor-league camp. It's obviously now between J.D. Davis and Tyler White on who makes the Opening Day roster - and I still think the bulk of the 1B reps while Gurriel is out will be held down by Marwin.
*Gerrit Cole can't stop smiling.
*Baseball America posted their Bold Predictions for the 2018 season which includes the Astros winning the AL West but only one writer picking them to win the Pennant, and then lose the World Series.
*"Can Derek Fisher play left field" is one of Richard Justice's ten burning questions for 2018.
*Here's a cool story in his hometown paper about Astros' manager of research & development Colin Wyers.
*Brandon Bailey - who came to Houston from Oakland in the Ramon Laureano trade - has a fun blog post about a recent day in camp.
*Further proof that Jeff Luhnow is an omnipotent cyborg: Franklin Perez, the center-piece of the Verlander deal, has a lat strain and will be out for three months minimum.
Wednesday, November 22, 2017
Wednesday Morning Hot Links
*I drove for 10 hours yesterday and hit 75 South in McKinney at 5:05pm. 0/10 would not advise.
*Random Astros fact:
AL West guaranteed contracts for 2019, not including arbitration or options (all numbers via Baseball-Reference):
Angels: 5 ($104.1m)
Mariners: 4 ($69.3m)
Rangers: 3 ($68.7m)
Astros: 3 ($43.9m)
Oakland: 0 ($0)
*The Astros will each receive about $438,000 for winning the World Series - an MLB record.
*SportsTalk 790 will re-broadcast Games 5 and 7 starting at 6am tomorrow.
*Just catching up, because this actually happened on Monday afternoon (and I forgot to take my computer on our quick trip): the Astros traded outfielder Ramon Laureano to the A's for RHP Brandon Bailey. Laureano put up impressive numbers between Lancaster and Corpus in 2016:
-Lancaster (357 PAs): .317/.426/.519
-Corpus (148 PAs): .323/.432/.538
But in his 2017 follow-up in Corpus, Laureano struggled, hitting .227/.298/.369 in his Age-22 season. The Astros had to either trade him, put him on the 40-Man roster, or expose him to the Rule 5 draft, so the Astros went with the option that guaranteed a return.
Brandon Bailey, a 5'10" 175lb RHP, was the A's 6th Round pick in the 2016 draft out of Gonzaga. Between the Midwest League (57IP) and the hitter-friendly California League (34IP) Bailey threw 91IP, 68H/33ER, 120K:31BB.
OaklandClubhouse says of Bailey:
Bailey has swing-and-miss stuff dating back to college and he has a starter's repertoire. He has a four-seam fastball, a four-seam changeup, a spike curveball and a slider. Bailey was also working on a cut-fastball late last season.
The Astros added Cionel Perez and Dean Deetz to the 40-Man roster, which is now full.
*Late last night I wrote up some thoughts on Joe Morgan and the Baseball Hall of Fame
*Y'all know I pimped the mess out of some t-shirts that I had a hand in helping design. Starting tomorrow (Thursday) through Monday, BreakingT is offering a Black Friday sale in which you get:
-25% off the entire store
-Free shipping at $50
So click this link and check out the Houston collection. Get your friends and family some *actually affordable* shirts you can't get at Academy.
*MLB debuted the 2017 Astros documentary last night to a packed house that included Jeff Luhnow and A.J. Hinch.
*ESPN will show the Astros' season opener at Arlington at 2:30pm on Thursday, March 29 as well as the Astros' home opener against Baltimore on Monday, April 2.
*Mark Appel was designated for assignment by the Phillies.
*Jonah Keri wrote up the 2017 Offseason Power Rankings, and here's how it shakes out for the AL West:
Houston: 1
Anaheim: 13
Seattle: 16
Arlington: 17
Oakland: 22
*You can watch the 5-minute SportsCenter piece on George Springer overcoming his stutter. And you can watch the 45-minute Jose Altuve documentary "Big Dreams."
*Rosenthal: Prominent Asian-Americans are troubled by Gurriel's delayed suspension.
*So I guess Kevin Comer was signed by the Tigers.
*The Braves got absolutely hammered.
*SportsNet's Jeff Blair might *only* vote for Bonds and Clemens this year.
*Meet the guy who built a homemade rocket. To launch himself into space. To prove that Earth is flat. The big yellow "RESEARCH" tag below the cockpit lets you know he's for real.
*Random Astros fact:
AL West guaranteed contracts for 2019, not including arbitration or options (all numbers via Baseball-Reference):
Angels: 5 ($104.1m)
Mariners: 4 ($69.3m)
Rangers: 3 ($68.7m)
Astros: 3 ($43.9m)
Oakland: 0 ($0)
*The Astros will each receive about $438,000 for winning the World Series - an MLB record.
*SportsTalk 790 will re-broadcast Games 5 and 7 starting at 6am tomorrow.
*Just catching up, because this actually happened on Monday afternoon (and I forgot to take my computer on our quick trip): the Astros traded outfielder Ramon Laureano to the A's for RHP Brandon Bailey. Laureano put up impressive numbers between Lancaster and Corpus in 2016:
-Lancaster (357 PAs): .317/.426/.519
-Corpus (148 PAs): .323/.432/.538
But in his 2017 follow-up in Corpus, Laureano struggled, hitting .227/.298/.369 in his Age-22 season. The Astros had to either trade him, put him on the 40-Man roster, or expose him to the Rule 5 draft, so the Astros went with the option that guaranteed a return.
Brandon Bailey, a 5'10" 175lb RHP, was the A's 6th Round pick in the 2016 draft out of Gonzaga. Between the Midwest League (57IP) and the hitter-friendly California League (34IP) Bailey threw 91IP, 68H/33ER, 120K:31BB.
OaklandClubhouse says of Bailey:
Bailey has swing-and-miss stuff dating back to college and he has a starter's repertoire. He has a four-seam fastball, a four-seam changeup, a spike curveball and a slider. Bailey was also working on a cut-fastball late last season.
The Astros added Cionel Perez and Dean Deetz to the 40-Man roster, which is now full.
*Late last night I wrote up some thoughts on Joe Morgan and the Baseball Hall of Fame
*Y'all know I pimped the mess out of some t-shirts that I had a hand in helping design. Starting tomorrow (Thursday) through Monday, BreakingT is offering a Black Friday sale in which you get:
-25% off the entire store
-Free shipping at $50
So click this link and check out the Houston collection. Get your friends and family some *actually affordable* shirts you can't get at Academy.
*MLB debuted the 2017 Astros documentary last night to a packed house that included Jeff Luhnow and A.J. Hinch.
*ESPN will show the Astros' season opener at Arlington at 2:30pm on Thursday, March 29 as well as the Astros' home opener against Baltimore on Monday, April 2.
*Mark Appel was designated for assignment by the Phillies.
*Jonah Keri wrote up the 2017 Offseason Power Rankings, and here's how it shakes out for the AL West:
Houston: 1
Anaheim: 13
Seattle: 16
Arlington: 17
Oakland: 22
*You can watch the 5-minute SportsCenter piece on George Springer overcoming his stutter. And you can watch the 45-minute Jose Altuve documentary "Big Dreams."
*Rosenthal: Prominent Asian-Americans are troubled by Gurriel's delayed suspension.
*So I guess Kevin Comer was signed by the Tigers.
*The Braves got absolutely hammered.
*SportsNet's Jeff Blair might *only* vote for Bonds and Clemens this year.
*Meet the guy who built a homemade rocket. To launch himself into space. To prove that Earth is flat. The big yellow "RESEARCH" tag below the cockpit lets you know he's for real.
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