Jiminy Christmas. Do these men have no respect for dads? Unbelievable. The Reds completed a weekend Father's Day sweep of the Houston Astros. Houston is 39-33, 20-18 at Minute Maid Park, and are now in 3rd place in the AL West, 5.5 back of North Mexia, 1.0 back of Anaheim.
*The Astros had leads of 2-0, 2-1, 3-1, 3-2, and 5-2 in Sunday's "game."
*It's the first time the Astros have been in 3rd place since May 1, 2022. Tonight will be the 31st game since the beginning of 2021 that the Astros have been in 3rd place or worse.
*The Astros have lost four straight, five of their last seven, and ten of their last 14 games.
*Houston is 0-6 when the game goes to extra innings in 2023. They're 16-27 in extra innings since the Ghost Runner Rule was implemented at the beginning of 2020 (a season which did not exist).
*Houston is now 13-2 when they score 7+ runs, 0-2 in the last two instances of scoring 7+ runs.
*The Astros gave up 19 runs in the last two games of the series with the Reds, the most runs allowed in back-to-back games since they got whooped by the Orioles on June 28-29, 2021.
*Houston went 5x29 with runners in scoring position over the three-game series. They haven't hit a home run with a runner on base since beating Cleveland 6-4 on June 10.
This isn't anything like us. We'll play better, though. We're just a little injured, but we have to find ways to win. Everyone wants to come beat us because we're world champions. Us winning last year is in the past, so we just have to play better.
*Alex Bregman was (wink) a homer shy of the cycle in a 3x5, BB, RBI day. It's his 4th 3-hit game of the season, and it came on the heels of Brian McCann calling him to give him a hitting tip.
*Yainer Diaz also had a three-hit day, going 3x5 with an RBI. In 12 June games, Diaz is hitting .341/.348/.659. Eight of his 15 hits have been for extra-bases. He has more home runs (5) than walks (3) in 2023.
*Kyle Tucker was 2x4 with two walks and an RBI. He has four multi-hit games in his last five, and in 16 June games is hitting .339/.400/.516.
*After going 2x12 against Cincinnati, Jose Abreu's OPS is now back under .600.
*Ronel Blanco: 5.2IP, 7H/5ER, 5K:2BB, with two homers that accounted for three runs.
*Just as we all suspected - or at least hoped - they would, more details emerged about the Astros' sign-stealing scandal; Namely, that it originated with Former Mets Great Carlos Beltran, according to Ken Rosenthal and Evan Drellich: Carlos Beltran, a highly-respected veteran with a Hall-of-Fame resume, had helped create the system, and as the senior member of the [2017 Astros], his voice functionally prevailed over all other. Clubhouse dynamics are a powerful force, conditioning players to keep quiet and respect veterans, and ultimately played a role in the Astros' snowballing scandal.
This new reporting uncovers a few new details:
1) There was a system in place to relay signs to a runner on second base in real-time on the road via the replay room.
2) Brian McCann tried to get Beltran to stop on at least two occasions.
3) It was Beltran who told the Astros that their sign-stealing was "behind the times."
4) Codebreaker - the predictive Excel spreadsheet - was legal (as has been noted) as an advance scouting tool. "Cora and Beltran decided that this video room stuff Koch-Weser was doing was just not working, inefficient, too slow."
5) Depending on who Rosenthal and Drellich talked to, Astros players were either uncomfortable with the trash-can banging, or they loved it.
6) Beltran went from Houston and the parade back to the Yankees as an executive, and disclosed some of what the Astros were doing to New York.
Joe Musgrove: I was in my first year, man, along with Bregman and a lot of those guys, and in your first year in the big leagues you're around guys like Beltran and McCann, some big names. And I'm not going to be the pitcher to walk up and tell 'em to knock it off.
(Speaking of Musgrove, he also said: I don't want to say [the 2017 World Series] is tainted, but I think it is....If MLB did an investigation as thorough as they did on the Astros with every team in baseball, they're going to find a lot more than they want to find.
So Beltran arrives in Houston after 2.5 seasons in New York (and part of the 2016 season with the Ramgers, of which I have zero recollection) and tells them their sign-stealing isn't up to par, then he "fixes" it and goes back to New York. Yeah I see no Yankees connections to it at all.
And that's the thing: Manfred wanted this to be quick and easy and everyone hates the Astros anyway thanks to Brandon Taubman and the Osuna trade, he hoped MLB would just move on. Here's hoping they don't.
*This article from the Washington Post's Barry Svrluga and Dave Sheinin says that the Astros' sign-stealing was "a big open secret...throughout baseball" beginning as early as 2016 and "maybe earlier." And then, "the whole industry knows they've been cheating their asses off for three or four years."
Former Astros Great Tony Sipp warned the Nationals about their sign-stealing, as did several members of the Dodgers.
*Marwin Gonzalez, speaking to reporters: I'm remorseful for everything that happened in 2017, for everything that we did as a group, and for the players that were affected directly by us doing this and some other things. That's why I feel more regret and that's why I'm remorseful.
*Speaking of players that were affected directly, Former Blue Jays Great Mike Bolsinger has filed a civil lawsuit in Los Angeles Superior Court accusing the Astros of unfair business practices, negligence, and intentional interference with contractual and economic relations.
Bolsinger is from McKinney [raises eyebrows]. He posted a career 0.5 fWAR in parts of four seasons, and walked 27 batters in 41.1IP in 2017. Bolsinger enjoyed an ERA of 5.50 or higher in three of his four MLB seasons. Bolsinger's last game was August 4, 2017 when he allowed 4H/4ER, 1K:3BB in 0.1IP at Minute Maid Park. The Astros fan behind SignStealingScandal.com noted that the August 4 game was when the trash-can banging peaked. Bolinger: I don't think [Manfred's] punishment has fit the crime. And let's be honest, all these guys are going to get managing jobs again...Guys like us that were cheated? I don't have a job. I'm not playing.
Man, it would be a real shame for this to go to actual trial where details about what other teams were doing were required under oath. Sports Lawyer Michael McCann fleshes out Bolsinger's case.
Baseball has always been a sport by and for the liars.
For example, the popular origins of the game are manifestly a lie. Albert Spalding, a former player who became wealthy by selling and packaging the game, invented the myth that the rules of baseball sprung into the mind of Civil War hero Abner Doubleday during his idyllic boyhood in the hamlet of Cooperstown, New York. As baseball historian John Thorn put it in his excellent bookBaseball in the Garden of Eden, “If in the end no one invented our national game, and its innocent Eden is a continuing state of delusion, he,” meaning Spalding, “as unwittingly as Abner Doubleday invented baseball, invented its religion and its shrine.” Continuing states of delusion are big business, and always have been. Anyone who’s gone to Cooperstown can tell you this. The place is beautiful. On Hall of Fame Induction weekends, packed. Does it matter that this place has nothing to do with the origins of the game? Of course not, but it’s nice to think so. We love the lie. The lie feels comforting.
Integrity is a another lie that baseball has always sold with great success. After the 1919 Chicago White Sox threw the World Series, organized baseball hired Kenesaw Mountain Landis as its Captain Renault to announce they were shocked, shocked to find gambling in baseball, banning the accused players for life. Of course, gambling was far more widespread than professional baseball has ever been comfortable admitting, and there is some evidence that Landis had less appetite to punish Ty Cobb and Tris Speaker, true icons of the era, for similar antics. That pattern has repeated itself, in recent times most famously with the steroid scandal. Baseball willfully avoided what was an open secret until it was impossible to do so when a player finally went on the record about how widespread the problem was.
The scandal over the use of cameras to steal signs has exploded across baseball and social media. The Astros have been punished, and deserve it. This scandal has several similarities to the historical scandals noted above. Like the steroids scandal, there has been much hand-wringing over the effect of the players not participating in the scheme. Whistleblower Mike Fiers said as much to Ken Rosenthal about his motivation for speaking up about the Astros malfeasance: “I just want the game to be cleaned up a little bit because there are guys who are losing their jobs because they’re going in there not knowing… Young guys getting hit around in the first couple of innings starting a game, and then they get sent down.” This echoes the lamentations about steroid use: clean players wouldn’t be able to make it in a game full of juiced players. Like both scandals, MLB would clearly prefer to sell us a new lie: that this was the fault of a few, outed malefactors and to pay no attention to what’s behind the curtain: it’s only AJ Hinch sitting on his hands while Carlos Beltran and Alex Cora cook the books.
But an interesting thing is happening: The mob wants to see what’s behind the curtain for itself. Maybe it’s social media or the fact that most of us have grown up with a 24/7 news cycle, but we want everything out of any sensational story we can possibly get. MLB’s refusal to give us that has led to a circus atmosphere on Twitter where everything could be, and might be, true. Rumors from fake niece accounts are retweeted by respectable journalists. The son of the Mariners’ former first base coach posts on Instagram that the MLB is hushing up the fact that Mike Trout uses HGH. Circus, hell, there’s even confetti.
Maybe this is free-for-all is a symptom of us losing our patience for the lie. As a manager told Ken Rosenthal in the original story, this issue “permeates” the whole league. MLB doesn’t want to hear that, but Twitter definitely does. But the truth might be that the Banging Scheme’s best corollary might not be Steroids or the Black Sox, but something more mundane and widespread. What I’m speaking of is the widely-acknowledged fact that pitchers doctor the baseball, and have always doctored the baseball. Like electronic sign-stealing, putting a foreign substance on the baseball is illegal. However, the latter is winked and nodded at. Rob Friedman, of Pitching Ninja fame, tweets out video of Pedro Martinez snapping off hellacious changeups while also tweeting videos of Pedro joking about Jheri curls. No one is troubled by this, seemingly not Mike Fiers, but why? Aren’t the careers of young hitters potentially harmed when they fail to perform against pitchers throwing baseballs breaking more than they otherwise would if not slick with pine tar? Couldn’t young hitters get sent down?
I suppose the answer is two-fold. As ESPN’s David Shoenfield has written, “Applying a foreign substance to the ball seems to be an accepted part of the game, unless you're clearly and obviously violating the rule.” Meaning, it’s possible to cross a visible line to the point where the cheating is impossible to ignore. This is a weird ethical scheme in which some cheating is okay as long as it’s possible for the other side to check on you that you don’t cheat too much. The second point is that people have been doctoring baseballs forever, and the longevity of the practice lends it a certain acceptance.
But how effective are these distinctions? To the first, it seems that players have been policing electronic sign-stealing, monitoring the opposing teams for what is deemed as excessive and obvious behavior. Perhaps that’s why the rumors of the Astros wearing wearable buzzers have triggered paranoia by even hitters, because this would take an acceptable form of cheating entirely under the table. After all, even if you use an camera to crack the signs, you still have to get to signal the hitter. If the other side can’t monitor your signals, all bets are off. And let’s be honest on this Astros fan blog: no one would, or should, put the use of buzzers past them. It’s notable that in this scandal, it’s mostly been pitchers who have been vocal critics of the Astros' tactics. The hitters know how widespread this practice has been, and that they have benefited. Before Fiers went on the record, electronic sign-stealing seemed to be an increasingly accepted part of the game. Heck, Lance McCullers Jr. openly tweeted about it a year ago. One of the most honest responses by any player to the Astros scandal came from Logan Morrison, who admitted that he viewed electronic sign-stealing as a “tool in the tool belt” for sign-stealing. Do we honestly think Logan Morrison is alone in his sentiment among current players? It’s possible to view Mike Fiers as breaking an unwritten rule of engagement in the Cold War between hitters and pitchers: “We don’t talk about goo, you don’t talk about sign-stealing.”
But what about the second point, that doctoring baseballs has always been a part of the game, and electronic sign-stealing has not? That’s not entirely true.
One of the most famous moments in baseball history, one that’s lionized throughout the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum in Cooperstown, is the “Shot Heard Round the World.” In 1951, in the third game of a three-game playoff to decide the National League pennant between the Dodgers and Giants at the Polo Grounds, Giants third baseman Bobby Thompson hit a three-run walk-off homerun in the bottom of the ninth inning off of the Dodgers’ Ralph Branca to send the Giants to the World Series. Broadcaster Russ Hodges hysterical radio refrain of “The Giants win the pennant!” is embedded in baseball lore. But according to Joshua Prager in his 2008 bookThe Echoing Green, Thompson knew the pitch was coming. The Giants third base coach was hidden in centerfield with a telescope, and once he cracked the Dodgers signs he pressed a button to signal the Giants bullpen with a buzzer. One buzz was a fastball, two buzzes was an off-speed pitch. The Giants backup catcher relayed the sign to the hitter. Interestingly, Prager reported that when he first wrote about the sign-stealing scheme in 2001, he wasaccusedby old guard sportswriters of messing with the myth of the American game. Bobby Thompson never had to worry about a Jomboy. In the aftermath of Rob Manfred’s punishment of the Astros, we are starting to see more veteran baseball playersadmitthat using cameras to steal signs is way more wide-spread than previously thought. The 2017 Astros were not a team of scheming millennial ballplayers unwise to the unwritten rules of the game: they were led by widely respected veterans, including one infamous for policing those unwritten rules. This begs the question: if using cameras to steal signs was part of the game in at least the 1950s, 1980s, and 2010s, when was it definitively not being used? Can we say that any particular dramatic moment on a professional baseball diamond didn’t feature electronic sign-stealing?
I’m not writing this to absolve the actions of the Astros. Despite the fact that it’s widespread and been part of the game for years, electronic sign-stealing is against the rules, and rule-breakers should get punished. I suppose you could reduce what I’m doing to “adding context.” But maybe that’s a lie, too. Even if what the Astros did was not unique, it seems clear from that, as McCullerspointed out: the tech is too far ahead. The game has slowed down as the diamond has become a presumed surveillance state. In the end, it’s probably for the best that Rob Manfred came down hard on someone, even if it happened to be the Astros. Maybe now the owners, general managers, and managers who allowed electronic sign-stealing to permeate will get serious about self-policing a game that is becoming admittedly slower and harder to watch. And maybe the only utility of this article is to tell a story to myself about the actions of players that I genuinely like, about one of the best sports moments of my life, to give me the space to feel better about what they did and achieved. It’s comforting to live in that space, like Cooperstown is comforting.
The Astros vehemently denied the story, but witnesses seem to say otherwise ($). I'm sure there will be more to come regarding this story in the coming days.
This Astros fan is recovering well from being hit by a foul ball during the ALCS Game 6.
And to round everything out, of course, is a piece talking about all these celebrities that are rooting for the Astros in this series that we already knew about years ago.
Wake up, time to die. Today is the day we find out if the Astros move on to the ALCS or if they flushed a 107-win season down the toilet in the span of four days. Game 5 is tonight at 6:07pm Central on Everyone's Favorite Sports Broadcasting Network FS1. Your pals Joe Girardi and AJ Pierzynski will no doubt be on the call tickling your eardrums with their delightful commentary.
*The Astros - unlike a lot of you/us - are confident. Bregman, on playing behind Gerrit Cole: He's an ace. We look forward to it. It's going to be a lot of fun. We're going to be fired up and looking to play as well as we can behind him. Hinch: I love that we're here [Ed. Note: I'm assuming "here" means "Minute Maid Park," not "Game 5"] And the way we got here is nerve-wracking just because you don't want to get to a Game 5. We fought all year to have a better record and to win our division to get this particular game at home. And they've got to come into our house and beat us again. With Cole on the mound, I don't know who could be more confident than us. A few stats on Gerritund Brentford Cole:
*The Astros scored an average of 6.67 runs/game when Cole started. Houston is 22-4 when Cole starts at home since the beginning of 2018 (postseason included).
*On April 20, Gerrit Cole allowed 9H/8ER to the soon-to-be-eliminated Farmers Branch Rangers. His season ERA was 5.22 In 29 starts since then (ALDS G2 included), Cole has thrown 190.2IP, 120H/42ER, 297K:40BB, a 1.98 ERA / 0.84 WHIP. His strikeouts alone from April 25-today would rank 6th-highest in franchise history.
*On May 22, Cole allowed 7H/6ER to the White Sox in a 9-4 loss. That was the last time Gerrit Cole has taken an L. That's 142 days.
*On July 12, the Astros lost a game Cole started against the Lower McKinney Ramgers. That was the last time the Astros lost a game Cole started. Since that start, Houston is 12-0 when Gerrit Cole takes the mound.
*Gerrit Cole, in 17 starts at Minute Maid Park in 2019, threw 120.2IP, 74H/33ER, 189K:20BB, a 2.46 ERA / 0.78 WHIP.
*Gerrit Cole, in two postseason starts at Minute Maid Park: 14.2IP, 7H/1ER, 27K:1BB, a 0.61 ERA / 0.55 WHIP.
*Houston is 14-4 at home in the postseason under A.J. Hinch.
*Opposing starter Tyler Glasnow, who literally cried when Altuve hit a home run, could go 90 pitches. It'll be a bullpen game if the Astros make it a bullpen game. Oh wow did you know Gerrit Cole and Tyler Glasnow were taken by the Pirates in the same draft? Jordan Shipley's dad and Colt McCoy's dad were roommates when they were in college.
*Carlos Correa, on the almost-non-existent offense in the ALDS: It's time for us to go off as an offense. You guys are used to seeing us score 10, 15 runs in the regular season, but when it comes to the playoffs, it's the best of the best, and they're doing a good job. At the same time, we're the best offense in the league, and we have to adjust in our approach.
*FanGraphs has the Astros at 65.4-34.6 to win Game 5. FiveThirtyEight has it at 70-30 Astros. Figure out the ALCS when it comes, tip your cap to the Rays if it doesn't and start to heal your liver.
*Mike Lupica: It's Tampa's biggest game in a decade. This is a side note, but I really appreciate Kevin Cash. Hell of a manager. Good job, dude.
*Richard Justice: The Rays' bullpen makes them so difficult. Altuve: I think I faced four different guys [in Game 4]. They're all different. And they have something really special.
*Alyson Footer: A.J. Hinch likes his own bullpen depth. Hinch: Oftentimes these relievers are only talked about when they struggle or when they give up a big hit. It's a thankless job. If they don't do their job, they blew the game. Nobody has really blown games in this series. Both teams have won the games that they kind of are ahead in and how they're supposed to win, and how we match up in the end. We'll see if that can continue. And I like the chances with the depth we have
*Let this be Bulletin-Board (or Insta-story material) for Carlos Correa: FanGraphs ranks him as the 16th-best (fantasy-wise) shortstop going into 2020, and places it solely on his injury history.
*MLBTR - who is genuinely reliable in matters of this sort - released their arbitration projections for 2020. With Game 5 looming, I'm not ready to discuss this, but it's worth a look, especially for George Springer's projected $21.4m salary.
*The Los Angeles Dodgers gave up a 10th Inning grand slam to lose Game 5 7-3. Clayton Kershaw gave up back-to-back homers in the 8th to tie it.
Kershaw, regular season: 169-74, 2.44 ERA / 1.01 WHIP.
Kershaw, postseason: 9-11, 4.43 ERA / 1.10 WHIP.
*It would be okay with me if the Astros did a Cards tomorrow. Related: Former Astros Great Brian McCann retired after the game. From 2005-2019 - McCann's entire career - he posted 54.5 fWAR, ranked only behind Russell Martin (?) for catchers. Better than Yadier "IG Tough Guy" Molina. Most fWAR, Catchers, 1962-2019:
1. Johnny Bench (74.8)
2. Gary Carter (69.4)
3. Ivan Rodriguez (69.2)
4. Carlton Fisk (68.3)
5. Mike Piazza (63.7)
6. Joe Torre (59.3)
7. Russell Martin (55.2)
8. Brian McCann (54.5)
9. Ted Simmons (54.2)
10. Yadier Molina (54.0)
McCann: 282 home runs, 1018 RBIs, .789 OPS, 110 OPS+, never struck out 100+ times in a season, 7-time All-Star, 6-time Silver Slugger, World Series Champion. The next item on McCann's to-do list is to write his HOF speech.
*The road team won both Game 5s in the NL on Wednesday.
*Astros Bench Coach Joe Espada is up against Carlos Beltran, Joe Girardi, and David Ross for the Cubs' managerial position, which could explain why Girardi won't shut up with his Manager-Speak for Mother FS1.
*A Musical Selection, with a special note: I'm a dad with a beard, happily married for many years, so I hit all the pre-requisites for liking Jeff Tweedy and Wilco. That said, I saw Wilco play in a downtown Nashville parking lot in the summer of 2002 for free and, fresh with nicotine poisoning, told my future wife that I loved her for the first time. We got married 365 days later. It was because of this song (and her):
*Speaking of Yordan Alvarez, Josh Fields was released by the Dodgers. Alvarez was traded to Houston for Fields on August 1, 2016.
*In a move that indicates just how worried the Astros are about Jose Altuve's "left side," A.J. Hinch said he's not that worried. Hinch: We feel very good about the fact this is a minor issue. We are going to sit him for a few days and do no activity just to make sure. He's doing fine, his spirits are up, he's Jose Altuve. He'll recover fine.
*Here's a cool story from McTaggart about Wade Miley's career getting rejuvenated by a threat from his Louisiana coach: I made it real simple. You've got two options: You either work hard, or you're going to milk cows. It's up to you.
*Speaking of Wade Miley, Chandler Rome notes that the Astros are tinkering with his delivery, but not how quickly he pitches.
At least there are rumors and whispers about which we can talk:
*Jon Morosi started it off by noting that the Astros are showing "continued interest" in free agent pitcher (and Alvin native, don't forget that. No one will let you forget that he is from Alvin) Nate Eovaldi. Among the teams also showing interest: pretty much every team that thinks they might win 85 games next year.
MLB.com's Matt Kelly: How Houston could unlock more of Eovaldi's weapons, a la Gerrit Cole.
*Tomorrow is the deadline for the Astros to offer contracts to 11 arbitration-eligible players. Those players:
Gerrit Cole, Carlos Correa, Chris Devenski, Will Harris, Chris Herrmann, Jake Marisnick, Lance McCullers, Collin McHugh, Roberto Osuna, Brad Peacock, Ryan Pressly.
*Jayson Stark told an Arizona radio station that he thinks Paul Goldschmidt will be traded. Stark: If I were a betting man, I would say that Goldschmidt ends up in Houston. I think that's the fit.
*Former Astros Great Brian McCann said that he should have gotten knee surgery in November 2017. McCann: Last year...I was stuck behind the eight-ball from Day 1. I should've gotten the surgery after the World Series. I still have a lot left. Two years ago, I almost hit 20 homers and had a productive year. That's where I feel like I'm going to be. I feel like I'm going to be more back to 2017, if not better, this year.
*From Ken Rosenthal's Notes column:
-Expect Patrick Corbin to receive a 6yr offer worth more than Darvish's $126m deal last year.
-Does Tyler Bauer's desire to not sign an extension mean that he's on the trading block?
*From Eno Sarris and Emily Waldon: How Vladimir Guerrero, Jr., Cavan Biggio, and Daz Cameron compare their tools to their respective dads' tools.
*The Astros extended a Qualifying Offer (1yr/$17.9m) to free agent Dallas Keuchel. Keuchel: I would assume we'll turn it down and look at other offers and figure out what's best.
That's a safe assumption. Dallas Keuchel racked up 3.6 fWAR in 2018, and a total of 14.6 fWAR from 2015-18. That ranks 15th among all MLB SPs, one spot above Chicago's Jose Quintana who signed a very-friendly 6yr/$37m contract for the 2014 season. That's one end of the possible spectrum for a Keuchel contract. Another comparison might be David Price, who has 15.2 fWAR since 2015. Prior to the 2016 season Price signed a 7yr/$217m contract prior to his Age 30 season. While Keuchel doesn't have the track record that Price did, he still is a former Cy Young winner, three-time Gold Glove winner, Top-5 MVP season, lefty pitcher with command.
So I think I'm safe in assuming that Keuchel will get somewhere between $6m and $31m this season. I'm thinking someone ponies up 5yrs/$100m for him. One expert predicted 5yrs/$105m.
More Keuchel: It's the element of the unknown that's a little concerning, but I have a few vacations lined up. I'm not going to be thinking about it much. I'll be getting updates and doing my due diligence. I'm going to be enjoying the whole process and I'll figure out where me and my family want to be.
If this is the end of the road for Keuchel in Houston, let's just take a second to appreciate his time with the Astros. He was here for the worst, and most magical, seasons in franchise history.
76-63 record. 3.66 ERA / 3.72 FIP / 1.25 WHIP.
Three-time Gold Glove winner
Two-time All-Star
2015 IP leader / SHO leader / WHIP leader
World Series champion
4-2 record in the postseason. 3.31 ERA / 1.14 WHIP.
*MLBTR predicts Keuchel signs a 4yr/$82m deal with Washington. In addition to that pick, MLBTR also predicts:
-Marwin signs with Minnesota for 4yrs/$36m
-Morton to Philly for 2yrs/$32m
-Catcher Wilson Ramos to Houston for 3yrs/$36m
-Zach Britton to Houston for 3yrs/$33m
*The Astros did not make Qualifying Offers to Marwin Gonzalez or Charlie Morton.
*The Astros declined their $5.5m option on Will Harris, but he'll remain with the team as he's arbitration-eligible for one more year.
*The Astros did claim catcher Chris Herrmann off waivers from Seattle. The lefty-hitting/righty-throwing Herrmann will be 31 later this month and hit .237/.322/.421 in 2018.
*But if he's the Opening Day Catcher then something may have gone wrong. Brian McTaggart asks if J.T. Realmuto is a Realpossibility (see what I did there) for the Astros this off-season. McTaggart runs down some other catching options on the market, as well.
*The Astros did decline their option on Brian McCann (not surprising) and outrighted a rehabbing Jandel Gustave off of the 40-Man Roster.
*SI's Tom Verducci writes that sign-stealing is this off-season's most important topic for baseball. Verducci: Many clubs now have as many as six high-magnification cameras installed in their home ballpark specifically designed to steal signs from opponents. "Many," huh? *Collin McHugh and Brent Strom are part of MLB's team heading to Japan for the Japan Series, November 8-15.
By the time you are reading this, the Astros will play soon. Like, "break the lineups if A.J. wasn't still sleeping" type of soon. Personally, the MLB making us play in Ohio after going up 2-0 in the series is kinda tough but fair I suppose since when we sweep today, we're not giving The Man as much profit as possible. A little cruel, but I mean I get it.
Anyways, we got three baseball games in total today since the Braves held on to win and stay alive against the Dodgers. Thanks to that, we'll be able to glide straight into a (former Houston Astros great) Mike Foltynewicz start right after our game wraps up, so that's pretty cool.
Let's see what pregame links I can dig on up here:
The Astros have now taken a 1-0 lead in the ALDS over Cleveland after yesterday's 7-2 win. The A's were off, so they're now 6.5 GB of the Astros. Oh wait.
*With a Game 1 win, the Astros are now given a 76% chance of making the ALCS, according to FiveThirtyEight who has a long history of accurately predicting outcomes. AL Pennant Odds, according to FiveThirtyEight:
Houston: 41%
Boston: 29%
New York: 21%
Cleveland: 10%
FanGraphs has the Astros at 65.8% to win the ALDS. FanGraphs' AL Pennant Odds:
Houston: 35%
Boston: 29.3%
New York: 16.8%
Cleveland: 18.8%
The last team to lose a Division Series after winning Game 1 was the 2017 Cleveland Indians. Last time before that was the 2015 Astros. Sad face. And the 2015 Ramgers. Happy face. (Three of the four Division Series in 2015 featured a Game 1 winner that ultimately lost the series). Overall, 23 out of 32 Game 1 winners (71.9%) since 2010 went on to win the Division Series.
*Houston recorded 12 hits, their 9th 10+ hit game in the postseason since the beginning of 2017.
*Springer, Bregman, White, and Reddick all had two hits each. The Astros hit four home runs: Springer, Bregman, Altuve, and Machete. George Springer has now hit a home run in five consecutive playoff games dating to last postseason, joining 2004 Carlos Beltran and 2015 Daniel Murphy.
*Hinch: The guys did a really good job of having a good at-bat and letting the next guy have a good at-bat. Obviously, we had some explosive at-bats with the home runs.
Altuve: Everybody did something to help this team win today.
*The last time Corey Kluber allowed three home runs in a game: April 3, 2017. He has pitched in 210 games (postseason included) and allowed 3+ HR six times.
Corey Kluber's last four postseason games: 15IP, 22H/17ER, 12K:5BB, 9HR. 10.20 ERA / 1.80 WHIP.
*A list of pitchers off of whom Alex Bregman has hit a postseason home run:
-Chris Sale (x2)
-Clayton Kershaw
-Kenley Jansen
-Corey Kluber
*Josh Reddick had 2RBI. His last 2+ RBI game: August 4. Reddick, on his role in the lineup: Last postseason, I think I got caught up in trying to be in the spotlight with these guys and try to hit the long ball. In reality, I'm the eight-hole, I'm not here to drive in runs - ironic today - but I'm not there to drive the long ball. I'm there to get on for those guys at the top of the lineup.
*The only Astro to go hitless was Carlos Correa, who was actually unlucky - hit the ball hard a couple of times, had a flare hang up a little and allow whatever Clevelander to run under it.
*I legitimately hate Tyler Bauer. Like, a Julian Tavarez-level of hatred. So wow what a shame that Tyler Bauer gave up two hits that lead to runs, including one from Alex Big Nutz Bregman:
*Hinch: As much as I've heard different opinions about our offense, it's pretty long, it's pretty good, it's pretty potent. Case in point today.
Insert your own "that's what she said" here.
*Justin Verlander went 5.1IP, 2H/2ER, 7K:2BB. Both earned runs came courtesy of Ryan Pressly, making his postseason debut. He spiked his first pitch, allowing a run to score, and then got a groundout to Gurriel, playing deep, allowing the 2nd run. Verlander: I think you want to set a tone. You want to allow your team to go out there and kind of of put up a couple runs and just relax. I was able to do that early in the game. First five innings was right where I wanted to be against a team that's kind of given me fits.
And to that, yesterday was Verlander's first win vs. Cleveland since May 2, 2017. Verlander has a sub-.500 record vs two American League teams: Toronto (3-6, .333), and Cleveland (20-24, .455).
It was Verlander's 23rd career postseason start. He has allowed Two or Fewer Earned Runs in 14 of them. Six of those have come with Houston.It's his 11th postseason start with a Game Score over 60. Four of those have been with Houston. I think he might like it with Us.
Verlander is now 12-6 in the postseason. Most postseason wins, MLB history:
1. Andy Pettitte: 19
2. John Smoltz: 15
3. Tom Glavine: 14
4. Roger Clemens: 12
4. Justin Verlander: 12
*Hector Rondon was "very upset" that he was left off the ALDS roster and subsequently did not go on to the field for "reserve" introductions or the National Anthem. He could find his way on to the ALCS roster, should it come to that.
*Brian McCann will see a diminished role this postseason, as opposed to last season when he caught all but one inning of the Astros' postseason. Hinch: It's a different setup for him this year than last year. I expect him to catch Game 3 with Dallas, potentially close out some games as a catcher for us. If I end up needed to run or hit for Martin, then B-Mac is more than capable of coming in and finishing the game.
*From The Athletic's Rustin Dodd: How Gerrit Cole and the Houston Astros are the perfect marriage. Cole: You're not asked to conform to a system. You're asked to use the system to make yourself better. So, from an analytic standpoint, from a scouting report standpoint, from teammates and instructors, there's just a high level of quality here that's ahead of quite a bit of other teams.
*FanGraphs: There's no reason to think Gerrit Cole can't repeat his 2018 in 2019.
*All-around Good Dude Francisco Lindor thanked Jim Crane for helping Puerto Rico.
*Chloe now has to go to every game this postseason
Chloe Beaver, the little special-needs fan who got yelled at by another fan at an #Astros game for cheering too loudly, gets her jersey from Lance McCullers Jr. Chloe wanted Lance's jersey number and her name in it and Lance and the Astros took care of her. pic.twitter.com/FULjer9mSh
Wheeeeeee this is fun, isn't it? The Astros put up four runs in the first three innings and rode it out to a 5-3 win over Toronto. The Astros are 99-57. Oakland doesn't lose anymore, so the Astros still have a 4.5-game lead with six to play. The Magic Number is Two. The Magic 8-Ball says "All signs point to yes." There's a lesson in there for all of us, no? A win tonight + an Oakland loss clinches the division.
As it stands the race I'm now more interested in is who will be hosting that AL Wild Card Game. Oakland is 1.5 back of New York, who still have three at Tampa and three at Boston. Oakland has two at Seattle and then three at Anaheim. Gotta figure the schedule favors the A's.
Houston is now 17-4 in September, and it would have been 18-3 if the idiot umpires in Boston and their Senior Idiot replay officials in New York knew how to look at a tv.
The Astros are 53-22 on the road this season. One more road win this season breaks the franchise mark, set in 2017. Bregman: Everybody is really excited about us closing in on 100 wins and closing in on a division title, but there's only one thing on our mind and that's winning the World Series again.
*Brian McCann hit his first home run since June 14, his 6th of the year. It's probably safe to assume that McCann's 12-year streak of double-digit home runs will come to a close in 2018. Though if he goes off in the next six days, I'm here for it.
*Yuli Gurriel, who won AL Player of the Week yesterday, went 2x4 for his 5th-straight multi-hit game. In September he's hitting .360/.388/.613. He has 11 RBI in his last four games. In The Athletic, Kaitlyn McGrath wrote about Yuli and Lourdes playing against each other for the first time.
*Alex Bregman got a hit but struck out twice in a game for just the 13th time this season. That said, his 52-game road on-base streak broke Jeff Bagwell's 1998-99 franchise record.
*Jake Marisnick hit a pinch-hit double - his first extra-base hit since coming off the DL. He has hits in back-to-back games for the first time since August 9/10 - right before going on the DL.
*Dallas Keuchel picked up his 13th win of the season, throwing 5IP, 7H/3ER, 5K:3BB. He threw 86 pitches. The Astros are 18-15 in Keuchel's starts, but 13-9 in his starts since June. He wriggled out of a bases-loaded/no-out jam in the 5th. Hinch: Getting out of the fourth and fifth inning was huge. Just being able to control the innings a little bit to have the lead was a success for him. It could have really imploded if he doesn't make pitches and doesn't keep his composure and get out of the inning as lightly unscathed as he could.
Keuchel hit the 200IP mark for the first time since 2015.
*The bullpen held Toronto to four hits - all singles - with 4K:0BB in the final 4IP. Every single one of Roberto Osuna's 20 pitches got booed.
*Former Phillies Great Ken Giles spoke about his time in Houston and said he was never sure what his role was, etc. etc. Yesterday A.J. Hinch did everything but call him a got dang liar. Hinch: I wish Ken Giles well, but my advice to him would be to participate in the culture which he's in if he wants the benefits of it...We gave him every opportunity. We communicated with him effectively. We had an incredible culture...To have one person, of all the guys in our clubhouse, to come out and claim otherwise is flat wrong.
Hinch on Morton: "We want him to stay active, we want him to stay in the rotation, but we don't really want to pile on too many innings. We're happy with where he's at, and if we could just put him on ice right now and put him in the playoffs we'd be happy."
*Carlos Correa won't play tonight. Maybe tomorrow. Maybe never. Thankfully we all die in the end.
*Other games to watch for playoff purposes:
The Brewers are 1.5-back of the Cubs in the NL Central
The Rockies are 1.5-back of the Dodgers in the NL West
The Rockies are 0.5-back of the Cardinals for the 2nd NL Wild Card
*The entire National League has two teams with 90 wins. The AL East and AL West each have two teams with 90 wins.
Folks, I have some bad news. The Astros dropped a game to the A's last night 4-3. And it was bad. Running on Laureano, watching pitches right down the middle when it matters most, walking players. So much bad. I'm not a huge fan of writing my own recap. There are a lot of writers better than I who know what they are doing. I am here to provide you some piping hot links! So on that note, if you would like a very detailed and well-written recap on what went wrong in the 9th, Chandler Rome has you covered. If you would like the full recap of the game, Tags has you covered on that front (with videos that you can click and watch too!)
Alex Bregman might have a new and home run celebration idea and I am here to tell you that I do not want it and I would like more dugout stares please. Stop trying to ruin such a great thing. My favorite part of the video in the link above is the dedication of Tyler White to still do the stare and not participate in this new lame celebration even though no one else joined him. He is a boss and a legend. Absolute unit.
Good morning everyone and happy Monday to you all. Let's talk sports. The Astros beat the Angels again yesterday afternoon 3-1 and continued to stay up 1.5 games on Oakland. Correa and Marwin brought in our only runs as Framber Valdez was dominant again allowing 1 run in 5 innings with Peacock, Rondon, and Osuna doing their job as well. Jack Baer has your full recap here.
I know this was touched on yesterday's Hot Links, but this dang Verlander receipt makes me angry simply because $10.00 Cranberry Juice should be absolutely illegal.
I also suggest watching everyone else's dugout stare on Twitter. And if you want EVEN more Dugout Stare content, I am working on a side project involving this viral movement that I hope (fingers crossed) I can get out by the end of the week. Stay tuned.
