Saturday Morning Hot Links

The Astros won their 8th straight Opening Day game with an 8-2 win over Seattle. Houston is 19-1 against Seattle since Opening Day 2019, and 42-16 against Seattle since the beginning of the 2017 season.

Also winning in the AL West: Arlington, Oakland.

Dusty Baker:
The guys had a lot of energy, a lot of belief and a lot of relief, getting back and playing a real game, because it didn't look like this was even going to happen.

Justin Verlander: 6IP, 3H/2ER, 7K:1BB. Both runs scored on solo home runs. 28 of the 36 home runs he allowed in 2019 were solo homers. Verlander:
They swung at the first pitch of the game and really didn't stop swinging from there. I needed to execute my pitches and the boys did the rest...You can come up with the best game plan in the world and you can abort it three pitches in, which is basically what I did. I was able to adjust quickly and have success.

It was Verlander's 74th regular season start as an Astro. He has allowed two or fewer earned runs in 52 of those starts.

Michael Brantley hit a three-run homer. It was his second straight Opening Day home run. Dusty, on Brantley:
There's no tension in him at all and it's effortless. It almost looks like he's in slow motion and the ball just jumps off his bat.

Zero Astros batters were hit by a pitch, much to the chagrin of incels across the world.

Chris Devenski struck out the side. Enoli Paredes and Blake Taylor made their MLB debuts and combined for 2IP, 1H/0ER, 0K:0BB.

*Yordan Alvarez, Jose Urquidy, and Cionel Perez are alive, and headed to Corpus! Dusty:
I know they'll probably say they're ready sooner than they are. No matter what they tell me, I'll still give them another couple of days. I know how players are anxious to get back. They missed a lot of time. It's going to take probably almost equal time they missed to get back. We'll be in constant contact with the people in Corpus and we're relying on their opinion of them and their progress.

It stands to reason that, if you're just looking for a DH, Yordan could come back more quickly than Urquidy and Perez. We don't know if they had COVID and had enough negative tests to be able to join, or there was some government clearance that was necessary. We just don't know anything because the Astros kept their mouths shut.

Also in that link: Bregman addresses how he can't afford a slow start again, and how today is the first MLB start for Lance McCullers since August 4, 2018.

Also Shawn Dubin and Ralph Garza have been cleared to return to baseball activities.

*Osuna might be available. Dusty:
I don't want them to know. You understand and this isn't football. You don't have to disclose stuff. As much as I hate to tell you guys that, it's the truth. 

*Clayton Kershaw was placed on the IL with a sketchy back.

Regular Season Kershaw: 169-74, 2.44 ERA / 1.01 WHIP, 2464K:577BB. 157 ERA+
Regular Season Verlander: 225-129, 3.33 ERA / 1.14 WHIP,  3006K:850BB. 129 ERA+

Postseason Kershaw: 9-11, 4.43 ERA / 1.11 WHIP, 170K:45BB.
Postseason Verlander: 14-11, 3.40 ERA / 1.07 WHIP, 205K:60BB

World Series Kershaw: 26.2IP, 23H/16ER, 27K:7BB, 5.40 ERA / 1.13 WHIP
World Series Verlander: 38IP, 35H/24ER, 39K:14BB, 5.68 ERA / 1.29 WHIP

Maybe back off of Kershaw.

*84 MLB players from 28 teams have tested positive for COVID.

*RIP Former Astros Scout Johan Maya.

*Yoenis Cespedes has hit a home run in three consecutive games spanning 803 days.

*The Toronto Pittsburgh Baltimore Blue Jays of Buffalo.

Holy crap, the Brewers’ new uniforms are so damn beautiful... 😍 pic.twitter.com/dZ87Vp3CGk

— Jim Weber (@JimMWeber) July 24, 2020

*Jason Heyward doesn't want to stick to sports.

*How to see Comet Neowise before it's gone.

*Heads-up, South Texas.

*A Musical Selection:

Tuesday Morning Hot Links

The Astros beat the Royals 6-3. Lance McCullers threw 5IP, 4H/1ER, 6K:0BB.

McCullers:
The word for the day for me was 'grateful.' I was grateful for the ability for the stars to align for us to play tonight with the weather that was possible. Grateful for my teammates and the opportunity to pitch on a big league mound. It was a good day.

Chandler Rome: McCullers showed the Astros he's ready for the regular season.

Josh Reddick and Martin Maldonado each hit two-run homers.

Aledmys Diaz was the DH over Tucker because Diaz needs the PAs.

The bullpen will be the problem.

*Ryan Pressly will be the Astros' closer until Roberto Osuna returns from...whatever he is returning from. Also, Dusty on traveling to Kansas City:
The major difference was guys were yelling across the cabin versus going over and talking to them because you had to stay in your seat. That's going to be really challenging, especially for the real social guys, to stay in your seat. Guys like to play cards on long trips to Seattle or something like that.

*Dusty said that the travel to Kansas City was "typical minor-league activity"

*Justin Verlander, on what getting the ball on Opening Day 2020 means to him.

*The Athletic did an AL West roundtable. It's very well-done, and I love Jake Kaplan, but Levi Weaver needs to be a National Baseball voice.

Throwback to Jake Kaplan's February piece on Cristian Javier's "Invisiball."

*It has been (now) 18 days since there has been any sort of update regarding Yordan and Urquidy. God bless God bless.

*Nine years ago last night Jose Altuve made his Major League debut. Your MLB hits leaders since July 20, 2011:

1. Altuve - 1567
2. Robinson Cano - 1395
3. Eric Hosmer (?) - 1387
4. Adam Jones - 1386
5. Freddie Freeman - 1361
5. Starlin Castro - 1361
7. Nick Markakis - 1357
8. Elvis Andrus - 1345
9. Paul Goldschmidt - 1337
10. Mike Trout - 1323

*ESPN's Sam Miller, who I generally appreciate and respect: What We Lose When We Can't Boo The Astros. Some reactions, as I read this piece:

1. No, no one in Minute Maid Park would boo the Astros on Opening Day.
2. It's a good history of booing and sign-stealing.
3. Sam Miller is a good writer, and has been a Net Positive for baseball coverage at ESPN dawt cawm.
4. Aubrey Huff is an insufferable prick, and needs to be remembered forever as such.
5. Boo whoever and whatever you want.

*ESPN says to take the Astros at -130 to win the AL West.

*FanGraphs' David Laurilia: Brent Strom remembers his MLB debut. It's a delight.

*Clayton Kershaw is actually a Good Person, no matter what shirt he wears over 162 games (and however many postseason games result in not-a-World-Series).

*The Brain Geniuses at MLBHQ started to take a look at modernizing Base Ball. Did it include accountability of umpires? No! Did it include making sure that you could take your family to a game for less than $200? Haha! Did they save the minor-leagues? Getouttatown! No, the Best and Brightest decided that maybe you could press a button to boo someone and it would play over the loudspeakers. You know that saying that the worst thing about Christianity is actual Christians? The worst thing about Baseball is MLB.

*I Didn't Know Why I Was Running Until I Was Forced To Stand Still. I've had some setbacks recently, given the general cultural climate, in my goals regarding my overall health, but I'm sort of planning today to recommit to it.

*An Oxford University COVID vaccine is promising.

*AL.com: Inside College Football's Coronavirus Information War.

*Freakin' Bryan Adams and Sporty Spice did a duet a long time ago that I had forgotten about, but remembered this morning, so if this (banger) has to be in my head, then it shall be in yours also:

Thursday Morning Hot Links

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.

Houston, regular season: .274/.352/.492, 5.68 runs/game
Houston, 2019 ALDS: .241/.294/.391, 3.25 runs/game

*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.

That said, having already defeated Cleveland, Boston, New York, and Los Angeles in the playoffs in 2017-2018, it would be extremely satisfying to beat St. Louis - who apparently took exception to how an Atlanta player reacted to an HBP in a game the Cardinals were handily winning, would take the cake.

*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.

*How Sean Forman started Baseball-Reference.

*Thankfully someone could interpret the WAG War of 2019 that happened on Twitter/Instagram between the wife of Wayne Rooney and the wife of Jamie Vardy.

*Sinners, Scalpers, and the Search for God: One man's descent into the underworld of sports.

*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):

Thursday Morning Hot Links

There is simply no way that today is not Friday, or March. It is 13 days until Pitchers & Catcher(s) Report.

*Today is Jackie Robinson's 100th birthday. Happy birthday, Jackie.

*As the rotation stands today, Houston ranks 2nd in MLB in terms of fastball velocity behind Tampa, who added St. Charles F. Morton giving the Rays the nod.

*J.B. Bukauskas has a 98mph fastball but it's his slider that is considered the best of the 2019 Top 100 Prospects. Josh James and Forrest Whitley got an honorable mention for best changeup.

*Roberto Osuna has Closer locked down for the Astros for the foreseeable future.

*1B Coach Don Kelly is ready to get started.

*Oooooh check out Reid Ryan throwing some shade at the Rangers' farm system as he talked with Round Rock fans about the 2019 season. Ryan:
We know these guys are going to be taken care of when they come here. It's great for the Astros brand and the Express brand. We have some real talent in the system, and people are going to see some really good baseball players.

Triple-A record (win%) since the beginning of the 2011 season, when the Express flipped to Arlington:
Houston: 618-523 (.542)
Arlington: 579-560 (.508)

*Astros minor-league pitcher Jairo Solis got himself some Tommy John surgery and won't be back until 2020. Solis, who turned 19 last month, has a 3.05 ERA / 1.37 WHIP in 112IP (120K:53BB) in his two-year pro career. He threw 50.2IP for Quad Cities in 2018 before tearing his UCL.

*Doug Brocail's history will benefit him as Baltimore's pitching coach.

*Former Astros Great J.B. Shuck has signed a minor-league deal with Pittsburgh. Only the real Astros fans remember when the Astros trotted out:
J.A. Happ
J.B. Shuck
J.C. Chasez
J.D. Martinez

on a daily basis

*Kacy Clemens and his godbrother are suing the Concrete Cowboy after they say the bouncer assaulted them. Baseball, please hurry.

*Murder in a tweet:

Bet his account will disappear in October https://t.co/ee9332rKWV

— SF Giants on NBCS (@NBCSGiants) January 30, 2019

*Chicago lit its train tracks on fire to prevent them from contracting in the cold. I'm actually perfectly fine with either lighting the Marlins on fire, or contracting them in the cold.

*Tom Justice had Olympic aspirations, then he started using his bike to rob banks.

*A Musical Selection:

Sunday Morning Hot Links

Don't let football distract you from the fact that the Astros won the World Series. It is now 150 days until Opening Day.

Important dates this month (all times Central)
November 6, 4pm: Free agency opens
November 9: Silver Slugger awards announced
November 13-16: GM Meetings
November 16: MVP winners announced
November 20, 7pm: 40-Man roster set (for Rule 5 draft purposes)
December 1, 7pm: Deadline to tender contracts to arbitration-eligible players
December 10-14: Winter Meetings
December 14, 8am: Rule 5 Draft

*Watch Altuve, Springer, and Bregman on Weekend Update.

*David Barron says the Astros stuck to Plan A:
It was an overnight success six years in the making. Derided for what some saw as penny-pinching ways during three straight 100-loss seasons with the smallest payroll in Major League Baseball, Crane always said he would spend real money on the Astros when the time was right.

*FanGraphs: What if more teams follow the Astros' rebuilding plan?

*Twins GM Thad Levine said the Astros' "formula" may be too complicated to follow:
I think the way the Houston Astros built that team is so unique that I'm not sure you can really do that effectively anymore, with the changes in the draft and such that you're a little bit less invented to lose to try to win. We picked towards the top of the draft once - they did it for multiple years in a row. And they did a great job with that.

*Kevin Sherrington: How Alex Bregman's grandfather helped bring the Rangers to Arlington.

*In the first and, likely, last appearance E! News will ever make on the Hot Links, here are the dreamy details of Verlander's wedding to Kate Upton. Yeah, the location isn't bad.

*Oooooh look at the New York Daily News' John Harper throwing shade, saying the Yankees rebuild is working like the Astros' - but without all the losing:
While the GM Jeff Luhnow and the Astros are being celebrated for winning the first-ever franchise, let's not forget they tanked to completely that they were practically non-competitive for a few years. 

You can take out that "practically," idiot.

*Hunter Atkins: The 2005 Astros share an emotional bond with the 2017 team.

*NY Post's Joel Sherman: What other teams should learn from the Astros:
Getting the 11 or 12 wins in the postseason is a beast. The Astros played the best because they were not deterred by all that goes wrong on the way to nirvana. They stayed a proper course - right to a parade.

*The Ringer says the Astros didn't win the World Series, the Dodgers blew it.

*Guys, Clayton Kershaw is having a tough time:
Maybe one of these days I won't fail, we won't fail and we'll win one of these things...I think once the dust settles and we go home, we can realize that we had a pretty amazing season and we finished in second place, which nobody cares about or remembers.

The @Dodgers took out a full page ad in Sunday's @HoustonChron to congratulate the @astros. Well done. pic.twitter.com/Nk5FsC2vSn

— Astros Future (@AstrosFuture) November 5, 2017

*The Guardian: Why the Astros' World Series may end the era of super-rich baseball players.

Raise your hand if one of Correa, Altuve, and Springer won't be considered super-rich because of the Astros World Series.

*MLBTR has your Astros offseason outlook. They're also predicting the Astros sign Wade Davis to a 4-year/$60m contract this offseason.

*Jose Altuve gave a young Venezuelan kid his hat:

This is what it's all about. pic.twitter.com/39LRqVmUJz

— ESPN (@espn) November 5, 2017

*Yu Darvish told Evan Grant that he had lost some of his joy for baseball in his final days in Arlington.

*MLB players are returning home to the Virgin Islands to help with hurricane recovery.

*The Houston Press will basically cease to exist, and that makes me sad.

*Watch Gary Pettis' son Donte set the record for most punt return TDs in NCAA history...and celebrate with the trademarked Pettis Windmill:

HISTORY on Montlake! @dmainy_13 is now has more punt return TDs than anybody in @ncaafootball history.

📺@fs1 pic.twitter.com/vxw4mYB4D0

— Pac-12 Network (@Pac12Network) November 5, 2017

Monday Morning Hot Links

I don't even know where to start, except to say that, I sort of need to go soon. Game 5 went so long, took so much out of anyone who was watching, was such an emotional roller coaster, and my alarm had to go off so early. Astros won Game 5, which was a game so insane that it made Game 2 look like it was played in the 1940s. The Astros, who were down 4-0 TO CLAYTON KERSHAW, then down 7-4, down 8-7, then blew their own 3-run lead at 12-9, win 13-12, and take a 3-2 series lead. And on a Sunday night? Jeez, man. Come 7:30pm tonight, I'll have a cup of tea and prepare to go to bed.

This is so awesome. Glad a camera caught it...#WorldSeries pic.twitter.com/hutYRPQyqe

— Matt E (@eTrain19) October 30, 2017

*Bregman, who had the walk-off in the bottom of the 10th:
It's an unbelievable moment. You dream about it as a little kid. To be living a dream, one win away from the World Series, is really special.

*The Astros became the fifth team in baseball history to rally from two separate three-run deficits. Hinch:
Just when I thought I could describe Game 2 as my favorite game of the year, I think Game 5 exceeded that and more. It's hard to put into words all the twists and turns in that game, the emotion, doing it at home, in front of our home crowd. Just exactly what you expect to come to the park with Keuchel and Kershaw pitching.

*Jim Crane:
How did that happen? It was like Frazier against Ali there.

*We haven't talked about Dallas Keuchel's 1st inning. And we won't.

*LA Times' Pedro Moura: The Astros Fab Four got it done. Again.

*David Barron took a look at the crucial 7th inning.

*For the first time in World Series history, five players (all of whom play for the Astros) hit a home run in a single game. Click the link for the Firsts of this game.

*The Win Expectancy chart looks like a dad gum EKG.

*Richard Justice said Game 5 was as good as sports get.

*Yahoo's Tim Brown: The Dodgers had hope until the very end.

*CBS Sports' Mike Axisa: What to know about maybe the best World Series game ever.

*USA Today: 11 crazy facts about Game 5.

*Grant Brisbee: The Astros and Dodgers broke the game of baseball into a million pieces. Brisbee:
A common refrain for a game like Game 5 of the 2017 World Series is that baseball is drunk. Baseball is not drunk. Drunk people don't fall up the stairs, through a window, and explode upon contact with the moon.

*Yasiel Puig guaranteed a Game 7.

*NY Post's Joel Sherman: Two of MLB's most reliable bullpen arms have vanished.

*Mike Oz got the story of the fan who stole Yasiel Puig's home run ball and threw it back.

*FanGraphs gives it a 79% chance that the Astros can win one of the next two games.
FiveThirtyEight has the Astros winning one of two in LA at 69%. Even though they give the Dodgers the nod in Games 6 and 7. Don't ask me how the math works.

*Sunday afternoon was marked - if you weren't watching the Texans - by Tom Verducci's report courtesy of pitchers from both teams - that the World Series balls are slicker, making it harder to use a slider. Which would explain how Darvish got rocked so hard. And how Ken Giles can't seem to make a pitch to save his life. Verlander:
I know Mr. Manfred says the balls haven't changed, but there's enough information out there to say that's not true. On the one hand, you can have someone who manufactures the balls say they're not different, and on the other hand, you can say people who have held the ball in their hand their entire lives are saying something different.

*Giles "wasn't surprised" about losing the closer role for Games 5-7.

*I have to go. Like, now.

Wednesday Morning Hot Links

Well that was less than ideal, though it never felt like the Astros were completely out of it. Dallas Keuchel threw two bad pitches...Clayton Kershaw only threw one, and that's that. Astros are down 1-0 in the World Series.

*The Astros are now 1-5 on the road this postseason, the lone away win coming in Game 4 of the ALDS. They did not have an AB with a runner in scoring position. Houston has scored 14 runs in six postseason road games, six total in their last four.

*Game 1 was the shortest World Series game (2 hours 28 minutes) since 1992.

*FanGraphs, who had the Astros as their simulation favorites (by a slight edge), dropped them to what is now a 37.5% chance of winning the World Series. Who knew that losing to Clayton Kershaw on the road in Game 1 could drop your chances so dramatically?

*FiveThirtyEight gives the Dodgers a 52-48 edge tonight, and a 62% chance of winning the World Series.

*Dallas Keuchel, on Game 1:
It was a good atmosphere, it was as fun as I had imagined. Taylor hit a first-pitch four-seamer out of the yard, kind of hit us in the jaw. We recovered nicely. I knew we would scratch a run, maybe two, off of Kershaw. But he was as good as advertised. It was one pitch away from being 1-1 going into the seventh. We're trying to win one of two here, so hopefully we'll come out tomorrow and get a win.

*Kershaw's 78 Game Score was the 12th-highest in Dodgers' World Series franchise history.

*Altuve:
We just have to try to put some good at-bats together. We couldn't do it today because Kershaw was pitching extremely well.

StatCast noted that the Astros chased 20 pitches outside the strike zone last night, which seems low by about half.

*Bregman, whose solo home run tied the game in the 4th inning:
I don't think there is any panic with anyone. Everybody is very confident. It is a long series. They have a good pitcher going [tonight], but we do have the best offense in baseball.

Hinch:
We're heading into Game 2 of the World Series, so there's no more rookies, there's no more youth. It's just competing. And their guy beat us. For us, obviously, we need to stay in the strike zone. It's easier said at the podium or sitting in the dugout than in the batter's box. But hopefully we can get it [tonight].

*George Springer was 0x4 with 4K. Carlos Correa was 0x3 with a strikeout...and still only saw five pitches. Marwin was 0x3 and saw only eight pitches. McCann was 0x3 and saw only nine pitches. I guess that game plan was to try to get to Kershaw early in the count. It, uh, didn't work. Springer:
When he can control his slider like that, and throw to either side of the plate, that's why he is who he is. Video doesn't do it justice.

*Tim Leary broke down what went right for Kershaw, what went wrong for Keuchel and the Astros.

*A.J. Hinch is worried about pitch sequencing.

*Astros hitting coach Dave Hudgens:
What guys start doing is they start trying harder. They try to get aggressive. I always tell guys, the way to get out of a funk is to take some pitches. Not to go out there and swing at the first thing you see. Now you've hit a marginal pitch for a weak grounder to short. Now you're sitting in the dugout.

*Hinch wasn't real thrilled with having to wait until 6:45 to get on the field because the Dodgers took too long during live BP. He promised shenanigans in Houston, which, frankly, I'm excited about.

*Jeff Sullivan: Expect the strike zone to favor the Dodgers.

*Bregman, on Verlander:
We have a lot of confidence in Justin and we're ready to compete. We can't wait to get out there and play. I think everyone got a taste of what it's like today. We'll play Astros baseball tomorrow.

*Verlander spends his offseason doing weight training and interval sprints.

*Game 2 starter Rich Hill said he almost joined the Astros last winter.

*Here's Ted Berg with the story on how the 2014 SI cover came to be.

*Jim Crane sent every full-time Astros employee to Los Angeles.

Monday Morning Hot Links

Today is the 11th anniversary of the Albert Pujols home run. Take a deep dive into self-loathing, if you will.

*The Astros held their final camp at Osceola County Stadium in Kissimmee, with everything still on track to open 2017 with the Nationals in Palm Beach County.

*Jose Altuve led the Texans on to the field last night.

*A.J. Reed and Yulieski Gurriel will retain their rookie eligibility for the 2017 season. Gurriel was one AB shy of losing his rookie status (and didn't play in the final game of the season).

*Stop saying Clayton Kershaw isn't clutch.

*Dave Roberts, Clayton Kershaw, and the 7th inning.

*The story behind the Dodgers canceling the trade for Aroldis Chapman.

*Nick Cafardo says the cost for Boston of acquiring Chris Sale would be Jackie Bradley Jr plus one top prospect (like Yoan Moncada). He also pegs Edwin Encarnacion's contract at 5yrs/$125m.

*Inside the Nationals' clubhouse following their Game 5 loss.

*67-year old Grainger Stadium in Kinston, North Carolina gets baseball back.

Thursday Morning Hot Links

*The Masked Marvel tried to calm your nerves about 2017.

*Don't miss the case for voiding the last two years of Jose Altuve's contract. Or the 2017 payroll breakdown.

*Danny Worth elected free agency in the last week and presumably will not be returning to the Astros organization.

Worth absolutely killed it in Fresno to the tune of .330/.431/.525 with 72K:54BB. But in 16 games for Houston (40 PAs) Worth hit .179/200/.231 while seeing time at 2B, 3B, SS, and DH at the height of the Astros' injury crisis.

*Astros prospect Ramon Laureano went 3x5 with a single, double, triple and an RBI in yesterday's Arizona Fall League game for Glendale. On October 11 Garrett Stubbs hit a homer for Glendale; Rogelio Armenteros threw 1.1IP, 3H/2ER, 0K:1BB. Francis Martes is scheduled to start today.

*Not for nothing, but the Blue Jays are planning on offering impending free agent Edwin Encarnacion a qualifying offer - should such a thing still exist by the beginning of 2017. Heyman reports Encarnacion will be looking for at least a four-year deal, though the Blue Jays would prefer to offer three years. He'll be in his Age 34 season in 2017 and posted an .886 OPS this season after four straight .900+ OPS seasons. (My dumb brain would happily give Encarnacion 4yrs/$90m).

*Four months after the Padres' managing partner Peter Seidler said he expected president/CEO Mike Dee to be around for a long time, Dee is out.

*The history of Clayton Kershaw's postseason bullpens. Spoiler: 53% of the runners his bullpen inherited scored. That's not all on Kershaw.

*Vice Sports: The Dodgers are still alive because things like reason and logic don't exist in the playoffs.

*Hardball Times: MLB turned a blind eye to Bobby Cox's domestic abuse

Monday Morning Hot Links

Well well well. The kids go back to school (so I hear, mine isn't old enough yet) and the Astros sweep the Dodgers. You parents ought to be feeling pretty good right about now. Be sure to check out the Masked Marvel's recap of yesterday's win over Clayton Kershaw - well, not so much Clayton Kershaw, more of the Astros' win over the Dodgers bullpen. The Astros had not swept the Dodgers (and keep the league switch in mind) since Brian Moehler, Chris Sampson, and Geoff Geary got wins at Dodger Stadium on May 9-11, 2008.

Perspective

From June 28 to the beginning of play August 24, 2012 - three years ago to the day - the Astros had won seven of their previous 50 games. 43 losses in 50 games. The winning pitcher on August 1, 2012? Mike Fiers, for Milwaukee.

Scoreboard Watch

The A's and Mariners both won, the Angels lost, and the Rangers beat the Tigers to remain four games back of the Astros. The Rangers have won nine of their last eleven games and have an off-day today because they seemingly don't ever have to play any games (the Astros have played 125 games, the Rangers 123), but will start a series in Arlington against the Blue Jays on Tuesday.

FanGraphs gives the Astros an 82.9% chance of winning the division and a 94.5% chance of making the postseason - both are season highs.

Hot Links!

*ESPN's Christina Kahrl: Astros ready to lift off for an October destination.
Sure, this was just a three-game series in August. But beating the team with the best one-two rotation punch in baseball in the middle of a pennant race demonstrates that you can beat anybody in a short series. 

*Kenley Jansen, on the 9th inning:
Two (expletive) hits. What can I do?

*Clayton Kershaw says it's time to panic after the sweep.

*Brian T. Smith refers to the Dodgers as "Magic Johnson's precious baseball baby"

*Hinch, on Gomez's failed attempt to steal home:
I know it's maddening sometimes with the outs on the bases. But we're always trying to get 90 feet.

*McCullers spent his three-week vacation in Corpus working on his mechanics and a "slider-slurvish" pitch.

*This freaking Mike Fiers/Pine Tar thing isn't going away.

Non-Astros Read of the Day:

The Knowledge: London's Legendary Taxi-Driver Test, Puts Up a Fight in the Age of GPS

PreStros Morning Report: April 25

TL;DR

*Astros affiliates go 2-2 on the day (Composite 49-36 record)
*OKC falls to Nashville 5-3, Enrique Hernandez hit his first homer at Triple-A.
*Troy Scribner gets his first win of the season as Corpus downs Frisco.
*Carlos Perdomo hit a homer off rehabbing Clayton Kershaw and Lancaster pounced on the Rancho Cucamonga bullpen in a 6-3 win.
*Conrad Gregor went 3x5 but Peoria beat Quad Cities 8-4.

Oklahoma City (13-9)

Nashville hit a three-run homer in the 3rd and got out to a 5-1 lead by the bottom of the 9th, when an OKC rally fell short in a 5-3 loss. Jake Buchanan allowed 6H/3ER, 2K:0BB in 4IP and the bullpen got their piggyback work in, with five relievers going an inning each to close the game. Darin Downs struck out the side but allowed 2H/1ER, Kevin Chapman allowed 2H/1ER and Josh Zeid turned in a clean 9th.

Andy Simunic was 3x4, Gregorio Petit (2B) and Enrique Hernandez (HR, RBI) had two hits each. Jon Singleton was 0x3 with a walk and Jonathan Meyer was 1x3 with a walk.

Man of the Match: Enrique Hernandez

Corpus (13-8)

Corpus jumped out to a 4-1 lead after two, and held on for a 6-4 win over Frisco. Jordan Jankowski allowed 3H/1ER, 2K:1BB in 3IP; newly-promoted Troy Scribner allowed 1H/0ER, 1K:2BB in 2IP and got his first win of the season; Michael Dimock (2IP/0ER), Pat Urckfitz (0.2IP, two unearned runs) and Jorge De Leon (1.1IP, one unearned run) finished out the game.

Preston Tucker (2 2B) and Chris Epps (SB) had two hits each; Nolan Fontana was 1x5 with 2RBI, Leo Heras (2B, 2BB, SB), Tyler Heineman (BB, RBI) and Jio Mier (2B, 2RBI) also contributed hits.

Man of the Match: Let's go with Preston Tucker

Lancaster (14-8)

Clayton Kershaw rehabbed for Rancho Cucamonga and Carlos Perdomo took him deep in an otherwise smooth outing - 5IP, 2H/1ER, 6K:1BB. But the Quakes' bullpen couldn't keep Lancaster off the board, with the JetHawks rallying for six runs from the 5th-7th innings. JetHawks win, 6-3. Kyle Smith threw 5IP, 3H/2ER, 5K:1BB; Lance McCullers allowed 2H/1ER, 3K:3BB in 4IP.

Carlos Perdomo's homer got things started while Rio Ruiz (2B, BB) and Brandon Meredith (BB) drove in two runs each. Tony Kemp drew a walk and stole two bases. Roberto Pena had a hit and a walk.

Man of the Match: Gotta give it to Perdomo for taking Kershaw deep.

Quad Cities (9-11)

Peoria put up a pair of four-run innings in an 8-4 win over Quad Cities. Kent Emanuel allowed 5H/4R - none of them earned - 3K:2BB in 4IP; Chris Cotton allowed 4H/4ER, 2K:0BB in 1IP; Jandel Gustave threw 2IP, 2H/0ER, 3K:0BB and Tyler Brunnemann struck out the side and lowered his ERA to 0.73 (his last three outings: 6IP, 0H/0ER, 8K:1BB).

Conrad Gregor was 3x5 with a double and an RBI; Brian Holberton was 2x4 with a double and 2RBI; Chan Moon, Tyler White, and Brett Phillips added a hit and a walk each.

Man of the Match: Conrad Gregor

Know Your Enemy: April 21

And so the Astros come into tonight's game 5-9, having lost eight of their last ten games with a run differential of -6 in those ten games.

*They face 6'3" 220lb LHP Clayton Kershaw.
*He was drafted out of Highland Park High School in Dallas with the 7th overall pick in the 2006 draft and debuted with the Dodgers at 20 years old - then the youngest pitcher in MLB.
*In his senior season at Highland Park, Kershaw pitched an all-strikeout perfect game in the playoffs against Justin Northwest HS.
*Kershaw has mentioned that he modeled his mechanics on Roger Clemens.
*Kershaw won the Pitching Triple Crown and the NL Cy Young in 2011, becoming the youngest pitcher to accomplish either one of these achievements since Dwight Gooden in 1985.
*His 6.71 hits/9 were the best in the NL in 2011.
*According to FanGraphs, his Fastball velocity has been sitting at 92.5mph, with an 84.5mph slider, 82.9mph changeup, and a 73.2mph curve.
*Kershaw faced the Astros twice in 2011 (May 23 and August 13), and threw a total of 14IP, 10H/2ER, 16K:3BB.
*He left his Opening Day start after 3IP with the flu, but still managed to get 25 strikes on 39 pitches, with 2H/0ER, 3K:1BB at San Diego.
*Kershaw was sharp in his second start of the season, throwing 7IP, 4H/1ER, 7K:0BB against the Pirates; but got roughed up a bit by the Padres on Monday with 5.1IP, 8H/3ER, 3K:3BB.
*RHBs are hitting .216/.273/.314 off of Kershaw this season, and he has only allowed one hit in 18PAs w/RISP, for an .067/.176/.067 line.
*So far this young season, the Astros are hitting .209/.308/.341 vs. Lefty starters.
*Current Astros, collectively, have 46PAs vs. Kershaw. Carlos Lee is 4x13 with a homer and 2BB off Kershaw, and Chris Snyder is 3x7 with a HR and 2BB. Justin Maxwell is 0x5 with 4Ks, so don't expect to see him in the lineup.

*Kyle Weiland takes the mound for the third times this season. He's 0-2 with 10.2IP, 18H/10ER, 7K:6BB, 3HR allowed. In his last seven games started (dating back to July 2011), he's 0-5 with an 8.63 ERA.
*Weiland got 17 swinging strikes in his opening outing of the season against the Braves, but only four swinging strikes at Washington on Tuesday.
*There's not a pretty stat to show about Weiland's 2012, but if the batter gets ahead in the count, they go on to a 1.545 OPS (10x21, 4XBH, 2K:6BB).
*He has never faced anyone on the Dodgers.

Recap for G91 - Astros @ Dodgers

Booo. The Astros didn't do much with the chances they had, and lost out on the calls on a couple of close plays, in their first loss of the second half - to the Dodgers 5-2.

Hampton was shaky early, and was stupid once, which led to his getting pulled after 5.2IP. Here's how ESPN described Hampton's error:
Mark Loretta, who came in 16-for-44 lifetime against Hampton, hit an RBI single to left that drove in Blake on a close play.

When Hampton got the ball back from catcher Humberto Quintero, the frustrated 15-year veteran tried to slam it into his glove and missed -- forcing Hampton to retrieve it near the first base dugout as Kemp scored the fifth run. At that point, Cooper replaced Hampton.

Wow. The Dodgers scored three runs in the 6th, extending their lead to 5-0 at that point.

Hampton: 5.2IP, 7H/4ER (though the 5th was on his error), 4K:2BB, 18/24 first-pitch strikes, 22/57 non-contact strikes (19 called:3 swinging)
Fulchino: 1.1IP, 0H/0ER, 2/4 FPS, 4/8 NCS (3c:1s)
Wright: 0IP, 1H/0ER, 1/1 FPS, 1/3 NCS (1c)
Arias: 1IP, 0H/0ER, 2K, 3/3 FPS, 7/10 NCS (5c:2s)

By all accounts, Hampton should have had a good game. 18 of the first 24 batters he faced got first-pitch strikes. 8 ground balls and 4 fly ball outs. 92 pitches in almost six innings. But he didn't. Which shows the limitation of statistics. Sometimes the other team hits the snot out of the ball, no matter what you throw.

Arias has now thrown 21.1 consecutive scoreless IPs.

Offensively - nothing doing against Clayton Kershaw. Kershaw's line:
7IP, 2H/0ER, 5K:1BB. However, once Kershaw left, things got interesting. James McDonald came in and immediately gave up a double to Chris Coste, who advanced to third on a wild pitch. Michaels singled in Coste, and then scored on a Juan Pierror (ha!). Bourn ran for Michaels, stole second, advanced to third on Matsui's out, and Keppinger grounded out to end the inning...or did he? Replays showed that Keppinger beat the tag, and that would have made the game 5-3, and Coop was ejected arguing the call.

In the 9th, it was pretty much all on the Astros. With Broxton pitching...

Tejada walked
Lee reached on an infield single
Pence struck out swinging
Coste struck out swinging
Berkman walked
So the bases are loaded, and Pudge is up, gets ahead of Broxton 2-0, takes the third pitch for strike one, fouls off the fourth pitch for strike two, and swings through the 5th pitch. Game over.

Coste had the only extra-base hit. The five Astros hits were scattered among five Astros. While it was an anemic offensive performance, one out of three is to be expected, especially when you're facing Wolf, Billingsley, and Kershaw in LA.

Man of the Match: Alberto Arias. 21.1 consecutive scoreless IPs.

Goat of the Game: This one goes to Pence. 0x4 with 3K, and 3LOBs. But Hampton was a deserving candidate...

Reactions to G14 - Dodgers at Astros

Berkman on Ortiz and Valverde:
"They’re guys that have been around. I think that’s what you get when you have veterans - poise even in the face of seeming disaster. They both did a great job of limiting the damage. Russ kept us in that game and gave us an opportunity to score those runs without it getting out of hand. Jose did his job there in the ninth inning after it looked like he got off to a little bit of a rough start."

Ortiz:
"I knew after the first my job was just to keep us in the game."

Clayton Kershaw:
"I just didn't have a good night. I was getting ahead of hitters for the most part, they were just hitting pitches. It was one of those nights."

Joe Torre on Kershaw:
"He just didn't look comfortable. I thought he battled, but it looked like he was trying to overthrow it at times."

Cooper:
"I’ll take a win almost at any cost. Almost"

Recap - G14, Dodgers at Astros

Someone needs to tell the Astros they don't all have to be exciting. Nice 8-5 win, where bullpen bends yet doesn't break, and Valverde strikes out two with the bases loaded to preserve the win after taking one off the leg. Russ Ortiz really labored in the first inning, throwing 33 pitches, 16 of them for strikes. Obviously with a first inning like that, the pitch count is going to be elevated. Want to know how you throw 116 pitches in five innings (including 33 pitches in the first inning)? Let's let Russ tell us:

1st inning: 33 pitches
2nd inning: 20 pitches
3rd inning: 15 pitches
4th inning: 19 pitches
5th inning: 29 pitches

Of the 23 batters faced:
11 of them got a 1-0 pitch
7 of them worked to 2-0
3 of them worked to 3-0

Nevertheless, a win is a win. Groundballs are a pitcher's best friend, and Ortiz got 11 groundball outs, but the bullpen is going to have to be on standby when Ortiz pitches.

Ortiz: 5IP, 3H, 3ER, 2K:5BB
Wright: 1IP, 1H, 1K
Fulchino: 1IP, 2H, 2ER, 1BB
LaHawk: 1IP, 1H
Valverde: 1IP, 1H, 2K:1BB

Fulchino gave up his first runs as an Astro by granting Manny Ramirez a 2-run trot around the bases, and Valverde's outing was dicey:
Furcal: Safe on an error by JV
Hudson: Infield single
Ramirez: Flied out to right, Furcal to third
Ethier: Walked
Loney: Struck out swinging
Martin: Struck out swinging

Pitcher	Pit/Str	Strike%	BF/Outs	Efficiency%	GB/FB/K
Ortiz	116/64	55.2%	23/15	65.2%	11/2/2
Wright	10/7	70%	3/3	100%	2/0/1
Fulchino	19/11	57.9%	6/3	50%	2/1/0
LaHawk	14/8	57.1%	4/3	75%	0/3/0
Valverde	24/14	58.3%	6/3	50%	0/1/2

I know I have a tendency, when the opposite team puts up three in the first inning, to go ahead and cede the game, but the Astros didn't, and battled back. Tejada, Lee, Pudge and Keppinger all had multi-hit games, while Lance now has a three-game hitting streak. Carlos Lee hit his third homer of the year - and his second in two games. Tejada had the highest batting average on the team, and just one RBI to show for it (think about that for a second. What does it tell you?), and went out and got three RBIs last night.

Man of the Match:
Miguel Tejada. Tripled his season RBI total, and even got a 2-out hit with runners in scoring position.

Goat of the Game:
Tough to say. I want to pick on Valverde, but he didn't allow a run. Ortiz threw a lot of pitches, but buckled down when it could have gotten out of hand. So it goes to Hunter Pence. 0x4 with a strikeout, and didn't get the ball out of the infield.

Matchup for G14 - Dodgers at Astros

The Astros try to bounce back from three winnable losses in four games against the Los Angeles Dodgers, who are 10-3 and have won eight straight.

So the Astros will send Russ Ortiz up against Claytown Kershaw to try to be the stopper. Logically, that first pitch is huge for Ortiz. First-pitch ball? .353 BAA. First-pitch strike? .143 BAA. Problem is Ortiz is throwing that FPB 17 out of 31 ABs so far this season. And settling in has been a problem. Pitches 1-15 have resulted in 7x16 with 1HR, 4RBI and 3 doubles.

Last start, Thursday at Pittsburgh:
4.2IP, 5H, 3ER, 2K:2BB.

Efficiency in pitches will be huge for Ortiz - last start it took 99 pitches to get through 21 batters (and only 14 outs). Problem, is, the Dodgers are averaging 3.94 pitches per plate appearance.

Ortiz vs.	HxAB	BA/OBP/SLG	HR-RBI	K:BB
Loretta	7x18	.389/.421/.667	1-6	2:1
Furcal	7x20	.350/.409/.550	0-1	2:2
Pierre	16x63	.254/.277/.349	0-4	2:2
Ausmus	4x17	.235/.333/.294	0-3	3:3
Hudson	3x4	.750/.750/1.250	0-2	0:0

Clayton Kershaw

Kershaw got a no-decision last Wednesday against the Giants, but like many an Astro starter, deserved much better. Check the stats: 7IP, 1H, 1ER, 13K:1BB
Batters are hitting .081/.186/.189 against Kershaw, with 19K:5BB so far this season. Kershaw has given up two extra-base hits all season - just so you know.

2008 splits:

Away	2-3	5.36 ERA/1.72 WHIP	5 HR	41K:29BB
vs. HOU	0-0	4.77 ERA/1.41 WHIP	0 HR	4K:2BB

July 1

ND

5.2IP

6H/3ER

4K:2BB

Limited sample in one career start, but here it is

Kershaw vs.	HxAB	BA/OBP/SLG	HR-RBI	K:BB
Tejada	1x3	.333/.333/.333	0-0	0:0
Lee	2x3	.667/.667/.667	0-0	1:0
Bourn	1x3	.333/.333/.667	0-0	0:0
Berkman	0x2	.000/.000/.000	0-0	1:1
Pence	1x3	.333/.333/.333	0-1	1:0