2018 Record: 82-56
Playoff Result: Lost in 1st Round, 2-3.
Pitchers
Brett Adcock: Drafted - 4th Round, 2016
Brandon Bailey: Acquired via trade with Oakland for Ramon Laureano - November 2017
Brandon Bielak: Drafted - 11th Round, 2017
Ronel Blanco: Minor-league contract, April 2016
J.B. Bukauskas: Drafted - 1st Round, 2017
Justin Ferrell: Drafted - 36th Round, 2014
Jose Hernandez: Minor-league contract, March 2015
Tyler Ivey: Drafted - 3rd Round, 2017
Carson LaRue: Drafted - 14th Round, 2016
Colin McKee: Drafted - 18th Round, 2016
Erasmo Pinales: Minor-league contract, May 2013
Kit Scheetz: Undrafted free agent, June 2017
Gabriel Valdez: Minor-league contract, December 2013
Catchers
Lorenzo Quintana - Minor-league contract, October 2017
Chuckie Robinson: Drafted - 21st Round, 2016
Infielders
Osvaldo Duarte: Minor-league contract, July 2013
JJ Matijevic: Drafted - Comp Round, 2017
Josh Rojas: Drafted - 26th Round, 2017
Anibal Sierra: Minor-league contract, July 2016
Abraham Toro: Drafted - 5th Round, 2016
Outfielders
Carmen Benedetti: Drafted - 12th Round, 2016
Ronnie Dawson: Drafted - 2nd Round, 2016
Granden Goetzman: Minor-league free agent, July 2018
Chas McCormick: Drafted - 21st Round, 2017
Stephen Wrenn: Drafted - 6th Round, 2016
We didn't come out here to play tiddlywinks, son.
-Hal Smith
Showing posts with label Corpus Christi. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Corpus Christi. Show all posts
Thursday, March 28, 2019
Saturday, September 8, 2018
Saturday Morning Hot Links
Well that game didn't turn out at all like I expected through five innings. The Astros turned it on with a pair of three-run innings to take the first of a (STATEMENT SERIES if they win or NOT A BIG DEAL SERIES if they lose) series at Fenway. To hear Red Sox fans talk about it, Boston is now 141-1 in 2018. The A's are going to beat the Rangers while I'm typing this to keep the Astros' lead at 3.5 games. Houston is 88-53. There are 21 games remaining in the regular season.
*Reminder that "Sweet Caroline" has only been a thing at Fenway since 1997. Sully From Brookline wants you to believe that Neil Diamond wrote it sitting in the red Ted Williams seat in 1969. Do not believe him, he sits on a throne of lies.
*The Astros have a six-game winning streak. They've won 13 of their last 16, and 15 of their last 21 games.
*Houston is 48-21 on the road. Most road wins, Astros:
2017: 53
2001: 49
2018: 48
1999: 47
1998: 47
(Note: there is a possibility that a team from 1962-1979 would make this list, but I was unwilling to fight Baseball-Reference any longer. It's late, for crying out loud.)
The Astros have won 101 of their last 150 road games. They went 104-220 in road games from 2011-2014.
*Houston had 12 strikeouts for the first time since July 10. It's their 31st game with 10+ strikeouts. They had 14 such games in their first 32 of the season. They've had eight double-digit strikeout games since the All-Star Break (42 games).
*Alex Bregman was 2x3 with a walk. His batting average is now an even .300 for the first time since going 1x3 against the Rangers on Opening Night. Bregman is hitting .500/.571/1.389 in September, a 1.960 OPS. Sustainable? MAYBE. Bregman's OPS by month, 2018:
March: .413
April .778
May: .861
June: 1.085
July: .985
August: .938
September: 1.960
Bregman's double off of David Price was his 48th double of the year, tying him with Jeff Bagwell for 4th all-time on the franchise single-season doubles list. Your top three:
Biggio - 56 (1999)
Berkman - 55 (2001)
Biggio - 51 (1998)
I think Biggio's all-time mark is in play.
*David Price had retired 14 straight and allowed one hit through six innings before Bregman's double. Bregman:
Price was unbelievable tonight. He was throwing fastballs, cutters, both sides of the plate, changeup. It was good stuff by him, but it was a good team win by us. Happy to knock him out.
*Yuli Gurriel had his first 2-hit game since August 25, and has hits in five of his last six games.
*Tony Kemp's 2-run pinch-hit double was his 2nd pinch-hit of the year, in eight pinch-hit plate appearances. The pitch prior to the double was a low pitch called a strike while Kemp was halfway down the first-base line thinking he had drawn a walk. Kemp:
I thought it was a little down, called it a strike, and thankfully they did. I just tried to get a pitch right there that I could handle and he went fastball and I just tried to put a good swing on it. Luckily, it went down the left-field line.
Also Kemp:
Once we knocked [Price] out and got to that bullpen, I think that we had a boost of confidence, a little refresher.
*The hitter formerly known as Carlos Correa was 0x3 with 2K and the go-ahead RBI sac fly. In his last four games he's 0x10 with 4K:4BB.
Correa, Pre-ASG: .268/.352/.480
Correa, Post-ASG: .171/.260/.220
Yes, his OPS since returning from injury is the same as his SLG pre-injury. Dude ain't right right now.
*Astros pitchers have allowed three or fewer runs in seven straight games, and four or fewer runs in 13 of their last 14 games.
*Martin Maldonado has thrown out 15 of 33 would-be base-stealers, and his 45.5% Caught Stealing rate is the best among qualified catchers, by 85 points. Mike Zunino is 2nd among qualified catchers with 37.0%. Sal Perez is the only catcher who has played in more than 50 games in 2018 with a higher CS% - he's thwarted 23 of 46 base-thieves.
*Gerrit Cole struck out eight batter to re-take the team lead from Justin Verlander, 251-248. They both trail Max Scherzer, who has 260 strikeouts, for the MLB lead, but own the 1-2 spots in the AL. Cleveland is the only other team with two 200K guys on their staff.
*For the first time since joining the Astros, and the first time since July 21, Ryan Pressly walked a batter - a span of 64 batters faced.
*Hector Rondon allowed two hits in the 8th. In 15 appearances since the beginning of August, he has allowed hits in nine of them.
*Roberto Osuna has retired the side on ten or fewer pitches in three straight appearances.
*Evan Drellich, on the noise created by Astros fans at Fenway last night.
*Lance McCullers will throw a bullpen session today. Marwin might start Saturdays' game in LF.
*With Charlie Morton making his return after missing a start, Big Flames James (I'm going to try to make it a Thing, dammit) will head to the bullpen, at least for the next two games. Hinch:
I can see him just being used as any pitcher I would normally use. He's got a dynamic fastball, he's got two really good secondary pitches. He's never been a reliever per se, but he's pitched in the piggyback tandem in the Minor Leagues. He's come from the bullpen before to enter a game.
*Don't miss Jake Kaplan's piece on which Astros are fighting for a postseason roster spot.
*Kyle Tucker and J.D. Davis made the MLB.com Pipeline Team of the Year.
Minor League Playoff Update:
Fresno is up 2-1 after losing Game 3 to El Paso, 2-0.
Corpus is up 2-0 on San Antonio, but tonight's Game 3 was suspended due to rain in the 11th, tied 8-8. Game 3 will resume at noon tomorrow with Game 4 played after. Forrest Whitley returned from the DL and threw 2.2IP, striking out six.
Buies Creek won 6-5, and swept Winston-Salem.
Quad Cities was swept in a 3-game series on Wednesday night.
*Tigers announcers Mario Impemba and Rod Allen got in a fight over a chair.
*Oakland reliever Shawn Kelley is on the DL after a freak dish-washing accident.
*Deadspin: FanSided reeks of exploitation.
*Reminder that "Sweet Caroline" has only been a thing at Fenway since 1997. Sully From Brookline wants you to believe that Neil Diamond wrote it sitting in the red Ted Williams seat in 1969. Do not believe him, he sits on a throne of lies.
*The Astros have a six-game winning streak. They've won 13 of their last 16, and 15 of their last 21 games.
*Houston is 48-21 on the road. Most road wins, Astros:
2017: 53
2001: 49
2018: 48
1999: 47
1998: 47
(Note: there is a possibility that a team from 1962-1979 would make this list, but I was unwilling to fight Baseball-Reference any longer. It's late, for crying out loud.)
The Astros have won 101 of their last 150 road games. They went 104-220 in road games from 2011-2014.
*Houston had 12 strikeouts for the first time since July 10. It's their 31st game with 10+ strikeouts. They had 14 such games in their first 32 of the season. They've had eight double-digit strikeout games since the All-Star Break (42 games).
*Alex Bregman was 2x3 with a walk. His batting average is now an even .300 for the first time since going 1x3 against the Rangers on Opening Night. Bregman is hitting .500/.571/1.389 in September, a 1.960 OPS. Sustainable? MAYBE. Bregman's OPS by month, 2018:
March: .413
April .778
May: .861
June: 1.085
July: .985
August: .938
September: 1.960
Bregman's double off of David Price was his 48th double of the year, tying him with Jeff Bagwell for 4th all-time on the franchise single-season doubles list. Your top three:
Biggio - 56 (1999)
Berkman - 55 (2001)
Biggio - 51 (1998)
I think Biggio's all-time mark is in play.
*David Price had retired 14 straight and allowed one hit through six innings before Bregman's double. Bregman:
Price was unbelievable tonight. He was throwing fastballs, cutters, both sides of the plate, changeup. It was good stuff by him, but it was a good team win by us. Happy to knock him out.
*Yuli Gurriel had his first 2-hit game since August 25, and has hits in five of his last six games.
*Tony Kemp's 2-run pinch-hit double was his 2nd pinch-hit of the year, in eight pinch-hit plate appearances. The pitch prior to the double was a low pitch called a strike while Kemp was halfway down the first-base line thinking he had drawn a walk. Kemp:
I thought it was a little down, called it a strike, and thankfully they did. I just tried to get a pitch right there that I could handle and he went fastball and I just tried to put a good swing on it. Luckily, it went down the left-field line.
Also Kemp:
Once we knocked [Price] out and got to that bullpen, I think that we had a boost of confidence, a little refresher.
*The hitter formerly known as Carlos Correa was 0x3 with 2K and the go-ahead RBI sac fly. In his last four games he's 0x10 with 4K:4BB.
Correa, Pre-ASG: .268/.352/.480
Correa, Post-ASG: .171/.260/.220
Yes, his OPS since returning from injury is the same as his SLG pre-injury. Dude ain't right right now.
*Astros pitchers have allowed three or fewer runs in seven straight games, and four or fewer runs in 13 of their last 14 games.
*Martin Maldonado has thrown out 15 of 33 would-be base-stealers, and his 45.5% Caught Stealing rate is the best among qualified catchers, by 85 points. Mike Zunino is 2nd among qualified catchers with 37.0%. Sal Perez is the only catcher who has played in more than 50 games in 2018 with a higher CS% - he's thwarted 23 of 46 base-thieves.
*Gerrit Cole struck out eight batter to re-take the team lead from Justin Verlander, 251-248. They both trail Max Scherzer, who has 260 strikeouts, for the MLB lead, but own the 1-2 spots in the AL. Cleveland is the only other team with two 200K guys on their staff.
*For the first time since joining the Astros, and the first time since July 21, Ryan Pressly walked a batter - a span of 64 batters faced.
*Hector Rondon allowed two hits in the 8th. In 15 appearances since the beginning of August, he has allowed hits in nine of them.
*Roberto Osuna has retired the side on ten or fewer pitches in three straight appearances.
*Evan Drellich, on the noise created by Astros fans at Fenway last night.
*Lance McCullers will throw a bullpen session today. Marwin might start Saturdays' game in LF.
*With Charlie Morton making his return after missing a start, Big Flames James (I'm going to try to make it a Thing, dammit) will head to the bullpen, at least for the next two games. Hinch:
I can see him just being used as any pitcher I would normally use. He's got a dynamic fastball, he's got two really good secondary pitches. He's never been a reliever per se, but he's pitched in the piggyback tandem in the Minor Leagues. He's come from the bullpen before to enter a game.
*Don't miss Jake Kaplan's piece on which Astros are fighting for a postseason roster spot.
*Kyle Tucker and J.D. Davis made the MLB.com Pipeline Team of the Year.
Minor League Playoff Update:
Fresno is up 2-1 after losing Game 3 to El Paso, 2-0.
Corpus is up 2-0 on San Antonio, but tonight's Game 3 was suspended due to rain in the 11th, tied 8-8. Game 3 will resume at noon tomorrow with Game 4 played after. Forrest Whitley returned from the DL and threw 2.2IP, striking out six.
Buies Creek won 6-5, and swept Winston-Salem.
Quad Cities was swept in a 3-game series on Wednesday night.
The Hooks go BACK-TO-BACK-TO-BACK-TO-BACK! 4 straight home runs in the 4th inning tonight in San Antonio! The first time it's been done in the Texas League since 1922! #ReelFun #LetsGoHooks pic.twitter.com/GbPoaSwRjZ— Corpus Christi Hooks (@cchooks) September 8, 2018
*Tigers announcers Mario Impemba and Rod Allen got in a fight over a chair.
*Oakland reliever Shawn Kelley is on the DL after a freak dish-washing accident.
*Deadspin: FanSided reeks of exploitation.
Monday, June 18, 2018
Monday Morning Hot Links
In a stunning betrayal, I guess my body is back to waking up at 5:30am no matter what. The Astros rallied late to extend their winning streak to 11 games, matching their best streak from 2017 and is one short of the franchise record of 12, set in 2004.
*The Astros are 48-25, 1.5 up on Seattle. They went 10-0 on the road trip, outscoring their opponents 74-35, a +39 run differential (incidentally, the Astros' run differential in their last ten games is 17 runs better than the Mariners' run differential for the season). Houston's ten wins in their last ten road games is better than Baltimore's nine road wins all season. The Astros have scored 246 runs on the road this season; Baltimore has scored 248 runs total.
*ESPN notes that Houston's 10-0 road trip is the 6th such road trip in the last 65 seasons. The 11-game win streak is tied for the 5th-longest by a defending World Series champ in the last 80 years.
*Hunter Atkins: If only the Astros could hit at home like they do on the road. Atkins notes the lack of gaps in the outfield at Minute Maid, thanks to the Crawford Boxes. Springer:
The Crawford Boxes create a positioning where you don't have to play left field. You essentially have an extra defender - that's the wall.
*The Astros are 11-5 against the AL Central and have not yet played the Tigers.
*Houston is outscoring opponents 135-77 in the 7th inning and later. They have 19 comeback wins.
*Houston has hit a home run in eleven straight games, and 22 of their last 23, thanks to Carlos Correa's 8th inning home run.
*Evan Gattis was 3x4 with an RBI. 7-8-9 in the lineup (Gattis-Marwin-McCann) went a combined 6x11 with 3RBI.
*George Springer was 0x5 with two GIDPs. The Astros GIDPd four times yesterday, a season-high and their most since August 7, 2014. Houston had four GIDPs in a single game three times in 2014 and went 0-3.
*Tyler White hit a pinch-hit double for his first MLB hit of the season.
*Lance McCullers: 6IP, 6H/4R (2ER), 9K:2BB. The nine strikeouts are his most since April 17, and tie his total strikeouts in his last two starts combined.
*Tony Sipp, Ken Giles, and Hector Rondon threw 3IP, 0H/0ER, 2K:2BB.
Sipp has not allowed a run since May 7, a span of 13 appearances.
Giles enjoyed his first 3-out clean appearance (0H/0BB) since May 9.
Rondon has not allowed a run since May 13, a span of 13 appearances.
*Mike Moustakas and Danny Duffy were ejected in the 3rd inning by umpire Mike Tumpane thanks to Marwin's throw to the plate that got Moustakas. Duffy:
We all thought (Moustakas) was safe. Maybe I'm seeing it with biased eyes and there wasn't enough to overturn it....We were pretty much all in shock. But we get punched by replay all the time. I'm personally tired of getting punched by Tumpane. I think we all are. And I think it needs to be looked at. I'm not saying there's bias there but I'm sure it will go back to whoever it needs to go back to.
Duffy set a record for the most times saying "punked" in a paragraph since 2005.
*A.J. Hinch doesn't mind some of the Astros' aggressive base-running mistakes.
*Bill Brown will fill in for Steve Sparks for this series against the Rays.
*New dads on the Astros and Royals reflected on their first Father's Day.
*The Rays are going to use Ryne Stanek as an opener for tonight's game against the Astros.
*Corpus beat San Antonio 8-6 yesterday, and whoever wins tonight will claim the first-half division crown and an automatic playoff spot.
*The Mariners start a 10-game road trip against Boston, New York, and Baltimore.
*Celebrating Mexico fans set off earthquake sensors after their deciding goal against Germany yesterday.
*The Astros are 48-25, 1.5 up on Seattle. They went 10-0 on the road trip, outscoring their opponents 74-35, a +39 run differential (incidentally, the Astros' run differential in their last ten games is 17 runs better than the Mariners' run differential for the season). Houston's ten wins in their last ten road games is better than Baltimore's nine road wins all season. The Astros have scored 246 runs on the road this season; Baltimore has scored 248 runs total.
*ESPN notes that Houston's 10-0 road trip is the 6th such road trip in the last 65 seasons. The 11-game win streak is tied for the 5th-longest by a defending World Series champ in the last 80 years.
*Hunter Atkins: If only the Astros could hit at home like they do on the road. Atkins notes the lack of gaps in the outfield at Minute Maid, thanks to the Crawford Boxes. Springer:
The Crawford Boxes create a positioning where you don't have to play left field. You essentially have an extra defender - that's the wall.
*The Astros are 11-5 against the AL Central and have not yet played the Tigers.
*Houston is outscoring opponents 135-77 in the 7th inning and later. They have 19 comeback wins.
*Houston has hit a home run in eleven straight games, and 22 of their last 23, thanks to Carlos Correa's 8th inning home run.
*Evan Gattis was 3x4 with an RBI. 7-8-9 in the lineup (Gattis-Marwin-McCann) went a combined 6x11 with 3RBI.
*George Springer was 0x5 with two GIDPs. The Astros GIDPd four times yesterday, a season-high and their most since August 7, 2014. Houston had four GIDPs in a single game three times in 2014 and went 0-3.
*Tyler White hit a pinch-hit double for his first MLB hit of the season.
*Lance McCullers: 6IP, 6H/4R (2ER), 9K:2BB. The nine strikeouts are his most since April 17, and tie his total strikeouts in his last two starts combined.
*Tony Sipp, Ken Giles, and Hector Rondon threw 3IP, 0H/0ER, 2K:2BB.
Sipp has not allowed a run since May 7, a span of 13 appearances.
Giles enjoyed his first 3-out clean appearance (0H/0BB) since May 9.
Rondon has not allowed a run since May 13, a span of 13 appearances.
*Mike Moustakas and Danny Duffy were ejected in the 3rd inning by umpire Mike Tumpane thanks to Marwin's throw to the plate that got Moustakas. Duffy:
We all thought (Moustakas) was safe. Maybe I'm seeing it with biased eyes and there wasn't enough to overturn it....We were pretty much all in shock. But we get punched by replay all the time. I'm personally tired of getting punched by Tumpane. I think we all are. And I think it needs to be looked at. I'm not saying there's bias there but I'm sure it will go back to whoever it needs to go back to.
Duffy set a record for the most times saying "punked" in a paragraph since 2005.
*A.J. Hinch doesn't mind some of the Astros' aggressive base-running mistakes.
*Bill Brown will fill in for Steve Sparks for this series against the Rays.
*New dads on the Astros and Royals reflected on their first Father's Day.
*The Rays are going to use Ryne Stanek as an opener for tonight's game against the Astros.
*Corpus beat San Antonio 8-6 yesterday, and whoever wins tonight will claim the first-half division crown and an automatic playoff spot.
*The Mariners start a 10-game road trip against Boston, New York, and Baltimore.
*Celebrating Mexico fans set off earthquake sensors after their deciding goal against Germany yesterday.
Friday, April 13, 2018
Friday Morning Hot Links
The Astros were off yesterday hopefully showing an acceptable level of regret for their performance in the Minnesota Frozen Tundra. Check Jexas' recap of the Twins series. Meanwhile the 11-3 Angels have a 1.5-game lead on the Astros. How the hell are they doing this?
1. The Angels haven't played anybody.
-They won three of four from Oakland to open the season (same way the Astros won three of four from West Terrell).
-They won two of three from Cleveland at home. One was on a walk-off. To be fair, the Astros needed a walk-off to win the series against San Diego, but Cleveland is expected to be a good team that has started slow.
-Then they got Oakland again, and took two of three while somehow outscoring them 22-17, so I'll do the math for you and say that's a +5 run differential.
-And then they swept the West Shreveport Rangers on the road.
-Now they get the Royals. And, of course, they dominated them last night 7-1.
It's not a stretch to say that eleven of their 14 games have been against teams that aren't really trying this year. It's not a stretch to say that ten of the 13 games the Astros have played are against teams that aren't really trying. That's a negligible difference.
2. The Angels offense has been better than the Astros' offense.
The Angels have scored 6.64 runs per game. Boston is 2nd in the AL with 5.75 runs/game. The Angels' offense has scored almost a full run per game better than the 2nd-most prolific offense of the young season. That's stupid. Their .828 OPS is the highest in the League by 71 points. Their OPS+ is 18 points higher than 2nd in the AL. That's all - say it with me - UN-SUS-TAIN-A-BLE.
The Astros, meanwhile, at 117, have the 3rd-highest OPS+ in the AL. Their .389 SLG is 9th in the AL. Oakland has a higher OPS+. So do the White Sox. So does Toronto. I doubt that holds up. And if it does? Then whatever. Got that RANG.
3. Might be worth mentioning the Astros' pitching staff vs the Angels' pitching staff:
Angels ERA: 3.22. Angels FIP: 4.18
Astros ERA: 2.57. Astros FIP: 2.82
I'll take a rotation of:
Verlander / Cole / Morton / McCullers / Keuchel over Tyler Skaggs / Garrett Richards / Shohei Ohtani / Jaime Barria and the other two dudes who are on the DL. Yeah, that's four starters. Former Astros Great Nick Tropeano returned from Tommy John last night and threw 6.2 scoreless IP. Again, it's the Royals.
Astros pitching has "allowed" a BABIP of .306 - 4th-highest in baseball. The Angels' pitching staff has allowed a BABIP of .249 - 3rd-lowest in baseball. One of those is going to regress to the mean, and it's not the Houston one. I'll let you guess which one it is.
Look, I really like to watch Ohtani. He's a good player who is good for baseball, and to pair him with Mike Trout? It's exciting. Looking forward to April 23-25.
*Not in the Rangers' lineup today because of DL stints: Elvis Andrus, Rougned Odor, Delino DeShields. Gerry Fraley has the five-point game-plan for the Rangers to stay with the Astros this weekend.
*Today is the first day of the season that players not on the 40-Man Roster can be added without becoming a Super Two player (KYLE TUCKER cough).
*Chandler Rome would like to remind you that the offense took a little while to warm up last year, too.
*As expected, the Astros optioned J.D. Davis to Fresno to make room for Yuli Gurriel.
Links You Should Pay To Read
*Jake Kaplan: Examining the impact of Gurriel's return.
*Jake Kaplan: How Max Stassi delved deep into the data and saved his career. Stassi, on data:
They're facts. To look at it that way, to know that you can improve in certain areas that are (based on) actual facts rather than somebody's opinion, is what I really enjoy. I gives me clarity to try and improve on my game.
*Jim Ralph Bowden: A Q&A with Jeff Luhnow. Devastated to hear that Luhnow's favorite band is The Cure. This is now a Phillies blog.
*Jayson Stark: Alex Bregman's pop-off against the Padres was the shortest walk-off hit since they've been keeping track of things like that. NOTE: You have to wade through a whole lot of Shohei Fellaciohtani to read that nugget.
Back To Free Links
*Richard Justice says Ken Giles is the Astros' X-Factor.
*The Hooks are debuting the Dallas Keuchel Smoke Stack 60 Food Challenge. Eat this 6-pound burger with sourdough bread, prime rib, brisket, sausage, onion rings, mac & cheese, cole slaw, pickles, and bacon in 60 minutes or less and you get $60. If you don't, you're out $14.50.
*The Astros' valuation, according to Forbes, ranks 11th in baseball at $1.65 billion.
*Here's a story about the Cubs' Eddie Butler, who was traded last Spring Training from Colorado for a guy who has since retired and has a temper that is endearing.
*"Every day is the craziest:" What it's like to be on the Shohei Ohtani beat.
*The cast of The Sandlot reunited for its (gulp) 25th anniversary.
*Millenials are forgetting about the Holocaust, which probably says more about their history teachers than Millenials.
1. The Angels haven't played anybody.
-They won three of four from Oakland to open the season (same way the Astros won three of four from West Terrell).
-They won two of three from Cleveland at home. One was on a walk-off. To be fair, the Astros needed a walk-off to win the series against San Diego, but Cleveland is expected to be a good team that has started slow.
-Then they got Oakland again, and took two of three while somehow outscoring them 22-17, so I'll do the math for you and say that's a +5 run differential.
-And then they swept the West Shreveport Rangers on the road.
-Now they get the Royals. And, of course, they dominated them last night 7-1.
It's not a stretch to say that eleven of their 14 games have been against teams that aren't really trying this year. It's not a stretch to say that ten of the 13 games the Astros have played are against teams that aren't really trying. That's a negligible difference.
2. The Angels offense has been better than the Astros' offense.
The Angels have scored 6.64 runs per game. Boston is 2nd in the AL with 5.75 runs/game. The Angels' offense has scored almost a full run per game better than the 2nd-most prolific offense of the young season. That's stupid. Their .828 OPS is the highest in the League by 71 points. Their OPS+ is 18 points higher than 2nd in the AL. That's all - say it with me - UN-SUS-TAIN-A-BLE.
The Astros, meanwhile, at 117, have the 3rd-highest OPS+ in the AL. Their .389 SLG is 9th in the AL. Oakland has a higher OPS+. So do the White Sox. So does Toronto. I doubt that holds up. And if it does? Then whatever. Got that RANG.
3. Might be worth mentioning the Astros' pitching staff vs the Angels' pitching staff:
Angels ERA: 3.22. Angels FIP: 4.18
Astros ERA: 2.57. Astros FIP: 2.82
I'll take a rotation of:
Verlander / Cole / Morton / McCullers / Keuchel over Tyler Skaggs / Garrett Richards / Shohei Ohtani / Jaime Barria and the other two dudes who are on the DL. Yeah, that's four starters. Former Astros Great Nick Tropeano returned from Tommy John last night and threw 6.2 scoreless IP. Again, it's the Royals.
Astros pitching has "allowed" a BABIP of .306 - 4th-highest in baseball. The Angels' pitching staff has allowed a BABIP of .249 - 3rd-lowest in baseball. One of those is going to regress to the mean, and it's not the Houston one. I'll let you guess which one it is.
Look, I really like to watch Ohtani. He's a good player who is good for baseball, and to pair him with Mike Trout? It's exciting. Looking forward to April 23-25.
*Not in the Rangers' lineup today because of DL stints: Elvis Andrus, Rougned Odor, Delino DeShields. Gerry Fraley has the five-point game-plan for the Rangers to stay with the Astros this weekend.
*Today is the first day of the season that players not on the 40-Man Roster can be added without becoming a Super Two player (KYLE TUCKER cough).
*Chandler Rome would like to remind you that the offense took a little while to warm up last year, too.
*As expected, the Astros optioned J.D. Davis to Fresno to make room for Yuli Gurriel.
Links You Should Pay To Read
*Jake Kaplan: Examining the impact of Gurriel's return.
*Jake Kaplan: How Max Stassi delved deep into the data and saved his career. Stassi, on data:
They're facts. To look at it that way, to know that you can improve in certain areas that are (based on) actual facts rather than somebody's opinion, is what I really enjoy. I gives me clarity to try and improve on my game.
*Jim Ralph Bowden: A Q&A with Jeff Luhnow. Devastated to hear that Luhnow's favorite band is The Cure. This is now a Phillies blog.
*Jayson Stark: Alex Bregman's pop-off against the Padres was the shortest walk-off hit since they've been keeping track of things like that. NOTE: You have to wade through a whole lot of Shohei Fellaciohtani to read that nugget.
Back To Free Links
*Richard Justice says Ken Giles is the Astros' X-Factor.
*The Hooks are debuting the Dallas Keuchel Smoke Stack 60 Food Challenge. Eat this 6-pound burger with sourdough bread, prime rib, brisket, sausage, onion rings, mac & cheese, cole slaw, pickles, and bacon in 60 minutes or less and you get $60. If you don't, you're out $14.50.
*The Astros' valuation, according to Forbes, ranks 11th in baseball at $1.65 billion.
*Here's a story about the Cubs' Eddie Butler, who was traded last Spring Training from Colorado for a guy who has since retired and has a temper that is endearing.
*"Every day is the craziest:" What it's like to be on the Shohei Ohtani beat.
*The cast of The Sandlot reunited for its (gulp) 25th anniversary.
*Millenials are forgetting about the Holocaust, which probably says more about their history teachers than Millenials.
53 years ago today, Dad got to call his and the @Astros first @MLB regular season game. Who knew his son would be so lucky and honored to bring back the Astros first WS ring to the Dome? pic.twitter.com/bXbEQtnlDq— Todd Kalas (@RealToddKalas) April 12, 2018
Tuesday, April 10, 2018
Tuesday Morning Hot Links
I'm going to feel really stupid voicing Concerns about a team that's 9-2. If I'm a Twins fan, I'm livid right now. The Twins had:
-Runners on the corners with nobody out in the 6th
-Bases loaded with one out in the 8th
-One on when Byron Buxton hit a freaking bomb in the 9th that curled JUSTFOUL.
And lost 2-0. Hinch:
We knew we were going to have to score one run to try and scratch and claw and get the lead, and those leads feel really big in elements like tonight. Definitely a different game when it's played in these elements. We thought it would be low scoring, but we didn't know how difficult it would be to finish the game.
The Astros got seven hits - two for extra-bases - and still struck out 13 times, tying a season high. It's their 7th game with double-digit strikeouts. They went 1x10 w/RISP (Twins went 1x11). Carlos Correa was 2x4 with a double.
-Jake Marisnick has struck out 13 times in 28 PAs.
-George Springer has struck out 14 times in 50 PAs.
-Derek Fisher has struck out 12 times in 26 PAs.
*But Verlander was dominant, throwing 7IP, 4H/0ER, 9K:1BB. Verlander:
We don't need to score a ton of runs to win every single day. Honestly, one through five, the starting pitcher has a chance to do something great and limit the other team. Our offense knows that and it keeps them in the game, too.
The Astros' pitching staff has allowed one run in their last three games, seven runs in their last five. They've held their opponent to two runs or less in seven of the eleven games in 2018.
*Chandler Rome highlights Ken Giles first save of the season with a tale of two quotes.
Hinch: Kenny needed that. We wanted a confidence builder for him and getting the last out was going to be huge for him, if he could do it.
Giles: I don't need a confidence booster. I believe in myself and I believe in the guys behind me.
*Twins starter Lance Lynn is beating himself up, folks. Asked whether the cold led to the four walks and his early exit, Lynn:
(Verlander) pitched in it too and got through seven, right? I didn't do my job.
*The 1972 Astros also started 9-2, winning nine straight after dropping the first two games of the season to the Giants. The 1972 Astros' 9th win of came on a walk-off against the Cubs, their 2nd walk-off against the Cubs in three days. Led by Cesar Cedeno, Jimmy Wynn, Bob Watson, Lee May, Don Wilson, and Larry Dierker, the 1972 Astros would scuffle down the stretch, finishing the season 84-69, 10.5 games behind the Reds.
Astros through 11 games:
2018: 9-2
2017: 7-4
2016: 4-7
2015: 5-6
2014: 4-7
2013: 4-7
2012: 4-7
2011: 3-8
2010: 2-9
2009: 4-7
*It was 35 degrees at first pitch last night, the second-coldest first pitch in Astros' history.
*A 24-hour bug has gone through the clubhouse like Padres pitching. Yesterday it got Josh Reddick. Hinch:
If he has a fever, he'll be the warmest guy in the room.
*Hunter Atkins wonders if Brad Peacock is now the Astros' closer, and notes that Justin Verlander worked with Ken Giles before Sunday's game. Atkins:
Before Sunday's game, Giles worked on sharpening his mechanics with starter Justin Verlander in the outfield. It looked like Verlander was reviewing the importance of staying on top of the ball and squatting deeper with his lower half.
*Yuli Gurriel will be ready by Friday.
*McTaggart notes that Former Astros Great Jason Castro was pretty happy for the Astros - especially George Springer - last year.
*JC Correa - Carlos' brother - has committed to Lamar.
*The New York Daily News' John Harper has apparently at least checked Baseball-Reference and decided that Gerrit Cole would have been a pretty good call for Brian Cashman:
Again, (Cashman) might be proven right in the long run. At the moment, however, Cole looks like he would have been well worth the cost.
*Whataburger Field in Corpus will have a third base-line bar open until midnight during every home game.
*Check out this drone footage of the inside of the Astrodome.
Around MLB
*Jay Jaffe says the Dodgers will (probably) be fine.
*Looking forward to reading Bob Klapisch's forthcoming book on the 2018 Yankees and the (ideal) heartbreak that will come with getting owned by the Astros (again). But Bob Klapisch is Good and I like him.
*Evan P. Grant writes that Cole White Privilege Hamels is in a new phase of his career: a finesse lefty who no longer has overpowering stuff.
*Alex Rodriguez wishes he never would have signed with the Rangers and followed his heart to the Mets.
*MLB players have routinely said that Boston is the roughest place to play and I'm shocked. I mean, 38,000 dudes named Sully getting drunk on Narragansett while watching baseball in a living history museum? Inconceivable.
*You already know the Marlins' leadership was terrible. Now FanGraphs' Sheryl Ring shows you just how terrible.
*This honky ate a California Reaper - the world's hottest chili pepper - and then got "thunderclap headaches".
-Runners on the corners with nobody out in the 6th
-Bases loaded with one out in the 8th
-One on when Byron Buxton hit a freaking bomb in the 9th that curled JUSTFOUL.
And lost 2-0. Hinch:
We knew we were going to have to score one run to try and scratch and claw and get the lead, and those leads feel really big in elements like tonight. Definitely a different game when it's played in these elements. We thought it would be low scoring, but we didn't know how difficult it would be to finish the game.
The Astros got seven hits - two for extra-bases - and still struck out 13 times, tying a season high. It's their 7th game with double-digit strikeouts. They went 1x10 w/RISP (Twins went 1x11). Carlos Correa was 2x4 with a double.
-Jake Marisnick has struck out 13 times in 28 PAs.
-George Springer has struck out 14 times in 50 PAs.
-Derek Fisher has struck out 12 times in 26 PAs.
*But Verlander was dominant, throwing 7IP, 4H/0ER, 9K:1BB. Verlander:
We don't need to score a ton of runs to win every single day. Honestly, one through five, the starting pitcher has a chance to do something great and limit the other team. Our offense knows that and it keeps them in the game, too.
The Astros' pitching staff has allowed one run in their last three games, seven runs in their last five. They've held their opponent to two runs or less in seven of the eleven games in 2018.
*Chandler Rome highlights Ken Giles first save of the season with a tale of two quotes.
Hinch: Kenny needed that. We wanted a confidence builder for him and getting the last out was going to be huge for him, if he could do it.
Giles: I don't need a confidence booster. I believe in myself and I believe in the guys behind me.
*Twins starter Lance Lynn is beating himself up, folks. Asked whether the cold led to the four walks and his early exit, Lynn:
(Verlander) pitched in it too and got through seven, right? I didn't do my job.
*The 1972 Astros also started 9-2, winning nine straight after dropping the first two games of the season to the Giants. The 1972 Astros' 9th win of came on a walk-off against the Cubs, their 2nd walk-off against the Cubs in three days. Led by Cesar Cedeno, Jimmy Wynn, Bob Watson, Lee May, Don Wilson, and Larry Dierker, the 1972 Astros would scuffle down the stretch, finishing the season 84-69, 10.5 games behind the Reds.
Astros through 11 games:
2018: 9-2
2017: 7-4
2016: 4-7
2015: 5-6
2014: 4-7
2013: 4-7
2012: 4-7
2011: 3-8
2010: 2-9
2009: 4-7
*It was 35 degrees at first pitch last night, the second-coldest first pitch in Astros' history.
*A 24-hour bug has gone through the clubhouse like Padres pitching. Yesterday it got Josh Reddick. Hinch:
If he has a fever, he'll be the warmest guy in the room.
*Hunter Atkins wonders if Brad Peacock is now the Astros' closer, and notes that Justin Verlander worked with Ken Giles before Sunday's game. Atkins:
Before Sunday's game, Giles worked on sharpening his mechanics with starter Justin Verlander in the outfield. It looked like Verlander was reviewing the importance of staying on top of the ball and squatting deeper with his lower half.
*Yuli Gurriel will be ready by Friday.
*McTaggart notes that Former Astros Great Jason Castro was pretty happy for the Astros - especially George Springer - last year.
*JC Correa - Carlos' brother - has committed to Lamar.
*The New York Daily News' John Harper has apparently at least checked Baseball-Reference and decided that Gerrit Cole would have been a pretty good call for Brian Cashman:
Again, (Cashman) might be proven right in the long run. At the moment, however, Cole looks like he would have been well worth the cost.
*Whataburger Field in Corpus will have a third base-line bar open until midnight during every home game.
*Check out this drone footage of the inside of the Astrodome.
Around MLB
*Jay Jaffe says the Dodgers will (probably) be fine.
*Looking forward to reading Bob Klapisch's forthcoming book on the 2018 Yankees and the (ideal) heartbreak that will come with getting owned by the Astros (again). But Bob Klapisch is Good and I like him.
*Evan P. Grant writes that Cole White Privilege Hamels is in a new phase of his career: a finesse lefty who no longer has overpowering stuff.
*Alex Rodriguez wishes he never would have signed with the Rangers and followed his heart to the Mets.
*MLB players have routinely said that Boston is the roughest place to play and I'm shocked. I mean, 38,000 dudes named Sully getting drunk on Narragansett while watching baseball in a living history museum? Inconceivable.
*You already know the Marlins' leadership was terrible. Now FanGraphs' Sheryl Ring shows you just how terrible.
*This honky ate a California Reaper - the world's hottest chili pepper - and then got "thunderclap headaches".
Wednesday, April 4, 2018
Where Did These Guys Come From: Corpus Christi Hooks
The 2017 Corpus Christi Hooks went 67-71, finishing 2nd in the Texas League - South Division.
* denotes player suspended/on restricted list
Pitchers:
Akeem Bostick: Acquired via trade with Texas for Carlos Corporan - January 2015
Brock Dykxhoorn: Drafted - 6th Round, 2014
Riley Ferrell: Drafted - 3rd Round, 2015
Ralph Garza: Drafted - 26th Round, 2015
Ryan Hartman: Drafted - 9th Round, 2016
Kevin Hill: Drafted - 25th Round, 2016
Joshua James: Drafted - 34th Round, 2014
Cionel Perez: Signed as free agent - December 2016
Erasmo Pinales: Signed as amateur free agent - September 2013
Yoanys Quiala: Signed minor-league contract - June 2015
Sean Stutzman: Signed as undrafted free agent - June 2016
Framber Valdez: Signed as amateur free agent - May 2015
Forrest Whitley*: Drafted - 1st Round, 2016
Alex Winkelman: Drafted - 21st Round, 2015
Catchers
Carlos Canelon: Signed as free agent - May 2014
Lorenzo Quintana: Signed minor-league contract - October 2017
Jamie Ritchie: Drafted - 13th Round, 2015
Infielders
Ryne Birk: Drafted - 13th Round, 2016
Randy Cesar: Signed minor-league contract - May 2012
Alex De Goti: Drafted - 15th Round, 2016
Taylor Jones: Drafted - 19th Round, 2016
Arturo Michelena: Signed minor-league contract - May 2012
Jon Singleton*: Acquired via trade from Philadelphia with Jarred Cosart, Josh Zeid, and Domingo Santana for Hunter Pence - July 2011
Nick Tanielu: Drafted - 14th Round, 2014
Outfielders
Yordan Alvarez: Acquired via trade from Los Angeles Dodgers for Josh Fields - August 2016
Carmen Benedetti: Drafted - 12th Round, 2016
Myles Straw: Drafted - 12th Round, 2015
Stephen Wrenn: Drafted - 6th Round, 2016
Summary:
Drafted: 16
Signed as Free Agent: 9
Acquired Via Trade: 3
Year Acquired:
2011: 1
2012: 2
2013: 1
2014: 4
2015: 8
2016: 11
2017: 1
* denotes player suspended/on restricted list
Pitchers:
Akeem Bostick: Acquired via trade with Texas for Carlos Corporan - January 2015
Brock Dykxhoorn: Drafted - 6th Round, 2014
Riley Ferrell: Drafted - 3rd Round, 2015
Ralph Garza: Drafted - 26th Round, 2015
Ryan Hartman: Drafted - 9th Round, 2016
Kevin Hill: Drafted - 25th Round, 2016
Joshua James: Drafted - 34th Round, 2014
Cionel Perez: Signed as free agent - December 2016
Erasmo Pinales: Signed as amateur free agent - September 2013
Yoanys Quiala: Signed minor-league contract - June 2015
Sean Stutzman: Signed as undrafted free agent - June 2016
Framber Valdez: Signed as amateur free agent - May 2015
Forrest Whitley*: Drafted - 1st Round, 2016
Alex Winkelman: Drafted - 21st Round, 2015
Catchers
Carlos Canelon: Signed as free agent - May 2014
Lorenzo Quintana: Signed minor-league contract - October 2017
Jamie Ritchie: Drafted - 13th Round, 2015
Infielders
Ryne Birk: Drafted - 13th Round, 2016
Randy Cesar: Signed minor-league contract - May 2012
Alex De Goti: Drafted - 15th Round, 2016
Taylor Jones: Drafted - 19th Round, 2016
Arturo Michelena: Signed minor-league contract - May 2012
Jon Singleton*: Acquired via trade from Philadelphia with Jarred Cosart, Josh Zeid, and Domingo Santana for Hunter Pence - July 2011
Nick Tanielu: Drafted - 14th Round, 2014
Outfielders
Yordan Alvarez: Acquired via trade from Los Angeles Dodgers for Josh Fields - August 2016
Carmen Benedetti: Drafted - 12th Round, 2016
Myles Straw: Drafted - 12th Round, 2015
Stephen Wrenn: Drafted - 6th Round, 2016
Summary:
Drafted: 16
Signed as Free Agent: 9
Acquired Via Trade: 3
Year Acquired:
2011: 1
2012: 2
2013: 1
2014: 4
2015: 8
2016: 11
2017: 1
Friday, February 16, 2018
Friday Morning Hot Links
*Collin McHugh won his arbitration case and will make $5m instead of the $4.55m the Astros offered him. McHugh:
It's not always a comfortable process. That's kind of built into the idea of it, but it's an important privilege that players have negotiated, and I feel honored to be able to go through it as a second-year [arbitration] player.
*Hector Rondon, who won the 2016 World Series with the Cubs, said he doesn't see the same Spring Training clubhouse hangover in Houston that he saw in Chicago last year. Rondon:
I feel like right now we don't feel that hangover here. I know the Cubs, we felt it a little. We felt too comfortable. Here, these guys are ready, and I'm ready to compete. This year is a new year and we'll try to win it again, and I think that's the goal for us.
*Danny Knobler writes that a full season of Justin Verlander can be the key to a Repeat. Knobler:
The other contenders essentially stood by and allowed Verlander to become an Astro. They allowed the Astros to get the last piece they needed to win a championship. And because Verlander still had this year and next remaining on his contract, they allowed the Astros to go into 2018 as favorites to win again.
*Hunter Atkins writes that this offseason's slow free agent market could impact Dallas Keuchel's free agency next year.
*I like this Anthony Gose guy. Gose told reporters that he didn't like talking to the media, but then he sure didn't act like it. Knowing he's a Rule 5 pick, someone asked him about his confidence level. His reply:
I throw 100. It's high.
*The NY Post's Kevin Kernan says the Gerrit Cole trade is a "killer" move. Cole:
It's a special vibe here. The hellos are genuine. The hugs are genuine. It's not like you can't get that on other clubs, but you can just see it and feel it here. When we get in the room and have a meeting, the manager is not walking around the room preaching to everybody. Everybody is kind of sitting down, the same level. There's an atmosphere that just fosters that unselfishness, which ultimately is what separates you in meaningful games.
*Brad Peacock will pitch exclusively out of the stretch this season.
*SI released the final installments of their 2018 Top 100 MLB Players. In the 20-11 segment:
#19: Justin Verlander
And in the Top Ten:
#9: Carlos Correa
#2: Jose Altuve
So, to recap, here's how the Astros ranked in the Top 100:
#2: Altuve
#9: Correa
#19: Verlander:
#27: Springer
#66: Reddick
#69: Bregman
#71: Keuchel
*Jim Callis says that Frankie Tuesday is maybe 8th on the SP pecking order right now, but does have the stuff to stick in relief.
*Jon Heyman links some of the major free agents to the Astros, like Greg Holland and Jonathan Lucroy (I still don't get that one).
*From June 21-23, the Hooks will honor Corpus' naval heritage and play as the Blue Ghosts, and the logo is sweet.
*Jeff Sullivan: When Super Teams fail
*If you're lucky enough to find yourself in Cooperstown on February 23, there will be a special guided tour of the 2017 World Series Champion Houston Astros exhibit at 11am. Astros Weekend is August 4-5, 2018.
*Pace of play rule changes will go into effect before the 2018 season.
*Yahoo's Tim Brown: Anthony Rizzo - graduate of Douglas High School - heads home to mourn and heal.
*
It's not always a comfortable process. That's kind of built into the idea of it, but it's an important privilege that players have negotiated, and I feel honored to be able to go through it as a second-year [arbitration] player.
*Hector Rondon, who won the 2016 World Series with the Cubs, said he doesn't see the same Spring Training clubhouse hangover in Houston that he saw in Chicago last year. Rondon:
I feel like right now we don't feel that hangover here. I know the Cubs, we felt it a little. We felt too comfortable. Here, these guys are ready, and I'm ready to compete. This year is a new year and we'll try to win it again, and I think that's the goal for us.
*Danny Knobler writes that a full season of Justin Verlander can be the key to a Repeat. Knobler:
The other contenders essentially stood by and allowed Verlander to become an Astro. They allowed the Astros to get the last piece they needed to win a championship. And because Verlander still had this year and next remaining on his contract, they allowed the Astros to go into 2018 as favorites to win again.
*Hunter Atkins writes that this offseason's slow free agent market could impact Dallas Keuchel's free agency next year.
*I like this Anthony Gose guy. Gose told reporters that he didn't like talking to the media, but then he sure didn't act like it. Knowing he's a Rule 5 pick, someone asked him about his confidence level. His reply:
I throw 100. It's high.
*The NY Post's Kevin Kernan says the Gerrit Cole trade is a "killer" move. Cole:
It's a special vibe here. The hellos are genuine. The hugs are genuine. It's not like you can't get that on other clubs, but you can just see it and feel it here. When we get in the room and have a meeting, the manager is not walking around the room preaching to everybody. Everybody is kind of sitting down, the same level. There's an atmosphere that just fosters that unselfishness, which ultimately is what separates you in meaningful games.
*Brad Peacock will pitch exclusively out of the stretch this season.
*SI released the final installments of their 2018 Top 100 MLB Players. In the 20-11 segment:
#19: Justin Verlander
And in the Top Ten:
#9: Carlos Correa
#2: Jose Altuve
So, to recap, here's how the Astros ranked in the Top 100:
#2: Altuve
#9: Correa
#19: Verlander:
#27: Springer
#66: Reddick
#69: Bregman
#71: Keuchel
*Jim Callis says that Frankie Tuesday is maybe 8th on the SP pecking order right now, but does have the stuff to stick in relief.
*Jon Heyman links some of the major free agents to the Astros, like Greg Holland and Jonathan Lucroy (I still don't get that one).
*From June 21-23, the Hooks will honor Corpus' naval heritage and play as the Blue Ghosts, and the logo is sweet.
*Jeff Sullivan: When Super Teams fail
*If you're lucky enough to find yourself in Cooperstown on February 23, there will be a special guided tour of the 2017 World Series Champion Houston Astros exhibit at 11am. Astros Weekend is August 4-5, 2018.
*Pace of play rule changes will go into effect before the 2018 season.
*Yahoo's Tim Brown: Anthony Rizzo - graduate of Douglas High School - heads home to mourn and heal.
*
WS prediction for 2018: Indians over the Nationals.— Buster Olney (@Buster_ESPN) February 15, 2018
Monday, September 4, 2017
Monday Morning Hot Links
Good morning and happy Labor Day, a holiday given by the federal government in 1894 after workers at the Pullman Palace Car Company went on strike to protest wage cuts. They called for a boycott of all Pullman cars (which was a lot of cars), resulting in the government sending in federal troops to break up the strike, setting off a string of riots that ended up with the deaths of over 12 people. Enjoy your day off!
The Astros swept the Mets yesterday on the strength of the offense, including newcomer Cameron Maybin's 3-run home run. The pitching staff bent but didn't break in an 8-6 win. The Astros are 83-53, back to 30 games over .500 for the first time since August 8. Cleveland won for the 11th time in a row. The Angels and Red Sox lost. So the Astros' division lead is 13.5 games while their lead on the AL is still 3.0 games on Cleveland. There are 26 games remaining.
*Yesterday evening I compared the remaining schedules of the Astros and Indians.
*Houston has its first four-game winning streak since July 1-5.
*The Astros scored 24 runs in the three-game series against the Mets. They had scored 23 runs in their previous six games combined.
*George Springer hit his 31st home run of the season, giving him two in the three-game series. He had hit two home runs in his previous 32 games.
*Cameron Maybin:
It's nice, man. These guys have been doing this all year, and to be able to come in and do my part and play good defense and help manufacture runs, I'm looking forward to keeping this thing going. It's already been a fun two or three days.
*Carlos Correa was 1x3 with an RBI and a walk in his first game back from the disabled list. Hinch:
It's a big lift for us; we just added one of the best players in baseball. That's an exciting guy to get back in the middle of the order. There's a presence about having a guy like that in the middle of the field.
Correa:
I felt like a child, it was so much fun. This is the game I love to play and to be out for...almost two months it was super boring.
*Tyler White was 3x4 with two doubles. Six of his twelve hits of the season have been for extra bases.
*Jose Altuve was hitless but re-took the AL Stolen Base lead with 31 after stealing two bases yesterday. He has 26 games to hit nine home runs and join the 30/30 club.
*Josh Reddick was 2x3 with 3RBI. He was 7x12 with 6RBI in the three-game series.
*Jake Kaplan noted that Alex Bregman hit .344/.400/.605 while Correa was on the DL.
*Mike Fiers had a rough one, allowing 7H/6ER with 1K:3BB. It's the third time in his last seven starts he's walked more batters than he struck out. In his last two starts Fiers has thrown 8.1IP, 15H/14ER, 4K:6BB. I'm going to go out on a limb and say he's one of the rotation casualties at the expense of the additions of Verlander and McCullers. Fiers:
Another embarrassing start for me, getting our team off on the wrong foot. Luckily, my team is very good and responded to it well and we ended up getting the lead again. I just didn't do anything right today.
*Hinch, on Fiers:
The Verlander acquisition and the return of McCullers will put some pressure on us to make a decision.
*Hinch:
It's nice to get back on track and string some wins together. We've had a really strange week. To have us win the last two out of three series, it's a good feeling. We need to win more games to win the division, and that's what we're focused on.
Note: If the Astros go 13-13 over their last 26 games, they will win the division. Anaheim is 13.5 back with 25 to play.
*Dallas Keuchel will pitch today against the Mariners, followed by Verlander tomorrow. If there isn't any rotation juggling (which, I'm sure there will be) then Keuchel and Verlander would start the final two games against the Rangers, Keuchel would start G162 and Verlander would be in line to be the G1 starter. There will probably be some rotation juggling.
*Richard Justice writes that Verlander's move to Houston was all about winning.
*Keuchel:
'Excitement' is an understatement...When you finally make a move, it's amazing what it does for the clubhouse, what it does for the city, what it does for the community.
*Luhnow, on adding Verlander:
Adding a top-of-the-rotation caliber, All-Star, Cy Young, MVP to our club is exactly what we need to maximize our chances of not only winning this year but potentially in the years to come. We're thrilled to have him here.
Verlander:
I was just so caught in between with emotion and excitement of a new ball club, and ultimately, it came down to winning and joining an organization that's set up to win for a long time.
*This Anthony Fenech piece details the events of August 31 and how the Astros got Verlander. Lots of great details here, the best details. Notably, Verlander was nervous about Minute Maid's reputation as a bandbox, nerves that were put to rest in conversations with Jim Crane and A.J. Hinch.
*Luhnow was asked about criticism of the team following the July 31 Trade Deadline That Wasn't. Here's what he had to say:
It was tough. When we didn't make any major moves at the end of July (Ed. Note: Liriano stands with his hands firmly on his hips) people said the sky was falling and we had ruined our opportunity to win a championship and so forth. But you can't let that sort of criticism and that sort of feedback affect what you're trying to do. We've constantly kept the best interests of the Astros in mind in every decision that we make and we're going to continue to do it, whether the fans approve or Twitter approves or the media approves.
*Jenny Dial Creech writes that Verlander provides Houston - the team, and the community - a shot in the arm.
*This Hunter Atkins story on Verlander getting challenged at 13 is good.
*An AL scout:
I know they have the best record in the American League but I didn't see any way they could get through two rounds in the postseason and make it to the Series with only one starter who really strikes fear in you. They needed another top-flight starting pitcher and I think the trade will give that team a mental boost, too. They had gotten a little stale after their hot start.
*Yuli Gurriel is dealing with knee inflammation, Jake Marisnick has a sore groin after stealing a base against the Rangers, and Carlos Beltran is dealing with upper-back/neck soreness. Evan Gattis will head to Quad Cities for a rehab appearance as Quad Cities will play their regular-season finale today before starting the first round of the playoffs on Wednesday.
*Forrest Whitley threw 4IP, 2H/2ER, 6K:0BB last night for Corpus, who won in extra innings and swept a doubleheader. They will play their final game of the season today vs. San Antonio and are tied with Midland for the final playoff spot.
*The Astros seem to have offered Colin Moran as the centerpiece of the failed Zach Britton deal. Moran is on a rehab assignment with Quad Cities.
*Jon Heyman writes that the Rangers started out Yu Darvish negotiations by asking for their top prospects, but came down to a set of "good A-ball" players. Houston offered David Paulino, who is on the suspended list.
*Hey Houston, uh, watch out for mosquitos.
*Harvey: Terror, heartbreak, and heroism. Harvey told through five Houstonians. This is one of the most powerful things you'll read today (if you haven't read it already).
The Astros swept the Mets yesterday on the strength of the offense, including newcomer Cameron Maybin's 3-run home run. The pitching staff bent but didn't break in an 8-6 win. The Astros are 83-53, back to 30 games over .500 for the first time since August 8. Cleveland won for the 11th time in a row. The Angels and Red Sox lost. So the Astros' division lead is 13.5 games while their lead on the AL is still 3.0 games on Cleveland. There are 26 games remaining.
*Yesterday evening I compared the remaining schedules of the Astros and Indians.
*Houston has its first four-game winning streak since July 1-5.
*The Astros scored 24 runs in the three-game series against the Mets. They had scored 23 runs in their previous six games combined.
*George Springer hit his 31st home run of the season, giving him two in the three-game series. He had hit two home runs in his previous 32 games.
*Cameron Maybin:
It's nice, man. These guys have been doing this all year, and to be able to come in and do my part and play good defense and help manufacture runs, I'm looking forward to keeping this thing going. It's already been a fun two or three days.
*Carlos Correa was 1x3 with an RBI and a walk in his first game back from the disabled list. Hinch:
It's a big lift for us; we just added one of the best players in baseball. That's an exciting guy to get back in the middle of the order. There's a presence about having a guy like that in the middle of the field.
Correa:
I felt like a child, it was so much fun. This is the game I love to play and to be out for...almost two months it was super boring.
*Tyler White was 3x4 with two doubles. Six of his twelve hits of the season have been for extra bases.
*Jose Altuve was hitless but re-took the AL Stolen Base lead with 31 after stealing two bases yesterday. He has 26 games to hit nine home runs and join the 30/30 club.
*Josh Reddick was 2x3 with 3RBI. He was 7x12 with 6RBI in the three-game series.
*Jake Kaplan noted that Alex Bregman hit .344/.400/.605 while Correa was on the DL.
*Mike Fiers had a rough one, allowing 7H/6ER with 1K:3BB. It's the third time in his last seven starts he's walked more batters than he struck out. In his last two starts Fiers has thrown 8.1IP, 15H/14ER, 4K:6BB. I'm going to go out on a limb and say he's one of the rotation casualties at the expense of the additions of Verlander and McCullers. Fiers:
Another embarrassing start for me, getting our team off on the wrong foot. Luckily, my team is very good and responded to it well and we ended up getting the lead again. I just didn't do anything right today.
*Hinch, on Fiers:
The Verlander acquisition and the return of McCullers will put some pressure on us to make a decision.
*Hinch:
It's nice to get back on track and string some wins together. We've had a really strange week. To have us win the last two out of three series, it's a good feeling. We need to win more games to win the division, and that's what we're focused on.
Note: If the Astros go 13-13 over their last 26 games, they will win the division. Anaheim is 13.5 back with 25 to play.
*Dallas Keuchel will pitch today against the Mariners, followed by Verlander tomorrow. If there isn't any rotation juggling (which, I'm sure there will be) then Keuchel and Verlander would start the final two games against the Rangers, Keuchel would start G162 and Verlander would be in line to be the G1 starter. There will probably be some rotation juggling.
*Richard Justice writes that Verlander's move to Houston was all about winning.
*Keuchel:
'Excitement' is an understatement...When you finally make a move, it's amazing what it does for the clubhouse, what it does for the city, what it does for the community.
*Luhnow, on adding Verlander:
Adding a top-of-the-rotation caliber, All-Star, Cy Young, MVP to our club is exactly what we need to maximize our chances of not only winning this year but potentially in the years to come. We're thrilled to have him here.
Verlander:
I was just so caught in between with emotion and excitement of a new ball club, and ultimately, it came down to winning and joining an organization that's set up to win for a long time.
*This Anthony Fenech piece details the events of August 31 and how the Astros got Verlander. Lots of great details here, the best details. Notably, Verlander was nervous about Minute Maid's reputation as a bandbox, nerves that were put to rest in conversations with Jim Crane and A.J. Hinch.
*Luhnow was asked about criticism of the team following the July 31 Trade Deadline That Wasn't. Here's what he had to say:
It was tough. When we didn't make any major moves at the end of July (Ed. Note: Liriano stands with his hands firmly on his hips) people said the sky was falling and we had ruined our opportunity to win a championship and so forth. But you can't let that sort of criticism and that sort of feedback affect what you're trying to do. We've constantly kept the best interests of the Astros in mind in every decision that we make and we're going to continue to do it, whether the fans approve or Twitter approves or the media approves.
*Jenny Dial Creech writes that Verlander provides Houston - the team, and the community - a shot in the arm.
*This Hunter Atkins story on Verlander getting challenged at 13 is good.
*An AL scout:
I know they have the best record in the American League but I didn't see any way they could get through two rounds in the postseason and make it to the Series with only one starter who really strikes fear in you. They needed another top-flight starting pitcher and I think the trade will give that team a mental boost, too. They had gotten a little stale after their hot start.
*Yuli Gurriel is dealing with knee inflammation, Jake Marisnick has a sore groin after stealing a base against the Rangers, and Carlos Beltran is dealing with upper-back/neck soreness. Evan Gattis will head to Quad Cities for a rehab appearance as Quad Cities will play their regular-season finale today before starting the first round of the playoffs on Wednesday.
*Forrest Whitley threw 4IP, 2H/2ER, 6K:0BB last night for Corpus, who won in extra innings and swept a doubleheader. They will play their final game of the season today vs. San Antonio and are tied with Midland for the final playoff spot.
*The Astros seem to have offered Colin Moran as the centerpiece of the failed Zach Britton deal. Moran is on a rehab assignment with Quad Cities.
*Jon Heyman writes that the Rangers started out Yu Darvish negotiations by asking for their top prospects, but came down to a set of "good A-ball" players. Houston offered David Paulino, who is on the suspended list.
*Hey Houston, uh, watch out for mosquitos.
*Harvey: Terror, heartbreak, and heroism. Harvey told through five Houstonians. This is one of the most powerful things you'll read today (if you haven't read it already).
Thursday, June 15, 2017
Thursday Morning Hot Links
*Wow, okay. The Astros scored as many runs in the 6th inning (nine) as they had in the previous three games combined (also, nine). Their 13 runs were one more than the Astros had scored in the previous four games.
*Big story of the night was Derek Fisher. He lined out to left field in his first MLB plate appearance in the 2nd inning, walked in the 5th inning, homered in the 6th inning for his first MLB hit and then singled to right later in that inning to score McCann. He walked again in the 8th inning. So his MLB debut went as such: 2x3, HR, 2RBI, 0K:2BB. Fisher is the first player since Adam Laroche (April 7, 2004) to get his first two MLB hits in the same inning. Fisher:
Something you can dream of. I can't say that I would expect to have something like that my first night. But definitely happy it happened.
Hinch:
Thought he played great, five really good at-bats. He'll never ever forget tonight. His first game to contribute like that and provide some energy and some buzz on a team that's had quite a bit of energy and buzz for the season is pretty remarkable.
*Fisher will give his home run ball to his dad. He was originally taken by the Rangers in the 6th Round of the 2011 draft, but went to the University of Virginia instead of signing.
*Via Steve Grande, Fisher was the first Astro since James Mouton (1994) to reach base safely four times in his MLB debut.
*2nd Big Story of the Night was Frankie Tuesday, making his first MLB start. He balled out, throwing 5IP, 3H/1ER, 7K:2BB, getting out of a bases-loaded jam in the 5th. Twenty-four of his 55 strikes thrown (in 88 pitches) were non-contact strikes. He got 12 swinging strikes and 12 strikes looking against the Rangers last night. Hinch, on Martes:
It was encouraging to watch Martes battle through really his only tough inning of his outing. He controlled everything up until that point. Then to have the wild pitch that turns into a run, the walk and facing to left-handed hitters, which is the tough part of their order, man, he handed himself really well.
More Hinch:
If he can command the baseball, he can do just about anything he wants.
*Brian McCann was 2x5 with a double and 2RBI. In his last eight games he's 12x32 with three doubles and three home runs, and has raised his OPS from .765 on June 3 to .840 this morning.
*Jake Marisnick hit his 7th home run of the season (the data says it would be a home run 2% of the time), now just two shy of matching his career-high. His .865 OPS is currently 201 points higher than his career-high 2015 season.
*If the Baseball Gods smile upon us, this weekend will feature a Derek Fisher/Matt Barnes matchup.
*Luhnow:
We don't want to watch this opportunity slip away. If we can make the big-league club better, we will. But it's not going to be today.
*The Astros top The Ringer's mid-June power rankings.
*41 years ago today, the Astrodome experienced its only rainout.
*Last night, on Flag Day, the Astros honored Basil Castro, a 100-year old WW2 veteran.
*Seven Corpus players made the Texas League All-Star Team: Garrett Stubbs, Jon Singleton, J.D. Davis, Drew Ferguson, Jack Mayfield, Rogelio Armenteros, and Kyle Smith.
*Ken Rosenthal: The starting pitching trade market has more questions than answers.
*The Cubs drafted Chris Singleton, whose mother was killed by a white supremacist in Charleston.
*That time Lance McCullers became the GOAT:
Draft Updates:
*Clear Brook's head coach Gene Flores, the former coach of 8th Round pick Corey Julks, thinks Julks will sign, but it's not "etched in stone." Flores:
It looks good for Corey, but it's his decision. I think he'll make the right moves for himself and his family.
*Here's MLB.com with a look at who the Astros drafted in Rounds 11-40 (I wasn't in a position to write those guys up like I was the first 10 Rounds, but they're good players, Brent.)
*35th Round pick Trei Cruz - grandson of Jose Cruz and, stay with me, son of Jose Cruz, Jr. - will likely go on to Rice.
*Updated draft signings and financials can be found here.
*Big story of the night was Derek Fisher. He lined out to left field in his first MLB plate appearance in the 2nd inning, walked in the 5th inning, homered in the 6th inning for his first MLB hit and then singled to right later in that inning to score McCann. He walked again in the 8th inning. So his MLB debut went as such: 2x3, HR, 2RBI, 0K:2BB. Fisher is the first player since Adam Laroche (April 7, 2004) to get his first two MLB hits in the same inning. Fisher:
Something you can dream of. I can't say that I would expect to have something like that my first night. But definitely happy it happened.
Hinch:
Thought he played great, five really good at-bats. He'll never ever forget tonight. His first game to contribute like that and provide some energy and some buzz on a team that's had quite a bit of energy and buzz for the season is pretty remarkable.
*Fisher will give his home run ball to his dad. He was originally taken by the Rangers in the 6th Round of the 2011 draft, but went to the University of Virginia instead of signing.
— patrick (@PatDStat) June 15, 2017
*Via Steve Grande, Fisher was the first Astro since James Mouton (1994) to reach base safely four times in his MLB debut.
*2nd Big Story of the Night was Frankie Tuesday, making his first MLB start. He balled out, throwing 5IP, 3H/1ER, 7K:2BB, getting out of a bases-loaded jam in the 5th. Twenty-four of his 55 strikes thrown (in 88 pitches) were non-contact strikes. He got 12 swinging strikes and 12 strikes looking against the Rangers last night. Hinch, on Martes:
It was encouraging to watch Martes battle through really his only tough inning of his outing. He controlled everything up until that point. Then to have the wild pitch that turns into a run, the walk and facing to left-handed hitters, which is the tough part of their order, man, he handed himself really well.
More Hinch:
If he can command the baseball, he can do just about anything he wants.
*Brian McCann was 2x5 with a double and 2RBI. In his last eight games he's 12x32 with three doubles and three home runs, and has raised his OPS from .765 on June 3 to .840 this morning.
*Jake Marisnick hit his 7th home run of the season (the data says it would be a home run 2% of the time), now just two shy of matching his career-high. His .865 OPS is currently 201 points higher than his career-high 2015 season.
*If the Baseball Gods smile upon us, this weekend will feature a Derek Fisher/Matt Barnes matchup.
*Luhnow:
We don't want to watch this opportunity slip away. If we can make the big-league club better, we will. But it's not going to be today.
*The Astros top The Ringer's mid-June power rankings.
*41 years ago today, the Astrodome experienced its only rainout.
*Last night, on Flag Day, the Astros honored Basil Castro, a 100-year old WW2 veteran.
*Seven Corpus players made the Texas League All-Star Team: Garrett Stubbs, Jon Singleton, J.D. Davis, Drew Ferguson, Jack Mayfield, Rogelio Armenteros, and Kyle Smith.
*Ken Rosenthal: The starting pitching trade market has more questions than answers.
*The Cubs drafted Chris Singleton, whose mother was killed by a white supremacist in Charleston.
*That time Lance McCullers became the GOAT:
It's because nobody knows what Arlington is. #Htownproud https://t.co/z3PqshPY1h— Lance McCullers Jr. (@LMcCullers43) June 14, 2017
Draft Updates:
*Clear Brook's head coach Gene Flores, the former coach of 8th Round pick Corey Julks, thinks Julks will sign, but it's not "etched in stone." Flores:
It looks good for Corey, but it's his decision. I think he'll make the right moves for himself and his family.
*Here's MLB.com with a look at who the Astros drafted in Rounds 11-40 (I wasn't in a position to write those guys up like I was the first 10 Rounds, but they're good players, Brent.)
*35th Round pick Trei Cruz - grandson of Jose Cruz and, stay with me, son of Jose Cruz, Jr. - will likely go on to Rice.
*Updated draft signings and financials can be found here.
Wednesday, October 26, 2016
Wednesday Morning Hot Links
*I wrote about how everyone needs to just shut up about the Astros not drafting Kris Bryant.
*Corpus Christi Hooks president Ken Schrom was teammates with both Tito Francona and Joe Maddon.
*Rangers Assistant GM Thad Levine has been tapped as the next GM of the Minnesota Twins. Levine would be the 2nd assistant GM under Jon Daniels to go on to a GM job of another team. With A.J. Preller getting suspended for 30 days for tampering with medical records, let's see if there is a dastardly culture of corruption sullying the game fermenting with the Ramgers.
*The Astrodome is now a stop on the Red Line of the Metro Light Rail.
*Thankfully no one remembers that the White Sox won the World Series in 2005.
*The Klubot set up the rest of the series with his dominant performance last night.
*Larry Doby's legacy is alive and well in Cleveland.
*FanGraphs: The payroll disparity between the Cubs and Indians.
*Vice Sports: Who would win a series between the 1908 Cubs and the 1948 Indians?
*The Indians' star-studded dynasty that never was.
*The Blue Jays will likely extend Qualifying Offers to the Jose Bautista and Edwin Encarnacion.
*Corpus Christi Hooks president Ken Schrom was teammates with both Tito Francona and Joe Maddon.
*Rangers Assistant GM Thad Levine has been tapped as the next GM of the Minnesota Twins. Levine would be the 2nd assistant GM under Jon Daniels to go on to a GM job of another team. With A.J. Preller getting suspended for 30 days for tampering with medical records, let's see if there is a dastardly culture of corruption sullying the game fermenting with the Ramgers.
*The Astrodome is now a stop on the Red Line of the Metro Light Rail.
*Thankfully no one remembers that the White Sox won the World Series in 2005.
*The Klubot set up the rest of the series with his dominant performance last night.
*Larry Doby's legacy is alive and well in Cleveland.
*FanGraphs: The payroll disparity between the Cubs and Indians.
*Vice Sports: Who would win a series between the 1908 Cubs and the 1948 Indians?
*The Indians' star-studded dynasty that never was.
*The Blue Jays will likely extend Qualifying Offers to the Jose Bautista and Edwin Encarnacion.
Wednesday, September 14, 2016
Wednesday Morning Hot Links
It defies logic. There's no reason a team can lose this many games - this many one run games - to another single team over the course of a season. I don't know how to explain it, so at this point I'm not even going to try. But if you had "Tying run gets on 1st because of a Ken Giles Strikeout/Wild Pitch (cough passed ball cough) followed by RBI triple" then you are a sadist because there is no way to plan for that kind of heartbreak.
Giles:
It was my responsibility to shut the guys down and I didn't do my job today. I take full responsibility for that. I didn't make the pitches when I needed to.
Hinch, on waiting for disaster when playing the Rangers:
We have a lot of intensity in our competitiveness. We have a lot of winning players. To follow the narrative of 'There's doomsday coming' is just not going to be accepted, it's not going to be how it is. They came out and beat us by putting together a really good ninth inning against a really good pitcher and no more than that. We can't replay the games that we've faced these guys, but to concede or to think that something bad is going to happen is garbage.
And that's where you're wrong, A.J. Hinch. Something bad is going to happen. To not be at least aware of it is to fix your fence and hope that a gaggle of ghosts think your house looks nice. If you're not willing to concede that there is some sort of spell at work here between Euless and Houston, then you're missing something.
Hinch:
I've seen and been in some tough ones. This one's pretty hard. We had every chance to win the game and obviously strange things happen when we play these guys.
*This guy was escorted out of Minute Maid, saying in very NSFW terms what we're all thinking.
Hey but Altuve busted out of his slump with a three-hit night. Considering the Astros only had four hits, that's pretty good.
You know who hasn't busted out of a slump yet? George Springer, who is 1x14 with 5K:3BB on this home stand.
WC1/2: Toronto/Baltimore
Detroit: -2
New York: -2
Seattle: -2.5
Houston: -4.5
*FanGraphs: 4.5%.
*Lourdes Gurriuel, Yulieski's younger brother, will hold a showcase today in Panama. And Yuli wants Lourdes in Houston:
Of course I would love for him to sign here. But there's a lot of variables that go into it and a lot of things can change. But yeah, selfishly, I would love for him to sign here.
*That'll do it for Lancaster's season. The JetHawks were eliminated last night in a 7-2 loss to High Desert...the...Rangers affiliate. /throws computer out the window.
*Here's Ken Hoffman with an update on an actually-viable Astrodome reclamation proposal.
*For the 7th straight year the Hooks' umpires locker room was named the best in the Texas League.
*These two Astros fans...
Giles:
It was my responsibility to shut the guys down and I didn't do my job today. I take full responsibility for that. I didn't make the pitches when I needed to.
Hinch, on waiting for disaster when playing the Rangers:
We have a lot of intensity in our competitiveness. We have a lot of winning players. To follow the narrative of 'There's doomsday coming' is just not going to be accepted, it's not going to be how it is. They came out and beat us by putting together a really good ninth inning against a really good pitcher and no more than that. We can't replay the games that we've faced these guys, but to concede or to think that something bad is going to happen is garbage.
And that's where you're wrong, A.J. Hinch. Something bad is going to happen. To not be at least aware of it is to fix your fence and hope that a gaggle of ghosts think your house looks nice. If you're not willing to concede that there is some sort of spell at work here between Euless and Houston, then you're missing something.
Hinch:
I've seen and been in some tough ones. This one's pretty hard. We had every chance to win the game and obviously strange things happen when we play these guys.
*This guy was escorted out of Minute Maid, saying in very NSFW terms what we're all thinking.
Hey but Altuve busted out of his slump with a three-hit night. Considering the Astros only had four hits, that's pretty good.
You know who hasn't busted out of a slump yet? George Springer, who is 1x14 with 5K:3BB on this home stand.
WC1/2: Toronto/Baltimore
Detroit: -2
New York: -2
Seattle: -2.5
Houston: -4.5
*FanGraphs: 4.5%.
*Lourdes Gurriuel, Yulieski's younger brother, will hold a showcase today in Panama. And Yuli wants Lourdes in Houston:
Of course I would love for him to sign here. But there's a lot of variables that go into it and a lot of things can change. But yeah, selfishly, I would love for him to sign here.
*That'll do it for Lancaster's season. The JetHawks were eliminated last night in a 7-2 loss to High Desert...the...Rangers affiliate. /throws computer out the window.
*Here's Ken Hoffman with an update on an actually-viable Astrodome reclamation proposal.
*For the 7th straight year the Hooks' umpires locker room was named the best in the Texas League.
*These two Astros fans...
Friday, September 9, 2016
Friday Morning Hot Links
Yesterday was a whole bunch of dumb. Jim Joyce is dumb. The rest of his umpiring crew: Chad Fairchild, James Hoye, and Marvin Hudson are also dumb. Possibly incompetent. I can understand that Jim Joyce might not have been able to see the ball carom off Chisenhall's bat. But what was 3B umpire Marvin Hudson watching? It was right in front of him. Did that cost the Astros the game? I don't know. Two runs scored, and the Astros lost by three. But did that shift momentum? Heads in the game? Stupid loss in a stupid game in which the rotation is starting to feel the effects of a long season, injuries, and the piecemeal nature of the roster at the moment.
And why couldn't it be reviewed? Because apparently whether the ball actually hit the bat was a judgment call. There was no rule infraction (other than the umpires didn't know how to enforce the rules), so no review was available, even though the umpires consulted replay review to see if it could be reviewed. I made none of this up.
Here's the play:
Trevor Bauer: That was a big inning for us. I'm glad it turned out that way. I still don't really know what happened there, but I'm glad it worked out for us.
*Hinch:
I think everybody in the ballpark saw the play as it was, except for the four guys that make the call...That type of game, this type of situation, common sense loses again, because it's really a situation we can't do anything about.
*Francona:
I will say, [Jim Joyce] gives you as good an effort and is as conscientious as any umpire I've ever been around.
*Joyce:
I went to each crew member and asked them the same thing. If any of them had it hitting the bat, I would have turned around and called a foul ball. My partners couldn't help me on it. Since I called timeout, I scored two runs and put the other guy on second.
*More Joyce:
I've got Jason (Castro), he jumped in front of me. I don't even see the bat, I don't hear the ball hit the bat. I have not seen the play yet. I will be looking at it tonight, you can bank on that.
*Here comes the Sporting News saying it's not the umpires' fault, it's MLB's review system.
There is no reason for something that is black-and-white to not be eligible for video confirmation or reversal. A bat hitting a ball (or glove) is a lot cleaner of a call, in fact, than some plays that can be reviewed, such as whether a runner's foot comes a millimeter off a base while being tagged.
*
Hinch, on the series:
We come in here and get a split. You feel really good about it, except how it happened. We win the first two and lose the back two. Psychologically you're going to be a mess about it, because you feel like there's an opportunity lost.
*David Paulino continued the Astros' starters streak of not getting to the 6th inning to eight games.
*Bad time for a couple of losses. The Yankees and Mariners won but the Red Sox, Orioles, Blue Jays, Tigers, and Royals were all off. The loss dropped the Astros' Playoff Odds to 16.3%.
*Alex Bregman is MLBPipeline's Hitter of the Year. Since August 6 he's hitting .328/.375/.608.
*Yulieski Gurriel is looking forward to seeing fellow Cuban Aroldis Chapman this weekend.
*Could Derek Fisher find his way into the outfield in 2017?
*The Villar-to-Milwaukee trade is Jon Heyman's 8th-best trade of the last two seasons.
*CSN Chicago: By passing on Kris Bryant, the Astros handed the Cubs a superstar. These are always fun. Bryant, on the draft process:
Honestly, I don't remember having any conversations with the Astros or sitting down with them. I feel like they had their mind up way in advance.
*Corpus was on the verge of getting eliminated and then rattled off the last five runs of the game - all in the 8th and 9th - and walked it off in Game 2 of the Texas League playoffs:
*You can read about the historic home run surge of MLB's middle infielders here.
*The rebirth of Justin Verlander.
And why couldn't it be reviewed? Because apparently whether the ball actually hit the bat was a judgment call. There was no rule infraction (other than the umpires didn't know how to enforce the rules), so no review was available, even though the umpires consulted replay review to see if it could be reviewed. I made none of this up.
Here's the play:
*A.J. Hinch got tossed for trying to figure out what happened, and Mean Mr. Mustard didn't like it. On-field reactions:VIDEO: Indians score two runs on what was definitely a foul ball. https://t.co/Twmgw2AIuq pic.twitter.com/8yD4z2vNGh— Deadspin (@Deadspin) September 8, 2016
Trevor Bauer: That was a big inning for us. I'm glad it turned out that way. I still don't really know what happened there, but I'm glad it worked out for us.
*Hinch:
I think everybody in the ballpark saw the play as it was, except for the four guys that make the call...That type of game, this type of situation, common sense loses again, because it's really a situation we can't do anything about.
*Francona:
I will say, [Jim Joyce] gives you as good an effort and is as conscientious as any umpire I've ever been around.
*Joyce:
I went to each crew member and asked them the same thing. If any of them had it hitting the bat, I would have turned around and called a foul ball. My partners couldn't help me on it. Since I called timeout, I scored two runs and put the other guy on second.
*More Joyce:
I've got Jason (Castro), he jumped in front of me. I don't even see the bat, I don't hear the ball hit the bat. I have not seen the play yet. I will be looking at it tonight, you can bank on that.
*Here comes the Sporting News saying it's not the umpires' fault, it's MLB's review system.
There is no reason for something that is black-and-white to not be eligible for video confirmation or reversal. A bat hitting a ball (or glove) is a lot cleaner of a call, in fact, than some plays that can be reviewed, such as whether a runner's foot comes a millimeter off a base while being tagged.
*
@astros sorry guys— Cleveland Indians (@Indians) September 8, 2016
Hinch, on the series:
We come in here and get a split. You feel really good about it, except how it happened. We win the first two and lose the back two. Psychologically you're going to be a mess about it, because you feel like there's an opportunity lost.
*David Paulino continued the Astros' starters streak of not getting to the 6th inning to eight games.
*Bad time for a couple of losses. The Yankees and Mariners won but the Red Sox, Orioles, Blue Jays, Tigers, and Royals were all off. The loss dropped the Astros' Playoff Odds to 16.3%.
*Alex Bregman is MLBPipeline's Hitter of the Year. Since August 6 he's hitting .328/.375/.608.
*Yulieski Gurriel is looking forward to seeing fellow Cuban Aroldis Chapman this weekend.
*Could Derek Fisher find his way into the outfield in 2017?
*The Villar-to-Milwaukee trade is Jon Heyman's 8th-best trade of the last two seasons.
*CSN Chicago: By passing on Kris Bryant, the Astros handed the Cubs a superstar. These are always fun. Bryant, on the draft process:
Honestly, I don't remember having any conversations with the Astros or sitting down with them. I feel like they had their mind up way in advance.
*Corpus was on the verge of getting eliminated and then rattled off the last five runs of the game - all in the 8th and 9th - and walked it off in Game 2 of the Texas League playoffs:
*Lancaster staved off elimination with a...hmmm...17-11 win over Rancho Cucamonga in the most Lancaster game to ever be played.Antonio Nuñez's walkoff single for @cchooks in Game 2 of playoffs. Video courtesy of dear friend @akpru #Astros pic.twitter.com/eDep4aI7mz— Greg Rajan (@GregRajan) September 9, 2016
*You can read about the historic home run surge of MLB's middle infielders here.
*The rebirth of Justin Verlander.
Thursday, September 8, 2016
Thursday Morning Hot Links
Things were going great until, very quickly, they were not. Doug Fister turned in another Kazmir and the Astros lost 6-5 at Cleveland. David Paulino makes his major-league debut today.
*Who Won Yesterday: Seattle, Yankees, Red Sox
Who Lost Yesterday: Astros, Rangers, Orioles, Tigers, Blue Jays, Royals,
In other words, the Astros could have picked up a game on just about everybody in front of them last night. The Wild Card race remains:
WC1: Toronto +1
WC2: Baltimore +/-
Detroit -1
Houston: -2
*FanGraphs gives the Astros a 22% chance of getting in the playoffs. FiveThirtyEight puts it at 24%.
*Thanks, midges.
*Yulieski Gurriel hit his first home run, in the 8th inning off Andrew Miller. Gurriel:
I feel happy I got the first one out of the way. It's been a little while. I was glad that I was able to drive in two runs but a little unhappy that we fell short.
*Brian McTaggart notes that over the past seven games Astros starters have an 8.01 ERA. In his last six starts, Fister is 2-4 with a 7.12 ERA. Hinch:
He's having a hard time ending at-bats. There are a lot of pitch counts. There are a couple of misfires that aren't normal for him. He rarely yanks a cutter and hits guys, especially to left-handed hitters. He did that a couple of times today. Execution is key in his game when he's good, and certainly he stands out when he struggles.
*Carlos Correa is out until at least Friday with shoulder inflammation which, by my count*, has sidelined 23 members of the active roster. Correa flew to Houston prior to Wednesday's game to get checked out by doctors. Hinch:
We're optimistic that he's going to be able to play this weekend against the Cubs at some point. I'm happy to report that, but we're obviously going to lose him for the next couple of games.
This is Astros-speak for "Carlos Correa's arm will be amputated following the conclusion of the 2016 season.
*could be wrong
*That Correa couldn't play last night, on Roberto Clemente Day, means we weren't able to see these amazing cleats in action:
*Corpus lost Game 1 of their Texas League playoff series to Midland, 6-2. Francis Martes threw 6IP, 10H/3ER, 6K:1BB; Ryan Thompson allowed 1H/0ER in 2IP. Kevin Comer gave up three late runs in the 9th to put the game out of reach. The Hooks got 12 hits and five walks and were 1x15 w/RISP. Drew Ferguson, Garrett Stubbs, J.D. Davis, Nick Tanielu, and Roberto Pena all had two hits each. Game 2 is tonight.
*Lancaster and Rancho Cucamonga traded runs throughout the game but it was Rancho Cucamonga who plated the walk-off run in the bottom of the 16th inning for a 4-3 win over Lancaster in Game 1. Brock Dykxhoorn allowed 4H/2ER, 7K:2BB in 7IP. Kevin McCanna gave up an unearned run in 4IP, Andrew Thome allowed 3H/0ER, 2K:0BB in 3IP and Alex Winkelman took the loss with 3H/1ER, 2K:1BB in 1.1IP. Johnny Sewald went 4x7 and Jamie Ritchie was 3x6. Aaron Mizell was 2x5 with two walks and a home run. Kyle Tucker was 0x8 with 3Ks. Game 2 is tonight.
*A swarm of bees caused a delay at Round Rock's playoff game.
*Brandon Barnes is still the same guy.
*Eight dummies are interested in Tim Tebow.
*Molina's Cantina is celebrating it's 75th anniversary.
*Today in Whatever, Bro:
*Who Won Yesterday: Seattle, Yankees, Red Sox
Who Lost Yesterday: Astros, Rangers, Orioles, Tigers, Blue Jays, Royals,
In other words, the Astros could have picked up a game on just about everybody in front of them last night. The Wild Card race remains:
WC1: Toronto +1
WC2: Baltimore +/-
Detroit -1
Houston: -2
*FanGraphs gives the Astros a 22% chance of getting in the playoffs. FiveThirtyEight puts it at 24%.
*Thanks, midges.
*Yulieski Gurriel hit his first home run, in the 8th inning off Andrew Miller. Gurriel:
I feel happy I got the first one out of the way. It's been a little while. I was glad that I was able to drive in two runs but a little unhappy that we fell short.
*Brian McTaggart notes that over the past seven games Astros starters have an 8.01 ERA. In his last six starts, Fister is 2-4 with a 7.12 ERA. Hinch:
He's having a hard time ending at-bats. There are a lot of pitch counts. There are a couple of misfires that aren't normal for him. He rarely yanks a cutter and hits guys, especially to left-handed hitters. He did that a couple of times today. Execution is key in his game when he's good, and certainly he stands out when he struggles.
*Carlos Correa is out until at least Friday with shoulder inflammation which, by my count*, has sidelined 23 members of the active roster. Correa flew to Houston prior to Wednesday's game to get checked out by doctors. Hinch:
We're optimistic that he's going to be able to play this weekend against the Cubs at some point. I'm happy to report that, but we're obviously going to lose him for the next couple of games.
This is Astros-speak for "Carlos Correa's arm will be amputated following the conclusion of the 2016 season.
*could be wrong
*That Correa couldn't play last night, on Roberto Clemente Day, means we weren't able to see these amazing cleats in action:
*Look for David Paulino to throw between 85-95 pitches when the Astros take on the Indians today at 11:10am..@TeamCJCorrea honors his hero on #RobertoClementeDay with custom @adidasBaseball cleats. https://t.co/J2FOti2sPI pic.twitter.com/9po9IUlWIJ— Paul Murphy (@PabloMurphy) September 7, 2016
*Corpus lost Game 1 of their Texas League playoff series to Midland, 6-2. Francis Martes threw 6IP, 10H/3ER, 6K:1BB; Ryan Thompson allowed 1H/0ER in 2IP. Kevin Comer gave up three late runs in the 9th to put the game out of reach. The Hooks got 12 hits and five walks and were 1x15 w/RISP. Drew Ferguson, Garrett Stubbs, J.D. Davis, Nick Tanielu, and Roberto Pena all had two hits each. Game 2 is tonight.
*Lancaster and Rancho Cucamonga traded runs throughout the game but it was Rancho Cucamonga who plated the walk-off run in the bottom of the 16th inning for a 4-3 win over Lancaster in Game 1. Brock Dykxhoorn allowed 4H/2ER, 7K:2BB in 7IP. Kevin McCanna gave up an unearned run in 4IP, Andrew Thome allowed 3H/0ER, 2K:0BB in 3IP and Alex Winkelman took the loss with 3H/1ER, 2K:1BB in 1.1IP. Johnny Sewald went 4x7 and Jamie Ritchie was 3x6. Aaron Mizell was 2x5 with two walks and a home run. Kyle Tucker was 0x8 with 3Ks. Game 2 is tonight.
*A swarm of bees caused a delay at Round Rock's playoff game.
*Brandon Barnes is still the same guy.
*Eight dummies are interested in Tim Tebow.
*Molina's Cantina is celebrating it's 75th anniversary.
*Today in Whatever, Bro:
Jonathan Villar: 1st player with 15 HR and 50 SB in a season since Carl Crawford in 2009— ESPN Stats & Info (@ESPNStatsInfo) September 8, 2016
Monday, August 29, 2016
Monday Morning Hot Links
*Astros pitching got lit up in the 8th in yesterday's 10-4 loss to the Rays. Michael Feliz allowed a single and a home run to make it a 6-3 game and then Tony Sipp allowed a three-run homer on his second pitch because that's what Tony Sipp does in 2016, apparently.
Hinch, on Sipp:
We're trying to work with his delivery. Today, they were saying his breaking ball wasn't breaking as much. His fastball leaks over the plate. Those are all bad signs for him.
*Alex Bregman made another couple of errors at third base by seemingly over-correcting from the two errors on Saturday night. Hinch:
You have one shot at third base to judge whether to come in or go back. Yesterday, [Bregman] went back and the ball took the second hop and it hurt him. Today, he tried to come in, and he couldn't quite reach it, and the ball gets under his glove. It's still a learning curve for him.
*Who won yesterday: North Cleburne (of course), Baltimore, Toronto, Kansas City
Who lost yesterday: Houston, New York, Boston, Detroit.
The Astros are 8.5 GB of Lower Wichita Falls and 3.0 GB of WC2. The Ramgers open a series at home against Seattle; Baltimore plays Toronto; the Yankees are at Kansas City.
*The New York Times says the playoff race isn't as chaotic as it seems.
*Will the potential lack of October baseball hurt Altuve's MVP chances?
*Joe Musgrove, who will start tonight against Oakland, is trying to be better at making adjustments in the middle of the game, rather than battling through it and waiting to adjust before the next game starts.
*Yulieski Gurriel will get a start in the field this week.
*Colby Rasmus may not need a rehab start and, depending on how he runs and swings, could be back in the lineup this week.
*Louisiana native Will Harris is helping out flood victims.
*Corpus has won 80 games for the second straight year. According to the Hooks' Michael Coffin, four Texas League teams have won 80 games in back-to-back seasons. The Hooks have done it twice.
*Watch Fresno's Andrew Aplin make a ridiculous catch in center-field.
*George Springer's parents were named Little League Parents of the Year.
*The Detroit Free Press' Mary Chapman spoke to a longtime umpire to talk about ejections. Like every link I put in here, it's well worth your time.
*Before you go: This is the greatest gif of all time.
Hinch, on Sipp:
We're trying to work with his delivery. Today, they were saying his breaking ball wasn't breaking as much. His fastball leaks over the plate. Those are all bad signs for him.
*Alex Bregman made another couple of errors at third base by seemingly over-correcting from the two errors on Saturday night. Hinch:
You have one shot at third base to judge whether to come in or go back. Yesterday, [Bregman] went back and the ball took the second hop and it hurt him. Today, he tried to come in, and he couldn't quite reach it, and the ball gets under his glove. It's still a learning curve for him.
*Who won yesterday: North Cleburne (of course), Baltimore, Toronto, Kansas City
Who lost yesterday: Houston, New York, Boston, Detroit.
The Astros are 8.5 GB of Lower Wichita Falls and 3.0 GB of WC2. The Ramgers open a series at home against Seattle; Baltimore plays Toronto; the Yankees are at Kansas City.
*The New York Times says the playoff race isn't as chaotic as it seems.
*Will the potential lack of October baseball hurt Altuve's MVP chances?
*Joe Musgrove, who will start tonight against Oakland, is trying to be better at making adjustments in the middle of the game, rather than battling through it and waiting to adjust before the next game starts.
*Yulieski Gurriel will get a start in the field this week.
*Colby Rasmus may not need a rehab start and, depending on how he runs and swings, could be back in the lineup this week.
*Louisiana native Will Harris is helping out flood victims.
*Corpus has won 80 games for the second straight year. According to the Hooks' Michael Coffin, four Texas League teams have won 80 games in back-to-back seasons. The Hooks have done it twice.
*Watch Fresno's Andrew Aplin make a ridiculous catch in center-field.
*George Springer's parents were named Little League Parents of the Year.
*The Detroit Free Press' Mary Chapman spoke to a longtime umpire to talk about ejections. Like every link I put in here, it's well worth your time.
*Before you go: This is the greatest gif of all time.
Friday, August 19, 2016
Friday Morning Hot Links
LOLOLOLOLOL. The Astros managed five runs on seven hits in a 13-5 loss at Baltimore in a "statement series." Yes, there is a statement being made, but I'm not sure it's one they'd want to make again.
*The Astros are 10.5 GB of the Rangers and 6.5 GB of the Wild Card. Not even about to link to other scores. They've lost 16 of their last 23 games.
*But hey! Bregman and Reed homered! A.J. Reed has had two hits in four of his last five starts.
*The Astros gave up six (!) home runs - the most they've given up in a single game since May 29, 2010.
Hinch:
They just continue to come at you. This is how they score. We didn't keep them in the ballpark the entire night.
*In their last 24.1IP, Astros starters have allowed 28ER.
*Jake Marisnick is hitting .280 with nine extra-base hits since July 1. Marisnick:
I feel like a lot of my at-bats - even if I'm not getting hits - have been a lot better and making solid contact. That comes with playing every day.
*During a 20-minute hearing, Danry Vasquez's fiancee asked to have a restraining order changed so she can be with him. The judge refused. Vasquez, 22, and the 19-year old woman have been dating for six years. I'll just leave that there.
*Luis Valbuena is getting closer to a rehab assignment, possibly while the Astros are on this road trip.
*Lance McCullers will be evaluated in a week, and then the Astros will know if he's available for the rest of the season. (I'm the captain of Team ShutItDown)
*Jon Heyman talked to scouts who wonder if the Astros need more of a veteran presence.
*The bus from Corpus to NW Arkansas broke down.
*The Astros are 10.5 GB of the Rangers and 6.5 GB of the Wild Card. Not even about to link to other scores. They've lost 16 of their last 23 games.
*But hey! Bregman and Reed homered! A.J. Reed has had two hits in four of his last five starts.
*The Astros gave up six (!) home runs - the most they've given up in a single game since May 29, 2010.
Hinch:
They just continue to come at you. This is how they score. We didn't keep them in the ballpark the entire night.
*In their last 24.1IP, Astros starters have allowed 28ER.
*Jake Marisnick is hitting .280 with nine extra-base hits since July 1. Marisnick:
I feel like a lot of my at-bats - even if I'm not getting hits - have been a lot better and making solid contact. That comes with playing every day.
*During a 20-minute hearing, Danry Vasquez's fiancee asked to have a restraining order changed so she can be with him. The judge refused. Vasquez, 22, and the 19-year old woman have been dating for six years. I'll just leave that there.
*Luis Valbuena is getting closer to a rehab assignment, possibly while the Astros are on this road trip.
*Lance McCullers will be evaluated in a week, and then the Astros will know if he's available for the rest of the season. (I'm the captain of Team ShutItDown)
*Jon Heyman talked to scouts who wonder if the Astros need more of a veteran presence.
*The bus from Corpus to NW Arkansas broke down.
Bus 🚌 #2 broke down on our way to @ARTravs 🤕 unload and repack everyone in #1 🚌 #Minorleagueproblems ⚾️ pic.twitter.com/Dx6fDdmuif— Rodney Linares (@RondeyLinares) August 19, 2016
Monday, July 25, 2016
Monday Morning Hot Links
*Jose Altuve homered twice as the Astros destroyed the Angels for the 11th time in a row. With 64 games left, Altuve's homers each set a new career-high. Springer:
The guy is a joke. He's up there playing Xbox. It's something special to watch.
*The Rangers beat the Royals, the Blue Jays beat the Mariners, the A's beat the Rays.
*On the Wild Card side, the Red Sox beat the Twins.
*This week the Astros play the Yankees, the Rangers play the A's, the Angels go to Kansas City, and the Tigers head to Boston.
*The big news of the day was the Astros calling up Alex Bregman, who will debut against the Yankees tonight. Altuve, on Bregman:
I think he's going to be a superstar. I think everybody thinks the same way. He's a very smart kid. He plays the game the right way. I feel really happy to have him here on our team.
Bregman:
It's a dream come true. And I'm ready to go work, keep my mouth shut and hopefully help contribute.
Hinch:
We've been flirting with the idea. We feel like this is a good time to add him to a good team. We're rolling along pretty well and he doesn't have to come up here and be anything but himself and contribute at a couple of different positions.
*Bregman is the first position player from the 2015 draft to make his debut.
*Marwin left yesterday's game with a sprained ankle.
*Altuve paid tribute to Griffey with his white shoes.
*Fresno's Brady Rodgers is unbeaten in his last nine starts.
*Corpus and Frisco got into a fight after Danry Vasquez charged the mound upon getting hit in the leg:
*L.J. Hoes had a walk-off steal of home for Triple-A Norfolk.
*Two months ago Ryan Vogelsong was hit in the eye by a 92mph fastball from Jordan Lyles. He's about to make his return, and he's still pissed at Lyles.
*The Rangers are interested in Edinson Volquez.
The guy is a joke. He's up there playing Xbox. It's something special to watch.
*The Rangers beat the Royals, the Blue Jays beat the Mariners, the A's beat the Rays.
*On the Wild Card side, the Red Sox beat the Twins.
*This week the Astros play the Yankees, the Rangers play the A's, the Angels go to Kansas City, and the Tigers head to Boston.
*The big news of the day was the Astros calling up Alex Bregman, who will debut against the Yankees tonight. Altuve, on Bregman:
I think he's going to be a superstar. I think everybody thinks the same way. He's a very smart kid. He plays the game the right way. I feel really happy to have him here on our team.
Bregman:
It's a dream come true. And I'm ready to go work, keep my mouth shut and hopefully help contribute.
Hinch:
We've been flirting with the idea. We feel like this is a good time to add him to a good team. We're rolling along pretty well and he doesn't have to come up here and be anything but himself and contribute at a couple of different positions.
*Bregman is the first position player from the 2015 draft to make his debut.
*Marwin left yesterday's game with a sprained ankle.
*Altuve paid tribute to Griffey with his white shoes.
*Fresno's Brady Rodgers is unbeaten in his last nine starts.
*Corpus and Frisco got into a fight after Danry Vasquez charged the mound upon getting hit in the leg:
As I was told, the biggest fight Whataburger Field has ever seen... between the #Astros and #Rangers' AA affiliates. pic.twitter.com/RxKXvMcH9I— Ian Steele (@IanSteeleKIII) July 25, 2016
*L.J. Hoes had a walk-off steal of home for Triple-A Norfolk.
*Two months ago Ryan Vogelsong was hit in the eye by a 92mph fastball from Jordan Lyles. He's about to make his return, and he's still pissed at Lyles.
*The Rangers are interested in Edinson Volquez.
Tuesday, June 14, 2016
Tuesday Morning Hot Links
Good moanin'. If you were like me, you took a mental break from watching/thinking about the Astros and now you're ready to get all pissed off about the Cardinals.
*The Twins beat the Angels, the A's did something the Astros haven't been able to do for 14 months: beat the dog piss out of the Rangers. The Mariners and Astros were off.
*The updated division looks like this:
-SW Texarkana: -
-Seattle: -4.5
-Houston: -9.5
-Oakland: -11.5
-Anaheim: -12
*FanGraphs gives the Astros a 15.6% chance to win the division and a 29.0% chance of making the postseason.
*The Washington Post breaks down what has happened to Dallas Keuchel.
*Less than 24 hours after Alamo Heights lost the state championship game, star pitcher and Astros #17 pick Forrest Whitley was in the weight room.
*The Astros signed 4th Round draft pick Brett Adcock for "a little bit below slot." The 2016 Draft page has been updated accordingly.
-Fresno's Brady Rodgers has figured something out: in his last four starts he's 4-0 with a 1.35 ERA, and out-dueled Tim Lincecum on Sunday. Astros' Director of Minor-League Operations Allen Rowin:
He's just using his pitches better and knowing how to compete at the higher level. He went through our system, on up through Double-A, and really had success everywhere he went and got to Triple-A last year, and it was the first year he had got hit pretty good and he had to figure some stuff out, and he's done it.
The ever-sunshiny Morgan Ensberg:
*A group of 50 high school girls will be at Minute Maid Park today and tomorrow for the Astros' Urban Youth Academy's "Softball Breakthrough Series," for a chance to get seen by college coaches.
*The Twins beat the Angels, the A's did something the Astros haven't been able to do for 14 months: beat the dog piss out of the Rangers. The Mariners and Astros were off.
*The updated division looks like this:
-SW Texarkana: -
-Seattle: -4.5
-Houston: -9.5
-Oakland: -11.5
-Anaheim: -12
*FanGraphs gives the Astros a 15.6% chance to win the division and a 29.0% chance of making the postseason.
*The Washington Post breaks down what has happened to Dallas Keuchel.
*Less than 24 hours after Alamo Heights lost the state championship game, star pitcher and Astros #17 pick Forrest Whitley was in the weight room.
*The Astros signed 4th Round draft pick Brett Adcock for "a little bit below slot." The 2016 Draft page has been updated accordingly.
-Fresno's Brady Rodgers has figured something out: in his last four starts he's 4-0 with a 1.35 ERA, and out-dueled Tim Lincecum on Sunday. Astros' Director of Minor-League Operations Allen Rowin:
He's just using his pitches better and knowing how to compete at the higher level. He went through our system, on up through Double-A, and really had success everywhere he went and got to Triple-A last year, and it was the first year he had got hit pretty good and he had to figure some stuff out, and he's done it.
The ever-sunshiny Morgan Ensberg:
*The Hooks are 40-22, 11-2 in their last 13, and 31-10 since May 1. MLBTR lists Alex Bregman first in their Knocking Down The Door series.There is literally nothing for @Rodg_20 to work on here in AAA. Dude is a Big League caliber.— Morgan Ensberg (@MorganEnsberg) June 13, 2016
*A group of 50 high school girls will be at Minute Maid Park today and tomorrow for the Astros' Urban Youth Academy's "Softball Breakthrough Series," for a chance to get seen by college coaches.
Tuesday, May 17, 2016
Tuesday Morning Hot Links
*Patrick and I recorded Episode 10 of Lima Time Time last night. Check it on SoundCloud or subscribe on iTunes.
*Sunday might just have been the tipping point for Carlos Gomez. The Astros are apparently looking for other options, and Jeff Luhnow came out and said:
It's hard to continue to play a player that isn't helping you win ballgames.
*Tonight will likely be Tony Kemp's major league debut. The Nashville native (fist-bump) got the call while in his hometown as the Grizzlies played the Nashville Sounds. Kemp:
It was a special moment, even a more special moment being in Nashville and having my family and friends and teachers being able to be a part of that moment with me. It was pretty cool.
This is one of the best stories of this miserable season. Luhnow is hopeful:
Tony's been the most consistent performer down there all year and he's always had the type of game and personality where he can be a spark to the lineup. We hope that he'll give us a shot in the arm.
*Today in "Well, yeah" we read that Dallas Keuchel needs to step up. Dallas Keuchel is still very frustrated. The League has adjusted to Keuchel, but Keuchel has not yet adjusted back. Keuchel:
I've got to clean that mess up and once that happens it's going to be good. Guys rely on me to shut it down, and when I'm not shutting it down we're not playing our best.
*Vice Sports: The Astros Are Bad, Where Did It Go Wrong?
A 7.5-game divisional deficit in mid-May is like a beeping alarm to a burglar: you aren't screwed yet, but there's a sense of urgency that wasn't there a few moments ago.
*Scary night for Corpus in San Antonio last night as Danry Vasquez and Mott Hyde collided in the outfield, delaying the game for 45 minutes while they were taken off the field. Hyde had made a diving over-the-shoulder grab but he went head-first into a sliding Danry Vasquez's knee. The injuries were described as "severe."
*Secondary to the health and futures of both players, Alex Bregman had two doubles and a homer in the 8-0 Corpus win.
*J.D. Davis and Evan Grills were named Texas League Hitter and Pitcher of the Week.
*Sunday might just have been the tipping point for Carlos Gomez. The Astros are apparently looking for other options, and Jeff Luhnow came out and said:
It's hard to continue to play a player that isn't helping you win ballgames.
*Mike Petriello has a must-read article on MLB.com about how Jose Altuve became MLB's unlikeliest slugger.Luhnow on Gomez: "I think he’s going to have to turn it around at some point otherwise we’re not going to be able to continue to play him."— Brian McTaggart (@brianmctaggart) May 16, 2016
*Tonight will likely be Tony Kemp's major league debut. The Nashville native (fist-bump) got the call while in his hometown as the Grizzlies played the Nashville Sounds. Kemp:
It was a special moment, even a more special moment being in Nashville and having my family and friends and teachers being able to be a part of that moment with me. It was pretty cool.
This is one of the best stories of this miserable season. Luhnow is hopeful:
Tony's been the most consistent performer down there all year and he's always had the type of game and personality where he can be a spark to the lineup. We hope that he'll give us a shot in the arm.
*Today in "Well, yeah" we read that Dallas Keuchel needs to step up. Dallas Keuchel is still very frustrated. The League has adjusted to Keuchel, but Keuchel has not yet adjusted back. Keuchel:
I've got to clean that mess up and once that happens it's going to be good. Guys rely on me to shut it down, and when I'm not shutting it down we're not playing our best.
*Vice Sports: The Astros Are Bad, Where Did It Go Wrong?
A 7.5-game divisional deficit in mid-May is like a beeping alarm to a burglar: you aren't screwed yet, but there's a sense of urgency that wasn't there a few moments ago.
*Scary night for Corpus in San Antonio last night as Danry Vasquez and Mott Hyde collided in the outfield, delaying the game for 45 minutes while they were taken off the field. Hyde had made a diving over-the-shoulder grab but he went head-first into a sliding Danry Vasquez's knee. The injuries were described as "severe."
*Secondary to the health and futures of both players, Alex Bregman had two doubles and a homer in the 8-0 Corpus win.
*J.D. Davis and Evan Grills were named Texas League Hitter and Pitcher of the Week.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)