Thursday Morning Hot Links

Okay, so we now know who the Astros will welcome to Houston on Saturday at a time to be determined: The Minnesota Correas. Minnesota took the first two games from Toronto to win this ridiculously-short, idea-which-should-immediately-be-abandoned idea of a "postseason series."

Anything can happen in a three-game series (see: A's, Oakland; Royals, Kansas City) but the Twins held the Blue Jays - who had the 5th-highest AVG, 4th-highest OBP, and 6th-highest OPS in the AL to one single, solitary run...but only scored five runs themselves, so who knows. 

Games 1&2 will be in Houston on Saturday and Sunday

Games 3&4 will be in Minneapolis on Tuesday and Wednesday

Game 5 will be in Houston on Friday. 

The Twins won their first postseason series since beating Oakland in the 2002 ALDS before dropping in five games to the eventual World Series winners Anaheim Angels in the ALCS. Prior to this series, the Twins had lost 18 straight postseason games. In fact, from 2003-2023 the Twins went 4-21 in the postseason. Carlos Correa has won 47 postseason games from 2015-2023. 

Correa:

This is a young, talented group that really wants it. I tell everybody this reminds me a lot of the '15 Astros, when the young talent came up, matched with the veterans that were there already and then they started going off. That's how I feel about this organization or the squad that we have right now. 

In six games against the 2023 Astros, the Twins went 4-2, outscoring Houston 29-25. 

The first time the Twins faced Houston was in Minneapolis from April 7-9. Altuve was injured. Verlander wasn't even a thought. 

April 7: 3-2 Twins in 10 innings. It was 47 degrees at first pitch. Jose Urquidy got the start on the mound, David Hensley started the game at 1B. Ryne Stanek blew the save after Houston took a 2-1 lead in the top of the 10th. 

April 8: 9-6 Twins. Minnesota put up a 4-spot in the 2nd and 8th innings. Yordan hit a grand slam, Jeremy Pena hit 10% of his season home runs. Luis Garcia struggled, Ronel Blanco allowed four hits and two walks in the 8th. 

April 9: 5-1 Astros. Hunter Brown threw 7IP, 2H/0ER. Chas McCormick had 4RBI. 

The second time the Astros and Twins rumbled was Memorial Day Weekend, May 29-31. The series opener was Altuve's 8th game of the 2023 season. 

May 29: 7-5 Twins in 10 innings. Houston had a 5-4 lead going into the top of the 9th, thanks mainly to Altuve's 7th Inning Grand Slam. J.P. France was okay. Abreu and Pressly blew it in the 9th and 10th. 

May 30: 5-1 Astros. Brandon Bielak threw 5.1 solid innings. Bregman and McCormick homered. 

May 31: 8-2 Twins. Altuve did not play. Jake Meyers and Yainer Diaz homered (it was just Diaz's 2nd homer of the season). Hunter Brown and Parker Mushinski allowed 7ER in the first six innings. 

Not much to examine. Altuve didn't play in three of the games. Verlander hadn't shown up yet. Urquidy, Brown, France, and Bielak likely won't get a start in the postseason. Garcia is out until next season. That's all six starters in the season series. 

*Here's Twins fans chanting "We want Houston" as they leave the stadium.

*Old Friend Alert (Twins who used to be with the Astros): Carlos Correa, Dallas Keuchel, Christian Vazquez, Hank Conger (1B Coach), Kevin Golstein (Special Assistant to the GM, Player Personnel).

*FanGraphs already has it Houston 56.8 - 43.2 Minnesota. And Six Flags 54.8 - 45.2 Baltimore. Of course, FanGraphs thought Tampa and Toronto to win the Wild Card rounds. 17 of ESPN's MLB Experts picked Toronto over Minnesota. 22 of the 27 picked Tampa over Six Flags. FanGraphs' Playoff Odds missed three of the four Wild Card series, only getting Philadelphia/Miami correct. 

*ESPN: What to know about the eight remaining playoff teams.

*The Astros are 27-11 at Minute Maid Park in the postseason since 2015 (not including 2020 but, sadly, including the 2019 World Series). 

*The most important player to the Astros' October? Cristian Javier. Pitching Coach Josh Miller:

I've said to numerous people the last couple of months he's been close. He's shown glimpses of the 2022 version of himself. It just hasn't been put together. He certainly finished the season strong. He seems to have gotten his fastball shape back in line which is what we've been searching for all year, and that bodes well going into a postseason.

*McTaggart: Can the Astros figure out their home-field blues?

*There's a good shot that the Astros at least have a late-afternoon/evening slot on Saturday, as Game 1 of the Rangers/Orioles series will start at 1pm thanks to a Billy Joel concert at Camden Yards that night. 

*A.J. Blubaugh is the Astros' sleeper prospect in the Arizona Fall League.

*What's it like to be recruited by Deion Sanders?

*A Musical Selection:

Wednesday Morning Hot Links

First: If you've been a long-time reader of Astros County dot com you know that I lived in Nashville for over five years. I love that city. I didn't really want to move back to Texas, but I am still happily married (going on 17 years) so it worked out. Obviously we still have a number of friends in Nashville who, I'm happy to report, are all okay. There are many who aren't. You can donate to the Community Foundation of Middle Tennessee here.

The Astros lost to the Cardinals. The Grapefruit League is the same trope in a lot of northeastern college basketball in which it seems like every time you look at ESPN's Bottom Line Iona has beaten Siena. The Astros only play the Nationals, Yankees, Braves, Cardinals, and Tigers. There's no other games.

Dustin Garneau hit a homer. Correa had a double. Kyle Tucker is still 0xSpring Training. Verlander threw 2.2IP, 3H/3R (2ER), 3K:1BB, Game 4 Hero Jose Urquidy allowed 2H/0ER, 4K:0BB in 3IP, Forrest Whitley walked one with two strikeouts in 1IP.

The best news is that Verlander's groin is as okay as you can expect when you're married to Kate Upton. Verlander, who hit 97mph:
Today, first and foremost, was to come out of it feeling good. Having no issues with the groin. Check. Hoping that the velo's decent, which I think it was for this time of year. Better than normal.

*Jose Altuve and Yordan Alvarez were both out - Altuve with The Sickness and Yordan with sore knees (this is absolutely not a good sign). Dusty:
We decided not to play (Yordan) in the outfield. We decided not to DH him. Just give him a couple of days to get over some soreness. He's OK.

Add Martin Maldonado to that list, with a sore thumb.

*Dusty said that today's outing from Forrest Whitley was the best he's seen of Whitley, which makes sense because Whitley hasn't been around Dusty so much:
That's the best I've seen him. That's the highest velocity I've seen (from him) since I've been here. He was a lot better. 

Forrest Whitley is QB1 with a confidence issue. He needs short passes to get his dander all up to eventually get to the long ball (but not the home run type). Today was a short pass day and he completed a few of them. Good for Forrest Whitley.

*Jose Urquidy is working on his release point, and it's going pretty well.

*Former Astros Great Dallas Keuchel spent $25,000 on a team dinner and noted asshat Tim Anderson changed his tune about the 2017 Astros. Anderson:
Man, that was unbelievable. That definitely helps team chemistry, letting you know the bond we have, and that we're cool with each other. It says a lot about the man for doing that. 

I'm old enough to remember less than two weeks ago when Tim Anderson said to someone with a microphone:
We're coming for everyone the same way but they have a little icing on their cake. They cheated us so many games we played, we got to make it sweet for them. We're trying to knock everybody's heads off, from the owner down to the trainer. Everybody, it don't matter. If you're a Houston Astro, we're coming. 

Damn those are Big Words with Intent. But a 2017 Astro buys Tim Anderson a Really Good Burger and he changes that tune awfully quick. Fraud.

*Noted Fraud A-Rod said that the Astros need to show more remorse. You know, like he did.

*The Great Model Train Robbery.

*A Musical Selection:

Monday Morning Hot Links

To me there are two things in this world: there's life, and there's baseball. And one helps you get through the other.
-Jerry Seinfeld.

Been a rough few days at ACHQ. My wife's grandmother passed away and we were in Oklahoma for the funeral. A former student of mine was shot and killed. Let's just get this over with:

*Oakland's "quality control coach" Mark Kotsay was interviewed by the Astros for their vacant managerial opening. That's nine candidates so far:
Brad Ausmus, Dusty Baker, Jeff Banister, Joe Espada, John Gibbons, Mark Kotsay, Eduardo Perez, Buck Showalter, and Will Venable.

Reminder that Jim Crane said he wants to make a decision on the manager by February 3 - which is next Monday, which is also the day after I turn 40 (and I'm not happy about that, either).

*And hey ho the Astros need a new GM (and it should be Kevin Goldstein) and they've interviewed former Giants GM Bobby Evans for that role.

*

Justin Verlander notes that the Astros are very analytically and technologically advanced....followed by a lot of laughter.

— David Waldstein (@DavidWaldstein) January 26, 2020

This is going to happen all year, all next year, all the year after that, and the year after that, and the year...forever. Get used to it. Our collective favorite team was caught doing something wrong. It doesn't matter if other teams were doing it - we'd roast them if they were - now they're a lightning rod. It's how it is now. Would have been great if they'd won a home game during the 2019 World Series so we could all have some semblance of facts to counter it, but they went 0-4 at Minute Maid Park (after going 65-21 at MMP from Opening Day through the ALCS), so we don't. It is officially Frustrating to be an Astros fan. All those years of losing, completely discounted, because of what they did, and what Mike F. Fiers said (and, no, I won't be linking to the pedophile rumors at present) two years later.

*Tom Verducci presented Yordan Alvarez with his 2019 Rookie of the Year Award on Saturday night.

*Nolan Ryan reiterated that he's "no longer associated" with the Astros.

*Buster Olney: The sign-stealing fallout could leave the Astros vulnerable in the AL West.

*Former Braves Great Dallas Keuchel was the first 2017 Astros member to apologize for the sign-stealing scandal. Keuchel:
Was it against the rules? Yes it was. And I personally am sorry for what's come about the whole situation....It's just what the state of baseball was at that point in time...It is what it is, and we've got to move past that. I never thought anything would've come like it did. I, myself, am sorry.

Basically what I've been saying: this was far more widespread, and no, it doesn't make it okay that the Astros did it. But the Astros weren't going to get left behind when there were advantages to be made.

*ESPN's Bradford Doolittle: Why the Astros' penalties are harsh enough, despite calls for more.

*Lame-Ass Dodgers Fans are going to take the 30-mile/150-minute trip to Anaheim for the expressed purpose of booing the Astros. That seems extremely cool.

*FanGraphs: A home run rate refresher.

*Verducci: Rob Manfred knows it's time for him to act.

*Bill Plaschke is a Clown, but occasionally Clowns have a good take. Plaschke, on Kobe.

*The Nazis and the Trawniki Men.

*Esquire: Jordan Peele finally explains what The Tethered's plan was at the end of Us.

*The Atlantic: The Enemies of Writing.

*Liverpool had a 2-0 lead and blew it against a Shrewsbury Town substitute in the FA Cup 4th Round. Now League One's Shrewsbury Town gets to play at Anfield and make a ton of money off of ticket sales. You cannot reasonably explain to me how the NCAA Basketball Tournament (Men's and Women's) wouldn't be better off by letting all 350 D1 colleges participate, with qualifying games taking place throughout the season. Like you wouldn't watch Tourney Weekend when Siena and Iona play what would be a qualification game in December and letting all 350 teams have the chance to  advance to fill out the 68 teams (or however many there are) in March for the Actual March Madness.

*A Musical Selection:

Monday Morning Hot Links

Not much happening, and the last few days have been pretty crazy for me, personally. So let's just round up what we've learned. If something happens that warrants a post, I'll be back. If not, I hope you have a Merry Christmas and, if you're traveling, you make it to your destination safely. Best wishes to you and your families.

*Martin Maldonado took less money to sign with the Astros, at 2yrs/$7m.

*Jake Kaplan projected the Astros' 2020 26-Man Roster.

*Roster Resource says the Astros' 2020 payroll is right about $237m. Players (and their salaries) coming off the books - as of right now - after this season:

George Springer ($21.4m based on arbitration projections)
Michael Brantley ($16m)
Josh Reddick ($13m)
Yuli Gurriel ($8.3m)
Brad Peacock ($4.6m)

That's about $63.3m and the entire outfield.

*Brian McTaggart ranked the Top 10 Astros of the decade.

*Beyond the Box Score has the Yankees at 3/1, Dodgers at 6/1, and Astros at 7/1 to win the 2020 World Series.

A's: 30/1
Angels: 30/1
Arlington: 50/1
Seattle: 5000/1

*Don't let MLB insult you.

*Statistical oddities for every MLB team in 2019.

*The White Sox signed Dallas Keuchel to a 3yr/$55.5m deal, with a vesting option for a 4th year. This offseason the White Sox have acquired Keuchel, Gio Gonzalez, Yasmani Grandal, Nomar Mazara, and James McCann.

*The MLB Umpires Association has agreed to a 5-year labor contract, part of which Teh Umpires have agreed to cooperate with a test of an automated strike zone.

*FanGraphs' Craig Edwards: Gerrit Cole's monster contract, historically speaking.

*Wade Miley signed a 2yr/$15m deal with Cincinnati, with a club option for 2022. FanGraphs says his cutter should be better in 2020.

*ESPN has way-too-early starting rotation rankings.

*1843: The death of the calorie.

*The New Yorker: A suspense novelist's trail of deceptions.

*GQ: Secrets of the world's greatest art thief.

*A Musical Selection:

Wrapping up a crazy 2019 Astros MLB Trade Deadline

What looked to be the dullest trade deadline in recent memory...

We just witnessed the dullest trade deadline in ages.

— Bob Nightengale (@BNightengale) July 31, 2019

Turned out to be one of the most exciting in Astros history. I don't believe we've seen a crazier trade deadline for the Astros. You can read up on all the acquisitions and how the rosters look. There's even a post up on payroll outlook. Things are looking pretty good for 2019.

The Astros have quite possibly the most formidable rotations in the league. Justin Verlander and Zack Greinke are future hall of famers. Gerrit Cole is on his way. Wade Miley is a nice Dallas Keuchel replacement. (Charlie Morton, who?) Whoever slides into the fifth spot will be moved to the bullpen for the playoffs. Which begs the question, "Who is the Astros fifth starter?"

Aaron Sanchez is a candidate. So is, Brad Peacock, when he comes back.  Jose Urquidy is likely getting sent back to Triple A after tonight's start (he was just pulled as I was typing this). My bet is Sanchez will slide into the fifth spot for the time being. Depending on how well he does, Peacock will either slide back into the rotation or move to the bullpen. He was, after all, quite dominate in the 2017 World Series coming out of the bullpen. Sanchez will also likely slide into the bullpen for the playoffs. Again, depending on how well he does over the remaining two months of the season.

Martin Maldonado will replace Max Stassi, who was sent to the Los Angeles Angels for two low level prospects. Stassi is one of my favorite players in baseball, because he created a baseball moment I'll never forget and forever appreciate. While at Spring Training in 2015, he took time during one of his catching defensive drill breaks to come over and hand my daughter a ball. Not throw her a ball or ask her to come to dugout. He came over and handed her a ball.

I've rooted for him ever since and will continue to do so even if he's not an Astros. Max Stassi is a saint.

Back to Maldonado. He's the new Jed Lowrie for Jeff Luhnow. After failing to reach an agreement over the winter. The Astros found themselves with an opportunity to re-acquire Maldonado after failing to do so from Kansas City. He provides a small offensive upgrade will keeping the same defensive and receiving skills of Stassi. All this at the cost of a recently DFA Tony Kemp. Which we'll get to in a minute.

How amazing is it that Luhnow in the span of week was able to trade three players either DFA or soon to be DFA. Luhnow found suitors for Tyler White, Tony Kemp, and Max Stassi and got something in return. I have never seen that before and it speaks to the depth of the Astros organization. It's not every day DFA players get traded. Two went to contenders that are very likely to make the playoffs. One went to six games out of a wild card spot. Welcome to the Golden Age of Astros baseball.

Tony Kemp. I'm going to miss him. A lot of people are going to miss him. He's provided us with some great memories both on and off the field. He has set the standard for what a hug should be. I wish him the best and look forward to checking in on Cubs games every once and a while.

Lost in all the acquisitions is Joe Biagini (I had to triple check the spelling of his last name). I love this guy immediately because of this tweet.

We’ll miss you, Joe Biagini. Here’s a few of the lighter moments he brought us. pic.twitter.com/KoM8fAPhgh

— Tim and Sid (@timandsid) July 31, 2019

He looks fun. And more importantly you always have to wonder what Luhnow and Brent Strom are up to when they acquire a pitcher with a 3.86 ERA and a 4.45 FIP and a really good curve that he's only throwing 7% of the time. This on top of Cal Stevenson and the already mentioned Sanchez for Derek Fisher. As Astros County put it, "Derek Fisher. That's it. Seriously. I looked. I looked for a long time."

I had meetings right at the deadline, so I missed the frantic hour after the trade deadline when deals were being reported left and right. I took the next hour to catch up and then drove home with the radio blasting Taylor Swift's new songs ME! and Calm Down (I hope I don't get fired for linking Taylor Swift on this blog. WORTH IT!).

It's been an exciting day. Take it all in, because I don't think this happens again for a long time.

Friday Morning Hot Links

Five hours and six minutes after first pitch, the Astros won a crazy tight one in the series finale against Seattle 8-7 in 14 innings. Notes:

Bregman: 3-6, Solo HR
Chirinos: 1-3, HRI, 2 RBIs, 4 BB
White: 3-6
Myles Straw recorded the Astros fastest triple since 2015.
Verlander: 6.1 IP, 5 H, 3 ER, 0 BB, 7 K.
       ~He afterwards said he "had a little something that crept up out of nowhere today" but said later in his postgame interview said that is is "not an issue" anymore.

Full Box:
Recap:

Keuchel finally signed with someone, Atlanta, for $4.9 million dollars less than what the Astros offer was initially set at.

Cionel Perez is very very likely to join the team today after being scratched from his start in AAA.

The series preview against the Orioles is up on the Crawfish Boxes.

It's Star Wars night tonight! Tickets are still available (as of now) and there's a lot of things happening. Also somebody should definitely send me one of them Max Stassi bobbleheads

Could we realistically see 9+ Astros All-Stars this year?

The Express hung a 13 spot in the 7th inning last night. Kyle Tucker hit his 19th AND 20th home run during this game (for anyone counting at home, that's only 2 behind Yordan Alvarez).

Lance Berkman has stepped down as the Second Baptist High School coach

Welcome to my state! After two days, somebody finally lured their pet cockatoo out of a tree using a bag of nuts.

On This Day in Baseball History

In 1966, Bob Gibson became the 12th pitcher to ever strike out 4 batters in the 4th inning, which occurred due to a wild pitch that allowed a runner to get to first.

In 2007, Joe Torre won his 2,000 career game as manager. 

Thursday Morning Hot Links

The Astros, well, it didn't go so well. Houston got a run in the first and then didn't do much of anything against Mike Leake (after getting handled by Wade LeBlanc earlier in the series!). And then the wheels fell off the pitching. Seattle won 14-1, though it was 2-1 Seattle at the end of the 5th. Congratulations to the Mariners for winning the World Series. Houston is 42-21 with a 9-game lead and 99 games to play.

Loss Stuff

*Last night was the fifth time in the last six series in which the Astros won the first two games, and then lost the third.

*The Astros had allowed 14 runs in their previous five games combined.

*The 13-run margin is the largest defeat for an Astros team since May 4, 2013, and just the 25th time in franchise history that the Astros lost by 13 runs.

*It's the second time this season the Astros have allowed their opponent to hit five home runs. They're 1-1 in those games.

*Brad Peacock did not deserve the loss: 5IP, 4H/2ER, 6K:2BB. Hinch, on Peacock:
It's a tough loss for him because he pitched better. The score is going to look up on the board that it was a blowout and it was actually really close when he was in there. 

Peacock has allowed 2ER or fewer in ten of his 13 starts. Since allowing 7ER against the Twins on May 2, Peacock: 34IP, 21H/5ER, 41K:11BB. 1.32 ERA / 0.94 WHIP.

*Brady Rodgers became the 3rd reliever in 2019 to allow 8ER in 2IP, joining Milwaukee's Taylor Williams and Miami's Wei-Yin Chin. Williams did it all the way back on Tuesday night. Rodgers is just the 2nd Astros reliever to ever do it, the last being Xavier Hernandez on May 2, 1990. Rodgers gave up a 3-run pinch hit home run to a guy who had been released by the Giants, signed to a minor-league deal, and was making his first PA for Seattle. Hinch:
I was going into it not trying to use our primary guys. We've worked them a ton, so some other guys haven't got to pitch on a daily basis. They struggled tonight and it got really ugly.

*Reymin Guduan was handed a 2-1 game and allowed two hits and a walk. All three runners scored. Guduan has made four appearances in which he has recorded one out. Those four appearances: 1.1IP, 6H/5ER, 0K:3BB. Guduan's lone good appearance of 2019 came on April 20 when he threw 2IP, 0H/0ER, 3K:0BB in a 9-4 loss to the Rangers. Guduan, a "lefty specialist" has faced lefty hitters eight times in 2019 and allowed a single, double, home run, and a walk. He has not struck out any of them. Guduan:
My command has been good. Just the slider today wasn't falling the way I wanted it to. Unfortunately, that's part of the game. I need to do better next time around. These are things that happen in baseball and I need to maintain my confidence...and (keep) my head high and attack the zone and keep doing my job.

Chandler Rome: The Astros do not have a reliable lefty in the bullpen.

*Houston was 1x10 with runners in scoring position.

*The Astros are hitting .271/.351/.489 with the bases empty, and .253/.331/.457 w/RISP.

*Jack Mayfield is 0x22 since hitting a double in his MLB debut.

Multiple injured superstars? The @astros train KEEPS ROLLIN' 🚂

Dive into the tape, @LaurenShehadi!#TakeItBack pic.twitter.com/oSNcHEZLqb

— MLB Network (@MLBNetwork) June 5, 2019

Draft Stuff

*The Astros stocked up on college players and righty pitchers in the draft.

*2nd Round pick Grae Kessinger is no stranger to the Major Leagues.

*"The sky is the limit" for Astros' 3rd Round pick Jordan Brewer.

*4th Round pick Colin Barber ran out of a final to hug his coach.

*Garrett Stubbs gave an in-depth scouting report of his brother, 10th Round pick C.J. Stubbs.

*While there wasn't the in-depth coverage of yesterday's Rounds 11-40 of the 2019 MLB Draft, you can at least get the latest news and financials over at this here page. Some notable draftees from the late rounds:
37th Round: Max Dias, son of Astros VP Gene Dias.
38th Round: J.C. Correa, brother of ol broke rib head lookin ass boiiiii Carlos Correa, whom they drafted in 2018, as well.

*Here's a cool story on 21st Round pick Davis Vainer.

*SI has some ideas on How to fix the Draft.

*Keith Law: An oral history of how Mike Trout fell to the Angels in the 2009 Draft (not paywalled). Still think Jio Mier could pan out, guys.

Injury Stuff

*George Springer hit on the field yesterday. Jose Altuve ran the bases yesterday and "looked great." Aledmys Diaz is "doing everything." Collin McHugh threw off the mound yesterday.

Other Stuff

*MLB.com's Mike Petriello: Even after losing Morton, Keuchel, and McCullers, could the 2019 Astros' pitching staff be the best of all time? How? (Lots of fun stats in here).

*The Yankees and Braves are favorites to land Dallas Keuchel.

*Emma Baccellieri: How and Why MLB adopted the Save.

*Rob Manfred addressed the potential for more netting at ballparks, but probably just went back to trying to figure out how to negatively affect Baseball right after.

*This is great:

In the 32nd round, the @BlueJays select RHP @BradenHalladay from Calvary Christian HS (FL), son of the late Roy Halladay. pic.twitter.com/Z4wBaPqmyi

— MLB (@MLB) June 5, 2019

*The Gambling Nuns of Torrance, California.

*A Musical Selection:

Wednesday Morning Hot Links

The Astros, yet again, put an absolute beatdown on the Mariners late last night by a final score of 11-5. They also broke yet another team record. This team is something else. Notes:

Kemp: 2-4, Solo HR
Chirinos: 1-4, Solo HR
Fisher: 2-4, RBI, SB
Miley: 5 IP, 3 H, 3 ER, 3 BB, 6 K

Full Box:

The Astros now have a double-digit lead on the division. Yeah, it's time to start clearing your schedules for October and start saving up money for playoff tickets.

We have TWO (2) articles from Astros County .com that were posted yesterday, so let's get you caught up to speed on those:

The first relates to the Astros Day 2 of the MLB Draft.

The second relates to the Astros and their insane amount of runs given up via the solo home run.

And now for things around the Web...

Framber is in and Martin is out of the Astros rotation.

Derek Fisher's offensive adjustments are very much paying off.

The Astros drafted another Stubbs.

The Yordan Alvarez call may be arriving sooner rather than later.

Speaking of Yordan, he hit another home run last night. Remember the Chandler Rome tweet at the top of this post? Funnily enough, this was also Round Rock's 100th HR of the year.

Some ELITE numbers have been put up by some of our MiLB Players of the Month for May.

The Yankees are the favorites to sign Keuchel, and how badly do the Astros want/need him?

Champion Energy has a new spokesman: it's Alex Bregman.

Scientists have discovered that ancient cats had teeth so strong that they could actually puncture a skull with a single chomp.

On This Day in Baseball History

In 1973, the Rangers passed up Hall of Famers Robin Yount and Dave Winfield to draft David Clyde with the #1 pick. Clyde was immediately pulled into a starting role for Texas and got shelled. He lasted six years in the majors with a 18-33 record.

In 1997, Alex Rodriguez became the first Mariner to hit for the cycle.

In 2002, the Coca-Cola Company Branch, Minute Maid, officially acquired the naming rights to the new Astros baseball field previously known as Enron Field.

In 2008, James Shields plunked Coco Crisp, which incited a major benches clearing brawl that led to the suspension of 8 players.

In 2015, the first switch pitcher in the modern era, Pat Venditte, made his major league debut.

Tuesday Morning Hot Links

Good morning. I ran three miles this morning, the longest I've run since April 4. I'm back, baby. And the Astros, despite missing THREE MVP CANDIDATES, continue to win - this time it was 4-2 against the Mariloliners, who are 12-36 in their last 48 games. The Astros, however, are 41-20.

*Houston is 17-5 since Jose Altuve went on the IL. 6-1 since Carlos Correa went on the IL. 10-4 since George Springer went on the IL (he was back for one game before injuring his hamstring). The Astros have a 9.0-game lead on Aren'tlington.

*The Astros' lineup from May 4 (first name) compared to the lineup last night (second name) (one month, try to keep up):

Springer / Fisher
Altuve / Bregman
Bregman / Reddick
Brantley / Gurriel
Correa / Chirinos
Reddick / White
Gurriel / Marisnick
White / Mayfield
Stassi / Straw

Both games were Astros wins.

*Houston is 4-0 at Safeco Field Wherever Seattle Plays Their Home Games Stadium in 2019. Since the beginning of the 2017 season, Houston is 18-5 at Seattle.

*Houston has played 61 games, tied for the 2nd-most in the Majors. Regard, number of games played:
63: Seattle
61: Houston, Los Angeles, Arizona
60: Philadelphia, Atlanta, Milwaukee, San Diego, Anaheim
59: Boston, Baltimore, Chicago White Sox, Cleveland, Kansas City, Oakland, New York Mets, Washington, Cincinnati
58: New York Yankees, Minnesota, Chicago Cubs, St. Louis, Pittsburgh, Colorado, San Francisco
57: Tampa, Arlington, Miami
56: Detroit

*The County Mountie was kind enough to take the reins for last night's interminable MLB draft, which was far too long and featured far too much Harold Reynolds. His write-ups:
1-32 Korey Lee and Korey Lee Hot Links

Luhnow, on Korey Lee:
I really feel like this is the right combination, the right package for us, and feel like he's a player that can move relatively quickly and impact our big league club in short order. Not this year, but in the next few years.

Lee:
It was a dream come true. I've been thinking about (getting drafted) my entire life, growing up around baseball and watching the game and learning the game. I couldn't be happier to be with the Houston Astros.

2-68 Grae Kessinger

Some stats from 2019:
Korey Lee: .338/.419/.626, team-high 15HR, team-high 57RBI, 42K:26BB in 198 ABs.
Grae Kessinger: .332/.427/.458, 32K:40BB.

Rounds 3-10 begin today at 12pm. We have your draft financials/updates here. Because who doesn't want to keep track of how much of Jim Crane's money teenagers get?

*The Mariners would have won that game 2-1 if it wasn't for their excellent strategy of using an opener. The Astros scored three runs in the 1st inning, something they've only done five times in 2019.

2019 Seattle Mariners baseball.

A double play ends the inning. Instead... pic.twitter.com/NWWP4Aigrq

— Ben DuBose (@BenDuBose) June 4, 2019

*Houston got five hits, three of them for extra bases (Bregman double, Reddick triple, Chirinos home run). It's the second time this season the Astros have won a game with five or fewer hits and at least three XBH.

*Josh Reddick got his first triple of 2019 and his first since August 7, 2018 (against San Francisco). The Astros are 7-0 when Reddick triples. Just call the Triple play, Hinch, jeez, this isn't Chinese math.

*After going through a 16-game stretch hitting .174/.350/.348 from May 9-29, Robinson Chirinos has a three-game hit streak with homers in back-to-back games, going 4x12.

*Tyler White was 0x3 with a walk. He's "hitting" .211/.303/.289. He is worth -0.6 bWAR and -0.4 fWAR. Only Yonder Alonso and Kendrys Morales have a lower fWAR among DHs with 130+ PAs. White hit more home runs in his first 18PAs of his MLB career (3) than he has in 132 PAs this season (1). And the balls are juiced! And the Astros are still 21-10 when he starts!

*Seattle's Wade LeBlanc vs Houston, 2019: 12.2IP, 11H/3ER, 7K:2BB.
Wade LeBlanc vs Literally Anyone Else, 2019: 23.2IP, 31H/20ER, 18K:7BB

*Astros pitchers walked five batters for the 6th time this season. Corbin Martin started in three of those games. Martin walked one batter in his MLB debut against the Rangers. In his last 14IP, he has walked 11 batters. He has not recorded 12 outs in three straight starts. Martin:
I was falling behind in the count. I wasn't as aggressive as I needed to be and throwing 30 pitches in the first inning, that kind of slows down the rest of my outing.

Martin BB/9, minors: 2.8
Martin BB/9, Majors: 5.6

Hinch:
When a guy throws that many pitches in that short of time, a lot of things are going wrong. It's a little bit of everything. It's not an easy league. It's not an easy league to adjust to. We've just got to keep working to try to find the solution and not get him overloaded.

Daniel Kramer notes in that last link that Martin has thrown 37.8% of his pitches while behind in the count, 2nd-highest in MLB with a minimum of 250 pitches thrown.

*Framber Valdez took over and rightly got the win, throwing 4IP, 2H/0ER, 3K:2BB. Framber's last six appearances: 11.1IP, 8H/2R (1ER), 8K:7BB.

*Tonight and tomorrow night's games start at 9:10pm Central. The next 9pm start after Wednesday is July 15.

*The Astros are seeing progress from Springer, Diaz, and Altuve, but especially Springer.

*Jack Mayfield will get some reps at 1B.

*Buster Olney: The Astros offered Dallas Keuchel a 1yr/$15m deal in Spring Training which I don't think he accepted. Could be wrong, tho.

*From The Ringer's Ben Lindbergh and Travis Sawchik: How the Houston Astros Disrupted Player Development to Become MLB's Model Franchise.

*Qatari businessman Nasser el-Khelaifi - chairman of Paris St. Germain - is in advanced talks to buy a huge stake in Leeds United. While an influx of cash would be welcome as Leeds tries to join the Premier League next season, it's problematic from a human rights standpoint and what happens if Leeds and PSG meet in the Champions League !!!2!!

*Be sure to check out this Texas Monthly interview with Okkervil River's Will Sheff.

*We are nowhere close to the limits of athletic performance.

*A Musical Selection:

Saturday Morning Hot Links

Peacock was solid, the defense was stellar, and Reddick and Fisher made sure the Astos beat Oakland 3-2.

*Houston is 38-20, 16-12 on the road. It's their 17th comeback win this season. They are now 6-17 when trailing to begin the 7th Inning.

*Since the beginning of 2015 Houston is 52-30 against Oakland.

*Houston is 16-5 against the AL West so far this year. Four of those losses are at Arlington, a place in which the Astros only have four more games this season.

*The Astros are 9-4 in their last 13 road games. And it's their 9th straight series-opening win.

*Brad Peacock threw 6IP, 5H/2ER, 3K:3BB. Peacock's last five starts: 29IP, 17H/3ER, 35K:9BB. 0.93 ERA / 0.90 WHIP.

*Josh Reddick hit his 5th home run of the season. The Astros are 29-4 in games in which Josh Reddick hits a home run.

*Derek Fisher hit his 10th career home run, the go-ahead homer in the 8th Inning. Four of those home runs have come in Oakland. And his last four home runs dating back to April 2018 have all been against the A's. Hinch, on guys like Fisher, Straw, and Mayfield:
They're doing everything they can to make good impressions. They're really happy to be in the big leagues. There's a lot of talent in this organization. We built that depth. It's coming in handy now.

Mayfield made an impressive diving stop in the 7th with a runner on 3rd to keep the game at 2-2. Mayfield:
It was awesome how pumped everyone else was for me and it really made me feel good. I was just happy this team came away with the win. Fisher with the big home run. This team is awesome to be on. I'm just glad to be able to help out.

*Alex Bregman ends May with a .265/.386/.560 slash line. Here's how he ended May in previous seasons:

2018: .262/.380/.419
2017: .264/.323/.429

OR Bregman's OPS, by calendar month, career:
April: .765
May: .902
June: .914
July: .908
August: .908
September: .881

*The Correa Injury has officially become stupid. Here's the YouTube video, in which Correa lifts up his shirt to show that no, it was not domestic violence:



*Some injury updates:
-Jose Altuve took some grounders
-Aledmys Diaz and George Springer ran and "swung the bat" some
-Collin McHugh had a "symptom-free" catch
-Joe Smith (Achilles) threw 20 pitches in live BP.

*Jake Kaplan on Brent Strom: The Stromfather. And while we're at it, while The Athletic is rejecting pitch after pitch of mine, Jake Kaplan does a great job here of explaining how the Astros' minor-league affiliates are nurturing the swing-and-miss of their respective pitching staffs. Count this as a preview for next week's draft.

*It's the first MLB Draft without Mike Elias, here's how the front office plans to alter their approach. In a philosophical shift from the last couple of years, the Astros may turn to high school pitchers in Monday-Wednesday's MLB draft. Reminder that we keep an updated Draft Tracker with financial info here.

*ICYMI: What I learned in Twitter time-out.

*Bob Nightengale: It's up to the fans to force clubs' rules on netting the foul lines.

*Here's a preview of E60's piece on Former Astros Great/Traitor Alex Cora, coming Sunday morning.

*Former Astros Great Joe Musgrove has not had a great week. The Astros traded Joe Musgrove (and others) for Gerrit Cole. Here's Connor Byrne on Pittsburgh's return for Gerrit Cole.

*Former Astros Great Dallas Keuchel could be ready "within a week" of signing with an MLB team, once the draft pick compensation deadline passes at midnight on Monday, says Glorified Hype Man Scott Boras.

*SI's Jon Tayler on likely 1-1 pick Adley Rutschman, a generational catching talent.

*From 4th Place NL Cy Young winner in 2018 to Demoted To Triple-A in 2019.

*A Spring school bus driver said that she hasn't had a drink in years but couldn't even pass a field sobriety test now because it's hard. Seems fair.

*17th century Mexico City had a Chinatown.

*If I make it through graduation today, I will have survived working in a public school without getting shot for five years.

*A Musical Selection:

Wednesday Morning Hot Links

Hey guys it's Flick. Remember me? Well here I am! It's been one full week since I've done the links but thanks to James for covering for me as I'm just enjoying some down time and making sure I don't burnout. I don't know how he does this every day.

During my break, while also working, watching the Astros, and playing some video games, I am have completed the first stages of the longread that I create once a year of comparing the current Astros teams to other things. This yearly tradition went from a small Twitter thread and grew into these massive articles you see now, and I think this year's is going to be the largest and most in-depth piece yet, so stay tuned for that sometime in June.

Anyways, the Astros defeated the Cubs once more, this time winning 9-6. Notes:
Bregman: 2-4, 2 HR, 3 RBI
Stubbs: 2-4, RBI
Fisher: 1-4, RBI, SB
Rondon/Pressly/Osuna: 3 IP, 2 H, 0 ER, 1 BB, 6 K

Full Box:

A.J. Hinch raked in his 500th career win. Here's what he had to say.

Alex Bregman is annoyed he isn't a better hitter than he already is.

Let's check in on the Astros Injury Wagon:
-Jose Altuve is back and playing in his rehab assignment after being scratched for multiple games after having "fatigue and soreness" in his injured leg. We aren't entirely sure exactly he will be back.
-Carlos Correa is currently being evaluated by doctors after being held out of yet another game last night.
-Collin McHugh was playing catch a couple days ago and his elbow was not feeling good, so it may be a little longer than expected for him to return back to the team.
-George Springer is out for the "foreseeable future" with his hamstring strain.
-Aledmys Diaz and Max Stassi were freshly placed on the IL, so we'll see them again likely in a couple of weeks.

Here's your All Star Game Ballot!

The Astros are so good right now that it's bonkers.

Keuchel is "open to" a 4 month 1 year, 18 million dollar contract.

Aledmys Diaz has found himself a great home in Houston.

The Astros sold a lot of hot dogs out there last night.

A Canadian woman held a plank for a world-record length 4 hours and 20 minutes.

On This Day in Baseball History

In 2000, Randy Velarde pulled off the 10th unassisted triple play in Major League history.

In 2010, Roy Halladay threw the 20th perfect game in major league history.

In 2010, Kendrys Morales broke his ankle after jumping on home plate following a walk-off grand slam, ending his season.

Wednesday Morning Hot Links

I (Flick Nickem) was at work until 11:30 pm. I have no idea what happened in our last game. Tonight's notes are for me.

Springer: 2-3, Inside-the-Park HR. Hey! Cool!!
Correa: 2-5, HR, 3 RBI
Diaz: 2-3, HR, 3 RBI
Miley: 6 IP, 7 H, 4 ER, 2 BB, 5 K
McHugh: 2 IP, 0 H, 0 BB, 4 K

Full Box:

A.J. Hinch is hopeful that Jake's elbow will be healthy enough to start tomorrow.

The Astros have now extended their win streak to 7. They are outscoring their opponents 61-16 in those 7 games. Brian Arbour, a fellow contributor to astroscounty.com, wrote a piece last night talking about the 4 main reasons that the Astros are winning big.

Bregman and Springer have hit 28 home runs this season. The Tigers have hit 32 as a team.

The Astros are returning to their scary good form, writes Sports Illustrated.

USA Today has the Astros atop their MLB Power Rankings.

Here are the top 10 most memorable moments of the season thus far, as ranked by the Crawfish Boxes.

Joe Smith threw his first bullpen session since his surgery and is still on track to return around the All-Star Break.

Justin Verlander talks about his nerves about going back in Detroit.

Speaking of JV, he is currently leading the race for the AL Cy Young.

Aledmys doesn't seem to stop producing.

The reason Dallas Keuchel hasn't gone anywhere yet? Teams would lose their draft picks.

Adam Jones walk-up song is the screaming cowboy. This guy is the absolute best.

The most mispronounced word in the English language is..."karaoke"

On This Day in Baseball History

In 1941, Joe DiMaggio started his 56 game hitting streak.

In 1960, Don Cardwell pitched a no-hitter in his first game after being traded to the Cubs.

In 1973, Nolan Ryan threw his first of many no-hitters against the Royals.

In 1981, Len Barker threw the 11th perfect game in MLB History.

In 2015, Jose Bautista hit 4 home runs in 5 ABs: 1 on 5/14, and 3 on 5/15.

As we all know, musical selections aren't my thing when I do my write-ups, but I'm way too hooked on the new Silversun Pickups song. For this reason, I would like to share it with you. Probably my favorite song to come out of 2019 this year (just edging out Young the Giant's "Superposition")

Wednesday Morning Hot Links

'Stros got torched. Notes:

Tyler White pitched.
Orbit took the Iron Throne.
Nothing good happened.

A.J. Hinch talks Collin McHugh
Collin McHugh talks Collin McHugh


Carlos Correa changed his gameday routines, and it seems to be working.

Do the Astros have the best outfield in baseball?

How will the Astros keep their creativity a secret to the league in the organization? ($)

Inside the struggles of Jose Altuve:

Jake Marisnick "defended the wall" in the latest bobblehead giveaway last night, and I can only assume that it is a cool, clever reference.

The Hooks are hot, and it's Josh Rojas, Chas McCormick, and Colin McKee's fault.

The asking price for Dallas Keuchel is dropping, and Keuchel isn't settling. Will he sit the whole year?

Cindy Saenz, an Astros employee, will be the honorary batgirl in Sunday's fight against breast cancer day.

The color blue is rare in nature, and scientists found out why.

The insane man won a Tetris 99 game while dropping his pieces to the beat.

On This Day in Baseball History

In 1968, 23 year old Catfish Hunter threw a perfect game against the Twins.

In 1992, the Astros Butch Henry became the only player to ever get an inside-the-park home run for their first MLB hit.

In 1998, Mark McGwire hit his 400th career home run.

In 2001, Randy Johnson became the 3rd player ever to strike out at least 20 men in a game.

In 2011, Mike Sciosia won his 1,000th game for the Angels.

Tuesday Morning Hot Links

The Astros beat the Royals in a one-game rematch of 2015 ALDS G4. Since Houston won, they went on to beat the Blue Jays in the ALCS and the Mets in the World Series. 2017 was their 2nd World Series title in franchise history. That's just how it is. Houston is 21-14 and have won three straight games for the first time since May 14-16.

*The Astros are 11-3 at home.

*It was Jose Altuve's birthday and went 0x3. He is 4x22 in the Majors on his birthday.

*George Springer, Carlos Correa, and Robinson Chirinos each hit a home run. Correa was 3x4 and had the only hit of the game w/RISP, and is on a career-high 16-game hitting streak. Brian McTaggart notes Correa's post-game routine to keep his back healthy. Correa:
When it comes to my body, I spend a lot of time every single day stretching and doing everything that I need to do in order for me to be able to stay healthy every day. That's why you don't see me after games. It takes me an hour in order for me to do my routine and wake up the next day feeling good.

Correa has homered in back-to-back games for the second time this season. He did it twice in 2018, before the back injury. Maybe, just maybe, Correa was hurting really badly when he came off the Injured List and IT HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH HIS FIANCE AT ALL.

Chirinos:
You guys have seen this before, it's not something new. I feel like this lineup from one to nine can do damage. Even the guys on the bench.

*The Astros' eleven home runs over the last three games are tied for the 3rd-most in franchise history in a three-game stretch. They hit 13 home runs over three games in September 2000, 12 in three games in August 2000, and 11 in September 2012 and May 2015.

*Houston has hit 3+ home runs in three straight games for the 9th time in franchise history. The record is 3+ home runs in four straight games, which they did from August 13-16, 2000.

*It was Springer's 27th career lead-off home run. He's now over halfway to Craig Biggio's franchise mark of 53.

*The Astros put up six runs despite getting a combined 0x7 out of Altuve and Brantley.

*Gerrit Cole got the win with 6.1IP, 7H/4ER, 9K:0BB, 2HR. He has allowed 23ER this season and ten of those runs have come via the home run. Last night's two home runs allowed were each with a man on base, the first two not-solo home runs he has allowed all year. Cole:
I was glad I got through the first. I was clean, I was focused, so that was good. I thought the stuff was good and the command was good. Those two fastballs were just unfortunate.

Cole, 9+ K / 0 BB starts, by year:
2013: 0
2014: 1
2015: 1
2016: 0
2017: 1
2018: 4
2019: 3

Gerrit Cole, 98mph Fastball (foul) and 82mph Knuckle Curve (bends the knee/K), Individual Pitches + Overlay. pic.twitter.com/AvQr4KqrQU

— Rob Friedman (@PitchingNinja) May 7, 2019

*Roberto Osuna threw 1IP, 0H/0ER, 1K:0BB. Since allowing an earned run on April 5, Osuna has thrown 11.1IP, 1H/0ER, 7K:0BB. He has retired 43 of the 46 batters he has faced in 2019.

*Check out Jake Kaplan's mailbag in The Athletic, in which he talks rotation upgrades and Yordan.

*Speaking of The Athletic, here's Jonah Keri's indispensable The 30 power rankings post, which sees the Astros sitting at 2nd, behind the Rays.

*Justin Verlander had some thoughts:

Justin Verlander on juicing the balls: "Did they do it again? I don't fucking know. The balls don't lie. This game's been around for 125-odd years. We've had the dead-ball era. Now, we're past the live-ball era, we're in a different generation."

— Chandler Rome (@Chandler_Rome) May 6, 2019

*Derek Fisher was unsurprisingly sent back to Round Rock yesterday. He just got, like, a free trip to Monterrey. Let's all be Derek Fisher.

*Yeah, the Astros want to go back to Mexico.

*Yordan Alvarez was the PCL Player of the Week. He hit .591 last week. Yesterday he went 2x4 with a walk, a double, and a solo home run - his 13th of the year - in a 6-5 Round Rock win.

*

"He flips over the wall! Did he catch it?"

YES HE DID! @Chazzyfizz makes the catch of the year to rob a home run and end the inning! #SCtop10 pic.twitter.com/D6TPSfIkGf

— Corpus Christi Hooks (@cchooks) May 6, 2019

*Yahoo's Tim Brown interviewed Dallas Keuchel. It is typical Keuchel: thoughtful, measured:
This was not the plan at all. I would love to be out there playing ball and helping a team win. Because, to my career at this point, I've done more winning than I have losing and at a much higher clip. So what team wouldn't want me to be out there? Am I the best at this point in time? No. But am I more than or better than some of the offers I've been given? Absolutely. That's not me being greedy. That's just my compensation in the market from what the analytical data is telling me.

*Check out Ken Rosenthal's article on Gary Denbo, a noted ass hole and Derek Jeter's right-hand man in Miami.

*The Hardball Times' Mike Bates: Ted Turner and the Rise of a New Kind of Baseball Owner.

*Hurricane Harvey victims got their day in court.

*Fast Company: The $70b quest for a good night's sleep.

*Vice: We Will Always Be In Search For Ian Curtis.

*A Musical Selection:

Friday Morning Hot Links

I'm giving Flick a break this long weekend, so he can actually rest before he has to go through Finals.

*The Astros were off last night. If you count Opening Day, the Astros are 4-0 following an off-day in 2019.

*The Astros were off April 11, 15, and 18. Then they play 26 games in 27 days. A.J. Hinch talks about carrying an extra position player during this random stretch of off-days.

*Jake Kaplan says McHugh/Miley/Peacock are the steadiness the rotation needs after an off-season of turnover.

*The Astros will have the 3rd-lowest draft pool in the 2019 Amateur Draft, at $5,355,100.

*After 14 road games to start 2019, it was finally the home opener in Fayetteville at Segra Stadium. They lost, 7-5. Seth Beer hit his 2nd home run of the season, as did 2017 39th Round pick Colton Shaver.

*Before you go judging pitching performances at Round Rock, note that all of Triple-A is experimenting with a new baseball in which early returns are projecting a 1,200 Home Run increase from 2018 to 2019. Jake Kaplan looks at how the Astros are planning to manage Forrest Whitley's workload.

*Yordan Alvarez is hitting .318/.455/.841. Kyle Tucker is hitting .109/.180/.217. Jonathan Mayo answers a question about Alvarez replacing Tucker on the prospect list. Alvarez is 21, Tucker is 22. We're lucky to have them both.

*Mike Rosenbaum and Jim Callis mention the possibility that J.B. Bukauskas is the Astros' closer of the future. Coincidentally, last night Bukauskas started for Corpus, throwing 2.1IP, 3H/6ER, 1K:5BB.

Bukauskas, 2019: Three starts, 8IP, 16H/17ER, 7K:12BB. 19.13 ERA / 3.50 WHIP. He has thrown 211 pitches, 113 for strikes (53.6%).

*Noted Boras Shill Jon Heyman reports that Dallas Keuchel would be interested in a 1-year deal to reset his value, and mentions the Brewers, Phillies, Padres, and Astros as a potential destination.

*SI: The 6-13 Red Sox, currently behind the Orioles, are desperate for answers.

*One more link to The Athletic: David Aldridge talked to Michael Jordan about watching Tiger.

*ESPN: The fake jobs MLB players reference in order to not tell Randos they're MLB players.

*WSJ: The All-Star pitcher who bought a food truck and plans on using recipes from his favorite hometown restaurant.

*FanGraphs' Rachael McDaniel: The 17-Year Old Boy in the 16-Foot Boat.

*The Ringer's Claire McNeal: Big Bets and Fast Buzzers: The Secret of James Holzauer's "Jeopardy" Success.

*Hashtag United - a team created by a YouTuber - just won their league and are eight short leagues away from the Premier League.

*A Musical Selection:

Sunday Morning Hot Links

The Astros beat the Mariners 3-1 last night to extend their winning streak to eight games, and move to 10-5. They are ridiculous right now, and we are all here for it. The Astros scored first Verlander turned in a great performance and Jose Altuve hit a home run in his fifth consecutive game. Everything is awesome. [Saves feelings for a random losing streak]. Houston is 10-5.

Six MLB teams have 10 wins: Tampa Bay, Milwaukee, Seattle, Houston, Oakland, and San Diego.  Four of them are in the AL, and three are in the AL West.

*Astros' longest win streaks, by year:
12: 2018, 2004
11: 2017
10: 2015
9: 2006
8: 2019, 2008
7: 2016, 2014, 2010, 2005, 2003, 2002
6: 2013, 2000
5: 2012, 2007, 2001
4: 2011, 2009

*Jose Altuve hit his 6th home run in his last five games. It's his 7th of the season. Jose Altuve home runs/PAs, career:

2011: 1HR / 117 PAs
2012: 1HR / 90 PAs
2013: 1HR / 134.4 PAs
2014: 1HR / 101 PAs
2015: 1HR / 45.9 PAs
2016: 1HR / 29.9 PAs
2017: 1HR / 27.6 PAs
2018: 1HR / 46.1 PAs
2019: 1HR / 9.4 PAs

Morgan Ensberg has the Astros' franchise record for consecutive games with a home run, at six. Altuve could tie it tomorrow. The good news? Altuve says it's not on purpose.

Altuve is the first player in 2019 to homer in five straight games. There are only eight other instances in MLB History since 1908 that a 2B has hit a home run in five straight games. Altuve:
I'm not the power hitter that we're all seeing right now, but I'll take it. If I can keep hitting homers for my team, I'll be happy.

Verlander, on Altuve:
He can carry this ballclub. He was the MVP for a reason. To see him go out there and be healthy, nobody wants to dwell on negatives, but what he was going through behind the scenes last year that nobody was really aware of, it really speaks volumes to his character and the person that he is. But to see him healthy again and performing how we know he can perform, it's a big boost.

*Robinson Chirinos hit his 2nd home run of the season.

*Justin Verlander threw 6IP, 2H/1ER, 11K:0BB. Verlander has made 381 career MLB starts. This was his 10th start with 11K:0BB in his career. Six of them have come with the Astros and Houston is somehow now 3-3 in those games. Verlander's 103rd pitch came in at 99mph. Verlander:
I kind of felt like a couple tempo things, the way I'm going through my windup, the way I'm carrying my hands, a few of the things I've been tinkering with, today it all clicked.

Chandler Rome: JV v King Felix was a throwback game.

*Ryan Pressly has pitched in 32 games for the Astros in his career.
30IP, 14H/2ER, 40K:3BB. That's a 0.60 ERA / 0.57 WHIP and a 13.3333 K:BB ratio. It's okay, I guess.

*Roberto Osuna: 1IP, 0H/0ER, 1K:0BB. He has pitched in six games in the last nine days.

*Seattle has now lost back-to-back games for the first time this season. Houston held the Mariners to a season-low four hits and a season-low one run. Whomstever could have envisioned that playing two games in Japan and then seven games against the White Sox and Royals would result in some wins. Scrubs.

*Felix Hernandez, 2007-2014: 7GS,44IP, 43H/9ER, 49K:12BB, 1.84 ERA / 1.28 WHIP.
  Felix Hernandez, 2015-pres.: 7GS, 33.1IP, 48H/29ER, 30K:11BB. 7.83 ERA / 1.77 WHIP.

Wonder what changed.

*Carlos Correa checks his Exit Velocity after each game and is more cognizant of his pre-game and off-day rituals. Read this MLB.com story. Correa:
Every time I get a hit, I come in and ask, 'What was the exit velo?' Last year, it was hard for me to hit balls over 105. I would crush baseballs and I would come in and they were like, '102.' I'm like, 'What?'

*Yordan Alvarez hit a 485-foot home run.

*Framber Valdez will remain in the bullpen for Round Rock for the time being.

*Mike Puma reports that there's a contest to see who is more desperate: Dallas Keuchel, or the Mets.

*FanGraphs: Here's why the Ozzie Albies deal is terrible.

*Leeds United 1 Sheffield Wednesday 0. Leeds are three points clear of automatic promotion to the Premier League with four to play.

*Elsik was down 2-0 at halftime and came back to win 3-2. Next stop: State, to defend their title.

*Wired: How the Boston Marathon messes with runners to slow them down.

*This dude makes about $40,000 a year driving for Uber.

*A Musical Selection:

Thursday Morning Hot Links

It is now Opening Day. Depending on when you are reading this, there are mere hours until the beginning of the 2019 season. Opening Day is finally here. A day where everyone starts out level and every a lot of team teams at least start with a chance at playing in October. Will there be losses? Of course. Will the Astros infuriate us? Of course. But will they amaze and entertain us? Most definitely. It's here, my dudes. The longest off-season in recorded history is behind us. Our livers are (mostly) intact. Let's go watch them win another one.

*Today is Verlander vs. Snell. And with DeGrom and Scherzer also going, it's the first time in MLB History that 1 and 2 in the previous season's Cy Young voting face each other on Opening Day.

Justin Verlander's previous Opening Day starts: 58IP, 46H/26ER, 60K:20BB, 4.03 ERA / 1.14 WHIP. Eight of those runs came on Opening Day 2009 at Toronto.

*Let's pick it up with the first of what will be a weekly look at odds and postseason chances:
-FiveThirtyEight (98-64): 86% to make the playoffs, 74% to win the division, 16% to win the World Series. It's the best chance of any AL team to win another World Series.
-FanGraphs (97-65): 95.4% to make the playoffs, 90.2% to win the division, 17.8% to win the World Series, just behind the Yankees.
-Baseball Prospectus (94-68): 93.4% to make the playoffs, 85% to win the division, 14.9% to win the World Series, highest of any team.

*Allow me to drop some predictions of my own:
-105-57
-Bregman hits 38 home runs.
-Correa hits .310.
-Michael Brantley has 110 RBI.
-Altuve reclaims his Hits title.
-Forrest Whitley wins five games for Houston this year.

*Sports Illustrated's Jack Dickey has your 2019 Astros season preview. Four of nine "Baseball Experts" from SI picked the Astros to win it all. And here are The Ringer's 2019 Predictions, in which all five experts have the Astros winning the AL, and four of them picking the Astros to throw another parade at the end of October.

*The Astros rank #2 in ESPN's Opening Day Power Rankings.

*Robert Ford spent about 20 minutes with ESPN 1660 and talked all things Astros.

*Jeff Luhnow previewed the 2019 Astros on 790.

*Chandler Rome has the two most important factors for the 2019 Astros: Health, and SPs 3-5.

*Jake Kaplan has five questions for the Astros going into 2019.

*Brian T. Smith wonders where Dallas Keuchel is.

*The Astros have set their minor-league rosters.

*Jake Kaplan has ten prospects who could impact the 2019 Astros.

*Noted Asshat Stefan Stevenson remarks that the Rangers "still run Texas" because they have more Texas counties (148) in which the majority of the population identify as Rangers fans, as opposed to Astros fans (98). This ridiculous exercise is courtesy of something called Vivid Seats includes Loving County (pop. 74), King County (pop. 289), Borden County (pop. 602), etc.

*One former prospect who won't is Houston's 2009 44th Round pick Michael Schurz, who was arrested for online solicitation of a minor.

*Aaron Gleeman projects the next decade's biggest superstars, featuring Altuve, Correa, and Bregman.

*FanGraphs' Sheryl Ring: Minor-league players might actually get a raise.

*From 2013: Sam Miller in Baseball Prospectus - Mark Reynolds is Totally Blind.

*Bayern and Real Madrid will play at NRG Stadium on July 20.

*The Man with the Last Perfect Bracket.

*A Musical Selection: