Friday Morning Hot Links

It's Friday everybody and you know what that means. Yep, it means Flick does your Hot Links, so prepare your bones for about 10-12 Astros related articles, a couple offbeat stories, and a few things that happened on this day in baseball!

The Astros did not play last night but depending on what Oakl-- wait. What.

Well, its back to a 3.5 game lead for Houston as we await the Angels. A miniature preview provided by Yahoo can be found here.

There are 10 games left in the season and the Astros need to go at least 5-5 to join the elusive 100-win club. Reminder: it's the Angels, Blue Jays, and Orioles left.

2018 just might be the best year of Astros baseball yet.

Reid Ryan makes it official: A.J. Reed will be playing in Round Rock.

No spoilers but they made a great choice for Best Astros Rookie.

It's time to play the cryptic game that is which pitchers will be playing for the Astros in October. It's quite the problem to have.

Josh James and Kyle Tucker were named Astros Minor League Pitcher and MVP respectively.

Dallas Keuchel isn't thinking about free agency right now, which I didn't think he would be.

Phillies targeting Charlie Morton in free agency this offseason?

Here's your feel-good story of the day.

You're the GM - Astros Edition!

Mike Fast has left the Astros, per McTaggart.

Alex Cora's first test as manager starts now.

Orbit, once again, was causing only the best mischief on Wednesday night.

Here's an article that is a crazy stats-lovers dream. It's about Ryan Pressly.

Bill Brown sits down with The Athletic to talk life after broadcasting. ($)

Amazon is making smart-microwaves and I absolutely do not understand the appeal for this. Don't worry, your smart fridge, blender, toaster, grill, and coffee pot, will be on the way soon.

Delaware has brand new "DMV Selfie Zones." I mean honestly what else can I say about this that will make this situation any better?

On This Day in Baseball History

In 1956, the Yankees left an MLB record 20 men on base in a 13-7 loss to the Red Sox.

In 1964, the Phillies lost to the Reds 1-0 after Chico Ruiz stole home. This was the game that started the Philly Phold.

In 1966, the Cubs beat the Reds 9-3. 530 fans attended the game at Wrigley Field, the smallest crowd in field history.

In 1988, the Astros beat the Braves 1-0 after Bob Knepper threw a complete game one hitter against Pete Smith, who also threw a complete game. 

In 2001, the Mets return to Shea Stadium for the first time since 9/11.

In 2008, Mariano Rivera closed Yankee Stadium.

In 2009, Cecil Cooper was fired as manager of the Houston Astros. He was replaced by Third-base coach Dave Clark.

Brad Ausmus hired Dave Clark

So yesterday we told you that Dave Clark had accepted the managerial position for the Brewers' Double-A team. Turns out that's not 100% accurate. According to MLB.com's Adam McCalvy:

The Brewers have tabbed Astros first-base coach Dave Clark to be the next manager at Double-A Huntsville, pending the standard medical and background checks that could push an official announcement to the middle of this month.

Well, in the middle of all that administrative stuff it seems as though Brad Ausmus plucked Clark from the Brewers and installed him as a coach on the Tigers' staff.

#Tigers announce return of Jeff Jones as pitching coach and addition of Dave Clark as 3B coach/OF instructor.
— Ken Rosenthal (@Ken_Rosenthal) November 6, 2013

 Cool gig, Clark. 

Dave Clark to be new Brewers minor-league manager

Former First Base Coach Dave Clark has accepted a job with the Brewers as the manager of Double-A Huntsville. Clark was the interim manager of the Astros after Cecil Cooper was fired, and interviewed for the vacant position that Brad Mills got in time for the 2010 season. He was a candidate for the Pittsburgh managerial role that eventually went to Clint Hurdle in 2011. Clark had been with the Astros organization since 2005 and led Corpus Christi to its first ever Texas League championship in 2006.

And in other, former Astros managing minor-league teams, news: Phil Nevin will be the manager of the Triple-A Reno Aces. 

Astros coaching carousel

First base coach Dave Clark and bullpen coach Dennis Martinez were fired yesterday, and Doug Brocail was moved from pitching coach into a Special Assistant to the GM role.

Luhnow:
I think the reality is we did not perform the way we wanted to. It's nobody's fault, but we came to the conclusion that bringing in a few new and different voices would help.

The struggles among the pitching staff are well-documented, and given that the 2013 Astros had the Worst Bullpen Ever In The History Of Baseball, it's easy to see that someone was going to take the fall for it. Luhnow says Martinez was let go so the new pitching coach could have a say in the hiring of the bullpen coach.

Brocail will oversee the development of the pitching prospects in the Astros system, and the Astros would like to have a coach who has played middle infield (roving instructor Adam Everett?):
One thing we're lacking is a coach that's had middle infield experience...That's probably going to be high on our list, probably someone who can bring along Villar and Altuve.

Via Fox26, Luhnow said of Clark:
It was difficult (to let Clark go)...At the end of the day, he's an outfield-baserunning instructor. Those are both Bo's strengths. 

Everyone will come back in 2012!

Everybody on the Astros' coaching staff will return in 2012, according to Ed Wade - even if he doesn't.

Wade:
"We think they’ve done a really solid job when you take into consideration that we have so many different developing players on this team."

The only one who hasn't accepted is pitching coach Doug Brocail, who needs to check with his wife:
“Right now, I just have to sit down with Mama (his wife) and the kids. Everybody knows I love the job and big league jobs don’t come every day, but I told her I’d sit down with her and we’d figure out something that’s hopefully compatible and go from there.”

Thoughts?

Charlie Manuel tried to warn Dave Clark, but Dave Clark didn't listen

David Murphy's Phillies Notebook for today has a funny little anecdote from the opening series in Philadelphia:

"Myself, I liked Pence," the manager said. "Spring training. The start of the season. Last winter."

Manuel said he joked with Astros third-base coach Dave Clark when Houston was in Philadelphia to open the regular season.

"I've known him a long time," Manuel said. "I told him, 'I'm gonna get Pence.' He said, 'No you're not.'"

Employees of the Month: June 2011

Remember, Employees of the Month get 10% off in the Team Store, and get to park near the front. Let's go...

Houston Astros:
Carlos Lee - was 30x99 with 11K:15BB and 3HR, hitting .303/.388/.505 in June.

Bud Norris - went 2-2 (somehow) with a 2.53 ERA/1.03 WHIP, allowing 20H/9ER, 27K:13BB in 32IP. Opponents hit .183/.270/.229.

Oklahoma City:
Drew Locke - hit .309/.377/.509, with seven extra-base hits.

Wesley Wright - In 17IP, allowed 13H/5ER, 13K:7BB, and opponents hit .213 against him.

Corpus:
Jose Altuve - Who else? In 27 games he got 40 hits, hitting .364/.383/.564.

Dallas Keuchel - In 33IP Keuchel allowed 24H/8ER, 22K:8BB, getting a 2.40 GB/FB ratio.

Lancaster:
Kody Hinze - Unbelievable. Three straight months with an OPS above 1.000, and June was his best so far. Hit .357/.505/.690, with eight homers, 20K:24BB.

Kirk Clark - In ten games (12.2IP), allowed 7H/2ER, 9K:1BB.

Lexington:
Tyler Burnett - This was a difficult choice, but Burnett hit .286/.375/.377 with 11 walks in June

Jason Chowning - In 14.1IP, he allowed 13H/3ER, 12K:3BB.

Next month we'll hit up Tri-City, Greeneville, and the GCL Astros.

Pittsburgh likes Dave Clark

Dave Clark's name is getting thrown around as a possible replacement for the dearly departed John Russell in Pittsburgh.

Pittsburgh Post-Gazette's Bob Smizik:
There is one ex-Pirate who deserves consideration but not because he once played and coached here. That would be Dave Clark, the third-base coach of the Houston Astros. He has minor-league managerial experience and served as interim manager of the Astros at the end of the 2009 season.

Clark would probably be interested and should be interviewed.

And the PPG's Chuck Finder:
Clark, like Sveum a fixture as a Pirates player and in the past decade as a coach, expressed interest in the Pirates opening.

Clark, on the Pirates:
"They're fun to watch. They're not a finished product yet, but you can see the direction they're going. They got some real good, young players over there. I tell you what, I think the future is going to be pretty bright."

Bourn: Started running

Hey, so Michael Bourn has started running again, but is not close to baseball activity.

Within McTaggart's notebook, we also read that Castro is going back to Stanford, and Dave Clark is looking forward to managing Licey in the Dominican Winter League, which will feature Josh Banks, Henry Villar, Anderson Hernandez, Alberto Arias, and Sammy Gervacio.

Astros extend Mills, other coaches

The Astros have extended the contracts of Brad Mills, Brad Arnsberg, Dave Clark, Bobby Meacham, Al Pedrique, and Jamie Quirk to a two-year extension.

Wade:
"We are extremely pleased with the jobs that all of our coaches have done this year. Brad Mills has set a great tone and the coaches have worked hand-in-hand with Millsie to make sure that the structure works, that the players are well-prepared and that we are taking advantage of every opportunity to get better. They all are true professionals."

Perhaps you noticed one prominent name missing: that of hitting coach Jeff Bagwell. What about it, Wade?
"When Jeff accepted the hitting coach's job during the season, he did so with an understanding that we would both have a chance to reassess the situation at season's end. We have clearly stated to Baggy that we want him to continue in the job and he wants to make sure that his family is on board before committing."

We couldn't be happier about this.

Dave Clark: Manager

Hey! Good for Dave Clark!

Clark will be managing the Licey Tigres in the Dominican Winter League this off-season.

Clark:
“I've always wanted to manage, and this will give me an opportunity to do something in the offseason. It gets me back in the saddle. I'm looking forward to it. This is another step to let people know that I am out there and still have interest in doing it.”

Dave Clark is AGGRESSIVE!

In today's Hot Stove U with ESPN, BP examines third-base coaches who send runners from 3rd base in a sacrifice situation. Only seven third-base coaches were perfect in sending runners without getting them thrown out at home...

And if you're good at context clues, you have probably already guessed that Dave Clark is one of those coaches.

Let the massaging of the other two candidates begin...

Sam Khan, Jr has a great article on the reaction of Phil Garner and Dave Clark. Well, the reaction of Phil Garner, and Drayton's reaction to Clark.

Garner:
"I'm happy for Brad Mills. It'll be his first managerial job. It's always exciting. It's a terrific opportunity for him and it's a fabulous organization he's coming into. It's one of the things that, when you look back on managerial careers, the ability to be in a good organization is what can help develop you into a great manager. You can be a great manager in a bad organization and not get very far."

Oooohhhh. Did he really say that? If the Chronicle prints it, it must be true. Continue:

"Sure, I'm disappointed. I had put my name in the hat because I felt I fit the criteria they put out there so in the end, yeah, I'm disappointed. In my case it doesn't change my life. I'm headed to the golf course right now and I'm going to play some golf. But I would have looked forward to the challenge. That's why I made the decision to get back into it. If it's not to be then it's not to be - that's OK."

And Drayton on Clark:
"I can't say enough good things about Dave Clark. Dave Clark is going to be a winner. I talked to him on the phone after we made the decision. I told him 'You're going to be a winner, you're going to be a major league manager. The only thing you need is a little more experience at the major league level.' That's the only ingredient that's missing with him. You know, it's just like a great medical student that graduated. He's not ready to go to the operating room. He has to be an intern for three years and get experience. And that's the only ingredient that Dave (needs). We're very anxious for Dave to continue to be with the Houston Astros. He's a winner."

That's a lot of "winner"s.

Response on Twitter

In a series of tweets by Alyson Footer and Brian McTaggart, we have some preliminary response from the Astros themselves:

Dave Clark, who will apparently remain 3rd base coach in 2010:
I'm going to give this guy every ounce of energy to make this ballclub better. Classy.

Lance Berkman:
He’s kind of an unknown to me, but I’m looking forward to getting to know him. I’ve heard great things.

Tim Bogar:
Brad is going to be everything everyone is looking for in a manager.

Hunter Pence:
I’m excited to look at the next chapter of the Astros and our season and hopefully we get moving in right direction

ESPN.com's Amy K. Nelson:
When I spoke to Mills on day after the Red Sox were eliminated, you could tell how excited he was for the chance to manage. Good for him.

Terry Francona:
Millsy embodies so much of what is good in baseball. For him to get an opportunity, it sure is exciting for all of us.

One of Alyson Footer's Red Sox Writer friends:
(He's) probably most organized coach I've ever been around. Had every day of Spring Training plotted out weeks in advance of camp. Big help to Francona on bench helping pitchers with pick off moves, aligning the defense."

Alyson Footer:
If they have someone who can align the defense they're already light years better off than they were in 2009. Light years.

Olney: Mills is front-runner

Within Buster Olney's blog this morning, he has some insight re: the Acta Situation (starring Matt Damon):

The knock on Acta, in his last year in Washington, was that he was too soft with players, that he didn't challenge them and call them on their mistakes enough. It may be that Acta didn't do that because, well, he saw they weren't very good. One way or another, he's going to have a better team in Cleveland, and we'll see how it goes...

...Look, if they really wanted Garner to come back, they would've already offered him the job, rather than Acta; Mills is the clear favorite now.

I think it was Sides the other day who commented that the Astros really wanted Acta or Mills, and were going through the motions out of respect/appearances for Clark and Garner. And it certainly looks like that's spot-on.

Garner out?

According to Smiley Rosenthal, maybe so.

One source suggested that Mills would be the choice, saying it would be "a surprise" if the Astros went back to Garner. A second source, however, said that Clark remains under consideration...

...The Astros would like to reach a decision before the start of the World Series on Wednesday, but their search remains a "work in progress," one source said. The team might even consider candidates other than Mills, Garner and Clark.

Que interesante.

Say what? Four finalists leaked.

Mark Berman is reporting (as well as Brian McTaggart) the four finalists for the managerial gig are as follows:

Phil Garner
Dave Clark
Brad Mills
Manny Acta

Acta and Mills were in Houston Wednesday for their second interviews with club officials and that group now includes Astros owner Drayton McLane who had been out of the country.

General Manager Ed Wade confirmed Acta's second interview. He did not confirm Mills was brought back again.

Surprised? I am. I thought Melvin would be in there for sure.

Now this is interesting. Jose de Jesus Ortiz has the following (from before the McTaggart, Berman stories):

Clark, who served as the interim manager for the final 13 games of the season, said he had not heard anything about a possible second interview as of late Wednesday afternoon. Neither had Pedrique, the club’s director of minor league operations.

As of Wednesday night, Acta, former Astros manager Phil Garner and Mills appeared like the front-runners.

Clark, on his interview

And Brian McTaggart also posted a series of tweets on what Clark said after his interview. In their entirety:

"It went well. You talk about a pressure cooker and being put on the hot seat...It’s going to be a fun atmosphere, it’s going to be a winning atmosphere...I think I’m the right man for the job.

And in more than 140-character bursts from JJO. Clark stressed his communication skills and familiarity with the organization.
"I think that one of my stronger points is communication. I always felt that I was a pretty good communicator. That will definitely be something that I will stress that will come from me and it will come from the coaching staff that will be put in place here because that’s what these players want. That’s what they need. They need to know what’s expected of them. … They need to know on an everyday basis we’re trying to win ballgames."

What about the list of other nine candidates?
“I really didn’t see it. I tried to stay away from it, to be honest with you. At this particular time, this particular moment this was – I don’t like to pat myself or talk about myself that much - but this was about me. Not about anyone else, me being given an opportunity to fulfill a goal, fulfill a dream for me and my family."

His strengths?
"I’ve paid a lot of dues with this organization and in this organization. I can also point out that players like playing for me. We can say that as well. I’m not going to brag on that. Like I said, I don’t solicit players to go to the papers and say the things that they’ve said about that. If they said that, hopefully they’re speaking from their heart. But it’s going to be a fun atmosphere. It’s going to be a winning atmosphere. Like I said earlier, we’re in the transition of getting this team back to prominence. As someone who’s been in the organization and someone who knows the philosophy of the organization, I think I’m that guy."

Clark, Pedrique speak

Some quotes from the first two candidates, Dave Clark and Al Pedrique, as they head into their interviews.

Clark:
“Let's get it on. I've been anxiously waiting for this day to come. My thing is to go in there and let them know my feelings toward the organization and some of the things I'd like to do when I'm named manager. We need to get back to that winning atmosphere, get back to that winning attitude. We feel there are a lot of kids that are in our minor league system that will be ready to play up here in a couple of years. The current team that we have right now, if we can just hold on — and by hold on I mean keep winning until these guys get here — these guys may be the guys that put us over the hump and keep us on top for many years.”

Pedrique:
“I feel very happy for this opportunity the organization is giving me. I'm waiting for my interview at 1:30 p.m. to see what the process will be in the interview and what the questions are and what they want to know about me regarding the organization's philosophy and my philosophy and what chances I have to manage the team. Yeah, I know the system pretty well. The last two years I dealt with the players and dealt with the staff in the minor leagues. It gave me a good feel for our minor league system. Last year as coordinator it gave me a good idea of the players that are in the minor league system.”

Of these two, who has the best chance?

McTaggart's Tale of the Tape on Clark and Pedrique

I was working on this, and McTaggart beat me to it. A comparison of Clark and Pedrique.

Notably, Clark:
Made managerial debut in 2003 at Class-A Lynchburg in Carolina League and was named league's Manager of the Year. In 2004, he managed at Class-A Hickory in the Pittsburgh organization and went 85-55 and won the South Atlantic League title. The Astros hired him in 2005 and he managed for three years at Double-A Corpus Christi, leading the Hooks to the 2006 Texas League title and winning Manager of the Year honors. He managed at Triple-A Round Rock in 2008 and went 64-79.

Al Pedrique, notably:
He managed for eight years in the Minors, posting back-to-back winning seasons in 2002-03 at Double-A Tucson in his final two seasons as skipper. He began managing in 1995 and guided the Astros' Class-A affiliate in Michigan in 1999-2000, winning the Midwest league title in 2000. He's also managed in the Venezuelan Winter League and the Arizona Fall League.