Sunday Morning Hot Links

The Astros...I just don't know anymore. Lance McCullers threw a magnificent outing for seemingly no real reason and the Astros rewarded him with exactly what they had done for the past few starts: 0 runs scored. The Gun Barrel City Rangers win 6-1. Houston is 29-30. If they do not win today, they will be the first team to make the playoffs with a record below .500. Making history is what it's all about. Sub-.500 flags fly forever. Morons. 

*McCullers: 4IP, 2H/0ER, 9K:2BB.

His last three starts: 17.2IP, 7H/0ER, 24K:4BB. 

And the Astros' "offense" scored zero runs in those 17.2IP. McCullers:

[You] can't take away games or innings, but you want to look at the large sample size. Subtract a 30-minute hump in early August, I'm rocking a sub-3.00 [ERA] in my last seven or eight starts, I think [it] indicates the pitcher I am. I'm really proud of myself this season.

The lineup did not feature Springer, Brantley, or Correa. 

*It was a little bit of a head-scratcher as to why Lance McCullers pitched last night, but it does set up Greinke in Game 1, Urquidy in Game 2, and McCullers for a potential Game 3 (or Game 1 of the 2nd Round - I don't know how many rounds of playoffs there are yet - in an ideal situation.) Today will apparently be a bullpen game. Framber will likely be deployed out of the bullpen, since he has experience doing that sort of thing.

*Brandon Bielak: 2IP, 5H/4ER, 3K:1BB.

*Rangers SP Kyle Gibson vs. Houston, 2020: 15IP, 10H/0ER, 13K:4BB. 0.00 ERA / 0.93 WHIP

SP Kyle Gibson vs Everybody Else, 2020: 52.1IP, 63H/40ER, 45K:26BB. 6.88 ERA / 1.70 WHIP

I hate Kyle Gibson.

*Chandler Rome: The lack of power and clutch hits have defined the Houston Astros. Hitting coach Troy Snitker, on the lack of in-game video:

That was one of the biggest strengths I felt we had as an offense. We had a bunch of guys who were willing to make adjustments in the game, they wanted to be coached in the game. They didn't want to go 0-for-4 or 0-for-3 before they changed something.

*Last night in playoff seedings!

The Mariners won both ends of a double-header. The Twins beat the Reds, the White Sox beat the Cubs, the Pirates beat the Cleveland Spiders. 

2. Minnesota: x

3. Oakland: -1

4. Chicago: -1

If all of these results hold, it would appear that the Astros would play Oakland in a three-game series. Nothing bad has ever happened when playing an important series in Oakland. 

*Thoughts and prayers with Gary Pettis, who has been diagnosed with multiple myeloma and will miss the rest of the season. Multiple myeloma is a form of cancer that develops in the plasma cell. Pettis is expected to make a full recovery. 

*Carlos Correa is happy with his defensive effort in 2020.

Going into last night's game, Correa was hitting .256/.320/.362 with 13 extra-base hits out of 51 total hits (25.5%) in 2020. For example, Adam Everett hit .248/.299/.357 for the Astros in his career with an XBH% of 28.4%.

Correa, 2015-2017: 1573 PAs, .288/.366/.498, 83 2B / 66 HR, 137 OPS+

Correa, 2018-2020: 1008 PAs, .255/.333/.447, 45 2B / 40 HR, 109 OPS+

*With Ryan Pressly's blown save appearance on Friday night, it gave him the requisite number of appearances for his $10m 2021 contract to vest.

*Former Astros Great Hunter Pence retired from baseball. The former 2nd Round pick by the Astros in 2004 went on to finish 3rd in the 2007 NL Rookie of the Year vote (behind Ryan Braun and Troy Tulowitzki), and had two All-Star appearances for the Astros before getting traded to Philadelphia. This is fun:

Pence was traded for Jarred Cosart. Cosart was traded - in part - for Jake Marisnick (who was traded for Blake Taylor and Kenedy Corona), Frances Martes, Colin Moran (who was traded, in part, for Gerrit Cole), and a 2015 Draft compensation pick that turned out to be Daz Cameron (who was traded, in part, for Justin Verlander).

Pence was traded for Jon Singleton, who did nothing much except hit no fewer than 14 of the most magnificent home runs you've ever seen.

Pence was traded for Josh Zeid, who was released after the 2014 season. 

Pence was traded for Domingo Santana, who in turn was traded to Milwaukee for Mike Fiers and Carlos Gomez. Gomez was released in August 2016. Fiers won a World Series with the Astros before getting signing as a free agent with Detroit and then burning down the Astros. 

Good trade all around!

*Jake Kaplan notes that with one additional walk, or one fewer PA, in 2018 or 2019, Kyle Tucker would have qualified for the Rookie of the Year race in 2020. How would he fare in voting?

*Brain-eating amoeba may be in Houston-area tap water, just in case you haven't 2020'd hard enough yet.

*I've been a vegetarian since the middle of May (a mixture of personal health, environmental, and moral concerns). So I love seeing that major restaurants are offering vegetarian options! Oh, wait. 

*Wired: The cheating scandal that ripped the poker world apart. Freakin Luhnow at it again...

*Leeds United plays Sheffield United at 6am today. GET UP.

*A Musical Selection:

Thursday Morning Hot Links

Well yesterday sure was something. The Astros scored three runs in the 8th inning to beat the South Oklahoma Rangers of Arlington 5-1 and then added Justin Verlander last night at the actual last possible minute. The Astros are 80-53. The Astros have an 11.5-game lead on the Angels for the division, and a 3.5-game lead on the Indians for the AL's best record. There are 29 games left.

The Astros finished August with an 11-17 record, after having lost 17 of their first 59 games of the season. They entered August with a 69-36 record, a 16-game lead in the division, and an 11.5-game lead on the Yankees for the best record in the AL. They dropped eight games in the AL standings this month. Glad it's over, for many reasons. 

The Game

First things first. Collin McHugh labored through 4.2IP, needing 91 pitches to hold the Rangers to 4H/1R (0ER), 3K:2BB. McHugh:

It's been a tough week. Obviously, we're really fortunate in so many ways, to have been able to escape the devastation that's actually happened in Houston. We've been away for a while, and we're all ready to get back home. 

Devenski, who threw 2.1 scoreless IPs:

It's been tough on me because, in all reality, we should be there. We should have been there from the start of this. 

A.J. Hinch got himself ejected for the first time this season arguing a catcher's interference call with home plate umpire Chris Segal when hey what's this here comes Joe West for some reason to save the day and toss Hinch. Hinch:

I understand he's protecting a younger umpire, but there was really no business for Joe to be involved in the argument. I didn't say anything that was necessary to get thrown out by the home plate umpires, and then Joe got involved and decided I was done for the day. It was just unnecessary.

*Alex Bregman, Jose Altuve, and J.D. Davis had two hits each. Derek Fisher came in for Carlos Beltran after he got hit in the foot and delivered a 2-run single. In August, Fisher was 10x61 with two extra-base hits. Beltran:

Good win. The most important thing is that we're going home and we're going to have a chance to be with our families, hopefully bring a little bit of joy to the city. A lot of people are going through tough times. 

Prediction: There will be at least four Astros on paternity leave come Summer 2018.

The Move(s)

*The Astros claimed Cameron Maybin off waivers yesterday. He doesn't hit a whole lot (.235/.333/.351 for the Angels this season, but he leads the AL with 29 stolen bases and will be a solid defensive replacement/pinch runner come October. McHugh:

He's a great athlete. We've seen him against us; I think he stole about 14 bases against us in a series. To have a guy like that - not only just another veteran presence, but a guy with athleticism and a guy who has been there before - I think it will be huge. 

Story checks out. In the June 9-11 series (Maybin played on June 9 and 11), he was 5x8 with two walks and six stolen bases. 

Hinch:

I said I got ejected just so I could make the call once we traded for him. I've got history with Cam; he's a great human, fun guy to be on our team. He's got a ton of speed and can play all three outfield positions. I'll work him in. 

It's a straight salary dump by the Angels, so the Astros will pay him about $1.6m for the rest of the season. 

*The Astros DFA'd Dayan Diaz. 

*Oh yeah, and then at the literal last minute they could possibly add him to the team, the Astros traded Franklin Perez, Daz Cameron, and Jake Rogers to the Tigers for Justin Verlander. Verlander and Upton wanted to go to the Cubs, but Tigers officials - who were at Verlander's home - told him the Cubs weren't offering enough. Jon Morosi has the breathless, sweaty/shaky hands details:

If you're going anywhere, the Tigers told Verlander, it's going to be Houston. With barely a minute to spare, Verlander agreed to leave the only organization he's ever known. 

*The deal was reported 18 minutes after the official deadline. Leading to super-stupid takes from idiots like this:

JUSTIN VERLANDER YOU CAN GO TO HELL, I HOPE YOU GET TO BE THE BEST PITCHER ON A 65-WIN TEAM AND I HOPE YOUR GIRL LEAVES YOU

— Thickie Don (@AstrosCounty) September 1, 2017

Cole Hamels and Justin Verlander can drink whiskey sours in the saddest, most scabies-ridden nightclub in America for all I care

— Thickie Don (@AstrosCounty) September 1, 2017

/yawns Astros Twitter is so stupid.

*Lookit Jim Crane being all snarky:

We thought the deal was dead. We had tried previously. He's a quality pitcher. I think he's excited to come. He was a little reluctant and eventually made the right decision. We got him for a couple of more years and the team's intact.

*I guess lots of people think his fiancee is pretty. 

*ESPN's David Schoenfield:

Given the unfathomable damage Hurricane Harvey has caused in Houston, the Astros will become America's Team as they go for the first World Series title, a rallying cry for the city and symbol of hope, much like the Yankees in 2001 after 9/11 and the Red Sox in 2013 after the Boston Marathon bombing. 

pic.twitter.com/flxAtiVSJZ

— Josh Reddick (@RealJoshReddick) September 1, 2017

*Jon Heyman begrudgingly fist-bumped the Astros:
The Astros, who've taken hits for being cautious in trades and kept their biggest prospect off-limits in all other deals, made the bold move their critics figured they'd never make, landing exactly the kind of big-time pitcher they needed for a team that's talented but whose best starting pitchers haven't proved their durability yet.

*Ken Rosenthal:
No player, no trade, no team can fix the wreckage left by Hurricane Harvey. But the addition of Verlander sure helps on the field. Maybe, just maybe, it will provide a figurative ray of sunshine off the field as well.

*Bob Nightengale reports that the Tigers will pay $8m annually for the rest of Verlander's contract, putting the Astros on the hook for $20m in 2018 and 2019. Buster Olney says the Astros' triggering his option for 2020 was not part of the deal.

As soon as my nipples die down we'll have a post on the financial impact of adding $20m to the payroll.

*JJ Cooper writes that both sides benefited from this deal. You can read his thoughts on Perez, Cameron, and Rogers.

Nice work Astros. Where farm system depth kicks in. Have an equivalent or better prospect for each guy they traded.

— JJ Cooper (@jjcoop36) September 1, 2017

*Because I need to get ready for work, here's my initial thoughts after four and a half hours of sleep:
This was the deal the Astros had to make. I don't know how much impact the hurricane had on the decision-making process, but the Astros will get today off to see their families and help out the community and go into what ought to be a raucous Minute Maid Park for a doubleheader on Saturday with Verlander in the dugout. This is a massive addition, a shot in the arms of the team and the city. Franklin Perez might turn out to be one of MLB's best pitchers but for a team that had been dragging ass since the trade deadline, this is the September Surprise they need. For everyone focused on winning multiple World Series titles, you have to win the first one first. If it backfires, no one can blame the front office. Trading for Verlander isn't a Kazmir/Gomez deal where you think, "If things break right, this might be okay." This is a slam dunk decision. Now I'm off to focus on my breathing.

Thursday Morning Hot Links

*The Astros won back-to-back games for the first time since July 24-25 after beating Arizona 9-5. They've won three of their last four games and are 74-46. Anaheim and Boston both won, so the Astros' lead remains at 12.5 and five games, respectively. There are 42 games left.

*Charlie Morton threw 6.1IP, 3H/1ER, 9K:4BB. He has recorded at least 18 outs in five of his seven starts since the All-Star Break.

*Hinch:
Every inning, it felt like we were putting some form of pressure on them. We stole a couple of bases, had some good baserunning plays, got some big hits, hit the ball out of the ballpark a couple of times. You do all of that in one nine-inning game, we're going to score a lot of runs.

*Carlos Beltran knocked the piss out of the ball in the 2nd inning for his longest Statcast-Tracked homer .

*The Diamondbacks cut the lead to 5-4 in the 8th when Luke Gregerson and James Hoyt combined to face eight batters and allowed 5H/4ER, 1K:0BB and 3HR.

Jose Altuve on his way to becoming 14th player with 4+ seasons of 200 hits and 40 doubles. Previous 13 are in the Hall of Fame.

— Richard Justice (@richardjustice) August 17, 2017

*Josh Reddick hit a 2-run home run in the 8th off lefty David Hernandez to cap the 4-run inning they needed to put the game away. It was Reddick's first home run off of a LHP since 2015.

Reddick, vs LHP, 2017: .301/.342/.370
Reddick, vs LHP, 2016: .155/.212/.155

Reddick, on the little slump the Astros have been in:
I think it's what we're used to seeing aside from the last week and a half hitting that speed bump. We all knew we were going to be alright, we were just tired of waiting. The last two games prove we can hop out of it at any given moment.

*Jose Altuve is thinking about the playoffs, not the MVP.

*FanGraphs: Alex Bregman is the Astros' unsung hero.

*Dayn Perry notes that we probably shouldn't be waiting on Justin Verlander to walk through that door. Luhnow agreed.

*Danny Knobler writes that Carlos Beltran could be the Astros' X-factor.

*The PTBNL in the Tyler Clippard deal is $1m.

*Carlos Correa is pleased with how this rehab thing is going. Correa:
No discomfort at all. I'm really happy about that.

*Meat Wagon update:
-Evan Gattis passed a concussion test
-AJ Hinch misses Will Haris
-McCullers will throw another bullpen session today
-McCann has right knee tendinitis
-Sipp could go on a rehab assignment soon
-Feliz threw his first bullpen session

*How GERORGE Springer ended up with the #4.

*The Astros used about a 12-year old logo for Arizona's on-deck circle.

*Cionel Perez made his Double-A debut and threw 0.2IP, 2H/1ER, 1K:3BB.

*Despite an 0x4 last night against Peoria, Daz Cameron is hitting .414/.478/.586 in 15 August games, .332/.397/.554 since the Midwest League All-Star Break.

*It's hard for rookies to get around NYC.

*The Atlanta Falcons will have a Chick-Fil-A in their new stadium. It will be closed on Sundays, a day on which the Falcons play seven out of eight home games.

Saturday Morning Hot Links + PreStros Report

*Yulieski Gurriel and Evan Gattis had 3x4 nights and sparked a comeback, bailing Morton out on Khris Davis' 1st inning homer. Astros comeback from a 3-0 and 4-3 deficit to win their 10th straight over Oakland, 9-4. The Astros were 7x14 w/RISP. Morton:
There are teams that score runs and there are teams that are gritty. There's a grit factor in this team that I've seen before on teams that are winners, that squeak it out no matter what. 

*Charlie Morton let Khris Davis drive in four runs on two homers, but got 21 outs for the first time since August 2015. The 12 strikeouts are a career-high, beating his 11K:1BB performance on June 25, 2014 against Tampa Bay, which was his only other 10+ K game. Hinch:
He just got stronger...as the game went along. As he built himself up, the velocity even came up a little bit. His conviction, his pitches got way better...He went from not really having an idea of where his pitches were going to the best he's been as a regular-season Astro. 

*Since April 15 Yulieski Gurriel is hitting .436/.463/.713 - 2nd-best average in baseball behind Bryce Harper.

*A.J. Hinch says he's not assigning personal catchers.

*A's catcher Stephen Vogt, on Josh Reddick, who made a great catch in the 8th inning to save two runs:
Frustrating. It's hard to see him in another uniform, and I know he loved it here as well, so it's hard to see him make catches like that. It's not very much fun when he's not wearing green. 

*Here's FanGraphs' Travis Sawchik with a really insightful post on the Astros' outfield alignment, and the psychology of shifting in regards to the players themselves.

*Check Bernie Pleskoff's scouting report on Gurriel.

*Akeem Bostick was promoted from Buies Creek to Corpus.

*More FanGraphs: Is Cole Hamels primed for a fall?

PreStros Report: Games of April 28

Fresno (9-13) scored seven runs after the 6th inning, but it wasn't enough in an 8-7 loss at Reno. David Martinez allowed 4H/5R (4ER), 1K:1BB in 6IP; Tyson Perez allowed 4H/3ER in 1IP as pitching remains Fresno's weakness. Dayan Diaz struck out the side in the 9th. A.J. Reed was 3x3 with a double and two walks; Derek Fisher (HR), Preston Tucker (RBI), Reid Brignac (BB) and Jon Kemmer (2B, BB, RBI) had two hits each.

Frisco scored four runs in the 9th inning to take an 8-6 win over Corpus (12-9). Cy Sneed threw 5IP, 5H/2ER, 2K:1BB. Brock Dykxhoorn allowed 5H/2ER, 6K:0BB in 3IP and Riley Ferrell to the BS/L with 5H/4R (3ER) in the 9th. Ramon Laureano was 2x5 with a triple and 4RBI. Jamie Ritchie was 3x3 with a double and a walk. Bryan Muniz was 2x4. Alejandro Garcia was 1x5 with a 2-run triple and also got an outfield assist.

Buies Creek (15-7) won a duel with Wilmington, 2-1. Lefty prospect Framber Valdez threw 5IP, 3H/0ER, 5K:2BB; Yoanis Quiala improved to 3-0 with 4IP, 2H/1ER, 4K:0BB. Johnny Sewald was 2x4 with a stolen base. Anibal Sierra was 1x3 with the lone RBI. Kyle Tucker was 0x2 with a walk.

Quad Cities (12-10) stomped a mudhole in Clinton with a 19-2 win. Forrest Whitley made his second start of the season and threw 3IP, 3H/0ER, 7K:0BB. Jorge Alcala struck out five in 4IP. Marcos Almonte was 4x5 with a walk and an RBI; Daz Cameron had his best game of his career, going 3x5 with a single, triple, homer and 7RBI. Randy Cesar (2 2B, 3RBI), Chuckie Robinson (2 2B, 2BB, 2RBI), and Taylor Jones (2B, 3RBI) all had three hits each. Quad Cities was 12x27 w/RISP.

Monday Morning Hot Links

*Jake Marisnick hit a game-tying homer in the 9th inning and Evan Gattis worked a walk off walk after Lance McCullers' quality start, and the Astros were able to salvage a game against the Royals with a 5-4 win. Gattis was 2x3 with three walks.

*It was the second 9th inning homer of Marisnick's career, and the latest he had ever tied a game with a homer. No one had ever hit a home run off of Kelvin Herrera's slider before yesterday.

*George Springer is the first player in MLB history to hit three leadoff homers in the first seven games of a season.

*Lance McCullers has 17K:2BB in 13IP, and credits McCann with helping his command:
If I don't go out there in the first or second and start pounding the strike zone, I'm not going to get those efficient innings. (McCann) says it all the time: execute the pitch that is called, and more often than not, we're going to come out ahead. 

*The Astros gave the Royals an inning's worth of outs on the basepath yesterday, but Hinch was okay with it:
That's not bad baserunning. It's good plays (by the Royals). We're challenging them. It's not bad decision-making. Things just didn't go our way.

*Ned Yost wished they would have been playing anywhere but Houston:
I think we were kind of unlucky the whole game. Both home runs that they hit late wouldn't have been home runs in any other park in baseball. But unfortunately, we were playing in the park. 

Read more here: http://www.kansascity.com/sports/mlb/kansas-city-royals/article143650649.html#storylink=cpy

*Luke Gregerson finally talked to the media in the wake of his 5ER meltdown on Saturday:
I've never seen anything like it. I don't know how it happened. I wish I could say I felt like crap and I was throwing meatballs over the middle of the plate, but I don't feel like that was the case. 

*Francis Martes will make his season debut tonight for Fresno.

*The FanRag Sports staff is split on whether the Astros' rotation is for real.

*CBS Chicago's Bruce Levine writes a pretty clear argument as far as why the Astros should use Collin McHugh's injury as the final straw in needing to deal for Jose Quintana. Like someone from the White Sox sent him a picture of his laptop being held over a bathtub and said, "Write it."

*I'm not scoreboard-watching yet, but the Mariners had a 9-3 lead going into the 9th against the Angels, and lost.

On The Farm:

Tony DeFrancesco won his 1,000th game as manager as Fresno put up four in the 1st inning and held on for a 5-3 win over Reno. A.J. Reed was 2x3 with two doubles, a walk, and 2RBI. Tony Kemp was 1x1 with 3BB. He was 7x15 with 0K:4BB this series. Edison Frias threw 4.1IP, 6H/2ER, 4K:2BB.

Corpus got a 5-run 8th inning to finish off Arkansas yesterday, 7-3. Rogelio Armenteros threw 5.2IP, 1H/2R (1ER), 10K:2BB. Jack Mayfield had a double, triple, and 3RBI.

Buies Creek is off to a 4-0 start after getting the sweep of Winston-Salem with a 2-0 win. Kyle Tucker was 2x3 with a double while Ryne Birk added a solo homer. Franklin Perez and Ralph Garza combined on a three-hit shutout.

Quad Cities' offense exploded in an 18-11 win over Wisconsin to split the series 2-2. Daz Cameron was 3x6 with 2HR and 5RBI, Spencer Johnson was 2x5 with a homer and 4RBI.

Saturday Morning Hot Links

The Masked Marvel has the glorious recap of last night's dramatic walk-off win over the A's.

*The Rangers beat the Twins, the Angels beat the Orioles, the Mariners beat the Royals.

*The Astros remain 6.5 GB of the Ramgers, 2.0 back of the Blue Jays for WC1 and 1.0 back of the Red Sox for WC2.

*FanGraphs has the Rangers at 65.1% to win the division, with the Astros at 29.8%. They give the Astros a 60.2% chance of making the playoffs.

*Valbuena knew it was out as soon as he hit it. Since May 7 Valbuena is hitting .302.

*Valbuena bailed out Will Harris, who had a bad night. Hinch, on Harris:
It spiraled a little bit out of control for him. He just wasn't making pitches at the right time.

*Springer isn't upset about missing out on the All-Star Game.

*Jose Altuve has re-signed with super agent Scott Boras. Altuve:
I think that's the best decision I can make. I think he's the right guy for me. That's what I feel.

*Baseball America released their midseason Top 100 prospects list! The rundown (click the link for a brief write-up):
#8: Alex Bregman
#29: Francis Martes
#32: Joe Musgrove
#35: Kyle Tucker
#47: David Paulino
#94: Derek Fisher

*Daz Cameron broke his index finger and will miss the rest of the season.

*Today's Knuckleball breaks down the righty pitchers in the Futures Game.

*Jurgen Klinsmann is "in discussions" to be the next manager of England.

Tuesday Morning Hot Links

*Will Harris pitched out of a bases-loaded no-out jam in the 9th to preserve an Astros 4-2 win at Anaheim last night. Angels manager Mike Scioscia:
Give Harris credit, he pitched out of a jam. Our guys are battling, we're playing hard. We're just not winning enough situations in games to keep them on our terms. We did a lot of good things tonight, and the Astros did a couple of things better.

*Carlos Correa hit a sac fly in the top of the 9th for the go-ahead run. Hinch on Correa:
He loves the big moment, and he's pretty calm under pressure. He knows how to get runs in from third base. Whether it be with a hit, the sac fly there...that's a mature approach and a way to win the game. 

*The Astros have won six straight against Anaheim and are 8-1 against them in 2016. The Astros are Rangering the Angels.

*And speaking of Ranger Devil Magic, they beat the Yankees at 1:45am Central after a 3.5-hour rain delay in front of 100 fans after scoring four runs in the top of the 9th. Joe Girardi was extremely not happy. The A's beat the Angels and the Mariners were off. So your division looks like this:

*Burleson: -
*Houston: -10
*Seattle: -11.5
*Oakland: -16.5
*Anaheim: -18

*The Red Sox and Blue Jays lost and the Royals won, so the Wild Card picture for Houston is as such:

WC1: -1.5
WC2: -1.0

*A blister on Lance McCullers' finger means that Scott Feldman gets the spot start tonight at Anaheim instead.

*How George Springer is leading the Astros' revival.

*Five reasons the Astros have turned their season around.

*Luke Gregerson helped Brady Rodgers with a slider in Spring Training, and now Rodgers is knocking on Houston's door.

*2015 37th Overall pick Daz Cameron hit his 1st professional homer last night in a Tri-City win.

*Watch the benches clear in the New Orleans/Memphis game last night.

*The Vladimir Guerrero Jr. show has begun in Virginia.

*Phillies prospect Matt Imhof has a career-threatening eye injury after getting hit by a malfunctioning  arm band.

*How Iceland got good at soccer.

Tuesday Morning Hot Links

*Read the Masked Marvel's Shocking Recap of the win over the Cleveland Klubers last night. The Astros knocked Kluber Lang out in the 3rd inning on their way to a 7-1 win.

*Around the ALW: A's lost, Rangers lost, Mariners won, Angels were off. The Astros are 1.0 behind Oakland and Anaheim, 5.0 behind Arlington, and 6.5 behind Seattle.

*The Astros followed Hinch's gameplan exactly to the point.

*Fiers:
It's good to get on a roll. Just build off of each start and just win games, really, as a team. I was able to keep them to one run. The bullpen came in, we made some great defensive plays to keep me in that game longer. I feel good. It feels better to get into midseason form and kind of put April behind us. 

*The Astros also won consecutive games without hitting a home run for the first time since September 2014.

*Here's a read on the friendship of Correa and Francisco Lindor.

*Lance McCullers will throw a bullpen session today and, if all goes well, could rejoin the rotation for either the Friday or Saturday start at Fenway Park. Friday would be McHugh's normal spot, Saturday would be Fiers'.

*Fresno's Asher Wojciechowski is dealing with biceps soreness, so it seems as though that's the opportunity that Joe Musgrove and his 0.34 ERA need to make it to Fresno, possibly in time for his next start. It's noted that the Astros are managing Musgrave's workload so that he can contribute in Houston later in the year.

*From the above link, Daz Cameron has been sent back to Kissimmee after hitting .143 in 21 games for Quad Cities.

*I still don't know exactly how this happened:

Now that we have a second, let's all watch this @TeamCJCorrea GIF.https://t.co/wz9adUGPUP pic.twitter.com/A4dq6qaBW9

— Houston Astros (@astros) May 10, 2016

*Mark Appel would like to offer advice to whomever the Phillies pick with the 1-1 next month.
Looking back, it's one of those things that it's a blessing and a curse...Whoever the Phillies take first overall, hopefully I'll be able to meet him and share some of the things that I struggled with and failed at to make him a better player and hopefully see him realize the potential that he has.

*After Garrett Richards' Tommy John surgery and Andrelton Simmons going down with a thumb injury yesterday, the Angels are trying not to trade Mike Trout.

*From the NY Times: What makes Texas Texas.

*From the Toronto Star: Dan Shulman is The Man.

*From Vice Sports: Reggie Jackson's lost season in Baltimore.

*Before you go: Watch Alex Bregman hit a homer in slow motion:

@Caller_GeorgeV @ABREG_1 @cchooks @missionsmilb @CallerSports pic.twitter.com/FCcwV5S1W6

— Jason Burkett (@Lugnut1960) May 10, 2016 

Sunday Morning Hot Links

A day will come - soon - when we have #content other than the links posts. Promise. 

*Jason Castro's insight proves valuable to other catchers (try this route if the link paywalls you).

*"I knew I had a gift," said Ken Giles, "and I decided to take advantage of it." - A fantastic profile of Ken Giles in the Chronicle.

*Luke Gregerson is keeping his family close.

*So is A.J. Hinch.

*The Astros don't know if Gattis will be ready for Opening Day.

*Don't sleep on Michael Feliz as the 2016 version of Lance McCullers.  

*Correa and Altuve will be part of the team that goes to Mexico City next week.

*Why didn't George Brett ever homer off Nolan Ryan? "Didn't want to. I saw what happened to Robin Ventura."

*Jonathan Mayo asked Daz Cameron five questions.

*Mayo: Despite trades in the last 11 months, the Astros still have plenty of depth in their system.

*David Cameron writes about the logical Rangers/Padres blockbuster trade. 

*The Phillies think the change in scenery will benefit Mark Appel. 

*Yeah, apparently several White Sox players complained about Drake LaRoche's presence in the clubhouse. 

*The Bill DeWitt Era for the Cardinals is 20 years old and still going strong, and still facing significant penalties for their cheatin-ass ways. 

*The Dodgers' Trayce Thompson is finding success outside the family business.

*As baseball heads back to Cuba, it's time to remember Minnie Minoso.

Thursday Morning Hot Links

*Lots of links yesterday about tanking because of Buster Olney's and Jayson Stark's hand-wringing. They all pretty much agree that it doesn't make any sense to spend $100m on a 65-win team when you can spend $50m on a 60-win team. Included in those links: our own Not Hank Aaron, CRPerry from the Crawfish Boxes, Dayn Perry, and the ever-valuable Grant Brisbee.

*Here's FanGraphs on how MLB's 40-Man Rosters were created, with a good look at the Astros.

*Moar FanGraphs: The Case for Doug Fister

*The Astros used 13 starting pitchers in 2015, and have one of the best "back-up plans" in baseball.

*The Astros have lost the 6th-most fans in pro sports in the last decade. Plenty of caveats, though...

*The Astros had six Urban Youth Academy grads sign letters of intent yesterday.

*MLB.com posted its Top 100 Prospect List yesterday. On it:
#22: Alex Bregman
#40: A.J. Reed
#41: Francis Martes
#74: Kyle Tucker
#75: Daz Cameron

BP posts Top 10 Astros prospects

Baseball Prospectus posted their Top 10 Astros Prospects after I posted the Hot Lynx. It is NSFW because of Prospect Porn. The article is free to read, so you can read the write-ups, but here is the list of their Top 10.

1) Alex Bregman
2) A.J. Reed
3) Francis Martes
4) Daz Cameron
5) Kyle Tucker
6) Derek Fisher
7) Colin Moran
8) Michael Feliz
9) David Paulino
10) Miguel Angel Sierra

But one quote, on A.J. Reed:
This is not a drill. Slowly reach for the oxygen mask, and place yours around your head before helping anyone else. Take deep breaths. Have a sip of water. Now that you're calm, imagine standing in the middle of a field, imagine being tackled by Brian Cox. Or cross-checked by Chris Chelios. This is what it's like to be a baseball being thrown to Reed. The potential is there for a 30-plus home run hitter with a .270-.280 average and even better on-base skills. Invest.

Thursday Morning Hot Links

*Alex Bregman is the #7-ranked shortstop prospect, according to MLB Pipeline. Here's a video.

*Baseball Prospectus released its Top 101 prospects yesterday. Graduated Astros include Carlos Correa and Lance McCullers. Remaining Astros on the list?
#39: Alex Bregman
#55: A.J. Reed
#63: Francis Martes
#85: Daz Cameron
#93: Kyle Tucker

Also notable: The Rangers have three in the Top 15.
Also notable: The Astros traded #61 Brett Phillips, #64 Mark Appel, #66 Jacob Nottingham in the last eight months.

*Fox Sports asks what impact Alex Bregman could have on the Astros in 2016.

*The 2015 Astros were the third-most unlucky team in the last 12 years, with Hardball Times noting how bad the Astros were under pressure.

*Tom Lawless is still looking for a job.

*The Astros are a sleeper candidate for signing Bryce Harper.

*Richard Justice made a decent team completely made up of remaining free agents.

*Drew Butera still has the ball from the final out of the Royals World Series winning game.

Monday Morning Hot Links

*The Masked Marvel started a series of Astros Depth Charts. Here's the Primer, and here are the Catchers.

*Luhnow hasn't ruled out signing Keuchel to a long-term extension.

*Despite only being $250,000 apart, the Astros are prepared to go to an arbitration hearing with Jason Castro for the first time since 2011.

*Three different executives told Peter Gammons yesterday to watch the Astros on Yoenis Cespedes.

*Baseball America's Top 10 Astros prospects: A.J. Reed, Francis Martes, Alex Bregman, Kyle Tucker, Daz Cameron, Joe Musgrove, David Paulino, Colin Moran, Derek Fisher, Michael Feliz.

*Minor-league titles are paying dividends for Astros.

*Cardinals chairman Bill DeWitt, Jr used words like "rogue element" and "outlier" in talking about Cheatin'-ass scouting director Chris Correa.

*In this big Drellich piece about the Cardinals, a source said that the hacking case won't get a huge priority from the FBI because it doesn't involve national security. It involves my personal security, though.

Wednesday Morning Link Dump

Well and so the Astros beat the AL All-Star team for a second straight night, with Keuchel doing Keuchel things.  At 46-34, the Astros are four games up on the Angels, with a season-high 58.6% chance of winning the division and 75.1% chance of making the postseason, according to FanGraphs.  Baseball Prospectus puts the Astros' division chances at 50.7% and the postseason chances at 68.9%.

Let's start with The Weird:

The Astros are the dominant force in the American League right now, and after the events of the last two days, it's not really debatable.

— Buster Olney (@Buster_ESPN) July 1, 2015

*Dallas Keuchel is the first Astros pitcher to ten wins before the All-Star Break since Roy Oswalt in 2005.

*"The Hill...it got me."
-Lorenzo Cain

*"I'm just happy to be drafted by a team that actually loves me."
-Daz Cameron, who took BP with Carlos Correa prior to Tuesday's game

*Meat Wagon Update: Scott Feldman is looking at a return this month, Colby Rasmus probably won't make the road trip to Boston, Jake Marisnick starts a rehab assignment today, Brad Peacock hopes to throw off a mound next week, and Jed Lowrie still hasn't picked up a real bat. Asher Wojciechowski or Dan Straily will make Friday's start in Oberholtzer's place.

Tuesday Morning Link Dump

Gotta get right to it...

*ESPN: Lance McCuller's emergence shows difference between Astros and Royals

*MLB: McCullers continues to impress

*Hinch: "We've been confident long before we were given credit."

*The Astros are expected to introduce Daz Cameron today

*Colby Rasmus was apparently bitten by a spider on his left wrist, which then got infected, and he hasn't played since Saturday.

*Luke Gregerson is relying more on his sinker this year

*1-2 pick Alex Bregman is ready for things to calm down. He says "ready to work" three times in one interview.

*The Angels and Orioles are interested in trading for L.J. Hoes

*Here's the New York Times, on Tal's Hill

*Jameis Winston was at Sunday's Astros/Yankees game, and made a kid's day

Daz Cameron Agrees to Deal

Earlier today, Mark Berman reported Daz Cameron was in Houston to sign his deal. Later, Jim Callis reported that, as expected, Cameron had agreed to a 4 million dollar deal, 2.3 million over slot.

This leaves only Eshelman as unsigned in the first 10 rounds, and he reportedly has a verbal deal and is expected to sign this week. This news effectively brings the Astros 2015 draft to a close. They had $17,289,800 to spend in the draft, and, assuming Eshelman gets close to slot, will have used almost all of it. The end result is an unheard of three player in the Baseball America's top 10, with some depth behind, including several advanced pitchers who could help sooner rather than later. 

They can still go to $18,154,290.00, 5% over slot, without losing a future draft pick. They could still make a run at one of the unsignables, including their 11th round pick Patrick Sandoval, who is committed to USC. Longer shots include Cole Sands, a FSU commit, and Luken Baker, a TCU commit. It remains to be seen how willing they will be to incur the monetary penalties associated with going over slot to sign those players. From round 11 on, any amount over $100,000 goes against the bonus pool. 

Alex Bregman Has Agreed to Terms

Chandler Rome broke the news this morning that the Astros top draft pick, Alex Bregman, agreed to terms and was in Houston to sign. Bregman's LSU team only recently ended their season in the College World Series.

Terms are unknown at this time, although Drellich is reporting that it's expected to be $6 million. The pick value for the #2 pick was $7,420,100. If that figure is accurate, that would bring the total savings to $2.3 million based on confirmed bonuses. Should leave plenty of room to bring in Daz Cameron for his asking price of $4 million. 

UPDATE: The signing was formally announced today by the Astros. Bregman will be assigned to Quad Cities. The bonus was $5.9 million, so the savings ended up at $2.4 I expect we will be seeing news of Cameron formally agreeing to terms soon.  

Friday Morning Hot Links

The Wife and I will be at the Astros game tonight to watch Oberholtzer pitch Correa's home debut. If you see me, holla at me.

*On that note, the Astros are hoping Correa's arrival will mean a boost in ticket sales.

*The Astros and Rockets are suing Comcast over how they handled CSN Houston. Here are more details from Houston Press.

*Lots of signings, or reports of signings, and one number trickling in to our 2015 Draft page.

*The Astros and 37th overall pick Daz Cameron are seemingly close to a $4m deal - which would be about $2.3m over the slot value for 1-37, meaning the Astros need to save that money somewhere else in the first ten rounds. In that link you also find that Heyman is reporting Mark Appel may need "a change of scenery."

*Luhnow said "it's too early to tell" if the Astros messed up by taking Appel over Kris Bryant.

*Quad Cities' Jacob Nottingham just might be the Astros' top catching prospect

*Astros picks Riley Ferrell and Thomas Eshelman are projected to be the 2nd- and 3rd-most valuable college pitchers in the draft, respectively.

*Awww, Erik Bedard retired.

Tuesday Morning Hot Links

So the Astros lost because Chris Sale was Chris Sale and the Astros offense was the Astros offense, of late. Jonathan Villar has ping-pong paddles for hands and Avisail Garcia banged an oppo two-run homer. What can you do? Still, the Astros' postseason odds (according to FanGraphs) actually went up. In addition, the Astros' 6.1% chance of winning the World Series is the 2nd-highest in the AL and 5th-highest in baseball.

*Chris Sale became the first pitcher in MLB history to strike out 12+ batters in three consecutive starts since Pedro did it in 2001.

*Matty D to Matty DFA: Matt Dominguez was DFA'd to make room on the 40-Man for Correa.

Let's get to the hot links...

*Mike Elias reflected on the 2012 draft.

*Beyond the Box Score looks at the additions of Correa and Velasquez.

*Alex Bregman just wants to help the team win, in this New Orleans Advocate profile.

*Kyle Tucker, seven years younger than Preston, would really like to play on the same team as his brother.

*By picking Bregman, Tucker, Cameron and Eshelman, Yahoo declares the Astros the winners of the first day of the draft:
If things pencil out in the best way, this should be enough for Houston to forget its 2014 draft debacle...what the Astros pulled off on Day 1 of the draft was quite impressive and it could leave them in a good place for years to come.

*Jon Heyman:
Cameron might be the coup here, and it was made possible by the Astros' $17.29 million draft allotment. It isn't certain what Cameron will receive, but the Astros figure to have the financial firepower to get it done.

*Phil Rogers: Monday night was just the start of something big for the Astros

*Altuve didn't know who was more excited about Correa's debut: Altuve or Correa.

*Cleveland's director of scouting, Brad Grant, did not talk to the Astros in advance of selecting Brady Aiken with the 17th overall pick.

*Roy Oswalt is now an agent, and still has the tractor.