Tuesday Morning Hot Links

We got hoodwinked, Framboozled, led astray, run amok. Framber was bad. The Astros offense was...offensive, going 0x6 w/RISP. Houston goes to Six Flags down 2-0. 

Since 2004, teams that went up 2-0 in the LCS are 18-2 in the series. The 2020 Dodgers came back from 0-2 down to win the NL Pennant over the Barves. Otherwise, in non-Mickey Mouse years, the 2004 Red Sox came back from 3-0 down against the Yankees, and I highly suggest that you watch the "Four Days in October" 30 For 30 before Game 3. Speaking of, here's Derek Jeter on the 2023 ALCS:

This team in Houston is great on the road. Just because they're down 2 games, it's not over. We've lost the series being up 3-0. I don't want to bring it back up...but my point is, everyone in this Texas Rangers clubhouse knows this series is not over. 

FanGraphs: Houston 23.7 - 76.3 Six Flags

*Bregman:

We have an off day, and I think everyone's gonna regroup and focus on winning the next pitch. That's all you can do. You've got to take it pitch by pitch in the postseason when you're playing against a great team like them. Come in and compete and try to execute just a little bit better. I don't think we've played terrible; they've just played a little bit better than we have. 

*The "Houston" "Astros" are 5-14 at Minute Maid Park since September 1. They're 11-3 on the road in the same time frame.

McTaggart: There's no place like the road.

*The Astros had the bases loaded with nobody out in the 5th. Yainer Diaz, finally pinch-hitting for Maldonado, struck out. Altuve struck out. Bregman grounded out weakly to end the inning with no runs scored. The Astros had runners on 1st and 2nd with two outs in the 8th with no runs scored. This feels impossible. But it's true.

*Altuve: 0x5, 2K. He has one hit in his last 18 PAs, and is 4x25 in the 2023 postseason. Since the beginning of the 2022 postseason, Altuve: 

Altuve, postseason, 2015-2020: 63 games, 286 PAs, .306/.378/.565, 18HR/40RBI

Altuve, postseason, 2021-2023: 35 games, 165 PAs, .193/.261/.353, 6HR/10RBI

It's the 5th 0x5 in Altuve's 98 career postseason games. 

*Framber Valdez had yet another terrible start: 2.2IP, 7H/5ER, 6K:1BB.

Framber, 2022 postseason: 25IP, 14H/4ER, 33K:8BB.

Framber, 2023 postseason: 7IP, 14H/9ER, 11K:4BB.

The Astros, as a franchise, have only had 16 postseason starts in which the starter did not record nine outs. Framber has four of them:

2021 ALCS Game 1: 2.2IP, 6H/2ER, 2K:3BB

2021 World Series Game 1: 2IP, 8H/5ER, 2K:1BB

2021 World Series Game 5: 2.2IP, 4H/5ER, 1K:2BB

2023 ALCS Game 2.

Should this series come back to Houston, I don't want to see Framber until 2024. 

Framber:

I thought the quality of my pitches was good. There were a couple balls that they didn't hit well that fell for base hits. It happened a couple times there.

The xBA on the Rangers' five singles that scored four runs: .470, .450, .950, .910, .320

*Yordan Alvarez hit his 11th and 12th career home runs in his 53rd career postseason game - his 2nd 2HR game of the postseason, and his career. It's the 11th 2HR postseason game in franchise history. 

He also drew a walk and scored on Michael Brantley's double. It's his 35th, 36th, and 37th career postseason runs scored, tied with Carlos Correa for fourth in franchise history. 

Dubon, on Alvarez:

I've seen him get frustrated. This is a guy that expects excellence from himself. But I never see him doubt.

*Alex Bregman passed Carlos Beltran with his 17th career postseason home run and into a tie for 7th-most all-time with David Ortiz and Jim Thome. 

*Yainer Diaz is 0x10 with 5K in the 2023 postseason.

*Kyle Tucker was 0x4 with a strikeout. He's 2x22 with a double, 7K:3BB this postseason - an .091/.200/.136 line - just what you want in the middle of the order. Tucker, on his ABs:

They're terrible. I feel fine, just my swing is not there. I haven't done anything with any of the pitches. It's been tough. 

Dusty:

It's frustrating when you're not getting hits. And I'm sure he's frustrated. We need Tuck. He's a big part of our team. Big part of our offense. I just know that Tucker will come across and come through with it in [Six Flags].

*Astros bullpen: 6.1IP, 1H/0ER, 6K:2BB. Just shameful to waste that. 

*J.P. France: 2.1IP, 1H/0ER, 1K:1BB. Congratulations to J.P. France, who became the 95th pitcher in Astros history to make a postseason appearance. 

*Ken Rosenthal:

It could be that everything finally is catching up to the Astros. All those years of playing so deep into the postseason, which perhaps contributed to injuries to Lance McCullers, Luis Garcia, and Jose Urquidy and the inconsistencies of Valdez and Cristian Javier. All those years of spending modestly in free agency while the Rangers invested $800 million on the open market the past two offseasons.

*Cristian Javier will start Game 3 against Max Scherzer. 

What To Watch, October 17

Four Days in October

Minnesota @ Montreal: 6pm Central

Diamondbacks @ Phillies: 7:07pm

Ghana @ United States: 7:37pm

*A Musical Selection:

Monday Morning Hot Links

Pablo Lopez (whose parents are both doctors and, you may be aware, was accepted to medical school at 16) was good. Framber was not. It's the Astros' first home loss in the division series since Game 4 of the 2015 ALDS, a streak of 12 straight wins. They managed to snatch a game at Minute Maid Park and finally go back on the road in what is now a Best-Of-Three. So there's that. Game 3 is Tuesday. 

*FanGraphs: Houston 55.7 - 44.3 Minnesota.

Twins outfielder Michael A. Taylor:

We're in the driver's seat now.

*The Astros' 2 runs scored are the lowest scored in a playoff home game since Game 6 of the 2021 World Series. 

*Framber Valdez was...not good. Framber goes as his mindset goes. And while I am certainly not one to say that Framber - the winning pitcher in two of the 2022 World Series games - is "mentally weak" or a "basket case," it's pretty well-known that if Framber gets in his head, it's going to be an uphill battle for him. And ALDS G2 looked like Framber had the incline setting to Max thanks to D.J. Reyburn's "strike" "zone." 

Framber's seven hits allowed were tied for the second-highest he's allowed in 14 postseason starts, and the most since 2021 World Series G1. 

Framber, by postseason: 

2020: 24IP, 14H/5ER, 26K:10BB, 1.88 ERA / 1.00 WHIP

2021: 19.2IP, 28H/17ER, 16K:7BB, 7.78 ERA / 1.78 WHIP

2022: 25IP, 14H/4ER, 33K:8BB, 1.44 ERA / 0.88 WHIP

2023: 4.1IP, 7H/5ER, 5K:3BB, 10.38 ERA / 2.31 WHIP

It's not fair to put one start up against three full postseasons, but the point is the Astros need Framber's Even-Year Bullshit to come back. 

*That strike zone was wild for both sides, so let's not pretend that it was a total screw-job on the Astros. But if I remember the home plate umpire's name the morning after the game, it's safe to say that the home plate umpire needs to look in the mirror and re-evaluate some things. 

*How Pablo Lopez, whose parents were doctors and was accepted to medical school at 16, stymied the Astros to tie up the ALDS. Szymborski:

Houston's lineup, despite the dangerous hitters in the top half, mostly just watched their demise pass them by, only swinging at 52% of Lopez's in-zone pitches; Lopez is at 70% for his career and has never had a game in which opponents swung less often at his in-zone offerings. The result was seven strikeouts on just 12 whiffs the entire game, against 22 called strikes. To put that into context, of the 251 games in 2023 in which a pitcher struck out seven batters, only 17 featured fewer swings-and-misses.

Were you aware that Pablo Lopez has two doctors for parents, and was accepted to medical school at the age of 16?

Dusty, on Lopez, whose parents are doctors and who himself was accepted to medical school at the age of 16:

There's nothing you can say. The guy was dealing tonight.

*Yordan hit a two-run homer and is responsible for five of Houston's eight runs in the ALDS, and eight of their last 12 postseason runs. He has four homers and eight RBIs in his last three postseason games. Yordan also has a five-game postseason RBI streak, which has only happened 53 times in MLB postseason history. Astros with 5-game postseason RBI streaks:

Carlos Beltran: 5 (2004)

Alex Bregman: 5 (2017)

George Springer: 5 (2017-2018)

Carlos Correa: 5 (2020)

Yordan Alvarez: 5 (2022-2023)

*Speaking of Carlos Correa, he had 3RBI in G2 of the 2023 ALDS. He had five regular season games in 2023 of 3+ RBI. It was his 8th postseason 3+ RBI game. 

Framber:

I thought Correa got a little bit lucky with the sinker there. It was going down to the ground, he was able to get to it.

How Correa prepared for the AB that knocked Framber out of the game.

*Jose Altuve was 2x4, the 32nd multi-hit postseason game of his career. Jose Altuve is the greatest Astro of all-time, and it's not even close.

*In the seven postseason games since Kyle Tucker went 3x5 with 2HR/4RBI in 2022 World Series G1, he's hitting .087/.214/.174.

*The Astros have "parted ways" with Assistant GM Bill Firkus and Farm Director Sara Goodrum.

*Baltimore is going to "reset" after losing their two home games to Six Flags.

What To Watch, October 9:

Cambridge United @ Burton Albion: 2pm Central

Phillies @ Braves, 5:07pm

Packers @ Raiders? I think?, 7:15pm

We're 24 hours from NHL Opening Night, and 48 hours from my beloved Montreal Canadiens' 2023 season opener. 

Diamondbacks @ Dodgers: 8:07pm

*A Musical Selection:

Saturday Morning Hot Links

Yet again the Dumb Ass Houston Astros couldn't do what other teams have done 102 times this season: beat the Kansas City Royals. Houston is 85-69, 39-40 at "home." They're idiots, and I hate them at the moment. They've lost seven of their last ten games. There are a maximum of eight games remaining. Those nuns who fronted Alex Cora need to bring wheelbarrows full of sage.

I do not want the Astros to miss the playoffs out of spite. Dusty has done some incomprehensible things (Dubon batting leadoff, Abreu batting cleanup, scroll down for Maldonado Slander) but I still want him to succeed because that means this God-forsaken team (meaning 2023) succeeds. That said, should the Astros miss the playoffs they have absolutely nobody to blame but themselves. At some point we'll talk about Jim Crane's Jerry Jones Heel Turn last fall, but that's another talk for another time. 

Dusty:

It's very frustrating. The guys are a little frustrated, but we are still in a good position.

*AL Playoff Picture:

1. Baltimore (95-60)

2. Haltom City (85-68)

3. Minnesota (82-72)

4. Tampa (94-61)

5. Toronto (86-68)

6. Houston (85-69)

7. Seattle (84-69)

*AL West Odds, FanGraphs:

Houston: 40.1%

Haltom City: 36.4%

Seattle: 23.5%

*AL Postseason Odds, FanGraphs:

Toronto: 88.7%

Houston: 81.3%

Haltom City: 78.1%

Seattle: 51.9%

*The DAMF Astros have lost 11 of their last 15 home games against Boston, New York, San Diego, Oakland, Baltimore, and Kansas City. Only Baltimore is over .500 for the season.

*These morons have given up 25 runs on this homestand (1-3).

*The Trashstros were 2x13 with runners in scoring position against the Royals last night.

*Framber was a disaster, then he wasn't, then he was again. Framber: 5.1IP, 4H/7R (6ER), 10K:3BB. It was the 10th 10+ K start of his career. 

His 6ER allowed match the total number of earned runs he'd allowed in his last five starts combined. Framber also hit two batters - the first time since July 30, 2022 he'd done that. The Astros are 3-5 when Framber hits 2+ batters in a game.

*Bullpen: 4.2IP, 1H/0ER, 4K:1BB.

*Astros pitchers held Kansas City to five hits. Five. The Astros are now 25-10 when allowing five or fewer hits. They've scored 3 or fewer runs in 12 of those 35 games. 

*3-5 in the lineup (Yordan, Bregman, Tucker): 2x12, 2K:3BB. 0x4 w/RISP.

*Yordan, who tweaked something in his elbow last week and hasn't played in the field since:

No, I don't think anybody's feeling pressure. We understand that this is going to go down to the last game of the season. And talking to some of the guys, tomorrow we're going to have to flip that switch and activate playoff mode.

Not a fan of waiting until Game 154, when you just lost the division lead because you can't beat the worst teams in baseball, to "activate playoff mode."

*Martin Maldonado: 0x3, 2K:0BB, passed ball. It was his league-leading 12th passed ball of the season, his 21 passed balls since the beginning of the 2022 season lead the league, as well! 

Martin Maldonado offensive ranks, MLB, min. 350 PAs (232 players):

BA: .189 (231st) - he's tied with Giancarlo Stanton, which kind of blew my mind.

OBP: .258 (230th)

SLG: .343 (221st)

wRC+: 65 (227th)

K%: 34.3% (229th)

fWAR: -1.3 (230th)

So he's one of the worst hitters in the league, but also has the most passed balls in the last two seasons. Tell me exactly why he's playing five days a week?

*The Astros are 14-15 against the AL Central this year, which is almost impossible to fathom, as only one other AL East/AL West team is under .500 against the garbage-ass AL Central (Oakland). Houston vs...

Minnesota: 2-4

Kansas City: 1-3

Chicago: 4-3

Detroit: 3-3

Cleveland: 4-2

*Houston is 2-5 against the only 100-loss teams in MLB in September. They have no one to blame but themselves. And here's the most inane thing about these seven games:

Scoring 5 or fewer runs vs Oakland/Kansas City: 0-4

Scoring 6 or more runs vs Oakland/Kansas City: 2-1

Framber:

Obviously, it's frustrating losing to teams that you say, 'Come on, we're the Astros, we shouldn't be losing to them. But that's baseball. It's part of the game. It happens....Just because...they've won a couple games against us, doesn't mean that we're going to stop being the Houston Astros. We're still the Houston Astros, we're still the champs, and we're going to continue battling.

*Kyle Tucker hit a triple. Tucker, September: .209/.299/.463.

Kyle Tucker's first 537 Major-League games: 11 triples.

Kyle Tucker's last ten games: four triples.

*Michael Brantley was out with shoulder soreness for the 4th straight game. 

*Ryne Stanek is back, and Joel "The Human White Flag" Kuhnel is back in Sugar Land.

*Going to the Arizona Fall League are Zach Dezenzo, Kenedy Corona, Miguel Palma, AJ Blubaugh (lol), Ray Gaither, Tyler Guilfoil, Jaime Melendez, Miguel Ullola 

*Dallas Keuchel is going to the playoffs for the seventh time in his career. 

*Philadelphia's Orion Kerkering has played in Low-A, High-A, Double-A, Triple-A, and now the Majors...all in 2023.

*NL Playoff Picture:

1. Atlanta (99-55)

2. Los Angeles (94-59)

3. Milwaukee (88-66)

4. Philadelphia (85-69)

5. Arizona (81-63)

6. Chicago (80-74)

7. Miami (79-75): -1.0

8. Cincinnati (79-76): -1.5

9. San Francisco (77-77): -3.0

10. San Diego (76-78): -4.0

*Willie's 151st album takes on bluegrass.

*What To Watch, September 23:

Florida State @ Clemson: 11am Central

Awbren @ Texas A and Them: 11am

Celta Vigo @ Barcelona: 11:30am

UCLA @ Utah: 2:30pm

Colorado @ Oregon: 2:30pm

Ole Miss @ Alabama: 2:30pm

Blue Jays at Rays, 3:10pm

Mariners @ Rangers, 6:05pm

Royals @ Astros, 6:10pm

Texas @ Baylor: 6:30pm

Ohio State @ Notre Dame: 6:30pm

*A Musical Selection:

Monday Morning Hot Links

Nice of the Astros to remember that there's a division to win - they're not used to having to play games that kinda matter in September, so I get it. Houston finally beat the vaunted Royals 7-1. They're 84-66, 1.5 up on the Rangers, who lost. Also, after dodging, ducking, dipping, diving, and dodging for 3.5 years, I have COVID. I had a booster scheduled for today lol. It feels like the worst sinus infection I've ever had. I wore a mask this morning to the grocery store, so it was great to slime the inside of that thing up like gahdang Alien.

*AL Playoff Picture:

1. Baltimore: 93-56

2. Houston : 84-66

3. Minnesota: 79-71

4. Tampa: 92-59

5. Toronto: 83-67

6. Trinity River: 82-67

7. Seattle: 81-68

Now, let's extrapolate: the first tie-breaker is head-to-head record. 

What happens if there's a tie between Seattle and Trinity River? Well they have seven games against each other remaining, so it's way too soon to be thinking about tie-breakers between those two. 

What about a tie between Toronto and Trinity River? Given that Toronto just got their asses handed to them at home by Weatherford, the Rangers would edge out the Blue Jays. 

What about a tie between Toronto and Houston? The Blue Jays and Astros played their last head-to-head game of the season on June 8, but the Blue Jays won 3-2 on both June 7 and June 8 to take the season series 4-3. Toronto would win that tie-breaker. 

What about a tie between Trinity River and Houston? Houston has the head-to-head.

What about a tie between Seattle and Houston? Seattle has the head-to-head, no matter what happens September 25-27, thanks to the Astros just dying to get to the All-Star Break and mailing it in for that July series.

What about a tie between Seattle and Toronto? They finished the regular season with a 3-3 split lol. So the second tie-breaker is division record. Toronto is 15-25 against the AL East, while Seattle is 26-13 against the AL West. If Seattle does poorly enough against the AL West down the stretch to allow Toronto to catch them...Seattle ain't gonna be in the playoffs. 

*AL West Division Odds (change from yesterday):

FanGraphs:

Houston: 73.8% (+13.5%)

Seattle: 15.2% (-5.0%)

Trinity River: 11.0% (-8.5%)

Baseball-Reference:

Houston: 67.6% (+10.6%)

Trinity River: 18.6% (6.7%)

Seattle: 13.8% (-3.8%)

The Game

*Houston is now 46-29 on the road. Away Records, recent seasons:

2022: 51-30

2021: 44-37

2019: 47-34

2018: 57-24

2017: 53-28

2016: 41-40

2015: 33-48

*We can trust Framber again! Framber threw his fifth straight Quality Start, yesterday going 7IP, 5H/1R (0ER), 5K:1BB. It's his third straight start of 21 outs. Framber's last five starts: 34IP, 20H/6ER, 30K:11BB. Dusty:

You go through streaks where you're not yourself. Then you go through streaks where you're adding on and adding on and getting consecutive games, and your confidence grows. We need Framber, and it was big for him.

*Jose Altuve was 3x5 with a double and an RBI. It's his 13th 3-hit game of the season. He only has RBIs in five of his last 18 games - but all five of those are multi-RBI games. 

*Yordan Alvarez was 1x3 with his 28th home run of the season, and a walk. He has 7RBI in his last four games and is at 92RBI for the season. 

*Jake Meyers hit his 10th home run of the season - his first since hitting 2HR at Yankee Stadium on August 6 - it's his 2nd RBI since then.

*Bryan Abreu has not allowed a run - earned or otherwise - since July 15. That's 21.2IP, 9H/0ER, 24K:10BB in that streak. Longest active streak for appearances without an earned run (though Abreu's 21.2IP is the longest active number of scoreless innings):

1. Sam Hentges (CLE): 23

2. Bryan Abreu (HOU): 22

3. Former Astros Great Cionel Perez (BAL): 21

It's only the 16th time in Astros history that a pitcher has thrown 22 consecutive outings without allowing an earned run. Looking ahead at Abreu's streak:

23: Will Harris (2018-19)

24: Trever Miller (2006)

25: Billy Wagner (1999-2000)

26: Will Harris (2016)

27: Joe Sambito (1979)

30: Ryne Stanek (2022)

40: Ryan Pressly (2018-19)

*Chas McCormick went 3x4 and stole two bases to give him 18 on the year. Two more SBs and he joins the 20/20 Club.

*The Astros were 2x13 w/RISP on Sunday. They were 6x30 in the weekend series. 

*ESPN asks if the 2023 Braves have the greatest lineup ever. I'm asking if ESPN remembers the 2019 Astros' lineup. Let's look (2023 Braves / 2019 Astros):

BA: .275 / .272

OBP: .343 / .352

SLG: .501 / .495

wRC+: 125 / 124

HR: 288 / 288

fWAR: 35.7 / 42.0

Settle tf down, ESPN. 

*Jose Abreu celebrated 10 years of MLB service time. Though I don't know how much this year should count...

*It'll be Verlander-Brown-TBD to face the Orioles starting tonight. Just put Urquidy in on Wednesday and let Javier be the swing guy. 

*The first 10,000 fans to MMP next Sunday will [chuckles] get this [snickers] MLB Network [outright guffaw] hat. The 10,001st fan will get all 10,000.

*The Orioles clinched their first playoff berth since 2016, turning from a laughing-stock into legit contenders. Good work and congratulations to Mike and Sig. They join the 2013-2015 Astros as the only teams in MLB history to go from 110+ losses to the playoffs in a three-year span.

*What To Watch, September 18:

Burnley @ Nottingham Forest: 1:45pm Central

Saints @ Panthers: 6:15pm

Red Sox @ Rangers: 7:05pm

Orioles @ Astros: 7:10pm

Mariners @ A's: 8:40pm

*A Musical Selection:

Tuesday Morning Hot Links

These twats. I swear. Tweeted this out last night but it feels as though the 2023 Astros win most of the games they want to win and just kind of half-ass the games they think they should sail through. Houston loses to the 99-loss A's 4-0. They're 82-63, 37-36 at Minute Maid Park, or "home" as some people would call it. The Mariners lost to the Angels. The Rangers beat the Blue Jays. The 63rd loss of the season ensures the Astros won't win 100 games.

*AL Playoff Picture

1. Baltimore (91-52)

2. Houston (82-63)

3. Minnesota (75-69)

4. Tampa (89-56) 

5. Toronto (80-64)

6. Aledo (80-65)

-

7. Seattle (79-65) -0.5

*AL West Odds (and change from yesterday):

FanGraphs:

Houston: 78.6% (-3.2%)

Seattle: 14.1% (-0.5%)

Aledo: 7.3% (+3.7%)

Baseball-Reference:

Houston: 74.1% (-7.7%)

Aledo: 13.0% (+6.8%)

Seattle: 12.9% (+0.9%)

The Game

*Astros teams to win fewer than 100 games, franchise history: 1962-1997, 1999-2016, 2020-2021, 2023. 

*The DAMF Astros were shutout for the sixth time this season, and the third time at Minute Maid Park. They've scored two or fewer runs in five of their last eight home games. 

*They were held to three hits - all singles, and all at the top of the lineup: Altuve was 1x3 with a walk. Jeremy Pena was 2x4. 3-9 went a combined 0x22 with 5K:1BB. 

*It's the 7th time this season Houston has been held to three or fewer hits, and the 7th time (different set of seven, tho) they didn't record an extra-base hit. 

*After hitting 16 home runs in three games at Aledo, Houston has two home runs on this four-game homestand. 

*Bregman-Tucker-Alvarez went 0x5 w/RISP. 

*Dusty:

It wasn't necessarily our offense. It could've been their pitching. The first guy, Miller, we hadn't seen him and he was throwing 100. Then they switched to a guy that was completely the opposite. Sometimes that opener works. Waldichuk, he was changing speeds, high fastballs, a lot of changeups. We were in the fourth or fifth inning...before we could spit.

A's manager Mark Kotsay:

We've had a few good games of late against some playoff-contending teams. But tonight - in terms of on the mound - this was probably the best pitching performance we've had all year.

Oakland has won three of their last five games against a combination of Toronto, Aledo, and Houston. They had not shut anyone out since August 18 - it was their fifth shutout of the year. 

Times Oakland has allowed 12+ runs: 8

Times Oakland has shutout their opponent: 5

*14 of the 17 hardest-hit balls in play came off of Oakland bats. The hardest-hit ball was by Yordan Alvarez in the 9th inning, with Altuve on second, Pena on first, Alvarez unleashed a 114.1mph liner with a .770 xBA...right at whatever faceless droid making $2.13/hour + tips plays right field for Oakland. 

*Framber got Verlander'd: 7IP, 4H/3ER, 10K:1BB. He's the 8th pitcher in 2023 to put up a line like that and still get the loss. It's only the 12th time that an Astros pitcher has gotten 21+ outs, allowed four or fewer hits, struck out 10, and walked 1 and lost. Verlander has five of the other eleven, no kidding.

*It was the first time in MLB history that a team 50+ games below .500 shutout the "defending" World Series champion on the road. This needs to be taped to every single locker in the clubhouse.

*Jose Altuve was the AL Player of the Week.

*Astros Notes from Chandler Rome include: Dana Brown would get it if the Astros hire a President of Baseball Operations, J.P. France as Playoff SP3, Neris staying in Houston in 2024, and Kyle Tucker pricing himself out of an extension (for which the Astros would only have themselves to blame).

*American Sepp Kuss has a 1:37 lead coming out of the last rest day of the 2023 Vuelta a Espana.

*What To Watch, September 12:

Rangers @ Blue Jays: 6:07pm

A's @ Astros: 7:10pm (if you're naughty)

Angels @ Mariners: 8:40pm

*A Musical Selection:

Wednesday Morning Hot Links

Goodness. The Astros took West Van to the woodshed in a 14-1 drubbing that saw Future Hall of Famer Bruce Bochy pull Corey Seager after two ABs. Houston is 79-61. Seattle lost. 

*AL Playoff Picture:

1. Baltimore (87-51)

2. Houston (79-61)

3. Minnesota (73-66)

4. Tampa (84-55)

5. Seattle (77-61)

6. Toronto (77-62)

---

7. West Van (76-62) +0.5

8. Boston (72-67) +5.0

*AL West Division Odds (and change from yesterday):

FanGraphs:

Houston: 64.5% (+12.9%)

Seattle: 26.4% (-7.4%)

West Van: 9.1% (-5.5%)

Baseball-Reference:

Houston: 61.9%

Seattle: 26.6%

West Van: 11.5%

FanGraphs' Change Since August 15:

Houston: +24.5%

Seattle: +23.2%

West Van: -47.7%

The Game

*The Astros hit six home runs. It's the most home runs ever hit by a team - the Rangers included - at Globe Life Field. The last time the Rangers allowed 6HR in a game was June 16, 2021...at Minute Maid Park...against the Astros.

*It's the 23rd time in MLB history that a team has hit 11 home runs over consecutive road games. The 2023 Astros are also on the list, when they hit 7HR at Oakland on May 28 and then 4HR at Toronto on June 5, their next road game after May 28. So it's just the 20th time in MLB history that it happened on back-to-back days (or in both ends of a doubleheader). 

*Days in 1st Place, AL West, 2023:

1. West Van: 150

2. Seattle: 12

3. Houston: 1

*Jose Altuve hit a home run in his first three ABs of the game, the three homers tying a career-high with 2017 ALDS G1. That marked a run of four straight ABs with a home run. Jose Altuve's ABs against the Rangers, September 4-5:

1. Groundout

2. Flyout

3. Single

4. Home Run

5. Single

6. Home Run

7. Home Run

8. Home Run

9. Home Run

10. Groundout

11. Strikeout

The only other player in MLB history to hit four home runs in four innings was Bobby Lowe, you remember, from the 1894 Boston team. They were so old they didn't even have a name. Just "Boston." Altuve has raised his OPS from .899 to .969 in 11 Plate Appearances against the Rangers. Altuve:

It was just one of those days where you feel really good. I was just trying to get my pitch, put a good swing, and it happened...Obviously, this doesn't happen very often. Last month of the season where we are trying to get to first place, stay there, so good timing.

Bregman:

He can hit anything. He can hit standing upside down. He can flat-out hit. 

It would be extremely disrepectful for Altuve to get in the batter's box upside down, but I'd respect it.

Dubon:

He goes, we go. That's how we've been. Every time he does it, we're not surprised, really, but at the same time, it's unreal what he does.

Altuve is only the 23rd player in MLB history to hit five home runs in two consecutive road games (on back-to-back days, or both ends of a doubleheader). The last to do it? Former White Sox Great Jose Abreu, who did it against the Cubs on August 21-22, 2020. 

Dusty:

We're in first place and we want to pad that lead. Tomorrow is very important and when we get back home, we got to start showing some home-field dominance. Trying to figure out why we're hitting so well on the road and not at home. We'll figure it out. Right now, we've got a one-game lead, and we've got to pad it. 

*Martin Maldonado hit two home runs last night for the 5th time in his career. It's the first time he's hit two home runs in the same game against the same pitcher since September 4, 2017. 

*Yordan Alvarez went 3x6 with a HR and 2RBI. Since coming off the IL on July 26, Yordan is hitting .316/.425/.534 with 20K:22BB and 7HR.

*Framber threw 7IP, 6H/1ER, 4K:4BB. Framber's last three starts: 20IP, 11H/5R (3ER), 15K:9BB.

*So. Much. Cope. from Ramger Fan.

Other Stuff

*Ryne Stanek was placed on the IL with a "right ankle sprain," which is far better than the "right ankle disintegration" I'd predicted. Parker Mushinski was called up.

*After throwing in 56 of the Astros' first 130 games, Ryan Pressly has pitched once since August 25. A nice little break on his arm. 

*MLB Network put up a graphic yesterday for Discussion! or Engagement! or whatever, but it highlighted five AL Rookie of the Year candidates with some baseline stats. They had:

Cleveland's Tanner Bibee: 23 starts, 129.2IP, 10-3, 3.05 ERA/1.23 WHIP.

Boston Triston Casas: 124 games, .268/.370/.501, 23HR/60RBI. 133 OPS+

Baltimore's Gunnar Henderson: 127 games, .254/.329/.482, 23HR/70RBI. 121 OPS+

Oakland's Esteury Ruiz: 112 games, .249/.304/.334, 3HR/40RBI, 56SB. 83 OPS+

Boston's Masataka Yoshida: 122 games, .294/.348/.464, 15HR/68RBI, 117 OPS+

Unlisted was Houston's Yainer MF Diaz: 92 games, .283/.306/.538, 21HR/54RBI, 126 OPS+

*Former Astros Great Korey Lee hit his first career MLB home run.

*On Monday, September 25-Wednesday, September 27, 2017 the Astros traveled to Arlington to play the series the Rangers didn't want to flip series after Hurricane Harvey out of respect for their own Season Ticket Holders. Houston outscored them 37-7 and out-hit them 46-23. Tonight the Astros need 11 runs on 11 hits to beat that ass even harder. 

*What To Watch, September 6:

Blue Jays @ A's: 2:37pm Central

Red Sox @ Rays: 5:40pm

Mariners @ Reds: 5:40pm

Astros @ Rangers: 7:05pm

*BBC: Winless, Elusive, & Under Pressure: Jurgen Klinsmann in South Korea.

*An American is currently winning the Vuelta de Espana.

*A Musical Selection:

Saturday Morning Hot Links

The pab Houston Astros collectively tripped on their dicks and lost 4-1 to the gd Detroit Tigers last night, despite the Tigers making four mf errors. Houston is 72-58. The Rangers lost their 8th straight game while the Mariners won their 49th game in a row. Houston is in 3rd place, one game behind the co-leading Mariners/Rambers. 

FanGraphs' Playoff Odds, August 26:

Houston: 37.2% to win the division, 80.3% to make postseason

Seattle: 36.8% to win the division, 79.2% to make postseason

Aledo: 26.0% to win the division, 68.2% to make postseason

B-Ref Playoff Odds:

Seattle: 43.3% to win AL West, 84.4% to make postseason

Aledo: 36.6% to win AL West, 84.2% to make postseason

Houston: 20.1% to win AL West, 64.3% to make postseason

*Record Since All-Star Break:

Seattle: 27-12

Baltimore: 26-13

Minnesota: 22-16

Houston: 22-17

Aledo: 20-17

*The Mariners are in first place after the All-Star Break for the first time since August 26, 2003. I will never respect the Mariners. 

The last time AL West teams were in 1st Place after the All-Star Break:

Seattle: August 26, 2023

Aledo: August 26, 2023

Houston: October 5, 2022

Las Vegas: September 27, 2020

Anaheim: July 28, 2015

*Houston has lost six of their last eight games. They've hit two home runs in the last four games, and are homer-less in back-to-back games for the first time since July 6-7, against Seattle. 

*Last night was the first time Houston was held to a single, solitary, stupid hit since April 20, 2022.

*Kyle Tucker's 25th stolen base of the season ties a career-high. 

*Yordan hit a 417-foot flyout caught by future Tigers hero Parker Meadows.

*Framber was back...? 7IP, 0H/0ER. 6K:5BB. The Astros' "offense" owes him an apology. He threw a season-high 114 pitches. It was his fifth start of allowing 0ER in 2023, and the Astros are 3-2 in those games. He issued five walks in a start for the first time since April 10.

*Framber is the fifth pitcher since 1961 to throw a no-hitter, and then at least seven no-hit innings in the same calendar month, and the first since Derek Lowe did it in April 2002.

*It was the 31st time this season that Astros pitchers have held their opponent to five or fewer hits. Somehow they're 22-9 in those games. 

*In the worst timing possible, Ryan Pressly allowed his first earned runs since July 28, and he started the 9th Inning with two strikeouts. Then: single, single, single, homer, ballgame. 

Framber:

It's part of the game. I can control when I have the ball in my hand, but things like that can happen to any of us.

Dusty:

[Pressly] looked so sharp the first two hitters. Then he had a tough hitter up there in Miggy, who fouled off a bunch of pitches and bounced one up the middle like we've seen him do many, many times...I guess that was [Meadows'] first home run. I guess he'll remember that forever. But that was a tough one. Our guys had pitched so well.

*The Angels, who are a criminal enterprise fronted by a Major League Baseball logo, didn't even send Shohei Ohtani for an MRI even as they pushed back his starts. This 

*Richard Justice: Needville's Boys of Summer

*Runners World: The Struggle Is Awesome

*Why Cuban Migrants Are Moving To Kentucky

*I had a bout with insomnia this week, and read this at 3:30am and laughed until I cried. Vulture: Unraveling The Greatest Writers' Room Story Ever.

*On tap today:

Brighton @ West Ham, 11:30am Central

Navy @ Notre Dame @ Ireland, 1:30pm Central

Kansas City @ Seattle, 3:10pm Central

Houston @ Detroit, 5:10pm Central

Aledo @ Minnesota, 6:15pm Central (Fox)

*I wrote about this a month ago, but my wife almost died on vacation in Colorado. When they moved her out of ICU, it was into a room down the hall. Somehow, she left the AirPods I got her as part of her anniversary present in the bed, and when they cleaned the room, off the AirPods went to laundry. She's the first person to ever lose a pair of AirPods while laying in the same room for four days. I gave her mine. All that's to say, if you have an extra pair of AirPods you're trying to off-load, let me know.

*A Musical Selection:

Wednesday Morning Hot Links

Good morning. Framber threw a no-hitter and the Astros beat Cleveland 2-0. Houston is 61-47, a season-high 14 games over .500. 

*It was the 16th no-hitter in franchise history, and the first by a lefty pitcher. Framber:

The last couple of games I just wasn't as focused as I could have been and I'll be the first to admit that. But today I just came very focused, very positive and just ready to leave it all out on the field.

Maldonado:

I noticed from the bullpen, he wasn't joking around. He was straight business from the moment he walked out there. 

Framber's three previous starts: 15IP, 21H/15ER, 18K:6BB, 4HR allowed.

Pitching coach Josh Miller:

He had a different sort of focus and demeanor and presence the whole time - from warmup to in the dugout in between innings to on the mound in the game.

Framber's pitches by inning:

1st: 10

2nd: 12

3rd: 14

4th: 11

5th: 13

6th: 6

7th: 5

8th: 10

9th: 12

The 93 pitches are the 3rd-fewest in a no-hitter since they started keeping track of that in 1988, behind Darryl Kile's 83 (!) pitches for the Astros on September 8, 1993 and David Cone's perfect game in 1999. Check here for other facts & figures from last night's game.

*It was the first time the Astros shut out their opponent since a 14-0 win over St. Louis, and the first time they've shut out an opponent at Minute Maid Park since a 2-0 win over Oakland on May 21 (coincidentally that was Framber's first CGSHO of the season). 

*Houston is 12-3 in their last 15 games decided by one or two runs. 

*Framber's only blemish of the night was a leadoff walk in the 5th inning of DH Oscar Gonzalez - he got a double play to end the inning, meaning that he faced the minimum 27 batters. 

*65 of Framber's 93 pitches were for strikes.

*Kyle Tucker drove in both of the Astros' runs, giving him 5RBI in his last three games. He has struck out just twice in his last 39 Plate Appearances. 

*Every no-hitter in Astros history.

*Chandler Rome wrote about Jim Crane's commitment to winning.

*I wrote up some thoughts about the Verlander trade.

*GQ: How one man stole $2 billion in art.

*What makes the Allsup's burrito so legendary?

*A Musical Selection:

Saturday Morning Hot Links

The Astros beat the Oakland "Athletics" 6-4. They are 55-43, 12 games over .500 for the first time since they were 35-23 on June 3. The Rangers had a 5-4 lead over the Dodgers and blew it, so the Astros are three games back. The Astros have won three straight, and are 5-2 since the All-Star Break. 

*Houston is 8-0 against Oakland in 2023, and are 5-0 at Whatever That Stadium Is Called. Since getting swept at Oakland July 25-27, 2022, the Astros are 14-1 against the A's. 

*Last night was the 38th time in 2023 the Astros have scored 6+ runs. They're 32-6 in those games.

*The Big Story of the night was Kyle Tucker's three homers. It was the 3rd multi-HR game of his career, the first since May 17, 2022. His 3x4, 4RBI night last night raised his average to .303, over .300 for the first time since April 26. 

Kyle Tucker, since Yordan's oblique injury: 35 games, 156 PAs, .356/.439/.644. 20 of his 47 hits in this span have been for extra bases (11 doubles, 9 homers). OPS leaders among qualified batters since June 9:

1. Shohei Ohtani: 1.422 (like, for real, dude is hitting .366/.487/.935 since June 9). 

2. Corey Seager: 1.096 (who sprained his thumb and left the game after sliding head-first last night)

3. Kyle Tucker: 1.083

It was also his 6th home run in July. He needs one more this month to tie his previous record of 7 (September and June 2022, July 2021), or two more to break that record, which could be achieved by the 5th inning today. 

One more home run against the A's would tie his career-high of homers against a single opponent, as he has hit 18 against the Angels, and hit his 15th-17th against Oakland last night. 

Pressly, on Tucker:

Three homers in one game is a pretty good day at the office. Tuck's a special player. He puts in a lot of work...It's nothing new to me - I've seen him do it in batting practice and stuff like that. But he's kind of forming into a low-key superstar.

*Alex Bregman hit another home run, the first time he's hit a homer in consecutive games since April 11-12. Since the All-Star Break, Bregman: .355/.394/.710.

*Framber Valdez: 5IP, 6H/4ER, 4K:2BB. Framber has made 19 starts in 2023 and allowed 4+ ER in four of them, but three of those have been in his last four starts. 

Framber, beginning of season until that St. Louis start where he "slipped on the dugout steps:" 15 starts, 99IP, 78H/25ER, 104K:21BB, 2.27 ERA / 1.00 WHIP. 

Framber's last four starts: 4 starts, 23.1IP, 26H/15ER, 29K:9BB, 5.79 ERA / 1.50 WHIP.

*Ryan Pressly recorded his 100th career save, and his 99th with the Astros. He's the 17th active pitcher with 100 career saves, and the 160th player in MLB history to record triple digits. Pressly:

Whenever you get something like that, I think it's pretty special. I never thought I'd get here, to be honest with you. 

I was going to put this on the cursed Twitter website, but realized I don't want that level of engagement/notifications, so I'm putting it here where no one can comment [evil laugh]. Pressly is one of five active pitchers on this list have been in the Astros organization at some point. Name the other four (answer underneath the musical selection).

*Rafael Montero, beginning of 2023-June 25: 31.1IP, 44H/27ER, 36K:17BB, 7HR. 7.76 ERA / 1.95 WHIP. 

Rafael Montero, June 26-present: 10.1IP, 3H/2ER, 7K:4BB. 1.74 ERA/ 0.68 WHIP. 

*Yordan might be back in time for the Rangers series on Monday. 

*How the USWNT's pipeline got fractured by a youth soccer turf war.

*How a careless slip killed a Manhattan Project physicist. 

*Hotel wifi sucks. I'm getting out of here.

*A Musical Selection:

(Trivia Answers: Mark Melancon, Josh Hader, Ken Giles, Will Smith)

Sunday Morning Hot Links

Wow! What a dumb game we all enjoy! The Astros had a 9-3 lead going into the bottom of the 7th and somehow managed to lose in extra innings, 13-12. Houston is 51-42. The Rangers obviously won, so it's back to 3GB. 

*The Astros are 1-7 in extra inning games this season. They're 17-28 in extras since the Ghost Runner rule was implemented in the 2020 season. 

Astros winning percentage, 9-inning games, 2020-present: .611 (264-168)

Astros winning percentage, extra-inning games, 2020-present: .377 (17-28)

*McTaggart noted that it's the first time the Astros have scored 12 runs in a game and lost since August 20, 2002.

*Martin Maldonado:

Shocking, you have to say. We lost a game with a big lead and with our best [pitchers] on the mound.

Framber left the game with what the Astros are describing as a cramp (Jeremy Pena left with a hamstring cramp, as well). His line: 6.1IP, 7H/5ER, 13K:2BB, 2HR. All five earned runs came off of the two homers. It's the second time this season he's allowed 2HR in the same game. His 13Ks are the most in a start since July 3, 2022...against Anaheim.

Chas McCormick:

I just hope Framber's OK at this point. I hope Pena's OK. We really can't afford any more injuries. It's a tough loss, but the Angels are a good team. They never quit tonight and they deserved to win that one.

*Ryan Pressly gave up five hits. He had given up five hits in his last 15 appearances (16IP) combined. Pressly's five hits allowed are the most since August 27, 2016. 

*Jose Abreu was 2x5 with a 3-run HR. 

Abreu, Opening Day-June 8 (when Yordan went out with an oblique): .217/.277/.265

Abreu, since June 8: .301/.331/.549.

*Mauricio Dubon was 3x6, his 6th 3-hit game of the season. 

*Chas McCormick was 3x3 with two walks - his second 3-hit game of the season, and his 15th multi-hit game of 2023. His five times reaching base in a single game are a career-high. 

*Martin Maldonado had two hits (and 2RBI) for the first time since June 3. The Astros are now 9-5 whenever Maldonado has an RBI. 

*Jose Altuve hopes to join the Astros on this road trip.

*Yordan Alvarez worked out in Houston and has yet to start the rehab assignment the Astros announced he would make three days ago. 

*Spencer Arrighetti is in the mix to bolster the rotation, according to Dana Brown.

*The Astros signed 11 draft picks, including 1st Rounder Brice Matthews, yesterday. Check the financials of what we know so far.

*The Ringer: The Top 10 Storylines of MLB's Second Half.

*NY Times: In the land of football, a cricket oasis arises outside of Houston.

*In a Behind-Closed-Doors friendly, we had Barnsley 1 - 9 Leeds United.

*Texas Monthly: The sole restaurants in small towns do much more than serve food.

*A Musical Selection, one that I wish would play every time I walk into a room. Any room:

Saturday Morning Hot Links

The Astros opened the second half with a 7-5 win (it's more accurate to say that the Angels lost that game, rather than that the Astros won it) over the Anaheim Ohtanis. The Astros are 51-41, two games behind West Grand Prairie. They are 1-0 since the All-Star Break, 5-4 in July. Houston is 18-10 against the AL West. 

*The Angels are 0-5 since Mike Trout went out with a hamate injury. The Astros are 15-14 since Yordan went out with an oblique injury. The Angels and Astros combined to go 7x25 w/RISP last night. 

*Shohei Ohtani as a starting pitcher, 2023:

vs. Houston: 0-3, 18IP, 19H/13R (11ER), 20K:6BB. 5.50 ERA.

vs Everybody Else: 7-2, 87.1IP, 53H/30ER, 119K:40BB. 3.09 ERA.

Dusty:

The first one is always a tough one. You came in after four off-days and nobody's seen live pitching in five days and facing one of the best pitchers in the league is kind of tough. Guys showed up and battled through.

*Last night was the 27th game in 2023 in which the Astros didn't hit a home run. They're 12-15 in homerless games. The 2022 World Series Champion Houston Astros had 49 homerless games all season.

*Jose Abreu was 3x4 with a walk and an RBI. It's his third 3-hit game of the season, and his 19th multi-hit game of the year. Ten of those multi-hit games have come since June 8. 

*Kyle Tucker was 2x3 with an RBI and a walk, his third multi-hit game in July.

*Alex Bregman was 1x5 with a double and 3Ks. Three+ Strikeout games for Alex Bregman by season:

2023: 6

2022: 2

2021: 0

2020: 0

2019: 0

2018: 1

2017: 3

2016: 3

*Corey Julks was 1x3 with two walks, his first 2BB game since June 17.

*Shoutout to Bligh Madris, who got his 3rd hit as an Astro and then almost immediately got picked off of first base.

*J.P. France on Bastille Day: 4.1IP, 9H/4R (2ER), 2K:0BB. Very French. The nine hits allowed tie his season-high (May 17 vs Chicago) and it snaps a six-game Quality Start streak. After striking out one of every 4.89 batters in his first seven starts, France is now getting one strikeout per 8.33 batters in his last five. 

*Ryan Pressly struck out the side for the first time since May 26, and the third time this season. Pressly:

The results were good, but I felt awful. I'm not even going to sugarcoat it. It's one of those things, you haven't played for four days and you try to pick up right where you left off and it's hard to do...Today, it was awful. I hate coming back after the All-Star Break. 

*Congratulations to the Angels' Trey Cabbage, who made his major league debut, joining Gene Leek, Hap Collard, Pickles Dillhoefer, Belve Bean, Graig Nettles, Pepper Peploski, Ginger Beaumont, and Yam Yaryan as the only vegetables to reach the Majors. 

*The Bastard Anthony Rendon went on the IL again, having played in 200 of the Angels' 476 regular season games (I guess you could include postseason games, as well, lol). The Angels have paid Rendon approximately $553,000 per game in which he has appeared.

*The Astros fell into Tier 2 of the ESPN 2nd-Half Preview piece, under the category of "Expected Threats" for the postseason. ESPN:

Whatever happens, Houston will once again be in the running for another deep playoff run, even if its margin for error seems a little smaller than seasons past.

*Framber, who wasn't allowed to pitch in the World Baseball Classic, also wasn't allowed to pitch in the All-Star Game, and he wasn't exactly happy about it (though he says in this Chandler Rome piece that he understands why they made that call). 

*Jose Urquidy for Sugar Land last night: 2IP, 1H/2R (0ER), 2K:1BB. Luis Garcia was in the dugout with him. Urquidy:

I'm very happy and I feel great. I was waiting for this moment for a long time...It was a good outing, physically very good. I'm very anxious and can't wait to throw again.

*Yordan's scheduled rehab start was scratched due to "illness." Probably bowels is loose. Jose Altuve took soft toss in the cage, and Michael Brantley is back to hitting off a tee.

*Greg Rajan talked with Karl Ravech about the Astros 2023 season.

*4th Round pick Cam Fisher is MLB.com's favorite pick of the 2023 Astros draft. While we're still waiting for signings/numbers to be announced, remember you can check out the 2023 Draft page.

*The Astros have 0 out of Baseball America's Top 100 Prospects.

*The University of Tennessee's former coaching staff were dumb as hell.

*The Gilgo Beach Serial Killer's life is crazy.

*The guy whose mother-in-law's "What color is it dress" was arrested for trying to kill his wife.

*A Musical Selection:

Monday Morning Hot Links

The Astros limped into the All-Star Break with a 3-1 loss to Seattle to close out the first half of the season with a 50-41 record, two games behind South Argyle. The Astros have not spent a single day in 1st place this season. Thank God they don't play again until Friday. 

*The Astros go into the All-Star Break with a 42.4% chance of winning the division, just south of the 44% that FanGraphs gives the Rangers, the closest that race has been since June 13. Baseball-Reference still gives it to the Rangers, 62.1-33.9. 

*After scoring six runs against the Rockies on Wednesday, the Astros were outscored 20-6 in the four-game series against Seattle. 

*The Astros managed just 19 hits in their last four games, their fewest in a four-game span since recording 16 hits from July 7-10, 2021, against Oakland and New York. 

*Houston is 15-5 against Oakland, Anaheim, and South Argyle, but 2-5 against Seattle in 2023. 

Dusty:

If anybody had told me that we'd be two games out with all that has happened, injuries and different things that we had, I'd say I'd be happy to have that. I'm just not happy at the moment.

More Dusty:

I think the best days are ahead. The best days have been ahead since we lost all those guys, and the key is to get them back, but to get them back ready. You don't want to get them back when you're not ready...They're on the way, they're real close. We've just got to win some games and stay where we are until we get them back.

*Brandon Bielak was solid: 5IP, 4H/3R (2ER), 5K:1BB. It was his 7th start (out of 11) in which he has allowed two or fewer earned runs, and the 4th in which he walked one batter (or fewer). 

*Rafael Montero's last four appearances (dating back to June 29): 7IP, 2H/2R (1ER), 3K:2BB. That said, Montero is the first Astros reliever to post a -0.3 fWAR in the first half of a season since Rhiner Cruz in 2012. 

*Ryan Pressly's career with Houston: 257 games, 250.1IP, 173H/67ER, 321K:56BB, 2.41 ERA / 0.92 WHIP. 5.73 K:BB ratio.

Billy Wagner's career with Houston: 464 games, 504.1IP, 333H/142ER, 694K:191BB, 2.53 ERA / 1.04 WHIP. 3.63 K:BB ratio.

*Jake Meyers was 0x3. Since going 4x5 on June 5 against Toronto, Meyers: 69 PAs, .136/.246/.186, 16K:9BB.

*Since going 3x5 with a grand slam on June 29, Alex Bregman's last ten games: .143/.268/.171. 

*Martin Maldonado hit a home run in back-to-back games for the first time since September 20-21, 2021. 

*Chron: Houston's first half in review.

*Dusty said that Framber will not pitch in the All-Star Game.

*Jose Urquidy threw a 40-pitch bullpen while Yordan took some swings and Altuve tracked pitches.

MLB Draft

*The Astros selected Atascocita HS/University of Nebraska's Brice Matthews with the 28th overall pick last night. It's the 7th time in franchise history that the Astros have taken a Cornhusker, the most recents being Scott Schreiber (9th Round - 2018) and Jake Meyers (13th Round - 2017). The slot value for 1-28 is $2,880,700.

Matthews hit .359/.481/.723 for Nebraska in 2023, and is the first player in program history have a 20HR/20SB season.

Scouting Director Kris Gross:

Postseason, we brought him into Minute Maid Park and had a day with him and his family here and he did a workout in the cage down below. Very impressed with the kid, the family. A lot lined up since he was at our Urban Youth Academy. We had a lot of comfort pulling that magnet off the board.

ESPN:

New GM Dana Brown comes from a more traditional scouting background, but this is a pick that aligns with the Astros' number-crunching models of the past decade. But Matthews is more than just a data darling, as all of his tools grade as average or better.

ESPN questioned whether he would stay at SS, or transition to the outfield, but Chandler Rome talked to Gross, who said:

We think he's got the athleticism to cover a lot of ground at shortstop. It's a little bit new for him - he was an outfielder mainly in high school, played second base at Nebraska his freshman year. Only two years at shortstop, but we like the range, he's got the arm strength to do it and we think that's his long-term future.

Jonathan Mayo: 

This one might have taken some by surprise, as Matthews profiled more as a second-round type of talent. But he does have an exciting combination of home run potential and plus speed.

Matt Kawahara: How Matthews went from Atascocita to Nebraska.

*With their second pick of the night, at 2-61, the Astros selected UCLA's Alonzo Tredwell. And all they said was 6'8" he stood, and people thought the pitches that he made were good. Gross:

He's got some frontline potential. His fastball is 90-95, huge extension down the slope. He's got four pitches, he throws a ton of strikes. We thought he really has a high ceiling if he can put it all together. We're excited to get that one in the second round.

Tredwell, who had Tommy John Surgery in 2020, was a closer at UCLA for two years before transitioning to the rotation this year. In 92.1IP in his collegiate career, Tredwell posted a 113K:18BB ratio. 

Other Stuff

*USMNT beat Canada in penalties last night to reach the Gold Cup Semifinal.

*Check on your friends in the Hudson Valley.

*A Musical Selection:

Sunday Morning Hot Links

The Astros beat the Mariners 3-2 to improve to 50-40, snapping a two-game skid. Framber did Framber Things. The Offense did Offense Things. They're the 4th AL team to hit 50 wins. The Astros are two back of the Rangers, and are guaranteed to head into the Break no more than three games back. 

Game Number of 50th Win, Astros recent history:

2023: 90

2022: 77

2021: 83

2019: 80

2018: 77

2017: 74

2016: 92

2015: 92

2014: 120

2013: 146

*The Astros improved to 10-10 in 1-run games. 

*After scoring six runs in the final game of the Rockies series, the Astros have scored five runs in the last three games. 

*Houston won despite only getting four hits, improving to 1-9 when recording four or fewer hits. 

*Alex Bregman has an RBI in consecutive games for the first time since June 24-25. He has two extra-base hits in his last 58 PAs. 

*Framber: 6IP, 5H/2ER, 6K:2BB. He ends the first half with a 3.2 fWAR, 2.51 ERA. He's one of five pitchers to post at least a 3.0 fWAR in the first half (Gauman, Gallen, Wheeler, and Strider are the others). 

Dusty:

We needed it very badly against them. We were 1-4 [vs Seattle] going into today and...we wanted to pick up a game or two this weekend. And the fact Texas lost. I didn't think they had a good chance of losing, but baseball is baseball.

Framber wants to start the All-Star Game.

*Bullpen: 3IP, 0H/0ER, 4K:4BB. Hector Neris loaded the bases with nobody out in the 8th, and got out of it, somehow. Scott Servais on the Mariners' half of the 8th:

We had them against the ropes and couldn't deliver the knockout punch. On the road, you've got to score and not just, like, get one in that inning. In my mind, I'm hoping we get two or three when you get the bases loaded. Then you look up and [Neris] wiggled his way out of it.

Matt Kawahara notes (first link) that Saturday was Neris' 110th appearance since the beginning of the 2022 season. Provided he doesn't finish 2023 on the IL, the club option for 2024 converts to a player option. 

*Ryan Pressly walked a batter for the first time since June 20 - a span of 27 batters between walks. Pressly's last ten games: 11IP, 0H/1R (0ER), 11K:4BB.

*Martin Maldonado hit the go-ahead homer in the bottom of the 8th to provide the game-winning run. It's the latest in a game he has homered since September 21, 2022. Five of his six home runs in 2023 have come with the bases empty.

*Yordan, Bregman, and Tucker all have 55+ RBI, the first time since 2001 that the Astros have had three players with 55+ RBI before the All-Star Break.

*Ronel Blanco was optioned to Sugar Land, and Joel Kuhnel was brought up. Blanco can be optioned two more times this season before being put on outright waivers first.

*Mauricio Dubon has had a fortuitous first half.

*Yordan Alvarez took BP prior to the game and hit balls 107, 109, and 111mph.

*The MLB Draft is tonight! Check out MLB.com's final Mock Draft (Ty Floyd and Ralphy Velasquez are in the mix) and ESPN's final Mock Draft (Brock Wilken and Cameron Johnson).

SETX-area guys in ESPN's projected first 70 picks include Blake Mitchell (Sinton HS) and Kendall George (Atascocita HS). And the Chronicle put together a full list of Houston-area draft prospects.

*Elly De La Cruz got a single, and then proceeded to steal 2nd, 3rd, and home. 

*Bob Huggins is Hugginsing things up, naturally.

*The best movies on Amazon Prime right now.

*A Musical Selection:

Monday Morning Hot Links

Well Shawn Dubin did pretty much exactly what the Astros needed him to do, Chas McCormick delivered the Big Hit, Altuve homered. Astros win 5-3 to improve to 46-38, four games back, winners of five of their last seven games. The Astros have an opportunity today to end a weekend at South Euless in which three rookies started having picked up two games. At worst, the Astros will have kept the Ramgers lead at five games through a tough weekend. 

*Dusty:

This club, they like to win. And they know how to win. No matter who we put out there, we expect them to do the job, even though they might not do as good a job as the people they're replacing. But just do what you're capable of doing and do what it takes to help us win.

That is the backhandiest of compliments.

*Shawn Dubin: 4IP, 3H/1ER, 3K:2BB.

Dusty: 

That puts us in position to win the series and leave three games out. We battled today. Our bullpen did a great job. Dubin did an outstanding job. We took him far...we were thinking three, and he went four.

*Bullpen: 5IP, 4H/2ER, 8K:0BB.

*I'm not really sure why Future Hall of Famer Bruce Bochy pulled Andrew Heaney after 5IP and 85 pitches, having allowed just three hits and a walk with eight strikeouts...but I'm glad he did.

*Ramgers Bullpen: 4IP, 7H/5ER, 4K:2BB.

*Jose Abreu was 3x5 with a double. Since June 1 (26 games), Abreu is hitting .298/.321/.510. He has a nine-game on-base streak.

*Jose Altuve hit his 198th career home run in the top of the 9th inning. Since coming back from resting a bruised heel on June 28, Altuve is hitting .316/.458/.842. Four of his six hits in that span have been for extra-bases, and he's been on base 11 times in 19 PAs. He needs two more home runs to be the 5th Astro with 200 career home runs, and needs 26 homers to pass Jimmy Wynn for 4th all-time in franchise history.

*Chas McCormick was 2x4 with a two-out bases-clearing triple to break the game open off of Josh Sbarro Sborz in the 8th inning. It was McCormick's first triple since August 13, 2022, and his first 3RBI game since April 9. On June 9, McCormick was hitting .227/.315/.427 after going 0x6 with 4Ks. Since then, he's hitting .333/.400/.533. He should probably play every day.

McCormick:

I'm just happy to contribute and help the team win. I wanted to come through there with two outs, wanted to be aggressive and ready to hit. Thankfully, we got a win today because that was huge. And if we can get a win tomorrow, that will be even bigger.

*Yainer Diaz was 0x4 with runners in scoring position.

Diaz, bases empty, 2023: 85 PAs, .354/.377/.671.

Diaz, someone on, 2023: 76 PAs, .169/.171/.254.

Diaz, with RISP, 2023: 43 PAs, .132/.140/.158.

There are 295 hitters in MLB with a minimum of 40 PAs w/RISP, and Diaz's .132 BA ranks 292nd.

*Alex Bregman had his 3rd 0x5 day of the season. 

*Framber Valdez and Yordan Alvarez are your 2023 Astros All-Stars. Yordan will attend, not play. Framber might start the game.

*Yordan took BP in the cage yesterday.

*Jeremy Pena missed his third straight game after sleeping wrong. Wasn't it about this time that we all lit up Carlos Correa? 

*The Nationals signed Former Astros Great Daniel Mengden to a minor-league contract while the Rockies called up Former Astros Great Fernando Abad.

*BBC: Will Texas become too hot for humans?

*Today is a hallowed day at ACHQ: It's July 3 aka Dependence Day. The day that me and my household celebrate the last day of America's dependence on England. So grab a Bounty and a Harp, add this to your Spotify playlists and spend the next nine and a half hours with me listening to the finest Britpop. 

*A Musical Selection:

Sunday Morning Hot Links

The Astros just kind of stumbled along in a 5-2 loss to East Haltom City. Houston is 45-38, back to five games back. 

*The Rangers' 15 hits were a season high for the Astros' pitching staff. 11 of them were singles.

*Hunter Brown, the day before Shawn Dubin starts for the Astros, really could have helped everyone out with a strong performance. Instead: 4IP, 10H/3ER, 6K:0BB, needing 91 pitches to get through those four innings. 

Brown:

I put some pitches in some good spots. Whether they fought them off or worked a hit out of it, they just made it difficult on me today. I don't think I was overly mis-executing. But it's kind of difficult to not think how you could have done better when they put up 10 hits on you.

Brown has faced three teams a second time in 2023:

Minnesota, April 9: 7IP, 2H/1R (0ER), 7K:2BB.

Minnesota, May 31: 4.2IP, 6H/5ER, 8K:2BB.

Oakland, May 20: 6IP, 5H/2R (1ER), 9K:0BB.

Oakland, May 26: 7IP, 4H/2ER, 10K:1BB.

Arlington, April 15: 7IP, 5H/2R (0ER), 5K:1BB

Arlington, July 1: 4IP, 10H/3ER, 6K:0BB

So let this be your confirmation that Oakland does, in fact, suck.

Brown's 56 strikes were a season low, as were the nine strikes looking, as were the eight line drives the Rangers hit.

*Rafael Montero: 1IP, 1H/1ER, 1K:1BB. Montero has now given up at least one run in 13 of his 35 appearances.

*Houston only had two plate appearances with a runner in scoring position. 

*6-9 in the lineup (Dubon, Julks, Meyers, Maldonado) went a combined 0x10, 3K:2BB.

*Jake Meyers was 0x3, 1K:0BB.

Jake Meyers, 2021: 163 PAs, .260/.323/.438, 6HR.

Jake Meyers, since: 387 PAs, .226/.295/.351, 7HR.

For no reason at all:

Chas McCormick, 2021: 320 PAs, .257/.319/.447, 14HR.

Chas McCormick, since: 578 PAs, .247/.333/.418, 21HR.

*Kyle Tucker hit his 12th home run of the season in the 9th to provide the Astros' only runs. Tucker has an eight-game hitting streak in which he's hitting .387/.457/.774. Six of his 12 hits in this span have been for extra-bases (three doubles, three homers). 

Tucker has two home runs in his last nine PAs. He had two homers in his previous 91 PAs. 

*Alex Bregman was 1x3 with a double and a walk. He has six walks in his last four games. Bregs is hitting .267/.421/.533 through this eight-game road trip.

*Framber Valdez will not make today's start due to a sprained ankle, which the Astros say (eyes roll completely out of head) happened against the Mets when he slipped down the dugout stairs. Framber sprained his ankle so badly that he made his next start a week later, losing the one game against the Cardinals (but not pitching terribly). Valdez:

I twisted it there and just continued pitching, maybe because of the heat or adrenaline there. But when I pitched in St. Louis, I felt it a little bit more, felt it a little more tender. And just figure better to skip a start than to regret it the rest of the season.

*Eno Sarris, on Cristian Javier's fastball decline.

*McTaggart: Altuve is staking his claim on the Astros' Mount Rushmore.

*Watch Yordan Alvarez and Michael Brantley run at you.

*The Astros are thriving as the underdogs in sports betting.

*Infielder Zach Dezenzo, 2023:

Asheville: .407/.474/.628

Corpus: .274/.371/.429 

*The Rangers classed up the joint by having a bunch of different mascots beat up a replica Orbit in their replica ballpark prior to the game. Which is pretty on-brand for a franchise whose generational highlight is punching Jose Bautista.

*How long will Canada burn?

*How to listen to, and enjoy, classical music.

*If you're having trouble using Twitter, but still want to follow Astros reporters/accounts, lists don't seem to be rate limited, so you can find my Astros Media list here.

*A Musical Selection:

Wednesday Morning Hot Links

You've gotta be kidding me. The Astros lost to the St. Louis MF Cardinals 4-2. Houston is 42-37, one game back of Anaheim in 3rd place, six back of East Aledo. They're 10-14 in June and have lost eight of their last eleven games. 

*Houston is 6-11 since Yordan Alvarez's oblique injury, hitting .240/.309/.407 as a team. They've scored two or fewer runs in seven of those 17 games.

*Martin Maldonado hit his second home run since May 24. It was his third extra-base hit this month, a June in which he's "hitting" .132/.220/.264.

*Framber's 4ER are the most he's allowed in a start since May 15, which is also the last time he gave up a home run before last night's dong by Cardinals 8-hole hitter Paul DeJong - the first homer hit off of Framber's curve all season.

Maldonado, on the Cardinals' approach:

I feel like they had a good approach, hitting the ball the other way, not chasing much. That was the difference. I think we made some good pitches, and they didn't hit that many ground balls like he normally gets.

How Framber became an Ace.

*Jose Altuve was out again with a sore heel. He's been limited to playing in 26 of the Astros' first 79 games of 2023. Jose Urquidy threw a 25-pitch bullpen session. He'll have a 30-pitch session on Friday before facing live hitters at MMP on the next home stand.

*Matt Kawahara: What Jose Abreu and Alex Cintron worked on during his reset last week.

*Dusty isn't panicking about Rafael Montero.

*Chandler Rome: Spencer Arrighetti - just promoted to Sugar Land - lost his identity, now it's back.

*NY Times: How Shahzad Ismaily Became Musicians' Favorite Musician.

*Rolling Stone: The biggest, messiest band breakups in music history.

*A Musical Selection:

Wednesday Morning Hot Links

The Astros won. The Rangers and Angels lost - the first time all three outcomes happened like that on the same day since May 28, and the 4th time all season. Houston is 40-34, 0.5 back of Anaheim, 5.5 back of Frisco.

*The win over the Fightin' Verlanders snaps a five-game skid, though the Astros scored four or fewer runs for the fifth time in the last six games. It's the first game the Astros have won with scoring four or fewer runs since May 21. 

*All four runs came courtesy of Altuve and Bregman at the top of the lineup. Alex Bregman hit his 10th home run of the season (and the 150th of his career), becoming just the second Astro with double-digit homers in 2023. 

Bregman's homer came on a 3-0 count. He had never hit a homer on a 3-0 count before last night. 

*Jose Altuve hit a grand slam on May 29. Altuve now has 4RBI since then.

*Julkamania! After drawing a walk seven times in his first 52 games, Corey Julks has four walks in his last three games. He had walked four times in his previous 84 PAs (24 games). 

*Jose Abreu was 1x4, but with three strikeouts. In 2022 Abreu struck out once every 6.17 PAs. In 2023 it's once every 4.07 PAs.

*Jake Meyers, June 2023: .149/.231/.255

*Framber Valdez threw 8IP, 4H/2ER, 9K:1BB. Framber's last six starts: 42IP, 26H/7ER, 39K:9BB. Bregman:

Framber was incredible today. Verlander, for five years, was incredible for us. Whenever we needed a win he was there and now Framber's been that guy for us.

Chronicle: Framber played the role of Stopper.

McTaggart: Framber stole the show.

*Last night's game was the first time Verlander has ever taken the L against the Astros. In ten career games against Houston, Verlander is 5-1 with a 2.82 ERA / 1.09 WHIP.

*Ryan Pressly:

Everybody was sick of me blowing games, all the way from the org to fans, to teammates, to my friends. Even myself. It's frustrating, especially when we go out there and put up the games we've been putting and lose by one or two runs, but tonight everything felt good.

*Yainer Diaz has hit his way into the cleanup spot.

*The Rangers kinda got screwed, and I'm here for it.

*ERCOT is asking Texans to conserve energy today.

*NY Times: Pink Floyd, The Wizard of Oz, and Me. 

*A Musical Selection, in which my favorite song by The National isn't actually performed by The National: