Tuesday Morning Hot Links

 *After two days of reflection, this is where I am:

1. Absolutely amazing the Astros got as far as they did without Verlander, Yordan, and Osuna. 

2. Absolutely infuriating that the largely-intact lineup couldn't come up with a few more hits in Games 1-3. 

3. The emergence of Framber Valdez, Cristian Javier, Enoli Paredes, Blake Taylor, and Andre Scrubb makes 2020 a success no matter the ALCS outcome. 

4. I still love Charlie Morton.

5. I told you I was terrified of the Rays. 

6. I do not care who wins the World Series, despite my text to my cousins on Saturday night that "I would rather the world end than see the Dodgers win a World Series." I was acting out. 

*At a press conference, GM James Click said that Altuve's struggles in 2020, and his sudden difficulty throwing the ball to first base, were but a blip:

I was really impressed by the fact that he didn't take that with him to the plate and he didn't let that affect the rest of his game. We are 100 percent confident that those blips are behind him. He is going to come back next year, I'm sure, as the elite offensive and defensive player that we know he is.

*Remember when Zack Greinke said after Game 4 that it was nice to have someone (Dusty) believe in him? Greinke and James Click had a talk about that. Click:

We had a long conversation. It was great. It was a very healthy conversation. He expressed his views and why he made the comments and I mostly listened. My job in that situation was I think just to listen to a Hall of Famer and find out why he would be frustrated by those kind of things.

*The entire coaching staff is coming back for 2021.

*This Martin Maldonado coming-home video will melt your heart.

*This Tim Brown piece says something along the lines of "The Astros' past caught up with them in Game 7 and that's why they lost."

*Check out MLBTR's projected arbitration salaries for next month.

*It's not terribly fun to read about, but we all love Geoff Blum so whatever: When utilityman Geoff Blum became a World Series hero.

*Former Astros Great Chris Holt is the leading candidate to take over as Baltimore's pitching coach. Former Astros Great Jim Hickey is the new Nationals' pitching coach.

*According to Mark Berman, Jeff Luhnow and [squints] A-Rod approached the Dynamo about purchasing the franchise, but nothing came of it. 

*Luhnow spoke to KPRC about the sign-stealing scandal, because what is another early postseason exit without getting a chance to experience pain, past or present? I have many thoughts, and I'm going to work through them, and we'll convene tomorrow, yeah?

*Leeds United 0 - Wolves 1. Leeds are at 18% to get relegated, according to FiveThirtyEight. It is unhealthy how often I check this. Next up: Aston Villa on Friday at 2pm Central.

*10 Psychological Haunted House movies - for when the ghost might be you.

*I voted last Tuesday. It took 45 minutes, longer than I've ever waited to vote. Pro Publica: Why do non-white voters in Georgia have to wait for hours? 

*I'm not much on Maureen Dowd, but I really like Sacha Baron Cohen.

*You'd think that no one would be stupid enough to hire a hitman on a website called "Rent a Hitman." You'd be wrong.

*A Musical Selection:

Monday Morning Hot Links

The regular season is over, and great things have happened in it. Time has flown by, and the main event is here. But first, here's the recap the final regular season game.

So the Astros, am I right folks? They are pretty good. In fact, the favorite to win this whole thing.

MLB also posted the top 50 players in the playoffs. The Astros have 8 of them. Not bad imo.

ESPN did a roundtable discussion about some popular October questions, where they talked about who is under the most pressure, the favorites, the surprises, and everything in between.

Tickets sold quick for the ALDS. How much are they now, and when will they be playing?

It's official, the only team to sweep the Astros this year was the Reds. So when they ask who swept the 2019 World Series champions you can win that question on bar trivia night.

What's been your favorite moment from the regular season 2019?

Ryan Pressly is back baby.

Bryan Abreu may sneak onto this postseason roster if Hinch has anything to say about it.

Is this the best team Luhnow has ever constructed? Probably.

It was announced that Geoff Blum and Todd Kalas were extended through the year 2021, which is good news if you enjoy them.

Josh Reddick is heating up exactly when we need him.

Gerrit Cole has been heating up for 6 months and is also exactly where we want him to be.

We got one last regular season mailbag. ($)

Brian Wilson looks like Tim Lincecum now and its kind of offputting.

I will never hesitate to drop a brand new article about big funny birds

Monday Morning Hot Links

Hello.

The Crawfish Boxes are working on what's basically trades of the "Luhnow Era". Part 1 handles 2014-early 2015 with Part handling specifically the Gomez trade:

Part 1

Part 2

A.J. Hinch confirms that Abraham Toro-Hernandez will be invited to Spring Training.

A.J. also spent some time with some high schoolers over the weekend at the CC Baseball Camp, alone with current and former Astros such as Tyler White, Jarred Cosart, and Geoff Blum.

Cionel Perez, my new favorite Astro with the departure of Marwin Gonzalez, talks about the Rookie Career Development Program and his relationship with fellow Cuban Yuli Gurriel. 

Of course the biggest baseball news over the weekend comes from the Kyler Murray decision, which has to come at some point today. Jeff Passan reports that the MLB would waive a rule saying that rookies cannot sign Major League contracts after they are drafted just for lil ol him.

If you hate spiders, this might be your worst nightmare. Like, just knowing that this CAN happen now has me a little bit paranoid.

Costco is selling a 27 pound bucket of macaroni and cheese for $90 so you better act fast before this steal of a deal is no longer!

Wales claims to have the world's steepest street and the Kiwis (specifically the city of Dunedin, New Zealand, who are proud owners of the world's steepest street) are so mad that they might lose this record that the elected Mayor of the city said in an interview that they "will call on the gods of earthquake to tilt our street a little more and regain the title". I love it.

Wednesday Morning Hot Links

The Astros are the blue kind of "on fire" right now, defeating the Blue Jays 4-1 last night are picking up their 100th win of the season. This set many records. Tags full recap of the game is here, which I will watch and read later because I was unable to catch the game. Please do not stop reading because I am uninformed.

Roberto Osuna agreed to a peace bond today and is no longer facing any criminal charges. Alison Craig, a practicing lawyer in Canada, was on The Usual Suspects yesterday to try and explain the situation and why everything happened the way that it did. (Go to "09/26/2018 The Usual Suspects Hour 3" and fast forward to ~13:45 for the interview. Roughly 9 minutes in length)

Carlos Correa will be back in the lineup today and "feels a lot more comfortable."

A viral post has made its rounds involving an 8 year old girl with DMDD who was told be be quiet for yelling. At a sporting event. I have no doubts the Astros organization will do something very kind for this family.

Ken Giles is not backing down of the comments he made about the Astros organization.

Keep your eye on Freudis Nova in 2019.

The Astros are going with a bullpen day today. Chris Devenski will start.

Charlie Morton will rejoin the Astros in Baltimore and is expected to make a shortened start this weekend.

Geoff Blum talks to The Crawford Boxes about Weird Word Wednesdays.

Playoff Tickets. Friday. Buy them up.

Don't fret: the Astros are going to be in contention for a very long time.

Andrew McCutchen had a night to remember.

The Rangers were cuddling up on the 'ol ball diamond last night.

A rapper was hospitalized because he overdosed on Hot Cheetos.

On This Day in Baseball History

In 1954, Yogi Berra played his only game at third base. Mickey Mantle also played shortstop.

In 1965, the Twins won their first pennant since moving to Minnesota.

In 1981, Nolan Ryan threw his 5th career no-hitter, the only pitcher ever to do so.

In 1997, Mike Piazza hit a ball 500 feet.

In 2007, umpire Mike Winters was suspended without pay for the rest of the year after his confrontation with Milton Bradley, who suffered a season-ending knee injury during the skirmish.

In 2012, Milo Hamilton called his final game against the St. Louis Cardinals. The Astros won the game 2-0, and Milo said "Holy Toledo" one last time.

Friday Morning Hot Links

Carlos Correa Is Back!

But anyways, I suppose we should talk about last night's Astros game. I had to work but got home just in time to catch the 8th inning so as far as I'm concerned, we won 1-0 off a Tyler White walk-off in the 9th. Sick game!

No but for real, JV got tattooed harder than a guy who gets tattoos really hard..and deep..into his skin. Okay but anyways, he allowed 6 earned runs in two innings before being ejected "arguing" a balk call.

The highlight of the game offensively had to have been Tony Kemp. He was 3-4 with 2 RBIs and now is back to hitting .300 on the season. He also can hang his hat on this fun fact. We may have found our answer to James Paxton (who by the way is the only Mariners starting pitcher to beat the Astros this season).

Houston is now 4.5 up on Oakland and 7 up on Seattle. Also, the Chicago Cubs now are the first NL team to have a better winning percentage than the AL West 3rd Place team Mariners.

Let's post some Hot Links now, shall we?

Player's Weekend jerseys have been revealed. One player missing from this list is Roberto Osuna, who will be wearing 'No Panic' on his jersey. Probably not the best idea, but the reasoning can be found here.

The Best and Worst Player's Weekend jerseys from across the MLB can be found here.

Lookout Landing has posted a pretty cool series preview for all the numbers folks.

Roberto Osuna's role will develop with time in the Astros system.

Mookie Betts completed his cycle thanks to Ken Giles. His ERA with Toronto sits at a cool 20.25 with a 2018 ERA of 6.21.

Justin Verlander opened up about his injuries and depression, and how Kate Upton kept him on track to succeed.

I guess people were conflicted about watching an Astros game against an AL West rival, who can still very much take the division if we start to slide, over an exhibition football game.

Craig Biggio will join Geoff Blum, Preston Wilson, and Luke Scott in the *ahem* Legends Weekend Home Run Derby.

Is Kyle Tucker the left fielder of the future and if not, who might be the one to take that spot?

LMJ hurt himself swinging a bat because the National League is super stupid.

The Post Oak Little League team from Houston will meet the Astros before they head to Williamsport.

Chandler Rome talks Hector Rondon.

Jeff Sullivan from FanGraphs writes about the Astros' emerging superstar.

Dallas Keuchel has found his changeup, which is probably why his ERA in the last 2 months is 2.29.

Consuming crickets is actually very good for you.

Cow poop is the reason for the E. Coli in the lettuce.

This guy nicknamed "Uncle Pokemon" attached 11 smartphones to his bike so he could pedal around and play Pokemon Go! on 11 smartphones.

On This Day in Baseball History

In 1944, Red Barrett defeated the Reds 2-0 throwing a 58 pitch, complete game shutout. The game lasted 75 minutes.

In 1971, Harmon Killebrew hit his 500th home run.

In 1995, the Dodgers had to forfeit against the Cardinals because people wouldn't stop throwing baseball on the field.

In 2004, Adam Dunn cleared the wall, cleared the boat, and dropped the ball in the Ohio. The ball traveled am estimated 535 feet, a Cincinnati record.

Also in 2004, Tom Glavine was injured in a taxi accident. He required over 40 stitches to his face.

In 2010, the Reds and Cardinals got in a massive brawl that injured catcher Jason LaRue and pitcher Chris Carpenter. Reds pitcher Johnny Cueto was also suspended 7 games for kicking and spiking Yadier Molina.

Saturday Morning Hot Links

The Astros played a dumb game against a dumb team (without Jose Altuve and Carlos Correa, it deserves to be noted; though, with Chris Devenski, who has suddenly turned unreliable). They lost. Houston is 67-38. There are 57 games left to play. At their current win%, Houston would finish the season with a 103-59 record.

*Houston has recorded seven hits and three runs in their last two games. Houston is 12-7 since dropping three straight against the Rays from June 29-July 1.

*The loss to the Rangers snaps an eight-game winning streak against West Tyler. The Ramgers' 15 hits and 11 runs against the Astros are the most since August 29, 2017 - when East Weatherford beat Houston in the first post-Harvey game in Tampa, so as not to inconvenience their season ticket holders. Houston is 12-5 against Upper Waxahachie in 2018.

*Dallas Keuchel needed 102 pitches to get through 5IP with 6H/3ER, 5K:2BB, breaking his streak of four straight wins and taking his first loss since June 22, a 1-0 loss to Kansas City. He allowed a home run to Robinson Chirinos, the first batter in the previous 243 to hit a home run against Keuchel. On June 5, Keuchel gave up three home runs in a 7-1 loss to Seattle. He did not allow another home run until tonight - a span of eight starts.

*Chris Devenski faced five batters and didn't retire a single one, allowing four hits (three singles and a home run) and a walk. The last nine batters he has faced have reached base (7H/8ER, 0K:2BB), and 15 of the last 21 batters he has faced (over four outings dating back to July 12 have reached base. His ERA has gone from 2.33 to 4.19 in his last two outings.

Devenski, July 2018: 35 batters faced, 15 outs. 14H/13ER, 4K:4BB, 4HR. 23.40 ERA / 3.60 WHIP. 0 FUN.

*Yovani Gallardo got his first win against Houston since August 4, 2015.

*The Astros struck out eight times, marking the 10th game in their last eleven in which they recorded nine or fewer strikeouts. After recording 12 double-digit strikeout games in their first 25, the Astros have 10+ strikeouts in a game 12 times in their last 80.

*Evan Gattis went 3x3 with his 20th home run of the season, marking the 5th season out of six with 20+ HR. Last night was his 5th 3-hit game of the season. The Astros are now 4-1 in those games.

Evan Gattis home runs by month:
March/April: 1
May: 6
June: 8
July: 5

*Jose Altuve was held out of last night's game, and Hinch isn't sure about tonight, either. Prior to last night's game:
He's still pretty sore and we're going to hold him out as a precautionary measure. I don't know what that means for this series or anything more than today. 

*The big news of the night otherwise was the Astros' acquisition of outfielder pitcher Alex Ryan Presley Pressly from the Twins, in exchange for pitcher Jorge Alcala and the astronomically-named Gilberto Celestino. Cionel Perez was optioned to Fresno to make room. Hinch:
He's somebody that we looked at pretty hard and he fits how we like to pitch. He fits in a lot of different roles for us. I need to shake his hand first before I kind of know what we're going to do with him. I knew it was in the works. 

Pressly is striking out a career-high 13.03 batters per nine innings, the 7th-highest rate in MLB. McTaggart notes that his four-seam fastball has the 5th-highest spin rate and his curve has the 2nd-highest spin rate in MLB. That worked out pretty well for the Astros, and for Collin McHugh. Oh, and Pressly is under team control through 2019.

Ryan Pressly's 2018 spin rates ➡️

4-seamer: 2,580 rpm
5th-highest in MLB, min. 250 thrown

Curveball: 3,199 rpm
2nd-highest in MLB, min. 100 thrown

And does any team get more out of its pitchers' stuff than the Astros? Perfect place for him to get traded.

— David Adler (@_dadler) July 28, 2018

Jorge Alcala was the Astros' #10 prospect, with Celestino ranked by MLB at #15 (#7 in BP's offseason list). On the year, Alcala has thrown 79.1IP, 61H/29ER, 82K:35BB between Buies Creek and Corpus. Celestino is in his 2nd year in a domestic league, and was hitting .317/.383/.476 for Tri-City as a 19-year old. Best of luck to both of them with the Twins as the Astros go for their second straight World Series championship.

*Yesterday's trade acquisition Candy Martin Maldonado is pumped to be out of the perennially-.500 Angels. Maldonado:
They know how to win. They find a way to win. As a player, that's where you want to be.

*Carlos Correa, who is locked in a tiger cage on board a steamer to Fiji, said he tried to ramp his rehab up too quickly, and had to start over.

*Chandler Rome: Kyle Tucker is still trying to figure out big-league pitching.

*Couple of updates from McTaggart on some familiar faces: Jandel Gustave is out until 2019 while Frankie Tuesday could be back in August.

*Check this Jake Kaplan Q&A with Geoff Blum about Vlad and Trevor Hoffman.

*Former Astros Great Brett Phillips is headed to Kansas City in the Mike Moustakas trade.

*Check out this cool story about an 87-year old Cardinals fan, and the Baseball Hall of Fame, who is hosting the 2018 Induction this weekend.

*SI: Have the Mariners found a formula for success?

*

The Astros lost to the Rangers and some dude went for it all.

Happy Friday. pic.twitter.com/9u7TqCoZVf

— Christian Boutwell (@byCBoutwell) July 28, 2018

Sunday Morning Hot Links

Six days ago Lance McCullers Jr threw arguably the best start of his season (7IP, 1H/0ER, 8K:2BB). Last night might have been his worst. Altuve almost hit for the cycle, all for naught. The Astros' five-game winning streak is over, as is the season. Everyone should be DFA'd so they have time to properly feel shame. Seattle won, again, so the Astros' lead is at 2.0 games.

*McCullers: 4.IP, 6H/7ER, 2K:2BB. Five of the six hits were for extra-bases - a career-high. He had allowed three home runs through his first ten starts of 2018, and allowed three home runs last night, breaking a six-start/47IP stretch without allowing a home run. McCullers went eight starts between home runs in 2017.

He also managed to get yelled at by Jose Altuve after expressing displeasure at Gurriel's inability to dig a throw out of the dirt.

Jose Altuve was not happy with Lance McCullers... pic.twitter.com/EHduKBD1tF

— FOX Sports: MLB (@MLBONFOX) May 27, 2018

McCullers:
In the second inning, I was real immature, and I let emotion get the best of me. I showed my frustration. Altuve was letting me know that we're beyond that. I'm not 21 anymore. I've been around enough - this is my fourth season with the team.

*Jose Altuve went 4x4 with two singles, a triple, and a home run. It was the 27th 4-hit game of his career, and third of 2018.

*Tony Kemp hit the second home run of his career - his first coming on September 25, 2016.

*Collin McHugh threw yet another scoreless inning, giving him 14 straight appearances (18.1IP) without allowing a run.

*The Astros are going to try to get Marwin some time in Right Field.

*Hinch, on J.D. Davis' limited playing time:
Just because you're doing something in AAA doesn't mean you fit perfectly in the everyday lineup in the big leagues, but he still deserves to be here. For J.D. it's tough because where he places in a batting order can be a little redundant with some of the guys that we have, which is why we sent him down to begin with.

*Oliver Drake, who allowed 5H/6ER on Friday night, got DFA'd. Stros stay gettin dudes fired. Andrew Miller, who allowed 2H/3ER with a walk on Friday, was put back on the DL

*David Paulino is back on the DL for Fresno.

That smile won’t go away for a while. Had the time of my life putting the uni back on!! So grateful for this game. Oh yeah, 1-2, 1B RBI, BB; 3 assists & started a DP. #NeverSettle #HOFClassic https://t.co/AaVvazcvgh

— Geoff Blum (@blummer27) May 26, 2018

*Tyler Bauer has made seven starts against the Astros in his career. His line: 43.2IP, 31H/14ER, 55K:16BB - a 2.89 ERA / 1.08 WHIP - and a 7-0 record. Houston is the only team against whom he's made 6+ starts and not taken an L. Let's change that today.

*Down at Corpus, Myles Straw went 5x5 with three runs scored and his 31st stolen base of the season. He ranks 1st in the Texas League in hits and runs, 2nd in batting average, and 3rd in OBP. Corpus won 7-2. Here are the batting averages of the first four hitters in the Hooks lineup last night:
Myles Straw: .362
Josh Rojas: .360
Taylor Jones: .346
Randy Cesar: .367

*Quad Cities' Cristian Javier last night: 6IP, 1H/0ER, 9K:0BB. Javier's 2018 season: 39IP, 24H/8ER, 65K:19BB. His last four starts: 19IP, 8H/2ER, 35K:6BB.

*Seattle is 15-8 in 1-run games, with four walk-off wins including yesterday. Seattle's reckoning could come June 14-24 when they have ten games with Boston at home, then New York and Boston again on the road.

*In The Athletic, Cliff Corcoran introduces the Quality Appearance stat for relievers.

*I stumbled on this through Keith Law's weekly link roundup, so here's a 2017 SABR article about how much luck plays into year-to-year stats.

*From The Undefeated: Hakeem's greatest Ramadan performances.

*"It's just a system that has so many gaps, so many opportunities for these children to fall between the cracks, that we just don't know what's going on - how much trafficking or abuse or simply immigration law violations are occurring."

*This deserves a Pulitzer.

Saturday Morning Hot Links

The Astros are guaranteed a season series win over the Cleveland Indians, who allowed a fantastic start from Corey Kluber to go to waste with a complete bullpen meltdown and a special offensive showing. The Astros are 34-18, having won five straight and 13 of their last 16 games.

*The Astros are 34-18. They're 17-9 against the AL West, and 17-9 against everybody else. There are five teams with 30+ wins:
Boston: 35
Houston: 34
New York: 32
Milwaukee: 32
Seattle: 30

There are seven teams in the American League at .500 or above. Four of them are in the AL West.

*Kluber: 6.1IP, 7H/0ER, 7K:0BB.
Bullpen: 2.2IP, 9H/11ER, 0K:2BB.

Kluber retired nine of the first ten batters he faced. The Astros were 1x3 w/RISP with Kluber on the mound, but no runs scored. They would go 6x12 w/RISP against the Indians bullpen.

*The Astros scored 11 runs. Marwin:
We had a really good energy in the last three innings. We're playing 100 percent baseball. We never give up. They have good pitching and they shut us down for seven innings, but that's what this team is capable of doing, and that's what's special about this team. We can do damage in one or two innings.

Altuve:
It seems like until we see the 27th out against us, we're going to keep playing. We can hit homers with Springer, Bregman, Marwin. We can bunt. We can play defense. That's why this team is special: We do a little bit of everything.

*Seven runs in the 9th inning are the most the Astros have scored in a single inning all season.

Runs scored from the 7th inning on:
Houston: 98
NY Yankees: 90
Atlanta: 89
Chicago Cubs: 87
Toronto: 84
Oakland: 81
Seattle / NY Mets: 80
Pittsburgh: 79
Anaheim: 76
West Shreveport: 75
Baltimore: 74
Detroit / Tampa: 73
Boston: 71
Los Angeles: 70
San Diego: 63
Arizona / Cleveland: 60
Washington / Cincinnati / Minnesota: 59
St. Louis: 58
Philadelphia: 57
Milwaukee: 56
Miami / Chicago White Sox: 54
San Francisco / Kansas City: 49
Colorado: 38

*When trailing going into the 8th inning, the Astros were 1-15. They're now 2-15.

The two-run deficit is still a season-high for comebacks, and this was their 13th comeback win. I guess if you don't really allow more than two runs in a game, it's hard to come back from more.

*Terry Francona:
You're feeling pretty good. It was 2-0 and (Kluber) gets you into the seventh. We got out of that OK. After that, boy, we didn't have an answer of anything.

*The Akron Beacon-Journal's Ryan Lewis:
That's the vintage blueprint. Kluber with a terrific outing, Miller blitzes through an inning or two and Cody Allen nails the door shut. It was all going to plan before the Astros set that blueprint on fire, and the Indians had to frantically and unsuccessfully try to stomp it out.

*George Springer: 3x6, 3RBI, 11th home run of the year. He's hitting .305, the first time his average has been above .300 since August 23, 2017.

*Now at 60 and counting, Carlos Correa set the franchise record for most consecutive games at Shortstop without an error

*Dallas Keuchel threw 6IP, 8H/2ER, 5K:1BB. It's his 6th start (out of 11) in which he has allowed two or fewer runs; it's his 9th with allowing three or fewer runs. He's recorded 18 outs in eight of his eleven starts.

*Jake Marisnick: 1x1, 1RBI.

*Evan Gattis was 3x4 with 2RBI. In May Gattis is hitting .283/.320/.543.

*Because it's the Astros, the basepath is always an adventure.

*Seems obvious to say the Astros have underperformed given their former offensive struggles, but Baseball Prospectus' 3rd-Order Wins says the AL West should look like this:

Houston: 40-12
Anaheim: 28-23
Seattle: 26-24
Oakland: 26-25
Arlington: 19-34

*Derek Fisher had a "throat reaction" that limited how much he could eat, and is hoping to go on a rehab assignment soon.

*Cionel Perez's 1st pitch of the game last night? 97mph. He would go on to strike out ten batters in 4.2IP as the Hooks lost in extras for the second straight night. Myles Straw stole his 30th base of the season.

*Sam Dykstra has a great look at the evolution of JJ Matijevic.

*Geoff Blum is the Astros' representative at the Hall of Fame Legends Game in Cooperstown today.

*Seattle is obviously hoping to end that postseasonless streak - the longest in professional sports - by acquiring Denard Span and Alex Colome from Tampa yesterday. The Mariners now have three prospects. SI's Emma Baccillieri on whether the Mariners are good, lucky, or both.

*Since starting the season 13-3, Anaheim is 15-20.

*The Seattle Times' Geoff Baker: PEDs and the Dominican Republic

*Here's a really weird story about the Braves firing their pitching coach, and then re-hiring him before news broke.

*From The Atlantic: The Wisdom of Running a 2,189-mile Marathon.

Tuesday Morning Hot Links

*Yo here's an interesting article from Ol Boy Evan Drellich about what was apparently a pretty intense outburst from Alex Cora. Drellich:
On August 31, less than two months before he was named Sox manager and at a time of peak anxiety off the field, Cora cursed out Astros broadcaster Geoff Blum on a team bus heading from the airport to the stadium in Houston. When the bus arrived at the Astros' Minute Maid Park, Cora went off again, screaming at his boss, Astros manager A.J. Hinch.

*The Rangers signed lefty free agent - and potential Astros target - Mike Minor to a contract and the plan is to use him as a starter. The Rangers are also confident they can sign Shohei Ohtani.

*You probably have already come to terms with this, but the Astros aren't going to land Ohtani.

*Jon Heyman actually makes some pretty good points in why the Padres will sign Ohtani.

*Jose Altuve and the Big White Football Guy were named SI's Sportspersons of the Year. SI Editor-in-Chief Chris Stone:
People understand the depth of what Houston endured, and we hope this will bring some measure of excitement and joy while acknowledging that it's just an award. We're not honoring just J.J. and Jose. We're honoring an entire city. It's their story just as much as Jose's and J.J.'s story.

Jake Kaplan notes that Altuve is the 18th baseball player to receive the honor, and the first since Madison Bumgarner in 2014.

*Minor League baseball teams raised over $300,000 for hurricane relief.

*Astroline is tomorrow evening from 6pm-7pm at the Pluckers on Shepherd and will feature Bill Brown interviewing Jeff Luhnow.

*Josh Reddick went to his old elementary school and read "The Little Engine That Could." George Springer went back to UConn to visit...pretty much everybody, it looks like.

Who is the best backup player in Astros history?

This all started when I wondered to myself, "Is Marwin Gonzalez the best backup the Houston Astros have ever had?".

 I decided to go to the wonderful www.baseball-reference.com to find out. I started at Marwin Gonzalez and looked at his games and plate appearances. Last year was the first year he had over 500 plate appearances. A lot of that due to the fact that the Astros could not find a regular first basemen. Marwin has been with the Astros for 6 seasons and 519 games. I started to look for Astros' players with similar years and games played. I then went and looked at their WAR on Baseball Reference and compared it the number of years they played.

Top five

Cliff Johnson spent 6 seasons with the Astros and produced 5.8 WAR. He was atrocious in the field and mainly contributed as a pinch hitter. His 9 offensive WAR (oWAR) and -3.3 defensive WAR (dWAR) proves that. 

Marwin Gonzalez has 5.2 WAR in his 5+ seasons with the Astros. I was a bit surprised by that when I saw the numbers. He has a 91 OPS+ for his career. One would assume that the Astros gain from his defensive value. That is not the case. His 4 oWAR is higher than his 1.8 dWAR.  In 2014 Marwin played at every position except catcher, pitcher, and center field. Last year the only position he didn't play was catcher, pitcher, and right field.

Jake Marisnick Yes, swoon (as the Astros ladies like to call him) to this point has been a good contributor off the bench. If I was surprised by Marwin's numbers, I was blown away by Marisnick's numbers. I mean he's essentially a defensive substitute. That's exactly what he's done in four seasons with the Astros. His dWAR is at 4.9 and his oWAR is at .5 giving him a total of 5.2 WAR. 

Denny Walling should probably be below Jake based on averages. The dude played 13 seasons with the Astros and put up a 14.1 WAR. I have to take into consideration the longevity. All of his value is in his 13.4 oWAR. His dWAR is -1.8. Which is weird because the math doesn't add up. This is why people have a hard time taking WAR, seriously (Explanation on WAR in comments. TL;DR I'm dumb).

Bill Spiers, as I recall, was a utility infield. I had to get confirmation, though. 8.2 WAR in six years is pretty good. His bat produced a lot of that value 8.5 oWAR compared to a .4 dWAR. Looking at his positions he played all over the field. In 1999 the only position he didn't play was catcher and pitcher. 

Honorable mentions 

Geoff Blum and Casey Candaele. Blum was a pure infield utility player while Candaele played a some outfield. They both spent five years in Houston. Blum accumulated a 2.5 WAR. Candaele accumulated 3.2 WAR.

Final thoughts

It's entirely possible that I missed someone. I would love to hear of other players you think could be in the top five. Maybe you think WAR is stupid (I see why). I love that two of the best are playing for the Astros in 2017. Jake might have a shot at toping Spiers in the WAR category before it's all said and done. I'd love to see Marwin stick around longer than Walling. 

Former Astros on the move

The only moves being made this off-season so far is by players from the Astros going somewhere else. Like

Yorman Bazardo to the Twins.

Geoff Blum to the Diamondbacks.

And from the Wayback Machine, Taylor Buchholz to the Red Sox.

Wade discusses the Blum/Michaels decision

Ed Wade talked about the decisions to let Blum go and keep Michaels.

On Michaels:
"He does a lot of things well for us," Wade said. "The fact he can play all three outfield positions and can give us a good at-bat off the bench, even when he's not playing, is big. Those are all huge contributions he makes. Aside from that, his presence in the clubhouse is very much appreciated. He's great at communicating with the young guys and sort of carrying the message that [manager Brad Mills] and the coaching staff are trying to deliver out there."

On Blum:
"Being a veteran influence on this ballclub was good and he did a real good job for us off the bench. As a manager, you're going to miss guys like that. ...What went into not having him back? I know we looked at a lot of things, maybe what we wanted to do with the money issues and things of that nature. Again, we're turning and moving on and that's no reflection on Blummer. He couldn't have been a more outstanding person, teammate and clubhouse guy."

Astros won't be bringing Blum back

Geoff Blum told reporters after G162 that he will not be returning in 2011, with the Astros paying the $150,000 buyout instead of exercising his $1.65m option in 2011.

Blum:
"I do know that I will not be here. I'll miss being here, trust me. I've had several conversations with people within the organization and my services are not going to be needed here."

Back on September 6, we had a little poll asking what you would do with Blum's option. 61% of you said you would exercise it.

From the Office of the County Clerk - G150: Astros @ Nationals

The Astros got a hit for every ten fans at Nationals Park last night in an 8-2 win over Washington.

*The Astros scored 8+ runs for the 11th time (11-0) this season.

*Courtesy of AstroBrit, we see that the seven runs the Astros scored in the 5th inning are more than they have scored in 133 games - total - this season.

*Interesting: the Nationals got their two runs in the bottom of the first. When starting the 2nd inning behind, the Astros are now 15-29.

*Bud Norris threw 6.2IP, 6H/2ER, 6K:4BB for his 9th win of the season. Fifteen of the 77ER he has allowed have come in the 1st inning.

*Norris has thrown three straight games with 4+ walks, with a K:BB ratio of 20K:13BB. However, he didn't allow a homer last night, breaking a four game streak.

*Bud got 15 swinging strikes against Washington - the most in a game since he struck out 14 Pirates.

*The bullpen of Byrdak (0.1IP), Fulchino (1IP), and Abad (1IP) dominated the Nationals. In 2.1IP, they racked up 0H/0ER, 4K:0BB, and got seven outs on 32 pitches.

*The offense was helped out by some poor fielding - four of the Astros' eight runs were unearned. When starting pitcher Livan Hernandez got the leadoff batter in the inning (three times), he threw a perfect inning. When the leadoff batter reached (twice), the Astros went on to go 6x11, sac, ROE after the leadoff batter reached.

*Five of the Astros runs came via the longball. Humberto Quintero hit his 4th homer (tying a career high), and his first since June 10. Geoff Blum provided a three-run homer later in the inning, his 2nd of the year.

*It was Blum's 97th career homer, but his 20th career homer in the 5th inning, and his 16th three-run homer. Nationals Park became the 27th different stadium in which Blum has hit a homer.

*Chris Johnson was 1x3 with 3Ks. It was his 5th 3K game of the season, and in four of those games, he has gotten a hit in his other AB. Since August 1, he has 47K:9BB - and actually has more doubles (11) than walks (9). Last night, Johnson saw 13 pitches, nine of them were strikes, and five were swinging.

*The Astros were 5x11 w/RISP (Blum, Quintero, Lee, Keppinger, Bogusevic).

*Congratulations to Brian Bogusevic, who got his first multi-hit game of his career. Two of his four hits this season have been doubles.

*Pitch Count Hero: Jeff Keppinger (2x4, BB) - 18 pitches in five PAs.

*Pitch Count Punk: Chris Johnson (1x4) - 13 pitches in four PAs.

*Man of the Match: Geoff Blum - because I'm feeling froggy!

*Goat of the Game: Jason Bourgeois - 0x5, and led-off the inning with an out three times. (Nice catch in CF, though).

Blum wants to come back in 2011

But only to Houston, reports Brian McTaggart.

Blum, who has half the vote on his $1.65m mutual option for 2011:
"I think I'm at the mercy of the ballclub. It's been a rough year for me physically for whatever reason. Some people are going to blame age, but I think mentally, I still have game left. I'm at the point in my career I have to run it by the family. I've got girls in school, a wife that has been putting up with me for the last 12 years, so it's something when the season ends we have to talk about. But I'd be more than happy to be an Astro again. I think if I plan on coming next year, it will definitely be as an Astro."

McTaggart, who notes:
Blum is quite valuable; not only because of his versatility, but because of the veteran leadership quality he brings to the Astros' increasingly young clubhouse.

Would you exercise or decline his option?

Blum: The Cardinals didn't want to beat us

Interesting little quote from Geoff Blum on the intensity of yesterday's game shown by the Cardinals.

Blum:
"Their backs are against the wall, not ours, and it didn't look like they wanted to come out and beat us. It's really surprising. For whatever reason, we got to them at their weakest point."

From the Office of the County Clerk - G133: Astros v. Cardinals

Boom, sucka! Astros sweep the Cardinals behind more strong starting pitching, 5-2.

*This marks the second time the Astros have swept the Cardinals twice in a season since 1997.

*The win puts the Astros at 62-71 on the year, nine games under .500 for the first time since being 13-22 on May 14. Courtesy of Brian McTaggart, we can point out that the Astros are 64-63 since their 0-8 start to the season.

*The Astros were 10-5 against St. Louis this season, making them 36-24 against NL Central opponents in 2010.

*Nelson Figueroa and the bullpen came up big, withstanding St. Louis' early 2-run homer by Matt Holliday. The Cardinals in the 1st inning: 2x5, 2R. The Cardinals in the next eight innings: 5x28, 3BB, HBP

*With the win, Nelson Figueroa posted the highest number of wins in a season since 2001, tying a career high at four.

*Hunter Pence broke put the Astros ahead with one swing of the bat, hitting a three-run homer in the 5th to give the Astros a 3-2 lead. With the homer, Jeff Suppan joined Jamie Moyer and Ricky Nolasco as the only pitchers Pence has hit three homers against.

*35 of Pence's 88 career homers have been go-ahead homers. 27 of them with two outs, and 45 of them have been in the 5th inning or later.

*Pence also drew two walks on the day, ending a 37 plate appearance streak without a walk (last walk: August 24, the 16-inning Phillies game). It's his third 2BB/2H game of the year.

*Jason Castro was also 2x4 today. For the season against St. Louis, Castro hit .318 (7x22) - the highest average against any team. In his last six games, Castro has three two-hit games, and is 7x20.

*Brian Bogusevic was the first call-up to see some game action. He took a first-pitch ball, and hit the second pitch for a grounder to first, leading to Brett Wallace getting thrown out at home. Two batters later, Bogusevic stole his first Major-League base on Yadier Molina.

*Michael Bourn extended his hitting streak to eleven games. He's 17x44 (.386) during the streak.

*Pitch Count Hero: Michael Bourn (1x2, BB) - 22 pitches in three PAs.

*Pitch Count Punk: Carlos Lee (0x3) - seven pitches in three PAs.

*Man of the Match: Hunter Pence!

*Goat of the Game: Geoff Blum. Unless anybody has any other ideas.

Blum back to Houston, Downs could be a future 2B1

Geoff Blum's Blum neck has sent him back to Houston for an examination on his jacked up neck.

Mills:
"He was feeling much better last night after the game and we asked him if he would be able to play today, and he said yes, he wanted to be in the lineup. He got here real early and said, 'Millsie, it's worse today than it was yesterday and I can hardly move.' And so we kind of talked a little bit and he went in to get some treatment.

"We talked to [general manager] Ed [Wade] and [head athletic trainer] Nate [Lucero] and decided we have to get some answers because it's been a while now. We decided to send him back to see Dr. McCann. He has an appointment in the morning with him and hopefully we'll know something by the end of our game tomorrow afternoon at the latest."
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Wade has some nice words on new Express member Matt Downs:
"Our reports on him were that he's a multi-position guy, possibly and everyday guy at second. He's just a good baseball player who gets the most out of his ability, one of those types of guys. He has options remaining and buys a little bit more depth. We had a roster spot available, and so it made sense to claim him."

Middle Infield update

Bernardo Fallas' Notes Column tells us that Geoff Blum will get the majority of his time at 2B, while Sanchez will get the majority of time at SS - though could see time at 2B himself.

Mills, on Blum:
"We're going to be in a situation where it's going to be tough to get Blummer in there all the time. We don't want to kill this guy either. He's been a guy that will do a great job for us, but to put him out there every day might be asking an awful lot of him."

On Sanchez at SS:
"I think (Sanchez) has earned a shot to play there quite a bit."

Cardinals interested in Blum

Jon Paul Morosi says there's "nothing serious at the moment," but the Cardinals are interested in Geoff Blum.

Now this trade to the Cardinals I could get on board with.