Thursday Lunch Links

The Astros have advanced to the ALCS for the 7th straight year, or every single year in which Alex Bregman, Kyle Tucker, Yordan Alvarez, Jose Urquidy, Framber Valdez, and anyone else whose career began with the Astros after 2016 have been in the Majors. This is a dynasty, and anyone who says otherwise deserves to get their teeth knocked into their throat. 

*Franchises to make seven straight League Championship Series:

Atlanta: 8 (1991-1999, there were no playoffs in 1994)

Houston: 7 (2017-2023)

*Playoff Wins, 2015-2023 (as of the morning of October 12):

Houston: 60

Los Angeles: 47

Atlanta: 24

New York Yankees: 20

Chicago Cubs: 19

Boston: 18

Cleveland/Washington: 16

Philadelphia/Tampa: 15

Kansas City: 11

Toronto: 10

New York Mets: 9

San Diego: 8

Milwaukee: 7

Arizona/Six Flags: 6

St. Louis: 5

San Francisco: 4

Minnesota/Oakland: 3

Chicago White Sox/Miami/Seattle: 2

Colorado: 1

Anaheim/Baltimore/Cincinnati/Detroit/Pittsburgh: 0

Verlander:

We wouldn't be here if it wasn't for the bond that we have and the relationships that we have in this locker room, and we hold each other accountable in a good way. Obviously, this team is built different. These guys are built different. When it's time to step up, we play our best baseball.

*The Astros were held to six hits. Two of them, accounting for all three runs, were home runs. Houston is now 16-32 in postseason games in which they've recorded six or fewer hits. 

Houston is also now 1-5 in games where they do not draw a walk. 

15 straight Astros were retired until Jose Abreu got a base hit with two outs in the top of the 9th. 

*Jose Urquidy: 5.2IP, 3H/2ER, 6K:1BB. 53 of his 82 pitches were for strikes. Three of his 17 starts for the 2023 Astros went 17 outs or longer. Urquidy has allowed two or fewer earned runs in 11 of his 13 career postseason appearances. 

Bregman, on Urquidy, Mr. Game 4:

We've seen that since his rookie year, winning World Series games for us. We have a lot of confidence every time he goes and takes the mound. We know what we're going to get every single time: a guy who's competing, a guy who's trying to go execute pitches.

*The bullpen of Neris/Abreu/Pressly struck out eight of the last ten Twins batters in G4. 

*Bullpens:

Houston: 15IP, 10H/6ER, 26K:4BB (4ER were courtesy of Hector Neris in G1)

Minnesota: 19IP, 16H/8ER, 21K:7BB

*Carlos Correa watched Max Kepler watch Strike Three to end the series from the on-deck circle. 

Correa, Games 1/2: 5x8, 3 doubles, 3RBI, 2K:1BB

Correa, Games 3/4: 1x7, 0RBI, 2K:0BB

Correa:

I wanted that at-bat (in the 9th) so bad. I know Pressly very well, and it would've been a fun matchup. It didn't get there, but that's the way it's supposed to be.

Imagine moving Correa down in the order so that Max Kepler can represent the tying run with two outs in the bottom of the 9th and swing twice. 

*What a find by GMs Jim Crane/Jeff Bagwell in this Jose Abreu fella. Abreu was 2x4 with the eventual go-ahead 2-run homer. Abreu had 2HR/7RBI in Games 3&4. Abreu:

The only thing I can say is thank you.k The person that's not grateful with what life has given them isn't going to reach many goals. I can't say anything other than thank you. I'm just very grateful to be here.

*Michael Brantley hit his first postseason home run since 2020 ALCS G3 - a span of 22 games. Brantley:

The core guys that have been here the last seven years, they know how to win games. Since I got here five years ago, you can call it pressure, or when our back is against the wall, we play our best baseball. We always have. And it's a testament to those guys.

*Jeremy Pena went hitless for just the second time in 17 career postseason games. 

*Bryan Abreu: 1IP, 0H/0ER, 2K:0BB. 

Bryan Abreu since July 18: 31IP, 13H/0ER, 41K:13BB

*Ryan Pressly: 1IP, 0H/0ER, 3K:0BB.

Pressly, postseason career (all with Houston): 40.2IP, 30H/11ER, 53K:12BB. 2.43 ERA/1.03 WHIP.

Pressly last gave up an earned run in the postseason in 2021 ALCS G1. In the 17 postseason games since: 18.2IP, 6H/0ER, 28K:5BB. 0.00 ERA / 0.59 WHIP.

*Correa, on Maldonado:

He knows what he's doing behind the plate, and he knows every hitter's weaknesses and he's going to try to exploit. He pitches against the xSLG...and we knew it, and still it was hard to make the adjustments, the way he was pitching backwards. Hitters counts, he would go off-speed, and then a count where he would go off-speed regularly, he would go fastballs up. 

*Verlander, on the Astros' culture: 

There's been a culture established here that hasn't faded away. It's still very present, and that's a testament to the guys that were here before and the guys that remain here and the guys that are leaders of this ballclub. They don't allow slacking off, but they do it in a respectful manner. They expect the best of everyone because they're giving their best every single day. What a great way to lead by example. I think our culture is something not tangible. Funny that one (for) one of the most analytic-forward teams in baseball, something that makes this team so special is something that's not measurable. 

*Jeff Passan:

For seven years - one short of Atlanta's record eight-straight championship series appearances - the Astros have managed to win at least one playoff series. And as dissatisfying as that might be for those who harbor resentment against the organizaiton for its cheating in 2017, anyone who refuses to acknowledge the Astros' exceptional staying power is just willfully ignorant.

*FanGraphs: Houston 60.9 - 30.1 Six Flags

Other Stuff:

*100-win teams (Baltimore, Atlanta, Los Angeles), 2023 postseason: 1-8.

Pretty sweet to watch the Astros clinch the ALDS and then turn it over to watch the Dloldgers get swept by a team that went 5-8 against them in the regular season. The Dodgers are the second team in MLB history to win 100 games in the regular season and never even hold a lead in the postseason. The Bastard Dave Roberts:

There's some things with the format that people can dissect or whatever, but the bottom line is we've gotten outplayed in the postseason. 

Read every single word above this section to see why maybe the playoff format isn't the reason. 

Dodgers, regular season, 2018-2023: 558-313 (.641)

Dodgers, postseason, 2018-2023: 30-28 (.517)

Or, Dodgers, postseason, non Mickey Mouse years (2018-19, 2021-23): 17-23 (.425)

*Jay Jaffe: Dodgers take another early exit from the postseason tournament.

*London to Norman: Inside one recruit's 5,000 mile official visit

*Respect to The Ringer for not having a single solitary baseball article on the front page of their website. 

*The radical empathy of Jason Isbell.

What To Watch, October 12:

1:45pm Central: UEFA Euro Qualifying - Scotland @ Spain

3:30pm: CONMEBOL Qualifying - Uruguay @ Peru

7:00pm: Rockets @ Pelicans 

7:07pm: Braves @ Phillies

*How Braves-Phillies became Baseball's Best Rivalry.

*A Musical Selection:

Thursday Night Hot Links

Doing this tonight so I have time to do something else in the morning. Nothing has changed in the FanGraphs Playoff Odds. Here's what else is going on in and around the Astros...

*Justin Verlander will start Game 1 on Saturday at 3:45pm, Framber Valdez will start Game 2 on Sunday at 7:03pm. We don't know who starts Game 3, but it will be Tuesday in Minneapolis at 3:07pm.

Verlander, career, ALDS Game 1: 23.1IP, 21H/12ER, 25K:11BB

This is clouded, somewhat, by his 2022 ALDS G1, in which he gave up 10H/6ER, 3K:1BB in 4IP against Seattle - the game that Yordan walked off when the Mariners hilariously threw Robbie Ray. 

*Dusty, on Minnesota:

Nobody gave them a chance to beat Toronto, I don't think. They've got good pitching, they've got good defense, they've got a number of left-handed hitters, which poses a problem. They've got a good manager. I mean, they're a good team.

*The Chronicle's Matt Kawahara has a good piece on the Astros' ALDS roster decisions, which have to be finalized Saturday morning,

*Chandler Rome's Notes Column in The Athletic runs down the following:

-Michael Brantley is available for the ALDS

-Get ready to watch a lot of Yainer Diaz on the bench in the ALDS

-Jose Urquidy will shift to the bullpen, which pretty much ensures Cristian Javier will start Game 3. 

-There will be some promotions in the front office this offseason

*Dusty Baker would very much like everyone at MMP to be quite loud.

*Here is MLB.com's position-by-position breakdown between the Astros and Twins.

*Hector Neris has been fined for his actions "against" Julio Rodriguez, but he won't be suspended.

*FanGraphs: The 30/30 Season That Wasn't, Then Was, Then Wasn't (And Still May Be)

*A former Astros video room employee answered questions on Reddit about the Ben Reiter doc on PBS.

*Minnesota's Byron Buxton and Nick Gordon are enjoying the Twins' ride, despite just sitting there wanting to play. Click the link for other notes from Minneapolis. 

*Former Blue Jays Manager John Gibbons STFU Challenge.

*ESPN: Which impending free agents have made - or lost - the most money in the playoffs so far?

*The Mets and the very-recently-resigned Billy Eppler are under investigation for abusing IL rules.

*Jose Altuve, by postseason series, career:

2015 AL Wild Card vs New York: .250/.250/.250, 1RBI, 1K:0BB

2015 ALDS vs Kansas City: .136/.174/.136, 1RBI, 2K:1BB

2017 ALDS vs Boston: .533/.632/1.133, 3HR/4RBI, 2K:4BB

2017 ALCS vs New York: .320/.414/.560, 2HR/4RBI, 5K:4BB

2017 World Series vs Los Angeles: .194/.219/.452, 2HR/6RBI, 7K:1BB

2018 ALDS vs Cleveland: .286/.286/.571, 1HR/2RBI, 2K:0BB

2018 ALCS vs Boston: .250/.348/.300, 2RBI, 4K:3BB

2019 ALDS vs Tampa: .350/.381/.900, 3HR/5RBI, 3K:1BB

2019 ALCS vs New York: .348/.444/.652, 2HR/3RBI, 1K:4BB

2019 World Series vs Washington: .303/.294/.394, 1RBI, 3K:0BB

2020 Wild Card vs Minnesota: .000/.222/.000, 1RBI, 0K:2BB

2020 ALDS vs Oakland: .400/.526/.800, 2HR/5RBI, 3K:3BB

2020 ALCS vs Tampa: .462/.563/.885, 3HR/5RBI, 5K:6BB

2021 ALDS vs Chicago: .313/.476/.625, 1HR/3RBI, 5K:4BB

2021 ALCS vs Boston: .125/.214/.375, 2HR/4RBI, 3K:3BB

2021 World Series vs Atlanta: .222/.250/.482, 2HR/2RBI, 9K:1BB

2022 ALDS vs Seattle: .000/.059/.000, 6K:1BB

2022 ALCS vs New York: .188/.278/.250, 5K:2BB

2022 World Series vs Philadelphia: .308/.333/.385, 3K:1BB

*Astros Postseason Record When Altuve Gets...

0 Hits: 13-16

1 Hit: 21-11

2 Hits: 16-6

3 Hits: 6-3

*Astros Postseason Record When Altuve Homers: 16-5

*Most Career Postseason Home Runs, MLB History:

1. Manny Ramirez: 29

2. Jose Altuve: 23

3. Bernie Williams: 22

4. Derek Jeter: 20

5. Albert Pujols / George Springer: 19

7. Carlos Correa / Nelson Cruz / Reggie Jackson / Mickey Mantle: 18

*Esquire: The Scout Who Found Patrick Mahomes

*The Ringer: Inside the Ugly Standoff Between James Harden and Daryl Morey.

*Rolling Stone: The 50 Best Latin American Rock Albums

*In the wake of Kevin McCarthy's historic ousting as Speaker of the House of Representatives, I took a look at the last time the House tried to body-check the Speaker (all the way back in 1910).

*A Musical Selection:

Thursday Morning Hot Links

So, a quick programming note before we get amongst it: many of you know that I'm a teacher. If you didn't, now you do. I actually had to report back to school yesterday, and that's pretty much how it's going to be for the next [squints] ten months. It may take me a while to find my groove as far as morning schedules go. Also, next week is my 20th wedding anniversary and we're going to go out of town for a little bit. While I'm a morning person and my wife has Sleep as her Number One vacation goal, posting these every day may not be too big of an issue, as I can work while she sleeps, because God knows I'm incapable of sleeping in. So, in summary and in summation, Hot Links may become a little sporadic. Apologies in advance. But since this is a free service, I'm not going to feel all that bad about it. 

The Houston MF Astros beat Colorado 4-1 and held the Rockies to just two hits. One left the yard. The Astros are 53-43, 4.5 back of the Rangers, who will never lose again. Houston is 3-2 since the All-Star Break, 8-6 in July. 

*It's the third time Astros pitchers have held their opponents to two or fewer hits. They're 3-0 in those games. 

*Colorado scored 10 runs in the four games in which they played Houston. It was the 6th time this season they've been held to 0-1 runs at home. 

*The Astros are now 28-21 on the road in 2023.

*Brandon Bielak: 5.2IP, 1H/0ER, 4K:3BB. It's his third straight start of allowing two or fewer earned runs, and the 8th out of 12 starts in 2023. Bielak's last three starts (which includes two vs Colorado): 17.2IP, 7H/3R (2ER), 13K:8BB. Bielak has started 19 games in his career, and in three of those did he not allow an earned run. One in 2020, and his last two starts against Colorado. 

*Chas McCormick was 2x4 with a 2-run homer, his 12th of the season. His career high is 14. On June 9 (the day after Yordan went down with an Oblique), Chas was hitting .227/.315/.427. Since then (24 games, 95 PAs): .361/.442/.675. McCormick:

Just wait till we get some firepower back. We're going to be a dangerous team. And we are right now. We've got a lot of younger guys picking up the slack, but that's what we're here for.

Dusty:

It's a perfect example (of next man up), because every day when we do win, we have different heroes.

*Kyle Tucker was 1x3 with a double and a walk. Tucker's OPS bottomed out at .775 on May 31, since then (40 games, 176 PAs) he's hitting .338/.417/.563 - a .980 OPS. 

*Jose Abreu was 2x4 with an RBI, his 5th multi-hit game in July.

*Alex Bregman went 0x4 for the first time since the All-Star Break. 

*Jake Meyers was 2x4 and has a three-game hit streak, his 3rd-longest of the season. 

*Ryne Stanek and Rafael Montero each threw a hitless/scoreless inning for the first time since May 28 and the second time this season. 

*Yordan Alvarez finally made his first rehab start for Sugar Land, going 1x3 with a walk. Jose Urquidy threw 29 of his 45 pitches for strikes, throwing 3IP, 4H/2ER, 2K:1BB in an 8-2 Space Cowboys win.

*Chron: What Dusty wants to see from Yordan's rehab outings.

*Chandler Rome: How Chas McCormick and Jake Meyers are dealing with Trade Deadline SZN...again.

*The Astros Youth Academy has had thousands of kids come through, Brice Matthews is the first one to get drafted in the 1st Round. 

*2023 Tampa Bay Rays: 3-6 vs Houston/Arlington. 57-33 vs everybody else. 

*ESPN: What you need to know about the Women's World Cup.

*What is the best day ever in Hollywood history?

*Texas Monthly: The McNay Art Museum's "unhinged" Threads account is their favorite thing right now.

*A Musical Selection:

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:

Thursday Evening Hot Links

I do indeed hope you enjoyed a few days without the Astros jellydicking around. I know I did. I'm posting these now so I don't have to worry about it tomorrow morning. The Astros start the second half of the season tomorrow night in Anaheim against Future Astros Great Shohei Ohtani. 

*Playoff Odds:

FanGraphs: 43.2% to win division, 66.1% to make postseason.

Baseball-Reference: 32.8% to win division, 70% to make postseason.

*When can the Astros catch the Rangers for the division lead? The Astros start the second half with nine road games before coming back home to play Upper Mansfield: three at Anaheim, two at Colorado, and four at Oakland. The Astros are 13-2 against those three teams in 2023. 

The Ramgers also have nine games, all of them at home, before coming to Minute Maid Park: three vs Cleveland, three vs Tampa, and three vs the Dodgers. They lost a three-game series against Tampa already, but haven't played Cleveland or LA - who are both lead their respective divisions. 

But to go up in the division, the Astros have to be three games better than the Rangers in the next nine games. So if the Rangers go 4-5, the Astros have to go 7-2 (this seems simple, but just making sure everyone understands the maths). It's hard to make up three games in nine games, unless of course you're trying to catch the 2007 Mets lol.

*1st Half OPS vs 2nd Half OPS, career:

Alex Bregman: .820 / .919 (+99 points)

Jose Abreu: .810 / .882 (+72 points)

Kyle Tucker: .818 / .869 (+51 points)

Martin Maldonado: .616 / .637 (+21 points)

Mauricio Dubon: .651 / .664 (+13 points)

Jose Altuve: .834 / .840 (+6 points)

Yordan Alvarez: .989 / .957 (-32 points)

Jeremy Pena: .729 / .664 (-65 points)

*The Astros open the second half hoping for better health, and pitching reinforcements.

*MLB: What each team learned in the 1st Half.

*Chandler Rome: The Astros are right to focus on pitching help at the deadline.

*Yordan and Jose Urquidy will be in Sugar Land tomorrow night on a rehab assignment.

*Kyle Tucker gave Shohei Ohtani his free agency pitch.

*The 2024 season schedule has been released, and the Astros host the Yankees to start the 2024 campaign. They'll also play a series against the Rockies in Mexico City.

*FanGraphs: Jay Jaffe's Cooperstown Notebook still gives Altuve a good shot at making the HOF.

*Jake Marisnick: Los Angeles Dodger.

*The 2023 Astros MLB Draft page is live, and at the moment I do have the energy to keep up with it. 

*Texas Monthly: This heat is killing us.

*ALERT: New Colson Whitehead Book! New Colson Whitehead Book!

*Rodger Sherman: The sudden, inevitable downfall of Pat Fitzgerald at Northwestern.

*New Yorker: The terrifying car crash that inspired a masterpiece.

*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:

Saturday Morning Hot Links

 Things were going pretty great for Hunter Brown until suddenly they weren't! Seattle beat the Astros 10-1. Houston is 49-40, now three games back of Upper Keene. The Mariners are now in third in the AL West, four back of Houston, and seven back of the division lead. 

*The Astros lost back-to-back games for the first time since June 23-24, and back-to-back home games for the first time since June 18-19. 

*Houston's offensive offense has been held to 1 run in consecutive games for the first time since all the way back on June 15-16. It's the sixth time since Yordan's oblique injury that the offense has been held to 0-1 runs. 

*The Astros have two extra-base hits in the first two games of this Mariners series. They've drawn one walk in 18 innings. Last night was the first time since June 7 that the Astros did not walk once. 

*Kirby/Castillo, this series vs Houston: 13.2IP, 11H/2R (1ER), 6K:1BB. 

*The Mariners have struck out 24 times in the first two games of the series. Last night was the 3rd time this season that Astros pitchers have struck out 13+ batters and still lost the game. 

*Hunter Brown's 28 Game Score was the sixth game this season in which an Astros starter has posted a Game Score below 30. Four of them have come since June 21. 

*Brown's first six outs were all strikeouts, and his eight Ks were the most in a start since May 31. After recording at least 17 outs in four straight starts, Brown has managed to get just 21 of the last 41 batters he has faced out. 

Brown's last two starts: 7IP, 18H/8ER, 14K:3BB. 

Dusty:

He really didn't have command of his breaking stuff or his fastball really. His fastball was high; his breaking ball was low...That was a tough inning. I don't think I've seen a nine-run inning in a long time.

*The Mariners' 9-run 4th Inning is the most runs the Astros have allowed in an inning since a 9-run 2nd Inning against San Diego on August 22, 2020. The Mariners in the 4th: Single, Walk, Single, Single, Single, Strikeout, Walk, Fielder's Choice, HBP, Walk, Double, Double.

*Maldonado, on Brown:

This guy's going to be really good in the future. I think he's starting to understand how to get hitters out. It's always a big test the more information is out there for the hitters. And I feel like he's thrown the ball really, really good for us. He has been valuable when he needed to be valuable. And a couple of bad outings, everybody's going to have those. 

Chandler Rome: Brown is highlighting the thin-ness? thinnity? of the Astros' rotation options.

*The Mariners had 13 hits and eight walks, for a total of [takes off socks] 21 base runners. It's the 5th time this season the pitching staff has put that many runners on. Such a thing only happened once in 2022. 

*Phil Maton: 1IP, 2H/4ER, 1K:2BB. He had given up 4ER in his last 14 games dating back to June 6. The last time Maton gave up multiple extra-base hits in an outing was August 19, 2022. 

*In three games vs Luis Castillo, the Astros are hitting .171/.247/.257, the lowest OPS for any team Luis Castillo has pitched against. 

*Bligh Madris, career home runs as a hitter: 1

Bligh Madris, career home runs allowed as a pitcher: 1

*Alex Bregman drove in the Astros' lone run with an infield single. 

Bregman, 2016-2019: 517 games, 2238 Plate Appearances, .286/.384/.527, 45.6% of his hits went for extra-bases. 

Bregman, 2020-2023: 376 games, 1628 Plate Appearances, .256/.356/.431, 37.8% of his hits for extra-bases. 

*Chas McCormick apologized to Ty France after Thursday's game in which he did The Shenanigans.

*The Astros hope this break gives Cristian Javier a "second wind."

Meat Wagon Update

*Yordan Alvarez hit on the field prior to Friday's game. 

*Jose Urquidy threw a 22-pitch bullpen before the game, and will have four rehab starts before being activated (provided he doesn't end up on Weiland Island) in early August. 

*Michael Brantley still has not returned to baseball activities.

*Catcher-of-the-Future? Korey Lee is also out with a strained oblique. The Astros organization needs a new Oblique Guy.

*29 people died in one of the worst mountaineering accidents in history. What happened?

*Cyclist Mark Cavendish abandoned the Tour de France this morning after a crash. If he does, in fact, retire at the end of the season, he will end his career tied with Eddy Merckx with 34 stage wins. Even more sad, he finished 2nd in yesterday's stage (that would have eclipsed the record) at the line.

*Something I like to do when Things are Overwhelming (which happens often!) is watch Slow TV. Like this 10-hour train ride through the Norwegian Arctic Circle.

*A Musical Selection:

Wednesday Morning Hot Links

Weird day, between all the Injury Updates and Bielaking. To the game, the Astros beat the Rockies 4-1 to improve to 48-38. Houston is still three games back of Gun Barrel City, but have managed to move to 16-15 since June 1. 

*The Astros are ten games over .500 for the first time since June 14, when they were 39-29. 

*Houston has won six of their last seven, and seven of their last nine games. 

*Colorado's three hits were the lowest allowed by Astros pitchers since Houston beat the White Sox on May 12. The pitching staff held their opponent to three or fewer runs in four of their last six games.

*Houston's offense produced 13 hits. It's the third straight game - and 7th in their last ten - with 10+ hits. The last time they had a span of three straight games with double-digit hits was September 11-13, 2022. 

*Brandon Bielak was nails in a much-needed long start, going 7IP, 2H/0ER, 4K:4BB - the deepest into a game he's ever gone. 

*Corey Julks was 4x5 with a double and an RBI. Since June 18 (12 games), Julks is hitting .378/.451/.511 with 8K:6BB. 

*Grae Kessinger was 2x4 with his first career MLB home run. The Kessinger Family Home Run Leaderboard:

Don Kessinger: 14

Keith Kessinger: 1

Grae Kessinger: 1

*Alex Bregman was 0x4 with a walk, extending a five-game stretch in which he's 2x19.

*Jake Meyers had his first multi-hit game since going 4x5 at Toronto on June 5. In the 19 games since that outburst, Meyers is hitting .154/.274/.212.

*Chas McCormick has driven in at least one run in three straight games, the first time that's happened since May 12-14, 2022. 

*Mauricio Dubon's second triple of the season is a career-high.

*The biggest news of the day is that Jose Altuve was scratched during BP. Dusty:

It's tough to take, but you've got to move on. You have no choice. You feel terrible, especially for the injured player and for the team, but, you just...say, hey, next man up.

Chandler Rome wrote up what he knows about Altuve's injury, which is being described as "left side discomfort" which sounds like an oblique injury, the same that has kept Yordan out since June 8. He deftly notes that Altuve and Yordan have been in the same lineup 13 times out of the 86 games the Astros have played. 

*Rough few hours for Anaheim as Mike Trout was put on the IL, and then Shohei Ohtani and Anthony Rendon left last night's loss with injuries. Kyle Tucker will replace Trout on the AL All-Star Game roster. 

*Jeremy Pena will be in the lineup today, having missed the last five games with a stiff neck. Yordan tracked live pitches during BP from Jose Urquidy (who threw 20 pitches and hit 94-95mph), but did not swing, and will likely head out on a rehab assignment after the All-Star Break. 

*The Astros announced that Michael Brantley has been shut down from baseball activities for 3-4 days. Dusty:

They shut him down for a while to calm that shoulder down. We're going to give him three or four days where we don't want him to do anything apart from run and keep his legs sharp.

It's been 373 days since Michael Brantley last played in an MLB game. 

*Today will be the Astros' fifth straight day game, a streak we don't usually see until the ALDS. 

*This runner made a wrong turn meters from the finish line, costing her a repeat win and $7000 in prize money.

*The WHAM! documentary is out today, on Netflix. 

*Texas Monthly: An Artist's Guide to the Hidden-Gem Painted Churches of Texas.

*Leeds United have, finally, appointed former Norwich boss Daniel Farke as their new head coach.

*A Musical Selection:

Saturday Morning Hot Links

The Astros beat NW Duncanville 5-3 last night. Houston was down 3-1 and scored the last four runs of the game to secure the win. At 45-37, Houston is four games back for the first time since June 16. The Astros have won three straight games, four of their last five, and six of their last nine games.

*Houston went 13-14 in June, playing 27 games in 30 days. It was their first losing record in a calendar month since September 2020. Or, since that season doesn't exist, since August 2017, when they went 11-17. 

*The Astros are 14-6 against the AL West. The Rangers are 15-9 against the AL West.

*Jose Altuve hit the first pitch of the game over the wall. It was the 197th homer of his career, and his 34th career lead-off home run, and moved him past Lance Berkman into sole possession of 3rd in Astros Runs Scored.

Dubon:

If he goes, we go. That's something that's been going on for a while. To hit it on the first pitch of the game, that's his moment.

Altuve, leading off the game, career: .317/.375/.555. 

Altuve in the leadoff spot, career: .304/.366/.485.

*Dusty Baker:

You always want to win that first game because that puts you on a confidence high for the second game...Four-game series are tough. They're very tough. It was very important for us to win that game.

Chas McCormick, who somehow found himself in the lineup and went 2x4 (likely enraging Dusty):

It felt like a playoff game tonight, and Altuve hitting the first pitch dead-center was pretty awesome. For him to be back in the lineup and get us going, that's pretty special for him to do. He's a great player and that's what great players do.

*Mauricio Dubon was 1x4 with a double and 2RBI. It was his 3rd 2RBI game of the season. 

Dubon:

We're a good team. We know what we can do. It's a long year. Just continue doing what we're doing. 

*Last night was Ronel Blanco's fifth start of the season, and he has allowed nine home runs - four straight games with two homers allowed. Blanco has allowed 15 earned runs in those five starts, 11 of them have come via home run. 

*Houston's bullpen: 4IP, 1H/0ER, 5K:0BB.

*Jeremy Pena was out with a stiff neck from sleeping wrong.

*Jose Urquidy threw a 34-pitch bullpen session yesterday, and will face live batters next week.

*In The Ringer's Midseason Power Rankings, the Astros rank 12th...one spot behind Anaheim.

*Prior to Friday's game the Rangers traded for Aroldis Chapman. 

Chapman, regular season career vs Houston: 20.1IP, 21H/12ER, 36K:14BB. His 5.31 ERA / 1.72 WHIP vs the Astros in the regular season is the highest of any single opponent in his career. 

Also:

*The Rangers loss means that SeattLOLe's 15-4 loss (a game they were leading 4-0) to the Rays keeps them 10 games back. Seattle got booed off the field.

*The Ringer: "Hijack" is Idris Elba at his TV thriller best. Can confirm. I love this show.

*BBC: A culinary archaeologist sets the record straight with the recipe for Pompeii's pizza.

*NY Times: France is on fire.

*The Atlantic: Dave Grohl's monument to mortality.

*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:

Sunday Morning Hot Links

Man. Houston blew a 7-3 lead, Ryne Stanek blew a gasket. The Astros dropped their second straight to the Dodgers, their 7th loss in their last nine games. Houston is 41-36, back in third place.

*Stanek, on the "balk" (the first of his career)

He said I moved my leg, which was pretty obvious because I stepped off the mound. Beyond that, I wholeheartedly disagree. A balk is intentionally trying to deceive a runner. At what point was I trying to deceive a runner? I hadn't even come set yet. I literally was just stepping backwards.

The Bastard Dave Roberts:

It was a balk. He got it right. Obviously in a game like that, you don't want it to be the deciding run in that situation. But they got the call right. And I think Stanek was looking at the pitch clock maybe, maybe trying to step off, call timeout, and then his cleat got stuck, but it was a balk by the letter of the law. So we'll take it. It was his right knee that moved.

Dusty:

Boy, that's a tough way to lose.

*Last night's game was the second time in the Astros' last six games, and the third time in June, that they scored at least seven runs and lost. 

*Alex Bregman was 2x5 with a grand slam. It's the sixth grand slam of his career, and his second in the last three weeks. 

*Jose Altuve was 3x5 with two runs scored. It's the third 3-hit game of the season for Altuve - and don't forget that last night was his 26th game of 2023. It's the 191st 3-hit game of his career, postseason included.

*Kyle Tucker was 1x2 with three walks, his first 3BB game since May 10, 2022.

*After a two-day reset, Jose Abreu was 2x4 with a double, sac fly, RBI. It was just the fifth game in June in which Abreu did not strike out, and his first game with an RBI since June 14 - also the date of his last multi-hit game.

*Ronel Blanco was serviceable: 6IP, 2H/3ER, 6K:2BB. Three of the four baserunners he allowed scored via home run. 

*Phil Maton was not: 0.2IP, 2H/2ER, 0K:0BB, HBP, HR. It was the first home run he'd allowed since April 29.

*So was Bryan Abreu: 0.1IP, 1H/3ER, 0K:3BB. Abreu has allowed at least one earned run in three of his last five appearances. 

*At 5.19, Houston has the 5th-worst bullpen ERA in June. They only have four saves this month. The bullpen's 15 losses are tied for the 5th-most in MLB,

*Jose Urquidy threw a bullpen yesterday and plans to throw two more before facing live batters.

*Jon Homerton is back with the Astros, and hit a home run in his first game with Sugar Land. Pedro Leon hit for the cycle for the first time in Space Cowboys history.

Chandler Rome: Why the Astros reunited with Jon Homerton.

*The Angels beat Colorado 25-1. They had scored 26 runs in their previous seven games combined.

*If you're too young to remember Tower Records, here's what you missed.

*Texas Monthly: Hellhounds On His Trail: Mack McCormick's Long, Tortured Quest To Find The Real Robert Johnson.

*A Musical Selection:

Monday Morning Hot Links

Jiminy Christmas. Do these men have no respect for dads? Unbelievable. The Reds completed a weekend Father's Day sweep of the Houston Astros. Houston is 39-33, 20-18 at Minute Maid Park, and are now in 3rd place in the AL West, 5.5 back of North Mexia, 1.0 back of Anaheim.

*The Astros had leads of 2-0, 2-1, 3-1, 3-2, and 5-2 in Sunday's "game."

*It's the first time the Astros have been in 3rd place since May 1, 2022. Tonight will be the 31st game since the beginning of 2021 that the Astros have been in 3rd place or worse. 

*The Astros have lost four straight, five of their last seven, and ten of their last 14 games. 

*Houston is 0-6 when the game goes to extra innings in 2023. They're 16-27 in extra innings since the Ghost Runner Rule was implemented at the beginning of 2020 (a season which did not exist).

*Houston is now 13-2 when they score 7+ runs, 0-2 in the last two instances of scoring 7+ runs.

*The Astros gave up 19 runs in the last two games of the series with the Reds, the most runs allowed in back-to-back games since they got whooped by the Orioles on June 28-29, 2021. 

*Houston went 5x29 with runners in scoring position over the three-game series. They haven't hit a home run with a runner on base since beating Cleveland 6-4 on June 10.

*Chas McCormick:

This isn't anything like us. We'll play better, though. We're just a little injured, but we have to find ways to win. Everyone wants to come beat us because we're world champions. Us winning last year is in the past, so we just have to play better.

*Alex Bregman was (wink) a homer shy of the cycle in a 3x5, BB, RBI day. It's his 4th 3-hit game of the season, and it came on the heels of Brian McCann calling him to give him a hitting tip.

*Yainer Diaz also had a three-hit day, going 3x5 with an RBI. In 12 June games, Diaz is hitting .341/.348/.659. Eight of his 15 hits have been for extra-bases. He has more home runs (5) than walks (3) in 2023. 

*Kyle Tucker was 2x4 with two walks and an RBI. He has four multi-hit games in his last five, and in 16 June games is hitting .339/.400/.516. 

*After going 2x12 against Cincinnati, Jose Abreu's OPS is now back under .600.

*Ronel Blanco: 5.2IP, 7H/5ER, 5K:2BB, with two homers that accounted for three runs. 

*Chandler Rome: The Jeremy Pena Leg-Kick is back!

*Check out new Chronicle beat writer Matt Kawahara's piece on Shawn Dubin's journey to the Majors.

*It has been 51 weeks since Michael Brantley last played a Major League game.

*Jose Urquidy feels "really good" after a bullpen session.

*MLB: The History of the Baseball Cap.

*Lance Lynn struck out 16 batters in a [squints] 5-1 White Sox loss.

*How a grad student uncovered the largest known slave auction in the US.

*Esquire: The Long Fall of One-Eleven Heavy.

*The bastards at AFC Bournemouth hired the manager I wanted Leeds United to manage.

*A Musical Selection:

Wednesday Morning Hot Links

The Astros beat the Nationals at Minute Maid Park for the first time since August 23, 2017 (/weeps) 6-1 to improve to 38-29. Crowley lost to Anaheim. Houston is 3.5 back in the division. 

*Houston hit four home runs on their way to the win, all solo homers. The Astros are 5-0 when they hit 3+ home runs in a game.

*The Astros have hit 76 home runs in 2023. 42 (55.3%) have been solo shots. In 2022, 120 of their 214 home runs (56.1%) came with the bases empty. 

*Jose Altuve scored his 1,000th career run last night. There are only ten active MLB players with 1,000 runs scored:

Miguel Cabrera (1,535), Andrew McCutchen (1,149), Joey Votto (1,145), Freddy Freeman (1,144), Mike Trout (1,093), Paul Goldschmidt (1,089), Nelson Cruz (1,088), Elvis Andrus (1,031), Evan Longoria (1,009), and Altuve (1,000). 

Altuve needs nine runs scored to pass Lance Berkman for 3rd on the franchise all-time runs scored list. 

*Jose Abreu did not have one of those home runs, but he was 2x3 with an RBI - his 4th multi-hit game in his last five. Abreu is hitting .289/.313/.467 in eleven June games. His 2nd Inning double was his 1500th career hit. Abreu:

Just know I've been working with Cintron every single day. I'm still not where I want to be, but we're just going to continue working.

*Kyle Tucker hit his 4th home run since April 22. 

*Alex Bregman was 2x4. Since May 24 Bregs is hitting .319/.388/.486. 17 of his 23 hits in that span have been singles. 

*Hunter Brown was lights-out: 7IP, 4H/0ER, 4K:3BB, throwing a first-pitch strike to 19 of the 25 batters he faced. It's the third time this season he has recorded 21 outs with no earned runs. Brown has allowed two or fewer earned runs in seven of his 13 starts in 2023. McTaggart: Brown is on a Rookie of the Year trajectory.

*Yesterday was the 9th time this season an Astros starting pitcher recorded a Game Score of 70+. Brown has four of them. Framber has three, and Luis Garcia (RIP) has two.

*Yordan Alvarez is "a ways off," according to Dusty. 

*Jose Urquidy is close to a bullpen session.

*Michael Brantley is on video throwing a baseball on the field.

*There will be an update today on Lance McCullers Jr, who is suffering from a right forearm strain. A timeline of how the Astros have described what LMJ is injured with:

February 18: "Soreness in his throwing arm"

February 22: "Small muscle strain"

March 15: "Forearm strain"

April 4: "Elbow strain"

June 13: "Forearm strain"

*The 2024 Field of Dreams game will reportedly be played at historic Rickwood Field in Birmingham, Alabama.

*MLB wants to curb how much teams spend on technology.

*The 1,000-year-old citadel that rises out of the Atlantic Ocean. 

*The Montreal Mafia Murders: Blood, Gore, Cannolis, and Hockey Bags.

*Uruguay - coached by the legendary Marcelo Bielsa - will play a friendly against Nicaragua at 6:30pm Central in Montevideo. It will be on Fox Soccer 1. 

*A Musical Selection:

Monday Morning Hot Links

The Astros dropped the final game of the series against Anaheim, 2-1, after J.P. France did a damn thing. Houston has dishonored J.P. France and heaped ashes upon his head. Houston is 35-24, and just 18-14 at Minute Maid Park. 

*The Astros are now 13-6 against the AL West: 2-4 vs Arlington and Seattle; 11-2 against Anaheim and Oakland.

*J.P. France turned in the best start of his career: 7IP, 3H/1ER, 3K:1BB. And it was all for naught. Houston has lost each of France's last three starts, scoring one run combined in two of those. Despite six starts with a 3.44 ERA, Houston is 2-4 in France's starts. 

Nathan Han: France overcomes first-inning jitters to go hitless through five.

*Having given up two earned runs in 23 appearances to start the season, Phil Maton has now given up an earned run in consecutive outings. The Angels got him for 5H/3R (2ER), with 1K:1BB in two games this series. 

*Yainer Diaz was 2x4 with a double and a solo home run - the lone Astros run of the game. Diaz has appeared in three of the Astros' last five games and has gone 4x9 with a double and two homers.

*Alex Bregman went 2x4 and is hitting .425/.500/.625 over the course of this 11-game hitting streak. I know I keep coming back to this, but Bregman bottomed out on May 7 with a slash line of .195/.322/.320. Since then he's hitting .337/.407/.516 with eight extra-base hits, 10K:11BB.

*Jake Meyers was 0x3 and has four hits in his last 30 Plate Appearances.

*Despite going 0x4 yesterday, Jeremy Pena has raised his OPS by 51 points since May 24. 

*Jose Altuve was out for the second straight game, dealing with an oblique issue. He ran and threw before Sunday's game but did not hit, and his status for the Toronto series is uncertain. Related: the Astros are calling up 2019 2nd Round pick Grae Kessinger from Sugar Land. He's hitting .284/.400/.443 for the Space Cowboys this season.

*Should he ever come back from the IL, the Astros are planning on using Forrest Whitley out of the bullpen.

*We're 4-5 days away from getting an update on El Fantasmo, Lance McCullers Jr. Dana Brown is hoping to get Jose Urquidy back around the All-Star Break.

*Roger Craig, the man who taught Mike Scott how to throw a split-finger fastball, passed away on Sunday.

*The Last 30 Games, Top 5:

1. West Forney: 21-9

2. Bronx: 20-10

3. Houston: 19-11

4. Arizona: 19-11

5. Los Angeles: 18-12

Houston had the 3rd-best record in baseball over the last month and lost two games in the standings. That's wild. 

*Zava Zlatan retired yesterday. Watch these Zava Zlatan goals.

*What Bruce Springsteen learned from Flannery O'Connor.

*Tomorrow I'll tell you about my little trip to College Station this weekend. 

*A Musical Selection:

Wednesday Morning Hot Links

The Houston Astros raced out to an early lead and beat the Minnesota Twins 5-1 yesterday to improve to 32-22, tying a season-high ten games over .500. The Rangers obviously won, so the Astros still sit three games back. 

*Astros after 54 games:

2023: 32-22

2022: 35-19

2021: 30-24

2019: 35-19

2018: 34-20

2017: 38-16

2016: 25-29

2015: 34-20

2014: 22-32

2013: 17-37

The Astros are 19-11 in their last 30 games but have managed to lose two games to the Rangers in that span, though the Astros' 15-5 record in their last 20 games is a game better than the Crowley Rangers. The Rangers are playing at a 2019 Astros pace through the first third of the season, and I'm just skeptical that that's sustainable. 16 of Crowley's games have been against teams currently in last place in their division, posting a 13-3 record. Only six of the Astros' games have been against those teams (all Oakland, and Houston is 6-0). 

*Alex Bregman hit a Unicorn Homerun (a homer that would only be a homer in one ballpark) - his first HR since May 17. Bregman has a hit in each of his last six games, and seven of his last eight. In his last 20 games Bregman is hitting .313/.356/.488 with almost as many extra-base hits (7) as he has strikeouts (8). 

*Chas McCormick hit a two-run homer, the second consecutive game in which he has homered (he didn't play in the Monday game), something he hasn't done since July 1-2, 2022. 

*Twins pitcher Joe Ryan hadn't allowed a home run since April 19, and gave up four bombs all season...before yesterday. 

*Brandon Bielak pitched well: 5.2IP, 3H/1ER, 6K:3BB. Bielak has given up two or fewer earned runs in five of his six appearances in 2023. 

Astros runs in Bielak appearances:

0 runs: 1

1 run: 2

5 runs: 2

7 runs: 1

McTaggart: Bielak's mid-game change in approach helped him out a lot.

*Phil Maton, 2023: 26.2IP, 11H/2ER, 30K:3BB, 0.68 ERA / 0.53 WHIP. Chandler Rome: Maton is pitching angry, and it's helping.

*With a hit yesterday, Carlos Correa improved to 3x29 against the Astros in his career. And if you were one of the fans that booed Litos on Monday, please exit this web site and never come back. 

*Chandler Rome: How Bielak and J.P. France have entrenched themselves in the Astros' rotation.

*Dusty is "very encouraged" by Jose Urquidy's rehab progress.

*ESPN: How the Rays proved in May that they could win it all in October.

*Jake Marisnick is back (with AJ Hinch in Detroit)!

*Leeds United are set to lose both Brenden Aaronson (boy bye) and Tyler Adams (please God no) this summer. Adams suffered a hamstring injury following Leeds' March 11 2-2 tie against Brighton, and Leeds got eight points from their remaining 12 games. Adams apologized to Leeds fans this morning on Twitter.

Brenden Aaronson was statistically the worst player in the Premier League this season.

*Mental Floss: The making of "Smells Like Teen Spirit."

*A Musical Selection, not "Smells Like Teen Spirit," but it does contain my favorite guitar solo of all time:

Memorial Day Hot Links

The Astros bludgeoned the Oakland "Athletics" 10-1, hitting seven home runs in the process. Houston is 31-21, ten games over .500 for the first time this season. The Rangers lost, so the Astros are two games back. As today is Memorial Day, the day until which I said that I would reserve judgment about the Astros, my overall takeaway is this: The Astros are good, and have accomplished all of this largely missing Jose Altuve and prominently featuring a "somehow not quite there yet" Alex Bregman and a mostly-dead Jose Abreu (more on him in a minute). The rotation is thin but holding it together. The bullpen is freaking nails (5th-highest WAR of any bullpen)...for now. I thought the Rangers would be a lot better than they were last year, and I was right about that, however they are extremely annoying and need to get out of the way. 

Memorial Day Playoff Odds Check:

FanGraphs: 51.1% to win the division, 83.2% to make the playoffs, 9.8% to win the World Series.

B-Ref: 75.9% to win the division, 95.6% to make the playoffs, 19.4% to win the World Series.

*The first four runs for the Astros came from home runs with two outs. Astros home runs, 2023, with number of outs:

0 outs: 15

1 out: 23

2 outs: 15

*Houston hit seven home runs in a single game. It's the fourth time this season - and the second time in the last four days, Pittsburgh did it against Seattle on May 26, - that a team has hit seven homers in a game. Astros games featuring seven Astros homers, franchise history:

Yesterday at Oakland.

September 9, 2019 vs Oakland.

September 9, 2000 (for real) at Wrigley Field.

The Astros hit seven home runs total in eleven games between May 1-13. 

*Futility Watch, after 54 games:

2013 Astros: 17-37

2018 Orioles: 17-37

1916 A's: 16-38-1

2023 A's: 10-44

*Yordan hit his 13th and 14th home runs of the season. He has 48 RBIs in 46 games. Franchise Single-Season RBI record holder 2006 Lance Berkman, through 46 games: 43 RBIs. 

*Jake Meyers hit his 4th home run of the season - a three-run shot. Meyers' last 15 games: .275/.383/.510. 

*Shoutout to Jose Abreu, who got his first home run as an Astro and then sprinted around the bases. It was his first home run since September 13, 2022. Abreu:

I think when I stepped on first base, that was when I noticed that the ball wasn't in play anymore. I think that's when I flipped the switch.

Josh Criswell: Is Abreu about to get hot?

*Cristian Javier: 5IP, 4H/1ER, 3K:3BB. Javier, May 2023: 5 Starts, 30IP, 16H/8ER, 32K:9BB, 2.40 ERA / 0.83 WHIP. 

Best Rotations in Baseball, according to fWAR:

1. Seattle - 7.0

2. Minnesota - 6.9

3. Farmers Branch - 6.0

4. Houston - 5.6

So three of the four top rotations are in the AL West...just like everyone predicted. 

*The Astros are considering a Six-Man Rotation.

*Jose Urquidy has begun a throwing program.

*Forrest Whitley, who was recently pulled from a start - and I know this will be a shock to you - with an injury (this time a right lat strain), will be out for an unknown amount of time (but was in the mix for the expanded rotation).

*Last week I told you how much I was enjoying The Left Right Game podcast. Having now finished it, it's crap. I hate it. 

*For the nannies of the 1%, Summer is no vacation.

*Folks, it's over. In a must-win game, Leeds United [squints] gave up a goal in the first 90 seconds and went on to lose 4-1. They will be playing in the Championship which sounds cool but is actually the second division. So here's the entrance to Elland Road, Leeds United's home stadium, which will be in the second division:

And here is the entrance to Kenilworth Road, home of Luton Town, who will be in the Premier League next season (and I mean this with absolutely zero sarcasm, honestly: that will be freaking cool):

*The Athletic: Elland Road United in Despair (accurate).

*Early odds are 11/2 (2nd-best) for Leeds to get promoted right back to the Premier League next season. But the owner can't decide if he wants to sell the club, there's no Director of Football (think GM), no coach...

*You can play a very detailed version of Football Manager on Apple Arcade, so my entire summer just got blown up. 

*The Wife and I are going to start this "Succession" show tonight and it will be Extremely Fun to try to avoid finding out literally anything about it.

*A Musical Selection:

A reminder that the Hot Links Playlist is on Spotify and now features 483 songs and almost 31 hours of my favorite songs of all-time.

Sunday Evening Hot Links

Ah Sunday! The evening the existential dread sets in. 

*Brian McTaggart took a pass at predicting the Opening Day Roster.

*Martin Maldonado and Jason Castro are battery-mates with the 3rd-most games caught in the Majors (2nd, but for a technicality).

*Jake Kaplan: Luis Garcia, Forrest Whitley and the depth the Astros will need to get through the season. Brent Strom:

It's going to take a village to get through this season.

*Jose Urquidy wants to throw 200+ IP this year. 

*David Nuno: Carlos Correa wants to hammer out an extension before the season starts. Correa:

It would be great, but it has to be on their side also. If we can reach an agreement at some point it needs to be [before] the season starts because once the season starts, I don't want to be involved with any negotiations.

Get the full link to the interview here.

*Dusty Baker, on Yordan Alvarez:

He had a cool stroll coming down the hallway. So I was like, well it's hard to have a cool stroll if something's wrong with you.

*Even after both doses of the COVID vaccine, Dusty Baker is still being cautious. Makes sense, 2-0 is the most dangerous lead in sports. 

*Garrett Stubbs is a good boy and is dairy-free and gluten-free. I am neither. 

*JC Correa was out distributing food today.

*Click here to see George Springer in a Blue Jays shirt, if that's something you're in to.

*Former Astros Great Aaron Sanchez signed a deal with the Giants.

*Texas Monthly: The Day Everything Went Wrong.

*Was Bitcoin created by this international drug dealer? Maybe!

*Bring me a movie about Helen Gahagan Douglas ASAP.

*Esquire: The best documentaries on Netflix will change how you see the world.

*A Musical Selection:

Thursday Morning Hot Links

Well that was less than ideal. Not the end of the world, but not ideal. Houston had a 7-4 going into the 7th, which translates into a 91.1% win expectancy via FanGraphs. And now the A's have hope, which is the worst possible thing a Team Like That can have. Game 4 is at 2:35pm Central on TBS. 

*FiveThirtyEight still has it 80-20 Astros. It's 78-22 Astros via FanGraphs.

*It was the 22nd time in franchise history that the Astros have scored 7+ runs in a postseason game. They're now 19-3, the last such loss coming in Game 1 of the 2004 NLCS.

*It will be Frankie Montas vs. TBA today. We'll find out who takes the mound later this morning. Is it Cristian Javier, and that's why Javier didn't pitch in Game 3? Or will it be Zack Greinke? The pressure mounts! Montas is coming off a 2020 regular season in which he posted a 5.60 ERA/1.51 WHIP with 10HR in 53IP. He has thrown 2IP (Wild Card Series Game 3) since September 27. In 15.1IP against Houston in 2020 he allowed 14H/7ER, 14K:3BB, a 4.11 ERA / 1.11 WHIP. 

*Chandler Rome: We still don't know what's up with Zack Greinke.

*Dusty, post-game:

I look at it like we're still in the lead. This team's been there before. These guys don't seem really worried about it. We got beat today. We made some mistakes. Hopefully, we don't make those mistakes tomorrow.

*Houston's opponents have scored first in four of the five 2020 playoff games. Houston is now 3-1 in those games. 

*The Astros were 3x8 w/RISP, Oakland was 1x6. Oakland's one hit was just a back-breaking 3-run home run from Some White Guy Who Looks Like He Sells Insurance. Josh James hadn't pitched since September 22. It's debatable on whether or not this was the time to do it, but it was a three-run lead, and I don't know that there was a better option than Raley to clean it up. Just one of those games. And a guy named Chad hit it. That's ridiculous. As to leaving Raley in, I know you try to win every game, but I'm okay with letting him work through it because it saved some arms you'll need today and (hopefully not) tomorrow. It wasn't my favorite move to leave James in, but I can justify it to myself. Josh James:

It's tough, but everybody wants to get put in that situation. You always feel like you're the right guy for the job. You go out there no matter how long it's been, and you compete. Today, I got beat. It's part of the game.

You know who didn't pitch in Game 3? Enoli Paredes, Blake Taylor, Cristian Javier, Ryan Pressly. 

*Our Dude Brian Arbour with the immediate reaction: Dusty played for tomorrow, and lost today.

*Liam Hendriks threw 37 pitches (26 for strikes) but said he'd be ready today.

*SI's Emma Baccellieri: The bad Astros bullpen has been good, and the good Oakland bullpen has been bad.

*Jose Urquidy: 4.1IP, 5H/4ER, 3K:1BB, 4HR. He had given up 4HR total in 29.2IP in the 2020 regular season. He had given up 2HR in a single game three times in his entire professional career, the only MLB start in which he gave up two or more home runs was July 31, 2019, and twice in 2016 when he was with Lancaster.

*Brooks Raley walked the leadoff batter, who later became Oakland's go-ahead run. It dawned on me recently that I have absolutely no idea how Brooks Raley ended up on the 2020 Houston Astros, so I looked it up: he was acquired on August 9 from the Reds for a PTBNL. Putting Osuna on the 45-Day IL was the corresponding move.

*George Springer was 0x4 with 3Ks, the 5th 3K game of his postseason career. In each of the last three times he's had a 3K day, the game following was a 2+ hit game, so that's good news for today.

*Jose Altuve was 3x5 with an RBI. His seven 3+ hit postseason games are the most in franchise history, and tied for the 5th most in AL postseason history.

*Alex Bregman was 2x4 with an RBI. The Astros are now 8-3 in the postseason when Bregman gets 2+ hits. 

*Aledmys Diaz hit a massive game-tying two-run home run, and it was the first postseason home run of his career. 

*How do you justify pinch-hitting Reddick for Maldonado? With Correa on 3rd, Tucker on 2nd, and two outs, and Maldonado's spot up, Dusty put in Reddick against Liam Hendriks. Also, Liam Hendriks looks like this. Ol' Shrek lookin headass.

Righties (Maldonado) vs. Hendriks (a righty) in 2020: .135/.148/.154, 18K:1BB

Lefties (Reddick) vs. Hendriks in 2020: .200/.243/.314, 19K:2BB.

First off, shoutout to Liam Hendshreks. That's a really good slash line, no matter from what side of the plate you prefer. Now:

Maldonado vs. Righties, 2020: .185/.324/.337, 4HR, 12RBI

Reddick vs. Righties, 2020: .236/.307/.358, 3HR, 13RBI

Neither is a *great* option. You needed a 2-out hit. In his career pinch-hitting:

Reddick: 80 PAs, .176/.225/.189, 1XBH, 22K:5BB

All this is to say...whatever. I don't get it. But what other options were there. Reddick could have been a hero. He wasn't. So it goes. Could Maldonado have done it? Maybe! It was a choice between this, Which Smells Worse: Your Butt, or Your Feet? The world will never know which choice actually smelled worse. 

*Bread Peacock had arthroscopic surgery on his right shoulder on Tuesday, and that will likely do it for Break Peacocd's Astros career. 

*The Yankees need Jordan Montgomery, making his postseason debut, to keep their season alive tonight.

*Even a man down in the 2nd Half, the Dynamo beat FC Dallas 2-0.

*Mental Floss: 35 lesser-known inventions of famous inventors.

*A Musical Selection: