Hey Texas. Go vote.
*Chandler Rome: Five Takeaways from the Astros' Spring Training so far.
*The Reformed Kenneth Giles says he would give his 2017 World Series ring back. It's actually a really interesting interview, and not paywalled, and well worth the time it would take to read it. He says he had no idea that the Trash Can Thing was even happening. Giles:
I feel awful, how the guys are being punished. They're great people, they really are, and great ballplayers. But I guess sometimes you just have to roll with it. Either be quiet or speak up and tell the truth. Go out there and perform, show them what you're made of.
On his time in Houston:
I felt trapped there. I felt out of place.
*Fate, or Happenstance? On Dave Martinez, Dusty Baker, and the What-Ifs that Span Four Decades.
*MLB Pipeline posted their Astros' Top 30 Prospect list. Top 10:
Forrest Whitley, Jose Urquidy, Abraham Toro, Freudis Nova, Bryan Abreu, Cristian Javier, Jeremy Pena, Korey Lee, Hunter Brown, Jairo Solis. Jim Callis:
After going all-in at the big league level for several years, Houston has just one prospect on MLB Pipeline's Top 100 List: enigmatic right-hander Forrest Whitley. There aren't any slam-dunk big-league regulars among the system's position players and its pitching stands out more for depth than difference-makers.
That is very true. The Astros traded Jake Rogers, Daz Cameron, and Franklin Perez for Justin Verlander. They sent Colin Moran, Joe Musgrove, Jason Martin, and Michael Feliz to Pittsburgh for Gerrit Cole. They traded Seth Beer, J.B. Bukauskas, Corbin Martin, and Josh Rojas to Arizona for Zack Greinke. That's a lot of big names. But I also know this:
Yordan Alvarez will play in his Age 23 season in 2020. Carlos Correa in his Age 25 season, Alex Bregman in his Age 26 season. Kyle Tucker and Abraham Toro in their Age 23 seasons. Jose Urquidy and Roberto Osuna in their Age 25 seasons. Lance McCullers in his Age 26 season.
This isn't like the Astros' decline of the late 2000s where they didn't have much of a farm system, and everyone was also Old to Quite Old.
*Keith Law posted his organizational farm rankings, and the Astros rank 27th. Law:
It's funny, but when you get rid of all of your amateur scouts, your drafts get a whole lot worse. If it weren't for the work of the international scouting department, helmed by Oz Ocampo (now with Pittsburgh), this would absolutely be the bottom system in the majors.
Good news: The Tampa Bay Rays have the best overall system in the Majors. How is that good news? Because the Astros got the Click of "Tampa Bay Fightin' Clicks" fame.
*The Athletic's Jake Kaplan and 610's Mike Meltser started an Astros podcast, and it's #Good. Not as #Good as Lima Time Time, but good nonetheless.
*Speaking of Jake Kaplan, he has a mailbag in which he addresses the sign-stealing impact on free agency, etc.
*Jonathan Mayo had a cool conversation with 2018 3rd Round pick Jeremy Pena about Spring Training, being the son of Geronimo Pena, his offensive outburst in 2019, and playing in cold weather.
Pena, 2018: .250/.340/.309
Pena, 2019: .303/.385/.440
*Sunday night I wrote about five minor-league guys I'm looking forward to following in 2020.
*Tom Verducci: MLB is about to change a whole bunch of rules to prevent the Astros *cough anddodgersandyankeesandredsox cough* from gaming the replay room. Of course the article got around to pine tar and Houston and Tyler Bauer. Brent Strom:
Our organization never went to an outside chemist. Never went to get like certain percentages of sticky stuff. Pine tar was used? Yes. It was used, okay? It's been used for the last 50 years and hitters don't complain. If you hang a 28 [hundred] revolution curveball as opposed to a 26 they're going to hit it anyway. But, MLB, Chris Young, indicated the balls are slippery. He actually said that. The things we need to be cognizant of is it can't be Pineda-like.
*Two-Way Player...J.B. Shuck?
*Oh good, ESPN hired another announcer who doesn't like young people.
*ESPN's "Only in Spring Training" stories.
*The Atlantic: Epidemics reveal the truth about the societies they hit.
*Buzzfeed: The leader of the religious sect that spread Coronavirus in South Korea, who previously said the virus was the devil trying to stop his church's growth, says sorry.
*Vice: This group frees people from medical debt, one at a time.
*Harper's: Waiting For the End of the World.
*A Musical Selection:
We didn't come out here to play tiddlywinks, son.
-Hal Smith
Showing posts with label Ken Giles. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Ken Giles. Show all posts
Tuesday, March 3, 2020
Sunday, January 19, 2020
Sunday Morning Hot Links
FanFest was yesterday, and everyone involved received the confirmation for which they were looking, regardless of what was said or wasn't said.
*Chandler Rome: Astros offer smiles for fans but no remorse or regret. Bregman:
The commissioner made his report, made his decision, the Astros made their decision and no further comment on it.
Altuve, on whether or not the actual Astros feel responsible for the firing of AJ Hinch and Jeff Luhnow:
Tough question. Like I said, we are a team. I don't think one is better or worse than another one. We are all in this together, and we're going to move forward.
*On the "Wearable Buzzer" rumors, Altuve:
That's ridiculous. MLB did their investigation and they didn't find anything...Even though it wasn't true, we all know some people made that up. The best thing that happened to me is MLB investigated that and didn't find something. But at the same time, you can't control everything.
*More Altuve:
There's a lot of difficulties in life. Believe me, at the end of the year, everything will be fine. We're going to be in the World Series again. People don't believe it, (but) we will. We well, like we made it last year.
*Jake Kaplan: A glaring omission from FanFest is accountability.
*Yahoo's Tim Brown: Astros stars letting others take the blame for the sign-stealing scandal.
*Something called "A Randal Grichuk" wants to see the Astros' rings taken away. Dude went to Lamar Consolidated.
*Former Astros Great Kenneth Giles said he was not aware of a sign-stealing scheme in the Houston dugout. What
*Don't miss the debut of TexanAlex, with "A Liar Wrote This."
*Ryan Spaeder went on Washington's 106.7 The Fan and said the sign-stealing scandal extends far beyond the Astros.
*The Astros will apparently interview Dusty Baker tomorrow (Monday).
*While the interviewees thus far (with the exception of Will Venable) have leaned more towards the veteran side, the Astros are not limiting their search for a new manager to "those who have managed before," and so Matt Quatraro and Mark Kotsay could get some consideration.
*At Cubs Convention, Astros managerial candidate Will Venable told a crowd of Cubs fans that he's not leaving Chicago. Then he clarified:
Obviously you have to take opportunities seriously and you have to think about those things. I'm a Chicago Cub right now. Until that changes, I'm super-excited to be here and committed to this team. Until someone gives me an opportunity to have a different job, this is where I'm at and I plan on being here for the year.
*Lance Berkman, Cesar Cedeno, Roy Hofheinz, Roy Oswalt, Billy Wagner, and Bob Watson were announced as the 2020 Astros Hall of Fame class. Induction is August 8, prior to a game against the Blue Jays.
*Slate: The credible rape allegation against three members of the 1991 New York Mets.
*A Musical Selection:
*Chandler Rome: Astros offer smiles for fans but no remorse or regret. Bregman:
The commissioner made his report, made his decision, the Astros made their decision and no further comment on it.
Altuve, on whether or not the actual Astros feel responsible for the firing of AJ Hinch and Jeff Luhnow:
Tough question. Like I said, we are a team. I don't think one is better or worse than another one. We are all in this together, and we're going to move forward.
*On the "Wearable Buzzer" rumors, Altuve:
That's ridiculous. MLB did their investigation and they didn't find anything...Even though it wasn't true, we all know some people made that up. The best thing that happened to me is MLB investigated that and didn't find something. But at the same time, you can't control everything.
*More Altuve:
There's a lot of difficulties in life. Believe me, at the end of the year, everything will be fine. We're going to be in the World Series again. People don't believe it, (but) we will. We well, like we made it last year.
*Jake Kaplan: A glaring omission from FanFest is accountability.
*Yahoo's Tim Brown: Astros stars letting others take the blame for the sign-stealing scandal.
*Something called "A Randal Grichuk" wants to see the Astros' rings taken away. Dude went to Lamar Consolidated.
*Former Astros Great Kenneth Giles said he was not aware of a sign-stealing scheme in the Houston dugout. What
*Don't miss the debut of TexanAlex, with "A Liar Wrote This."
*Ryan Spaeder went on Washington's 106.7 The Fan and said the sign-stealing scandal extends far beyond the Astros.
*The Astros will apparently interview Dusty Baker tomorrow (Monday).
*While the interviewees thus far (with the exception of Will Venable) have leaned more towards the veteran side, the Astros are not limiting their search for a new manager to "those who have managed before," and so Matt Quatraro and Mark Kotsay could get some consideration.
*At Cubs Convention, Astros managerial candidate Will Venable told a crowd of Cubs fans that he's not leaving Chicago. Then he clarified:
Obviously you have to take opportunities seriously and you have to think about those things. I'm a Chicago Cub right now. Until that changes, I'm super-excited to be here and committed to this team. Until someone gives me an opportunity to have a different job, this is where I'm at and I plan on being here for the year.
*Lance Berkman, Cesar Cedeno, Roy Hofheinz, Roy Oswalt, Billy Wagner, and Bob Watson were announced as the 2020 Astros Hall of Fame class. Induction is August 8, prior to a game against the Blue Jays.
*Slate: The credible rape allegation against three members of the 1991 New York Mets.
*A Musical Selection:
Tuesday, July 30, 2019
July 30 Evening Rumor Roundup / Running Post
Wife & Kid are out of town, which means that I can do this. Here's a running update on what has happened, rumor-wise, with the Astros on the evening/night of July 30. This does not replace Hot Links in the morning. This goes backwards, chronologically:
9:05pm: There's apparently a three-team deal with Cleveland, Cincinnati, and San Diego that sends Bauer to the Reds. Marcus Stroman went to the Mets. Tyler Bauer went to the Reds. You can't plan for Dumb People Doing Weird Things.
8:28pm: Matt Boyd "very likely staying" in Detroit.
7:10pm: Syndergaard actually took the mound against the White Sox.
6:44pm: Bauer is "very much in play." Bumgarner remains available. Interest in Robbie Ray has picked up. Jeff Passan: "The trade market is finally beginning to unclog."
6:27pm: Hinch (pre-game):
There's a lot of talk going on, there's a lot of action. I try to encourage our guys to not read too much into it. So many different people have access to so much different information, so stay patient and see what happens...We try to keep our 25 guys inside extremely close, and the Deadline anxiety and the Deadline stress is real.
I get a ton of questions. People see when my office door is open, or is it closed? Am I on the phone? Am I not on the phone? Chances are I'm working on the Indians and trying to set ourselves up to beat these guys. The transactions that may or may not happen, we'll all find out around the same time.
6:13pm: The Astros are "thought to be in the mix" for Bauer and Bumgarner, and any other top SP.
6:08pm: The Indians want Major-League help in any return for Bauer.
5:57pm: The Reds and Indians are trying to line up a Bauer trade, with a Double-A outfielder with a .688 OPS as one of the more intriguing names in the discussion.
5:53pm: The Indians are more likely to trade Trevor Bauer than to keep him.
5:04pm: The Astros, as well as the Braves, Yankees, Brewers, Twins, and Phillies are in on Arizona's Robbie Ray.
4:39pm: For those of you who are interested in catching, interest in Toronto's Justin Smoak is "picking up."
4:31pm: Joel Sherman quotes an anonymous executive who says, of the Mets' ask for Syndergaard:
It is not even worth a second conversation. I'm not even sure it was worth the first. Maybe some other team would say yes to that, but that is hard to believe. Because the Mets are not in the mode of meeting you in the middle of your offer and their ask, it is their ask or nothing.
3:00pm: 24 hours to go until the Trade Deadline.
2:59pm: "The buyers insist the sellers' demands are unrealistic. The sellers insist the buyer's offers are too low."
2:50pm: The Mets are asking for Major-League or Major-League-Ready talent for Syndergaard, even among teams with deep faarm (sic) systems.
2:48pm: Trevor Bauer is being fined, but not suspended, for throwing the ball over the center-field wall.
2:46pm: SI says that Syndergaard would be a "stellar compliment" to Verlander and Cole:
Trading Tucker could send a potential All-Star to New York. Holding onto him could cost the Astros a spot in the World Series.
2:44pm: It's "unlikely" that Pirates reliever Felipe Vazquez will get traded, despite "tons of interest."
2:00pm: Folks, Ken Giles is probably not going to get traded to Houston after receiving a cortisone shot.
1:52pm: The Padres have made what they believe to be a "strong offer" for Noah Syndergaard, but it's still not apparently enough. Because the Mets are stupid. The Padres have been on Syndergaard for quite a while.
1:16pm: "Rivals" are still skeptical on the Giants trading Bumgarner.
1:06pm: Tim Brown: "The stunner would if be if [the Astros] don't end up with one of the top-end available SPs."
12:36pm: Giants and Astros are "engaged" on Madison Bumgarner.
10:12am: Detroit SP Matthew Boyd is "likely to stay put."
9:10am: For some reason, the Astros are interested in Orioles 1B/OF Trey Mancini.
9:05pm: There's apparently a three-team deal with Cleveland, Cincinnati, and San Diego that sends Bauer to the Reds. Marcus Stroman went to the Mets. Tyler Bauer went to the Reds. You can't plan for Dumb People Doing Weird Things.
8:28pm: Matt Boyd "very likely staying" in Detroit.
7:10pm: Syndergaard actually took the mound against the White Sox.
6:44pm: Bauer is "very much in play." Bumgarner remains available. Interest in Robbie Ray has picked up. Jeff Passan: "The trade market is finally beginning to unclog."
6:27pm: Hinch (pre-game):
There's a lot of talk going on, there's a lot of action. I try to encourage our guys to not read too much into it. So many different people have access to so much different information, so stay patient and see what happens...We try to keep our 25 guys inside extremely close, and the Deadline anxiety and the Deadline stress is real.
I get a ton of questions. People see when my office door is open, or is it closed? Am I on the phone? Am I not on the phone? Chances are I'm working on the Indians and trying to set ourselves up to beat these guys. The transactions that may or may not happen, we'll all find out around the same time.
6:13pm: The Astros are "thought to be in the mix" for Bauer and Bumgarner, and any other top SP.
6:08pm: The Indians want Major-League help in any return for Bauer.
5:57pm: The Reds and Indians are trying to line up a Bauer trade, with a Double-A outfielder with a .688 OPS as one of the more intriguing names in the discussion.
5:53pm: The Indians are more likely to trade Trevor Bauer than to keep him.
5:04pm: The Astros, as well as the Braves, Yankees, Brewers, Twins, and Phillies are in on Arizona's Robbie Ray.
4:39pm: For those of you who are interested in catching, interest in Toronto's Justin Smoak is "picking up."
4:31pm: Joel Sherman quotes an anonymous executive who says, of the Mets' ask for Syndergaard:
It is not even worth a second conversation. I'm not even sure it was worth the first. Maybe some other team would say yes to that, but that is hard to believe. Because the Mets are not in the mode of meeting you in the middle of your offer and their ask, it is their ask or nothing.
3:00pm: 24 hours to go until the Trade Deadline.
2:59pm: "The buyers insist the sellers' demands are unrealistic. The sellers insist the buyer's offers are too low."
2:50pm: The Mets are asking for Major-League or Major-League-Ready talent for Syndergaard, even among teams with deep faarm (sic) systems.
2:48pm: Trevor Bauer is being fined, but not suspended, for throwing the ball over the center-field wall.
2:46pm: SI says that Syndergaard would be a "stellar compliment" to Verlander and Cole:
Trading Tucker could send a potential All-Star to New York. Holding onto him could cost the Astros a spot in the World Series.
2:44pm: It's "unlikely" that Pirates reliever Felipe Vazquez will get traded, despite "tons of interest."
2:00pm: Folks, Ken Giles is probably not going to get traded to Houston after receiving a cortisone shot.
1:52pm: The Padres have made what they believe to be a "strong offer" for Noah Syndergaard, but it's still not apparently enough. Because the Mets are stupid. The Padres have been on Syndergaard for quite a while.
1:16pm: "Rivals" are still skeptical on the Giants trading Bumgarner.
1:06pm: Tim Brown: "The stunner would if be if [the Astros] don't end up with one of the top-end available SPs."
12:36pm: Giants and Astros are "engaged" on Madison Bumgarner.
10:12am: Detroit SP Matthew Boyd is "likely to stay put."
9:10am: For some reason, the Astros are interested in Orioles 1B/OF Trey Mancini.
Tuesday, January 29, 2019
Tuesday Morning Hot Links
Good morning. Pitchers and catchers report in 15 days.
*Take a minute to think of the families and friends of the officers killed/injured in yesterday's shooting in Southeast Houston.
*I missed this from a few days ago, but Alex Bregman is straight up predicting a dynasty for the Astros. Bregs:
The day they gave us the ring, I put it in my closet and I haven't looked at it because I want another one. I'll put the second one away after we win the third. The Astros are going to be a dynasty.
*Jake Kaplan took a stab at predicting who fills out the Astros' rotation.
*The Red Sox lead FanDuel's odds for a 2019 World Series title at +550, but the Astros are right behind at +600. And they haven't even landed Bryce Harper yet! Odds around the AL West:
Oakland: +2600
Anaheim: +5000
Seattle: +6000
Arlington: +10000
*Check out this video interview from Randy McIlvoy with A.J. Hinch.
*Andy Langer's National Podcast of Texas (from Texas Monthly) sits down with Nolan and Reid Ryan to discuss payroll, MLB in San Antonio, and how MLB has (or hasn't) changed since Nolan played.
*The Tri-City ValleyCats' (Astros' NYPL team) 27-year old new manager Ozney Guillen is ready to carve out his own path. The Albany Times-Union:
Even Ozney Guillen acknowledged he was "shocked" the Astros decided to take a chance on him. He has never coached or managed. He just finished playing after a five-year career spent as an infielder and outfielder with several independent minor league franchises..."I've never been part of the Astros organization," Guillen said. "I've never played affiliated ball and it just showed me that hard work, and when you do things right, things will go the right way...
...Guillen interviewed with Astros director of player development Pete Putila, who says he prefers a younger, less-experienced candidate who can be taught the Houston way of instructing players.
/slow whistle
Good article, definitely worth a click.
*The Rockies and A's are ESPN's David Schoenfield's picks for 2018 playoff teams to miss the 2019 playoffs.
*Rays manager and Former Astros Great Kevin Cash on Rays starting pitcher and Former Astros Great Charlie F. Morton:
We want Charlie to come in and go about his leadership, his way. Certainly he's going to be looked upon by our young pitchers and young players for that matter - and our staff. He played for a pretty good team the last couple of years...and I'll pick his brain a lot.
*Here's a fantastic article in The Athletic from John Lott about Ken Giles and how he has changed since landing in Toronto. Giles:
I needed to work on the mental part of my game. When you're young, you think you know everything. People say that as you get older, you get wiser, and you try new things. You need to broaden your horizon a little bit and reach out to other people. I just got to the point where I got tired of doing everything myself.
*
*Complete Description of the Laminar Express. (Yes, it's vague. Yes, you should click it.)
*A Musical Selection:
*Take a minute to think of the families and friends of the officers killed/injured in yesterday's shooting in Southeast Houston.
*I missed this from a few days ago, but Alex Bregman is straight up predicting a dynasty for the Astros. Bregs:
The day they gave us the ring, I put it in my closet and I haven't looked at it because I want another one. I'll put the second one away after we win the third. The Astros are going to be a dynasty.
*Jake Kaplan took a stab at predicting who fills out the Astros' rotation.
*The Red Sox lead FanDuel's odds for a 2019 World Series title at +550, but the Astros are right behind at +600. And they haven't even landed Bryce Harper yet! Odds around the AL West:
Oakland: +2600
Anaheim: +5000
Seattle: +6000
Arlington: +10000
*Check out this video interview from Randy McIlvoy with A.J. Hinch.
*Andy Langer's National Podcast of Texas (from Texas Monthly) sits down with Nolan and Reid Ryan to discuss payroll, MLB in San Antonio, and how MLB has (or hasn't) changed since Nolan played.
*The Tri-City ValleyCats' (Astros' NYPL team) 27-year old new manager Ozney Guillen is ready to carve out his own path. The Albany Times-Union:
Even Ozney Guillen acknowledged he was "shocked" the Astros decided to take a chance on him. He has never coached or managed. He just finished playing after a five-year career spent as an infielder and outfielder with several independent minor league franchises..."I've never been part of the Astros organization," Guillen said. "I've never played affiliated ball and it just showed me that hard work, and when you do things right, things will go the right way...
...Guillen interviewed with Astros director of player development Pete Putila, who says he prefers a younger, less-experienced candidate who can be taught the Houston way of instructing players.
/slow whistle
Good article, definitely worth a click.
*The Rockies and A's are ESPN's David Schoenfield's picks for 2018 playoff teams to miss the 2019 playoffs.
*Rays manager and Former Astros Great Kevin Cash on Rays starting pitcher and Former Astros Great Charlie F. Morton:
We want Charlie to come in and go about his leadership, his way. Certainly he's going to be looked upon by our young pitchers and young players for that matter - and our staff. He played for a pretty good team the last couple of years...and I'll pick his brain a lot.
*Here's a fantastic article in The Athletic from John Lott about Ken Giles and how he has changed since landing in Toronto. Giles:
I needed to work on the mental part of my game. When you're young, you think you know everything. People say that as you get older, you get wiser, and you try new things. You need to broaden your horizon a little bit and reach out to other people. I just got to the point where I got tired of doing everything myself.
*
*Chris Nunn, who played for Corpus, Fresno, and the Independent League's St. Paul Saints in 2018, has signed with the Ramgers after getting some exposure thanks to the inimitable Rob Friendman aka @PitchingNinja. It's a cool story. Nunn signed the day after his mom underwent her first chemo treatment for breast cancer, and will likely start the season at Triple-A in his hometown of Nashville.Altuve’s swing is so beautiful 😍 pic.twitter.com/qDReqOHIBr— Baseball King™ (@BasebaIlKing) January 29, 2019
*Complete Description of the Laminar Express. (Yes, it's vague. Yes, you should click it.)
*A Musical Selection:
Wednesday, October 17, 2018
Wednesday Morning Hot Links
So #blessed to be able to recap the abomination of this baseball game that happened yesterday evening. True story, I was unable to get yesterday and tomorrow off of work, so I had to listen to the radio call was I was hanging out at work. When Osuna gave up that grand slam, people were worried about me. Somebody literally gave me candy to cheer me up. I was sad. I am still sad. And I'm gonna be honest: I'm terrified for tonight. The way I see it, if we win this game tonight with Morton on the hill, we have Verlander at home for game five and another David Price start for game six (who was bad, even though the Red Sox won that game Sunday). If we lose tonight, sure we still have that going for us, but the problem is there are absolutely no room for error down 3-1 and I can't live with that.
~Dallas Keuchel had another rocky first inning and got his 6.88 first inning ERA inflated once more. He has given up 26 earned runs in the first inning and 24 earned runs in innings 2-4.
~Y'all hated Ken Giles but Roberto Osuna is sitting at a quite unfashionable 67.50 postseason ERA.
~Meanwhile, the Red Sox bullpen that I was told was bad has only given up 3 hits and only one run over 6.1 innings in the last two games.
~One of the positives to come out of this game, however, was Tony Kemp. I love Tony Kemp.
~So, uh, FiveThirtyEight now gives the Astros a 22% chance to win the World Series and a 33% chance to win the ALCS. HOWEVER, we have a 57% chance to win Game 4 tonight.
~FANGRAPHS ON THE OTHER HAND gives us a 54.2% chance to still escape the ALCS and a 35.2% chance to win the World Series. I like this one.
Betting lines are up on OddsShark for Game 4. I have no idea what these numbers mean, but you might.
~Ah yes, and after the game finished, we found out that the Astros might have been trying to steal signs. My unimportant take that nobody cares about: sign stealing is absolutely a part of the game, everyone does it, and it's part of the mental battle of this sport. However, taking pictures of the visitors dugout before the game and snooping around to somehow gain a competitive edge, that's too far in my opinion. I really hope that this story ends up becoming nothing, because I really don't want to try or listen to people try and defend this action. But, we have no other information. For all we know, this is just the media trying to find something to talk about. Anyways, Passan had the original story here if you're interested.
~Anyways, it's Charlie tonight. He hasn't pitched in a game in 18 days and has only thrown one simulated game in that stretch. Hinch says he will be aggressive with his bullpen if need be.
~ESPN writes that players like Marwin Gonzalez give this team a championship edge.
~ESPN also writes that being down 2-1 brings up an awful lot of questions going into tonight's game.
~In the final ESPN article of the morning, Bregman is getting Bonds'ed.
~The Astros Foundation announced they had donated nearly a quarter of a million dollars towards multiple different women's shelters.
~Ryan Pressly.
~The Astros already know that they are a terrible awful baseball team so they are already making trades with the Marlins to tank the franchise and start all over again. Just unfortunate.
~Now it's the Washington Post's turn to give our bullpen some love.
~Alex Bregman does not like not-strikes.
~Mattress Mack put $150K on our Astros, because he's gotta earn that money back from all those mattresses he'll be giving away somehow :)
On This Day in Baseball History
In 1987, the first indoor World Series game was played. Dan Gladden's grand slam in the dome contributed to making the noise level crack 110 dB, the average human pain threshold in a study done by Purdue University.
In 1989, the World Series Game 3 between the A's and Giants was postponed after a 6.9 magnitude earthquake erupted in the Bay Area, killing 63 people in total.
In 2004, Carlos Beltran tied Barry Bonds' postseason home run record with his 8th home run and broke another record with his fifth consecutive postseason game with a home run.
In 2005, Albert Pujols hit The Home Run in NLCS Game 5 against Houston. Don't click this.
~Dallas Keuchel had another rocky first inning and got his 6.88 first inning ERA inflated once more. He has given up 26 earned runs in the first inning and 24 earned runs in innings 2-4.
~Y'all hated Ken Giles but Roberto Osuna is sitting at a quite unfashionable 67.50 postseason ERA.
~Meanwhile, the Red Sox bullpen that I was told was bad has only given up 3 hits and only one run over 6.1 innings in the last two games.
~One of the positives to come out of this game, however, was Tony Kemp. I love Tony Kemp.
~So, uh, FiveThirtyEight now gives the Astros a 22% chance to win the World Series and a 33% chance to win the ALCS. HOWEVER, we have a 57% chance to win Game 4 tonight.
~FANGRAPHS ON THE OTHER HAND gives us a 54.2% chance to still escape the ALCS and a 35.2% chance to win the World Series. I like this one.
Betting lines are up on OddsShark for Game 4. I have no idea what these numbers mean, but you might.
~Ah yes, and after the game finished, we found out that the Astros might have been trying to steal signs. My unimportant take that nobody cares about: sign stealing is absolutely a part of the game, everyone does it, and it's part of the mental battle of this sport. However, taking pictures of the visitors dugout before the game and snooping around to somehow gain a competitive edge, that's too far in my opinion. I really hope that this story ends up becoming nothing, because I really don't want to try or listen to people try and defend this action. But, we have no other information. For all we know, this is just the media trying to find something to talk about. Anyways, Passan had the original story here if you're interested.
~Anyways, it's Charlie tonight. He hasn't pitched in a game in 18 days and has only thrown one simulated game in that stretch. Hinch says he will be aggressive with his bullpen if need be.
~ESPN writes that players like Marwin Gonzalez give this team a championship edge.
~ESPN also writes that being down 2-1 brings up an awful lot of questions going into tonight's game.
~In the final ESPN article of the morning, Bregman is getting Bonds'ed.
~The Astros Foundation announced they had donated nearly a quarter of a million dollars towards multiple different women's shelters.
~Ryan Pressly.
~The Astros already know that they are a terrible awful baseball team so they are already making trades with the Marlins to tank the franchise and start all over again. Just unfortunate.
~Now it's the Washington Post's turn to give our bullpen some love.
~Alex Bregman does not like not-strikes.
~Mattress Mack put $150K on our Astros, because he's gotta earn that money back from all those mattresses he'll be giving away somehow :)
On This Day in Baseball History
In 1987, the first indoor World Series game was played. Dan Gladden's grand slam in the dome contributed to making the noise level crack 110 dB, the average human pain threshold in a study done by Purdue University.
In 1989, the World Series Game 3 between the A's and Giants was postponed after a 6.9 magnitude earthquake erupted in the Bay Area, killing 63 people in total.
In 2004, Carlos Beltran tied Barry Bonds' postseason home run record with his 8th home run and broke another record with his fifth consecutive postseason game with a home run.
In 2005, Albert Pujols hit The Home Run in NLCS Game 5 against Houston. Don't click this.
Monday, October 15, 2018
Monday Morning Hot Links
Boy oh boy that was not the best Astros game I've ever watched. But, even with all of the mistakes, Alex Bregman was still about 2 feet away from tying the game in the 9th. Lucky enough for us, I truly doubt that we play that sloppily again. The upcoming three games being at home probably won't hurt either.
-Despite Gerrit Cole's less-than-ideal outing, he still outpitched Price.
Cole: 6 IP/6 H/4 ER/2 BB/5 K
Price: 4.2 IP/5 H/4 ER/4 BB/4 K
(Between you and me, if we decide to use some common sense, Cole gave up 5 ERs. If the pitcher causes the error, it should count as an earned run. Who wrote this rule?)
-Astros hitters in the first three innings: 5-9, 4 RBIs
-Astros hitters in the last six innings: 2-18, 1 RBI
-Alex Bregman has a borderline ridiculous statline of .000/.700/.000 in the ALCS so far.
-Unfun Fact - This was the first time a team has won a postseason game with David Price starting on the mound.
-Another Unfun Fact: Martin Maldonado allowed two official passed balls tonight. He has had 13 during the entire regular season and only 3 of those with the Astros.
-Yet Again With The Unfun Facts: Marwin wasn't doing great after hitting the straight up metal wall Boston decided to drop into their stadium.
-AJ's full postgame presser can be found here, where he talks the passed balls, Cora, Bregman, and more.
Well, lets check into the predictions:
-FiveThirtyEight:
Game 3 chance to win (Eovaldi vs. Keuchel): 55%
Pre-Game 2 chance to win the series: 70%
Current chance to win the series: 59%
Current chance to win the World Series: 38%
-FanGraphs:
Change to win the series: 52.4%
Chance to win the World Series: 35.2%
-Charlie Morton has been officially announced as the game 4 starter. He has not pitched in a MLB game since September 30th.
-A lot of teams who need a manager want Astros brand new bench coach Joe Espada.
-Verlander is not thinking about retirement. Verlander also immediately got better once joining the Astros, and Ted Berg dives in to tell us how.
-Here's your daily article of just how good Alex Bregman has been.
-Here's your daily article asking if the 2018 Houston Astros are the best team in franchise history.
-How dumping Ken Giles transformed the Astros bullpen.
-Astros and Texans fans tailgated together, and somehow the Texans were the team that delivered.
On This Day in Baseball History
-In 1892, Reds pitcher Bumpus Jones throws a no-hitter against Pittsburgh in his first career start. It was also the latest date a no-hitter was thrown in an MLB season.
-In 1964, Mickey Mantle played his final postseason game, hitting his 18th career postseason home run.
In 1982, Cardinals rookie Willie McGee became the third rookie to hit two home runs in the same postseason game.
In 1986, the Mets defeated the Astros in the longest postseason game ever played (16 innings, 4 hrs. 42 minutes) to advance to the World Series. Reminder, you don't have to click the link.
In 1988, Kirk Gibson hit a home run that you might have seen before.
-Despite Gerrit Cole's less-than-ideal outing, he still outpitched Price.
Cole: 6 IP/6 H/4 ER/2 BB/5 K
Price: 4.2 IP/5 H/4 ER/4 BB/4 K
(Between you and me, if we decide to use some common sense, Cole gave up 5 ERs. If the pitcher causes the error, it should count as an earned run. Who wrote this rule?)
-Astros hitters in the first three innings: 5-9, 4 RBIs
-Astros hitters in the last six innings: 2-18, 1 RBI
-Alex Bregman has a borderline ridiculous statline of .000/.700/.000 in the ALCS so far.
-Unfun Fact - This was the first time a team has won a postseason game with David Price starting on the mound.
-Another Unfun Fact: Martin Maldonado allowed two official passed balls tonight. He has had 13 during the entire regular season and only 3 of those with the Astros.
-Yet Again With The Unfun Facts: Marwin wasn't doing great after hitting the straight up metal wall Boston decided to drop into their stadium.
-AJ's full postgame presser can be found here, where he talks the passed balls, Cora, Bregman, and more.
Well, lets check into the predictions:
-FiveThirtyEight:
Game 3 chance to win (Eovaldi vs. Keuchel): 55%
Pre-Game 2 chance to win the series: 70%
Current chance to win the series: 59%
Current chance to win the World Series: 38%
-FanGraphs:
Change to win the series: 52.4%
Chance to win the World Series: 35.2%
-Charlie Morton has been officially announced as the game 4 starter. He has not pitched in a MLB game since September 30th.
-A lot of teams who need a manager want Astros brand new bench coach Joe Espada.
-Verlander is not thinking about retirement. Verlander also immediately got better once joining the Astros, and Ted Berg dives in to tell us how.
-Here's your daily article of just how good Alex Bregman has been.
-Here's your daily article asking if the 2018 Houston Astros are the best team in franchise history.
-How dumping Ken Giles transformed the Astros bullpen.
-Astros and Texans fans tailgated together, and somehow the Texans were the team that delivered.
On This Day in Baseball History
-In 1892, Reds pitcher Bumpus Jones throws a no-hitter against Pittsburgh in his first career start. It was also the latest date a no-hitter was thrown in an MLB season.
-In 1964, Mickey Mantle played his final postseason game, hitting his 18th career postseason home run.
In 1982, Cardinals rookie Willie McGee became the third rookie to hit two home runs in the same postseason game.
In 1986, the Mets defeated the Astros in the longest postseason game ever played (16 innings, 4 hrs. 42 minutes) to advance to the World Series. Reminder, you don't have to click the link.
In 1988, Kirk Gibson hit a home run that you might have seen before.
Thursday, September 27, 2018
Thursday Morning Hot Links
Well well Ken Giles is still perfect in save opportunities and what did the Astros do? Had a celebration after playing their mostly Triple-A lineup? (Side-eyes Carlos Correa). The Astros lost 3-1 at the hands of the Fightin' Gileses. The Astros are 100-58. They need to go 3-1 to break the franchise record for wins.
It was the Astros' first road loss since the fake Red Sox game on Sunday Night Baseball on September 9. They're now 14-3 in their last 17 road games. Now just imagine if they can figure out how to hit at home next week.
*Two of the five Astros hits came courtesy of Future Astros Great Myles Straw - the first two MLB hits of his career. And he stole his 2nd base of the season. Check out Straw's hustle down the line:
*Carlos Correa went 1x4 with a soft RBI single to the pitcher to go with three strikeouts. It's his 2nd 3K game of the season. His .720 OPS is now four points higher than Max Stassi's .716 OPS. Correa's SLG dipped to .398 - below .400 for the first time since April 22, 2017.
*Kyle Tucker was 0x4 with a strikeout. His playing time has been sporadic at best, but hasn't had a hit since August 15, and his 8x58 in 2018 puts him at a .138/.231/.190 slash line. Ugly. Still, he *is* only 14 years old.
*The Astros struck out 11 times yesterday. It's the first time they had double-digit strikeouts since they got rung up 12 times against Boston on September 7 - a span of 16 games. They went 25 games between 10+ K games from June 3-30.
*Chris Devenski got the start in a bullpen game. He's the 9th starting pitcher for the Astros this season. Number of different Astros to start a game in the regular season:
2018: 9
2017: 11
2016: 11
2015: 13
2014: 11
2013: 10
2012: 11
2011: 9
*Lance McCullers got the 6th inning and needed 11 pitches to retire the side, with one strikeout. A good sign! McCullers:
It's been a long road for me. I was really excited to be able to pitch and try to contribute to the team again. It's just been nice to be able to be with the boys and celebrate win I'm active. I'm going to be able to help them win and help us win the playoffs.
*All three of Toronto's runs came on home runs - a 2-run shot off Devenski and a solo shot off Cionel Perez.
*But Whatever. This game didn't have Bregman, Altuve, Springer, orCorrea. The next game that matters is Friday, October 5 - ALDS G1 v Cleveland.
*Hinch:
We've had a good season. We have our sights set a little bit higher. Regardless of last night and finding out in the middle of the night or celebrating after a loss here, we're going to get out of town and go to Baltimore. We need to take a step back and enjoy this.
Verlander:
It's special. If anything, in my career, I've learned this is the first step to the ultimate goal to win a championship, but you can never look past the first step. In 162 games, it's so hard to win your division. It's a great moment for the Houston Astros' organization, myself and all my teammates. This is something to cherish.
This will be Verlander's 7th trip to the postseason in his career.
Keuchel:
It's hard to imagine the team last year getting any better, but honestly we did. You kind of got to take a second to think about just how good it feels to be here in this position...Being a part of two 100-loss seasons back-to-back when I first got called up and now being part of two consecutive 100-win seasons is pretty special.
*In The Athletic, Jake Kaplan projects the Astros' playoff roster. It's good news for Josh Big Flames James and Myles Straw, not so much for Chris Devenski and Max Stassi.
*Hector Rondon may have fixed a mechanical flaw?
*John Lott explains why The Crown could not achieve a "reasonable prospect of conviction" against Roberto Osuna.
*
*You can listen to all of Steve Sparks' call from the visitors clubhouse on 790.
*Bullpen Catcher/Legend Javier Bracamonte did a cool thing for a young fan who showed up super-early for a game in Toronto.
*Alyson Footer has a great retrospective on Former Astros Great Brandon Backe, and his magical 2004 season.
*Yahoo's Ultimate 2018-19 Free Agent Primer.
*If Drunk Uncle Facebook told you the name of the lady who chastised Chloe, she says it wasn't her. Meanwhile, Astros players are offering support including Our Boy Lance gave Chloe playoff tickets.
*The regular lineup won't all play together again until Sunday. Hinch:
You have to be careful, you don't want to take it too lightly but you don't want too much time to go. We're going to map out the pitching in a similar fashion to how we do in the spring, have some of our relievers throw on Saturday and Sunday.
*The Astros will play out the string against Baltimore this weekend. Baltimore is 45-112 and is assured of finishing with a worse record than the 2013 Astros. Funny, I haven't seen as many BLATIMOAR IS RUINTING THE INTEGRITY OF TEH GAME columns lately. They're just bad. How bad?
The Orioles have given up 881 runs this season, worst in the Majors (next up is the Ramgers with 829 runs). They're 19-62 on the road. They're 27-50 at home and have been outscored by 71 runs. They're 18-42 since the All-Star Break and, though they beat the Red Sox last night, 14-36 since August 1.
*What to watch for this weekend:
-Will Kyle Tucker hit a home run?
-Can Carlos Correa start to get his swing back?
-NL Playoff Madness: The Brewers are a half-game behind the Cubs for the NL Central. The Dodgers are a half-game behind the Rockies for the NL West. The Cardinals are a game behind the Dodgers for the 2nd Wild Card. The Cardinals and Cubs open the closing regular season of the series against each other tomorrow.
*The postal inspector who took down America's first organized crime ring.
*And now, a musical selection:
It was the Astros' first road loss since the fake Red Sox game on Sunday Night Baseball on September 9. They're now 14-3 in their last 17 road games. Now just imagine if they can figure out how to hit at home next week.
*Two of the five Astros hits came courtesy of Future Astros Great Myles Straw - the first two MLB hits of his career. And he stole his 2nd base of the season. Check out Straw's hustle down the line:
— Houston Astros (@astros) September 26, 2018*Jake Marisnick got his first start in the leadoff position since May 15, 2015, and went 1x3 with a walk.
*Carlos Correa went 1x4 with a soft RBI single to the pitcher to go with three strikeouts. It's his 2nd 3K game of the season. His .720 OPS is now four points higher than Max Stassi's .716 OPS. Correa's SLG dipped to .398 - below .400 for the first time since April 22, 2017.
*Kyle Tucker was 0x4 with a strikeout. His playing time has been sporadic at best, but hasn't had a hit since August 15, and his 8x58 in 2018 puts him at a .138/.231/.190 slash line. Ugly. Still, he *is* only 14 years old.
*The Astros struck out 11 times yesterday. It's the first time they had double-digit strikeouts since they got rung up 12 times against Boston on September 7 - a span of 16 games. They went 25 games between 10+ K games from June 3-30.
*Chris Devenski got the start in a bullpen game. He's the 9th starting pitcher for the Astros this season. Number of different Astros to start a game in the regular season:
2018: 9
2017: 11
2016: 11
2015: 13
2014: 11
2013: 10
2012: 11
2011: 9
*Lance McCullers got the 6th inning and needed 11 pitches to retire the side, with one strikeout. A good sign! McCullers:
It's been a long road for me. I was really excited to be able to pitch and try to contribute to the team again. It's just been nice to be able to be with the boys and celebrate win I'm active. I'm going to be able to help them win and help us win the playoffs.
*All three of Toronto's runs came on home runs - a 2-run shot off Devenski and a solo shot off Cionel Perez.
*But Whatever. This game didn't have Bregman, Altuve, Springer, or
*Hinch:
We've had a good season. We have our sights set a little bit higher. Regardless of last night and finding out in the middle of the night or celebrating after a loss here, we're going to get out of town and go to Baltimore. We need to take a step back and enjoy this.
Verlander:
It's special. If anything, in my career, I've learned this is the first step to the ultimate goal to win a championship, but you can never look past the first step. In 162 games, it's so hard to win your division. It's a great moment for the Houston Astros' organization, myself and all my teammates. This is something to cherish.
This will be Verlander's 7th trip to the postseason in his career.
Keuchel:
It's hard to imagine the team last year getting any better, but honestly we did. You kind of got to take a second to think about just how good it feels to be here in this position...Being a part of two 100-loss seasons back-to-back when I first got called up and now being part of two consecutive 100-win seasons is pretty special.
*In The Athletic, Jake Kaplan projects the Astros' playoff roster. It's good news for Josh Big Flames James and Myles Straw, not so much for Chris Devenski and Max Stassi.
*Hector Rondon may have fixed a mechanical flaw?
*John Lott explains why The Crown could not achieve a "reasonable prospect of conviction" against Roberto Osuna.
*
I love it when baseball imitates silly CFM memes. Charlie Morton may start Sunday.Don’t worry, #CFM was with us too. 😄 pic.twitter.com/VIKaR7PkRJ— Houston Astros (@astros) September 26, 2018
*You can listen to all of Steve Sparks' call from the visitors clubhouse on 790.
*Bullpen Catcher/Legend Javier Bracamonte did a cool thing for a young fan who showed up super-early for a game in Toronto.
*Alyson Footer has a great retrospective on Former Astros Great Brandon Backe, and his magical 2004 season.
*Yahoo's Ultimate 2018-19 Free Agent Primer.
*If Drunk Uncle Facebook told you the name of the lady who chastised Chloe, she says it wasn't her. Meanwhile, Astros players are offering support including Our Boy Lance gave Chloe playoff tickets.
*The regular lineup won't all play together again until Sunday. Hinch:
You have to be careful, you don't want to take it too lightly but you don't want too much time to go. We're going to map out the pitching in a similar fashion to how we do in the spring, have some of our relievers throw on Saturday and Sunday.
*The Astros will play out the string against Baltimore this weekend. Baltimore is 45-112 and is assured of finishing with a worse record than the 2013 Astros. Funny, I haven't seen as many BLATIMOAR IS RUINTING THE INTEGRITY OF TEH GAME columns lately. They're just bad. How bad?
The Orioles have given up 881 runs this season, worst in the Majors (next up is the Ramgers with 829 runs). They're 19-62 on the road. They're 27-50 at home and have been outscored by 71 runs. They're 18-42 since the All-Star Break and, though they beat the Red Sox last night, 14-36 since August 1.
*What to watch for this weekend:
-Will Kyle Tucker hit a home run?
-Can Carlos Correa start to get his swing back?
-NL Playoff Madness: The Brewers are a half-game behind the Cubs for the NL Central. The Dodgers are a half-game behind the Rockies for the NL West. The Cardinals are a game behind the Dodgers for the 2nd Wild Card. The Cardinals and Cubs open the closing regular season of the series against each other tomorrow.
*The postal inspector who took down America's first organized crime ring.
*And now, a musical selection:
Wednesday, September 26, 2018
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.
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.
Tuesday, September 25, 2018
Tuesday Morning Hot Links
Wheeeeeee this is fun, isn't it? The Astros put up four runs in the first three innings and rode it out to a 5-3 win over Toronto. The Astros are 99-57. Oakland doesn't lose anymore, so the Astros still have a 4.5-game lead with six to play. The Magic Number is Two. The Magic 8-Ball says "All signs point to yes." There's a lesson in there for all of us, no? A win tonight + an Oakland loss clinches the division.
As it stands the race I'm now more interested in is who will be hosting that AL Wild Card Game. Oakland is 1.5 back of New York, who still have three at Tampa and three at Boston. Oakland has two at Seattle and then three at Anaheim. Gotta figure the schedule favors the A's.
Houston is now 17-4 in September, and it would have been 18-3 if the idiot umpires in Boston and their Senior Idiot replay officials in New York knew how to look at a tv.
The Astros are 53-22 on the road this season. One more road win this season breaks the franchise mark, set in 2017. Bregman:
Everybody is really excited about us closing in on 100 wins and closing in on a division title, but there's only one thing on our mind and that's winning the World Series again.
*Brian McCann hit his first home run since June 14, his 6th of the year. It's probably safe to assume that McCann's 12-year streak of double-digit home runs will come to a close in 2018. Though if he goes off in the next six days, I'm here for it.
*Yuli Gurriel, who won AL Player of the Week yesterday, went 2x4 for his 5th-straight multi-hit game. In September he's hitting .360/.388/.613. He has 11 RBI in his last four games. In The Athletic, Kaitlyn McGrath wrote about Yuli and Lourdes playing against each other for the first time.
*Alex Bregman got a hit but struck out twice in a game for just the 13th time this season. That said, his 52-game road on-base streak broke Jeff Bagwell's 1998-99 franchise record.
*Jake Marisnick hit a pinch-hit double - his first extra-base hit since coming off the DL. He has hits in back-to-back games for the first time since August 9/10 - right before going on the DL.
*Dallas Keuchel picked up his 13th win of the season, throwing 5IP, 7H/3ER, 5K:3BB. He threw 86 pitches. The Astros are 18-15 in Keuchel's starts, but 13-9 in his starts since June. He wriggled out of a bases-loaded/no-out jam in the 5th. Hinch:
Getting out of the fourth and fifth inning was huge. Just being able to control the innings a little bit to have the lead was a success for him. It could have really imploded if he doesn't make pitches and doesn't keep his composure and get out of the inning as lightly unscathed as he could.
Keuchel hit the 200IP mark for the first time since 2015.
*The bullpen held Toronto to four hits - all singles - with 4K:0BB in the final 4IP. Every single one of Roberto Osuna's 20 pitches got booed.
*Former Phillies Great Ken Giles spoke about his time in Houston and said he was never sure what his role was, etc. etc. Yesterday A.J. Hinch did everything but call him a got dang liar. Hinch:
I wish Ken Giles well, but my advice to him would be to participate in the culture which he's in if he wants the benefits of it...We gave him every opportunity. We communicated with him effectively. We had an incredible culture...To have one person, of all the guys in our clubhouse, to come out and claim otherwise is flat wrong.
*Other games to watch for playoff purposes:
The Brewers are 1.5-back of the Cubs in the NL Central
The Rockies are 1.5-back of the Dodgers in the NL West
The Rockies are 0.5-back of the Cardinals for the 2nd NL Wild Card
*The entire National League has two teams with 90 wins. The AL East and AL West each have two teams with 90 wins.
As it stands the race I'm now more interested in is who will be hosting that AL Wild Card Game. Oakland is 1.5 back of New York, who still have three at Tampa and three at Boston. Oakland has two at Seattle and then three at Anaheim. Gotta figure the schedule favors the A's.
Houston is now 17-4 in September, and it would have been 18-3 if the idiot umpires in Boston and their Senior Idiot replay officials in New York knew how to look at a tv.
The Astros are 53-22 on the road this season. One more road win this season breaks the franchise mark, set in 2017. Bregman:
Everybody is really excited about us closing in on 100 wins and closing in on a division title, but there's only one thing on our mind and that's winning the World Series again.
*Brian McCann hit his first home run since June 14, his 6th of the year. It's probably safe to assume that McCann's 12-year streak of double-digit home runs will come to a close in 2018. Though if he goes off in the next six days, I'm here for it.
*Yuli Gurriel, who won AL Player of the Week yesterday, went 2x4 for his 5th-straight multi-hit game. In September he's hitting .360/.388/.613. He has 11 RBI in his last four games. In The Athletic, Kaitlyn McGrath wrote about Yuli and Lourdes playing against each other for the first time.
*Alex Bregman got a hit but struck out twice in a game for just the 13th time this season. That said, his 52-game road on-base streak broke Jeff Bagwell's 1998-99 franchise record.
*Jake Marisnick hit a pinch-hit double - his first extra-base hit since coming off the DL. He has hits in back-to-back games for the first time since August 9/10 - right before going on the DL.
*Dallas Keuchel picked up his 13th win of the season, throwing 5IP, 7H/3ER, 5K:3BB. He threw 86 pitches. The Astros are 18-15 in Keuchel's starts, but 13-9 in his starts since June. He wriggled out of a bases-loaded/no-out jam in the 5th. Hinch:
Getting out of the fourth and fifth inning was huge. Just being able to control the innings a little bit to have the lead was a success for him. It could have really imploded if he doesn't make pitches and doesn't keep his composure and get out of the inning as lightly unscathed as he could.
Keuchel hit the 200IP mark for the first time since 2015.
*The bullpen held Toronto to four hits - all singles - with 4K:0BB in the final 4IP. Every single one of Roberto Osuna's 20 pitches got booed.
*Former Phillies Great Ken Giles spoke about his time in Houston and said he was never sure what his role was, etc. etc. Yesterday A.J. Hinch did everything but call him a got dang liar. Hinch:
I wish Ken Giles well, but my advice to him would be to participate in the culture which he's in if he wants the benefits of it...We gave him every opportunity. We communicated with him effectively. We had an incredible culture...To have one person, of all the guys in our clubhouse, to come out and claim otherwise is flat wrong.
*Carlos Correa won't play tonight. Maybe tomorrow. Maybe never. Thankfully we all die in the end.Hinch on Morton: "We want him to stay active, we want him to stay in the rotation, but we don't really want to pile on too many innings. We're happy with where he's at, and if we could just put him on ice right now and put him in the playoffs we'd be happy."— Jake Kaplan (@jakemkaplan) September 24, 2018
*Other games to watch for playoff purposes:
The Brewers are 1.5-back of the Cubs in the NL Central
The Rockies are 1.5-back of the Dodgers in the NL West
The Rockies are 0.5-back of the Cardinals for the 2nd NL Wild Card
*The entire National League has two teams with 90 wins. The AL East and AL West each have two teams with 90 wins.
Monday, September 24, 2018
Monday Morning Hot Links
Folks, one week from tomorrow we will be pumping playoff baseball straight through our veins. But before then, we gotta take care of business. Framber was cooking once again as the Astros swept the series after being the LA Angels again 6-2. Charlie Morton left very early in the game, but is expected to make his final start this weekend in Baltimore. Full recap is here.
The Burgundy Bros. are off to Canada.
Ken Giles said in an interview that he's enjoying pitching with Toronto more than Houston.
The Astros have given away over 250,000 World Series rings.
The Tampa Bay Rays are 87-68 and are 6.5 back of the second wild card. This record would have them as the second wild card team if they played in the National League. The Mariners would only be 1.5 GB but are 8.5 GB now in the AL.
It seems as if Hector Rondon is still trusted by A.J. Hinch. There's still some time to find that form again before October.
LMJ should pitch either tonight or tomorrow.
These Astros are 16-4 in the month of September and that's quite alright.
Marwin Gonzalez, George Springer, and Carlos Correa are the only three batters to strike out more than 100 times this season.
Today is the first Astros instructional league game against the Marlins. Seth Beer and Freudis Nova headline the big names of the team. Side note, there is no team in sports with better names than the names that can be found in the Houston Astros organization. Thank you, Mr. Luhnow.
Gerrit Cole and his 16 K masterpiece was picked as the "best Astros game" of the season.
Take the "Country musician or baseball player" quiz. I got a 6/11 which is a failing grade please do not kick me off of the Internet.
Researchers pumped some ecstasy into this octopuses for science.
Uranus, Missouri went on ahead and named their local newspaper The Uranus Examiner.
I found this stock image of a husky and I believe that it is in everyone's best interest for me to share it.
On This Day in Baseball History
In 1957, the Dodgers defeated the Pirates 2-0 in the last game the Dodgers played in Brooklyn.
In 1974, Al Kaline picked up his 3000th hit.
In 2004, Pedro Martinez claimed that he was "the Yankees daddy."
In 2014, Phil Hughes fell one out short of receiving a $500,000 bonus due to a rain delay.
The Burgundy Bros. are off to Canada.
Ken Giles said in an interview that he's enjoying pitching with Toronto more than Houston.
The Astros have given away over 250,000 World Series rings.
The Tampa Bay Rays are 87-68 and are 6.5 back of the second wild card. This record would have them as the second wild card team if they played in the National League. The Mariners would only be 1.5 GB but are 8.5 GB now in the AL.
It seems as if Hector Rondon is still trusted by A.J. Hinch. There's still some time to find that form again before October.
LMJ should pitch either tonight or tomorrow.
These Astros are 16-4 in the month of September and that's quite alright.
Marwin Gonzalez, George Springer, and Carlos Correa are the only three batters to strike out more than 100 times this season.
Today is the first Astros instructional league game against the Marlins. Seth Beer and Freudis Nova headline the big names of the team. Side note, there is no team in sports with better names than the names that can be found in the Houston Astros organization. Thank you, Mr. Luhnow.
Gerrit Cole and his 16 K masterpiece was picked as the "best Astros game" of the season.
Take the "Country musician or baseball player" quiz. I got a 6/11 which is a failing grade please do not kick me off of the Internet.
Researchers pumped some ecstasy into this octopuses for science.
Uranus, Missouri went on ahead and named their local newspaper The Uranus Examiner.
I found this stock image of a husky and I believe that it is in everyone's best interest for me to share it.
On This Day in Baseball History
In 1957, the Dodgers defeated the Pirates 2-0 in the last game the Dodgers played in Brooklyn.
In 1974, Al Kaline picked up his 3000th hit.
In 2004, Pedro Martinez claimed that he was "the Yankees daddy."
In 2014, Phil Hughes fell one out short of receiving a $500,000 bonus due to a rain delay.
Friday, August 24, 2018
Friday Morning Hot Links
Hello everyone! It's Players Weekend! So for this edition of Hot Links, you are not allowed to refer to be by my real name, Flick Nickem, but my Player's Weekend Name, Pilot Terry Byrd. Why is my name Pilot Terry Byrd? Let's start with my title. If you were familiar with my #online #brand, then you would understand that I stan Pilot G2 pens. The Pilot G-2 07 mm Fine Point Retractable Premium Gel Ink Pen IS the #1 gel pen on the market today, so it only makes sense that my favorite company gets a shoutout in my Players Weekend name.
But Terry Byrd? Well, Terry Byrd is the last three syllables of my favorite flying friend, the secretary bird. My entire Twitter persona revolves around these dudes, and I always go the extra mile to show everyone I meet just how awesome these birds really are, like how they kick snakes in the head until they die. So now you know. Is Pilot Terry Byrd stupid? Yes. But so is Flick Nickem. Let me have fun.
Anyways, A's lost! Astros are now up 1.5 games on them and 5.5 up on Seattle this morning as we inch ever so slowly into September and seeing all our injured fellas and Fresno friends in Houston again. We take on the Angels this weekend, who currently aren't at full strength right now with Trout and Upton on the DL. The A's are also playing a less-than-stellar Twins team with weekend, so it is imperative for the Astros to pick up these wins in order to stay atop the standings by weekends end.
Let's get down to linking!
The Ringer's Zach Kram talks about why there is no good reason to worry about the Astros.
The Major League Baseball Creators of Content made an Astros Infield Highlight Reel.
The plan is for Springer to get back into the lineup tonight.
Do you like the Astros stare home run celebration? Buy a T-shirt of it.
These people waited absolutely too long for an Alex Bregman bobblehead. Who does this? why?
Minor League Ball gives us the midseason review of the top 20 2018 Astros prospects (we have seen a lot of them so far this season).
Andrew McCutchen addresses clearing waivers and not being in the lineup. My favorite part:
“I don’t really understand that process. I don’t get it. I don’t know waivers or clearers or revocables. I don’t know what that stuff means, man. I have a better chance understanding trigonometry.”
Same.
The Astros have hit into a LOT of double plays.
J.D. Davis is on an unreal tear in Fresno right now.
Speaking of Fresno Grizzlies on an unreal tear right now, Kyle Tucker is hitting .700 in Fresno since his demotion.
Ken Giles has gotten his ERA under 10 in Toronto!
Jacob DeGrom has been absolutely unreal this season. He might win the Cy Young this year. He has 8 wins to show for it.
Paris is rolling out sidewalk urinals where you pee in this mailbox-looking thing in very public areas because they have a problem with "wild peeing." This is the most important link of the whole post.
Professional cuddlers are now making over 30 euros an hour (roughly $35 USD an hour)
On This Day In Baseball History
In 1919, Indians pitcher Ray Caldwell was struck by lightning after pitching 8.2 innings. He was knocked unconscious, revived after a 5 minute delay, refused to be taken out, and got the last out for a complete game win.
In 1951, the St. Louis Browns had the Grandstand Managers Night, where the fans democratically coached the team.
In 1983, Orioles pitcher Tippy Martinez picked off three Toronto Blue Jays players in one inning.
In 2007, Greg Maddux became the first pitcher ever to win 10 games in a season for 20 years in a row.
But Terry Byrd? Well, Terry Byrd is the last three syllables of my favorite flying friend, the secretary bird. My entire Twitter persona revolves around these dudes, and I always go the extra mile to show everyone I meet just how awesome these birds really are, like how they kick snakes in the head until they die. So now you know. Is Pilot Terry Byrd stupid? Yes. But so is Flick Nickem. Let me have fun.
Anyways, A's lost! Astros are now up 1.5 games on them and 5.5 up on Seattle this morning as we inch ever so slowly into September and seeing all our injured fellas and Fresno friends in Houston again. We take on the Angels this weekend, who currently aren't at full strength right now with Trout and Upton on the DL. The A's are also playing a less-than-stellar Twins team with weekend, so it is imperative for the Astros to pick up these wins in order to stay atop the standings by weekends end.
Let's get down to linking!
The Ringer's Zach Kram talks about why there is no good reason to worry about the Astros.
The Major League Baseball Creators of Content made an Astros Infield Highlight Reel.
The plan is for Springer to get back into the lineup tonight.
Do you like the Astros stare home run celebration? Buy a T-shirt of it.
These people waited absolutely too long for an Alex Bregman bobblehead. Who does this? why?
Minor League Ball gives us the midseason review of the top 20 2018 Astros prospects (we have seen a lot of them so far this season).
Andrew McCutchen addresses clearing waivers and not being in the lineup. My favorite part:
“I don’t really understand that process. I don’t get it. I don’t know waivers or clearers or revocables. I don’t know what that stuff means, man. I have a better chance understanding trigonometry.”
Same.
The Astros have hit into a LOT of double plays.
J.D. Davis is on an unreal tear in Fresno right now.
Speaking of Fresno Grizzlies on an unreal tear right now, Kyle Tucker is hitting .700 in Fresno since his demotion.
Ken Giles has gotten his ERA under 10 in Toronto!
Jacob DeGrom has been absolutely unreal this season. He might win the Cy Young this year. He has 8 wins to show for it.
Paris is rolling out sidewalk urinals where you pee in this mailbox-looking thing in very public areas because they have a problem with "wild peeing." This is the most important link of the whole post.
Professional cuddlers are now making over 30 euros an hour (roughly $35 USD an hour)
On This Day In Baseball History
In 1919, Indians pitcher Ray Caldwell was struck by lightning after pitching 8.2 innings. He was knocked unconscious, revived after a 5 minute delay, refused to be taken out, and got the last out for a complete game win.
In 1951, the St. Louis Browns had the Grandstand Managers Night, where the fans democratically coached the team.
In 1983, Orioles pitcher Tippy Martinez picked off three Toronto Blue Jays players in one inning.
In 2007, Greg Maddux became the first pitcher ever to win 10 games in a season for 20 years in a row.
Friday, August 10, 2018
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.
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.
Tuesday, July 31, 2018
Tuesday Morning Hot Links
Maybe instead of getting that new Pressly shirsey, you give the money to the Houston Area Women's Center.
*The Astros lost 2-0 to James F. Paxton. It's their 5th loss in a row, breaking the 2018 season-high record for consecutive losses, set on Sunday, and tied the day before. The Astros are officially in a slump. They're 67-41, three games up on the Mariners.
*Evan Gattis had a three-run homer wrap just foul, pretty indicative of the last week and a half of Astros baseball.
*James Paxton threw 7IP, 3H/0ER, 8K:0BB...and did it in just 82 pitches. He improves to 6-3 with a 2.59 ERA / 1.06 WHIP in his career against Houston. Astros players have hit three home runs off of him in 66 innings. George Springer hit all three, two of those led off the game.
*Ryan Pressly bounced back, getting four outs in 14 pitches.
*Gerrit Cole threw 6.2IP, 4H/2ER, 8K:2BB. He has thrown 6+ IP and recorded two or fewer earned runs in 13 of his 22 starts. It's his 16th start of 8+ strikeouts.
*Gerrit Cole is 10-3. Cole, when taking the L: 19.2IP, 13H/5ER, 21K:7BB. The Astros have scored two runs when Cole's decision is a Loss.
*It's the 19th time Houston pitchers have held their opponents to four or fewer hits. They're now 16-3. In the three losses - two to Anaheim, one to Seattle - Houston scored a combined one run.
*Since the All-Star Break, Houston is 3-6 and hitting .190/.277/.325. They've been held to five or fewer hits in four of those nine games and are averaging 3.67 runs/game.
*Of course the big story of the day was the Astros' acquisition of the currently-suspended-for-domestic-violence Roberto Osuna, formerly of the Toronto Blue Jays. The Astros sent Ken Giles, Hector Perez, and David Paulino. I wrote about what we knew at approximately 5pm Central time yesterday regarding the Osuna case.
To put a footnote on it, I guess, I'd like to mention that you can't analyze this trade from a "purely baseball perspective," because without the information unrelated to baseball, there's no way this trade gets made. Toronto isn't trading Osuna from the vacuum of the baseball field. They're only trading him because of the domestic violence charge. Will his girlfriend drop the charges? Maybe! But that doesn't mean he didn't do whatever we don't know he did.
*Shoutout to Paul Gallant, here's why Canadian law makes it harder to find out what happened with Osuna.
*Toronto Sun: Osuna was ordered to stay "100 meters" away from the victim.
*Osuna will address the team in Los Angeles on Sunday.
*Check Brian McTaggart's piece on Osuna, with video from the clubhouse.
*Jenny Dial Creech: About that "zero-tolerance" (as long as the first instance is with somebody else) policy...
*SI's Emma Baccielleri: "It's easier to assign a dollar value to optics than to morals." Good-ass relievers currently facing charges of domestic violence are the new market inefficiency.
*Buster Olney:
No matter what comes to light with Osuna's history, the Astros have forfeited the right to be "disappointed" or "shocked" or "surprised" or "angered" or any other euphemism that teams tend to use when a player does something appalling. Houston has surrendered the high ground, aggressively.
*FanGraphs' Jeff Sullivan with perhaps the Column of the Day:
As a baseball trade, there's enough here to be fascinating. But this isn't just a baseball trade...
...For the fans for whom it is more complicated, the Astros today have scored an own goal. They made a trade they didn't need to make for a player still looking ahead to a court date. The Astros know exactly what they're doing. That's kind of what makes this so difficult to stomach.
*Keith Law: Just because you throw baseballs good doesn't excuse domestic violence.
*Despite asking "several" members of the Astros for their thoughts on acquiring Osuna, we know that the Astros asked Altuve for his thoughts on acquiring Osuna. But Verlander, Correa, and McHugh said they weren't.
*The Astros tried to cut off questions after a positive baseball question regarding Osuna.
*Ken Rosenthal from 2016: Why do abusers get to play in the postseason and PED guys don't?
*The Ringer's Michael Baumann:
Using PEDs is a violation against the integrity of the game, of an entertainment concern. Striking a romantic partner, in addition to being a criminal offense, is a life-altering violation of trust for the third of American women and quarter of American men who have suffered intimate partner violence, and a violation unfathomable for those of us who have been fortunate enough not to have experienced it...Wanting to win so badly that you're willing to view a player's domestic violence suspension as a trade opportunity is a choice.
*A.J. Hinch was thankful for Ken Giles last year. Hinch:
I don't know that we get to the World Series without him.
*The Masked Marvel wrote about how to improve the Astros, published shortly before the Osuna news. And has another post this morning.
*Carlos Correa, currently digging graves in Antarctica, is apparently headed on a rehab assignment soon! "Soon!" meaning 10 years after the earth crashes into the sun. Jake Kaplan says the absence of Correa AND Altuve leaves the Astros in uncharted territory.
*More Jake Kaplan! Jake Kaplan's history of the Randy Johnson trade.
*J.A. Tayler says the Ryan Pressly trade is sneaky good.
*J.B. Bukauskas and Seth Beer were promoted from Quad Cities to Buies Creek.
*2016 2nd Round pick Ronnie Dawson was promoted to Corpus.
*Recently DFA'd Tim Federowicz elected free agency over going back to Fresno.
*The Astros Foundation gave $75K to the Santa Fe Texas Education Foundation.
*Rustin Dodd on Brett Phillips' first 48 hours as a Royal.
*Sean Doolittle had a good thread.
*Now that they're on the cusp of their first playoff spot in 17 years, can the Mariners afford to give Felix the ball every five days?
*Yu Darvish clapped back at A-Rod.
*Lawson Craddock, Houston native, finished last in the 2018 Tour de France. Here's a fun story.
*The Astros lost 2-0 to James F. Paxton. It's their 5th loss in a row, breaking the 2018 season-high record for consecutive losses, set on Sunday, and tied the day before. The Astros are officially in a slump. They're 67-41, three games up on the Mariners.
*Evan Gattis had a three-run homer wrap just foul, pretty indicative of the last week and a half of Astros baseball.
*James Paxton threw 7IP, 3H/0ER, 8K:0BB...and did it in just 82 pitches. He improves to 6-3 with a 2.59 ERA / 1.06 WHIP in his career against Houston. Astros players have hit three home runs off of him in 66 innings. George Springer hit all three, two of those led off the game.
*Ryan Pressly bounced back, getting four outs in 14 pitches.
*Gerrit Cole threw 6.2IP, 4H/2ER, 8K:2BB. He has thrown 6+ IP and recorded two or fewer earned runs in 13 of his 22 starts. It's his 16th start of 8+ strikeouts.
*Gerrit Cole is 10-3. Cole, when taking the L: 19.2IP, 13H/5ER, 21K:7BB. The Astros have scored two runs when Cole's decision is a Loss.
*It's the 19th time Houston pitchers have held their opponents to four or fewer hits. They're now 16-3. In the three losses - two to Anaheim, one to Seattle - Houston scored a combined one run.
*Since the All-Star Break, Houston is 3-6 and hitting .190/.277/.325. They've been held to five or fewer hits in four of those nine games and are averaging 3.67 runs/game.
Astros' offense during 5-game losing streak: .150/.214./261, five doubles, four homers, 10 RBIs, 2-for-24 with RISP.— Brian McTaggart (@brianmctaggart) July 31, 2018
*Of course the big story of the day was the Astros' acquisition of the currently-suspended-for-domestic-violence Roberto Osuna, formerly of the Toronto Blue Jays. The Astros sent Ken Giles, Hector Perez, and David Paulino. I wrote about what we knew at approximately 5pm Central time yesterday regarding the Osuna case.
To put a footnote on it, I guess, I'd like to mention that you can't analyze this trade from a "purely baseball perspective," because without the information unrelated to baseball, there's no way this trade gets made. Toronto isn't trading Osuna from the vacuum of the baseball field. They're only trading him because of the domestic violence charge. Will his girlfriend drop the charges? Maybe! But that doesn't mean he didn't do whatever we don't know he did.
*Shoutout to Paul Gallant, here's why Canadian law makes it harder to find out what happened with Osuna.
*Toronto Sun: Osuna was ordered to stay "100 meters" away from the victim.
*Osuna will address the team in Los Angeles on Sunday.
*Check Brian McTaggart's piece on Osuna, with video from the clubhouse.
Hinch said he addressed the team today in a meeting regarding Osuna. He also called Osuna. pic.twitter.com/R4RcpgBVWk— Brian McTaggart (@brianmctaggart) July 31, 2018
*Jenny Dial Creech: About that "zero-tolerance" (as long as the first instance is with somebody else) policy...
*SI's Emma Baccielleri: "It's easier to assign a dollar value to optics than to morals." Good-ass relievers currently facing charges of domestic violence are the new market inefficiency.
*Buster Olney:
No matter what comes to light with Osuna's history, the Astros have forfeited the right to be "disappointed" or "shocked" or "surprised" or "angered" or any other euphemism that teams tend to use when a player does something appalling. Houston has surrendered the high ground, aggressively.
*FanGraphs' Jeff Sullivan with perhaps the Column of the Day:
As a baseball trade, there's enough here to be fascinating. But this isn't just a baseball trade...
...For the fans for whom it is more complicated, the Astros today have scored an own goal. They made a trade they didn't need to make for a player still looking ahead to a court date. The Astros know exactly what they're doing. That's kind of what makes this so difficult to stomach.
*Keith Law: Just because you throw baseballs good doesn't excuse domestic violence.
*Despite asking "several" members of the Astros for their thoughts on acquiring Osuna, we know that the Astros asked Altuve for his thoughts on acquiring Osuna. But Verlander, Correa, and McHugh said they weren't.
*The Astros tried to cut off questions after a positive baseball question regarding Osuna.
*Ken Rosenthal from 2016: Why do abusers get to play in the postseason and PED guys don't?
*The Ringer's Michael Baumann:
Using PEDs is a violation against the integrity of the game, of an entertainment concern. Striking a romantic partner, in addition to being a criminal offense, is a life-altering violation of trust for the third of American women and quarter of American men who have suffered intimate partner violence, and a violation unfathomable for those of us who have been fortunate enough not to have experienced it...Wanting to win so badly that you're willing to view a player's domestic violence suspension as a trade opportunity is a choice.
*A.J. Hinch was thankful for Ken Giles last year. Hinch:
I don't know that we get to the World Series without him.
*The Masked Marvel wrote about how to improve the Astros, published shortly before the Osuna news. And has another post this morning.
*Carlos Correa, currently digging graves in Antarctica, is apparently headed on a rehab assignment soon! "Soon!" meaning 10 years after the earth crashes into the sun. Jake Kaplan says the absence of Correa AND Altuve leaves the Astros in uncharted territory.
*More Jake Kaplan! Jake Kaplan's history of the Randy Johnson trade.
*J.A. Tayler says the Ryan Pressly trade is sneaky good.
*J.B. Bukauskas and Seth Beer were promoted from Quad Cities to Buies Creek.
*2016 2nd Round pick Ronnie Dawson was promoted to Corpus.
*Recently DFA'd Tim Federowicz elected free agency over going back to Fresno.
*The Astros Foundation gave $75K to the Santa Fe Texas Education Foundation.
*Rustin Dodd on Brett Phillips' first 48 hours as a Royal.
*Sean Doolittle had a good thread.
*Now that they're on the cusp of their first playoff spot in 17 years, can the Mariners afford to give Felix the ball every five days?
*Yu Darvish clapped back at A-Rod.
*Lawson Craddock, Houston native, finished last in the 2018 Tour de France. Here's a fun story.
Monday, July 30, 2018
So about this Roberto Osuna thing...
I don't like it.
But let's take a look at what we (meaning, "what's been published online") know regarding the matter.
Today
Toronto announced that a trade has been finalized between the Astros and the Blue Jays that will send Ken Giles, Hector Perez, and David Paulino to Toronto in exchange for closer Roberto Osuna. Here's what we know:
May 8, 2018
Roberto Osuna was charged with one count of assault against a then-unnamed woman early in the morning of Tuesday, May 8. Her name was withheld to protect her identity. Manager John Gibbons:
You're dealing with human beings, regardless of walk of life. Hopefully there's nothing there. I love the kid, not because of what he's done for us on the field, but because of who he is and my relationship with him over the years...Really, society in general, there's got to be a zero-tolerance policy, you've got to protect the vulnerable and those who can't protect themselves. Hopefully when it's all said and done, he's back with us, it's behind him, and things turn out fine.
The standard suspension for investigation by MLB is seven days. Toronto GM Ross Atkins:
There are scenarios where this leave could be extended, this leave could be shortened, it could be seven days. The seven-day is the default. You can't express (the reaction to the assault charge) it in words, the feeling you have. It's a physical feeling, an emotional feeling that you hate to get and hate to have.
Osuna was released from jail later that morning and met with Atkins, Gibbons, and other officials at the Rogers Centre. He was not allowed to be around the Blue Jays while the suspension was in effect and the Blue Jays' Osuna shirt giveaway scheduled for two days later was cancelled and replaced.
At 12:17pm Sportsnet's Hazel Mae confirmed with a source within Toronto Police that the assault was against Osuna's girlfriend.
Later that afternoon, MLB released a statement:
MLB takes all allegations of this nature very seriously. We are investigating the circumstances and have placed Roberto Osuna on administrative leave in accordance with the joint MLB-MLBPA Domestic Violence Policy.
The Blue Jays released their own statement at 1:34pm.
We are aware of the incident involving Roberto and fully support the decision by the Commissioner's Office to place him on administrative leave. We are taking the matter extremely seriously, as the type of conduct associated with this incident is not reflective of our values as an organization. As this remains an ongoing investigation by Toronto Police, the Club will not comment further on the matter.
His "administrative leave" was extended twice by MLB as the Commissioner's Office continued to investigate the details.
Jon Heyman reported on May 24 that Osuna's assault was "said by people familiar with the case to be serious and involve allegations of a physical nature, which would draw a significant ban; though, word it that he denies doing physical harm."
On Friday, June 22, MLB handed down it's 3rd-longest ban for domestic violence, a 75-game suspension, breaking its precedent of waiting until criminal proceedings are finalized. A week later Ross Atkins told Sportsnet.ca's Shi Davidi that he expected Osuna to resume his normal spot in the back end of the Blue Jays' bullpen upon his return:
Roberto is our closer. We're running a baseball team and our goal is to win championships. Roberto could potentially be very much a part of that. The word that comes to mind for me when you talk about that is empathy. That's not just for Roberto, that's for everyone involved, that's where we're going to spend our time and energy, on being empathetic and trying to understand. We don't have a background in investigations.
Back to today, Jeff Luhnow released a statement. Via Mark Berman:
We are excited to welcome Roberto Osuna to our team. The due diligence by our front office was unprecedented. We are confident that Osuna is remorseful, has willfully complied with all consequences related to his past behavior, has proactively engaged in counseling, and will fully comply with our zero tolerance policy related to abuse of any kind. Roberto has some great examples of character in our existing clubhouse that we believe will help him as he and his family establish a fresh start and as he continues with the Houston Astros. We look forward to Osuna's contributions as we head into the back half of the season.
Osuna, again via Mark Berman:
I am excited to join the Houston Astros and move forward with a fresh start to my career. The positive character of my new teammates is a big reason for their success and I look forward to bringing a positive contribution to this great group of guys as we work towards many more winning seasons. I thank Jeff Luhnow and the entire Astros organization for believing in me - I will not let them down.
Osuna was suspended for 75 games, and is eligible to return on August 5. Before that, however, Osuna's next hearing is on August 1 - the day after the trade deadline. Ken Rosenthal:
If Osuna is found guilty, he might face travel restrictions. But if his case is resolved before then through a "peace bond," in which he would make certain promises and face certain conditions, including an agreement to undergo counseling, the charge could be dropped.
Unlike players who are suspended for PED use (or substances related to PEDs), those suspended under the Joint Domestic Violence, Sexual Assault and Child Abuse policy *can* play in the postseason.
If you recall the Astros had a player - Danry Vasquez - in Corpus when he was charged with assaulting his girlfriend at Whataburger Field. Now, to be fair, the Astros released Danry Vasquez on August 17, 2016 after he was arrested for domestic violence - almost two years before the video of Vasquez's assault of his girlfriend was released to the public, resulting in the following tweets:
So the Vasquez case is a little different, I guess, from the Osuna case. I guess we'll know more in the hearing.
But let's take a look at what we (meaning, "what's been published online") know regarding the matter.
Today
Toronto announced that a trade has been finalized between the Astros and the Blue Jays that will send Ken Giles, Hector Perez, and David Paulino to Toronto in exchange for closer Roberto Osuna. Here's what we know:
May 8, 2018
Roberto Osuna was charged with one count of assault against a then-unnamed woman early in the morning of Tuesday, May 8. Her name was withheld to protect her identity. Manager John Gibbons:
You're dealing with human beings, regardless of walk of life. Hopefully there's nothing there. I love the kid, not because of what he's done for us on the field, but because of who he is and my relationship with him over the years...Really, society in general, there's got to be a zero-tolerance policy, you've got to protect the vulnerable and those who can't protect themselves. Hopefully when it's all said and done, he's back with us, it's behind him, and things turn out fine.
The standard suspension for investigation by MLB is seven days. Toronto GM Ross Atkins:
There are scenarios where this leave could be extended, this leave could be shortened, it could be seven days. The seven-day is the default. You can't express (the reaction to the assault charge) it in words, the feeling you have. It's a physical feeling, an emotional feeling that you hate to get and hate to have.
Osuna was released from jail later that morning and met with Atkins, Gibbons, and other officials at the Rogers Centre. He was not allowed to be around the Blue Jays while the suspension was in effect and the Blue Jays' Osuna shirt giveaway scheduled for two days later was cancelled and replaced.
At 12:17pm Sportsnet's Hazel Mae confirmed with a source within Toronto Police that the assault was against Osuna's girlfriend.
Later that afternoon, MLB released a statement:
MLB takes all allegations of this nature very seriously. We are investigating the circumstances and have placed Roberto Osuna on administrative leave in accordance with the joint MLB-MLBPA Domestic Violence Policy.
The Blue Jays released their own statement at 1:34pm.
We are aware of the incident involving Roberto and fully support the decision by the Commissioner's Office to place him on administrative leave. We are taking the matter extremely seriously, as the type of conduct associated with this incident is not reflective of our values as an organization. As this remains an ongoing investigation by Toronto Police, the Club will not comment further on the matter.
His "administrative leave" was extended twice by MLB as the Commissioner's Office continued to investigate the details.
Jon Heyman reported on May 24 that Osuna's assault was "said by people familiar with the case to be serious and involve allegations of a physical nature, which would draw a significant ban; though, word it that he denies doing physical harm."
On Friday, June 22, MLB handed down it's 3rd-longest ban for domestic violence, a 75-game suspension, breaking its precedent of waiting until criminal proceedings are finalized. A week later Ross Atkins told Sportsnet.ca's Shi Davidi that he expected Osuna to resume his normal spot in the back end of the Blue Jays' bullpen upon his return:
Roberto is our closer. We're running a baseball team and our goal is to win championships. Roberto could potentially be very much a part of that. The word that comes to mind for me when you talk about that is empathy. That's not just for Roberto, that's for everyone involved, that's where we're going to spend our time and energy, on being empathetic and trying to understand. We don't have a background in investigations.
Back to today, Jeff Luhnow released a statement. Via Mark Berman:
We are excited to welcome Roberto Osuna to our team. The due diligence by our front office was unprecedented. We are confident that Osuna is remorseful, has willfully complied with all consequences related to his past behavior, has proactively engaged in counseling, and will fully comply with our zero tolerance policy related to abuse of any kind. Roberto has some great examples of character in our existing clubhouse that we believe will help him as he and his family establish a fresh start and as he continues with the Houston Astros. We look forward to Osuna's contributions as we head into the back half of the season.
Osuna, again via Mark Berman:
I am excited to join the Houston Astros and move forward with a fresh start to my career. The positive character of my new teammates is a big reason for their success and I look forward to bringing a positive contribution to this great group of guys as we work towards many more winning seasons. I thank Jeff Luhnow and the entire Astros organization for believing in me - I will not let them down.
Osuna was suspended for 75 games, and is eligible to return on August 5. Before that, however, Osuna's next hearing is on August 1 - the day after the trade deadline. Ken Rosenthal:
If Osuna is found guilty, he might face travel restrictions. But if his case is resolved before then through a "peace bond," in which he would make certain promises and face certain conditions, including an agreement to undergo counseling, the charge could be dropped.
Unlike players who are suspended for PED use (or substances related to PEDs), those suspended under the Joint Domestic Violence, Sexual Assault and Child Abuse policy *can* play in the postseason.
If you recall the Astros had a player - Danry Vasquez - in Corpus when he was charged with assaulting his girlfriend at Whataburger Field. Now, to be fair, the Astros released Danry Vasquez on August 17, 2016 after he was arrested for domestic violence - almost two years before the video of Vasquez's assault of his girlfriend was released to the public, resulting in the following tweets:
🖕🏻 you man. I hope the rest of your life without baseball is horrible. You deserve all that is coming your way! https://t.co/e8nJ8urUAJ— Justin Verlander (@JustinVerlander) March 15, 2018
The issue here is no one cared as much until a video was leaked & now everyone is outraged!? This is the reality of domestic violence. It’s always brutal, always sickening. We must fight for the victims, video or not. He should be in jail. If you need help, find it. People care. https://t.co/1ZhHnJlX3o— Lance McCullers Jr. (@LMcCullers43) March 15, 2018
So the Vasquez case is a little different, I guess, from the Osuna case. I guess we'll know more in the hearing.
Monday Morning Hot Links
Got swept by the Rangers. We struck out 19 batters in a 9 inning game and lost.
McCann's knee ain't right, Altuve just went on the DL, Correa's back still hurts. Yuli is out here doing this, J.D. Davis is batting .154 WORSE than what he was in Fresno, Stassi hasn't gotten a hit since May, Kempin' aint easy, Devo exploded, fireworks exploded (and it was 80s themed because THE FANS VOTED FOR IT WHAT THE HECK GUYS??) Anyways, it generally hasn't been the best week for our Houston Astros (see above). The good news is we got swept by the White Sox last year and things actually turned out okay. That does not make what we as Astros fans went through any more fun, but I thought it would be nice to share.
Let's knock out some more bad news first before we get to the good stuff.
A.J. Hinch has implied that multiple people will have to play more unconventional positions.
"If you've got (Tyler) White and (J.D.) Davis and (Alex) Bregman and Marwin and Yuli and (Evan) Gattis, getting all of those into the lineup, some guys are going to have to play at a few different positions."
Can't wait to see Evan Gattis play 1st base this road trip!
A young boy with Down Syndrome has lost his special toy at Minute Maid Park yesterday. If you know anything where it might be, make sure to let this family know.
James Paxton is coming back just in time to face the struggling offense. Then we finish up in Seattle, then hit the Dodgers and Giants to finish up the road trip. Correa and Altuve better get fixed fast is all I'm saying.
Ugly Tweets have resurfaced involving Astros outfielder George Springer. I'll link the worst one here, but viewer discretion is advised...
Ken Giles is not having a great time in Fresno either. The Astros are shopping him(?) but I don't know how much interest is there.
GOOD NEWS TIME
Trade Deadline is tomorrow. Get your twitters ready!
Your day probably wasn't as bad as Jurickson Profar's.
There is a chance Forrest Whitley shows up on the team by September.
Max Stassi is a stud and should be blessed to have an opportunity to cheer for him.
Tyler White went 3/3 yesterday, and is currently hitting .286 with 3 home runs in 35 ABs. Pleasant surprise for the Astros thus far in 2018. Maybe he changed his approach and started thinking about Carlos Gomez hitting his Range Rover while he's in the box.
On this day in 2004, the Mets moved former Houston Astros Greats Scott Kazmir and Ty Wigginton to acquire former Astros Great Jeff Keppinger (and others but whatever).
These goofball Egyptians painted a donkey like a zebra and told everyone their zoo had a zebra.
This guy in New Hampshire went to a Planet Fitness naked because "it was a judgment free zone."
If you haven't read this piece on how one guy rigged McDonald's Monopoly, you should.
Sorry for the Springer tweet thing. That was stupid. I will be better.
I hope the Astros will win a game before I have to do this again. Hang in there guys. This slump will all be over soon.
McCann's knee ain't right, Altuve just went on the DL, Correa's back still hurts. Yuli is out here doing this, J.D. Davis is batting .154 WORSE than what he was in Fresno, Stassi hasn't gotten a hit since May, Kempin' aint easy, Devo exploded, fireworks exploded (and it was 80s themed because THE FANS VOTED FOR IT WHAT THE HECK GUYS??) Anyways, it generally hasn't been the best week for our Houston Astros (see above). The good news is we got swept by the White Sox last year and things actually turned out okay. That does not make what we as Astros fans went through any more fun, but I thought it would be nice to share.
Let's knock out some more bad news first before we get to the good stuff.
A.J. Hinch has implied that multiple people will have to play more unconventional positions.
"If you've got (Tyler) White and (J.D.) Davis and (Alex) Bregman and Marwin and Yuli and (Evan) Gattis, getting all of those into the lineup, some guys are going to have to play at a few different positions."
Can't wait to see Evan Gattis play 1st base this road trip!
A young boy with Down Syndrome has lost his special toy at Minute Maid Park yesterday. If you know anything where it might be, make sure to let this family know.
James Paxton is coming back just in time to face the struggling offense. Then we finish up in Seattle, then hit the Dodgers and Giants to finish up the road trip. Correa and Altuve better get fixed fast is all I'm saying.
Ugly Tweets have resurfaced involving Astros outfielder George Springer. I'll link the worst one here, but viewer discretion is advised...
Ken Giles is not having a great time in Fresno either. The Astros are shopping him(?) but I don't know how much interest is there.
GOOD NEWS TIME
Trade Deadline is tomorrow. Get your twitters ready!
Your day probably wasn't as bad as Jurickson Profar's.
There is a chance Forrest Whitley shows up on the team by September.
Max Stassi is a stud and should be blessed to have an opportunity to cheer for him.
Tyler White went 3/3 yesterday, and is currently hitting .286 with 3 home runs in 35 ABs. Pleasant surprise for the Astros thus far in 2018. Maybe he changed his approach and started thinking about Carlos Gomez hitting his Range Rover while he's in the box.
On this day in 2004, the Mets moved former Houston Astros Greats Scott Kazmir and Ty Wigginton to acquire former Astros Great Jeff Keppinger (and others but whatever).
These goofball Egyptians painted a donkey like a zebra and told everyone their zoo had a zebra.
This guy in New Hampshire went to a Planet Fitness naked because "it was a judgment free zone."
If you haven't read this piece on how one guy rigged McDonald's Monopoly, you should.
Sorry for the Springer tweet thing. That was stupid. I will be better.
I hope the Astros will win a game before I have to do this again. Hang in there guys. This slump will all be over soon.
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