Thursday Morning Hot Links

It's time for the GM Meetings, so of course we're going to hear more from Scott Boras than we will Mariah Carey on the radio for the next few days. Unless everyone poops themselves to death and the GM Meetings end early. UPDATE: Everyone's bowels is definitely loose. GM Meetings have been canceled.

*Boras said there have been positive interactions towards extensions for both Altuve and Bregman, but nothing formally yet.

GM Dana Brown:

I think that we understand they have one more year left. And we want to sign them. I think they're interested in being here. I think it's just going to take time to figure out is there going to be somewhere that we can make it work. And that just takes time sometimes. I wish it was easy...but we do have an interest in both guys, for sure. 

There is apparently interest in extending both Framber and Tucker, but since they're under team control for two more years there isn't as much urgency in getting those done.

*Boras also said that Lance McCullers will "no doubt" be pitching in 2024, though Dana Brown expects that to be in July. 

*I think it's a derivative of the previous Athletic link, but Dana Brown addressed the Astros' piss-poor performances at home:

I think it's a fluke. I think it's an aberration. I think if you look at this club, the success that they've had in Houston has been really good. I don't want to get wrapped up into it and make it this big psychological thing. I think the team's been really good. I think it's a fluke. I think guys started talking about it and they started pressing more.

If this was an AP US History written response, I would cross out all of the "I think" phrases. Make a claim. Own it. Be bold, and if you're wrong, be boldly wrong. But don't forget that two teams in professional sports history have lost all four home games in a seven-game series: the 2019 Astros and the 2023 Astros.

*There's some weirdness with the Joe Espada situation. First of all, I did not realize he was only 48. Second, he interviewed for the Astros' manager gig last week. He's been linked to the now-vacant Milwaukee, and while Dana Brown said the Astros "hold the keys to permission" allowing him to interview with the Brewers...

...but they don't. Espada's contract expired on October 31. Espada doesn't need the Astros' permission to do anything. So either Dana Brown didn't know that Espada's contract was up (which is terrible) or he forgot (which isn't great, either). But click that link to see how highly Dana Brown apparently feels about Espada.

A lot of people in the organization think highly of Espada. I think highly of Espada. I just don't know that Crane will let a first-year manager take the reins of a team looking to make its 8th straight ALCS. Crane has managed to surround himself with Reggie Jackson and Jeff Bagwell. Obviously they know Espada better than we do, but Espada isn't a splashy name, and I think Crane is drawn to the splashy name. 

*Matt Kawahara has five free agent reliever options for the Astros.

*The Astros don't have a ton of financial flexibility with which to operate. 

*All that said, it seems like Dana Brown is enjoying his first-ever GM Meetings. And having fun is all that matters. 

*Mike Petriello notes that the Astros have the 2nd-best roster already, entering the 2024 season. Of course Shohei Ohtani hasn't signed with the Rangers yet...

*ESPN's David Schoenfield graded his pre-2023 bold predictions for each team. Yordan's race for the Triple Crown is still on.

*Let's make fun of Joel Reuter's Top 10 Catchers list (with their wRC+ in parentheses):

1. Adley Rutschman (127 wRC+)

2. Sean Murphy (129)

3. William Contreras (124)

4. Will Smith (119)

5. Cal Raleigh (111)

6. Jonah Heim (103)

7. Gabriel Moreno (103)

8. Willson Contreras (127)

9. J.T. Realmuto (102)

10. Ryan Jeffers (138)

Not Listed: Yainer Diaz and his 127 wRC+.

*You can buy Woody Williams' Newpoint Estates former home for $3.7m. 

*The Angels hired Ron Washington as their manager, and he's bringing Eric Young, Jr. (who was linked to Houston) with him.

*The Brewers are PISSED at Craig Counsell. And I can understand why.

*Texas Monthly: How the oldest Indian restaurant in Houston prepares for its Diwali rush.

*LOLMANUTD.

*Rolling Stone: The shocking loss and unbreakable bond behind Sleater-Kinney's new album.

*A Musical Selection:

Thursday Morning Hot Links

Well that got weird. The Astros were cruising comfortably - a 96.9% win probability as the 9th Inning opened. Then a couple of throwing errors later it was 4-4. Chaos reigned in the bottom of the 9th (the best time for chaos to reign imo) and the Astros win 5-4. At 39-29, Houston is once again 10 games over .500. Richardson won, so the Astros remain 3.5 back in the division.

*Nationals manager Dave Martinez was Big Mad following the game, in which he held up a screen grab of the camera shot like it was a proof of life video from a terrorist bunker of Jake Meyers on the basepath, presumably because he wasn't on it. Martinez:

There it is right there. Take a look at it. Is that on the line? I don't think so. I'm over this play. Seriously. They need to fix the rule. If this is what the umpire sees that he's running down the line, I'm tired of it. I'm tired of it. Fix it. We lost the game, and he had nothing to say about it because he can't make the right call. Brutal.

Dusty:

I think they were disputing whether he was in the baseline or not. That's always a questionable call. Nobody really has the vantage point very good except really the home plate umpire, and he said it was nothing. 

Meyers, eloquently:

I'm not really sure, but I know we scored, and we won. That's good.

You can watch Martinez's Meltdown in full here.

*McTaggart noted the similarities between last night and 2019 World Series Game 6.

*The Astros have won three of their last four following the season-high four-game losing streak.

*Houston is 7-7 in 1-run games this year. 

*Astros pitchers didn't issue a single walk for just the 5th time this season. They're 4-1 in those games. The starting pitcher in all five of those games? Framber Valdez.

*Framber threw extremely well: 7IP, 5H/1ER, 6K:0BB. Framber's last eight starts: 52IP, 37H/12ER, 58K:12BB. 2.08 ERA / 0.94 WHIP.

*Jose Abreu was 3x4 with a home run and a double. On May 27 Abreu's OPS sat at a paltry .519. Since then (16 games), he's hitting .295/.348/.541. He has five hits in his last seven PAs, and multi-hit games in five of his last six games. Last night was Abreu's 3rd 3RBI game, all of which have come since June 9.

Meat Wagon Updates:

*Well the big news of the day, other than Keibert Ruiz's throwing ability, is that Lance McCullers Jr is officially out for the year, having undergone surgery to repair the flexor tendon in his right arm and remove a "lima bean-sized bone spur," which he injured during 2021 ALDS Game 4. That game was played on October 12, 2021...611 days before having surgery.

Dana Brown addressed what the news means for the Astros' activity at the trade deadline, noting that he's looking more at hitting, particularly a lefty bat.

Dusty:

You hate seeing anybody hurt, especially hurt a second time. From what I've talked to the trainers and the doctore, he has a chance to be back as good as new. If anybody can come back, it's Lance because he's in great shape and works his butt off. I'm sure it's a little bit of a downer, but he knew something was wrong.

Lance will not throw a baseball until November and it's unclear when, exactly, in 2024 he'll return. Chandler Rome put McCullers' injury history into some perspective.

*Yordan Alvarez will be out for at least a month with his bad oblique, which he injured during BP...and then proceeded to play in the game, lasting one PA. Seems like a dumb decision to let him play that game. Yordan will be re-evaluated in two weeks, and then three.

Here's who the Astros play in the next month: vs Cincinnati, vs NY Mets, at LA Dodgers, at St. Louis, at Lewisville, vs Colorado, vs Seattle, All-Star Break. Not having Yordan for four at Six Flags over Texas is not ideal. 

*Jeremy Pena should be back in the lineup today, having last played on June 10, presumably down with the sickness

*Check out Chandler Rome's Notes column, in which he addresses Jose Abreu's batting tweaks, Drew Gilbert's not great start at Corpus (plot twist: his elbow hurts), and more.

*ESPN: How the A's and Raiders' relocations to Vegas compare.

*The USMNT plays Mexico tonight at 9pm Central in the CONCACAF Nations League Semi-Final (I think).

*RIP Gordon McQueen.

*Last night (with the Astros game on the laptop on mute) The Wife and I watched the 2013 movie "The World's End," which I had never seen, but very much enjoyed.

*UT will play A&M at Kyle Field in 2024.

*A Musical Selection:

Wednesday Morning Hot Links

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

*Jose Urquidy is close to a bullpen session.

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

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

February 18: "Soreness in his throwing arm"

February 22: "Small muscle strain"

March 15: "Forearm strain"

April 4: "Elbow strain"

June 13: "Forearm strain"

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

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

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

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

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

*A Musical Selection:

Friday Morning Hot Links

Good morning. This week I was co-hosting a summer camp that required 20 volunteers and 142 campers. I had to be at work at 7am. That alarm has been my nemesis all week. But it's over now, just in time for me to be on the radio at...7am. Rest, wicked, etc. The Astros lost again. They're 36-27, five games back of Southwest Texarkana. 

*Houston's division deficit is the largest they've seen since September 27, 2020. Or, since 2020 was a Mickey Mouse Season, October 2, 2016.

*It was the Astros' 2nd consecutive one-run loss (and 2nd consecutive 3-2 loss). They're 6-6 in one-run games. 

*Houston has lost four of their last five games, scoring two or fewer runs in each of those losses. 

*It's the Astros 3rd three-game losing streak of the season. 

*The Astros scored a total of five runs in the three games following an 11-4 win on Monday.

*Houston is now 14 games into a 17-games-in-17-days stretch. One more series at Cleveland and the Astros finally get a day off. 

*Framber threw 5IP, 4H/3ER, 5K:4BB. It was his second 4+ walk game of the season, but the 6th time he's allowed four or fewer hits in 2023. Three of those four walks later scored. 

*Alex Bregman hit his 9th home run of the season, and his second in seven games in June. 

*Jose Abreu was caught leaning too far off of 2nd base in the 7th inning. Abreu:

I take, obviously, full responsibility there for the mistake I made...I'm a man of my word. I made a mistake, and we lost because of me today. I take full responsibility.

Out of 161 qualified batters in MLB, Abreu's -1.3 fWAR ranks 161st. His 52 wRC+ ranks 160th. 

Apropos of nothing in particular, Yuli Gurriel (who turns 39 today) is hitting .275/.333/.416 in 40 games for Miami. 

*Yordan Alvarez was replaced by Corey Julks after grabbing at his oblique. This is, obviously, Not Great! Dusty:

We'll re-evaluate him tomorrow. That's a tough blow right there. We've just got to regroup and try to figure out how we're going to win some ballgames and get through this.

So that doesn't sound like a 24-hour issue...

*Jeremy Pena lollygagged it down the line when he probably would have been safe in the 8th. 

*Chandler Rome: The story of Phil Maton's lone MLB hit.

*Lance McCullers is getting an MRI today after feeling more discomfort in his right forearm and might not pitch at all this season. It is June 9. An updated timeline of Lance's 2023:

*Lance McCullers Jr is no longer throwing off a mound, only further leading me to believe that they're really slow-walking the "Yeah okay he had Tommy John Surgery again last fall" announcement. A timeline of Lance's "rehab:"

February 18: LMJ gets shut down with "soreness in his throwing arm."

February 19: Dana Brown says LMJ is "day-to-day" and that Brown is "not alarmed at all."

February 22: LMJ tells reporters he has a "small muscle strain" with no structural damage to his arm or UCL.

March 11: LMJ is playing catch.

March 15: LMJ is cleared to resume lifting weights and throwing. It's described as a forearm strain.

March 28: Dana Brown is non-committal on the idea that LMJ will go on the 60-Day IL.

March 30: LMJ is "pain-free."

April 4: LMJ is "ahead of schedule," throwing from 90 feet on flat ground, and is close to throwing on back-to-back days. It's also now described as an elbow strain.

May 13: Dusty isn't sure when LMJ will face live batters.

May 16: Lance hit 93mph in a bullpen session.

May 21: Astros hope LMJ can return "closer to the All-Star Break, or after."

May 29: No longer throwing off a mound.

June 8: LMJ feels discomfort similar to what he felt in February.

June 9: MRI Day.

*Dana Brown said the Astros will be involved in the trade market, looking for starting pitching and possibly another bat. 

*Michael Brantley hit in the batting cage yesterday and threw on the field. 

*Boomer Sooner.

*The Athletic: How US Soccer Fans Fell Out Of Love With Leeds United. 

I'm gonna go out on a limb and say that it's because they fired the American manager (deservedly so), Brenden Aaronson sucks, Weston McKinnie sucked and went back to Italy, and Tyler Adams has been hurt since March, and Leeds got relegated. They weren't Leeds United fans at all. They're American Soccer fans. 

*Wired: Inside a secretive life-extension clinic.

*A Musical Selection for your Friday:

Tuesday Morning Hot Links

Well the Astros did what the Astros do: follow up a historic performance with a loss. But this time it wasn't the bats that went cold, it was the bullpen (whom I effusively praised in this space yesterday - thanks, guys). The Astros had a 5-4 lead with two outs in the 9th and Bryan Abreu and Ryan Pressly combined to mess that up. Minnesota wins 7-5, the Astros are 31-22. 

*Jose Altuve hit a grand slam in the 7th to temporarily put the Astros up 5-4. It was his 194th career home run, and his 7th career grand slam - his first since July 30, 2021. Altuve is 30 home runs away from passing Jimmy Wynn for 4th all-time. He also became the 8th Astro to cross the 700 career RBI mark, and he's 17 RBI short of Jimmy Wynn for 7th all-time in franchise history. Bregman, on Altuve:

He's incredible. He can barrel up any pitch, any spot, any time. We've seen it for the last decade...He's a once-in-a-lifetime kind of guy.

*Jose Abreu was 1x3 with a walk, singling off of a 103.6mph Jhoan Duran pitch - the 4th-fastest pitch anyone has taken for a hit since they started keeping track of that thing.

*J.P. France was aight - 6IP, 7H/4ER, 8K:3BB. It was his second-longest start in the Majors, and he tied a career high in strikeouts, set the last time he pitched. France has struck out 16 of the last 51 batters he has faced.

*Ryan Pressly blew the save in the 9th, his first since July 30, 2022 - a span of 50 appearances, postseason included. 

*Bryan Abreu took the L, his first since May 18, 2021 - a span of 93 appearances. It's also the second appearance in a row in which he has allowed an earned run. Three of the six earned runs he's allowed this season have come since May 27. 

*Carlos Correa is 2x25 with 10K:2BB against the Astros in his career.

*Totally missed that Minnesota's 1B/C coach is Hank Conger.

*Christian Vazquez will get his ring tonight.

*Lance McCullers Jr is no longer throwing off a mound, only further leading me to believe that they're really slow-walking the "Yeah okay he had Tommy John Surgery again last fall" announcement. A timeline of Lance's "rehab:"

February 18: LMJ gets shut down with "soreness in his throwing arm."

February 19: Dana Brown says LMJ is "day-to-day" and that Brown is "not alarmed at all."

February 22: LMJ tells reporters he has a "small muscle strain" with no structural damage to his arm or UCL.

March 11: LMJ is playing catch.

March 15: LMJ is cleared to resume lifting weights and throwing. It's described as a forearm strain.

March 28: Dana Brown is non-committal on the idea that LMJ will go on the 60-Day IL.

March 30: LMJ is "pain-free."

April 4: LMJ is "ahead of schedule," throwing from 90 feet on flat ground, and is close to throwing on back-to-back days. It's also now described as an elbow strain.

May 13: Dusty isn't sure when LMJ will face live batters.

May 21: Astros hope LMJ can return "closer to the All-Star Break, or after."

May 29: No longer throwing off a mound.

*Great story in Chicago as Liam Hendriks returned to the mound for the first time since beating cancer.

*Gary Sanchez is now a Padre, his third organization in the last two months.

*USMNT's Brenden Aaronson has a clause in his contract where he could leave if Leeds United got relegated, and...welp.

*NY Times: 47 Literary Escapes for This Season.

*How two mad scientists and a small school in Iowa changed college football.

*The Ringer: How the rarest music in the world comes back.

*And with that, a Musical Selection:

Monday Morning Hot Links

The Astros completed their second straight sweep of the week with a 2-0 win over Oakland, extending their winning streak to seven games, and making them winners of ten of their last eleven games. The Astros are 6-0 since the return of Hot Links. 

1916 A's Watch, after 48 games:

2023 A's: 10-38

1916 A's: 15-32-1

*Jose Altuve's 5th Inning RBI single was his 1,937th career hit. That's notable because, Astros franchise career hit leaders:

1. Craig Biggio: 3,060

2. Jeff Bagwell: 2,314

3. Jose Cruz: 1,937

3. Jose Altuve: 1,937

From his debut through the 2017 season, Altuve had a hit every 3.45 Plate Appearances. Since 2018, it's a hit every 3.87 Plate Appearances. If we go according to the second set of data Altuve would need 1,063 hits to reach 3,000, which would take another 4,109 PAs - another six seasons and change assuming he plays in 145-162 games per season. Missing 63 games in 2018 and 2019, the shortened COVID season, and not starting 2023 until May 19 has hurt his chances a little bit.

*Framber Valdez gave the bullpen a break, deciding to do the whole damn thing himself and throwing the Astros' first Complete Game Shutout of the season.

*Astros Complete Games by a Starter, 2017-

Framber Valdez: 5

Justin Verlander: 3

Dallas Keuchel: 2

Zack Greinke: 1

*Astros CGSHOs by a Starter, 2017-

Framber Valdez: 2

Justin Verlander: 2

Gerrit Cole: 1

It was the first CGSHO by an Astros pitcher at Minute Maid Park since Keuchel on August 5, 2016. Framber's 86 Game Score is the highest since Cristian Javier's combined no-hitter against the Yankees on June 25, 2022.

*Until this series in Houston, Oakland pitchers - as a whole - posted a 7.83 ERA / 1.68 WHIP. They had allowed 11+ runs in a single game 12 times (out of the 45 games they played against Not-Houston). Oakland held the Astros to ten runs (9ER) in a three-game series - or a 3.00 ERA.

*A's pitcher James Kaprielian came into Sunday's start with a 10.17 ERA then threw 5IP, 3H/1ER, 5K:4BB to get his ERA down to 8.68.

*Houston went 5x27 with runners in scoring position in the series.

*Martin Maldonado had his first 2-hit game since April 30.

*Jose Abreu was 0x2 but drew two walks for the third time all season, and the second time this series. He also grounded into an inning-ending bases-loaded double play. So Abreu gonna Abreu.

*Alex Bregman was 0x4, his second hitless game since May 12. 

Bregman, March 30-May 7 (34 games): .195/.322/.320 - .196 BABIP.

Bregman, May 8-Present (12 games): .283/.346/.478 - .262 BABIP.

*Prior to Jake Meyers' 8th Inning groundout, he had reached base safely in nine consecutive PAs.

*Uh-oh: Lance McCullers Jr won't be ready until at least the All-Star Break, which is [checks notes] July 10. Dusty [LL Cool J voice]: Don't call it a setback.

Lance McCullers Regular Season IP, 2019-2023: 265.0

Framber Valdez Regular Season IP, 2022-2023: 267.1IP

*Danielle Lerner: How Chas McCormick is working himself back into form.

*The Rays might get bought, and then moved, leaving Tropicana Field to fulfill its destiny of being a skateboard park.

*The New Yorker: A Philosophy Professor's Final Class.

*It was a must-win game for Leeds United, who for the second week in a row had a 1-0 lead, and for the second week in a row blew it. Whereas LUFC got a tie against Newcastle, an exhausted West Ham still managed to find the net three times. FiveThirtyEight has Leeds at 94% to get relegated. Here's what has to happen for Leeds to not get relegated to the second division:

1a: Beat Tottenham Hotspur 

1b: Everton lose to Bournemouth

1c: Leicester City get a maximum of three points away at Newcastle today and at home to West Ham.

If 1a doesn't happen, then 1b and 1c don't matter. It's Bleak Hours at ACHQ. 

*A Musical Selection:

Wednesday Morning Hot Links

Hi. I'm James. I'm a teacher and girls soccer coach. I started this blog almost 15 years ago, shut it down a little over two years ago and now it's back? I have a wife, kid, and two dogs. My Christmas Tree is still up. Thanks for reading.

The Houston Astros beat the Chicago F. Cubs 7-3 last night at Minute Maid Park. Houston is now 23-19, four games over .500 for the first time this season. The seven runs scored are the most in a game since May 1, and the Astros posted back-to-back 6+ run games for the third time this season (April 21-22 at Atlanta, March 31-April 1 vs Chicago). 

The Astros are now 10-11 at Minute Maid Park, where the Astros have gone 260-145 (.642) since the beginning of the 2017 season (2020 doesn't count. 2020 never counts.)

The game was 2:19 - the fourth-shortest of the season. 

Houston scored their runs on the backs of six doubles, a season-high, and the most in a game since September 6, 2021 (7, vs Seattle). The Astros have hit two home runs in five home games in May, and 16 home runs in 21 home games in 2023. 

*Cubs starting pitcher lefty Justin Steele gave up a season-high five earned runs. In his first seven starts of the season, Steele threw 43.1IP, 30H/7ER, 36K:11BB. In his last two starts (Cardinals, Astros) 12IP, 12H/8ER, 11K:4BB. 

*Mauricio Dubon was 2x4 with two doubles - his second multi-XBH game of the season. 

*Alex Bregman had a productive night at the plate, drawing a walk, an HBP, and recording a sac fly. Since April 25 (19 games) Bregman: .162/.266/.279, albeit with an abysmal .145 BABIP. 

*Yordan's On-Base Streak to start the season reached 36 games after going 2x4 with 2RBIs, his 38th and 39th RBIs of the season in his 36th game. 

The franchise record for RBI in a season is 136, set by Lance Berkman in 2006, which he achieved in 152 games, or 93.8% of the regular season. Yordan has played in 36 of the Astros' 42 games, or 85.7% of the season. At this rate, and assuming - and this is a Big Assumption - that Yordan continues getting a day off per week and doesn't miss any significant amount of time, he is On Pace For playing in 139 games. Considering that Yordan is averaging 1.08 RBI/game, where Berkman averaged 0.89 RBI/game, at this rate Yordan is On Pace For 150 RBI, well above Berkman's 2006 season. And considering that Bregman hasn't exactly been lighting the world on fire, and Altuve hasn't played a game for Houston yet, the opportunities should be more plentiful going forward. 

*The outfield trio of the Law Offices of Tucker, McCormick, & Julks each hit doubles last night. Cristian Javier, on Chas McCormick's 6th Inning catch on Dansby Swanson:

Definitely one of the best catches and I think one of the most exciting catches that I've seen. He committed there and made that jump and said he was going to catch that ball.

*Oh noes Jose Abreu might not, in fact, be Back, going 0x3 with two strikeouts, and getting replaced by David Hensley (who grounded out to 2B in the 8th). Pinch-hitting Hensley for Abreu feels a little bit like substituting Fun Dip for Pixy Stix when you're in the middle of a diabetic coma. 

*Cristian Javier was extremely efficient, needing just 88 pitches to get through six innings. In nine starts, Javier has yet to reach 100 pitches, recording 18+ outs in six of those. Javier's last three starts: 19IP, 8H/6ER, 24K:5BB. 

*Something called "Matt Gage" pitched the 8th and 9th in some mop-up duty, allowing 3H/2ER on a two-run homer, striking out three Cubs in the process. One of the fun new things about re-starting Astros County is that I had no recollection of the Astros picking Gage up off waivers from the Blue Jays in February.

*Hot middle-infield prospect Jose Altuve went 0x5 last night for Corpus. He's 1x18 in four rehab games as he works his way towards Houston. I don't know. I still believe in Jose Altuve despite these last four games. The Astros should give him a shot in the lineup. 

*Lance McCullers threw 37 pitches in a...rehab? bullpen? outing? And hopes to progress to the mound soon.

*No Framber, no Javier in this early AL Cy Young Favorites poll.

*The Athletic: The Enduring Joy of Jose Lima.

*Justin Verlander got booed in his CitiField debut.

*Kumar Rocker needs Tommy John Surgery.

*A game after Aaron Judge got caught going full Martin McFly into his own dugout, Yankees pitcher Domingo German was ejected for excessively sticky hands. Cheatin' ass organization. 

*Jonathan Feigen: How beating the Spurs in a coin toss cost the Rockets the #1 overall pick.

*FIFA allowed Folarin Balogun to change his soccer nationality from England to the USMNT. The Ringer: What does he bring to the USMNT?

*Texas Monthly: The Long Ride of Charley Crockett.

*A Musical Selection:

Saturday Morning Hot Links

I truly hope that every single person who reads this is doing okay. This week has proven to us that the Biblical imagery of Hell being hot may not be entirely accurate. My family and I are lucky - we live around the corner from a National Guard...outpost or whatever, and they're not going to shut off power to, like, The Army:

 

Anyway, this has been a hell of a week. I know that my wife and kid and I are extremely blessed/fortunate (depending on your view of Christianity/Deism/Atheism), and there are millions of people around Texas who are not doing okay. Here is a link to a Google Doc organizing direct relief, if you're in a position to help. If you/your family have a specific need, email me at astroscounty at gmail and I'll will do my absolute best to help you/your family. 

*Here is a list of food and water distribution sites in Houston, Austin, North Texas, San Antonio, Corpus.

*I guess the Astros did some stretching. But, more importantly right now, they're banding together to help out the Houston area:

-Alex and Reagan Bregman are distributing bottled water from 9am-2pm Saturday at the Astros Youth Academy (2801 S. Victory Drive).

-The Bregmans, the Brantleys, the Presslys, the Smith/LaForces, the Astros Foundation, Brothers Produce, Mayor Turner's office, and the City of Houston are handing out 5-gallon jugs of water at Butler Stadium (13755 S. Main Street) until they run out.

-Lance and Kara McCullers have pledged $150,000 and 400,000 water bottles for the Houston Food Bank, who will distribute the water. The Lance McCullers Jr. Foundation will also partner with several local organizations to help with water and veterinary services. Click here to donate to the LMJ Foundation, as they want to donate a literal million bottles of water to the Houston area.

-Carlos and Daniella Correa will donate 1,000 meals to law enforcement and public employees, as well as support in recovery and reconstruction efforts. To donate the Correa Family Foundation, click here.

*Brian McTaggart has notes! Zack Greinke won't report until the deadline, as is his custom, and is also not a big deal at all, Bryan Abreu came to camp slimmed down and looking good, Josh James likely won't get a 60-Day IL spot since he's projected to come back from hip labrum surgery before then, and Joe Smith knows he's old (and there's a certain amount of coolness that comes with that). 

*Chandler Rome: The signing of Former/Current Astros Great Jason Castro is all about helping Martin Maldonado get through the season. Machete, on talking with Jiminy Clicket about the Castro signing:

We had a really good conversation about it. I think Castro is going to give us another form of leadership behind the plate - a guy that's been here, been in the big leagues for so long. We are going to work together, get the best out of our pitching staff and be a unit.

There's mutual respect between the two catchers, and that can't be a bad thing. 

*MLB.com: Here is your projected 2021 Astros lineup/rotation.

*Jake Kaplan: Myles Straw and Bryan Abreu are among the Astros with the most to gain this Spring Training.

*Dusty Baker: Bryan Abreu looks "really good" so far. 

*Virtual Astros FanFest will be Saturday, February 27.

*Chandler Rome: Steve Cishek is trying to sidearm his way, along with Joe Smith, into the bullpen.

*Our Dude Brian wrote up a post about the Astros being 2021 AL West favorites.

*Former Astros Great Brandon Bailey will have Tommy John Surgery and miss the 2021 season.

*Wolves 1 Leeds United 0 in a bullcrap game that "technology" ruined.

*I tried to figure out a simple way to understand just what the hell happened to Texas this week.

*Uncle Nearest is the Most Important Story in American Whiskey History.

*How a Shadow Army of Ghost Kitchens Took Over America's Restaurants.

*Barcelona and the Crippling Cost of Success.

*A Musical Selection:

Friday Morning Hot Links

Alright, there's life in this off-season yet. Again: I'm perfectly fine with a boring off-season. 

*The Astros, unsurprisingly, tendered contracts to Carlos MF Correa, Lance McCullers, and Aledmys Diaz, and agreed to terms on a 1-year deal with Austin Pruitt. Correa and McCullers will be free agents after 2021 if they don't sign an extension. Fun, huh?

*Chandler Rome: Five non-tendered players the Astros could consider this off-season.

*Jeremy Pena - the Astros' 3rd-Round pick in 2018 - is one of the best-hitting prospects in the Dominican Winter League.

*Here's one of the dumbest things you'll read today: if the Yankees can't sign DJ LeMahieu (French for "DJ The Mahieu") then their Plan B is...Michael Brantley.

*Former Astros Great Thomas Eshelman has cleared waivers and is now a free agent.

*FanGraphs has an updated international prospect list. 

*The Staten Island Yankees have filed a lawsuit against the New York Yankees and Major League Baseball, setting the stage for a battle between 60% of the Five Boroughs, something that Don Winslow warned is a Really Not Good Idea.

*Another Michael Bourn Identity episode records today and drops on Monday. Subscribe to Lima Time Time on iTunes/Spotify/Wherever so you don't miss interviews with my friends. 

*Why we forget how early it gets dark every year. 

*Texas Monthly: How a Black cowboy's discovery changed the field of archaeology.

*A Musical Selection:

Sunday Morning Hot Links: A Decompression

And in the end the Astros lost their last game of the season, something that has happened in 58 of their 59 seasons. Despite out-hitting Tampa 59-44, Houston lost a seven-game series getting outscored by a total of three runs. The Rays simply took advantage of more mistakes than the Astros. That said, coming back from an 0-3 deficit to force a Game 7 for a 3rd Pennant in four years, in a "season" in which you got six innings from Justin Verlander, nine PAs from Yordan Alvarez, 4.1IP from Roberto Osuna, is extremely impressive. I'm mad as hell, but I appreciate what this team did since the end of July. Super-appreciative of the ride they gave us, but I'm going to need some space from this team.

Dusty Baker:

The legacy of this group is that these guys are ballpayers. These guys are men; they have been through a whole bunch other than on the ballfield. Now these guys can forget the problems they had that it out there and come together as a group and be forever friends.

More Dusty:

This is painful when you're one game away from going to the World Series. I'm proud of these guys, because nobody expected us to even be in the position or even to be here....One thing's for sure: We'll be back in this position again next year.

*MLB: Anatomy of the Astros' comeback, and near-miss.

*Houston, as a team, was 11x46 with runners in scoring position. The 2020 ALCS, w/RISP:

Springer: 1x5

Altuve: 2x4

Brantley: 2x5

Bregman: 0x9

Correa: 3x6

Gurriel: 0x4

Tucker: 1x5

Reddick: 0x1

Maldonado: 0x2

Diaz: 2x4

Garneau: 0x1

Chandler Rome:

Saturday's loss lived as a microcosm of Houston's 73-game run, one riddled with ineffectiveness, injury and invective from the outside following the sign-stealing scandal. The lineup disappeared, as it so often did during a 29-31 regular season. A clutch hit never came.

*Carlos Correa drove in the only two runs of Game 7. He hit .362/.455/.766 in the 2020 Postseason, with 17 RBI. Correa:

We didn't fold. We kept battling. We got to the playoffs and no one gave us a chance in Minnesota. We won three games against Oakland. They beat us in the regular season and we came up huge and won that series. Down, 0-3, everybody was talking about the Astros getting swept and this and that. We came back and forced Game 7. It wasn't the finale we wanted, but I'm just proud of this team, man. It's been unbelievable.

*I have no idea, and will never understand, why the Astros continued to challenge Randy Arozarena. Arozarena hit a 2-run home run.

Arozarena: .321/.367/.786 in the ALCS

Ji-Man Choi: .385/.529/.615 in the ALCS

Nobody else in that lineup had an average over .278. Six of the Rays' Game 7 lineup had an ALCS average under .167. Sixteen of the 25 runs the Rays scored - yes, they only scored 25 runs in seven games - came on home runs. Kevin Cash:

We are lucky to have Charlie Morton. For a group that doesn't have a wealth of experience in these roles, Charlie does. He has been there, done that. It lined up really, really well for us.

*Charlie Morton in Game 7s, career: 14.2IP, 6H/1ER, 15K:3BB. Beginning with the 2017 ALCS Game 7, Morton has recorded seven straight Wins in the postseason. 

*Lance McCullers: 3.2IP, 4H/3ER, 7K:1BB, 2HR. McCullers:

It sucks, man. It really does. But congrats to the Rays. They're a damn good team. They've been the best team in the AL all season. They went through the Yankees and they went through us. You have to tip your cap to them, as well. It sucks because it just feels like we were right there.

More McCullers:

We got down 3-0 and we fought and we showed the kind of team and kind of grit that makes up this team. We weren't on a revenge tour. That's not what this was. This was a bunch of guys that came together, wanted to play damn good baseball and win a World Series. And we fell short of our goal.

*Bregman, 2020 Postseason: .220/.316/.300. After recording three straight two-hit games from ALDS Game 3-ALCS Game 1, Bregman went .083/.154/.083 in 26 PAs. And we still don't know why Bregman was pulled late in Game 7.

Bregman, 2020 until the hamstring injury: .272/.374/.500, 13 extra-base hits, 15K:14BB.

Bregman, 2020 after the hamstring injury: .187 (I'm bad at calculating OBP and SLG)

Bregman:

I'm extremely proud of this team for fighting every single day, battling every pitch and going out there and playing hard and playing for one another. But like I said before, our goal is always to win the last game of the season, so it's time to work extremely hard in the offseason and get better.

*Gurriel, 2020 Postseason: .114/.245/.114.

*Jayson Stark: The Weird and the Wild of ALCS Game 7.

*Brian T. Smith: The Astros' revival hit a wall.

*Of course now the focus of the front office turns to free agency. Is this the end of the Astros era? George Springer, Michael Brantley, and Josh Reddick are all free agents once the World Series ends. Correa, on Springer:

Some guys that we love very much and we've been playing with forever, and hopefully they come back, but if they don't, we're going to miss them for sure. We've got George Springer. He's been my teammate since I got to the big leagues and been a great leader and role model.

Springer:

I haven't really thought about that yet. Our season just ended. I'm more focused on kind of what's happening now, what happened tonight, and I'll cross that bridge when I get to it.

*Jerome Solomon: There is plenty for the Astros to look forward to.

*Jake Kaplan: All the looming off-season questions for the Astros.

*Now, I guess we just wait. Read for pleasure. Go to bed early. Drink some herbal tea. Hot Links will continue throughout the off-season with or without Astros news. Thank you for reading along.

*Reading in an age of catastrophe.

*The United States of Dolly Parton.

*The Atlantic: The mad, mad world of niche sports among Ivy League-obsessed parents.

*Wired: His writing radicalized young hackers, now he wants to redeem them.

*A season-ending Musical Selection:

Tuesday Morning Hot Links

Houston lost 4-2 after one of the dumbest things you'll see in the 1st Inning, and then continued their extraordinary ability to not get the Big Hit. The Astros are down 0-2 in the Best-of-Seven series. Game 3 is tonight. Teams that win the first two games of a Best-of-Seven series win that series 85% of the time, and no one has done it since the 2004 Red Sox.

FanGraphs has it 80.5-19.5 Tampa. It's 82-18 Tampa at FiveThirtyEight. I hereby reject Math.

The Astros were 1x8 w/RISP, a day after going 2x8, leaving eleven men on base and 21 LOBsters in two games. George Springer was 0x3 w/RISP. Bregman and Tucker were each 0x2 with runners in scoring position. Houston got ten hits - eight of them were singles. Houston had five balls hit with an expected batting average over .500 that resulted in outs. The Astros were 10x36 (.278) with an expected batting average of .357 - meaning the Astros reasonably could have expected three more hits than they got. Of the 25 hardest-hit balls by the Astros this series, nine have been hits. The Rays had an xBA in Game 2 of .167.

McCullers:

I don't think the guys in the clubhouse feel this series is over. We've just got to come out and get one tomorrow.

*Jose Altuve - who had committed four errors all season - made two in three innings, including a back-breaking one in the 1st that directly led to Manuel Margot's 3-run home run. Altuve hadn't made two errors in a playoff game before. Dusty:

That's his first throwing error all year, and then he had two of them today. You're just hoping he isn't getting the yips...I just told him to flush it. I mean, this guy's been awesome for us. He's got to flush it and move on, or else it multiplies...There's not a whole bunch to say. [Tampa] got away two days in a row, but they can't keep getting away.

Correa:

We haven't lost the series. We have to stay positive. We have to move forward and play better baseball in order to win the series. The error already happened. Nothing that can be done about that. No need to go back to it. Now we look forward and we have to go back tomorrow and win that game.

More Correa:

We were down 0-2 in the World Series last year with Urquidy and Greinke coming up next to pitch for us. It's not like we haven't been here before. We got to attack it like we did last year.

Correa and Altuve switched places in the shift to Lefties from the 4th inning on.

*Lance McCullers was great: 7IP, 4H/4R (1ER), 11K:0BB. He's the 8th pitcher in MLB postseason history to throw 7IP, allow four or fewer hits, strike out 11 or more batters, allow 0-1 ER, and lose the game. That's the ineptitude of this Astros offense so far. His 11Ks were the most since July 6, 2018 and it's just the fourth time he has struck out 11+ batters in a start. Dusty:

It's very frustrating, especially Lance - he pitched his butt off. He was better than Charlie Morton or any of those guys over there. Nothing to show for it. He was on his A-game today.

Correa:

I texted [Lance] after the game. I said, 'Great performance. Sorry we couldn't come through for you.' That's the kind of game that you've got to win when your pitcher gives you a performance like that.

*The Rays have won three straight postseason games with 13+ strikeouts. They're the first team with 13+ strikeouts in two postseason wins in the same series since the 1997 Cleveland Indians in ALCS Game 3 and Game 6, and the first two do it consecutive games of a series.

*Carlos Correa hit his 5th home run of the postseason, trailing only San Francisco's Rich Aurilia in 2002, who hit six, for most home runs in a single postseason by a shortstop.

*Alex Bregman was 0x5, hitting every single ball off the bat hard, with exit velocities of 106.8, 99.5, 103.0, 103.1, and 98.4. The xBA on those were .670, .330, .380, .330, and .430. It's the 3rd postseason game in which he has had five PAs and not gotten on base. 

*Yuli Gurriel was 2x3 with a run scored, his first 2-hit game since September 12 - a month to the day. It's his first 2-hit postseason game since 2019 World Series Game 7.

*Jose Urquidy gets the ball for Game 3, with Greinke likely going in Game 4.

*RIP Joe Morgan.

*I have to go get a COVID test. Bye.

*A Musical Selection:

Monday Morning Hot Links

Well let's do this. I cannot remember an October weekend that didn't feature at least one playoff game, but it seems as though MLB deferred to Football. Maybe that was the right call, I don't know. Hope you all enjoyed your weekend and, from what I saw on Twitter Dot Com, Bill O'Brien brought you a sack full of delights and treats. So now you're ready to chew nails, and I'm here for it. 1st Pitch is at 3:07pm Central on TBS, and I hope you love afternoon playoff baseball because that's what we have all week.

*Lance McCullers takes the mound today vs. Chris Bassitt. It will be McCullers' third playoff appearance at Dodger Stadium. The first was Game 7 of the 2017 World Series. The second was August 4, 2018 - his last start before undergoing Tommy John Surgery. The third is today. McCullers:

I've spoken a lot in the past about how there's no guarantees with this surgery, this rehab I went through. I did believe that I would come out on the other side a better pitcher, a better teammate, and I believe I've done that. Just a full-circle moment for me being back in the postseason.

Chandler Rome: McCullers is bringing an expanded repertoire to the ALDS.

*Oakland starter Chris Bassitt's last five starts, including the 2020 postseason: 33.2IP, 29H/2ER, 30K:6BB, 0.53 ERA / 1.04 WHIP. Having last pitched on September 30, Bassitt is on regular rest. Astros batters, career, vs. Bassitt:

Carlos Correa: 14 PAs, .400/.571/.500

George Springer: 17 PAs, .294/.294/.706

Yuli Gurriel: 19 PAs, .368/.368/.474

Kyle Tucker: 10 PAs, .200/.200/.600

Alex Bregman: 15 PAs, .286/.333/.357 

Jose Altuve: 19 PAs, .263/.263/.421

Michael Brantley: 23 PAs, .273/.304/.364

Josh Reddick: 18 PAs, .056/.056/.222

*McTaggart has your Game 1 FAQ. Astros/A's positional breakdown. Sean Manaea is facing Framber Valdez in Game 2. No word on how Mike Fiers is going to be able to avoid the Astros yet.

*The Astros are underdogs against the A's, 19/4 to win the Pennant, and 10/1 to win the World Series. Yet FanGraphs has it 56-44 Astros, FiveThirtyEight has it 52-48 Astros, and Game 1 is a coin flip.

*McTaggart: Will the Astros' bats finally come alive?

*MLB.com: Framber Valdez's curveball might be a series-changer for the Astros.

*We're still not real sure what Zack Greinke's role will be in the ALDS.

*The Astros & A's are staying at the same Los Angeles hotel.

*Mattress Mack won $625,000 thanks to the Astros' Game 1 Wild Card win, and he has another $250,000 bet on 24:1 odds for Houston to win the World Series.

*David Schoenfield: Breaking down all of the bad blood in the Division Series.

*A.J. Hinch and Alex Cora are both under consideration for the Tigers' open managerial position.

*Eat a bowl of crap, Kenesaw Mountain Landis.

*In a weekend full of guano crazy Premier League results (Manchester United lost 6-1 to Tottenham, Liverpool lost 7-2 to [squints] Aston Villa) our collectively-beloved Leeds United drew with Manchester City 1-1. 

*Vice: "Kid A" will always be relevant as long as the world is a terrifying mess.

*Wired: The mad scramble to claim the world's most coveted meteorite.

*A Musical Selection:

Sunday Morning Hot Links

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

I hate Kyle Gibson.

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

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

*Last night in playoff seedings!

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

2. Minnesota: x

3. Oakland: -1

4. Chicago: -1

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Good trade all around!

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

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

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

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

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

*A Musical Selection:

Tuesday Morning Hot Links

First up: Heads-up, Houston. Check the roads before you bounce to work.

I did Monday's Hot Links on Sunday night, because I thought I might want to sleep later than my usual alarm of 4:30am. Why do I get up so early? It's not all Hot Links, though it does take a little bit of time in the mornings. I wake up, have a cup of coffee in the dark like a serial killer, meditate, read the Good Book, and I've been doing yoga since this persistent foot injury just sort of refuses to get back to normal (after almost three months). Anyway, I was awake at 3:45am because I had a dream my dog's leg fell off in the kitchen and when I jerked awake I thought, "Well that's it for sleeping tonight. Let's try again here in about 20 hours." There was absolutely no chance of me staying awake for last night's game. And I, and my blood pressure, was better for it

The Astros and Mariners met for the most important September series for Seattle in quite some years (I have zero interest in going back through Baseball-Reference to see just how long it's been since the Mariners have been four games out of a playoff spot in September). The Astros...crapped the bed, 6-1. Four of the Mariners' six runs were unearned, thanks to Altuve kicking a double play ball. The Astros were 1x8 w/RISP. It's eight straight games of scoring four or fewer runs, and 11 of their last 13. The loss also means that Oakland wins the 2020 AL West, not that it's any kind of surprise. Houston was 24-2 against Seattle in the last two seasons and are now 24-3. 

*Dusty:

What are you going to do, just going to give them the next two days? They have to earn the next game first. The Angels are knocking at the door behind them. We've just got to take care of our own business.

*Prior to last night's game, the Astros' playoff odds sat at 99.7%. This morning it's...99.1%. FanGraphs feels way better about it than I do, apparently. Though, Houston is three up with six to play. 

*Jose Altuve had two hits and a walk. It's the 6th time Altuve has gotten on base three times in a game in 2020, and the first since August 25.

*Michael Brantley: 3x4, his 4th 3-hit game of the season. 

*On September 7 Carlos Correa went 2x4 against Oakland and was slashing .301/.367/.441. Since then he's "hitting" .122/.178/.146, lowering his season line to .261/.325/.375. 

*Lance McCullers didn't allow a hit until the 6th inning: 6.2IP, 3H/4R (0ER), 7K:2BB. 

McCullers' last two starts: 13.2IP, 5H/0ER, 15K:2BB...and the Astros scored zero runs through all of that. 

*Dusty Baker, on the Astros' offensive offense:

I was talking to the batting coaches tonight and they're not sleeping. They're trying to figure it out. I'm trying to help them figure it out.

Six of the Astros' nine hits were singles. Brantley:

We're all right. This is a professional team. A great team. We've been here before. We lost tonight. That's why you play the series. We'll come back tomorrow, hopefully even up the series and then win it. 

*Springer was not in the lineup last night because "of all the running he did" on Sunday.

*Jake Kaplan: It's looking like the postseason rotation will be Greinke-Urquidy-McCullers, with Framber going to the bullpen.

*Yuli Gurriel reiterated his stance that he wants to re-sign with Houston:

It's been an unforgettable experience for me playing in Houston. Regardless of whatever happens in the offseason...the city will always be in my heart.

*Brent Strom is confident that Justin Verlander will return to form...in 2022. Strom himself was the second pitcher to have Tommy John surgery. Strom, on the news that Verlander wouldn't return:

As much as he brings to the table, both on and off the field, the group we have right now was not really planning on it happening. There was a lot of noise out there on Twitter and a lot of noise in the media about this, and the fact we came to a tipping point didn't cause any alarm or cause any consternation or anything like that. I think we're ready to go with what we have, and I feel confident in them.

*Former Astros Great Ken Giles will undergo Rob Manfred Tommy John surgery.

*There will be no Arizona Fall League this year.

*Jake Marisnick is done for the year with the Mets. He played 16 games, and the Astros got Blake Taylor for him.

*Ken Rosenthal: Might A.J. Hinch be the next Tigers manager? If he is, I'm buying a Tigers hat, I don't even care what you think.

*Shoutout to Baltimore's Trey Mancini, who completed his chemotherapy yesterday.

*Buzzfeed: The FinCEN Files offer "an unprecedented view of global financial corruption, the banks enabling it, and the government agencies that fail to stop it."

*A neighbor asked me for a tomato. This is where the story gets weird.

*Outside: The Books Our Endurance Expert Loved This Year (So Far)

*A Musical Selection:

Thursday Morning Hot Links

The Astros continued a trend dating back to the 2019 Postseason in which they simply could not get the one hit they needed, losing to the Grand Prairie Rangers 1-0, completely wasting a stellar Lance McCullers start. Houston is 24-25, 17-7 at home. It was their first home loss since September 1. Houston is 7-12 in 1-run games, giving off some Extremely 2016 Vibes.

*It's just the sixth time in franchise history that Astros pitchers have struck out at least twelve batters, allowed one run, and still lost. The last time it happened was April 18, 2005. The time before that was five days earlier. Roger Clemens started both games. 2005 started off extremely stupid. Ended the same way, as I recall.

*It's the 8th time the Astros have held their opponent to just one run, and now they're 7-1 in those games. 

*Lance McCullers: 7IP, 2H/0ER, 8K:0BB. McCullers' Game Score was 81, the third 80+ Game Score game of the Astros' season, and McCullers has two of them. McCullers:

Solid effort. Sad that we couldn't get the team W. That's what we care about.

*Ryan Pressly: 0.2IP, 1H/1ER, 1K:1BB.

*32-year old Rangers starter Kyle Gibson came into last night's start leading the league in hits allowed. He held the Astros to four total in his first career CGSHO. The Rangers were 1-8 in Gibson's starts prior to last night. In Gibson's previous five starts combined, he had posted an 8.10 ERA / 1.80 WHIP, so of course he straight dominated. Idiots. 

He lowered his season ERA from 6.14 to 5.18. Farmers Branch is now 5-18 on the road. 

*Oakland beat Colorado yesterday and their magic number is now five. The two teams were 2x19 w/RISP. So...very 2020. Oakland is 6.5 up on the Astros. So if the Astros go 11-0 starting tonight, Oakland would need to go 4-6 to win the division.

Seattle lost as the home team in San Francisco, so the Astros' lead is still 2.0 games with 11 to play, and three against the Mariners. 

*Carlos Correa was in the lineup last night. After watching that foul ball, that's unbelievable to me, someone who would have turned into a transparent version of myself and just ascended into heaven while somehow simultaneously playing a harp, should I have done that to the inside of my ankle. Two and a half months ago I slipped on some water and haven't run a mile since. 

*Lance McCullers was activated in advance of last night's start, and Cionel Perez was optioned to the alternate training site.

*Justin Verlander threw 75 pitches off the mound in a simulated game. I, too, threw a simulated game in which I simulated 75 pitches and got 27 strikeouts in the most dominant outing you didn't get to see because it was behind closed doors (and minds). How Verlander responds over the next two days will determine the next steps, but the regular season ends a week from Sunday. 

In that link we also find that Chris Devenski had arthroscopic elbow surgery that comes with a four-month recovery time. Devenski's last appearance in an Astros uniform may very well have been a September 6 outing in which he allowed 1H/1ER, 0K:2BB in a 9-5 loss to Anaheim.

Devenski, 2016-2017: 189IP, 129H/50ER, 204K:46BB, 2.38 ERA / 0.93 WHIP, 2.83 FIP.

Devenski, 2018-2020: 120IP, 118H/65ER, 128K:37BB, 4.88 ERA / 1.29 WHIP, 4.63 FIP.

Should that be it for Chris Devenski as an Astro, he would have the 11th-best BB/9 (2.38) in franchise history for relievers.

*The 2021 Spring Training Schedule was released, in case you're optimistic that you'll actually be around to witness February and March 2021.

*The Astros signed 6'3" 185lb infielder Narbe Cruz for $218,000 with 60 Arm and 60 Power, according to someone who knows these things.

*I started a freelance gig with the Houston Chronicle, and you can read - for free - how I draw a straight line in four easy steps from drafting Mark Appel to the 2017 World Series.

A related Musical Selection (not the official Musical Selection):

*Yahoo's Tim Brown: What Black baseball players heard when MLB teams refused to play.

*Jaime Jarrin on living the American Dream.

*It's bad on the Gulf Coast.

*The billionaire who wanted to die broke.

*Almost a quarter of young Americans (not the David Bowie ones) think the Holocaust is either a myth or is exaggerated. I'll say this as a History Teacher: If you don't like History, you had a teacher who didn't know how to tell a story.

*Got dang Leeds United lost to MF Hull City FC in the 2nd Round of the Carabao Cup, 9-8 after penalty kicks. Oh well, that's fewer games to play in order to smash all of your individual English Football hopes & dreams. Also, Marcelo Bielsa gives the most devastating of post-match comments:

With our preparation for this game we thought that we were going to do more than we did. When a coach picks a team...I picked the team thinking they would have enough to beat Hull but when the team didn't have enough to beat Hull, I feel like I am responsible for the defeat....The team was built with players that should have shown a better performance.

Leeds fielded a lineup that did not start against Liverpool last Saturday. Fulham is gonna taste the pain on Saturday.

*The Actual Musical Selection: