Tuesday Morning Hot Links

Jose Altuve passive-aggressively took off his shirt to satisfy demands on whether or not he had a tattoo. This is the dumbest Madlib.

*Francis Martes - Frankie Tuesday - was suspended for the entire 2020 season after testing positive a second time for Boldenone. After undergoing Tommy John surgery, Martes was suspended for 80 games after testing positive at the beginning of the 2019 season. It wasn't a factor, since he was recovering from TJ surgery, but now it's put his entire career on hold.

Martes, 24, was once Baseball America's #15 overall prospect prior to the 2017 season. This closes the book on the July 31, 2014 trade with Miami. The Marlins received Jarred Cosart, Enrique Hernandez, and Austin Wates - the Astros got Jake Marisnick (traded to the Mets), Colin Moran (traded to Pittsburgh for Gerrit Cole), Martes, and a 2015 Comp Balance A pick which they used to draft Daz Cameron (traded to Detroit for Justin Verlander).

Since Martes was on the 40-Man Roster, the Astros now have an open spot.

*George Springer said it's "way too early" to decide on a contract extension with the Astros. Springer:
The fans have been great to me my whole career in Houston. The city has been great to me. I've grown up as an adult here, I guess. I've been in this organization since I was 21 years old. This organization has been very special to me, but time will tell.

In other words, "Let's talk money."

Counting his $2.52m signing bonus, Springer has made $52,455,300 from the Astros organization in his career, $45m of that from 2018-20. He'll be 31 in September.

*The Astros signed 34-year old reliever Jared Hughes to a minor-league deal with an invite to MLB Spring Training. Hughes:
I'm a Texan (Ed. Note: Dallas). I live in the state of Texas with my wife and children. I love the state of Texas and the people in it, and the opportunity to come and play for the Houston Astros is something I just couldn't miss. It's a dream come true.

Hughes has a career 2.88 ERA (4.11 FIP), 1.22 WHIP in nine MLB seasons, all in the National League.

In that above link, we find from McTaggart that:
-Correa changed his workouts and diet in order to stay healthy for an entire season.
-Bregman is 20 pounds lighter compared to last season, and thinks that the extra weight resulted in his slow start in 2019.
-Reddick's shoulder is on the mend. In 114 games from May 2 to the end of the season, Reddick hit .259/.301/.395.

*The Astros had their first full-squad workout (without Zack Greinke). Altuve:
I like to talk about the team, team results. I'm here taking full responsibility for the team. I appreciate what Carlos did. Believe me, that tells you what kind of person and what kind of teammate he is. I tell him 100 times what I feel about what he did. 

Reddick, on why he didn't use the Trash Can Scheme:
This game is hard enough as it is to focus on outside stuff like that. I'm not trying to make it about me...We've got to live with it as a team and get through it as a team. I'm not trying to individualize myself among these guys. We all could have stepped up and done something about it.
*

Harold Reynolds breaks down Altuve's walk-off homerun against Chapman in Game 6 of the 2019 ALCS pic.twitter.com/zVy0GJCA3k

— keo (@KEOspeedwagon) February 17, 2020

*Jake Kaplan on how Spring Training is different with Dusty Baker as opposed to A.J. Hinch. Kaplan:
For the most part, it's been plug-and-play with Baker replacing Hinch and James Click replacing Jeff Luhnow as general manager, and with most of the same coaches and data- and technology-savvy staffers as Spring Trainings past.

*Yuli Gurriel made Anthony Castrovince's list as MLB's Most-Underrated 1B.

*Game 4 Hero Jose Urquidy ranked 62nd on the ZiPS Top 100 Prospects list. Bryan Abreu was 72nd. Forrest Whitley was 84th and Brett Conine was 89th.

*Chandler Rome: The Astros know they have each other, and that's pretty much it. Reddick:
I think as a team we've done pretty much everything we can do. We keep asking for our peers' forgiveness, and hopefully, they can come around to us one day and understand that we are truly remorseful and sorry for what we've done.

*Mike Trout became the latest player to offer his wisdom to the Astros' situation:
It's sad for baseball. It's tough. They cheated. I don't agree with the punishments, the players not getting anything....A lot of people lost jobs. It was tough. Me going up to the plate knowing what was coming? It would be fun up there. A lot of guys lost respect for some of the guys...I lost respect for some guys. A lot of stuff that comes out, you have to see if it's true or not. I'll talk to them and see them in the season. All this stuff coming out, it's tough to see.

*This happened:

A player suggested a very unusual punishment for #Astros so I thought I’d share. Every single team refuses to take the field at Minute Maid Park. Visitors forfeit every game there. Astros go 81-0 at home, but affects their revenue (no fans with no games played!) Quite an idea!

— Marly Rivera (@MarlyRiveraESPN) February 17, 2020

*Four current Astros pitchers (Osuna, Pressly, Verlander, Pruitt) faced the 2017 Astros at Minute Maid Park. Did they suspect anything?

*Humble resident Adam Wallach has sued the Astros for $1m for cheating, and also to not raise season ticket prices.

*Gleyber Torres still thinks the Astros cheated in 2019. Here's an idea: go up to the clean-shaven fella who smells like $300 million and ask him.

*Jose Altuve and the presumption of guilt.

*Bookmaker William Hill set the over/under on the number of times the Astros get HBPd at 83.5. Houston batters were hit 66 times in 2019, which was 16th. The Mets led MLB in 2019 with 95 HBPs, followed by the Reds at 89, the A's at 87, and the Cubs at 83.

*Joel Sherman thinks Rob Manfred should go back and punish the Astros players for the Sign-Stealing Scheme, after all. I'm no lawyer, but going back on a promise of immunity sounds like it wouldn't backfire at all. The punishment(s) he recommends: A three-year ban on All-Star Game appearances, no postseason money shares ever again, Astros bat first in home games in 2020 and 2021, no home playoff games for the next three seasons, no hosting the ASG for 15 years, no international signings for 2021 and 2022, Jim Crane suspended for two seasons.

*The Dodgers outrighted Tyler White to the minors after he cleared waivers following a recent DFA.

*The 15 Best Stories About Breaking Up In Public.

*The Hockaday History Teacher Who Used To Be A Spy.

*The Weekend When Jordan and the NBA Took Flight.

Wednesday Morning Hot Links

Late start this morning, as I thought I'd check out this "sleep" thing.

*The Astros lost to the Nationals. Again, this does not matter. Justin Verlander threw 73 pitches in 5IP and gave up three home runs. Once again, this does not matter. On the home runs, Verlander:
[I] threw a couple fastballs to guys I had no idea about.

The Nationals were very proud of their Adult Prospect Carter Kieboom:

This is a video of the No. 25 prospect in @MLB homering off 6-time All-Star Justin Verlander.

Ladies and gentlemen, meet Carter Kieboom. 🔑💥#SpringTraining // #OnePursuit pic.twitter.com/PpicZP6eYS

— Washington Nationals (@Nationals) March 12, 2019

*Houston reassigned Forrest Whitley, Corbin Martin, J.B. Bukauskas, and Brandon Bielak to minor-league camp.  There are 41 guys still in Major-League camp. Martin:
You love to hear good feedback, even bad feedback, telling me stuff I need to work on and what's going to help me and what's not going to help me. I walked out of there very confident with what they had to say.

Whitley:
The guys were a lot nicer than I expected, they were a lot more open to discussion than I would have initially anticipated. I was really happy with the first experience, everyone was really great to me and I'm thankful for that.

*Kyle Tucker was sent to minor-league camp to work on "subtleties."

*But the Big News of the Day was that Francis Martes aka Frankie Tuesday was suspended for 80 games after testing positive for Clomiphene. This drug is used to promote ovulation in women. Why in the Actual Fk would a pitcher rehabbing from Tommy John Surgery (he was missing those first 80 games, anyway) take such a drug to promote ovulation? Because that's what it does for women. For men, Clomiphene is the generic name for Clomid, which is a fertility drug that increases a low sperm count by increasing testosterone in the body. Or you can read this now-ten-year old article in Scientific American about why Manny Ramirez was taking a fertility drug for women.

*Alex Bregman has one of the nine historic feats from 2018 of which MLB.com would like to see an encore.

*From Yahoo Sports: Alex Bregman remembers the ALCS Game 4 ball that didn't drop. Bregman:
My thing is, I've failed in those situations a lot. Succeeded in them, too...But, at the end of the day, it's about...I put a good swing on a good pitch. He made an unbelievable play. You tip your hat. And the next time you try to hit it out of the ballpark.

*From SI's Tom Verducci: How Justin Verlander rediscovered his changeup.

*Former Astros Great Tony Sipp has signed with the Nationals.

*Former Astros Great Charlie F. Morton expects this contract with Tampa to be his last.

*The Haters Guide to the Williams-Sonoma catalog.

*Beloved Leeds United moved to the top of the table with a 3-0 dismantling of Reading.

*Venezuelans are searching sewer drains for drinkable water.

*RIP Hal Blaine.

*A Musical Selection:

Wednesday Morning Hot Links

*Two Astros minor-leaguers were suspended yesterday for various substances for which they pissed hot (Piss Hot Stove amirite?):

Jon Singleton tested positive for a third time for a "drug of abuse," and will be suspended for 100 games without pay.

Dean Deetz, who was added to the 40-Man Roster ahead of the 2017 Rule 5 Draft, tested positive for Dehydrochlormethyltestosterone, and will be suspended for 80 games without pay.

This seemingly slams a door that was already closing on Singleton's tenure with the Astros, and perhaps his career in baseball. His first positive drug test was in 2012, followed by a second in 2013. The AP's Kristie Rieken had a remarkable interview with Singleton in March 2014 in which he detailed his marijuana use and his 30-day stint in an inpatient rehab facility. Singleton:
At this point it's pretty evident to me that I'm a drug addict. I don't openly tell everyone that, but it's pretty apparent to myself. I know that I enjoy smoking weed, I enjoy being high and I can't block that out of my mind that I enjoy that. So I have to work against that.

Singleton signed his "controversial" 5yr/$10m deal in 2014 but was removed from the 40-Man roster in November. When he signed the contract then-manager Bo Porter told the Chronicle:
You get Jonathan the man right, and the baseball part will take care of itself.

Singleton will end up making about $750,000 of the $2m he was due this season. But I can almost guarantee you that the Astros will decline his $2.5m club options for 2019, $5m for 2020, and $13m for 2021.

Dean Deetz's suspension is a little more surprising. And no one was more surprised than Deetz, apparently. Deetz:
Let me say first and foremost that I have never knowingly taken a performance-enhancing substance of any kind. I come from a small town and know how fortunate I am to call myself a professional baseball player. I would never jeopardize that opportunity, or betray those who have supported me along the way, by trying to cheat in order to gain an advantage. As I explained to the arbitrator in my appeal, I have no idea how I could possibly have tested positive, and although I am disappointed by the outcome, I will abide by his decision.

Bluebird Banter has a better recap of the substance (known as a favorite of the East Germans and aka "Oral Turinabol") than I could ever put together before I need to get in the shower and get ready. The New York Times noted in 2016 how it was becoming a popular substance among baseball players.

*Related: George Mitchell sat down with Jerry Crasnick and talked about the legacy of his report, PEDs, and the Hall of Fame.

*Dallas Keuchel hopped on SportsRadio 610 and had this to say about his impending free agency:
Veteran pitching is always looked upon and sought after because it wins and you saw it with Verlander, what happened when we traded for him. If this is my last year here, I'm going to enjoy every single moment and I'm going to give everything I have. Not to say that I haven't before, but just really really enjoy it...I would love to be in Houston.

*Josh Reddick talked to high school students about the rotation and his singing voice.

*Wow what a surprise that Astros fans like Jim Crane and his ownership group.

*Kirk Bohls can't imagine the Astros losing the division or the Rangers finishing better than 3rd in 2018.

*Cool story from Buster Olney about Trevor Hoffman and how he was forced to discover the changeup that might take him to the Hall of Fame today.

*Norwich, Vermont (Pop. 3000): Cradle of Olympians.

*My favorite soccer team unveiled their new crest, and people hate it.

Sunday Morning Hot Links

I was without wifi for a couple of days while on a work thing. I hate missing a day, not because I feel guilty about it (I don't, and actually sort of enjoyed a little break), but because it's actually kind of easier. I know where I left off from the previous day, so the four or five little tactics I use to find what I feel are the most interesting articles become compounded when it's been since, say, Thursday morning. Anyway, posting shouldn't be too terribly sporadic over Thanksgiving. Hope you had a good weekend and, if you're traveling, please do stay safe. (Admittedly this is a dumb saying. "Stay safe," as though you're reading this while driving a car full of your loved ones over Monteagle Mountain and thinking to yourself, "Oh, yes, well if AC says to be safe, I should probably put my phone down.")

Random 2017 Astros fact:

1st-Place votes, MVP (in either league) since 1993:
Albert Pujols: 32, 2009
Barry Bonds: 32, 2002
Joey Votto: 31, 2010
Bryce Harper: 30, 2015
Mike Trout: 30, 2014
Barry Bonds: 30, 2001
Sammy Sosa: 30, 1998
Kris Bryant: 29, 2016
Chipper Jones: 29, 1999
Andrew McCutchen: 28, 2013
Barry Bonds: 28, 2003
Ken Griffey: 28, 1997
Ken Caminiti: 28, 1996
Jeff Bagwell: 28, 1994
Frank Thomas: 28, 1993
Jose Altuve: 27, 2017
Buster Posey: 27, 2012
Joe Mauer, 27: 2009

*From a couple of days ago: Hunter Atkins writes how Jose Altuve captured Houston's heart a long time ago.

*Jon Heyman says the Astros are trying to sign A.J. Hinch to a long-term extension. Hinch is under contract for 2018 with an option for 2019.

*The Chicago Tribune's Paul Sullivan wonders how the Astros can be Not Like the Cubs and avoid a World Series hangover in 2018.

*And I guess the Chicago baseball writers were at the same bar because here's the Sun-Times' Gordon Wittenmyer with the lesson the 2017 Cubs provide for the 2018 Astros.

*I hope you got to read JMay's "The Astro Way" post.

*Jake Kaplan writes that the Astros plan on Gattis being the primary DH in 2018. Luhnow:
I think we'll have some options for backup catcher next year that will allow Gattis to primarily be a DH and third catcher, which is probably ultimately the best role for him.

*The Round Rock Express denied a Fort Worth Star-Telegram article saying that they're planning on telling the Rangers next month that they'll flip back to the Astros following the 2018 season, when their PDC expires. Houston's PDC with Fresno expires following the 2018 season, as well.

*Oooooh Lance McCullers was not happy with a couple of Kansas City AL MVP voters who did not give Altuve 1st place on their ballot. The Kansas City Star's Rustin Dodd explained why he voted for Cleveland's Jose Ramirez over Altuve (2nd) and Judge (3rd).

*Kyle Tucker went 2x4 in the Arizona Fall League championship game yesterday. Tucker:
I wanted to come here and work on some stuff and get a little bit better, and work on stuff that I can now do in the rest of the offseason and get ready for next year.

*Josh Reddick went home to southeast Georgia, got a hero's welcome, and broke ground on a $1m community baseball field, which Reddick completely funded.

*Astros minor-leaguer Carlos Pimentel got popped for Stanozolol and will be suspended for 56 games in 2018. Pimentel, 23, made his debut in 2017 throwing 19.1IP, 18H/10ER, 21K:6BB for the GCL Astros, where he was 2.6 years older than his average competition.

*Watch this:

Every player in the United States should watch this video of Altuve. pic.twitter.com/NG3lmnGYkC

— Marucci Baseball (@MarucciBaseball) November 17, 2017

*Thoughts and prayers to Scott McCaughey.

Sunday Morning Hot Links

*Man that was a crazy 24 hours for the Astros. After losing David Paulino for 80 games (and the playoffs) the Astros beat the Yankees on a walk-off throw. The Astros are an AL-best 7-3 in their last ten games. They're 55-27 overall with a 13.5-game lead over Anaheim.

*Let's start with what transpired before the game: Reymin Guduan (auto-correct is not a fan of either of those names) was optioned to Triple-A Freshno. Dayan Diaz was recalled and it was announced that David Paulino - this being his side day - would be available out of the bullpen. But because it had been less than 10 days since Diaz had been optioned to Fresno, he would be ineligible to play. And because Guduan had been optioned, the Astros would only have 23 players available for last night's game. Luhnow:
I had assumed it had been 10 days. It certainly seems like 10 days ago or longer to me. It was my fault. I made a mistake and will learn from it. 

AND THEN it was announced that David Paulino had tested positive for Boldenone, a performance-enhancing drug. Because of the suspension - and because Paulino did not appeal -  Dayan Diaz was eligible to rejoin the Astros for last night's game.

Hinch, on Paulino:
It's disappointing because of all the good that he's done in his career and to be effective, but it's the nature of the business when you try to find a competitive edge. The program's in place to catch these types of actions, and clearly, it worked.

*Luhnow, on Paulino:
He's remorseful. That's all I can really say. He feels bad about it, and he feels bad that he put the organization in this position. He'll learn from it, and I'm sure David will have a long and fruitful Major League career. 

Paulino had made six starts for the Astros since Joe Musgrove went on the DL on May 30. His best game was on June 17 against Boston when he threw 6IP, 3H/1ER, 4K:1BB. In his last outing - June 28 against Oakland - he was tagged for 7H/7ER, but with 8K:0BB in 4IP.

*Boldenone, which is also called Equipoise (root word: equine, as in "f***ing horse"), is the steroid that Jenrry Mejia tested positive for back in February 2016. It apparently helps increase the appetite, leading to bigger lean muscle gains. On Mejia's positive test, ESPN's T.J. Quinn had this to say:

Mejia tested positive for boldenone, the 2nd time he was nailed for it. It's old school, unsophisticated, easily detectable. Career suicide.

— T.J. Quinn (@TJQuinnESPN) February 12, 2016

*What does this mean for the rotation? The Astros have 12 pitchers and will have to add someone to the 25-Man Roster today (currently at 24). With a rotation spot available, maybe they can finesse it for a little while until Charlie Morton is ready to start this coming Saturday at Toronto. Morton will throw another rehab start today, in Corpus. Peacock will start Tuesday, with Wednesday's starter TBD. So right now you have (in no particular order): McCullers, Fiers, Martes, Peacock and...probably Musgrove, with Morton the first pitcher back from the DL, which would probably shift Peacock back to the bullpen.

*So on to last night's game against the Yankees. The Astros gave up a grand slam for the second night in a row - and the third time this week, giving the Yankees a 6-3 lead heading into the bottom of the 8th. In the 8th, a Correa RBI-groundout preceded an Evan Gattis monster shot to left, which preceded a Yuli Gurriel two-run double, giving the Astros a 7-6 lead. In the top of the 9th, Ken Giles got Aaron Judge and Clint Frazier to pop up before Brett Gardner singled and got too aggressive on the bases, and was thrown out to end the game.

*Hinch, on the win:
This game will show you something crazy every day.

*Gurriel was 3x4 with 4RBI, his go-ahead hit off of Aroldis Chapman's 101.5mph fastball was the fastest pitch he had ever hit (according to Statcast). Hinch, on Gurriel vs. Chapman:
He was incredibly patient. That's about as mature of an at-bat as you can get in that situation. It was a really special at-bat.

*Yankees manager Joe Girardi (scroll down past the Clint Frazier-fellating to read anything about the Astros actually winning the game):
Their offense is relentless

*Altuve was 0x3 with a walk and two stolen bases. It's his third 2SB game of the season, and his 2nd in the last four games.

*Frankie Tuesday threw 5IP, 4H/2ER (one of those came courtesy of Will Harris' grand slam), with 7K:1BB but was taken out after 89 pitches. In 21.1IP with Houston, Martes has struck out 23 batters. Hinch, on Martes:
When I went out to talk to him, I told him, 'That's the best I've seen you throw.' I'm proud of him for coming back after a start where he took it on the chin, in an environment like this against a team like the Yankees - that's a big performance. 

*Last night's lineup had as many players (four) with an OPS over .900 as they did players with an OPS under .800. Carlos Beltran is hitting .210/.260/.377 at Minute Maid Park this season.

*Ken Rosenthal's video from yesterday told us two things: the list of Untouchables is basically Kyle Tucker and Forrest Whitley, and that over the winter the Astros rejected a trade proposal for Jose Quintana because of their insistence on Kyle Tucker.

*Gary Pettis apparently slipped on some wet grass in Minnesota on Memorial Day and tore his meniscus. He'll have surgery on Wednesday and Fresno manager Tony DeFrancesco will act as 3B coach for the next road trip while he recovers.

*The County Mountie wrote about the Astros' defense.

*MLB sent a letter to all 30 teams saying the ball is not juiced.

*The New Yorker: My Dentist's Murder Trial

Sunshine on home plate tonight. pic.twitter.com/SQqqFGcZAU

— Mike Acosta (@AstrosTalk) July 1, 2017

Wednesday Morning Hot Links + PreStros Report

*Yulieski Gurriel and George Springer homered to briefly give the Astros a 2-1 lead but Big Joe, Big Joe Musgrove had himself a rough half-inning in which a chopper down the line almost gave Marwin a highlight (throw was just wide), was followed by a liner into center, which was followed by a Cole Kalhoun Kole Calhoun strikeout, which was followed by a Mike Trout RBI that Springer almost caught, which was followed by just your typical Albert Pujols three-run homer that hasn't landed yet. Astros lose 5-2.

*The Astros are 3-6 against Los Angeles of Anaheim in their last nine meetings.

*The Angels had lost five straight, the Astros had won five straight. Ricky Nolasco improved to 5-0 lifetime at Minute Maid Park. Hinch:
They did a good job of battling (Musgrove) and putting him in sort of difficult situations to have to pitch out of most of the night, and the big swing by Pujols. 

*First base was open to Pujols, who has more home runs against the Astros than any other team, so why did Hinch not walk him to face...C.J. Cron? Hinch:
Cron's pretty good behind him. I want to give Joe a little bit of leeway to make some careful pitches...He had handled Pujols pretty well. He had broken his bat on the pop-up to himself and then the little chopper to third. So if he makes his pitch, I think we have a little bit of a different outcome. 

Okay, so Cron is now a lifetime 2x6 against Musgrove, a lifetime .213/.247/.424 hitter against the Astros, and a lifetime .203/.243/.391 hitter at Minute Maid Park. Is Cron pretty good? Yeah. Is he HOF good with a history of destroying the Astros good? Nah...

*Musgrove's goal is now to go deeper into games, and with more effectiveness. McTaggart notes that the seven hitters who saw Musgrove a third time got four hits.

*Keuchel, who will pitch this evening against Los Anahagels, loves Brian McCann. Keuchel:
His knowledge first of all, but what he sees in the box, what he relays to me, what we talk about between innings. Just everything you could possibly want from a catcher, he's got. 

Suck it, Castro.

*Carlos Correa was again out of the lineup with a withered hand, who says it only hurts when he grips and squeezes the bat. Correa:
It's just early in the season and I don't want to be playing out there hurt. There's still a lot of games to play and I want to be able to play most of the games. 

*Dallas Keuchel, J.J. Watt, and Patrick Beverley are all real life friends.

*19-year old Cuban prospect Luis Robert had a promising private workout at the Astros international complex and then came down with the flu. If MLB clears him soon enough, he wouldn't be subjected to the hard cap for teams that went over their international bonus pool allotment - good news for the Astros.

*Pirates OF Starling Marte was just suspended for 80 games.

*It's time for a smart, progressive PED plan in baseball.

*The curious case of baseball's missing fastballs.

PreStros Report - April 18

A 5-run 2nd inning doomed Fresno (5-8) from the start in a 6-1 loss to Las Vegas. Keegan Yuhl allowed 7H/6ER while a bullpen of Jankowski, Guduan, and Hoyt threw 4IP, 2H/0ER, 5K:2BB. Derek Fisher (2B) and Preston Tucker each had two hits. Colin Moran was 1x3 with a walk.

Corpus and NW Arkansas traded runs all night and, despite allowing two runs in the top of the 9th, Corpus (8-4) held on for a 10-9 win. Drew Ferguson was 3x5 with two doubles and an RBI; J.D. Davis was 2x5 with a double and a 3-run homer; Alejandro Garcia was 2x5 with a double. Every Hooks starter got on base at least once, striking out five times and drawing six walks. And 3B Jack Mayfield made SportsCenter's Top Plays:

The @cchooks and Jack Mayfield made SportsCenter's Top Plays tonight. pic.twitter.com/jWGF9PEF52

— Matt Young (@Chron_MattYoung) April 19, 2017

Myrtle Beach blanked Buies Creek (9-4) with a 6-0 win. Alex Winkelman had a great start, throwing 6IP, 1H/0ER, 10K:0BB but Andrew Thome cratered in the 7th with 4H/6R (4ER), 2K:0BB. Sebastian Kessay threw a perfect 8th. 2B Osvaldo Duarte had three of BCA's seven hits. Myles Straw was 1x2 with 2BB.

Quad Cities (6-6) poured it on Burlington in a 12-2 road win. Hector Perez threw 5.2IP, 4H/2ER, 7K:1BB, both earned runs coming on solo homers. And homers were the order of the night as Ronnie Dawson, Daz Cameron, Stephen Wrenn, Randy Cesar, and Marcos Almonte all hit one for the River Bandits. Alex De Goti, Jake Rogers, Wrenn, Cesar, Rodrigo Ayarza, and Almonte all had two hits each. After 12 games De Goti (16th Round, 2016 draft) is hitting .366/.458/.585.

Tuesday Morning Hot Links

*Hey! More one-run road losses! This is fun! For the 3rd time in four years, the Astros are 6-14.

*The Batguy wrote up what he sees wrong with the Astros.

*I took a look at the week of last Monday to the Sunday night Red Sox loss.

*Colby Rasmus became the 3rd consecutive Astro to win Player of the Week honors. Crazy for a team that is playing like hammered dog crap right now.

*The Astros went 2x9 w/RISP, left eight on base, made two baserunning blunders, and are now 2-8 on the road in 2016. Oh, and that's 28 strikeouts between the 12-inning loss and last night's series opening loss to the Mariners.

*Doug Fister walked seven (!) batters last night. That's the most walks in a game by a pitcher - any pitcher - since last May. He walked 24 batters in 103IP last season, and walked seven batters from July 23-season's end, a span of 34IP. His previous career-high for walks in a start was set on April 30, 2011, when he walked five Red Sox.

Entering today, Doug Fister's 1.77 walks per nine innings ratio was best among active pitchers with 1,000 or more innings.

— Jake Kaplan (@jakemkaplan) April 26, 2016

*Because the rotation is playing like cotton-headed ninnymuggins, the Astros are forced to carry 13 pitchers in an effort to keep the bullpen from reaching their season limits by the All-Star Break, resulting in a 41-game losing streak because Jose Altuve has to come in and throw three innings a night. Hinch:
Obviously with our starters not getting as deep into games as we're accustomed to, it puts a lot of stress on the bullpen. To have that extra arm down there, for the sake of Devenski in the middle of the innings, for the sake of guys not having to go three or four days in a row, 13 pitchers sure makes it a lot easier.

*Tyler White admitted his hot start to the season has contributed to his cool-down period (.274 AVG, .919 OPS tho):
I think the five home runs might have gotten to my head a little bit. I'm like, 'Hey, I can hit a home run every time. Just trying to do too much.

*The Washington Post: The Astros were World Series favorites, now they're awful.

*Jim Crane was in Fayetteville, North Carolina yesterday to scout out the possibility of building a minor-league stadium there. The High-A Carolina League seems like a natural fit here. The Astros have maintained a PDC with the California League Lancaster JetHawks for eight seasons, and the current PDC runs out at the end of the season. A new ballpark in Fayetteville wouldn't be ready until 2018, so the Astros could feasibly sign a two-year PDC with Lancaster before moving to the Carolina League. If it even happens at all.

*Friend of AC Chris Kusiolek wrote up some scouting notes on Lancaster.

*A twist in the new MLB war on PEDs.

*40 years ago yesterday, Rick Monday saved the American flag from being burned on the field. Here's the story from Vice Sports.

Tuesday Morning Hot Links

On this date in 1999 the Astros signed 19-year old pitcher Eny Cabreja to an amateur free agent contract. Following the 2002 season he would be known as Wandy Rodriguez. Wandy went 80-84 in eight seasons with the Astros, posting a 4.04 ERA/1.34 WHIP.

*First things first on the saddest I've been for a celebrity death since Elliott Smith:

10. Let's Dance
9. Sorrow
8. Drive-In Saturday
7. Space Oddity
6. Diamond Dogs
5. Heroes
4. All The Young Dudes
3. Changes
2. Rebel Rebel
1. Life on Mars?

*Luhnow would like to add more depth to the rotation that currently features Keuchel, McHugh, McCullers, Feldman, and...a host of candidates for SP5.

*Cardinals GM John Mozeliak says that, despite the Cardinals running their own investigation into Chris Correa's "hack" of Ground Control, he only realized the scope of Correa's actions when the indictment was made public.

He also wants you to remember The Cardinal Way:
I certainly am aware of what's been said, or at least mentioned on social media outlets. Some of it is not very flattering. You think about all the different elements that go into this, and your hope is that in the end, you can still be proud of what we do here.

*The Cardinals are looking at a range of punishments from "fines to financial restraints to confiscating draft picks...the Astros also could be awarded damages."

*SB Nation's Mike Bates:
In the wake of Chris Correa's admission that he illegally spied on the Astros, the Commissioner is probably going to do what he seems to always do: Nothing.

*Nathaniel Grow's breakdown of the big ol' lawsuit about MLB broadcasts is a must-read.

*More than 1100 current and former minor-league players have signed on to a class-action lawsuit against MLB and 22 baseball teams for violations of labor laws.

*NY Post's Ken Davidoff: The Hall of Fame/PED topic is the most controversial for the Hall since the Negro Leagues.

*The Diamondbacks signed Wesley Wright.

David Rollins Suspended for Steroid Use

News recently broke that the Mariners Rule 5 Draft pick David Rollins - who is formerly from the Astros organisation - has tested positive for the anabolic steroid Stanozolol, and will be suspended 80 games.  The Mariners were looking carefully at offering the lefty Rollins a spot in the 'pen.

Statements out of the Mariners organisation seem supportive of Rollins' indiscretion.  Rollins himself - in a statement contained in the link above, and issued through the Players Association - also spoke of the support that the Mariners have extended.  Rollins' statement seems to indicate that he does not contest the positive test, and that he briefly dabbled in steroid use to help recover from the fatigue of Winter Ball.

I think I will fall off my chair the day that a Major League ballplayer announces that not only did he use, but he has been using for a long time, and gosh, steroids help performance.  Rollins' statement represents another data-point in the "man, I used once and got pinged" narrative that both the Players Association and MLB is wanting to promote, because it proves that their testing programme is thorough, and picks up even the little guys that "make mistakes" in trying to make an active roster.

David Ortiz also made news about steroids earlier in a piece penned for the Players' Tribune.  Read into that piece what you want - as I mentioned in my last post about Brady Aiken, the Tribune is simply there to publish the players' side of the story, and there is no sense that the articles need to be balanced or are in any way open to comment or critique from anyone else.  Trust one-sided publications at your peril.  Of course, the Tribune probably exists because players were upset about stuff written about them in the press that they felt lacked balance. But I would encourage you to read Ortiz's article, because it also speaks to the difficulties around false accusations of steroid users, and the significant encroachment into players' lives that result from stringent testing.  Regardless of whether you think Ortiz used or not.

But, regardless, testing is expensive, and players are less frequently tested than ballplayers and MLB would have you believe.  And, when David Ortiz says he has been tested 80 times, the confidential nature of the testing signed in the CBA means that MLB has no capacity to refute that.  But both MLB and the Players Association are likely to want you to believe that people are tested all the time, and little guys like David Rollins just happened to be unlucky, and were only wanting to recover from a busy winter.

In situations like this we are unlikely to ever find out the extent of a players' use.  The reason for that is because neither the Players Association nor MLB are particularly motivated to provide clarity, and are happy to promote the idea that people just make mistakes, and happen to get pinged for it.

There is a non-zero chance that Rollins' performance over a significant period of time has been assisted by performance enhancing drugs, and that his actual level of performance potentially sits below what he has demonstrated over the last year or two.  It is possible that the Astros knew something about that, and were happy to expose him in the Rule 5 draft, but organisations simply cannot be seen to turn a blind eye to the use of performance enhancing drugs, so the Astros would never, never admit this.

In terms of what this may mean for player transactions, the irony is that Rollins is less likely to be returned to the Astros because of this test - which makes no sense, really.  Rollins can sit on the restricted list for the length of his suspension, and is then entitled to pitch in the minors on a rehab assignment, which could potentially account for the first 100 games of the season.  Then he will arrive to assist the bullpen for a stretch run, and only have to be maintained on the 25 man for around 75 to 60-odd games.  The addition of a fresh, effective pitcher in the 'pen that late in the year seems like a tempting idea to me.

Which means that, unless he totally falls apart, the Astros can probably kiss him goodbye.

Three Astros Minor-Leaguers suspended

Three Astros minor-leaguers were suspended 50 games today after testing positive for amphetamines.

Those suspended are:

Jose Fernandez
Mike Martinez
D'Andre Toney

Fernandez, a 20-year old infielder for the GCL Astros, has been in the system since the 2010 season. He only played in 23 games this season for the organization, hitting .236/.299/.360 between Tri-City and the GCL.

Martinez, a 1B/DH, was the Astros' 36th Round pick in the 2012 draft out of Florida International University. In 59 games for Tri-City this season, he hit .225/.291/.413 with 11 homers in 237 plate appearances.

D'Andre Toney, a 21-year old outfielder, was the player to be named later in the Bourgeois/Quintero trade (that also brought back Kevin Chapman) with Kansas City. He hit .340/.432/.587 in his pro debut for Kansas City in the Arizona League, and has struggled with the Astros since, posting a .677 OPS in 2012 and a .641 OPS in 2013, hitting .219/.290/.352.

I'll let Morgan Ensberg close it out:

Just throwing this out there... What are we supposed to think when you get popped for a drug test when you know it's coming?
— Morgan Ensberg (@MorganEnsberg) August 30, 2013

Sergio Escalona suspended in Biogenesis involvement

Via Yahoo's Jeff Passan, Sergio Escalona has been suspended 50 games for his involvement in the Biogenesis scandal.

This is the first time I had heard Escalona mentioned in relation to Biogenesis - I thought Fernando Martinez was the only one linked. But then the Astros traded him.

Escalona last pitched for the Astros in 2011, and he had a 2.93 ERA/1.27 WHIP in 49 appearances. He missed all of 2012 due to injury, and in 12 appearances for Corpus has a 6.60 ERA/2.07 WHIP in 15IP.

Corpus has played 114 games of a 144-game schedule, so Escalona's suspension will take him through part of 2014, as well.

UPDATE: Most of the guys suspended in the Biogenesis mess, including Escalona, are represented by ACES (Nelson Cruz, Melky Cabrera, Jhonny Peralta, Jesus Montero, , run by Sam & Seth Levinson, who are also being investigated by MLB for their connection to Biogenesis. Other Astros represented by ACES? Rhiner Cruz and Brad Peacock.

Might Fernando Martinez get suspended?

Outside the Lines is reporting that that MLB is likely going to pursue suspensions for A-Rod, Ryan Braun, and about 18 other players connected to the Biogenesis International House of Pancakes in Miami, now that "clinic" founder Tony Bosch is ready to sing like a bird.

OTL:
Investigators have had records naming about 20 players for more than a month. But without a sworn statement from Bosch that the records are accurate and reflect illicit interactions between the players and the self-described biochemist, the documents were little more than a road map.

The problem for the Astros is that Oklahoma City's Fernando Martinez is on the list, and Fernando Martinez is represented by ACES, owned by longtime agents Seth and Sam Levinson. According to Outside the Lines, MLB is trying to gain the cooperation of Juan Carlos Nunez, who worked for the Levinsons and "served as a conduit between Bosch and numerous players.

Also of note, but obviously not implicated in this scandal, is that Astros players Rhiner Cruz and Brad Peacock are also represented by ACES.

Now just as a PSA, here is a maybe-comprehensive list of Astros players suspended for PED use since 2009:

March 2012: RHP Angel Heredia -  DSL pitcher suspended 50 games for two different PEDs
October 2011: RHP Kelvin Santana - DSL pitcher suspended 50 games
August 2011: RHP Euris Quezada - Tri-City pitcher suspended 25 games for violating Minor League Baseball's Drug Program
July 2011: RHP Manuel Sanchez - DSL pitcher suspended 50 games for Stanozolol
August 2010: Triple-A pitcher Danny Meszaros, Double-A Marcos Cabral and catcher Jon Fixler were suspended 50 games for methylhexaneamine, a stimulant.
August 2010: DSL pitcher Richard Rodriguez suspended 50 games for Stanozolol
July 2009: DSL pitcher Felix Ramirez
August 2009: Greeneville pitcher Gabriel Garcia suspended 50 games for Nandrolone (he pitched in Lancaster in 2012).
September 2008: Round Rock pitcher Runelvys Hernandez (suspension would later be rescinded)

Some Not Good News for Fernando Martinez

Here's a Hardball Talk post from this morning mentioning a series of tweets from ESPN's TJ Quinn saying that Major League Baseball are going hard after players linked to the south Florida-based Biogenesis clinic.

Cesar Carrillo - who spent a brief period of time with the Astros organization - was suspended 100 games (50 games for being on Biogenesis documents and 50 for lying to MLB about knowing "Dr." Tony Bosch). As Quinn points out, Carrillo is a minor-leaguer so he doesn't have the Union's protection. MLB wanted him to cooperate, he didn't, so they busted his nutsack like a week-old avocado.

Why is this bad for Fernando Martinez? Because last month Martinez was linked to Biogenesis, allegedly owing Bosch $4000 for treatments in February and March 2012.

Since Martinez does have Union protection, it may be harder for MLB to do anything, but it at least sounds like they'll try.

Ah hell, here we go.

I was waiting on it. I spent two weeks waiting on it. But here we are.

Fernando Martinez, potential Astros outfielder, has been linked to the Miami-based Biogenesis clinic which has already prompted denials from Alex Rodriguez, Gio Gonzalez, Ryan Braun, Melky Cabrera, among others.

Martinez, who has spent more time on the DL than he has on an active roster*, apparently/allegedly owes Tony Bosch $4000 - $2000 in each February and March 2012.

The Astros have no comment.

*more or less

The Chronicle's Brian Smith notes that Martinez is represented by ACES, owned by Seth and Sam Levinson. Ten of the 25 players implicated in the Biogenesis "scandal/non-scandal" are ACES clients.

Jeff Pearlman: Luhnow has "no remote clue"

Sports Illustrated's Jeff Pearlman has a post up on SI regarding Roger Clemens and the Astros honoring the 10-year Personal Services contract they both signed.

We should take a moment to note that Luhnow has a duel degree in business and engineering from the University of Pennsylvania and an MBA from Northwestern. He is an intelligent person with, no doubt, good intentions and a big heart and...

No remote clue.

Read the whole thing for yourself, and then remember that Pearlman wrote a book about Roger Clemens where the description of the book is as follows:
In The Rocket That Fell to Earth, New York Times bestselling author Jeff Pearlman reconstructs the pitcher's life—from his Ohio childhood to the mounds of Fenway Park and Yankee Stadium—to reveal a flawed and troubled man whose rage for baseball immortality took him to superhuman heights before he crashed down to earth.

So we can guess that Pearlman isn't going to agree with any thoughts regarding the Astros - or anybody else - employing Clemens further.

Of course, Pearlman claimed that no team had a wider connection to PEDs than the Rangers and Astros. And also said that "if Bagwell didn't use (steroids), then the world is flat."

So there you have it.

Conclusion of the Clemens circus

And since we made mention of the beginning of the Roger Clemens trial (over two months ago...), we should likewise note the end: not guilty on all counts.

That's all I have to say about that.

If at first you don't succeed, try, try Roger Clemens again

Remember when the prosecution of Roger Clemens got thrown in the toilet in the 2nd day of the trial? Special Legal Correspondent John Royal summed up the mistrial as such:
I'll never be as big an idiot as the prosecution was today, because as I learned in law school, when a judge tells you not to do something, you don't do it.

So anyway, the government decided that the best use of time and resources in this day and age is to go ahead and see if they can figure out whether or not a baseball player lied about how he played baseball. Jury selection begins today in Washington, D.C.

Angel Heredia suspended

Minor-leaguer Angel Heredia was suspended 50 games for testing positive for two different kinds of PEDs.

We don't know hardly anything about Heredia. So there's that.

Boston writer brings Bagwell into the Braun argument

Tony Massarotti has a post up today in which he addresses Ryan Braun, and how it sure as hell isn't the media's fault for the furor and elbow-nudging going on about whether Braun did or didn't. And who does he bring as a witness? Jeff Bagwell.

Along with you stands someone like Jeff Bagwell, whose numbers (if clean) certainly qualify him for Hall-of-Fame induction. The problem is that we just don't know yet. And while Bagwell's approval rating increased in the most recent election (to 56 percent) from the previous year (41.7 percent), he is still considerably short of induction because the behavior of his peers made his accomplishments difficult to believe.

He can blame the same people you can. And to the best our knowledge, he was never even accused of having failed a drug test.

Is any of this fair? No, no, no. A million times no. If innocent, Bagwell is every bit the victim you are. Many of us are willing to admit that. But we are not the ones who are treating you or Bagwell unfairly, Ryan. We are merely making decisions based on the behavior of you and your peers. In 2001, at age 36, Bonds hit 73 home runs in 476 at-bats, an average of one every 6.5 at-bats. He made a mockery of the game. Assuming you are truly clean, you should know how absurd that is given that you have never hit more than 37 home runs in any season.

Unfortunately, that does not prove your innocence. In fact, it only increases the likelihood of your guilt.

America - where everybody's guilty, but nobody is to blame! Groupguilt fever - Catch it!

Daryle Ward suspended 50 games

Not that it really matters to us anymore, but Daryle Ward got himself suspended for 50 games after testing positive for "an amphetamine."

Ward is a minor-league free agent, so his suspension will start when he signs with a team. Or, more likely, his suspension will mean that he is suspended from baseball FOREVER.