The Astros got rained out yesterday. Now they get to play 14 games in 13 days. First pitch today is at 3:40pm Central, and the second game is...sometime after that. The White Sox get to face Zack Greinke and Gerrit Cole on the same day. Houston has a 10-game lead on Oakland.
Kind of a slow news day, which is perfectly fine since I'm running behind this morning.
*The Astros are 11/4 favorites to win the World Series.
*Speaking of Greinke, today is August 13. The Astros acquired him on July 31. This will be Greinke's second start as an Astro.
*A new poll, voted on by 43 reporters at MLB.com, I guess, now has Yordan Alvarez at the top of the AL Rookie of the Year ballot. He received 40 of the 42 first-place votes. Baltimore pitcher John Means got two first place votes. Cleveland right fielder Oscar Mercado got one first place vote. I am not making any of that up.
*Keep an eye on Verlander's strikeout totals. He needs 77 to get to 3,000 career strikeouts, all with the Astros. Crazy but I looked it up. Gerrit Cole is within reach of setting the all-time K% rate in a single season.
*Start making those vacation plans, the Astros' 2020 schedule is out. I'm not a huge schedule guy, but there are some fun road trips you could make, if you were so inclined. Notable dates:
March 26, 2020: Opening Day. Angels at Minute Maid Park.
April 10-12: Houston's first trip to Mimic Maid Park in Upper Oak Cliff.
May 22-24: At Boston. Nice time of year to get up to Boston.
July 3-5: At Washington.
Inter-League is against the NL East next year. The Astros will play seven home games and ten away games in NL parks. Not a huge fan of that.
The Astros come out of the 2020 All-Star Break with a 7-game road trip (at Oakland and West Longview) and finish the season with a 7-game road trip (at New York and Atlanta).
*I like Michael Baumann, and I find it extremely impressive that he can write an article about how Lance Lynn is the "best pitcher in the American League" and only mention Verlander and Cole in passing.
*Jake Kaplan, on Gerrit Cole's incremental changes this season.
*Fun night for Round Rock. Framber Valdez struck out a career- and franchise-high 13 batters in 6.2IP as Round Rock beat Albuquerque 11-6. Kyle Tucker hit his 31st and 32nd home runs of the season. Express hitting coach Ben Rosenthal:
When he squares it up, it is loud. He's got power to all fields. He always had the power. He's just got to get a good pitch to hit and put a good swing on it. When he does that, good things happen.
Tucker:
Apr: .165/.211/.388, 23K:5BB, 5HR
May: .333/.429/.741, 23K:16BB, 11HR
June: .303/.366/.646, 33K:10BB, 8HR
July: .194/.333/.347, 20K:13BB, 3HR
Aug: .366/.417/.805, 4K:4BB, 5HR
*Some Former Astros Greats news:
-Josh Rojas (Greinke trade) got called up to Arizona and went 2x4 with an RBI in his MLB debut. The Astros didn't get any hits last night wtf is LOSEnow doing?
-David Paulino (Osuna trade) cleared waivers and was released.
Two roads diverged in a yellow wood...
*ESPN: "Oh my God, how can we do this?" An oral history of the 1994 Strike. If you're a subscriber to The Athletic, you can read this oral history of the 1994 Strike.
*Actual Moron Alex Rodriguez had $500,000 worth of stuff [blinks rapidly] in his rental car stolen during Sunday Night's game in San Francisco.
*Simone Biles is superhuman, I think.
*The sexual assault case that shook ancient Rome.
*What Toni Morrison understood about Hate.
*I (not, like, me) tried hiding from Silicon Valley in a pile of privacy gadgets.
*A Musical Selection:
We didn't come out here to play tiddlywinks, son.
-Hal Smith
Showing posts with label Schedule. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Schedule. Show all posts
Tuesday, August 13, 2019
Friday, August 9, 2019
Friday Morning Hot Links
No Astros action last night, and we did the Playoff Odds earlier this week, so we'll skip it for a while. The Astros are on pace for 106 wins. Reminder that Houston is 75-40 with a 10-game lead and 47 regular season games left.
If Houston goes 23-24, they'll finish 98-64. Here's what would have to happen for the Astros to lose the division:
Oakland: 34-14
Arlington: 41-7
Anaheim: 43-3
Seattle: Could win out and lose the division by four games.
Do your own math accordingly to project what other teams would have to do if the Astros went XX-XX. The Astros are officially at 100% to win the division.
Only one AL West team was in action last night: Anaheim lost to Boston 3-0.
*Big News of the Day was that the Astros are extending the nets. And if you're upset, then the decision was made by the organization with the sole intent of pissing you empathy-less idiots off.
Never mind that the move could be 20% about fan safety and 80% protection from legal liability for failing to protect fans from Yordan Alvarez Rockets. I'm still for it. The fact that it's safer for thousands of more fans is great. By the way, the girl who got drilled in the Cubs game is still on anti-seizure medication but is improving. If you don't want the net, you probably don't care.
Notables approving of the Astros: Lance McCullers. The Astros:
Fan experience is always a top priority for the Astros. The Astros have followed Major League Baseball's guidelines regarding netting while providing fans with a choice as to whether they sit in areas with or without protective netting. These changes will improve the fan's experience and increase the number of seats behind protective netting. Fans will continue to have the option to sit in areas without netting.
By "improving the fan's experience" they mean "making sure you don't leave the game in an ambulance."
*Jake Kaplan says ($) Aaron Sanchez's work with Brent Strom is just beginning.
*MLB.com says that Wade Miley is quietly having a very good season. I don't how about "quietly" ...
*Check Chandler Rome's mailbag for the chances of re-signing Gerrit Cole, who gets let go when Peacock returns, Myles Straw's postseason roster spot, Forrest Whitley, and a potential matchup issue with the Dodgers.
*The only contender with an easier schedule than the Astros down the stretch is the Twins. Matt Kelly:
The Astros have dominated the A's, winning nine of their first 11 head-to-head matchups. Take at least three of these four games at the Coliseum (Aug 15-18), and Houston can really begin mapping out their stars' rest days before October.
*It's such a slow Astros news day that here's a story about Lance McCullers and puppies.
*Former Astros Great Tony Sipp cleared waivers and is now a free agent.
*Jon Tayler on how Charlie Morton went from Charlie Morton to Charlie F. Morton.
*Check out SABR's bio of Jose Cruz, who turned 72 yesterday. Happy birthday, Cheo!
*Dallas Keuchel, last night at Miami: 3.2IP, 10H/8ER, 4K:1BB, 3HR. He has a 4.83 ERA for Atlanta this season.
*Winners of six straight (including the series opener with Houston), the Cardinals are 2-6 since the Astros left town. You hate to see it.
*Dan Clark did a survey to find why actual fans are coming to fewer and fewer games.
*FanGraphs: What remains of Clayton Kershaw.
*White Sox wives got into it.
*The hard, historic roads that lead to .400.
*A Musical Selection:
If Houston goes 23-24, they'll finish 98-64. Here's what would have to happen for the Astros to lose the division:
Oakland: 34-14
Arlington: 41-7
Anaheim: 43-3
Seattle: Could win out and lose the division by four games.
Do your own math accordingly to project what other teams would have to do if the Astros went XX-XX. The Astros are officially at 100% to win the division.
Only one AL West team was in action last night: Anaheim lost to Boston 3-0.
*Big News of the Day was that the Astros are extending the nets. And if you're upset, then the decision was made by the organization with the sole intent of pissing you empathy-less idiots off.
Here’s how far down the line the new netting will go pic.twitter.com/qeiN7tEl2V— Brian McTaggart (@brianmctaggart) August 8, 2019
Never mind that the move could be 20% about fan safety and 80% protection from legal liability for failing to protect fans from Yordan Alvarez Rockets. I'm still for it. The fact that it's safer for thousands of more fans is great. By the way, the girl who got drilled in the Cubs game is still on anti-seizure medication but is improving. If you don't want the net, you probably don't care.
Notables approving of the Astros: Lance McCullers. The Astros:
Fan experience is always a top priority for the Astros. The Astros have followed Major League Baseball's guidelines regarding netting while providing fans with a choice as to whether they sit in areas with or without protective netting. These changes will improve the fan's experience and increase the number of seats behind protective netting. Fans will continue to have the option to sit in areas without netting.
By "improving the fan's experience" they mean "making sure you don't leave the game in an ambulance."
*Jake Kaplan says ($) Aaron Sanchez's work with Brent Strom is just beginning.
*MLB.com says that Wade Miley is quietly having a very good season. I don't how about "quietly" ...
*Check Chandler Rome's mailbag for the chances of re-signing Gerrit Cole, who gets let go when Peacock returns, Myles Straw's postseason roster spot, Forrest Whitley, and a potential matchup issue with the Dodgers.
*The only contender with an easier schedule than the Astros down the stretch is the Twins. Matt Kelly:
The Astros have dominated the A's, winning nine of their first 11 head-to-head matchups. Take at least three of these four games at the Coliseum (Aug 15-18), and Houston can really begin mapping out their stars' rest days before October.
*It's such a slow Astros news day that here's a story about Lance McCullers and puppies.
*Former Astros Great Tony Sipp cleared waivers and is now a free agent.
*Jon Tayler on how Charlie Morton went from Charlie Morton to Charlie F. Morton.
*Check out SABR's bio of Jose Cruz, who turned 72 yesterday. Happy birthday, Cheo!
*Dallas Keuchel, last night at Miami: 3.2IP, 10H/8ER, 4K:1BB, 3HR. He has a 4.83 ERA for Atlanta this season.
*Winners of six straight (including the series opener with Houston), the Cardinals are 2-6 since the Astros left town. You hate to see it.
*Dan Clark did a survey to find why actual fans are coming to fewer and fewer games.
*FanGraphs: What remains of Clayton Kershaw.
*White Sox wives got into it.
*The hard, historic roads that lead to .400.
*A Musical Selection:
Thursday, May 10, 2018
Thursday Morning Hot Links
It's US History STAAR Test Day so I've been up since 2am drinking coffee and eating nails. Pretty cool that my job performance will be influenced by at least 20 kids who would unplug their mom's ventilator if it meant they could charge their phone.
The Astros won yesterday 4-1, sweeping Oakland in the three-game series. Gerrit Cole didn't have double-digit strikeouts so he's obviously trending downwards. Stassi and Fisher went back-to-back, derailing what was a pretty solid Daniel Menhaden start. Gurriel drove in two more runs and Ken Giles threw a perfect inning and got his second save in two days. Make sure you check Jexas' series recap.
Hinch, on the back-to-back jacks:
Those were two big ones, especially the bottom of our order. We've talked about that being a big part of our offense and then seeing those guys come through at a time where Gerrit [gave up a run in the sixth] by mere inches on a double down the line was a big response by us.
*Derek Fisher's home run had an exit velocity of 110mph, joining Springer and Correa as the only Astros to hit a ball that hard. In the last 15 days Fisher is hitting .263/.263/.789.
*Holy crap the Astros actually stole a base. It was their 2nd successful stolen base in seven attempts in their last 18 games. And wait, an Astros catcher actually threw someone out when they were trying to steal a base? It was the first CS by an Astros catcher since April 20. Opponents were 8x8 stealing bases in that span, and are 15x18 this season.
*Great article by Bruce Jenkins in the San Francisco Chronicle on Oakland, and aspiring to be Houston.
*Please tell me you saw Flick's return to AC with his Astros as Birds piece. It deserves an award.
*The Astros have played 26 games in the last 27 days. Freakin Minnesota has played 32 games all season. I actually wonder if all the weather cancellations early in the season is going to end up benefiting the Astros at some point because of the impending double-headers and now-cancelled off days for other AL teams. Regard, the number of games played in the American League:
39: Houston, South Denison
38:
37: Toronto, Oakland
36: Red Sox, Yankees, Baltimore, Cleveland, Detroit, Kansas City, Anaheim
35: Seattle
34: Tampa, Chicago
33:
32: Minnesota
In a schedule where there's already a shortage of days off, the Astros have already played 24.1% of their games. Other teams are going to have to make those up later in the season while the Astros get to actually rest on their off-days.
In The Athletic
*I took a brief-ish look at Derek Fisher and Kyle Tucker and how 2018 Fisher (which is getting better!) is a warning sign for promoting Tucker to replace him.
*To that end, Jake Kaplan has a minor-league notebook that took a look at Tucker. Luhnow:
I would say he's definitely tracking toward a call-up this year. But I wouldn't say he's dominating to the point where we feel like we have to add him because we're missing out on production that we should be getting.
There are notes on Frankie Tuesday's arm injury, Myles Straw, and MORE.
*Also from Kaplan: How a sleep apnea diagnosis led to a breakout season for Josh James.
Back to Free Stuff
*Justin Verlander is a Man of Routine. The number of starts he's made in his career, by Days' Rest:
4: 198
5: 129
6: 7
7: 4
So that's worth mentioning that 71 of Verlander's 119 starts since 2013 (59.7%) were on four days' rest, a slight uptick from the 58.9% of starts he's made on four days' rest over his, yes, Hall of Fame career. Interestingly enough, it moves Verlander out of the rotation for both Cleveland series. He won't face the Indians at all in the regular season if he goes every fifth game.
And so the Astros are going to bump Morton, Keuchel, and McCullers - who don't have the cleanest medical histories - back a day to keep Verlander on his routine and navigate the spate of off-days coming up. Hinch:
This helps Charlie have an extra day, and maybe get an extra throwing session in and keeps JV on regular rest for the next two turns, and we'll deal with the next couple of off-days later.
The Astros have off-days today (and what will we do? Probably watch the Preds/Jets Game 7), next Thursday, and the following Monday. Interestingly enough, it moves Verlander out of the rotation in both Cleveland series.
*Of note: Oakland's Dustin Fowler popped up in his pinch-hit appearance. That's normally not notable, but it was Fowler's first career PA in the Majors. It wasn't his first career MLB game, though. It was Fowler who had been called up to the Yankees last June to make his debut when, in the bottom of the 1st, he hit a railing making a defensive play and ruptured a tendon in his knee. He was due to lead off the next inning.
*J.D. Davis is on a tear. Through 100 ABs he's hitting .450/.500/.680 with 14 doubles and three home runs. In his current 12-game hitting streak he's 27x49 (.551) with twelve extra-base hits.
*Humble's Fran Linton will be the Astros' "Honorary Bat Girl" on Mother's Day.
*Yahoo's Mike Oz has a video thing called Old Baseball Cards. It's wonderful. This time, it's Luis Gonzalez featuring a story about Caminiti and Bagwell.
*Miles Mikolas, Adam Duvall, and the oddest plate appearance of 2018.
*Here's a list of every known instance of a team batting out of turn.
Off-Day Playoff Odds Check
FanGraphs: 100-62. 92.5% to win the AL West, 98.2% to make the playoffs, 24.9% to win the WS
FiveThirtyEight: 99-63. 71% to win the AL West, 88% to make the playoffs, 16% to win the WS
Baseball Prospectus: 96-66. 85.5% to win the AL West, 95.5% to make the playoffs, 16.4% to win the WS.
Worth noting that FiveThirtyEight has the Astros at 99 wins, five games behind the Yankees for the AL's best record.
The Astros won yesterday 4-1, sweeping Oakland in the three-game series. Gerrit Cole didn't have double-digit strikeouts so he's obviously trending downwards. Stassi and Fisher went back-to-back, derailing what was a pretty solid Daniel Menhaden start. Gurriel drove in two more runs and Ken Giles threw a perfect inning and got his second save in two days. Make sure you check Jexas' series recap.
Hinch, on the back-to-back jacks:
Those were two big ones, especially the bottom of our order. We've talked about that being a big part of our offense and then seeing those guys come through at a time where Gerrit [gave up a run in the sixth] by mere inches on a double down the line was a big response by us.
George Springer is the first #Astros player in 10 years to record at least 9 hits and 5 runs in a 3-game series. The last to do it was Ty Wigginton in Aug. 2008 vs. ARI.— Chris Peixoto (@cp_astros) May 9, 2018
*Derek Fisher's home run had an exit velocity of 110mph, joining Springer and Correa as the only Astros to hit a ball that hard. In the last 15 days Fisher is hitting .263/.263/.789.
If you think this homer went deep, check out where the fan is when he throws the ball back 😳 pic.twitter.com/gzuE9bHolt— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) May 9, 2018
*Holy crap the Astros actually stole a base. It was their 2nd successful stolen base in seven attempts in their last 18 games. And wait, an Astros catcher actually threw someone out when they were trying to steal a base? It was the first CS by an Astros catcher since April 20. Opponents were 8x8 stealing bases in that span, and are 15x18 this season.
*Great article by Bruce Jenkins in the San Francisco Chronicle on Oakland, and aspiring to be Houston.
*Please tell me you saw Flick's return to AC with his Astros as Birds piece. It deserves an award.
*The Astros have played 26 games in the last 27 days. Freakin Minnesota has played 32 games all season. I actually wonder if all the weather cancellations early in the season is going to end up benefiting the Astros at some point because of the impending double-headers and now-cancelled off days for other AL teams. Regard, the number of games played in the American League:
39: Houston, South Denison
38:
37: Toronto, Oakland
36: Red Sox, Yankees, Baltimore, Cleveland, Detroit, Kansas City, Anaheim
35: Seattle
34: Tampa, Chicago
33:
32: Minnesota
In a schedule where there's already a shortage of days off, the Astros have already played 24.1% of their games. Other teams are going to have to make those up later in the season while the Astros get to actually rest on their off-days.
In The Athletic
*I took a brief-ish look at Derek Fisher and Kyle Tucker and how 2018 Fisher (which is getting better!) is a warning sign for promoting Tucker to replace him.
*To that end, Jake Kaplan has a minor-league notebook that took a look at Tucker. Luhnow:
I would say he's definitely tracking toward a call-up this year. But I wouldn't say he's dominating to the point where we feel like we have to add him because we're missing out on production that we should be getting.
There are notes on Frankie Tuesday's arm injury, Myles Straw, and MORE.
*Also from Kaplan: How a sleep apnea diagnosis led to a breakout season for Josh James.
Back to Free Stuff
*Justin Verlander is a Man of Routine. The number of starts he's made in his career, by Days' Rest:
4: 198
5: 129
6: 7
7: 4
So that's worth mentioning that 71 of Verlander's 119 starts since 2013 (59.7%) were on four days' rest, a slight uptick from the 58.9% of starts he's made on four days' rest over his, yes, Hall of Fame career. Interestingly enough, it moves Verlander out of the rotation for both Cleveland series. He won't face the Indians at all in the regular season if he goes every fifth game.
And so the Astros are going to bump Morton, Keuchel, and McCullers - who don't have the cleanest medical histories - back a day to keep Verlander on his routine and navigate the spate of off-days coming up. Hinch:
This helps Charlie have an extra day, and maybe get an extra throwing session in and keeps JV on regular rest for the next two turns, and we'll deal with the next couple of off-days later.
The Astros have off-days today (and what will we do? Probably watch the Preds/Jets Game 7), next Thursday, and the following Monday. Interestingly enough, it moves Verlander out of the rotation in both Cleveland series.
*Of note: Oakland's Dustin Fowler popped up in his pinch-hit appearance. That's normally not notable, but it was Fowler's first career PA in the Majors. It wasn't his first career MLB game, though. It was Fowler who had been called up to the Yankees last June to make his debut when, in the bottom of the 1st, he hit a railing making a defensive play and ruptured a tendon in his knee. He was due to lead off the next inning.
*J.D. Davis is on a tear. Through 100 ABs he's hitting .450/.500/.680 with 14 doubles and three home runs. In his current 12-game hitting streak he's 27x49 (.551) with twelve extra-base hits.
*Humble's Fran Linton will be the Astros' "Honorary Bat Girl" on Mother's Day.
*Yahoo's Mike Oz has a video thing called Old Baseball Cards. It's wonderful. This time, it's Luis Gonzalez featuring a story about Caminiti and Bagwell.
*Miles Mikolas, Adam Duvall, and the oddest plate appearance of 2018.
*Here's a list of every known instance of a team batting out of turn.
Off-Day Playoff Odds Check
FanGraphs: 100-62. 92.5% to win the AL West, 98.2% to make the playoffs, 24.9% to win the WS
FiveThirtyEight: 99-63. 71% to win the AL West, 88% to make the playoffs, 16% to win the WS
Baseball Prospectus: 96-66. 85.5% to win the AL West, 95.5% to make the playoffs, 16.4% to win the WS.
Worth noting that FiveThirtyEight has the Astros at 99 wins, five games behind the Yankees for the AL's best record.
Thursday, March 8, 2018
Thursday Morning Hot Links
*JFrank1034 told me on Twitter dot com yesterday that it's bullcrap how the Astros don't get to play their 1st regular season game at home, instead having to slum it in the World's Largest Hair Dryer up north. I got outraged. Then I thought I'd look and see how common this is.
Basically the Astros are the eighth team in the last ten years to open their defending champion season on the road. Only the 2016 Royals (vs the Mets in a repeat of the 2015 World Series) and the 2009 Phillies (vs the Braves) were *allowed* to open their season at home. Interestingly, the schedule makers seem to favor rivalry matches on the road to open seasons.
The 2017 Cubs opened at St. Louis; the 2015 Giants opened at Arizona; 2014 Red Sox at Baltimore; 2013 Giants at Los Angeles; 2012 Cardinals at Miami (eh); 2011 Giants at Los Angeles; 2010 Yankees at Boston.
So for the Astros to open at Arlington is keeping in line with recent tradition. Outrage withdrawn.
*The Astros lost to the Mets today, 7-6.
Jose Altuve hit a homer to straightaway center on a 3-0 count.
A.J. Reed was 2x2 with a double.
George Springer was 1x3. Jon Kemmer came in to replace him and went 2x2
Gerrit Cole: 3.2IP, 4H/0ER, 4K:1BB, 47 of his 69 nice pitches for strikes.
Tony Sipp allowed 4H/4ER, 0K:1BB in 0.2IP. Jacob Dorris and Riley Ferrell combined for 2.1IP4H/3ER, 2K:3BB in the losing effort.
*Ten Minor-Leaguers were reassigned to Minor-League Camp:
-Randy Cesar
-Jacob Dorris
-Drew Ferguson
-Alejandro Garcia
-Riley Ferrell
-Jamie Ritchie
-Myles Straw
-Nick Tanielu
-Framber Valdez
-Cionel Perez - who is on the 40-Man roster - was optioned to minor-league camp.
*Jake Kaplan has a really good piece in The Athletic about Brandon Taubman, a former banking analyst in New York and a daily fantasy baseball dork who parlayed [waves hands] all that into becoming Jeff Luhnow's right hand man. Subscribe to The Athletic.
*Brian McTaggart: Josh Reddick is perfectly happy in Houston. Reddick:
I think being sandwiched between guys like George, Altuve and Correa for most of the year made my job easier. As being the lefty who got plugged in there, I felt like maybe [opposing pitchers] were a little more relieved to see me in the box. I got a few more pitches to hit than most people would, but you've still got to hit them.
*The Washington Post's Dave Shenin says the Astros hope youth and talent will prevent "the inevitable World Series hangover." It's like he didn't even read when I thoroughly disproved the idea of a "World Series hangover."
*Hunter Atkins writes that Max Stassi's swing could keep him with Houston.
*Corpus Christi has another On The Farm report, with a look at Carmen Benedetti, Randy Cesar, and Ronnie Dawson.
*Jeff Sullivan: Baseball keeps on breaking the same record.
*Former Hooks Great Brett Phillips is taking the trade rumors in style.
*How one swing changed Colin Moran's career and the Pirates' future at 3B.
*If I'm doing the math right, the Rangers could give Tim Lincecum $6m this year.
*Bob Nightengale: How the Angels worked this winter to perfection.
*
So, I was born in England. My mom still has the accent, and everything. Moved to the US when I was two years old. While I always "rep the H," there's still a lot of pride in where I was born. I have the lion from the crest of England tattooed on my wrist. It didn't hurt that, as I was figuring out how much music meant to me, it was a golden age of British music: Blur, Oasis, Pulp, Supergrass, Kula Shaker, Manic Street Preachers, Ocean Colour Scene (still a favorite of mine - I actually got to see them in concert in Hull in 2001). My aunt - who now lives in Houston - would send me CDs from popular bands in a huge box that would always include a few issues of NME (New Musical Express), and I'd read it front-to-back.
In high school, Cornershop (Brimful of Asha, anyone?) opened for Oasis at the Aerial Theatre on the day before my birthday, and I distinctly remember getting to the Blockbuster Music on Spencer Highway at 6:30am to wait in line for tickets going on sale three and a half hours later. Thanks to breathless concert reviews I had read in NME, I was sure there would be people lined up around the block. I almost slept on the sidewalk the night before. As employees - some still drunk - trickled in, they asked "What are you here for?" This question would be returned with an indignant scoff, "Oasis tickets...?" And, to a person, the response would be some variation of a shoulder-shrug. I was the first - and only - one in line when the tickets went on sale. It was a good show.
Thanks to NME I got to see one of the worst concerts I've ever attended: Massive Attack was opening for The Verve, of Bittersweet Symphony fame. (The Worst Concert I Ever Attended was when Pink opened for Lenny Kravitz in Nashville. It was awful. I got free tickets and still felt cheated.) Massive Attack had quit the tour (and, wait, is Banksy in Massive Attack? This is a weird close to a post on a Houston Astros blog) and The Verve were just a few dates away from splitting up, themselves. Without an opening act, they simply dimmed the house lights at the Aerial Theatre, played house music for an hour, and then The Verve came out and played.
I vaguely understand the economics of journalism, but to have the Houston Press and NME fold up their print versions in the same four-month period is disrupting memories from when I was becoming an adult. RIP, NME.
Basically the Astros are the eighth team in the last ten years to open their defending champion season on the road. Only the 2016 Royals (vs the Mets in a repeat of the 2015 World Series) and the 2009 Phillies (vs the Braves) were *allowed* to open their season at home. Interestingly, the schedule makers seem to favor rivalry matches on the road to open seasons.
The 2017 Cubs opened at St. Louis; the 2015 Giants opened at Arizona; 2014 Red Sox at Baltimore; 2013 Giants at Los Angeles; 2012 Cardinals at Miami (eh); 2011 Giants at Los Angeles; 2010 Yankees at Boston.
So for the Astros to open at Arlington is keeping in line with recent tradition. Outrage withdrawn.
*The Astros lost to the Mets today, 7-6.
Jose Altuve hit a homer to straightaway center on a 3-0 count.
A.J. Reed was 2x2 with a double.
George Springer was 1x3. Jon Kemmer came in to replace him and went 2x2
Gerrit Cole: 3.2IP, 4H/0ER, 4K:1BB, 47 of his 69 nice pitches for strikes.
Tony Sipp allowed 4H/4ER, 0K:1BB in 0.2IP. Jacob Dorris and Riley Ferrell combined for 2.1IP4H/3ER, 2K:3BB in the losing effort.
*Ten Minor-Leaguers were reassigned to Minor-League Camp:
-Randy Cesar
-Jacob Dorris
-Drew Ferguson
-Alejandro Garcia
-Riley Ferrell
-Jamie Ritchie
-Myles Straw
-Nick Tanielu
-Framber Valdez
-Cionel Perez - who is on the 40-Man roster - was optioned to minor-league camp.
*Jake Kaplan has a really good piece in The Athletic about Brandon Taubman, a former banking analyst in New York and a daily fantasy baseball dork who parlayed [waves hands] all that into becoming Jeff Luhnow's right hand man. Subscribe to The Athletic.
*Brian McTaggart: Josh Reddick is perfectly happy in Houston. Reddick:
I think being sandwiched between guys like George, Altuve and Correa for most of the year made my job easier. As being the lefty who got plugged in there, I felt like maybe [opposing pitchers] were a little more relieved to see me in the box. I got a few more pitches to hit than most people would, but you've still got to hit them.
*The Washington Post's Dave Shenin says the Astros hope youth and talent will prevent "the inevitable World Series hangover." It's like he didn't even read when I thoroughly disproved the idea of a "World Series hangover."
*Hunter Atkins writes that Max Stassi's swing could keep him with Houston.
*Corpus Christi has another On The Farm report, with a look at Carmen Benedetti, Randy Cesar, and Ronnie Dawson.
*Jeff Sullivan: Baseball keeps on breaking the same record.
*Former Hooks Great Brett Phillips is taking the trade rumors in style.
*How one swing changed Colin Moran's career and the Pirates' future at 3B.
*If I'm doing the math right, the Rangers could give Tim Lincecum $6m this year.
*Bob Nightengale: How the Angels worked this winter to perfection.
*
NME to cease print edition— Laura Snapes (@laurasnapes) March 7, 2018
So, I was born in England. My mom still has the accent, and everything. Moved to the US when I was two years old. While I always "rep the H," there's still a lot of pride in where I was born. I have the lion from the crest of England tattooed on my wrist. It didn't hurt that, as I was figuring out how much music meant to me, it was a golden age of British music: Blur, Oasis, Pulp, Supergrass, Kula Shaker, Manic Street Preachers, Ocean Colour Scene (still a favorite of mine - I actually got to see them in concert in Hull in 2001). My aunt - who now lives in Houston - would send me CDs from popular bands in a huge box that would always include a few issues of NME (New Musical Express), and I'd read it front-to-back.
In high school, Cornershop (Brimful of Asha, anyone?) opened for Oasis at the Aerial Theatre on the day before my birthday, and I distinctly remember getting to the Blockbuster Music on Spencer Highway at 6:30am to wait in line for tickets going on sale three and a half hours later. Thanks to breathless concert reviews I had read in NME, I was sure there would be people lined up around the block. I almost slept on the sidewalk the night before. As employees - some still drunk - trickled in, they asked "What are you here for?" This question would be returned with an indignant scoff, "Oasis tickets...?" And, to a person, the response would be some variation of a shoulder-shrug. I was the first - and only - one in line when the tickets went on sale. It was a good show.
Thanks to NME I got to see one of the worst concerts I've ever attended: Massive Attack was opening for The Verve, of Bittersweet Symphony fame. (The Worst Concert I Ever Attended was when Pink opened for Lenny Kravitz in Nashville. It was awful. I got free tickets and still felt cheated.) Massive Attack had quit the tour (and, wait, is Banksy in Massive Attack? This is a weird close to a post on a Houston Astros blog) and The Verve were just a few dates away from splitting up, themselves. Without an opening act, they simply dimmed the house lights at the Aerial Theatre, played house music for an hour, and then The Verve came out and played.
I vaguely understand the economics of journalism, but to have the Houston Press and NME fold up their print versions in the same four-month period is disrupting memories from when I was becoming an adult. RIP, NME.
Sunday, March 19, 2017
Houston Astros 2017 national broadcast schedule
I am not renewing my MLB.TV subscription this year. The last couple of years, I've noticed that I am watching the games less and less. I know that's hard to believe after spending so much time watching the team struggle to even get 60 wins.
Usually, I'll have the game on the background while I work or play video games. I'll stop and watch key moments, but for the most part the games are just background noise. I am also reducing how much time I spend on social media. Astros Twitter is great, but being a few minutes behind on MLB.TV is not great. At certain times I had to turn away from Twitter to avoid spoilers.
I still plan to watch the team. I'm going to watch when the Astros are the free game of the day on MLB.TV and when they're on a national broadcast. I've tracked down the national broadcast schedule. I thought it's a useful bit of information for others who are in similar situation.
The full list
Tuesday, April 11, 2017 - 9:10 p.m. CT - Houston Astros at. Seattle Mariners on MLB Network
Thursday, April 27, 2017 - 5:10 p.m. CT - Houston Astros at Cleveland Indians on MLB Network
Sunday, May 14, 2017 - 6:35 p.m. CT - Houston Astros at New York Yankees on MLB Network
Saturday, May 27, 2017 - 6:15 p.m. CT - Baltimore Orioles vs. Houston Astros on Fox
Saturday, June 3, 2017 - 6:15 p.m. CT - Houston Astros at Texas Rangers on Fox
Saturday, June 17, 2017 - 7:15 p.m. CT - Boston Red Sox vs. Houston Astros on Fox
Saturday July 1, 2017 - 6:15 p.m. CT - New York Yankees vs. Houston Astros on Fox
Usually, I'll have the game on the background while I work or play video games. I'll stop and watch key moments, but for the most part the games are just background noise. I am also reducing how much time I spend on social media. Astros Twitter is great, but being a few minutes behind on MLB.TV is not great. At certain times I had to turn away from Twitter to avoid spoilers.
I still plan to watch the team. I'm going to watch when the Astros are the free game of the day on MLB.TV and when they're on a national broadcast. I've tracked down the national broadcast schedule. I thought it's a useful bit of information for others who are in similar situation.
The full list
Dates the Houston Astros are scheduled to broadcast to a national audience:
Thursday, March 30, 2017 - 6:35 p.m. CT - Chicago Cubs vs. Houston Astros on MLB Network (out-of-market only)Tuesday, April 11, 2017 - 9:10 p.m. CT - Houston Astros at. Seattle Mariners on MLB Network
Thursday, April 27, 2017 - 5:10 p.m. CT - Houston Astros at Cleveland Indians on MLB Network
Sunday, May 14, 2017 - 6:35 p.m. CT - Houston Astros at New York Yankees on MLB Network
Saturday, May 27, 2017 - 6:15 p.m. CT - Baltimore Orioles vs. Houston Astros on Fox
Saturday, June 3, 2017 - 6:15 p.m. CT - Houston Astros at Texas Rangers on Fox
Saturday, June 17, 2017 - 7:15 p.m. CT - Boston Red Sox vs. Houston Astros on Fox
Saturday July 1, 2017 - 6:15 p.m. CT - New York Yankees vs. Houston Astros on Fox
Thursday, September 1, 2016
Breaking Down the September Schedules
Now that we have reached September 1 I guess it's okay to actually start to break down the potential Wild Card contenders. The Rangers are going to the playoffs barring some historic/hysterical/please-God-let-this-happen collapse, but I included them just so you could see what the Astros are up against. Not included are teams below the Astros in the Wild Card standings, even though the Yankees and Mariners and Royals are all pretty close.
Houston Astros
(71-62, 8.5 GB of Texas, 1.0 GB of WC2)
Remaining Schedule: @ Texas, @ Cleveland, vs Cubs, vs Texas,
@ Seattle, @ Oakland, vs Anaheim, vs Seattle, @ Anaheim
13 at home (.574 win%)
16 on the road (.492 win%)
Record vs remaining teams: 33-24 (.579)
Record of remaining teams: 425-372 (.533)
Most of these wins come at the hands of the Angels and A’s.
This next stretch is brutal and the postseason will likely be decided in the
next 12 days with two series against the Ramgers, who have won 11 of 13 against
the Astros plus four at Cleveland. If the Astros can at least stay afloat until
the end of the second Texas series – and not get swept by the Rangers – the Astros
can try to take advantage of the rest of the AL West. After the Rangers series
from September 12-14, the Astros have their last 16 games against the Mariners,
A’s, and Angels – against whom the Astros are a combined 29-12.
FanGraphs’ Projected Rest of Season Record: 15-14
Texas Rangers (80-54)
Remaining Schedule: Vs Houston, @ Seattle, @ Anaheim, @
Houston, vs Oakland, vs Angels, @ Oakland, vs Milwaukee, @ Tampa Bay
15 at home (.682 win%)
13 on the road (.515 win%)
Record vs remaining teams: 36-21 (.632)
Record of remaining teams: 368-429 (.462)
If the Rangers go 14-14, the Astros would need to go 23-6 to
win the division.
FanGraphs’ Projected Rest of Season Record: 15-13
Boston Red Sox
(74-59, 2.0 up for WC1)
Remaining Schedule: @ Oakland, @ San Diego, @ Toronto, vs
Baltimore, vs New York,
@ Baltimore, @ Tampa Bay, @ New York, vs Toronto
10 at home (.577 win%)
19 on the road (.532 win%)
Record vs remaining teams: 31-25 (.553)
Record of remaining teams: 385-410 (.484)
The Red Sox next stretch – against the A’s and San Diego –
are favorable for them, and they have three series against teams who are currently 20 games below .500. But they do have 19 of their remaining 29 games on the
road as well as 13 games remaining against the Blue Jays and Orioles. Collectively they’re 28-25 against the other AL East teams.
FanGraphs’ Projected Rest of Season Record: 17-12
Detroit Tigers
(72-61, tied for WC2)
@ Kansas City, @ Chicago White Sox, vs Baltimore, vs
Minnesota, @ Cleveland, @ Minnesota, vs Kansas City, vs Cleveland, @ Atlanta
14 at home (.582 win%)
15 on the road (.500 win%)
Record vs Remaining Teams: 27-20 (.574)
Record of Remaining Teams: 379-417 (.476)
FanGraphs’ Projected Rest of Season Record: 15-14
The Tigers get two series with Minnesota, whom they’ve
beaten ten of 12 times…but they also have two series against Cleveland, who has
beaten them in 11 of 12 games. The Tigers have been great at home, .500 on the
road – maybe that’s the tipping point for them. Ultimately getting three series against the two worst teams in baseball may be enough to push them into October.
Baltimore Orioles
(72-61, tied for WC2)
Vs New York, @ Tampa Bay, @ Detroit, @ Boston, vs Tampa Bay,
vs Boston, vs Arizona,
@ Toronto, @ New York.
14 at home (.642 win%)
15 on the road (.439 win%)
Record vs Remaining Teams: 31-26 (.544)
Record of Remaining Teams: 403-393 (.506)
Baltimore has a nine-game road trip starting on Labor Day
and a six-game road trip (at Toronto and New York) to end the season. They have
been fantastic at Camden Yards, going 43-24, but have struggled on the road.
How they manage those two road trips will determine if they play into the first
week of October.
FanGraphs’ Projected Rest of Season Record: 15-14
Takeaways
*The FanGraphs' Projected Rest of Season Record is sort of useless to me because they're saying every team in baseball will be within six games of each other over the last month of the season.
*The Astros' chances look bleak, I'm not going to lie. They have not shown an ability to beat the Rangers in over a year, much less on the road, and that doesn't take into account having to play the Cubs and Indians while other teams get Minnesota and Atlanta. I'm not saying it's unfair, but it's how it's stacked at this point. The Astros have to play the toughest schedule among the teams ahead of them over the last month of the 2016 season. And let's not forget that the Astros' 33 wins against teams at or over .500 is 2nd-lowest in the American League. The Astros have six series remaining against teams currently over .500.
*Screw it. Play the games and let's see what happens. Meaningful baseball in September? Sounds good to me.
Thursday, July 16, 2015
State of the Astros, All-Star Break Edition: Part II
Tuesday we started Part I of a look at the Astros at the All-Star Break, examining the three eras of the 2015 Astros season so far, and the trouble at 1B/DH. Let's continue by looking at the rest of the offense.
We knew this was how the offense was going to go. Back when the Astros were 18-7, we made the comparison of the 2015 Astros to the 2014 Brewers, whose offense was built on unsustainable power. Even if that power *is* sustainable, there will be stretches where the power blinks. So let's zoom in on the offense and try to figure out what has happened through the first 91 games of the season.
Catcher:
Jason Castro (237 PAs): .212/.283/.363, 66K:20BB
Hank Conger (116 PAs): .232/.339/.434, 30K:16BB
Castro has come a long way since 2013 when he was the lone All-Star and didn't even get to play in the game, but it's not in a good way. In 2013 Castro broke out, hitting .276/.350/.485 with 18 home runs. That was a fun year. Since then, however, Castro has struggled. His stats stretching back to the beginning of the 2014 season show that he's hitting .219/.285/.365 with 21 homers in 677 plate appearances. This is...not great. In May 2015, he hit .250/.289/.444, which was nice, but he's hitting .185/.261/.309 since. Part of Castro's issues over the last season and a half come from him not using the entire field. In 2013, Castro pulled the ball 34% of the time, meaning that he either went back up the middle or to the opposite field in 66% of the balls he put in play. In 2015, that Pull% is a career-high 45%. He's trying to pull the ball, isn't hitting the ball as hard, and is impatient. Put it this way: in 491 PAs in 2013, Castro drew 50 walks. In 749 PAs in 2014-15, he's drawn 54 walks. Part of it could be that the 2013 Astros lineup wasn't even Petty Thieves' Row, much less Murderer's Row, but Castro has to improve. Where Castro has improved is his defense, throwing out 38% of the runners who try to steal on him, and it's his defense which is largely responsible for FanGraphs giving him a 1.0 WAR. Castro arbitration-eligible for the last time in 2016, but the Astros not locking him up following 2013 seems to be the right call.
Conger has been exactly what the Astros likely hoped for: a solid backup catcher, who maybe should be getting more playing time. Hell, he hit a game-winning homer in the 14th inning against the Rangers in his second game in an Astros jersey, so right there he is first in our hearts. Neither Conger (.577 OPS) nor Castro (.591 OPS) can hit lefty pitching, but Conger is hitting .311/.426/.578 in 54 PAs against righties. Conger can't throw anybody out - opposing baserunners are 15x16 in successfully reaching base, but at least he provides a little pop. Since June 1, Conger is hitting .296/.387/.537 in 62 PAs.
First Base
We've covered this, and I don't wanna do it again.
Second Base
Jose Altuve (363 PAs): .293/.335/.412, 34K:20BB
Jose Altuve has pretty much established himself as one of the premier second basemen in the game. Finally, and I can't believe it's taken this long, he's not just the short little guy who might be able to hit because he has the strike zone the size of a Kraft Single. At this point, Altuve is a career .301/.339/.402 hitter, for a 106 OPS+. And that includes the 2013 season where Altuve "struggled," hitting .283/.316/.363 and the Astros pounced to sign him to an unbelievably friendly 6yr deal with team options for the 2018 and 2019 seasons.
Dating back to the beginning of last season, Altuve is hitting .325/.363/.439 with 87K:56BB in 1070 PAs. No, he doesn't walk a lot, but he does make contact. Altuve's .304 average is a fraction of a percentage point behind Robinson Cano for the best BA among 2B from 2012-15 and is 10th in all of baseball. His 667 hits from 2012-15 are 2nd in baseball, behind Miguel Cabrera. He is first among all 2Bs with 149 stolen bases - ten more than Dee Gordon.
Whatever, we all know how good Altuve is. He did hit a rough patch from May 2 - June 24, coinciding with his hamstring issues, hitting .229/.274/.313 where he had almost as many GIDPs (6) as he did extra-base hits (8). But starting with the Yankees series on June 25, he's hitting .324/.370/.515.
Basically, Altuve is the cornerstone of the infield, and God willing he and Correa will anchor the middle of the diamond for the next 150 years (because the Astros will eventually use Ground Control to cheat death.)
Shortstop
Jed Lowrie (74 PAs): .300/.432/.567
Marwin Gonzalez (203 PAs): .253/.279/.412
Jonathan Villar (105 PAs): .263/.317/.368
Carlos Correa (141 PAs): .276/.312/.507
Ahh shortstop. Jed Lowrie started the season entrenched at short with Carlos Correa starting in Corpus. Both were destined for other, more obvious things: Lowrie hurt his thumb and Correa hurt the Texas League. The Astros struggles at shortstop in the intermediate period between Lowrie going down and Correa coming up were well-documented and there's a chance that you're like me and you've quadruple-checked Villar's batting average because you can't remember Villar ever getting a hit, much less hitting .263.
Correa is staying in Houston when Lowrie returns. What happens to Lowrie remains to be seen, but he's not going to be at shortstop unless Correa needs a break. So I think (and I'm not exactly breaking news here) that you'll see Lowrie spend some time at 1B, 3B, and DH, with most of his time at 3B. Lowrie has logged 83 games at 3B in his career, but none since 2011.
But Correa has been everything you could have asked for in his first 32 games. Consider it this way: Correa in 32 games has seven homers, which is 9th-best among shortstops for the entire year. His 128 wRC+ is 2nd among ML shortstops, and his 1.5 WAR is already tied for 9th in MLB. Will there come a time for pitchers to adjust to Carlos Correa?Sure there will. Maybe so, and Correa's numbers are going to dip, but then they're going to come back up, because Correa is a supastar.
If we're asking for things, we would ask that Correa improve against righty pitching. In the Majors (88 PAs), he's hitting .238/.273/.405. This is interesting because in 62 ABs at Fresno, Correa hit .242/.319/.339 against righties.
Third Base
Luis Valbuena (323 PAs): .199/.285/.430
Luis Valbuena is having one of the weirdest seasons I've ever seen. His .199 average is held down by a .193 BABIP, which is around 100 points lower than his BABIP for the Cubs in 2014. And he's not hitting the ball softly, either. FanGraphs said that he's hitting balls softly 15.7% of the time (15.0% in in 2014), meaning that he's hitting the ball medium to hard about 84% of the time he puts it in play, it's just not dropping for a hit (or it's leaving the park). Valbuena isn't changing his approach, either. His swing percentages (via FanGraphs) are all in line with his career-to-date. It's just the weirdest thing.
Of the 19 home runs Valbuena has hit in 2015, 14 have been solo shots, which might mean something (it might not, I'm not thinking about that too hard right now). Eight of those home runs have either tied the game or given the Astros the lead.
Still, the thing with Valbuena is the same thing with Chris Carter: how long do you wait for the numbers to rebound? Or is Valbuena's power worth dealing with the low average? His last home run came on June 23 (he hit two against Seattle), and in that time frame he's hitting .222/.364/.239 with a .303 BABIP. Is that the player Valbuena is? It's hard to get a handle on, because this season has been so bizarre.
Outfield
Colby Rasmus (249 PAs): .237/.305/.460
Jake Marisnick (218 PAs): .239/.274/.373
Preston Tucker (196 PAs): .256/.316/.417
George Springer (324 PAs): .264/.365/.457
More devastating than the Lowrie injury is Springer's injury at Edinson "The Butcher" Volquez, damn his eyes. Springer was leading the team in OBP (.365) and OPS+ (129) when Volquez hit him with a pitch and knocked him out until early September at the earliest. But his stats don't tell the whole story of how Springer was heating up and turning into the player we all kind of expected him to before Volquez cut his season in half. At the end of May, Springer was hitting .222/.347/.414. He displayed a decent amount of patience, but wasn't connecting on the pitches that looked like they were piped down the middle. But from June 1 - July 1 (the date of Volquez's crime against humanity), Springer hit .325/.394/.518 with a .403 BABIP. He was stinging the ball. Replacing that level of production will be almost impossible.
Jake Marisnick started out the season hot, peaking at an 1.100 OPS (.383/.433/.667) at the end of play on May 1. Marisnick's play was a key reason in why the Astros began the season 18-7. But he, too, has fallen back to earth, his numbers settling back in line with his career numbers. From May 2 to the Break (and with him missing some time due to injury), Marisnick is hitting .177/.203/.248 with 48K:4BB in 150 PAs. This is awful.
Colby Rasmus, who is a national treasure, was doing fine until a spider (or some other critter) bite landed him in the hospital for fluids. Rasmus was hitting .247/.321/.485 before the bite - but since returning, he's hitting .167/.194/.300 in 31 PAs. Given that he returned to the lineup on July 4 - after Springer's HBP - that isn't going to cut it.
Preston Tucker's first 20 games in the Majors were fantastic, resulting in him hitting .308/.384/.523 with multi-hit games six times in those 20 games. Since then, he's come back down to earth, hitting .226/.276/.357 with 27K:8BB in 123 PAs. But there are signs of recent life: on the nine-game road trip, Tucker hit .300/.333/.425, albeit with a .344 BABIP.
So what to make of this? There are certainly more questions than answers. Tomorrow we'll take a look at the pitching staff to get a fuller picture of what the Astros' needs are over the next two weeks before the Trade Deadline.
Schedule
It certainly could be that what the Astros need more than anything is the four-day break that the All-Star Game provides. After all, the Astros have played 91 games - the A's, Phillies, Rays, and Blue Jays have played 91 games, but nobody has played more. They could just be worn out. They have had two days off since June 1, playing 40 games in 42 days - 24 of those games played on the road in Toronto, Chicago, Colorado, Seattle, Anaheim, Boston, Cleveland, and Tampa.
There are 71 games left in the season, 37 of which are at home. Of those 71 games, 38 are against teams that are currently under .500, with the breakdown of remaining games vs teams as follows:
vs AL West:
13 vs. Texas (6 home, 7 away)
10 vs. Oakland (3 home, 7 away)
9 vs. Anaheim (6 home, 3 away)
6 vs. Seattle (3 home, 3 away)
vs. AL Central:
6 vs. Minnesota (3 home, 3 away)
3 vs. Kansas City (3 away)
3 vs. Detroit (3 home)
vs. AL East
4 vs. Tampa Bay (4 home)
3 vs. Boston (3 home)
3 vs. New York (3 away)
Interleague
6 vs. Arizona (3 home, 3 away)
3 vs. Los Angeles (3 home)
2 vs. San Francisco (2 away)
Against these teams the Astros are cumulatively 31-26, with a 22-16 record against the rest of the AL West to this point in the season and 38 division games remaining. Some of these teams are still figuring themselves out. Certainly six against the Twins and three against the Dodgers doesn't look like a whole lot of fun. But the Astros will be playing fewer games the rest of the way than almost every other team.
The point of this is, infuriatingly, to say who the hell knows what's coming down the pike? When Springer returns in September, will it be just in time to make a late-season push, or will it be too late? The A's gave up Addison Russell for a two months of Jeff Samardzija and one playoff game against the Royals - are you comfortable with that?
Whose time runs out first: Carter? Valbuena? Can Lowrie provide enough of a spark for the offense to not be so damn streaky? Will Edinson Volquez accidentally fall down an open elevator shaft in Kansas City? Why aren't the Cardinals in jail right now?
What I do know is this: I'm pretty happy I'm not Jeff Luhnow right now.
We knew this was how the offense was going to go. Back when the Astros were 18-7, we made the comparison of the 2015 Astros to the 2014 Brewers, whose offense was built on unsustainable power. Even if that power *is* sustainable, there will be stretches where the power blinks. So let's zoom in on the offense and try to figure out what has happened through the first 91 games of the season.
Catcher:
Jason Castro (237 PAs): .212/.283/.363, 66K:20BB
Hank Conger (116 PAs): .232/.339/.434, 30K:16BB
Castro has come a long way since 2013 when he was the lone All-Star and didn't even get to play in the game, but it's not in a good way. In 2013 Castro broke out, hitting .276/.350/.485 with 18 home runs. That was a fun year. Since then, however, Castro has struggled. His stats stretching back to the beginning of the 2014 season show that he's hitting .219/.285/.365 with 21 homers in 677 plate appearances. This is...not great. In May 2015, he hit .250/.289/.444, which was nice, but he's hitting .185/.261/.309 since. Part of Castro's issues over the last season and a half come from him not using the entire field. In 2013, Castro pulled the ball 34% of the time, meaning that he either went back up the middle or to the opposite field in 66% of the balls he put in play. In 2015, that Pull% is a career-high 45%. He's trying to pull the ball, isn't hitting the ball as hard, and is impatient. Put it this way: in 491 PAs in 2013, Castro drew 50 walks. In 749 PAs in 2014-15, he's drawn 54 walks. Part of it could be that the 2013 Astros lineup wasn't even Petty Thieves' Row, much less Murderer's Row, but Castro has to improve. Where Castro has improved is his defense, throwing out 38% of the runners who try to steal on him, and it's his defense which is largely responsible for FanGraphs giving him a 1.0 WAR. Castro arbitration-eligible for the last time in 2016, but the Astros not locking him up following 2013 seems to be the right call.
Conger has been exactly what the Astros likely hoped for: a solid backup catcher, who maybe should be getting more playing time. Hell, he hit a game-winning homer in the 14th inning against the Rangers in his second game in an Astros jersey, so right there he is first in our hearts. Neither Conger (.577 OPS) nor Castro (.591 OPS) can hit lefty pitching, but Conger is hitting .311/.426/.578 in 54 PAs against righties. Conger can't throw anybody out - opposing baserunners are 15x16 in successfully reaching base, but at least he provides a little pop. Since June 1, Conger is hitting .296/.387/.537 in 62 PAs.
First Base
We've covered this, and I don't wanna do it again.
Second Base
Jose Altuve (363 PAs): .293/.335/.412, 34K:20BB
Jose Altuve has pretty much established himself as one of the premier second basemen in the game. Finally, and I can't believe it's taken this long, he's not just the short little guy who might be able to hit because he has the strike zone the size of a Kraft Single. At this point, Altuve is a career .301/.339/.402 hitter, for a 106 OPS+. And that includes the 2013 season where Altuve "struggled," hitting .283/.316/.363 and the Astros pounced to sign him to an unbelievably friendly 6yr deal with team options for the 2018 and 2019 seasons.
Dating back to the beginning of last season, Altuve is hitting .325/.363/.439 with 87K:56BB in 1070 PAs. No, he doesn't walk a lot, but he does make contact. Altuve's .304 average is a fraction of a percentage point behind Robinson Cano for the best BA among 2B from 2012-15 and is 10th in all of baseball. His 667 hits from 2012-15 are 2nd in baseball, behind Miguel Cabrera. He is first among all 2Bs with 149 stolen bases - ten more than Dee Gordon.
Whatever, we all know how good Altuve is. He did hit a rough patch from May 2 - June 24, coinciding with his hamstring issues, hitting .229/.274/.313 where he had almost as many GIDPs (6) as he did extra-base hits (8). But starting with the Yankees series on June 25, he's hitting .324/.370/.515.
Basically, Altuve is the cornerstone of the infield, and God willing he and Correa will anchor the middle of the diamond for the next 150 years (because the Astros will eventually use Ground Control to cheat death.)
Shortstop
Jed Lowrie (74 PAs): .300/.432/.567
Marwin Gonzalez (203 PAs): .253/.279/.412
Jonathan Villar (105 PAs): .263/.317/.368
Carlos Correa (141 PAs): .276/.312/.507
Ahh shortstop. Jed Lowrie started the season entrenched at short with Carlos Correa starting in Corpus. Both were destined for other, more obvious things: Lowrie hurt his thumb and Correa hurt the Texas League. The Astros struggles at shortstop in the intermediate period between Lowrie going down and Correa coming up were well-documented and there's a chance that you're like me and you've quadruple-checked Villar's batting average because you can't remember Villar ever getting a hit, much less hitting .263.
Correa is staying in Houston when Lowrie returns. What happens to Lowrie remains to be seen, but he's not going to be at shortstop unless Correa needs a break. So I think (and I'm not exactly breaking news here) that you'll see Lowrie spend some time at 1B, 3B, and DH, with most of his time at 3B. Lowrie has logged 83 games at 3B in his career, but none since 2011.
But Correa has been everything you could have asked for in his first 32 games. Consider it this way: Correa in 32 games has seven homers, which is 9th-best among shortstops for the entire year. His 128 wRC+ is 2nd among ML shortstops, and his 1.5 WAR is already tied for 9th in MLB. Will there come a time for pitchers to adjust to Carlos Correa?
If we're asking for things, we would ask that Correa improve against righty pitching. In the Majors (88 PAs), he's hitting .238/.273/.405. This is interesting because in 62 ABs at Fresno, Correa hit .242/.319/.339 against righties.
Third Base
Luis Valbuena (323 PAs): .199/.285/.430
Luis Valbuena is having one of the weirdest seasons I've ever seen. His .199 average is held down by a .193 BABIP, which is around 100 points lower than his BABIP for the Cubs in 2014. And he's not hitting the ball softly, either. FanGraphs said that he's hitting balls softly 15.7% of the time (15.0% in in 2014), meaning that he's hitting the ball medium to hard about 84% of the time he puts it in play, it's just not dropping for a hit (or it's leaving the park). Valbuena isn't changing his approach, either. His swing percentages (via FanGraphs) are all in line with his career-to-date. It's just the weirdest thing.
Of the 19 home runs Valbuena has hit in 2015, 14 have been solo shots, which might mean something (it might not, I'm not thinking about that too hard right now). Eight of those home runs have either tied the game or given the Astros the lead.
Still, the thing with Valbuena is the same thing with Chris Carter: how long do you wait for the numbers to rebound? Or is Valbuena's power worth dealing with the low average? His last home run came on June 23 (he hit two against Seattle), and in that time frame he's hitting .222/.364/.239 with a .303 BABIP. Is that the player Valbuena is? It's hard to get a handle on, because this season has been so bizarre.
Outfield
Colby Rasmus (249 PAs): .237/.305/.460
Jake Marisnick (218 PAs): .239/.274/.373
Preston Tucker (196 PAs): .256/.316/.417
George Springer (324 PAs): .264/.365/.457
More devastating than the Lowrie injury is Springer's injury at Edinson "The Butcher" Volquez, damn his eyes. Springer was leading the team in OBP (.365) and OPS+ (129) when Volquez hit him with a pitch and knocked him out until early September at the earliest. But his stats don't tell the whole story of how Springer was heating up and turning into the player we all kind of expected him to before Volquez cut his season in half. At the end of May, Springer was hitting .222/.347/.414. He displayed a decent amount of patience, but wasn't connecting on the pitches that looked like they were piped down the middle. But from June 1 - July 1 (the date of Volquez's crime against humanity), Springer hit .325/.394/.518 with a .403 BABIP. He was stinging the ball. Replacing that level of production will be almost impossible.
Jake Marisnick started out the season hot, peaking at an 1.100 OPS (.383/.433/.667) at the end of play on May 1. Marisnick's play was a key reason in why the Astros began the season 18-7. But he, too, has fallen back to earth, his numbers settling back in line with his career numbers. From May 2 to the Break (and with him missing some time due to injury), Marisnick is hitting .177/.203/.248 with 48K:4BB in 150 PAs. This is awful.
Colby Rasmus, who is a national treasure, was doing fine until a spider (or some other critter) bite landed him in the hospital for fluids. Rasmus was hitting .247/.321/.485 before the bite - but since returning, he's hitting .167/.194/.300 in 31 PAs. Given that he returned to the lineup on July 4 - after Springer's HBP - that isn't going to cut it.
Preston Tucker's first 20 games in the Majors were fantastic, resulting in him hitting .308/.384/.523 with multi-hit games six times in those 20 games. Since then, he's come back down to earth, hitting .226/.276/.357 with 27K:8BB in 123 PAs. But there are signs of recent life: on the nine-game road trip, Tucker hit .300/.333/.425, albeit with a .344 BABIP.
So what to make of this? There are certainly more questions than answers. Tomorrow we'll take a look at the pitching staff to get a fuller picture of what the Astros' needs are over the next two weeks before the Trade Deadline.
Schedule
It certainly could be that what the Astros need more than anything is the four-day break that the All-Star Game provides. After all, the Astros have played 91 games - the A's, Phillies, Rays, and Blue Jays have played 91 games, but nobody has played more. They could just be worn out. They have had two days off since June 1, playing 40 games in 42 days - 24 of those games played on the road in Toronto, Chicago, Colorado, Seattle, Anaheim, Boston, Cleveland, and Tampa.
There are 71 games left in the season, 37 of which are at home. Of those 71 games, 38 are against teams that are currently under .500, with the breakdown of remaining games vs teams as follows:
vs AL West:
13 vs. Texas (6 home, 7 away)
10 vs. Oakland (3 home, 7 away)
9 vs. Anaheim (6 home, 3 away)
6 vs. Seattle (3 home, 3 away)
vs. AL Central:
6 vs. Minnesota (3 home, 3 away)
3 vs. Kansas City (3 away)
3 vs. Detroit (3 home)
vs. AL East
4 vs. Tampa Bay (4 home)
3 vs. Boston (3 home)
3 vs. New York (3 away)
Interleague
6 vs. Arizona (3 home, 3 away)
3 vs. Los Angeles (3 home)
2 vs. San Francisco (2 away)
Against these teams the Astros are cumulatively 31-26, with a 22-16 record against the rest of the AL West to this point in the season and 38 division games remaining. Some of these teams are still figuring themselves out. Certainly six against the Twins and three against the Dodgers doesn't look like a whole lot of fun. But the Astros will be playing fewer games the rest of the way than almost every other team.
The point of this is, infuriatingly, to say who the hell knows what's coming down the pike? When Springer returns in September, will it be just in time to make a late-season push, or will it be too late? The A's gave up Addison Russell for a two months of Jeff Samardzija and one playoff game against the Royals - are you comfortable with that?
Whose time runs out first: Carter? Valbuena? Can Lowrie provide enough of a spark for the offense to not be so damn streaky? Will Edinson Volquez accidentally fall down an open elevator shaft in Kansas City? Why aren't the Cardinals in jail right now?
What I do know is this: I'm pretty happy I'm not Jeff Luhnow right now.
Tuesday, September 10, 2013
2014 Schedule Released
The times are yet to be determined, but Brian McTaggart has your 2014 Astros schedule. Immediate thoughts:
*The Astros' season runs from Tuesday, April 1 - Sunday, September 28.
*The Astros open at home with a seven-game homestand: three games against the Yankees and four games against the Angels.
*Once again, April is AL West-heavy: 28 games in April, 17 against the AL West (and seven with Oakland).
*The Astros are on the road for Memorial Day and July 4th.
*Labor Day is my chief complaint. The Astros have a nine-game homestand from August 25 - September 3. Labor Day is Monday, September 1. Who do the Astros play? Nobody. They start a two (TWO) game series with the Angels on September 2nd. Well, sure, you say. The Angels must be wrapping up a four-game series with somebody on Labor Day, right? No. The Astros and Angels are both off on Labor Day, sitting in their hotel rooms, not playing on the last major holiday before the end of the season. This is ridiculous.
*The Astros have two ten-game road trips from August 14 - September 15.
*Longest homestand: Ten games, July 25 - August 3.
*Interleague Play: April 29-30 vs. Washington; June 17/18 @ Washington; June 24-26 vs. Atlanta; July 25-27 vs. Miami; August 5-7 @ Philadelphia; September 26-28 @ NY Mets.
*"Natural Rivalry Week" - June 9/10 @ Arizona; June 11/12 vs. Arizona
*The Astros' season runs from Tuesday, April 1 - Sunday, September 28.
*The Astros open at home with a seven-game homestand: three games against the Yankees and four games against the Angels.
*Once again, April is AL West-heavy: 28 games in April, 17 against the AL West (and seven with Oakland).
*The Astros are on the road for Memorial Day and July 4th.
*Labor Day is my chief complaint. The Astros have a nine-game homestand from August 25 - September 3. Labor Day is Monday, September 1. Who do the Astros play? Nobody. They start a two (TWO) game series with the Angels on September 2nd. Well, sure, you say. The Angels must be wrapping up a four-game series with somebody on Labor Day, right? No. The Astros and Angels are both off on Labor Day, sitting in their hotel rooms, not playing on the last major holiday before the end of the season. This is ridiculous.
*The Astros have two ten-game road trips from August 14 - September 15.
*Longest homestand: Ten games, July 25 - August 3.
*Interleague Play: April 29-30 vs. Washington; June 17/18 @ Washington; June 24-26 vs. Atlanta; July 25-27 vs. Miami; August 5-7 @ Philadelphia; September 26-28 @ NY Mets.
*"Natural Rivalry Week" - June 9/10 @ Arizona; June 11/12 vs. Arizona
Preliminary 2014 schedule out
Reid Laymance has a preliminary copy of the 2014 MLB schedule - which will be released today. What we know so far:
*The Astros will host the Yankees to open the season on April 1.
*Interleague play is with the NL East.
*The Astros "natural rival" isn't the Rockies anymore, apparently. It's the Diamondbacks. Because it's only natural that your natural rival changes from year to year.
*The Astros will host the Yankees to open the season on April 1.
*Interleague play is with the NL East.
*The Astros "natural rival" isn't the Rockies anymore, apparently. It's the Diamondbacks. Because it's only natural that your natural rival changes from year to year.
Wednesday, September 12, 2012
Knee-jerk reaction to 2013 schedule release
Brian McTaggart has a link to the 2013 Astros schedule, just released at noon.
1) The Astros do, in fact, open the season at home against Texas.
2) The Astros play their first 15 games - and 18 of 21 - against AL West opponents, so we should have a pretty good idea how the year is going to go by mid-April.
3) The other April series against non-AL West teams are at home to Cleveland, at Boston and at New York.
4) The Astros play the entire NL Central during 2013, including home-and-home series against the Rockies and Cardinals. So I guess that makes the Cardinals the Astros "rivals." Interesting.
5) The Astros have home games during Memorial Day, July 4, and Labor Day.
6) There's absolutely no way Minute Maid Park gets the All-Star Game while Selig is commissioner - the Boos would be deafening.
1) The Astros do, in fact, open the season at home against Texas.
2) The Astros play their first 15 games - and 18 of 21 - against AL West opponents, so we should have a pretty good idea how the year is going to go by mid-April.
3) The other April series against non-AL West teams are at home to Cleveland, at Boston and at New York.
4) The Astros play the entire NL Central during 2013, including home-and-home series against the Rockies and Cardinals. So I guess that makes the Cardinals the Astros "rivals." Interesting.
5) The Astros have home games during Memorial Day, July 4, and Labor Day.
6) There's absolutely no way Minute Maid Park gets the All-Star Game while Selig is commissioner - the Boos would be deafening.
Early 2013 schedule to be released today, maybe
Zachary Levine tweeted a link to the St. Petersburg Times' Marc Topkin's post on the Rays' schedule for 2013.
While we, of course, don't know the Astros' schedule, we do know that the Astros will play the Rays at home in a four-game series from July 1-4 (as Levine notes, this will be the first time the Astros have played at home on July 4 since 2007), and in Tampa from July 12-14.
I've been curious as to whether The Schedulemaker will throw the Astros some holiday home game bones to boost attendance. Looks like the Astros do get at least one holiday at home.
UPDATE: The schedule will be released at 12pm Central.
While we, of course, don't know the Astros' schedule, we do know that the Astros will play the Rays at home in a four-game series from July 1-4 (as Levine notes, this will be the first time the Astros have played at home on July 4 since 2007), and in Tampa from July 12-14.
I've been curious as to whether The Schedulemaker will throw the Astros some holiday home game bones to boost attendance. Looks like the Astros do get at least one holiday at home.
UPDATE: The schedule will be released at 12pm Central.
Friday, September 7, 2012
Stark on the 2013 schedule
Jayson Stark previews what the 2013 schedule might look like in his new Rumblings & Grumblings column today:
20 interleague games
76 division games (19 versus each opponent)
66 intradivision games
Finally, each team in a division will play all of the same opponents, except for four interleague "rivalry" games. The only glitch is that teams won't play exactly the same number of games against each opponent. (A club in the AL Central, for instance, would play three games apiece against four NL East teams, and four games against a fifth.) But that was the only way to make the rest of the schedule pieces fit together.
So that means the Astros will be playing 20 interleague games (which will be awesome if the Cardinals are the Astros "rivals," seeing as how Houston was just moved to the AL West to take advantage of the new "rivalry" with the "Rangers"), 19 games vs. the A's, Angels, Mariners, and Rangers. This leaves 66 games with the other ten AL teams.
So there.
20 interleague games
76 division games (19 versus each opponent)
66 intradivision games
Finally, each team in a division will play all of the same opponents, except for four interleague "rivalry" games. The only glitch is that teams won't play exactly the same number of games against each opponent. (A club in the AL Central, for instance, would play three games apiece against four NL East teams, and four games against a fifth.) But that was the only way to make the rest of the schedule pieces fit together.
So that means the Astros will be playing 20 interleague games (which will be awesome if the Cardinals are the Astros "rivals," seeing as how Houston was just moved to the AL West to take advantage of the new "rivalry" with the "Rangers"), 19 games vs. the A's, Angels, Mariners, and Rangers. This leaves 66 games with the other ten AL teams.
So there.
Wednesday, September 14, 2011
2012 schedule released
The basic 2012 schedule has been released, and the Astros will again open the season at home - against the Rockies and Braves. The April 10, 2012 game against Atlanta will celebrate the 50th anniversary of the franchise's first game.
Interleague series will come against the Rangers (derp), White Sox, Royals, and Indians.
The Phillies come get swept in Houston from September 13-16, and MLB has given the Astros the screw-gee by scheduling road series on Memorial Day, July 4th, and Labor Day. Thanks, Bud.
Interleague series will come against the Rangers (derp), White Sox, Royals, and Indians.
The Phillies come get swept in Houston from September 13-16, and MLB has given the Astros the screw-gee by scheduling road series on Memorial Day, July 4th, and Labor Day. Thanks, Bud.
Tuesday, March 9, 2010
A gander at April
Rob Neyer posted an article this morning about how much it sucks to be the Orioles with a "balanced schedule" in the AL East. So that got me wondering about the Astros' schedule.
There has been a lot of talk about how the Astros need to start fast this year, and try not to get 10GB by the end of May, which is valid. But how does the schedule set that up?
Let's just take a look at April, for now.
Home series: San Francisco, Philadelphia, Florida, Pittsburgh, Cincinnati.
Away series: @St. Louis, @Chicago
15 of the Astros' first 21 games are at home, and using CHONE's starting lineup projections, 12 of those first 21 games are against teams projected to finish under .500. (Of course, the Astros are projected to go 72-90, so that should be taken into consideration.)
These 21 games also feature teams the Astros went a combined 37-47 against in 2009. That's good enough for a .440 Win%, but the Astros had a .543 Win% at home, too. So if we split the difference, that's in the 10-11/11-10 range for April. With that kind of schedule to open April, obviously there are some road games coming up, and in May the Astros will play 17 road games (counting an April 30 game at Atlanta. Which I will attend.) and 12 home games. The Astros need to make some hay while the sun shines.
There has been a lot of talk about how the Astros need to start fast this year, and try not to get 10GB by the end of May, which is valid. But how does the schedule set that up?
Let's just take a look at April, for now.
Home series: San Francisco, Philadelphia, Florida, Pittsburgh, Cincinnati.
Away series: @St. Louis, @Chicago
15 of the Astros' first 21 games are at home, and using CHONE's starting lineup projections, 12 of those first 21 games are against teams projected to finish under .500. (Of course, the Astros are projected to go 72-90, so that should be taken into consideration.)
These 21 games also feature teams the Astros went a combined 37-47 against in 2009. That's good enough for a .440 Win%, but the Astros had a .543 Win% at home, too. So if we split the difference, that's in the 10-11/11-10 range for April. With that kind of schedule to open April, obviously there are some road games coming up, and in May the Astros will play 17 road games (counting an April 30 game at Atlanta. Which I will attend.) and 12 home games. The Astros need to make some hay while the sun shines.
Wednesday, September 16, 2009
The Astros are winning the games they should lose, and losing the games they should win
Not much to report in Astroland today, so I got curious, how are they performing against other teams? And what's the problem?
Alright, so here's what I found as far as winning percentage against teams above .500:
Los Angeles Dodgers: .571 (44-33)
Philadelphia: .537 (36-31)
Atlanta: .521 (38-35)
San Francisco: .521 (37-34)
Houston: .474 (37-41)
St. Louis: .472 (25-28)
Colorado: .459 (34-40)
Florida: .457 (32-38)
San Diego: .409 (38-55)
NY Mets: .394 (37-57)
Milwaukee: .386 (27-43)
Arizona: .369 (31-53)
Cincinnati: .369 (24-41)
Pittsburgh: .368 (25-43)
Chicago Cubs: .352 (19-35)
Washington: .268 (22-60)
Notice a few things here:
1. It's easy to see how the Dodgers are almost 30 games over .500 - they've won 44 out of 77 games against teams better than .500.
2. The Cardinals are so far ahead of anyone else in the NL Central because they're 60-33 against teams with records below .500. That's a pounding.
3. The Cardinals (53) and the Cubs (54) have played the fewest games against teams over .500. And the Cardinals are 6.5 games better against those teams than the Cubs. Even that up and the Cubs are only 2 games behind St. Louis.
Alright, so here's what I found as far as winning percentage against teams above .500:
Los Angeles Dodgers: .571 (44-33)
Philadelphia: .537 (36-31)
Atlanta: .521 (38-35)
San Francisco: .521 (37-34)
Houston: .474 (37-41)
St. Louis: .472 (25-28)
Colorado: .459 (34-40)
Florida: .457 (32-38)
San Diego: .409 (38-55)
NY Mets: .394 (37-57)
Milwaukee: .386 (27-43)
Arizona: .369 (31-53)
Cincinnati: .369 (24-41)
Pittsburgh: .368 (25-43)
Chicago Cubs: .352 (19-35)
Washington: .268 (22-60)
Notice a few things here:
1. It's easy to see how the Dodgers are almost 30 games over .500 - they've won 44 out of 77 games against teams better than .500.
2. The Cardinals are so far ahead of anyone else in the NL Central because they're 60-33 against teams with records below .500. That's a pounding.
3. The Cardinals (53) and the Cubs (54) have played the fewest games against teams over .500. And the Cardinals are 6.5 games better against those teams than the Cubs. Even that up and the Cubs are only 2 games behind St. Louis.
Tuesday, September 15, 2009
2010 master schedule released
The Astros will open 2010 at home against the Giants, Richard Justice notes. What's on tap? 45 home games before the All-Star Break, 15 home games within the division. What else?
Home series:
Apr 5-7: San Francisco
Apr 9-11: Philadelphia
Apr 20-22: Florida
Apr 23-25: Pittsburgh
Apr 27-29: Cincinnati
May 3-6: Arizona
May 7-9: San Diego
May 19-20: Colorado
May 21-23: Tampa Bay
May 31-June 3: Washington (Memorial Day home game)
June 4-6: Chicago
June 18-20: Texas
June 22-24: San Francisco
July 6-8: Pittsburgh
July 9-11: St. Louis
Jul 23-25: Cincinnati
July 26-28: Chicago
July 30-Aug 1: Milwaukee
Aug 9-11: Atlanta
Aug 13-15: Pittsburgh
Aug 16-19: NY Mets
Aug 30-Sep 1: St. Louis
Sept 9-12: Los Angeles Dodgers
Sept 13-15: Milwaukee
Sept 17-19: Cincinnati
Oct 1-3: Chicago
Cardinals/Cubs:
Apr 12, 14-15: @St. Louis
Apr 16-18: @Chicago
May 12-14: @St. Louis
June 4-6: Chicago
July 9-11: St. Louis
July 19-21: @Chicago
July 26-28: Chicago
Aug 2-4: @St. Louis
Aug 30-Sep 1: St. Louis
Sep 6-8: @Chicago (Labor Day game)
Oct 1-3: Chicago
Interleague:
May 21-23: Tampa Bay
June 11-13: @NY Yankees
June 15-17: @Kansas City
June 18-20: Texas
June 25-27: @Texas
Homestretch (Sept games):
Aug 30-Sept 1: St. Louis
Sept 3-5: @Arizona
Sept 6-8: @Chicago
Sept 9-12: Los Angeles Dodgers
Sept 13-15: Milwaukee
Sept 17-19: Cincinnati
Sept 20-23: @Washington
Sept 24-26: @Pittsburgh
Sept 28-30: @Cincinnati
Oct 1-3: Chicago
Pretty favorable homestretch (if we're daydreaming about playing on October 5, 2010), in which 10 of the Astros' final 13 games are against the Nationals, Pirates, and Reds. What say you?
Home series:
Apr 5-7: San Francisco
Apr 9-11: Philadelphia
Apr 20-22: Florida
Apr 23-25: Pittsburgh
Apr 27-29: Cincinnati
May 3-6: Arizona
May 7-9: San Diego
May 19-20: Colorado
May 21-23: Tampa Bay
May 31-June 3: Washington (Memorial Day home game)
June 4-6: Chicago
June 18-20: Texas
June 22-24: San Francisco
July 6-8: Pittsburgh
July 9-11: St. Louis
Jul 23-25: Cincinnati
July 26-28: Chicago
July 30-Aug 1: Milwaukee
Aug 9-11: Atlanta
Aug 13-15: Pittsburgh
Aug 16-19: NY Mets
Aug 30-Sep 1: St. Louis
Sept 9-12: Los Angeles Dodgers
Sept 13-15: Milwaukee
Sept 17-19: Cincinnati
Oct 1-3: Chicago
Cardinals/Cubs:
Apr 12, 14-15: @St. Louis
Apr 16-18: @Chicago
May 12-14: @St. Louis
June 4-6: Chicago
July 9-11: St. Louis
July 19-21: @Chicago
July 26-28: Chicago
Aug 2-4: @St. Louis
Aug 30-Sep 1: St. Louis
Sep 6-8: @Chicago (Labor Day game)
Oct 1-3: Chicago
Interleague:
May 21-23: Tampa Bay
June 11-13: @NY Yankees
June 15-17: @Kansas City
June 18-20: Texas
June 25-27: @Texas
Homestretch (Sept games):
Aug 30-Sept 1: St. Louis
Sept 3-5: @Arizona
Sept 6-8: @Chicago
Sept 9-12: Los Angeles Dodgers
Sept 13-15: Milwaukee
Sept 17-19: Cincinnati
Sept 20-23: @Washington
Sept 24-26: @Pittsburgh
Sept 28-30: @Cincinnati
Oct 1-3: Chicago
Pretty favorable homestretch (if we're daydreaming about playing on October 5, 2010), in which 10 of the Astros' final 13 games are against the Nationals, Pirates, and Reds. What say you?
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