Sunday Morning Clinchin' Hot Links

The Astros do not care for Making It Easy. Houston wins 1-0 to clinch at least a playoff spot. A win today combined with a Ramger loss gives Houston the division, though we'll talk in a few minutes about whether or not that's something you want. Houston is 89-72. There is one game remaining in the 2023 regular season.

*AL Playoff Picture

1. Baltimore (101-60)

2. Six Flags (90-71)

3. Minnesota (87-74)

4. Tampa (98-63)

5. Toronto (89-72)

6. Houston (89-72)

7. Seattle (87-74)

So the permutations for the Astros for G162 are as such:

HOU win + 6FL loss = AL West Title

HOU win + 6FL win + TOR win = 3rd Wild Card

HOU win + 6FL win + TOR loss = 2nd Wild Card

3rd Wild Card is a matchup against Minnesota

2nd Wild Card is a matchup against Tampa.

Houston is -178 in the Money Line, Seattle is -120 today.

*AL West Odds / Postseason Odds:

FanGraphs:

Six Flags: 71.6% to win AL West / 100.0% to make playoffs

Houston: 28.4% to win AL West / 100.0% to make playoffs

Seattle: 0.0% to win AL West / 0.0% to make playoffs

Baseball-Reference:

Six Flags: 69.6% to win AL West

Houston: 30.4% to win AL West

*If you just took the teams with the six best records in the AL, Seattle and Minnesota would be tied at 87-74 with one game to play. Instead, Minnesota has locked up the #3 spot and Seattle is cleaning out Layne Staley shrines in their lockers today. 

*Here's what we know about the Postseason Matchups:

1. Baltimore will have a Wild Card round bye.

2. Tampa will host the Wild Card Round against the #5 team. 

3. Minnesota will host the Wild Card Round against the #6 team.

The Wild Card Round starts Tuesday. The Division Series starts Saturday. 

In the NL, Atlanta and Los Angeles have clinched 1st Round byes. Milwaukee has clinched the #3 spot. 

*Houston is going to the postseason for the 7th year in a row. Franchises to make the postseason 7+ years in a row:

New York Yankees: 13 (1995-2007)

Los Angeles Dodgers: 11 (2013-2023)

Atlanta: 11 (1995-2005)

Houston: 7 (2017-2023)

MLB: How the Astros got to the 2023 Postseason.

Chandler Rome: The Astros' celebration after last night's game was muted. The ragers are reserved for something else...which could come today. Verlander:

The celebration was a bit muted. Keep your eye on the prize. 

*The Astros have won three straight games for the first time since sweeping the Ramgers from Sept 4-6. 

*It's the Astros' 2nd 1-0 win of the season, the first being against Tampa on April 26.

*The Astros have won back-to-back games scoring a total of three runs. It's the fewest total of runs scored in back-to-back wins since the Astros won 2-0 at CitiField on June 30 and 2-1 against the Yankees on July 1, 2022. 

After what was a far lengthier and more exhaustive search than I had imagined due, in part, to both myself and B-Ref forgetting my Username/Password, the last time the Astros won back-to-back games scoring a total of three or fewer runs was June 20/21, 1992, when they beat the Dodgers 1-0 and 2-0.

*Houston was 1x8 w/RISP. 

*Jose Abreu had the game-winning RBI off a double - it's the second game in a row that Abreu has driven in all of the Astros' runs. Abreu has a three-game RBI streak. In September, Jose Abreu has 26 RBI in 25 games.

*Alex Bregman enjoyed hisself a double - his first extra-base hit since hitting a home run on September 19. Bregman is hitting .232/.348/.343 in September.

*Justin Verlander recorded his 3,342nd career strikeout last night, tying him with Phil Niekro for 12th all-time. He's 25 short of Max Scherzer for 11th, and 29 short of Greg Maddux for 10th. Verlander, on last night's start:

Five innings is not what I consider a job well done. I'd like to have gone deeper, but to hand it over to the bullpen tonight and have them perform the way they do, Hector stepping up was absolutely huge, it makes it easier on us starters.

*Kendall Graveman has a 2.45 ERA with Houston on a 4.89 FIP. Out of 163 qualified relievers, the -1.73 difference from ERA (3.12) to FIP (4.89) is the 159th luckiest. Hector Neris ranks 162nd with a -2.12 ERA-FIP.

Graveman has pitched in 23 games for the 2023 Astros. He has allowed at least one baserunner in 20 of those appearances. He hasn't thrown a clean inning (no hits, no walks) since August 26 - a span of 11 games. 

*And speaking of Hector "Los Cojones Grandes" Neris, he threw 1.2IP of hitless/scoreless relief, getting out of a Graveman-induced jam to preserve the narrowest of leads. It's his longest outing of the season since getting six outs on April 3. Neris has allowed one earned run since August 19 - a span of 17.2IP. 

*Bryan Abreu got the save last night, extending his scoreless outing streak to 27 games, tied with Joe Sambito for the 3rd-longest in Astros history, only behind Ryan Pressly (40 games), and Ryne Stanek (30 games). 

*Kyle Tucker, who has hit three home runs in September, needs a home run today for a 30/30 season. 

*J.P. France wasn't available to pitch on Friday because his wife was dehydrated and in the ER. I've been there. It's terrifying.

*Get ready to figure out if you'll be able to stream from Space City Home Network.

*Roger Clemens talked about his World Series showdown vs Miguel Cabrera.

*Big strong boy Cal Raleigh is pissed about the Mariners missing the postseason for the 21st time in the last 22 seasons. The Frisch's Big Boy:

We've got to commit to winning. We have to commit to going and getting those players. You see other teams going out, going for it, getting big-time pitchers, getting big-time hitters. We have to do that to keep up. 

Seattle's last ten games were against the Astros and Rangers. In the nine that have been played, they went 3-6. That's not going 2-7 against the MF A's and GD Royals, but it's close. General Manager Jerry Dipoto has already traded a $1 bill for a Reese's Pieces. The plan has been initiated. 

*Liverpool was denied a game-changing goal in the most hilariously VAR way possible. Jurgen Klopp is pissed, understandably.

*What To Watch, October 1:

Rays @ Blue Jays: 2:07pm Central

Astros @ Diamondbacks: 2:10pm 

Rangers @ Mariners: 2:10pm. Dane Dunning will start on short rest against George "No Mames" Kirby.

*I'm reading "Wanderers" by Chuck Wendig and hooboy...

*When Gordie Howe turned Houston into "Howeston."

*A Musical Selection:

Wednesday Morning Hot Links

The Houston Astros came crashing back to earth after their one (1) win in Seattle and were sloppy as hell, from all accounts (I had to be out of town from about 3:30-11pm yesterday so mercifully I didn't watch a minute of the game). Houston lost 6-2. They're 86-72. There are four games remaining.

*AL Playoff Picture:

1. Baltimore (98-59)

2. Grand Prairie (88-69)

3. Minnesota (84-73)

4. Tampa (96-62)

5. Toronto (87-70)

6. Houston (86-72)

7. Seattle (85-72): +0.5

*AL West Division / Postseason Odds:

FanGraphs:

Grand Prairie: 86.9% / 97.1%

Houston: 6.6% / 58.6%

Seattle: 6.5% / 49.2%

Baseball-Reference:

Grand Prairie: 78.3% / 98.0%

Seattle: 14.0% / 42.5%

Houston: 7.7% / 63.7%

The Game, For Some Reason

*AL West Records, Sept 1-present:

Grand Prairie: 13-11

Oakland: 9-14

Houston: 9-14

Seattle: 9-15

Anaheim: 7-17

*Houston has lost 10 of its last 14 games. Their opponents in those 14 games: v Oakland, at Kansas City, v Baltimore, v Kansas City, at Seattle.

*The Astros committed three errors (Altuve, Bregman, Tucker). The Astros have allowed eight unearned runs in their last eleven games. Dusty:

We had (Kirby) on the ropes in the first inning and then we had another bases loaded and nobody out, and we just got one run out of it. We didn't play real well tonight. We kind of threw the ball around and then we didn't back up the bases a couple of times. We didn't play well.

*Houston got 10 hits last night, but only scored two runs, mainly thanks to going 2x13 with runners in scoring position. Jose Abreu was 0x3 w/RISP, Yordan and Yainer were 0x2 w/RISP. 

*Last night was the 7th time in 2023 the Astros had 10+ hits and lost. Four of those games have come in September. It's the 3rd time in 2023 that the Astros recorded 10+ hits, scored two or fewer runs, and lost. 

*Jose Altuve and Jeremy Pena had three hits each. It was the 14th 3-hit game of Altuve's 2023 season, and the 9th of Pena's season. Neither of them scored a run last night. Altuve, on the series finale:

Probably the biggest game of the year. Gotta win. Gotta go out there and score more runs than them and win the game, win the series.

*Yordan went 0x5. It was the 33rd time in 478 games he had at least five Plate Appearances and no hits. 

*Chas McCormick was plunked in his large of the back by a 99mph fastball from Ariel Munoz (I know his name is Andres, I stand by it). It was his 5th HBP to 205 batters faced in 2023. Four of those HBPs have come in September. Dusty: 

I'm tired of our guys getting hit. It makes guys a lot bolder when they don't have to hit. 

The Astros' 72 HBPs are the 6th-highest in the League. Yordan (13) and Chas (11) have worn it the most in 2023. 

*Cristian Javier didn't live up to the tone Verlander set: 4.2IP, 3H/4R (3ER), 6K:3BB. He needed 91 pitches to not get through the 5th Inning. 

*And so was Rafael Montero, who allowed three hits and a walk without recording an out.

*Bennett Sousa threw 1.1IP, 0H/0ER, 2K:0BB. In four appearances for the Astros in 2023, Sousa: 5.1IP, 0H/0ER, 7K:0BB.

*Whoever wins tonight's game will be in the third and final Wild Card spot heading into the last series of the season. 

*The Athletic: Welcome to the "Gold-Plated" Villages the Premier League's elite call home.

*Hello, Nightmare Fuel.

*What To Watch, September 27:

Manchester City @ Newcastle United: 2pm Central

Senators @ Canadiens: 6pm

Yankees @ Blue Jays: 6:07pm

Dynamo @ Inter Miami: 7:30pm

Rangers @ Angels: 8:38pm

Astros @ Mariners: 8:40pm

*A Musical Selection:

Tuesday Morning Hot Links

Fresh off of getting swept by the GDKC Royals, the Astros got a vintage Verlander performance last night in Seattle. Houston is 86-71, 2.5 back of The Colony, 1.5 up on Seattle. There are five games remaining in the regular season.

*AL Playoff Picture:

1. Baltimore (97-59)

2. The Colony (88-68)

3. Minnesota (83-73)

4. Tampa (95-62)

5. Toronto (87-69)

6. Houston (86-71)

7. Seattle (84-72)

*AL West Division Odds / Postseason Odds:

FanGraphs:

The Colony: 86.7% / 98.7%

 

Houston: 10.9% / 75.3%

Seattle: 2.4% / 28.4%

Baseball-Reference:

The Colony: 83.5% / 98.3%

Houston: 11.7% / 76.7%

Seattle: 4.8% / 26.4% 

Keep in mind: The Astros have the tie-breaker against the Rangers. So in order for the Astros to win the Division, they would need to match the Rangers' record. You can safely assume that the Anaheim Possums are going to do exactly that, so the Mariners are going to have to do something in the last series of the season, and the Astros can't afford to...be the 2023 Astros. 

Houston is 2.5 back of The Colony. If the Astros just win out, it puts them at 91-71. The Rangers would have to go 4-2 to finish a game ahead of Houston. If the Astros go 4-1, the Rangers would have to go 3-3. It's a tough, uphill battle. Unless! the Astros actually want the Wild Card, in which case they'd get the advantage of not playing at home, but also getting the Twins and not the Rays. Chess, not checkers?

After a 21-6 August, the Mariners are 8-15 in September. They're 5-15 against teams not named "Oakland" in September. 

The Game

Dusty:

It's one. We got five to go. Hopefully, we come back out tomorrow and do the same thing.

*Houston "improved" to 3-8 against Seattle in 2023. The Astros are 57-33 (.633) all-time at Seattle.

*Houston is 61-22 when scoring first in 2023.  

*Verlander did what they brought him back to do: 8IP, 3H/1ER, 8K:1BB. And on only 96 pitches, 65 of which he threw for strikes. It's the 56th time in his career that he's gotten 24 outs and allowed only an earned run (or less) - the 12th time he's done it for the Astros. 

Opponents who have gotten shut down to the tune of at least 8IP of 0-1ER baseball by Verlander, career:

1: Arizona/Houston/Milwaukee/NY Mets/Philadelphia/The Colony

2: Kansas City/NY Yankees/Pittsburgh/Tampa/Toronto

3: Baltimore/Boston/Oakland

4: Seattle

5: Cleveland

6: Anaheim

7: Chicago White Sox/Minnesota

Verlander:

This is just one of those years where nothing has been easy. Maybe catch the right timing here and this can be the start of something, hopefully.

Alvarez, on Verlander:

Incredible. That's obviously what this team needed. He knew that, and going out there and putting the team in that type of position was great.

*A Full and Complete List of Astros Starting Pitchers to throw 8IP+ in 2023:

Framber Valdez: 4

Justin Verlander: 1

It's the first time an Astros starter has recorded 24 outs since Framber's no-hitter on August 1. Verlander's 79 Game Score is the highest by an Astros starter since Framber's 78 on August 25. 

It was Verlander's 256th career win, by far the most by an active pitcher (Zack Greinke's 224 is 2nd). He's tied for 42nd all-time with Former Astros Great Andy Pettitte. 264 wins gets him in the Top 40 all-time.

*Bryan Abreu closed out the 9th with a scoreless inning. That is now 25 straight scoreless outings for Bryan Abreu, dating back to July 15. Only six pitchers have a 25+ game scoreless streak for the Astros:

1. Ryan Pressly: 40 games (Aug 15, 2018-May 20, 2019)

2. Ryne Stanek: 30 games (Apr 29-July 22, 2022)

3. Joe Sambio: 27 games (May 3-July 14, 1979)

4. Will Harris: 26 games (April 9-June 8, 2016)

5. Billy Wagner: 25 games (Aug 13, 1999-April 16, 2000)

5. Bryan Abreu: 25 games (July 18, 2023-present)

It's the longest active streak in the Majors, and only two other pitchers have managed to throw at least 25 consecutive scoreless outings: Cleveland's Sam Hentges, who saw his 25-game scoreless streak end on September 24; and San Diego's Josh Hader, whose 26-game scoreless streak ended on August 29. 

*The 107 pitches thrown in a 9-inning game by Verlander/Abreu are the 4th-lowest pitch total by the Astros in 2023. 

*It's the 36th time in 2023 that Astros pitchers have held their opponent to 0-1BB. They're 19-17 in those games...somehow.

*Yordan Alvarez was 2x4 with his 30th home run of the season. It's the third season in a row Yordan has hit 30+ homers. 

Three or More Consecutive Seasons of 30+ Homers, Astros history:

8: Jeff Bagwell (1996-2003)

3: Yordan Alvarez (2021-2023)

That's it. Kyle Tucker needs one more home run to join this list.

*Alex Bregman was 0x5. He's now gone five straight games without a hit, hitless in seven of his last eight. His five-game hitless streak ties a career-high, set in 2021 and 2016. Since his 3-hit game against Kansas City on September 16, Bregman has one hit in his last 28 Plate Appearances, but with 3K:9BB. The Astros are 28-31 when Bregman does not get a hit. 

*Martin Maldonado was 2x3 with a walk - his 15th multi-hit game of the season. He raised his OPS from .601 to .612 last night. 

*Mauricio Dubon opened the scoring with a base hit to score Jose Abreu, who ran 270 feet like a big boy. Alvarez, on Dubon's hit:

Very big. Having the runner on third there with nobody out and then having two outs, getting him in, I think, gave the team second wind. So it was very big to get it all started.

Other Stuff

*Ronel Blanco and Will Wagner were named the PCL's Pitcher and Player of the Week, respectively.

*The Beatles' "Abbey Road" was released in the UK 54 years ago today.

*Imagine giving any kind of shit about who Travis Kelce is dating.

*This is the most affordable mountain town in the West.

*How Jason Isbell finished his degree at the University of Memphis.

*Austria Salzburg vs. Red Bull Salzburg: A Derby 18 years in the making.

*Frank Lloyd Wright designed one theatre. Fkn Dallas let it fall into disrepair.

*What To Watch, September 26:

Carabao Cup: Crystal Palace @ Manchester United: 2pm Central

Rangers @ Useless-Ass Angels: 8:38pm 

Astros @ Mariners: 9:05pm

*A Musical Selection:

Saturday Morning Hot Links

The pab Houston Astros collectively tripped on their dicks and lost 4-1 to the gd Detroit Tigers last night, despite the Tigers making four mf errors. Houston is 72-58. The Rangers lost their 8th straight game while the Mariners won their 49th game in a row. Houston is in 3rd place, one game behind the co-leading Mariners/Rambers. 

FanGraphs' Playoff Odds, August 26:

Houston: 37.2% to win the division, 80.3% to make postseason

Seattle: 36.8% to win the division, 79.2% to make postseason

Aledo: 26.0% to win the division, 68.2% to make postseason

B-Ref Playoff Odds:

Seattle: 43.3% to win AL West, 84.4% to make postseason

Aledo: 36.6% to win AL West, 84.2% to make postseason

Houston: 20.1% to win AL West, 64.3% to make postseason

*Record Since All-Star Break:

Seattle: 27-12

Baltimore: 26-13

Minnesota: 22-16

Houston: 22-17

Aledo: 20-17

*The Mariners are in first place after the All-Star Break for the first time since August 26, 2003. I will never respect the Mariners. 

The last time AL West teams were in 1st Place after the All-Star Break:

Seattle: August 26, 2023

Aledo: August 26, 2023

Houston: October 5, 2022

Las Vegas: September 27, 2020

Anaheim: July 28, 2015

*Houston has lost six of their last eight games. They've hit two home runs in the last four games, and are homer-less in back-to-back games for the first time since July 6-7, against Seattle. 

*Last night was the first time Houston was held to a single, solitary, stupid hit since April 20, 2022.

*Kyle Tucker's 25th stolen base of the season ties a career-high. 

*Yordan hit a 417-foot flyout caught by future Tigers hero Parker Meadows.

*Framber was back...? 7IP, 0H/0ER. 6K:5BB. The Astros' "offense" owes him an apology. He threw a season-high 114 pitches. It was his fifth start of allowing 0ER in 2023, and the Astros are 3-2 in those games. He issued five walks in a start for the first time since April 10.

*Framber is the fifth pitcher since 1961 to throw a no-hitter, and then at least seven no-hit innings in the same calendar month, and the first since Derek Lowe did it in April 2002.

*It was the 31st time this season that Astros pitchers have held their opponent to five or fewer hits. Somehow they're 22-9 in those games. 

*In the worst timing possible, Ryan Pressly allowed his first earned runs since July 28, and he started the 9th Inning with two strikeouts. Then: single, single, single, homer, ballgame. 

Framber:

It's part of the game. I can control when I have the ball in my hand, but things like that can happen to any of us.

Dusty:

[Pressly] looked so sharp the first two hitters. Then he had a tough hitter up there in Miggy, who fouled off a bunch of pitches and bounced one up the middle like we've seen him do many, many times...I guess that was [Meadows'] first home run. I guess he'll remember that forever. But that was a tough one. Our guys had pitched so well.

*The Angels, who are a criminal enterprise fronted by a Major League Baseball logo, didn't even send Shohei Ohtani for an MRI even as they pushed back his starts. This 

*Richard Justice: Needville's Boys of Summer

*Runners World: The Struggle Is Awesome

*Why Cuban Migrants Are Moving To Kentucky

*I had a bout with insomnia this week, and read this at 3:30am and laughed until I cried. Vulture: Unraveling The Greatest Writers' Room Story Ever.

*On tap today:

Brighton @ West Ham, 11:30am Central

Navy @ Notre Dame @ Ireland, 1:30pm Central

Kansas City @ Seattle, 3:10pm Central

Houston @ Detroit, 5:10pm Central

Aledo @ Minnesota, 6:15pm Central (Fox)

*I wrote about this a month ago, but my wife almost died on vacation in Colorado. When they moved her out of ICU, it was into a room down the hall. Somehow, she left the AirPods I got her as part of her anniversary present in the bed, and when they cleaned the room, off the AirPods went to laundry. She's the first person to ever lose a pair of AirPods while laying in the same room for four days. I gave her mine. All that's to say, if you have an extra pair of AirPods you're trying to off-load, let me know.

*A Musical Selection:

Monday Morning Hot Links

The Astros limped into the All-Star Break with a 3-1 loss to Seattle to close out the first half of the season with a 50-41 record, two games behind South Argyle. The Astros have not spent a single day in 1st place this season. Thank God they don't play again until Friday. 

*The Astros go into the All-Star Break with a 42.4% chance of winning the division, just south of the 44% that FanGraphs gives the Rangers, the closest that race has been since June 13. Baseball-Reference still gives it to the Rangers, 62.1-33.9. 

*After scoring six runs against the Rockies on Wednesday, the Astros were outscored 20-6 in the four-game series against Seattle. 

*The Astros managed just 19 hits in their last four games, their fewest in a four-game span since recording 16 hits from July 7-10, 2021, against Oakland and New York. 

*Houston is 15-5 against Oakland, Anaheim, and South Argyle, but 2-5 against Seattle in 2023. 

Dusty:

If anybody had told me that we'd be two games out with all that has happened, injuries and different things that we had, I'd say I'd be happy to have that. I'm just not happy at the moment.

More Dusty:

I think the best days are ahead. The best days have been ahead since we lost all those guys, and the key is to get them back, but to get them back ready. You don't want to get them back when you're not ready...They're on the way, they're real close. We've just got to win some games and stay where we are until we get them back.

*Brandon Bielak was solid: 5IP, 4H/3R (2ER), 5K:1BB. It was his 7th start (out of 11) in which he has allowed two or fewer earned runs, and the 4th in which he walked one batter (or fewer). 

*Rafael Montero's last four appearances (dating back to June 29): 7IP, 2H/2R (1ER), 3K:2BB. That said, Montero is the first Astros reliever to post a -0.3 fWAR in the first half of a season since Rhiner Cruz in 2012. 

*Ryan Pressly's career with Houston: 257 games, 250.1IP, 173H/67ER, 321K:56BB, 2.41 ERA / 0.92 WHIP. 5.73 K:BB ratio.

Billy Wagner's career with Houston: 464 games, 504.1IP, 333H/142ER, 694K:191BB, 2.53 ERA / 1.04 WHIP. 3.63 K:BB ratio.

*Jake Meyers was 0x3. Since going 4x5 on June 5 against Toronto, Meyers: 69 PAs, .136/.246/.186, 16K:9BB.

*Since going 3x5 with a grand slam on June 29, Alex Bregman's last ten games: .143/.268/.171. 

*Martin Maldonado hit a home run in back-to-back games for the first time since September 20-21, 2021. 

*Chron: Houston's first half in review.

*Dusty said that Framber will not pitch in the All-Star Game.

*Jose Urquidy threw a 40-pitch bullpen while Yordan took some swings and Altuve tracked pitches.

MLB Draft

*The Astros selected Atascocita HS/University of Nebraska's Brice Matthews with the 28th overall pick last night. It's the 7th time in franchise history that the Astros have taken a Cornhusker, the most recents being Scott Schreiber (9th Round - 2018) and Jake Meyers (13th Round - 2017). The slot value for 1-28 is $2,880,700.

Matthews hit .359/.481/.723 for Nebraska in 2023, and is the first player in program history have a 20HR/20SB season.

Scouting Director Kris Gross:

Postseason, we brought him into Minute Maid Park and had a day with him and his family here and he did a workout in the cage down below. Very impressed with the kid, the family. A lot lined up since he was at our Urban Youth Academy. We had a lot of comfort pulling that magnet off the board.

ESPN:

New GM Dana Brown comes from a more traditional scouting background, but this is a pick that aligns with the Astros' number-crunching models of the past decade. But Matthews is more than just a data darling, as all of his tools grade as average or better.

ESPN questioned whether he would stay at SS, or transition to the outfield, but Chandler Rome talked to Gross, who said:

We think he's got the athleticism to cover a lot of ground at shortstop. It's a little bit new for him - he was an outfielder mainly in high school, played second base at Nebraska his freshman year. Only two years at shortstop, but we like the range, he's got the arm strength to do it and we think that's his long-term future.

Jonathan Mayo: 

This one might have taken some by surprise, as Matthews profiled more as a second-round type of talent. But he does have an exciting combination of home run potential and plus speed.

Matt Kawahara: How Matthews went from Atascocita to Nebraska.

*With their second pick of the night, at 2-61, the Astros selected UCLA's Alonzo Tredwell. And all they said was 6'8" he stood, and people thought the pitches that he made were good. Gross:

He's got some frontline potential. His fastball is 90-95, huge extension down the slope. He's got four pitches, he throws a ton of strikes. We thought he really has a high ceiling if he can put it all together. We're excited to get that one in the second round.

Tredwell, who had Tommy John Surgery in 2020, was a closer at UCLA for two years before transitioning to the rotation this year. In 92.1IP in his collegiate career, Tredwell posted a 113K:18BB ratio. 

Other Stuff

*USMNT beat Canada in penalties last night to reach the Gold Cup Semifinal.

*Check on your friends in the Hudson Valley.

*A Musical Selection:

Saturday Morning Hot Links

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Dusty:

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

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

*Maldonado, on Brown:

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Meat Wagon Update

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

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

*Michael Brantley still has not returned to baseball activities.

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

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

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

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

*A Musical Selection:

Friday Morning Hot Links

The Astros whimpered into their first evening game in months, losing 5-1 to Seattle. They're 49-39, still two games back. Houston has lost five of the last seven series-opening games. 

*The Astros were held to one run for the first time since June 19 - a span of 16 games.

*The homer-less game broke the Astros 17-game streak with at least one home run. 

*The Mariners are now 7-16 at Minute Maid Park, postseason included, since the beginning of the 2021 season. 

*On June 19 the Astros lost 11-1 to the Mets. Since then:

Houston: 10-5

Toronto: 9-5

Cleveland: 10-6

Minnesota: 9-6

New York: 9-7

Seattle: 8-8

Baltimore/Boston/Detroit: 7-8

Oakland/Tampa/Chicago: 6-9

Arlington/Kansas City: 6-10

Anaheim: 4-11

*Corey Julks had three of the Astros' seven hits, he had the only extra-base hit, and drove in the only run. Julks has a four-game multi-hit streak, with eleven hits and a walk in his last 17 Plate Appearances, for a .688/.706/.813 streak. Julks has raised his OPS 56 points in the last four games. 

Julks:

I'm getting comfortable each day, putting in the work before the games and just trusting myself, trusting the staff, what they tell me, and go execute in the game.

*Ronel Blanco threw a spot Quality Start, and at least gave the Astros a chance: 6IP, 3H/3ER, 9K:2BB, 2HR, . It was Blanco's sixth start for the Astros, and he's given up 11 home runs, including a stretch of five straight starts with 2HR allowed. 14 of the 24 runs he's allowed have come via the long ball. 

Dusty:

He's just been plagued by the home run ball. He threw the ball well tonight. He didn't give up many hits. The walk before Suarez hurt, then he made a mistake. He's just got to bear down a little bit and concentrate just a little more, because he's throwing the ball well.

*I simply refuse to believe that last night was only the third time George Kirby has faced the Astros. I swear that dude pitches twice in every series. Anyway:

Kirby vs Astros, regular season & postseason, career: 17.2IP, 16H/3ER, 15K:2BB.

*The Astros placed Jose Altuve on the 10-Day IL in a purely transactional move, to open up a spot on the active roster. He would be eligible to return the first game after the All-Star Break. Altuve:

When I swung and I felt it, I thought it would be worse, but the MRI said totally different. It's a minor thing. I'm really happy. Which is good news for me. We've still got to do a lot of stuff to get back to 100 percent.

*$775 million for this? How the Mets (41-46) and Padres (also 41-46, lol) went from pre-season favorites to first-half failures.

*Wired: How Threads Could Kill Twitter.

*Ryan Bingham covered "Possum Kingdom," and I have so many mixed feelings about it. Listen to it here.

*The Biggest Cheating Scandals In Sports Movie History, Ranked.

*A Musical Selection:

Tuesday Morning Hot Links

Yesterday was the first full-squad workout day and everyone's so happy. 

*Alex Bregman says there's a "good energy" in Astros camp.

In that link we also find that Garrett Stubbs is going to play a little OF and 2B in order to be versatile enough to make the Opening Day roster.

*Chandler Rome: Carlos Correa is expecting a big season out of himself (and also indicated that he's open to moving to 3B, a first in the time Correa's been with the Astros that he's said that). Correa:

I've never been more excited to show up to Spring Training in my career than this year. I'm super excited to be here. I'm happy that baseball is back. I feel something special in this clubhouse. The way everybody showed up today really told me a lot of how everybody put in the work to make sure they're ready - ready to compete and ready to win another championship.

Jake Kaplan says that the fact that the Astros and Carlos Correa haven't opened negotiations on an extension isn't that big of a deal, and lays out what's really important for both sides. Correa:

I know what I'm worth. If the season happens, I'm expecting to have a great, healthy season, which will help my case for free agency, being the youngest shortstop out there.

Here's a Brian McTaggart piece on Correa that's not paywalled.

Let's not forget that the Astros have $65.17m coming off the books at the end of the season with the impending free agency of Justin Verlander, Zack Greinke, Joe Smith, and Martin Maldonado. That's plenty of money for Correa and McCullers to re-sign. 

*Alex Bregman says he feels like himself again.

*Correa said Yordan Alvarez looks "really sexy."

*Myles Straw knows that he needs to keep things simple this Spring Training: Get on base. Straw:

Just being ready to hit and staying aggressive and coming back to it and just getting on base for those guys is going to be the key thing for me this year.

*Ken Rosenthal wrote about, among other things, why the Astros won't sign Jackie Bradley, Jr. and it has to do with the draft picks that come with staying under the salary cap luxury tax threshold.

*Brian McTaggart ranked the five best team seasons in Astros history, and I would flip a couple of the choices, but can't disagree with #1.

*Jim Crane and the Astros Foundation donated 42,000 pounds of water to three locations at Texas Children's Hospitals.

*Mariners CEO Kevin Mather has resigned after getting blowed tf up over his comments to the [shuffles papers] Rotary Club went nationwide, which included openly discussing delaying prospects' service time and denigrating the English of Hisashi Iwakuma and Julio Rodriguez. Imagine losing your role as an MLB CEO because you overshared with the Rotary Club. Jeff Passan on the 45 minutes that sunk Kevin Mather.

*There are reasons for Leeds United fans to be excited about the possibility of extending Marcelo Bielsa. Leeds play Southampton at 12pm Central today on NBCSN. [Shouts in American] The Premier League should really take its Central Time Zone supporters into account more.

*Vox: What you're feeling is grief.

*The Atlantic: The most likely timeline for life to return to normal.

*An audience with the robots: An NME writer's encounter with Daft Punk.

*A Musical Selection:

Thursday Morning Hot Links

Short one today. The Mariners won their first series against the Astros since August 2018. I hate this team as much as, but not more than, the 2016 Astros. Houston is 28-28. Even if the Astros win tonight against the Rangers, the Angels are off, so they can't clinch a spot until Friday. Houston is 2.5 up on Anaheim with four games to play. Houston is 8-20 on the road in 2020, which doesn't bode well for the postseason.

*Seattle SP Nick Margevicius came into last night's game with a career 6.24 ERA. His season ERA was 5.35 - when he left, it was 4.57. The Astros got the leadoff runner on in three of the first five innings. In the 5th, they had the bases loaded with Springer and Altuve up. They did not score. Gonna be a short stay in the "play offs" should that day come if they don't figure something out. 

*Alex Bregman:

We need to do a better job offensively; need to get better. It's getting down to the end of the season, so we need to start swinging the bats a lot better. 

The Astros got seven hits and five walks yet were 1x9 w/RISP - Altuve by himself was 0x3 with runners in scoring position. And that is all we shall speak of this game.

*Dusty Baker thinks Jose Altuve will come up big in the postseason. Dusty:

He's Jose Altuve. He's always risen to the occasion...The law of averages is on his side.

Hitting coach Troy Snitker:

Right now, I see a Jose Altuve that feels like he's on the up. I know he feels confident right now. He feels like he's going to finish his season strong, he feels he's going to carry us in the playoffs and throughout the rest of the year and down the stretch.

*Cristian Javier will get the start tonight, and Jose Urquidy tomorrow night. Saturday and Sunday are TBD if the Astros are able to clinch a playoff spot.

*Jake Kaplan's Mailbag addresses Altuve's struggles, Kyle Tucker's expectations, Dusty Baker's extension, the Astros' outfield in 2021, and whether the Astros would deal Correa for Verlander's replacement.

*SI's Emma Baccellieri: The Unbridled Joy of Being - And Watching - Fernando Tatis, Jr. 

*There have been three Major League Baseball players named "Aurelio." All three died in car crashes.

*A Chargers team doctor accidentally punctured QB Tyrod Taylor's lung before their game last Sunday, while trying to inject his ribs with a pain killer.

*NY Times: To protest colonialism, this man takes museum artifacts.

*A Musical Selection:

Wednesday Morning Hot Links

I am growing tired of Base Ball, and am very ready for it all to end. But! The Astros beat the Mariners 6-1 thanks to stellar pitching from Framber and a massive moonshot from Machete. Houston is 28-27, up 3.5 on the Angels, and 4.0 on the Mariners, with five games to play. An Astros win tonight and an Anaheim loss means the Astros are going to the playoffs for the fifth time in the last six seasons. I am running late, so let's get this done.

*The Astros scored five runs in the 6th inning, meaning they scored more in the 6th Inning last night than they have in any game since September 12. 

*Maldonado's three-run homer sealed the game for the Astros, finally getting the big swing they've been missing since...September 2019. It's Maldonado's 2nd 3-run HR of the season, and the 9th of his MLB career. Machete:

I would say probably the best [swing] I took all year, especially in the situation and the way I have been lately.

*Framber: 7IP, 5H/1ER, 8K:0BB.

Framber, 2018-2019: 107.2IP, 96H/55ER, 102K:68BB. 4.60 ERA / 1.52 WHIP, 5.7 BB/9

Framber, 2020: 70.2IP, 63H/28ER, 76K:16BB. 3.57 ERA / 1.12 WHIP, 2.0 BB/9

Chandler Rome: Framber has embraced an "attitude before everything" mantra this season, and it's showing. Maldonado, on Framber:

He's always had good stuff. Last year, even the year before, when I caught him, he was still the same guy. It seems like he cares more now. It seems like he's developing better. He's not letting stuff get into his head, I would say.

And the stat that I know everyone is tracking and celebrated on Twitter when it happened: Framber had a 5th-straight game with a Wild Pitch! He joins Joe Niekro (7), Darryl Kile (6), and Mike Fiers, Mike Hampton, Don Wilson, and Dave Giusti as the only Astros pitchers with a wild pitch in five straight games. 

*Since allowing 3H/4ER against the Giants on August 10, Josh James: 9.1IP, 6H/2ER, 10K:5BB. James has walked just one of the last 20 batters he has faced, after walking 16 of the 63 batters he had faced prior in 2020.

*Kyle Tucker was 4x5 - the 2nd 4-hit game of his career. 

*McTaggart's Notes column features info on Ryan Pressly's resurgence, and Enoli Paredes' transition from the rotation to the bullpen in 2020.

*Prior to Tuesday night's game, Josh Reddick:

We're running out of time right now and if we don't step up, we're going to be in trouble.

With me? Yes. 

*Perhaps understandably, SI didn't even list the Astros in their Top 10 World Series contenders rankings.

*Yahoo's Tim Brown: "Slogging through 2020, the Astros reach for a postseason spot no one wants them to have." These are great to read - for the heart and for the soul. 

*Rob Manfred, for whatever reason, gave an interview to USA Today and said the following:

-The postseason in Arlington will have fans, pending approval from Texas officials (which will, obviously, approve it). Expanded playoffs are here to stay, but not this season's format. And who knows what rule changes, be they 7-inning doubleheaders or runners on 2nd to start extra-innings, will stick around in 2021?

*The Astros Foundation is teaming up with the Texas Council on Family Violence to give over $900,000 to 90 domestic violence organizations.

*Tim Kurkjian: "This isn't fun." How everyone in baseball has navigated a very different season.

*The Yanquis are fighting a court-ordered release of the infamous "Yankees Letter," and team president Randy Levine is going to argue on the team's behalf. Sounds like the contents of something you definitely would have no problem seeing the light of day.

*The New Yorker: The Race to Redesign Sugar.

*Vice: The Italian Mafia is on TikTok.

*Vox: The best alternative streaming services.

*Nairo Quintana is being investigated for doping practices at the 2020 Tour de France.

*The last two days have featured songs from Semisonic, the Most American Band of the Last Twenty-Five Years. Neither of these songs were "Closing Time," which many consider to be the hallmark of a One-Hit Wonder's musical career. I scoff at your insolence. That said, I apologize. Also, the following is the Hot Links Playlist's 400th song, which now features over 25 hours of basically my favorite songs of all-time. Yeah, I sort of get it if you don't listen to all 25 hours...

Tuesday Morning Hot Links

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

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

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

*Dusty:

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

*Dusty Baker, on the Astros' offensive offense:

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

*There will be no Arizona Fall League this year.

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

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

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

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

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

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

*A Musical Selection:

Tuesday Morning Hot Links

The Astros were off yesterday, the last day off before a possible postseason return trip. Houston is coming off a 2-9 road trip in which they got out-scored 65-39 - including four one-run losses - that lost them 4.5 games on Oakland and pretty much knocked them out of the running for a 4th straight division championship. 

Oakland and Seattle played a double-header yesterday, and honestly it would be great if they could both lose. That said, the Fightin' Dipotos split the double-header with Oakland. The Astros are the only team in MLB below .500 with a positive run differential (+5). Here's the AL West, as of Tuesday morning:

Oakland: 30-18

Houston: 23-24 (-6.5)

Seattle: 22-26 (-8.0)

For the Astros to win the AL West, they would need to win out and have Oakland go 5-7.

FanGraphs' Postseason Odds:

Houston to win the AL West: 0.6%; Houston to make the postseason: 94.3%.

FiveThirtyEight's Postseason Odds:

Houston to win the AL West: < 1%; Houston to make the postseason: 94%.

Baseball-Reference's Postseason Odds:

Houston to win the AL West: 0.4%; Houston to make the postseason: 95%.

Houston's remaining opponents' win percentage: .390

Oakland's remaining opponents' win percentage: .527

Seattle's remaining opponents' win percentage: .564

*MLB.com says that the Astros one goal for these last 13 games is to just get healthy. To that end, Justin Verlander could return for the last week of the season in a tune-up start for the postseason, and Lance McCullers is scheduled to start Wednesday against Arlington.

*Cristian Javier is getting some Rookie of the Year love.

*Chandler Rome: What happens to foul balls in an empty Minute Maid Park? If you're a season-ticket holder, you might start checking your mailbox.

*Jake Kaplan: Three big questions facing the Astros' pitching staff (and you can find an offer to subscribe to The Athletic for $1/month. I know I used to write for The Athletic, and they dropped me like 3rd Period French, but it's a really good deal.)

*If you love seeing Steve Sparks lose his ever-loving sht and Josh Reddick in a speedo, you're probably going to be very disappointed.

*If you're interested in knowing what Dave F. Roberts thinks about the Astros, you can listen to his interview with Jon Heyman and Tony Gwynn, Jr.

*You would be better off listening to me and Pat talk to ESPN's Jeff Passan for 42 minutes.

*The New York Post's Joel Sherman says that the postseason would be better if it didn't include the Astros and featured a Dodgers/Yankees World Series. Joel Sherman has unlocked the Legendary New Yorker level of journalism.

*SI's Tom Verducci busted up seven MLB myths you thought were true.

*Leeds United is currently at 31% to get relegated from the Premier League and, if you watched that Liverpool match on Saturday, you can join me in giving the most exaggerated of wanking motions towards Nate Silver.

*For the second known time in history, there are five tropical cyclones in the Atlantic at the same time.

*"The Burning Forest Lit The Way"

*South Dakota's Attorney General reported that he hit a deer on Saturday night. A body - a human body - was discovered Sunday morning.

*A minor miscalculation cost Intel $500m. A minor miscalculation, by me, means I still have $17,000 of student loan debt 18 years after graduating from college and 14 years after graduating from grad school. So who's the real victim here.

*I have a lot of bad habits, and I'm trying to rectify all of those. This song helps, A Musical Selection:

Sunday Morning Hot Links

 I've revamped my own personal rules for being on social media and it's been quite lovely. Basically, I'm only going to be on Twitter for the purpose of doing these posts, and that's pretty much it. I highly suggest that everybody log off and not ever, under any circumstance, tweet.

That said, I've missed a lot of items, mainly because I can't bring myself to care all that much anymore about what happens. It's a combination of having Pandemic Brain, facing an unspecified set of challenges and risks, and just being tired of it all. But it's okay, probably!

I was at a wedding pretty much all day yesterday. My wife and kid were in the wedding. I was not (which was perfectly fine by me), but I did show up at 2pm for a wedding in Dallas that started at 6pm. And I will say that The Goldfinch, which I read 1/3 of yesterday (like, 270 pages) sitting in the chapel, is crazy. 

The Astros enjoyed their favorite Slump-Bustin' Seattle Mariners, beating them 2-1 last night. The Astros are 23-2 against the Mariners since the beginning of the 2019 season. Houston is now 10-10. Let's look at the AL West standings and run differential:

1. Oakland: 15-6, -GB, +22

2. Arlington: 10-9, -4.0, -11

3. Houston, 10-10, -4.5, +17

That makes sense. Houston is 0-5 against the Dodgers and A's, and 10-5 against everybody else. It's Houston's first 3-game winning streak of the season.

*23-year old Cristian Javier: 6IP, 1H/0ER, 5K:3BB. Javier has made four starts in his MLB career, and has thrown at least 5IP with 0-1ER in three of them. Dusty, on Javier:

Tonight, he had life on the fastball from the opening pitch. He struck out the side in the first inning...it was just a matter of him finding the strike zone tonight. 

Javier:

I feel like I have the same plan every time out. I'm really starting to find my rhythm at the big league level and starting to feel comfortable here. 

*Josh James threw a scoreless 7th to lower his ERA to 12.00. It was his first scoreless appearance of the season. 

*All eight of Ryan Pressly's pitches were for strikes as he got his second save of the season. 

*Yuli Gurriel had a double and a home run. 

Gurriel, 2016-2018: .291/.323/.449

Gurriel, 2019-2020: .296/.346/.545

Click this to read Chandler Rome's piece on Gurriel's change at the plate. Also, Gurriel reiterated that he wants to stay in Houston, but hasn't had any "concrete" talks with the front office.

*After six games, Alex Bregman was "hitting" .174/.321/.348. In the 14 games since, Bregman has hit .309/.415/.582, with a hit in 13 of those games. He has gotten on base at least once in every single regular season game dating back to September 10, 2019 - a span of 30 games.

*It's crazy to me that the Astros are .500, what with the pitching injuries, Springer hitting .185, Altuve hitting .181. Only four players in the lineup last night are hitting over .260: Bregman (.269), Gurriel (.282), Reddick (.296), and Correa (.310). 

*Jose Altuve asked Dusty Baker to be moved down in the lineup, moving down to 7th, where he went 1x3. It's Altuve's 8th career hit in the 7-spot. Altuve has 1,583 career hits - 34 of them have been from the bottom half of the lineup. It was the first time Altuve has started a game lower than 3rd in the lineup since April 17, 2014. Baker:

Jose came into my office and told me, 'Hey man, I'm not helping the club right now at the top of the lineup, and I appreciate the respect you're giving me,' on what he's done in his career. He said, 'The guys ahead of me are swinging the bat better and playing better,' and he just wants to win and get us into the playoffs....He's a consummate team man.

*Michael Brantley was placed on the IL with a sore quad he injured when he stepped on Koe Jelly's foot on July 28. He hasn't played since Tuesday. Click that link to read about Biagini's return. Jake Kaplan thinks Taylor Jones is a good fit to replace Brantley.

*Dusty Baker, on Forrest Whitley:

He's unable [to get on the mound] according to the injury report...It'd be perfect if we had Whitley, but we don't have Whitley...Whitley I don't think is an option right now or in the near future. 

Maybe nobody will ever have Forrest Whitley.

*Brad Peacock is close to joining the bullpen. Aledmys Diaz is a week to ten days away.

*Happy 100th birthday to the Negro Leagues. Never forget that the Negro Leagues existed because owners and players were so racist they wouldn't let Black people on the same field as whites. 

*For the second night in a row, the A's were trailing the Giants by multiple runs in the 9th...and won.

*It's time to start thinking about the possibility - however remote - of the return of Former Astros Great Scott Kazmir.

*Bayou Brief: Huey P. Long wasn't assassinated.

*Wired: Inside the Courthouse Break-In Spree that Landed Two White-Hat Hackers in Jail.

*Outside: "Eco-Challenge" is back after a 20-year hiatus, and it's just the adventure show we need (Amazon Prime.)

*Barcelona got destroyed and you just hate to see it.

*A Musical Selection:

Monday Morning Hot Links

Just. I mean. So the thing is. If you really think about it. No, I got nothing. First things first, some streaks came to an end in Sunday's game: the 15-game winning streak over Seattle, as well as the 27-game streak of hitting a home run. Then Justin Verlander is apparently dead. First, the game:

*Zack Greinke lasted just 58 pitches, throwing 3.1IP and allowed 4H/3ER, 2K:2BB. It was his shortest outing since March 28, 2019, when he got 11 outs and allowed 7ER. That was also his first start of the season. The last time Greinke recorded fewer outs in a start was August 14, 2016 (1.2IP).

Make of it what you will, but Zack Greinke averaged 87.7 mph with his fastball today. He averaged 89.9 mph in 2019.

— Chandler Rome (@Chandler_Rome) July 26, 2020

Greinke said:
Not too happy with anything. Command wasn't great, stuff wasn't great, endurance wasn't even good at all.

*The four runs allowed by the bullpen (one to Biagini, three to Devenski) were the first runs allowed by the Astros' bullpen this season. Blake Taylor, who was acquired from New York for Jake Marisnick: 1.1IP, 0H/0ER, 2K:0BB.

*Chris Devenski, 2016-2017: 189IP, 129H/50ER, 204K:46BB, 2.38 ERA / 0.93 WHIP.
Chris Devenski, since: 118.1IP, 115H/62ER, 127K:35BB, 4.72 ERA / 1.27 WHIP.

*Brandon Bailey, who was acquired from Oakland for Ramon Laureano, made his MLB debut. So did Taylor Jones, who GIDPd and then struck out on three pitches with the bases loaded.

*Bryan Abreu faced nine batters: two HBPs, two walks, 13 of 31 pitches for strikes.

*Jose Altuve drew two walks for the second game in a row, which only happened once in 2019 (April 25-26, 2019), once in 2018, once in 2017. He had five walks in 57 games in 2011.

*Josh Reddick tripled to lead off the 6th, and then the Astros couldn't get him another 90 feet. They were 3x13 w/RISP in Sunday's game. It's the first time as an Astro that Reddick got a triple and the Astros lost the game (they were previously 9-0 when Reddick tripled).

*Thanks to Our Dude Chris Peixoto we find that Martin Maldonado's six RBIs over the first three games are the most by an MLB catcher since Brian McCann did it in 2007. Maldonado has never had 2+ RsBI in three straight games before.

*Alright, on to it, I guess. Let's recap the events:
Friday: Justin Verlander threw 6IP, 3H/2ER, 7K:1BB. 73 pitches. He told the Astros his arm was tender.
Saturday: Verlander had an MRI.
Sunday: Chandler Rome reported that Verlander was shut down for the year with an elbow issue. Dusty said after Sunday's game that it's a forearm strain and Verlander will be shut down for two weeks and re-evaluated.

Dusty:
It's not a pleasant situation to think about Verlander or to think about how many young players we have in the bullpen and organization but we'll go back to the drawing board.

The report that I’m currently missing the rest of the season is not accurate. There is a forearm strain... I’m hopeful that with some rest it will heal and I’ll be able to return soon. Thank you for all the well wishes. 🙏🏻

— Justin Verlander (@JustinVerlander) July 26, 2020

"Currently missing the rest of the season." Losing Verlander long-term is obviously one of the worst-case scenarios coming into the 2020 season, an entire team outbreak of COVID aside. But let's hold off on doom-and-gloom on the baseball front for two more weeks, or just bottle it up and assume the worst privately, like an adult. We did this already with Lance McCullers (or pretty much every pitcher), where a forearm strain was a precursor to Tommy John surgery. Maybe this isn't it. But it probably is.

Jake Kaplan: What now for the rotation?

*In McTaggart's pre-game Notes we find that Blake Taylor and Enoli Paredes were the first Astros pitchers to make their MLB debut on Opening Day since Wesley Wright in 2008 and Josh James' backyard MLB-regulation mound.

*There are no updates on Austin Pruitt or Brad Peacock. RIP.

*Basically MLB's worst-case scenario is playing out with the Miami Marlins. Honestly, if you had to pick a team to be the Plague Rat Team, it would be Miami. It's bad. Jayson Stark and Ken Rosenthal: Why did the Marlins play on Sunday?

*Also with elbow soreness: Former Astros Great Ken Giles.

*Congratulations to the Houston Dash after winning their first NWSL Cup.

*A recipe for chewy chocolate almond cookies.

*The Tale of John and Ann Bender and Their Quest for Paradise.

*The Sly Psychology Behind Magicians' Card Tricks.

*A Musical Selection, warranting of the times:

Sunday Morning Hot Links

For the 15th time in a row, the Astros beat the Mariners. Houston has not lost to Seattle since June 5, 2019, and the Astros are 20-1 against Seattle since the beginning of the 2019 season. Houston won 7-2. The Astros are 2-0, 13 AL teams are 1-1, Seattle is 0-2.

Lance McCullers made his first start since August 4, 2018, throwing 6IP, 5H/2ER, 6K:3BB. McCullers:
There's been a lot of ups and downs in that period of time. It's been a long road. Two years is a long time and it was great to get back and compete and it's changed my outlook on a lot. 

McCullers walked three of the first six batters he faced. Click that link to see what adjustment he made to his breaking ball to settle in.

More McCullers:
All in all, it's not the best game I've ever pitched, but it was solid, and I showed flashes of what I've been working on & what I hope to continue to do this year.

Cy Sneed struck out the side in the 8th. Jose Altuve stole the Astros' first base of the season, and also walked twice, something he only did six times in 2019. Gurriel and Springer had home runs and Kyle Tucker contributed an RBI double. Martin Maldonado had his second straight two-hit game.

Springer went on to the train tracks:

Springer with a blast pic.twitter.com/ZClK4dRfzY

— Brian McTaggart (@brianmctaggart) July 25, 2020

*The Astros have hit a home run in 27 consecutive regular season games.

*McTaggart's Notes has items on Blake Taylor getting emotional, and Hank Aaron reaching out to Dusty Baker,

*Aledmys Diaz was placed on the IL with a groin strain (between a Grade 1 and Grade 2), paving the way for Taylor Jones' call-up. Jones had just gotten into Corpus when the Astros told him to drive back, in the middle of a hurricane. Kyle Tucker will get "most" of the DH ABs while Diaz is out.

*Roberto Osuna, who made his season debut yesterday, was late getting to camp because of a delay in getting his tests back.

*The Ringer: So...What Happens If the Astros Win the World Series?

*If George Springer gets to free agency, Buster Olney says to watch the Mets, Red Sox, and Blue Jays.

*The Ringer: Remembering Baseball's Right-Wing Rotation.

*LA Times: The true story of the heartthrob prince of Qatar and his time at USC.

*NPR: How to stop the anxiety cycle of Doomscrolling.

*The Houston Dash play in the NWSL Challenge Cup Final today at 11:30am (Central) against Chicago on CBS All Access.

*A Musical Selection:

Saturday Morning Hot Links

The Astros won their 8th straight Opening Day game with an 8-2 win over Seattle. Houston is 19-1 against Seattle since Opening Day 2019, and 42-16 against Seattle since the beginning of the 2017 season.

Also winning in the AL West: Arlington, Oakland.

Dusty Baker:
The guys had a lot of energy, a lot of belief and a lot of relief, getting back and playing a real game, because it didn't look like this was even going to happen.

Justin Verlander: 6IP, 3H/2ER, 7K:1BB. Both runs scored on solo home runs. 28 of the 36 home runs he allowed in 2019 were solo homers. Verlander:
They swung at the first pitch of the game and really didn't stop swinging from there. I needed to execute my pitches and the boys did the rest...You can come up with the best game plan in the world and you can abort it three pitches in, which is basically what I did. I was able to adjust quickly and have success.

It was Verlander's 74th regular season start as an Astro. He has allowed two or fewer earned runs in 52 of those starts.

Michael Brantley hit a three-run homer. It was his second straight Opening Day home run. Dusty, on Brantley:
There's no tension in him at all and it's effortless. It almost looks like he's in slow motion and the ball just jumps off his bat.

Zero Astros batters were hit by a pitch, much to the chagrin of incels across the world.

Chris Devenski struck out the side. Enoli Paredes and Blake Taylor made their MLB debuts and combined for 2IP, 1H/0ER, 0K:0BB.

*Yordan Alvarez, Jose Urquidy, and Cionel Perez are alive, and headed to Corpus! Dusty:
I know they'll probably say they're ready sooner than they are. No matter what they tell me, I'll still give them another couple of days. I know how players are anxious to get back. They missed a lot of time. It's going to take probably almost equal time they missed to get back. We'll be in constant contact with the people in Corpus and we're relying on their opinion of them and their progress.

It stands to reason that, if you're just looking for a DH, Yordan could come back more quickly than Urquidy and Perez. We don't know if they had COVID and had enough negative tests to be able to join, or there was some government clearance that was necessary. We just don't know anything because the Astros kept their mouths shut.

Also in that link: Bregman addresses how he can't afford a slow start again, and how today is the first MLB start for Lance McCullers since August 4, 2018.

Also Shawn Dubin and Ralph Garza have been cleared to return to baseball activities.

*Osuna might be available. Dusty:
I don't want them to know. You understand and this isn't football. You don't have to disclose stuff. As much as I hate to tell you guys that, it's the truth. 

*Clayton Kershaw was placed on the IL with a sketchy back.

Regular Season Kershaw: 169-74, 2.44 ERA / 1.01 WHIP, 2464K:577BB. 157 ERA+
Regular Season Verlander: 225-129, 3.33 ERA / 1.14 WHIP,  3006K:850BB. 129 ERA+

Postseason Kershaw: 9-11, 4.43 ERA / 1.11 WHIP, 170K:45BB.
Postseason Verlander: 14-11, 3.40 ERA / 1.07 WHIP, 205K:60BB

World Series Kershaw: 26.2IP, 23H/16ER, 27K:7BB, 5.40 ERA / 1.13 WHIP
World Series Verlander: 38IP, 35H/24ER, 39K:14BB, 5.68 ERA / 1.29 WHIP

Maybe back off of Kershaw.

*84 MLB players from 28 teams have tested positive for COVID.

*RIP Former Astros Scout Johan Maya.

*Yoenis Cespedes has hit a home run in three consecutive games spanning 803 days.

*The Toronto Pittsburgh Baltimore Blue Jays of Buffalo.

Holy crap, the Brewers’ new uniforms are so damn beautiful... 😍 pic.twitter.com/dZ87Vp3CGk

— Jim Weber (@JimMWeber) July 24, 2020

*Jason Heyward doesn't want to stick to sports.

*How to see Comet Neowise before it's gone.

*Heads-up, South Texas.

*A Musical Selection: