It's the 2nd anniversary of the Verlander trade. The Astros overcame Thorntonitis and beat their former farmhand and the Blue Jays, 7-4. Houston is 88-48. Houston is 31-15 since the All-Star Break, with their .674 win% in the second half beating their 1st Half win% of .633. There are 26 regular season games left. Since the Astros' five-game losing streak (August 13-17), they're 10-2. Houston is 19-8 in August.
Oakland beat New York, and Los Angeles lost to Arizona again, which means that the Astros have moved into a share of the overall best record in MLB:
Houston (88-48): -
New York (88-48): -
Los Angeles (88-49): -0.5
Oakland (78-56): -9
FanGraphs' Rest-of-Season win% projection:
Houston: .636
Los Angeles: .608
New York: .580
The Astros have the 14th-hardest remaining schedule according to opponent win%, with an opponent win% of .474. The Yankees have the 13th-hardest, at .484. The Dodgers come in at 15th, with a .478 opponent win%. The Yankees are 12-10 vs the AL West in 2019.
*Jayson Stark notes that the Astros could be the first team to lead the league in pitching strikeouts and have the fewest batting strikeouts.
Pitching Strikeouts:
1. Houston: 1369
2. Boston: 1348
3. Tampa: 1343
Hitting Strikeouts:
1. Houston: 971
2. Pittsburgh: 1017
3. Anaheim: 1031
*Former Astros Great and inaugural member of the Astros Butthurt Hall of Fame Trent Thornton held the Astros to two hits and five strikeouts through the first four innings, and then took the loss after allowing a Springer 3-run home run.
Trent Thornton vs Houston, 2019: 11.2IP, 12H/3ER, 13K:3BB. 2.31 ERA / 1.29 WHIP
Thornton vs Everybody Else, '19: 118IP, 131H/74R, 110K:49BB. 5.64 ERA / 1.53 WHIP
*First four in the lineup (Springer-Altuve-Brantley-Bregman): 8x19, 4K:1BB, 4RBI. It's the 14th 4RBI game of Springer's career, and he last did it on May 12 against the Ramgers. Springer's home run was hit 112.6mph, 463 feet, and he didn't feel a thing. Springer, on his 3-run homer:
It's kind of one of the purest things, I think, in this game. I just kind of heard it and I saw the flight of the ball and just put my head down.
Hinch, on Springer's bomb:
It broke the game open. We really were still fortunate to still be within one run and being able to build that inning...George can hit some pretty long homers, he can hit some timely homers, and that was a perfect one....When we arrive in a ballpark and you're sending George Springer up as the first hitter, it's pretty intimidating. He knows what he's doing, he knows how to jump-start a team, he knows how to provide a lot of energy, a little bit of life in the dugout. He's the perfect table setter.
*Michael Brantley got his 53rd multi-hit game of the season, one behind [shuffles papers] DJ LeMahieu for the league lead. "DJ LeMahieu" is French for "DJ The Mahieu."
*Wade Miley couldn't find the strike zone, allowing 5BB in 3.2IP. It was his 2nd-shortest outing of the season, one out better than his August 14 start. It's the second time this season he has walked five batters in a start (August 2). He had walked four batters total in the four starts since that game. Hinch:
Very rare for him to have (those) kind of command issues. When they rolled the lineup over a third time, it was time to take him out.
*Joe Biagini did the good work, throwing 2IP, 1H/0ER, 1K:0BB against his former team. Biagini, on Toronto and Houston:
I'm excited about it because I know the system they have here is really good. But I was pretty happy with the system in Toronto as well. It's a different philosophy, and I see the merits of this and I see the success they've had with it. There's no denying that. I'm buying in and I'm making these adjustments and I'm trying to kind of assimilate into that way of throwing.
*Rondon, Devenski, and Harris each allowed a solo home run. McHugh was taken out after just 0.1IP and 14 pitches, because Hinch said it didn't look like he had much life on his pitches. In that link, Chandler Rome noted a dip in velocity for McHugh. Not ideal.
*Astros All Access has an interview with Former Astros Great Charlie Morton.
*Former Astros Great Mark Appel has opened a sandwich shop in The Heights.
*Sad news out of DFW as Fentanyl, oxycodone, and alcohol was found in Tyler Skaggs' system. An Angels employee could be the one who gave the drugs to Skaggs, and the family has retained Rusty Hardin.
*As Hurricane Dorian bears down on Florida, the Astros will clear out their Spring Training facility in West Palm Beach. The Rays could be looking at moving their games against Baltimore, and Houston is a logical fit. Time to repay the favor from Harvey. Charlie Morton pitches for Tampa tomorrow, so it would be a good crowd on hand.
*Cool story on Houston native Paul Goldschmidt, who gave his Silver Slugger award to his former hitting coach.
*Octavio Dotel was cleared of ties to a Dominican crime ring.
*In honor of the 2nd Anniversary of Verlander Day, let's check the receipts:
Verlander: 37-14, 2.48 ERA / 0.84 WHIP, 576K:76BB, Cy Young Runner-Up in 2018, World Series Champion.
Daz Cameron: .217/.332/.385 at Triple-A in 2019.
Franklin Perez: Injuries have held him to 30.2IP since the trade.
Jake Rogers: .118/.230/.289 in 23 games for Detroit in 2019.
*The Atlantic: Meritocracy is killing American high school sports.
*A Musical Selection:
The Hot Links Music playlist on Spotify is up to 181 songs and 11.5 hours.
We didn't come out here to play tiddlywinks, son.
-Hal Smith
Showing posts with label Trent Thornton. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Trent Thornton. Show all posts
Saturday, August 31, 2019
Monday, June 17, 2019
Monday Morning Hot Links
Thoughts & Prayers for Flick. I'm taking over for the next few days while he recovers. The Astros, well, like Flick, at least no one died. Houston lost the third game of the Blue Jays series 12-0. It's the third time this season have allowed 12 runs in a game. They're obviously 0-3 in those games. Since the Astros dropped three of four at Minnesota from April 29-May 2, the Astros have won (or at least split) 13 straight series. Houston has won or split all 12 series at Minute Maid Park this season. The Astros are 48-24.
*Houston went 5-3 on this eight-game homestand. Houston outscored their opponents 44-37 in those eight games, even with today's beatdown.
*Former Astros Great Trent Thornton handled the Astros lineup: 6.2IP, 6H/0ER, 7K:3BB. It's the third time Thornton has had an outing with zero runs allowed. Thornton:
I knew I was going to be pretty amped up for this game, but I just kind of wanted to slow things down and execute each pitch. For the most part, I was able to do that. And the bats just exploded, so it was a great team win.
More Thornton:
I'm close with a lot of the guys over there. It was just going to be a fun game to pitch, with a little chip on my shoulder. I was glad I ended up pitching.
Pretty Cool of Trent Thornton to get JACKED UP for a game against the team who traded him to another team so he could actually have a chance at a decent career, rather than get log-jammed in the Astros' system. So I admire his tenacity, but it's not like the Astros screwed him over. Give me a break. Woody from Toy Story lookin ass boiiiiiiii.
*The Astros were 0x7 w/RISP. They GIDPd three times for the 6th time this season.
*The bottom three in the lineup (Kemp-Mayfield-Straw) went for a combined 2x12 and 0x3 w/RISP. Jack Mayfield had one of those hits - the first single of his MLB career (he had four doubles and a home run coming in). Tyler White was 0x2 w/RISP yesterday, and he's now 5x30 (.167) with one double with runners in scoring position in 2019.
*Josh Reddick enjoyed his 23rd 2+ hit game of the season. He had 25 multi-hit games in all of 2018.
*Michael Brantley was 1x2 with a walk. In June he's 10x46 (.188). Brantley's last home run was May 11.
*For the third time this season Astros pitchers allowed five home runs, tied for the season-high. They're 1-2 in those games.
*Brad Peacock allowed 4ER in back-to-back starts for the first time since August 24/30, 2013. Hinch:
He had a tough time getting into the game and then the one slider to Gurriel that ended his outing. All in all, I think he was doing fine to control the game with what he could. A couple homers and a couple mistakes - not a horrible game for him - but not a day that feels good for anybody.
Peacock:
There was one pitch I'd like to have back to Gurriel. Out of the hand, I kind of knew something bad was going to happen. It didn't feel good. I'm in a little funk right now, but I'll find a way to get out of it.
*Cionel Perez threw 68 pitches over 3IP in relief and it was clear that he was out there just to eat innings and let Hinch not use Harris/Pressly/Osuna: 3IP, 7H/7ER, 1K:1BB, 2HR.
*Tyler White made his 3rd appearance in relief. The Astros are 0-3 when he pitches.
*Jose Altuve could return to the lineup on Tuesday in Cincinnati. George Springer will run the bases today and could go on a rehab assignment this week. Carlos Correa's dumbass rib is still broke as hell.
Altuve was 1x4 with a walk last night in a 6-3 Round Rock win. Max Stassi was 2x4 with 3RBI including a 2-run home run. Yesterday I said that Corbin Martin had given up 7ER in 1IP when actually Hunter Martin did. Corbin Martin started for Round Rock last night and went 5IP, 6H/2ER, 8K:3BB.
*McTaggart took a look at how the injury replacements have fared in their absence.
*Ryan Pressly's father passed away a few months after Pressly made his MLB debut. He signed his extension on what would have been his 66th birthday.
*Corpus got swept by Springfield. Bryan De La Cruz was a homer shy of the cycle. In five games since getting promoted from Fayetteville, De La Cruz is 6x12 with two doubles and two triples, 4K:3BB.
*Fayetteville landed seven players on the Carolina League All-Star Team roster. They were up 4-3 going into the 8th inning yesterday before Potomac put up a 9-spot in the 8th and won 15-4.
*Quad Cities got two in the bottom of the 7th and beat Wisconsin 3-2. They are 43-23. Jose Alberto Rivera threw the final 3IP, allowing 2H/0ER, with 8K:2BB.
*2019 1st Round pick Korey Lee joined Tri-City prior to yesterday's game, which was postponed due to rain.
*Combined, the Astros' minor-league system is 148-126, an organizational .540 win%.
*The bonuses for all but one of the top 10 picks are Known, so the 2019 Draft page is updated.
*According to Mark Feinsand's sources, the Astros (and Rays)were "extremely involved" in the Edwin Encarnacion trade talks, but the Yankees picked up the most salary. Fake-Ass Mariners stay Fake. How the Yankees' trade for Edwin Encarnacion affects the AL Playoff Race. The Mariners do not have any money committed to their roster in 2022. The Rebuild has hit Seattle, and Jerry Dipoto is exactly the guy I want to rebuild them.
*Forbes' Barry Bloom on using MLB balls in Triple-A.
*Power is being restored to millions in Argentina and Uruguay after they were knocked off the grid.
*The Guardian: The Mindfulness Conspiracy.
*How to disappear.
*Esquire: My father, the spy.
*A Musical Selection:
*Houston went 5-3 on this eight-game homestand. Houston outscored their opponents 44-37 in those eight games, even with today's beatdown.
*Former Astros Great Trent Thornton handled the Astros lineup: 6.2IP, 6H/0ER, 7K:3BB. It's the third time Thornton has had an outing with zero runs allowed. Thornton:
I knew I was going to be pretty amped up for this game, but I just kind of wanted to slow things down and execute each pitch. For the most part, I was able to do that. And the bats just exploded, so it was a great team win.
More Thornton:
I'm close with a lot of the guys over there. It was just going to be a fun game to pitch, with a little chip on my shoulder. I was glad I ended up pitching.
Pretty Cool of Trent Thornton to get JACKED UP for a game against the team who traded him to another team so he could actually have a chance at a decent career, rather than get log-jammed in the Astros' system. So I admire his tenacity, but it's not like the Astros screwed him over. Give me a break. Woody from Toy Story lookin ass boiiiiiiii.
*The Astros were 0x7 w/RISP. They GIDPd three times for the 6th time this season.
*The bottom three in the lineup (Kemp-Mayfield-Straw) went for a combined 2x12 and 0x3 w/RISP. Jack Mayfield had one of those hits - the first single of his MLB career (he had four doubles and a home run coming in). Tyler White was 0x2 w/RISP yesterday, and he's now 5x30 (.167) with one double with runners in scoring position in 2019.
*Josh Reddick enjoyed his 23rd 2+ hit game of the season. He had 25 multi-hit games in all of 2018.
*Michael Brantley was 1x2 with a walk. In June he's 10x46 (.188). Brantley's last home run was May 11.
*For the third time this season Astros pitchers allowed five home runs, tied for the season-high. They're 1-2 in those games.
*Brad Peacock allowed 4ER in back-to-back starts for the first time since August 24/30, 2013. Hinch:
He had a tough time getting into the game and then the one slider to Gurriel that ended his outing. All in all, I think he was doing fine to control the game with what he could. A couple homers and a couple mistakes - not a horrible game for him - but not a day that feels good for anybody.
Peacock:
There was one pitch I'd like to have back to Gurriel. Out of the hand, I kind of knew something bad was going to happen. It didn't feel good. I'm in a little funk right now, but I'll find a way to get out of it.
*Cionel Perez threw 68 pitches over 3IP in relief and it was clear that he was out there just to eat innings and let Hinch not use Harris/Pressly/Osuna: 3IP, 7H/7ER, 1K:1BB, 2HR.
*Tyler White made his 3rd appearance in relief. The Astros are 0-3 when he pitches.
*Jose Altuve could return to the lineup on Tuesday in Cincinnati. George Springer will run the bases today and could go on a rehab assignment this week. Carlos Correa's dumbass rib is still broke as hell.
Altuve was 1x4 with a walk last night in a 6-3 Round Rock win. Max Stassi was 2x4 with 3RBI including a 2-run home run. Yesterday I said that Corbin Martin had given up 7ER in 1IP when actually Hunter Martin did. Corbin Martin started for Round Rock last night and went 5IP, 6H/2ER, 8K:3BB.
*McTaggart took a look at how the injury replacements have fared in their absence.
*Ryan Pressly's father passed away a few months after Pressly made his MLB debut. He signed his extension on what would have been his 66th birthday.
*Corpus got swept by Springfield. Bryan De La Cruz was a homer shy of the cycle. In five games since getting promoted from Fayetteville, De La Cruz is 6x12 with two doubles and two triples, 4K:3BB.
*Fayetteville landed seven players on the Carolina League All-Star Team roster. They were up 4-3 going into the 8th inning yesterday before Potomac put up a 9-spot in the 8th and won 15-4.
*Quad Cities got two in the bottom of the 7th and beat Wisconsin 3-2. They are 43-23. Jose Alberto Rivera threw the final 3IP, allowing 2H/0ER, with 8K:2BB.
*2019 1st Round pick Korey Lee joined Tri-City prior to yesterday's game, which was postponed due to rain.
*Combined, the Astros' minor-league system is 148-126, an organizational .540 win%.
*The bonuses for all but one of the top 10 picks are Known, so the 2019 Draft page is updated.
*According to Mark Feinsand's sources, the Astros (and Rays)were "extremely involved" in the Edwin Encarnacion trade talks, but the Yankees picked up the most salary. Fake-Ass Mariners stay Fake. How the Yankees' trade for Edwin Encarnacion affects the AL Playoff Race. The Mariners do not have any money committed to their roster in 2022. The Rebuild has hit Seattle, and Jerry Dipoto is exactly the guy I want to rebuild them.
*Forbes' Barry Bloom on using MLB balls in Triple-A.
*Power is being restored to millions in Argentina and Uruguay after they were knocked off the grid.
*The Guardian: The Mindfulness Conspiracy.
*How to disappear.
*Esquire: My father, the spy.
*A Musical Selection:
Sunday, June 16, 2019
Sunday Morning Hot Links
It's Father's Day. Shoutout to you dads who, like me, are just doing their best. We sometimes do a decent job, sometimes we crap the bed. But we're trying, and hope that the good days outweigh the bad and our kids turn out okay. There's a number of you who desperately want to be dads, but it hasn't been in the cards for you to this point. I very much understand that, and feel for you. I've been there. The Wife and I are 1x7 on successful pregnancies. If there is any way that I can lend an ear, be a shoulder, or help, please reach out and let me know. Email me at astroscounty at gmail dot com. Infertility issues are a different beast for you dudes, and I might be able to at least help a little. Also, I know there's at least a few of you who don't have great relationships (or any kind of relationship) with your father. I feel for you. These holidays are the worst for people who haven't enjoyed Hallmark lives, and I'm sorry for that.
Framber is good. Framber is handsome. If I order some apps, Framber can have some. Yordan is nuts. Super Jack had himself a day. The Astros handled the Blue Jays 7-2. They are 48-23, one game better than the 2017 Astros after the all-important 71st game of the season. Houston is 35-15 in their last 50 games, 30-10 in their last 40 games, 22-8 in their last 30. 15-5 in their last 20.
*Round Rock beat up on Seattle's Triple-A team, which is apparently not their MLB team, 14-0. Cy Sneed threw 6.2IP, 2H/0ER, 5K:2BB. Kyle Tucker went 3x5 with 2HR/5RBI, his 22nd and 23rd homers of the season. It is the middle of June. Drew Ferguson went 4x5 and Josh Rojas hit his 1st Triple-A homer of the year.
*Former Astros Great Trent Thornton (5th Round - 2015 draft), whom the Astros traded for Aledmys Diaz, will start today's game for Toronto. He's 1-5 with the Blue Jays in this, his first major-league season, with a 4.78 ERA / 1.41 WHIP. Thornton, via Chandler Rome:
*2017 vs 2019 wins, by calendar month:
March/April: 16 / 18
May: 22 / 20
June: 16 / 9
July: 15 / ?
August: 11 / ?
September/October: 20
I got loose on Twitter the other night (alcohol was involved - it's summer) and said the Astros would win 107 games this season. In order for that to happen, the Astros will have to go 59-32 the rest of the season, that's a .648 win% after they've been winning at a .676 clip and not having Springer, Altuve, Correa, and Diaz for the better part of a month AND playing the 5th-hardest schedule in baseball to this point. And only 26 of the 91 remaining games are against teams currently above .500. And now they have Yordan. This team is scary.
*Yordan Alvarez was 3x4 with a solo home run. It's his 4th home run in his first five MLB games. Tyler White hit three home runs in his first five MLB games. This means absolutely nothing. HOWEVER! Yordan is the 4th player in MLB history to hit four home runs in their first five games, joining Trevor Story, Yasiel Puig, and Mike Jacobs. Hinch, on Alvarez:
I'm probably having about as hard a time describing him as you're having writing about him...It's been very impressive to watch him methodically go about his business like a much more experienced player than he is. He's soaking up all the information that we have, he's leaning on teammates and he's in the batter's box and in complete control of the at-bat.
*Jack Mayfield was 3x4 with three doubles. It's the 39th time in franchise history that a player has had three doubles in a game, and the first since Yuli Gurriel did it on April 6. Bregman did it twice in 2018, and that was it until Chris Carter did it in a 14-6 loss to the Cubs on June 23, 2013. McTaggart notes that Mayfield is the first Astros rookie to hit three doubles in a game since Terry Puhl in 1977. He's the third 2B in franchise history to have three doubles in a game, joining Mark Loretta, Craig Biggio, and Art Howe.
Oh, and Jack Mayfield was 2x34 for 2019 coming into this game. Baseball makes no sense, and that's why we love it...until we hate it because it makes no sense. Mayfield and Yordan are buddies, and it's Very Sweet.
*Tyler White was 2x3 with a walk. It's the 8th multi-hit game of the season for White, first since June 6. He had his 4th GIDP of the season, in four PAs (166 PAs). He GIDP'd once in 304 PAs spread out over 2017-18.
*Yuli Gurriel was 0x4. He's now hitting .255/.288/.390 on the season. The Astros won a game 7-2 with a .678 OPS in the 3-spot.
*Myles Straw was 2x4 with 2RBI. It's the 3rd multi-hit game and the first multi-RBI game of his career.
*Framber Valdez straight up FRAMBUSHED the Blue Jays, throwing 6IP, 4H/2ER, 8K:2BB. He struck out nine Angels on September 23, 2018 for his career-high. Oh, and check out how he got buzzed by a line drive that took out his hat.
Framber's two starts, 2019: 13IP, 9H/3ER, 15K:2BB. I like him.
*Chris Devenski recorded six outs with no runs for the third time in 2019. He struck out two batters for the 8th time this season. Devenski's last nine appearances: 11IP, 7H/3ER, 17K:6BB. All three earned runs came against the Brewers on June 11.
*Jake Marisnick didn't play last night after leaving Friday's game with "knee discomfort," the Death Knell of Astros Announcements. Hinch said that it might not be too bad. He won't play for a couple of days.
Meanwhile, Wade Miley just hit a ball off the train tracks in batting practice and bat flipped it.— Chandler Rome (@Chandler_Rome) June 15, 2019
*Round Rock beat up on Seattle's Triple-A team, which is apparently not their MLB team, 14-0. Cy Sneed threw 6.2IP, 2H/0ER, 5K:2BB. Kyle Tucker went 3x5 with 2HR/5RBI, his 22nd and 23rd homers of the season. It is the middle of June. Drew Ferguson went 4x5 and Josh Rojas hit his 1st Triple-A homer of the year.
*Former Astros Great Trent Thornton (5th Round - 2015 draft), whom the Astros traded for Aledmys Diaz, will start today's game for Toronto. He's 1-5 with the Blue Jays in this, his first major-league season, with a 4.78 ERA / 1.41 WHIP. Thornton, via Chandler Rome:
I'll be honest. At the very beginning of the season, when I made the team, I was seeing when we were playing Houston. I was just praying to God I'd get to face them.
Careful what you pray for, my dude.
*Quinn Biggio wrote a Dear Dad letter to Craij.
*The Fake-Ass Mariners apparently traded Edwin Encarnacion to the Yankees. Not ideal, October-wise. Please have a 13-2 banner ceremony come March 2020, Dipoto, you piece of garbage. Jerry Dipoto's existence makes me feel sad for Mariners fans, 60% of whom are a good and loyal group.
*How to fix America's worst freeway.
*GQ: Mike Tyson Smokes The Toad.
*Tragic story from the NY Times: How The Music Burned.
*A Musical Selection:
The Hot Links Music playlist on Spotify is now eight hours long, if you're interested.
*Quinn Biggio wrote a Dear Dad letter to Craij.
*The Fake-Ass Mariners apparently traded Edwin Encarnacion to the Yankees. Not ideal, October-wise. Please have a 13-2 banner ceremony come March 2020, Dipoto, you piece of garbage. Jerry Dipoto's existence makes me feel sad for Mariners fans, 60% of whom are a good and loyal group.
*How to fix America's worst freeway.
*GQ: Mike Tyson Smokes The Toad.
*Tragic story from the NY Times: How The Music Burned.
*A Musical Selection:
The Hot Links Music playlist on Spotify is now eight hours long, if you're interested.
Sunday, November 18, 2018
Sunday Morning Hot Links
Yesterday I had the "opportunity" to drive from Galveston back home in Central Texas. There was a wreck on 45 North before the Beltway. Then there was one on 610. And another on 290. It was a Saturday. All the while I was leading a co-worker who wasn't familiar with driving in Houston, so I had to make sure that I couldn't lose him. How in the world did I ever learn to drive there?
*Yesterday Jeff Luhnow made his first Move of the off-season by acquiring Aledmys Diaz from Toronto in exchange for Rule-5 Draft-Eligible pitcher Trent Thornton. Thornton was the Astros' 5th Round pick in the 2015 Draft. The 25-year old Thornton put up a 4.85 ERA in 124.1IP for Fresno in 2018, though he was Fresno's rock in the rotation for most of the year. Regard:
-Thornton made 24 appearances in 2018. He allowed 3ER or less in 18 of them.
-His stats are belied by his July 5 start in which he allowed 8H/10ER in 1.1IP.
-In his last two starts of 2018 Thornton threw 10.2IP, 18H/11ER, 12K:4BB.
Trent Thornton is a good pitcher and maybe he missed his buddy Ken Giles in Fresno and maybe he'll be okay or maybe not.
Cuban-born 28-year old Aledmys Diaz is basically 2019 Astros Marwin. He posted a 1.6 fWAR in 130 games with a 102 wRC+. Marwin posted a 104 wRC+, so the difference is negligible, and Diaz is under team control until 2023 while Someone is about to give Marwin $60m+. Diaz played 38 games at 3B, 95 games at SS, and played three games in LF for St. Louis in 2017. He only struck out in 13.7% of his Plate Appearances last year, which would put him between 2018 Jose Altuve (13.2%) and 2018 Tony Kemp (14.9%) if all things were equal (and they're not. Like, at all.)
I love Marwin, but this is a cost-saving move for the Astros with little-to-no-dropoff in offensive production (as of 2018). The removal of Thornton from the system means Ronnie Dawson cracks the Org Top 30!
Toronto GM Ross Atkins:
Trent is someone that we've targeted for some time, and are confident that his deep repertoire and strike-throwing ability allows him to be a factor for our major-league rotation in the near term.
Ken Rosenthal notes that the Astros still want to keep Marwin.
*Jon-Paul Morosi has a (some?) source(s?) that say the Astros are far more involved in trade negotiations than free agent discussions. On the list? Miami catcher J.T. Realmuto. But Miami, which is basically a criminal organization, want one of Kyle Tucker or Forrest Whitley. This is understandable, but the Marlins are actually Very Stupid.
*Are the Astros a dark-horse to sign Bryce Harper? One dude from SI seems to think the Astros will sign Harper to an 8yr/$280m deal.
*Oh hey the Mariners did an internal review of Dr. Lorena Martin's accusations and just up and decided that her claims were unfounded. Click the link to read the But Wait! section.
*From The Ringer, American Curmudgeon: On Jeff Tweedy.
*I just finished the first season of Rabbits, a podcast that was Very Weird and Enjoyable.
*A Musical Selection:
*Yesterday Jeff Luhnow made his first Move of the off-season by acquiring Aledmys Diaz from Toronto in exchange for Rule-5 Draft-Eligible pitcher Trent Thornton. Thornton was the Astros' 5th Round pick in the 2015 Draft. The 25-year old Thornton put up a 4.85 ERA in 124.1IP for Fresno in 2018, though he was Fresno's rock in the rotation for most of the year. Regard:
-Thornton made 24 appearances in 2018. He allowed 3ER or less in 18 of them.
-His stats are belied by his July 5 start in which he allowed 8H/10ER in 1.1IP.
-In his last two starts of 2018 Thornton threw 10.2IP, 18H/11ER, 12K:4BB.
Trent Thornton is a good pitcher and maybe he missed his buddy Ken Giles in Fresno and maybe he'll be okay or maybe not.
Cuban-born 28-year old Aledmys Diaz is basically 2019 Astros Marwin. He posted a 1.6 fWAR in 130 games with a 102 wRC+. Marwin posted a 104 wRC+, so the difference is negligible, and Diaz is under team control until 2023 while Someone is about to give Marwin $60m+. Diaz played 38 games at 3B, 95 games at SS, and played three games in LF for St. Louis in 2017. He only struck out in 13.7% of his Plate Appearances last year, which would put him between 2018 Jose Altuve (13.2%) and 2018 Tony Kemp (14.9%) if all things were equal (and they're not. Like, at all.)
I love Marwin, but this is a cost-saving move for the Astros with little-to-no-dropoff in offensive production (as of 2018). The removal of Thornton from the system means Ronnie Dawson cracks the Org Top 30!
Toronto GM Ross Atkins:
Trent is someone that we've targeted for some time, and are confident that his deep repertoire and strike-throwing ability allows him to be a factor for our major-league rotation in the near term.
Ken Rosenthal notes that the Astros still want to keep Marwin.
*Jon-Paul Morosi has a (some?) source(s?) that say the Astros are far more involved in trade negotiations than free agent discussions. On the list? Miami catcher J.T. Realmuto. But Miami, which is basically a criminal organization, want one of Kyle Tucker or Forrest Whitley. This is understandable, but the Marlins are actually Very Stupid.
*Are the Astros a dark-horse to sign Bryce Harper? One dude from SI seems to think the Astros will sign Harper to an 8yr/$280m deal.
*Oh hey the Mariners did an internal review of Dr. Lorena Martin's accusations and just up and decided that her claims were unfounded. Click the link to read the But Wait! section.
*From The Ringer, American Curmudgeon: On Jeff Tweedy.
*I just finished the first season of Rabbits, a podcast that was Very Weird and Enjoyable.
*A Musical Selection:
Sunday, June 17, 2018
Sunday Morning Hot Links
Happy Father's Day! On Mother's Day I wrote a little thing about how Mother's Day isn't the easiest of days for a lot of people, for a variety of reasons. I suppose Father's Day has a few of the same characteristics. There's an awful lot of people who, for whatever reason, didn't have a father growing up. Or maybe you had a father, but you wished he was literally anyone else. Maybe today is your first Father's Day without your father. Whatever the reason, if today brings you sadness instead of joy, I'm truly sorry. And then there's Antonio Cromartie...
*It was so hot in Kansas City yesterday that Max Stassi and Yuli Gurriel had to be treated for dehydration.
*The Astros' win streak reached 10 games, their longest winning streak since winning 11 in a row from May 25 - June 5, 2017. Longest winning streaks, Astros history (Minute Maid Era):
12 games: 2004
11 games: 2017
10 games: 2018, 2015
9 games: 2006
8 games: 2008
7 games: 2016, 2014, 2010, 2005, 2003, 2002
6 games: 2013 (Ed. Note: I can't remember the 2013 Astros winning six games overall, much less in a row), 2000
5 games: 2012, 2007, 2001
4 games: 2011, 2009
They're 9-0 on this 10-game road trip, the best road trip in franchise history.
*Hinch:
I'm really happy with how consistently the guys are showing up and expecting to win, and then going out and doing it. We're a hard team to beat right now.
*Bregman:
What we do is we come here and show up and play hard every day, and that's it. We compete every at-bat, and winning streak, no winning streak, it doesn't matter to anybody in here besides the fact we compete every pitch, play our brand of baseball, and we know that if we do that, we'll have deja vu from what we did last year.
*Dallas Keuchel threw 6IP, 6H/2R (0ER), 5K:1BB. Keuchel's 60 Game Score is his best since May 13, when he threw a 78 against the Ramgers. Keuchel has allowed two extra-base hits to his last 66 batters dating back to the 3HR Seattle start on June 5. Keuchel:
I don't usually toot my own horn, but there was a few I could tell the shape out of my hand were back to normal movement. If we can keep that going, it's going to be a totally different ballgame.
*Brad Peacock, Will Harris, and Chris Devenski combined for 3IP, 0H/0ER, 7K:0BB.
*Marwin Gonzalez was 3x4 with two runs scored. After a 2x20 stretch, Marwin was hitting .164/.277/.273 on April 16. Since then he's hitting .288/.346/.448.
Marwin's multi-hit games, June: 6
Marwin's 0-1 hit games, June: 5
*Jose Altuve was 1x3 with 2BB and 2RBI.
Jose Altuve, home, 2018: .264/.317/.333 (.650 OPS)
Jose Altuve, road, 2018: .395/.447/.568 (1.015 OPS)
On this road trip, Altuve is hitting. .371/.463/.543 with 2K:6BB.
*Alex Bregman was 2x4 with 4RBI after hitting a 3-run home run in the 9th. Five of his 10 home runs in 2018 have come in June. He has a 27-game on-base streak.
*Max Stassi was 2x4 with a 3-run home run. It was the 10th home run of his career. Among 41 MLB catchers with a minimum of 100 PAs, Stassi's .512 SLG ranks 2nd behind J.T. Realmuto's .546 SLG.
Brian T. Smith: Max Stassi is finally making himself at home in the Houston lineup.
*Carlos Correa was 0x5 and committed his 2nd error of the season. It was Correa's 2nd 0x5 game of 2018.
*Did you see the latest Spot The Differences?
*Brian McTaggart writes that Yuli Gurriel has been playing Gold Glove-level defense at 1B, and is perfect in 21 chances of scooping the ball out of the dirt. Hinch:
He's the best in the league at picking balls, at least the most successful, I know that. His athleticism from being on the left side of the diamond his whole life has translated well to first base.
*Interesting story from John Harper of the New York Daily News: Following the 2015 season the Astros made a strong push to sign Yoenis Cespedes, and offered a similar deal to the 4yr/$110m he ended up choosing with the Mets. The Astros wouldn't include a no-trade clause, the Mets did. The Astros won the World Series in 2017.
*Rob Manfred - an adult robot toddler who doesn't know when to get the hell out of the way and just tugs at your pants wanting more of something - acknowledged during the Owner's Meetings that the competition committee is in the discussion-analysis phase of looking at making some defensive shifts illegal. That doesn't sit well with Hinch:
I don't think the problem is the shift, I think the problem is the commitment to trying to beat it. You have guys that don't want to hit the ball the other way, then we're going to continue to shift. We've never had an offsides in baseball - that would be rare, that would be weird.
Related, from Deadspin: The Astros' four-man outfield is spreading.
Also related: Rob Manfred wants to fix attendance. Here's my four-step plan to improve MLB attendance:
1. Lift blackout rules so people can watch regional home games.
2. Start games earlier so highly-impressionable kids can see the end of the damn playoff games. I guarantee you every kid under the age of 14 who was allowed to stay up for the end of World Series Game 5 is now a lifelong baseball fan and has now watched 40 games this season trying to chase that dragon.
3. A 24-ounce Montejo doesn't cost $13 anymore. It's now $5.
4. Kill A.J. Pierzynski.
In all honesty, organizations need to realize that how they run their team will impact their attendance. Houston has had 33 home games and drawn 1,165,990 fans - an average of 35,333 fans, and up from the 29,675 fans they average in 2017. They're about 500,000 fans (or 17-ish home games) away from matching their 2013 home attendance marks.
Through games of last night, the ten teams with the worst attendance are:
1. Miami: 10,268 fans/game
2. Tampa Bay: 13,414
3. Oakland: 15,354
4. Pittsburgh: 16,748
5. Chicago White Sox: 17,095
6. Cincinnati: 18,746
7. Cleveland: 19,829
8. Baltimore: 19,986
9. Kansas City: 20,440
10. Detroit: 21,165
Those teams are a combined 119 games under .500. I don't know what Cleveland's problem is other than that their home attendance was rough in April, when it was freezing across the northern part of the United States and Cleveland's river was still on fire but also covered in ice, somehow, yet has rebounded with the temperature. Miami is a disaster of a franchise, Tampa Bay and Oakland have terrible stadiums, Pittsburgh has a gorgeous stadium but is also rebuilding. Chicago does not have a gorgeous stadium but are rebuilding. Cincinnati is rebuilding. Baltimore is a train-wreck of a team this year, and Kansas City and Detroit are rebuilding, as well. It doesn't take a rocket mathematician to realize there's a correlation.
I'm not in favor of instituting a salary floor, but teams have to recognize that when they play a Quad-A roster, they're going to get minor-league attendance.
*Nick Cafardo says the Astros are still keeping tabs on Orioles closer Zach Britton, who is now recovered from an achilles injury.
*Fresno pitcher Trent Thornton threw 7.2 hitless innings and ended up with 8IP, 1H/0ER, 3K:2BB in a 6-1 Fresno win over Future Triple-A Affiliate Round Rock. Thornton:
That was a lot of fun. To get within four outs, it would have been nice to finish it. I hung a curve ball, and Noonan got it. Our defense was outstanding. The guys bailed me out of several tight spots.
Myles Straw was 3x5 with a single, double, and a triple in his Triple-A debut and stole his 36th base of the season. Kyle Tucker was 1x3 with a walk and 2RBI.
*The Corpus/Midland game got rained out with one out short of an official game, negating Yordan Alvarez's 2-run home run in his first game back since May 6.
*Here's a reminder that 2017 1st Round pick J.B. Bukauskas has only made two starts in 2018 and has not pitched since April 24.
*Quad Cities beat Burlington 2-1 to win the 1st Half division title and clinch a Midwest League post-season berth.
*The Ringer: An oral history of The Gaslight Anthem's "The '59 Sound."
*This dude's crazy-ass girlfriend wrecked his career and now owes him $375,000.
*It was so hot in Kansas City yesterday that Max Stassi and Yuli Gurriel had to be treated for dehydration.
*The Astros' win streak reached 10 games, their longest winning streak since winning 11 in a row from May 25 - June 5, 2017. Longest winning streaks, Astros history (Minute Maid Era):
12 games: 2004
11 games: 2017
10 games: 2018, 2015
9 games: 2006
8 games: 2008
7 games: 2016, 2014, 2010, 2005, 2003, 2002
6 games: 2013 (Ed. Note: I can't remember the 2013 Astros winning six games overall, much less in a row), 2000
5 games: 2012, 2007, 2001
4 games: 2011, 2009
They're 9-0 on this 10-game road trip, the best road trip in franchise history.
*Hinch:
I'm really happy with how consistently the guys are showing up and expecting to win, and then going out and doing it. We're a hard team to beat right now.
*Bregman:
What we do is we come here and show up and play hard every day, and that's it. We compete every at-bat, and winning streak, no winning streak, it doesn't matter to anybody in here besides the fact we compete every pitch, play our brand of baseball, and we know that if we do that, we'll have deja vu from what we did last year.
*Dallas Keuchel threw 6IP, 6H/2R (0ER), 5K:1BB. Keuchel's 60 Game Score is his best since May 13, when he threw a 78 against the Ramgers. Keuchel has allowed two extra-base hits to his last 66 batters dating back to the 3HR Seattle start on June 5. Keuchel:
I don't usually toot my own horn, but there was a few I could tell the shape out of my hand were back to normal movement. If we can keep that going, it's going to be a totally different ballgame.
*Brad Peacock, Will Harris, and Chris Devenski combined for 3IP, 0H/0ER, 7K:0BB.
*Marwin Gonzalez was 3x4 with two runs scored. After a 2x20 stretch, Marwin was hitting .164/.277/.273 on April 16. Since then he's hitting .288/.346/.448.
Marwin's multi-hit games, June: 6
Marwin's 0-1 hit games, June: 5
*Jose Altuve was 1x3 with 2BB and 2RBI.
Jose Altuve, home, 2018: .264/.317/.333 (.650 OPS)
Jose Altuve, road, 2018: .395/.447/.568 (1.015 OPS)
On this road trip, Altuve is hitting. .371/.463/.543 with 2K:6BB.
*Alex Bregman was 2x4 with 4RBI after hitting a 3-run home run in the 9th. Five of his 10 home runs in 2018 have come in June. He has a 27-game on-base streak.
*Max Stassi was 2x4 with a 3-run home run. It was the 10th home run of his career. Among 41 MLB catchers with a minimum of 100 PAs, Stassi's .512 SLG ranks 2nd behind J.T. Realmuto's .546 SLG.
Brian T. Smith: Max Stassi is finally making himself at home in the Houston lineup.
*Carlos Correa was 0x5 and committed his 2nd error of the season. It was Correa's 2nd 0x5 game of 2018.
*Did you see the latest Spot The Differences?
*Brian McTaggart writes that Yuli Gurriel has been playing Gold Glove-level defense at 1B, and is perfect in 21 chances of scooping the ball out of the dirt. Hinch:
He's the best in the league at picking balls, at least the most successful, I know that. His athleticism from being on the left side of the diamond his whole life has translated well to first base.
*Interesting story from John Harper of the New York Daily News: Following the 2015 season the Astros made a strong push to sign Yoenis Cespedes, and offered a similar deal to the 4yr/$110m he ended up choosing with the Mets. The Astros wouldn't include a no-trade clause, the Mets did. The Astros won the World Series in 2017.
*Rob Manfred - an adult robot toddler who doesn't know when to get the hell out of the way and just tugs at your pants wanting more of something - acknowledged during the Owner's Meetings that the competition committee is in the discussion-analysis phase of looking at making some defensive shifts illegal. That doesn't sit well with Hinch:
I don't think the problem is the shift, I think the problem is the commitment to trying to beat it. You have guys that don't want to hit the ball the other way, then we're going to continue to shift. We've never had an offsides in baseball - that would be rare, that would be weird.
Related, from Deadspin: The Astros' four-man outfield is spreading.
Also related: Rob Manfred wants to fix attendance. Here's my four-step plan to improve MLB attendance:
1. Lift blackout rules so people can watch regional home games.
2. Start games earlier so highly-impressionable kids can see the end of the damn playoff games. I guarantee you every kid under the age of 14 who was allowed to stay up for the end of World Series Game 5 is now a lifelong baseball fan and has now watched 40 games this season trying to chase that dragon.
3. A 24-ounce Montejo doesn't cost $13 anymore. It's now $5.
4. Kill A.J. Pierzynski.
In all honesty, organizations need to realize that how they run their team will impact their attendance. Houston has had 33 home games and drawn 1,165,990 fans - an average of 35,333 fans, and up from the 29,675 fans they average in 2017. They're about 500,000 fans (or 17-ish home games) away from matching their 2013 home attendance marks.
Through games of last night, the ten teams with the worst attendance are:
1. Miami: 10,268 fans/game
2. Tampa Bay: 13,414
3. Oakland: 15,354
4. Pittsburgh: 16,748
5. Chicago White Sox: 17,095
6. Cincinnati: 18,746
7. Cleveland: 19,829
8. Baltimore: 19,986
9. Kansas City: 20,440
10. Detroit: 21,165
Those teams are a combined 119 games under .500. I don't know what Cleveland's problem is other than that their home attendance was rough in April, when it was freezing across the northern part of the United States and Cleveland's river was still on fire but also covered in ice, somehow, yet has rebounded with the temperature. Miami is a disaster of a franchise, Tampa Bay and Oakland have terrible stadiums, Pittsburgh has a gorgeous stadium but is also rebuilding. Chicago does not have a gorgeous stadium but are rebuilding. Cincinnati is rebuilding. Baltimore is a train-wreck of a team this year, and Kansas City and Detroit are rebuilding, as well. It doesn't take a rocket mathematician to realize there's a correlation.
I'm not in favor of instituting a salary floor, but teams have to recognize that when they play a Quad-A roster, they're going to get minor-league attendance.
*Nick Cafardo says the Astros are still keeping tabs on Orioles closer Zach Britton, who is now recovered from an achilles injury.
*Fresno pitcher Trent Thornton threw 7.2 hitless innings and ended up with 8IP, 1H/0ER, 3K:2BB in a 6-1 Fresno win over Future Triple-A Affiliate Round Rock. Thornton:
That was a lot of fun. To get within four outs, it would have been nice to finish it. I hung a curve ball, and Noonan got it. Our defense was outstanding. The guys bailed me out of several tight spots.
Myles Straw was 3x5 with a single, double, and a triple in his Triple-A debut and stole his 36th base of the season. Kyle Tucker was 1x3 with a walk and 2RBI.
*The Corpus/Midland game got rained out with one out short of an official game, negating Yordan Alvarez's 2-run home run in his first game back since May 6.
*Here's a reminder that 2017 1st Round pick J.B. Bukauskas has only made two starts in 2018 and has not pitched since April 24.
*Quad Cities beat Burlington 2-1 to win the 1st Half division title and clinch a Midwest League post-season berth.
*The Ringer: An oral history of The Gaslight Anthem's "The '59 Sound."
*This dude's crazy-ass girlfriend wrecked his career and now owes him $375,000.
Tuesday, May 22, 2018
Tuesday Morning Hot Links
*The Astros enjoyed the first of two off-days this week an off-day yesterday (I don't know why I thought the Astros had Thursday off, as well.) And still, here are the number of games played by AL Teams:
49: Arlington
48: Houston
47: Boston, Toronto, Baltimore, Detroit, Kansas City, Anaheim, Oakland
46: Seattle
45: Tampa, Cleveland,
44: New York, Chicago
43: Minnesota
Did you check the Cleveland series recap from Jexas?
*So the big news that I missed because I overslept yesterday is Derek Fisher's transition to the DL with "GI discomfort." GI stands for "Gastrointestinal." It may be the first time the Astros put a player on the DL for crapping the bed. J.D. Davis was brought up from Fresno.
*Mike Petriello spends a decent amount of time making a case for the Astros' rotation being in the conversation as one of the best ever. Through 48 starts, the rotation has allowed just 83 runs. Note that the rotation's ERA of 2.25 is almost a quarter of a run lower than the 1968 Cardinals' modern-day best of 2.49. Also note that it is May 22. That said, no team this century has a lower ERA through 48 games than the Astros' rotation.
Dayn Perry at CBS Sports has a similar piece.
Here's Jake Kaplan with a deep dive into the numbers of the Astros' rotation. And here's another one wondering where J.D. Davis will actually play.
*Ken Giles is 8x8 in save situations in 2018, allowing a .167/.167/.167 line through 7IP with 4H/0ER, 8K:0BB. Also, Ken Giles: 36 batters faced, zero walks.
*Tonight Gerrit Cole will pitch to his wife's brother, Brandon Crawford. Crawford:
It's more fun for family, I think, than it is for us. It doesn't help that he's a really good pitcher - probably one of the best in baseball this year. That doesn't add to the fun of it for me.
*And so the Jon Singleton Era in Houston ends not with a bang, but with a whimper. Singleton - who had been outrighted off the 40-Man roster earlier this year, was summarily released by Houston today. The press release, in full:
The Astros have released minor league first baseman Jon Singleton, effective today. The club has no further comment on this.
Singleton, of course, is serving a 100-game suspension for a third positive test for a drug of abuse (tweeds), of which there are still 54-ish games remaining. And it's the last year of his 5yr/$10m deal he signed back in 2014. (Side note: it does not feel like it's been five years since that deal).
Speaking of suspensions, Forrest Whitley's 50-game suspension ends at the beginning of next week.
*In McTaggart's Notebook, he actually dignified the "Shood We traid Kykull" question with a response. There is an interesting note about the Astros' future at catcher, and whether that involves Stassi in a full-time role. If you want to look to free agency to sign a catcher (because McCann likely isn't coming back for $15m), here's who is scheduled to be a free agent after this season:
Drew Butera, Robinson Chirinos, A.J. Ellis, Tyler Flowers, Yasmani Grandal, Nick Hundley, Jonathan Lucroy, Martin Maldonado, Jeff Mathis, Devin Mesoraco, Miguel Montero, Wilson Ramos, Rene Rivera, Kurt Suzuki, Matt Wieters.
At 30, Yasmani Grandal is the youngest player on this list. So this list gets a big ol' Ew.
*San Francisco hitting coach Alonzo Powell will get his World Series ring tonight.
*Fresno's Trent Thornton, who was hit on the elbow by a line drive, was moved to the 7-Day DL.
*Corpus' Randy Cesar and Cionel Perez were both named Texas League Players of the Week.
*There was a plane crash in Cuba over the weekend that has now killed 111. One family was from Houston. Yuli Gurriel is paying for the travel for their relatives.
*An Astros-oriented fundraiser at Tootsies raised over $360,000 for the Sunshine Kids and the LMJ Foundation.
*The Rangers are officially open for business. Come and get their finest old players for prospects. It's rebuilding, not tanking, right?
*Meet Cy-Creek's Jordan Hicks, baseball's most confounding pitcher.
*PFT Commenter has managed to skyrocket to fame while somehow maintaining his anonymity.
*I'm on a big JFK kick, so I recommend reading this July 2014 piece in The Baffler: Dallas Killers Club.
49: Arlington
48: Houston
47: Boston, Toronto, Baltimore, Detroit, Kansas City, Anaheim, Oakland
46: Seattle
45: Tampa, Cleveland,
44: New York, Chicago
43: Minnesota
Did you check the Cleveland series recap from Jexas?
*So the big news that I missed because I overslept yesterday is Derek Fisher's transition to the DL with "GI discomfort." GI stands for "Gastrointestinal." It may be the first time the Astros put a player on the DL for crapping the bed. J.D. Davis was brought up from Fresno.
*Mike Petriello spends a decent amount of time making a case for the Astros' rotation being in the conversation as one of the best ever. Through 48 starts, the rotation has allowed just 83 runs. Note that the rotation's ERA of 2.25 is almost a quarter of a run lower than the 1968 Cardinals' modern-day best of 2.49. Also note that it is May 22. That said, no team this century has a lower ERA through 48 games than the Astros' rotation.
Dayn Perry at CBS Sports has a similar piece.
Here's Jake Kaplan with a deep dive into the numbers of the Astros' rotation. And here's another one wondering where J.D. Davis will actually play.
*Ken Giles is 8x8 in save situations in 2018, allowing a .167/.167/.167 line through 7IP with 4H/0ER, 8K:0BB. Also, Ken Giles: 36 batters faced, zero walks.
*Tonight Gerrit Cole will pitch to his wife's brother, Brandon Crawford. Crawford:
It's more fun for family, I think, than it is for us. It doesn't help that he's a really good pitcher - probably one of the best in baseball this year. That doesn't add to the fun of it for me.
*And so the Jon Singleton Era in Houston ends not with a bang, but with a whimper. Singleton - who had been outrighted off the 40-Man roster earlier this year, was summarily released by Houston today. The press release, in full:
The Astros have released minor league first baseman Jon Singleton, effective today. The club has no further comment on this.
Singleton, of course, is serving a 100-game suspension for a third positive test for a drug of abuse (tweeds), of which there are still 54-ish games remaining. And it's the last year of his 5yr/$10m deal he signed back in 2014. (Side note: it does not feel like it's been five years since that deal).
Speaking of suspensions, Forrest Whitley's 50-game suspension ends at the beginning of next week.
*In McTaggart's Notebook, he actually dignified the "Shood We traid Kykull" question with a response. There is an interesting note about the Astros' future at catcher, and whether that involves Stassi in a full-time role. If you want to look to free agency to sign a catcher (because McCann likely isn't coming back for $15m), here's who is scheduled to be a free agent after this season:
Drew Butera, Robinson Chirinos, A.J. Ellis, Tyler Flowers, Yasmani Grandal, Nick Hundley, Jonathan Lucroy, Martin Maldonado, Jeff Mathis, Devin Mesoraco, Miguel Montero, Wilson Ramos, Rene Rivera, Kurt Suzuki, Matt Wieters.
At 30, Yasmani Grandal is the youngest player on this list. So this list gets a big ol' Ew.
*San Francisco hitting coach Alonzo Powell will get his World Series ring tonight.
*Fresno's Trent Thornton, who was hit on the elbow by a line drive, was moved to the 7-Day DL.
Here's something you don't see everyday. In the bottom of the third inning tonight between the Fresno Grizzlies and Reno Aces, pitcher Jake Buchanan had to wait while Tyler White put in eye drops! (White would later fly out to LF.) pic.twitter.com/eIeMbvWkGh— Andrew Marden (@andrewmarden) May 22, 2018
*Corpus' Randy Cesar and Cionel Perez were both named Texas League Players of the Week.
*There was a plane crash in Cuba over the weekend that has now killed 111. One family was from Houston. Yuli Gurriel is paying for the travel for their relatives.
*An Astros-oriented fundraiser at Tootsies raised over $360,000 for the Sunshine Kids and the LMJ Foundation.
*The Rangers are officially open for business. Come and get their finest old players for prospects. It's rebuilding, not tanking, right?
*Meet Cy-Creek's Jordan Hicks, baseball's most confounding pitcher.
*PFT Commenter has managed to skyrocket to fame while somehow maintaining his anonymity.
*I'm on a big JFK kick, so I recommend reading this July 2014 piece in The Baffler: Dallas Killers Club.
Friday, May 4, 2018
Friday Morning Hot Links
I got nothin', man. I didn't get to see the game (because I'm a dummy and I left a job where I could take in day games), so I was only tangentially aware that the Astros did actually score runs - plural. I don't have any HAWTTAKEZ on who's to blame. Sorry.
*The Astros went 28 innings played between runs. They went 4-6 on the homestand. The Astros still have not won a game in which they trailed by 2+ runs. Houston is tied with Anaheim for 1st place in the AL West.
*Lance McCullers retired 14 of the last 15 batters he faced.
*Bottom of the 9th, 2 on, 2 out: Chapman vs Altuve. Boone:
I said, 'This is pretty good, isn't it?' This is great. This is what you live for, right? This is our best against the reigning MVP, a game on the line. Embrace that, love it. And our guys do.
Let's dive into this a little further, shall we? Here's each reliever's performance this homestand:
Brad Peacock: 2IP, 0H/0ER, 2K:1BB
Ken Giles: 3.1IP, 4H/4ER, 5K:0BB
Collin McHugh: 3.1IP, 1H/0ER, 5K:0BB
Chris Devenski: 3.1IP, 2H/0ER, 6K:0BB
Joe Smith: 2.2IP, 7H/7ER, 4K:1BB
Will Harris: 2IP, 3H/3ER, 2K:1BB
Hector Rondon: 2.2IP, 3H/1ER, 1K:3BB
Tony Sipp: 1.1IP, 0H/0ER, 1K:0BB
I'm missing an inning somewhere. Probably doesn't matter, maybe it does. I literally don't care. But I guess the logical conclusion is that we need more Tony Sipp. You can point to Hinch pulling Devenski after 12 pitches in favor of Will Harris but Hinch has been on record saying that he's going to limit Devenski's innings earlier in the season in favor of keeping him fresh come September and October and Will Harris had allowed two earned runs coming into tonight so...bad day to have a bad day.
But let's be real here: if you take out Joe Smith (again, I know you can't do that, but still, it's a thought exercise) then the Astros bullpen threw 19IP, 14H/8ER - a 3.79 ERA - and that's INCLUDING Giles' awful no good very bad horrible day. Let's take out Joe Smith.
*Giles was magnanimous in how the bullpen situation played out yesterday.
*The Astros only had one extra-base hit - Correa's home run in the 8th. Houston has 33 home runs through 33 games. At the same point in 2017 they had 45 home runs.
*Jose Altuve was 0x5 with 2Ks. You have to go back all the way to April 24 to find his last 0x5 game - the last time he was held hitless in a game. In between he was 10x27. The most concerning thing - if you're looking for something to be concerned about - is that Altuve has five doubles and two home runs all season. He's gone five games without an extra-base hit. Altuve has five extra-base hits in his last 21 games.
*Yankees play-by-play guy Michael Kay: The Astros are the team to beat. And the Yankees did, three times out of four.
*Boone, on a potential post-season matchup:
We think we're a really good team, we know they're a great team and any time, here or [in New York], we know we have to be at our best to beat them. And I think that was the case here.
*Here we go again. Arizona, who is 21-10, just hosted the Dodgers and split a four-game series. Now here come the Astros, making Arizona the first team in MLB history to host the previous year's World Series participants in consecutive series. Diamondbacks manager Torey Lovullo:
I think what our mindset here is that we love challenges. We accept challenges. We have the L.A. Dodgers within our division and right behind them we have the World Series champs. What better situation could you walk into to evaluate yourself individually and then collectively. This is how we are stacking up...It will be a good gauge for us, and I think that is something this entire group embraces.
Back in March I wrote a Thing saying that there's nothing that statistically to indicate a World Series Hangover. I still think I'm right. But what I did not entertain was the idea - and I've alluded to this before in this space - that, when you're the defending champs, every team plays their absolute best because they're measuring themselves against you. Don't get me wrong, I think every Major League Baseball player, and Bartolo Colon, tries their hardest most of the time. I think there's a grind involved with the travel and the wear and tear of playing 162 games in 180 days that we, as fans under-appreciate. But there has to be a difference between playing those 162 games against MLB teams, and then playing 162 games against MLB teams that are using you as a measuring stick. Hitters are more locked in, pitchers have a little extra life on their stuff.
*This is going to be a fun narrative all season. North Jersey newspaper The Record asked if Lance McCullers had some sticky substance on his cleats. Lance responded (if you're at work, maybe throw your earbuds in; if you're at home, maybe wait until The Kids are brushing their teeth):
*Why are the Astros hitting so much better on the road? Hinch:
I remember answering these questions in 2015, and 2016 was the opposite - it's gone back and forth with this group. I don't know if it's subconsciously we see the [short left-field] porch, the Crawford Boxes, and try to hit the ball out of the ballpark. It's weird, it's very unusual.
*Tags ranks McCullers' curve as one of the best pitches in the AL West.
*A.J. Hinch would totally play an international series.
*Patrick Dubuque wrote an essay in Baseball Prospectus about Ken Giles, self-harm, fatherhood, and forgiveness.
*Welcome to Double-A, Corbin Martin. Martin was making his Hooks debut in Midland last night and threw 0.1IP, 5H/6ER, 0K:1BB in a 12-6 loss. To be fair, four of the five hits were singles and one inherited runner for Chris Nunn scored. Nunn allowed two doubles, a triple, and a home run.
*Buies Creek's Large Son Brett Adcock (4th Round - 2016) threw 6IP, 2H/0ER, 8K:1BB in a 4-2 BCA win last night. Adcock's last two starts: 10IP, 2H/0ER, 17K:2BB.
*The Houston Chronicle's Joe Holley wrote a book called "Hurricane Season: The Unforgettable Story of the 2017 Houston Astros and the Resilience of a City." Houston Press:
[Holley] brilliantly alters chapters detailing the destruction of Harvey and its aftermath with summaries of each of the Series games. And the latter are written engagingly enough to engage the non-sports fan readers.
Hmmm.
*There is absolutely nothing of value for the Astros' section of Jon Heyman's Inside Baseball column. I envision Heyman trying to call some people in the Astros' front office for some Inside Baseball Tings (sic), getting sent to voicemail, and opening up Baseball-Reference. "Hm!" he audibly allows. "Gerrit Cole is pretty good!" [types furiously at keyboard].
*FanGraphs' Craig Edwards makes the valid point that competitive imbalance is not the same as tanking. Teams can be bad without trying to be bad.
*The Hardball Times' Michael Lopez and Sadie Lewis took a look at how the strike zone varies from umpire to umpire
*Fare thee well, Ichiro.
*Someone was regularly dropping deuces on the high school track. Cops set up a sting (?) and found that it was the superintendent.
*The Astros went 28 innings played between runs. They went 4-6 on the homestand. The Astros still have not won a game in which they trailed by 2+ runs. Houston is tied with Anaheim for 1st place in the AL West.
*Lance McCullers retired 14 of the last 15 batters he faced.
*Bottom of the 9th, 2 on, 2 out: Chapman vs Altuve. Boone:
I said, 'This is pretty good, isn't it?' This is great. This is what you live for, right? This is our best against the reigning MVP, a game on the line. Embrace that, love it. And our guys do.
Astros relievers posted a 6.23 ERA in 21 2/3 innings during the 10-game homestand, allowing 21 hits and 15 runs. Three saves were blown.— Brian McTaggart (@brianmctaggart) May 3, 2018
Let's dive into this a little further, shall we? Here's each reliever's performance this homestand:
Brad Peacock: 2IP, 0H/0ER, 2K:1BB
Ken Giles: 3.1IP, 4H/4ER, 5K:0BB
Collin McHugh: 3.1IP, 1H/0ER, 5K:0BB
Chris Devenski: 3.1IP, 2H/0ER, 6K:0BB
Joe Smith: 2.2IP, 7H/7ER, 4K:1BB
Will Harris: 2IP, 3H/3ER, 2K:1BB
Hector Rondon: 2.2IP, 3H/1ER, 1K:3BB
Tony Sipp: 1.1IP, 0H/0ER, 1K:0BB
I'm missing an inning somewhere. Probably doesn't matter, maybe it does. I literally don't care. But I guess the logical conclusion is that we need more Tony Sipp. You can point to Hinch pulling Devenski after 12 pitches in favor of Will Harris but Hinch has been on record saying that he's going to limit Devenski's innings earlier in the season in favor of keeping him fresh come September and October and Will Harris had allowed two earned runs coming into tonight so...bad day to have a bad day.
But let's be real here: if you take out Joe Smith (again, I know you can't do that, but still, it's a thought exercise) then the Astros bullpen threw 19IP, 14H/8ER - a 3.79 ERA - and that's INCLUDING Giles' awful no good very bad horrible day. Let's take out Joe Smith.
*Giles was magnanimous in how the bullpen situation played out yesterday.
*The Astros only had one extra-base hit - Correa's home run in the 8th. Houston has 33 home runs through 33 games. At the same point in 2017 they had 45 home runs.
*Jose Altuve was 0x5 with 2Ks. You have to go back all the way to April 24 to find his last 0x5 game - the last time he was held hitless in a game. In between he was 10x27. The most concerning thing - if you're looking for something to be concerned about - is that Altuve has five doubles and two home runs all season. He's gone five games without an extra-base hit. Altuve has five extra-base hits in his last 21 games.
*Yankees play-by-play guy Michael Kay: The Astros are the team to beat. And the Yankees did, three times out of four.
*Boone, on a potential post-season matchup:
We think we're a really good team, we know they're a great team and any time, here or [in New York], we know we have to be at our best to beat them. And I think that was the case here.
*Here we go again. Arizona, who is 21-10, just hosted the Dodgers and split a four-game series. Now here come the Astros, making Arizona the first team in MLB history to host the previous year's World Series participants in consecutive series. Diamondbacks manager Torey Lovullo:
I think what our mindset here is that we love challenges. We accept challenges. We have the L.A. Dodgers within our division and right behind them we have the World Series champs. What better situation could you walk into to evaluate yourself individually and then collectively. This is how we are stacking up...It will be a good gauge for us, and I think that is something this entire group embraces.
Back in March I wrote a Thing saying that there's nothing that statistically to indicate a World Series Hangover. I still think I'm right. But what I did not entertain was the idea - and I've alluded to this before in this space - that, when you're the defending champs, every team plays their absolute best because they're measuring themselves against you. Don't get me wrong, I think every Major League Baseball player, and Bartolo Colon, tries their hardest most of the time. I think there's a grind involved with the travel and the wear and tear of playing 162 games in 180 days that we, as fans under-appreciate. But there has to be a difference between playing those 162 games against MLB teams, and then playing 162 games against MLB teams that are using you as a measuring stick. Hitters are more locked in, pitchers have a little extra life on their stuff.
*This is going to be a fun narrative all season. North Jersey newspaper The Record asked if Lance McCullers had some sticky substance on his cleats. Lance responded (if you're at work, maybe throw your earbuds in; if you're at home, maybe wait until The Kids are brushing their teeth):
Y’all ass. Let me wear my cleats in peace. pic.twitter.com/X43TqqgA5d— Lance McCullers Jr. (@LMcCullers43) May 4, 2018
*Why are the Astros hitting so much better on the road? Hinch:
I remember answering these questions in 2015, and 2016 was the opposite - it's gone back and forth with this group. I don't know if it's subconsciously we see the [short left-field] porch, the Crawford Boxes, and try to hit the ball out of the ballpark. It's weird, it's very unusual.
*Tags ranks McCullers' curve as one of the best pitches in the AL West.
*A.J. Hinch would totally play an international series.
*Patrick Dubuque wrote an essay in Baseball Prospectus about Ken Giles, self-harm, fatherhood, and forgiveness.
*Welcome to Double-A, Corbin Martin. Martin was making his Hooks debut in Midland last night and threw 0.1IP, 5H/6ER, 0K:1BB in a 12-6 loss. To be fair, four of the five hits were singles and one inherited runner for Chris Nunn scored. Nunn allowed two doubles, a triple, and a home run.
*Buies Creek's Large Son Brett Adcock (4th Round - 2016) threw 6IP, 2H/0ER, 8K:1BB in a 4-2 BCA win last night. Adcock's last two starts: 10IP, 2H/0ER, 17K:2BB.
*The Houston Chronicle's Joe Holley wrote a book called "Hurricane Season: The Unforgettable Story of the 2017 Houston Astros and the Resilience of a City." Houston Press:
[Holley] brilliantly alters chapters detailing the destruction of Harvey and its aftermath with summaries of each of the Series games. And the latter are written engagingly enough to engage the non-sports fan readers.
Hmmm.
*There is absolutely nothing of value for the Astros' section of Jon Heyman's Inside Baseball column. I envision Heyman trying to call some people in the Astros' front office for some Inside Baseball Tings (sic), getting sent to voicemail, and opening up Baseball-Reference. "Hm!" he audibly allows. "Gerrit Cole is pretty good!" [types furiously at keyboard].
*FanGraphs' Craig Edwards makes the valid point that competitive imbalance is not the same as tanking. Teams can be bad without trying to be bad.
*The Hardball Times' Michael Lopez and Sadie Lewis took a look at how the strike zone varies from umpire to umpire
*Fare thee well, Ichiro.
*Someone was regularly dropping deuces on the high school track. Cops set up a sting (?) and found that it was the superintendent.
Ladies and Gentleman he’s name is @Trent_Thornton1 and believe it or not he’s a really good Pitcher 🦄 pic.twitter.com/KG2gq2Odb5— Rodney Linares (@RondeyLinares) May 3, 2018
Tuesday, April 24, 2018
Tuesday Morning Hot Links
The Astros returned to Houston for a 10-game homestand with a rejuvenated offense and a chance to remind Anaheim who's in charge in this here division and then they absolutely refused to take that chance. Gerrit Cole retired the first 13 batters he faced and then I turned the game on and Valbuena started a chain of events that led to a 1-0 Angels lead. These things are related. The Astros came in having won six in a row, the Angels came in having lost five of six. Baseball!
*The Astros had:
-2 on, 2 out in the 1st = 0 runs
-2 on, 2 out in the 8th = 0 runs
-2 on, 0 out in the 9th = 0 runs
Gurriel was thrown out at 3B trying to advance on what he thought was a wild pitch. Hinch:
It's a tough way to end the game, but I can't fault Yuli for trying to be aggressive. It's a result-oriented decision, right? We love it when it happens and it's second and third and we have a pitch where a bloop single, a sharp single, a ball in the gap, and we score two and we tie the game and we're probably still playing right now.
*Ricky Tyler Skaggs pitched really well, holding the Astros to four hits over 7IP. The Astros left seven on base and were 0x4 w/RISP.
*Shoutout to St. Pius X grad Justin Anderson, who made his MLB debut last night and struck out Carlos Correa to end the 8th inning.
*1-4 in the lineup: 5x15, 1K:1BB
5-9 in the lineup: 2x17, 5K:1BB
*Evan Gattis was 0x4 last night.
On the road Gattis is 13x43, hitting .302/.400/.488 with 11K:6BB
At Minute Maid he's 2x30, "hitting" .067/.125/.067 with 12K:2BB
*Gerrit Cole threw 7IP for the fifth straight time this season, allowing 4H/2ER, 8K:2BB. His ERA now a disgusting and, frankly, unacceptable, more-than-one-earned-run-per-nine-innings. Not why they brought you here, Gerrit.
The Astros have scored 19 runs in Cole's five starts:
-8-2 win against Arlington
-1-0 win against San Diego (Bregman walk-off pop-up)
-3-2 win against Arlington
-7-1 win at Seattle
-2-0 loss last night.
So that's three of his five starts in which the Astros have scored three or fewer runs. Cool.
*Angels closer Keynan Middleton:
They are the defending champs. We know that. So we have to send a message. I feel like we did that tonight. This game was huge for us.
I don't know how you deal with playing opponents all season long who measure themselves against you, that every play is a statement to be made, every result is a referendum on your ability. Since the beginning of Spring Training we've heard story after story from Rondon, or Cole, or Verlander about how focused the Astros are. Not that the Astros aren't motivated to win every single game, but there's a point where you - the Astros - are playing the game, but your opponent has to Make A Statement.
*Josh Reddick wants to temper your expectations of this series:
Ignore the hype. There's too much hype around both teams.
*Charlie F. Morton is a breath of fresh air: a smart, thoughtful, nuanced athlete who won't just hand out Jeterian cliches. Get yourself a subscription to The Athletic and read this fantastic Q&A with Jake Kaplan.
*The LA Times' Dylan Hernandez wanted to talk to Yuli Gurriel about what he learned in sensitivity training following his suspension for the racist gesture during the World Series. Gurriel wanted to talk about what he learned. The Astros' PR staff wouldn't let him. Hernandez (edited to remove line breaks):
But what has the sport gained if Gurriel doesn't share what he learned? Wasn't that the entire point of this, that Gurriel would pick up something and pass it along? Gurriel understood this, which is why he was ultimately open to sharing his thoughts on the matter. The Astros didn't, prioritizing the comfort of their cleanup hitter over discussions that could have benefits beyond the turnstiles at Minute Maid Park. "At some point, [Gurriel] needs to move on," [Vice President of Media Relations Gene] Dias wrote to me in a follow up email. That's not for the Astros to decide.
I agree with this 100%. Obviously not having been privy to any of the conversation, and not having read the article until this morning, I can't speak to intent. But if the role of Media Relations is to manage your perception, it sure does read like the Astros don't want this story to return to the news cycle and just let it remain a side note in what was a very weird World Series. I think that's wrong.
*Fresno SP Trent Thornton tied a Pacific Coast League record yesterday by recording eight consecutive strikeouts. Fresno lost the game 3-2 after Brendan McCurry allowed three runs in the bottom of the 8th. Former Astros Great Jake Buchanan held the Grizzlies to 7H/2ER, 4K:3BB in 6IP.
*Corpus SP Cionel Perez has been named the Texas League Pitcher of the Week, after he threw 8IP, 6H/0ER, 10K:4BB. Myles Straw was named to the MLB Pipeline Team of the Week.
*Good news from Chicago: Danny Farquhar is alert and responding to doctors' questions, and can talk to his family.
*For some reason Richard Justice decided to talk to Albert Pujols about the 2005 NLCS. (It's a fun read). Pujols, on Oswalt's performance in Game 6:
That was an angry Roy Oswalt. He struck me out on three pitches in my first at-bat, and I went back and told the guys, 'We're going to have a long night tonight.'
*From FanGraphs' Travis Sawchik: The Rockies think they have solved the problem with stealing signs.
*The Astros had:
-2 on, 2 out in the 1st = 0 runs
-2 on, 2 out in the 8th = 0 runs
-2 on, 0 out in the 9th = 0 runs
Gurriel was thrown out at 3B trying to advance on what he thought was a wild pitch. Hinch:
It's a tough way to end the game, but I can't fault Yuli for trying to be aggressive. It's a result-oriented decision, right? We love it when it happens and it's second and third and we have a pitch where a bloop single, a sharp single, a ball in the gap, and we score two and we tie the game and we're probably still playing right now.
*
*Shoutout to St. Pius X grad Justin Anderson, who made his MLB debut last night and struck out Carlos Correa to end the 8th inning.
*1-4 in the lineup: 5x15, 1K:1BB
5-9 in the lineup: 2x17, 5K:1BB
*Evan Gattis was 0x4 last night.
On the road Gattis is 13x43, hitting .302/.400/.488 with 11K:6BB
At Minute Maid he's 2x30, "hitting" .067/.125/.067 with 12K:2BB
*Gerrit Cole threw 7IP for the fifth straight time this season, allowing 4H/2ER, 8K:2BB. His ERA now a disgusting and, frankly, unacceptable, more-than-one-earned-run-per-nine-innings. Not why they brought you here, Gerrit.
The Astros have scored 19 runs in Cole's five starts:
-8-2 win against Arlington
-1-0 win against San Diego (Bregman walk-off pop-up)
-3-2 win against Arlington
-7-1 win at Seattle
-2-0 loss last night.
So that's three of his five starts in which the Astros have scored three or fewer runs. Cool.
*Angels closer Keynan Middleton:
They are the defending champs. We know that. So we have to send a message. I feel like we did that tonight. This game was huge for us.
I don't know how you deal with playing opponents all season long who measure themselves against you, that every play is a statement to be made, every result is a referendum on your ability. Since the beginning of Spring Training we've heard story after story from Rondon, or Cole, or Verlander about how focused the Astros are. Not that the Astros aren't motivated to win every single game, but there's a point where you - the Astros - are playing the game, but your opponent has to Make A Statement.
*Josh Reddick wants to temper your expectations of this series:
Ignore the hype. There's too much hype around both teams.
*Charlie F. Morton is a breath of fresh air: a smart, thoughtful, nuanced athlete who won't just hand out Jeterian cliches. Get yourself a subscription to The Athletic and read this fantastic Q&A with Jake Kaplan.
*The LA Times' Dylan Hernandez wanted to talk to Yuli Gurriel about what he learned in sensitivity training following his suspension for the racist gesture during the World Series. Gurriel wanted to talk about what he learned. The Astros' PR staff wouldn't let him. Hernandez (edited to remove line breaks):
But what has the sport gained if Gurriel doesn't share what he learned? Wasn't that the entire point of this, that Gurriel would pick up something and pass it along? Gurriel understood this, which is why he was ultimately open to sharing his thoughts on the matter. The Astros didn't, prioritizing the comfort of their cleanup hitter over discussions that could have benefits beyond the turnstiles at Minute Maid Park. "At some point, [Gurriel] needs to move on," [Vice President of Media Relations Gene] Dias wrote to me in a follow up email. That's not for the Astros to decide.
I agree with this 100%. Obviously not having been privy to any of the conversation, and not having read the article until this morning, I can't speak to intent. But if the role of Media Relations is to manage your perception, it sure does read like the Astros don't want this story to return to the news cycle and just let it remain a side note in what was a very weird World Series. I think that's wrong.
*Fresno SP Trent Thornton tied a Pacific Coast League record yesterday by recording eight consecutive strikeouts. Fresno lost the game 3-2 after Brendan McCurry allowed three runs in the bottom of the 8th. Former Astros Great Jake Buchanan held the Grizzlies to 7H/2ER, 4K:3BB in 6IP.
*Corpus SP Cionel Perez has been named the Texas League Pitcher of the Week, after he threw 8IP, 6H/0ER, 10K:4BB. Myles Straw was named to the MLB Pipeline Team of the Week.
*Good news from Chicago: Danny Farquhar is alert and responding to doctors' questions, and can talk to his family.
*For some reason Richard Justice decided to talk to Albert Pujols about the 2005 NLCS. (It's a fun read). Pujols, on Oswalt's performance in Game 6:
That was an angry Roy Oswalt. He struck me out on three pitches in my first at-bat, and I went back and told the guys, 'We're going to have a long night tonight.'
*From FanGraphs' Travis Sawchik: The Rockies think they have solved the problem with stealing signs.
Wednesday, July 1, 2015
PreStros Morning Report: June 30
TL;DR
*Astros affiliates go 3-5 on the day
*Brady Rodgers throws a strong start and Nolan Fontana gets three hits in a 10-5 Fresno win.
*Corpus is at the Texas League All-Star Break
*Lancaster rallied back from 7-0 down only to lose 9-8
*Quad Cities won the completion of Monday's game but dropped the 7-inning Tuesday game
*Tri-City lost 2-1 at Connecticut
*Connor Goedert went 3x4 with 4RBI and three runs scored in a Greeneville win
*The GCL Astros extended their season-opening losing skid to eight games.
Fresno (45-34, 6.0 up)
Fresno stopped a four-game losing streak by going up 8-0 with the help of a 5-run 6th inning and then holding off El Paso for a 10-5 win. Brady Rodgers threw 6.2IP, 5H/3ER, 5K:0BB; Mitch Lambson hit a batter in 1.1 scoreless/hitless IP; and Tyson Perez allowed 3H/2ER, 0K:1BB in 1IP.
Nolan Fontana was 3x4 with a walk and and RBI; Robbie Grossman was 2x3 with three walks and a stolen base; Tony Kemp (2B, RBI), Matt Duffy (RBI), Jonathan Villar, Tyler Heineman (2RBI), and Andrew Aplin (BB, 2RBI) all had two hits each.
Man of the Match: Robbie Grossman
Corpus (51-25, clinched playoff berth)
Texas League All-Star Game. Conrad Gregor was 0x3, Tyler White was 0x2, and Roberto Pena was 0x1 as the North defeated the South 9-4. Chris Devenski threw 2IP, 0H/0ER, 2K:0BB; Travis Ballew allowed 2H/0ER in 0.2IP, Jandel Gustave struck out one and walked three, allowing 3ER; and Aaron West got the final two outs of the game.
Lancaster (40-35 overall, 3-2 in 2nd Half, 1.0 GB)
Down 7-0 by the middle of the 3rd inning, Lancaster started a comeback that would result in a 7-7 tie heading into the 9th, but allowing two runs in the top of the 9th, the rally fell short as the JetHawks fell to Inland Empire 9-8. Troy Scribner allowed 9H/7ER, 5K:5BB in 6IP; Andrew Walter allowed 1H/0ER, 1K:0BB in the 7th, and Reymin Guduan allowed 3H/2ER, 1K:1BB in 2IP.
Chase McDonald was 2x5 with a double and a 9th inning solo homer; James Ramsay also had two hits, a stolen base, and an RBI. Derek Fisher and J.D. Davis drove in two runs each. Mott Hyde and Jack Mayfield had a hit and a walk; A.J. Reed was 0x3 with 2BB.
Man of the Match: Chase McDonald
Quad Cities (49-25, clinched playoff berth)
Game 1: Quad Cities and Beloit finished Game 1 due to Monday's cancellation, but Game 1 went 12 innings with Quad Cities prevailing, 2-1. Brandon McNitt threw 3.1IP, 2H/0ER, 1K:2BB; Michael Freeman threw 2.2IP, 0H/0ER, 1K:0BB; Riley Ferrell made his professional debut, allowing two hits and the tying run with 1K:0BB in the 7th to send it to extras; Angel Heredia threw 4IP, 0H/0ER, 5K:2BB and Jordan Mills got the win with a perfect 12th.
Nick Tanielu was 3x6; Ramon Laureano was 2x5; Ryan Bottger was 1x4 with two walks and your lone RBI; Jamie Ritchie, Alex Bregman, Alex Hernandez, and Bobby Boyd each had a hit and drew a walk.
Man of the Match: Angel Heredia
Game 2: Beloit put up three runs in the 2nd, which was all they'd need in what would be a 4-1 Quad Cities loss. David Paulino allowed 7H/3R (2ER), 4K:1BB in 4IP; Eric Peterson threw 2IP, 3H/1ER, 1K:2BB; Ryan Thompson allowed 1H/0ER, 2K:0BB in 1IP.
Ramon Laureano was 2x3 with the only run scored and two stolen bases; Sean McMullen was 0x0 with two walks and an RBI sac fly scoring Laureano. Other than that it was a big buncha nothin.
Man of the Match: Ramon Laureano
Tri-City (5-7, 5.0 GB)
Tri-City struck first with a run in the 2nd, but Connecticut got it done with a 2-1 win. Trent Thornton threw 4IP, 6H/1ER, 6K:0BB; Scott Weatherby allowed 4H/1ER, 1K:1BB in 2.1IP, and Steve Naemark retired all five batters he faced.
Bobby Wernes was 2x3 with a walk and an RBI; Dexture McCall was 1x3 with a walk; Cesar Carrasco and Antonio Nunez had your other hits.
Man of the Match: Trent Thornton
Greeneville (5-3, tied for 1st)
Princeton took a 2-0 lead in the first, but Greeneville responded with six unanswered runs on their way to a 10-6 win. Yhoan Acosta allowed 4H/5R (3ER), 3K:1BB in 3.1IP; Juan Delis allowed 2H/0ER, 2K:2BB in 1IP; Cristhopher (not a typo) Santamaria faced one batter and got two out; Zac Grotz threw 2IP, 0H/0ER, 1K:1BB and Jacob Dorris allowed 0H/1ER, 3K:2BB.
Connor Goedert had a weird day, going 3x4 with a homer, 4RBI, three runs scored, a stolen base, and an error. Randy Cesar was 2x5 with a grand slam in the 3rd. Kevin Martir went 3x4 with a walk and 2RBI; Aaron Mizell was 2x4 with a walk, and Luis Payano was 2x4 with a double.
Man of the Match: Connor Goedert
GCL Astros (0-8)
Game 1: The GCL Astros lost 2-1 to the GCL Phillies. Jose Rosario allowed 5H/2ER, 3K:0BB; Edgardo Sandoval allowed 1H/0ER, 1K:0BB in 4IP; Carlos Hiraldo threw two hitless/scoreless innings, and Adonis Pena allowed a hit in 1IP. Bryan De La Cruz was 2x4; Frankeny Fernandez was 1x3 with a triple and a walk; Reiny Beltre was 1x3 with a walk; Vicente Sanchez was 0x1 with three walks. Kyle Tucker went 0x4 with 3K.
Man of the Match: Edgardo Sandoval
Game 2: The GCL Phillies extended the GCL Astros' losing streak to open the season to eight games with a walk-off 1-0 win. Diogenes Almengo threw 5IP, 3H/0ER, 3K:0BB and Enrique Chavez allowed 3H/1ER, 2K:2BB in 2.1IP. Wander Franco was 2x3, Ruben Castro (SB) and Jared Cruz had your other hits.
Man of the Match: Diogenes Almengo
*Astros affiliates go 3-5 on the day
*Brady Rodgers throws a strong start and Nolan Fontana gets three hits in a 10-5 Fresno win.
*Corpus is at the Texas League All-Star Break
*Lancaster rallied back from 7-0 down only to lose 9-8
*Quad Cities won the completion of Monday's game but dropped the 7-inning Tuesday game
*Tri-City lost 2-1 at Connecticut
*Connor Goedert went 3x4 with 4RBI and three runs scored in a Greeneville win
*The GCL Astros extended their season-opening losing skid to eight games.
Fresno (45-34, 6.0 up)
Fresno stopped a four-game losing streak by going up 8-0 with the help of a 5-run 6th inning and then holding off El Paso for a 10-5 win. Brady Rodgers threw 6.2IP, 5H/3ER, 5K:0BB; Mitch Lambson hit a batter in 1.1 scoreless/hitless IP; and Tyson Perez allowed 3H/2ER, 0K:1BB in 1IP.
Nolan Fontana was 3x4 with a walk and and RBI; Robbie Grossman was 2x3 with three walks and a stolen base; Tony Kemp (2B, RBI), Matt Duffy (RBI), Jonathan Villar, Tyler Heineman (2RBI), and Andrew Aplin (BB, 2RBI) all had two hits each.
Man of the Match: Robbie Grossman
Corpus (51-25, clinched playoff berth)
Texas League All-Star Game. Conrad Gregor was 0x3, Tyler White was 0x2, and Roberto Pena was 0x1 as the North defeated the South 9-4. Chris Devenski threw 2IP, 0H/0ER, 2K:0BB; Travis Ballew allowed 2H/0ER in 0.2IP, Jandel Gustave struck out one and walked three, allowing 3ER; and Aaron West got the final two outs of the game.
Lancaster (40-35 overall, 3-2 in 2nd Half, 1.0 GB)
Down 7-0 by the middle of the 3rd inning, Lancaster started a comeback that would result in a 7-7 tie heading into the 9th, but allowing two runs in the top of the 9th, the rally fell short as the JetHawks fell to Inland Empire 9-8. Troy Scribner allowed 9H/7ER, 5K:5BB in 6IP; Andrew Walter allowed 1H/0ER, 1K:0BB in the 7th, and Reymin Guduan allowed 3H/2ER, 1K:1BB in 2IP.
Chase McDonald was 2x5 with a double and a 9th inning solo homer; James Ramsay also had two hits, a stolen base, and an RBI. Derek Fisher and J.D. Davis drove in two runs each. Mott Hyde and Jack Mayfield had a hit and a walk; A.J. Reed was 0x3 with 2BB.
Man of the Match: Chase McDonald
Quad Cities (49-25, clinched playoff berth)
Game 1: Quad Cities and Beloit finished Game 1 due to Monday's cancellation, but Game 1 went 12 innings with Quad Cities prevailing, 2-1. Brandon McNitt threw 3.1IP, 2H/0ER, 1K:2BB; Michael Freeman threw 2.2IP, 0H/0ER, 1K:0BB; Riley Ferrell made his professional debut, allowing two hits and the tying run with 1K:0BB in the 7th to send it to extras; Angel Heredia threw 4IP, 0H/0ER, 5K:2BB and Jordan Mills got the win with a perfect 12th.
Nick Tanielu was 3x6; Ramon Laureano was 2x5; Ryan Bottger was 1x4 with two walks and your lone RBI; Jamie Ritchie, Alex Bregman, Alex Hernandez, and Bobby Boyd each had a hit and drew a walk.
Man of the Match: Angel Heredia
Game 2: Beloit put up three runs in the 2nd, which was all they'd need in what would be a 4-1 Quad Cities loss. David Paulino allowed 7H/3R (2ER), 4K:1BB in 4IP; Eric Peterson threw 2IP, 3H/1ER, 1K:2BB; Ryan Thompson allowed 1H/0ER, 2K:0BB in 1IP.
Ramon Laureano was 2x3 with the only run scored and two stolen bases; Sean McMullen was 0x0 with two walks and an RBI sac fly scoring Laureano. Other than that it was a big buncha nothin.
Man of the Match: Ramon Laureano
Tri-City (5-7, 5.0 GB)
Tri-City struck first with a run in the 2nd, but Connecticut got it done with a 2-1 win. Trent Thornton threw 4IP, 6H/1ER, 6K:0BB; Scott Weatherby allowed 4H/1ER, 1K:1BB in 2.1IP, and Steve Naemark retired all five batters he faced.
Bobby Wernes was 2x3 with a walk and an RBI; Dexture McCall was 1x3 with a walk; Cesar Carrasco and Antonio Nunez had your other hits.
Man of the Match: Trent Thornton
Greeneville (5-3, tied for 1st)
Princeton took a 2-0 lead in the first, but Greeneville responded with six unanswered runs on their way to a 10-6 win. Yhoan Acosta allowed 4H/5R (3ER), 3K:1BB in 3.1IP; Juan Delis allowed 2H/0ER, 2K:2BB in 1IP; Cristhopher (not a typo) Santamaria faced one batter and got two out; Zac Grotz threw 2IP, 0H/0ER, 1K:1BB and Jacob Dorris allowed 0H/1ER, 3K:2BB.
Connor Goedert had a weird day, going 3x4 with a homer, 4RBI, three runs scored, a stolen base, and an error. Randy Cesar was 2x5 with a grand slam in the 3rd. Kevin Martir went 3x4 with a walk and 2RBI; Aaron Mizell was 2x4 with a walk, and Luis Payano was 2x4 with a double.
Man of the Match: Connor Goedert
GCL Astros (0-8)
Game 1: The GCL Astros lost 2-1 to the GCL Phillies. Jose Rosario allowed 5H/2ER, 3K:0BB; Edgardo Sandoval allowed 1H/0ER, 1K:0BB in 4IP; Carlos Hiraldo threw two hitless/scoreless innings, and Adonis Pena allowed a hit in 1IP. Bryan De La Cruz was 2x4; Frankeny Fernandez was 1x3 with a triple and a walk; Reiny Beltre was 1x3 with a walk; Vicente Sanchez was 0x1 with three walks. Kyle Tucker went 0x4 with 3K.
Man of the Match: Edgardo Sandoval
Game 2: The GCL Phillies extended the GCL Astros' losing streak to open the season to eight games with a walk-off 1-0 win. Diogenes Almengo threw 5IP, 3H/0ER, 3K:0BB and Enrique Chavez allowed 3H/1ER, 2K:2BB in 2.1IP. Wander Franco was 2x3, Ruben Castro (SB) and Jared Cruz had your other hits.
Man of the Match: Diogenes Almengo
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