Oh I guess the Winter Meetings started, marking the end of this eternal offseason slumber...in theory, anyway. Let's see who said what and what it may or may not mean.
*Dana Brown is "not entertaining" trading Alex Bregman. Check out this Chandler Rome article, where he's as incredulous as I am that Dana Brown and Jim Crane haven't discussed a budget yet.
That's smart. Because some idiot gave Rafael Montero a 3yr/$34.5m contract a year ago and set the market way too high. As soon as we find the guy that did that we ought to whoop his ass.
*Dana Brown says things aren't to the "exchanging medical information" stage yet but things are "heating up."
*Joe Espada wouldn't name an everyday CF yet, saying that Jake Meyers and Chas McCormick will play in Spring Training. Mauricio Dubon will play everywhere.
It's a tough one. On one hand you have Jake Meyers, proud owner of a career 88 wRC+ (albeit with a 7.8 DEF rating). On the other you have Chas McCormick, fresh off a 133 wRC+ and a slightly worse 3.2 DEF rating. That 133 wRC+ is 3rd among CFs with at least 300PAs, behind Cody Bellinger and Mike Trout's 134 wRC+. McCormick was 8th among CFs with at least 300PAs in fWAR, at 3.8 - better than Brandon Marsh. But you know, lotta winter left before you make a decision.
Okay. I guess I should have made this more clear. Yes, Chas can play LF and Jake can play CF. That's in play.
*Joe Espada has talked to Yainer Diaz "once a week" since Espada took the reins. On the backup side, the Astros have allegedly been in contact with catcher Tucker Barnhart, giving Real Gs the opportunity to have a fantasy team named "Kyle Tucker Barnhart."
*Speaking of backup catchers, the Angels, White Sox, Padres, and Marlins are interested in the services of Martin Maldonado.
*A few days ago the Astros signed reliever Kervin Castro to a minor-league deal. He's not in the mix for 2024 as he's recovering from Tommy John Surgery.
*You can get tickets to the Astros Foundation College Classic, featuring ut, UH, Texas State, Vanderbilt, LSU, and the University of Louisiana - March 1-3, 2024.
It's time for the GM Meetings, so of course we're going to hear more from Scott Boras than we will Mariah Carey on the radio for the next few days. Unless everyone poops themselves to death and the GM Meetings end early. UPDATE: Everyone's bowels is definitely loose. GM Meetings have been canceled.
*Boras said there have been positive interactions towards extensions for both Altuve and Bregman, but nothing formally yet.
GM Dana Brown:
I think that we understand they have one more year left. And we want to sign them. I think they're interested in being here. I think it's just going to take time to figure out is there going to be somewhere that we can make it work. And that just takes time sometimes. I wish it was easy...but we do have an interest in both guys, for sure.
There is apparently interest in extending both Framber and Tucker, but since they're under team control for two more years there isn't as much urgency in getting those done.
*Boras also said that Lance McCullers will "no doubt" be pitching in 2024, though Dana Brown expects that to be in July.
*I think it's a derivative of the previous Athletic link, but Dana Brown addressed the Astros' piss-poor performances at home:
I think it's a fluke. I think it's an aberration. I think if you look at this club, the success that they've had in Houston has been really good. I don't want to get wrapped up into it and make it this big psychological thing. I think the team's been really good. I think it's a fluke. I think guys started talking about it and they started pressing more.
If this was an AP US History written response, I would cross out all of the "I think" phrases. Make a claim. Own it. Be bold, and if you're wrong, be boldly wrong. But don't forget that two teams in professional sports history have lost all four home games in a seven-game series: the 2019 Astros and the 2023 Astros.
*There's some weirdness with the Joe Espada situation. First of all, I did not realize he was only 48. Second, he interviewed for the Astros' manager gig last week. He's been linked to the now-vacant Milwaukee, and while Dana Brown said the Astros "hold the keys to permission" allowing him to interview with the Brewers...
...but they don't. Espada's contract expired on October 31. Espada doesn't need the Astros' permission to do anything. So either Dana Brown didn't know that Espada's contract was up (which is terrible) or he forgot (which isn't great, either). But click that link to see how highly Dana Brown apparently feels about Espada.
A lot of people in the organization think highly of Espada. I think highly of Espada. I just don't know that Crane will let a first-year manager take the reins of a team looking to make its 8th straight ALCS. Crane has managed to surround himself with Reggie Jackson and Jeff Bagwell. Obviously they know Espada better than we do, but Espada isn't a splashy name, and I think Crane is drawn to the splashy name.
*Mike Petriello notes that the Astros have the 2nd-best roster already, entering the 2024 season. Of course Shohei Ohtani hasn't signed with the Rangers yet...
*ESPN's David Schoenfield graded his pre-2023 bold predictions for each team. Yordan's race for the Triple Crown is still on.
Ahem. Now we have a rivalry. The Astros won Game 5, 5-4. It was the Astros' 7th straight postseason road win, their last postseason road loss coming in 2022 World Series Game 3, the "Let McCullers Get Shelled and Then Throw A No-Hitter" game.
9th Inning - Jose Altuve 3-run homer: 82.9% Astros
9th Inning - Mitch Garver single: 65.2% Astros
9th Inning - Jonah Heim single: 53.2% Rangers
9th Inning - Evan Carter strikeout: 100.0% Astros
*Let's talk about that Adolis Garcia HBP:
-Did Adolis Garcia pimp his three-run homer in the 6th? Absolutely! Did he have every right to do that? For sure! I would still be moonwalking between 1st and 2nd base if I had hit that home run, which was actually Adolis Garcia's 100th career home run. That home run was massive. Absolutely no issue with Garcia slamming the bat down and yelling.
-Did Abreu try to hit him? Obviously I'm biased. I've spent a number of years referring to the Rangers as being located in a different random Metroplex suburb. I hate that team. That said, there is absolutely no reason to hit Adolis Garcia. Evan Carter was on 1st base after Abreu walked him. It was 4-2 Rangers, and the Astros had three outs to play with before having to go back to Minute Maid Park needing to win both games to win the Pennant. I'm sure the Astros have won back-to-back home games in 2023...but I can't quite remember when. (September 9-10 vs San Diego).
-What I'm trying to say is that intentionally hitting Garcia would be the height of stupidity. Garcia had woken up the World's Largest Storage Unit already, there would be no reason to fan the flames. I think Abreu was trying to blow an fastball by him. There were 0 outs. Maybe get a GIDP.
-I also understand why Garcia was pissed off. If someone hit me with a 97mph fastball you would see my soul ascend (I'm assuming I'm going to Heaven) on a cloud, playing a harp. There wouldn't even be dental records, such would be my demise.
-Shoutout to Dusty Baker for actually getting out of the dugout and putting his finger in one the faces of this awful umpiring crew. Dusty: "I haven't been that mad in a long time."
-Altuve's homer got Marvin Hudson off the hook for what was an absolutely God-awful job behind the plate. I didn't know Dusty had it in him. It also got Altuve off the hook for trying to bunt with Tucker on second base.
-Ultimately Garcia's outburst may have actually cost the Ramgers that game. He iced LeClerc, which is French for "The Clerc," for 11 minutes after he got Michael Brantley to juuuust get under one to end the inning with Kyle Tucker on second base. LeClerc's 9th Inning: Walk, Walk, Homer (then some outs).
I was concerned about that delay. I really was. It as a long one. It was taking too long, to be honest. The whole thing is a bunch of crap, to be honest, what happened there. Who knows what intentions are, but it's not the first time it's happened, and couldn't get the game going again.
LeClerc:
I'm not used to waiting around that long to pitch again, but it's no excuse. I needed to execute my pitches and do a better job.
That doesn't happen if Adolis Garcia just walks to first.
-But if Abreu did it on purpose, then he's dumb as hell and deserved to get tossed. And suspended.
Verlander made one bad pitch. That pitch also moved Verlander out of a tie with Clayton Kershaw for the 2nd-most postseason home runs allowed and past Andy Pettitte's 31 playoff homers and into sole possession of most postseason home runs allowed, at 32.
Of the 32 postseason home runs Verlander has now allowed, 19 have come with the Astros. That breakdown:
Solo: 13
2-Run: 3
3-Run: 3
Grand Slams: 0
It's the 9th time Verlander has allowed 2HR in a postseason game, and the 6th time it's happened with the Astros, who are now 2-4 in postseason games in which Verlander gives up 2HR.
*Jordan Montgomery vs Houston, ALCS: 11.2IP, 10H/2ER, 9K:3BB.
*Shoutout to Yainer Diaz, who got his first career postseason hit.
*Shoutout to Jon Singleton, who drew a walk that became the tying run in his first plate appearance since October 1. Singleton:
You put in the hard work, and you stay ready so you don't have to get ready. That's been my motto so far this year.
*Jose LeClerc had only allowed 23 homers in 302.1 career IP. He had given up 5HR in the 2023 regular season. Only one of those career home runs had more than one on base - a grand slam to Julio Rodriguez on July 15, 2022. And then came Jose Altuve.
*Jose Altuve hit his 26th career postseason home run to record his 54th career postseason RBI. It was his first multi-RBI game since 2021 ALCS G2. Altuve had 3RBI in his previous 25 postseason games combined. Listen to Robert Ford's call of the home run.
I know everybody is talking about the homer. But if you go and see Diaz's base hit and then Singleton's walk, especially when he hasn't played in a lot of days...coming from the bench facing probably one of the best closers right now in the playoffs, I think the key was these two guys and to be able to score all those runs.
*Alex Bregman's 18th career postseason home run moves him into a tie for 3rd in franchise history with Carlos Correa. He needs one more to tie George Springer for 2nd.
*Kyle Tucker got two hits in a postseason game since 2022 World Series Game 1.
*It was Ryan Pressly's first career postseason six-out save, and just the 2nd six-out save of his career.
We got hoodwinked, Framboozled, led astray, run amok. Framber was bad. The Astros offense was...offensive, going 0x6 w/RISP. Houston goes to Six Flags down 2-0.
Since 2004, teams that went up 2-0 in the LCS are 18-2 in the series. The 2020 Dodgers came back from 0-2 down to win the NL Pennant over the Barves. Otherwise, in non-Mickey Mouse years, the 2004 Red Sox came back from 3-0 down against the Yankees, and I highly suggest that you watch the "Four Days in October" 30 For 30 before Game 3. Speaking of, here's Derek Jeter on the 2023 ALCS:
This team in Houston is great on the road. Just because they're down 2 games, it's not over. We've lost the series being up 3-0. I don't want to bring it back up...but my point is, everyone in this Texas Rangers clubhouse knows this series is not over.
We have an off day, and I think everyone's gonna regroup and focus on winning the next pitch. That's all you can do. You've got to take it pitch by pitch in the postseason when you're playing against a great team like them. Come in and compete and try to execute just a little bit better. I don't think we've played terrible; they've just played a little bit better than we have.
*The "Houston" "Astros" are 5-14 at Minute Maid Park since September 1. They're 11-3 on the road in the same time frame.
*The Astros had the bases loaded with nobody out in the 5th. Yainer Diaz, finally pinch-hitting for Maldonado, struck out. Altuve struck out. Bregman grounded out weakly to end the inning with no runs scored. The Astros had runners on 1st and 2nd with two outs in the 8th with no runs scored. This feels impossible. But it's true.
*Altuve: 0x5, 2K. He has one hit in his last 18 PAs, and is 4x25 in the 2023 postseason. Since the beginning of the 2022 postseason, Altuve:
I thought the quality of my pitches was good. There were a couple balls that they didn't hit well that fell for base hits. It happened a couple times there.
The xBA on the Rangers' five singles that scored four runs: .470, .450, .950, .910, .320
*Yordan Alvarez hit his 11th and 12th career home runs in his 53rd career postseason game - his 2nd 2HR game of the postseason, and his career. It's the 11th 2HR postseason game in franchise history.
He also drew a walk and scored on Michael Brantley's double. It's his 35th, 36th, and 37th career postseason runs scored, tied with Carlos Correa for fourth in franchise history.
I've seen him get frustrated. This is a guy that expects excellence from himself. But I never see him doubt.
*Alex Bregman passed Carlos Beltran with his 17th career postseason home run and into a tie for 7th-most all-time with David Ortiz and Jim Thome.
*Yainer Diaz is 0x10 with 5K in the 2023 postseason.
*Kyle Tucker was 0x4 with a strikeout. He's 2x22 with a double, 7K:3BB this postseason - an .091/.200/.136 line - just what you want in the middle of the order. Tucker, on his ABs:
They're terrible. I feel fine, just my swing is not there. I haven't done anything with any of the pitches. It's been tough.
Dusty:
It's frustrating when you're not getting hits. And I'm sure he's frustrated. We need Tuck. He's a big part of our team. Big part of our offense. I just know that Tucker will come across and come through with it in [Six Flags].
*Astros bullpen: 6.1IP, 1H/0ER, 6K:2BB. Just shameful to waste that.
*J.P. France: 2.1IP, 1H/0ER, 1K:1BB. Congratulations to J.P. France, who became the 95th pitcher in Astros history to make a postseason appearance.
It could be that everything finally is catching up to the Astros. All those years of playing so deep into the postseason, which perhaps contributed to injuries to Lance McCullers, Luis Garcia, and Jose Urquidy and the inconsistencies of Valdez and Cristian Javier. All those years of spending modestly in free agency while the Rangers invested $800 million on the open market the past two offseasons.
*Cristian Javier will start Game 3 against Max Scherzer.
The Houston MF Astros won the AL West for the sixth straight (full) season, wresting it from the grubby, idiotic, webbed fingers of the Cedar Hill Rangers. Houston finishes the 2023 regular season with a dismal, unbelievably-bad 90-72 record. The Astros will play G1 of the ALDS on Saturday.
*AL Playoff Picture:
1. Baltimore (101-61)
2. Houston (92-70)
3. Minnesota (87-75)
4. Tampa (99-63)
5. Cedar Hill (92-70)
6. Toronto (89-73)
Baltimore and Houston will get a bye.
Minnesota will host Toronto, and Houston will get the winner. Check out FanGraphs' preview of the Minnesota-Toronto series. FanGraphs gives the Blue Jays a 55.6-44.4 edge.
Tampa will host Cedar Hill, and Baltimore will get the winner.
FanGraphs has already given the Astros a 60.4% chance to win the ALDS, and a 19.4% chance to win the World Series, easily the highest in the AL.
*Days in 1st Place, AL West (with Last Day in 1st)
Cedar Hill: 159 (September 30)
Houston: 23 (October 1)
Seattle: 12 (September 4)
Anaheim: 10 (May 5)
Oakland: 2 (March 31)
*The following Astros hitters did not play in the following number of games in the 2023 regular season:
Jose Altuve: 73
Yainer Diaz: 59
Yordan Alvarez: 49
Chas McCormick: 48
*The 2022 Astros got 10+ starts from six pitchers: Framber, Verlander, Urquidy, Garcia, Javier, and Odorizzi. Combined they threw 907.2IP, you can add Lance McCullers Jr's eight starts to bring that total to 955.1IP.
The 2023 Astros got 518IP from those six starters. Hunter Brown, J.P. France, Brandon Bielak, and Ronel Blanco threw 423IP in 2023.
*Alex Bregman was 2x4 with a home run - his first since September 19, and he enjoyed his first 2RBI game since September 4. Bregman, in this must-read Chandler Rome piece about the 2023 Astros:
In a game as tough as baseball where it's just built on failure, you have to be able to move on to the next pitch, turn the page and bounce back, be resilient. No matter what, we've had our ups and downs this year, but it's a damn resilient team.
*The Astros were at 27.1% to win the AL West...entering Sunday. On September 27 they were at 5.1% to win the AL West.
And then the Astros went 5-1 in Seattle and Arizona. Cedar Hill, who were up 2.5 games with four to play, went 3-4 on their seven-game season-closing road trip.
We're never out of it with this ballclub. I think we have a phenomenal lineup and pitching staff. It wasn't ideal how we did it. But we came back and won it. That's all that matters.
Tucker will appeal the decision to give him a triple + fielder's choice.
Tucker's 112 RBI led the American League - he has 219 RBI since the beginning of the 2022 season. He's the third Astro to lead the league in RBI, joining Jeff Bagwell (1994) and Lance Berkman (2002).
Tucker's 112 RBI are the 15th-most in franchise history in a single season, tied with 2019 Alex Bregman. It's the 38th time in franchise history an Astro has recorded 100+ RBI in a season, and Tucker is just the 18th Astro to do it.
Back-to-Back 100+ RBI Seasons, Astros history:
Kyle Tucker: 2022-2023
Alex Bregman: 2018-2019
Carlos Lee: 2007-2009
Lance Berkman: 2001-2002, 2006-2008
Moises Alou: 2000-2001
Jeff Bagwell: 1996-2001
Bob Watson: 1976-1977
*Houston has gone 101-60 on the road since the beginning of the 2022 season.
*The Astros finished Sept/Oct with a 13-14 record, the second calendar month of the season with a losing record.
*Jose Abreu was 2x4 with a home run, his 8th homer since September 1, tied with Yordan Alvarez for the team lead this month(s). His 18 home runs in the 2023 regular season are the second-fewest in his 10-year MLB career, behind only 2022 when he hit 15.
*Cristian Javier: 6IP, 3H/0ER, 4K:2BB. Javier's last four starts of the 2023 regular season: 20.2IP, 14H/7ER, 27K:8BB, a 3.05 ERA / 1.06 WHIP.
*Yainer Diaz got 1 Plate Appearance in the last four games of the regular season.
*Most Postseason Games in MLB, Since 2015:
Astros: 92
Dodgers: 86
*The Astros and Texans won on the same day for the first time since September 12, 2021.
*The Rangers got shutout 11 times in 2023 - two of those times came in the last series of the season against Seattle: Friday, and Sunday.
I was unaware the Astros were allowed to win at home. And by God, Cristian Javier was seemingly determined to continue that streak. Anyhow. Astros win. Mariners lose. Rangers and Blue Jays win. Houston is 81-62 and have won one of their last one home games.
*The Astros' seven runs was the most in a home game since beating Boston 7-3 on August 22 - a span of seven games. Games with the following runs scored, Minute Maid Park, 2023 (and their record):
0: 2 (0-2)
1: 13 (0-13)
2: 10 (2-8)
3: 8 (3-5)
4: 5 (4-1)
5: 7 (4-3)
6: 8 (6-2)
7: 7 (6-1)
8: 3 (3-0)
9: 3 (3-0)
10: 2 (2-0)
11: 2 (2-0)
17: 1 (1-0)
Houston is 5-28 when they score three or fewer runs at Minute Maid Park. Ten of Houston's 11 highest run totals in a game have come on the road in 2023. Also note that they have scored three or fewer runs in 33 of the Astros' 71 home games in 2023.
*Yordan Alvarez was 2x3 with a walk, 2RBI, and his 26th home run of the season. He has a 17-game on-base streak, and since going 0x4 on August 19 in a 10-3 loss to Seattle, Yordan: .403/.542/.710, 4 doubles / 5 homers, 6K:17BB.
*Kyle Tucker was 1x4 with a 2-run double, his first extra-base hit since September 1. His 101 RBI on the season are six shy of his career-high of 107, set in 2021. Tucker:
It's cool. Obviously, you can't get there unless guys in front of you are getting on base and giving you opportunities. I think it's more of that happening rather than me driving them in. I'm fortunate enough to have a lot of high on-base guys in front of me and they've been doing a good job of that all year.
Tucker needs four home runs and four stolen bases to join Jeff Bagwell as the franchise's only 30HR/30SB/100RBI members.
He has 26 home runs, 32 doubles, and 101 RBI. It's the 25th such season by 13 Astros hitters. Your 25+ HR, 30+ doubles, 100+ RBI Astros:
Jeff Bagwell: 7 (1994, 1996-2001)
Lance Berkman: 4 (2001, 2002, 2004, 2008)
Alex Bregman: 2 (2018-2019)
Moises Alou: 2 (1998, 2001)
Carlos Lee: 2 (2007, 2009)
Kyle Tucker: 1 (2023)
Yordan Alvarez: 1 (2021)
Yuli Gurriel: 1 (2019)
Morgan Ensberg: 1 (2005)
Jeff Kent: 1 (2004)
Richard Hidalgo: 1 (2000)
Carl Everett: 1 (1999)
Glenn Davis: 1 (1986)
*A back-to-back of Brown and Javier continues to hamstring the bullpen, seeing as how neither of them remembers how to get 15+ outs. Urquidy limited the damage last night, but that's 9.2IP thrown by the bullpen this series already.
*Javier, by outs, 2022:
0 out: .410 OPS-against
1 out: .521 OPS-against
2 outs: .723 OPS-against
Javier, by outs, 2023:
0 out: .728 OPS-against
1 out: .804 OPS-against
2 outs: .731 OPS-against
Javier needed 82 pitches to get 12 outs. He has walked 3+ batters in four straight starts. On June 15 Javier threw six shutout innings against the Nationals - his 14th start of the season.
Javier's last 13 starts, 60.2IP, 64H/49ER, 56K:35BB, 7.27 ERA / 1.63 WHIP.
Javier has been *this* pitcher for as long as he was *that* pitcher in 2023.
*Kendall Graveman: 0.2IP, 3H/1ER, 0K:1BB. Graveman has allowed an earned run in back-to-back outings for the first time since Aug 3/5, 2023...his first two games back with the Astros.
Goodness. The Astros took West Van to the woodshed in a 14-1 drubbing that saw Future Hall of Famer Bruce Bochy pull Corey Seager after two ABs. Houston is 79-61. Seattle lost.
*AL Playoff Picture:
1. Baltimore (87-51)
2. Houston (79-61)
3. Minnesota (73-66)
4. Tampa (84-55)
5. Seattle (77-61)
6. Toronto (77-62)
---
7. West Van (76-62) +0.5
8. Boston (72-67) +5.0
*AL West Division Odds (and change from yesterday):
*The Astros hit six home runs. It's the most home runs ever hit by a team - the Rangers included - at Globe Life Field. The last time the Rangers allowed 6HR in a game was June 16, 2021...at Minute Maid Park...against the Astros.
*It's the 23rd time in MLB history that a team has hit 11 home runs over consecutive road games. The 2023 Astros are also on the list, when they hit 7HR at Oakland on May 28 and then 4HR at Toronto on June 5, their next road game after May 28. So it's just the 20th time in MLB history that it happened on back-to-back days (or in both ends of a doubleheader).
*Days in 1st Place, AL West, 2023:
1. West Van: 150
2. Seattle: 12
3. Houston: 1
*Jose Altuve hit a home run in his first three ABs of the game, the three homers tying a career-high with 2017 ALDS G1. That marked a run of four straight ABs with a home run. Jose Altuve's ABs against the Rangers, September 4-5:
1. Groundout
2. Flyout
3. Single
4. Home Run
5. Single
6. Home Run
7. Home Run
8. Home Run
9. Home Run
10. Groundout
11. Strikeout
The only other player in MLB history to hit four home runs in four innings was Bobby Lowe, you remember, from the 1894 Boston team. They were so old they didn't even have a name. Just "Boston." Altuve has raised his OPS from .899 to .969 in 11 Plate Appearances against the Rangers. Altuve:
It was just one of those days where you feel really good. I was just trying to get my pitch, put a good swing, and it happened...Obviously, this doesn't happen very often. Last month of the season where we are trying to get to first place, stay there, so good timing.
He goes, we go. That's how we've been. Every time he does it, we're not surprised, really, but at the same time, it's unreal what he does.
Altuve is only the 23rd player in MLB history to hit five home runs in two consecutive road games (on back-to-back days, or both ends of a doubleheader). The last to do it? Former White Sox Great Jose Abreu, who did it against the Cubs on August 21-22, 2020.
We're in first place and we want to pad that lead. Tomorrow is very important and when we get back home, we got to start showing some home-field dominance. Trying to figure out why we're hitting so well on the road and not at home. We'll figure it out. Right now, we've got a one-game lead, and we've got to pad it.
*Martin Maldonado hit two home runs last night for the 5th time in his career. It's the first time he's hit two home runs in the same game against the same pitcher since September 4, 2017.
*Yordan Alvarez went 3x6 with a HR and 2RBI. Since coming off the IL on July 26, Yordan is hitting .316/.425/.534 with 20K:22BB and 7HR.
*Framber threw 7IP, 6H/1ER, 4K:4BB. Framber's last three starts: 20IP, 11H/5R (3ER), 15K:9BB.
*Ryne Stanek was placed on the IL with a "right ankle sprain," which is far better than the "right ankle disintegration" I'd predicted. Parker Mushinski was called up.
*After throwing in 56 of the Astros' first 130 games, Ryan Pressly has pitched once since August 25. A nice little break on his arm.
*MLB Network put up a graphic yesterday for Discussion! or Engagement! or whatever, but it highlighted five AL Rookie of the Year candidates with some baseline stats. They had:
*On Monday, September 25-Wednesday, September 27, 2017 the Astros traveled to Arlington to play the series the Rangers didn't want to flip series after Hurricane Harvey out of respect for their own Season Ticket Holders. Houston outscored them 37-7 and out-hit them 46-23. Tonight the Astros need 11 runs on 11 hits to beat that ass even harder.
*What To Watch, September 6:
Blue Jays @ A's: 2:37pm Central
Red Sox @ Rays: 5:40pm
Mariners @ Reds: 5:40pm
Astros @ Rangers: 7:05pm
*BBC: Winless, Elusive, & Under Pressure: Jurgen Klinsmann in South Korea.
Getting kind of tired of the HomeStros. Houston drops another one-run game to the Yankees to fall a game behind Seattle, who won last night. The Rangers lost, so there's something there, I guess. Houston is 77-60.
*Houston is now 35-33 at Minute Maid Park, getting outscored 311-309.
They're 10-11 at Minute Maid Park since the All-Star Break, with a 2-4 record in one-run games at home in that span. I cannot explain this.
*Record in One-Run Games, recent years:
2017: 19-13
2018: 24-24
2019: 24-19
2021: 21-19
2022: 28-16
2023: 17-18
*The Astros did not have a single solitary AB with a runner in scoring position all night. I'm not about to go find out the last time that happened.
*Houston GIDPd three times in a game for the 5th time this season.
*Michael Brantley was 2x4 with a home run - his first since June 17, 2022.
*The Astros fouled off 41 of Severino's 104 pitches. Severino:
I haven't seen something like this in my whole career. They made me work really hard.
*Hunter Brown: 4IP, 5H/5R (3ER), 5K:4BB. He has failed to record 13 outs in three of his last four starts.
My Dude UltimateGringo made a really good point in the Group Chat last night: Hunter Brown is a facsimile of his childhood idol Justin Verlander. His delivery is virtually the same as Verlander's. So it's almost rotation construction malpractice to throw them back-to-back because the opponent is getting another look at Verlander, but Brown (and it's not his fault) just isn't as good as Verlander.
I put us in a tough spot, and it wasn't my best performance. I felt like they spit on some good pitches, and the uncompetitive ones, I didn't have a chance to get a swing.
*Astros starters threw back-to-back Sub-40 Game Score starts for the first time since August 23-24.
*Houston's bullpen: 5IP, 3H/0ER, 8K:2BB. Only Neris and Stanek threw clean innings.
*Yainer Diaz is the 204th player in MLB history, and the 14th catcher in MLB history, to hit 20 Home Runs in their rookie season. He's the 7th Astro rookie to hit 20+ Home Runs in a season. Astros Rookie HR Leaderboard:
Yainer Diaz got his 10th start of the season on May 6. Since May 14 (the date of his first home run of 2023), Diaz (75 games, 63 starts) is hitting .293/.315/.570. His .570 SLG is 10th among all batters with 250 ABs since May 14.
The Athletic: Can Diaz finally crack the Astros' everyday lineup?
*Kyle Tucker has not gone three straight games without a hit since June 19-21.
*Let's take a second and wonder why in the af was Mauricio Dubon leading off the game.
Dubon, leading off (71 games, 61 starts): 293 PAs, .248/.270/.351, 46K:7BB, .282 BABIP, 62 sOPS+.
I got nothing.
*Dusty said he pinch-hit Jon Singleton for Jon Singleton because their projections showed that there was a 27.5% chance he would get a hit, over the 22% chance that Chas would get a hit. Do with that whatever you will. I'd like to know what the projections show about hitting Abreu and his .295 OBP 5th. Or Dubon in the leadoff spot.
*Oh man another Russian tycoon critical of Putin fell out of a window. They should start getting rooms with really high balconies.
My daughter and I have really gotten into travel videos on YouTube, but the hosts (Trek Trendy and Jeb Brooks, to name just a couple) are smarmy. I want someone to subsidize this for me - paying for me to travel and make videos about it. I won't show my ass. I'll make you a ton of money. Hit me up.
Chas McCormick swept the Cleveland Guardians 3-2. Houston is 62-47, and sit 0.5 games back in the AL West. Since losing five straight games from June 15-19, the Astros are 23-13. That is the best record in the American League by 1.5 games.
*The win improves the Astros' record against the AL Central to 11-11, mainly thanks to going 3-7 against the Tigers and Twins.
*Cleveland scored five runs in the three-game series, the fewest number of runs allowed in a three-game series since May 26-28, 2023, when Oakland scored three runs in three games.
*Yordan Alvarez was 2x4 with a double. In the six games since his return from an oblique injury, Yordan is hitting .409/.480/.773.
*Alex Bregman was 2x2 with two walks, getting on base four times for the 7th time in 2023.
*Yainer Diaz also went 2x4, enjoying a 2-hit game for the third time in his last four games. Since the All-Star Break, Diaz is hitting .326/.360/.587.
*After going 0x3 yesterday, Corey Julks is now hitless in his last 36 PAs.
*Ronel Blanco: 4IP, 5H/2ER, 3K:4BB. Blanco has made seven starts for the Astros in 2023, and allowed three or fewer earned runs in six of them. The Astros are 3-4 in those starts. Blanco was optioned to Sugar Land after the game for the fourth time this season. One more option before he has to be placed on waivers first.
*Parker Mushinski, since the All-Star Break: 4 appearances, 5.1IP, 4H/1ER, 5K:1BB.
*Hector Neris has appeared in 48 games for the 2023 Astros, and hasn't allowed a hit in 23 of them. He hasn't allowed a baserunner in 14 of those games.
*Dusty Baker won his 2,155th game as a manager in 3,993rd game. He's three wins shy of tying Hall of Famer Bucky Harris for 7th all-time, and 39 wins short of passing Sparky Anderson for 6th all-time.
*Houston's rotation this weekend is a little up in the air with the arrivals of Justin Verlander and Jose Urquidy.
*How ESPN went from Disney's financial engine to its main problem.
The Houston MF Astros "swept" the "Rockies" 6-4 in Wednesday's game. Houston is 49-38, 2.0 games back of Watauga. The Astros have won four in a row, seven of their last eight, eight of their last ten. Houston is 24-19 at Minute Maid Park, and 25-19 on the road. The Astros have won three straight series.
*Yainer Diaz hit two home runs to bring his season total to 10, and he did it in just 48 games (174 PAs), which is a 34-homer pace extrapolated to a 162-game season. Diaz joins Yordan Alvarez as the only Astros to have a 2HR game in 2023 (Yordan did it May 22 and May 28). Pena:
It feels like he hits a homer every other game.
McTaggart notes that Diaz is the first Astros rookie catcher with a multi-homer game since Mitch Meluskey (September 3, 2000 vs Atlanta).
*Jeremy Pena also joined the 10HR Club, giving the Astros five players with double-digit homers.
*It was the Astros 17th straight game with a home run - their longest streak since an 18-gamer from July 19-August 8, 2021.
*Alex Bregman was 0x2 with 2BB. In the last six games Bregman is hitting .095/.296/.143.
*Kyle Tucker was caught stealing for the 3rd time this season. The Astros are 63-for-80 (78.8%) when attempting to steal a base. On one hand, they're just 20 steals short of their entire 2022 total, but are just a tad worse than they were in 2022, when they went 83-for-105 (79%) when stealing bases.
That said, the American League is 923-for-1177 (78.4%) when trying to steal a base. So..teams with a worse basestealing rate than the Astros:
Rangers: 78.4%
Guardians: 78.2%
Royals: 77.4%
Tigers: 75.9%
Mariners: 75%
Yankees: 73.2%
Angels: 72.1%
*J.P. France: 6IP, 6H/3ER, 4K:1BB - his seventh consecutive Quality Start, and 9th in first eleven starts of 2023.
*Ryan Pressly saved his 19th game of the season. He has 95 saves as an Astro, 4th all-time, and just 28 behind Brad Lidge for 3rd in franchise history. Pressly's last ten appearances: 10IP, 0H/1R (0ER), 11K:3BB.
This is his first full season as a starter. I think guys [get] tired at times and they get dead arm and they just don't have the zip that they usually have on their stuff. And so at the end of the day, I think giving him a little bit of a break is what we're trying to talk about now. Could be a good thing.
*The Astros will know more about Altuve's oblique today, but they (a) don't think it's as serious as it was the first time he went through it this season and (b) Altuve likely won't play a minute of any of these four Mariners games before the All-Star Break.
*Chandler Rome: How Dana Brown is approaching the Draft.
*If you're trying to off-ramp Twitter, I'm on Threads, but I don't know exactly what I'm going to do with it. Here's a little guide to Threads, hailed as the "Twitter Killer."
*Yankees reliever Jimmy Cordero has been suspended for the remainder of the season under MLB's Domestic Violence policy.
Well Shawn Dubin did pretty much exactly what the Astros needed him to do, Chas McCormick delivered the Big Hit, Altuve homered. Astros win 5-3 to improve to 46-38, four games back, winners of five of their last seven games. The Astros have an opportunity today to end a weekend at South Euless in which three rookies started having picked up two games. At worst, the Astros will have kept the Ramgers lead at five games through a tough weekend.
This club, they like to win. And they know how to win. No matter who we put out there, we expect them to do the job, even though they might not do as good a job as the people they're replacing. But just do what you're capable of doing and do what it takes to help us win.
That puts us in position to win the series and leave three games out. We battled today. Our bullpen did a great job. Dubin did an outstanding job. We took him far...we were thinking three, and he went four.
*Bullpen: 5IP, 4H/2ER, 8K:0BB.
*I'm not really sure why Future Hall of Famer Bruce Bochy pulled Andrew Heaney after 5IP and 85 pitches, having allowed just three hits and a walk with eight strikeouts...but I'm glad he did.
*Ramgers Bullpen: 4IP, 7H/5ER, 4K:2BB.
*Jose Abreu was 3x5 with a double. Since June 1 (26 games), Abreu is hitting .298/.321/.510. He has a nine-game on-base streak.
*Jose Altuve hit his 198th career home run in the top of the 9th inning. Since coming back from resting a bruised heel on June 28, Altuve is hitting .316/.458/.842. Four of his six hits in that span have been for extra-bases, and he's been on base 11 times in 19 PAs. He needs two more home runs to be the 5th Astro with 200 career home runs, and needs 26 homers to pass Jimmy Wynn for 4th all-time in franchise history.
*Chas McCormick was 2x4 with a two-out bases-clearing triple to break the game open off of Josh Sbarro Sborz in the 8th inning. It was McCormick's first triple since August 13, 2022, and his first 3RBI game since April 9. On June 9, McCormick was hitting .227/.315/.427 after going 0x6 with 4Ks. Since then, he's hitting .333/.400/.533. He should probably play every day.
I'm just happy to contribute and help the team win. I wanted to come through there with two outs, wanted to be aggressive and ready to hit. Thankfully, we got a win today because that was huge. And if we can get a win tomorrow, that will be even bigger.
*Yainer Diaz was 0x4 with runners in scoring position.
Diaz, bases empty, 2023: 85 PAs, .354/.377/.671.
Diaz, someone on, 2023: 76 PAs, .169/.171/.254.
Diaz, with RISP, 2023: 43 PAs, .132/.140/.158.
There are 295 hitters in MLB with a minimum of 40 PAs w/RISP, and Diaz's .132 BA ranks 292nd.
*Alex Bregman had his 3rd 0x5 day of the season.
*Framber Valdez and Yordan Alvarez are your 2023 Astros All-Stars. Yordan will attend, not play. Framber might start the game.
*Today is a hallowed day at ACHQ: It's July 3 aka Dependence Day. The day that me and my household celebrate the last day of America's dependence on England. So grab a Bounty and a Harp, add this to your Spotify playlists and spend the next nine and a half hours with me listening to the finest Britpop.
The Astros took the Cardinals to the woodshed in a 14-0 win to improve to 44-37. Houston is five games back of West Balch Springs. After losing five straight games, the Astros are 5-3 in their last eight games.
*Astros' record after 81 games:
2023: 44-37
2022: 53-28
2021: 48-33
2019: 50-31
2018: 53-28
2017: 54-27
2016: 43-38
2015: 47-34
2014: 35-46
2013: 30-51
2012: 32-49
2011: 28-53
*Houston carried over Framber, Urquidy, Luis Garcia, and Javier from the 2022 rotation. Combined they threw 671.2IP out of the 950IP thrown by Astros starters (70.7%). This year those four have combined to throw 246.2IP out of the 460.1IP thrown by Astros starters (53.4%).
*The Astros won their first game after scoring 10+ runs of the season.
*The last time the Astros scored 10+ runs in consecutive games was September 20-21, 2021 against Anaheim.
*Houston scored the last 19 runs of the series against the Cardinals.
*It was the Astros' 5th shutout of the season.
*Houston had 26 batters reach base (18 hits + 8 walks) - the most since August 18, 2022 when the Astros got 25 hits and four walks against the White Sox.
*Let's start with J.P. France. France threw 7IP, 4H/0ER, 2K:2BB. You have to go back to his MLB debut on May 6 to find the last time he threw a shutout appearance. France's last five starts: 5 Quality Starts, 33.1IP, 26H/9ER, 18K:12BB, 2.43 ERA/1.14 WHIP.
*Rafael Montero threw 2IP, 0H/0ER, 1K:0BB - his first clean outing since June 8, and his first 2+ IP clean outing since May 19, 2021.
*Alex Bregman was 3x5 with 0K:1BB, and a grand slam - his 3rd grand slam in June (three of his last five homers have been grannies.) Bregman since May 8 (46 games): .290/.364/.475, 27K:21BB, 8HR/38RBI. He's hitting over .250 for the first time since June 5. It was his third 4RBI game of the season, and all have been since June 3.
Grand Slams, Astros history:
1. Jose Altuve, Carlos Lee, Alex Bregman: 7
2. Jeff Bagwell: 6
3. Yuli Gurriel, George Springer, Lance Berkman: 5
I think the last couple of days we've been putting good at-bats together, stringing them together all day long. I think the last few days have been really good and let's keep it rolling.
*Kyle Tucker was 2x3 with 1K:1BB, HR/5RBI. He has a six-game hitting streak and is 6x8 with two doubles, a homer, and 6RBI in the last two games. It's the second 5+ RBI game of his career, his most in a single game since May 17, 2022 (6RBI vs Boston).
*Jose Abreu was 1x3 with a double, walk and 2RBI. In his last five games, Abreu is 8x20 with four extra-base hits (two doubles, two homers), 2K:1BB.
*Yainer Diaz was 3x6 with two doubles - his 3rd 3+ hit game in June. Diaz, May 30-June 29: .317/.321/.634.
*Corey Julks was 3x5 with a walk - the first time in his career he's been on base four times in a game.
*Jose Altuve's two runs scored moved him into a tie for 3rd place in Astros history with Lance Berkman, at 1,008. Only 509 more to catch Jeff Bagwell.
*Cardinals starter Adam Wainwright didn't make it out of the second inning. His last two starts: 4.2IP, 17H/13ER, 1K:4BB. It was his shortest outing since June 17, 2017.
*McTaggart: This upcoming series in Arlington is crucial.
*Evan Grant: The Rangers shouldn't get comfortable after their first half.
*Both Framber and Javier's next scheduled starts are listed as "TBA," which is um not a good sign.
*Jose Urquidy and Michael Brantley could face each other in live BP soon. The only way that ends is in a broken bat comebacker that impales Brantley and hits Urquidy in the mouth.
*Ken Rosenthal: The Astros are open to trading an outfielder. I'm gonna go out on a limb and guess that it's Chas McCormick, who has managed to get just 167 PAs despite a career-high 117 wRC+. Rosenthal notes that the Yankees have had previous interest in Chas.
Dana Brown:
I have zero interest in selling, zero.
*AstrosFuture: Former prospect Bryan Muniz has transitioned into a hitting coach.
In one of the most bizarre games of the year, the Astros beat the Mets 10-8 to win consecutive games for the third time in June. Cristian Javier's velocity was concerning, the bats kind of weren't? The Astros are 41-34. The Rangers won, the Angels lost, so the Astros are back in second place, a half-game up on Anaheim and 5.5 back of Pantego.
*Houston went 4-5 on this nine-game NL homestand against the Nationals, Reds, and Mets. They played 26 games in the last 27 days.
*Houston is 15-12 against NL teams in 2023. The Rangers are 13-10.
*It's the 4th time in the last five games that the pitching staff has allowed 8+ runs.
*The Astros offense, following a game in which they score 10+ runs: 0-3, 6 total runs scored.
*Alex Bregman was 3x5 with 2RBI. After a 2x22 stretch from June 11-17, Bregman is 8x18 with 5RBI.
*Corey Julks was 1x3 with a walk and 2RBI - his 4th straight game with a walk. He has raised his OPS 39 points (from .658 to .697) in the last four games.
*Yainer Diaz hit another home run, his 7th of the year. Diaz has played in every game this homestand and hit .286/.286/.657. On the home stand, the Astros hit 13 home runs - Diaz had four of them.
*Jeremy Pena drew 22 walks in 558 PAs in 2022. With two walks yesterday, Pena is at 17 in 296 PAs in 2023. After walking twice in 58 PAs between May 31-June 17, Pena has four walks in his last 12 PAs. It was the 3rd 2BB game of his career.
*Chas McCormick was 1x3 with a home run and a walk.
McCormick vs RHP: .242/.336/.455.
McCormick vs LHP: .265/.306/.500.
*Mauricio Dubon started the game at 1B and hit two doubles, making him the lightest Astros 1B since Jose Vizcaino.
Chandler Rome: Dubon starting at 1B shows the Astros' lack of depth.
*Cristian Javier didn't make it out of the 3rd Inning, throwing 2.1IP, 4H/4ER, 1K:5BB, needing 82 pitches to retire seven Mets.
Javier's top fastball velocity by inning, June 21:
1st Inning: 94.4mph
2nd Inning: 93.9mph
3rd Inning: 91.7mph (his last pitch of the day was a 90.7mph fastball)
Javier: I really don't even know what to tell you what was going on today. I was falling behind a lot of hitters and missing with a lot of pitches.
*Probably the dumbest signing of the GM Jim Crane era was Rafael Montero. Montero gave up 3H/2ER yesterday, raising his ERA to 7.04. Montero has pitched in 32 games in 2023 and has allowed at least one run in 12 of them. He has allowed a hit in 25 of them. In those 32 games, just five have seen Montero enter and exit without allowing a baserunner.
You've got to pitch him sometimes. He's been struggling. I know it, you know it, everybody knows it. You've got to take your shot in the 6th. You've got four innings to do whatever mishaps that happen vs. in the seventh and eighth where he's used to being.
The Astros owe Montero about $28m.
*Meat Wagon update: Jose Urquidy threw another bullpen, Michael Brantley swung a bat, and Yordan Alvarez went for a job.
*Rob Manfred told TIME Magazine that he wishes he could have a do-over with how he handled the Astros' sign-stealing scandal. Asked about what he regrets surrounding it, Manfred:
I'm not sure that I would have approached it with giving players immunity. Once we gave players immunity, it puts you in a box as to what exactly you were going to do in terms of punishment. I might have gone about the investigative process without that grant of immunity and see where it takes us. Starting with, I'm not going to punish anybody, maybe not my best decision ever.
The crazy thing is that the interviewer didn't ask Manfred about the Astros - he brought it up on his own as part of an answer to a "One thing you wish you had done over?" question, after (and I realize that this interview has been edited) answering questions about the Dodgers/LGBTQ kerfuffle and Oakland's impending relocation. So...good work on highlighting that for the public's awareness Rob.
*ESPN: How US Soccer's strange coaching search played out.
*Atlas Obscura: The elusive, maddening mystery of the Bell Witch.
The Astros won. The Rangers and Angels lost - the first time all three outcomes happened like that on the same day since May 28, and the 4th time all season. Houston is 40-34, 0.5 back of Anaheim, 5.5 back of Frisco.
*The win over the Fightin' Verlanders snaps a five-game skid, though the Astros scored four or fewer runs for the fifth time in the last six games. It's the first game the Astros have won with scoring four or fewer runs since May 21.
*All four runs came courtesy of Altuve and Bregman at the top of the lineup. Alex Bregman hit his 10th home run of the season (and the 150th of his career), becoming just the second Astro with double-digit homers in 2023.
Bregman's homer came on a 3-0 count. He had never hit a homer on a 3-0 count before last night.
*Jose Altuve hit a grand slam on May 29. Altuve now has 4RBI since then.
*Julkamania! After drawing a walk seven times in his first 52 games, Corey Julks has four walks in his last three games. He had walked four times in his previous 84 PAs (24 games).
*Jose Abreu was 1x4, but with three strikeouts. In 2022 Abreu struck out once every 6.17 PAs. In 2023 it's once every 4.07 PAs.
*Jake Meyers, June 2023: .149/.231/.255
*Framber Valdez threw 8IP, 4H/2ER, 9K:1BB. Framber's last six starts: 42IP, 26H/7ER, 39K:9BB. Bregman:
Framber was incredible today. Verlander, for five years, was incredible for us. Whenever we needed a win he was there and now Framber's been that guy for us.
*Last night's game was the first time Verlander has ever taken the L against the Astros. In ten career games against Houston, Verlander is 5-1 with a 2.82 ERA / 1.09 WHIP.
Everybody was sick of me blowing games, all the way from the org to fans, to teammates, to my friends. Even myself. It's frustrating, especially when we go out there and put up the games we've been putting and lose by one or two runs, but tonight everything felt good.
*Yainer Diaz has hit his way into the cleanup spot.
Jiminy Christmas. Do these men have no respect for dads? Unbelievable. The Reds completed a weekend Father's Day sweep of the Houston Astros. Houston is 39-33, 20-18 at Minute Maid Park, and are now in 3rd place in the AL West, 5.5 back of North Mexia, 1.0 back of Anaheim.
*The Astros had leads of 2-0, 2-1, 3-1, 3-2, and 5-2 in Sunday's "game."
*It's the first time the Astros have been in 3rd place since May 1, 2022. Tonight will be the 31st game since the beginning of 2021 that the Astros have been in 3rd place or worse.
*The Astros have lost four straight, five of their last seven, and ten of their last 14 games.
*Houston is 0-6 when the game goes to extra innings in 2023. They're 16-27 in extra innings since the Ghost Runner Rule was implemented at the beginning of 2020 (a season which did not exist).
*Houston is now 13-2 when they score 7+ runs, 0-2 in the last two instances of scoring 7+ runs.
*The Astros gave up 19 runs in the last two games of the series with the Reds, the most runs allowed in back-to-back games since they got whooped by the Orioles on June 28-29, 2021.
*Houston went 5x29 with runners in scoring position over the three-game series. They haven't hit a home run with a runner on base since beating Cleveland 6-4 on June 10.
This isn't anything like us. We'll play better, though. We're just a little injured, but we have to find ways to win. Everyone wants to come beat us because we're world champions. Us winning last year is in the past, so we just have to play better.
*Alex Bregman was (wink) a homer shy of the cycle in a 3x5, BB, RBI day. It's his 4th 3-hit game of the season, and it came on the heels of Brian McCann calling him to give him a hitting tip.
*Yainer Diaz also had a three-hit day, going 3x5 with an RBI. In 12 June games, Diaz is hitting .341/.348/.659. Eight of his 15 hits have been for extra-bases. He has more home runs (5) than walks (3) in 2023.
*Kyle Tucker was 2x4 with two walks and an RBI. He has four multi-hit games in his last five, and in 16 June games is hitting .339/.400/.516.
*After going 2x12 against Cincinnati, Jose Abreu's OPS is now back under .600.
*Ronel Blanco: 5.2IP, 7H/5ER, 5K:2BB, with two homers that accounted for three runs.
The Houston Astros beat the Chicago White Sox 4-3 yesterday afternoon to improve to 21-19, four games back of the Rangers for the division lead. The Astros have won four of their last five games after winning three of their previous ten games. Mercurial sons of bitches. At 2 hours and 33 minutes, it was the shortest of the three-game set and the 12th-quickest game of the season.
*The Astros went 5-4 on a nine-game road trip with stops in Seattle, Anaheim, and Chicago. Now they return home to face the Cubs and A's. Thirteen of their next 19 games are at home, where they [squints] enjoy an 8-11 record.
*Houston is 17-6 when allowing three or fewer runs, and 19-5 when scoring four or more runs.
*FanGraphs has the Astros at 41.9% to win the AL West, just ahead of the Rangers, who are at 39.3%.
One thing to note about the Rangers is their Strength of Schedule. Baseball-Reference has them tied with the Mets as having the easiest schedule in the Majors to this point, while the Astros have had the 7th-toughest schedule in the Majors. 13 of the Rangers' 40 games have come against the Royals and A's.
*Hunter Brown tied a career-high with eight strikeouts, and yesterday he pitched into the 6th Inning for the first time since April 26. After recording 21 outs in three of his first five starts, Brown has yet to record 18 outs in his last three outings. But! After walking five of the 20 batters he faced against the Giants on May 2, Brown has walked two of the last 47 batters that briefly stepped in.
*Yesterday was Ryan Pressly's 18th appearance of the season. He hasn't allowed a hit in 12 of them, and hasn't walked a batter since April 21. Since taking the L on April 11 against the Pirates, he has thrown 12IP, 8H/2ER, 10K:1BB - a 1.50 ERA / 0.75 WHIP.
*After getting at least one hit in six of his first eight games of the season, David Hensley since April 11 (51 PAs - 16 appearances, 13 starts): .067/.177/.156, 18K:6BB, 2XBH.
*Alex Bregman went 4x8 on May 8-9 at Anaheim, and since then has gone 2x16. In May, Bregman has "hit" .170/.235/.277, which is not exactly what you're looking for in the 2-hole.
*Yordan Alvarez has an 11-game hit streak, breaking his previous record of 10 games which he set from September 9-19, 2022.
*In 1270 games with the White Sox, Jose Abreu hit .292/.354/.507. A hit yesterday brought Abreu's line up to .214/.262/.253. Game of Abreu's first homer of the season:
*In 19 games for Corpus, Joey Loperfido (2021 - 7th Round) is hitting .308/.452/.554. Corpus' Rhett Kouba (2021 - 12th Round) has a 35:4 K:BB ratio in 29.2IP.
*2022 12th Round pick Zach Dezenzo is hitting .388/.455/.600 in 24 games for Asheville.
*Former Astros Great Zack Greinke became just the 5th pitcher to strike out 1,000 different batters.
*The Athletic: The Brent Venables way, and his vision for the future of Oklahoma football.
*My beloved Leeds United are currently at 67% to get relegated to the Championship (2nd division) of English football, with Southampton already clinching relegation. Leicester City are the only team with worse odds (70%) than Leeds. Leeds absolutely have to win at West Ham this weekend, and then hope that Spurs simply want to hurry up and get to Ibiza, in order to stay up.
*ESPN: Doyle Brunson passed away at the age of 89.
*Are Hot Links back? I'm not sure. Are they back this morning? Yeah buddy.
