The Astros are at the halfway mark of an unexpectedly good season, but again it is only the halfway point and a lot can and will happen between now and October. In 2014, the Blue Jays were ahead in the AL East at mid-season at 45-36, but ended up not only behind the Baltimore Orioles, but out of the playoffs at 83-79. The A’s (51-30) were 5-1/2 games ahead of the Angels at the halfway point and then watched the Angels go on a 15-2 tear in late August to mid September to run away with the division as the A’s limped into the wildcard.
But this post concentrates on looking back at the first half of this season not peering into the darkness to come. So, here are surprises, disappointments, keys to success and the turning point from the first 81 games of this marathon called a baseball season.
Surprises.
- The Astros as a team. It would be fair to say that the expectations for the Astros 2015 season by the fans represented here would have put them in a range from 75 to 85 wins. Some of us would not have been surprised if the Astros got off to a good enough start to be leading or near the lead after a few weeks, but no one, absolutely no one would believe they would take sole possession of the lead on April 19th and still be holding it 70 games later.
- Run production. The fact that the Astros are so successful scoring runs this season flies in the face of baseball reason and tradition. The top five teams in the AL in runs/game are the Blue Jays, Yanks, O’s, A’s and Astros in that order. Do you believe in batting average as the bellwether? The other four teams are in the top six in BA, but the Astros are 13th. Maybe you are a Moneyball enthusiast and believe that OBP is god. The other four teams are in the top eight, but the Astros are 11th in the AL. Now if you believe like I do that OPS is a more accurate harbinger of runs scored, you may be closer to what the Astros have done. Instead of raising BA or OBP significantly (their numbers are almost identical to 2014), the Astros have raised the other component in OPS, slugging from .383 to .426 and this has raised their mediocre OPS from .692 to .735 and their R/gm from 3.88 to 4.46. It has been an unorthodox, but an effective way of improving while waiting for the cavalry to arrive.
- Promotions. Speaking of the cavalry, there were two good surprises relative to promotions. After holding back (it felt like) on promotions, the front office surprised the fans by promoting Preston Tucker, Carlos Correa, Lance McCullers Jr., Vincent Velasquez and Domingo Santana during a shining 5 week period. The second surprise was that even with a few bumps along the way, all of these young men looked like they were up to the challenge or at least not overwhelmed. Heck, Correa looks like he may claim the crown of greatest Astros’ SS ever in short order.
- Jake Marisnick for a month. Though it was short-lived, the hot start of JFSF led to an April where he, Jed Lowrie and Jose Altuve kept the offense alive while it waited for help from the bigger guns in the lineup.
- A.J. Hinch. Hinch’s hiring was looked at as: 1) A cheap hiring of someone who would actually take the job or, 2) A pointy headed professor who would get along with the front office and alienate the players. Instead he has come across as a sharp, young man who learned a lot in his first managing job and has applied it well to his second chance. He seems thoughtful, supportive, but still in charge and he is doing the one thing many folks loved most about Larry Dierker. He is letting the starting pitchers stretch out and learn to work through tough spots.
Disappointments.
- The “original” starting rotation. OK, the disappointment does not include the continuing brilliance of Dallas Keuchel. Collin McHugh – 4.80 ERA (before his great Sunday start) / Scott Feldman – 4.80 ERA and then on the DL / Roberto Hernandez – 5.18 ERA before being taken out of the rotation / Sam Deduno and Asher Wojciechowski combining for a 10.45 ERA in 5 early starts. Note: For perspective, in those starts Deduno and Wojciechowski gave up 24 ER in 20.2 IP – Keuchel has given up 28 ER in 116.1 IP. So yuck!
- Chad Qualls. In 2014, Qualls (3.33 ERA and 19 saves) and Tony Sipp were the only relievers who did not make the fan-dom wince when they entered the game. In 2015, Qualls is the only current reliever, who is making the fans reach for a cold one and a Tylenol every time he enters the game. In his last 12 appearances he has given up runs in five of them, blew a save, took two losses, and allowed an inherited runner to score the winning run. His ERA of 5.11 stands out in a bad way in a bullpen where five guys are posting ERAs under 2.90.
- Chris Carter. The thought process was that Carter had finally figured things out and that he would continue 2015 as a follow-on to the strong 2nd half he showed last season. Instead he has lapsed back to the badness that was the first half of 2014 like some horrible version of Groundhog Day. The 2014 Astros had to put up with this, but the 2014 version does not.
- Attendance. The Astros are averaging less than 25,000 people per game. They are 25th in all of baseball and 11th in the AL. The team that has had a top two record in the AL for the last 6 weeks should not be struggling to attract fans. It should not depend on the Yanks coming to town.
- Situational Hitting. Even with the Astros scoring the fifth most runs in the AL, there is a gut feeling that if they did not strike out so many times and did not have so many guys who have struggled to hit above the Mendoza line, this would be an even more impressive number.
Keys to Success.
- DK. In Minute Maid Park a plaque hangs above the Crawford Boxes in honor of the late Darryl Kile, that has his nickname DK on it. Soon parents will have to explain that the DK honored is not the great Dallas Keuchel. He has been nothing short of brilliant this season and is the rock upon which the whole starting rotation rests.
- Bullpen. The Astros had the worst bullpen in the AL last season. This year they have the second best. They have improved the ERA by more than 2.2 runs, have the only WHIP under 1.00 in the AL and have held the fort to allow the Astros offense to come back in-game after game. They were the worst part of the 2014 team and are now the best part of the current contenders.
- 10 game winning streak. The biggest key to the Astros success was the 10 game winning streak that the Astros strung together in late April to early May. The streak boosted them to 11 games over .500 and a seven-game lead in the division and though they have floated down a couple of times, they have held their own through May and June. During the 10 games they won five one-run games, two extra inning games, four come from behind games and five games where they scored the winning runs in the 8th inning or later.
- Scoring early / scoring late. Chip hit on this Monday, but their 32-9 record when scoring first and the fact that they have scored the second most runs seventh inning and on-ward has helped them to the solid record they have at the mid-way mark.
- Injuries. Wait a minute, injuries? Really? Injuries to Brett Lowrie, Scott Feldman and Brad Peacock have pushed the front office to bring youngsters like Carlos Correa, LMJ and VV to the majors earlier than anyone would have anticipated. This has helped these young men in getting experience early before the pressure of the pennant race sets in and in the case of Correa has brought up a generational talent to help spur this team to new heights.
Turning point.
- April 24th – 5-4 win over Oakland in 11 innings. They had just killed a four-game winning streak by wasting 10 hits and three walks in a 3-2 loss to the Mariners. Chris Carter was hitting .122 after hitting his first HR of the season and after getting his first 2 RBIs of the season in the last two games. Evan Gattis was batting .109 BA/.355 OPS (that is about as microscopic an OPS as possible) with one homer and one RBI on the year. George Springer was batting .167 with one homer and an almost robust four RBIs on the season. Based on great bullpen work, decent starting pitching and hot hitting by Altuve, Lowrie and JFSF – the Astros were somehow 8-7 at that point. Dallas Keuchel was brilliant, but had nothing to show for 9 innings of 2 hit ball. Keuchel was in line to win after a two-out two-run hit by Marwin Gonzalez, but Luke Gregerson booted the save in the 10th. Robbie Grossman was the hero in the 11th, knocking in two runs and scoring a third and Pat Neshek‘s shaky turn in the bottom of the inning made all of those runs necessary as the Astros barely hung on to a 5-4 win. It was the kind of potential loss that could gut a young club, but it turned out to be the spark to a 10 game winning streak and a lead in the division that the team has not given up to this date.
So, where do you fall in each of these areas?
- What / who has surprised you to date?
- What / who has disappointed you to date?
- What are the Astros’ keys to success to date?
- What do you see as their turning point(s) in the first half of the season?
ALL THINGS ASTROS 
154 responses to “The first half: A look back at the Astros’ season to date”
Regarding attendance, after the disaster of the past few years, just winning – especially before the AS Break – is not enough to turn MMP into a madhouse like it was in 2004-2005.
The factors that will have to be eliminated to see attendance rise at MMP are:
1. the Bitter Waters syndrome: the bad taste of being horrible for several years, yet raising ticket prices anyway even though our State is in the throes of a recession, will take awhile to overcome;
2. the Mighty Casey syndrome; seeing your guys swing and miss time after time as they swing for the Crawford Boxes on every pitch, then walk back to the dugout, is not fun – nor a good way to endear kids to the game; when the occasional dinger finally comes the response is not joy, it is just a little salve on a gaping wound;
3. the Low Expectations syndrome; the high percentage of unproductive outs with men on base is, quite frankly depressing; if the game is on the line and anyone but Altuve or Correa is up, the fans have learned to expect strikeouts, pop-outs, and double play balls – because that’s the usual result, especially if the game is on the line;
4. the We-Need-a-Hero Syndrome; the lack of any consistently excellent superstars on offense makes it hard to expect great things; we don’t have anybody leading the league in BA, in HR, in in RBI, or in BARISP – and Valbuena’s 19 HRs have hardly instilled confidence that he is a reliable hitter any more than Gattis’ 4 triples have instilled confidence that he is suddenly becoming a base-stealing threat;
5. The Not-Ready-For-Prime-Time Syndrome; Our rookies are exciting, but not yet consistently excellent. We feel confident in Correa, but even he has some adjustment to do. Tucker is struggling to get his feet under him, and does not get enough playing time to make that happen. Santana and Singleton still look a little lost; McCullers has shown brilliance but throws too many wild, wasted pitches; Velasquez has flashed greatness but can’t get his pitch counts down;
Our team’s record on July 1 notwithstanding, the reality is that right now the Astros always take the field the underdog. On paper they look like the worst team on the field every night. When we get victories therefore, there is a sense it was mostly luck, that we don’t deserve to win, and that tomorrow we will be back to scrubbing floors in the cellar of our wicked stepmother.
LikeLike
Really? Underdogs every night? With Keuchel, McHugh and McCullers on the mound, I alway — ALWAYS — feel like we have a better-than-average chance of winning. And I’m right. Look at the records when each takes the mound.
And it may be ugly sometimes, but I am alway confident Houston will slug in a few runs at least.
I’ll take winning ugly over losing pretty every time. You know what they call teams that win ugly? Winners.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Brian, we are all fans here. We are talking about what it takes to put people in the seats at MMP. It is one thing to be a fan, watch on TV and/or follow on line, and hope for good things; it is altogether something different for the head of a family to regularly invest hard-earned money in seats, parking and badly verpriced junk food.
LikeLike
I guess I just see things very differently.
LikeLike
Agreed, I see things very differently also.
I didn’t like the all or nothing offense Luhnow put together either. You can’t argue with success with any credibility though. It’s like declaring Obama is the worst President ever, it spits in the face of evidence.
I hate strike outs too. Chris Carter with a runner on 3rd and one out is a recipe for disaster. The question though is how many times does he bat with a runner on 3rd with one out in a critical spot? If its the 8th inning of a tight 3-2 contest and he comes up in that spot, does Hinch have options? I mentioned a few weeks ago that I thought it was important to have flexibility in situations – Carter is a better option than MarGo in about 80% of at bats, but is the above mentioned situation a spot where you pinch hit with MarGo? He doesn’t K alot – he should put it in play. I’ve seen Hinch do similar things all year.
The bottom line is if the guy is going to hit 35 homeruns, and post a .315 OBP, he is a better option than Marwin Gonzalez. He is a better option than Evan Gattis. Singleton is the unknown, but he may still be a better option than Singleton. None of them are perfect, the lineup is still devoid of having 4-5 guys that can play 150+ games, bat 600 times, and not have to replaced situationally, which is why I think you feel as if they are underdogs, but they are a MUCH improved team. The record says so.
LikeLike
Of course they are an improved team. I see them that way, too. I am still watching, rooting for, and supporting, them as I have since 1962. But the comment I posted was not about that. The improvement over last year is a ‘given’. The comment, however, was about what the obstacles are to getting real people – average Joe’s – to actually make the choice to dig into their hard-earned pay to buy their family tickets to the games, sit for over two hours in the seats to watch this greatly improved but still wierdly schizophrenic product, and then pay exorbitant prices for junk food to boot.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Understand Bill, but I think you are looking at it from the 5 percenter view. For example, my Dad called me after that last Keuchel start and asked me how this guy gets it done, and he is a lifelong Astros “fan” who attends Astros games a lot. Maybe 5% of fans are really into baseball (and baseball savvy as you are) enough to understand what the strikeouts are doing, etc. I don’t think most of that has an impact on attendance.
I think your point 1 is the just the bottom line. After years of being awful, it’s probably going to take more than 3 months of winning to draw them back in.
Noone doubts your fandom, that’s for sure.
LikeLike
When I go this year I go expecting to win. At home I feel the same regardless of the opposition. This team has confidence that previous years was lacking. That confidence is contagious.
I believe the attendance is down due to all the changes that have occurred since the sale and move to the AL. Me, I’ve learned to like AL baseball. A lot of other folks not so much.
I think you have to remember the people on this blog truly love the Astros but others have almost forgotten Houston has a baseball team. It’s gonna take time.
Also you have to consider a lot of the crowds from before came from other Texas towns and a lot of those folks have switched allegiances.
LikeLike
i can’t agree with that last paragraph mr. bill. i don’t consider them underdogs every night nor do i think they have the worst team on paper every night. if we take a close look at other teams – they all have holes and problems. so do we, but we seem to be able to adapt and win. as bill parcels would say, you are what you are. we are 46-34 and have the best record in the entire american league. thats not a team that i think is lucky to win or didn’t deserve to win, they earned it.
LikeLike
I guess no one wants to look at the comment itself and see that all I was doing was describing a perception that exists in the eyes of those who are not Astroholics like us – i.e. the potential ticket-buying public. No problem. Rainbows to all.
LikeLike
Mr Bill I understand what you are saying and I agree with most of it. But I would say the casual fan would only know that they have a winning record and are leading their division. They would not know they have so many holes as we the rabid fans know they do.
LikeLike
I understand what your saying. And maybe this is just the perception of a guy who lives in Minnesota and CAN’T WAIT for the series at the end of August to go to a game, but I look at this team and I get excited.
Yes, I understand the “average” fan probably hears “Astros” and thinks, “Oh, those losers ..?” I get that. And three months of winnings doesn’t trump three years of awfulness. Not for the average fan. Sometimes I find it hard to put myself in that average fan’s place.
LikeLike
I understand your comments having been a fan since 1962. There will always be the “fair weather fan” that only starts to come once the winning becomes second nature. Nobody likes to go to a game, spend their hard earned $, and then see the home team play a bad game. Yet, there are silver linings in this cloud and I hope the fans will see it. Still there is more work to be done because after 3 years of getting kicked around you kind of become somewhat anesthetized over the team and it takes awhile to get back in the game. One thing I have noticed that’s a positive is that this team doesn’t seem to quit when down and that we’ve had several late inning surges.
Not sure where this will all lead to but I would like to be in H-town attending a game as opposed to following it on Gameday, MLB or other media. Maybe before the years out I’ll get a chance.
LikeLike
The bullpen and Colby Rasmus. I expected the bullpen to be better, but this is ridiculous. I did not expect Rasmus to do as well as he has. He’s got an OPS over .800, and has been a solid addition. Oh, and Carter’s defense. He’s obviously worked hard.
I’ve been pretty disappointed by the big sluggers: Gattis, Carter and Valbuena. None are Ted Williams at the plate, but those batting averages and Ks have been killer (add Springer to that K list). If any of the three can solidly improve — or if Jed Lowrie can replace Valbuena — then this offense is only getting better.
The bullpen and slugging. Oh, and Correa and McCullers being awesome beyond their years.
The aforementioned win streak.
LikeLike
As an expert in “senior moments” and one that has them hourly, I think the injury to “Brett” Lowrie had little effect on the record. (Just being a jerk, what an in depth and well researched blog !)
LikeLike
Funny I got his name right once but not the second time – I guess he has been gone too long and I’m confusing him with Brett Lawrie – oh well. I.have been eligible for AARP for quite a while.
LikeLiked by 1 person
* What / who has surprised you to date? *
The F.O. has surprised me to date by ultimately being willing to send down – eventually – and keep down unproductive [at the MLB level] guys like Villar, Grossman, Hoes, and Presley and give our high-end prospects a chance. That gives me hope that when the time comes they will also be willing to part with our biggest and most expensive disappointment, Chris Carter, as soon as someone else steps up to the plate and consistently outperforms him. I realize that it has been injuries and leaves that have pushed the F.O.’s hand in regard to all the prospect call ups so far, but that is the way baseball works.
LikeLike
Surprise: The bullpen. This groups surprises me when they don’t pitch 1-4 innings of shutout ball. Disappointment: I could point to Carter or Conger or someone else but until someone in the minors makes a case for themselves, we will continue to watch them. Keys: First, the attitude in the dugout is a 180 degree change from last year. People tend to do better when they are having fun and they are having fun. Turning Point: Hard to say an exact date but early on the “swagger” arrived and it has not left yet. Let me add one more comment, OP made a statement about Correa and Altuve at SS and 2B for years. We talk here about flexibility and ? can play 1st or ? can play 3rd. What I see are two excellent ballplayers that play on instinct. When a play starts, they “know” what to do and “where” the other will be. It is difficult to develop that when a player gets moved around.
LikeLike
Talking about attendance, Mr. Bill, know the Ks are tough to watch but between Springer, Correa and Altuve there always seems to be something exciting to see each game on offense or defense. Keuchel or LMJ are fun to watch pitch. I know there is a feeling they can’t keep this p but the longer they do the more baseless that feeling becomes.
LikeLike
I agree, Dan. It will just take time and continued improvement – and a significant uptick in the economy at the same time would not hurt either.
LikeLike
I did want to add one update from last night’s game as Keuchel has now given up 28 ER in 124.1 IP which results in a 2.03 ERA. The guy has been great.
LikeLike
They have thrived even with the Houdini-like disappearance of their center fielder. Let’s face it, he was a machine for a month and broken toy for the rest of the first half.
They survived the loss of their starting shortstop, after he dominated for three weeks and having a bad SS replacing him.
They survived a frightening concussion to their right fielder and a spider bite to their left fielder.
They survived Grossman and Villar.
They survived not having a real fifth starter all season.
They survived having their starting 1B, 3B and DH hitting at or under .200 for most of the first half of the season.
They survived having their #2 starter having an ERA of nearly 5.00
They survived having their #3 starter miss more than a month with surgery.
They survived without a good starting pitcher lighting it up at AAA to call on.
The results of the first half of the season are amazing. I cannot begin to tell you how proud I am of the players, coaches and front office performance of this team in the first half of the season. Players from other teams are shaking their heads at what the Astros are doing and last night the Royals players were very frustrated about their play and their ability to hit our pitching. It was impressive to watch them slowly resign themselves to getting beaten by Keuchel last night, until one of their big hitters pounded a grounder to the right side for the umpteenth time and then did not run it out.
What I have to say about it all is: look out if the Astros really start to hit.
LikeLike
I wonder what the Angels or Orioles might be willing to give in exchange for Hoes or Presley? Would love to add Kazmir to the starting rotation! Maybe we could get someone we could flip to the A’s for Kazmir???
LikeLiked by 1 person
– Surprise – I thought they would catch fire in the second half…not the first month of the season. For players, Valbuena and Villar surprised me. See next for why.
– Disappointments – V and V but not VV. Valbuena is only now making a few adjustments to knock singles and get on base when the defense gives it to him on a silver platter. Too many Phil Plantier swings. Villar has no excuse for his Jimmy Paredes impressions. JP is doing well for BAL, though, so maybe there is still hope.
– Keys – Team contributions are why we are in this position. If a few guys get going we could see them really take off, but to this point we have seen many players pick the team up when needed.
– turning point? I don’t know, let me pick the 4 game sweep of Toronto in May. I think that was when nationally people started to admit they could be for real.
LikeLike
Tyler White won the Texas League All-Stars Home Run Derby.
Jandel came on in the ninth inning of the All-Star game last night and gave up three runs without giving up a hit. Apparently the stage was a little too big for his ability to throw strikes.
LikeLike
As I recall, didn’t Chris Devenski start off the game with two excellent innings for the South?
LikeLiked by 1 person
*What / who has disappointed you to date?*
It is silly to be too upset when your team has been firmly entrenched in1st place in the AL West for most of the year, and you have a rotation that includes Dallas Keuchel and Lance McCullers – but there are have been a few disappointments:
1. overall BA, OBP, and BARISP;
2. the high number of outs we have made on the bases – particularly at the plate;
3. the offensive production we have [not] received from our corner infielders – and the seeming unwillingness of the F.O. to do anything about it;
4. the lack of even one, much less two or three, reliable middle-of-the-order hitters;
5. the apparent attempt to change the plate approach and swing of Preston Tucker;
6. the significant Altuve regression [before the year I had predicted a worst case scenario of .305 as Altuve’s BA, and I actually had expectations a bit of an improvement over last year’s amazing performance];
7. the length of time the F.O. stuck with Jon Villar when Sclafani and Correa were both better options in the minors;
8. the continued woes and inconsistency of 2013 1st rounder Mark Appel.
LikeLike
Who has surprised me to date?
Hinch’s managing
Castro’s catching and Conger’s gamecalling.
Valbuena’s power
Rasmus’ great attitude
McCullers
How many times the shift has worked for us.
How much the players love Gattis
Carter’s fielding
Gregerson’s slider
Thatcher’s role
Nesheks control
Hernandez’s heart
Fields’ curve
Lowrie’s bat
Correa
LikeLike
I’m good with the players liking Gattis, OP1. I like him too. I’ll have to say, watching him leg out that triple last night was an absolute blast. I still wish he was more consistent with his offensive production, but hey, he’s light years ahead of the guy we have playing first base. Who would not root for a guy who looks like a modern-day William Wallace? One of these days I expect Evan to break into soliloquy at a post-game press conference and say: “You have come to fight as free men, and free men you are. What will you do with that freedom? Will you fight? Aye, fight and you may die, run and you’ll live. At least a while. And dying in your beds many years from now, would you be willing to trade all the days from this day to that for one chance, just one chance to come back here and tell our enemies that they may take our lives, but they’ll never take our freedom!”
LikeLike
And the look on Evan’s face as he scampered in from third on the wild pitch literally screamed: “And if [William Wallace] were here, he would consume the English with fireballs from his eyes, and bolts of lightning from his arse! “
LikeLike
I’m laughing hard here, Mr. Bill….
LikeLike
The Angels’ GM packed his stuff up and walked out last night.
LikeLike
Fresno finally broke back into the win column last night with a great offensive performance by several players, starting with some guy named Kemp. The Griz were doing so well offensively that management slipped up and even let Joe Sclafani out of the doghouse for awhile to pinch hit for L.J. Hoes. Oh yeah, he delivered an RBI single, right on cue. Back to the bench for you, Joe.
LikeLiked by 1 person
And of course you’re right Mr. Bill, our buddy Joe Sclafani is back on the pine tonight.
LikeLike
The turning point for me in the season was the extra inning game against Texas. Keuchel pitches well and turns the lead over to the pen. The pen blows the lead, Springer makes the single most important play of the year when he saves the team from a devastating loss with his glove, and unheralded Hank Conger wins the game with a home run in the 13th. On the road on a Sunday, as well. I think that is the day the Astros turned a page.
LikeLike
That’s the catch of the year so far. How often does a guy bring a grand slam back into the park? And in that situation? He got back on that ball so quick, with absolutely nothing else in mind but making that play.
LikeLike
If any defensive metric says there is a RF with more range than Springer we know the metric can be ignored completely.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Devin, actually, I still consider him our centerfielder of the future.
LikeLike
I have been following since the days back at the chron and rather enjoy reading the comments and all the different opinions and just want to say thanks to everyone for keeping me entertained at work during the slow moments.
I unfortunately live in the Dallas area and work with a bunch of Stranger fans. I was there at the 14 inning game and saw Springer make that catch it was one of the best games I ever went to.
LikeLike
It is such an amazing year as old pro was talking about above:
– As bad as they look sometimes with BA and OBP – Carter, Gattis and Valbuena all have an OPS at or above the league average of .716
– Valbuena is below the Mendoza line, but is 1st in HR, 2nd in runs scored, 3rd in HR, RBI and walks for the club.
– Gattis despite a god-awful ..269 OBP, leads the team in RBIs and has as many triples as the rest of the team combined.
– Carter despite looking lost most of the time at bat and leading the majors in Ks at least has been a bright spot in the field
– Springer goes through big time slumps at the plate but is always sterling in the field.
– Somehow even with holes in the rotation and in the lineup this team gets it done and is doing it as well as anyone in the AL right now.
LikeLike
Truly great column, Dan.
I am surprised/pleased by DK’s incredible ability to be consistently super & unruffled, Correa’s smooth, flawless fielding and his amazing batting ability, beyond his maturity level (I expected a Tucker-type drop, which hasn’t happened yet, and maybe won’t at all), the onsistency of the bullpen, and the overall youthful enthusiasm and joy from all, that seems to infuse each game. It’s also nice to see some fan enthusiasm and I like the new K Korner.
I am surprised/pleased and disappointed in Carter. I thought he had it together, batting wise, but am positively surprised by his fielding. I am pleased with Valbuenna’s fielding and HR’s but way negatively surprised at his hitting overall.
Hinch has been a great addition.
As mentioned before, the turning point for me was Sunday, after Obie had let them down Sat. It showed team resilience and character. The follow-through with consecutive wins against KC is impressive.
Gattis, to me, is finally doing what I expected of him ( minus the triples). I think he is also a leader and, strangely, a calming force, & thus I am very pleased.
LikeLike
Good surprises? Yes, Rasmus. An .800 plus OPS, solid defense, great attitude and an obvious aptitude for the game. McCullers because we have no right to expect as much as we’ve gotten out of a guy straight from AA ball.
The biggest thing though is in the way this squad has jelled. Seems pretty clear that they all like playing together. Course winning helps that, but I had no clue that they would be in first place on July 1.
Disappointments? I really don’t have any of significance. I’m sorry that Lowrie got hurt, but I’m not sure how much better we’d be today. And would we still be waiting on Correa? Oberholtzer might qualify. But of the players that have actually failed on the field, I can’t say I’m surprised by any of them, whether it be Qualls, Villar, Deduno, etc.
And the attendance issue, well, that’s something that our owner did the most damage with. He’s finally stepped into the background, but he should have done that from the get go. I can’t fully hold the TV issue against him, but he also was not able to rally the legal minds and experts around him to come up with a solution. Houston folks are not real forgiving of out of towners when they show up acting as if they know everything. All that said, momentum is building right now. Crowds are going to keep growing throughout the summer if this team stays in the hunt.
Big keys so far? The pen. Marisnick in April. Springer in June. McCullers. Gattis when we need an RBI guy. Keuchel becoming a true ace. The boost from Correa. How could we have expected so much from the kid?
I don’t see a real turning point. Our reality is that we’ve played .500 ball for a pretty good stretch since our early hot start. So maybe the turning point is that we have been able to maintain our lead, with the influx of kids from the minors and a few of our other guys getting hot, Springer being an example. I think Keuchel was quoted recently as saying that this team can play better. I’m starting to agree. I do believe we need a starter. And I can’t help but think that the pen can’t remain quite as good as they have. So we’re going to need our offense to do a bit more. I think it will happen though. Especially from guys like Altuve, Springer and others.
LikeLike
Surprised?
At how much these guys like the manager, and how much Hinch has played a role in their believing in each other.
Disappointed:
Kris Karter….hands down. If there was ever a time when this club needed his big bat in the line-up….it’s now.
We all knows how much the demotion of Villerror, and the promotion of Correa has effected this team. Now the pitcher KNOWS the plays behind him will be make.
Keys go success:
getting the speedy Gonzalez guys like Springer and Altuve on so Gattis can spit in his hands and get ’em in!!!
Turning point:
The series with the Yankees.
Biggest need another starting:
Pitcher….and maybe another pitcher, or we can trade for another starting pitcher. So yeah……..another PITCHER.
LikeLike
Bartender! Another pitcher for my friends here!
LikeLike
I’ll have a bud.light…..or if you’re talking after 5:00 I’ll have a scotch and water:)
LikeLike
How about this, it is the first time since 2003 that the Astros have had 3 consecutive winning months
LikeLike
No Correa in the lineup tonight…Gonzalez gets the start at short…and “handsome” Dan strailey. Is the stater on Friday in Boston.
LikeLike
I don’t know I keep hearing rumblings about Carter on here – but given I do consider most of you the smartest baseball people I know – but I don’t see them anywhere else.
If I told you a guy was going to have right at the halfway point, 14 HR, 38 RBI, a 13% walk rate, and an OPS over .700, you probably wouldn’t freak out. Throw in a .197 average and a 34% K rate, you might (well, are). I think the Astros are content with taking the good with the bad until he becomes too expensive for the good. I think the stats also bear that his BABIP is at a career low, but with his power intact you can probably expect it to improve some. It wouldn’t surprise me if hit .240 in the second half and finishes his season at .225. He is never going to win batting titles. They can’t all be superstars. He needs to be used better though. I don’t understand why he would be in the lineup against Taijan Walker. Those kind of decisions can probably change, but he is what he is, take the good, its helping.
Rasmus has been a big surprise no doubt. I thought he was heading for the scrap heap. He still isnt playing at 8 mil standard to me, but its not my money.
I’m not disappointed in the original rotation – Deduno and Wojo? Not surprised.
LikeLike
Pretty good 24 hours for Tyler White. Wins the Texas League All-Star home run derby and gets promotion to AAA Fresno. Hopefully he will add some ooomph to that lineup.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Good for him!! Now they need to promote chris Devenski!!!
LikeLike
I guess the Astros did have enough bucks to sign 2nd rounder Thomas Eshelman – they interviewed him – seemed like a nice young man. They put up a stat – he averaged 19.68 Ks / BB!!!!!
Is that even possible?
LikeLike
He walked only 4 batters all season.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I sure hope they don’t find anything wrong with Springers hand overnight.
LikeLike
I wasn’t watching the game. What happened to Springer’s wrist/hand?
LikeLike
Sorry for the delay Robert in response. The KC starter Edinson Volquez has a FB that runs in on righties. Springer stepped in and couldn’t get out if the way looked like he took it off his right wrist. He stayed in for a bit, looked like he hurt it a bit more sliding into 3rd and was taken out a little later. Looked like it hit him hard.
LikeLike
Well cr*p George got nailed on the right hand. I’m sure he will go for an X ray to see if there’s a broken bone. Ok Rasmus…I don’t care what kinda bug bit you, get your rear end on the plane tomorrow and get suited up. You’re playing in center field on Friday.
LikeLike
A j reed started a triple play then started off the next inning with his *20*th. Homerun tonight!! Somebody please tell me why this kid has not been moved up to corpus?? We need to start a petition to free mr. Reed!!!
LikeLike
Another month starting off with a winning record. Go over .500 every month and it’s playoff time.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Broom time – too bad they blew another win for VV – good game except for the Springer injury.
LikeLike
Springer more than likely to go on the dl. Hinch didn’t sound too hopeful. As it stands now we have all *3* of our starting outfield out. Who plays if Rasmus, springer and Marisnick. Are out of commission???? Great game tonight clawing back from 3 and 0. It’s a real shame Velasquez didn’t get the win…but he’ll get one soon. Fields didn’t have his good stuff tonight but gregerson. Did!! (My phone is acting up)!!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Based on performance you would think Hoes would be called up. He and Grossman are the only OFs on the 40 man not in the majors.
LikeLike
Can hoes play center?? Grossmam???
LikeLike
Hoes has played 91 games in the minors in CF with one error so I guess so.
LikeLike
Becky,, don’t look now but Villar has played 3 games in the OF in Fresno and he ONLY has 2 errors in those games. 2 of the games show to be CF so we might get to see him again.
LikeLike
Let’s see, we lose our leadoff guy and CFer.
Now who was it I saw making those highlight reel catches in CF at Fresno last week and has hit over .350 with an OPS way over .400 this year as a leadoff hitter?
I can’t remember!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Rasmus had better get better ASAP…..because when NONE of our starting outfield
is out there we become a much weaker team. Santana does not have the range that Springer has. PERIOD.
LikeLike
Things might get a bit ugly next time these two teams meet.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Yeah. It’s a good thing we finished the sweep and have an off day.
LikeLike
I hope not. I saw 2 SPs throwing mid-90’s with lots of movement. Perez set up inside on both pitches that hit Springer and Altuve. And Margo was completely fooled striking out on the one that hit him in the thigh. But it sure looks suspicious when you get a big hit and next time up get plunked.
LikeLike
Apparently the Royals are allowed to hit players at will. They did it three times without any warnings issued. It wasn’t until we retaliated that the umpire specifically warned Neshek and then both benches. The results are that we lose our CFer and they lose nothing but the game.
If the Royal didn’t have a history of doing this stuff it would be different. And if we injure one of their players in retaliation there would be a big suspension. I think the league needs to look into this game. How does an Astros pitcher get ejected for missing a batter, and nobody from the Royals gets ejected after obviously hitting three Astros batters in one game.
I can tell you one thing, According to all the Royals’ blogs I’ve read, the reason the Royals lost to the Astros is because our stadium is weird. That is what there fans are saying. Somehow, Kansas City was left out of the Heartland of America. And if you whip them in a fair fight, you might want to watch your back.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Wow there is lack of consistency in handling pitching in.
And as far as the stadium goes – Carter probably has a 3 run homer in the first inning in a normal stadium.
LikeLike
OP1, the old warrior in you is coming out! My problem is not that Volquez and Herrera threw inside to our guys after big hits. Part of the game is that a pitcher has to sometimes back an aggressive hitter off the plate. It is AT WHAT HEIGHT the Royals guys threw inside that creates the problem for me. Both the pitch with which Springer was hit and the pitch with which Altuve was plunked were up – right in the danger zone for serious injury. If you are going to do a brushback – as his pitches clearly were called by Perez [and probably by the Royals’ skipper] – you need to be required to do it no higher than the buttocks – like Neshek did. That gives the hitter the message you need to send without causing him serious injury. If you throw an obvious post-big hit brush-back above waist high, and hit someone – either in the hands, arms, or head, your pitcher and bench should get at most one warning, then if it happens again both the pitcher and the manager should be ejected, and the team should be fined.
LikeLike
Yep, I’m feeling a little like an OTBG looking for trouble this morning. Guess I’d better go take a pill and hang this scattergun back up.
LikeLike
It’s more the attitude after the fact from the Royals and their fans that bothers me. They keep talking about being disrespected…yet spew in nonsense justification for their losses that disrespects the opponents and take a holier than thou approach to the hit batsmen.
Missouri’s teams are my current, least favorites in MLB.
LikeLike
So if Springer is on the DL do they:
– Call up Tony Kemp (which means dropping someone from the 40 man)? He has been playing great OF and hitting over .300 as a leadoff man
– Call up L.J. Hoes who has been hitting a sterling .336 BA / .417 OBP / .887 OPS
– Call up Jonathan Villar who is every Astro fans’ nightmare
– Call up Robbie Grossman who is the most experienced OF down there – just not good experiences
LikeLike
Houston…we have a problem. Like I said last night, Rasmus had better be ready to suit up because leaving the outfield with no experienced center fielder is a disaster in waiting. Unless Rasmus ‘ s arm is rotting off he *plays*. As far as the Royals hitting batters…unless you can *prove* it was intentional you really don’t have a case. I’m nervous to find out if George ‘ s wrist is broken…
LikeLike
Dan, as this blog should know by now I am 100% for option K [for Kemp]. Of course, I would also hope he would stay and either MarGo or Marisnick would go when both Springer and Lowrie get back and healthy again.
I think it would be total idiocy to go for option V [for Villar]. I call that the nuke-yourself option.
Option G [Grossman]? Meh – it would be disappointing, would constitute a step in the opposite direction from the win-now and win-future approach of the last few months.
Option H [Hoes]? Well, it would at least be understandable and statistically supportable, though it is not something that could be expected to generate either any fan excitement or any offense.
LikeLike
To answer your question I thought back to what I was contemplating at the end of the game last night. We really didn’t have a guy on the bench to come in as a pinch hitter who could be trusted to make contact and have a decent chance to get on base.
I choose Kemp. He can run if you need a runner. He’s a leadoff guy if you need one. He can play the outfield. He can play second. He can DH. He can’t homer but we have other guys who do that. He won’t get picked off and he doesn’t present near the strikeout risk of others.
Kemp is my choice.
Please don’t ask me who to remove from the roster. I hired my GM to do that.
LikeLike
Hoes is a no brainer in my mind. Rasmus and JFSF will play CF once back from bug bite hospitalizations and injury rehab, if Springer cannot stay off DL. Burning a 40 man spot to add Kemp over Hoes makes little sense as statistically Hoes has every justification for promotion.
LikeLike
I am OK with either Kemp or Hoes.
– Kemp can help out all over the field and he is a prototype leadoff hitter which this team needs.
– Hoes has less than 300 ABs at the major league level. You sent him to AAA and his numbers have been outstanding. He only has 3 more Ks than walks his OBP is great and he has mlb experience behind him.
I think you send a good message with either of these guys coming up – 1) If you play great you get promoted 2) If you go back down and produce you get another chance
LikeLike
And I say if you activate Kemp you put Villar or Grossman off the island….Probably Grossman as he is the older of the two and playing meh right now as someone said above…
LikeLike
Grossman’s spot on the 40-man has been burned for some time now – by his inability to perform adequately at either MLB or AAA. Hoes at least has performed in AAA.
LikeLike
Oops – there has been a sighting of Elvis Presley’s long-lost brother.
LikeLike
If they call up Presley, they are going to have to clear a spot on the 40-man. meaning somebody could be waived or put on the big-time 60-day DL. Gosh I hope it’s not Springer.
LikeLike
You cracked me up!!!
LikeLike
Straily’s stats at Fresno – 77.2 IP [avg. start 5 1/3 innings]; ERA – 4.06, WHIP – 1.38; 70 Ks, 14 BBs – record 6-6. Please may Feldman, Obie, Devenski or somebody be ready quick!
Presley’s stats at Fresno – .308/.345/.392/.737, with 2 HR, 12 DBLs, 1 TPL, and 35 RBI. He has stolen 10 bases and struck out 28 of 254 while walking 14 of 254. He’s not on the 40 man, so someone has to go – at least to extended DL – for a very temporary fix. Unless, of course, Santana, Tucker, or Marisnick is packaged in a trade.
LikeLike
Bringing up Presley is kind of mystifying to me except that there was this weird stat last year that he hit like a demon while playing Center Field. He has had a good AAA season but so has Hoes who has played quite a bit of CF in Fresno. Perhaps they don’t think he’s fast enough for CF in Minute Maid but the team won’t be playing in Minute Maid until after the ASG. What this may signal is that they want to keep Marisnick in Fresno for an extended rehab assignment in lieu of flat out optioning him there. If I’m not mistaken a guy can stay on a rehab assignment for 20 games. I remember them doing that with Marwin in his Rule 5 season. I think some time in AAA would be good for JFSF and the rehab may be the simple answer. I expect that would have been a no-brainer with a healthy Rasmus and Springer but now things have gotten strange. I bet Deduno or Peacock goes to 60 day DL to make room for Presley. About the only other thing they could do would be to DFA Grossman as I think he is the most deserving to be shown the door. Keeping JFSF in Fresno also lets the Astros get a longer look at Santana. He’s clearly not the defensive player that Jake is but he may have a significantly better bat.
LikeLike
Doc, that was a weird stat I found when looking through his year by year splits. Without exception, each year he hit much better when he played CF than playing either one of the other two OF positions. It is just one of the idiosyncrasies of his baseball life.
LikeLike
Bad news…right wrist fracture. Moved peacock to the 60 dl. No word who they are going to call up. (((((((Sigh)))))
LikeLike
At least presley can play all three outfield positions.
LikeLike
*this*will be the big test for this team. Either they play as they have…or they fold. I know it’s tough to say that one player would make the difference on this team, but we shall see how they play for the next 6-8 weeks. This was not what we needed now. I think I may take up a collection to pay someone to beat the crap outta Edison volquez.
LikeLike
I think our pal Joe Sclafani might have some connections . . .
LikeLiked by 1 person
the rest of the team has to step up. so far they have after the various injuries. i think this is a chance for correa to take hold of the club in much the same way springer has. we will be getting some guys back fairly soon – rasmus, lowrie, feldman, marisnick, qualls (sorry becky), so help is on the way. good time to circle the wagons and have a .500 or better road trip.
LikeLike
Springer seems to be the heart of the team and the source of their fun attitude – I hope they can hold it together. Surprised they picked Presley since I did not have him on my list – oh well at least it is not JV.
LikeLike
I think the Astros like the way Presley has handled himself this season. Showed some play on the field and some loyalty off the field. I like Presley and like that he has stuck around and now can offer some experience in the outfield.
LikeLike
Presleys major league line:
Overall- .259/,299/.395/.694
As a CFer- .338/.373/.520/.893
LikeLike
Alex’s song: Put me in coach – look at me, gotta be, Centerfield!
LikeLike
Presley has hit .343 (37-108) with eight doubles, a triple, two homers and 22 RBI over his last 28 games.
LikeLike
In the next ten games the Astros are scheduled to face eight RH starters.
LikeLike
Well, then that helps explain three lefties in the outfield. At least for the short term. Thank you OP for helping me understand!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Has anybody heard anything lately about how Jed Lowrie’s rehab is coming? I know he’ll probably spend some time at Fresno or Corpus when he’s cleared, but the sooner that rehab stint starts, the better for the Astros.
LikeLike
Just thinking about Springer running around out there with a broken wrist, diving into third on a play that very few guys take two bases on so that Altuve could get into scoring position with the tying run. Rare guy, unfortunately on the shelf now.
I don’t understand Presley even though he has historically hit while playing center. He won’t put up an .893 OPS against lefties when out there though. What remains are three left handed hitting outfielders and a lone righty with 40 something major league at bats. As much as I don’t like Hoes, we need another righty bat for the outfield. I don’t understand. Expect more adjustments soon.
Volquez threw 88 pitches last night, 60 for strikes. He got beat up pretty good and was fed up. He knew where his pitches were going. Gonzalez and Altuve got hit on tosses that were both more than a foot inside. The Royals were pissed because they were getting spanked and swept by some upstarts. Bad blood in the future with these two squads.
LikeLiked by 1 person
It’s time for the commissioners’ office to get their act together. As Mr. Bill points out, message pitches at the letters or above will only cost MLB in the long run. If this weren’t the third team to have multiple players hit in a similar fashion by KC this year I might feel differently…
LikeLike
I am not going to wish evil on KC – but there is a mysterious thing some like to call baseball karma. Somehow, somewhere, some way, what goes around always comes back around like a boomerang on the head of the manager, catcher, pitcher and team that started it. Hopefully the Astros will be far, far away from KC and the Sunshine Band when that happens.
LikeLike
Mr. Bill…If you’re not going to wish I’ll will on the Royals….I *will*. Now who has that number I can call to put a contract out on volquez?????
LikeLike
I forgot to mention that another name for baseball karma is the Wrath of Becky. Two words, Becky: PLAUSIBLE DENIABILITY
LikeLike
Very few people know that Becky’s maiden name was Tonya Harding. She had to change both names for personal safety reasons.
LikeLike
Do not make an old retired flight attendant angry…I know many, many ways to make life *very* difficult for you!!! You listening Kansas City Royals??
LikeLike
“In a mysterious accident today, Royals pitcher Edinson Volquez went to the restroom on his flight from Houston to KC and never returned to his seat. A blue haired woman was seen in the vicinity of the restroom grinning and giving the flight attendants high fives. At the end of the flight Volquez was found dazed and confused sporting a broken wrist and covered with blue toilet chemicals….”
LikeLiked by 1 person
That was when I really worried about Springer – you could tell when they showed the slide in slow motion that his wrist was killing him. Gutsy kid – we went thru too much if this with Bagwell back in the day – this franchise deserves some breaks.
LikeLike
I hope they let George travel with them on this trip…he could get the smoke machine and disco lights set up, so when they win all they have to do is show up in the club house and dance!! Think they will? He’s the team cheerleader they can’t leave him off the trip!!
LikeLike
He made the trip – will be wearing a cast. But he can still dance – and smile.
LikeLike
Wooo!!!! Hooooooo!!!!!
LikeLike
I suspected Presley would be up at some point, but not under these circumstances. Hopefully Springer comes back sooner rather than later, as he means so much to the team.
I kept wondering who had put out the CF stats on Presley, so I see it was op. When I first saw Presley here in Pittsburgh he was mainly a CF and pretty impressive, at least for a while.
LikeLike
Yay!!!!! Springer gets to travel with the guys!! And…the cardinals *fired* their scouting director (whose name is Correa) today in the hacking of the astros computer’s!! And…Our own Carlos Correa was named . A.l. rookie of the month!!!!
LikeLike
As long as George doesn’t do any high fiving or dance moves with his bad wrist we are cool.
Have they announced the AL pitcher of the month? Could King Keuchel make it a third month in a row?
LikeLike
Not yet…but I’m sure it will be chris sales. Can you imagine how good this rotation would be with him on our team.
LikeLike
O.K. guys and gals. Quit picking on the Royals. They are just misunderstood. None of their staff has ever intentionally thrown at anyone. In other news, Amelia Earhart was found alive today on the Island of Atafu where she leads the choir at the Congregation Christian Church. When she arrived in early July, 1937 many were cannibals but she transformed them into vegans on a diet of coconuts, bananas and wild berries. She will turn 118 later this month and she still smokes and takes her coffee black. And to borrow from Lily Tomlin, “And that’s the truth.”
LikeLike
Royals lead off man: “Well the first two were high and tight, so the next should be… Well either low and away or in my ear.
Helpful Home Plate Umpire: “He’s not gonna want to load the bases, so look for low and away… but watch out for in your ear”.
LikeLike