A bunch of random thoughts and bits of Astroholics therapy

Thanks, White Sox.

Wow, never thought I’d say that.

OK, so I got that off my chest. Now here’s a few other things I need to unload. (Hey, we Astroholics need to take therapy.) So, here’s some things I think I need to say. I’m sure I’ll be healthier once I’m done.

1. After each win, the outfielders meet and bow to one another. I think it’s amazing and fun. Where did that come from? I’ve watched most games. No one ever mentioned it, and I think it’s an awesome bonding move and a great thing for fans to see.

2. What is with Alan Ashby? Every time Jason Castro makes halfway decent contact on a ball — out or not — he’s all, “That could be the swing that turns it around … blah, blah, blah.” So, what’s with Ashby’s love affair with Castro? Is it a brotherhood of catchers thing?

3. Who is the Astros’ baserunning coach, because that guy needs to be fired? Oh, sure, Houston leads the league in steals, and is mostly efficient at steals. But how many times must we see guys get picked off at first? And do we have to keep running on the Buster Posey and Carlos Perez types out there? I mean, someone is going to steal on those guys, but a lot of guys are going to get gunned down too. Where have you gone, “Cheo” Jose Cruz? Our running game turns its lonely eyes to you. Woo, oo, oo.

4. Last season, Houston scored 629 runs. Total. In 115 games thus far, Houston has scored 502 runs. That’s a pace of 707 runs. Right now, only the Blue Jays and Yankees in the AL (plus Arizona) have scored more runs than Houston. Pace-wise, maybe three other teams (AL and NL) will score more runs than Houston. So, how in the heck can an offense that can be so anemic (see: road trip, recent) be so good? It’s enough to make someone buy some black market Vern Ruhle bobbleheads or sleep each night in a Rafael Landestoy T-shirt.

5. Everyone is screaming for Tyler White or Matt Duffy (not to be confused with Matt Duffy), Chris Devenski and even Mark Appel. Here are a few facts:

In 33 games at AAA Fresno, White has the team’s highest OPS this season, just barely edging out … Preston Tucker. They have whiffed at roughly the same rate, but White walks about twice as often. So White is a little more OBP and a little less SLG. (He still has Fresno’s third highest slugging percentage this season only behind the promoted Tucker and the traded Domingo Santana. So I’d take that.

Duffy, meanwhile, has only struck out 74 times in 444 plate appearances while walking 40 times. His OPS is higher than Carlos Correa‘s admittedly small Fresno sample size, but still, an .862 at AAA is not nothing. Jon Singleton‘s OPS is slightly higher at .911, but he has struck out 74 times in just 344 PAs. It’s the difference between whiffing roughly one in six PAs vs. one in four.

As for pitchers, I’m pretty sure we’re getting Lance McCullers and Vincent Velasquez back — and maybe Michael Feliz — on September 1. So adding Devenski or Aaron West seems a little far fetched, especially since we’d need to open a 40-man spot for either … plus for White or Duffy. But here’s an interesting fact: Devenski has walked just 23 batters in 99.1 innings. Pretty good, right? West has walked 9 — nine, nueve — batters in 71.2 innings. He’s pitched in 25 games, most in tandem relief. That means he’s gone at least 16 outings without walking anyone.

6. Speaking of the 40-man roster, if we’re going to see White or Duffy or Devenski or West or whomever, who gets DFA’d. Now, I know all of you are saying, “Becky votes Villar.” And I’m sure she does. But this is a guy with a combined 1.2 WAR for his career, and a positive WAR on the season. If he’s DFA’d, he is out of our system. And we get nothing in return. Nothing. I find that a little hard to swallow.

Instead, I see some low-hanging fruit in Robbie Grossman, who is barely pulling his own weight at Fresno, or Luis Cruz, whose biggest asset is he’s a lefty reliever. Too bad he’s not a very good one. Kevin Chapman is looking a lot less “prospect-y” these days as well. And unless there’s a horrible nagging injury we’re all unaware of, I’m pretty sure we could DFA Matt Stassi and keep him in the fold … or not. I just am not a believer.

So, who do you move off the 40-man?

7. If Springer comes back before the end of August, then here’s a pretty good potential lineup.

2B Jose Altuve
CF, Carlos Gomez
SS Carlos Correa
RF George Springer
3B Jed Lowrie
DH Evan Gattis/Preston Tucker
LF Colby Rasmus/Preston Tucker
1B Luis Valbuena
C Hank Conger/Jason Castro

I don’t know about you, but if I’m an opposing pitcher, I’m not thrilled facing that. When you consider Tucker and Marwin Gonzalez are the bench along with Chris Carter and whatever catcher, plus you can expect a homer at any minute from any spot in that lineup with the possible exception of Altuve and Lowrie, that’s scary. Damned scary.

It almost makes me want to put away my Bill Doran pillow cases (made from old giveaway jerseys) and just sleep like a normal person.

Ah, now I feel better. Go Royals … except for Edinson Volquez. That guy can rot in heck for all I care.

75 responses to “A bunch of random thoughts and bits of Astroholics therapy”

  1. 1. Kind of a Zen thing. Unique. I’m good with it.
    2. Ashby would not make it as a journalist. A total homer. And has also given Jake a three plus month free pass.
    3. The base running issue could be part philosophy on the part of Hinch. He wants his guys to feel that he trusts them. He wants them to be aggressive. He has a third base coach representing him that certainly raises eyebrows with his own decisions. I wonder if he even has anyone say anything to guy caught napping off first, or gliding into second base thinking a play is over. Regardless, that’s the kind of stuff that becomes even more glaring in September. Mental errors have to stop happening.
    4. Our offensive is much better, but still subject to agonizing slumps. That’s partly to be blamed on our bad OBP. Last year it was flat out horrible. We’re thirty games better in 2015!
    5. Yes, White and Tucker have somewhat similar stats based on performance at Fresno. But White’s OBP is almost a 100 points north of what Tucker provided in AAA. That’s why if I was the boss, I’d release Carter and bring him in now. Easy for me to say though.
    6. Yes, Grossman and others are correct candidates to disappear. Hate to say this, but Kemp is having trouble at the plate and might not get the invitation. Villar could be the speed guy that again gets the call on September 1. If we also lost Buchanan, Chapman, Cruz, Straily and Wojo from the 40 man, I would not lose any sleep.
    7. That’s a pretty good line up. Gattis might find himself hitting against lefties only. I’d much rather have Tucker at DH when there’s a righty on the mound. That keeps Rasmus in the outfield with Gomez and Springer most nights.

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    • I think you are right – we definitely get Villar in Sept and don’t get Kemp unless there is an injury. Adding him to the 40 this year presents roster problems for early 2016.

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  2. 1. I think they adopted the Arian Foster post TD ritual and adapted it after wins.
    2. Jason Castro has always had a beautiful swing. He just can’t hit a baseball consistently with it any more. Ashby is just GaGa for Castro.
    3. The bad baserunning is loss-induced brainfart. It’s Hinch’s job to straighten it out. 4. There is only one answer for this question. The offense scores because we lead the majors in home runs. But that is about to end because Toronto has caught up and it’s because the homers for Houston have slowed.
    5. The Astros are going to have their two top farm teams in the playoffs, so the callups may not happen as soon as we think. If the Astros want LMJ and VV on their playoff roster they will have to have them on the 25-man on Aug 31. One guy not mentioned for the playoffs could be Joe Musgrove who has to be protected anyway from the rule V draft, but I think they let him stay in CC for their playoffs but call him up for a look after that. I would be very surprised if anyone on Fresno’s team would be added to the roster before August 31, unless there is another injury. If I were forced to pick one player from Fresno who would be added to the 40-man for September it would be Duffy. He was passed over in last year’s Rule V but this year he is the Mark Kanha of the Rule V. With his hits tonight it looks like he is going to match Kanha’s numbers from last year. And Kanha was only a 1B, whereas Duffy can also play 3B.
    6. My candidates to get knocked off the 40-man are Cruz, Buchanan, and Grossman. I think Villar is a trade candidate to make 40-man room.
    7. I like your lineup, but under no circumstances do I want Conger as my main catcher. The Astros lose a lot more than they win when he catches and they win a lot more than they lose with Castro catching. You can quote all the stats you want but wins when Castro catches is my bottom line!

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  3. 1. That is a nice finish. My favorite in the past was when Altuve had to jump up to high five Carlos Lee. 2. All I know is when Castro swings and misses by 8 inches the comment is “He put a really good swing on that pitch.” 3. I understand Altuve, Gomez or JFSF getting thrown out. I will never understand what was in Tucker’s mind on the strikeout nor why Gattis would EVER get picked off 1st. 4. On the runs – the Pythagorean is 66 wins. They have 6 games with over 10 runs plus a couple or so more with 9. 5. We have been spoiled by how well the new guys have performed. However, if you spend money on having a minor league system – then let those that have performed at least have a chance to fail in the majors. I do not fault bringing up Santana or Singleton even though we did not get good results. But if a player earns a shot and the current major leaguer stinks – I just don’t know why you would not give him a chance to play. 6. If you have a player that has peaked in the minors – then he needs to go. I think you covered those names quite well. 7. O.K. but I would hope they promote White in two weeks. If we make the playoffs, we don’t need Bill Buckner on 1st. (At least he could hit)

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  4. Villerror will be back up in September, as much as I dislike having him in any way be back on this team…….he will be. I just hope Hinch leaves him on the bench to be a watcher, not a player. I don’t see Valbuena as a full time first base candidate.You forgot the fact that Singelton will be back up as well, so unless White is going to be added to the 40 man…..he stays in Fresno. Yeah, I’d love to see Devenski but he will get a chance to show off next year, and if he and Feliz keep striking out guys like they are now, I would assume they both will get an invite to spring training next year along with A. J. Reed. The will be teams who will be in search of cheap help, and who knows Luhnow might be able to package of a pitcher, a short stop, and an out fielder for a minor league catcher. The Max Sassi ship has already sailed, and if I want Luhnow to to FIRST in the off season is to get another catcher……who can do more than “frame” pitches.
    There are a few catchers you do NOT try to run on…..one of them Buster Posey…….
    We’re talking to you Altuve!

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  5. Nearly every teams out fielder do the jump up and crash their hips kinda thing, so I think it’s just Rasmus and crew doing their “thang” besides…..I like it!!

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  6. 1 I like it, its unique.
    2 Always liked Ashby but not as a play by play guy. I tune him out most of the time.
    3 Agree with DaveB on this one.
    4 They’re either good or bad. When they’re in a slump it’s the whole team.
    5 carter should’ve been gone last month. He’s done.
    6 hard to swallow like JDM
    7 Good lineup. I’ll take Tucker over Gattis.

    So today starts another home stand. I’m a bit uneasy, waiting for them to catch whiff virus at home.

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  7. 1. It is a nice winning routine – I do believe they borrowed it from the Arian Foster TD celebration (which we Texan fans will miss while Arian is on the mend).
    2. I don’t think you will find too many home paid announcers ragging on their own team’s players and Ashby is no exception. Maybe he thought the 3 HR – 10 RBI binge Castro went on was the beginning of a renaissance, but it appears the renaissance is over.
    3. I think they have a philosophy to push things on the base paths and force the other team into making plays. I think they have been pushing it too far lately and giving up some prescious base runners at bad times on the road.
    4. I think young teams tend to go on streaks together. They feel the pressure and force things when slumps are occurring. When they are hot they are all hot.
    5. I want them to call up anyone who can out hit Chris Carter. Wait a minute that is a pretty wide call-up – like 3/4 of the minor league system.
    6. I really have nothing to add to your DFA list. I do wonder if they will try to trade off Asher W sometime in the off-season.
    7. Agree with Sandy – Tucker over Gattis at least against rightys

    I think I heard that the Royals had not lost a lead after the 7th inning in 112 games and now they’ve done it twice in a row. Dang

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  8. Baseball!
    How in the world are the Washington Nationals only 58-56 and in second place?
    Who is going to beat the Blue Jays?
    The AL East is the only division with four teams over .500. No other division is even close.
    Can the Astros seal Ausmus’s fate this weekend?
    Is somebody on the Angels going to get hit by a pitch tonight?
    Is $300 million still not enough to win the world series for the Dodgers?
    Will MMP be near capacity tonight with Keuchel on the mound and fireworks on the docket?
    Where did the Braves go?
    Will Chris Carter heat up in July?
    Is it just me or does it seem weird that Bryce Harper has 29 homers, but only 69 RBIs?
    It seems strange that the Astros suddenly have no decent outfielders in the minors. How long is CC going to lead off with two players hitting .200 or below? I’ve looked everywhere on the farm/ranch and “caint find no Mavericks!”

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    • I know that it’s very early in their careers OP, but this years picks ( Tucker and Cameron ) have high ceilings with 5 tool potential. Tucker had three hits last night including his first homer.

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      • Larry, you are right, of course, but they are in Greeneville. Folty was a stud in Greeneville in 2010 and he still hasn’t made it. The Mavericks I was looking for were the ones who would pay off soon.

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    • Has anyone read “The Best Team That Money Can Buy?”. Since you reference the Dodgers payroll it jogged my memory. I was going to pick it up, but have been spending too much free time watching the first place, Houston Astros.

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      • Kevin, that is their year 21 season. Think about it. Springer was that age when he was drafted. He finally made the majors at 24. The chances of one of them making it by 2018 is so slim. Two of them?

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  9. Some random thoughts on the random thoughts – I like the lineup except I would put Springer in the leadoff spot, hit Altuve second and Gomez fourth. Springer seemed to figure things out when he hit first and I think he will give us more OBP than Jose and that’s what leadoff is all about. Gomez is also a veteran and should be able to handle hitting fourth. My fear is that if Springer hits in an RBI spot in the lineup he’s likely to get crazy swinging for the fences again.

    Definitely don’t want Conger as the primary defensive catcher and agree with OP1 that the team wins more with Castro behind the plate. What one can’t ignore is that Conger has a 1.106 OPS as a left handed hitter while Castro’s OPS against RHP is a mere .684. That is a HUGE difference. Why not give Conger some DH ABs against RHP? The fear of needing to keep a catcher on the bench in case of catastrophe is overblown. If Castro was to go down mid-game and Conger was the DH you could still put Conger behind the plate and let the pitcher/pinch hitter hit when Castro’s spot comes up in the order or you could even put Gattis behind the plate if you were really desperate.

    It is apparent that the team will put up with the black hole that is Carter. Apparently he has less worth than a bag of rocks if Lunhow couldn’t get even some low level prospects for him. Is he completely without value? If so cutting him loose would be a bitter pill but what else can you do. I was really hoping White would get a shot. He has certainly earned it IMO.

    Since Corpus and Fresno are playoff bound I don’t see any compelling need to call up the cavalry. I can see Villar as a pinch runner and hope White gets a cup of coffee. I’m a little puzzled about how McCullers is being handled where he isn’t pitching at all. But who would he replace on the 25 if they bring him up prior to September 1? There is no easy choice on the pitching staff as I don’t see any of the starters or relievers as dead weight. Our starting pitching has actually been pretty good. I’m actually pretty comfortable with Feldman. He pitched really well in August and September last year and it looks like he is doing the same this year. Both McCullers and Velasquez have had trouble with pitch counts and an inability to put hitters away. They waste a lot of pitches with wild misses and give up a lot of foul balls. I hope they can help in September but I really don’t see a need for either of them on the playoff roster unless you want Velasquez’ gas but barring injury whose place does he take?

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    • DBF: Just a note on your 2nd paragraph. We all talked about the flexibility of the team in ST. This guy could catch, play first, DH, and pitch short relief if needed. That guy could………. Anyway, other than Marwin and at times Valbuena, we lost the infield and catcher “flexibility.” And when either is at first, they are slow to adjust (except when compared to Singleton) and do not line up for the cut off quickly. It is just their lack of experience. All the players on the team can catch the ball (except our catchers).

      As to Carter, I think he & JL are victims of his 2014 HRs. He got a big jump in salary and no team is going to pay $5-6 Million for a player with his talent except maybe he can get in a 4 team swap in the NBA to “balance out” some other teams salary needs. And the MILB playoff question might be answered by how serious are the Astros in trying to get to the playoffs. In prior years, the team was going no place.

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    • One bad start and McCullers is off your playoff roster? By that measuring stick we’ll only have Keuchel on the team for Oct and 24 open spots.

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      • Devin: I don’t think it is just “one bad start”. I think that one bad start was a good excuse to get Lance off the hot seat of unreasonably high expectations. And if he had stayed on the roster his innings pitched probably would have made his likelihood of being on the playoff roster pretty slim. He is a long term project/prospect and a good one but I would not choose him or Velasquez over the more veteran starters we have now. I think Lunhow’s acquisition of Fiers proves he was thinking the same way. I would pose the question again; whose place would he take?

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      • If we are talking the playoff roster, I would prefer McCullers to Fiers and there really isn’t a debate in my mind. Both get strikeouts, but LMJ gets grounders while Fiers is a fly ball pitcher, otherwise. Fiers shouldn’t start an Oct game unless injuries/sickness/etc. occur anyway. I would also take LMJ over Fields. I’d probably give the nod to Feldman and Qualls…but I’m not positive on that. They would only get the ball over LMJ for the experience factor.

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    • I’d find a place for McCullers and maybe VV too, if only in the pen, for the playoffs. Don’t need five starters. McCullers and VV can both go long or short and have stuff that no other guy in the pen can throw.

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      • The problem is that they have to be on the 25 man August 31. You certainly don’t need five starters for the playoffs but there is that little matter of games in September that we have to win to get to the playoffs.

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      • Doc, point well taken, but we don’t have a single guy that throws gas. I think Luhnow will find a way for McCullers. VV would be a longer shot without someone going to the DL.

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    • I really like the idea of Springer leading off with Altuve 2nd and Correa 3rd. It opens up so many hit and run possibilities with Altuve when Springer reaches. Furthermore, with Correa behind him he probably gets a few more fastballs when Springer reaches. That would be a very nice, and fast, 1-2-3.

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  10. Springer is being seen by the doc’s today, and I’m really hoping the doctor tells him some good news! If the bone has not healed, we need to be prepared to be without him for the remainder of 2015….THAT would be disastrous. So think good thoughts we get this kid back in the lineup in a couple of weeks!!

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    • El Oso Blanco is now in sole possession of second place in the majors (and AL) in triples. Who had “Gattis” in the triples pool at the start of the season?

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      • I’m proud to say I did, but I must admit I thought I was picking him in the caught stealing third base pool.

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  11. Nice game – the blue print for winning at home.
    Keuchel was not super sharp but battled through it.
    Lowrie failed twice with runners on and then had the huge hit.
    Liked the “bear” triple – how many guys leg ot a triple and then get pulled for a pinch runner
    Good bull pen good win and the Angels lost.

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  12. Well…..at least we know Carlos Gomez can break a bat over his knee!!! Took him three times, but hey what ever works!! I like a guy with some fire, don’t you!! Dallas Keuchel is 11-0 at home……folks I’ll take that every day, now over the winter I want Jim Crane to PAY THE MAN. You rarely get lucky to have a pitcher like Dallas in your rotation, and the reward is showing him you value his performance…..so show him
    The money, and add a few years on that contract too. The Astros are gonna need him to Shepard the you guns that will be making it up here next year. Nice win tonight, and you can’t say Gattis doesn’t hustle when he has to!!

    I have one more thing to add: J.D. Martinez played here, and was crushed when we
    Let him go out of spring training in 2014………YOU DO NOT BOO THIS KID
    ************** EVER ***********!!!!!!! GRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR

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  13. Becky, you made a point that’s always in the back of my mind, will Crane do what’s necessary to keep these young guys.

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  14. I am just amazed at a man who had 1 career triple coming into the season hitting 9 in one season with still 6 weeks to go. That is a statistical anomaly that we may never see again. That might be like Duane Kuiper hitting 9 HRs in one season after only hitting 1 his entire career (for those not old like me Kuiper was a light hitting 2B who played for the Giants in the 70s and part of the 80s).

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    • When that ball left the bat last night I yelled TRIPLE out loud, and then sheepishly had to explain the whole thing to Mrs. 1OP. When the announcers repeated what I said and started asking all the triples questions and I answered them all she just grinned and said “you and your Astros!”
      She loves Gattis and thinks he ought to be on “Mountain Men” during the off season.

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      • The story of Evan Gattis’ career may be entitled: “The Trouble With Tribbles”. But only afficionados of Star Trek will understand.

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      • I wonder what the world will be like when nobody is around who will remember Tribbles. Of course, by that time they will be issuing permits and requiring government sponsored training to be a Mountain Man.
        I bet Gattis wouldn’t need three tries to break his bat over his leg. I can see sawdust falling off his hands when he grips the lumber at the plate. He probably makes his own bats with a machete.

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      • Cue visions of Mongo climbing up on the wall in left field and knocking a train full of oranges off the tracks

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  15. We are all let down that Altuve has regressed 0.041 points in his BA this year. However, the Tigers must be really happy because VMartinez has regressed 0.091 this year when not on the DL. Jose’s Salary $2.5 Million – VM Salary $14 Million.

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  16. Fresno Grizzlies have a 14 game lead in their division and have two home stands and one road trip left. The Astros have been good for Fresno this year. The Grizzles haven’t made the PCL playoffs in years. They host New Orleans this weekend, an old foe from the past.

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    • I saw a tweet last week from a Grizzlies fan commenting that they had had years of losing baseball. She said thank you for bringing back a winning team! The locals really support this team!! That’s pretty cool!

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  17. AL West standings:
    June 15th-Astros 2.5 over the Rangers and 4.5 over Angels
    July 1st- Astros by 5 over Angels, 6 over Rangers
    July 15th- Angels by .5 over Astros and 6.0 over Rangers
    Aug1st- Astros by 3 over the Angels and 8 over Rangers
    Aug 15th- Astros by 2.5 over Angels and by 5 over Rangers.

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  18. Just a random thought for the weekend. Do you think in 100 years, baseball lore will talk about Correa to Altuve to Reed?.

    They are so slick on DPs. I would say they are as good as I have ever seen as a tandem. In order that you don’t have to look it up, Joe Tinker in 15 years turned 671 DPs. Johnny Evers in 18 seasons turned 689. Altuve already has 390. And Carlos in 57 games has 25. Also, Bill Mazeraski turned 1706 in 17 seasons but other than Dick Groat for a while — who was at short? (For it to work it takes 3 names).

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    • And while I was looking, one stat that will last for a while – in 1959 Elroy Face was 18 -1. And he never started a game. (I know the rules were different – but still….. that is close to a perfect season.)

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      • And he did not receive even one vote for the Cy Young award, which was won by Early Wynn, who was 22-10.

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    • The two names I recognized were Dick Schofield and Johnny Logan. Logan was a shell of his former self by the time he got to the Pirates in the 60s, but he was a big-time SS for the Braves from 1955-57. 5.8WAR in 1955.

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  19. Since this blog is about random thoughts, I’ve been looking into the Swisher/Bourn trade from the Indians to the Braves for Chris Johnson.
    Both of the Cleveland guys traded were having awful years and were each making almost twice what Johnson was making and will make next year.
    The Braves must have had all of Johnson they could stand because the guys they got suck and suck expensively!
    After the trade, Johnson is hitting great and the other two are hitting absolutely nothing for Atlanta. I guess It will take a while for Johnson to wear out his welcome in Cleveland.
    In the meantime the Indians’ attendance is fourteenth out of fifteen in the AL.
    By the way, even though Johnson’s deal through 2017 and an option for 2018 is really cheap, he will make a million a year more than Michael Brantley will for the same time period. Weird!
    Of course, Johnson will make 14 times as much next year as Carlos Correa will, so there’s that whole can of worms, too.

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  20. Royals pouring it on the Halos early tonigh, 7-1. I will not root for the Royals . . but I guess I can hold my nose and pretend to wish them success as long as they are playing the Angels. If their paid assassins – I mean pitchers – hit anybody, tonight though, I will be rooting for the Angels to win the ensuing on-field melee.

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  21. Whoa…AJ Hinch thrown out.

    Love this guy as our manager, and the fans in the stands do too. He has so much fire and it rubs off on his team. Hopefully the team will take that as a challenge and come out swinging (pardon the pun)

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