Apr 2 2016

Opening Day: Comparing the 2015/2016 rosters

The Astros have confirmed the last of their 2016 opening day roster as Michael Feliz beat out James Hoyt for the long reliever spot in the bullpen.

While the 2016 roster may morph a bit when Evan Gattis, Lance McCullers Jr and Max Stassi recover from injuries, it is still an interesting exercise to compare the two opening day rosters.

POSITION 2015 2016
1B CHRIS CARTER TYLER WHITE
2B JOSE ALTUVE JOSE ALTUVE
SS JED LOWRIE CARLOS CORREA
3B LUIS VALBUENA LUIS VALBUENA
C JASON CASTRO JASON CASTRO
DH EVAN GATTIS PRESTON TUCKER
LF COLBY RASMUS COLBY RASMUS
CF JAKE MARISNICK CARLOS GOMEZ
RF GEORGE SPRINGER GEORGE SPRINGER
BENCH HANK CONGER ERIK KRATZ
BENCH ROBBIE GROSSMAN JAKE MARISNICK
BENCH JONATHAN VILLAR MATT DUFFY
BENCH MARWIN GONZALEZ MARWIN GONZALEZ
SP DALLAS KEUCHEL DALLAS KECUHEL
SP COLLIN MCHUGH COLLIN MCHUGH
SP SCOTT FELDMAN SCOTT FELDMAN
SP ROBERTO HERNANDEZ MIKE FIERS
SP ASHER WOJCIECHOWSKI DOUG FISTER
RP LUKE GREGERSON LUKE GREGERSON
RP TONY SIPP TONY SIPP
RP PAT NESHEK PAT NESHEK
RP WILL HARRIS WILL HARRIS
RP JOE THATCHER KEN GILES
RP CHAD QUALLS JOSH FIELDS
RP SAM DEDUNO MICHAEL FELIX

The Infield plus Catcher

It is hard to picture a scenario where Tyler White would not be an improvement over Chris Carter / Jon Singleton at 1B based on the solid hitter White appears to be. Jed Lowrie was a decent SS, while Carlos Correa is a transcendent one. Jose Altuve is one of the best 2B in the game and a repeat of 2014 would be an improvement, but a repeat of 2015 is still great. Luis Valbuena and Jason Castro had good defensive and poor offensive seasons in 2015. They will be both playing for new contracts in 2016.

Advantage – 2016

The Bench and DH

Whoever takes Hank Conger‘s place long-term as backup C will be a better defensive catcher, while probably lacking his pop (from the left side of the plate) and dance moves. Preston Tucker will likely be the main DH against right-handed pitchers with a variety of folks filling in against lefties, including starters. He should be as good or better than Gattis at this. Marwin Gonzalez continues to be a valuable and versatile player, Duffy gives them more power than they had on the bench before and with Jake Marisnick in and Grossman and Villar out, this is a superior defensive bench.

Advantage – 2016

Starting Pitching

The key here is the 3, 4 and 5 spots in the rotation. Feldman was the third guy last season. This season when Lance McCullers returns in about a month, Feldman could be anywhere from 4, 5, long relief or traded. Last season Wojo and Roberto Hernandez were unsatisfactory stop gaps, while this season, Feldman, Fiers and Fister should give them better production in the tail end of the rotation. If anyone falters, Feliz or Joe Musgrove among others could step up in a heartbeat.

Advantage – 2016

Bullpen

Giles, Fields and Feliz in place of Qualls, Thatcher and Deduno. This is a better and harder throwing bullpen.

Advantage – 2016

It is the old trap – “On paper this looks like a better team across the board.”

What do you like and dislike about this team vs. last season?

What happens when the injured return? What should happen?

Where are you concerned?

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102 comments on “Opening Day: Comparing the 2015/2016 rosters”

  1. I must be getting old – forgot to compare the outfield. Carlos Gomez over Jake Marisnick gives the advantage to 2016. Having 150 games from a healthy George Springer would increase this season’s margin.

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  2. What I like this year over last year is Correa over Villar/Lowrie.
    Kratz’s RH power over Conger’s and his defense over Conger’s.
    Fister/Fiers over Wojo/Fausto/Peacock/Straily
    Knowing what we have coming in LMJ vs not knowing last year.
    Giles over Qualls
    Fields over Thatcher
    Feliz over Deduno
    White over Carter
    Nobody talking about McHugh’s regression.
    Springer, Gomez, Neshek and Valbuena being healthy again.
    What I don’t like is not having McCullers for the start of the year.
    I think Stassi stays on the DL until he is absolutely ready to catch and Kratz’s first month will determine what happens next.
    I don’t know what happens with Gattis. I guess it depends on how Tucker, Duffy and White are doing.
    When McCullers comes back, I think he becomes the pitcher to follow McHugh in the rotation.

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    • You did not compare Kratz’s dance moves vs Conger’s….
      My only worry is injury and some possible regression, but there are a lot of areas of possible improvement over a playoff team – that is nice to say.

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  4. I said this a couple of days ago. I’m not really concerned about anything. Dan, you spelled it out pretty clearly. We’re a significantly better team in 2016 unless a whole bunch of unfortunate things happen.

    I really do hope that Marisnick hits enough to justify keeping him around. He does everything else so well. But can your 4th outfielder get away with a .665 OPS and a .281 OBP? I suppose the answer is yes if everyone else is hitting. Without him in the dugout, we don’t really have a pinch runner. So if White or Kratz or Tucker or Marwin or Duffy is standing out on second and we need a run to score on a base hit, Jake is our only set of wheels to help, unless Hinch decides to use a guy from the pen every now and then. That’s risky business though.

    I think the most interesting thing right now is to see what happens when Gattis is ready to play. We know Luhnow likes his power, but if all the other guys are producing, it could get interesting. My guess though, is that Duffy is still odd man out when the time comes.

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  5. We’re even more improved than this comparison bc Reed hit better than 25+ Astros this Spring, and doesnt need to “figure out AAA pitching” — 34 milb HR’s lies on the shelf in wait. The reasons he’s being held down have been discussed, but basically there are a handful of vets on our list, and even guys like Marisnick who certainly didnt earn it on sheer numbers this camp. Match that with Hoyt, McCullers and (possibly) Moran & Musgrove who all should be playing in May/June in my projection, and the team looks even more formidable.

    The only real hole I see right now is a legit #2 SP. Im not saying McHugh cant repeat, nor that McCullers cant be that guy, but when we got Kazmir last season, thats what we were looking for. Best available in off season was Fister, and he has yet to materialize. Two guys who in a 3-game series are no-doubters to put you in a position to win. That is a long way off in the season with injuries, a lot can happen. But thats No.2 on my wish list, after getting Reed to the majors asap.

    I’m concerned about 3 players mainly I’ve mentioned bc I see them as keys. Tucker must hit (whether DH or not) to justify his defense in June forward. He and Marwin were neck and neck in the Spring, which is a great sign that they will push the starters! BOR and BP must hold up their end, and we will want to replace last year’s HR production and never-say-die attitude. Colby and White are players we have huge hopes for, and they could be X-factors even more than we could have imagined.

    The sky is the limit for Springer, Tuve, Correa and Keuchel. None are really getting their national due yet, so I hope it sticks in their craw. Keep in mind they’re all young if they remain healthy, could easily benefit from better support and their experience. Not to mention the way we lost last year.. I see these guys as the type to want to send a message!

    I’d be willing to bet that 4 of those pitchers wont finish the season with us also.. I find a way to package off Gattis and Vb too, through their signs of struggling. They are the two “Singletons” on the team who have their chance yet, but must produce.

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  6. see this is why i come here before i go anywhere else astros related. interesting post by dan, sure looks like we have a better team than last year, and two bullseye, dead on comments from oldpro and dave.

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  7. I don’t know, those guys have produced a CY, a ROY, a batting champ, a couple of Gold Gloves, multiple All Star trips and I just saw somewhere today someone calling Springer a dark horse candidate to win MVP. So I think there are a few guys getting their due at this point. Someone else even mentioned White as a breakout candidate.

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    • Referring to any old ESPN coverage of an Astros game and you’ll hear/see the “recognition” I mean. Couldn’t stop talking about Matt Harvey the other day, while he’s getting shelled. Didnt they call Loreano, Springer.. Etc etc.

      Anyway, ya cant take the awards away bc of our numbers – how could they even consider another pitcher for AL Cy?, but I’d like to see the face of baseball here when it’s due. Can we handle it?

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  8. The Astros will get their national due after the Steinbrenners offer Jim Crane a $1 billion to trade franchises…
    I know what both Daveb (uncleknuckle) and Mark mean. We are getting good recognition from the ones who know in rewarding the guys, though I thought AJ should have been manager of the year. We are not – yet – getting that word of mouth where you know that they are considered a formidable and exciting team.
    I think that two things – getting to a World Series and the continued rise of Carlos Correa will take care of a lot of it.

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  10. Looking at some of those names, Dan – who saw the Wojo meltdown coming? Would we have given the PA’s to Carter or Gattis if we knew their final stats? What would have happened if Lowrie had produced & stayed healthy, blocking Correa? Somehow these huge K numbers gave way to timely hits and great pitching. A good exercise to see how – ranging from the unimportant to the liability – who are this year’s Deduno, Hernandez, Wojo, Thatcher, Grossman, Villar and Conger?

    The other thing to mention in addition to guys from first year to veterans of our organization, the post season experience gives you a swagger, while all you did was trim the fat so to speak. You maintained the guys that mean the most and you fielded a healthy competition in the Spring when people say it doesn’t matter. We had a bunch of things to settle, related to lackluster play toward the end of last season.

    Last year’s team which produced such amazing results almost going wire to wire, knows the direction and how it’s done now. They may have a target on their back, but they know how to lead! Maybe Hinch closes the deal this year. With the addition of contact hitters, on paper, the only big question is: can we get near the results from starting pitching as 2015? If so, then agreed, things should catch on quicker this year.

    I thought last year the series middle of the season in KC, we proved to them and to ourselves, 1.) there’s no such thing as getting Lorenzo Cain out, and 2.) the Astros are the team to beat in the AL. That series was brutal, a precursor of things that later came, and what lies ahead.

    The first few series I’m watching for economy of pitching. We get through the first rotation with 4 QS, the rest should fall into place.

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    • A number of folks here did see Wojo not making it since he is a fly ball pitcher. It should have become obvious pretty quick who Carter and Gattis were but they stayed with them. It will be interesting how they work Gattis in this time.
      Lowrie always gets hurt – lucky for us it happened early enough to start the King Carlos coronation.

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      • Asher put up good numbers until Okla City. We found out without costing us wins that he lacked the maturity, experience and mettle for our team. Just as we found out with Peacock this Spring. On the other hand, Devenski showed us a bulldog mentality, and we’ll see him again. Even Hoyt got cut, and an argument could be made that he could replace just about anyone in the pen. Yep, top to bottom we have the personnel. The Yankees wish we could trade uniforms!

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      • Wojo was never a serious prospect. A 26 year old rookie putting up less then 7k per 9 and walking a lot, while spending 3 years at AAA showing no improvement. His numbers at AAA were pedestrian. In his defense he got only 16 innings in the majors which is way too small of a sample to call him a failure, but you really should have never had high expectations to begin with.

        I think his name was thrown around because simply put in 2012 we didn’t have anyone better to talk about in our system. Today that is different.

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  11. I guess if I have to say one thing I’m concerned about is the BOR with Feldman and especially Doug Fister. The bullpen is on notice that the first two weeks are going to be tough, if these guys can’t go further than 4-5 innings. I’m not worried about Keuchel, McHugh, or Fiers….but the other two make me nervous. I hope we get McCullers back like….yesterday.We need him healthy and ready to go ASAP!!!

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    • Becky – I agree with you that starting pitching is the biggest worry spot – ineffective starting pitching can hurt the pen too as you said. I believe they will be fine but I know the front office made moves last season bringing up LMJ and getting Kazmir so they are not shy.

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    • Happy to have McCullers coming back so soon, but would much rather have more time to see what our other guys might do in the DH role. Duffy will likely be the odd man out.

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  14. I really like this team but it won’t be complete until it is in the image of it’s designer. I still think Luhnow’s dream is to have a contact hitter with a tendency toward OBP at every spot in the lineup. I think the players to fill out the lineup are in the organization and that it is a question of waiting for them to be ready and to fill in the best we can while we wait.
    As far as pitching is concerned, the most important task for Luhnow is to sign Dallas Keuchel to a long term contract. His pitching style indicates he is a low injury risk. He is amazing at fielding his position and holds runners to a very low SB rate. The Astros could come up with a pitcher who has better stuff, but Keuchel looks to me to be capable of his current rhythm for the next five to six years at least. McCullers needs to be unwound to be able to pitch 200 innings. I think as he matures emotionally on the mound he will miss his spots less and thus last longer in games with moderate pitch counts. Remember, 100 pitches in six innings is not nearly as good as 100 pitches in 7+ innings.
    I think the Astros will be lucky to get a number three starter out of Paulino, Martes and Musgrove. It’s just so early to count on two of them becoming legit major league MOR starters.
    The big irony of the situation with having Reed, Bregman and Moran coming up, is that if they make the starting lineup for Houston in 2017, it would be so complete and affordable, that the club would have the finances to go out and sign one of those monster starters that will come available on the free agent market following the 2017 and 2018 seasons. If they signed one of them the rotation would look like: Big free agent, then Keuchel, McCullers, McHugh, Musgrove
    Then they’d have bullpen like Feliz, Martes, Giles, Gustave, Ferrell, Gudjuan, Paulino. A rock solid starting rotation and flamethrowers in the bullpen.

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    • This would be a good end game for the Astros. I think we knew that Fresno was a stop gap and RR was the ultimate goal. Having Nolan and Reid Ryan in the fold pointed towards this happening too.

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  16. Skipper set to name Closer today, even though weather may keep them an indoor workout – guessing it’s Giles. But he’ll be defensive for the others and say, we’ll “go from there.” I think it’s a good choice bc the kid knows we gave away the farm (in his mind), he’s probably been told V.V. & the others didnt fit in somehow BUT that there are great expectations, judging from some of their more candid remarks.

    Also, Dan pointed out that Harris is an equal opportunity shutdown pitcher vs lefties, so I imagine Hinch will take each inning as a set of batters, instead of one-on-one, although he has the full arsenal with a Gregerson who is a one pitch killer to get you right out of the bases loaded jam in the 6th, or Feliz. He used Harris first, right after the blown hold the night before for Keuchel. I just dont think, (six one half dozen or another) as much as this team does things unconventionally – my gripe with us has been the predictability of these setup roles.

    Opposing managers can employ their lineups accordingly. I say you leave relievers in the game when they are ice. We get too jumpy to layer out the innings, and exactly to Op’s point – if a Gregerson gets you a 5-pitch inning in the 8th, why not leave him in? No need to pitch Giles “just because” he’s “the closer.”

    This quote is exactly what I meant in a previous comment –
    “I’m not playing coy here as much as I am setting the tone,” said Hinch, the second-year Astros manager. “The most important part of the bullpen is closing out the game, and that closing situation might come in the seventh, eighth, ninth. It might be a pitch in the sixth by any number of guys.”

    Also, on the McCullers comment. Even his very first start he could’ve gone a CG. But was he ready for the hype? We had the convenient deference to say we dont want to overwork him, and Lance said all the right things about ‘it’s management’s decision’ etc. Fact is, we need to pamper these arms nowadays, whereas the old Braves adage was pound pound away. We have guys waiting in the wings who are very fresh, and the way we’ve treated them is so crucial it came down to exhausted bull pen arms last year. Conversely, what Astros fan can forget how fresh in ’05 Jenks, Cotts, Garcia, Contraras, Garcia and Buehrle? Air superiority wins every war.

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    • I like what Hinch is saying. The philosophy that the key out or outs might occur sometime other than the 9th is correct and should be kept in mind. I am sick of knee jerk moves.

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    • Excuse me, Garland. In that series, Brandon Backe was the only guy to spell their lineup.

      Who will it be this year if we ever make it to the Series?

      Beyond Feliz and Hoyt are Musgrove and Martes, but some of those names who are ranked among our prospects may be called upon. Its entirely possibe Fister and Feldman may surprise everyone and prove that they both have enough in the tank, and that they can adapt, pitch not throw – under the tutelage of Strommie’s staff – given run support and shutdown relief, I cant imagine a better place for them to eat up some innings.

      One of my problems in their delivery is the ball comes from such a high release that sinkers travel right through the meat of the plate. I’m not sure either have an effective enough deception on change of speed to offset their lack of fastball velocity (not to mention vertical movement of a McHugh or command of it, Keuchel), meaning you can sit on mid 80’s as your pitch when youre the hitter. Thats too easy. There’s talk of Feldman learning the change – so lets say he master’s it. Who gets credit? I dont see it happening.

      Speaking of coaching credit. Isnt it interesting that in TOR Colby ran into issue regarding his dad coaching up swing changes, yet when he announced changes last year in the playoffs, who he worked with wasn’t really at issue?

      I’ve wondered like Dan, what does a swing coach do; Bagwell, Gaetti etc.? I remember reading Ted Williams talk about how hard it was to make the transition from great hitter to teacher. Speaking of Mets, there’s much ado about David Wright’s new leg kick swing. Its all the rage, meanwhile the beast who roams our RF lurks and eyes that MVP trophy more than our SS, but our CY has heard all the stories of Sale, Kluber and Rays’, Archer. Perhaps Keuchel will stamp out that talk by May?

      Predictions?
      Astros 7
      Yankees 2

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    • Thats exactly what I meant about the kind of recognition some are giving us, daveb and drbill. Whereas, truly in more serious publications a high % have us taking the West.

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      • For goodness sakes, if a guy can write that “Carlos Correa will have to deal with the mental anguish of an impending 2016 decline”, you can’t take him seriously can you? You can find all kinds of knuckleheads on Google. Trust me.

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    • I tried to straighten them out without creating a scene in the comments section and then Bob Hulsey came in and didn’t beat around the bush with his comment.

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    • Well at least we still have Jonathan Villar (according to that column) to help us out. No talk of more ABs from Springer, or from Correa or what Tyler White might bring? No talk of addition by subtraction by taking out all those ABs by Carter and Singleton.
      No talk of replacing the negative IPs of Deduno, Qualls, Wojo, Peacock, Hernandez, Straily etc.
      Yes – the biggest laugh is the miserable year Correa is bound to have. Why? Just because it is his second year.
      Bad writing and no research.

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  19. “Working Man’s Blues”, Merle Haggard many years ago. That’s what I have as I have to do a workshop in Savannah tomorrow when the Stros open their season.

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  21. I still take the paper, and the sports section in the Chronicle had an awesome 4 page special on this team! First thing I read! I’m expecting out of town company today, but I gotta tell you, I’m staying home tomorrow to watch the season opener…..so my brother and his wife might have to entertain themselves! I’m sooo excited I’m like a 5yr old on Christmas Eve!! Been a long winter…I’m ready for baseball! Becky⚾⚾

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  22. Wow so many great posts here . So thankful for you all that do such much great homework, research, and insight for us part timers. I have all my Astro gear on and will sleep in it tonight, if the wife lets me. Love all play ball!

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  26. How good this year’s team looks on paper is obvious. But who, if anyone will rise to the real challenge of greatness offensively? But who will prove to be as good in the batters box, and on the field, as they are on paper. Who will and will not hit with RISP? Who will and will not stay back and hit the ball where it is pitched? Who will and and who will stay healthy and focused throughout the grind of a long hot summer. Who will lose confidence in bad B.A.B.I.P. stretches? That all remains to be seen. We haven’t won anything yet. And no one is going to give it to us.

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    • Hey, Mr. Bill – this is the first season we have entered in a long time with true hope that something special can happen.

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      • My expectations before a season havent been this high since the morning Roger texted Brad to say he decided he was coming back. That was 10 yrs ago..

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      • I am with you, Dan. I am excited – and optimistic. Seeing Carlos Gomez actually stay back, go with the pitch he was thrown, and intentionally soft-stroke a ball into right field to score two runs in the late innings of the last game against the Brewers – instead of swinging from his heels like he did all last year – has me stoked, and actually expecting great things from him in 2016. And it is no secret I have up to this point considered him the weakest link going forward.

        Nevertheless, having been at this awhile now, I know that high fan expectations in March and April have to be processed through a few real games and series. High hopes need to be turned into real time wins. High ceilings need to be turned into high performance under pressure – especially with RISP. And for us to justify all the pre-season hype, Crush city finally has to become Clutch City.

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    • Have to go with you, Mr. Bill, and couple others who have shared my reticence. The hoopla from Sports Illustrated and other sources makes me very uncomfortable. Houston is not that kind of city. Whenever we make it, no matter the sport, it’s because we crept in like an old fleabitten hound dog and surprised somebody. We just don’t do the “I’m king of the world” thing here, or at least we’ve never done it successfully.

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  29. I am happier with an early declaration of rainout for this game than wasting Dallas Keuchel by having them start – stop / warmup – shut down. This way they can just treat Tuesday as The Day.

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    • Good point!
      Not sure if same lineup tmrw but it was:
      Tuve
      Springer
      Cc
      Colby
      CarGo
      Vb
      Tuck dh
      MarGo
      Castro

      Hinch says Gregerson “primary” closer

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    • Sandy, why would you want to open the first games of the season in a Southern city with climate controlled stadium when you can play in the Northeast where freezing temperatures and snow are a possibility? Seriously, though, why do we do this garbage every year?

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  32. While we have no game today, I’d like to look forward a bit. What kind of things might happen this year in the minors and on the Astros that have an affect on next year’s team.
    What if Colin Moran has a real good year at AAA? Well, if Valbuena has a decent year, the Astros have to decide whether to trade Valbuena at the deadline or not. If they don’t, then they have to decide whether to offer him a QO or not.
    What if Moran doesn’t have a good year at AAA? Then the Astros have to do the exact same thing, knowing that they don’t have Moran ready to start next season.
    What if Heineman or Alfredo Gonzalez or Roberto Pena make the All-Star team in their respective leagues this year? What do the Astros do with Castro? Of all the pending free agents the Astros have on their roster, he would seem to be the most likely to not be traded at the deadline, because of the position he plays(especially if they are leading the AL West at the deadline). But will somebody offer him a 3 or 4 year deal and give up a draft pick, if the Astros give him a QO? Will the Astros be willing to pay him $16 million if he takes their QO. They took him all the way to arbitration over $250,000. The best thing that could happen for the Astros would for him to finally hit like he did in 2013, and make him more valuable to the team one way or another. But the Astros need one of their young catchers to show the ability to move up into the majors to give the Astros some leverage.

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  33. I had the beer iced down, the popcorn ready and a couple of “Dodger dogs” ready for the grill as I was not working today. Oh well, tomorrow is a another day so I’ll wait to catch updates on the iPhone.
    I guess it gives me a good excuse to walk nine at the local golf course.
    Go Stros!

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  36. I actually heard a guy on ESPN yesterday pick White for ROY and Correa for MVP. And here I am thinking the four letter network doesn’t even realize there are professional sports franchises down here.

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  37. King Felix meet your assassin’s! Tough to win games when the guys playing behind you bring their guns and shoot you!! Visions of Villar dancing in my head! The Strangers should have lost that game today…..they sure didn’t earn it.
    My son gets his hair cut where a few of the Astros go, one of them is Jason Castro.
    The barber said Castro knows he won’t be here next year, and knows exctly why.
    Castro said he just wished he could stay with this organization, but he understands it’s a business. Wouldnt you know it, my relatives want to go see the Texas Bluebonnetts tomorrow……so I guess we will drive to College Station, and I’ll have to DVD the game. DANG IT.

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    • Great sidebar, Becky! I hope the arbitration lit a fire under Casto. Anyway, someone else will pay him for a few yrs, while there’s always room for Jason in our FO.. One poised dude from the get-go, Im sure he wants nothing more than to hit like 2013. A great sidebar, Becky.

      Blubonnets. It’ll be nicer weather here, than 36 degrees for a baseball game tomorrow!

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    • Becky – your anecdote makes me like Castro more. I hope he recaptures the All Star form and makes Luhnow/Crane look bad when they make him walk.

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  40. It appears that the “brains” at MLB are too smart by 1/2. They moved the opener North because of the Final Four, which is now over. Yet, the foul weather up there is still around. Insert Guinness – “Brilliant” – here.

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    • Hey, stick us in a blizzard, same field Yanks are playing on! Rain or shine, we have Trained to Reign. Special group of guys we are witnessing – Soak it In. Now its time to simply execute what we came prepared to do. You could see it in the Spring. NYC the Big Apple, no better to place to establish the dominance.

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      • I just worry about muscle pulls and the like in that weather. Otherwise – yes our guys are in the same weather as the Yankees and are the younger team….

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  41. So – today they will play in close to freezing weather at noon / Wednesday they will play in a little warmer weather for an evening game (mid to high 40’s) and then getaway day Thursday they have a late afternoon game with temperatures in the upper 50’s, 100% rain and gusty winds. Lovely.

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    • On paper, Dan, seriously, it looks like a slaughter! This is the most light-hitting lineup we’ll face this month, then we get the Brewers before it gets pretty brutal. Gotta take two of these series’, no question.. Keep the Astros killers Beltran McCann and Texiera in check, NY should be a walk in chilly Park. Watch for our RF from UConn to thrive. When I heard Harper homered his first AB, I thought either Springer or Colby would follow suit.

      So I predict Springer gets a dinger today!

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  43. I’m trying to listen to the game, but Verizon can’t seem to keep my connection going to serve the radio feed. Is anyone watching or listening that can shed some light on the action? 4 walks for Keuchel already?!?

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  44. He has been all over the place. I think he is having trouble with his grip at wind chill of 27 and leaving some pitches up. However if CC doesn’t bobble the ball on a routine double play ball , it’s 1-0 us.

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  48. Kuechel shows why we love him, he has regrouped and been tough. White has to be happy, took 1 AB to get the monkey of his back.

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