OK, this ain’t working! Now what!

The Astros’ four-game losing streak, where they followed three “close but no cigar” 2-1 losses with a 9-2 meltdown, is in the bank as a negative deposit. They have sunk to ten games out in the division race and 8.5 back in the second wild card chase. They have lapsed into poor offensive habits and the cherry on the cake is that their ace, Dallas Keuchel is pitching more like a joker these days. They don’t seem to be having fun, showing much life or even showing anger at the situation. So the question is ….Now what?

There are plenty of actions that could be taken, but which ones, if any will result in positive results in either the short or the long-term?

Dump hitting coach Dave Hudgens.

This will not solve the problem of having so many high K, low contact hitters on the roster. But for the last two season and a quarter, it is hard to point at any hitter not named Jose Altuve, who has shown improvement. Colby Rasmus? Well he is leading the team with 31 RBIs, but he is only hitting .238 BA / .781 OPS – not great BA and OK OPS. Tyler White? It seems the longer he was under Hudgens the more he hit like everybody else on the team. Carlos Correa? He is far under-producing in his sophomore season, striking out more and knocking in a lot less clutch runs. And on and on….

Dump manager A.J. Hinch.

So, is he a worse manager because the choices he makes are resulting in worse performances or are the worse performances making his choices look bad? Will it make a difference replacing him or will the next manager be a front office puppet just as everyone suspects Hinch is? The lineup decisions seem to drive everyone crazy with the way veterans (Luis Valbuena, Carlos Gomez, etc) can fail forever, while young players like White are not allowed to work out of slumps. Can the manager overcome the type of players he is given and produce better results? Hinch seemed to do this in 2015 and now is taking the blame for not doing it in 2016.

Send GM Jeff Luhnow packing.

OK, we know this is not happening at this point in the season, but this has to be on the table if the team heads into the off-season as lost and dead as they are now.

Start the Fire Sale.

The Astros have sets of veterans who are either not performing well or who will be up for a new contract or free agency at the end of the season. Most of these players were never part of the long-term plans for the team. But they should be under consideration for heading elsewhere in return for restocking the prospects or bringing in a specific need with the big team. Players who could be considered include, Rasmus, Valbuena, Gomez,  Jason Castro, Pat Neshek, Luke Gregerson, Mike Fiers, Doug Fister Tony Sipp and Scott Feldman.

Dallas Keuchel should not be traded at the bottom of his value. They really should be making sure he is not hiding an injury. Collin McHugh is still cheap and under control for a while. Carlos Correa can not be touched at his age and talent. George Springer would require being part of a blockbuster trade to make it worthwhile.

Let More Youngsters Have a Shot

This is likely going to take a little time, but at some point A.J. Reed is going to be ready (we pray). What about Joseph Musgrove, James Hoyt, Reymin Guduan, Thomas Shirley, Alex Bregman, Derek Fisher, David Paulino or Brendan McCurry?

The questions for you are:

  • Which way or ways would you want the organization to go?
  • Which way or ways do you think they will go?
  • Is there anything above that you think can save a putrid 2016 from continuing to occur?
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407 responses to “OK, this ain’t working! Now what!”

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  1. McTaggart’s news
    Peacock to miss a start due to hip inflammation. Had surgery on a hip last year.
    Gomez to lead off and be the DH for Hooks tonight, hitting in front of Bregman.
    Kratz cleared waivers and released.
    Wojciechowski(had to look 3 times to spell it right) claimed by the Marlins.

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  2. I have to be honest when these lineups come out with all this flppping and flopping, sadly I yawn, It’s like taking a bunch of leftovers out of the fridge and hoping somehow it turns into Prime Rib and Lobster. We have Altuve and a few underahcieveing promising young-uns and a bunch of retreads. Blow it up, send Jeff packing, maybe then we have Strogonoff.

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  3. It really doesn’t seem to matter who the Astros put in the lineup. Nobody but Altuve hits consistently anyway. Everybody else has that deer in the headlights look. Here are my top 5 theories as to why:

    1. Opposing teams have placed a crafty saboteur in our clubhouse whose assignment is to spike our team’s water bucket with crystal meth every night.
    2. Jason Castro is still mad over the F.O. taking him to arbitration over pennies, so he is tipping the other teams off on all the pitches he calls.
    3. Chris Correa has hacked us again, and is threatening to sell all our players’ deep, dark secrets to Jose de Jesus Ortiz and other St. Louis media personnel if we do not make ourselves look like total idiots at the plate and on the bases.
    4. A.J. Hinch has developed an elaborate hazing ritual which involves soaking the jock straps of all first-year players in habanero juice all day and then making them sit on the bench every game so he can watch them squirm;
    5. the Astros of 2016 just really don’t give a flying *!{&%$ – about fans, about Houston, or about winning ballgames. NOTE: you are free to insert whatever Vulcan cuss words you know into this sentence however you feel inspired

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  4. Bregman and J.D. Davis both have hit HRs for Corpus in the bottom of the 1st. In case you were wondering, Carlos Gomez popped out to first.

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    • Yep, that wind at 18mph blowing from right to left tonight. Daniel with a HR to left for Midland. 3-1 Hooks in the bottom of the 2nd.

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    • 31 year old Cesar Valdez is the starting pitcher for Fresno tonight.
      I remember back in the winter when I thought Appel, Velasquez, Feliz, Devenski and Musgrove would be the starting rotation in Fresno. Musgrove is the only one who has started a game for Fresno from that group. Dang.

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  6. Midland’s pitcher just plunked Carlos Gomez and Alex Bregman back-to-back. He hasn’t walked anybody all night. Will Corpus retaliate?

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    • The best way to handle that is to knock in the runners and Derek fisher and JD Davis did that. 6-1 CC in the bottom of the fifth. We’re playing Arkansas, not Midland, as I mistakenly said earlier

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  8. I feel bad for Colin Moran. It appears that either a) he wasn’t ready or b) he can’t get in a groove due to playing inconsistently. He just looks sad in the dugout sitting by himself. Hope the brain trust haven’t set back his development.

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    • Everytime he bats, he looks scared as hell. Kemp has had that same look from his second game onwards, although not as bad.

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    • He’s so dang afraid of getting sent back down, he can’t enjoy the big show.
      I can’t help but think when he gets his first hit he will settle down…..if he’s allowed to stay up. I do NOT want Bregman to be brought up. Leave him alone, and let him go out to California to see how he does in AAA. There’s a LOT of season left, if they want to bring him up after the break, and we are waaay out of it, then do it.

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  9. Ya know…..I don’t know why Luhnow had to trade for Giles, when Feliz throws 100 mph, with pin point accuracy!! Wow…..how I wish I could see this guy pitch!!

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    • Becky,

      You’re spot on. There was no reason to giving up the guys we did for Giles. Remember not to confuse “wants with needs”. I think JL wanted Giles but not necessarily needed him.Thus we have the conundrum that we now have.

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  14. I stayed up as long as I could but had to say no mas after the 11th. I was so glad they won it.

    – Big hit by Kemp and by Correa who had been struggling but hit some balls hard last night
    – Springer likes that lead off spot or maybe he gets better stuff to hit with Altuve behind him.
    – Fister with another decent outing and the pen held on
    Fun win

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  15. Great win, but was it a tease? The pen is for real. Everyone is settling in. Rotation, except for Keuchel, has been better. If the bats get going, a win streak is possible. Happy to see Valbuena hit that two run shot, but I think it means that for the time being anyway, White will only start against lefties. So who gets sent down when Gomez comes back?

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  16. The switch at the top of the lineup worked great for Springer, who had three hits and two walks. It was lousy for Altuve, who was 0 for 6 and left 6 on base.

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  17. “Today’s baseball world is not really playing baseball, they have just started a new game and call it baseball to make money.”
    1 oldpro
    This from previous OP post also using terms “new age” and “cult.” Very interesting observation. I have wanted to post something similar but have not because I realize my baseball knowledge does not measure up to this blog. If I could, I would outlaw trades, period. No more, none, nevermore. You build your team from the ground up and the evil one take the hindmost. You dance with the one that brung you. And all those other clichés. Somebody with brains and wisdom establishes a reasonable pay scale, based on both performance and tenure. But nobody gets CEO-type parachutes. Nobody. Fans get to know their players, even their players’ families. Win or lose, you care about your team because you know a member will not be driven away or tempted away at the drop of a cap. My only question, OP, is this: If what you said above is true, why do we watch, post and stew ?

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    • Diane, no one around here is going to judge your baseball knowledge. this is the one place where anyone can voice their opinion. No one will put you down or ridicule you. They may laugh with you but not at you. When I first started reading this blog I was hesitant to comment. When I did I felt very welcome. Becky was the only female at the time and really encouraged me to join her. So please join in whenever you feel the need to vent or celebrate.
      I know very little about the business of baseball but I’ve just loved the game since I was a little girl. Latched on to this team in 1972, loved em ever since

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    • Because I was raised in a sports loving environment. I remember watching my older brother replacing the wood on the outside of my mom’s ford woody station wagon while the radio blasted the Saturday game of the week between the Phillies and the Cubs in the late 50’s. There were like 40 runs scored in that game.
      My whole family used to have a pool for New Years bowl games, including my sisters, who didn’t watch football but one day a year.
      My dad played tailback for LSU.
      I played football and baseball
      But the NFL is not the NFL
      The NBA is a joke.
      College football is a joke.
      College basketbal is a bigger joke.
      Soccer is hilarious, with entire seasons decided on who can fake falling down the best.
      I watch baseball because it is the most complicated game and I watch to honor myself and the fans of the real game, not the watered down mushy, money grubbing political mess it is now. The people inside the game of baseball have made it the way it is now, and when something else happens they don’t like, they just change it again. At it’s best it is wonderful, and there is wonderful real baseball played several times a year. Those games are what keep me watching.
      I fell in love over fifty years ago. I committed for life. Even though my bride, the Astros, has broken my heart so many times, I still have feelings for her. There have been times when I commited to others and ignored her, but she is still there by my side. I am a fool for her.

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      • I don’t remember the teams but I remember sitting on the floor playing with paper dolls while my daddy explained the game to me. My dad and granddad were both avid baseball fans and neither one had a son so they passed their love down to me. In the summer, at grampa’s house in east Texas, every Saturday was devoted to the game of the week.
        My first love was the Brooklyn Dodgers. When they moved, I followed the Milwaukee Braves, then St. Louis, when the Colt 45s arrived I chose to ignore them, but then a friend took me to the Astrodome in 2972 to see the Astros and Cincinnati. It was love at first sight. Lasting love but a sometimes bumpy road.

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      • I was born in Upstate NY. My dad wasn’t really a baseball fan. He was more a fan of football and the NHL. My grandmother loved baseball and we would watch the Mets games at her house on WOR in the mid 70s. I started playing baseball at 8 and loved the game ever since. I remember, during the summer, sitting on our porch waiting for the local newspaper to be delivered in the afternoon so I could devour the stats of the league leaders. Back then it was only batting average, HRs and RBIs for hitters and wins and ERA for pitchers, but I still loved seeing who was in the top 10 in each category. Baseball is a thinking person’s game and I love the nuances and strategy involved in every game. It will always be a passion of mine until the day I am called home, and even then, I am hoping their is a true Field of Dreams in Heaven where I can continue watching the greatest game invented.

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      • I used to listen to the Colt 45s games on the radio with my grandfather. My big brother was an avid Houston fan. To be contrary, I had to like somebody different than him and picked the Dodgers as my team. My parents would drive us 4 hours to the Astrodome once a year for an Astros Dodgers game. After many years lapsed, we traveled back in time and all went to a game on my parents anniversary in 1989 – the one that lasted 22 innings. While my friends wanted to grow up and marry Prince Charming, I wanted to grow up and marry Sandy Koufax. A move to Houston as an adult switched my allegiance (mostly, but still have a sentimental notion for those Dodgers and especially that Kershaw fellow). Back then, girls couldn’t play little league, but I watched every practice and game of my brothers. Once, the coach let me practice with them and gave me a team cap. I did get to play in the neighborhood sandlot games, including Pepper, and .500. Watched my son play ball through high school and about 1000 hours of his hitting lessons. We were a host family for players a couple of years during the summer. That was a terrific experience and we still keep in touch with those young men. My son and I were at the game for Biggios 3000th hit and vowed we would go to his induction at Cooperstown and we fulfilled that promise. Sorry this is so rambling, but telling this story brought back so many good feelings. Thank you for letting me share. It is so wonderful to find some kindred spirits here. Baseball truly is America’s pastime.

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      • Thanks for the stories you shared. I always enjoy reading them. But I still think we should repair the game so that it can be more real and more true to its spirit and so that we don’t have to battle cynicism to watch it.

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  19. In retrospect, Gomez got inserted into the top slot for CC and was an ofer. The red-hot Teoscar Hernandez, who has struggled so much but was thriving in the leadoff spot got knocked down to 8th in the lineup and, of course, he was an ofer, too. Why put a guy at leadoff on a rehab when he doesn’t ever lead off for the Astros? And why mess with the chemistry of the only minor league team we have with a winning record, by putting a clown at the top of the order. Sometimes the stupidity amazes me.

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    • Their stupidity amazes me almost every day. I’m convinced Gomez is done. Whatever he had going for him was lost prior to the trade. The Mets saw it but our bunch ( the brilliant baseball minds that they are) gambled on him and lost. So now we have to put up with him in center for the rest of the year.

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    • Who goes down when Gomez comes back. You and I both know it will be Kemp. The only infield position he can play is 2B – and that’s taken. The fact that Kemp has hit better than Moran is irrelevant to the F.O. Gomez is not going to sit. Marisnick is not going back to the minors. And that means Kemp is the odd man out.

      I just keep waiting for hope at least one young player at our team’s weakest positions [CF, 3B, 1B, DH, and back-up C] to perform well enough to actually push the current under-performing veterans [Gomez, Valbuena, whoever-plays-first-base, whoever-Hinch-slots-in-at-DH, and Gattis] out of the picture.

      Moran had a chance to push Valbuena off third base – he has choked.
      White had a chance to win a position absolutely nobody in this organization seems to want or be qualified for – he started strong but has tanked.
      Marisnick had a chance to win the position Gomez is getting $9M to play badly – he has choked.
      Kemp was considered to have zero chance to push Rasmus to CF and make Gomez a distant memory – he has come closer to doing it than any of the above – but he, too, has failed to make it impossible to bench him or send him down.
      Stassi and Heineman haven’t done anything to push either Kratz or Gattis out of the b/u catcher role.
      PTuck had a chance to push an under-performing Gattis out of the DH role – at least against RH pitching – and he tanked.
      Reed should be pushing everybody at 1B – but he’s not.

      Perhaps Alex Bregman will be the one. Perhaps he will continue to thrive when they move him up to Fresno and will eventually accomplish what Moran has failed miserably to do – i.e. out-perform a guy ahead of him who pretends to be a corner infielder but struggles mightily to slash .207/.294/.641.

      Perhaps Teoscar Hernandez will be the one. Perhaps he wil overcome the insult of being bumped out of the lead-off position at AA he earned by a guy who has obviously lost the ability to hit his way out of a paper bag, turn the tables on him, and eventually do what Marisnick has failed miserably to do – i.e. out-perform a guy who once was his team’s All-Star but who now struggles to slash .182/.238 /.486.

      Or perhaps we are just stuck with a team full of players that constantly under-perform, and a staff of coaches and F.O. personnel who have no idea what to do about it.

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      • This FO seems to have a problem seeing what’s right before their eyes. The vets get the benefit of the doubt and the kids know if they don’t over preform they will sit.
        Even when one of the kids has a great night, they sit the next game. That kind of stuff is a moral killer.

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      • Bill, if Gomez was coming back today, I think Marisnick or Moran would go. Marwin can play over there and hit righty when Valbuena sits. Moran and Valbuena, both lefty bats at third, don’t really make a whole lot of sense on the roster. And I think Kemp will figure out a way to get on base more than Marisnick has or will.

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      • I agree that is the way it should be, Dave. I just don’t think this F.O. has it in them to either sit Gomez upon return, send their man-crush Marisnick down, or send an infielder down to make room for a guy who used to be an outfielder.

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    • It may have been an attempt at maximizing PA rather than strategy. Houston started the Luhnow era off giving us the impression they wanted to create a winning culture, but shifted into more of a showcase culture along the way. However, if Gomez buys into the fact his speed can play at an elite level despite his power days being in the past he could easily be a better version of pre-trade Michael Bourn. I doubt anyone in the FO or Gomez himself is smart enough for that. We probably end up with a budget Wily Tavares instead.

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  20. “Do I start yelling at younger guys for taking a pitch that’s this far off the plate, and they’re rung up on it?” Rasmus said. “How am I doing them a service? Because we’re taught not to swing at those pitches. ….”That’s kind of the double edged sword we’re at right now in the season”. “Just because you scream doesn’t mean it’s gonna to make a difference. “I was on the Blue Jays Rasmus said, we had Mark Buehler and José Bautista, and they came in and did it….and it didn’t help nothing”. “We still ended up 15 games out”
    Excerpts from an interview with Colby Rasmus on what’s going to get this team going. What I gleen from it, is he’s not comfortable doing that with the Astros. A pitcher ,Ike Feldman…..who has been here for a couple of years and maybe Castro are the two guys I could see having a “chat” with the boys. Both are even tempered and respected. Last night’s walk off, should not have gone as long as it did. After the 7th inning I had the feeling it was gonna be a long night. It’s past time to get your point across fellas…..time is NOT on your side.
    Diane, Sandy and Nance are more important to this blog than any of you know! I value their friendship, and their baseball knowledge! You guys gotta admit…..it would be so boring if we girls weren’t here!!
    This sentence says it all for me:
    “Because we’re taught not to swing at those pitches”.

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    • Becky, I think the statements by Rasmus are at odds and shows a bit of the dysfunction resulting from the losing. Rasmus is one of the top hitters in MLB in terms of taking balls and swinging at strikes…or at least I heard that on a broadcast last week. When he is getting frustrated you know the zone is inconsistent or too large. The weird thing is that the second statement makes sense, but not related to the first. You don’t want to light a fire under the youngsters and make them more aggressive to combat the bad strike problem…you want to calm them down and teach them to spoil a close pitch with two strikes. I think there must have been a previous question that got under Rasmus’ skin making him feel like he was called out for not being a leader from the Bo Porter school.

      FWIW, the O’s broadcast showed a ton of pitches called for strikes last night that the tracker considered balls. I wonder if the Astros broadcast gets the same data.

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      • Devin…..it ain’t gonna be any better when Gomez comes back. I thought to myself last night if it had been Gomez up with the bases loaded, would it been the same out come? Probably not. As far as Rasmus goes…..he’s pretty soft spoken, and I doubt he would take the bull by the horns with this club…that’s why I think Feldman and Castro could get away with it without an uprising. AND I think they are being coached by the worst hitting coach in MLB.

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      • It’s hard to spoil a close pitch when your swinging out of your uh, shoes. You all know what word I really wanted to use, but aim keeping it clean. Altuve is the only regular player in the lineup that has the bat control to be able to spoil pitches. And Rasmus sometimes. The others – they are young and following orders – taking close pitches and hoping ump will call it a ball. They have been taught not to swing at close pitches (because they are not likely to get a hit even if they make contact). Uncle Jeff was on MLB network a couple of years ago trying to explain this philosophy. While it might be right statistically, watching doesn’t run up the opposing pitchers pitch count like spoiled pitches nor does it advance a runner….

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  21. May as well dream:

    What if in 2017 our line-up was:

    Teoscar Hernandez – CF
    Alex Bregman – 3B
    Jose Altuve – 2B
    George Springer – RF
    Carlos Correa – SS
    A.J. Reed – 1B
    Tyler White – DH
    Jason Castro – C
    Tony Kemp – LF

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    • We sure don’t know if Hernandez will hit ML pitching. We don’t know if Kemp will hit enough. We know that Castro will not hit enough. The jury is out on White. We’re guessing that Reed will, but there is no way of knowing about him either. Bregman seems to be the real deal, but you never know. That leaves us with the same three guys we can count on today. Mr. Bill, do you really like this lineup?

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      • I like it a whole lot better than I like what we have now, Dave. I’d rather see youngsters struggle than watch highly-paid veterans who have had their chance and failed, like Valbuena, Gomez, Gattis, continue to embarrass themselves and this city. And under no circumstances do I want Jeff Luhnow trading anybody else from the farm. He has mucked that up big time. Now, if he can pick up a free agent CF rental that will hit better than Hernandez, fine – he should go for it. If he can pick up a FA catcher rental that will hit better than Castro, great – more power to him. But I am not in favor of any long term deals for guys like Gomez who have not earned their stripes either in the Houston organization or on the field at MMP.

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      • Obviously, the idea that Teoscar would make it to the majors was based upon the hope that he has finally figured out how to use his amazing skill-set effectively, and that he continues to raise his BA, OBP, and power #s. He’s had a really impressive year so far at CC, and he seems to be getting better as he matures. But if there is a hitch, or a regression, I am in no wise ‘married’ to him. With Maverick Phillips gone, and Fisher being less consistent this year than Teoscar, I just want SOMEBODY to step up and fill the 3rd outfielder role, and he seems the most likely candidate within the organization – at least for 2017.

        Regarding Reed – he doesn’t have very big shoes to fill. I consider him a shoe-in to be an improvement over anything we’ve seen at 1B since Berkman left. He doesn’t have to be a superstar.

        Regarding Castro – he’s probably priced out of the market here. He has actually doing pretty well the last few weeks, so he’ll probably be picked up by another team. But if he somehow wants to stay, at least he has the confidence of the staff, and is an established, MLB quality back-stop. If we had anybody in the organization that looked to be a better hitting catcher than him, I’d be more excited about seeing him go. But the guy who fit that bill – Jake Nottingham – got traded away for a half-season rental of Scott Kazmir.

        Regarding Kemp – i confess, I like this guy a lot. I think he will be a sparkplug for the offense – the guy at the bottom or the top of the line-up that gets rallies started and finds a way to fire everybody up. I could be wrong. But he is not just a good ballplayer – he has leadership and inspiration abilities that this team is sorely lacking. Springer and Correa have been extremely disappointing to me in this area – and we know for sure we’ll get absolutely nothing in the leadership arena from Valbuena, Gattis, Rasmus, Gomez, Gonzales, or Marisnick.

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      • I just want to point out that Nottingham has a 79 wRC+ in AA this year. His numbers in the past may have been a result of a high BABIP. His BABIP this season is at .278 with a .228 batting average. It’s too early to say he will be a bust, but it is also too early to suggest he would have been the answer at catcher for the Astros going forward.

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      • True. What we do know is that he was the best hitting catching prospect we have had in the organization since Jason Castro. The trade of Nottingham hurts worse because we were extremely weak at that position when the trade occurred, making him by far the best catching prospect we had. Whether he ever becomes the next Johnny Bench, Pudge Rodriguez, or Mike Piazza is disputable. How far his departure set us back as an organization with regard to the catcher position, however, is not.

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      • I agree with everything you said, except your last sentence. We have no idea how much losing Nottingham set us back at catcher. If he is a complete bust then it didn’t set us back at all, but if he turns into the next Piazza, then yes. I doubt he’s a Bench clone as he’s not known for his defense.

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      • Have you seen what that ‘future catcher’ is doing for the Angels this year? Let me just say he’s barely better than Kratz. 🙂

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      • To answer your question, Tim, for whatever it matters, in the last 7 days, Carlos Perez is 7 for 21 [hitting .333] with a double, 2 HRs and 9 RBIs. Forgive me, but I don’t remember Mr. Kratz putting together anything like that. For us he hit 0.69, with 0 HRs and 0 RBIs.

        But as was the case with Nottingham, the point is not that he is Johnny Bench. The point is that by trading the two best-hitting catching prospects in the system in the same year, we left the system significantly weaker.

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      • I’m sorry, I gave Carlos too much credit. His wRC+ is 63 this year. It was 82 last year. Needless to say if Carlos makes it in the major leagues it will be because of his defense.

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      • Interesting ‘dis’. Carlos Perez’ milb lifetime slash line was .280/.361/.760. Nottingham’s lifetime slash line in the minors is .275/.342/.776.
        Both are a whole lot better than anyone is doing for us in AA or AAA now.

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      • Have you seen Jon Singleton’s MILB slash line? It is quite impressive. Don’t read too much into MILB slash lines. They usually decease in the major leagues.

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      • Tyler Heineman’s slash line in MILB is .283/.362/.764. This is very comparable to both Perez and Nottingham.

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      • At least so far this year Castro has the 3rd highest OBP [.354] on our team. I wish he hit .250 or better, but at least his OBP is higher than everybody not named Altuve and Springer. His OBP is actually more than ten points higher than Carlos Correa’s.

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  22. Meanwhile, through three innings Joe Musgrove is being Joe Musgrove today for Fresno. He just struck out the side in the 3rd – and has yet to allow the OKC Dodgers a hit. Unfortunately, he’s not getting any run support yet against rehabbing MLB pitcher Hyun Jin-Ryu. A single by Worth in the first and a double by PTuck in the 2nd both went to waste.

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    • Pssst. Don’t tell anybody, but Danny Worth just got his second hit on the day and raised his average on the year to .350. His OBP is over .430, his OPS is now 1.013. But it is all for naught, as Jon Singleton went GIDP over him.

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  23. Oh, Joe!!! Mr. Musgrove has used all of 63 pitches to get through six innings today. 0 R, 3 H, 7 Ks, 0 BBs. Fresno now leads 6-0.

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  24. Welcome back to the world above the Mendoza line, Mr. Andrew Aplin [single, HR, 3 RBI], Mr. Preston Tucker [single, double, RBI], and Mr. Tyler Heineman [triple, 3 RBI]! Hope none of you fall off ‘Worlds’ End’ ever again!

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  25. The starting lineup is out. Gattis at catcher, White at DH, VB at 3b and MarGo at 1B. Springer is still leading off with Altuve still batting 2nd.

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      • Tim, remember back in March when Moran was on fire in ST and Kemp was really struggling? Things are reversed now and Moran is in a slump. This game of baseball is a series of ups and downs and tests and retesting. I think Moran has potential, but he probably needs to go back down and work on hitting until he is needed again.

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      • I agree completely. He reminds me of when Santana was first called up. You knew the potential was there, but he just wasn’t ready.

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    • Wait a minute…..
      – Is that the sun rising in the west?
      – Did Richard Kiley rise from the grave to sing “The Impossible Dream”?
      – Didn’t we already have April Fool’s day this year?
      – Did Alex Bregman change uniforms with Gomez for one at bat?
      – Did Tim’s namesake, Timothy Leary slip him a little hallucinogen in a tab?

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  30. Not only did he hit a homer, but I know what got him cranked up and it wasn’t funny mushrooms. Gomez threw out a runner at second trying to stretch a single.
    Then Gomez threw out a runner at home trying to score from first on a double.
    I’ve seen Gattis catch fire in Corpus and bring it back to Houston. I hope that Gomez can do the same thing, because I wish all the Astros well, even Gomez, whom I have gotten pretty tired of.

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  33. Valbuena strikes again!!! Thought I’d tell you Fister squares off with sweet Nicky Tropeano on Sunday.
    Just thought I’d put my 2 cents in, but I don’t care if I ever see Carlos Gomez ever again. I know he’s coming back to Houston, but I’m done even TALKING about him.

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  37. Could have had another run…..now it’s up to Gregersen to walk the tight rope with a one run lead. Crossing my fingers and toes.

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  42. Since somehow people think Carlos Gomez can lose a game from 200 miles away, I waited till the Astros’ game ended to say that he saved the game for CC tonight.
    With the bases loaded in the bottom of the 8th and one out. Gomez caught a line drive in CF and threw the runner out at home trying to score on a sac fly. Hooks win 2-1, with Gomez throwing out three runners on the bases and hitting a home run.
    Keegan Yuhl threw seven shutout innings for CC tonight. He only struck out two but got 11 groundball outs, allowing four hits and one walk.
    Bregman was 3 for 4 tonight with no Ks.

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    • I’ll wait until he comes back to shower him with accolades. So far, (and that goes all the way back to when the trade went down)…..he has shown me exactly nothing.
      I’m sure the Hooks pitcher appreciated his contributions.

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      • I wouldn’t go that far. I noted the sarcasm, but have to point out no one is 100% healthy once they start playing games until sometime in the offseason and Gomez has a history of playing through minor injuries that would have most of us calling in sick to work.

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  43. It is good to see the Astros pitching staff coming back. Everyone has rebounded except DK. The bullpen has been crazy good.

    It is also good to see Luis Valbuena and Evan Gattis actually hit the ball again. It’s been awhile, but it is really good to see. The salty Gulf Coast air at Corpus appears to have revitalized El Oso Blanco. Perhaps it will do the same with Go-Go. Meanwhile, Luis Valbuena may have gotten his wake-up call when the F.O. brought up Colin Moran. He may just realize how lucky he is that Colin did not have a good cup of coffee.

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    • Gattis is actually hitting over .250 for the first time as an Astro. Maybe I need to spend some time in Corpus too.

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      • I’m going to be in Corpus on June 9th-10th for a business conference. Hoping some of that CC mojo rubs off on me. I’m planning to go to the Hooks game on June 9th.

        A win tonight is very important. It will help remove some of the stink from last weekend and give them some momentum going into this 5-game road trip against 2 teams that are beatable (LAA and AZ).

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  44. Gattis spends a couple of weeks at CC, comes back to Houston and looks like a different hitter. Gomez is in CC for two days and suddenly remembers how to hit the ball out of the park.
    I wonder if there’s any possibility of sending the hitting coach down for a rehab assignment.

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  45. Fresno Grizzlies may catch a break. They are scheduled to face 19 year old phenom Julio Urias tonight.
    But MLBTR is reporting that the Dodgers are fixing to purchase his contract and bring him up to make his MLB debut tomorrow night.
    Urias is the Dodgers #1 prospect and MLB’s #2 overall prospect. A lefty pitcher with fantastic stuff and great control. Let’s see if he gets scratched from his OKC start tonight.

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  46. I wonder if anyone with the Astros had the guts to tell Carlos Correa what a dumb stunt he pulled in the ninth inning last night. Or maybe they just congratulated him on being stupidly aggressive.

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    • For those who may not know what we are talking about – Correa led off with a double in the ninth and then got thrown out trying to steal 3rd by about 3 feet with a one run lead. Then Gattis doubled which doubled the pain.
      Right now Altuve (15 of 16 on SBs and one who knows when to steal 3rd) is the one green light I have on the team. Correa 8 of 11 is the next best bet, but the team should have had a red light up for him in that situation. George Springer (3 of 9) needs a note from his mother and from me before he is allowed to leave his base.

      In Correa’s defense, he has seen both our situational hitting and our lack of hitting with RISP, so maybe he thought there was no chance he was going to get knocked home conventionally.

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      • Duh – Dan…… Yes, bottom of the 8th not the 9th – though we are an equal opportunity bone head team – we can lose men on the bases even when the game is over.

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      • Sorry Dan, but that’s no excuse. I was watching, wanted to throw something at the TV. I can’t believe that these players are that stupid. But if they are then we need to send them back to the low minors to learn better base running skills.

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    • Can you describe it? I missed just about everything. While you’re at it, can you describe why we are shifting on Writers? He only has 4 hits through the vacated space thus far through two games. I don’t think strategy is our strong suit.

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  47. Yes, it’s early. But do you know who has the 2nd highest BA, the 4th highest OBP, and 3rd highest OPS on our team right now?

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      • Just kidding. Tony Kemp. But I also remember how great Tyler White was for two weeks.
        Do you know that the Astros are undefeated when George Springer bats leadoff?

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      • You had to go and bring up Brian Bogusevic? I was feeling pretty good today – especially after learning that it has been confirmed that 19 y/o lefty phenom Julio Urias will be starting for the LA Dodgers against the New York Mets friday instead of starting for the OKC Dodgers against the Fresno Grizzly-Tacos tonight.

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      • Keys to the Astros going undefeated the rest of the way:

        We are undefeated when Luis Valbuena hits a home run. [Hit away, Lou-ay, Lou-ay!]

        We are undefeated when our pitchers strike out 18 or more opposing hitters.

        We are undefeated when Carlos Gomez hits a home run for the CC Hooks.

        We are undefeated when Tony Kemp hits a triple – or makes an error.

        We are undefeated when Altuve fails to get a hit for the 4th consecutive game.

        Oh well, we may have trouble going undefeated the rest of the way.

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      • I’ll go on record. I still think White will be the hitter some of us expected him to be. He needs repetition, as least as much of a chance as our 10 million dollar man got. What I don’t really like is the fact that he’s got seven homers. If White is hitting like White has proven he can, he’s not going to provide so many long balls. He’s going to hit to all fields and take a base on balls. Someone screwed him up. Upping his power potential could certainly have happened down the road, but that is something that should not be in his head today.

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      • I think the straws we are grasping may just be the ones that will break the camel’s back, OP1.

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      • Do you think our “Psuedo” hitting coach is telling these guys to swing for the fences? Why do almost all of them almost come out of their shoes when they swing. I was watching the Cubs last night and you can really see the difference in their approach to hitting as they are trying to make good contact with the ball. If you make good contact the rest will fall into place.

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  48. It will be very interesting to see how the Astro attack right hander Kevin Gausman tonight. He has better stats against lefties for the year and for his career and that is pretty rare. The only guys who have ever faced him in the majors are Rasmus and Valbuena and they total 3 ABs against him with two hits.
    Will be looking for the pitch that he has used so effectively against lefties throughout his career. Guess we’ll find out tonight.

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  49. Rasmus calls his beard a “chin curtain”. Only Colby could come up with a name like that! Notice my eye roll….hmmm.
    This group of Astros hasn’t had a sweep of a team, since Aug of last year. Time to reverse that tonight! Oh look……I have the 300th comment!! Must be good luck!
    I hope McCullers has his good stuff tonight!!! Ya’ll check in and tell me how he looks!

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  50. I would like to say I thought Gattis did a good job behind the plate last night. McHugh was sticking a ton of breaking balls in the dirt and only one got away too far. Quite a workout.

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