Sunday short snippets as Astros count down the season

Short Sunday snippets as I spend some quality time with my mom (81) and dad (87) in Natchitoches. Just two weeks left in the season and the Astros are still alive. It’s the stretch run without your best rookie, without your best starters and without an everyday outfield. No worries, right?

Looking forward to 2017.

Yes, a little drool is involved in those thoughts. I’m looking forward to a full season with Yulieski Gurriel and Alex Bregman playing alongside Carlos Correa, Jose Altuve and George Springer. That’s strong friends. Along with an additional quality starter and the return to 2015 of Dallas Keuchel and Collin McHugh — plus a healthy Lance McCullers Jr. — and you should be in can’t-wait mode as well.

Upon further review…

Not a fan of the Astros asking Major League Baseball to review a judgement of Altuve’s hit-or-no-hit just to ensure he reaches 200 for the season. Heck, if he pinch hits once in every game remaining, he gets there. So much in baseball is a judgement call. And that holds true for hits and errors. While you may not agree with a specific, particular call, it’s just the way the game is played. The calls in Friday night’s game could have been ruled either way and the home team scorer gave the home team fielder an error in each case. Unless there is a bias or a trend from an official scorer, or unless it is completely obvious, MLB should not even review it. I’m all in favor of getting the call right, but there are probably calls in every game that could go either way. That’s my opinion.

Marwin for MVP?

No, Marwin Gonzalez is not the Astros’ MVP, but A.J. Hinch may feel like his Super Sub is sometimes. Gonzalez has played every position except pitcher and catcher this season and has done so with ease. He’s earning $2 million and is in line for another raise in arbitration with two arbitration seasons remaining. If past winters have been any indication, the Astros will try to wait until the last-minute before agreeing with Gonzalez, but that’s just stupid, pardon my language. Houston has enough issues without trying to mess with success. Go ahead and sign him up for the next two seasons and focus on areas of real need. A $3 million contract ain’t gonna mess with a $100 million payroll.

You’re kidding, right?

The three highest paid Astros this season haven’t seriously impacted this season. Colby Rasmus ($15.8 million), Carlos Gomez ($9 million) and Scott Feldman ($8 million) are at the top of the tote board. Of course, the Astros aren’t paying Feldman’s tab any longer. After those three, Keuchel ($7.25 million), Doug Fister ($7 million), Luke Gregerson ($6.75 million) Pat Neshek ($6.5 million), Luis Valbuena (6.125 million), and Tony Sipp ($6 million) follow. Now, does that help to put this season in perspective?

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139 responses to “Sunday short snippets as Astros count down the season”

  1. Hey Chip – hope you are having a great time in the home of Steel Magnolias if I remember right.
    Yes I am also excited to have Gurriel and Bregman added to the core for next year.
    Hope they can add one solid bat in the off season to add to that core.
    Yeah if this was the last game of the year and an obvious scoring goof hurt Altuve a protest makes some sense but the team should have more important things on its collective minds.
    Marwin is a solid filler wherever you use him – I agree they should just sign him early but probably won’t.
    Yeah it has been obvious for awhile this season that salaries and performance were not hand in hand.

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  2. Well Chip, first of all, glad you are blessed to still have mom and dad here with you!

    I’m not all that optimistic with our pitching though. I think Keuchel, McHugh and McCullers all remain as question marks for next year, and as I just noted a minute ago on the last post, Fiers too. Whether it be due to injury or simply inconsistency or both, all four guys don’t exactly instill confidence right now.

    I’d be happy to pay Marwin three million to be a utility guy again. But if we want to get better, he should have fewer at bats. He was stronger offensively in 2014 and 2015. And defensively he’s certainly versatile, but unremarkable. I’d rather have regular guys out there most days, specializing in playing the same position very well.

    Totally agree about trying to lobby for base hits on behalf of Altuve. He’s gotten a few freebees during the season. Should we give them back?

    Gurriel might end up making our GM look very smart. Tim, don’t worry though. I’ll find something else to complain about. Like the rotation.

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    • daveb7, yes, Marwin looks so valuable because he has to fill in so many holes! And so often. If we had a steady solution at most positions, he would be relegated to fewer at bats. His value would not decrease though as he is dependable.

      And, yes, unfortunately, you are correct on the pitching, although I’d take the ’15 versions of Keuchel and McHugh if it were offered. There just are any sure bets for 2017 and that, my friend, is scary! Very scary! Honestly, we talk often about the pitchers the team has traded away, but, other than Velasquez, is there another one Hinch could have plugged in this season to take up innings?

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      • No Chip, no other pitchers, and even Vince, after a big start, was finally shut down at 8 and 6 with a 4 something ERA. That’s one reason I’m a bit dubious each time someone anoints our minor league system as one of the best.

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  3. I was bearish on our starting pitching this year and more so for next year. I would trade for a TOR pitcher with a couple of years of control while Musgrove, et. al continue to mature. It will hurt. I guess Springer is the one I would be most willing to part with in addition to prospects in that scenario. I am afraid to count on LMJ due to elbow/shoulder issues, and DK, well just because. I think an internal TOR pitcher is still 1-2 years away.

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    • Nance, just make sure you’ve got someone to replace Springer’s 5 WAR, which is good for 28th in MLB right now. I know he frustrates us sometimes, but he’s still a guy to build around. Let’s find a real leadoff hitter and then see what he does, especially if he finally gets a chance to go home to centerfield. And he’s also proven that he can stay healthy too. He remains one of my absolute keepers. Course our GM might have other ideas.

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      • I’m with you, Dave. OFers that play his defense and put up a .800+ OPS are very, very rare. I keep Springer, sign a MORP like Hellickson and improve the offense with a FA OFer. If Fowler is willing to move to LF he’s the perfect fit as a leadoff hitter for this team.

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    • I may get blocked from the blog for saying it, but I would make Bregman the center piece of a package for Sale. He is a SS not a 3B (as evident by those defensive lapses), he doesn’t have the power I want at 3B, and he can be the start of a conversation. If there was no Carlos Correa, I would be happy going forth with Bregman as my SS of the future.

      I’m fine with Alex playing 3B or LF either one. There is plenty of pop up and down the lineup, and its not like he has no pop. But if he can bring me a bonafide, Cy Young type contender to plug in at number 1 and put a guy that’s already won a Cy at number 2, you got the start of something special. You can’t replace a solid rotation with any amount of offense, ask the Rockies circa entire existence.

      Now I’m not an idiot. I know the White Sox will want more. That’s why you negotiate. How much more, I wouldn’t go that much more. If they balk, great, Alex looks good at 3B (or LF with Gurriel at 3B). Tell em we are happy, go on about the business of looking at Archer.

      This team needs to look at improving the rotation this offseason. Most of the bullpen assets have looked worse this year than last (Sipp, Gregerson, Giles) – but it seems like they are out there in not the same situations as last year. Maybe that improvement comes from a healthy McCullers and healthy Keuchel (with some returned velocity). Awful chance to take when full seasons of Gurriel and Bregman and no Castro or Rasmus in the lineup makes the offense look like its a championship caliber team.

      Offense wins games, pitching wins banners.

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  4. Nance…..say it isn’t true! I certainly hope they don’t trade Springer😢😢
    I have some news on McCullers! He’s throwing, and he could probably be back *if* these guys keep going. Luhnow didn’t say where he would be, but I would assume in the bullpen. No word on Keuchel.
    PLEASE Mr. Fister…..don’t melt down.

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    • Like I said, it’s going to hurt to trade for a TOR pitcher with a couple of years of control. I would rather keep Altuve, Bregman, and Correa. It’s going to take one of the four to get a deal done, I think. Nobody available on FA market means the price will be high.

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      • You’re right. And probably a good young arm to go with one of those four. And that may not get it done. I’m not sure it’s worth it.
        Maybe we just stay the course until 2018 and maybe a better free agent market.

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  7. Welp…..Mr. Fister *melted down*….again. Too bad, the teams we needed to lose all won. Two bright spots, Springer and Correa both homered.

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    • Today wasn’t a total waste. Toronto lost so the Astros remain 3 games out of the 2nd WC. They did gain a game this weekend. Toronto now travels to Seattle for a 3-game set. We need the M’s to take 2 of those games and the Astros must take 2 from Oakland. Chances are still slim, but a sliver of hope still remains.

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  8. Ok boys and girls, I have a question.
    Do you skip Mr. Fisters next start, or do you put him back out there. The Astros have lost his last *5* starts. I’d almost rather lt Brady Rogers make Fister’s start.

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  9. Pitching is going to be so expensive over the winter. Teams like the Dodgers and Mets have had big injury problems in their rotations, and unfortunately as big budget clubs, along with others, will be prepared to way overpay for healthy arms. Even Hellickson will get way more than he’s worth, and probably three years of way too much. And trading for a top of rotation guy would be terribly scary too. We could give up Springer and more in the way of prospects and our brand new ace could blow out an elbow in his 5th start. So as hard as this is for me to say, I think we protect what proven ML talent we have, be thankful for the addition of Gurriel and Bregman and try to rebuild the rotation with what we’ve got in house and hope Luhnow can also come up with a McHugh part II. And then get an outfielder and a first baseman.

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    • The pen is one of the best in baseball this year and Giles, Harris, Gregerson and Devo are all returning. It’s the one area that needs the least help, but I’d still love to have Aroldis Chapman.

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      • If you aren’t moving forward, you’re moving backwards. I’d like another lefty option or two. Note Luhnow could opt to make some trades for milb lhp to stash at Fresno. As for rotation, I think you go to ST with Keuchel, McHugh, LMJ as top three, then let Feliz, Devenski, and Musgrove battle for #4. Fiers slots in at #5 because I don’t think he can be a bullpen asset.

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      • I know Fiers is hit and miss, but I don’t expect a lot more from the 5 slot than 11-7 and a 4 something ERA. I could stand for him to not have those 3 inning 8 run fiascos, but how many teams have a number 5 guy that doesn’t do that?

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  11. The A’s……have brought up two minor league guys that are *LIGHTS OUT* and we see one of them tomorrow night, and the other in this series. Jared Cotton pitches tomorrow night ,and he is scary good. Our Fresno kids probably saw him this year, and they can tell the rest of this team how good he is! Good luck fellas you’re gonna need it! Just when I was starting to feel sorry for the A’s, because so many of their pitchers are on the DL…..I ain’t feeling sorry for them anymore! They just beat the other team in texas 2 games over the weekend. *ugh*.

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  12. Here’s the way I look at this Devenski Love, as a reliever, by Hinch.
    Yes, as long as you continue to run out starting pitchers with bad fastballs, whose curveball has to be working perfectly to get through five innings, you’re going to need Devenski in your bullpen. And when these pitchers have to depend on that curve in the dirt to fool batters, you are going to have tons of wild pitches.
    So go get one or two starting pitchers who can blow batters away and stop messing with rag-arm guys like Fiers and Fister and McHugh who are going to get bombed half the time because they are only able to fool batters half the time.
    You already have a pitcher who can blow those hitters away, because he’s been doing it. Devenski.
    If Devenski is a good starter, he helps eliminate the need for him to be a reliever.
    Same with Musgrove.
    Now go spend some money and get a starter who can go six or seven innings and leave with a lead, rather than these sissy armed guys who fool batters one game and then leave you down by seven after four innings the next game. They are the reason why Devenski had to be in the bullpen in the first place.
    If you are going to be in the playoffs you are going to face teams who have at least three really good starters and a dynamite lineup. So the Astros might as well go get those starters and finish building that dynamite lineup and that is going to mean spending $135-140 million a year on payroll, starting in 2017.
    This offseason is the time for them to become that team, because it will be too late after that. The youngsters are going to cease being young, great and inexpensive soon and the door will start shutting if the Astros don’t act now.

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    • Whew whew( that’s me whistling) it is that time Uncle Jeff for you and your computer nerd buddies to get it done or move on. This will be year 6 of the Lunhow “PLAN” I say plan!

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    • That would be great OP, but getting back to being my cynical self, I’d be shocked if this organization decided to spend what they stated they’d spend when we became a contender. Now is the time for Crane to show he’s got any credibility.

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    • You mean guys like Jose Fernandez who is leading the league at 12.44 K/9? Chris Archer is 5th at 10.54 K/9. Maybe Boston is angry enough at San Diego to give up Drew Pomeranz (9.86 K/9). Colorado may be high enough to trade Jon Gray (9.76). I guess we could have made a run at Kenta Maeda (9.05 K/9), but I think he was dead set on LA and Luhnow seems to prefer guys that speak Spanish when going out of the country. Anyhow, there are 39 pitchers who rank ahead of the top guy for Houston – Dallas ’88 mph heater’ Keuchel…so maybe a few are obtainable.

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  13. OP…..I absolutely LOVE your last sentence, because it sums up the whole problem Houston is facing.
    “The youngsters are going to cease to be young, great and inexpensive soon and the door will start shutting if the Astros don’t act now”. We can gripe, fume and wring our hands, but your last sentence sums up everything we are feeling, and a wake-up call for this front office. I hope it’s not too late. Becky⚾

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    • Pearce isn’t my first choice. I think Reed will be fine if we quit shuffling him in and out. I don’t blame Hinch so much this second half, he is trying to claw to a WC spot, but hopefully opening day next year he is there to stay.

      Not sure what all this talk about his “bat speed” is, he is in the top half of bat velocity and in the top third of baseball in exit speed in the last month. He needs reps to get comfortable. Losing 20-30 lbs probably helps keep him on the field, at 1B, and healthy, so that would be good. It’s all no point if he doesn’t start squaring up the ball better and increase his LD rate, something I expect to happen. So far he has only 9 line drives compared to 62 grounders and flyballs. He hasn’t had bad luck, he has just been a bad hitter – along with a 33% K rate. You don’t tear up minor league pitching the way he did with those ratios and that K rate. I expect him to be better, he just needs to get comfortable and confident.

      I’m not done with White either. He tasted failure for the first time in his baseball life. I’m hoping it motivates him and we see a competition that makes us better for it. Gattis probably sees more time behind the plate next year, so DH is a spot we could see him also, unless the Astros sign a LFer, then we probably see Gurriel at DH 110 games or so.

      You play either of these guys 120+ games and give them 500 PA’s and I think they perform at least at Pearce level, and would do it cheaper.

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      • I don’t see Reed’s issue being bat speed, I see it being a long, loopy swing with holes in it. His strike time (time from load to release) seems very slow. Many, many guys perform to a high level in the minors with flaws in their swing (I could provide you an exhaustive list). I am most concerned that we do not have an adequately effective hitting coach at the ML level to get him sorted out. His swing can be fixed by getting more short and compact, but he will probably have to get help from someone other than Hudgens. If he finds such a guy I hope he invites Springer to tag along.

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      • And like you, I am not onboard with Pearce. If you want to go outside for help look at someone like Napoli that is a better hitter and can play DH, 1B, C and even some LF, albeit at the Carlos Lee level. With a guy like him you get a #3 catcher (and not a bad one) for free and allows you to DH Gattis when he doesn’t start without fear of losing the DH.

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      • “Strike Time”….that’s what I was thinking of rather than bat speed. Thank you for the correct terminology!

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      • I’ve watched Reed hit, I don’t see his swing loopy in the same regards as Chris Johnson. Those people that have short bang times in the decision process because they sacrifice it to create exit speed on the ball tend to not have very good walk rates, majors or minors. Not the case with AJ. I think you just have a youngster that is talented but not supremely talented like Correa or Altuve, but like Springer, needs ABs to adjust. Loopy swing guys like Johnson or Singleton don’t get rated top 10 prospect or best 1B prospect in the game at the start of a season.

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      • I’m pretty confident that White will hit, although I fear he’ll end up doing it for another club. I’d like to see him given the DH job and be told that it is his until the All Star break. We’ve hit .212 with a .657 OPS as a club at the DH position in 2016. Install him there and leave him alone. We’ll see a real improvement.

        I’ll also feel much better about Reed if he shows up a more svelte figure in February. But I do think we need a back up plan at first base even if we have confidence in White and/or Reed. In fairness, those two guys are the main reason why we are hitting just .233 with a .689 OPS at first base as a team. But I think most of us will agree that neither guy got shown much confidence.

        Whether it be Napoli or Pearce, or someone else, I just think we need a back up plan for first base. I don’t want to have to put Gurriel over there. Napoli certainly has the better lifetime numbers and if he can duplicate 2016, he’d be worth whatever he got paid. And yes, he’s also serve as an emergency third catcher, but no emergency would be big enough to put him in left unless we wanted Gattis type results. Vewill, sure, I’d rather have Napoli, but sadly I’ve come to accept the fact that this organization is likely not going to go with the more expensive option in most any situation.

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      • I don’t ever remember seeing him as the TOP 1B prospect. Highly rated, yes, lots of hope yes, but he never put up the numbers Reed has in the minors.

        Let’s not dump Reed because of his first 50 or so plate appearances.

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  15. 1OP, you may have written the perfect post and hit every salient topic. Devin, you have nailed down the epic follow up.

    We all (fans + FO) better understand that the clock is ticking and the window for success will close quickly. We have the nucleus to win now, provided we add some talent where we have holes.

    With a solid DH, big bat at 1B and two TOR arms we would be leading this division. Now is not the time to build from within, we did that already. Now is the time to secure the missing pieces and go for a sustained 3-5 year run at the ring. We don’t need 2B, SS, 3B, RF prospects for the next 4-5 years so send them off for what we do need. If we strike gold and defy the baseball odds and get hella lucky maybe 1 of our pitching prospects will ever be a TOR starter and maybe 3 will ever make a ML roster. Deal the unknown for the known and go after an Archer, Fernandez or Quintana. Maybe go after 2. We have the prospects to make these deals happen.

    Take a gamble on a Cashman if you can get a hometown discount, knowing that his high 90’s arm could always be an option in the pen. Gamble on Napoli, knowing that adding a second year would make him yours. Offer some non- arms for Billy Hamilton, float a rumor that would make Cespedes consider opting out and take a look at Reddick. We have virtually no payroll for 2017 (and probably through 2019) so even a bad deal won’t cripple us.

    At this point, just please no more Fisters, Feldmans, and other marginal, washed up talent.

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    • I didn’t know Brian Cashman could throw in the high 90s. What the heck is he doing in the GM position then? Sorry, I know you meant Cashner, but I couldn’t resist the temptation with that opening you left.

      Also, Keuchel and McCullers have the ability to be TOR starters as they have the stuff (in Keuchel’s case it’s more of movement than over-powering stuff) to head a solid rotation. The issue with both of them going into 2017 is health. If we knew they were going to be healthy I would be very comfortable just adding a very solid #3 via trade as the cost will be less and, as Dave pointed out earlier, Hellickson will cost too much since he is the best FA pitcher available in a very weak pitching free agency class (unless you consider the blister man, Rich Hill at 36, a better pitcher). The problem is that we can’t count on LMJ and Keuchel to remain healthy next year so a trade for a TORP may be the direction Luhnow decides to go. Steven suggested trading Bregman in a package for Sale. I’m usually the one who is more open to trading our young players for proven veterans, but I just don’t know if I can stomach losing Bregman. I guess if the Astros signed Cespedes to play LF I could handle losing Bregman, but otherwise I can see him haunting us for years and years. There isn’t one prospect the Astros have traded that I worry about really coming back to bite us, but Bregman may be the one, if they Astros decide to trade him.

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      • Touche!

        For me, all of our “core” would be untouchable. And that includes Bregman and Springer. I want to see them deal to add missing pieces.

        Like you, I believe McCullers and Keuchel have TOR stuff (McCullers more so than Keuchel), but I question McCullers ability to stay healthy. If you deal for a TOR starter and they both come back strong you are in the driver’s seat.

        I would not sign either Hellickson or Hill to FA deals.

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      • But you aren’t getting Sale or Archer unless it hurts, or you catch the other team desperate. In the case of both, since they both have multiple years of team control, in a buyers market with the lack of equal talent in the FA market, its going to HURT. A lot.

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      • We simply don’t have in the minors what it would take to trade for that top of the rotation guy. So Vewill, without touching the core (and I’m already on record for leaving the core intact) what package do you get a top of rotation guy with?

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      • I’m not worried about Josh Hader biting us. This is not to say he won’t be good, but I doubt he’s a TORP so I’m not fretting losing him. Besides, he is in the N.L. for the time being so we won’t see him much.

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  16. Devo has improved the slider to the point of “wipeout”. 2 of his K’s in his last outing were on the slider (and the catcher was able to catch them and prevent a WP or PB). His pitch balance between FB, changeup, curve and slider are very solid. Right now he brings a +FB, ++ CU, + S and average CB. With that arsenal there is NO reason he should not be in this rotation. We have carried 13 arms (5 starters/ 8 relievers) all season. There is NO reason we should have tired arms in the pen. There is NO reason to have to have 4 innings from the pen on a nightly basis.

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  17. Pearce was my choice when he was ok and hitting .288 all year. He’s not my choice under the knife and recovering for a year.
    I ‘m still right there with signing Lourdes on October 23rd, which is before free agents become free agents and then waiting for the end of the World Series and have every guy on our team send Yoenis Cespedes a love letter and then have JL go after him with every dollar we can find or steal. Then go after Rich Hill, a lefty starter who still throws in the mid nineties. Blister or no blister! We have a blister expert on our staff who worked with McHugh. What we don’t have on our staff is somebody who can make a right handed starter throw higher than 88mph. That has to be acquired, not nurtured!

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    • From everything I am hearing Lourdes is “the real deal”. I really hope we can sign him. I agree on Cespedes, but not sure on Hill. 2016 just seems like an outlier for an average pitcher. I just don’t see the “stuff” to risk it.

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      • Me either……Rich Hill wants a 3yr contract/$45 million and he’s on the wrong side of 35. You know dang well the Dodgers, Yankees and Red Sox are gonna offer *insane* money to sign him, which will make his big brother’s deal look like pennies.

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  18. Look for the A’s, to play spoiler the next three games. I can’t gripe about it too much, the Astros used to do that on a regular basis when we were in the NL. Lordy I hope Peacock can get through at least 5 innings tonight.

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  19. One of my favorite former Astro prospects, Domingo Santana, after spending much of the year on the DL, has kept his OBP above .350 and now has the .OPS over .800. Tim, he might end up being one of those .800 plus OPS guys that we need in the outfield. Seems like he’s been around forever, but he just turned 24.

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      • To be fair, Dave, Billy makes a good point. His K rate makes Springer look like Altuve at the plate. 🙂

        I liked Santana for his power and strong arm, but I would still rather have Springer and his high 20s % K rate. This isn’t a knock on Santana, but the Astros have enough of 30+% K rate guys.

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      • I don’t think Dave wanted to switch Springer for Santana. Any knowledgeable baseball fan would know that’s a dumb move. The conversation began with my comment about OFers that put up .800+ OPS and Dave mentioned Santana could put up those offensive numbers, like Springer.

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    • Ha ha, I never said Santana would put up the same type numbers that Springer has, but I still believe Santana can be an .800 plus OPS guy in the outfield, with or without the 39% K rate that Billy correctly pointed out. I was joking about Billy being cynical. I better deserve the cynic award and I aim to hold on to it for the 2016 season. My comment was as much ironic as anything else. I had already mentally plugged in Villar in left, who of course has had his breakout season and provided that elusive .800 OPS, along with his own high K rate. So I think there is a good chance that the three guys mentioned, might well all provide that solid OPS someday, but no doubt, if playing together in the same outfield, might also break an ML record for combined K’s in a season.

      I will add this though. I don’t worry about K rate so much if a guy still has a solid OBP/OPS and gets hits with guys on base.

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  20. Daveb7, I think we have the prospects to make a deal for an Archer, Quintana or Fernandez. It will cost a few arms and several of our top 30 but I think we can do it. Trading one of the core just opens up another hole that needs to be filled. I would make everyone available short of Altuve, Bregman, Springer and Correa, unless the deal was for Trout.

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  21. Steven, Sale is controllable for only the 2017 season and then becomes a FA. Quintana and Fernandez are controllable for 2017 and 2018 and Archer is controllable for ’17, ’18 and ’19.

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  22. I think the Joe Maddon move would have been to start Reed at 1B and Moran at 3B tonight. Cotton’s fastball isn’t overpowering, but he is making our rhh look bad. Also, I wish Preston Tucker wasn’t hurt. In other words, this looked like a great opportunity for the expanded part of our roster to outplay our stars.

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  24. Marwin comes through big time, but once again that duo of Teoscar and Tyler string together a couple of hits and bring in the tying run in the eighth inning.
    Also, Chapman comes in and gets a lefty out and Neshek comes in and gets a righty out and keeps the score close late in the game.
    There was a lot of good little performances tonight.
    Peacock had one bad inning but ended up with another quality start.

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      • Chapman’s last outing in Fresno he pitched 2.1 IPs with 6 strikeouts. That means 6 of the 7 outs he recorded were K’s. He pitched well for Fresno over the last month of the season so maybe there is still hope for Chapman as an option for the bullpen in 2017.

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    • That was a gutsy win by a young team that has refused to give up. Yes, the playoffs are still a very long shot, but I like the fortitude of this team that is continuing to battle and fight for that last playoff spot.

      Also, just a small correction as Peacock didn’t qualify for a quality start since he didn’t complete 6 innings, but your assessment is dead on that he pitched well and kept us in the game. I feel more comfortable with him on the mound that I do with Fister at this point in the season.

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  25. Daveb…..your nephew is awesome! I don’t know WHY White is not getting more playing time. I mean……we ALL love Marwin, but give White a chance every once in a while. Yep OP, Peacock might just finish the year on a very good note. Do you guys know the last win Peacock had with the Astros was Sept 4th 2014!! I told you Cotter was a REAL good pitcher! DANG…if Sony Grey and gets back next year, and these two guys they brought up keep pitching like this….their rotation is going to be scary good. Not looking forward to facing that pitching staff next year.

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  27. Something ain’t right with Springer. Since I can’t see the game, was he swinging at pitches 3 ft out of the zone again tonight?

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    • They were feeding him a pretty steady diet of sliders low and away. He was laying off a lot of them, but getting behind in the count. In his last two at bats he pulled off a fastball over the middle trying to pull a pitch he should have driven to right-center, and then got jammed on a fastball on the inner half. I think he was guessing slider on that one or just got fooled a bit.

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  28. Not that he’ll read it here, but I wanted to point out how happy it made me to see Correa hitting balls to right field for singles. They were very meaningful hits. When the guys take what the defense gives them it creates the possibility for long innings.

    Also, Teoscar is pretty fast. I assume he got a good read on that hit by White and was planning to score all the way. I didn’t see his jump, but he took the turns at second and third about as well as you can. It’s refreshing to see good baserunning!

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    • Thanks Devin_!! Springer was swinging at EVERYTHING in te last series with the other team in texas….he really looked tired and worn out.

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      • I think you hit the nail on the head. Bregman’s injury, Correa’s injury and Altuve’s slump all put added pressure on him to perform and he looks so tired that he just is wilting.

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  29. Chug-chug-chug. Puff-puff-puff. Solo-Dinger. Pinch-hit double. Oppo-boppo. The little train just kept rolling over the tracks. She was a happy little train, for she had a jolly load to carry. Her cars were full of good things for Astro fans, young and old alike.

    There were Wild Card series’, MVP votes, and even ROY considerations. The little train was carrying all these things, and more, to Astro fans on the other side of the great mountain – the intimidating place where Orioles and Blue Jays screech and rule.

    Then all of a sudden the little train stopped with a jerk. She pulled a hamstring. She strained a shoulder. She tweaked an oblique. Two aces fell out of her wildcard package. And she felt like she simply could not go another inch. Her Go-Go was gone-gone. Then along came a shiny new engine, whose name was ‘Archer-Lucroy’. Many Astro fans said: “Let’s ask him to help us!’. So they asked: Please, Archer-Lucroy, please carry our train over Wildcard Mountain! But Archer-Lucroy snorted: ‘Hmmpfff. I carry the likes of YOU? I help YOU? I will not. You can’t make me. Drink my steam, and eat my dust, you bunch of Lastro Scum Suckers!”

    And then someone bought the troubled little engine a fine, exquisitely-wrapped Cuban cigar to provide some extra smoke. They also brought in a sparky new Brakeman. And the little engine slowly started coming back to life. “I Think I Can! I Think I Can!, said the little engine.

    Puff, puff. Chug-chug. Off the little engine went – edging closer and closer toward Wildcard Mountain. First however, the little engine must chug through the dangerous land of A’s and Angels. Will the little engine make it to Wildcard Mountain? Or will it fall in the great Pujols, get eaten by a Trout, and be thrown up on Offseason-shore?

    That’s story time for today, children. See you tomorrow, same time, same channel on your Altuve.

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    • You’re one talented writer Mr. Bill. Healthy or not I dont see DK ever being as good as 2015. LMJ healthy awesome. Please no Fister. Friers, on the staff for 2017, I’m out of Alka Seltzer. Hoping Devo and Musgrove are the guys for 2017. We will still be short that Number 1 ace., I fear.

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      • I heard that, Dave. But don’t forget that Go-Go is also the nickname of a certain guy who started the year with the Astros with much popular support in the fan base, but is now ‘gone-gone’ to the DFA line, and is now starting for our biggest division rivals in CF.

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  30. do not mess with our core of gurriel, altuve, correa, bregman, springer, gattis. any of these you trade, you open a hole that has to be refilled. correa, altuve, bregman are special, gurriel, springer and gattis have a chance to be.
    find DH, 1B and/orLF and our position players will be pretty well set.
    pitching pitching pitching. looks to me like devo, feliz and musgrove are the real deal. chapman, gustave, hoyt and peacock look like they may could help. rodgers, paulino need more seasoning but are on the way.

    btw 12 games left and the team many in here have called ‘done’, ‘dead’, ‘stick a fork in them’ etc etc., throughout the year, even in april for heavens sake, IS STILL IN THE RACE!!!

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    • You say something very interesting in your comment. Something that hardly anyone would have thought to have said when this season started. You listed Gurriel, Gattis and Bregman in the core of this team.
      Who would’ve thunk it?

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  31. Getting back Chip’s post, he lists the names and current salaries of 8 players under the heading of “You’re kidding, right?”
    Those salaries total $74.2 million, or nearly 3/4 of the Astros payroll this year.
    Those 8 players total 7.0 Accumulated WAR for the year, approximately 1/5 of the Astros 38.6 Accumulated WAR for the entire team for the season(Offensive WAR 19.8+ pitching WAR 18.8, per Fangraphs).
    Those 8 players cost this team almost 3/4 of their total team salary this year and dragged this team down out of the playoffs with their performances.

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    • And 3 outta those 8 are not even playing for us anymore. I included Valbuena because he is essentially taking up a roster spot, but not playing.

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    • In baseball, spending boatloads of money for established players – especially on players from outside your system – is a high stakes crap shoot at best. If there is an organizational alternative, the best option is usually to take it.

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    • That’s why I’m dubious when we talk about trading a handful of prospects and established Major League Baseball players for a top of the rotation guy. I’ve got no problem spending too much money on a free agent, because it’s not my money. But I don’t want to lose guys that have already been helping us win. And I really don’t see enough shiny prospects in our organization below the ML level that will deliver that big arm. And that big arm could blow out an elbow, or become a Keuchel overnight.

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  32. Seems to me we are all coming up to the same conclusion here. We don’t have the pitching to really compete for a championship, it’s a big uncertainty that we have it on the farm. We do not want to trade any key pieces for a #1 or #2. Is this correct?

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  33. Bregman LF $550,000
    Reddick RF $$7,000000
    Altuve 2B $4,500,000
    Correa SS $550,000
    Springer CF $550,000
    Gurriel 3B $14,000,000
    Gattis C $5,200,000
    Tucker/ White DH $1,100,000
    Gonzalez/Reed 1B $3,550,000
    Marisnick Bench $550,000
    Heineman Bench $550,000
    Total for 13 position players in 2017 in this scenario would be $38,100,000. How hard would it be to accomplish it? Give Marwin a $1million raise in arbitration and sign Reddick for 2-3 years at $7million per year. Add Heineman to the 40-man when Castro elects free agency. That’s it!
    Pitching for 2017 comes next. 12 pitchers

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      • I have an extra $3 million to play with for Reddick and still be at the $100 million mark when I add in the pitchers. Wait for my entire 25-man roster and then pick it apart.

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      • I wasn’t picking it apart, but just pointing out that Reddick will get much more than $7-10M/year. You probably need to allocate $15M/year if you want Reddick.

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      • I’ll pay him that and still be under the 2016 payroll. His LH bat fills out our lineup, his experience will be an asset and he is a decent outfielder with a decent arm who has played a lot of RF which allows me to put Springer in CF where he belongs. I don’t pick out a few bad plays in any player’s career to judge him by, so I go with Reddick because I have payroll room, I need a LH bat in my lineup and he is a good ball player who will only be 30.

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  34. Reddick has a .316 lifetime OBP and a .745 lifetime OPS. He’s overrated. Heck, we might get that out of Teoscar. I want something better than Reddick. It will do Reed no good to platoon with Marwin. And the team is better off in the long run if Marwin is a utility guy rather than half a platoon. Reed has a bad week and you’ll see Marwin right back there against lefties and righties. White is also wasted platooning with Tucker as a DH. That’s about a start or two a week for my nephew. Given the chance, he’ll hit lefties and righties. Either make a real commitment to Reed and White or move on from them. As I said last night, I want to give White the DH job full time at least until the break. And that’s really the only way we’ll ever find out about Reed too, assuming he comes back in February under 240 or so. So unless Napoli gets paid big bucks to take over first, let’s see what Reed does.

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    • I want what’s best for the team and I think Tucker will hit righties and White will hit lefties. I want them to do that at a .275 clip so that at the end of the year our DH position has hit .275 with 30 doubles 25 HRs and 90 RBIs. if they do that and strike out 150 times with 60 BBs in 650 PAs I’m tickled pink and the team is going to crush it! That’s a 9% walk rate and a 23% K-rate. When White is batting, Tucker is a lefty off the bench and when Tucker is batting, White is a RHer off the bench. One is a backup OF and the other is a backup IF. This would be the best DH the Astros ever had and would cost league minimum.
      My object is to have the best lineup with good defense and a real good rotation and the best bullpen in baseball. And all of that for a $100milion payroll, trade zero young studs and give all the prospects(Teoscar) a chance to season for another 3-4 months as needed and lose no draft picks

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  35. Doesn’t Riddick have a negative WAR for the Dodgers since going over there – along with an OBP under .300 and an OPS under .600? And hasn’t he given the A’s a negative D-war for the past two season? And isn’t he the guy responsible for letting an easy out at the fence in Oakland go for a game-winning 3-run home run for then Astro Jed Lowrie? Even if it is not my money [which it indirectly is, as a potential consumer of MMP tickets and concessions], I am not excited about paying Mr. Riddick $7M or more for that kind of numbers.

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  36. Keuchel $10,000,000
    LMJ $550,000
    McHugh $2,000,000
    Musgrove $550,000
    Rich Hill $16,000,000
    Devenski $550,000
    Hoyt $550,000
    Sipp $6,000,000
    Harris $550,000
    Gregerson $6,500,000
    Giles $550,000
    Chapman $15,000,000
    12 pitchers totaling $57.5 million.
    I’m offering Hill the contract of his life because when he is on the mound he is one of the best pitchers in baseball. The trick is to keep him on the mound.
    I’m offering chapman the richest reliever contract in history because he is worth it.
    Add $57.5 million to the $38.1 million for position players and that is $97.6 million for the 25 man roster. Add Singleton’s $2 million and I am under $100 million.
    The Astros payroll this year is $113 million so I can still be way under it and up my offer to Reddick.
    Teoscar starts at AAA outfield with Kemmer and Kemp
    Feliz goes back to being a starter in AAA
    Rodgers in AAA
    Peacock in AAA
    Paulino in AAA
    Hauschild in AAA
    Moran to 3B in AAA
    All are ready when needed.
    Stassi and either Pena or Stubs in AAA
    Traded no prospects and lost no draft picks.

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      • Yes. Hill 3/$48 with a fourth year club option and buyout. I know it’s taking a chance on an older player but if you look at his career closely, you’ll see that he’s got low mileage because of moving around, being in the bullpen year after year with not many appearances and almost no mileage as a starter because of injuries. The reason he’s so good is because he’s a 2005 model Acura with only 14,000 miles on him and now he is purring like a two year old classic in an older car’s body.
        Hill is strategic because Keuchel is going to be a free agent and I want a lefty starter before Keuchel walks. Hill bridges the gap until two ore three of our home grown studs become permanent fixtures in the rotation, and he will make a fine #2 when we sign our #1 starter for $25-30 million a year after the World Series ends in late 2017, hopefully with us as the winner.
        There has never been a pitcher like Aroldis Chapman. Never a left handed reliever who threw 103 mph and was successful for years before he turned 28. I would offer him $15 million a year for 7 years without blinking an eye and I would have Giles and Harris and Hoyt and Gregerson and Gustave and Abreu and Franklin Perez and Guduan and anyone else I can find to protect him from getting overworked and worn down for years on end. In the end I want him to be one of the most successful closers of all time and go into the HOF wearing the Astros colors when I am in my eighties. Oh, he would also be a second LH reliever. We need one of those anyway.

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      • Going to be tough to outbid the Cubs for Chapman, even at 15 annually over 7 years. As you say, he’s unique, but that’s part of the problem. The Yankees will be lurking again to bring him back too. That’s why again, I remain dubious when it comes to this organization competing for talent with clubs that really don’t have a budget. And Devin makes a fair point too. I think Giles might go off the deep end. I’d take Hill, again, because he’s a free agent and I don’t care if Crane takes a loss. We also don’t lose a batch of prospects to get him. But don’t expect 200 innings from the guy.

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    • I like it OP. I Officially nominate you as the new Gm for 2017 at 3,000,000 a year. Tim head of statistical data. and gets Uncle Jeffs office.

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      • OMG, my kids would finally be debt free if I get paid like that!
        OK, Mrs 1OP and I would probably visit Nevis and have a drink with a friend I have never met and have all my Chipalatta friends come and stay in my GM suite and watch the Astros with us in style.
        I gotta go vacuum my living room, bye.

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  38. Well easy win to get to 2 games back in the wild card. Only took 10 innings and 5 years off my life.
    Devo, Kemp. Springer, Musgrove and Giles with a nail biter save.

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      • That is the perfect description of explaining watching that game. I thought Smolinski won it with that line drive that went foul. I didn’t think there was any chance that was going foul. The boys grinded out another tough win. The odds are still stacked against them, but their playoff odds have gone from around 7% a week ago to almost 20% now. I think it will take a 9-2 finish, but it is a favorable schedule so who knows.

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  39. Musgrove and Manaea. What a pleasure it is to watch two rookies battle each other to a stalemate and another rookie come in and throw over three amazing innings in relief. Great pitching. I kept begging Springer to hit a fastball all night and he finally did.

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  40. There were sooo many special players in this game tonight…..which one do I choose!
    Musgrove took a no hitter into the 5th inning!
    Devenski comes in and pitches 3+ innings with 4 strike outs!
    Kemp come in and gets 2 doubles!
    Giles works out of a bases loaded 1 out, and saves the game!
    Lord have mercy I am a limp rag after listening to this game! I can only imagine how you folks that got to SEE it must feel! Do you believe in magic?? *Y E S* !

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  41. I love playing the A’s!! They don’t give up, and neither do we! They are our biggest rival, just like the Cards were when we were in the NL!

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  43. I like the way Musgrove works. He doesn’t screw around out there on the mound. The guys behind him appreciate that. Alas, I still went to sleep before it was over. Atlantic standard time makes it an hour later for me.

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  44. If they can get a win this afternoon coupled with a Toronto and Baltimore loss today and I think the Astros will be in the driver’s seat for the playoffs. However, a loss by the Astros today and wins by Toronto and Baltimore make the job really tough. We are just at that point in the schedule where every game is crucial. I’m keeping the faith.

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