The 2017 Astros: Yeah, they are that good!

All sports reveal the truth over time and baseball is no exception. Any player and any team can have 2 or 4 weeks of out-of-their-mind performance, but eventually they will return to earth sometimes with a soft glide, sometimes with a thud. When a player or team is performing well for a couple of months or more, the truth is that this is a good player or team.

The Astros will play their 51st game of the season on Sunday and despite insecurities the fans may have about this team, their 33-16 performance to date screams they are GOOD.

The Astros…..

  • Against their division foes – 14-6
  • On the road – 15-6
  • At home – 18-10
  • In extra inning games – 4-0
  • In 1 run games – 8-4
  • Against the NL – 5-0
  • In their division – 9 game lead over the Angels and Rangers
  • In the AL – 4 game lead over the Yankees for the best record in the league
  • In the majors – 1-1/2 game lead over the Rockies for best in the bigs

Their 3 game sweep at the hands of the Indians at Minute Maid looked like a signal that they were falling back towards earth, but then the Astros put together a nice 4-1 turnaround over the rest of the week to right the ship.

So, do you think the Astros are GOOD, VERY GOOD, THE BEST IN BASEBALL, or OVER-RATED LIKE KEITH LAW?

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206 responses to “The 2017 Astros: Yeah, they are that good!”

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  1. I have always been superstitious when it comes to the Astros so I don’t want to say they are the best in baseball in fear of jinxing it, but they look darn good right now. The scary part is that I still don’t think they are playing their best baseball yet and I expect them to upgrade the team at the trade deadline so this team has room to get better as shocking as that may sound. Right now, I will just say they are very, very good with very few holes. I am starting to get very spoiled by all this winning.

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    • I’m superstitious when it comes to them too. I’m afraid to brag on them because it always has a negative effect. On the other hand, they seem to play their best when I criticize the them.

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  2. So now Morton is out. Fiers gets a reprieve. This might speed up the acquisition of the big starter we all seem to want. Too early to give Paulino a shot?

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    • It’s probably too early for Paulino and I doubt they make a trade now only because other teams will know we are desperate and the Astros will have to over pay. The good thing about building up a big lead is that Luhnow doesn’t have to panic and make a bad trade. I would give it at least another month before I would look to make a trade. Very few teams will admit to their fan base they are throwing in the towel this early unless they can get a huge haul. I bet we could get Quintana right now, but not without including K. Tucker. However, if we wait closer to the deadline I think we could get him without including Tucker. This is just my opinion so take it for what it’s worth, which is very little.

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      • Well, at 34 and 16, we have the luxury of waiting until the most opportune time for a transaction. But if Fiers continues to suck and Peacock does not warm to the starters role, then the issue might become a bit more urgent. We’ll have to see how the next couple of weeks unfold.

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  3. I consider this a very good team. Our holes are limited to not having a strong lefthanded presence ( or any real lefthanded presence) in the bullpen and the lack a fifth starter, especially timely now, as injuries will and do happen. Charlie’s lat issue will probably not be limited to 10 days. Our corner infielders have also not performed well to date. I think both guys are under .700 in the OPS department. We ultimately want more than that from first base and third base. I’m confident Bergman will improve at the plate, but I’m not sure if Yuli will do much more than he has. And neither guy is going to win a Gold Glove anytime soon. (Gov, if you’re still out there, I’m agreeing with you). But we have the best bench in MLB, at least to date. I don’t know how much Marwin and Jake will regress, but Springer, Bregman, Beltran and Aoki will all end up with better numbers, I think anyway. So our offensive production should balance out or even improve.

    Maybe this little chain of events will act as a wake up call for Fiers. Can he dig deeper? He’s got new life!

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  4. I think this is a very good team that is playing very good baseball.
    The reason they are very good is because almost all of their players are good players and, therefore, when one of their good players has a rough night, the other players are good enough to make up the difference. When Sipp put a guy on third with nobody out, Hoyt was good enough to keep a big-hitting Baltimore team from continuing to make a rally of it. The run scored, but that was all.
    Look at last night’s game. The Astros beat the O’s, with Beltran, Aoki and Reddick on the bench and none of the three got into the game. They got a ninth inning save from a guy who isn’t their closer. And they got a good performance from their ace coming off the DL.
    This team is a deep team with good players everywhere, and an average payroll with the ability to add if needed.
    I think the veteran players added have done a good job of showing the younger players that every guy on this team is good enough to pick each other up and go out every night with the ability to beat the other team somehow.

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  7. The 2001 Seattle Mariners won 116 games. This rag tag group is on pace to only win 110. Time to bust it up, change line-ups, trade the poor performers, get a lefty starter, hire a hitting coach, dump the GM and of course, get a better manager.

    Where is that sarcasm font?

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  8. How long do you guys think Morton will be on DL? No…..Luhnow’s not desperate……
    YET! But with Morton out for who knows how long, and Fires pitching like crap, it’s starting to get a little warmer on that chair Luhnow is sitting on. Between Martes and Paulino…..give me Martes.

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  9. I don’t “get” it. Your 2nd best pitcher loves McCann for a catcher. You MAKE him throw to Gattis, who he CLEARLY does not care for. If they lose this game I’m putting it square on Hinch. Just to make a point, that all of your pitchers have to learn to work with both catchers…..GIVE. ME. A. BREAK….GRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRŔR

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    • The last time LMJ pitched to McCann he pitched brilliantly. The manager you want to blame had the 2 get together after the issue arose in that one game and they got everything fixed. Relax as this manager you want to blame is leading the team with the best record in baseball.

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  12. The team we saw in the 2nd inning is the best team in baseball. That is one really good baseball team right there.
    Nobody would have blamed them for losing that game down 3-0 after a long homestand. After all, they had the series won already. Instead, they went from good, to great.
    Man, this is fun!

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  13. Just wondering if I am the only one that game after game thinks this is the one that brings back the 2011 Astros. Today down two after the first. This is it, the beginning of that 10 game losing streak.

    Or am flying solo about needing a Shrink?

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    • Unfortunately, you’ve been mentally victimized over a long period of frequent bad streaks. I suggest what has worked for me: Put your feet in the sand with a generous vessel of El Dorado 15 year old rum in hand. Take an occasional deep breath. Repeat process as necessary. It took practice, but I’ve weaned myself away from defeatism. In fact, I’m almost ready to go banastros for the first time in more than a decade.

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    • Another thing you can do is look at the good stuff.
      For instance:
      Tony Sipp pitched in two games in a row that the Astros won. How often has that happened?
      George and Carlos were in a slump or sick and the Astros had a seven game lead in the division. George and Carlos are no longer in a slump and the Astros have a ten game lead.
      Feliz and Hoyt are getting chances to pitch and the more they pitch the better they look and the more confidence they manufacture.
      Gregerson has not looked good but, eventually, that slider is going to start dropping off the table again.

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  15. Thanks to Astros County for this bit of news. Mott Hyde and Bobby Boyd, outfielders for the CC Hooks, have both taken voluntary retirement. CC now has only three outfielders on its roster.

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      • Strange the team would do that now if they left a horse head in their beds- seems like something you would do after the draft and with the new signees filling in behind them.

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      • Maybe the lads, besides underperforming on the field, have been over performing after hours.

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  16. Here at Chipalatta – we want to honor the memories of those who made the ultimate sacrifice for their country, including my great uncle Leroy Klug.

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  17. Want to comment on Beltran. Right now he has shown “Warning Track Power.” Maybe Father Time has him in his clutches. However I expect him to have a decent year when all is said and done.

    But please don’t look at him as lazy or lackadaisical because of his batting style. He doesn’t screw himself into the ground, knock off his hat, nor fall all over the place when he swings. But continues to make solid contact most of the time. His numbers should improve.

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    • 45, actually, when he’s connected, his 5 homers have been no doubters. What I’m most concerned about is that he has struck out four times for every walk. That’s not like him historically. His bat looks slow. And he’s never posted an OBP as low as the .282 he has now and his OPS to date is 100 points below his lowest career OPS. But he was streaky last year. Hopefully those old bones will loosen up. He’s still running pretty well.

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  21. Okay, I’ve been out of town and disconnected from both Astros baseball and Chipalatta for almost two weeks. What did you guys do to Charlie Morton while I was gone?

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  22. Would someone explain to Jordan Jankowski that in the Major Leagues the object is actually to get people out, not to make them exhausted running around the bases?

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  23. What a damn shame……Hinch, you are an idiot. Why on God’s green earth would you put Jankowski in to completely implode????? Absolutely worst move I’ve seen him make all year. Shaking my head……*un…..believable*.

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  25. Down 7-2 after 5 1/2, and nobody in our line-up doing much of anything against Ervin Santana, I think this might be a good game for Mike Fiers to make a relief appearance. Why waste anybody else?

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  27. Jankowski got to the park just as the game was starting. Now tell me….would you put a guy who hasn’t pitched in 3 days, in such a high leverage situation? And he want exactly setting the word on fire out in Fresno. *JEEZE*.

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    • Becky,

      I am going to try and be as pleasant as possible in this because you really seem to be questioning Hinch lately for some unknown reason. The Astros bullpen has been used heavily and it was the 5th inning so, even though it was tied, it wasn’t quite a very high leverage situation. Hinch has the responsibility of managing the innings of this bullpen to make sure we have strong arms down the stretch. Who else should he called upon in that inning? Feliz and Hoyt both threw many innings yesterday and Devo has been used quite a lot over the past several weeks. Besides, Devo is usually brought into the game after the 5th inning. The fact they rallied really has nothing to do with this, but sometimes you have to use unconventional methods to save work on the bullpen later. I am as diehard a fan as you or anybody here and want to win every game possible, but I really don’t understand how you can constantly question Hinch so often when the team has the best record in baseball and is showing no signs of letting up. I am sorry, but it’s really getting ridiculous.

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  29. And now stopped due to rain? C’mon.If it ends up ending due to weather that’s a real cheap win for the Twins 😦

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  35. 15 to 8 and only 1 out in the 8th.!!!! OH. MY. GOSH.!!!
    I turned off the game when they were down by 6. Turned it back on in the 7th and GOOD LORD what an inning!!! Jankowski is gonna get the win…..Peacock gets nothing ((sigh)).

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  36. Becky, don’t be so hard on Hinch. Peacock pitched great ball and almost got out of it. Jankowski was due in for the 6th. It’s a long road trip and everyone will be used. Plus, Hinch obviously knew our guys would score a couple of touchdowns late. But I do have to ask. Is the chubby 28 year old rookie the most major league ready guy we’ve got in the minors? Mr. Bill, welcome back. We concede nothing! What an incredible group of guys in the dugout.

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    • That’s the “problem”…..the Grizzlies aren’t exactly setting the world on fire. Paulino and Martes have had a couple of good starts, but Fresno losses on most nights.
      Don’t know that much about the arms in Corpus, but it’s probably similar to Fresno.
      What I was so angry with Hinch about, is the guy had been traveling ALL NIGHT to get to Minnesota, gets to the ball park as the game starts….hasn’t pitched since he left Houston, and Hinch throws him in a snake pit! Not the brightest move Hinch has made this year. And…..I might be wrong but something ain’t right with Gregersen. The dude hasn’t pitched well since the season started.

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      • I don’t have any sympathy for chubby. He’s young. He’s got a chance to have a positive impact on the best team in MLB right now. What a charmed life! If he can’t get pumped up for that situation, sleep or no sleep, he’s probably not the answer long term.

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      • I wish someone would ask Hinch why he put the young man in. Maybe he just figured that the guy wouldn’t expect it, didn’t have time to dwell on it. Needless to say, that didn’t work but he did settle down a bit. I mean his ERA went from 20 something to 16 something. Yea I know ERA doesn’t mean squat! But oh my goodness, what a two month ride!

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  40. and to answer chip’s question, i think they are a very good team. im not ready to say the best in baseball this early in the season and like tim i am superstitious and may have already said too much. you can see some potential problems here and there for sure, but compare them to the other teams out there, not to a perfect team and i think you have your answer.

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  41. I thought Peacock got a bunch of lousy calls from the ump. I think the passed ball affected him more than it should have and he lost some composure. I thought his stuff was terrific, until it wasn’t.
    I told Mrs 1OP that I thought Jankowski was a AAA pitcher, but I’m glad he got a win in the major leagues. Where in the world is that great slider? There wasn’t even one of those today.
    I have seen a lot of Astros baseball in my time, but this might be my favorite win ever. I watched the 8th inning twice already today.
    Dayan Diaz or Reymin Guduan are the guys who would replace Jankowski, who has been sent back down. I suspect it might be Diaz, because he is more likely to deliver multiple innings and he is experienced. But, you never know. Asher Tolliver is on the 7-day DL.
    Tim, you were a wild man on TCB today.
    If you were going to win game 1 of the longest road trip of the season, this is what you would envision it to look like.
    Remember all that talk about the Astros hitting much better on the road? Apparently it’s not just talk. The Astros hit Santana hard all day. They just were hitting them right at the outfielders in the first five innings.
    Oh yeah, about the Astros being the best team in baseball from the seventh inning on? Yep.

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  42. David Paulino has been scratched from his start for Fresno tonight. Jake Kaplan thinks he may be headed to the Twin Cities.

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    • Makes sense. I’m not sure if he’s ready either. But some guys just react differently to the big stage. Let’s hope!

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  43. Texas lost and the Angels lost. The Astros lead in the AL West is up to 11 games over both of them.
    Mike Trout will have surgery Wednesday and is expected to be out from 6 to 8 weeks.
    The Ranger’s bullpen gave up 5 in the seventh and blew the save, and it wasn’t Dyson.

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    • Tough news for Trout…..he’s the only guy on that team that puts fear into every pitcher on the other side! Even Albert doesn’t scare too many guys these days. I saw the 7th and 9th innings of the Rays game…..and laughed, and laughed!!
      You guys should see Tony Kemp’s, bunt single this afternoon! Jumped over the first baseman and stuck his left hand back on the bag! Awesome move!!!
      OP…haven’t seen anything about who’s on their way up from Fresno….or Corpus.

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      • I believe it is Paulino. I’m sure he will be in the pen as a long reliever. He was a scratch for his start tonight in Fresno.

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  44. Per Richard Justice – the Astros had been 0-659 in their history when trailing by 6 runs or more in the 8th inning….until Monday

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  45. The second comment on this particular post reads: “That’s the thing…when they do start playing at historical levels how good can this team be?”
    Billy, we got a glimpse of that yesterday. Some things never done before in their history indicates playing at a historical level.

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  46. Several days ago this thought snuck into my formerly sharp brain and has been tumbling around, like looking through the window of a running clothes dryer, ever since: Throughout last year’s regular season, is this how Cubs fans felt?

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  47. Like you all I have watched about 8 million baseball games , I’m not sure I have ever seen something like last night, 14 runs in the last 2 Innings 36-16 unreal.

    Hinch is a genius put JJ in to spot the twins 7 runs, know that we are on the road and ready for the bats to score 2 TDs and give JJ what might be is only MLB win
    We win , we set records, .Ms JJ and baby happy.

    This is Walt Disney stuff awesome!

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  48. Can we discuss the brawl yesterday?
    I don’t understand a pitcher intentionally throwing at a guy because the guy hit two homers off of him two and a half years ago. Did Harper flip the bat at him back then or point and laugh at him while rounding the bases?
    If Harper had not charged the mound, would the pitcher have gotten a ten game suspension, which he deserves. Does Harper get a ten game suspension for throwing punches and charging the mound? He would have gotten nothing, if he had gone to first base instead.
    What’s the big deal being made about Buster Posey not helping out his pitcher? I mean he thinks his pitcher was stupid and got(and will get more of) what he deserves. I wouldn’t go out and defend somebody who did something incredibly stupid either.
    I think Buster Posey has shown the world what he is made of over the years, and has the right to not get involved in a fight between two morons.

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  49. One of my work friends long retired asked me what was the thinking about the Astros and this year’s draft. I proceeded to look at some mock drafts and the first 8 of them had no repeats for the Astros #15 pick. The 9th and 10th mock drafts were the second ones to identify HS RHP Shane Baz and UH LHP Seth Romero going to Houston. If I remember right Romero got booted off the team or out of school or something like that.
    I have no idea if they will go the college route or the HS route, position or pitcher for this year’s pick.

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    • From 2012-2015 I paid a lot of attention to the draft because I knew Houston was going to get a top player and that guy would probably be starting for the Astros in the future. Now that the Astros are drafting lower, but have those extra picks from the Cards, I don’t have a clue, because Luhnow is so inventive when it comes to adding to his team in accordance with the plan he has for the team five years from now and according to the budget he has planed for the 2020’s and beyond.
      Last year he went with College Seniors and Juco players in rounds 5-10 in order to be able to sign Whitley over slot.
      This year, he will have something new up his sleeve. You can count on that, because he is an innovator on draft day.

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    • My understanding Seth Romero was kicked off the UH team for disciplinary reasons and there are rumors of recreational drug abuse as well. It appears his draft stock is falling to late first round/supplemental round to even the 2nd round.

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      • You are correct…….he has a “smart” mouth and got up in the coaches face because he got suspended. Like so many kids his age lately he has *no* respect for adults.
        He just screwed himself out of big money. Oh well…..you play, you pay.

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