Jul 7 2017

When you look up offense in the dictionary…

…you see a picture of the 2017 Astros.

The Astros are the best team in the major leagues. Beyond that they are the very best offensive team in the majors.

The team with the most runs/game? Astros 5.76 r/gm

They are #1 in the majors in BA (.287), .352 (OBP), .493 (SLG), .845 (OPS), 1457 Total Bases, 848 hits, 186 doubles,  and 136 HRs.

They have the least amount of Ks in the majors (273).

Sacrifice flies – They are second with 32 (slackers!)

Interestingly and providing a view into their philosophy, they are dead last in sacrifice bunts with five. They give away outs to score runs, but not to move them 90 feet from first to second.

By Position

When you look at their numbers by position (based on what any of their players hit while playing that position) you see why they are so dominant in the AL.

C. First in AL with 64 RBIs, and 48 runs, second with 17 HRs and 17 doubles and .332 OBP, third with .268 BA, .477 SLG and .808 OPS.

1B. First with 26 doubles, second with .307 BA, 4th with 55 RBIs, .521 SLG and .853 OPS.

2B. First with .343 BA, .413 OBP, .558 SLG, .971 OPS, second with 53 RBIs and 26 doubles and 4th with 14 HRS and 57 runs

SS. First with 59 runs, 17 HRs, 62 RBIs, .386 OBP, .529 SLG, .915 OPS, and third with 20 doubles and .308 BA

3B. Second with 19 doubles, sixth with .261/.343/.438/.781 slash

RF. Second with 67 runs, 17 HRs, .305 BA, .530 SLG, .893 OPS, third with 19 doubles and .363 OBP

CF. First with 23 HRs, 56 RBIs, .571 SLG, .941 OPS, Second with 65 runs and .301 BA and third with .371 OBP

LF. Not as much here, but 3rd with 17 doubles, and 6th in HRs

DH. Again a weaker spot, but … second with 50 runs and first with 22 doubles.

By Spot in Lineup

OK, not going to hit every spot, but the Astros are dominant in the American league at the following spots

Leadoff. Tops in runs scored, HRs, RBIs, SLG and OPS, second in BA and OBP

2nd spot. Tops in runs scored, doubles, SLG and OPS, second in BA and third in OBP.

3rd spot. First in runs scored, BA, OBP, SLG and OPS, fourth in HRs and RBIs

7th spot. First in doubles, RBIs, BA and OPS, second in runs scored, HRs and SLG

8th spot. First in runs scored, doubles, HRs, RBIs, OBP, SLG, OPS and second in BA

They are solid at most of the other spots, especially the ninth spot, but their dominance at these particular spots in the lineup make them a formidable force that rolls the lineup over and over.

This is a tremendous lineup that can score runs by the home run or by stringing singles and doubles together in what must be a nightmare for the opposing pitchers.

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183 comments on “When you look up offense in the dictionary…”

  1. Team was just horribly flat today. It just proves we ain’t all that – and that when we don’t show up ready to play we can still stink up a joint just as bad as any other team. Tonight the boys have to choose if they want to get to 60 wins or 30 losses first.

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  2. Fiers had no curve ball. It cost the Astros.
    Devo looked exhausted. It cost the Astros.
    Stroman is a ground ball pitcher. We grounded into two double plays and it cost us.
    We struck out into a DP and that cost us.
    We lined into a DP and it cost us big. The bad breaks caught up with Houston today.
    I don’t mind getting beat by a good pitcher. Stroman is a good pitcher who did not throw very well today, but fought his way out of every situation.
    Today, our #5 pitcher lost to the other team’s #1 pitcher. That has happened a number of times this year. I will be happy when our #5 no longer is matched up against the other team’s ace.
    The Astros can still salvage a series split. Hoping they rally behind Peacock and get that 60th win.

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  5. The Dodgers are now tied with us for best record in baseball. If they win tonight vs KC they will be the first team to 60 wins.

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  6. Quintana is looking really good against Colorado. Verlander was not horrible, despite a loss. Stroman was not Cy Young sharp but was more than good enough to make a sleepwalking Astros team sans Jose Altuve look overmatched. If you were Luhnow, and looking for a #3 starter, you probably weren’t disappointed in any of them. With Fiers’ unimpressive outing, a trade for one of these guys is almost a certainty.

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    • Quintana labored late,and while his team still won, he took 103 pitches to make it through 5.1 innings.

      Oh, and the Dodgers beat us to 60 wins.

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      • Quintana was pitching in the high altitude of Denver. I’m just stating this as it should be factored into evaluating his outing yesterday.

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      • Agreed, Tim. If the Quintana that we would get is the Quintana who pitched yesterday, I would take that guy for sure – for a reasonable asking price.

        Liked by 1 person

  7. Stroman?? Hmmm that’s a different name for the pot! I’ve never “seen” him pitch, but judging how he pitched today….I’ll put in a yes vote!! I still think if Luhnow can’t get Archer, he’ll try to do a trade for Sonny Grey. He and Billy Beans should know one another pretty well by now!!

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    • Becky, in terms of grit I like Stroman over Archer. In terms of “stuff” I’m firmly in favor of Archer. I don’t think he competes against the best competition though, and want someone who rises to the occasion.

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  8. I thought Stroman looked good yesterday. If I remember correctly he Lasted 6 or 7 innings even though he struggled a bit.
    I know the price would be painful.

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  9. I had to Google Stroman last night because I couldn’t believe what I heard the guys on the radio say he was only 5’8″!!! Good heavens!! He has GOT to be the shortest pitcher in MLB!!

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  14. Dan, I’m expecting 25 of them from Gattis before it’s over. Hope you’re feeling a bit better. He’s one reason why it will be difficult for this club to have a significant hitting slump.

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  15. I was not a fan of Happ when he was here, not that much of Harell either, so this has been fun for me. 11 to 0 so far!

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  17. How appropriate that this blog is about the Astros offense as they close out the first half of the season with a 19-1 win.

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  18. I’m watching the Futures game. I stand by my original statement, don’t give up Kyle Tucker in a package. If ChiSox or Ray’s want him, they should offer their SP straight up for him.

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  19. What else can you say about this team!! DON’T MESS WITH ANYTHING!
    Even though it’s painful sometimes when Beltran strikes out……he is essential to this team! Now we wait to see the Christmas gift Luhnow is going to deliver, and I can NOT wait🎄!!

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  20. Had some church things all day so I didn’t get to watch the game. My hubby called and told me about the second inning.
    Dang. I miss all the fun.
    Hope you’re feeling better Dan.

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  21. Since the beginning I have praised and supported the decisions made by Luhnow. Not all of this moves have been successful, but it is very difficult to argue with the success this year and the bright future of this team. However, I didn’t come here to gloat about Luhnow again. In fact, I want to give credit to the job done by Jim Crane. He has quietly stayed out of the public eye and I appreciate him not being a gloryhound. He has hired the people he trusts, is letting them do their job and I think it is time we give some kudos to our owner. Essentially, he has given Luhnow a budget and let him go to work. This is precisely the kind of owner that I want behind my favorite team. In my opinion, it is refreshing to have an owner that is not seeking the accolades for the success of this team. When is the last time we have heard or seen Jim Crane? He is the complete opposite of Jerry Jones and Mark Cuban and this is how I prefer it.

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  22. For those of us that have followed the Astros since the beginning, this is so enjoyable. I don’t want to hex the team, this is historical stuff. We should appreciate what they have done. Crane, JL, Hinch, scouts, minor league coached, players and the true and patient fans. Let’s hope it continues.

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  24. The Astros team SLG% today at the break is an even .500.
    That is amazing!
    Last year the Red Sox led all of baseball at the end of the year with a .461 SLG and the Astros finished at .417.

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  26. As the trading deadline nears, whoever we get I hope they catch the infectious winning ways that we have come to see out of our ball club. People like to play for a winner and right now we are winners. Lets’ hope it stays that way. Yesterday I watched the game on MLB (hated it when my internet connection was stuttering) but couldn’t break myself away from the offensive show of force. Just amazing. Had to watch it all the way to the final out which made me late for an outing with friends. I guess that’s what happens when you team is playing at this level. Just a ton of fun to watch. Would love to be in attendance to a home game but 1,500 miles away makes it a little tough so I’ll have to settle for the internet to provide my enjoyment.

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  27. Ramon Laureano, who absolutely scorched for our minor league affiliates last year [.318/.428/.955 overall] has been very quiet this year – until recently. But he is back! Yesterday he went 5-5 to lead Corpus Christi Hooks to a victory over Arkansas. He drove in three and scored two runs. Even better than that, it was his fifth straight multi-hit game.

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    • Bill, I’m dubious about Ramon at this point. If a kid can have a 3 month slump in AA ball, what might happen if he gets to the Bigs?

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      • There could be many factors for why he slumped to start the year. I wouldn’t put too much stock into it right now as he’s still only 22 and tearing the cover off the ball. This is not to say I am convinced he will be a solid major leaguer, but I’m not going to worry too much about a slump to start the year considering he’s on fire now. Something is clicking for him.

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    • While we are talking about life from the dead, Daz Cameron is even showing sudden signs of baseball life at Quad Cities.

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  28. ac45, “for those of us who have followed the Astros since the beginning.” This is heartfelt. My dad took me to Colt Stadium to watch the 45’s and be sampled by mosquitoes, so yes, this verges on unbelievable. At the same, I want to be cautious as you say. I can’t help it. Bull’s-eye on our backs. Every team gunning for us. There are mountains to climb and miles to go before we sleep.

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    • On the other hand, when the Astros are not resting their best player, against the other team’s best pitcher, as they throw Mike Fiers against the other team’s #1 starter, I think it is the other team who will have the target on their backs.
      I am looking forward to having our best pitchers back starting games, so that we can put our excellent long relievers back in long relief and take some of the innings we have had to give to our short relievers day after day.
      I guess what I’m saying is that our competitors still have not seen the best the Astros have to offer. Our best pitchers and our best players out there every day in the playoffs with travel days resting pitchers. And their batters not facing Fiers, Peacock, Musgrove, Paulino and Martes day after day for five or six innings.
      The Astros are going to have better players on their team in the coming weeks.

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      • Everything in me wants to believe you. It’s just all those dashed hopes. You know the game better than I, but I’m worried I may be older than you. 🙂

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      • It’s a shiny new road but we’ve been down it before. Just s lot more glitter this time.

        No doubt we’ll make the playoffs but after that it’s anybody’s game.

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  29. I’m watching the condensed version of yesterday’s game (mlb.tv) while eating my lunch. It’s a bit strange as the only audio is crowd noises and the sound of the ball on the bat. The quiet Toronto crowd made it seem like a tennis match.

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  30. Lineups are posted for the AS game, and they have Singer in left field. I don’t think he’s ever played left, so being the “senior” outfielder he can tell Mookie Betts to man left, and Springer will be in center!!
    Y’all are not going to believe the lightening storm we had out here last night!! OMG
    I have NEVER seen that much lightening…..EVER! It cooked my home phone
    (Yes I still have one)…..knocked out the Internet and fried my cable box! So when I called to have it fixed, I was told the first day to repair it would be WEDNESDAY!!!
    Oh he!! no that won’t work…..I told them I HAD to see my boys play in the game on Tuesday. So….they are sending someone out before 5:00 today!
    I start my 4th round of chemo tomorrow, that’s bad enough….but I can’t be without cable on Tuesday! “Squeeky wheel gets the grease”!! I’m turning into a bossy old lady!

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  31. We’ve all been marveling about what remarkable numbers this squad his put up over the first half of the season, both individually and as a team. Winning the division is almost an afterthought. But with the big prize on all of our minds already, we’ve really won half of nothing at this point. When things go too well, it concerns me. It’s that damn cynic creeping back into my mindset.

    As we approach October, there are two essentials in my mind. Health and momentum. Ideally we’ll have a chance to get everyone rested up and nagging injuries healed. But we also need to enter the post season on a roll. It’s impossible to simply turn intensity level on and off. That will be a very big job for Hinch to manage.

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  32. I thought it would be interesting to update some numbers on 7/10 versus when you posted them on 7/7:
    Catcher was .268 and is now .273.
    1B was .307 and is now .302.
    2B was .343 and is now .354.
    SS was .308 and is now .313.
    3B was .261 and is now .265.
    LF was not notable enough to quote but is now .254.
    CF was .301 and is now .302.
    RF was .305 and now is .306.
    DH was not there but is now .244.
    So, six positions have gone up in three days, one has dropped and the other two are the weakest positions on the team and I don’t have a comparison.

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  34. Some – just a few – small questions remain:

    1. What horrible thing could conceivably happen that would cause us to blow this big, beautiful division lead?
    2. Who among the teams in our division is able to beat off the other guys in the division head-to-head often enough to make a real run against us even if we falter a little?
    3. Can Keuchel really come back from a long lay-off and pitch like an ace again?
    4. Can McCullers, Morton, and McHugh – and whoever Luhnow lines up before the 7/31 trade deadline – stay off the DL the rest of the year?
    5. Can Jeff Luhnow talk another club out of a starter or without including either KTuck or Whitely in the deal?
    6. Can our young mashers hit well enough against the really elite pitchers in the MLB to win playoff series, much less the World Series?
    7. Is our DH still capable of giving us a significant contribution to our offense?
    8. How many the remaining 73 games is this team capable of winning?

    To be continued . . .

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    • Great paranoid questions Mr. Bill –
      1. After watching the team survive all the starting pitching injuries and expand their lead – I can’t see them losing the division.
      2. Part of why I can’t see them losing the lead is that none of the other teams seem able to make a charge. As I said in an earlier blog, maybe the Angels but not seeing many signs of it.
      3. I think Keuchel will come back and pitch as effectively as before.
      4. I’m not sure all these guys will stay off the DL, especially McCullers, but I think most will.
      5. If Luhnow makes a deal without including KTuck of Whitley in it for a starter (that we actually want) – I think Martes, Fisher and Bregman/Moran/ or JD Davis may be involved.
      6. I’ve seen a lot of growth in this team’s hitters. I think they can easily win a playoff series. They are a lot more slump proof with this many professional hitters. I’m not as sure the bullpen won’t implode in a playoff series.
      7. I’m not sure if we are going to get a ton more out of Beltran, but at least he is scoring runs and moving people over and I have a feeling he is talking to our young guys and helping them to see what the pitcher is up to.
      8. I think this team can easily win 40 of the next 73.

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    • Bill,

      1. I don’t see it happening. We go .500 and we end up with 95 plus wins. Who else is going to do that?
      2. The Angels will not go 50 and 20 even if we do play .500 ball.
      3. Yes, but we don’t know for how long. We know almost nothing about the neck injury. The cynic here wonders if they are keeping fingers crossed, taxing him as little as possible to hopefully help him through the season before ultimately sending him for in for tricky surgery.
      4. Questionable. And how effective will McHugh be regardless?
      5. Yes, but it depends on who the starter is.
      6. Not without elite pitching of our own. We’re not likely to go out and put up a 10 spot against the Indians or Dodgers.
      7. A month ago, I thought yes. Today I’m not sure. But Gattis will end up with 25 homers. Someone will pick up the slack. Bregman will continue to hit better.
      8. I’ll be happy with 40 if we finish strong.

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    • ac45, as much as I want to be, I am unable to be a rah-rah type of person, which I know doesn’t go over big. Not to be overly philosophical, but everybody brings a different bat to the plate, based on life experiences. When I add the Astros’ life experiences to mine, I get — and stay — nervous. I want these peeps to go all the way as much as anybody and I’m unloading on you only because some of your comments I identify with, especially summering in Yellowstone!

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  37. McHugh went 4.1 innings for CC tonight. He gave up 4 hits all singles, 3 runs, but none of the runs was earned. He threw 74 pitches and walked 2 and struck out 4.

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      • No, Mchugh gave up three runs in one inning and it started with an error. From what I gather reading about his start, all the hits were weak hits and bloopers.
        I did see the video of a play where JD Davis was playing RF and caught a fly ball on the warning track and doubled off the runner on first base with a strike on the fly to the bag. Apparently, 3B Davis has been in RF while Tucker was out of town at the Futures game. It’s the fourth different position Davis has played this season.
        As far as Villar is concerned, I heard he has been promoted from AA to our affliliate in Milwaukee, where he has only 10 errors.

        Liked by 1 person

  38. The last stat I want to show tonight is the Rankings of the ERA of starting pitching for all 15 AL teams.
    I wanted to show this because there seems to be some concerns about us being able to compete with the stats of other teams.
    I was kind of surprised myself about which staff leads the AL starters in ERA, since they have had a bunch of injuries.
    Since ERA is not considered a legit stat by the new breed of fan, I also want to point out that the same team also leads the league in striking out batters and is second in WHIP by only 1/100th of a point. http://mlb.mlb.com/stats/sortable.jsp#elem=%5Bobject+Object%5D&tab_level=child&click_text=Sortable+Team+pitching&game_type='R'&season=2017&season_type=ANY&league_code='AL'&sectionType=st&statType=pitching&page=1&ts=1499746638851&sortColumn=era&sortOrder='asc'&extended=0&split=sp

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    • We have great stats. A short series is what still scares the heck out of me. Three dominant starters can shut down the best team in baseball, regardless of who that might be come October. So yeah, I want three dominant starters of our own, a fine tuned pen and the same wild offense as we do battle come the post season.

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  39. This bites . . . but its what our Astros always do;
    We’ll be ridin’ high at All-stars,
    licking our wounds at 162!
    Are we finally gonna break that curse?
    Can we stay on top, stay up on top straight through?

    this bites . . . but as funny as it may seem
    sometimes we just can’t help
    bein’ paranoid ’bout our home team!
    Please guys, don’t let it, don’t you let it make you frown!
    Keep those BAs goin’ up, and those WHIPs a-comin’ down!

    You’ve been leadin’ in BA and runs-scored and dingers and doubles
    and ERA and K per 9;
    You’ve embarrassed the A’s and the Rangers and Cano and Pujols
    And others that I won’t even name.
    Each time you’ve started a day a little flat with the bat,
    You’ve picked each other up and and found a way to win the game!

    This bites . . . that’s what the rest of the baseball thinks!
    All our starters have been on the DL,
    and yet we’re still up by sixteen!
    And with the Captain takin’ names and kickin’ tails,
    who in the world gonna take the wind outa this team’s sails?

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  40. As to prospects, I am not invested in any. They are “currency” to buy what you need or a “savings account”, hoping for increased value. Two notes. We have seen spectacular hitters in the minors flame out in the majors and some pitchers start off poorly in the majors (DK and LMJ) and get a lot better a year or two later. So far Luhnow has managed to trade no super stars. I don’t want to panic and ruin that record. (And as one that likes to throw stones, his ability to trade for top flight major league talent is equally poor)

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