The Astros starting pitching has been insanely good. The offense has been like a giant suddenly awoken. The bullpen is a bit of a lightly tested question mark. But the Astros are a solid 14-7 heading into Saturday night and a lot is right with the baseball world.
So, it seemed like a good time to throw out some random Astro related thoughts on this early season weekend.
How are you doing Mad Dog?
It seems like ancient history, but it was a little more than 2 months ago that Mad Dog Russo called the Yankees the team to beat in the American League. Maybe he meant the team to beat on. OK, I am breaking my own rule about how meaningless the early season games are, but I do take some satisfaction with the Yankees being third in their division 7.5 games back of the soaring Red Sox.
Maybe spending money is the way to go….in one case
Speaking of the Red Sox……
http://www.spotrac.com/mlb/payroll/
Well at least this is working out for the Sox so far as they have the most money committed and a 17-2 record to show for it. The Giants, Cubs, Nats and Dodgers have spent a ton and have records at or below the .500 mark so far.
By the way raise your hand if you knew the Yanks were in the 7th spot in spending and only $10 million more than our Astros.
The curse
Ever since the Astros have moved to the AL, they have never had really good DH numbers and often they have had really crappy DH numbers.
2018 – .213 BA / .273 OBP / .573 OPS / 0 HR / 11 RBIs
2017 – .226 / .284 / .671 / 19 HR / 71 RBIs
2016 – .223 / .304 / .696 / 19 HR / 62 RBIs
2015 – .244 / .291 / .743 / 27 HR / 92 RBIs
2014 – .246 / .317 / .817 / 38 HR / 92 RBIs
2013 – .199 / .276 / .615 / 16 HR / 59 RBIs
Not exactly Big Papi stuff. 2014 was probably the only year that could be considered acceptable for someone whose sole purpose is to hit.
So, do we need some kind of curse remover? Burn Bud Selig at the stake? OK, maybe just hang his image in effigy. But we sure could use someone to grab that job and run with it.
Jake and Derek
Jake Marisnick‘s slash so far this season is .120 BA / .120 OBP / .360 OPS and striking out in 54% of his ABs. Derek Fisher has a slightly more robust .139 BA / .179 OBP / .457 OPS and is striking out 47% of the time. Basically, every game the Astros are like a NL team with the equivalent of a pitcher at the end of the lineup….except the AL opponents have a 9th real hitter there.
What to do? Well, they surely don’t have to do anything as they are piling up the runs lately and the wins without help from these two guys. But for these guys psyches’ sake maybe they need a little AAA vacation. They could bring J.D. Davis (.429 BA/.484 OBP / 1.198 OPS), who was just starting to hit when sent down, back up. Or Tony Kemp (.339 BA/.459 OBP/ .883 OPS). Or Tyler White (.317 / .417 / 1.033). Or hot OF Drew Ferguson ( .344 / .444 / .985). They would use Marwin Gonzalez to work around whoever they brought up. They would probably not bring Kyle Tucker up who is slumping a bit after a hot start at AAA.
So….
- Your feelings on Mad Dog?
- Spending big money?
- The curse?
- Jake and Derek?
- Anything else you’d like to talk about?
CHIPALATTA 
Off subject here Dan, but there was commotion in the White Sox dugout last night, and it was about the pitcher in th 6th inning. Danny Farquhar was rushed to the hospital with bleeding in his brain. He had suffered a brain hemorrhage.
He is currently in ICU in critical condition. PLEASE all you guys and gals say a prayer for him…..he needs all the help he can get🙏🙏
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Becky, thank you for the info. I had no idea he was bad off. I thought he had fainted from dehydration or the flu or something. I saw the headline in MLB.com about him fainting but did not see the news as to his condition.
Thanks again for the heads up. The prayer list just got longer. You are still on it, every night.
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Thank you OP……I am humbled that my name is called in your prayers to our Lord. I have an appointment with my oncologist this coming Thursday.
I’m so happy you are my friend.
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I had no idea. That’s terrible!
I watched the game but up and down not paying attention 100% of the time
Prayers absolutely.
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I also had no idea how bad it was. Thank God he had the best of care available to him immediately. Hopefully that care will be the difference in his full recovery.
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As far as Boston goes, I’m sure JDMart has contributed, but one has to figure that the reason everybody on that team is playing great could have a lot to do with the new manager. Boston has always spent money, but all the players who were average last year are playing at a higher level and that can’t just be a coincidence.
There are seven teams in the American League who have lower batting averages from the DH position than the Astros. Stop and think about how few good DHs there have been in the many years it’s been used. That position may be the hardest position to play in baseball and history has proven it.
Edgar Martinez deserves to be in the HOF.
After listening to AJ Hinch say that Tony Kemp deserves a chance to play in the major leagues, I think it’s is past time to send Jake down to get his act together. If this continues, then Hinch’s statement was just hogwash because Marisnick is hurting this team when he is at the plate.
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I love Jake but you are correct.
I’m just afraid Jake is who he is and a stint in Fresno won’t help.
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I completely agree with you regarding Edgar Martinez. He absolutely belongs in the HOF. He was one of the best hitters during his era and he has HOF numbers.
Does Jake have options left? This has been debated on Twitter, but I think he still does. For me, it’s a toss-up between him and Fisher getting sent down, but if they are going to bring up Kemp I think I would send down Fisher since they are both LH and neither is an exceptional defensive OFer like Jake.
Also, I read an interesting stat that Gattis’ average flyball distance has decreased 25′ from 2016. This is a significant drop and I would think some cause for alarm. If Gattis is not hitting HRs then he is, essentially, worthless to this team as he offers no defensive ability, has a K rate at or above league average and a BB rate below league average. I am getting closer and closer, despite his HR today, to want to be done with Gattis and give Dave’s nephew a shot at the full-time gig. We have other options in Fresno as well, including Davis and Reed (although AJ is really hitting like we hope right now).
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My last comment should say “although AJ isn’t really hitting like we hope right now”.
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As for as Russo is concerned I’m thrilled the Sox are burying the Yanks.
Just because of what he said.
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Before the season started I picked the Red Sox to win the AL East and the Yankees as a WC. Boston has a similar look to the 2017 Astros. They put the bat on the ball, are now hitting for power and have a manager that fully understands using analytics from the dugout. The Yankees starting pitching is not as good (1-5) as the Red Sox, they have several high strikeout hitters and you would expect some regression from their bullpen, which was other-worldly last year. The only advantage for the Yankees that I can see is that they still have a very deep farm system and can use that to improve their team at the deadline, a luxury the Red Sox don’t really have.
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I was requesting 20 to 25 runs this weekend. I’m delight that it looks like I’ll be off a bit.
That Mad Dog is Loud Dog. But I’ll say this. If that Red Sox team stays healthy, they will be tough. I get the feeling they like playing for the new guy more than the old guy, at least at this point. But don’t write off the Yankees. They’ll buy more before they get overshadowed by those Boston guys.
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So sad to hear about the brain hemorrhage- wow makes me think about what happened with Coach Dauer. Athletics don’t matter that much when these things happen
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I’m not buying the DH curse yet. Because if Gattis ultimately fails, I think White can provide at least middle of the league stats as a DH.
I said earlier today that Fish and Jake are fortunate. We’re winning. But if this stuff from them continues during the coming homestand and we lose a tight game or two while these guys keep looking so overmatched at the plate, then something will get done. If they both keep sucking, I bring up both Kemp and White. I think that would provide the most flexibility for Hinch.
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Astros look “Marvelous”!
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Sean Manaea no-hit the Boston Red Sox tonight and the AL West continues to be the best division in baseball.
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Well obviously the Astros are not the only team that can’t seem to hit Sean Manaea .
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OP…..I saw the pitching match up in that game and thought what a game!!
Manea is a BEAST…..I dread it everytime we play the A’s!
A couple of things about tonight’s game:
I felt sooo bad for their pitcher tonight. The kid had nothing and our guys smelled blood. You notice after he left the game they only scored one more run complimentS of Reddick. Dallas was still struggling getting guys out….thank goodness for Altuve and Correa, they bailed him out of trouble. AND..what in the heck was up with Peacock?!! Sometimes when the guys are playing in a “laugher” they tend to lose focus. I’d love for McCullers to go out tomorrow afternoon and keep the line moving with another pitching gem, like he had last week! And……I believe Jake and maybe Fisher will get sent to Fresno. Jake had one plate appearance tonight, and it was a pop up. My hope is Jake can get his mojo back while he’s in Fresno, because I just love his hustle and he is thought so highly of in the clubhouse. Oh, almost forgot….whatcha, think of the “Robe” given to the player of the game!! Beltran took the wrestling belts back home, so George had to figure out another “gimmic”!! It looked pretty cool on Reddick tonight! Becky ⚾
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Credit Where It’s Due Department: Sipp throws a clean inning.
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Even a broken clock is right twice a day… he was due
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I know…….I almost fell outta my recliner!!
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His pitches had a little but of movement on them. That’s a plus.
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We went to the 2nd and 3rd games of the season in Arlington. During batting practice Brett Strom was working with Sipp in the bullpen on certain pitches and you can see he was getting some better movement on them. After his bullpen session Strom gave Sipp a ‘thumbs up’ as to tell him the ball was moving well. I know everyone, including myself, is frustrated with Sipp, but I don’t think they will DFA him until after the ASB and only if he doesn’t improve.
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Brent Strom, not Brett Storm
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As to Mad Dog, I find him humorous. I think he says things just to get a reaction. He argues with guys on his show. He knows a lot, but there is a ton of stuff he does NOT know.
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I used to think he was just a no-nothing jerk, but last year so him on another show where he had to take unscripted/spontaneous questions. Not only did he prove knowledgeable, but he also didn’t bring his NYY fan shtick. Granted, I’m not going to become a fan of his, but I did learn he’s capable. His act is popular in the markets they want viewers/listeners, unfortunately.
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So the A’s no hit the Red Sox.
Sometimes the game has a way of putting everything into perspective.
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After going 5-5 [4 singles and a triple] last night for Corpus Christi, Myles Straw is hitting .420 on the year. Maybe Jake should be looking over his shoulder . . . .
Tony Kemp was 3-5 [two singles and a double] last night for Fresno, with 3 RBIs – and no strikeouts. He is now hitting .359 on the year. Perhaps Fish should be taking notice.
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And if Myles Straw is considered too far away from the Big Time to push Jake, what about 25 year old Drew Ferguson – hitting .348 with a homer, 5 doubles, 2 triples and 13 RBI?
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Bill, I think I’d bring up Kemps lefty bat first and give Ferguson more time to show he can hit AAA ball.
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Don’t sleep on Miles Straw.
– Forrest Whitley
(Reposted)
https://mobile.twitter.com/ForrestWhitley
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Peacock is legitimately discombobulated. It’s too bad he’s having these problems as we come home for the homestand. I hope he figures it out real quick.
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It’s great to see some guys really putting up solid number in the minors. They need to be the solutions to our problems, and right now we’ve got a couple of them.
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About Reddick’s GS yesterday, he did something that a lot of hitters aren’t doing. He jumped on that 1st pitch. If you’re looking for a 1st pitch fastball right over the plate we should be swinging. I see our guys take the 1st pitch (fat and juicy) and then swing at pitches out of the zone. Most pitchers want to get that 1st strike. That doesn’t mean we swing at every 1st pitch but it means when opportunity knocks, open the door.
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In his short interview with the Robe on last night, Reddick intimated that the players might have gotten together and discussed the lack of hitting. That might be what I had been trying find out about the turnaround seen in the bats in the last five games.
By the way, in the five game winning streak, all five games were wins by the starting pitchers, which is rare these days.
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-Peacock’s struggles with his control last night looked very, very similar to Giolito’s struggles. He absolutely could not get his arm to throw the pitches where he wanted them to go. I think it’s the cold weather. It affects some players more than others. In Friday’s win, none of Giles’s pitches had any movement at all on them, but Chicago had already packed it in for the night and they didn’t care to go after Giles in his one inning.
-Yuli Gurriel had a quietly wonderful defensive game at first base last night and definitely saved a number of bad throws.
-When you look at their stats for their entire MILB careers, guys like Tyler White, Tony Kemp and Garrett Stubbs fit the Astros mold of low K-rates, good batting averages, line drive hitters who can walk and keep runners moving around the bases. I can’t help but think that Kemp’s chance with the Astros is coming soon. How long will Houston put up with hitters hitting below .150 and striking out over and over with runners on?
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There was some hoopla about Renteria not being happy with Moncada slowing down running to 1B on the play where Gurriel save Bregman an error by coming off the bag and tagging Moncada out. The Astros announcers talked a little about it.
How did nobody notice Moncada reaching down to touch his left hamstring with his left hand a split second after he crossed the bag?
When the Astros announcers were discussing his removel I told my son that Moncada had hurt himself and even his manager didn’t notice it. I replayed the play for my son to see it for himself.
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Not sure I understand your comment? It was Moncada’s input to leave the game after discussing with Renteria.
‘‘It was the first time,’’ Moncada said. ‘‘Because it was the first time, I told Ricky just to be cautious about that. I felt a little tightness in the hamstring, and that was why he decided to take me out.’’
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My comment was because Renteria approached Moncada about him slowing down on his way to first base and that’s when Moncada told him about his hamstring!
I just wanted to know how 40 sets of eyes in the White Sox dugout didn’t see Moncada reach down and grab his hamstring as he crossed the bag.
I’m an old man with glasses and I saw it.
The Chicago media first reported Moncada’s removal as a manager’s decision, possibly removing a player for lack of hustle.
That is the hoopla I was referring to.
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I saw the play and saw Moncada duck, I suppose now I realize he was grabbing his hamstring after crossing the bag (or was it before)? Wasn’t listening to the sound, attending to a mother-in-law here.
In final analysis though, I suppose it shows how little to hang onto for White Sox fans players, and managers? Especially when the headline in the game is, “No, you suck”! Pretty sad state of affairs also when you can hear individual hecklers, like we did all series.
A little perspective on our “woes.”
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You have to think that there will be a move at some time unless Fisher and/or Jake turn it around this coming week. Maybe not even that long.
I did not see the game last night – looking at the box score Peacock threw a scoreless inning with two walks and a K. I see that he threw 22 pitches and only 7 of them strikes. So, did they just bail him out when they should have taken more pitches?
Have to respect Yuli – a guy who has about a year at 1B under his belt and is good at that job.
The starting pitching has been just so solid and good – can not ask for more than what we are getting.
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Dan, everything Peacock threw was low and he had zero control of his slider which was breaking five feet across the plate and ending up low and outside.
The big difference in him and Gioloto was that Peacock got himself through it without losing his cool and managed to get his fastball to hit the low, outside corner of the plate enough to get three outs. He was in trouble the entire inning and pulled a rabbit out of the hat because he is a really good pitcher.
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as i recall from years past, luhnow has a tendency to bring a player up when the team gets back in town from a road trip IF he is going to make a move. we’ll see if he does.
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Random Thoughts on last week – there’s a phenomenon that lots of people talk about when they say the bats have come alive. It almost seems like hitting from our vantage is contagious.
But isn’t it more of a coincidence from the poor pitching perspective? Isn’t it more probably true that we ran into some decent pitching, and that’s actually why we weren’t hitting collectively? Just because we’ve made a few “bad pitchers look good” doesn’t mean they haven’t actually pitched well against us (Marco Gonzales, Colon, Minor). We still played competitively as a unit in those games we lost.
And so, the attachment to statistics (regression from last season) makes these minutiae discussions interesting, but the only thing that matters is winning. Some people live their lives as though a little sour ruins a lot of sweet. When you play a team sport, you thrive not by singling out the weak links, but through good and bad, striving together.
It’s just the nature of making adjustments that I expect us to bring up Davis/Kemp, and/or White/Ferguson in lieu of Jake, and Derek soon. I’m glad to see the team being faithful to players though, and without undue pressure, allowing them to use technology and practice to overcome slumps. It’s important the big league guys support their prospect buddies too, because it means all the hard work can PAY off.
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Yeah there is some of that not so good pitching going on – but I’m also seeing some better approaches by our hitters (except Jake and Derek).
We’ve seen this team last year slump against good pitching in the playoffs and then get hit against the top starters and relievers in the playoffs.
Your best point is about the bottom line being able to win. I would love it if Jake and Derek break out but right now they look beat in their brains.
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It would’ve been easy to point to the hangover, the extended WS tours, weddings and babies, Altuve in his living room with wife saying what a good daddy he is spending more time at home now (than the batting cage), and so on.
Or, you could point instead to how the core players are born winners and won’t settle for less anymore. We have seen what they can do for a whole year, now just a small sample size, they’ll come around. How we react is more important than the results, and I can see Hinch’s steady hand: attitude reflects leadership.
But nothing is handed to us, and now teams are aiming exclusively to beat the world champs, not just the team that never won one. It points out how we constantly have to be ahead in study and preparation, with knowledge comes confidence.
It all starts with the battery, and McCann and staff have been supreme once again. I don’t think that can be overstated.
We are a 2 to 1 favorite today. 50 degrees with 15 mph winds, their best pitcher on the mound. But they have to get by my ace in the hole, McCullers, first. I’m thinking more about the sweep!
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Something the advanced stats can’t show you is when a guy gets a hit off a really tough pitch. I don’t want to bring the idea of momentum or contagious hitting into the discussion. It’s something much simpler – when a foul pop-up is dropped you often see the hitter come back in the at-bat and get a hit. When an infielder makes an error early in an inning you often see that guy score. It’s because you can’t give professionals extra outs, and when a hitter manages to beat a pitcher on a pitch that *should* have been an out it can be the start of a big inning.
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This article gives some insight into Tony Kemp AND some insight into the Astros organization from a hitting perspective.
https://www.fangraphs.com/blogs/tony-kemp-on-hitting-the-astros-way/
I mentioned Kemp this morning because of what he has shown as a player, and not as a reaction to Fisher or Marisnick.
The bottom line is that Kemp’s career numbers are terrific: .312/.391/.420/.811 in 2400+ minor league at bats. But those number are virtually the exact same as his AAA numbers so he is not slowing down as he gets to the upper minors. Those numbers are also pale compared to his numbers this season, so the past is not a fluke.
Something has to give.
It’s also interesting to hear what Kemp had to say about Colin Moran.
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That led me to Jeff Albert’s twitter. One I couldn’t stop laughing at Marwin’s hiked up pants (on 3/11)!
The Astros are known to be using every competitive advantage. As I’ve followed Tony’s career, I like that he’s bulked up a little (noted this Winter) and become a strong contact hitter. The question remains: will he turn in another 2018 Spring offensively, or 2017-2018 Fresno numbers? And do you weight the others he’s competing against more heavily?
My feeling is all the AAAA are trade pieces, until someone breaks out (Davis?), simply because we value the core guys higher. The Astros will try and showcase them, but same as Teoscar, Moran, Feliz, Straily and so on … we probably don’t have enough innings to get enough return. If you read the Pirate blogs, they still don’t know the value they have.
Our prospects are quickly becoming known for solid fundamentals, and specifically Controlling the Strike Zone, an organizational mantra.
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Jekyll and Hyde. Which Lance do we get on any given day? At least he’s battling today. And he sure has got a lot of help from his D.
Time to get to Lopez. The kid is talented but he’s still only got 8 lifetime wins to his name. Good job by George and Carlos.
And every time I see an at bat like the last one from Fisher, I just wonder when Kemp gets the call.
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Fisher knows he has a problem when Jake pinch hits for him. Jake finally breaks his o for forever with a seeing eye bloop to center. He will gladly take it.
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I’m not happy with how much brush back the opponents have been using on our hitters.
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You’ve noticed that too.
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There is a difference with trying to jam hitters and having neck high and higher coming in at their bodies. Must have been 15 or 20 of them today.
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When the players decide it’s too much, they’ll do something.
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Seeing as how they’ve walked 6 today, their starter threw 100 pitches (only 56 S) by the 5th, LMJ has 2 HBP’s and there has been nary a word from either team, I doubt it’s anything more than lack of control and not intentional.
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Not just today – lately it has been a trend
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A dominant sweep!
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News flash! Evan Gattis hits a home run. And in other news the “lost continent of Atlantis” has risen out of the sea.
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Benching him woke him up?
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Ah, but one streak continues. 29 K’s, zero walks.
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One word reply – Yuck
Though he did break his 0 for 22 streak
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But also struck out twice. I kind of doubt Jake gets sent down although I think it would do him some good but Fisher absolutely should be sent down or else Luhnow is being grossly untrue to his philosophy and unfair to Kemp and White.
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Jake can’t remain on the roster indefinitely if he continues as he is today. We’ve got just 12 bats on the roster. That’s not enough guys to say we’re going to give up a slot because a guy plays great D and can run fast. We’ve already got an excellent centerfielder. And somehow we managed to play 18 playoff games on the way to winning the World Series without the guy.
My guess is that Jake will get a longer leash than Fisher, but I’m not sure why he should. If either guy continues to stink up the place over this homestand, something has got to get done.
I understand that Luhnow is trying to give Fisher as much of a shot as possible. Being 16 annd 7 makes it easier to stall any moves. But I can’t help to think that over this difficult 10 game period, these two guys are going to hurt us if given the chance.
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McCullers was all “smoke and mirrors” today. I’m just glad he got some run support…..or this could have ended badly for him. Since I’m a gambler I bet you a dollar Tony Kemp is flying to Houston tonight, or he SHOULD be.
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Lance got some help today, but it was good to see him finesse his way through 18 outs without his good stuff. He pitched a grown up kind of game! Becky, I hope Kemp shows up tomorrow.
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In addition to slashing .333/.444/.861 so far this year, and driving in 13 runs, Kemp has also walked 14 times and struck out only 9 in 83 plate appearances. He is also 6 for 6 in steals. It is hard to justify not giving him a shot – especially when we have two outfielders struggling mightily, game after game, to even put the ball in play.
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Wanted to comment on the batting slump and in particular our bottom two. Last year, my son in law and I had a friendly disagreement on Bregman. He wanted him sent back down. My point was he was hitting the ball but was not getting rewarded. This year, the top of the order has been hitting the ball with no luck. Lots of solid contact. I think you have to continue to go with a guy that is making contact but everything is being caught. The bottom two are not making solid contact. If and when that ever happens, they should have a spot on the team. But right now they are no better than A.J. Reed, Singleton, or Brett Wallace.
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JB Bukauskas made one appearance for Quad Cities a couple of weeks ago and it wasn’t great. In the last couple of days he was taken off the roster.
I found him tonight on the Tri City Valley Cats roster and they don’t even play until mid-June after the draft.
That move for the #3 Astros prospect does not look good at all.
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That is curious. Just doesn’t make any sense if it was performance related. Maybe it is a good thing that Fisher and Jake are on the MLB roster or they might have been in Corpus for the last three weeks.
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It points to a possible injury situation unless they sent him back to extended spring.
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I was watching the Astros postgame show yesterday. I just want to say how lucky we are to have A.J. Hinch as the manager. He is so good at dealing with the human aspect of the game. He has the right personality to work with today’s player and he never shows any signs of frustration or negative emotion. If you can’t tell I really, really like A.J. Hinch as a manager for the Houston Astros.
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For instance – you know he was internally pissed at the Gattis baserunning brain freeze on the triple play (and then running into another out trying to stretch a single into a double). But he basically said he would not answer questions about it. He benched Gattis one game and then put him back out there and he hit his first homer.
I’m sure he talked to him – but not through the press.
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I count many of Gattis’ woes to how pitchers attack him. As noted before, he is easily moved off the plate with a curve thrown toward him. I noticed yesterday the huge difference when Stassi was thrown an extreme inside curve that didn’t break. He ever so slightly moved but was willing to get hit! Gattis will not. And so, all the pitchers have to do is brush him back, so thereafter they can eat at the outside corner. He has more K’s looking where he’s frozen for a split second.
This goes to your other comments about brushing us back. What other kind of strategy would you employ if our hitters cannot deal with inside? That was definitely Doug Brocail’s philosophy last season, publically telling his pitchers to throw us high and tight.
Until we prove individually we can hit that pitch, which it seems that Gattis and Jake are the two laggards, expect to see more of the same. Altuve is getting pinched every AB, but he’s also got elite contact ability, like Gurriel to tuck hands and get it out of the infield.
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He has the positive qualities of every manager we’ve ever had although he reminds me most of Dierker
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Yes, he does have that cerebral quality ala Dierker. I guess you would expect that from a Stanford graduate.
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The guys in the bullpen have been doing a good job too. i like how AJ has been getting everybody some work w/o burning anybody out as it looked like in the first couple of weeks. Great starting pitching and good hitting will go a long way to getting us back to the inevitable goal. Now comes our 1st big test with the Angels, A’s, and Yankees coming to town.
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Tonight feels different. I feel like these next three are like playoff games.
Zanuda, I noticed the bullpen, too. They have the 3rd best ERA and WHIP of any bullpen in baseball.
Boston swept the Angels in Anaheim and then lost 2 of 3 in Oakland, including getting no-hit while having the best offense in baseball.
Really anxious to see what that HR does for Evan Gattis.
Why does it feel like Josh Reddick is hitting a lot higher than .250?
The Astros have only 2 triples and they are both by a guy who’s hitting .128.
The Angels have hit more home runs than any other team and are fifth in not striking out.
The Astros have drawn the 3rd most number of walks in baseball.
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They’ll be up for this series; hopefully, so will we.
We know what Trout can do; they know about Altuve. We know how bad Pujols and/or Valbuena can hurt you; they know Correa can crush. So it comes down to the battles between guys like Springer and Upton, Bregman and Cozart, Gurriel and Simmons, Reddick and Calhoun, etc.
For them, the key may be Ohtani. I sure hope our DH and LF positions contribute enough to offset him.
And, of course, then there is the pitching.
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Are you talking about Ohtani the pitcher or Ohtani the DH? It does not appear he will be in the starting lineup this series since he is scheduled to pitch on Tuesday (they usually leave him out of the lineup the day before and day after his scheduled starts).
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Buies Creek and Corpus Christi are both currently first place teams in their respective leagues and are accomplishing that in two completely different ways.
CC has the highest team BA in the Texas league and Buies Creek has the lowest ERA in the Carolina league.
Interestingly, Corpus Christi’s team batting average is .301, while Buies Creek does not have one player currently hitting .300.
But Buies Creek’s pitching staff has a combined ERA of 2.08.
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Jake Marisnick has four hits in four ABs against tonight’s Angels starter, Tyler Skaggs, with a HR and 2 RBIs.
I’m just sayin’.
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That means he’ll probably be in the lineup.
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Their pitchers have been beat up in two straight series’, and what a difference a week makes for our two teams! Skaggs, Ohtani and who Tropeano, or Heaney? Without Garrett Richards, I like our chances for another series win.
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And will we get to see Brad Ausmus?
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Sitting next to Kate Upton?
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Yep, I started to include a reference to Kate cause I knew she would come to “mind.” But you see, here’s the difference: I don’t like Brad cause he’s eye candy; I like him cause he’s brainy. 🙂 And I’m too old anyway, so let’s leave it there.
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I am too old too and I have no reason to believe that Kate is any dummy either as she is worth quite a bit of moola and she does not seem to have fallen into the drug side of the model business. And she picked an ace of a husband…..
Now if Brad was just as smart but looked like the late Stephen Hawking would you still be anxious to see him?
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I love the way you “leave it there,” Dan. Kate is no dummy, having had the smarts to be born into the Whirlpool family fortune and having made a proper assessment when she looked into the mirror and saw what God had wrought. As for Justin, my understanding is he had to ask a bunch of times before she said yes, but I have no idea why. I have prolly seen far more of Stephen Hawking than I have ever seen of Ausmus, cause S.H. was camera and publicity wise, but no, not interested in those who plan on out-figuring God. Nevertheless, I hope he is at peace now. And Dan, you are eye candy and brilliant too!
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Edit:
Ausmus was usually behind a mask; Hawking was usually in front of a camera.
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Nothing on the Astros twitter on any moves so….I guess Fisher stays.
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This is not a nyah nyah at Becky – but boy I’m glad we did not pick up Sonny Gray last season, because he is pitching like Sonny Bono this season.
And believe me I am not picking on Becky, because one of my favorite things to do is go back and look at old comments on this blog and we all and I mean ALL have things that make us look bad in retrospect…like Dan P proposing the Astro consider trading Altuve after his mediocre 2013 season or some other folks not wanting us to pursue Verlander who was pitching meh in 2017 and looking older or making fun of the Morton pickup or wanting to get rid of Marwin after a mediocre 2016 season or benching Springer or moving him down in the order during the World Series….. or being happy the Astros picked up Scott Kazmir or people like me thinking that Chris Carter figured it out after a decent second half to 2014 or wanting them to give up on Brad Peacock and on and on.
So, just saying that I’m not picking on you Becky, but sure glad the Astros did go out and get a pitcher (which is what you wanted) and sure glad it was not Gray.
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One of the reasons I stay away from the archives is because I’ve probably made more dumb statements than anybody, and would rather not see them.
The two I am most aware of is my view on Luhnow, though I never made fun of his name, and the other one was wanting to sign Choo. Every time I burp I still taste that crow.
The Choo thing was just stupidity, just not as stupid as Jon Daniels.
The Luhnow thing is one I’m not too ashamed of because 2012-2014 was just plain horrible for me. My mistake was not thinking the trophy would ever get here.
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Sorry I go to the archive to try and keep me grounded and not to take things too seriously either. I’ve been on the right side of arguments and the very wrong side of arguments, but it all reminds me that the front office is exposed – they have to make decisions in front of the public that are scrutinized forever, But the truth of it all is that you can’t judge it move by move, but by the ultimate results. There were a lot of one step backwards and two step forwards to get to be World Champions.
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I am in the same boat as OP. I don’t like to be reminded of my bonehead comments. Yes, I believe I was right on Luhnow, but I also believe I was one of those that Dan referenced above that didn’t want to trade for Verlander. Sometimes you win and sometimes you lose, but I’d prefer not to be reminded of the losses. 🙂
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I don’t mind being reminded of my foolish and misguided suggestions. Suffice it to say that we’d still be waiting for a World Series trophy had I been in the drivers seat. In fact, I wish Dan would pull some archived doozies out on all of us from time to time, just for a good laugh. But I do wish the experts would listen to me just once. Put our center fielder in centerfield and leave him alone!
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Be the first to admit the only one I overestimated on your list was Kazmir. That first month he looked great, especially what now seems like only a brief moment, when he and Keuchel led the league in ERA, it looked like we had a great 1-2 punch.
Flip side, underestimated Bregman, and although I still think he’s a good not great 3B, I’ve read more about him to know he’s committed to self-improvement, baseball in his blood and an asset to the organization. Both of those were wrong while viewed in the short sample size.
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Don’t say we were dumb ’cause we didn’t know;
that Sonny and Scott were both just so much blow.
And who really cares they’re both through?
‘Cause JaVe [pronounced ‘Jayyyve’] and Salty are shining with our crew!
– JaVe;
– we’ve got you JaVe;
– we’ve got . . . you JaVe.
We thought CCwas Heaven sent,
that Jose’ was done, and that Peacock’s time had long since come and went.
You know GoGo seemed like a sure-fire thing;
but now Springer and MarGo are wearing the fancy rings!
– JaVe;
– we’ve got you JaVe;
– we’ve got . . . you JaVe!
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Ah yes! The old phrase, “hindsight is 20/20”. I’m just glad that last year happened and hopefully we can do it again. As a particular song writer once said, “The future’s so bright I gotta wear shades”.
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Timbuk 3
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And the line up tonight will feature Gattis at #7 and JFSF #9.
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My spotty record from the archives [as I recall it without researching the posts]:
– I hated GoGo from the get go. Yay me.
– I thought Chris Carter was an overblown air bag from the beginning – and never wavered in my opinion. No brainer.
– I thought, when people started talking about a possible move for Verlander, that he was old and done. I even described him as ‘the guy who used to be Justin Verlander’. Well . . . [shrugs shoulders and grins sheepishly].
The guy I wanted instead of JV was Jose Quintana. Give me a C-.
– I was meh about pursuing Sonny Gray – but mostly because I didn’t want Luhnow to trade within our division – or to give away Joe Musgrove.
– I was meh about pursuing Scott Kazmir – but mostly because I didn’t want Luhnow to trade within our division – or to give away Nick Tropeano.
– I did not think for a second that Jose’ Altuve should be traded – although I also most definitely didn’t see him being League MVP in 2017.
– I figured Marwin was worth the money every year when his contract came up- but never did I envision him doing for us anything close to what he did for us last year.
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Just for the record Tropeano was not in the Kazmir trade. We traded him in the ill fated deal for Hank Conger.
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Oh and I wanted to praise the couple of throws to the plate Josh Reddick has made the last few games. Both picture perfect throws that our catchers turned into momentum shifting tag outs at the plate.
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If only we had Gary Sanchez on the receiving end of those throws!
HEEHAW!
dookie
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https://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2018/04/astros-rumors-charlie-morton-free-agent-retire.html
Of course, I can’t pay to read the internet, but if anyone else has access to the Athletic article, please fill us in on anything Morton said that would interest us. Thank you in advance.
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I know previously he was considering retiring when his contract was up
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I saw a few comments only. Morton hasn’t ruled out playing longer, but said it won’t be 4+ years. His considerations are spending time with young family, and wife’s fam in DE.
At his current value ~$20 million a year, I can see where his “young family” might influence him to make it, while with a once in a lifetime team.
Also, you asked about Bukauskas.
“I wonder if he may have gone back to Chapel Hill for a couple weeks to wrap up his degree.
That seemed to be what was going on at the end of his MiLB debut a year ago. He was not set to take on a full-season workload anyway this season so turning him loose in the early part of May may work out just fine … and perhaps keep him in play as a possible relief option for October.”
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Chris Young is starting in LF for the Angels. Leave it to a California team named Angels to use voodoo.
It doesn’t get much better than this.
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Dan, feel free to delete my posts above. There is no use in my “humor” getting Chip sued.
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Diane – I have no power to delete anything. Chip could, but there is nothing that bad there that would warrant that.
You know my Kate stuff is just a running joke – right?
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We secretly replaced Kate Upton with BJ Upton…let’s see if anyone notices…
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At least you got running jokes. Mine huff and puff.
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Man, you bring a lefty into Houston and it’s still a bugaboo for our guys. Hopefully we’ll get to their pen.
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JFSF due up…Pinch hit Reddick for him…please?
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Skaggs was ready for playoff baseball.
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