Through the looking glass: What’s left is right, what’s right is left for Astros

Old school baseball fans recently have had to throw away ideas that had been carved in stone over many years of baseball watching, but blasted to bits by technological dynamite in this new nerd world order. Stealing bases? Not an efficient way of scoring runs. Bunting? Fuggeddaboutit. Placing extra fielders on one side of the field daring the opponent to hit against their trends? Now you are talking. There are tons of others….discuss among your selves.

But one trend I am struggling to understand relative to the 2018 Astros strikes to the core of my baseball self. Lefties hit righties better than lefties, and righties hit lefties better than righties. Period. End of story. Forever, this has been the basis for lineup decisions, for substitutions and for pinch-hitting choices. Again, end of story.

But the 2018 Astros are writing their own version of this story. If you drop out the sole switch hitter, Marwin Gonzalez and look at the other thirteen Astro hitters who have gotten significant ABs this season, nine of them are putting up better numbers against those pitchers, who are throwing from their side, including all four lefties.

A quick look at the various combinations (all stats through 5-June)…..

Lefties hitting better against lefties

  • Brian McCann – Against RHP – .195 BA/.268 OBP/.601 OPS  Against LHP – .296 BA/.441 OBP/ .849 OPS
  • Josh Reddick –  Against RHP – .213 BA/.336 OBP/.709  OPS  Against LHP – .263 BA/.317 OBP/ .817 OPS
  • Derek Fisher  –  Against RHP – .143 BA/.194 OBP/.543 OPS   Against LHP – .364 BA/.357 OBP/ 1.175 OPS
  • Tony Kemp    –  Against RHP – .225 BA/.304 OBP/.654 OPS   Against LHP – .500 BA/.667 OBP/ 1.167 OPS

Righties hitting better against righties

  • Jose Altuve   –    Against RHP – .357 BA/.405 OBP/.902 OPS  Against LHP – .265 BA/.301 OBP/ .640 OPS
  • Alex Bregman –  Against RHP – .278 BA/.391 OBP/.829 OPS  Against LHP – .215 BA/.329 OBP/ .698 OPS
  • Evan Gattis     –  Against RHP – .230 BA/.310 OBP/.730 OPS  Against LHP – .200 BA/.246 OBP/ .663 OPS
  • J.D. Davis       –   Against RHP – .212 BA/.316 OBP/.619 OPS  Against LHP – .167 BA/.333 OBP/ .500 OPS
  • Jake Marisnick – Against RHP – .172 BA/.197 OBP/.494 OPS  Against LHP – .146 BA/.163 OBP/ .455 OPS

Hitters hitting as expected

  • George Springer – Against RHP – .272 BA/.347 OBP/.798 OPS  Against LHP – .333 BA/.385 OBP/ 1.022 OPS
  • Yuli Gurriel         –  Against RHP – .281 BA/.307 OBP/.666 OPS  Against LHP – .310 BA/.333 OBP/ .747 OPS
  • Carlos Correa     –  Against RHP – .250 BA/.321 OBP/.790 OPS  Against LHP – .302 BA/.415 OBP/ .868 OPS
  • Max Stassi          –  Against RHP – .177 BA/.271 OBP/.675 OPS  Against LHP – .400 BA/.442 OBP/ 1.067 OPS

Lonely switch hitting outlier

  • Marwin Gonzalez – Against RHP – .214 BA/.302 OBP/.646 OPS  Against LHP – .276 BA/.306 OBP/ .703 OPS

Comments and Thoughts

  • OK, some of this is based on very small samples (like Fisher and Kemp batting against lefties) – still it is interesting even if those guys end up on the other side
  • It is hard to call Marisnick’s numbers “better” against righties…
  • Carlos Correa has better numbers against lefties, but little power as he has hit only 1 HR in 50 ABs against lefties
  • Marwin G has a reputation for being a better left-handed hitter, but that is not the case this season and his poor hitting against righties in the majority of his ABs this season have dragged his overall numbers down far below 2017
  • If you think the Astros are facing more lefties than ever, well you would be right to this point in the season. Last year 25% of their ABs were against lefties, while this season that number is up to 29% of their ABs (not counting Wednesday night against Wade Leblanc and Thursday night against Cole Hamels)
  • If you think the Astros hit particularly poorly against lefties, well you would be wrong. They are 2nd in runs scored (90), and BA (.272), and 4th in OBP (.336) and OPS (.777) in the AL against lefties for the season.
  • The Astros are down a bit against righties this season as they were number one in all of baseball in most categories in 2017 against RHPs. This season in the AL, they are 4th in runs scored (212), 8th in BA (.249), 5th in OBP (.323) and 7th in OPS (.730). This would be a big reason for their very inconsistent offense on the season as in 70% of the games they are pretty mediocre.

So, any thoughts from your side? Did a lot of the hitters concentrate on improving one side of their game against those with the same hand and fell on the other side? Is it too early to be a trend? Are they going the other way against the same-handed pitchers while over-trying to jerk balls against the pitchers they should be dominating? Will this fix itself during the season?

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164 responses to “Through the looking glass: What’s left is right, what’s right is left for Astros”

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  1. I’m pretty sure Reddick will start hitting righties. He always has. I’m pretty sure Altuve, Gattis and Bregman will start hitting lefties. Altuve has always killed them. That’s why I feel that this offense will wake up soon. Marwin can’t keep being so bad. Career wise, he’s pretty close to even, righty or lefty. Jake has to get out of the line up. He’s the closest thing to an automatic out since the poor kid we always picked last in gym class. All we need from Tony Kemp is a .350 OBP and it does not matter how he does it, as long as he does not get thrown out once on base. Yuli needs to start providing more extra base hits, same with Jose. George can do what he’s doing. I don’t know what to think about Carlos. But if Carlos goes to the DH, I think White is the best guy to bring up to provide a spark.

    In a nutshell, I really think the league has spent quite a bit of time in examining why we were so good last year and have made adjustments. We’ve got to adjust to those adjustments. And maybe we were pretty adept at stealing signs from second base last year. That might help explain why we were so darn good with RISP.

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  2. I think all bets – and conventional wisdom – are off on Astro hitters this year. We have not developed any consistency at all. I suspect – but could be wrong – that is due to a lack of a comprehensive offensive strategy. I think our offense was so good last year, that the theory coming into this year was something like: ‘unless your name is Jose’, take the first pitch to run up the opponent’s pitch count; then you’ll probably be behind in the count, so swing at everything, and eventually something good is bound to happen!’. If your name is Jose’, you can swing if you want to, or you can take if you want to – or you can even stand there and moon the pitcher if you darn well feel like it.

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  3. Here’s are a couple of head-scratchers.
    1. Tony Kemp is slotted in to face Cole Hamels; but Josh Reddick is not.
    2. Jake Marisnick is slotted in to face Cole Hamels; but the batboy is not.

    Questions: How many Astro players will Cole Hamels hit on purpose tonight? And will he start the game deliberately trying to hit George Springer?

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  5. Go figure! The Astros hit fastballs better than anybody last season.
    So, this year the other teams are throwing curve balls to them and they suck at hitting curve balls.
    Leave it to those old fashioned scouts to come up with a successful plan against a lineup still stuck in 2017.
    Non-great hitters won’t beat shifts.
    Great hitters will beat the shifts. Great hitters will beat non-shifts. Great hitters hit the ball over the fence. Great hitters hit in the gaps. Great hitters hit curves and heat. Great hitters hit.
    The Astros have one great hitter on their team, Jose Altuve.
    They have a good hitter on their team, Yuli Gurriel.
    They have some guys who will never be good hitters but had a good season all at the same time.
    And they have a few guys who may become good hitters some day, Bregman and Correa.
    They have a guy who is an average major league hitter in Josh Reddick, whose career year came at the right time.
    Same with Marwin.
    Technology tells you how to attack hitters. Great hitters figure it out.

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  6. Correa is on the DL? Man…..that’s tough. Think will pick up some on from Fresno when they get to Oakland? I keep hoping these guys will get with the program and start hitting. I know you’re tired of my screaming situational hitting, but leaving guys on 2nd and 3rd with no outs, and they are still standing there when the inning is over……IS unacceptable. This is a team that thinks “homerun or nothing”. Kemp can and does play small ball, with success! I don’t know if it’s coming from the bench, or if Kemp takes it on himself. Another thing that makes me FURIOUS is getting thrown out on the bases!!
    Last night Kemp gets thrown out trying to stretch a double into a triple, and Bregman getting thrown out at home!!😠 Have I mentioned that I absolutely *DESPISE * the arlington little league? Yep I do!
    Now for a note from the “stupid” file:
    Franando, Abadd got hit with an 80 suspension for PEDS. STUPID,STUPID.

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    • Becky – the Correa to the DL is just speculation by us – nothing announced – he is just not in the lineup tonight.

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    • I think CC is officially just ‘day to day’. But that could change at any moment. Doc says no structural damage visible on MRI.

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  7. Interesting stat: In 140 less at bats, Tony Kemp has drawn the same number of walks as Yuli Gurriel. In 72 less at bats, Tony has drawn more than twice as many walks as Jake Marisnick.

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    • Mazara swings at the 1st pitch curveball for a single. Astro hitters take the first pitch curve for a strike.

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  11. Our guys aren’t even make Hamel’s work up a sweat yet. Luhnow needs to make a long distance call to Beltran, and offer him what they paid him last year to be the hitting coach, and cheerleader. I’ve said it before, but when Beltran was in his prime, there wasn’t a better pure hitter than he was! I’m going to email my buddy who is Luhnow’s assistant and tell him to it! If you believe that I have prime real estate to sell you on the San Jacinto river😀

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  15. The Astrid’s are 6 and 2 when Gattis goes long. The two losses came on the last road trip when the pen imploded against the Indians and Yankees.

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  17. Thank you Dan for asking our friends to remember Tanner tomorrow. His mother and father are both struggling with his impending surgery. My prayers are for strength for his parents and courage for Tanner…..he is frightened to death. Please pray for our Lord to guide the surgeons hands, and that He holds Tanner in His arms through the hours he will be on the operating table. Sometimes I have a difficult time trying to understand why these things have to happen to our children. Life is tough as it is…..I absolutely have no words.
    I wI’ll let you know when he goes through the operating room doors, and let you know when he is out of surgery. Becky❤

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  18. Giles makes me extremely nervous….can’t trust the guy anymore, my thoughts only.
    McCann will be activated tomorrow, a corresponding move will be made.
    Tony Kemp deserves to stay up, so that makes Marisnick the odd man out.
    I know Luhnow loves Jake, I do too……but he’s hurting this team. I’m voting him Jake off the island. Becky⚾

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    • Tim Alphabet will be the one going down.

      I’ve been in the hospital past few days (mini stroke) so I didn’t get to see the past few days … how did he do the other day when he played, and did he look like a viable back up option to Stassi next year if Stubbs isn’t ready?

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      • Get well Billy C! Prayers for you too.
        Tough to judge Tim (I’m not a tight end) Federowicz. Small sample. Thought he looked fine behind the plate. Hit like a career backup. 1 hit and 3 Ks in 7 ABs
        I’m betting we either try to sign McCann cheaper or look for a short term filler next season

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      • Billy, hang in there!
        Tim F had some problems with signs with runners on second base.
        I think Stubbs is the guy with Stassi next season.

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    • Federowicz will get sent done and Jake will remain (oh well). It will take someting strange and unusual to get Jake of the island. But Kemp needs to stay. He has earned it. As for the Bull Pen (Harris and Giles) just ain’t cuttin’ the mustard. We were lucky not to give up more runs last night or lose outright.
      Prayers for Tanner today.

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      • He has a strange, choppy swing that looks like he is swatting a wasp that’s about to sting him instead of trying to hit a baseball. But for a couple of weeks now he’s been creating real havoc on a lot of flying insects.

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    • Same old Fontana with a .436 OBP in AAA – the guy has always been an on base machine in the minors, but only 22 ABs and 1 hit at the major league level. It would be a nice story if he got a longer shot and took advantage of it.

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  24. Here’s where we are today. They were supposed to start the surgery at 11:30 this morning. Here we sit and it’s 5:00 and they STILL have Tanner and his mom and dad waiting. I have been a wreck all day. I will post when they take him to the operating room, I promise.
    Billy….bless your heart sweet friend, I hope you will be back good as new very soon. We have a game tonight and I’m going to watch my very favorite pitcher toe the rubber for his 399th start. It will be a long night for me tonight, but not half as long as our children and their oldest child. My heart is pounding sooo fast you would not believe it. Love Ya’ll, Becky🙏❤

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    • Becky that is so difficult and I’m sure so hard on Tanner who probably could not eat or drink after midnight. But all that matters is that the surgery is done perfectly when it happens. We will be with you tonight as always.

      You too Billy C

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  25. Former Texas Tech star and now Quad Cities ace Parker Mushinski takes his 2-0, 1.90 ERA, 1.29 WHIP, .209 BAA record on the road tonight against Peoria.

    But the really big news is that at Whataburger Field in Corpus Christi, Forrest Whitley is about to toe the rubber for the first time since the suspension.

    Oh, yeah . . . and it is rumored that some guy named Verlander is pitching for Houston.

    Whole lotta pitchin’ goin’ on!

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  27. Took Tanner to surgery at 6:30 tonight. It will take about 4hrs, the kids I’ll get a update every hour, I’ll report back when I hear from our kids.
    This grandmother is a total wreck. Keep praying 🙏🙏🙏

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  29. Update on Tanner….surgery is going well, his mom and dad will be able to see him around 10:00. The tumor was contained, easy to get to.

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  30. Becky, not hearing from you, it occurred to me there had been a delay/all too common nowadays. It is a terrible drain on families and patient, requiring superhuman patience. For what it’s worth, I think Tanner will be okay. If I’m wrong, God forgive me.

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  31. Good news so far tonight! I have to say though, I’m getting tired of Marwin being so damn chummy with the opposition. It’s every night. Enough is enough.

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  32. ALTUVE!!!! Thanks Dude! Tony Kemp wants a job…..let’s give it to him!
    What a kid! Plays soo hard and will do what Springer does, run through a wall to get to the ball!

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  34. Altuve, Gattis, Bregman, Gonzalez and Kemp are heating up and starting to move this team forward.
    The umpire screwed Verlander out of the last two runs. Mazara was struck out. Verlander was not particularly sharp but gets his eighth win and it was against Texas.
    Springer and Marwin might have pulled off the worst TOOTBLAN ever.
    Seattle won another 1-run game tonight.
    Forrest Whitley went four innings tonight. He gave up 1 hit, no walks, no runs and struck out 5. CC gets 17 hits and wins 11-1.

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    • Hey 1OP, that was Springer & Bregman, not Marwin. And yes it was one on the worst examples of base running I’ve ever seen. Luckily it didn’t hurt us except we could have blown the game wide open.

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  39. If we need the Bull Pen today and probably will, i’d say we need to get Sipp in there if possible. I know that makes some of you cringe at the thought but his ERA is 2.84 and WHIP is 1.11. It seems he’s possibly found his stride again. We can’t keep running Devo, Peacock, or Harris out there every other day. Joe Smith has been pretty good as of lately so let’s see what the day brings.
    Becky, hope all is well with Tanner and Billy C, you get yourself well and “keep on bloggin”.

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  40. Some thoughts for the day to keep my brain from having to think about Tanner. I have 6 grandchildren.
    * Fresno has opened up a 7.5 game lead in their division.
    * Corpus Christi still trails San Antonio by two games, but those two teams are the cream of the crop in the Texas League.
    * Yoanys Quiala is on the suspended list for CC but is listed by MILB as their starting pitcher today.
    * Yordan Alvarez has been on the DL for over a month now for CC.
    * Headline: Astros draft Beer.
    * Buies Creek has faltered a little bit since losing their best pitcher and best hitter to promotions, but are still only a half game out of first place in their division.
    * Quad Cities has fallen on hard times since losing their best player to promotion and are in third place, 3.0 games back in their division. They are 3 games over .500 but are 3-7 in their last 10 games.
    * It was common knowledge that the Angels tried everything on Ohtani’s elbow during the offseason. Now, their DH and one of their starting pitchers goes on the DL at the same time.
    * The Astros are in the best division in baseball.
    * The Astros pitching staff carried the team through the first 1/3 of the season. The position players are going to have to step up now because regression to the norm can be a beast for pitchers.
    * I have never been a Washington Capitals fan, but right now their fans seem like my brothers.
    * Teoscar Hernandez was a force in April and a farce in May. Small samples are deceiving.

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  41. Good morning frends! I heard your prayers and so did the Lord! Tanner woke up this morning…HUNGRY AND THIRSTY!! His head hurts, but to a 14yr old growing boy, that’s not as important as getting food in his belly! The kids sent me a picture of the incision….U G L Y. So far he is doing well, but he will stay in ICU through tomorrow. The biopsy results will be back Wed or Thursday….I will for SURE let you know when I know. Tanners mom and dad spent the night in his room trying to sleep in chairs…I hope they give one another a break to go home and check on the other two boys, and get some rest. Thank you for everything, times like this we need as many prayer warriors as we can get🙏🙏
    Thank goodness for baseball, it took my mind away for a short while last night. Let’s take 3 from the arlington little league today…GO CHARLIE⚾!!
    Love Becky⚾

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  42. Hey folks just wanted you all to know I’m doing better .

    It could’ve been a lot worse. They’re saying i was on the verge of having a massive stroke when I came in . I thank God for modern medicine. Going to be 40 on 13 August and I’ve already had 2 documented strokes and several TIAs which is crazy at my age. On the bright side I have been making a conscious effort to take better care of myself and have went down from 257 last August to 209 as of Thursday so there’s that.

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  43. More good news today. Glad everyone is doing better. OP, excellent post. Boy, elbow problems? They don’t always go away. Justify can win the Triple Crown today. I’m looking for a triple against the Strangers today!

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  45. Team lookin good so far, keep up the good work guys. Curious why JFSF is hitting 9th instead of 8th. At least Kemp gets on base giving George an opportunity to hit someone in. Jake literally an auto out so why not swap places?

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  47. Charlie ain’t got his stuff tonight. Lordy they are smelling blood in the water, PLUS Altuve had a error, cost a run. Come on Charlie THROW STIKES!

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  49. That is one of the ugliest wins I’ve ever seen. Just imagine how ugly that loss feels right now. Zero sympathy.

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