Houston Astros 2018 Season

I was shocked, almost dumbfounded when I saw opening day for our Astros was last Thursday. I was in the Haufbrauhaus restaurant with friends from work in Pittsburgh PA waiting on a table and on the TV was ESPN's coverage of opening day and the Astros were beating the Texas Rangers 4-0 in the 8th inning! The game must have started around 3 because it was about 6 PM when we were at the restaurant. The Astros closed out their opening day win led by Justin Verlander's 6 shutout innings and George Springer's home run to lead off the game. I should say Springer's historic lead off homer because it was the first time ever in MLB history that a player led off opening day with a HR in back to back seasons. The blemish on the day was Ken Giles allowing a run in the bottom of the 9th to ruin the shutout. With 2 out and a man on third Giles uncorked a 46 foot oops that got away from C Brian McCann allowing the Rangers to score their only run of the game.

Game 2 was Friday and Dallas Keuchel did okay but he is typically tough on left handed hitters but on last Friday he couldn't work his magic allowing 3 runs on 7 hits and a walk in 6 innings of work. Joe Smith came on in the 7th and he struggled as well allowing 2 runs on 2 hits in his Astros debut. Houston also had chances to help Keuchel out but they were 1-9 with runners in scoring position and they stranded 8 as they helped the Rangers defense by hitting into 3 double plays on the way to a 5-1 loss.

Game 3 was Saturday evening and Lance McCullers got the ball. All he did was strike out 10 men while allowing 2 runs on 4 hits with 1 walk on the way to his first win of the season as he pitched 5.1 innings leading Houston to a comfortable 9-3 win. It was comfortable because Jose Altuve and Carlos Correa both had 4-hit games as the Houston offense cruised through the Rangers pitching. Jake Marisnick is a new weapon in the house as he got a solo home run on opening day and he hit another HR in Game 3, a 2-run shot that gave Houston an early 3-0 lead. That would be all McCullers would need.

Game 4 was the piece de resistance as Houston closed out the Rangers to win the opening series of the season with an 8-2 victory behind stellar pitching from their newest starter, Gerrit Cole. Cole struck out 11 in 7 innings of work. He did allow 1 run on 2 hits and 3 walks but it was all good as the Rangers never really had a chance on Easter Sunday to get anything going. Carlos Correa and Jose Altuve went to work again combining for 5 hits, 2 RBI's and 4 runs scored to lead the Astros offense. They were joined by Evan Gattis who went 3-4 with a walk, 3 RBI's and 2 runs scored.

A great way to begin the season and today will be the Astros home opening series against the Baltimore Orioles. The first two games are dedicated to honoring the team for their first World Series title last fall and my son and I will be there this evening for all the festivities! Charlie Morton, the Game 7 World Series hero, gets his first start of the season as Baltimore will send Chris Tillman to the hill. First pitch is 6:10 PM so be there or be square. I do not intend to be square!!!

So far the 2018 season is going according to plan. They are the best team record-wise in the American league sporting a 7-2 record second only to Boston (7-1) in all of the MLB.

 

The starting pitching has been really good with Dallas Keuchel being victimized by a total lack of run support in his 2 starts leaving him with a 0-1 record with a 3.27 ERA. The only disappointments so far would be from the bullpen. Joe Smith, acquired this offseason and a quality reliever over his career has given up 2 runs in 2 innings of work so far and he's dragging a 9.0 ERA around. It's just a small sample size and it's pretty easy for a reliever to turn stats around. It also seems that Ken Giles is having trouble shaking his bad 2017 postseason. He's made 4 appearances giving up 6 hits and 2 ER in just 3.2 innings of work. AJ Hinch pulled him in favor of Chris Devenski in yesterday's 10 inning win vs San Diego after just 2/3 of an inning in the 9th. Devo came in and pitched the final 1.1 innings getting the win after Alex Bregman knocked in the winning run in the bottom of the 10th on pop-up. That's right folks, a pop-up! It was a play straight out of pee-wee league as Brian McCann led off the inning with a single to right field he was replaced by Derek Fisher who pinch ran for him. With Jake Marisnick batting, Fisher stole 2nd base on a play that had to be reviewed by replay. The Padres got Marisnick and George Springer out with Fisher still on 2B. Alex Bregman was next up and he battled Padres reliever Phil Maton who came in to face Bregman. After battling to a full count in a 7 pitch contest Bregman chased a high pitch and popped it straight up no more than 20 feet from home plate in fair territory. Padres 1B Eric Hosmer coming on hard hoping from some help in locating the fly ball overran the play as the ball fell helplessly behind Hosmer and in from of Maton. Padres C AJ Ellis never made a move to come out from behind home plate. With 2 outs in the inning Derek Fisher was running on contact and he hauled ass! Fisher crossed home plate just about the time the pop-up fell to the ground for a walkoff win for Houston.

 

So far Houston is 2-0 in series and they are 1-1 in their 3-game series with San Diego. For some reason the bats have been noticeably silent in this series which is odd since San Diego is 2-7 on the season and that's about how good they truly are. Charlie Morton (1-0, 0.00 ERA) goes for Houston today in a little less than hour.

 

Has there been a better pick-up in free agency or trade than new Astros starter Gerrit Cole? So far in 2018, Cole is 1-0 with a 0.064 ERA. Not only that, he recorded 11 K's in his first two starts of the season which is a franchise record. He also has gone 7 innings in each of his first two starts giving up just one run in his first start last Sunday in Arlington vs the Rangers and 7 shutout innings yesterday vs the Padres. Of the 5 starters in the current rotation Cole has been the most dominant and most consistent pitcher in the rotation. Only Charlie Morton's 0.0 ERA is better than Cole's but Morton has one less start.

 

Go 'Stros!!!

So, who is this Charlie Morton guy other than Jimmy Fallon’s doppelgänger? This time last year he was where Gerrit Cole is now - the new kid on the block but he had his struggles. For the first half of the season he had trouble getting past the 4th or 5th inning. But, you knew he had good stuff. His 95-plus fastball and a nice array of pitches was there but there was something missing. He could go 3 scoreless but it seemed to all fall apart in either the 4th or 5th inning. By May 28 Morton had a 5-3 record with a 4.06 ERA in ten starts. Not terrible, I know, but the Astros offense and some good relief pitching made the problems look less concerning. Then, on May 28 Morton went on the 10-day DL with a right lat strain. It was a rough stretch for Astros starters as Dallas Keuchel, Collin McHugh, Lance McCullers and Morton all hit the DL about the same time. If not for Brad Peacock and Mike Fiers the Astros season may have derailed before the All Star break. After coming off the DL Morton had found himself. He finished the regular season 9-4 and his record for 2017 ended up 14-7 with a 3.62 ERA in 25 starts. Where Morton shone was in the postseason. In the ALCS Game 7 against the Yankees he started and went 5 innings of shutout ball allowing just 2 hits and a walk on the way to helping the Astros to their 2nd ever spot in the World Series. On October 28 Morton came into Game 4 going 6.1 innings leaving with a 1-0 lead only to see it blown by Will Harris who allowed a run in the 7th to tie the game at one. The Astros eventually lost to the Dodgers 6-2 behind poor pitching by Ken Giles and Joe Musgrove who gave up a total of 5 runs in the final two innings as the WS went to 2-2. Nobody could deny Morton threw a gem of a game though. Just 4 days later on November 1st in the deciding Game 7 Morton came into the game in the 6th inning and he led the Astros to the win in their first ever World Series title. Four innings of work, 52 pitches, allowing just one run on 2 hits, a walk and 4 K’s.

Astros pitching guru, Brent Strom, said during the season last year that Morton had “…electric stuff but he’s also got a pessimistic outlook.” Strom went to work on Morton’s mind in spring training all the while helping him increase his velocity on his fastball by about 5 mph. Like Gerrit Cole Morton came from Pittsburgh where the hopes for Game 7 success was on the table as Morton came in with that “electric stuff” but the Pirates didn’t have a Brent Strom to help him with his mindset. In 2016 Morton was traded to Philadelphia and on April 23rd while trying leg out a bunt in the 2nd inning of the game vs Milwaukee Morton tore his hamstring and was done for the season. Morton had his injury troubles during his career and you can see why he had a pessimistic attitude coming to Houston. It seemed as though Morton's real name was Charlie Brown because of the misfortune he had dealt with during his career. It took a stint on the DL in 2017 for Strom’s message to finally hit home but it did. Things weren’t all sunshine and rainbows however. Like the rest of the Astros in August Morton struggled. He had a 1-2 record for the month in his 5 starts as the Astros had their only losing month of the season. Dog days of summer indeed.

Coming into the 2018 season Morton had to be riding high after his heroics in the postseason. Strom has worked his magic yet again as Morton’s mind seems as strong as his fastball. In his first start he had to escape a bases loaded situation in the second inning last Monday in the Astros home opener against Baltimore and he had men on first and second in the 3rd before settling down and mowing through the Orioles lineup. He went 6 innings allowing no runs on 3 hits, 2 BB’s and 6 K’s getting the win in a 6-1 victory. Yesterday, in the series finale against San Diego Morton again went 6 innings allowing 4 hits, 3 BB’s and notching 7 K’s. The key stat is he didn’t allow a run in those 6 innings. Strom seems to have helped Morton become mentally tougher as he struggled a bit during his second start and he still kept the scoreboard clean. Right now, statistically, Morton is the ace of a strong Astros starting rotation. He is 2-0 with a 0.00 ERA in 12 innings of work and 192 pitches total. If Charlie Morton can stay healthy he could actually be a 20-game winner especially pitching in the 5th spot in the rotation where night in and night out he will be better than anyone he will be facing in terms of opposing pitchers.

As for Strom? Well, he has taken the other former Pirate the Astros acquired and he’s gone to work on his mechanics and mindset too. So far, it’s been a successful pairing as Gerrit Cole set an Astros franchise record of recording back-to-back 11 K outings in his first two starts of the season. Cole is 1-0 with an ERA of .064 as Strom is helping a pitcher, who much was expected when he was drafted #1 overall in the 2011 draft, begin to realize his full potential. If all goes according to plan, Cole may be the next World Series hero for the Astros. I know Jose Altuve is the league and team MVP but if I had a vote I might be tempted to cast my vote for Brent Strom as the most unsung hero on the team. I’ll bet there is a big group of pitchers in the Astros position room who would agree.

The Twins had to be having a Twilight Zone moment yesterday as Houston clawed and scratched their way back from an 8-1 deficit to tie the game after 8-1/2 innings. It had to be reminiscent of the Astros comeback last season down 11-1 before Houston won the game 14-11. Alex Bregman had his first career 4-hit game but he really needed a 5 hit game as he made the final out in the top of the 9th with two men on base. Still it was 8-8 with two out in the 9th when Brad Peacock gave up a walkoff home run to the Twins’ Max Kepler on a 3-2 slider that didn’t slide. The loss means Houston has lost its first series of the season and their season record falls to 9-4. It also means that Houston is now in 2nd place in the AL West one game behind the red hot LA Angels who are 8-2 in their last 10 games and they are on a 4 game winning streak. Houston as lost two games in a row for the first time this season.

The Astros are back home to face the Rangers with Cole Hamels pitching for Texas and Gerrit Cole is on the bump for Houston.

The Astros just had a lousy week. They lost the two series they played this week and it's particularly irksome to see them lose to the piece of crap Rangers. They blew a 5-0 lead Saturday night and lost 6-5 and tonight on a nationally televised game the Astros lineup made 41 year old Bartolo Colon look like Cy bloody Young. Colon actually had a perfect game going through 7 innings as the Astros chase pitches off the plate and look at pitches over the plate. They fell behind Texas in the 3rd when Justin Verlander hung a curve ball to Robinson Chirinos which he managed to sneak over the wall in right field for a 1-0 lead. It was the only mistake Verlander made in his 8 innings of work. He gave up the hit and allowed a walk otherwise he mowed down the Rangers with great dispatch including 11 K's. Saturday night Charlie Morton pitched 6 innings with 12 K's and left the game with a 5-2 lead but Brad Peacock blew the lead and Will Harris gave up the winning run in the 10th inning. Last night it was Hector Rondon's turn to be the goat as he gave up 2 runs on a double by Chirinos in the top of the ninth which led to a 3-1 loss which also meant the Astros lost their second series of the week. The Twins took 2 of 3 after Houston took the opener 2-0 giving Justin Verlander the win. Houston's offense has been crapping on some good pitching. Only Lance McCullers did not look like an ace as the Twins beat the young righty around like a drum. It's a week where Houston went 2-4 and lost their lead in the AL West to the LA Angels who are hotter than a cheap pistol. After Houston's loss last night and yet another Angels win the Astros trail by 3 games. The Angels are 9-1 and have won 7 straight. The Astros will play the Mariners beginning tomorrow night in Seattle for 4 days followed by three next weekend against the White Sox. That will set up the first meeting with the Angels in Houston in eight days. Houston has got to stop wasting these great pitching performances but I know the team is trying not to suck they just maybe getting in their own way a little bit. Maybe they are pressing because they have been struggling for over a week. Who knows. It's still April and there is a long, long way to go.

Week 4 Recap: The week began the same way last week ended - with a loss that heavily involved no offense to speak of. I honestly thought that Dallas Keuchel should sue the Astros offense for non-support. After all after Monday's 2-1 loss it made the 4th straight start the offense failed to score more than 1 earned run in his first 3 starts. Now, in his second start Keuchel went 5 innings giving up 2 runs but only one earned and the Astros came back in the 7th to beat Baltimore. That was just pitiful output during his starts. That all changed on Friday night when Houston exploded for 10 runs all coming in the first 4 innings. After 4 weeks Keuchel finally got his first win of the season. Lance McCullers struggled in a game in week 3 where he gave up 8 runs in just 3.2 innings of work but he righted the ship in his next start this past Tuesday. He went 7 innings and notched 7 K's and he was the beneficiary of some more run support on Sunday afternoon. It took a while though as McCullers was in a pitcher's duel with Chicago White Sox through 6 innings and he left after six in a 1-1 tie. Houston came out in the 7th and put up 5 qualifying McCullers with the win. Will Harris, Ken Giles and Chris Devenski combined for 3 shutout innings to give the Astros the series sweep this afternoon. This culminated a week in which Houston went 6-1 for the week and, combined with the LA Angels losing 4 of 5, enabling Houston to reclaim the AL West by 1.5 games. Boston has the best record in baseball with a 17-4 record but Houston is the second best team in MLB with a 16-7 record. Life is good and the planets are back in alignment.

That could all change as Houston hosts the Angel in a 3 game series beginning tomorrow night. The Angels have cooled off a lot from their hot start but the Astros rotation is set up just right from a matchup standpoint as Houston will send, in order, Gerrit Cole (2-1, 0.96 ERA), Charlie Morton (3-0, 0.72 ERA) and Justin Verlander (3-0, 1.10 ERA) to the bump against the Angels.

Josh Reddick broke out of his slump against the Mariners this week but something that wasn't slumping was Reddick's defense. He already has 3 assists and he added another one today throwing out a runner at the plate preserving the 1-0 deficit the Astros had at the time. Lance McCullers struggled some giving up 8 hits and a walk but he was backed up by Reddick and the rest of the Astros D.

Week 5 Recap - Record 3-3, Lost series with Angels 2-1 to begin the Week; won series with A's 2-1 to end the week. The Astros had their 3 best pitchers record-wise going on the beginning of the homestand. On paper the advantage was Houston's but that isn't how it turned out.

 

Monday vs LA Angels - P Gerrit Cole took a rough 2-0 loss in a game where Houston's offense was a total no-show that resulted in their first shutout loss of the season. When you go 7 innings and allow just 2 runs you kind of expect to win but the Astros looked like they were swatting at flies instead of swinging a bat.

 

Tuesday vs Angels - Tuesday was Charlie Morton's worst outing of the season. He managed to go just 4 innings and the 4 runs he allowed were the most he gave up so far in 2018. Morton allowed 5 hits and 5 walks as he struggled with the Angels lineup. The Angels ace from Japan, the offseason's highest profile signing, Shohei Ohtani, struggled too. He also gave up 4 runs in 5.1 innings of work allowing 6 hits and 5 walks. Sloppily pitched game for the most part. Morton did not take the loss that honor went to reliever Joe Smith. Talk about a guy who is struggling, Smith, who came to Houston from Cleveland this past offseason, has not found a groove at all as an Astro. He came into the game in the 7th inning with a 5-4 lead and he proceeded to give up 4 runs on 3 hits including a 3-run dinger to Andrelton Simmons that gave the Halos an 8-5 lead. Houston came back in the bottom of the inning scoring two runs and they had the bases loaded with just one out. Derek Fisher, who had 2 hits in the game already, struck out swinging and George Springer grounded out weakly to end the Astros threat. They never threatened again as LA held on to win 8-7. The win also gave the Angels a 1/2 game lead in the AL West.

 

Wednesday vs Angels - P Justin Verlander mowed the Angels down as Houston ended up salvaging a win in the series. Verlander went 7 innings allowing just 2 runs on 4 hits and no walks with 9 K's. A typical dominant performance by Verlander who upped his season record to 4-0 on the season. He was in a bit of a pitcher's duel with former Astros prospect Nick Tropeano who went toe to toe with Verlander for 3 innings. In the fourth Tropeano loaded the bases and with 2 outs in the inning Alex Bregman hit a 3-run double to break the game open. Jose Altuve hit his first HR of the season in the 4th giving Houston and Verlander a 4-0 lead. The Angels came back on Verlander in the 7th scoring 2 runs but that was it. Jake Marisnick homered in the bottom the 7th to extend Houston's lead to 5-2 and that is how the game ended. Ken Giles got the save with no drama to close out the 9th. Houston also retook the AL West lead with the win leading LA by 1/2 game.

 

Friday vs the Oakland A's - Dallas Keuchel was trying to build on a 10-1 win in his last start but the Astros offense let him down again. If I told you Keuchel would pitch 7 complete innings with zero walks you might assume Keuchel got the win. Besides the offense taking the night off Keuchel gave up 3 home runs resulting in 6 total runs for the A's. Joe Smith came on in the 8th and stunk it up again allowing 2 insurance runs on 3 hits in his inning of work. Just a crap night in H-town, a night where the only fireworks came after the game was over during the Friday night fireworks show. Keuchel's record falls to 1-4, a very un-Keuchel-like result. In the past he has started fast and stumbled. Maybe this year he will struggle early and finish strong.

 

Saturday vs the A's - Lance McCullers put on a show on Saturday evening. He had a perfect game going through six innings but in the 7th he allowed 2 hits break up the perfect game and the no-no but it didn't matter because the Astros pitcher was having none of the Angels offense. He had his curve working and a newly refined changeup that had the Angels wondering how in the world they could get a hit off him. Hector Rondon and Tony Sipp combined for two scoreless innings to close out the game and no, that wasn't a typo, Sipp actually did a good job. The whole scene was rendered benign by the Astros offense that scored 3 runs in the 1st and they scored at least one run in every inning except the 5th as they cruised to a 11-0 shutout of the A's

 

Sunday vs the A's - Gerrit Cole ended the week like he started it. Pitching his ass off and having nothing to show for it. Cole pitched 6.2 innings and he left the game with two outs and a man on second base and one run lead. He got an easy come-backer from Matt Chapman for out number one. Cole gave up a double to Stephen Piscotti but he got his 12th K of the game when he struck out Chad Pinder. This was a situation I have against AJ Hinch who I think pull pitchers too soon a lot. Cole had a 100 pitches but he was warm and he looked strong but Hinch opted to pull Cole in favor of Will Harris who promptly gave up an RBI single to Jonathan Lucroy that tied the game and gave Cole a no-decision for all his work. The Astros came back in the bottom of the seventh scoring 3 runs to take a 6-3 lead and the offense scored 2 more in the 8th to give Houston an 8-3 lead. Joe Smith came on in the 9th and he gave up a home run to Chad Pinder to tighten the score to 8-4. Smith managed to close out the game without any more damage and Houston took the game and the series with their 8-4 win.

 

Houston ends the week with a series win and a 2-1/2 game lead over the Angels who have now lost 3 straight after falling to Houston on Wednesday and losing the first two games of their current series with the Yankees. Speaking of the Yankees, the Bronx Bombers come into the Minute Maid tomorrow for a 4-game series with the Astros and this will be a very interesting series as Houston will begin Month 2 of the season facing the team they beat in the ALCS on their way to the World Series win last October. Good times continue for the Astros.

The Astros closed out the first month of the season including the tail end of March with a win over the Yankees featuring a masterful performance by Charlie Morton who no-hit the Bombers for 5.1 innings and eventually going 7.2 innings after giving up a two out double to Gleyber Torres. Brad Peacock came in a walked the only batter he faced and the Astros went to sleep on the walk as Torres stole 3rd. Chris Devenski came in and promptly gave up an RBI single to Bret Gardner to tighten the Astros lead to 2-1. Devenski settled down and struck out Didi Gregorius on 3 pitches. The run was charged to Charlie Morton and, in cases like this when the pitcher of record has nothing to do with the subsequent mistakes that led to a run, I think it’s so unfair to tag Morton with the run when Peacock, the defense and Devenski combined to allow the run but that’s baseball. Ken Giles came in to close out the 9th and he was awesome. He struck out Giancarlo Stanton on three pitches, he got Gary Sanchez on a 3-2 100 mph fastball on the outside corner at the knees and he retired the side on a 3-pitch K of Aaron Hicks. Giles always makes me nervous but on the Astros broadcast last night they said Giles has now gone, in his last seven appearances, without allowing a walk or a run which is what you expect from your closer. The intensity of the game last night was almost playoff-like with the fans in the seats as well as the players showing a lot of emotion during the game. This series is a rematch of the ALCS last October and it could very well be a preview of this fall’s playoffs. Three more games in this series and if they are all as good as last night it should be a fun week!

So, April is in the books. The Astros 20-10 record for the month ties last April for most wins to begin a season in Astros history. The Astros have the 3rd best record in MLB however as they trail Boston (21-7) and Arizona (20-8). They do own the AL West lead by 2-1/2 games over Seattle and 3 games over the Angels. The Angels were swept by the Yankees over the weekend and they are in the midst of a 4-game losing streak. Albert Pujols is still chasing 3,000 hits and he is standing at 2,996 hits, just 4 shy entering the coveted 3,000 hit club.

The Yankees have the 3rd best record in the AL at 18-10. Houston ended their 9 game winning streak last night with their 2-1 victory.

Gerrit Cole set a franchise record for K’s in the month of April with 61 punchouts. In 6 starts he went 2-1 with a 1.73 ERA. He also only allowed 8 walks in his 41 innings of work with just 25 hits. Cole’s 12 K’s on Sunday gave the Astros 7 games of 11 or more K’s in 29 games which is a Major League record. Cole has 4 of those games. The only pitcher who is more hard luck than Cole is Dallas Keuchel. Neither pitcher can seem to get any run support when they pitch. The difference between the two is Cole has been so much better than Keuchel so far this season. Cole is the fourth pitcher with 60 or more K’s in a month joining JR Richard who did it twice (62 in 62 in August of 1979 and 69 in September of 1979), Mike Scott (64 in May of 1986) and Randy Johnson (61 in August of 1998).

Jose Altuve ended the month of April with his 1291st hit in his career which ties him for 8th in the all-time hit list in Astros history with Astros great Jimmy Wynn. Astros HOF’ers Craig Biggio and Jeff Bagwell top the list with 3,060 hits (Biggio) and 2,314 (Bagwell). If on his current pace Altuve should surpass Bagwell’s total and, barring injury, he could challenge the 3,000 hit mark in his career. It’s way too early in his career to start making such predictions. Altuve made his MLB debut in July of 2011 so he is approaching 7 years in the bigs. At 27 years of age Altuve has a lot of baseball left and it will be exciting to watch his career unfold.

The Astros are not the same as last year. It stands to reason, in the months that followed their World Series win they got to enjoy the afterglow of that championship and even though the team said and did all the right things you wonder if this team is really hungry. Nah, I don’t buy that, this team is young enough that I don’t believe they have been, or are, resting on their laurels.

Is the pressure of the high expectations weighing on the team? Certainly not the starting pitchers, those guys have been lights out and their individual won/lost records should be even better if Houston’s offense wasn’t as stale as week-old bread. Dallas Keuchel is 1-5 but it’s not all his fault. In his outing Wednesday he goes 7 innings allowing just 3 runs. Quality start by definition but, yet again, he got zilch for run support. With just average run support Keuchel should be 4-2 on the season. Justin Verlander was magnificent on Tuesday going 8 full innings not allowing a single run while logging 14 K’s. During that whole time Houston didn’t score diddley and Verlander left the game in a 0-0 tie. That is until Ken Giles comes in the night after I brag on the dude allowing 4 hits, two singles, a double and a 3-run homer to the five batters he faced. I’ll give him credit though, he did a credible Liar Liar Jim Carrey imitation as he kicked his own ass as he walked off the field. AJ Hinch said yesterday he would hope Giles would be able to control his emotions a little better than that. Ya think?

Who knows why the offense is so bad now. Altuve is hitting .341 and Correa is batting .309 but nobody else on the team is better than .260 and nobody, and I mean nobody, is getting the clutch hit when they need it. It may be something that is getting in all their heads because after a whole month of so-so performances they don’t seem to be getting better. The Yankees pitchers seem to be an underrated bunch. I’m sure the Astros hitters sound like Paul Newman in Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid as he kept asking over and over, “Who are those guys?” referring to the relentless posse that chased them all over creation. The Yankees swept the Angels last weekend and, except for 2 runs Charlie Morton got on Monday night during his great 7.2 shutout innings, the Bronx Bombers could be well on their way to a sweep of the Astros as well. The Astros have faced 3 contenders thus far and they lost all of them. The Twins, the Angels and now the Yankees are taking the Astros to school. I know it’s only May and there is a long way to go but this is what happens when you get spoiled. Last year Houston got down 11-0 to the Twins but they came back and won 14-11 scoring all 14 runs in the last 3 innings. This year the Astros got down 8-0 against the Twins before getting within one run at 8-7 but that’s as far as they got. It’s hard for homers like me but this is not the 2017 Astros. The starting pitching is much better but everything else is worse this season so far. That said, despite their shortcomings Houston is still 20-12 and they are still on top of the AL West. Everything looks like the Astros are this huge dumpster fire and it’s all because we are spoiled. Spoiled rotten. Did you realize the 20-10 record Houston had in April was the exact same record they had last year? It just doesn’t seem like when Houston’s offense is so doggone frustrating.

Now, let’s talk about the new Star Wars movie, shouldn’t the producers, who decided to produce a movie featuring one of the most iconic characters in the Star Wars universe, have hired an actor who at least resembles Harrison Ford? Sheesh.

The Astros are not the same as last year. It stands to reason, in the months that followed their World Series win they got to enjoy the afterglow of that championship and even though the team said and did all the right things you wonder if this team is really hungry. Nah, I don’t buy that, this team is young enough that I don’t believe they have been, or are, resting on their laurels.

Is the pressure of the high expectations weighing on the team? Certainly not the starting pitchers, those guys have been lights out and their individual won/lost records should be even better if Houston’s offense wasn’t as stale as week-old bread. Dallas Keuchel is 1-5 but it’s not all his fault. In his outing Wednesday he goes 7 innings allowing just 3 runs. Quality start by definition but, yet again, he got zilch for run support. With just average run support Keuchel should be 4-2 on the season. Justin Verlander was magnificent on Tuesday going 8 full innings not allowing a single run while logging 14 K’s. During that whole time Houston didn’t score diddley and Verlander left the game in a 0-0 tie. That is until Ken Giles comes in the night after I brag on the dude allowing 4 hits, two singles, a double and a 3-run homer to the five batters he faced. I’ll give him credit though, he did a credible Liar Liar Jim Carrey imitation as he kicked his own ass as he walked off the field. AJ Hinch said yesterday he would hope Giles would be able to control his emotions a little better than that. Ya think?

Who knows why the offense is so bad now. Altuve is hitting .341 and Correa is batting .309 but nobody else on the team is better than .260 and nobody, and I mean nobody, is getting the clutch hit when they need it. It may be something that is getting in all their heads because after a whole month of so-so performances they don’t seem to be getting better. The Yankees pitchers seem to be an underrated bunch. I’m sure the Astros hitters sound like Paul Newman in Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid as he kept asking over and over, “Who are those guys?” referring to the relentless posse that chased them all over creation. The Yankees swept the Angels last weekend and, except for 2 runs Charlie Morton got on Monday night during his great 7.2 shutout innings, the Bronx Bombers could be well on their way to a sweep of the Astros as well. The Astros have faced 3 contenders thus far and they lost all of them. The Twins, the Angels and now the Yankees are taking the Astros to school. I know it’s only May and there is a long way to go but this is what happens when you get spoiled. Last year Houston got down 11-0 to the Twins but they came back and won 14-11 scoring all 14 runs in the last 3 innings. This year the Astros got down 8-0 against the Twins before getting within one run at 8-7 but that’s as far as they got. It’s hard for homers like me but this is not the 2017 Astros. The starting pitching is much better but everything else is worse this season so far. That said, despite their shortcomings Houston is still 20-12 and they are still on top of the AL West. Everything looks like the Astros are this huge dumpster fire and it’s all because we are spoiled. Spoiled rotten. Did you realize the 20-10 record Houston had in April was the exact same record they had last year? It just doesn’t seem like when Houston’s offense is so doggone frustrating.

Now, let’s talk about the new Star Wars movie, shouldn’t the producers, who decided to produce a movie featuring one of the most iconic characters in the Star Wars universe, have hired an actor who at least resembles Harrison Ford? Sheesh.

 

 

Astros need to put down the press clippings and stop reading about how good they are.

 

marisnick, fischer, gattis? Somebody gotz to go. Never thought marisnick was ready for the show, dont think he ever will be. Not sure he could hit now with a tennis raquet. Fish? Dont know. Gattis, no excuse for a dh hitting .190

The Astros bullpen is pissing me off. None of those guys is trustworthy. In last night's frustrating loss to the D-Backs Chris Devenski loaded the bases on a bunt single and 2 walks and Brad Peacock came in and allowed a first pitch, broken bat single for a 4-3 walk off win for Arizona. The offense has their place in this too. They continue to fail to get the clutch hit when they need it. Take the top of the 8th, bases loaded and 2 runs in already in the inning and the least reliable hitter in the lineup, Derek Fisher, just got on base to get George Springer to the plate. All Springer did was strike the hell out and end the inning. Tell me this, would you rather Springer hit the solo home run he hit in the top of the 5th or a grand slam in the 8th to give the Astros a 6-3 lead (assuming nothing else changed in the game). Waiter, I'll have the grand slam please with nothing on the side and a glass of ice water with lemon. Thanks. I'll give you Zack Greinke was pitching but if the Astros offense is all that great it shouldn't matter, right? Freaking A right!!! Maybe Puddin is right, the Astros have bought into all the hype and they think they can cruise along on their past success. As 2 of the last 3 weeks has shown the rest of MLB don't give a rat's ass for what happened in 2017. It's still early in the season but this so-called high powered offense only seems to find 4th gear once a week - if that. Charlie Morton struggled and only lasted 5 innings last night but he only gave up 3 runs. When most pitchers struggle they give up twice that. This offense has got to stop wasting these great outings by their starters and the bullpen needs to pull their collective heads out of their collective asses. This kind of crap is reminiscent of those 100 loss seasons that were not so very long ago. A big chunk of the lineup hitting below the Mendoza Line and a bullpen that is porous as a sieve. All we need is a starting rotation that can't last 5 innings an outing and we are back living in the Twilight Zone.

WAKE UP HOUSTON!!!!!

Week 6 Recap - In short, this past week sucked the big one. The Astros record this week was 2-5 as they lost to AL East 2nd place New York Yankees 1-4. This weekend they lost 1-2 to the Arizona Diamondbacks the NL West division leader. I still have to keep reminding myself that it's still early. We're not even half way through may and it's such a long way to the end of September. Let's try to find some sort of silver lining to hang out hats on.

(tick-tock, tick-tock, tick-tock......) So much for that. Really, there is no silver lining to this week except nobody got hurt. Maybe Hector Rondon is the lone bright spot other than the Astros continued to get above average outings from the starters. Houston was in every game they played and they should have won at least two other games which would have changed the complexion of the whole week. A combination of totally messed up relief pitching coupled with an offense that is now ranked 10th according to MLB stats and they had to have taken a tumble after scoring a grand total of 11 runs in the seven games this week, that's 1.6 runs per game for all you stat geeks. The Astros were actually shutout 3 times this week. Just pitiful for a team that was touted as the best offense in baseball a few short weeks ago. Houston returns to playing inside the division this coming week. Three in Oakland against the A's and 3 back at home against the Rangers next weekend. It just so happens that the A's and Rangers are the bottom feeders in the division but that could change if Houston's offensive woes continue. As much as I love the Astros pitching coach Brent Strom (even though his magic touch doesn't seem to work on the relievers) I have always complained about the Astros hitting coach Whiff McGraw. Okay that's not his name but maybe it should be. The actual guy's name is Dave Hudgins. I am still hoping he will decide to retire so AJ Hinch can replace him. Maybe Jeff Luhnow has a guy in his bag of tricks. One can only hope.

 

The Astros record has fallen to 21-15 and they are in 2nd place in the AL West by a full game behind the LA Angels. It's early in the season but when the Astros have done well they start fast and don't really hit a slump until August or September. If the playoffs started tomorrow however the Astros would make the playoffs. Guess who they would play in the Wild Card elimination game? Yep, the confounded Yankees. I'm glad the playoffs are not starting tomorrow. Or a week from tomorrow. Sheesh.

So, Dallas Keuchel has been giving up home runs this year. He’s allowed 8 in his first 7 starts of the season. 3 in one game on April 27^th in Houston to this same Oakland A’s who Keuchel faced last night in Oakland. Keuchel has also been giving up more walks this season than in the past allowing 10 BB’s in those same first seven games. This isn’t who Dallas Keuchel is. He’s a ground ball pitcher who doesn’t walk people so, except for a couple of exceptions, Keuchel hasn’t been himself this season. Not that he’s been bad, he’s had moments when he wasn’t his best but when you consider heading into last night’s game he had never given up more than 3 runs in a game and had failed to go at least 5 innings just once. Going into the game with the A’s last night his ERA was a respectable 3.98. Certainly not Keuchel-esque but decent.

His record doesn’t reflect his effort because at 1-5 you have to wonder what the heck is going on. The offense is the prime offender. In 5 of Keuchel’s previous 7 starts the team either hadn’t scored at all or scored just one run. You don’t win many games like that. The no-decision game was a direct result of the bullpen not doing their job which has happened way too frequently this season. So, on a cool night in Oakland Dallas Kuechel did what Dallas Keuchel does. He kept the ball in the strike zone and he kept the ball on the ground so his defense could do their work. Not only that but the Astros offense wasn’t offensive. Led by George Springer’s record setting 6 for 6 night (no Astros hitter had ever gone 6x6 in a 9 inning game and only one Astro had ever done it at all when Joe Morgan, way back in 1965, did it in a 12 inning game) Houston pounded A’s pitching for 20 hits including 3 home runs and they earned 5 walks as well. Keuchel went 8 full innings allowing just one run with 2 BB’s and 5 K’s. The walks were un-Keuchel-like but the 13 ground ball outs to 5 flyouts was definitely right up Dallas’ alley. What was definitely in Keuchel’s favor were the 16 runs the Astros exploded for on the night.

Everything wasn’t perfect, George Springer was a triple shy of hitting for the cycle and Tony Sipp came in to pitch the 9^th in relief of Keuchel and he allowed 3 hits and a run before he finally got bored enough to finally put the A’s out of their misery. Final score? 16-2. Keuchel is now 2-5 and his ERA is down to 3.53. George Springer raised his batting average 30 points, up to .297 now. Jake Marisnick is still striking out more than he’s hitting and Evan Gattis is still below the Mendoza line. But, for one night, the Astros offense did its job the way “they” expected it to do. The question is, was last night a breakout night for the offense or was it just a one-off in the middle of a season long slump? Lance McCullers will be on the bump tonight and he’ll find out right quick and in a hurry if the Astros offense is really beginning to click.

The Astros pulled out the brooms and completed the sweep of the A’s winning by a score of 4-1. Gerrit Cole picked up his 4th win of the season improving his record to 4-1 ironically enough. Cole “only” went 6 innings and he “only” had 9 K’s while allowing the one run. Houston has retaken the AL West lead with the sweep and Houston enjoys a day off before taking on the Rangers this weekend. AJ Hinch is shuffling the starting rotation a bit Friday as Justin Verlander will start instead of Charlie Morton. Hinch said the move was to keep JV on his regular schedule. Morton will start Saturday with Dallas Keuchel starting the series finale on Sunday. Go, Stros!!

The position players SUCK. They sucked all game long vs Hamels and the Rangers, on Friday night. Words cannot describe how pitiful they were. What does Verlander have to do to get some run support ? He and the bullpen pitched a whale of a game and still lost because the batting order just plain sucked. Thank You

The position players SUCK. They sucked all game long vs Hamels and the Rangers, on Friday night. Words cannot describe how pitiful they were. What does Verlander have to do to get some run support ? He and the bullpen pitched a whale of a game and still lost because the batting order just plain sucked. Thank You

 

I couldn't agree more Drac!!! Verlander now has given up 1 run in the last 14 plus innings covering his last two starts. In the first he lost 4-0 when Ken Giles put on his "I suck" uniform and proceeded to crap all over 8 shutout innings by JV. Last night JV pitched into the 7th allowing 0 runs until loading the bases. Chris Devenski allowed one run to score before retiring the Rangers but that was all the dick weeds from Arlington needed because of this no-show offense. There is a marked difference in the Astros offensive performance on the road and at home and it's at home that Houston is severely lacking. They are scoring on average 2 full runs less than they do on the road and that's IF they score at all. It kills me for Houston to lose to Texas. I would rather the Astros lose to almost any other team in baseball if they just beat the hated Rangers every single time. I just don't like those guys or that team. The offensive woes at home may be becoming a mental thing but Houston needs to find a way to turn that around. They are just getting such good pitching from all of their starters it's just a shame to see all their quality work swirl down the drain because this so-called great offense can't even make contact.

 

Verlander is getting the same treatment as Dallas Keuchel and Gerrrit Cole in terms of lousy run support. Keuchel has the biggest gripe IMO as his record of 2-5 is primarily because of lack of run support. Keuchel has given up no more than 3 runs in any start this season and he's only failed to go at least 5 innings one time. It seems Gerrit Cole has to pitch a complete game one hit shutout to get a win and given how dominant he's been so far this season the state of affairs with the offense is almost unbearable. The loss drops Houston into second place in the AL West percentage points behind the Los Angeles Angels. Charlie Morton goes this evening for Houston trying yet again for his 5th win on the season in what will be his 8th start.

Edited May 12, 2018 by eagle eye

Good lord, just how historically good is the Astro's starting pitching and bullpen.

http://www.espn.com/mlb/stats/team/_/stat/pitching

Week 7 Recap - First, I can't believe it's been 7 weeks already. That said, Houston rebounded nicely from the dismal Week 6 going 5-1 for the week. It wasn't without frustration as Houston dropped the opening game against the Rangers on Friday night despite another great performance by Justin Verlander. Why? Lack of offense but we've been down that road already. After pulling out a series sweep of Oakland which included Dallas Keuchel's first win this week and also featuring a 16 run outburst that included record setting hitting by George Springer who went 6 for 6 on the night. What continues to amaze is how awesome the starting pitching has been. Win or lose the starters can be counted on to give more than their fair share of innings. Keuchel, after enjoying a huge hunk of run support on Monday, got some welcome support today led by Evan Gattis' 2-run homer in the 3rd that eventually ended up being a 3-0 lead by the end of the inning. Today's win gives Keuchel a record of 3-5 and more importantly he is on a Keuchel-like run that includes going at least 7 innings in his last 4 starts which includes a 3-1 record. Verlander and Keuchel are leading the staff but Gerrit Cole (4-1), Charlie Morton (5-0) and Lance McCullers (5-1) could lead any staff in baseball. The bullpen is getting more reliable as well which means if Houston does eke out a small lead you can be fairly confident they can hold it. Well maybe not Joe Smith but I'm sure a quality pitcher like Smith will figure it out with the help of the best pitching coach in baseball Brent Strom.

 

I don't know what's going on with Jose Altuve but he can't seem to make any sort of contact. He actually went 0-13 against the Rangers as he saw his batting average tumble from his usual .344 on May 1st to a pedestrian (for him) .306. The rest of the lineup came through after Friday's embarrassment with 14 runs over the last two games. The big blasts on the weekend came from Gattis and Brian McCann as well as Carlos Correa. The hitting is improving overall except for Altuve and Jake Marisnick. Marisnick's struggles are really puzzling. He was hitting in the .260 range last year until he broke a bone in his hand in August which caused him to miss the rest of the season and all of the postseason. He performance so far this year is disappointing but his defense is what makes him so valuable. That's why, when George Springer was hit in the elbow by Cole Hamels Friday night, Marisnick stepped into center field and make positive contributions all weekend.

 

As the week ends Houston is in 1st place in the AL West by one game over the Angels. Their record is now 26-16 and they have the 3rd best record in MLB 2 games behind the Red Sox and the Yankees. They begin a 3 game series against the Angels beginning tomorrow night. Houston could put some space between themselves and the Angels or they could end up in 2nd place in the division depending on how they fare in La-La Land. The offense is showing signs of waking up with only Derek Fisher and Marisnick among the regulars in the lineup still hitting below the Mendoza line but Fisher is showing improvement as he has actually gotten some clutch hits of late. Evan Gattis is now hitting .214 and Josh Reddick and Marwin Gonzalez are showing signs of improvement as well. Maybe it is a good thing the offense is not at their peak right now. The ideal thing is for them is to be peaking in September and October in defense of their title. The hope is as they move toward that peak that they can stay in on top of the division to be in position to defend that title. It's the middle of May so it's not too soon to be thinking about September after all as fast as this first 7 weeks have come and gone it's only 7 weeks until the All Star break and then............................

The Astros were 0-14 when trailing after seven innings so far this year. Make that 1-15 now because last night, after I gave up on them and went to bed, the Astros loaded the bases on Angels reliever Jose Alvarez in the 8th inning when Jose Altuve came to bat. Altuve was 1 for 2 in the game but he had been in a 2-17 slump going back to the Rangers series when he went 0-13. Altuve finally got a hit in the 9th inning of the Game 1 loss to the Angels. Earlier in the game Altuve had been hit by a pitch (1st inning), flied out (4th) and he singled in the 6th. The Astros have had hell getting a clutch hit pretty much all season as evidenced by their poor record trailing late in games but last night was Altuve’s first multi-hit game in over a week as he reached out and yanked an outside pitch out into shallow left field and right down the base line. Josh Reddick, Yuli Gurriel and Alex Bregman all scored on the double by Altuve. The 3-run double erased a 3-1 Angels lead giving Houston its first lead of the lead of the series 4-3. Houston tacked on a weird insurance run in the 9th when Ian Kinsler misplayed a Marwin Gonzalez ground ball allowing him to reach 1st base. During Evan Gattis’ AB Gonzalez stole 2nd. Gattis flew out for the 1st out of the inning and he was followed by Josh Reddick who hit a ground ball to the right side forcing pitcher Jim Johnson to cover 1st. Johnson failed to catch the ball to get Reddick out and that error allowed Gonzalez to score the insurance run making it 5-3. That was it for the scoring in the game as Gurriel hit into an inning ending double play and Ken Giles came on to get his 6th save on the season with very little drama. Maybe Altuve’s clutch double will be just what the doctor ordered to help turn around this lack luster offense.

Josh Reddick made two stellar outfield assists in the game. In the 5th, on a Shohei Ohtani single to right, Mike Trout tried to go from 1st to third but Reddick gunned him down for the 3rd out in the inning. In the bottom of the 7th Kole Calhoun singled to Reddick with Ian Kinsler on 2B. Kinsler tried to score on the play but Reddick nailed him as well. Both plays were not even close as Reddick’s strong and accurate arm was on full display.

After the game Jake Marisnick was sent down to AAA Fresno so he could get regular at-bats to try to break out of the slump that has plagued him since opening day. Marisnick has had trouble even making contact as he’s had 85 AB’s and he’s struck out 41 times. His .141 BA is really not even that good. The Astros will likely bring up either Tyler White, Tony Kemp or JD Davis who is currently batting .407 at Fresno. All three players are hitting over .300 for the season but JD Davis has just been sick at the plate.

Gerrit Cole had a rough outing last night. He went just 5 innings, his season low, allowing 3 runs on 5 hits with 2 BB’s and “only” 7 K’s. Cole doesn’t give up home runs normally but he gave up two last night. He allowed a 2-run shot by Justin Upton in the 1st and a solo HR to Rene Rivera in the 3rd. It’s only right that a guy who has been burned by a lack of run support in the past should get saved from a loss by some late inning runs being scored when you ‘struggle’. It’s a testament to how good Houston starters have been when a pitcher has a night like Cole’s and you say he is struggling. Another ‘struggling’ pitcher, Justin Verlander, goes in the series finale tonight in Anaheim.

Astros Week 8 Recap.

Houston had a decent week going 4-2 on the week winning both series they played. After losing Game 1 of the Angels series on Monday, wasting yet another really good pitching performance by Lance McCullers who allowed just 2 runs over six innings pitched, they came back and took the final two.

Gerritt Cole was saved in Game 2 against the Halo after he “struggled” through 5 innings allowing 3 runs when the Astros offense woke up late in the game scoring 3 runs in the 8th and another in the 9th to turn a 3-1 deficit into a 5-3 win.

Justin Verlander pitched a complete game shutout of the Halos in Game 3 as he became the 33rd pitcher to reach 2500 K’s in a career. Verlander got a 2-run homer by Evan Gattis in the 2nd inning and that is all Verlander needed, and that’s all he got, in a 2-0 win.

The Astros began a 3-game home stand last Friday against the Cleveland Indians. This Indians club was the Astros nemesis in 2017 and given how they beat up on Houston it’s a good thing the Yankees came back on them in the ALDS to advance to the ALCS against Houston. Houston had been lousy in the late innings of game this season until they beat the Angels with a late rally on Tuesday and they did it again in Friday’s Game 1 by scoring 2 in the seventh, breaking a 1-1 tie and giving Charlie Morton the chance to win. Houston got an insurance run in the 8th giving Houston a 4-1 lead and Ken Giles came in and got the save. Morton got the win extending his record to 6-0 on the season in 9 starts. Tony Kemp, who was called up for Jake Marisnick, who was sent to the minors to try to work out of the slump he’s been, doubled down the right field line scoring the go ahead run. He was cost a 2nd RBI when an Astros fan reached over the wall in the field box and touched the ball making it fan interference forcing the runner who would have easily scored from 1B to go back to third.

As much as I bragged about Dallas Keuchel looking like he was rounding into his Cy Young form he abused the pooch in Game 2. Most good pitchers are vulnerable in the 1st inning as they try to get into the flow of the game and this is apparently what happened to Keuchel. He allowed 3 doubles and a home run in the 1st inning to dig a 3-0 hole for the Astros offense which they couldn’t overcome. The Indians added a run in the 5th and 6th to make the score 5-0. Houston’s offense finally semi-woke up scoring 2 in the 6th on a Carlos Correa 2-run HR, 1 run in the 8th on an Alex Bregman HR and a run in the 9th on a Marwin Gonzalez HR but that is all they could get and their comeback attempt fell short as Houston lost 5-4.

Last night Lance McCullers got some redemption for the loss on Monday as he pitched 7 innings of 1 hit, shutout ball. He got enough run support to get a 3-1 win. It didn’t look like McCullers was going to get a lick of help as after he pitched the top of the 7th the game was still locked in a 0-0 tie. In the bottom of the seventh, after a Yuri Gurriel single and a sac bunt by Marwin Gonzalez, Evan Gattis jacked a 2-run homer into right center field. The Astros added an insurance run in the 8th on a Josh Reddick RBI double scoring Alex Bregman. The Indians got an oh-by-the-way run in the top of the 9th but Ken Giles locked down his 8 save of the season and his 3rd save of the week.

Houston is in 1st place in the AL west with a 30-18 record but they still trail the Yankees (30-13) and the Red Sox (32-15) for the best record in baseball this season. The Astros, Yanks and Bosox are the only teams with 30 or more wins in either the AL or the NL. The Astros lead the, now 2nd place, Seattle Mariners by 2 games with the 3rd place Angels 3.5 back.

Houston has a rough couple of weeks to close out the month of May and begin the month of June. This week Houston hosts the San Francisco Giants (24-24) for two games on Tuesday and Wednesday and the got to Cleveland for 4 games to close out the week. They then go to New York for 3 games with the Yankees followed by 4 at home hosting the Red Sox. Yep, a very big couple of weeks indeed. The Astros averaged almost 4 runs a game this past week as it looks like the offense may be starting to wake the hell up. If so, it’s just in time to help get them through the next tough stretch of games.

If Dallas Keuchel doesn't want to kick everyone on offense right in the family jewels he must want to sue them for lack of support. If he doesn't want to do this I will sue the offense for mental abuse and cruelty. Keuchel wasn't his best last week at home against Cleveland but he wasn't terrible after he gave up 3 runs in the 1st inning but the Astros could only muster zero runs in his six inning of work. Tonight Keuchel wasn't perfect but he was good. Again, he went 6 innings allowing just 2 runs but, again, the offense was nowhere in sight. Zero runs until the 8th AFTER Keuchel had left the game when Houston woke up and scored 4 runs to take a 4-2 lead following that up with a huge 7 run inning in the top of the 9th. I'm sure Keuchel appreciated getting of the hook for the loss but Houston had runners in scoring position that could have given Keuchel a lead and a possible win. Keuchel's record is stuck on 3-6 and it's a shame because it really ought to be better than that. All he would need is a little run support. Way back when he was 1-5 he got two games in a row where he got some help from his offense that upped his record to 3-5. Since then the offense has gone back to sleep when he pitches. Hopefully with the recent uptick in offensive output improving maybe he can turn his record around. The thing is, Houston's offense hasn't come to life until the late innings. Even AJ Hinch said in his postgame the offense needs to get going sooner in games. Keuchel would certainly agree with that sentiment.

 

Speaking of AJ Hinch, I think he was guilty of overthinking a situation in the top of the 7th. With the bases loaded and just one out Tony Kemp was the next man up. Kemp has been the most clutch hitter the Astros have had over the past week since he was called up from AAA Fresno. 6 hits and 8 RBI's over the past week made Kemp the best possible batter to be coming up to bat. Instead, Hinch pinch hit for Kemp with JD Davis. He's been okay since his call up but he's no Tony Kemp. I say that a bit tongue in cheek but it's also true. Hinch sat the hot hitter for no real good reason other than he was hoping Davis would use his power to drive in two or three or even four runs in one fell swoop. I wish he had stuck with Kemp.

 

Jose Altuve has been in a funk. He was 0-8 heading into the top of the 8th inning against Cleveland in the series when he finally broke through with an RBI double scoring George Springer and Alex Bregman to tie the game at two. He added another double in the 9th to start the 7 run rally that buried the Indians. It would be nice to see Altuve put his recent troubles at the plate behind him and go on one of his patented hot streaks. With the Yankees and Red Sox, not to mention the last two games with Cleveland, the Astros really need his bat to wake up.

 

Houston goes Prime Time on Fox tomorrow night at 6 o'clock in Game 3 of this 4 game set with the Indians. Lance McCullers will be trying to log his team tying high 7th win as he squares off against Cleveland's Carlos Carrasco.

If you asked me which of the Astros staring pitchers I worried most about my answer would have been either Charlie Morton or Lance McCullers. Ironically, Morton leads the team with 7 wins but Morton is proving that last season's September and October were not a fluke as he has forged a perfect 7-0 record to this point. McCullers, a playoff hero for sure last fall, had a 6-2 record but the same worries I had for McCullers beginning the season are still there for me. You see, despite all the horn tooting for him because everyone gushes about how great his 'stuff' is, he can be so inconsistent. Between injuries and meltdowns he is the real weak link in the Astros rotation. His saving grace is he is the one starter who has gotten the most run support from his offense. It's bailed him out of some mediocre outings and saved him from suffering more losses than he has. If Dallas Keuchel and Gerrit Cole had gotten similar run support Cole would be in the 5-6 win column and Keuchel would at least be .500 or a game over .500. I'm not complaining. Houston is leading the division and has the third best record in all of MLB. My point here is McCullers sucked last night in an 8-6 loss to Cleveland. He gave up 6 hits including 3 home runs in just 4.1 innings of work. In the 2nd inning Yuli Gurriel mishandled a ground ball that allowed the Indians first run to score. McCullers acted up showing up Gurriel in the process which isn't a good thing ever. You depend on your defense and if McCullers didn't like a Gurriel error allow a run to score he shouldn't have loaded the bases in the first place. I'm just saying. Jose Altuve, after recording the final out in the inning had a little talking to with McCullers on the way to the dugout. It must have pissed off Jose a bunch because he went on to have a 4-4 night with 2 RBI's and 3 runs scored in the game. That, Mr McCullers, is how you channel your anger. Houston chipped away at the lead McCullers had staked the Indians to getting to within one run at 7-6 in the top of the 7th but Brad Peacock gave up a solo HR in the bottom of the inning to extend the Indians lead to 8-6 and that was all she wrote for the Houston comeback attempt.

 

This afternoon Houston sends Gerrit Cole to the bump to face off against former UCLA team mate Trevor Bauer. This isn't a pleasant reunion because apparently they did not get along for some reason so there is a little rivalry on tap this afternoon. Houston can secure the series win today and worst they will do is end up with a 2-2 tie. Not bad for a long road series. Go 'Stros!

Week 9 recap.

 

It wasn't a bad week but it wasn't great either. Okay, it sucked and it's all because of one messed up game. It looked like it was going to be an easy Astros win on Sunday. Gerrit Cole was all over the Cleveland offense. Yes he did give up 3 runs but it didn't matter for a change because he got run support at long last. Cole went 7 innings giving up just 4 hits and 2 BB's with 8 K's. He left owning an 8-3 lead and he was seemingly on his way to upping his season record to 6-1. The only bad thing was Cole's ERA crept just about 2. Nice afternoon of work. Time to relax and coast home. Wrong. After Chris Devenski pitched a perfect 8th inning it came down to Ken Giles in a non-save situation to nail down the win. But no, he gave up 3 hits and 3 runs and didn't record an out. Giles got the yank and Will Harris came in to right the ship. Didn't happen. Harris gave up 2 hits and 2 runs and he recorded one out before Hector Rondon came in to stop the madness. Wrong again Kemosabe. Rondon allowed 2 inherited runners score tying the game at 8. He did get the final two outs but not before the Astros took a trip to the Twilight Zone. Evan Gattis gave the Astros a 9-8 on a solo HR in the top of the 13th but Collin McHugh, working his 2nd inning of relief gave it right back in the bottom of the inning on HR to Yonder Alonzo to re-tie the game, this time at 9 all. In the bottom of the 14th Brad Peacock came in and ended the game by allowing a walk off HR to Gary Allen to end the Astros misery. That one game ruined the who week in my eyes even though Houston finished with a 4-2 record for the week. The Astros were still in first place in the AL West with 33-20 record and they still own the 3rd best record in the AL and MLB. The thing is, Houston will be playing the #2 and #1 teams with the best records this week in the Yankees and Red Sox. Houston has three on the road in New York and they return home to host the Red Sox for 4 games next weekend. So far, Houston is 1-0 against the Yanks as they beat the Bronx Bombers 5-1 behind Justin Verlander's pitching and JD Davis' first HR run of the season, a 3 run shot, that gave the Astros a good start in the Big Apple. The meltdown on Sunday was more than irksome. I still am sick to my stomach over that loss. I'm glad I am close to a bar here in Playa Del Carmen, I need to soak my sorrows in some free rum and Coke.

For the second time in two days the Astros bullpen has come on and molested that poor pooch and ruined what should have been a post game victory celebration. That's right, the guys who sit by themselves in the outfield came on a snatched defeat right out of the jaws of victory. First, it was Chris Devenski who came on in the 9th to close out the win for the Astros and preserve Charlie Morton's MLB best 8th win of the season. Didn't happen that way. Devenski led off the inning walking Miguel Andujar. He struck out Gleybar Torres for the first out but Gary Sanchez took Devenski deep for a game tying 2-run HR that had to make everyone in an Astros uniform sick. Devenski did get out of the inning but the damage had been done. In the top of the 9th Houston had a chance to add some insurance runs when walks to Alex Bregman and Jose Altuve gave us all hope Houston would tack on some meat to the bone but that didn't happen either. Yuli Gurriel struck out swinging, Evan Gattis grounded into a force out at second retiring Altuve and Jake Marisnick had one of the most pathetic AB's ever. He struck out on 3 pitches and never swung at any of them. (I just threw up in my mouth a little bit thinking about that) The Astros came back in the 10th inning and they had an opportunity but as fate does sometimes it crapped all over the Astros big time. Tony Kemp had walked and stole 2nd with 2 outs against Aroldis Chapman. With George Springer at the plate Chapman uncorked a wild pitch on a 100 mph fastball that sailed over the catcher's head. Kemp took off for 3rd as you would expect but the ball hit something solid at the backstop and the ball sailed straight back to C Gary Sanchez who wheeled and threw out Kemp by two steps. Inning and threat over. Brad Peacock came on the bottom of the inning and just like in Cleveland 2 days earlier he came in and gave up a walk off single to Gleybar Torres that scored Miguel Andujar who had doubled just before him. All that came with 2 outs in the inning. Facing Andujar, Peacock got him down 0-2 and the 3rd pitch should not have even been in the strike zone but Peacock hung a slider that Andujar lined about 6 feet inside the left field line for a double. Against Torres Peacock had a 2-2 count and on the 6th pitch of the AB Torres poked a 95 mph fastball into right field. George Springer was all over the ball but his throw was off line and Andujar scored easily to end the game.

The offense plays a part in this loss too because if they had even been decent the score would have been (maybe) out of reach. Houston stranded 10 base runners and they went 3-17 with runners in scoring position. Just pitiful plus the Yankees committed 5 errors in the game. Last night was the first time the Astros lost a game since June 12 of 1993 against the Rockies when their opponent committed 5 errors during the game.

 

The Astros placed Brian McCann on the 10 DL because of persistent soreness in his knee. He was sent back to Houston for further evaluation. To fill his spot in the roster the Astros called up Tim Federowicz from AAA Fresno. Federowicz was hitting .337 with five homers, 18 RBIs and a .407 on-base percentage at Triple-A. Federowicz was a non-roster invitee to spring camp this year and has played parts of six years with the Dodgers, Cubs and Giants. He's a .196 career hitter in the big leagues.

Dallas Keuchel will try to get his 4th win of the season this evening in the final game of the series with New York. The Yankees counter with Luis Severino who is going for his 8th win of the season. Let's hope Severino's luck is just like Charlie Morton's and he gets to watch Houston come back and win. Will Fate be on the Astros side for a change? We can only hope.

The recap of this past week's games is easy to sum up, it wasn't good. Against the top two teams in the American League Houston laid a big fat stinky egg. An excellent outing by Justin Verlander (7-2) who went 6.2 innings allowing just 2 hits and one run dominating the Yankees lineup like nobody's business. Will Harris, Chris Devenski and Ken Giles were given a bit of redemption for blowing a 5 run lead against Cleveland. Trouble is, this bullpen is not reliable. They are giving up runs left and right and you can't trust any of them. Devenski is the closest thing to a sure thing in the Astros bullpen. If it's not Devenski then Carlos Rondon would be that guy but he's blown some opportunities too. The bullpen blew a chance to win Game 3 last Sunday against the Red Sox but after 7 innings by Gerrit Cole who allowed 3 runs on 4 hits with 8 K's Devenski pitched a perfect 8th then Cole's 5 run lead went down the toilet in the 9th. You know the rest of the story of how Giles, Harris and Rondon gave up 5 runs that allowed Cleveland to tie the game. In extra innings Evan Gattis gave the Astros a lead that was almost immediately surrendered by Collin McHugh who allowed a solo HR in the bottom of the inning. In the 14th Houston did nothing in the top of the inning and Brad Peacock came in a gave up a walk off hit to give the Indians a 10-9 win that should never have been. 2 Days later against the Yankees the bullpen did it again. With a 5-3 lead in the bottom of the 9th Chris Devenski in a rare trip gave up a 2-run homer to Brett Gardner to tie the game and Peacock came on in the 10th to give up a walk off hit to give the Yankees a win when, if Houston had a decent closer, would have been a win for the Astros. After winning the first two games of the 4 game series with Boston Houston worked a 3-2 lead for Justin Verlander who threw just over 100 pitches in six innings of work. No sooner did Verlander leave the game than Will Harris in just 2/3 of an inning gave up 3 runs giving the Bosox a 2 run lead which turned into a 1-run win after an RBI single by Yuli Gurriel in the 8th. Verlander had a chance to get his 8th win Saturday and Charlie Morton had his second chance to go 8-0 yesterday but the bullpen screwed Verlander and Morton screwed himself by allowing 6 runs in what was his worst outing of the season as Boston beat up the Astros 9-3 to end the weekend series and the week on a down note.

For the second time this season the Astros have played their way out of first place in the AL West. The trail the Mariners by one game, they are actually tied in the win column but Houston have two more losses giving Seattle the division lead. Last week the Astros had a chance to really make a statement by beating the Yankees and Bosox but instead they basically blew their chance for a mic drop week. The Astros will begin a 12 game stretch against bad teams. Well, two with the Mariners then 3 bad teams in the Rangers, A's and Royals. Houston has today off to lick their wounds and they have a chance to retake the division lead with a 2-game sweep of Seattle at home. Then, they go on the road to play the Rangers, A's and Royals. BTW, the Royals are a bad team this season. They are currently in 4th place in the AL Central with a 21-38 record with a dismal 10-21 home record. That series is 2-weeks away. This week Houston needs to take care of their division foes and build a little confidence in the process. The offense isn't what people expected as just about everyone in the lineup is having a subpar season to date. As they say, it still early. Expectations are funny, before the season the Astros were seen as the proverbial unstoppable force but in many ways they have been their own immovable object. A long winded way to say they are their own worst enemy so far this season. The thing about that is despite all their troubles they are a tick off the division lead and 13 games over .500. See what I mean about expectations? Despite all their success this season it still feels like they stink because they are not as dominating as we thought (or hoped).