Great opening day for Houston as Dallas Keuchel provides 7 shutout innings in a 3-0 victory over the Mariners last night. Keuchel also made himself the defense in the 7th as he started a double-play on a comebacker to the mound, then bare-handed a bunt to 3rd (cutting off Bregman who was also charging) and fired to 1st for the final out. Top of the division, baby!
Pujols did it to us again last night. Him and Cano, they should walk em every time they come up, even if the bases are loaded.
Pujols won the battle but Astros won the war. Now 11-5, most wins in MLB, and my boy Jake tatered last night.
Astros open a 3-game series with Cleveland there with a 4-2 win last night and Keuchel goes the distance for the win. Bad news is Altuve and Hernandez collided in the outfield chasing a fly ball and Hernandez had to be helped off the field. Altuve walked off under his own power but did not return to the game, although Hinch said after the game just his shoulder is sore, no concussion issues. Astros now 14-6 tied with the Rockies (!) for best record in MLB. This ties the best 20-game start in franchise history as well.
Astros now 16-9 and leading the AL West but all that means nothing if they can't beat the Rangers, which lately, they can't. We find out starting tonite.
Man it looked like same old, same old for my Astros against the Rangers last night thru 6 innings. We had 2 bloody hits, the Rangers had committed 2 errors, and we were losing 2-1. Then Houston exploded for 5 runs in the 7th and won 6-2. Houston is 2nd in MLB in runs scored in innings 7-9 so comebacks are evidently their thing now. Great start to what has been a very lopsided, in a bad way for Houston, series.
Comeback Kids do it again, coming back from down 0-5 to put up 5 runs in the 8th, featuring a Grand Slam by Marwin Gonzales. Rangers (or Gregerson, take your pick) make it tight with 2 runs in the 9th but Will Harris strikes out Gomez (!) to end the game with the tying run on 3rd. Astros win 8-7.
Ok now THAT was an old fashioned Rangers beatdown like I havent seen in 5+ years. Hangin 10 on those jokers from up north was really satisfying! Rangers fans are now having to come to grips with the fact that their run is over. Couldnt happen to a nicer bunch...
My how the fortunes of war can turn on a dime. A day after hanging 10 on the Rangers, the Astros give up 10 and lose 4-10. Still, as lopsided as this series has been the past several years, it was great to get 3 outta 4.
Who remembers this bold prediction? It's way too early to know whether Ben Reiter will be proven correct, but he gets credit in my book for seeing the turnaround. I had trouble being optimistic coming off of back-to-back-to-back seasons with 105 or more losses. And by the way, I had forgotten about Brady Aiken, who is mentioned in the article. He must not live a single day without regretting his decision not to sign with the 'Stros. He held out for more, got way less the next year with Cleveland, and will be lucky if he ever makes it to AAA.
Unfortunately ESPN already has anointed the Cubs and Red Sox as your 2017 World Series match-up that they say will go 7 games. They are always right. Right?
Great end to the game last night. My boys are I are fond of saying, "You like Jake? Jake's my boy!" because we love Marisnick. We would love for him to play more, but he did what he was put in for last night for sure.
Gettin' out the lumber! Astros down 8-2 going into the 8th inning with the Twins and then EXPLODE for 11 runs in the 8th and 3 more in the 9th, they go on to win 16-8.
It is June 3 and Astros batters have 11.1 fWAR. That's almost twice as much as the 2012 and 2013 Astros combined.
Looking at ESPN youd think 40-16 was a typical start to the season. Literally no headlines or anything about it. This is a historic start to a season.
Twenty years ago I might have agreed with the article. Different game now. When those younger players start reaching FA, even if the Astro's wanted to pay $200 M + for multiple years to the core of the team, the wealth tax would be a killer (ask the Yankees).