2024 Astros

[rupert3]

Just can't play last place teams.  took an 8-2 whipping and Mmariners lose but Rangers win and are 3 games back.  Getting interesting

[rupert3]

Salvage game 3 8-1 Mariners lose 2-1 to Angels.  Stros back to 1 ahead.  Rangers moving up.

[rupert3]

Nice pitching job by Valdez.  10K 5-0 shutout over Dodgers.  Mariners win big so we still 1 up and Rangers slide a little with their loss.

[rupert3]

Great 9th  inning walk off dinger by Bregman  7-6

[baddog]

OMG, what a game. Down 5-0 in the 6th, scored 4 runs with 2 outs. Dodgers score 1 more to make it 6-4. Astros tie it in the 8th, and Bregman hits the train tracks for a no doubter walk-off in the 9th. Unbelievable how these Astros never give up against a great Dodgers team.

[rupert3]

2 hours ago, baddog said:

OMG, what a game. Down 5-0 in the 6th, scored 4 runs with 2 outs. Dodgers score 1 more to make it 6-4. Astros tie it in the 8th, and Bregman hits the train tracks for a no doubter walk-off in the 9th. Unbelievable how these Astros never give up against a great Dodgers team.

Don't  know when the last time we took a series from Dodgers.  You would expect someone to say that they felt that walkoff coming,  but I did.

Ohtani hit a 443 ft dinger Just shy of Alvarez record at Minute Maid with 444 ft.  The guy has 32 dingers already

[baddog]

1 hour ago, rupert3 said:

Don't  know when the last time we took a series from Dodgers.  You would expect someone to say that they felt that walkoff coming,  but I did.

Ohtani hit a 443 ft dinger Just shy of Alvarez record at Minute Maid with 444 ft.  The guy has 32 dingers already

The important one….The World Series. I felt it too, but thought it would be Alvarez.

[rupert3]

Behind 5-2 in 9th may not come back today

[rupert3]

Oh well took series.

Mariners win Rangers Lose so tied again for top spot

[A BUC 77]

Well, we got a starter. It came with a high price.  Kikuchi is a hard thrower and can strike out a bunch of guys but he's not having a good year.  They say his ERA is blown out of proportion a little.  We'll see if the pitching coach can do some tweaking.

[rupert3]

It appear we need to do something about the BP as they blew one last night.  However the Mariners lost but we can't count on that every day

[rupert3]

3 game losing streak.  Hope it's not the sign of things to come.  Full game back.

[baddog]

Well, I’m by no means an expert, but it seems to me we don’t need a starting pitcher, who is having a bad year, to a one year deal and replace our up and coming players for the sake of “win now”. 

[1989NDN]

Agree 100%.  Dana Brown should resign.  Trading Loperfido, Wagner, and Bloss for a rental pitcher with an ERA around 5.0 is professional malpractice.  Brown and Jeff Bagwell calling the shots has ruined the Astros.  

[baddog]

1 hour ago, 1989NDN said:

Agree 100%.  Dana Brown should resign.  Trading Loperfido, Wagner, and Bloss for a rental pitcher with an ERA around 5.0 is professional malpractice.  Brown and Jeff Bagwell calling the shots has ruined the Astros.  

We’ve been winning until the past 3 games with what we’ve got. Verlander and Garcia are not far away from returning. I am always on the lookout for a clutch bat rather than a washed up pitcher.

[1989NDN]

Again, I agree 100%.  baddog, email Jim Crane and tell him you are ready to take Dana Brown's job.  I'll send a follow-up email as a second to the motion.  You're on the money...the Astros need another hot/clutch bat.  Also, they need to preserve and build upon what little talent there is in the farm system.  I think the Astros are ranked near the bottom (maybe DFL - dead freaking last) re: MLB farm systems.  The international/Latin American camps have saved the Astros over the past 10-years.  It's long past time that the Astros replentish the tradional MLB farm system.  Glad to see a few Astros fans on the board.  

[baddog]

1 hour ago, 1989NDN said:

Again, I agree 100%.  baddog, email Jim Crane and tell him you are ready to take Dana Brown's job.  I'll send a follow-up email as a second to the motion.  You're on the money...the Astros need another hot/clutch bat.  Also, they need to preserve and build upon what little talent there is in the farm system.  I think the Astros are ranked near the bottom (maybe DFL - dead freaking last) re: MLB farm systems.  The international/Latin American camps have saved the Astros over the past 10-years.  It's long past time that the Astros replentish the tradional MLB farm system.  Glad to see a few Astros fans on the board.  

Wow, general manager. Lol. I’d probably still have Hunter Pence. What a scrappy player. When you have an injury riddled team that is 10 games back and a month later is leading the division, why is there a problem? Astros are notorious for trading away top players. Now they seem to want to acquire washed up players while trading away our future. Astros used to have one of the top farm teams.

[rupert3]

Yep I agree.  Astros have been notorious for trading away good up and coming players for junk used up players.  IMO I don't think Verlander wants to play anymore,  I think he is going to ride out his contract and retire.  Alos I thought that was what the farm system was for.  To bring up kids that are showing great promise.

Any way we salvage game 3 on a 4 hit 5-4 win.  Pitt had 9 hits.  Mariners and Rangers both lose.

[1989NDN]

I hope Verlander still has some gas left in the tank.  The Astros will need him down the stretch.  I'll take whatever he can give the Astros.  Here's to Framber Valdez and Ronel Blanco keeping us relevant.

The Astros had to eat $11.5M this year and again next year thanks to the DFA for Montero.  I won't hammer Dana Brown for Montero.  He inherited that mess.  Bagwell was in Crane's ear to sign Abreu at first base and to resign Montero.  Brown did approve the Abreu signing, so he gets some of the heat for that disaster.  Trading Loperfido, Wagner, and Bloss for a middle of the road pitcher with a 4.7 ERA is on Brown.  Supposedly, Crane is not upset about eating Abreu's and Montero's salaries.  You'd think that choking down $40M over two years would make Crane sit up and ask, who is telling me to sign some of these players?

Hunter Brown looks tired.  Like he has hit the wall.  The bats are still too erratic.  Red hot one game, ice cold for next three games.  We've got to break that cycle.  I'm worried Seattle and Texas are about to go on a second half run.  I hope the Astros can find a way to hang around.  Even though I bitch and complain too much, GO ASTROS!!!

[AggiesAreWe]

11 minutes ago, 1989NDN said:

I hope Verlander still has some gas left in the tank.  The Astros will need him down the stretch.  I'll take whatever he can give the Astros.  Here's to Framber Valdez and Ronel Blanco keeping us relevant.

The Astros had to eat $11.5M this year and again next year thanks to the DFA for Montero.  I won't hammer Dana Brown for Montero.  He inherited that mess.  Bagwell was in Crane's ear to sign Abreu at first base and to resign Montero.  Brown did approve the Abreu signing, so he gets some of the heat for that disaster.  Trading Loperfido, Wagner, and Bloss for a middle of the road pitcher with a 4.7 ERA is on Brown.  Supposedly, Crane is not upset about eating Abreu's and Montero's salaries.  You'd think that choking down $40M over two years would make Crane sit up and ask, who is telling me to sign some of these players?

Hunter Brown looks tired.  Like he has hit the wall.  The bats are still too erratic.  Red hot one game, ice cold for next three games.  We've got to break that cycle.  I'm worried Seattle and Texas are about to go on a second half run.  I hope the Astros can find a way to hang around.  Even though I bitch and complain too much, GO ASTROS!!!

You don't lead the league (2nd in all of MLB) in team batting average by being erratic.

The bats have been solid all year. The reason for the turn around is the pitching. Gone from a team ERA of over 5 (5.15) to under 4 (3.97)

Had a league worse blown save opportunities to now middle of the pack.

[1989NDN]

More Astros talk...good stuff.  Maybe it was Robert Ford or Mike Stanton that said the Astros were in the middle of the pack in runs scored and in batting w/ RISP.  In late game situations, when trailing, the Astros were trending in the wrong direction getting runs across the plate.  That's what I meant about erratic. I should have said scoring and not hitting.  I know I heard Robert Ford say the Astros were 11th or 12th in runs scored, which was a drop off from last season.  I like your stats about the improved pitching.  I enjoy the increased chatter about the Astros.  Are you leaning toward a second half run?  Wait and see?  Or, do you think the Rangers and Mariners did too much at the deadline for the Astros to hang with them at the finish line?

[AggiesAreWe]

54 minutes ago, 1989NDN said:

More Astros talk...good stuff.  Maybe it was Robert Ford or Mike Stanton that said the Astros were in the middle of the pack in runs scored and in batting w/ RISP.  In late game situations, when trailing, the Astros were trending in the wrong direction getting runs across the plate.  That's what I meant about erratic. I should have said scoring and not hitting.  I know I heard Robert Ford say the Astros were 11th or 12th in runs scored, which was a drop off from last season.  I like your stats about the improved pitching.  I enjoy the increased chatter about the Astros.  Are you leaning toward a second half run?  Wait and see?  Or, do you think the Rangers and Mariners did too much at the deadline for the Astros to hang with them at the finish line?

The Astros are currently 5th in the league in runs scored. They have been top 8 all season in that dept. (reached as high as 4th a couple of weeks ago).

Early in the season, Houston was 13th out of 15 teams in runs allowed in the American League. Now they sit 6th.

Again, it's not the offense (been avg. over 4.5 runs a game all season). Yes, maybe they have not been so clutch late in games with runners in scoring position but the fact is they have been top 5 in scoring the last 2 1/2 months. The pitching is what has improved and what has got them in first place in the division.

[baddog]

Anyone know when Kikuchi is scheduled to start? I’ll let you know if I like him after one game. 

[1989NDN]

He is supposed to start tonight vs. the Rays.

[rupert3]

Somehow 3-2 win.  New guy had 11 Ks as wild as he looked.