upcoming series, team & current record: (as of 8/4/19) Colorado 52-60 @Baltimore 38-73 @CHI Sox - 48-61 @Oakland - 64-48 Detroit - 32-75 LAA - 56-57 TB - 65-48 @Tor - 45-69 @ Mil - 57-56 Sea - 47-67 Oakland - 64-48 @KC - 40-73 Rangers - 57-54 LAA - 56-57 @ Sea - 47-67 @LAA - 56-57 In the 2017 Championship season, the best record the Astros had at this point was 71-42, and the team was mired in a bad slump, losing 12 of 16 games in that stretch of the season. And oh yeah there was a little hurricane mixed in there. Of course they got it all straightened out, brought in Verlander, and the rest is history, winning 101 and the WS. Glorious. I don't see this team hitting any big slumps like the 2017 squad endured the rest of the way, especially not with the recent additions. I just took a brief look at the remaining series left in the season. Interestingly, with the exception of the Rays and maybe the Brewers, currently the only decent teams remaining on the schedule are in the Astros' own division, which they have completely dominated. I don't want to jinx anything, but it sure is looking like wins somewhere in the 115 range to me. Just... wow.
First half schedule was really tough and we had a lot of injuries. The second half schedule is an absolute joke.
It hasn’t happened yet. Worst thing you can do is assume stuff. They’re certainly trending up... all these key additions will lighten load even more. And when you can count on a combined no-got... that’s pretty nuts. Gonna be fun fall!
Sit back and enjoy the ride. These guys play full throttle, and give it all they have. They are consummate professionals. And the coaching is being diligent with not overwhelming the players to exhaustion. Look at today when Hinch went to take Verlander out in the 7th inning, Verlander pleaded his case, but to no avail, because its not about machismo... it’s all about putting the team in the best position to win another title. Keeping the players as fresh as possible for the playoff run. I hope they don’t get caught up in chasing down a historic regular season win total, if they do it fine, but that it at least doesn’t distract them. What good is it to get to 115 or 120 wins if the players get burned out? Don’t get me wrong it would be awesome, but load management is real for optimal performance. Coaching is focused on the prize, they kept to their guns in the no hitter, they didn’t force the pitcher more than the game plan. A lot of teams would have kept the pítcher out till he gave up his first hit or completed the no hitter.
Looks great but still regular season. I could not care less what or win total is as long as its 11 wins in October. Bring home to flags!
The only matchup of interest to me is the Rays. The rest are either division teams we have wiped the floor with, or teams hugging or sub .500.
Easy How many games do you think the current starting rotation is going to lose against those teams. The bullpen would have to blow up. This yrs team is better than the 2017 WS Champions. That doesn't mean they will win another championship but mgmt has done their part to try to bring another championship to this city. The window is open and if you try real hard you can feel the breeze.
I'm going to dispute this a bit. I've seen plenty of games where the team is playing well below full throttle. Games with healthy lineups where they can't score more than a run or two. And they're not trying terribly hard. It was rather prevalent last season as well. It's made me think a lot more about what an anomaly in sports a season of Major League Baseball is. 162 games + playoffs is just a crazy marathon. As much as I get annoyed when it seems like our guys are playing in the doldrums instead of cherishing every inning and every at-bat, I can see how it gets that way. It's a long season that mentally has its ups and downs, and it can affect the whole team. They definitely do not always play full throttle, but I'm not sure if any team can. And I'm not sure what injuries would like if they did give 110% all of the time. Baseball is an enigmatic sport. Still, though, that's the only thing that worries me about the Astros. They've got the power of a Bugatti or a Pagani, but sometimes they leave it in park and sometimes they redline it from the start. I'd prefer a more consistent average, and that would still smoke everyone. Talentwise, this team is unmatchable, I'd say. But it also takes a huge helping of will and wisdom to win a championship. It's never in the bag until the final out of the fourth win of the World Series. That's an out they can certainly get this year if they want it.
118 wins breaking the 98 yankees AL win record. But one game at a time let's not get ahead of ourselves.
So, just need a little 43-6 finishing kick, huh? Not even if every game was against Baltimore or Detroit.
I thought we had it rough before '17. I actually feel real bad for Mariners fans. They have been through the wringer....
