Lewis is due for some MAJOR regression, just hope it comes tonight. .259 BABIP, 84.6% strand rate (leads AL starters) while hitters are setting a career high against him in hard hit % (38.1%). It is about time for real life to start smacking him in the face.
Two of the hottest teams in the AL right now. Astros could pass up the Ms for 2nd place with this series. A 3-1 would put them at .500. Even if they split 2-2, they are still in good shape. I'm not as afraid of the Rangers as I am about road games against a quality team. Any chance we can get Odor and Gomez to punch it out?
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lone_Star_Series http://www.baseball-reference.com/games/head2head-games.cgi?team1=HOU&team2=TEX&from=1970&to=2016 I was curious to when the Rangers domination started. You could maybe say 2009. Except for 2014, the Rangers have owned us every year since. Overall, they have won the Silver Boot 11 out of 15 years.
try a new batting approach against lewis. don't swing at his first 2 pitches. if they're strikes, so be it buy him papa johns after the game.
Just took a look at the line myself - I'm legit shocked. Would have expected us to be around +150 on the moneyline but we are favorites. Rangers are 21-9 at home, dominate us, and we aren't a good road team...maybe they think we are due?
Tides will eventually turn. Remember when the Stros were 5-20 against the A's when they first moved over?
Its just more likely that the sharps and betting public feel the smoke-mirrorsish approach of the Rangers and Lewis has to regress eventually... and are betting big on the Astros. Vegas adjusts the line due to mitigate losses, not for prognosticatory reasons.
We were a terrible team during that span, while the Rangers were very good, so it made sense. The last year and a half though, I don't know what to say.
Keys to Astros winning this series: - Hinch needs to look into the future to see how players will play during the 4 games - Keep your best defensive team on the field late in close games, unless you shouldn't - Hit Correa 6th because he is worthless hitting 3rd, unless he isn't - Use Harris in all save situations, unless he blows one and then he should not have ever been moved out of his 8th inning role - Trade for Delino DeShields - Don't sacrifice bunt, unless you should - Don't steal any bases, unless you should - Sign Justin Morneau and have him play first base regardless of the fact he has yet to swing a bat this year due to elbow surgery - Trade Kyle Tucker, Alex Bregman and Martes for Dan Straily. Have him start for Keuchel.
Don't forget to send White to the minors, unless he hits a couple of HR in the majors first And don't let McOuch pitch unless he pitches good then it was great manager
-Figure out the number of runs the Rangers are going to score each game, score more runs than that number.
The last year and a half is a puzzle indeed. I agree (with those that have said it) that tides do turn in time and so will this. 0-6 to start this year is just mind-boggling.
- Feliz should pitch all multi-inning situations and all close/late situations. - Pinch hit opposite handedness in all situations, unless they don't get a hit. - If a player is in a slump, he must sit out until he's hot again.
In a perfect world, Astros sweep the Rangers. I just hope the Astros can at least take 3 of 4. Need to gain some ground and get above .500.
There is the Lewis regression...also, Fiers went 7 innnigs and gave up 2 runs his first time out against the Rangers, so that might be a factor.
Idk what it is about Arlington or the Rangers for that matter, but the Astros have been getting their butts kicked by them since, I want to say, mid-summer last year? The Astros taking one game from the Rangers in this series would be good enough for me, the Rangers are that good at the moment.
