Since May 24, the Astros 1-12 in 1 run games, and 1-7 in 2 run games for a record of 2-19 in close games. It's the reason I'm not panicking on the road woes, as frustrating as they have been. We still have one of the better road run differentials in the league, so we aren't really playing poorly, we're just losing a ton of close ones. I for one put no credence into the idea that we are struggling due to the intense pressure of a half empty road stadium, while being uber clutch at home.
I don't think the Astros like playing in the sunlight. Too used to that indoor home stadium with the A/C on. That's all I can figure. On the flip side, visiting teams come into our home stadium and get complacent because the sun is not blaring down on them and they are in the goodness of A/C. lol
The last point is important. If they had won that game, we'd be saying how great it is that this team is so loose, and how the looseness and fun-loving nature of the team is what is allowing them to play so well. It doesn't seem right that we could take the exact same behavior and, depending on the outcome, say the behavior is having a completely opposite effect. I'd say it's more likely that it's having little to no impact. (I don't even think they celebrated much more than--if at all--they do on any HR.) Regarding impacting mindset and finishing a game...I think different people have different personalities. And some people can celebrate and still concentrate. It's not like Gregerson was in the dugout for that at all.
Did Gregorson participate in the celebration?... No The main problem after the HR was Gregorson imploding and a little unfortunate luck.
I think a better answer is that at the beginning of the year, other teams hadn't scouted us much or done their best preparation for playing us given we were still projected to be a under .500 team. Perhaps they underestimated us. After April, this began to change. And so did our winning percentage. In fact, we have been a below .500 team since May 3rd, when we were 18-7. Given this, the only reason we are in 1st place is because the rest of our division has underachieved all year. Dont get me wrong. I love this team. I love what they are doing. I love their long term team strategy. They have surpassed every expectation I had for them going into this year. But the only in the month of April have they played like a 1st place team or a playoff contender.
The Astros still have the 3rd best expected W-L record in the league. Our pythagorean has us at 65-48, only the Blue Jays and Cardinals are better. Agian, I don't think we've been playing poorly, we're just losing some tough ones.
Missed it yesterday, but watched the last couple of innings this morning. If Correa doesn't half-ass that ground ball in the 9th, charges it like he knows he should have, the Astros win. Gregerson deflecting that ball is unfortunate luck, but lack of effort plays like the one Correa made are inexcusable. He'll learn from it. Gregerson did not pitch poorly. Harris on the other hand....
When you lose some tough ones for a week or a month, I agree it may be a passing trend. But for 3.5 months? The whole summer? I begin to look at reasons other than bad luck.
Yea...but the blaring sunlight is causing them to not see the ball as well as they have to wear sunglasses. Look...I dunno. Who can figure this team out? I was primarily joking.
That's definitely the reason we are still in 1st place. The division stinks. Any team with any cajones at all would have knocked the Astros out of first place a while back and not looked back. It seems every time the Astros lose for the most part...those other teams lose, too, a lot of the time.
every time we get to 14 games over 500 we go on a mini losing skid, only to get back up. don't jump off the building just yet.
I was just lamenting the fact that it was 35 degrees cooler than Kingwood was yesterday. But seriously, this forum has a strange dynamic compared to the other cf forums. People are so positive in the midst of a 1-6 road trip. "It's okay, we're young." "It's a long season." "We're still in first place." Not saying I disagree with the sentiment, just that's it's different. Pretty much the opposite of the Texans forum, where people are still complaining about Kubiak and Schaub who are both LONG GONE. And of course, the GARM.....
I'm hoping it has to do with the fact that people understand that baseball is just different. 162 game seasons (and ones in which we've seen drastic turns before) + insanely long development times for young talent relative to other sports.. without patience, you pretty much have to be a Yankees or Red Sox fan to enjoy the sport.
Yeah, this forum has been mostly populated by guys who endured through 416 losses in 4 season, it's kind of hard to beat us down. We're also baseball guys who understand the many ups and downs that come with baseball's long ass season. Unfortunately as the popularity has started to grow, this forum is trending more towards the standard stuff you see on sports forums.
Or you could be a Cardinals fan.... do you realize the last time they were not in clear-cut contention for a playoff spot, below .500, and not coming off a world series title, was the year 1999... and that was coming off the greatest two year power show by any baseball player ever (granted, steroid induced... but still was exciting for those fans at the time). Since 2000, they've played in 4 World Series (winning 2), played in NINE NLCS series, and minus the steroid issue with McGwire (and the recent hacking of ground zero), have been a model franchise in terms of avoiding on and off-the-field controversies/embarrassments/drama. I'd say that certainly rivals the Spurs/Pats recent success (and with the inherent cyclical/random nature of baseball... possibly exceeds it)... and all coming from a shrinking middle sized-market that would give up its first born to maintain baseball excellence (far more interested in baseball than football or other sports).
