if anyone needs a reason to cheer against BOS: https://www.etsy.com/listing/478053...9e593cede237&gclid=COS7quO_oM8CFVg8gQod9PsN9Q Astros should've trademarked the term...
Devo should be our Wild card game starter should we get there. Devo innings 1-4 McCullers 5-6 Kuechel 7 Harris 8 Giles 9 Sipp inning 21 if necessary
Looks like remaining schedules are: * Astros: 1 road OAK, 4 home vs. LAA, 3 home vs. SEA, 3 road vs LAA * Seattle: 1 home vs. TOR, 3 road vs. Min, 3 road vs. Astros, 4 home vs. OAK * Det: 2 road vs. Twins, 3 home vs. Royals, 4 home vs. Indians, 3 road at Braves * Bal: 2 home vs. Bos, 3 home vs. Ari, 3 road vs. Tor, 3 road vs NYY * TOR: 1 road vs. SEA, 4 home vs. NYY, 3 home vs. Bal, 3 road at BOS If the Stros want to make it, they have to take care of Seattle, so that crosses Seattle off. Baltimore has the hardest schedule. Toronto has a hard schedule. Detroit has a so-so schedule. Stros have the easiest schedule. Assuming Seattle is out, it seems like the next best option would be for Toronto to definitively make it, principally off the back of taking care of Baltimore. Then its a foot race with Detroit. All that said, my feel is still the Stros come up 1 game short. Certainly hope not, but 2 back, with 11 left. Even if they "dominate" at 8-3, they need Baltimore to go 6-5 (possible with their schedule), and Detroit to go 8-4 (again possible, but Detroits schedule isn't that tough). And more to the point, as a Houston sports fan, I am not accustomed to Houston teams typically doing what they need to down the stretch. I think 7-4 is more likely and 6-5 is almost as likely as 8-3.
To me, it's so hard to make the playoffs in baseball and the cutoff is so arbitrary that I see playing meaningful games in the last two weeks as "making the playoffs". Regardless of what happens, it's going to be fun and I consider this a successful season given our start. That being said, I've never seen a team's season completely derailed by their inability to beat ONE team in any sport ever. We'd be thinking World Series if we could have at least broke even with the Arlington Rangers.
I dunno... in regards to Astros-specific finishes over the last decade plus... I'd say they've bucked the usual "houston trend" in terms of doing the improbable to not only make the playoffs, but make noise in the playoffs once they're in there.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Here's how the <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Astros?src=hash">#Astros</a> will line up for the series finale in Oakland. <a href="https://t.co/WBqQL3Igof">pic.twitter.com/WBqQL3Igof</a></p>— Houston Astros (@astros) <a href="https://twitter.com/astros/status/778643746439110656">September 21, 2016</a></blockquote> <script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
Somewhere, someone suggested the Astros (prior to the series in Oakland) needed to win every series and sweep one. If they can finish the sweep today, that sets up a very doable 8-3 finish. I would be hard-pressed to complain about 88 wins *this* year, given every obstacle they've had to overcome.
We are one game away from controlling our own destiny with a little over one week to go. And that's all anyone can ask for. It's on the Astros after that. Iced Tea or Lemonade, just read the signs and do it.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Mr. September? Collin McHugh is 10-0, 3.08 ERA in a dozen September starts for <a href="https://twitter.com/astros">@Astros</a>. He has a 2.96 ERA in last 5 starts.</p>— Richard Justice (@richardjustice) <a href="https://twitter.com/richardjustice/status/778639632154103808">September 21, 2016</a></blockquote> <script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
McCullers and Dallas waiting in the wings. I would try getting Devenski to the 4 or 5 inning range in the next two weeks. I wouldn't mind having him start a game in the playoffs if we can get in.
Correct. We need Baltimore to lose two more and Detroit to lose one more (without us losing any) before we control our own destiny. Toronto is 3 games up for the 1st wild card spot. I don't see the Astros catching them, but crazier things have happened.
