[Official] Astros @ Dodgers

You forgot worse smog than Mexico City and Shanghai combined.

 

I tuned in for the 9th inning feeling completely dejected after that Rockets debacle and the way all our teams have been doing lately... This win was needed on sooooooo many levels

 

Holy **** hell. We won? Wow.

 

Pretty sure "Kenley" is the name my cousin/niece wanted to name her daughter until her husband and I talked her out of it.

Coulda been "Kelsey", we'll never know now.

 

A Houston dream died in the Orlando bubble but a new one was born in Dodger Stadium tonight.

 

****ing little b****.

 

The fact the there is a mural of Joe Kelly in LA is all you need to know about those pathetic, whiny-ass losers.

 

I turned it off after the top of the 8th...

 

Well Lebron feels at home.

 

A repeat cheater being deified after decrying how much the Astros were "snitches"

 

The team that showed up tonight I hadn't seen a whole lot of this year. Was pleasant to the eyes for sure especially considering who they did it against and in what fashion.

Great win!

 

If there was ever a victory that could turn this season around... it happened last night. Altuve should be back soon. Even throughout his struggles I feel a lot better about a lineup that doesn’t include Toro or mayfield in it. We could be getting verlander back in some form or fashion. If they can pull out another W today, with our weak remaining schedule, we could be alright. I’d feel a certain level of confidence against the White Sox, Indians, blue jays, Twins or Oakland( pretty much anyone besides Tampa Bay) in a playoff series... and after that, anything can happen. There was definitely a sign of life and some guts shown last night. Here’s to hoping it sparks some momentum heading towards the playoffs

 

I don't know where in the heck last night came from, but I'm not complaining.

It's like the sports gods finally took pity on us after the week from hell.

 

Unfortunately he's more of an annoying, whiny-ass winner.

 

Is it okay if my dick is still hard from this win, or should I call my doctor?

 

I don't like Chandler Rome, but I'll read anything positive Astros related right now...

https://www.houstonchronicle.com/te...insider-Comeback-brings-hope-for-15563124.php

Spoiler

Astros insider: Comeback brings hope for turnaround

SPORTS

LOS ANGELES — The pandemic prevents the public from getting a usual glimpse inside a postgame clubhouse. Club Astros was born in 2015 and carried through parts of the team’s recent renaissance. They once awarded wrestling belts to players of the game. Robes were the reward last season.

Whether any of this still continues is a mystery. Coronavirus protocols probably don’t allow for teammates to share attire. The league’s procedures manual mandates players leave the ballpark quickly after games. It prohibits fraternization or much of anything that can resemble a choreographed celebration. The sport as a whole sometimes seems sapped of so much life and vigor.

The Astros’ doldrums extend farther back. They’ve endured eight months of gloom — most of it, of course, was self-inflicted. They are the villains of the sport and, on the field, victimized by injury, inexperience and ineffectiveness.

Yes, the superstars still flash smiles for the cameras. George Springer still gives a double thumbs up to his dugout after striking a hit. Carlos Correa flips his bat on occasion and plays with his usual pizzazz.

But. whether the entire team has processed their cataclysmic 2020 can not be accurately answered. They are a championship-caliber roster that has played at a pedestrian pace. Injuries to key contributors drag down the mood. So does constant criticism from opponents and others who want nothing more than to watch them fail in the wake of the sign-stealing scandal. If baseball was fun for the 2020 Astros, they have not shown it outwardly.

Then, on Saturday night, in a city that they won a championship and against an opponent that despises them more than any, it suddenly returned. Smiles were seen in the dugout. Correa and Martín Maldonado slapped the railing as a carousel of baserunners continued.

Dusty Baker began a virtual press conference with a deep breath and a proclamation that he’s “wonderful.” He heard laughter in the clubhouse. Music was heard before the door shut and he began his postgame remarks.

“There’s been some solemness and quiet voices in the clubhouse,” Baker said. “This is outstanding and I’m hoping we look back as the turning point in the season.

If the Astros turn around their pedestrian season and secure any sort of a championship, they will look back to Saturday night in Dodger Stadium as their most pivotal moment. They destroyed Dodgers closer Kenley Jansen, snatching a 7-5 victory from the jaws of defeat.

Their lineup at long last appeared as advertised, stringing together terrific plate appearances with a consistent approach. Houston entered the game slashing .194/.261/.311 in 15 games against playoff teams. On Saturday, they tattooed Jansen and the Dodgers for 11 hits and seven runs.

“This is a big win for us. We hadn’t been playing very well. It was good to battle,” third baseman Alex Bregman said. “Honestly, we’ve been not playing very good baseball, so it was good to get back in the win column. It was a good battle from our guys. I’m proud of our guys.”

For eight innings, the 2020 Astros followed their usual script — squandering baserunners and limiting innings to one hit or one run. Springer started the game with a double and Yuli Gurriel scored him with a single. The Astros did not record another hit until the fifth.

Kyle Tucker made an out with men on base during all four of his at-bats. He finished 0-for-5 and is now in a 1-for-22 slump. Before Michael Brantley’s eighth-inning single, the lineup was hitless in nine at-bats with runners on base and less than two outs. They stranded six men and left seven baserunners.

“Our team can string together at-bats, can string together runs,” Springer said. “For the first time, I think, in a long time, we actually did. And it’s exciting.”

Jansen had not pitched since Tuesday. He’d yielded 10 hits and six runs during 18 ⅓ previous innings. On Saturday, in the span of 21 pitches, the Astros ballooned his ERA from 1.96 to 3.93. Six straight Astros reached base — five via hit.

Jansen relies on two fastballs — a hard cutter and four-seamer — and a slider he uses more infrequently. The Astros hit all three. Correa, Springer and Aledmys Díaz all put cutters in play. Josh Reddick and Maldonado hit four-seam fastballs. Bregman poked a sinking slider into right field for the go-ahead single.

“I think we had a tough road trip so far, so it was good to battle and string together good, quality at-bats,” Bregman said. “We always talk about stringing together good, quality at-bats and pass the torch to the next guy.”

Houston swung and missed six times, but provided remarkable two-strike approaches to keep plate appearances alive.

Of the six straight baserunners, four reached after working two-strike counts. Reddick reached for a low-and-away four-seamer in a 1-2 count that split the left center field gap — delivering the double that made many believe a comeback was possible.

When Bregman’s single landed in right field, cameras panned to a smiling Correa and Maldonado. High fives went around the dugout. Cheering was audible in an empty ballpark.

“Things have been very tough. We hadn’t had a whole bunch of breaks, but we kind of made our own breaks today,” Baker said. “We got some timely hits, especially back-to-back-to-back hits. It’s a wonderful thing to see to come back.”

 

The smog comment is wrong. Lived there for nearly 15 years, and while not ideal, the air quality was not bad. Up till the 70's and when California started regulating auto emissions, it might've been that bad, but not today.

 

Any further comments from Jansen?

pretty clear that the Astros have a book on him. They were looking for that outside pitch ad-nauseum.

but I’m sure Jansen just believes it’s all cheating...