Stanek looked great closing it out for the Mariners. Pressly finally used his slider as his main weapon.
11 of our last 12 losses have been by 2 runs or less (and only 2 of our wins). Objectively that tells me we have had some bad luck, having an innate ability to win close games is a myth. However that fact doesn't stop the losses from feeling like nails on a f**king chalkboard when they keep happening.
Pummeled 15-2 by the Doyers Rangers lineup had 2 players above 700 OPS and no one above 800. Last year was the biggest luck-fest in sports history. Stros just one game behind .
Singleton could be a nice backup first baseman. Great eye, and it really feels like he should be a better hitter than he is. I'm not going to be happy if and when they cut him loose.
I liked Caratini pivoting back to the fastball/slider as Blanco seems to be losing the feel for his change. You can tell he's an exceptionally smart/savvy player, which I guess you must be to be a good catcher in the way that he is.
He hits the ball on the ground far too much for a guy with no speed and who strikes out some. His power is elite elite; if he could somehow adjust his launch angle he would be a star level hitter. But after this large of a recent sample and at his age, I don’t think it’s happening, as much as I like him.
Astros win....everybody happy. Astros lose....everybody pissed. Congrats on the W. Looks like the Mariners are opening up a sizeable lead in the AL West.
Giants throwing a RHP tomorrow so Big Jon should earn another start. Espada the genius that he is no doubt has other plans and wants to get Jbreu's bat going at the expense of our season.
Astros/Espada should enter this game with premise that Dubin will pitch. - He's pitched once in the last 7 days, did very well in that game, plus he's having a great season - Abreu, Scott, Montero, Pressly, and Hader are all brinking on overuse Other specific factors might prevent it -- ie Framber goes 8 innings and we're leading by <3 entering the 9th, etc -- but the general premise should be getting Dubin in the game TODAY. Martinez and Hernandez are basically the other bullpen options at this point. .
TBH I was quite surprised to wake up to 3-1 Astro win this morning. Happy but surprised. After the Astros went up 3-1 on the 2 run error on Chapman (no way Bregman should have been given a hit on that play) I thought good time to leave it to the baseball Gods and hit the sack. Staying up past 10 pm is a big ask at my age, mid 60's, to watch a team that is playing as inconsistent as the Astros are plating. Kudos to all of you that stayed up to watch the entire game. Hoping this 3-1 win will be the start of something for us.
Singleton seems to really lack discipline overall. He showed it in his first stint with the Astros by weed'ing his way out of the league. But now (and maybe before too), He's a fata**. Watching him hit those long singles to RF and seeing his blubber bounce around while he rounds 1st base is pathetic. Dude can't even diet correctly when there's millions of potential dollars on the table. So, there's good chance the lack of discipline translates to other areas of baseball and maybe life. If he was John Kruk, it would be more acceptable -- but he's not that level of skill. Wow.... two fat Johns He's better than Abreu, but that just shows how dire the Astors' 1B situation is and how stupid/stubborn management is being after already sh1tting the bed.
He seems like a nice guy and getting back to MLB is a nice story. He’s also still a below replacement level 1B and not the answer for the Astros beyond a backup. If he’s cut loose that hopefully means we have at least a league average replacement. It speaks to how bad J Abreu has been that everyone is excited for Singleton to be the everyday 1B.
Wow, what a terrible take. You know absolutely nothing about this guy's discipline. And way to throw stones. He's a big guy but I completely disagree that he is fat or out of shape. That's just how he's built. I respect Jon for what he has overcome and happy he is able to play baseball to take care of his family (which he clearly loves and takes pride in) for a few seasons making money I will never see. Do you realize that he has a faster average sprint speed (26.2 ft/sec) than Yordan (25.7)? Or Corey Seager (25.2), Matt Olson (25.4), and even Manny Machado (25.7)? I doubt he is actually faster than those guys. I know he isn't faster than Yordan. This tells me 1) that despite not being fast, he hustles and gives his all on the field and 2) clearly you can be a great player as a slow runner. Now I'm mot saying Jon is great, or even good. But from May 1- May 26 when he was playing nearly everyday he had a 121 wRC+ which is very good. Maybe he just needs to play more to be a good MLB first baseman? It wouldn't be the first time a player needed regular game reps to succeed. Maybe he can settle in as a starting 1b for a team like the White Sox or Rockies for a couple of seasons and get some service time. Heck, as an Astros fan, I would would be fine if my team would just commit to him and hit him 7th in the order for the rest of the season. It would be much better than what I have been seeing. He isn't an ideal bench player because he is limited to 1b and Abreu's presence keeps him from starting in Houston, but he does not deserve this venom.
