2017 Houston Astros Season

[eagle eye]

Game 1 of the 2017 World Series is tonight beginning at 7 PM CDT in Los Angeles California. The worst thing about this is the unseasonably hot weather in Cali right now. Temps at game time could be near 100o F. Folks, this is California where the weather is always sunny and perpetually 72o! It’s October for goodness sake! The only person that is used to this type of weather is Yu Darvish because he pitched for years in the oven known as Arlington Texas. Darvish is not slated to pitch tonight. This is definitely not advantage Houston because when temps rise in H-town they shut the roof and crank up the A/C. The pitching matchup is well known by now – Dallas Keuchel vs Clayton Kershaw. Hopefully, the excessive heat won’t be much of a factor on these two pitchers but it’s hard to imagine it won’t.

 

One interesting fact, this World Series is the first since 1972 to feature two 100 win teams.

 

Another interesting fact, today is the 45th anniversary of the death of Jackie Robinson.

 

Yoga mat, check

cold drinks, check

transcendental chant, check

 

I’m not changing anything until it doesn’t work. Uhmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm

Edited October 24, 2017 by eagle eye

[Dracula]

You've got to give it up to Eagle Eye for his observations on the Astros. His first post was on 4-4-17 and his last was today, 10-24-17. Good times and bad times, he's hung in there and now he is on his way to the World Series. Good luck to him and the Astros.

[Dracula]

I'm starting to worry about Eagle Eye.

[eagle eye]

I'm starting to worry about Eagle Eye.

 

Thank you for your concern Drac! I have a day job and a house under reconstruction because of Harvey and the past few days have been rather busy.

 

Game 1 of the WS was a flashback to the games in New York against the Yankees. The pitching was good enough to win except for the fact the offense did nothing to help the cause and hence the Astros lost 3-1 which was the exact same score in Games 1 and 2 of the ALCS against the Yankee only in Houston's favor. Road woes continued as Dallas Keuchel gave up 6 hits in his 6.2 innings of work but two of those hits were home runs. The first was a solo shot off the very first pitch Keuchel threw by CF Chris Taylor. The second, coming after a question ball 4 call that walked Chris Taylor, was hit by Justin Turner in the 6th. Two mistakes, 3 runs. The only offense for Houston was a solo home run to tie the score at one by Alex Bregman in the 4th inning. I was very critical of the Astros road woes seeing a distinct possibility of them going back to Houston down 2 games to none.

 

Game 2 was more of the same. Justin Verlander gave up only two hits in his 6 innings of work and just one walk but, just like Keuchel the night before the Dodgers got a solo shot from Joc Pederson in the 5th inning and after an even more questionable ball four call on a 3-2 count Verlander walked that pesky Chris Taylor Verlander gave up a 2-run blast to Corey Seager. The Astros were now down by that familiar 3-1 score and I had lost faith in the Astros. I stayed with the game but I was sure they were going to lose. Houston had opportunities early to break the game open and they failed miserably so you can understand my despair when the Dodgers tagged Verlander to take the lead in the 6th. But things would change and maybe the whole complexion of the WS changed with it. In the 8th Houston inched closer by pushing a run across to tighten the score to 3-2. Houston actually combined a bit of power with a little small ball and shook it all up with a Carlos Correa RBI single that plated Bregman who led off the inning with a double. Jose Altuve did some nice situational hitting by hitting the ball to the right side of the infield allowing Bregman to advance to 3rd which was followed by Correa's single. The top of the 9th rolled around and a shot heard 'round the world was fired by Marwin Gonzalez who led off the inning with a solo home run to tie the game at 3. It was the first run allowed by the Dodgers bullpen in the post season and the first allowed by Dodgers closer Kenley Jansen in like forever. The Astros could do no more damage and Ken Giles came on in the bottom of the inning. Giles got through the inning in 1-2-3 fashion. In the top of the tenth Jose Altuve and Carlos Correa atoned for an earlier choke job by bashing back-to-back home runs to give the Astros a 5-3 lead. After the back-to-backs Yuli Gurriel hit a double into left center and all this with nobody out. I think AJ Hinch should have played for the extra run by bunting Gurriel over to 3B with one out but he chose to let the next batter, Brian McCann, hit away even though McCann's bat had been pretty silent to that point. McCann flew out to center field but not deep enough to advance Gurriel. Marwin Gonzalez was walked intentionally to both set up the double play and take the bat out of Gonzalez hands. Josh Reddick followed with a double play ground out to end the inning. Giles came out in the bottom of the 10th and immediately gave up a home run to Yasiel Puig making the score 5-4. Later in the inning a wild pitch by Giles allowed a runner on base to advance into scoring position then he allowed a game tying RBI single. I posted on facebook before the 10th that I was afraid Giles would choke and he did. In the top of the 11th Cameron Maybin, who entered the game in a double switch when Giles was replaced by Chris Devenski, singled and stole a base while George Springer was at bat. After the steal Springer broke his 3-30 slump at the plate by jacking a line drive homer over the right field wall again giving Houston a 2-run lead at 7-5. Devenski came back out in the bottom of the 11th and he got 2 quick outs but Charlie Culbertson took Devo yard to tighten up the score to 7-6 with Yasiel Puig coming up. Puig and Devo battled through 8 pitches and on his third 3-2 pitch Devo got Puig to strike out swinging at a low changeup to end the game.

 

Game 2 featured the most home runs hit in a WS game (8), it featured 6 home runs in the final 3 innings, it was the first WS game win for the Astros, it was also a very important road win for an Astros team that hadn't had a road win since beating Boston at Fenway in the ALDS series. The Astros used a total of 5 pitchers in the game while LA used 9.

 

Game 3 last night was all Houston and even at that they won by 2 with a final score of 5-3. Lance McCullers and Brad Peacock took care of business as McCullers went 5.1 inning allowing 3 runs and Peacock went 3.2 innings allowing no runs, no hits and just one walk and he earned his first big league save in the process. While McCullers was good, Peacock was great and he deserves a lot of credit. The Astros jumped on starter Yu Darvish in the second beginning with Yuli Gurriel's solo HR to lead off the inning. The first five Astros batters reached base before an out was recorded. By the time the inning was over Houston led 4-0. The Dodgers got a run off McCullers in the 3rd when Corey Seager grounded into a bases loaded, nobody out, double play scoring Joc Pederson. The Astros got a run in the 5th on a throwing error by Dodger's pitcher Tony Watson. Evan Gattis grounded back to Watson who promptly threw the ball into foul territory down the first base line. Josh Reddick, who had singled ahead of Gattis was able score all the way from 1B on the play making the score 5-1. The Dodgers got 2 runs back in the 6th when McCullers allowed a walk and a double putting Dodgers on 2nd and 3rd with nobody out. McCullers struck out Cody Bellanger for the first out in the inning and McCullers' night was over. Peacock came in and got Yasiel Puig to ground out to Altuve allowing the runner on 3rd to score. Peacock, while pitching to Chase Utley, threw a wild pitch allowing another run in. Both runs were charged to McCullers. That was it for the scoring but in the 8th the Astros loaded the bases with 2 outs George Springer damn near hit a grand slam but the ball didn't carry and Chris Taylor caught the ball right at the center field wall. Peacock closed out the game getting his first ever save in the bigs and the Astros are now up 2 games to 1 on the Dodgers.

Unfortunately, the one thing that is being talked about is the racial slur aimed at Dodgers pitcher Yu Darvish after Gurriel homered off Darvish in the 2nd inning. Gurriel was caught on camera using his fingers to pull his eyes back in a mocking gesture aimed at Darvish. It was a childish gesture and it was caught on camera and has gone viral in every media, social or public, since. Gurriel apologized for the incident but it seemed to be too little too late. A rep from the MLB league office will be meeting with Gurriel, and presumably the Astros front office, today with a determination if action, if any, is to be taken. It's a shame that a childish gesture is putting a taint on the joyous atmosphere around this World Series in Houston. Reaction on Twitter and Facebook is mainly people who think people need to; "grow a pair", "man up", put your big boy pants on", put your big girl panties on" in reference to thee outrage over Gurriel's gesture. The only person who took the high road in all this is Darvish who was the pinnacle of class in his response to the incident. Gurriel's gesture was stupid and childish but probably not meant in a hateful way but that doesn't matter. Perception is reality and nobody is willing let a racially based gesture slide. MLB can't, the media won't let it drop and there is a definite dispute between Dodgers fans and Astros fans. I would not be surprised if Gurriel was suspended for Game 4 as punishment. A lot of people equate Gurriel's action to Yasiel Puig's licking of his bat but the two incidents are different. While Gurriel's action was in the dugout out of the eyes of most fans it was racially insensitive and not acceptable because of that fact. Puig's bat licking, while classless and gross, isn't an affront to the race of the player he was mocking with the gesture. The fact I am writing about this is just a damn shame because of how happy this playoff run of the Astros has been. They are bringing joy to fans in the area who need heroes to raise their spirits as they rebuild their lives after Hurricane Harvey. Heroes like JJ Watt who threw out the first pitch in last night's game and the Olympian, Soccer Player and Astronaut, all from the Houston area, all being honored during the pregame ceremonies. What should be the greatest of all experiences for Houston sports fans has become tainted by the thoughtless action of one of their "heroes". Shame on you Yuli Gurriel for fucking up this event because we have to even talk about this stupid crap. I want my Astros to be the best damn baseball team on the planet and part of that is them being the paradigm of class and sportsmanship the way Biggio and Bagwell did for so many years.

 

Game 4 is tonight with Charlie Morton taking the mound coming off a Game 7 seven win over the Yankees in the ALCS. A game in which he and Lance McCullers combined on a 9 inning shutout of the Yankees. I don't care who's pitching for LA because it's becoming apparent they can hit anyone if they just abide by their game plan and don't over swing at pitches. If Houston's offense is on and they get to the Dodger's starter early they can win Game 4. Let's hope this Yuli Gurriel thing doesn't change their mojo.

[eagle eye]

The hangover is pretty much over now. I’m not talking about the kind where you’ve had too much alcohol to drink that involves a bad headache, sensitivity to life and a general feeling that you would not be averse to the notion that death might be an option for you. No, I’m talking about Championship Hangover. You run around screaming and yelling in the moments when your team, the Astros in this case, record that last out of the last game to win the very first MLB World Series in franchise history! In retrospect, I am fairly lucky that police weren’t involved as my yelling and joyful dancing could have been interpreted by my unlucky neighbors, who wanted to get some sleep on a Wednesday night, as the ‘what the hell is wrong with that crazy dude on the third floor’ vibe that was going down from people who don’t give a damn about baseball. My wife, who is one of those people who cares nothing for our national pastime, was ticked off at me for disturbing her sleep. The Final Out was recorded around 11:00 PM and the little woman had been asleep for about an hour when all Hades broke out in our apartment. I stayed up until about 1 AM watching the post-game ceremonies, interviews and highlights when exhaustion finally took hold and I went to bed. Thank goodness for banked vacation days or yesterday would have been rough. I would have loved to have had the interaction with my co-workers that are Astros fans as we basked in the glory of this monumental win but, I would not, in all likelihood, have been productive. I would have hit a wall at some point and zombied my way through the rest of the day. I got a lot done yesterday, important stuff I wouldn’t have been able to do while I was working and, I could listen to sports talk radio and continue to immerse myself in the whole World Series after-glow. Life has a way of bringing you back down to earth and the errands I did get done yesterday was my equivalent to gravity. When you win a championship, life is not supposed to be anything but sunshine and rainbows. Yesterday was more akin to turds in punchbowls. Positive results occurred as a result of my efforts but if pulling teeth is as hard as some of the errands I ran yesterday there’s no way in this world I would ever consider being a dentist. Last night I went to bed at a decent hour and I woke up for work ready to go but there was a sort of a hangover feeling this morning but, it has worn off. Life is back to normal (?) and the world goes on. One thing that can’t be taken away is the fact that Houston’s Astros are World Champs and THAT, my peeps, is something that will not change – ever!

Biggest takeaways from the WS.

Springer was MVP as he tied a record for home runs in a WS with 5. He became the first player ever to hit a home run in 4 consecutive games. His 29 total bases are a post season record and he played some pretty nice defense too.

Alex Bregman seemed to be involved in every single good thing that happened and if Springer didn’t win MVP I really think Bregman should have been considered. He made some defensive plays that were too cool for school that saved a lot of runs all the way through the playoffs.

This was supposed to be a featured performance by the starting pitchers for both teams. The top two matchups were Keuchel vs Kershaw and Verlander vs Hill and they delivered to some extent but not to the level you were led to expect. A real hero in this series was Charlie Morton who won Game 3 and Game 7, one as a starter and the other as a reliever. The guy who looks like Jimmy Fallon was reborn in Houston this year and he found a new level of greatness during the playoffs. Keuchel and Verlander were both oh-fer in the WS with both pitchers losing one game each.

Along those same lines, both bullpens were just awful. The saving grace for Houston was using starters in relief. Guys like Morton, Brad Peacock, Collin McHugh saved the Astros bacon as Will Harris, Chris Devenski and Ken Giles seemed to think they were just tossing BP to the Dodgers hitters. Ken Giles and the Dodgers Kanley Jansen were top closers who couldn’t close anything. Any trust AJ Hinch might have had in Giles was shot to hell in Game 5 when Houston gave up 3 runs to allow LA to tie the game in the ninth inning. From an excitement standpoint Game 5 was the best game in the series but from a pitching standpoint it was a disaster from both teams.

The most unsung hero for Houston? My vote is Joe Musgrove. He came in and did a nice job going 1-0 in four appearances in the WS. His win came in Game 5 as he closed out the Dodgers in the bottom of the 11th to preserve the Astros 13-12 win in Game 5. The one game he wasn’t effective was Game 4 when he came on to pitch one inning giving up a hit and a walk. Unfortunately, the hit was a 2-run homer that gave LA a bit of insurance in what was a 6-2 Dodgers win last Saturday night.

Biggest disappointment in the series? That’s easy, Josh Reddick. I don’t hate on Reddick because he played terrific defense throughout the playoffs which was worth a few runs saved which helps negate the struggles he had at the plate. He did pretty well against Boston in the ALDS going 6-14 but his struggles at the plate began in the Yankees series in the ALCS. In that series Reddick went 1-25 with no runs or RBI’s. Against the Dodgers he was 4-22 with a walk and, again, no runs scored or RBI’s. He did have some big outfield assists and he made some nice catches in the series that were big outs when Houston needed outs.

Finally, the prediction in Sports Illustrated back in 2014 that Houston would win the 2017 World Series is eerie enough but to have George Springer on the cover of the that issue of the magazine AND being named WS MVP is downright freaky! (Cue the Twilight Zone music)

[Dracula]

Because I was working, I was listening to the game on the radio. Around the 7th inning, I just had the feeling that the Dodgers were flat, it just wasn't going to be their day. There was still a little apprehension that Houston would pull the pitcher and, with a new pitcher, the whole thing could still go South.Then I realized who was left in the bullpen, Keuchel and Verlander. Two Cy Young winners to get 3 or 6 outs. That should be illegal. Advantage Houston.

[eagle eye]

The season is over and what a ride it has been! From Day 1 houston led the AL West and, in that, they went wire to wire. That was one thing but after just 2 months the Astros were so far ahead the 2nd place team was not even in the picture. Then, injuries began to happen.

 

First the pitching staff was hit, and hit hard. At one point in early June Houston had 4 starters on the DL. Mike Fiers and Brad Peacock carried the staff through June and most of July.

 

Then the position players started dropping. Jose Altuve and Teoscar Hernandez collided and both players missed time, Altuve with a concussion. George Springer went down for about a week after crashing into a wall and getting his own concussion. Carlos Correa went down with a torn ligament in his thumb missing six weeks. The loss of Correa came about the same time the Astros had the August from hell.

 

August was the only month Houston had a losing record and it also saw the Cleveland Indians begin an epic 22 straight wins that allowed them to pass the Astros for the best record in the AL. The Dodgers passed up Houston for the best record in all of baseball just before the All Star break. Houston made a couple of roster moves at the mid-August trade deadline. They picked up OF Cameron Maybin off waivers. The made a deal with Philadelphia for P Francis Liriano but these were minor deals that could make Houston better but the team was disappointed that the one big deal that everyone else seemed to making had eluded them.

 

Then, with literally seconds to spare, Jeff Luhnow completed a deal that was exactly what the doctor and Dallas Keuchel ordered. The 11th hour and 57 second deal for Detroit’s Justin Verlander reenergized the whole team. You could almost say two storms hit Houston on August 31st, Hurricane Harvey and Justin Verlander. Harvey drenched all of southeast Texas causing thousands to be left homeless. We know all too well that tale. But now we know the end of the other tale. Verlander went undefeated as a Astro until Game 6 of the World Series which included a complete game gem in the ALDS against Boston. Verlander’s record as an Astro ended up 9-1 in ten starts and one relief appearance. To say Verlander had a positive impact on the Astros team is one of the most incredible understatements of all time.

 

The Astros overcame losing their #1 starter for two months, their #2 starter for about three months, both catchers for a couple of weeks each, a starting outfielder, Jake Marisnick, for 6 weeks including the the whole postseason and their starting right fielder and shortstop for big chunks of the season. They beat up on Boston in the ALDS but they went the full 7 games in the ALCS and the World Series that finally ended with the Astros first World Championship in the franchise’s 52 year history.

 

The team also overcame the Sports Illustrated cover jinx. In the summer of 2014 the magazine put George (future World Series MVP) Springer on the cover with the headline “Meet Your 2017 World Champions!” That was certainly the kiss of death for the Astros chances but, it just became part of the mythical season of 2017.

 

The season isn’t quite over with. There are all the awards that need to be handed out including what must surely be the MLB MVP award to Jose Altuve but, we got a championship in H-town and the team is in tact for the next 3 years at least. In the famous words of Will Farrell, “Good Times!”

[eagle eye]

The Astros are wrapping up their 2017 season by collecting individual awards for the players and coaches.

So far Jose Altuve has collected, for the 2nd straight year, the top two awards given by the players and coaches in the league. Altuve won the Player’s Choice Awards for MLB Player of the Year and the AL Most Outstanding Player. This is a huge honor as it comes from fellow players and coaches who, by their votes, show how much they value you as a player.

The MLB Esurance Awards voted on by the Sportswriters Association started being awarded earlier this week. Jose Altuve and George Springer won the Silver Slugger Award which is given to the best hitters by position. Altuve winning for 2nd basemen and Springer for outfielders. This year’s award was Altuve’s 4th such award while this was Springer’s first.

Yuli Gurriel came in 4th in the voting for the AL Rookie of the Year. Of course, the Yankees Aaron Judge was a shoe-in for the honor and deservedly so but it was nice to see Gurriel in the conversation.

AJ Hinch was 3rd in the voting for AL Manager of the Year behind the Twins’ Paul Molitor who took a team that lost 103 games in 2016 to the playoffs this past season. The 2nd place vote getter was the Indian’s skipper Terry Francona who guided his team to the best record in the American League based largely on the AL record 22 game win streak the Indians had that began in mid-August and ran through mid-September. The link below details why Hinch was in the conversation for MOTY and a strong case can be made that he deserved the honor over both Molitor and Francona.

http://m.astros.mlb.com/news/article/261877580/aj-hinch-3rd-in-al-manager-of-year-award/?topicId=27118380

The final, and most prestigious award will be given tonight, that being the League MVP awards. The favorite to win the AL MVP is Houston’s own Jose Altuve and he is the clear favorite among people who report on things related to MLB. The article linked below comes from Astros.com and talks about why Altuve should win the MVP award. Last season Altuve won the Players Choice Awards for MLB’s Player of the Year and AL Most Outstanding player. Altuve didn’t win MVP honors from the BBWAA, it went instead to Mike Trout. Altuve actually came in 3rd in the voting because Boston’s Mookie Betts came in 2nd. Hopefully, justice will be served and Altuve wins the MVP award as he should.

http://m.astros.mlb.com/news/article/261944404/jose-altuve-makes-case-for-al-mvp-award/?topicId=27118380

[eagle eye]

The lid was placed on the 2017 MLB season with the crowning of Jose Altuve as the Esurance 2017 Most Valuable Player! The best player on the best team in pro baseball. Hopefully this is but a chapter in the storybook tale of these Houston Astros. No matter what you can never refer to the Astros without the adjectives World Champions! It took nearly 60 years to reach the top of the mountain but, let me tell you, the view from the top IS AWESOME!!!!

 

This is the final post on this thread. For the Astros and their fans this has been an amazing year. And for it end the way it has is beyond explanation. At the beginning of the year when Houston signed Charlie Morton, an aging Carlos Beltran and Josh Reddick it didn’t send shockwaves of hope for big things to come but all 3 were major contributors all the way to the end. In the summer when the team signed Cameron Maybin and Francis Liriano people were disappointed. On the last day in August when Houston completed the deal for Justin Verlander it re-energized the team just when they needed it most. The adversities the team faced on and off the field might have broken a lesser team. By September first you knew Houston would win the AL West but you didn’t know how far this team could go. The addition of Verlander was like a double shot of 5 Hour Energy that was ultimately the move that put Houston over the top. The cool thing is this team is not losing any pieces for at least 3 years. Except for the retirement of Carlos Beltran virtually everyone is returning next spring. I don’t know about you it is already a happy Thanksgiving AND a Merry Christmas because my Astros are World Champs!! See you in another thread talking about the Astros hot stove and off season activity.

 

Say goodnight, Gracie.