Houston Astros Regular Season Thread

[Guest eagle eye]

Houston won another series! They took the rubber game in their series against Kansas City by a score of 3-1. The offense led by Jason Castro, who has taken over the 3 hole in recent games, and JD Martinez who hit a 2 run home run in the 4th. Martinez is showing some of the potential he showed at the beginning of last year before a wrist injury and the resulting loss of confidence derailed his season. Castro is really coming on and as he has more success his confidence has got to be rising as well. Jordan Lyles notched his second win in three tries since he returned to the starting rotation. Giving the Astros 6 quality innings scattering 6 hits and a walk with 3 K's he looked good in the process. He was backed up by scoreless innings by Travis Blackley, Hector Ambriz and Jose Veras who logged his 8th save of the season the 'Stros closed out the series with KC in fine fashion. Next up on this homestand will be the Oakland A's starting Friday night.

[Big T]

Castro has been hitting in the three hole for most of the season. The first Seattle series in fact. There was a time for about a week where Altuve was hitting three but for the most part it has been Castro.

[Guest eagle eye]

Altuve first hit 3rd on May 8 and his last game to hit there was last Saturday May 19 with 4 days off for funeral leave. Your right Big T Castro has hit 3rd more than anyone else on the team this year but what I meant was he just reclaimed the 3 hole spot this past week, Monday to be exact, when Houston began their series with Kansas City. I think Bo Porter is serching for that right combination in his lineup. Houston began with Chris Carter hitting 3rd and has had quite a few guys in that spot. Altuve may have been the most productive player in that spot but there was nobody getting on base ahead of him. Castro actually started the season hitting sixth or seventh but he's proven to be too good a hitter to be that far down in the lineup.

[Guest eagle eye]

Houston had a 2 run lead going into the ninth inning and our "closer" Jose Veras was on the mound. About 10 minutes later Houston was watching a 3 run home run fly over the left field wall. A walk, a strike out, a walk and that homer by Chris Young, a K and a ground out and that was it. Oh, the Astros had a little something going in the bottom of the 9th because of two walks but in the end Veras 3rd blown save in 11 opportunities was the killer. You can't have a closer who is only successful 72% of the time. Tighten it up Jose!

 

It is being reported that OF Justin Maxwell is beginning rehab at the extended spring training in Kissimmee this coming Wednesday. If all goes well he'll move after a week to Single A Quad Cities. My question is this, why so much attention to Maxwell when you have a guy in Brandon Barnes who is playing lights out in center field and hitting .313. To me, Maxwell needs to start worrying about losing his job to Barnes who was only hitting .234 before he broke his wrist. It's also obvious that Robbie Grossman isn't ready for the bigs as he struggles to stay above the Mendoza Line (.208 BA).

 

This Veras thing is really bothering me. You just can't have a closer you can't depend on.

[Big T]

He is the best reliever on this team. Therefore you can not take him out of the closers role or it will just get worse. This is the worst bullpen I think I have ever seen. :'(

[Big T]

With another win tonight the Astros knock off the Rockies and improve to 7 and 7 in the last fourteen games. This team has been playing much better the last few weeks and has seemed to gel better in the club house. The guys in the dugout seem to be much more animated and energized and have a better chemistry than in the previous few weeks. Personally I think that the improved play and the improved team spirit and chemistry within the club house has to do with the improvements of Jason Castro and Matt Dominguez. Both have been on fire lately and their youthful enthusiasm has infected the veterans on this team. It was fun to watch Jose Altuve and Carlos Pena having a little fun together after Chris Carter and Matt Dominguez hit back to back jacks today. I really think if this team can continue to gel together and the young guys keep improving week in and week out, they will have the opportunity to surprise some teams during the stretch this year. Like what i'm seeing right now. GO STROS!

[Guest eagle eye]

I agree, Big T the Astros are looking better of late. The starting pitching has been giving the team 5-6 quality innings for the most part and the bullpen has been doing their part as well. The one who has really been on fire is J D Martinez. He had a bad night on Monday striking out five times in five at bats but in the last three games he's hit over .400. Nice little hot streak for a guy who season nose dived about this time last year. I'd love to go see the Orioles play next week but I'm working some brutal hours right now.

 

Here's a couple of interesting articles about Astros prospects in the minors and an article about the 'Stros interviewing OU pitcher Jonathan Gray. BTW the MLB draft is just one week away!

 

http://houston.astros.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20130530&content_id=49118736&notebook_id=49119072&vkey=notebook_hou&c_id=hou

 

http://www.milb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20130531&content_id=49165026&fext=.jsp&vkey=news_milb

 

http://houston.astros.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20130530&content_id=49101318&vkey=news_hou&c_id=hou

[dacards]

It'd be nice to see if they can keep the momentum going in LA and at home against the Orioles both teams that should be better than they have been so far.

[Big T]

Yet another win tonight for the Stros over the Angels! They are now 8 and 7 in their last 15 games and a very impressive 4 and 1 in their last five games. BTW did y'all realize that Jason Castro is hitting .283 with 7 HR and 15 2B?! And he hit another bomb tonight! The guy is on fire right now and if I did the math right he is 17 for 38 in his last 11 games which computes to a BA of around .454! Matt Dominguez has 8 HR in his last 18 games to go along with 15 RBI in the same amount of games.

[Big T]

Astros win again! Bud Norris pitched a gem and Chris Carter provided the offense with a two run bomb to propel the Astros to a 2-0 victory and a series win! Going for the sweep tomorrow.

[Guest eagle eye]

This past week has seen Houston go on a run of games that we haven't seen in 2013. Beginning Monday Houston took 1 of 2 from Colorado and then traveled to Denver for another two game series that the Astros swept! By the way, that was the first series sweep for Houston this year. Friday the Astros began a 4 game series with the Los Angeles Angels and they have won the first two games in that series. Added up that means that the Astros are 5-1 for the week and regardless of what happens today the Astros will have recorded the best week of the season. They will finish either 5-2 or 6-1 which is the first winning week of the 2013. The previous best was recorded way back on the week of April 8-14 when they took 2 of 3 against Seattle and after winning the opener vs these same Angels dropped the final two games of the series giving them a 3-3 record for the week. Another milestone was the first 4 game winning streak of the season which came on the heels of their first 3 game winning streak of 2013. The last milestone I want to mention is with the two series against the Rockies it's Houston's first back to back series win of the year and if they can take one of the next two they will extend that to 3. It's getting to be a pain in the ass that ComCast Sports and local carriers can't work out a TV deal to show the Astros locally. These Astros, as Big T said, seem to be coming together and they have shown a never give up attitude and lately the hits are starting to fall in for them.

 

One note: Last night closer Jose Veras can't seem to close games without some drama attached. After retiring the first two batters in the top of the ninth he hit JB Schuck and allowed a single to Erick Aybar putting the tying run at first base with Mike Trout coming to the plate. Fortunately, for Houston Veras got Trout to ground out to Matt Dominguez who got Aybar at second to end the game. Veras scares the heck out of me. He can't seem to just do his job without some drama involved. It reminds me of Brad Lidge's last couple of years with Houston. He got a lot of saves but he blew a lot too.

 

Today's game has Jordan Lyles (2-1) going up against CJ Wilson (4-3). A tough matchup but Lyles has been pretty good since he returned to the starting rotation. Let's hope he can keep it going.

[Big T]

My bad. During the excitement of winning last night I forgot it was a four game series instead of a three game series lol. Oh well if we win today then we can go for the sweep tomorrow.

[Big T]

NONONONONONONO............................. ok good. Once again the Astros win again! But they made it way to close today. Brad Peacock came in to close out the game and promptly gave up a two run HR with no one out to close the lead to 5-4. The Stros would however be able to hold on for their 5th consecutive win! They go for the sweep tomorrow and with a win tomorrow they would reach the 20 win mark. Yea they have gone on this great streak and they still haven't reached twenty wins...................... But on the bright side they are not the worst team in baseball this year! That honor falls to the Marlins who only have 16 wins and are 16-41. The Astros have a whole three game lead on them! Now getting serious again, the Stros are playing very well right now and they are only a couple games back of Seattle and the Angles.

[Guest BigRed2010]

Big T today's game was win 20. Astros are 20-37, 4 games behind Seattle.

 

http://www.cbssports.com/mlb/standings

[Big T]

Yes my bad. At the time MLB had not updated their standings so that's where I got the nineteen. Come on mlb.com get yo head in the game lol.

[Guest eagle eye]

5 in row people and 3 series wins in a row! Even Lou in "Major League" would be proud. He would have to say this is a winning streak!

[Big T]

Here are some stats that put a big smile on this Astros fans face.

 

Brandon Barnes: BA .286 SB 4 OBP .356

Jason Castro: BA .282 HR 7 RBI 17 2B 15

J.D. Martinez: BA .277 HR 5 RBI 21 2B 10 (In ten less games than the rest)

Domingo: HR 8 RBI 29 2B 8- This guy is bit of an enigma to me. He is only hitting .235 but every time he gets a hit he seems to drive in runs. I absolutely love this guy and the all out way he plays but at the same time that BA and his .261 OBP is terrible.

 

All of these guys are young and hopefully part of the future the Astros have coming up.

 

[Big T]

Astros win again last night 2-1 to sweep the Angels in a four game set! They take on Baltimore who has been playing pretty well the last few weeks.

[Guest eagle eye]

The Astros 6 game winning steak came to an end at home last night. Lucas Harrell pitched a whale of a game and left trailing 2-1 after seven innings. The mojo the 'Stros showed in Denver and LA didn't wake up in the 8th and 9th innings. In fact relievers Wesley Wright and Josh Fields gave up a run each and Houston fell 4-1. When I saw the schedule on Sunday and saw Houston playing a night game in Anaheim and coming back and without a day off playing the following evening I thought Houston may be in trouble. It was reported that Houston didn't arrive back in town until 5 AM Tuesday morning meaning most of the guys didn't get to bed until 8-ish. Tired and groggy and jet lagged is no way to play baseball. I'm sure Lucas Harrell came back to Houston on Sunday or Monday afternoon. He was rested and he pitched well enough to win if his team mates could just generate a little offense but credit has to go to Orioles pitcher Chris Tillman who held the 'Stros to just 4 hits, one earned run and 8 K's with 2 walks. Not bad especially when the team you're facing is playing on 4 or 5 hours of sleep.

 

Notes: The Astros went 6-0 on last week's road trip. It's the first time Houston went 6-0 or better on the road since 1999. That includes a World Series team that included Roger Clemens. The four game sweep of the Angels is Houston's very first such sweep of an American League team. Jose Altuve's batting average has been in steady decline for the past month. On May 1st his BA was .336 and on June 1st it was .296. Let's hope he gets back on a roll but I'll take .296 if the Astros continue winning.

 

Tomorrow is the MLB draft. Will Houston go pitcher or position player? GM Jeff Luhnow says they will take the best player available. Oklahoma pitcher Jonathan Gray tested positive for Ativan. Was it performance enhancing or was he cramming for finals? Will Houston pass on a pitcher who can throw triple digit fast balls because of this? By this time tomorrow we'll know.

 

Last thing, Houston bounced back nicely and look to be starting another win streak or are they? In the top of the 8th Houston leads Baltimore 11-6 with one out and the bases loaded. Hector Ambriz is coming in in relief of Travis Blackley who pitched only 1/3 of an inning surrendering 2 runs (so far) on 3 hits, 2 walks and a strike out. He gave up a homer to Matt Weiters after a leadoff double by Chris Davis. Hopefully, I'll wake up tomorrow and the good guys will have held on.

[Big T]

The bullpen is did their best to give up the big lead but they were able to hold on.

 

As for Gray, what I heard was that it was Adderall which is actually a legal substance in MLB as long as you have a prescription. I hope and think that the Astros will not let this influence their decision as I hope they draft Gray. I know that the Astros office says that they are still not in the position to be drafting specific positions that they will be taking the best no matter what position but they have to look at the lack of pitching depth and see that is the main position in this organization that needs to be filled this draft.

[Guest eagle eye]

I read that Craig Biggio's son is 'within draftable range'. How about a second generation Biggio coming down the dugout tunnel?

[Big T]

Astros fell to Baltimore today but more importantly was the draft and with the first overall pick the Astros selected Mark Appel out of Stanford a RHP. Not surprised by this pick as he was the most safest and sure fire player available in the draft this year and will turn out to be a mid range ace or a dominant number two starter. I still think Gray still has the most upside of the two though.

[KABrother88]

I too wish they would have taken Gray...better upside and possibly at a lower cost...don't get me wrong the Appel should turn out to be an great pick but he'll probably demand all of the slot value with Scott Boras as his agent...maybe he'll give us the hometown discount...seemed pretty happy about coming home on Twitter...as for Cavan Biggio, word can't express how happy I'd be to see that name roaming the field again...Craig is a special assistant to Luhnow and had already given him a dollar amount that would want for him to pass on college...Craig said he will not be in the room when the pick is made so the organization doesn't feel pressured to take him...but I look for them to with the first pick in the 3rd round with starts in just a little while

[Guest eagle eye]

So, Big T, do you waste the No 1 pick in the draft for a mid range ace? If you do then you won't have a job for very long. According to ESPN's Keith Law Appel is a potential No 1 with three plus pitches, fast ball, slider and curve. Throw in a change up he worked on at Stanford and you have a power pitcher with a whole arsenal to throw at opposing batters. The other things that make Appel a good pick is 1) he's from Houston. What kid doesn't want to play for his home town team? and 2) According to reports he's close to being major league ready. Again, according to Keith Law he could see the Astros pitching him in Houston this year and he feels like he'd would do okay. To their credit the Astros don't need to, and are not intending to, rush Appel through the minors. They know he's pitched a whole college season and look to him pitching in the minors some this summer. Nice pick IMO but only time will tell if it truly is. Appel doesn't have the baggage Jonathan Gray picked up by testing positive for Adderall which is legal IF you have a prescription which Gray does not. (I know I said Atavan in an earlier post--my bad!)

 

The Astros picked up another pitcher late last night with the 40th pick. They chose UC-Irvine RHP Andrew Thurman. Here's a little article from Astros.com.

 

http://mlb.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20130606&content_id=49804508&notebook_id=48653142&vkey=notebook_hou&c_id=hou

 

The Astros 3rd round pick (No 74 overall) is Emanuel Kent a junior from North Carolina. He's a left handed pitcher so it looks like Houston is serious about stocking their system with good, or potentially good, pitchers. Here's a scouting report from MLB.com:

 

6'04" 215lbs DOB: 06/04/92 | Scouting video

As the Friday starter for one of the top-ranked college programs in the country, Emanuel is undoubtedly getting plenty of looks. He gets the job done, albeit without wow kind of stuff. His fastball will top out at around 91 mph, his breaking stuff is fringy and he has a solid changeup. But what he lacks in pure stuff he makes up for with pitchability. He has excellent command and knows how to mix his pitches extremely well. A lack of a true out pitch might mean he doesn't come off Draft boards real early, but he's big and strong and understands his craft, giving him the chance to be a workhorse at the back end of a big league rotation in the future.

[Big T]

When I say mid range ace I mean he will not be a Verlander, Felix Hernandez, or a Haladay. He is going to be more like a Matt Cain, David Price who was a 1 and 1 pick by the Rays, or a Gallardo. A very good pitcher that other teams will fear facing but not the dominant pitcher like a Justin Verlander.

 

Added on top of that his agent is Scott Bora$$ and because of this the Astros have not been able to be aggressive the next several rounds instead they have been forced to draft safely due to the amount of money the Appel and Bora$$ will demand. I actually would not be surprised if they asked for something over the slotted amount. Bora$$ is just that kind of snake.

 

I like the pick and am glad that we finally have a true number one in the system.

 

Other than Appel, the other draft prospect I am most excited about is Kemp second baseman out of Vandy. If you have never seen this guy play he is one of the most electric guys to watch. He speed is second to non, his defense is a step beyond stellar, and he is more than just a slapper at the dish. He loves hitting the ball in the gaps and running like the wind. Just imagine DDJ hitting one and Kemp hitting two! Also throw in Singleton, Correa, Springer, Altuve, Nolan Fontana, Ruiz, Domingo Santana, Appel, Cosart, McCullers, Folty, and Wojo! Stacked is the only word I can think of.