Astros @ Rangers September 24, 2013

[Mr. Happy]

Your lineups for tonight's tilt:

Astros

SSJonathan Villar
2BJose Altuve
LFMarc Krauss
3BMatt Dominguez
DHChris Carter
RFTrevor Crowe
1BBrett Wallace
CCarlos Corporan
CFBrandon Barnes
HOU: Brad Peacock (5-5, 5.24)

2B Ian Kinsler
SS Elvis Andrus
RF Alex Rios
3B Adrian Beltre
DH A.J. Pierzynski
C Geovany Soto
1B Mitch Moreland
LF Craig Gentry
CF Leonys Martin
TEX: Yu Darvish (13-9, 2.81)

[NeilT]

They're toast.  Just toast.  Somebody's toast.

[OregonStrosFan]

Altuve singles (and then jokingly motions for the ball to be thrown out - his first hit against Darvish).  Perfecto and no-no done.  Krauss walks, bringing Matty D. to the dish.

[OregonStrosFan]

Matty D. walks on a 3-2 count (like Krauss).  Chris Carter comes to the dish with 1 out and the bases juiced in T1.

[OregonStrosFan]

Carter gets under it a bit, but sends it to deep left to score Altuve on a sac fly. Crowe grounds out to 2B to end the inning.

Middle 1: HOU 1, DFW 0.

And that'll probably do it for me and PBP on the eve...

[Mr. Happy]

1-0 Good Guys Bottom 2. FYD with two K's thus far.

[NeilT]

Hey!  I'm watching baseball on TV!

[austro]

Hey!  I'm watching baseball on TV!

Anything for your (almost) birthday.

[Mr. Happy]

stRangers tie it at 1 with a single by Soto against the shift.

[NeilT]

I'm not sure where this Texas team is from. Abilene maybe?  I have fond memories of Abilene. I don't really like them though. They're probably from Brownwood.

[Mr. Happy]

Six K's for FYD through 5.1 frames.

[austro]

Well, that was a crock of shit: the 3-1 pitch to Krauss was outside *and* high and still called a strike. Then he strikes out on an ankle-biting slider on the next pitch.

[NeilT]

Boy. I sure like these Rangers announcers.

[jbm]

Sidenote: Wacha has a gem going for the Cards thru six.

[NeilT]

DOMINGUEZ!!!

[jbm]

That is sweet.  Fuck the Rangers.

[OregonStrosFan]

Man, when Matty D gets a hold of one, he gets a hold of one... 21st HR of the year (and 3rd HR off Darvish to boot!).

top 6 (1 out, none on): HOU 2, DFW 2

[austro]

Ha ha! Sit down, Darvish.

[chuck]

I have lots of memories of Abilene, none of them particularly good. They mainly involve hospitals, raisins and square hamburger patties. I did fly there twice as a child. I guess those are good memories.

[NeilT]

I have lots of memories of Abilene, none of them particularly good. They mainly involve hospitals, raisins and square hamburger patties. I did fly there twice as a child. I guess those are good memories.

I had a friend who got kicked out of driver's ed because of the length of his hair. Those were the days.

[Matt]

I have lots of memories of Abilene, none of them particularly good. They mainly involve hospitals, raisins and square hamburger patties. I did fly there twice as a child. I guess those are good memories.

You can actually FLY into Abilene?

[NeilT]

These Ranger broadcasters are maybe the best ever. They just told me somebody got fisted. That's reporting.

[Bench]

These Ranger broadcasters are maybe the best ever. They just told me somebody got fisted. That's reporting.

Another Father Cox appearance?

[NeilT]

What kind of mother names their child Adrian.

[austro]

You can actually FLY into Abilene?

You can if you ride in a B-1.

[chuck]

You can actually FLY into Abilene?

I flew to Abilene on two different airlines, unsurprisingly both now defunct.

[jbm]

Giambi with a walk off for the Tribe!!

[austro]

Villar is very frustrating.

[NeilT]

Villar is very frustrating.

Altuve is very frustrating.

[Jose Cruz III]

Giambi with a walk off for the Tribe!!

And Washington with a little hissy fit about it, apparently.

[Jose Cruz III]

Villar Altuve Carter Dominguez JD Martinez Wallace Krauss The Astros is are very frustrating.

FIFY

[NeilT]

I'm thinking this Texas team may be from Goldthwaite. I got a speeding ticket once in Goldthwaite.

[juliogotay]

I'm thinking this Texas team may be from Goldthwaite. I got a speeding ticket once in Goldthwaite.

They may be from Quanah.

[NeilT]

No. I know Quanah. They're not from Quanah.

[jbm]

The Cards' shortstop blows Wacha's nono with 2 outs in the ninth on a ball many shortstops turn into an out.

[BudGirl]

I know the Rangers are playing the Astros but you'd think the fans would show up for the team.  I guess they only do that when they are leading the division.

[Bench]

The Cards' shortstop blows Wacha's nono with 2 outs in the ninth on a ball many shortstops turn into an out.

I don't know about that.  Would have been an amazing play if he nailed the throw.

[OregonStrosFan]

I don't know about that.  Would have been an amazing play if he nailed the throw.

I think this is where I fall...

In any event... that makes 3 perfectos/no-nos (2/1) lost with 2 outs in the 9th this season.  Wow!

[Jose Cruz III]

The Cards' shortstop blows Wacha's nono with 2 outs in the ninth on a ball many shortstops turn into an out.

FTCoards and their shortstop...and their pitcher.

[austro]

When is the last time the Astros actually got a hit with a runner in scoring position? It certainly hasn't happened in the last two days.

[NeilT]

We're in the American League now Baybee. We only score on home runs.

[The Spleen]

You can actually FLY into Abilene?

On a broom, yes...

[Jose Cruz III]

Take that Beltre. FBeltre.

[Jose Cruz III]

Take that Beltre. FBeltre.

and the whole Dallas-Fort Worth team including the groundskeepers.

[austro]

and the whole Dallas-Fort Worth team including the groundskeepers.

I don't have anything against the groundskeepers.

[Jose Cruz III]

AJ is up. Please 8 lb 4 oz Baby BBG let Zeid plunk him too.

[Jose Cruz III]

AJ is up. Please 8 lb 4 oz Baby BBG let Zeid plunk him too.

Even better. A 4-6-3 Dazzling DP. Take a seat, AJ.

[austro]

Hey, look at that: 14 Ks. Not all for Darvish, obviously, but still...

[Jose Cruz III]

The way Altuve is flailing I say it becomes 15

[austro]

I'm not really a sore loser, so I think I'll go ahead and invite all of the Rangers players over to my house next week to watch some playoff baseball.

[NeilT]

Rickety Fick dickey fickedy fickedy Fick.

[OregonStrosFan]

Take that Beltre. FBeltre.

You get an 'amen' on that one!

[Jose Cruz III]

I was wrong. It was a popup to end it. FTR

[juliogotay]

I enjoyed watching Peacock pitch last night. He looks like a guy that can be a mainstay in the rotation for awhile. Kept the ball down with a variety of pitches and good breaking pitches.

[austro]

I enjoyed watching Peacock pitch last night. He looks like a guy that can be a mainstay in the rotation for awhile. Kept the ball down with a variety of pitches and good breaking pitches.

Yes, he did a good job. All of the pitchers did, really.

Now, about those bats...

[Mr. Happy]

I enjoyed watching Peacock pitch last night. He looks like a guy that can be a mainstay in the rotation for awhile. Kept the ball down with a variety of pitches and good breaking pitches.

 In particular, I liked how he attacked the hitters. He was pitching to miss bats, and he had a lot of swings and misses, which is a great sign.

[Ron Brand]

Reuben has a motto for us all.

[Mr. Happy]

Reuben has a motto for us all.

R: your work here again is stellar. I, for one, will miss reading your recaps of the tuesday tilts until next season, when I hope that you return to that slot. Your efforts are sincerely appreciated here by all. Thanks!

[JimR]

R: your work here again is stellar. I, for one, will miss reading your recaps of the tuesday tilts until next season, when I hope that you return to that slot. Your efforts are sincerely appreciated here by all. Thanks!

ditto!

[Jose Cruz III]

I enjoyed watching Peacock pitch last night. He looks like a guy that can be a mainstay in the rotation for awhile. Kept the ball down with a variety of pitches and good breaking pitches.

He has pitched well along with Cosart and Oberholtzer. I read a few days ago that their collective ERA since the break is as good as anybody in the league. Throw in Appel and Rodan and this staff looks to be pretty good in a couple of years, barring injury. Watching this team grow this year has been brutal at times but the look of the future is spectacular, again barring injury.

[NeilT]

ditto!

Yep.

[Bench]

He has pitched well along with Cosart and Oberholtzer. I read a few days ago that their collective ERA since the break is as good as anybody in the league. Throw in Appel and Rodan and this staff looks to be pretty good in a couple of years, barring injury. Watching this team grow this year has been brutal at times but the look of the future is spectacular, again barring injury.

There are some pretty good pitchers already in the minors between the Cosart, Oberholtzer et al group and Appel/Rodon.

[Reuben]

Yep.

Thanks Happy, Jim, Neil, guys. I sincerely appreciate it. It seems like every week, I'm either writing those late at night after the game, while I'm practically nodding off, or the next morning before work, so they never feel very satisfactory. But I guess we all have to deal with the same shit, more or less.