Sipp-perstar

Astros win 6-4, Tigers lose 4-6

Submitted by Reuben

The homecoming ended on a bitter note for former Astro heart-throb Brad Ausmus Sunday, as his Tigers couldn’t quite pull off a 2nd straight comeback against the Houston bullpen. Scott Feldman pitched a fine game, 6 innings, scattering 7 hits and 2 runs, but the real hero of the day was Tony Sipp, as he proved to be the anti-Jerome-Williams, saving the day and clinching a series win over the first-place Tigers.

While the 5-2 lead the Astros held since the 6th inning felt much more comfortable than the 2-1 of the previous night, things began to fall apart quickly in the 8th. Jose Veras retired the first two hitters, Torii Hunter (thanks to a nifty play by Matty D on a bunt attempt) and Miguel Cabrera. But then Veras got a little wild, walking the normally-unwalkable Victor Martinez and allowing a single to JD Martinez. He then fell behind 3-0 on Nick Castellanos, and, after working the count full, threw a slider that Castellanos hooked down the LF line, scoring both runners. A mental error by Villar allowed Nicky C to sneak into 3rd base with a “triple”.

So in comes Sipp, with the tying run on 3rd and pinch-hitter Ian Kinsler at the plate. Yeah, the guy who hit the game-winning homer in the 9th last night. The guy with a career .310 AVG and .517 SLG% against lefties. The guy riding a streak of 7 straight multi-hit games, including 3 doubles, 3 homers, and 9 RBIs. Did Tony Marcel Sipp give a damn about any of that? Clearly, he did not, as one changeup and two sliders later, Kinsler was walking back to the bench, a strikeout victim.

The Astros got a hard-earned insurance run in the bottom of the 8th, thanks to a clutch hit by Jon Singleton, and then Sipp came back out and slammed the door in the 9th, retiring the side in order. All four batters he faced were righties. For his effort, Sipp earned the Save, his first since 2012 and just the 3rd of his career. He also earned the love and admiration of all the Astros fans that had exploded with rage after Jerome Williams’ predictable 9th-inning meltdown the day before.

***

Also of note:
-Jose Altuve had his 4th straight multi-steal game. Apparently he is only the 3rd player in the modern era to accomplish this, and the first since Ray Chapman (RIP) in 1917. Frankly I’m shocked that Rickey never did that, in one of his 100+ steal years.

-Altuve, Dominguez, and Corporan each had 3 hits. Altuve’s league-leading AVG is now at .347. He also rapped his 25th double.

-The Astro hitters walked just as much as they struck out, accruing 5 of each. George Springer had 3 walks (2 intentional) and did not strike out at all.

***

Futility Watch: The dregs of MLB have caught up to the Astros a bit recently, as they have, at the moment, the 5th-worst record overall, just 1.5 games better than those pitiful new expansion teams, the D-backs and Rays. At 36-47, the Astros are one of eleven teams with between 34 and 37 wins. They are 2 games behind the Rangers, who actually have a slightly worse Run Differential than the Astros (-57 to -52).

***

And finally, what better time to watch this excellent Sonic Youth music video?