ATHLETICS AT ASTROS

JUNE 27-29, 2017

What happened in the last series?

The Astros got less than 11 innings over 3 games from their starting pitchers. Naturally, they won 2 of 3.

Oakland recovered from their home sweep at the hands of the Astros by traveling to Chicago and sweeping the White Sox. No veterans were cut in the making of this sweep.

Schedule/probables

Tuesday, June 27 – 7:10 PM CDT

Manaea (6-4, 4.05) at Fiers (5-2, 3.81)

Starting pitchers with a lower ERA than Mike Fiers over the last month:

CC Sabathia, Max Scherzer, and Corey Klueber

That’s a pretty good list. Oh, and Fiers’ last start against Oakland was among those June starts – 6 innings, 3 hits, and 1 run. If he can do that again, he has a decent chance to be the AL Pitcher of the Month – and if you thought that was anywhere in the realm of possibility 30 days ago, then you’re in need of medical intervention for either mental illness, substance abuse, or both.

(Statcast note: lost among the lack of home runs is that Fiers’ ground ball rate has gone from 43.3% during his first 9 starts to 63.1% in his last 5 starts.)

Manaea has pitched well against the Astros, allowing 2 and 3 runs in his 2 starts this season, but the A’s have taken the loss in both games.

Wednesday, June 28 – 7:10 PM CDT

Hahn (3-5, 4.66) at Paulino (2-0, 5.04)

Things did not go well for Hahn during his last outing, against the Astros.

I’m sorry… things did not go well for Custer at Little Bighorn. Hahn, on the other hand, was a disaster: 10 runs allowed in 2 innings pitched. This leaves the Astros hitting just under .300 (20 for 67) against Hahn. Can Hahn beat the Astros by himself? The odds are approximately 3,720 to 1.

Paulino makes his second consecutive start against the A’s, and if he can give AJ Hinch the same as the first time (5 1/3, 3 runs) then he’ll probably consider it a success.

Thursday, June 29 – 1:10 PM CDT

Cotton (5-7, 5.02) at Peacock (4-1, 2.82)

The Astros missed Cotton during the last series, but the feeling was not mutual; Cotton had allowed 10 hits and 6 runs to the Good Guys back in April. The Astros have hit .295 against Jharel, so I think it’s safe to say they enjoy the look and feel of Cotton.

Peacock returns from paternity leave to post another turn against the A’s, after his 5 2/3 inning start in the last series. Another such start with only 1 run allowed would certainly be nice, and might help to ensure a continued place in the rotation while injuries continue to sort themselves out.

Rangers at Astros, 5/1-5/4

4-15 last year. You know the drill.

What have the Rangers been doing?

11-14 for April, 2-4 on their last homestand… I like this version of the Rangers.

The Rangers are hitting .220/.298/.392 as a team… and yet have scored 114 runs. If you can explain how a team that is 28th in average, 24th in on base percentage, and 21st in slugging ends up 10th in runs scored, you’re one up on me.

On the pitching side, the Rangers’ team ERA of 3.89 places them 9th in the majors, but comfortably behind the Astros’ 3.38. The difference is in their splits; the Rangers starters have a 3.37 ERA, slightly better than Houston’s (thanks, Fiers) – but the bullpen has a stout 4.75 ERA, almost 2 full runs more than Houston’s mighty pen and sword.

What have the Astros been doing?

Waldo pretty well covered this already.

Monday, 7:10 CDT – Cashner (0-2, 2.93) at McCullers (2-1, 4.34)

The Astros are 11 for 37 (.297) with no homers against Cashner, who has received absolutely no run support from his teammates this year. That 2.93 ERA also belies a lofty 1.70 WHIP, so the luck still appears to reside in Texas Dallas Arlington. Let us hope for good things from McCann (2 for 5) and Aoki (4 for 14), because Cashner has been absolutely dominant against the Astros during his career.

Thankfully the rotation places McCullers in the friendly confines of Minute Maid Park. LMJ has now gone 22 straight starts at MMPUS allowing 3 runs or less, the longest such streak since Pedro Martinez. This is another great mystery of the universe – how can the guy with a 2.08 home ERA over his career have a 5.32 road ERA? As for matchups, current Rangers are 11 for 28 (.393) with 2 homers against McCullers, with the biggest damage coming from Choo (3 or 4, 1 HR) and Napoli (3 for 5, 1 HR).

Tuesday, 7:10 CDT – Hamels (2-0, 3.03) at Fiers (0-1, 5.12)

This fuckin’ guy. Current Astros are .228 (42 for 184) against him, but at least they have 8 homers. The good news is Altuve has managed 6 for 19 with a homer, and Gattis (whom you would expect to start) is 7 for 24 with 3 homers. Let’s hope that Captain Caveman carries things because Beltran is only 8 for 35 lifetime, and Correa is 1 for freaking 13.

Continuing the theme of the inexplicable… Mike Fiers has held the Rangers to 9 for 44. Lets say that again:

Mike Fiers has held a group of professional baseball players to only a .205 average.

(Of course, 3 of those 9 hits are homers.)

Odor is 3 for 9, and that’s about it… Andrus is 2 for 8, and Choo is 0 for 3.

Wednesday, 7:10 CDT – Martinez (0-0, 2.77) at Morton (2-2, 4.50)

Martinez has really struggled with the Astros – 22/66 (.333) with 3 home runs going to make for a nice early night of that bullpen. Altuve (5/15), Marwin (3/6) and especially Reddick (7/14, 1 HR) will look to make hay, while McCann (0/5) and Correa (0/4) try to get off the schneid.

Morton seems like he’s pitching better than a 4.50 ERA would suggest, and the Rangers present an opportunity to build on that. Current Rangers are only 12 for 47 (.255) – but if you can believe it, Carlos Gomez of all people looks primed to go off; 5 for 13 with 1 home run.

Thursday, 1:10 CDT – Griffin (2-0, 4.11) at Musgrove (1-2, 4.88)

AJ Griffin has found great success against the Astros – he’s held them to 14 for 69 (.203) with 17 strikeouts. Altuve has managed 8 for 18, but look at the rest of the regulars and despair:

• Springer 1/9
• Aoki 1/6
• Bregman 1/6
• Correa 1/9
• Gattis 0/4
• McCann 0/5

Hopefully we’ve wrapped up a series win by this point.

Musgrove has held the Rangers to 10 for 43 (.233) with 12 strikeouts, but has struggled against Nomar Mazara (4 for 9, 2 home runs).

What just happened?

The RAYS are coming off a 3-game home sweep of the Tigers where they averaged 7 runs scored per game, vaulting them all the way to… 9-8. (Seriously, folks. The AL Central is decidedly not good.) Youngster Steven Souza, Jr. is leading the team, presumably at a brisk marching tempo.

The ASTROS just secured 3 of 4 at home from the Halos by scoring… 12 runs? That’s it, 12 runs in 4 games, but we still won 3 of them? Damn, it’s nice to have good pitching.

The Astros’ winning streak has been attributed to eating grasshoppers and the fans using Ric Flair’s trademark “WOOOOOO!” This author is torn as to these trends – nobody should eat grasshoppers, and nobody but Ric Flat should WOO. But a team on a streak respects the streak, and when you’re 11-5, you don’t go changing.

Friday, April 21, 6:10 PM CDT

Fiers (0-1, 5.40) at Cobb (1-1, 4.50)

Current Rays have hit Fiers to a .294 line (15 for 51), but at least he’s only recorded 1 walk. Beware of Logan Morrison (5 for 13) but hope to face Brad Miller (1 for 7).

Current Astros have only managed to go 7 for 35 against Cobb, including 9 strikeouts and 2 walks. Almost all of the hits are courtesy of Brian McCann, who has gone 6 for 12 with a pair of homers. Reddick has the only other hit, but that’s part of a 1 for 15 record including 5 strikeouts.

None of this bodes well. Get the bullpen ready.

 Saturday, April 22, 5: 10 PM CDT

Morton (1-1, 2.81) at Snell (0-2, 2.76)

Morton has allowed a .269 average (14 for 52) to current rays, with 10 strikeouts and 4 walks – and only 1 home run. Corey Dickerson has touched him up at a 4 for 9 clip, and Logan Morrison has gone 4 for 8 with a pair of doubles. Rickie Weeks and his career 1 for 14 may sit this one out.

Snell, your standard fare crafty lefty, has been hammered in a small Astros sample – 11 for 24 with 2 homers. He has one career start against the Good Guys, a Minute Maid Park disaster where he gave up 5 runs on 9 hits in only 3 innings. Altuve, Aoki, and McCann are all 0 for 2 against him; pretty much everyone else touched him up.

Sunday, April 23, 12:10 PM CDT

Musgrove (1-1, 5.87) at Andriese (1-0, 3.38)

Let’s make this brief: Musgrove has never faced any of the Rays, and is coming off his Poo Holes Hazing treatment.

Andriese has held the Astros to 8 for 33 with 2 appearances. Altuve (3 for 4) is looking forward to this, while Beltran (1-7) and Reddick (0-4) will not.

ROYALS AT ASTROS

April 7-9, 2017

OK, we got the Opening Day jitters out of the way. It’s time to get down to the long, slow business of grinding the rest of the American League into dust. Why not get a little revenge while we’re at it?

I use “revenge” loosely, of course. I’m not aware of anything eminently hate-worthy about the Royals. Blowing game 4 was much more about the Astros’ own mistakes than the ways in which the Royals took advantage of them.

WHAT HAPPENED IN THE LAST SERIES?

Astros

It was a good start; four-game sweeps aren’t easy. We’re on pace for 120+ wins, and that ain’t no thang. As an added bonus, for the first time this millennium, both the radio and TV broadcasts are good!

Thank you to our “sponsor”

In early overreactions:

• George Springer will win the MVP unanimously, as he currently leads the AL in HR, RBI, and Win Probability Added, is second in WAR, and… um, dead last in baserunning.
• Dallas Keuchel is BACK, and so is LMJ.
• Jose Altuve believes his own hype and will be the worst hitter in the lineup all season.

Royals

The Royals found themselves on the wrong end of a 3-game sweep at the hands of the mighty Minnesota Twins, which is pretty low on the list of ways you would want to start your season. Even worse, their formerly unhittable bullpen gave up 14 runs in those 3 games, turning close contests into blowouts.

GAMES AND PROBABLES

Friday, April 7 – 7:10 pm CDT

Jason Vargas vs. Mike Fiers

Vargas underwent Tommy John surgery in 2015 and spent most of 2016 rehabilitating, making 3 September starts in his return. He has given up a .269 BA (14 for 52) against current Astros, including notables Jose Altuve (5 for 11) and Josh Reddick (6 for 30, 1 HR).

Fiers will look to rebound from 2016 and show that, whenever McHugh ultimately returns, he should keep his rotation spot. Unfortunately, the Royals are not the ideal crew for that – Fiers has given up a .327 clip (16 for 49) to current Royals; Cain, Escobar, and Hosmer have all hit him hard, and only Salvador Perez (0 for 8) has struggled against him.

Saturday, April 8 – 7:10 pm CDT

Danny Duffy (0-0, 1.50) vs. Dallas Keuchel (1-0, 0.00)

Duffy had a strong start against the Twins, giving up only 1 run on 3 hits over 6 innings with 8 strikeouts. He has struggled against current Astros, giving up a .350 BA (21 for 60). Look for damage from Altuve (6 for 11, 2 2b) and Springer (3 for 6, 2 HR) and avert your eyes for Correa and Reddick (1 for 7 each).

Early season overreactions aside, Keuchel looked much better in the opener, keeping the ball down effectively. Current Royals have a .286 BA (36 for 126) against Keuchel, led by Cain (6 for 18, 2 HR) and Escobar (8 for 23, 1 HR). Keuchel will look forward to Moustakas (1 for 8, 7 groundouts, all to the right side) and Alex Gordon (1 for 10, 6 strikeouts).

Sunday, April 9 – 1:10 CDT

Nate Karns (0-0, 54.00) vs. Lance McCullers (1-0, 1.50)

The good news for Karns: he got two strikeouts. The bad news: Those were the only outs of his start – he walked two, gave up two, left the game, they all scored. Karns has had success against the Astros, only giving up a .224 BA (17 for 76). Reddick has had moderate success (3 for 8, 1 HR) but look out for Springer (1 for 7), Correa (2 for 12), and Beltran (2 for 12, 5 K)

McCullers managed his first start well, getting ahead of hitters and only giving up 1 run over 6 innings. (Let’s see if we can go 7, ok? Stretch goals.) LMJ has two career starts against the Royals – 1 regular season, and one playoff; the first was a 7 inning, 1 run performance, and the playoff game… well, McCullers sparkled with a 6 1/3 inning, 2 run, 2 hit effort. I don’t remember anything that happened after that, and you can’t make me.

Current Royals have only gone 5 for 30 against McCullers, with Perez (2 for 5) the only player to manage multiple hits against him.

CLOSING THOUGHT

It was pointed out to me yesterday that “Giles” spelled backwards is “Selig”.

I now feel the need to walk through Minute Maid Park with a large bell, yelling “UNCLEAN! UNCLEAN!”