Preston Tucker slugs two homers and Collin McHugh solid through seven innings.

WP: C. McHugh (11 – 5)
LP: J. Kelly (2 – 6)
Save: L. Gregerson (20)

Submitted by Sphinx Drummond

BOX

GAMEZONE

It worked again. The recurring theme, hit homers-score runs, get nice starting starting pitching and lock down relief work. The Astros scored all of their runs off of the long ball on Wednesday, Preston Tucker started it off with a solo shot in the first inning to get things rolling and to give McHugh a lead. Evan Gattis chimed in with his own solo dinger in the fourth to build the lead to 3 to 0. In the fourth inning, with Jose Altuve on base, Tucker hit is second homerun and third RBI of the night, giving the Astros a 4 to 0 lead, which would prove to be enough for the victory.

Collin McHugh, didn’t have his best but what he had was pretty good and he was able to work out of a couple of tight jams, he did get hit around for 2 runs in the sixth, but was never in serious trouble thanks to the run support. McHugh worked seven innings allowing 7 hits, while walking 2 and striking out 4. In the eighth inning it was Pat Neshek time and he worked 2 strikeouts around 1 walk in his inning of work before giving way to Luke Gregerson who got all three of the batters he faced in the ninth out for his 20th save of the year.

Currently the Astros are 2 games behind the Burning Angels in the division and .007 percentage points behind the Evil Empire in the league standings for fourth place overall. Thursday the Astros try for a series sweep when Lance McCullers (4 -3, 2.52) takes the mound against Wade Miley (8 – 8, 4.49) in a 7:10pm CST start time.

Attendance – 31104
Game Time – 2:44

Rays 3
Astros 1

submitted by Neil T

The Astros have been losing a bunch of games lately. “That’s baseball.” Collin McHugh. “Four straight losses,” Houston Astros.

I keep a book in my office to read at lunch if I think I can afford the time, and for the last few months it’s been Roger Angell’s Five Seasons: A Baseball Companion. I have two favorite baseball writers: Bill James and Roger Angell. They’re about as different as two writers can be, but they’re both good writers, and they both approach the world of baseball as fans. And when they were writing they both liked baseball fans.

I’ve made fun of James before in my recaps, by declaring myself a statistics god and going off on absurd statistical analysis, so tonight I thought I would do an Angell recap. It would be easy enough, all I would I have to do was write about Tropicana Field as a beautiful baseball field, and pick a player to say some stuff about. I was thinking about Valbuena, both because I admire Valbuena, and because Valbuena is about as good a place as any to start talking about this team. I was going to say that Carter looked like half of the population of a cop squad car. Glad I got that in.

I’ve reached a comfortable schtick with these recaps. I think of something funny in the world at large, write about that, and then cram a bit of a recap into it. But this week at lunch I read a New Yorker essay by Angell about three Detroit Tigers fans, and it made me think of us. These were three pre-internet friends, who went to games together, who called each other to talk about baseball stuff, who wrote letters to each other, and who checked the evening papers for the box scores. Evening papers. Papers.

Truth is, I don’t have much to say about baseball. I’m not baseball smart like HH or JimR. I’m not baseball news obsessive like anyone in the BusRide. I don’t really care what ex-Astros are up to. I had planned tonight to watch the game carefully and have something profound to say. Instead I sat on the back porch and drank whiskey and smoked a cigar and listened to Blum and Ashby. Fuck it, I’m so stupid that I can’t dislike Ashby.

But you know what? I’ve put up with a lot of emotional baseball havoc over the last three years, and there’s some stuff I know: McHugh pitched a pretty good game. Rasmus hit a dinger. Valbuena got a double, and that lifted my hopes, but they were subsequently dashed. And I shared it with a pretty good group of friends.

Astros lost. Astros may lose again. I will care, but I’ll share it with a pretty good group of friends. Here’s for the rest of the season.

Vince Velasquez ties the Major League record of 5 consecutive no-decisions to start a career in 6 to 5 team win

submitted by Sphinx Drummond

WP: Gregerson (3 – 1)
LP: Herrera (1 -2)

BOX

Gamezone

Vince Velasquez started out shaky, surrendering 2 runs in the first inning and 1 one in the second, he then settled down and kept the Royals from scoring again until he was removed from the game with one out in the 7th and a 5 to 3 lead. The Astros had scored one run in the fourth and four runs in the fifth to take the two run lead. Josh Fields took over for Velasquez and quickly allowed the Royals to tie the game back up with two runs in the frame and thereby denying Velasquez a victory and awarding him with one of those MLB records for futility.

Sweeping the Royals and moving within .007 of having the best record in the league did not come without a cost as George Springer was injured on his right wrist by from a HBP in the fifth inning by Kelvin Herrera. Still no word on how much time he may miss or the results of his x-ray but A. J. Hinch is not optimistic.

The game involved the top two bullpens in the AL prior to Wednesdays game the Royals held a 2.05 ERA, while the Astros were at 2.56. The Royals still have not lost a game all year that they had lead after seven innings, they are 34 and 0, and with the lead after eight innings they are 40-0. So the Astros did well just coming back from a tie.

Carter hit his 15th homer of the season and Marwin Gonzalez hit his fifth. Jose Altuve had a three hit game and stole two bases, his batting average is now at .298.

The Astros are off Thursday as they travel to Boston where Dan Straily makes his Astros debut Friday and faces off against Justin Masterson (3-2 5.58) in a game that starts at 6:10pm Houston time.

Astros have won four games in a row and now have a 7 – 1 inter-league record.

WP: Brett Oberholtzer (2 – 1)
LP: Kyle Kendrick (2 – 9)

Gamezone BOX

submitted by Sphinx Drummond

It did not take long for the Astros to get on top. George Springer, lead off the game with a single up the middle and Carlos Correra drove him home with a two run home-run to jump out for a quick 2 – 0 lead. Springer has now hit safely in his last 10 games. Correra is still only 20 years old. Three more Astros homers followed on the night and I do believe that Brett Oberholzter has solidified his claim for a permanent spot in the rotation.

Olberholtzer (ERA 2.73) lasted 6.1 innings allowing three runs on eight hits while striking out five and walking none. It wasn’t great or dominating but it was a good performance, the kind you hope for from a fourth or fifth man in a rotation. Josh Fields finished the 7 inning for Oberholtzer while Joe Thatcher (one batter) and Pat Nechek (two batters) were perfect in the 8th inning. Chad Quall closed the game in the ninth but not before allowing a solo home-run to Carlos Gonzalez.

On the night the Astros hit four home-runs, Carlos Correra’s was his third on the year, which FWIW, puts him one ahead of Robinson Cano’s total. Preston Tucker (3), Chris Carter (12), and Jake Marisnick (5), were responsible for the other three dingers hit Wednesday. The Astros have hit multiple home runs in 26 games this season and in those 26 games, the Astros are undefeated, making it the longest winning streak in multi-homer games in franchise history. The previous record was a 22-game streak, set in 1994. Oh yeah, since it was played in a NL park I should mention, Oberholtzer received a base on balls in his one plate appearance.

The Astros remain in Denver Thursday for a day game that starts at 2:10 pm local time. Collin McHugh (6-3) – 5.08 ERA faces off against Dave Hale (2-1) – 4.56 ERA

Rockies 3, Astros 6
W: Keuchel, L: Bettis, S: Gregerson

MLB recap
Game Zone

There are parts of this team that I may not appreciate as much as some, but there are some parts that I adore. Right now, one of those parts is Mr. George Springer. He’s been on-fire for the past week. Mr. Springer has has hit .342 for the last 30 games, .397 for the last 15 and .483 in the last 7. I think Mr. Springer found his groove.

Between him and Mr. Correa (who is hitting a measly .310 in his first 7 games) I am starting to believe this team could make it to the playoffs and possibly win. But I do so with trepidation.

I think the hamstring injury break that Jose Altuve has been forced to take (and I hope the rest takes care of any future issues he may have) will do good for him. Kind of get his bearings back in order.

Keuchel was what we are used to expecting now. He tossed 5 perfect innings but then made a little swerve in the road and ended up giving 3 runs through 6 and 2/3rd innings. Thatcher came in to finish the 7th inning for him and Neshek and Gregerson sealed the win for him.

Springer and Correa did hog most of the hits (3 a piece) and Tucker, Rasmus and Gonzalez got the other three. Tucker and Rasmus got 4 of the RBIS on the night, but Springer wasn’t going to be left out of those stats either, getting a pair for himself.

Tomorrow the Astros have a day game, hopefully those that are able to attend do not need a boat or raft to get there and they get to see an Astros win.

Astros 10
King Felix 1/3

Gee but it’s great to be back home
Home is where I want to be.
I’ve been on the road so long my friend,
And if you came along
I know you couldn’t disagree.

It’s the same old story, yeah
Everywhere I go,
I get slandered, libeled,
I hear words I never heard in the Bible
And I’m one step ahead of the shoe shine
Two steps away from the county line
Just trying to keep my customers satisfied,
Satisfied.

Paul Simon

submitted by Neil T

It was the second largest crowd of the season.

Here’s HH’s summary of the first inning from the Game Zone: “Astros send 12 men to the plate and score 8 runs in the first, beat the living shit out of King Felix.” Hinch also summarized it, as reported on MLB.Com: “[P]robably one of our best innings of the year.” Well duh.

Altuve led off with a single, Tucker walked, Springer hit an RBI double, Gattis reached on an FC scoring Tucker and Springer on an E1. There was a coaching visit to the mound. Astros 3, King Felix Fish Wranglers 0.

Rasmus walks and then, unbelievably, Correa Kd, and I was there to see it. Valbueno Valbuengoed, leading the club now with Home Runs with 13. Astros 5, King Felix Pond Scum 0.

With one out Carter hit a hard single to left and Castro followed with the second home of the inning. King Felix took his neck tat and went home. Astros 8, King Felix gone. According to the tv guys, it was only the second time Felix had been run in 1/3rd inning. It was very satisfying.

That was pretty much the game, but there was some other stuff of interest. Correa homered in the second, and it was about what you’d expect. The heavens parted and a white dove descended: the usual stuff for Correa. Carter homered in the 5th. Everybody hit (except for Marisnick who had 2 at-bats for Springer), but only Carter had multiple hits with a single and a HR.

And the Sucky Sea Slugs were shut out by Oberholtzer, who allowed only four singles and three walks, and Thatcher in the 9th. Oberholtzer was very good.

The only bad news was Altuve came out in the 2nd after trying to beat a grounder to second. “Hamstring twinge,” according to the TV. If they played like this every night Jim R wouldn’t have to put up with our bitching.