April 15, 2016

Astros 1, Tigers 0

W – Keuchel (2-1)
L – Pelfrey (0-2)
S – Gregerson (3)

Box Score

GameZone thread

With their recent luck and poor play, the Astros probably would have lost tonight’s game – or at least gone to extras – with anything less than a stellar pitching performance from Dallas Keuchel.  Fortunately, that’s exactly what they got: eight scoreless innings from the ace and no legitimate offensive threat from the Tigers for pretty much the entire night.  Houston notched a run early and held on by their fingernails to win 1-0.

It didn’t have to be that way though.  The Astros had Mike Pelfrey on the ropes for the first three innings but weren’t able to make the game uninteresting.  With two on and one out in the first, Colby Rasmus drove in George Springer from second, then Tyler White walked to load the bases.  These runners would subsequently be stranded as Evan Gattis struck out and Carlos Gomez ended the inning on a grounder to third.  The Astros loaded the bases again in the 2nd – this time with no one out – and were again unable to push anyone across, this time thanks to a Springer foul-tip K and a Carlos Correa GIDP.  The Astros would add two more inning-ending double-plays in the 3rd and 5th innings and stranded Jason Castro at third in the 4th.  The bats went silent after that.

Keuchel was dealing all night, scattering five hits and a walk over eight innings and at one point retiring 11 Tigers in a row from the 3rd inning into the 7th.  He also worked efficiently, sitting at around 60 pitches going into the 6th inning.  He had to work harder after Miguel Cabrera worked a ten-pitch at-bat to close out the 6th, finally punching him out on a beautiful low slider.  Gregerson only threw five pitches in the 9th to nail down the save.

Tonight’s sign of the baseball apocalypse: Jason Castro went 2×3 and swiped a base, giving him a higher batting average (.185) and more stolen bases (1) than Carlos Gomez (.184, 0).  Awesome.

April 14, 2016

Royals 6, Astros 2

W: Kennedy (2-0) L: Fister (1-1) S: Davis (4)

HR: Moustakas (3), Altuve (3)

Box score

Game Zone

Win Probability (or lack thereof)

Blinded by the lights

This team dropped a deuce

When Springer dropped the ball in right

Blinded by the lights…

It was one thing to rationalize the 2-4 start.  The Yankees are going to be salty at home, and dropping 2 in Milwaukee is hardly ideal, but nothing to get worked up over.

And in a vacuum, dropping 3 of 4 to the defending champs is not a big deal either.  But the way the team has LOOKED, on the other hand…

Foster gave up a solo shot in the first, and that wouldn’t be worrisome, except for the fact that this supposedly stout lineup was getting no-hit by IAN FREAKING KENNEDY for five innings.

The wheels came off in the sixth.

A pop-up single and two fly outs gave no sign that anything was wrong.  Then Springer lost the third out in the lights, and Fister proceeded to show all the mental composure of Mitch Meluskey on a cocaine binge.  Double, double, double, single, 6-0 Royals, good night Astros.

An Altuve opposite-field shot broke the ice for the good guys, and the 9th inning started off with a Gattis PH single and an Altuve double.  Hey, signs of life!  Unfortunately, Springer then struck out swinging at a 3-2 pitch that he couldn’t have reached with Bigfoot’s dick, Correa was held to an infield single, and Rasmus hit a routine DP ball off Davis for the loss.

3-7.  Handsome Brad Ausmus coming to town.  Get the torches and pitchforks ready, and choose your first target.

Astros struggling to get it going.

WP: Hochevar (1-0)

LP: Giles (0-1)

SV: Soria (1)

Box Score

Game Zone

In the top of the eighth inning Salvador Perez took Ken Giles deep for a two run bomb to make it a 4-2 ballgame in favor of the Royals. A pitching contest through 5 saw the Royals take a 2-0 lead with 2 runs in the sixth. The Astros fought back scoring one in the bottom of the sixth and another in the seventh to tie the game. But then came the Perez home run, followed by the Astros putting up goose eggs for the last two frames, and that was the game.

It was a nice start for Scott Feldman, not great, but what you hope for with Feldman. Tony Sipp and Pat Neshek each worked a third of an inning and each got a strikeout. Chris Devenski  continues to impress after striking out the side in the ninth.

Early worries, Giles, Springer, Gomez. Still waiting for these guys to shake off the rust and become factors in the Astros favor.

Thursday the Astros try to salvage a series split with Doug Fister (1-0 5.40 ERA) goes against Ian Kennedy (1-0 O.OO ERA)

April 12, 2016

Royals 3, Astros 2

W: Medlen (1-0) L: Fiers (0-1) S: Davis (3)

HR: Cain (2)

Box score

Game Zone

Win Probability

Unfortunately, “they” in the headline refers to the Royals.

KC took a 3-0 lead in the first when Fiers had trouble settling in: sharp single, sharp single, laser beam home run… boom. Roasted.

The bottom of the first held promise for the remainder of the game: Altuve and Springer, showing the way by putting men on first and second with nobody out. Just the way we plan it.  The plan went awry, with Carlos somehow grounding into a double play, causing a small crisis of faith for this author.  But a Rasmus double and a GreatWhite single made the game 3-2.

Yeah, look at the top of the article.  It ended there.

Yes, there were chances… 9 LOB plus guys lost on the base paths (like Correa’s unfortunate DP when KC’s 2b dropped a liner) but nothing converted.

In the end, you can look at this one of two ways.  HH saw the glass half empty:

Another game you have to win.  When you look back in October, 2 game out, this one will hurt.

And yes, it’s tough to lose by 1 when you face a closer that can’t find the plate with the map.

Or, you can just say: The defending champs took a one run lead and turned it over to their shutdown bullpen, just the way they did all through the playoffs.  Sometimes you just lose those games.

Let’s get back on the plus side Wednesday as… Scott Feldman faces Yordany Ventura.  Oof.