Orioles 2, Astros 5
W: Harris, L: Branch, S: Gregerson

MLB recap
GameZone

So, for many summer is here. The showers of May seem to be evaporating as quickly as it fell and kids are at night baseball games. The views they were showing of the Houston night were gorgeous and made me wish someone had given me a ticket to the game. But anyway, I was tired and would not have really wanted to go because I stayed up late the night before watching UH and Rice in their 20 inning game.

This was a good game to watch. The Astros won. Those are always good games to watch. Plus, Hinch made great pitching changes. Oberholtzer did a good job going 5.1 innings and giving up only 2 runs. He was okay when he got the hook unlike Jimenez who seemed a bit upset. The way Brownie and Ashy were talking I thought he might go all Taveras on the phone, but he didn’t.

Anyway, Harris, Neshek and Gregerson came in for 3.2 innings of hitless baseball. Damm, it is really nice have a relief pitcher with a 0.35 ERA. Hell, yeah, it’s real nice.

The Astros had their big inning in the 7th when 8 guys came to the plate and scored 4 runs. Not a bad day at the office. Valbuena went 2 for 3 with a walk. One of those hits happened to land in the RF seats. Not a bad day for him but his average is .196 after all that production. Hopefully he rains some hits in the new month.

Summer school started for me on Monday. I’m taking Intermediate Macroeconomics and Intermediation Microeconomics. I do enjoy the topics but let me tell you about a classmate. He’s so freaking irritating. He does not the instructor finish a sentence before he spouts something as though he is an official on the topic. If you know so much about macroeconomics then why are you in this class??? Ugh. I also know I’m not the only one to find him tiresome, there are a couple others who made eyerolls, sighs, and under-the-breath comments. I don’t have a problem if someone has a question, but he seems to be trying to challenge the professor. Do that on your own time not mine.

Not the Cubs 6
Astros 3

submitted by Neil T

Not the Cubs 6
Astros 3

While I was watching last night’s game, it occurred to me that lately I’ve been doing stuff I haven’t done in years. I figured we needed a refresher course on stuff we’ve forgotten.

Standings: These days standings are kept up-to-the minute online with every win or loss. I know, because I check them three or four times a day. The Astros are in first place in the AL West, which means you can actually look at standings and not despair.
Tonight’s first out on Melky Cabrera was a beautiful diving catch in the gap by Marisnick. That’s this season. McCullers gave up a single to Abreu, then struck out LaRoche and Ramirez.

The bottom of the first was an Altuve up-the-center single, followed by Altuve taking second on a Tucker fly-out to center. Altuve was out at home to end the inning on a Gattis single.

Power Rankings: These are meaningless rankings of teams by perceived baseball virtues, and the Astros virtues are never valued as much as they should be. Pre-2005 there used to be that one power ranking posted weekly by ESPN.com, and I always felt dirty looking at it. Now everybody, from U.S. News & World Report to Cosmopolitan, seems to have a MLB power ranking, and they’re still all meaningless. And I still feel dirty checking them. Especially the one in Cosmopolitan.

McCullers struggled in the second, but the White Sox left the bases loaded.

Chris Carter led off the second with a broken bat single, and then Valbuena hit into a double play. Villar grounded out.

Defending the Catcher. Castro is having a spectacular season, but he’s a catcher. He will not be the offensive player that some random nitwit, me for instance, thinks he should be. It’s time to dust off the reasons a catcher isn’t just judged by his offense.

You know the best thing about an incredibly dumb 2-out error by the catcher? It will always induce a comment by HH. I think Conger’s one-run passed ball and throwing error would have brought HH back from the dead.

Bottom of the 4th, Astros tie it with a Gattis and Carter singles.

ESPN.Com: The best thing about losing was that I never bothered to look at ESPN.com. I was a better person, I think.

Top of the 5th, McCullers gave up a single and two walks, and was pulled for Thatcher. McCullers kept the game close, and struck out 7 in 4.1 innings, but he struggled most of the game, and left with two walks and two HBP. I feel no overwhelming sense of well-being when Thatcher approaches the mound, and last night didn’t change that. After a sac fly and a walk, Thatcher was pulled for Harris. Harris walked Shuck, loading the bases for what I recall was the third time. Flowers flied out to right.

Bottom of the 5th, Villar with a lead-off double, and advances on a Conger grounder to 2nd. Then Marisnick struck out and Springer flied out to center. 2-1 White Sox.

Team Statistics: The last couple of seasons the only statistics I’ve checked from time to time were Kris Karter’s strikeout totals and Jose Altuve’s batting average. Now I’ve discovered Team Statistics. They are apparently fascinating, because I’ve spent hours studying them. Did you know that the Astros are throwing the fewest four-seam fastballs in the majors?

The 6th was the weirdest damn inning ever. Ever. Altuve, who went 2 for 4 with a walk and seems to be hitting again, led off with a single. Tucker doubled moving Altuve to third. Gattis was then called out for interference. I can’t remember the last time I saw an interference call. Carter, who went 2 for 4, hit a sac fly plating Altuve, and Tucker advanced to 3rd on a Cabrera throwing error. Valbuena reached first on an Abreu throwing error that was challenged but upheld, and Tucker scored. How come this shit didn’t happen in 2005? End of the inning, Astros up 3-2.

Clarks: I saw a Clark today. It think it’s been years. It was too bad, too, because I was thinking about how we should be kinder and gentler to Clarks, and then this one Clarked it.

Is there anything in a game better than watching Neshak pitch? Three up, three down.

Rodon was run after the first out. Still three up, three down.

Avg overrated. Wasn’t this what Bill James said all along? Astros are last in average, 12th in OPS. Combine that with good pitching and good defense and you’ve got a team leading its division.

White Sox tied it in the top of the 9th with a Beckham pinch hit home run off Qualls.

Extra innings can be exciting, interesting things. But not last night. Kris came in from Austin and I turned off the tv after the 9th because, well, that’s what you’re supposed to do. The Stros lost in 11. For some reason the Box gives the loss to Fields, but it looks from the play by play that Sipp took the loss. Sipp has been money, but something seems wrong. I think that’s three losses in 7 games.