Astros 4, D-backs 3
W: Cosart, L: Collmenter, S: Qualls

recap
gamezone

Boy howdy, I’m glad Porter was not a manger of the NL Astros. I don’t know if I could have handled all the moves he would have made during a season. Like what he did last night. I understand not wanting to lose the opportunity to have Sipp pitch to others in the inning but it was a risky that move that almost cost the game. Marwin Gonzales ended up in the outfield and did not make a good read on a ball hit to him, having him in the outfield was not something I would necessarily want on a regular basis.

And who knew National League games could last so damn long. Seriously, this game took 3 hours and 12 minutes, but it sure as hell felt a lot longer. I hate the western part of the country being behind us in time. I get tired earlier now that I’m older.

Cosart was pitching a pretty good game, but then hit a wall, started thinking, worrying or something and lost it towards the end of his outing. Ultimately, he was charged with 3 runs in 6 innings, but something changed out there for him. He has been pitching better since that one April start that was horrid, but he still has some work to do. Springer didn’t play because his knee hurt. Singleton should have had a RBI but there was so poor base running occurring in front of him.

Regardless the Astros won, which is always a good thing.

If you want to know about Tuesday’s game, check out M Raup’s Series Preview.

Astros 14, Twins 5

Submitted by Reuben

You wouldn’t know it by looking at the final score, but this game was rather tense for a while there. In fact, around the 5th inning it was starting to smell like one of those games that they would blow late, giving them cause to regret the chances they had earlier on to break it open.

Collin McHugh, after a fine start to his day, had mysteriously lost the ability to control his pitches and been removed from the game. Josh Fields arrived on the scene and accidentally poured gasoline, instead of water, on the problem. At that point the Astros 5-0 lead had nearly evaporated, the score was 5-3 and the tying runs were on base with only one out. And then, suddenly, Fields buckled down, got his changeup working, and retired the next two hitters. He cruised around a harmless single in the 6th, striking out the side. And then POW! Like a rare non-telegraphed punch from the Adam West Batman show, Chris Carter woke everyone from their sun-baked stupor in the top of the 7th with an effortless swing that produced a monster opposite-field Grand Slam. I mean, sure, Carter hits home runs, but essentially this one came from out of nowhere – and just like that, it was 9-3. Time to sit back and relax.

Well, almost. Kyle Farnsworth tried to make it interesting, letting the Minnesotans get back within 4 runs. But Springer went deep in the 8th, and in the 9th, Jon Singleton put it absolutely-definitely-for-sure out of reach with his own Grand Slam – this one a rather monstrous shot as well. It was the first time the Astros had hit two Grannies in the same game since Menke and Wynn did it against the Miracle Mets on July 30, 1969.

Of note:

-Darin Downs earned his first win as an Astro (check out that 1.32 ERA, yo)
-the Astros blew past their previous season-high in runs scored (whatever it was, this was more)
-Altuve hit safely for the 28th time in 30 games, and added two more SB’s to his league-leading total.
-Jonathan Villar had his first 3-hit game since…tee-ball, it felt like.
-Grossman reached base 4 times.
-the Twins hit 3 different Astro batters with pitches. I doubt any were intentional.

I couldn’t help but notice the contrast between Singleton’s Grand Slam swing and Carter’s. Everyone knows that George Springer swings the bat as absolutely hard as any human being has ever swung a bat, every single time, but Singleton swings just as hard when he sees a fat pitch. I mean, it’s a long (but quick), sweeping, kinda wild swing, and he almost goes down on a knee – maybe like Reggie Jackson, if Reggie had really long arms. Carter, on the other hand, has this very quiet, almost soft-looking swing – it looks very effortless, but when he connects, the ball just jumps off his bat. A pity he doesn’t connect more often.

Futility Watch: The Astros can currently claim to be better than the Dbacks, Cubs, Phillies, and Rays, and only ½ game worse than the streaky-ass Red Sox, Padres, and Mets. They’re as close to the Yankees as they are to last place, although, granted, the Yankees aren’t exactly the benchmark they used to be.

contributed by NeilT

Like many of you, I’m still trying to wrap my head around this whole American League thing. Before the switch, I really didn’t know much about the AL’s teams or cities, except of course for Seattle, which has always been the Astros natural rival. Minnesota though was a special case. I have been to the Twins’ Cities. I have seen the statue of Minnie and Paul and the beaver that raised them after they were abandoned in the wilds. Minnesota, the Don’t Raise a Ruckus State. So that you’ll have a sense of this amazing place, here’s the list of the famous Minnesotans.

Bob Dylan. Of course Bob Dylan didn’t just spring fully formed from the coffee houses of New York City. No. He was shaped on the hip, mean streets of Hibbing. You can hear it in his music, too: Girl from the North Country, North Country Blues, Highway 61 Revisited, and He Ain’t Heavy, He’s My Brother.

Hubert Humphrey. An American Senator and Vice President, Humphrey actually grew up in South Dakota and then moved to Minnesota as a young man. He lost the 1968 Presidential election to Richard Nixon because no one could imagine President Hubert.

Prince. I haven’t been able to confirm it, but Prince may be the only non-Norwegian who ever lived in Minniepaulius. Again, you can hear the north country in his music with songs like Purple Rain Delay, Partyman, and He Ain’t Heavy, He’s My Brother. Saturday is Prince’s birthday, and he’s almost as old as I am. I don’t think Queen Elizabeth will ever decamp in his favor.

Roger Maris. Also from Hibbing, Maris is most famous for not being in the Hall of Fame. Like Prince, he was also known for many years only by his symbol, “*”.

F. Scott Fitzgerald. From Minniepaulius, Fitzgerald was an overrated author who wrote one very good novel, one good short story, and like many people from the cold, cold north was a drunk. There’s nothing much to do but drink when winter lasts and lasts.

I think that’s it. If I missed anyone, please let me know. Meanwhile in Minniepaulius It’s still a month or so before snow melt, and I thought I’d whip up a hot dish with just a hint of Texas to bring Minnesota home.

Barbecue Hotdish


1 pound ground beef

1 large onion, diced

1 green bell pepper, seeded and diced

1 (10 ounce) can whole kernel corn, drained

1/2 cup barbeque sauce

1 (13.2 ounce) can condensed tomato soup

3 (8.5 ounce) packages corn bread mix
6 slices Kraft American cheese

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F

Brown the ground beef, then add onion, bell pepper, and corn and cook over medium heat until onions are translucent and pepper is soft, about five minutes. Drain excess grease. Stir in the barbeque sauce and tomato soup. Brig to a bubble until it starts to thicken. Spread the beef mixture in an even layer in a 9×13 inch baking dish. Layer the cheese on top of the beef mixture.

Prepare the cornbread batter mixes according to package directions. Spread the batter over the top of the cheese.

Bake for 20 to 25 minutes in the preheated oven, until the top is golden brown, and a chopstick inserted into the center of the cornbread layer comes out clean. With two fifths vodka serves 4.

***
What a strange game. In his last eight starts, Phil Hughes was 6-0 with a 1.99 ERA.

Top of the 3rd M Gonzalez homered to right. Top of the 4th Dominguez killed the ball on a center field homer. Top of the 6th, Fowler tripled and scored on an Altuve single. Springer homered. It was 5-zip, nada, nil.

Meanwhile Keuchel (who was starting on my Mihoba’s War fantasy team, the pitching on which has lately sucked), walked Mauer in the 1st, allowed two singles in the second, allowed a Plouffe double in the 4th, a Hicks walk in the 5th, and a Willingham single in the 6th. The leadoff man was on base the 4th, 5th, and 6th innings. The only inning there wasn’t a base runner was the 3rd. And he got out of that mess with no runs. There was some fine defense, too, including a 5-4-3 double play and two fine defensive plays by Dominguez.

Keuchel did have 6 Ks and 11 ground outs. Eleven.

5-0 Stros.

In the 7th, Sipp allowed 3 runs, including Danny Santana’s first homer since little league. It was weird, because Sipp has been money. Tonight he wasn’t. Williams came in and closed out the inning.

5-3 Stros.

With Williams pitching, Fowler made a spectacular catch in the 8th, then Kubel grounded out. Why does Williams turn perverse with two outs? Kurt Suzuki doubled, then scored on an Escobar double. I do like Williams, he is a fine, fine human being, and I have to remind myself of that.

5-4 Stros, 2 outs.

Porter brought in the left-hander Downs, and Arcia flied out to Fowler.

Qualls pitched the 9th. With two outs, Mauer reached first on Dominguez’s second throwing error. Willingham lined out to left.

Final 5-4.

Astros (26-35) 8 Angels (31-28) 5

contributed by Mr. Happy

Box

The Astros rode ten hits and an uncharacteristic 6-15 w/RISP to best the Halos and take the series 2-1 to finish with another winning homestand coming off of a winning roadtrip. That has to be the first time that has happened in some time. The Good Guys are 14-9 in their last 23 games, and they’re playing above .500 for their last 30 games, which is fantastic.

Peacock wasn’t particularly good last night, scattering eight hits and three earnies in five innings of work, but it was good enough to get the W. The bully, save the unpredictable Paul Clemens, pitched well to close out the win. In holding the Halos, striking out five in its four frames of work. FIELDS!!! continued his good work with 1.1 innings of one hit baseball with two Ks. Qualls pitched a one-two-three ninth for the save, which was his sixth of the season.

This was a really good Angels lineup that the Astros beat last night. They held Hamilton to his second straight o-fer, with two Ks, and shut out Dickjols. The bottom four of the Angels order proved pesky for the pitching staff, going 7-15. Thankfully, the first five were a collective dreadful 2-22, with the pesky Trout getting the only hits for that part of the order.

The Game Zone was popping last night as there was lots of activity on SnS generally due to the draft buzz in which the Astros selected high school portsider Brady Aiken with the 1/1 pick. Finally, I wanted to a shout out to board newcomer posters Nate Colbert and morningwood75 for some great work lately. It’s always great to see some new blood around here. Not that I don’t both love and respect our old timers, particularly our moderators and administrators.