Astros @ Royals June 5, 2017

[Mr. Happy]

Your lineups for tonight's road tilt:

Astros

CFGeorge Springer (R)
RFJosh Reddick (L)
2BJose Altuve (R)
SSCarlos Correa (R)
DHCarlos Beltran (S)
3BMarwin Gonzalez (S)
CBrian McCann (L)
1BY. Gurriel (R)
LFNorichika Aoki (L)

HOU: Mike Fiers (R)  (2-2, 4.96)

Royals

2B Whit Merrifield (R)
RF Jorge Bonifacio (R)
CF Lorenzo Cain (R)
1B Eric Hosmer (L)
C Salvador Perez (R)
3B Mike Moustakas (L)
DH Brandon Moss (L)
SS Alcides Escobar (R)
LF Alex Gordon (L)

KC: Ian Kennedy (R)  (0-5, 5.12)

[moriartp]

It blows my mind that an opposing starter could have an ERA worse than Fiers'.

[Navin R Johnson]

Altuve doing Altuve things

[NeilT]

Nice inning by Fiers.


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[HudsonHawk]

Ted Aoki with an RBI single...Springer follows. 2-0 Astros

[juliogotay]

Ted Aoki with an RBI single...Springer follows. 2-0 Astros

Aoki hit that one on the screws.

[MrKnuckleball]

Why are we running on Salvador Perez? Geez

[HudsonHawk]

Springer caught stealing  to kill the rally. Thinking Reddick missed the hit and run there.

[NeilT]

Fiers with another nice inning.


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[hostros7]

The wife doesn't look nearly as fired up as the husband about this child birth disclosure procedure.


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[Col. Sphinx Drummond]

The tom Lawless bat flip was with Cardinals vs Twins.

[NeilT]

Fiers three up, three down.


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[Waldo]

McCann!

[MRaup]

McCann!

Blummer "McCann McDID!"

[Waldo]

Some crappy luck this inning.

[hostros7]

Some crappy luck this inning.

This inning must have the highest ratio of runs scores to exit velocity against Fiers all year.


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[NeilT]

Kind of an unlucky inning for Fiers.


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[Waldo]

88 pitches through 5 IP.  Fiers may get one more inning.

He's getting a ton of two-strike counts on hitters.

[AstroNut]

We should declare a moratorium on base stealing...

[Waldo]

We should declare a moratorium on base stealing...

For all baserunners not named Altuve or McCann.

[Waldo]

More shitty luck.

[MRaup]

What in the fuck was that? That ball definitely didn't hit the ground.

[HudsonHawk]

Another inning falling apart. Single on a ball that should be caught than TE5...Royals on the corners, nobody out. Which chases Fiers. Sipp in. Hang on.

[austro]

Fiers deserved better tonight.

[HudsonHawk]

Fiers deserved better tonight.

Yeah, some tough breaks.

[Waldo]

Sipp in.

Nice try.  Guduan.

[HudsonHawk]

Nice try.  Guduan.

Thought Sipp grew a beard.

[Waldo]

What in the fuck was that? That ball definitely didn't hit the ground.

It definitely bounced.  You think it bounced inside the glove?

I guess the Astros didn't want to risk the challenge.

[Waldo]

Hell of a pitch, rook.

[HudsonHawk]

Gudjob

[MRaup]

It definitely bounced.  You think it bounced inside the glove?

I guess the Astros didn't want to risk the challenge.

It looked to me both times I rewound and slo-mo'ed it that it hit the bottom of of his glove and rattled up. But then again, there wasn't a good close up of it, and they never showed an alternate angle.

[HudsonHawk]

It definitely bounced.  You think it bounced inside the glove?

I guess the Astros didn't want to risk the challenge.

Replay showed it clearly bounced. Good no challenge.

[hostros7]

Guduan looked sharp.


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[Waldo]

Replay showed it clearly bounced. Good no challenge.

Yeah, at the very least there wasn't enough to overturn.

[HudsonHawk]

Hoyt in with two on, two out

[MusicMan]

Wait, a lefty can come in and get the left handed hitters out, then sit down? Unprecedented!


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[Waldo]

Hell of a job by Guduan and Hoyt to pick up Fiers and Marwin.

Wouldn't mind some more insurance runs.

[HudsonHawk]

Talk about putting out the fire..  Nice  pick me up bully.

[juliogotay]

Talk about putting out the fire..  Nice  pick me up bully.

Two guys that opened the season in the Minors.

[austro]

I think Hoyt is growing into his role, and I think Hinch is getting more and more confident in him.

[geezerdonk]

Two hours and ten minutes to play six innings.

[Bench]

Wait, a lefty can come in and get the left handed hitters out, then sit down? Unprecedented!


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And that is just sipping at the fountain of possibilities!

[Bench]

I think Hoyt is growing into his role, and I think Hinch is getting more and more confident in him.

I agree.  He's got good stuff and is being eased into more and more high leverage situations.  He's also the tallest Astro.

[MusicMan]

I agree.  He's got good stuff and is being eased into more and more high leverage situations.  He's also the tallest Astro.

Paulino is taller, I think


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[HudsonHawk]

2-out HR by Binafacio makes it a one run game

[Waldo]

Leadoff double by Reddick.  Get one back here.

[MRaup]

That Marisnik catch/Springer sitting watching it play was one of the best things I've ever seen.

[HudsonHawk]

Would be nice to not waste that leadoff double.

[austro]

Squandering opportunities. Hope it doesn't come back to haunt them.

[MRaup]

Squandering opportunities. Hope it doesn't come back to haunt them.

I've got a baaaaad feeling about this.

[Waldo]

Finally some good luck - broke foul at the very last second.

[HudsonHawk]

Tying run in scoring position, two out

[Waldo]

4-3 heading to the 9th.  Boo-birds coming out in KC.

[juliogotay]

the KC team is going to be unrecognizable next season. Maybe even by Sept.

[Waldo]

YULI!!!!

Sit down, Giles, this ain't a save situation anymore!

[MRaup]

La Pina isn't tired tonight!

[HudsonHawk]

There's some insurance runs.

[Tom Servo]

Who needs a bunt?

[MrKnuckleball]

Crazy hair don't care!!!

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[Bench]

Paulino is taller, I think

You are correct.  I hadn't updated my tallest standings with the latest 25 man moves.   

[chuck]

Yuli is easily my favorite current Astro.

[austro]

Yuli is easily my favorite current Astro.

I'm waiting for the inevitable Yuli troll-doll bobblehead.

[MRaup]

Laz Diaz missed punching out Reddick by a few inches calling him out there.

[MrKnuckleball]

I'm waiting for the inevitable Yuli troll-doll bobblehead.

Marwin needs one first.

[chuck]

I'm waiting for the inevitable Yuli troll-doll bobblehead.

I just like that he's played in relative obscurity most of his career, even in Cuba he wasn't really thought of as a guy who could come to the major leagues and be a star, not like Puig or Cespedes, he ends up on a team that people typically don't think or talk about very much nationally, and he's quietly become an important part of a team that's playing very well.

You want to replace him with Hosmer? I wouldn't.

[Andyzipp]

Is there some kind of bad blood between Correa and Moosetacos?

[MRaup]

Is there some kind of bad blood between Correa and Moosetacos?

Other than a native Puerto Rican's feelings about using moose meat in a taco?

[Waldo]

11 in a row and a well-deserved win for Fiers.

[MrKnuckleball]

Is there some kind of bad blood between Correa and Moosetacos?

Why do you ask?

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[Andyzipp]

Other than a native Puerto Rican's feelings about using moose meat in a taco?

I've been puttering around tonight, and only half paying attention...it was Marwin...when he got thrown out at 3rd, Mooseknuckle made a show of the ball being in his glove well after the tag was applied.

[chuck]

Todd and I were at a game at Shea back in 2000 when Eusebio's 24-game hitting streak came to an end. When it was apparent that he would get no more at bats Todd and I stood up and cheered wildly drawing confused derision from Mets faithful. I don't remember offhand how many actual games his streak encompassed because he was a back-up and a pinch-hitter, but it was far more than 24. So, I mean, it could have been strung out over 50 games or more.

If I recall correctly the Astros beat the shit out of the Mets that game, and if I recall correctly I never once saw the Astros win a series in New York.

[Waldo]

From ESPN:

That's 11 in a row for the Astros, who improve to 42-16 -- including 22-6 on the road. The 7-8-9 hitters drove in six runs in the 7-3 win over the Royals. Here's a great number from ESPN Stats & Info: Houston's bottom three hitters are batting .285 and slugging .502 on the season -- that's better than the MLB average for 3-4-5 hitters (.265/.459). Yes, the Astros are good.

[JimR]

Fiers has been good his last two starts, and last night was excellent. His resurgence has come at a good time.

[JimR]

I just like that he's played in relative obscurity most of his career, even in Cuba he wasn't really thought of as a guy who could come to the major leagues and be a star, not like Puig or Cespedes, he ends up on a team that people typically don't think or talk about very much nationally, and he's quietly become an important part of a team that's playing very well.

You want to replace him with Hosmer? I wouldn't.

Agreed. That was a crazy idea.

[HudsonHawk]

Todd and I were at a game at Shea back in 2000 when Eusebio's 24-game hitting streak came to an end. When it was apparent that he would get no more at bats Todd and I stood up and cheered wildly drawing confused derision from Mets faithful. I don't remember offhand how many actual games his streak encompassed because he was a back-up and a pinch-hitter, but it was far more than 24. So, I mean, it could have been strung out over 50 games or more.

If I recall correctly the Astros beat the shit out of the Mets that game, and if I recall correctly I never once saw the Astros win a series in New York.

Eusebio's streak went from July 9th through August 28th of that year, 54 days, covering 43 games.  The game in which Eusbeio's streak was stopped, the Astros banged out 16 hits en route to an 11-1 win on a complete game by Wade Miller.  Ironically, Eusebio was the only Astro starter to *not* get a hit that day.  Even Miller chipped in with an RBI knock. 

[chuck]

Eusebio's streak went from July 9th through August 28th of that year, 54 days, covering 43 games.  The game in which Eusbeio's streak was stopped, the Astros banged out 16 hits en route to an 11-1 win on a complete game by Wade Miller.  Ironically, Eusebio was the only Astro starter to *not* get a hit that day.  Even Miller chipped in with an RBI knock.

That all sounds about right. I remember Daryle Ward had some role in the onslaught, and that there was a kid who was a particular fan of Ward's for some reason and that Todd gave him one of his baseball cards that he happened to have with him and after the game I somehow got Ward's attention and got him to sign the card for the kid.

That kid'll be damn near thirty years old now.

[MikeyBoy]

Any word on Marwin? Speculation from Blum/Kala is that he left the game last night with a potential hand issue from a slide at 3b. I haven't seen anything reported from the team.

[Waldo]

Any word on Marwin? Speculation from Blum/Kala is that he left the game last night with a potential hand issue from a slide at 3b. I haven't seen anything reported from the team.

From the Astros.com recap:

Astros third baseman Marwin Gonzalez exited in the eighth inning with what the team called discomfort on the heel of his left hand. He injured the hand against the Orioles about 10 days ago and he aggravated it sliding head-first into third base on a double play in the sixth inning on Monday.

"It feels pretty sore," Gonzalez said. "It's discomfort, and let's see how it feels tomorrow and we'll go from there."

Gonzalez said it bothers him swinging from the right side of the plate because he puts the bat in the middle of his hand and has been choking up to feel better. He doesn't think he'll play on Tuesday.

"How I feel right now, probably not," he said.

[MikeyBoy]

Thanks. Just got through reading this on chron.com. Not sure how I missed it earlier.