*Holy crap the Not-Keuchel/Gregerson pitchers were terrible against New York. In 16IP on Wednesday and Thursday, the Astros "pitching staff" allowed 29H/23ER, 13K:8BB.
*Ken Giles knows he has a job, and he also knows that he has not successfully done that job.
*But: Yay! Tyler White! McTaggart - or some nameless intern - did a deep dive and found that White is the first Astros player to have 4RBI in his first three career games since George Bjorkman in 1983.
*Puerto Ricans in NYC absolutely love Carlos Correa (alt link) A Bronx barber, upon hearing that Correa hit two home runs on Wednesday:
Arocho excitedly caterwauled a rally cry in Spanish and then translated it. "Rice and beans and pastels all day," he said, referring to traditional Christmas Day dishes that, Arocho assured, every Puerto Rican knows.
Folks if we can't make #RiceAndBeansAndPastelesAllDay a thing after every Correa home run then we have let a golden opportunity slip through our fingers.
*Typical NY media: NJ.com noted that Correa said he loves playing in New York and are already dreaming of seeing Correa in pinstripes.
*The Astros open a series this evening at 7:10pm Central to against the Milwaukee Fightin' Stearns, where the Brewers GM is remaking the club in his mentor's image.
*Lance McCullers will begin a rehab assignment in Corpus on Monday.
*Jeff Luhnow didn't want 2015 #2 overall pick Alex Bregman picking up the "bad habits" that come with playing in such an extreme hitters park in Lancaster. That, and the Spring Bregman had, led him to Corpus to open 2016.
*A day after throwing 107 fairly ineffective pitches in relief of a completely useless Collin McHugh, Michael Feliz was sent to Fresno. Chris Devenski - the PTBNL in the Brett Myers trade with the White Sox - was called up. Danny Reynolds was DFA'd to make room for Devenski.
*The Astros signed 22-year old Cuban infielder Anibal Sierra to a $3.5m minor-league contract. The deal will be finalized after July 2 so that it can go under the 2017 budget.
*The rising trend of young MLB stars switching agencies.
*The larger than life legend of Baltimore's Fancy Clancy.
*An 89-year old Holocaust survivor will sing the national anthem for the Tigers in May.
*How did "You'll Never Walk Alone" become such an enduring anthem?
We didn't come out here to play tiddlywinks, son.
-Hal Smith
