Yeah, I think it's easy now [to second guess]. You walk a guy with two strikes and the odds are still in your favor, the percentages are still in your favor that things are going to go fine. If you'd like to replay it, I'd happily walk him, sure.
*Boston manager John Farrell was surprised Hinch didn't walk Ortiz:
I think we were a little surprised that they wouldn't (walk him). They might look to expand the strike zone, and if they walk him they have the right-hander on deck.
*The Astros made sure that SI could all breathless and sweaty about Ortiz.
*Every time Ortiz got to second base Correa asked him why he was retiring.
*Carlos Gomez was given a "mental and physical day" off yesterday. Gomez:
It's a tough moment right now, but I have confidence and believe in myself that I'm better than that. I don't know what's wrong with me right now.
*The editor of the Houston Chronicle apologized for the way Brian T. Smith quoted Gomez in that one article:
With regards to quoting Carlos Gomez: We sincerely apologize for any offense that was taken. Our writers are encouraged to AP style rules...I reviewed the rules myself after this arose and found the guidelines on quotes to be less than adequate for a community like ours, full of immigrants from all over the world, and for whom English is often a second language.
You know BTS: always been a slave to them AP Style Guidelines...
*Gomez told ESPN Radio that he felt Smith quoted him the way he did in order to ridicule him.
*George Springer is loving playing near home.
*Ken Giles is pitching with more confidence.
The hard work is paying off now and I have more confidence in my mechanics now. They're more in tune, and I'm going to keep on doing what I'm doing.
*Giles also talked about how not to talk to a reliever.
You can't tell someone he got his ass kicked. It's the worst thing you can possibly say to somebody, especially a young guy. There's no way he should feel he got demolished because he's not good enough. You should never, ever think that way.
*Alex Bregman felt comfortable getting his first start at third base.
I feel like I'll be very comfortable here really soon - really, really soon. I'm pretty comfortable there already, but I feel like in a few days I'll be very comfortable there.
Luhnow emphasized that they didn't want to promote Bregman to Double-A AND have him get used to another position:
We didn't want him to switch positions or have him try a new position while he was getting accustomed to a higher level. It's pretty clear he's been able to fit in well at that level offensively, and we figured now's a good time to at least try out some alternatives.
*Joe Musgrove's Triple-A debut: 5IP, 5H/1ER, 5K:2BB.
*MLB.com's latest mock draft is out, and has the Astros looking at high school arms like Ian Anderson out of Clifton Park, NY.
*Washington Post: How Stephen Strasburg's extension came to be.
*Peter Gammons got salty early on a Sunday:
NL scout:"Foltynewicz command improved twofold in a year." Shut out KC. Sat 96.8-98.4. Remind us why Astros traded him...— Peter Gammons (@pgammo) May 15, 2016
