Another glorious win against the Orioles and the Masked Marvel has your recap. Jeff Blogwell has Part 4 of the Jeff Luhnow Trade Retrospective series. I wrote about the recent badassedness of Michael Feliz.
*The Astros have struck out 37 Orioles in the first two games of this series - the most strikeouts by an Astros pitching staff since May 30-May 31, 2003 when Wade Miller struck out 14 Cubs in a two-hit complete-game shutout and Oswalt/Dotel/Lidge/Wagner/Stone struck out 23 Cubs in a 16-inning game. Typical Astros lost that game 1-0.
*George Springer has a 15-game On-Base streak rolling, with hits in 14 of those games. Ken Giles hasn't allowed a run in nine outings (7.2IP). Will Harris hasn't allowed a run in 20 outings (20.1IP).
*Hinch trusts Harris implicitly.
*Collin McHugh struck out ten Orioles last night - the most strikeouts in a game since April 2015, when he struck out 11 A's. It's his 3rd 10+ K game of his career. McHugh has 18 strikeouts in his last 12.1IP. McHugh:
We made a couple mistakes they made us pay for, a couple extra-base hits that come back to haunt you, but I think we did a pretty good job. Overall we executed our game plan well and came up with some timely hits and really put a complete game together.
Hinch, on homer-happy Gattis:
He's a real threat, he's a real danger, especially in this ballpark, when he doesn't have to try to do too much to pull. Anything he hits to left is essentially off that scoreboard or over. And that brings some comfort for him.
*Colin Moran is still looking for his first major-league hit. Hinch:
His bat-to-ball skills are really good. It's just elusive right now. I think as any younger player when they get up here and they don't feel success, it's growing pains a little bit.
*Joe Musgrove was straight dealin' yesterday in Fresno, throwing 7IP, 5H/1ER, 7K:0BB. Of the 21 outs he recorded, 16 came on strikeouts or groundouts. In nine appearances this season between Corpus and Fresno, he has thrown 44.1IP, 35H/5ER, 49K:5BB
*Carlos Gomez hit a 422-foot home run last night in his second rehab start at Corpus. Alex Bregman went 3x4, Derek Fisher hit his 9th home run of the year. The Hooks are 14-2 in their last 16 games, and 19-5 in their last 24 games.
*Completing something they couldn't do in Houston together, Lance Berkman and Andy Pettitte coached Second Baptist to a state baseball title. Imagine being in the opposing dugout and looking across and seeing a career .943 OPS, 256 wins, and six World Series rings.
*Carlos Corporan signed a minor-league deal with the Marlins.
We didn't come out here to play tiddlywinks, son.
-Hal Smith
