You have to be kidding me. The Astros lost *another* one-run game to the Rangers. They are 0-8 against Lower Oklahoma City, and five of those losses have been by 1-run. The Rangers are 21-6 against the Astros since the beginning of the 2015 season. Twelve of those wins have been by a margin of 1-2 runs. I do not understand any of this and actually kind of find it logically impossible that a team can win that many close games against another team. Such is the damage to my soul that I'm starting to look at it like a science experiment, and not as though my psyche is completely withering away.
*Springer/Altuve/Correa/Gattis combined to go 0x13.
*The Astros w/RISP: 3x9; The Rangers w/RISP: 0x6. This is exactly the kind of devil magic I don't understand.
*After going 20-8 in 2015, Dallas Keuchel is now 3-8 on the 2016 season. For whatever reason, A.J. Hinch decided to send Keuchel back out in the 8th inning to face the Rangers' lineup for a 4th time. He had only faced batters for a 4th time in a start in 14 PAs all season, but those 14 PAs resulted in an .896 OPS-against, and that's before last night because B-Ref hasn't updated yet.
Keuchel's OPS-against, by number of times through the lineup:
1st: .809
2nd: .781
3rd: .706
4th: .896
*But don't worry! Keuchel feels better!
That's probably the best I've felt all year. I was able to get some quality off-speed over for strikes early and get them off the fastball. But I can't take that pitch (to Desmond) back. It had been working for me all night, and that's been a good pitch for me the last few starts. Maybe throw it an inch out more? But you've got to give credit to Desmond. This park flies. He got it up in the air and it just cleared the fence.
*Apparently Handsome Jake Marisnick missed the sign for the safety squeeze when he hit the ball into the only place he could ground into a double play to end the 7th.
*Jose Altuve has a comfortable lead to start the All-Star Game. Somehow - and this is why we have an Electoral College - George Springer isn't considered one of the 15 best outfielders in the American League. Being an All-Star isn't the foremost thing on Springer's mind.
*Hinch spent some time talking to McTaggart about Fresno's Danny Worth, and it sounds like he might be a candidate to come up to Houston. Worth - who just won PCL's Player of the Month - is hitting .345/.452/.571 with 38K:34BB.
*It's worth mentioning that the Chronicle's coverage of this series has been absolutely God-awful.
*Tim Lincecum's next start will come at Fresno for the Salt Lake City Bees.
*The Blue Jays DFA'd Matt Dominguez.
We didn't come out here to play tiddlywinks, son.
-Hal Smith
