So the Astros want to make this moderately interesting, huh? I mean, okay. Finish strong, I suppose. Alex Bregman made the greatest comeback since Lazarus, coming off the bench and into the game to immediately knock an RBI single off Felix, tying the game in the bottom of the 6th - an inning that saw the Astros score six runs on their way to an 8-4 win over Seattle.
The Astros are 2.5 GB of the WC2 with two teams between them and October. There are four games left. FanGraphs: 2.3%.
Springer:
This team isn't going to quit. We're going to go down fighting.
Wait...
Felix, on that 6th inning:
I was still making good pitches. The curveball was down, and it just blooped. I was fine. They just got lucky.
*Bregman:
I knew that there was a possibility of it, but we weren't certain. When I went up and got loose in the bottom of the fourth inning, it felt good, and Skip asked if I was ready, and I said, 'Yep.' And that's kind of how it happened.
Bregman was headed to Florida for ABs in the Instructional League. That flight has been canceled.
*Jandel Gustave got his first career MLB win. Hinch:
We wanted to squeeze as many outs out of guys as we could, which is dangerous this time of year. A four-run lead feels like a one-run lead this time of year and obviously our bullpen's been beat up a little bit.
*Over the last two games, Yulieski Gurriel has hit into five double plays. Part of this could be Gurriel's adjustment to a Major League schedule, which is different compared to Cuba or Japan. Gurriel:
Here, there's not a lot of rest - you're always on the go. I try to relax any chance I get, prepare my body, (get a) massage. But really, there's not a whole lot of off time once you're playing every day.
*Today is your last chance to see Tal's Hill. Tal's kind of butthurt about it:
I've been expecting it. I thought it was inevitable with the new ownership and management. I thought it was a very distinct feature of the ballpark. I liked it. Everybody's got their opinions. I sort of sense it was popular with many of the fans, and players and mangers you get different viewpoints.
*A $105m parking project got the green light to save the Astrodome.
*The Astros are one of four teams known to be setting up private workouts with Lourdes Gurriel.
*Some agents have serious concerns about the next CBA - the current one, the one with the qualifying offer, etc., expires on December 1.
*Longtime Minute Maid groundskeeper Mike Richardson passed away suddenly during Monday night's game. The Astros held a moment of silence prior to Tuesday night's game.
We didn't come out here to play tiddlywinks, son.
-Hal Smith
