*Down 5-0, the Astros stormed back with ten unanswered runs for a 10-5 win over Seattle outdoing last night's season highs for hits and runs with a new season high. Mike Fiers struggled, allowing the first five runs of the game, but the bullpen held it down while the offense surged. Altuve had a perfect night at the plate, going 3x3 with 2BB while Reddick (2RBI), Correa (RBI), Beltran (3RBI), Bregman (BB, RBI), Gurriel (RBI), and Aoki each had two hits. Six of the Astros' 10 runs came with two outs in the inning.
And while I routinely give him crap, it's worth noting that Tony Sipp retired the side on eight pitches with no drama whatsoever.
*Jake Kaplan, in his gamer, notes that it's the first time the Astros have won a game they trailed by 5+ runs since September 2008. A stat which I do not believe, but find completely believable. After Taylor Motter hit the homer to make it 5-0 Mariners, Seattle had a Win Expectancy of 93.7%.
Beltran:
We do believe in our club. I do feel that it was about time that we started swinging the bat collectively and we did that today. I think we put up good at-bats, quality at-bats, and basically everyone fed off that...We didn't really feel like when they scored those five runs that we were out of the game.
*The Astros are 6-4 after ten games. The 2016 Astros didn't get their 6th win until G18. The last time the Astros were 6-4? 2006.
*Lookout Landing isn't taking last night's loss well (been there).
*Hinch swapped Reddick and Bregman in the lineup, and will keep it like that for a while. Hinch:
Like I've said most of this season, it's not going to be a punishment for anybody. There's no demotion. It's about trying to find the right combination against specific pitchers.
*Reddick credits Beltran with fixing a mechanical issue with his hips during his swing. #VeteranPresence
*Big Joe, Big Joe Musgrove is looking to fix the timing of his delivery.
*McTaggart: Altuve is starting to feel like Altuve again. Last night was Altuve's 103rd career 3-hit game.
*Despite struggling in his last two outings, Ken Giles is not in danger of losing his job. Hinch:
He's got a lot of leeway. All of our guys do.
*Jeff Blogwell makes the case for pitcher A.J. Reed.
*Beyond the Box Score: The Chris Devenski Revolution (new album drops May 10).
*What with Alex Bregman in Houston and Colin Moran at Fresno, the Astros are letting J.D. Davis see some time in LF.
*A seemingly anonymous writer at Sports Illustrated encourages the Astros to trade for Julio Teheran.
*Hardball Times: Babe Ruth, Atlanta, and the Longest Home Run Ever Hit
*Man, the guy picked after Correa had a bad week.
*I hate the Ramgers, but I love 3B coach Tony Beasley: How Tony Beasley Beat Cancer.
On The Farm:
Keegan Yuhl threw 6IP, 5H/2ER, 5K:4BB and A.J. Reed was 3x4 with a walk as Fresno beat Las Vegas 7-4. James Hoyt got his first save of the season. Catcher Juan Centeno was also 3x4 with an RBI, and his hitting .385 on the young season while Preston Tucker and Reid Brignac hit their first home runs of the season. Colin Moran had two hits, including a two-out hit that plated two runs.
Corpus was off last night. Home opener at Whataburger Field this evening.
Buies Creek's Akeem Bostick threw 6IP, 2H/0ER, 6K:1BB last night in a 5-1 win over Myrtle Beach. Kyle Tucker was 1x3 with a walk and 2RBI, Jason Martin (SB) was 3x4, and Dexture McCall (SB, BB, 2RBI) and Pat Porter each had two hits.
Quad Cities had a 2-1 lead heading into the bottom of the 8th at Peoria, but Peoria tied it up and then got the walk-off in the bottom of the 10th to drop the River Bandits to 3-4. Ryan Hartman threw 5IP, 2H/1ER, 5K:1BB, and Hector Perez threw 4.1IP, 2H/2ER, 5K:3BB. Abdiel Saldana faced two batters, walked one and then gave up the hit to end it. Alexander De Goti and Anibel Sierra had two hits each.
We didn't come out here to play tiddlywinks, son.
-Hal Smith
