I mean. This has been very fun and not at all what I expected or felt in my heart would happen. Dating back to the final game of the season series of 2016, the Astros have won four in a row against North Waxahachie, and Houston has won three games in a series for the first time since July 7-9, 2014. The Astros put up 10+ runs for the 6th time in head-to-head history. Joe Musgrove goes for the sweep at 1:10pm Central.
*Hinch, on the 10-1 win:
When you can kick-start some scoring early, you have a chance to do some things playing from ahead. We had tremendous at-bats in the second inning that as a whole, I think, set the tone for a nice night.
*Carlos Correa led the way with a 4-hit night, falling just a (wink) triple short of a cycle. Hinch, on Correa:
Over the course of 600 at-bats, you're going to have a 50- or 80- or 100-at-bat inconsistency. He might have had his at the beginning. There's not a panic in him.
At the end of the game on April 22, in which he recorded his fifth straight 0-fer, Correa was hitting .196/.292/.250. He hit his second home run of the season on April 23 and since the beginning of that game Correa is hitting .333/.378/.619.
*The Astros struck out one time last night - Correa in the 8th - which was a season-low in strikeouts for Rangers pitching. McTaggart notes in one of the above links that it's the first time since September 1, 2010 that the Astros only had one strikeout. Houston got seven extra-base hits - four doubles, three homers - AND the Astros were only 2x10 w/RISP.
*For the season, Marwin is hitting .246/.352/.672. After going 1x27 from April 10-April 25, Marwin is hitting .474/.524/1.368, averaging a home run every 3.8 ABs in his last six games.
*2006 Astros' first 28 games: 19-9. Finish: 82-80.
2017 Astros' first 28 games: 19-9. Finish: ?
*George Springer left the game in the 8th inning, but Hinch later said he's not hurt, the Astros were just up by nine runs and he wanted to give Springer some rest.
*Josh Reddick will hand out a customized orange wrestling belt to the player of the game. Happy in Houston, Reddick had hoped to continue his career with the A's and was surprised at how quickly Oakland sold off.
*For the 4th time in his career, Dallas Keuchel was named AL Pitcher of the Month.
*David Schoenfield says the Cole Hamels injury (oblique - projected to miss eight weeks) will likely make the Rangers sellers, and the Astros hard to catch. Schoenfield:
I see a mediocre team trying to chase an excellent team and the mediocre team facing a large deficit. It's going to be a tough road for the Rangers to overcome.
*Kevin Sherrington says if the Rangers aren't sellers at the deadline, the Astros could overtake them for good.
*The Astros have gone from 14/1 to win the World Series to 8/1.
*FanRag's Kate Morrison says the only AL West team that can beat the Astros...is the Astros.
*Colin Moran was placed on the 7-Day DL with an undisclosed injury.
*Teoscar Hernandez made FanGraphs' Most Improved Hitting Prospects list.
*A woman behind home plate at Busch Stadium was struck by a stray bullet.
*No PreStros Report today. I gotta go. Check WTHB for last night's game updates.
We didn't come out here to play tiddlywinks, son.
-Hal Smith
