*Dallas Keuchel threw a gem and the Angels got Reddick'd as the Astros opened the "second-half" with a 3-1 win over Anaheim. The Astros are 65-35, five games up on Seattle. The Astros would need to go 35-27 (.565) over the stretch to win 100 games, far worse than their current .650 win%. They're on pace to go 105-57. Houston's best record after 100 games is 67-33, set in 2017. In each previous season in which the Astros won at least 65 of their first 100 games they went on to win the World Series.
*Dallas Keuchel took a no-hitter into the 7th inning, throwing 7.2IP, 2H/1ER, 5K:1BB. He needed just 102 pitches to get 23 outs, and he lowered his ERA to 3.60. Keuchel has won four decisions in a row, in those last four starts: 27.2IP, 19H/4ER, 18K:6BB, with opponents hitting .194/.236/.224. Keuchel now has back-to-back starts without allowing an extra-base hit.
*Keuchel's first hit allowed came on a line drive that bounced off of Marwin's glove. Marwin:
In my personal opinion, that should be an error. I don't know why they got a hit. That changed the game a little bit for (Keuchel)...I thought I caught it. It was moving, but I should have caught it.
Hinch:
This was certainly a night where he was in total control of everything. I thought his fastball was exceptional. I thought his use of the changeup was great. He arguably never should have given up a run, maybe not even a hit. There was a lot of good in Dallas.
That last sentence is the first time those words have ever collided in the same sentence.
More Keuchel:
This is what I planned out for myself before the season started. It's nice to get off to a fast start, but being injured for the middle months - seems like the last two years - I focused on trying to hit my stride in July and August and I couldn't feel better.
*Josh Reddick went 2x4 with an RBI triple. It's his second multi-hit game in his last three, and his first triple since September 20, 2017.
*Max Stassi got his 10th multi-hit game of the season, going 2x4.
*Kyle Tucker was 0x4 with a GIDP. He's 0-for-his-last-13. Tucker has played in ten Major League games.
*Carlos Correa is stuck at Base Camp on Everest waiting on conditions to clear for a medivac to take him to Kathmandu. He is not expected to play this road trip. Hinch:
The update is much of the same, where he's continuing to report to Minute Maid and make some progress but not enough progress to be fully ramped up to be able to play. He's not going to be on this road trip. He's not going to be activated any time soon.
Check Jake Kaplan for more details.
*ClintShane gives some advice on how to handle the next 62 games.
*Scroll all the way down to the end of this SI piece to find their pick for the Astros' defining moment of the 1st Half.
*From Hunter Atkins: Brad Lidge's advice to Ken Giles? Be patient.
*SI asked All-Stars who they hated to face. Alex Bregman is a national treasure.
*Check out this catch that Myles Straw made last night.
*Shout out to the Mexican Baseball League for actually holding umpires accountable.
*Are athletes playing too much Fortnite?
*Here's a great article from The Athletic's Lindsey Adler on Rob Friedman, the beloved Pitching Ninja.
*Lol the white supremacist in the Vice News documentary on Charlottesville has been banned from Virginia. Virginia, truly, is for lovers.
We didn't come out here to play tiddlywinks, son.
-Hal Smith