*Through 142 games, 2018:
Houston: 89-53
Oakland: 85-57
Through 142 games, 2017:
Houston: 86-56
Oakland: 62-80
The Astros have improved by three games, Oakland by 23. And the A's have Baltimore Tuesday-Thursday before going to Tampa Bay, who have won 14 of their last 17 games.
*Houston has won seven straight games for the 2nd time this season. They're 14-3 in their last 17 games. The Astros go for the sweep tonight. Bregman:
I think it's great that we got off to a good start here, but when the clock strikes midnight tonight it don't matter. I think this team is worried about the next pitch and that's one of the reasons why we're good.
*The Astros' 49th road win ties them with the 2001 team for 2nd-most all time. They need five more regular season road wins to break 2017's franchise record. Remaining road series after tonight are Detroit, Toronto, Baltimore. They should break that record.
*The Astros won despite going 1x10 w/RISP. Bregman-Gurriel-Correa (3-4-5 in the lineup) went a combined 0x6 w/RISP.
*Alex Bregman hit his 30th home run of the season in the 3rd inning. He also struck out twice, his first 2K game since August 18. From August 19-Sept 7 he struck out just three times in 79 PAs.
Bregman is the first player in Astros history to hit 30 home runs before his Age 25 season. Bregman, on hitting 30 home runs:
It feels the same as yesterday, because we won. I'm just happy we won the game. It's pretty cool, a good little accomplishment, but there's a lot of work left this year.
Bregman has a 35-game on-base streak, most since Berkman had a 37-game stretch in 2004. Hinch, on Bregman:
He's having an excellent year, and he can get better. There are ways for him to get even better. We'll continue to push him...He's at the top of his game as of right now, but he's going to get better.
*Tyler White was 1x3 with a triple and 2BB. It's his 3rd triple of the year, tying him with Marwin for the team lead - just like we all predicted in March.
White, 1st stint w/HOU: .219/.375/.438, 2HR.
White, July 29-Sept 8: .317/.379/.642, 9HR.
White has hit 11 home runs in 172 PAs in 2018. He had hit 11 home runs in his previous 343 PAs.
*George Springer back? He has multi-hit games in four straight, and five of his last six.
*Carlos Correa was 1x5 with a double, his first extra-base hit since August 24, a span of 13 games. Correa, on his back still causing him problems:
It's definitely been a grind, been a grind (said 'Litos Two Times). Sometimes waking up with my back tight again, sometimes feeling fine. It's just been hard to get in a rhythm. I don't want to say it's affecting me, but it definitely has played a role in the way my swing has changed a little bit and some of the bad habits I've acquired.
*Charlie Morton's return to the mound was solid: 5IP, 7H/2ER, 3K:2BB. Lot of baserunners, but got out of trouble. He threw 94 pitches, which is about 30 more than I thought he would. Morton needs 12 strikeouts to join the 200K club with Verlander and Cole.
*Josh Big Flames James (I'm forcing this to be A Thing) threw 2.2IP, 1H/0ER, 4K:0BB. He threw 101mph.
Josh James, Wicked 88mph Slider. 🤢 pic.twitter.com/Ra67JALNOo— Rob Friedman (@PitchingNinja) September 8, 2018
*Roberto Osuna record a Giles: 1IP, 2H/1ER, 0K:1BB, Save.
*Jake Marisnick's defense may have saved the game.
*Astros pitchers held J.D. Martinez to an 0x5 day, something he had not done since August 25, 2016. Martinez GIDP'd to end the game. Xander Bogaerts:
That's one of the good things when you play here and give yourself a chance, good things can happen. We obviously had one of our best players at the plate right there and he didn't come through. But nine out of ten times he will.
I think Bogaerts is implying that J.D. Martinez is hitting .900 when batting with a chance to walk it off. [Checks Baseball-Reference]. He's not.
*Lance McCullers threw fastballs, changeups, and sinkers in a 30-pitch bullpen session yesterday. Hinch:
It's important for Lance. This is one step of a five-, six-, seven-step process before he gets back into a Major League game. If today went well, that's great.
*Fresno lost 4-2 to El Paso to force the series to a deciding Game 5 at 7:05pm Central.
*J.B. Bukauskas threw 6IP, 3H/0ER, 7K:3BB but Corpus lost to San Antonio to force a Game 5. The Hooks are offering free general admission tickets to today's 4:05pm Central game.
*Ex-MLB pitcher Michael Schwimer wants to invest in minor-league players.
*The Nationals have Max Scherzer, Bryce Harper, Stephen Strasburg, Gio Gonzalez, and a $150 million payroll. They're 71-72, 7.5 games out of a Wild Card spot. How did everything go so wrong?