I can not tell a lie. I didn't make it to the end of this game. Long week, real tired, blah blah blah. But that was something, huh? The Astros got two grand slams to beat Seattle 10-6, setting a season-high in runs and tying a season high for hits (16) that was set on Wednesday. Houston is 9-5 and have won seven in a row. Six of their nine wins have come when their opponent scored first.
*First seven games, offense: .235/.304/.363, 50K:21BB, 6HR.
Last seven games, offense: .343/.412/.596, 56K:31BB, 14HR.
*Hinch:
We're opportunistic when you give us an extra base or give us an extra strike, or, you know, we get an opportunity to do some damage. We have a pretty good idea of our offensive identity. We can do damage when you mis-locate.
*Jose Altuve and Yuli Gurriel each hit a grand slam, with Altuve's turning a 3-2 deficit into a 6-3 lead and Gurriel's 8th inning granny making it a 10-5 Astros lead. It's the 3rd time in club history they hit two grand slams in a game (June 8, 2014: Jon Homerton and cHRis carter; and July 30, 1969: Denis Menke and Jimmy Wynn, who did it in the same inning). All three two-granny games have been on the road.
*Altuve's was his 3rd career grand slam. It's his 6th home run of the season and his 5th in the last five days. He has hit a home run in four straight games, extending his previous career high of three. The last time he had home runs in back-to-back games was April 22-23, 2017. Altuve:
You want to know what you're doing good because when you start not hitting the ball very good you want to come right back to that. But I feel like I'm doing the same thing. I would say I'm getting good pitches to hit.
Altuve's grand slam was set up by Dee Gordon dropping George Springer's lineout, and an overturned call that put Gurriel at 3B. Hinch:
He's just getting pitches to hit and destroying them. Even his outs have been really good, which is not surprising. This guy is as credentialed in our league as anybody. When he stays locked in like this, he's a tough, tough out. The damage that he's done is because he's hunting pitches that he's getting.
It was Yuli Gurriel's 4th career grand slam, he had two in 2018. Wade Miley:
The whole offense is pretty silly. That's the cool thing about pitching on this team. You can keep them in the game and...there's no more room for error. Give them a chance, they're going to score some runs.
*Carlos Correa was 2x3 with two walks. It's his 4th multi-hit game of the year. Correa's last ten PAs: five hits, three walks. You have to go all the way back to Wednesday to find the last time Correa was on base four times in a game.
*Last night's game was the 3rd of the season in which the Astros did not GIDP. After hitting into three double plays on Wednesday, the Astros have 15 on the season, 2nd in the Majors behind the Marlins (17).
*The only Astros player in the lineup was Michael Brantley, who went 0x4 with a walk.
*Wade Miley: 4IP, 6H/3ER, 2K:1BB. Brad Peacock threw 3.1IP of relief allowing two runs and striking out seven. Peacock:
We've got guys that can do [their part in] whatever situation that they're asked. It's pretty special. I don't think you get that everywhere. It's fun to be a part of.
*1-3 in the Mariners' lineup (Smith, Haniger, Santana): 6x14, 4K:1BB, 3RBI.
*From yesterday, SI's Jon Tayler: How the Mariners became baseball's best team. /side eye
*Alex Bregman could return to the lineup today. Reymin Guduan was called up and Framber Valdez was sent down, mainly due to matchup favorability.
*Check Jake Kaplan's article in The Athletic on the Astros' experiment to turn Myles Straw into a shortstop. Straw:
It was a little shocking. I definitely get where they're coming from, especially with the depth we have in the outfield. It makes me more valuable as a player, so I'm for it. If it's going to help me develop, get me to where I need to be, I'm willing to do anything.
*Round Rock got three in the bottom of the 8th for a 4-2 win over Memphis. Derek Fisher was 2x5 with a 2-run homer. Corbin Martin threw 5.2IP, 1H/1ER, 9K:3BB.
*Corpus lost 5-1 at Amarillo. Five of the nine hitters in the starting lineup are hitting below .200.
*Fayetteville pitchers walked 11 batters as the Woodpeckers lost to Myrtle Beach 6-1. Fayetteville is also nine games through a 14-game road trip to open the 2019 season.
*Quad Cities got a 5-run 6th inning to defeat Wisconsin at Miller Park, 8-3. Shortstop Jeremy Pena (3rd Round - 2018) was 2x5 with a triple and a stolen base.
*An "extraordinary" 500-year-old library catalogue reveals books lost to time.
*A photo visit to Mount Fanjing.
*Elsik 4, Tompkins 3. Elsik scored with 32 seconds left for the go-ahead win. Regional Final vs Spring Woods is at 1:30pm today.
*A Musical Selection:
We didn't come out here to play tiddlywinks, son.
-Hal Smith
