Sunday, June 16, 2019

Sunday Morning Hot Links

It's Father's Day. Shoutout to you dads who, like me, are just doing their best. We sometimes do a decent job, sometimes we crap the bed. But we're trying, and hope that the good days outweigh the bad and our kids turn out okay. There's a number of you who desperately want to be dads, but it hasn't been in the cards for you to this point. I very much understand that, and feel for you. I've been there. The Wife and I are 1x7 on successful pregnancies. If there is any way that I can lend an ear, be a shoulder, or help, please reach out and let me know. Email me at astroscounty at gmail dot com. Infertility issues are a different beast for you dudes, and I might be able to at least help a little. Also, I know there's at least a few of you who don't have great relationships (or any kind of relationship) with your father. I feel for you. These holidays are the worst for people who haven't enjoyed Hallmark lives, and I'm sorry for that.

Framber is good. Framber is handsome. If I order some apps, Framber can have some. Yordan is nuts. Super Jack had himself a day. The Astros handled the Blue Jays 7-2. They are 48-23, one game better than the 2017 Astros after the all-important 71st game of the season. Houston is 35-15 in their last 50 games, 30-10 in their last 40 games, 22-8 in their last 30. 15-5 in their last 20.

*2017 vs 2019 wins, by calendar month:
March/April: 16 / 18
May: 22 / 20
June: 16 / 9
July: 15 / ?
August: 11 / ?
September/October: 20

I got loose on Twitter the other night (alcohol was involved - it's summer) and said the Astros would win 107 games this season. In order for that to happen, the Astros will have to go 59-32 the rest of the season, that's a .648 win% after they've been winning at a .676 clip and not having Springer, Altuve, Correa, and Diaz for the better part of a month AND playing the 5th-hardest schedule in baseball to this point. And only 26 of the 91 remaining games are against teams currently above .500. And now they have Yordan. This team is scary. 

*Yordan Alvarez was 3x4 with a solo home run. It's his 4th home run in his first five MLB games. Tyler White hit three home runs in his first five MLB games. This means absolutely nothing. HOWEVER! Yordan is the 4th player in MLB history to hit four home runs in their first five games, joining Trevor Story, Yasiel Puig, and Mike Jacobs. Hinch, on Alvarez:
I'm probably having about as hard a time describing him as you're having writing about him...It's been very impressive to watch him methodically go about his business like a much more experienced player than he is. He's soaking up all the information that we have, he's leaning on teammates and he's in the batter's box and in complete control of the at-bat.

*Jack Mayfield was 3x4 with three doubles. It's the 39th time in franchise history that a player has had three doubles in a game, and the first since Yuli Gurriel did it on April 6. Bregman did it twice in 2018, and that was it until Chris Carter did it in a 14-6 loss to the Cubs on June 23, 2013. McTaggart notes that Mayfield is the first Astros rookie to hit three doubles in a game since Terry Puhl in 1977. He's the third 2B in franchise history to have three doubles in a game, joining Mark Loretta, Craig Biggio, and Art Howe.

 Oh, and Jack Mayfield was 2x34 for 2019 coming into this game. Baseball makes no sense, and that's why we love it...until we hate it because it makes no sense. Mayfield and Yordan are buddies, and it's Very Sweet.

*Tyler White was 2x3 with a walk. It's the 8th multi-hit game of the season for White, first since June 6. He had his 4th GIDP of the season, in four PAs (166 PAs). He GIDP'd once in 304 PAs spread out over 2017-18. 

*Yuli Gurriel was 0x4. He's now hitting .255/.288/.390 on the season. The Astros won a game 7-2 with a .678 OPS in the 3-spot. 

*Myles Straw was 2x4 with 2RBI. It's the 3rd multi-hit game and the first multi-RBI game of his career.

*Framber Valdez straight up FRAMBUSHED the Blue Jays, throwing 6IP, 4H/2ER, 8K:2BB. He struck out nine Angels on September 23, 2018 for his career-high. Oh, and check out how he got buzzed by a line drive that took out his hat.

Framber's two starts, 2019: 13IP, 9H/3ER, 15K:2BB. I like him. 

*Chris Devenski recorded six outs with no runs for the third time in 2019. He struck out two batters for the 8th time this season. Devenski's last nine appearances: 11IP, 7H/3ER, 17K:6BB. All three earned runs came against the Brewers on June 11.

*Jake Marisnick didn't play last night after leaving Friday's game with "knee discomfort," the Death Knell of Astros Announcements. Hinch said that it might not be too bad. He won't play for a couple of days.

*Round Rock beat up on Seattle's Triple-A team, which is apparently not their MLB team, 14-0. Cy Sneed threw 6.2IP, 2H/0ER, 5K:2BB. Kyle Tucker went 3x5 with 2HR/5RBI, his 22nd and 23rd homers of the season. It is the middle of June. Drew Ferguson went 4x5 and Josh Rojas hit his 1st Triple-A homer of the year.

*Former Astros Great Trent Thornton (5th Round - 2015 draft), whom the Astros traded for Aledmys Diaz, will start today's game for Toronto. He's 1-5 with the Blue Jays in this, his first major-league season, with a 4.78 ERA / 1.41 WHIP. Thornton, via Chandler Rome:
I'll be honest. At the very beginning of the season, when I made the team, I was seeing when we were playing Houston. I was just praying to God I'd get to face them.

Careful what you pray for, my dude.

*Quinn Biggio wrote a Dear Dad letter to Craij.

*The Fake-Ass Mariners apparently traded Edwin Encarnacion to the Yankees. Not ideal, October-wise. Please have a 13-2 banner ceremony come March 2020, Dipoto, you piece of garbage. Jerry Dipoto's existence makes me feel sad for Mariners fans, 60% of whom are a good and loyal group.

*How to fix America's worst freeway.

*GQ: Mike Tyson Smokes The Toad.

*Tragic story from the NY Times: How The Music Burned.

*A Musical Selection:



The Hot Links Music playlist on Spotify is now eight hours long, if you're interested.
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