On April 27 Josh Reddick was hitting .354/.407/.506. Over the next 119 games he hit .261/.302/.391, and that included two 5-hit games in September.
*If you want to know how Hot the Stove was yesterday, the biggest news of the day was the Braves signing Darren O'Day to a $2.25m deal with a $3.5m option for 2021. Darren O'Day threw 5.1IP in 2019.
*Check out McTaggart's Inbox, in which he drops a really odd note that the Gerrit Cole Sweepstakes could last through the summer, discusses the rotation, Reddick vs Tucker, and Jake Marisnick.
*FanGraphs agrees with pretty much everyone else that Gerrit Cole is a perfect fit for the Angels.
*Click this link to see Jose Altuve surprise a young fan who suffered burns after a gas explosion.
*Click this one to see how important Will Harris is to a Houston family.
*Don't miss Jake Kaplan's offseason primer on what to expect regarding free agents, arbitration guys, Rule 5 possibilities, etc.
*This is what the Astros have come to right now: getting pot shots lobbed at them by a newspaper from a city up 45 wondering when Nolan is coming back to the Rangers. Every column, article, snide tweet asking why anyone would believe the Astros' front office in light of how they handled the Taubman Incident is absolutely deserved. Can't wait to go through an offseason full of this.
*Right now the purpose of the Hot Links is to share interesting things I read, and songs I like.
*"Somebody died, there was a need, and I was in a position to help." How Jack Z went from Seattle GM to PNC Park's official scorer.
*San Francisco Chronicle: The Fisherman's Secret. Yes, it'll take you about an hour to read this. Yes, it's worth it.
*GQ: Is your employer stealing from you?
*Consequence of Sound: A new Robert Johnson biopic?
*A Musical Selection:
We didn't come out here to play tiddlywinks, son.
-Hal Smith
