The Astros lost to the Marlins 2-1. Springer, Brantley (2B), Garneau, Stubbs, and Jack Mayfield had hits. Houston was 0x1 w/RISP. Zack Greinke threw 3IP, 2H/0ER, 2K:0BB. 27 of his 38 pitches were for strikes. Pressly, Osuna, and Devenski had scoreless innings. Austin Pruitt threw 3IP, 4H/2ER, 0K:0BB.
Dusty: The Astros hitting is behind the pitching right now.
*Yordan has been shut down for 3-4 days due to his knee soreness. This is decidedly not a good sign. Correa has the back of a 60-year old and Yordan has the knees of a 70-year old. Manfred's punishment has officially gone too far.
In that link you can read about last year's Jimmy V Award winner Rob Mendez making an appearance at Astros camp.
*Kyle Tucker is hitless this Spring, but says "it will turn around." Tucker:
It's still Spring Training. It's kind of 'whatever' in Spring Training. I try to go out there and play and try to do well. But, I mean, if you don't, at the end of the day it's still Spring Training and you're still gearing up for the season, so that's when you really want to start doing well.
Kyle Tucker looks he like needs to drink a gallon of whole milk every day for the next six months, but he has played way more Major (or Minor) League Baseball than I will ever play. But when Dusty went on record on February 19 and said the longer that Josh Reddick plays in Spring Training, the worse it is for Tucker...Tucker needs to not have so much of a "whatever" stance if he hopes to break camp with the Astros. Maybe K-Tuck just likes Kerbey Lane Cafe and IKEA there in North Austin.
*Zack Greinke throws better when he works out less, a hypothesis I'm willing to test out.
*Austin Pruitt compared the analytics of the Astros and the Rays. Pruitt:
There's really not a whole lot (different). It is very, very similar. They give you the plots and the charts and whatnot. They show you what your stuff is doing, where it's best played in the zone, where you're going to get the most swings and misses. Really....it's pretty similar.
*Brian McTaggart asked Astros veterans which young guys have impressed them. It's a fun read.
Springer: Taylor Jones
Correa/Bregman: Myles Straw
Jared Hughes: Blake Taylor
Click for quotes.
*Jake Kaplan: Myles Straw might be the prototypical 26th Man. Kaplan:
When the Astros are at full strength, Straw will be best deployed as a late-game defensive replacement in center or as a pinch-running specialist. But when the inevitable injuries strike, his ability to move around will make for a more flexible roster.
*Cuts could be coming tomorrow.
*Something I'm sure will draw no media attention whatsoever and be met with zero condemnation: The Astros will celebrate their 2019 AL Pennant during the weekend of March 26-29. All fans on March 27 will get a replica AL trophy.
*Single-game tickets will go on-sale at 9am Central. I'm sure it will be smooth sailing for any of you wishing to embark on this journey.
*ESPN's David Schoenfield: What rewatching two 2017 World Series games (Games 4 & 5) tells us. An incredibly-honest note before he gets into his analysis:
None of this will change anyone's opinion on anything and there is no smoking gun, but here are my notes from re-watching the two games.
*I haven't subscribed to ESPN+ yet because I really think Leeds will go up this year (meaning NBC Sports will mean that I can watch them there), but Kiley McDaniel posted his Top 100 Prospects list.
*Tyler Bauer tied his Bit in telling the hitters what was coming to Gerrit Cole's spin rate. Bauer:
You know Brent Strom and those guys over there have a lot of different tips when it comes to spin. When he was with the Cardinals and everyone talked about going east and west, then he finally got over to Houston and got control of the reins a little bit and started talking about going north and south. People act like it's a new thing, but it's not a new thing.
*SI: What's next in the fight for minor-leaguers.
*Hardball Times: The Not-So-Private Lives of Baseball Wives.
*The Athletic: Inside the Rockies' fight to cure their road woes.
*This dipshit now faces federal charges for being a complete dick.
*Clap it up for Vermont's Josh Speidel.
*The Atlantic: The Official Coronavirus Numbers Are Wrong, And Everyone Knows It.
*Photos of the tornado damage in Tennessee.
*This backpack has it all: Kevlar, batteries, and a federal investigation.
*A Musical Selection, as I'm really getting into Get Happy!:
We didn't come out here to play tiddlywinks, son.
-Hal Smith