Lance McCullers made his first start since August 4, 2018, throwing 6IP, 5H/2ER, 6K:3BB. McCullers:
There's been a lot of ups and downs in that period of time. It's been a long road. Two years is a long time and it was great to get back and compete and it's changed my outlook on a lot.
McCullers walked three of the first six batters he faced. Click that link to see what adjustment he made to his breaking ball to settle in.
More McCullers:
All in all, it's not the best game I've ever pitched, but it was solid, and I showed flashes of what I've been working on & what I hope to continue to do this year.
Cy Sneed struck out the side in the 8th. Jose Altuve stole the Astros' first base of the season, and also walked twice, something he only did six times in 2019. Gurriel and Springer had home runs and Kyle Tucker contributed an RBI double. Martin Maldonado had his second straight two-hit game.
Springer went on to the train tracks:
Springer with a blast pic.twitter.com/ZClK4dRfzY— Brian McTaggart (@brianmctaggart) July 25, 2020
*The Astros have hit a home run in 27 consecutive regular season games.
*McTaggart's Notes has items on Blake Taylor getting emotional, and Hank Aaron reaching out to Dusty Baker,
*Aledmys Diaz was placed on the IL with a groin strain (between a Grade 1 and Grade 2), paving the way for Taylor Jones' call-up. Jones had just gotten into Corpus when the Astros told him to drive back, in the middle of a hurricane. Kyle Tucker will get "most" of the DH ABs while Diaz is out.
*Roberto Osuna, who made his season debut yesterday, was late getting to camp because of a delay in getting his tests back.
*The Ringer: So...What Happens If the Astros Win the World Series?
*If George Springer gets to free agency, Buster Olney says to watch the Mets, Red Sox, and Blue Jays.
*The Ringer: Remembering Baseball's Right-Wing Rotation.
*LA Times: The true story of the heartthrob prince of Qatar and his time at USC.
*NPR: How to stop the anxiety cycle of Doomscrolling.
*The Houston Dash play in the NWSL Challenge Cup Final today at 11:30am (Central) against Chicago on CBS All Access.
*A Musical Selection:
