*Houston's 17 runs are the most in a game since August 18, 2022 when they put 21 on the White Sox, and it's the most runs scored at Minute Maid Park since September 8, 2019, which featured a 21-1 win over the Mariners.
*Houston's five home runs are the most since July 16. It's the fourth time they've hit 5+ homers in a game. They have hit at least one home run in ten straight games, and hit 2+ homers in five of those. Houston is 10-0 when hitting 3+ home runs.
*6-9 in the lineup (Abreu-McCormick-Diaz-Meyers): 11x16, 10 runs scored, 1K:3BB, 8RBI, four extra-base hits.
*Since the All-Star Break:
Yordan: .455/.538/.818
Chas: .388/.492/.776
Tucker: .365/.469/.750
Bregman: .339/.403/.714
Abreu: .315/.393/.500
Meyers: .304/.385/.522
Yainer: .278/.308/.583
Altuve: .250/.250/.667
Pena: .185/.228/.222 (so, sure, keep hitting him 2nd)
Maldy: .176/.176/.324
Julks: .075/.191/.100
*Corey Julks is going through it. He has 0 hits in his last 33 Plate Appearances and is 3x46 since enjoying a three-hit game against the Mariners on July 6.
*Jose Altuve hit his 199th career home run.
*Chas McCormick was 3x5 with a triple and 2RBI, his 4th three-hit game of the season.
*Jeremy Pena was 2x6 with a career-high 4RBI - 10.3% of his season RBI came in last night's game. He had five RBI from June 29-July 28 (18 games). Pena has RBIs in consecutive games for the first time since May 27-28.
*Jose Abreu was 3x3 with a homer and 3RBI. Since June 1, Abreu is hitting .288/.330/.484
*Kyle Tucker was 0x6 for the 2nd time in his career, and the first time since May 29, 2021.
*Downtown Hunter Brown: 6IP, 4H/2ER, 4K:2BB. Since the All-Star Break, Brown: 17.1IP, 16H/8ER, 15K:4BB, 4HR. Note the emergence of Hunter Brown's sweeper-slider.
Hunter Brown + Yainer Diaz = Battery of the Future.
*Rafael Montero's 1.8 HR/9inn is the highest of his career since he posted a 1.9 HR/9 in 2016 with the Mets.
*Speaking of the Mets, they traded Max Scherzer to the Rangers yesterday. Scherzer's 4.01 ERA would be the highest of his career since 2011 and his 4.73 FIP is the highest he's ever expected. Since getting lit up by the Yankees on June 13, Scherzer: 8 starts, 51IP, 42H/20ER, 61K:16BB, 3.53 ERA / 1.14 WHIP.
*Chandler Rome threw water on the Verlander-to-Houston rumors, and wonders who, exactly, is in charge of the Astros.
*Kendall Graveman is excited to be an Astro again. I would be excited, too, if I got traded and jumped 16.5 games up the standings.
*Sugar Land's Pedro Leon hit a 477-foot home run that left the park.
*Colombia stunned Germany with a 97th minute goal.
*Rolling Stone: An Oral History of "The Fugitive."
*Texas Monthly: The Story Behind Sinead O'Connor's Duet With Willie Nelson.
*A Musical Selection, the greatest B-Side of all-time: