Injury updates on Houston Astros Yordan Alvarez, Jose Urquidy
Fresh off of a big series win against the Rangers the Astros got even better news after returning home for their six game home-stand ahead of the All-Star break. Two important players to their roster are nearing a return sooner rather than later.
Astros and the arbitration process: These are the deals that got done, those that didn’t and what’s next
Hey guys it’s Ari Alexander, covering the Astros offseason and I’m looking at ARBITRATION DAY! Friday the 13th was when most arbitration deals get done and the Astros knocked out six of their eight very quickly.
Ari Alexander’s picks for the Astros playoff roster
Hey guys, it’s Ari Alexander and we’re closing down the season with a loooong homestand. 8 straight games at home so if you don’t have playoff tickets, it’s a perfect time to see the Astros at Minute Maid for the last time this season. Of course since the playoffs are looming, let’s cover a few playoff topics including roster construction, the #4 starter and potential matchups.
Stanton HR ends Yanks’ 16 1/3-inning hitless slump vs Astros
Giancarlo Stanton homered against Houston’s José Urquidy with one out in the seventh inning, ending the New York Yankees’ hitless drought at 16 1/3 innings and spoiling the Astros’ efforts to throw a second consecutive no-hitter in the Bronx.
Urquidy solid, Astros belt three HRs in 7-2 win over Rangers
Jake Meyers and Marwin Gonzalez hit consecutive homers in a three-run second inning, Kyle Tucker had a home run among his three hits, and Jose Urquidy allowed one run and two hits in six innings for his seventh win of the season as the Houston Astros beat the Texas Rangers 7-2.
Ohtani fans 5 in return to mound; Harper HR on 1st swing
The 2018 AL Rookie of the Year is off to a strong start this spring on both sides. PHILLIES 3, PIRATES 0Bryce Harper homered on his first swing of spring training, launching a opposite-field drive to left. Chad Kuhl made his second start for Pittsburgh, allowing two runs on three hits. Brad Keller worked three innings in the start for the Royals and allowed a run on four hits and two walks. BRAVES 4, TWINS 0 (7)Kyle Wright fared much better in his second start for Atlanta, allowing one hit in three shutout innings with two strikeouts.
Astros minus 8 pitchers because of coronavirus protocols
It was not known whether the eight pitchers had tested positive for the virus or had come in close contact with someone who had tested positive. Earlier this week, the Astros lost starter Framber Valdez when he suffered a broken left finger while fielding a ball in an exhibition game. They list 23 pitchers on their 40-man roster, plus 16 more nonroster pitchers in camp. Nineteen big league players and six staff have tested positive for COVID-19 since the start of spring training, a positive rate of 0.07% among 34,541 tests. All players on 40-man rosters and players with minor league contracts invited to big league training camp are screened.
LEADING OFF: Altuve, shaky Astros in 2-0 hole vs Rays
I’m sure he’ll do that.”The Astros have also had a lousy go with runners on base. THE KID AND THE ACEOff to an impressive start in his first postseason, rookie Ian Anderson tries to give Atlanta a 2-0 lead in the NL Championship Series when he faces Dodgers star Clayton Kershaw. CHANGE OF SOXAfter ending a 12-year playoff drought, the Chicago White Sox are looking for a new manager. The club announced Monday that Renteria won’t return after guiding the White Sox to a 35-25 record in his pandemic-shortened fourth season. Hahn said Renteria’s replacement probably will come from outside the White Sox.
LEADING OFF: Stanton's HR streak, Kershaw at home, Acuña hit
(AP Photo/Gregory Bull)A look at what's happening around the majors on Wednesday:STANTON'S STREAKYankees slugger Giancarlo Stanton has homered in all four of the team's postseason games this year. The two-time NL home run champion is from the Los Angeles area and says “that SoCal air" is helping the ball fly. If the Dodgers advance to the NL Championship Series or World Series, fans will be allowed at those games. “At this point I think we’ve grown accustomed to it.”Alcantara insisted he didn’t intend to hit Acuña and that Miami’s game plan is simply to pitch inside to him. Springer’s 17 postseason homers tied Nelson Cruz and Jim Thome for most through a player’s first 54 postseason games.
Springer hits 2 HRs, Astros beat A's 5-2 for 2-0 ALDS lead
Houston Astros' Carlos Correa, left, and George Springer celebrate after the Astros defeated the Oakland Athletics in Game 2 of a baseball American League Division Series in Los Angeles, Tuesday, Oct. 6, 2020. The Houston Astros can't miss these days. “With every victory, the energy and the confidence grows,” first-year Houston manager Dusty Baker said. Five of Springer’s postseason homers have come at Dodger Stadium, where the Astros beat the Dodgers in Game 7 of the 2017 World Series. The scandal led to season-long suspensions of Houston general manager Jeff Luhnow and manager AJ Hinch, who both were fired.
Astros sweep as Twins lose 18th straight in playoffs
"But what are they going to say now?”Nine months after Houston's rules-breaking, sign-stealing system was revealed, the Astros advanced to the Division Series in Los Angeles. The Twins are 0-18 in the playoffs since winning Game 1 of their Division Series at the New York Yankees on Oct. 5, 2004, a total of seven rounds lost. Since that date, the Astros are 43-35 in postseason play, winning 10 of 15 rounds with three trips to the World Series. In a three-game division series sweep by the Yankees last year, the Twins totaled seven runs and 22 hits. Baldelli declined to confirm whether Buxton was experiencing a recurrence of concussion symptoms that kept him out of the last two regular season games.
A capsule look at the Astros-Twins playoff series
A capsule look at the best-of-three playoff series between the Houston Astros and Minnesota Twins in Minneapolis beginning Tuesday:___HOUSTON ASTROSRecord: 29-31. Projected Rotation: RHP Zack Greinke (3-3, 4.03 ERA, 67 Ks), RHP Lance McCullers Jr. (3-3, 3.93, 56 Ks), RHP Jose Urquidy (1-1, 2.73, 17 Ks) or LHP Framber Valdez (5-3, 3.57, 76 Ks) or RHP Cristian Javier (5-2, 3.48, 54 Ks.) Manager: Rocco Baldelli (second season). Projected Rotation: RHP Kenta Maeda (6-1, 2.70 ERA, 80 Ks), RHP José Berríos (5-4, 4.00, 68 Ks), RHP Michael Pineda (2-0, 3.38, 25 Ks in 5 starts). Series Summary: The Twins haven’t won a playoff series since 2002, failing to advance in eight consecutive rounds.
Astros magic number 1 for AL playoff spot after win at Texas
(AP) – Alex Bregman’s three extra-base hits included one of Houston’s four home runs, and the Astros trimmed their magic number to one for clinching the American League’s last playoff spot with a 12-4 win over the Texas Rangers on Thursday night. Josh Reddick also had three hits, capped by a two-run homer in the ninth. The Astros (29-28) have to win only one of their three remaining games against Texas to secure second place in the AL West, and a spot in baseball’s expanded playoff during the pandemic-shortened season. He held the Rangers without a run until Willie Calhoun's two-run homer in the sixth. Bregman, Springer, Altuve and Reddick have been mainstays for the Astros in their recent playoff runs, including the 2017 World Series title and another AL pennant last year.
Here are 5 Astros who need to step up in a Verlander-less rotation for playoffs
HOUSTON – For two months, the Astros hoped they would get Justin Verlander back to lead the team through the playoffs. Now the team’s ace will be Zack Greinke for the playoffs with a patchwork of young and recently-injured pitchers to finish out the season. Here’s a look at who the Astros have left in their rotation. The veteran got his ERA as low as 1.84 before giving up at least three runs or more in his past six starts. He will likely be the Astros #3 starter in the playoffs if he’s healthy.
Trout sets franchise HR mark, Angels rally to beat Astros
One out later, Adell lined a two-run single to right off Enoli Paredes (1-2) for his first game-ending hit. Kyle Tucker homered and drove in three runs for the Astros, who lost in walk-off fashion for the second straight game. With two outs and runners on second and third, Martin Maldonado hit a two-run single to right-center. After Yuli Gurriel's two-run single in the third, Tucker extended the lead to 4-1 with a run-scoring infield single. It is the seventh game to start with triple-digit temperatures since the ballpark opened in 1966.
Dbacks beat Astros 5-4 on Calhouns single in ninth
PHOENIX Kole Calhoun lined a two-run single in the ninth inning and the Arizona Diamondbacks rallied to beat the Houston Astros 5-4 Thursday night to win their first series of the season. ROSTER MOVESArizona designated INF Ildemaro Vargas for assignment and optioned RHP Yoan Lopez to its alternate training site to get its active roster down to 28. The Astros got down to the 28-player limit by optioning RHP Bryan Abreu and INF Jack Mayfield to their alternate training site. TRAINING TABLEAstros: Reigning AL rookie of the year Yordan Alvarez took batting practice and did some running at the team's alternate training site. Diamondbacks: RHP Luke Weaver (0-2, 14.73) looks to get his shaky start to the 2020 season on track in Arizona's series opener against San Diego on Friday.
Baker wins debut, Astros top M's in 1st game post sign scam
Houston Astros manager Dusty Baker (12) kneels for social justice with players before a baseball game against the Seattle Mariners Friday, July 24, 2020, in Houston. The 71-year-old Baker posted a victory in his 3,500th regular-season game as a manager. Houston tied it at 2 on an RBI single by Altuve that chased starter Marco Gonzales (0-1). Martn Maldonado tied it with an RBI single in the Houston third an added an RBI with a single in the sixth. Hell be opposed by Seattle RHP Taijuan Walker, who appeared in just one game last season after having Tommy John surgery in 2018.
'It's over now' - Astros eager to put scandal behind them
HOUSTON The Houston Astros spent the offseason reeling from a sign-stealing scandal that cost manager AJ Hinch and general manager Jeff Luhnow their jobs. The change didnt stop the Astros from being the villains of baseball this spring. The Astros are preparing for the possibility of being without designated hitter Yordan Alvarez for the start of the season and potentially longer. The Astros are counting on McCullers to have a big season in his return after missing last season following Tommy John surgery. Tucker, who can play outfield and first base, has appeared in just 50 MLB games over the past two seasons.
Correa asks wife to stay out of salons until season ends
HOUSTON Houston Astos shortstop Carlos Correa is so serious about not contracting the coronavirus that hes asked his wife, Daniella, a former pageant queen, to stay out of beauty salons until the season is over. When I talk to my wife she knows, he said Sunday. Were going to focus on the baseball season and once everything is done, then you can go to get your nails done and do everything else." Correas wife was Miss Texas in 2016. For most people, the coronavirus causes mild or moderate symptoms that clear up within weeks.