The Pecan Park Eagle

Possible Prototype
For
The Altuve-Altitude Belt Buckle
~ When summoned by the wearer, it plays the famous Mighty Mouse theme, entreating our Astros version of the world’s smallest superhero to raise our club again to even higher altitudes of achievement.

 If Bowery Boys leader Slip Mahoney (Leo Gorcey) were around today to give us his take on the value of Jose Altuve to the Houston Astros, he might say something like this: “I not only fail to depreciate the terrific way he plays baseball, but I also am totally compressed by the everyday ‘go-get-em’ altitude he brings to the game! – Jose’s favorite direction is ‘up’ and I like that one too, for a couple of reasons. For one thing, ‘up’ is always where you find the good stuff you can’t see if youse is one of us short guys, plus, ‘up’ is easy to spell!”

With some considerable help from a 5-run rbi night from Josh Reddick that included the game–saving 3-run homer in the 7th at Detroit last night, plus some cool closing by Ken Giles, striking out Miguel Cabrera for the last nail in the 6-5 Astros win over the Tigers, Jose Altuve’s relentless 3 for 4 night also has now pushed his season batting average “UP” to .369 for what now amounts to a .044 pint lead over his nearest competitor, Jean Segura of the Mariners.

Let’s hope that George Springer’s 10 day DL stint heals that “pulled something” from the game in Philly and that we are fortunate enough to have enough good timing on good fortune from other great altitude pushers on this currently great Astros team. For those of us who’ve been around and seen them all since 1962 Colt beginnings, especially if this keeps up, it’s hard to imagine a greater team from the past.

The bats and defensive skills of a healed 2017 Astros team speak for themselves. The biggest wonder is that they have been good enough on offense to make up for some tough losses to the starting pitcher rotation and shown some holes in the pen that still are pretty scary at times. Aside from Keuchel and the still proving himself youngster McCullers and the recent salt of Morton – and of Proud New Papa Peacock – and a steady Mike Fiers – this isn’t a pitching staff of legends like Ryan, Dierker, Scott, Niekro, Johnson, or Clemens out there, but they still have gotten the job done.

Somebody has. You don’t wake up on the last Saturday of July in any year and find what we have on our plate with the 2017 Astros by luck. A guy leading the AL with a .369 batting average and a team that now holds an 18 game lead over its two nearest AL West competitors are never conditions that spring purely from luck. Greatness from several somewhere places has be the stuff that’s needed to fly at this altitude of success.

And we’ve got it.

Keep it “UP”, Astros!

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AMERICAN LEAGUE WEST STANDINGS

THROUGH GAMES OF FRIDAY, JULY 28, 2017:

AMERICAN LEAGUE WEST SCORES

GAMES OF FRIDAY, JULY 28, 2017:

 ASTROS 6 – TIGERS 5.

 METS 7 – MARINERS 5.

 RANGERS 8 – ORIOLES 2.

ANGELS 7 – BLUE JAYS 2.

TWINS 6 – ATHLETICS 3.

AMERICAN LEAGUE BATTING AVERAGE

THROUGH GAMES OF FRIDAY, JULY 28, 2017

NR * = NEEDS MORE “AB”S TO QUALIFY FOR RANKING.

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Tags: Altuve Loves Altitude (Plus Today's Stats)

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