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Bill Gilbert: Astros Win AL West by 21 Games

October 5, 2017

Bill Gilbert’s Final Report
on the
2017 Houston Astros Regular Season

 

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Our special Astro analyst and writer, the inimitable Bill Gilbert,  takes a hopeful look at the end of the 2017 MLB season. He plans another report on the season at the conclusion of the playoffs.

Before anything else – there’s Game One of the Red Sox and Astros Series that starts tomorrow. – Chris Sale of the Red Sox versus Justin Verlander of the Astros are having a go at it at Minute Maid Park at 3 PM – just for starters. Let’s stay on “one game at a time” until there is a World Series to consider – and then, if we get that far,  it will still be “one game at a time” until the deed is either done in a dance of joy – or not.

Thanks to good luck and a smile from the baseball gods, my good friend and SABR buddy, Sam Quintero, received an invitation to be one of the Astro fans who were asked to help carry the giant American flag onto the field for the playing of the national anthem prior to Game One tomorrow. In turn, Sam then got the invitation extended to include me as another flag-bearer. I didn’t solicit the invitation, but I accepted in a heart beat.

Good God! ~ What a huge honor! ~ Thanks, Astros!

Now let’s move on to the Gilbert Report.

~Bill McCurdy, The Pecan Park Eagle

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Houston Astros Win AL West Division by 21 Games

By Bill Gilbert

The Houston Astros finished strong in the season’s final month with a 13-8 record, clinching the Division Championship with 13 games left to play. The 101-61 record for the season was the second best behind the 1998 team that finished 102-60. Both teams were aided greatly by trade acquisitions late in the season. In 1998, Randy Johnson went 10-1 in the last two months of the season and in 2017, Justin Verlander was 5-0 in the month after he was acquired from Detroit.

Unfortunately, the Astros fell one game short of the Cleveland Indians in the race for the best record in the American League. The Indians recorded a 22-game winning streak in September on the way to a record of 26-4 in the final month. Thus, the Indians will have home field advantage if the teams meet in the AL Championship Series.

The Astros led the West Division from start to finish as the other four teams were unable to mount a serious threat and all finished with losing records. The Astros led the major leagues in most offensive categories, batting average (.282), on-base percentage (.346), slugging average (.478) and runs per game (5.53). They were second in home runs to the Yankees (241 to 238) and the batters had the fewest strikeouts of all the major league teams.

The pitching was a little better than the MLB average but not among the leaders. ERA was 4.12 compared to the MLB average of 4.35. The starters ERA was better than the MLB average (4.03 vs. 4.50) but the relievers ERA was worse (4.27 vs. 4.14). The Astros outscored their opponents by 196 runs (896-700).

The team was put together in various ways. The heart of the team, Jose Altuve, Carlos Correa and George Springer were all signed and developed through the farm system. However they couldn’t do it alone. Two other players signed by the Astros, Alex Bregman and Yuli Gurriel made rapid progress through the farm system and were brought up to the Astros late in the 2016 season. They continued to improve and were vital parts of the lineup. In the off-season, the Astros acquired Josh Reddick, Brian McCann and Carlos Beltran to give the team a strong lineup from top to bottom. Winning teams are generally successful because a number of players have excellent seasons at the same time. All of the Astro regulars, except Beltran, but including both catchers and utility man, Marwin Gonzalez, produced offensively better than the major league average in 2017.

The Astros had four players that batted over .300, Altuve (.346), Correa (.315), Reddick (.314) and Gonzalez (.303) and Gurriel hit .299. Altuve led the majors in batting average and also compiled an on-base percentage of .410. Correa had the highest slugging average (.550) and three others were also over .500, Altuve (.547), Gonzalez (.530), and Springer (.522). The Astros had eleven players with 12 or more home runs led by Springer with 34. Gonzalez led the club in RBIs with 90. Altuve and Springer both scored 112 runs and Altuve had 204 hits and 32 stolen bases.

The pitching staff was not as successful as the starters were beset by injuries. Dallas Keuchel had a good year, 14-5 with an ERA of 2.90 but he was on the disabled list twice and started only 23 games. No. 2 starter, Lance McCullers (7-4, 4.25) spent even more time on the disabled list and failed to recover the effectiveness he showed early in the season. Collin McHugh (5-2, 3.55) started the season on the disabled list with arm problems and didn’t pitch until July. The gap was capably filled by Charlie Morton (14-7, 3.62), signed as a free agent before the season and Brad Peacock (13-2, 3.00) who started the season in the bullpen but came on to start 21 games.

The bullpen was inconsistent. Closer Ken Giles converted 34 of 38 save opportunities with an ERA of 2.30 and Chris Devenski (8-5, 2.68) was also effective pitching 80 innings. The other 20 pitchers used by the Astros in relief had their ups and downs but Joe Musgrove, originally a starter, pitched effectively in relief late in the season. The Astros made two trades for relief pitchers, Francisco Liriano and Tyler Clippard, in July but neither was successful as they combined for four losses without a win.

The acquisition of Justin Verlander (5-0, 1.06) has significantly improved the Astros chances of success in the playoffs where anything can happen in a short series. In the Division Series, the Astros have the home field advantage against the Boston Red Sox and appear to be the favorite. However, in the League Championship Series, they will be the underdog if they play the Cleveland Indians. If they get by that round they will become the first team to play in a World Series as both a National and an American League team. It should be a very interesting post-season.

Bill Gilbert

10/4/17

 

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Bill McCurdy

Principal Writer, Editor, Publisher

The Pecan Park Eagle

 

 

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Funeral Arrangements for Solly Hemus

October 5, 2017

Solly Hemus
Born: April 17, 1923
Died: Oct.  3, 2017

 

The following funeral arrangements for Solomon Joseph “Solly” Hemus were received early this evening from Lynda J. Carnegie. Thank you, Linda, for this important service to Betty Hemus, the Hemus family, and all of Solly’s friends and fans. Solly was a special treasure to thousands of people in as many ways and he is already sorely missed. God Bless this good man for a long life, well-lived.

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The Carnegie Message on Funeral Arrangements for Solly Hemus

Hello everyone.

I wanted to let you all know that the funeral arrangements have now been made for Solly Hemus.  The visitation will be Friday, October 13, 2017, from 5:00 pm to 8:00 pm at Memorial Oaks Funeral Home and Cemetery, 13001 Katy Freeway, Houston, Texas.  The funeral services will be held on Saturday, October 14, 2018, beginning at 3:00 pm, also at Memorial Oaks Funeral Home and Cemetery.  The obituary will run in the Houston Chronicle on Saturday, Oct. 7, Sunday, Oct. 8, and Monday, Oct. 9.  You can access it on line at www.legacy.com/obituaries/houstonchronicle.

 
For those guests who will need to travel to attend services, Memorial Oaks offers bereavement travel services through the Dignity Memorial Bereavement Travel Program.  By utilizing this program, fares are often available at rates well below those charged by the airlines, hotels or rental car companies for bereavement fares.  You may call 1-800-224-4177 to access one our bereavement travel specialists who stand ready to assist you and your family.  Simply utilize the password 2673.
 

Solly was a wonderful, funny and generous man.  I will miss him very much, as I know you all will too.

Regards,

 

Lynda J. Carnegie

for Betty Hemus

713-499-9981

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Bill McCurdy

Principal Writer, Editor, Publisher

The Pecan Park Eagle

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RIP: Solly Hemus Died Today

October 4, 2017

Solly Hemus Died Today
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October 3, 2017

 

Tuesday, October 3, 2017, Houston, Texas, 3:21 PM. The following e-mail from Lynda J. Carnegie arrived in behalf of Solly and Betty Hemus:

“I just wanted to let you know that Solly Hemus passed away this morning. He passed very peacefully and was not in any pain.  Funeral arrangements are pending. Obituary will be in the Chronicle in the next few days.”

Solly Hemus was 94 years old when he died. As always, he had been quietly, but fiercely fighting off ill-health in recent years and, irony of ironies, he would have been the last person we could imagine  ever choosing to leave now – just two days shy of the MLB Playoffs first game in Houston – now set to go at Minute Maid Park at 3:00 PM on Thursday, October 5th. The former Houston Buff, St. Louis Cardinal, and Philadelphia Phillie would have been there at MMP with his beloved wife, Betty, for the whole ride, we think, but, as always, death comes when it’s time, and not in accord to how we humanly try to rate the inconvenience of the moment it actually chooses.

Even though we were not close social friends, contact wise, I shall always love Solly Hemus til the end of my own human time – and, hopefully, beyond. He was my first hero when I discovered baseball in 1947 with the Houston Buffs – and I remained one of his loyal supporters through his career with the Cardinals and Phillies, and later, as manager of the Cardinals. It was only much later that I discovered through the echoes of others about Solly’s generosity to all sorts of social programs of support in the Houston community. And that these charities often shared only one thing in common. – That one thing was Solly’s insistence upon the anonymous character he chose to enclose around each gift. For example, Solly Hemus was the anonymous principal underwriter of our Larry Dierker Chapter SABR book, “Houston Baseball, The Early Years, 1861-1961.”

Now that Solly’s work is done here, we think it’s more than OK to shine the light on his unselfish generosity – and his unselfish heart.

Rest in Peace, Solly Hemus. – You will be missed. – And some of us will have to hold onto the faith that your spirit is still hovering near your regular seats behind the Astros dugout on Thursday – because it’s definitely going to feel like you should still be there. – Another 48 hours aren’t enough time to loosen our grip on that idea – and maybe it never will change. Maybe it will just hang with us through eternity – that the Spirit of Solly Hemus is – the Houston Strong Spirit forever!

Here’s a link to another column I wrote on Solly Hemus a few years ago:

Solly Hemus: “Little Pepper Pot” of the ’47 Buffs.

 

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Bill McCurdy

Principal Writer, Editor, Publisher

The Pecan Park Eagle

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Altuve Now In Company of Baseball Immortals

October 3, 2017

Jose Altuve

As the following modified chart from Baseball Almanac so clearly denotes, Jose Altuve is now traveling in some rarified hitters’ company through his first 7 MLB seasons as a Houston Astro. His 3 battle titles over the past four seasons – and his 1,250 total hits – now place him in the # 61 all-time highest career batting spot at .316 (.31637) – just a tad below recent times retiree Todd Helton at #60 – and a short leg up on # 62 Hall of Famer Frankie Frisch, another diminutive 2nd baseman of some considerable note.

Jose Altuve and fellow Venezuelan Miguel Cabrera are the only active players on this single nation leader chart for the past 7 seasons:

The Cabrera-Altuve Batting Title Monopoly

2011 Miguel Cabrera .344 (.34441) Detroit
2012 Miguel Cabrera .330 (.32958) Detroit
2013 Miguel Cabrera .348 (.34775) Detroit
2014 Jose Altuve .341 (.34091) Houston
2015 Miguel Cabrera .338 (.33799) Detroit
2016 Jose Altuve .338 (.33750) Houston
2017 Jose Altuve .346 (.34576) Houston

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Here’s the long-legged table on Jose Altuve’s place in career batting average history:

Career Batting Average
All Time LeadersBaseball Almanac
Ty Cobb .366 (.36636) 1
Rogers Hornsby .358 (.35850) 2
Joe Jackson .356 (.35575) 3
Ed Delahanty .346 (.34590) 4
Tris Speaker .345 (.34468) 5
Ted Williams .344 (.34441) 6
Billy Hamilton .344 (.34429) 7
Babe Ruth .342 (.34206) 8
Harry Heilmann .342 (.34159) 9
Pete Browning .341 (.34149) 10
Willie Keeler .341 (.34129) 11
Bill Terry .341 (.34116) 12
George Sisler .340 (.34015) 13
Lou Gehrig .340 (.34008) 14
Nap Lajoie .339 (.33914) 15
Jesse Burkett .338 (.33844) 16
Tony Gwynn .338 (.33818) 17
Riggs Stephenson .336 (.33607) 18
Dan Brouthers .335 (.33509) 19
Al Simmons .334 (.33417) 20
John McGraw .334 (.33359) 21
Paul Waner .333 (.33323) 22
Eddie Collins .333 (.33320) 23
Mike Donlin .333 (.33264) 24
Cap Anson .331 (.33084) 25
Stan Musial .331 (.33084)
Heinie Manush .330 (.32976) 27
Honus Wagner .329 (.32886) 28
Wade Boggs .328 (.32789) 29
Rod Carew .328 (.32775) 30
Sam Thompson .327 (.32712) 31
Tip O’Neill .326 (.32573) 32
Bob Fothergill .325 (.32548) 33
Jimmie Foxx .325 (.32530) 34
Earle Combs .325 (.32475) 35
Joe DiMaggio .325 (.32459) 36
Babe Herman .324 (.32447) 37
Hugh Duffy .324 (.32406) 38
Joe Medwick .324 (.32364) 39
Edd Roush .323 (.32269) 40
Sam Rice .322 (.32226) 41
Ross Youngs .322 (.32224) 42
Kiki Cuyler .321 (.32104) 43
Charlie Gehringer .320 (.32043) 44
Chuck Klein .320 (.32007) 45
Pie Traynor .320 (.31962) 46
Mickey Cochrane .320 (.31960) 47
Ken Williams .319 (.31921) 48
Kirby Puckett .318 (.31806) 49
Earl Averill .318 (.31780) 50
Vladimir Guerrero .318 (.31760) 51
Arky Vaughan .318 (.31758) 52
Roberto Clemente .317 (.31733) 53
Chick Hafey .317 (.31697) 54
Joe Kelley .317 (.31687) 55
Miguel Cabrera .317 (.31675) 56
Zack Wheat .317 (.31671) 57
George Van Haltren .317 (.31654) 58
Lloyd Waner .316 (.31639) 59
Todd Helton .316 (.31638) 60
Jose Altuve .316 (.31637) 61
Frankie Frisch .316 (.31607) 62

Now rest up, Astros! ~The first big playoff game is still two days away – and we need everybody refreshed and ready to go!

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Bill McCurdy

Principal Writer, Editor, Publisher

The Pecan Park Eagle

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Now It’s Time To Go All The Way

October 2, 2017

12 Years Ago, the Astros Won Their 1st Pennant!
****************************
Now It’s Time to Do It Again!

 

ASTRO*NOTES

Jose Altuve’s 3rd league batting championship in four years now hangs nicely around the .346 digits that support it. The guy who did is the walking, hustling, all-out running heartbeat of everything this Astros club has come to be. We just hope the league MVP voters see that fact as clearly as those of us who do who watch every Astros game we possibly can. There isn’t another like him – and we don’t think that even Aaron Judge and his 55 homers mean as much to the Yankees as Altuve does do both the Houston Astros and the game of baseball itself. Altuve is just the right size to stand tall as the role model for “you can be all you want to be” – regardless of size in baseball – if you’ve got the talent, the fire, the passion, and the discipline it takes to keep learning from your mistakes – and adjusting to the adjustments that your opponents make to you.

Yuli Gurriel is also a great candidate – even as a thirty-something guy – for Rookie of the Year. He fell a hit short of reaching the .300 mark, but, even at .299, his hitting credentials were pretty darn good. It seems like almost all of his 43 doubles, 1 triple, and 18 homers came at strategic times that tilted the game the Astros’ way. He also did a nice job of adapting to 1st place and was doing those one or two bounce swoop catches for the out play as well as many guys with many more years experience.

The nostalgic romance for daytime playoff baseball is a little damp here in Houston. News that the Boston@Houston Games 1 and 2 at MMP will start at 3 PM on Thursday and at 1 PM on Friday of this week is off-set by the fact that many working Houstonians will have to take off work early – or not work at all – to use the tickets they bought before the times were announced. Of course, the real reason this is happening is because the broadcasting network wants to save the evening times for the larger tv market clubs that also play on those same days.

Congratulations on a great regular season, Houston Astros! ~ Now let’s go do something that is entirely irregular to any season we’ve ever finished! ~ One Game at a Time, let’s not stop winning each series until the Houston Astros are the only team left standing as the winner of them all!

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HOME FIELD ADVANTAGE RACES NOW DECIDED

THRU GAMES PLAYED SUNDAY, 10/01/2017

 SEASON’S END (Reflecting All Ten Playoff Qualifier Team Season Records)

CLUB DIV/WC   W L W%   AL   NL   W. SERIES
DODGERS NLW   104 58 .642       BEST   BEST
INDIANS ALC   102 60 .630   BEST   ~   2.0
ASTROS ALW   101 61 .623   1.0   ~   3.0
NATIONALS NLE   97 65 .599   ~   7.0   7.0
RED SOX ALE   93 69 .574   9.0   ~   11.0
D BACKS NL WC1   93 69 .574   ~   11.0   11.0
CUBS NLC   92 70 .568   ~   12.0   12.0
YANKEES AL WC1   91 71 .562   11.0   ~   13.0
ROCKIES NL WC2   87 75 .537   ~   17.0   17.0
TWINS AL WC2   85 77 .525   17.0   ~   19.0

 W = WINNERS BY LEAGUE AND WORLD SERIES (WS) OVERALL.

 ********************

 HOME FIELD ADVANTAGE FOUR SERIOUS CONTENDER SCORES

THRU SETTLEMENT GAMES PLAYED SATURDAY, 9/30/2017

ASTROS 4 – RED SOX 3

INDIANS 3 – WHITE SOX 1

PIRATES 11 – NATIONALS 8

DODGERS 6 – ROCKIES 3

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2017 AMERICAN LEAGUE BATTING AVERAGE LEADERS

THRU GAMES PLAYED TO REGULAR SEASON’S END:

SUNDAY, 10/01/2017

RANK PLAYER TEAM AB H 2B 3B HR BA
1 JOSE ALTUVE HOU 590 204 39 4 24 .346
2 AVISAIL GARCIA CWS 518 171 27 5 18 .330
3 ERIC HOSMER KC 603 192 31 1 25 .318
4 JOSE RAMERIZ CLE 585 186 55 6 29 .318
NC * CARLOS CORREA HOU 422 133 25 1 24 .315
5 JOSH REDDICK HOU 477 150 34 4 13 .314
6 MIKE TROUT LAA 402 123 25 3 33 .306
7 JOE MAUER MIN 525 160 36 1 7 .305
8 JOSE ABREU CWS 621 189 43 6 33 .304
9 MARWIN GONZALEZ HOU 455 138 34 0 23 .303
10 LORENZO CAIN KC 584 175 27 5 15 .300
  OTHER ASTROS    
12 YULI GURRIEL HOU 529 158 43 1 18 .299
22 ALEX BREGMAN HOU 556 158 39 5 19 .284
24 GEORGE SPRINGER HOU 548 155 29 0 34 .283

NR * LOST TIME ON THE DL HAS DEPRIVED CARLOS CORREA FROM AN OFFICIAL QUALIFYING PLACE IN THE RANKING OF TOP 40 HITTERS IN 2017.

 

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Bill McCurdy

Principal Writer, Editor, Publisher

The Pecan Park Eagle

 

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Welcome to the Era of the New Good Old Days

October 1, 2017

The Beginning of the New Good Old Days
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Thursday, October 5, 2017

PLAYOFFS / WILD CARD & FIRST ROUND SCHEDULE

My spirit roars and my hopes soar. ~ It all starts this coming Tuesday and Wednesday, October 3rd and 4th, with the two league “won or done” games for the two surviving wild card teams. Then the first round of the AL Playoffs commences on the following day, with the Astros and Red Sox squaring off again at Minute Maid Park on Thursday, October 5th in the first pitch of Round One.

Verlander vs. Sales! ~ What do those words do to the salivary glands that connect to your own passionate hunger for live eyewitness participation in baseball history?

Short of you finding you own answer to that last question, here’s a link to the master game schedule plan for the 2017  MLB Playoffs:

http://m.mlb.com/postseason-schedule

Hopefully, Mssrs. Justin Verlander and Dallas Keuchel can bag the Astros wins in their Thursday/Friday home openers – and then fly happily with the club, airily, of course, back to Boston for a Sunday Astros clincher at Fenway in this best 3 of 5 games ticket to Round Two. We still support Brad Peacock for the starting role in Game Three, but, as it should be, that tough call remains in the trusty hands of our capable Astros manager, Mr. A.J. Finch.

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HOME FIELD ADVANTAGE RACES NOW DECIDED

THRU GAMES PLAYED SATURDAY, 9/30/2017

CLUB W L W%   AL   NL   WS
DODGERS 103 58 .640   ~   W   W
INDIANS 101 60 .627   W   ~   2.0
ASTROS 100 61 .621   1.0   ~   3.0
NATIONALS 97 64 .602   ~   6.0   6.0

W = WINNERS BY LEAGUE AND WORLD SERIES (WS) OVERALL.

Overall Leader gets home field advantage (HFA) in World Series.

GAMES TO PLAY (NOW IRRELEVANT TO HOME FIELD ADVANTAGE):

DODGERS 1, INDIANS 1, ASTROS 1, NATIONALS 1

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HOME FIELD ADVANTAGE / FOUR SERIOUS CONTENDER SCORES

THRU SETTLEMENT GAMES PLAYED SATURDAY, 9/30/2017

RED SOX 6 – ASTROS 3

WHITE SOX 2 – INDIANS 1

PIRATES 4 – NATIONALS 1

DODGERS 5 – ROCKIES 3

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AMERICAN LEAGUE BATTING AVERAGE LEADERS

THRU GAMES PLAYED SATURDAY, 9/30/2017

RANK PLAYER TEAM AB H 2B 3B HR BA
1 JOSE ALTUVE HOU 588 204 39 4 24 .347
2 AVISAIL GARCIA CWS 518 171 27 5 18 .330
3 ERIC HOSMER KC 602 191 31 1 24 .317
4 JOSE RAMERIZ CLE 583 184 55 6 29 .316
NC * CARLOS CORREA HOU 422 133 25 1 24 .315
5 JOSH REDDICK HOU 477 150 34 4 13 .314
6 JOSE ABREU CWS 619 189 43 6 33 .305
7 MIKE TROUT LAA 400 122 25 3 33 .305
8 JOE MAUER MIN 522 159 35 1 7 .305
9 MARWUN GONZALEZ HOU 455 138 34 0 23 .303
10 LORENZO CAIN KC 582 175 27 5 15 .301
  OTHER ASTROS   526 156 .297
21 ALEX BREGMAN HOU 554 158 39 5 19 .285
24 GEORGE SPRINGER HOU 548 155 29 0 34 .283
       

NR * LOST TIME ON THE DL HAS DEPRIVED CARLOS CORREA FROM AN OFFICIAL QUALIFYING PLACE IN THE RANKING OF TOP 40 HITTERS IN 2017.

 

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Bill McCurdy

Principal Writer, Editor, Publisher

The Pecan Park Eagle

 

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Astros Hit 100 Wins for 2nd Time in Club History

September 30, 2017

Astros Reach 2017 Season Win #100
**************************************
….and they write it on the bricks of a solid, not perfect, season!

ASTRO*NOTES

Thanks largely to the 3-RBI night of 3rd-baseman Alex Bregman and the clutch pitching of starter Charlie Morton and relievers Devenski, Harris, and Giles, the Houston Astros recorded their second 100-win season in MLB history. The other time came about in 1998 when Manager Larry Dierker’s Killer Bee Astros finished as Champions of the NL Central Division before getting knocked out of the playoffs – in spite of the Killer Bee threat and the presence of late season future HOF pitching ace Randy Johnson.

It happens.

The important thing is – that was then. This is now. And as long as we have the humility to remember that the presence of a late season future HOF pitcher is no more of a guarantee of success in 2017 than it was 19 years ago in 1998, we will take Justin Verlander and his 5-0, 1.06 ERA mark as an Astros ace since September 1st as the blessing it truly is – but we take nothing for granted. As the club makes another serious move on a possible World Series year with the aid of another potential HOF pitcher, Justin Verlander just seems to be more committed to the Houston Astros beyond 2017 than Randy Johnson was beyond the 1998 season, in spite of that heart-in-our-throats year (10-1, 1.28 ERA) the tall guy ran through his foes as an Astro starter from August 1st of that season. Both men gave Houston all they each had to give during both of their late season stretch appearances as Astros.

Johnson left Houston for Arizona after 1998. We have hopes of keeping Verlander in 2018, regardless of what happens this year. That being said, we take nothing for granted. Let’s just play the games and win the one that’s on the schedule for today. It does help to feel that the club is hot again – and at just the right time.

The Astros won with double-digit power scoring and good pitching over Boston, 12-2, on Thursday night. Last night, Friday, the same hot Astros club won, 3-2, with strategic hitting and good pitching and defense. The only outcome difference was the run differential that came with each night. Friday night, the Astros won a “losable game”, but their pitching and defense refused to let it happen.

If the Astros win the Saturday and Sunday series and season closing games, they will finish with a 102-60 mark that matches the regular season record of their their 1998 NL counterpart.

No matter what. The Pecan Park Eagle is with them all the way. One game at a time.

We could not be happier at this point with the baseball feast that is now upon us as members of the Houston Astros fan base.

Play ball, Astros! ~ Give ‘Em all you’ve got! ~ And thank you for being our guys!

And thank you, AJ Hinch, for the great job of stewardship you’ve performed as our Astros manager! ~ You da’ man!

 

••••••••••••••••••••

HOME FIELD ADVANTAGE RACES, GB IN EACH

THRU GAMES PLAYED FRIDAY, 9/29/2017

CLUB W L W%   AL   NL   WS
DODGERS 102 58 .638   ~   L   L
INDIANS 101 59 .631   L   ~   1.0
ASTROS 100 60 .625   1.0   ~   2.0
NATIONALS 97 63 .606   ~   5.0   5.0

L = LEADER BY LEAGUE AND WS OVERALL.

Overall Leader gets home field advantage (HFA) in World Series.

GAMES TO PLAY: DODGERS 2, INDIANS 2, ASTROS 2, NATIONALS 2

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HOME FIELD ADVANTAGE SERIOUS CONTENDER SCORES

THRU GAMES PLAYED FRIDAY, 9/29/2017

ASTROS 3 – RED SOX 2

INDIANS 10 – WHITE SOX 1

NATIONALS 6 – PIRATES 1

ROCKIES 9 – DODGERS 1

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AMERICAN LEAGUE BATTING AVERAGE LEADERS

THRU GAMES PLAYED FRIDAY, 9/29/2017

RANK PLAYER TEAM AB H 2B 3B HR BA
1 JOSE ALTUVE HOU 584 203 39 4 24 .348
2 AVISAIL GARCIA CWS 515 170 27 5 18 .330
3 JOSE RAMERIZ CLE 580 184 55 6 29 .317
4 ERIC HOSMER KC 600 190 31 1 24 .317
4 JOSH REDDICK HOU 477 150 34 4 13 .314
NC * CARLOS CORREA HOU 419 131 25 1 24 .313
6 MIKE TROUT LAA 394 121 25 3 32 .307
7 JOE MAUER MIN 521 159 35 1 7 .305
8 JOSE ABREU CWS 615 187 42 6 33 .304
9 MARWUN GONZALEZ HOU 455 138 34 0 23 .303
10 LORENZO CAIN KC 580 174 27 5 15 .300
  OTHER ASTROS    
13 YULI GURRIEL HOU 523 155 41 1 18 .296
19 ALEX BREGMAN HOU 550 158 39 5 19 .287
22 GEORGE SPRINGER HOU 544 155 29 0 34 .285

NR * LOST TIME ON THE DL HAS REMOVED CORREA FROM AN OFFICIAL QUALIFYING PLACE IN THE RANKING OF TOP 40 HITTERS.

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Bill McCurdy

Principal Writer, Editor, Publisher

The Pecan Park Eagle

 

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Astros Win 4th Straight Double Digit Run Game

September 29, 2017

“Congratulations, Jose Altuve! I knew you could do it!”
**********
~ Mighty Mouse

 

ASTRO*NOTES

Carlos Correa on End-of-Season Tear. Carlos Correa went 8 for 9 in the Astros’ just concluded back-to-back 12-2 laughers over the Rangers and Red Sox – and those two wins were merely the back door on a club record of now 4 straight double digit wins. The first three extra-largers were all over the “point-that-silver-boot-where-it-hurts-the-most-and-put-us-out-of-our-misery” Texas Rangers. Then the virus simply caught the plane for Boston with the Astros and poured itself all over the beantowners in the two clubs’ first foray into Fenway.

Had he not missed so much time with the hand injury and surgery, Correa would now be the #4 hitter on the AL official list of top batting average hitters. He’s going to fall short of qualifying. Even if he gains 12 more plate appearances in the club’s last 3 games in Boston, Correa will still only have 485 plate appearances on the year. Divide that projected figure by the 162-game season number and it only comes to 2.99, far short of the 3.1 average number of plate appearances per game that are needed to qualify for an official ranking. Regardless of that fact, the young man is rolling to a great finish in the close keystone company of his amazing up-the-middle infield partner, the one and only Jose Altuve.

Is there a “chance” in deep baseball history that Manager John McGraw of the 1908 New York Giants might have relished having the services of Correa-to-Altuve-to-Gurriel as his best answer to Tinker-to-Evers-to-Chance of the Chicago Cubs?

Is 200 hits per season enough? Apparently not. After getting his 200th hit of the 2017 season in the daytime finale on Wednesday in Arlington, Texas, Jose Altuve celebrated Thursday night in Boston by ticking off 3 more hits in his first 3 trips to the plate against Boston. The 3 for 4 night puts Altuve back at .350 with 203 hits in the bag for the 4th straight 200-hit season, a for-sure title to his 3rd batting championship in 4 years, and a most probable lock on the AL MVP honors for the season over Aaron Judge of the Yankees – that is, unless this “NY Bias” really does exceed all embarrassing boundaries on evaluative error.

So, what does Astros Manager AJ Hinch do? Does he turn the little Venezuelan version of an extremely talented “energizer bunny” loose to simply build on his stats in the last three games in Boston, maybe rationalize it being about catching Cleveland for the AL home field advantage in the Playoffs? Or does he rest and protect the one irreplaceable regular position player asset the Astros possess by benching Altuve from the last three games in Boston? Sounds like a no-brainer to me, but what do I know?

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baseball god

 Proud as a Peacock. Brad Peacock did more than enough to secure his place as the #3 man in the Playoff Series rotation last night, even if he has looked sharper at other times. The guy is now going to finish the year at 13-2 with a 3.00 ERA. How many years have the Astros only dreamed of having a guy like Peacock at this critical time of the year. The thing I like most about Brad is his emotional makeup. He’s laid back and humble – and he never seems to force things on a night in which certain pitches aren’t working as well. – He just goes to some kind of Plan B – and goes with some other pitch – or sequence of deliveries.

Weekend Strategy. Rest the weary. Keep your metal on the pedal, but spread the opportunity for offensive joy. Don’t do anything stupid. Try not to get anybody hurt. And don’t forget your “no tricks please” prayers to the baseball gods.

 

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HOME FIELD ADVANTAGE RACES, GB IN EACH

THRU GAMES PLAYED THURSDAY, 9/28/2017

CLUB W L W%   AL   NL   WS
DODGERS 102 57 .642   ~   L   L
INDIANS 100 59 .629   L   ~   2.0
ASTROS 99 60 .623   1   ~   3.0
NATIONALS 96 63 .604   ~   6.0   6.0

 L = LEADER BY LEAGUE AND WS OVERALL.

Overall Leader gets home field advantage (HFA) in World Series.

GAMES TO PLAY: DODGERS 3, INDIANS 3, ASTROS 3, NATIONALS 3

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HOME FIELD ADVANTAGE SERIOUS CONTENDER SCORES

THRU GAMES PLAYED THURSDAY, 9/28/2017

ASTROS 12 – RED SOX 2

INDIANS 4 – TWINS 2

NATIONALS 5 – PIRATES 4

DODGERS (day off for Beach Boys Oldies Fan Concert in Malibu)

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AMERICAN LEAGUE BATTING AVERAGE LEADERS

THRU GAMES PLAYED THURSDAY, 9/28/2017

RANK PLAYER TEAM AB H 2B 3B HR BA
1 JOSE ALTUVE HOU 580 203 39 4 24 .350
2 AVISAIL GARCIA CWS 511 169 27 5 18 .331
3 ERIC HOSMER KC 596 189 31 1 24 .317
NC * CARLOS CORREA HOU 416 131 25 1 24 .315
4 JOSH REDDICK HOU 477 150 34 4 13 .314
5 JOSE RAMERIZ CLE 577 181 53 6 29 .314
6 MIKE TROUT LAA 392 120 25 3 31 .306
7 JOSE ABREU CWS 611 187 42 6 33 .306
8 MARWIN GONZALEZ HOU 452 138 34 0 23 .305
9 JOE MAUER MIN 521 159 35 1 7 .305
10 LORENZO CAIN KC 576 173 27 5 15 .300
  OTHER ASTROS    
12 YULI GURRIEL HOU 519 154 41 1 18 .297
20 GEORGE SPRINGER HOU 541 155 29 0 34 .287
23 ALEX BREGMAN HOU 546 155 38 5 18 .284

NR * LOST TIME ON THE DL HAS REMOVED CORREA FROM AN OFFICIAL QUALIFYING PLACE IN THE RANKING OF TOP 40 HITTERS.

 

********************

Bill McCurdy

Principal Writer, Editor, Publisher

The Pecan Park Eagle

 

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Altuve Bags Hit #200 for 4th Straight Year

September 28, 2017

His 200th Hit Hatched a Smile About This Wide!

 

ASTRO*NOTES

ALTUVE WRAPS UP HIT # 200. Have you ever hung in there daily for weeks to make sure you had a chance to see a player achieve a certain baseball number over the long season – and then missed it – because you didn’t know the next game – the record-setting game – was going to be a day game – and not the night game you assumed it would be?

Yep. It happened to me yesterday. Even though I work with a report on the standings daily, I neglected to confirm the starting time for the series and season finale between the Astros and Rangers at Arlington on Wednesday. As a result, I got to watch Jose Altuve getting his 200th hit on digital tape at Channel 2 in Houston with reporter Randy McIlvoy. It apparently was a slicing single to right center, one that brought the whole Astros dugout to a standing state of applause – and also a far-spreading smile of joy and relief to the rapidly becoming most famous and most talented little big man to ever play big league baseball.

The hit was Altuve’s only safety on the day, but it gave him his fourth consecutive 200-hit season and simply helped him further on the way to his third AL batting title in four years, while also doing nothing to hurt his runaway chances for designation as the AL MVP in 2017. The one-hit day did drop Altuve’s average a point – from .348 to .347 – but no other batter is even close to a last weekend series over take of the little giant from Venezuela. Avisail Garcia of the White Sox is Jose’s nearest BA competitor, but at .329, he is not likely to catch our favorite son this late in the game.

Congratulations, Jose Altuve! Just stay healthy in the four game Red Sox series end to the season and then go get ’em in the first round of the playoffs, whomever they may be.

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HOME FIELD ADVANTAGE RACES, GB IN EACH

THRU GAMES PLAYED WEDNESDAY, 9/27/2017

CLUB W L W%   AL   NL   WS
DODGERS 102 57 .642   ~   L   L
INDIANS 99 59 .627   L   ~   2.5
ASTROS 98 60 .620   1   ~   3.5
NATIONALS 95 63 .601   ~   6.5   6.5

L = LEADER BY LEAGUE AND WS OVERALL

Overall Leader gets home field advantage (HFA) in World Series.

GAMES TO PLAY: DODGERS 3, INDIANS 4, ASTROS 4, NATIONALS 4

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HOME FIELD ADVANTAGE SERIOUS CONTENDER SCORES

THRU GAMES PLAYED WEDNESDAY, 9/27/2017

ASTROS 12 – RANGERS 2

INDIANS 4 – TWINS 2

PHILLIES 7 – NATIONALS 5

DODGERS 10 – PADRES 0

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AMERICAN LEAGUE BATTING AVERAGE LEADERS

THRU GAMES PLAYED WEDNESDAY, 9/27/2017

RANK PLAYER TEAM AB H 2B 3B HR BA
1 JOSE ALTUVE HOU 576 200 38 4 24 .347
2 AVISAIL GARCIA CWS 507 167 26 5 18 .329
3 ERIC HOSMER KC 593 189 31 1 24 .319
4 JOSE RAMERIZ CLE 573 181 53 6 29 .316
5 JOSH REDDICK HOU 477 150 34 4 13 .314
NC * CARLOS CORREA HOU 412 127 24 1 23 .308
6 JOSE ABREU CWS 607 187 42 6 33 .308
7 MIKE TROUT LAA 392 120 25 3 31 .306
8 JOE MAUER MIN 521 159 35 1 7 .305
9 MARWIN GONZALEZ HOU 448 135 32 0 23 .301
10 LORENZO CAIN KC 573 172 27 5 15 .300
  OTHER ASTROS    
12 YULI GURRIEL HOU 515 153 41 1 18 .297
21 GEORGE SPRINGER HOU 537 154 29 0 34 .287
23 ALEX BREGMAN HOU 541 154 38 5 17 .285

NR * LOST TIME ON THE DL HAS REMOVED CORREA FROM AN OFFICIAL QUALIFYING PLACE IN THE RANKING OF TOP 40 HITTERS.

********************

 

Bill McCurdy

Principal Writer, Editor, Publisher

The Pecan Park Eagle

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Winning Series is Easy to Figure

September 27, 2017

In earlier times, winning the World Series was much easier to figure in most seasons. All your club had to do was get past Babe Ruth, Joe DiMaggio, Mickey Mantle and the New York Yankees – and it was all theirs to keep.

 

ASTRO*NOTES

One Game Back of Cleveland. The Astros gained a full game on the Indians last night and now stand only one full game back from a tie for best AL record and home field advantage in the league playoffs that come up immediately after season’s end. If the ‘Stros beat out the Indians for best record, they will open at home throughout the AL playoffs, starting probably against the wild card Yankees. If the Indians hold on to the best AL record, the Astros would still open at home, but against the AL East champion Red Sox, as the Indians open at home, probably against the wild card Yankees.

TODAY’S 152–HIT CLUB. For today, at least, and as you may note in today’s stat chart, Yuli Gurriel, George Springer, and Alex Bregman are all tied on the season with 152 hits each. Josh Reddick barely misses out with only 150 hits on the year. Who knows? Maybe Reddick will get get two hits in the Astros’ last game against the Rangers while the other contender bats go silent for another 24 hours? If so, the club hits Beantown for the final series of the regular season armed with a 4-man, “154-Hit” club!

Altuve Resting at 199. Unfortunately, Jose Altuve missed out on last night’s Silver Boot clinching 14-3 hit slam win over the Rangers last night because of that HBP he took on the left wrist late in the first Ranger series game two nights ago. Had he played lat night, it’s hard to see how he would have missed out on getting 2017 season hit #200 and probably more against the kind of stuff that was being served up at room temperature by Cole Hamels and all last night. -Maybe tonight’s the night. – All I know is that the little Rangers pitcher who dusted Jose “up and in” on the HBP got my worst thought wishes full-bore as I saw the thing unfold on the AT&T Sports-net broadcast when it did. This morning I cannot even recall the guilty pitcher’s name, but my wishes at the time for his ultimately permanent new home remain clearly in mind.

Astros Playoff Rotation. It’s not rocket science, especially given the talent level that’s available as picks for Games 1 and 2 – and the now confirmed doubtfulness about the health and mind-set readiness of Lance McCullers for Game 3. The Pecan Park Eagle is going with these four pitchers in this order: (1) Justin Verlander, (2) Dallas Keuchel, (3) Charlie Morton, and (4) Brad Peacock.

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HOME FIELD ADVANTAGE RACES, GB IN EACH

THRU GAMES PLAYED TUESDAY, 9/26/2017

CLUB W L W%   AL   NL   WS
DODGERS 100 57 .637   ~   L   L
INDIANS 98 59 .624   L   ~   2.0
ASTROS 97 60 .618   1   ~   3.0
NATIONALS 95 62 .605   ~   5.0   5.0

L = LEADER BY LEAGUE AND WS OVERALL.

Overall Leader gets home field advantage (HFA) in World Series.

GAMES TO PLAY: DODGERS 5, INDIANS 5, ASTROS 5, NATIONALS 5

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HOME FIELD ADVANTAGE SERIOUS CONTENDER SCORES

THRU GAMES PLAYED TUESDAY, 9/26/2017

ASTROS 14 – RANGERS 3

TWINS 8 – INDIANS 6

PHILLIES 4 – NATIONALS 1

DODGERS (did not play, but enjoyed a winnable day off)

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AMERICAN LEAGUE BATTING AVERAGE LEADERS

THRU GAMES PLAYED TUESDAY, 9/26/2017

RANK PLAYER TEAM AB H 2B 3B HR BA
1 JOSE ALTUVE HOU 572 199 38 4 24 .348
2 AVISAIL GARCIA CWS 503 166 25 5 18 .330
3 ERIC HOSMER KC 590 189 31 1 24 .320
4 JOSE RAMERIZ CLE 568 180 52 6 29 .317
5 JOSH REDDICK HOU 477 150 34 4 13 .314
6 MIKE TROUT LAA 388 120 25 3 31 .309
7 JOE MAUER MIN 517 159 35 1 7 .308
8 JOSE ABREU CWS 602 185 42 6 33 .307
9 LORENZO CAIN KC 573 173 27 5 15 .302
10 MARWIN GONZALEZ HOU 444 134 32 0 23 .302
  ALL TOP 40 ASTROS
NC * CARLOS CORREA HOU 407 123 23 1 21 .302
13 YULI GURRIEL HOU 513 152 40 1 18 .296
21 GEORGE SPRINGER HOU 533 152 29 0 33 .285
23 ALEX BREGMAN HOU 536 152 37 5 17 .284

NR * LOST TIME ON THE DL HAS REMOVED CORREA FROM AN OFFICIAL QUALIFYING PLACE IN THE RANKING OF TOP 40 HITTERS.

 

********************

Bill McCurdy

Principal Writer, Editor, Publisher

The Pecan Park Eagle

 

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