“Hey! Guys! Listen Up!
It’s time to play this year’s games!”
You Can’t Roller Skate in a Buffalo Herd!
And You Can’t Play Ball With a Big Ring on Your Hand!
And You Can’t Win This Year with Last Year on Your Mind!
But You Can Play Better, — If You’ve a Mind To!”
The overall condition of the 2018 Astros is pretty darn strong. One of the starters (Justin Verlander, of course) was just named AL player of the week for the effort he put in over the course of the just concluded measurable seven-day period and he seems locked and loaded for more of the same over the wrinkles of time that stretch from here to forever, a least, the part of time that includes 2018. Barring injury, he should be good-to-go the rest of the way.
Dallas Keuchel last night, Gerrit Cole every time, and Charlie Morton, as sure as salt, all look great. Only Lance McCullers needs to get his share of the shift together to steady this rotation as the most enviable starting five in baseball.
The relief crew lacks an effective lefty (or any lefty at all with Sipp on the DL) and several others, some with good starts, are still on the line of needing to prove they are better than the guys they replaced in the off-season. One thing is clear — The Astros do not have a closer.
ASTROS PITCHING THROUGH GAMES OF 4/16/2018
| STARTERS | W | L | W% | GS | IP | H | R | ER | HR | BB | S0 | ERA |
| J. Verlander | 2 | 0 | 1.000 | 4 | 26.2 | 15 | 5 | 4 | 3 | 5 | 34 | 1.35 |
| Dallas Keuchel | 0 | 3 | .000 | 4 | 23.0 | 24 | 10 | 9 | 2 | 10 | 19 | 3.52 |
| L. McCullers | 1 | 1 | .500 | 3 | 14.0 | 18 | 13 | 12 | 2 | 10 | 23 | 7.71 |
| Gerrit Cole | 1 | 0 | 1.000 | 3 | 21.0 | 10 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 4 | 36 | 1.29 |
| Charlie Morton | 2 | 0 | 1.000 | 3 | 18.0 | 13 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 6 | 25 | 1.00 |
| RELIEVERS | W | L | W% | SV | IP | H | R | ER | HR | BB | SO | ERA |
| James Hoyt | 0 | 0 | — | 0 | 0.1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0.00 |
| Chris Devenski | 1 | 0 | 1.000 | 1 | 8.0 | 5 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 10 | 1.13 |
| Collin McHugh | 0 | 0 | .– | 0 | 6.2 | 5 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 10 | 1.35 |
| Will Harris | 0 | 1 | .000 | 0 | 7.1 | 7 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 4 | 6 | 2.45 |
| Hector Rondon | 1 | 1 | .500 | 0 | 7.0 | 7 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 10 | 2.37 |
| Ken Giles | 0 | 0 | — | 1 | 2.1 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 3.60 |
| Tony Sipp | 0 | 0 | — | 0 | 2.1 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 3.86 |
| Brad Peacock | 1 | 1 | .500 | 1 | 8.2 | 7 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 1 | 11 | 4.15 |
| Joe Smith | 1 | 0 | 1.000 | 0 | 4.2 | 5 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 5.79 |
| TOTALS FOR | W | L | PCT. | — | IP | H | R | ER | HR | BB | SO | ERA |
| ALL | 10 | 7 | .588 | — | 152.2 | 125 | 51 | 46 | 17 | 49 | 191 | 2.71 |
The early problem is hitting. Timely hitting could have placed this Astros club at 15-2 instead of the 10-7 mark they’ve now recorded. Anyway, it’s almost time for the second game of the Mariners series. Let’s see if the Stros can break that “hit’ em where they are” for outs binge they fell into last night.
********************
Bill McCurdy
Principal Writer, Editor, Publisher
The Pecan Park Eagle
Houston, Baseball, & Other Musings.
The Pecan Park Eagle 