Four wins in a row and a mini two-game sweep over the Angels. I'm liking the direction they are going in (playing hard) but too little and way too late for 2014. They will finish with a better record than four, five, six or seven teams which is crazy to think about.

However if they can do some damage on this 9-game road trip starting on Friday Night - 3 at Oakland, 3 at Seattle, 3 at Anaheim - then that would be some good momentum against three great teams. I want to see the Astros have a good off-season by hiring a good manager and signing a few good free agents this winter. It's time they spend big money on their payroll and take the next step.

Their farm system is already good enough to make potential deadline deals during the middle of the season once they become a contender. Even with the Brady Aiken debacle last June. They'll still have pick #2 overall and pick #5 to #8 (as well) next June. But the draft is a crap shoot. Free agency is where you want to make some noise as well.

This post was edited by Madmartigan on Sep 3 2014 09:45pm

Astros lead 4-3 in the top of the 8th against the Athletics at Oakland. They were heavy +220 underdogs tonight.

Trying to win five games in a row. Unbelievable. I don't know what's gotten into this team. If they keep it up they could finish with a better record than as many as twelve teams including the defending World Series champion Boston Red Sox.

I didn't know a managerial change this late in the season could spark some life into the ball club. Teams not in contention usually make it in. Just a week ago the first overall pick in the 2015 draft and the worst record in all of baseball, for the fourth straight year, was still within grasp but not anymore.

This post was edited by Madmartigan on Sep 5 2014 10:37pm

Astros beat the Athletics on the road 4-3. Five wins in a row. Tony Sipp picked up the save. Chris Carter hit his 37th home run with 3 RBis and Jose Altuve added two more hits with one RBI. If they end up with a winning record on this nine-game road trip at Oakland, at Seattle and at Anaheim I'm going to be impressed. All three teams are legitimate playoff contenders.

It was actually Chris Carter's 36th home run of the season. Second best in the Major Leagues this season (tied with Giancarlo Stanton) and only 1 back of Nelson Cruz who has 37 home runs. I'd love to see Chris Carter lead the Majors in home runs for 2014 along with Jose Altuve winning the 2014 batting title.

This post was edited by Madmartigan on Sep 5 2014 11:23pm

oakland has just been... terrible.
they were 4 games up on the angels like 3 weeks ago, now angels have a 6 game division lead.

They don't have any offense. They lean on their pitching but in the playoffs you'll need some hitting. Adam Dunn isn't as good as he used to be. He'll hit a majestic home run every blue moon. They shouldn't have traded a big middle-of-the-order bat like Yoenis Cespedes. Heck it's too bad the waiver trade deadline ended a week ago.

We could have dealt them Chris Carter, who used to play with Oakland, if they were so desperate for some middle-of-the-order pop. Well some team probably would have claimed Chris Carter off waivers. He's been beasting in the second half of this season: Hitting .325 with 22 home runs (1.200 OPS) over the past three months.

Chris Carter absolutely sucked this year before the all-star break. His new hitting approach has turned him into a legitimate difference maker at the plate. It's been unreal to be honest with you.

This post was edited by Madmartigan on Sep 5 2014 11:31pm

On August 10th the A's had a 4 game lead over the Angels.
They were 72-45, Angels were 68-49.

Now its Sept 5th.
Angels are 85-55
Oakland is 79-61

17-6 vs 7-16

lmao..

I'm feeling optimistic about the Astros for 2015 but they need to make a couple of good free agent signings this winter.

9/5/14: Chris Carter hammers a two-run shot to extremely deep left-center, his 36th of the season, giving the Astros a 4-3 lead in the 6th

Astros leading 3-1 in the bottom of the 8th at Oakland despite being huge underdogs yet again.

I don't remember the last time the Astros won six games in a row. I hope they sweep the Athletics in Oak-town.

Dallas Keuchel pitches tomorrow so there's a good chance the Astros will sweep Oakland if they hold on today. A quick 1-2-3 in the bottom of the 8th. Oakland's lineup doesn't have any punch in it. Astros pitching is looking too good.

I'd love to see the Astros take a seven-game winning streak into Seattle. It would probably end there.

This post was edited by Madmartigan on Sep 6 2014 04:20pm