Andrelton Simmons with a two-out RBI single though.
This is as nerve-racking as it can get. LOL

Will Harris struck out Ji-Man Choi to end the game!
That was a great game. The Astros held on to win 2-1.

I can't believe the Houston Astros are only 2.5 games behind the Texas Rangers for first place in the AL West.
As much as the Rangers have owned us the past two years. We still have 9 games left against the Rangers this season.

I'm starting to believe the AL West will be easier to win than the top two wild-card spots in the American League.

This post was edited by Madmartigan on Jul 22 2016 09:27pm

I don't even care what the Orioles and Blue Jays are doing anymore. LOL
I'm only focused on what the Astros and Rangers are doing from here on out.

The Astros haven't won a division title since 2001 (when they were in the NL Central).
15 long years I've been waiting to see them win a division. You would think they are due in 2016.

They won three wild-cards in that time. Which is nice but it's not the same as being division champions.

2004, 2005 (swept in the World Series) and 2015 (first in AL).
They were the wild-card champions all three years.

I want to see the Houston Astros become the 2016 AL West division champions!

Three-run blast for Evan Gattis. 3-0 lead for the Astros after 2 innings.
It just sailed over the Crawford Boxes in left field. Gattis is the lumberjack man!

The Blue Jays lost. If the Astros win they'll be a 0.5 game back of them for the 2nd AL-wild card spot (tied in loss column).

But more importantly I want the Rangers to lose again tonight. 1.5 games out of first place seems more enticing.

Evan Gattis gnome night and he hit two home runs. LOL



Going for the sweep tomorrow but Mike Fiers is pitching.
He's the one guy that has not been pitching well lately.

Fiers' ERA is 4.75 but he's given up 10 earned runs over his last two starts (7 combined innings).

It's going to be interesting to see what the Astros do before the trading deadline.
I'm hearing a lot of Astros rumors. From Chris Archer to Aroldis Chapman (last year all over again).

Also Yulieski Gurriel is working out at the Astros facility in Florida.
He's still waiting for his working visa before he can play with the Astros minor league teams.
Once he is able to play some minor league baseball he'll be there for a couple of weeks before being called up.

Yulieski Gurriel and Alex Bregman will likely both be called up in mid August.
So because of that the Astros are feeling optimistic about their hitting.

It will be tempting to ship out Alex Bregman in a big trade but it's not like we're in the Chris Sale sweepstakes. It would probably take way too much for us to assemble a package for him. Alex Bregman and Kyle Tucker (the 2nd and 5th overall picks in last year's draft) along with say, Lance McCullers. He's leading our starting rotation in ERA this year and is a young stud.

It's not worth giving up that much in a trade for Sale. I'm sure the White Sox like some of our parts but I don't see a good match there. I'd hate to see the Texas Rangers acquire Chris Sale, but I don't think the Astros are in a position to panic and give up so much for him. If the Rangers are willing to give up multiple good young players for Chris Sale then more power to them.

If the Astros make a trade it will likely include prospects like Joe Musgrove and Daz Cameron. Maybe Kyle Tucker. But you never know. I could wake up one day over the next week and the Astros will have pulled off a major trade. Or I could be very bored and watch them do nothing before the trading deadline.

This post was edited by Madmartigan on Jul 23 2016 10:59pm

Ryan, why did the Astros sign Cuban SS Anibal Sierra? If y'all didn't have a log jam in the infield before, you certainly do now lol

The Astros are going "all in" on the Cuban market. Investing the max dollars possible.
They are going to pay a 100 %, dollar-for-dollar luxury tax for exceeding the MLB limit on International signings from one country.

In fact, the Astros already have a gentleman's agreement in place to sign the younger brother of Yulieski Gurriel.

22-year-old Lourdes Gurriel Jr., who is going to work out in front of MLB scouts sometime in August and then sign sometime in October. But he is expected to sign with the Houston Astros to join his older brother. He defected from Cuba along with his older brother back in February.

Lourdes Gurriel Jr. is a promising star - flexible on his position (he can play outfield and infield) and has youth on his side to develop as an elite Major League talent. Yulieski Gurriel is 32 years old but perhaps part of his lucrative signing was to lure his younger brother.

I like the fact the Astros have targeted the talent in Cuba and are going after it.

Anibal Sierra is just another Cuban talent that they aggressively went after.

This post was edited by Madmartigan on Jul 23 2016 11:36pm

Mike Fiers versus Tim Lincecum today: I expect an offensive explosion for both teams.

The Astros defeated Lincecum, 7-1, about a month ago. 5 earned runs off him in 4.1 innings.
Tim Lincecum had dominated the Astros for his entire career prior to that: 5-0 with a 0.99 ERA.
But that was back when he was a 2-time NL Cy Young award winner and Ace for the SF Giants.

Mike Trout is 0-for-6 in this series with 5 strikeouts (1 walk). His batting average dipped down to .314.
He's probably going to erupt sooner or later. I just hope it happens after he leaves Houston later today.

I'm not expecting an easy sweep today. Mike Fiers usually sucks but sometimes he is good.
He threw a no-hitter last year. When you least expect it Fiers will surprise you with a masterpiece. LOL

More than likely, the first team to score seven runs today is going to win.

This post was edited by Madmartigan on Jul 24 2016 12:12am

Jose Altuve with a three-run homer!
Already a 3-0 Astros lead in the bottom of the 1st over Tim Lincecum.
Very good start to this game and this home stand. The Yankees are coming in next.

Luis Valbuena went yard also. 4-0 Astros after the 1st inning.
I feel a little bad for Tim Lincecum. His comeback is admirable but his ERA is over 7.50 now.
A good chance for the Astros to complete the sweep today if Mike Fiers doesn't fall apart himself.