I'm too poor to red/bold but I wanted to anyway. The old thread was buried in the archives for all of eternity.
If Yordan Alvarez can stay healthy and play 120+ games the Houston Astros will be back in the 2026 postseason.

He just hit another moon shot to the upper deck in right field to give the Astros a 3-0 lead over the Boston Red Sox.

On Opening Day he hit what would've been a majestic 450-foot no doubter to right field but it hit the top of the closed roof.
And the ball immediately deflected about 80 feet into foul territory. So by rule that home run was called a foul ball. So unlucky.

Yordan only played 48 games last year. Astros led all of baseball in injuries. Made it to the 2nd to last game still in wild-card contention.

I'm not sure there's a more dangerous hitter in all of baseball than Yordan Alvarez. Yeah, I guess Shohei Ohtani and Aaron Judge.
Fair to say there's some other elite hitters. Yordan reminds me of a bigger and stronger version of David 'Big Papi' Ortiz. So clutch!!

And now Brice Matthews just went yard to give the Astros a 4-0 lead in the Bottom of the 5th. The Brice is right the way it looks.

I think the Astros can win the 2026 World Series against the Dodgers. Rematch of 2017. That's my prediction. I'll probably be wrong. LOL
Dodgers are a powerhouse. Astros swept them at Dodger Stadium last year on the 4th of July weekend. 18-1 shellacking on the 4th of July.

Unless you're a Los Angeles Dodgers fan, I think you'll want any other team to win the World Series this year. A Dodgers three-peat is possible.

I'm just going to enjoy the 2026 MLB season since it will probably be the last until Opening Day 2028. The 2027 MLB Lockout is inevitable.

People said Lance McCullers Jr.'s best days were behind him. All the injuries in recent years.
First start of the 2026 season: 7 strong innings. 9 strikeouts. 4 hits and 1 earned run allowed.

Astros lead 8-1 in the Bottom of the 8th. About to improve to 3-2 on the season after an 0-2 start.
Carlos Correa made two web gems playing shortstop tonight. Looking like his gold glove winning self.

What a luxury the Astros have. Two elite defensive infielders in Carlos Correa and Jeremy Peña.
When Jeremy Peña is back playing shortstop full time (finger soreness) Correa can play third base.

Astros just need Josh Hader back next month. Add another late-inning reliever at the trade deadline.
But this 2026 team is loaded for a World Series run. Just need to stay healthy and they're fun to watch.

394 feet was the Yordan home run distance tonight. He smashed that to the upper deck. Looked 415 feet.
The one he obliterated on Opening Day was blasted even farther. 450 feet if it didn't hit the roof. Just crazy.



Also I forgot to mention Jose Altuve hit two home runs tonight. If Altuve is Altuve again (superstar hitter) the Astros will be a problem.

Another home run for Yordan Alvarez. Just mashed another upper deck shot to right field.

If Yordan stays healthy this year he'll hit 50 home runs. Breaking the Astros franchise record. 47 home runs by Jeff Bagwell in 2000.

Astros are leading 6-1 after 5 innings. Trying to improve to 4-2 on the year with four wins in a row. Keep the Ws coming.
Gotta keep pace with those red hot 4-1 Texas Rangers in the AL West. It will be a fun and competitive 2026 AL West race.

Hunter Brown is sensational on the mound tonight. Only gave up the 1 hit and 1 run off a double in the Top of the 5th.

Astros start a 10-game West Coast road trip tomorrow night at Sacramento against the Athletics.

A good chance to prove their 5-2 hot start with five wins in a row isn't some early season fluke.
3 at Athletics, 3 at Rockies and then the huge 4-game series at Seattle. Early AL West showdown.

Astros can be the best team in baseball if Yordan Alvarez keeps smashing the ball like Babe Ruth in his prime.
He can single handily change the dynamics of how the opposing pitcher is pitching. It's truly special to watch.

If Yordan continues to stay healthy and dominates like he is. He can definitely win the 2026 AL MVP primarily as a DH.
Teams will start walking him a lot and he'll get that 2001 Barry Bonds treatment. His on-base % will just be sensational.

Yordan is like if you combined a superstar in his prime like Ryan Howard and David 'Big Papi' Ortiz. He's both!!
Because he has the best power in the game and can hit the ball anywhere on the field. His clutch hitting is A+

And then you have Jose Altuve and Carlos Correa mashing the ball like superstars again. Two proven World Series champions.
I didn't even mention Christian Walker. Making $20 million a year. No team wanted him in a trade. He doesn't look bad so far.

I'm just glad the Astros didn't trade Isaac Paredes or Christian Walker this past off-season. They tried to trade one of those guys.

This post was edited by MADmartigan on Apr 2 2026 05:48pm

We're getting wrecked by the 1-5 Athletics of Sacramento tonight. In that little league ballpark.

Jeez. 10-1 Athletics in Bottom 5th. Cristian Javier got hammered for six earned runs. Ah!
5-game win streak is over. 5-3 record. Just need to brush this one aside and win tomorrow.

Thankfully the game tomorrow is at 3:05 PM in the afternoon. So a quick one to turn the page.

An Athletics fan (I had no idea they had any!) messaged me on X and said, "How do you like that belt to ass?" Savage. LOL

I'm not even mad because it's only one game. But Cristian Javier hasn't looked good this year. His velocity is down.
Astros should consider calling up Spencer Arrighetti from the minors. Send Javier down until he works out his issues.

Only negative with the Astros so far this year. Joe Espada didn't set the starting rotation properly at all I feel like.
You can't convince me Cristian Javier is a #3 starter and Lance McCullers Jr. is a #5 guy. Lance is way better now.

This post was edited by MADmartigan on Apr 3 2026 09:26pm

The good news is the Houston Astros will improve to 6-3 on the year with a win today. Last night's loss was just one game. Already 2-0 Astros after the first inning. RBI singles by Jose Altuve and Christian Walker. And the Japanese phenom Tatsuya Imai is on the mound. Let's see if he can settle down and pitch lights out in his second MLB start. He's a really good pitcher and the ball just explodes off his hands.

His first start he simply had too much adrenaline and nerves during his MLB debut. His stuff was excellent but he just couldn't locate his fastball or breaking pitches being so amped up. Looks like he is more calm with some A+ stuff today. I'm still expecting a very good road trip for the Astros. 8-2 or 7-3 would be ideal. I really want them to win the four-game series at Seattle next weekend.

7-0 Astros in in the Top of the 5th. Tatsuya Imai is dominating with 7 strikeouts and 2 hits allowed through 4 innings.

Looks like the Astros will be 6-3. Last night's game was just a matter of not having their starting rotation set up properly.

It should be Hunter Brown, Tatsuya Imai and then Lance McCullers Jr. as the top three. Those are our three best pitchers.
And then Mike Burrows and Cristian Javier (5th starter). Javier used to be big time but his arm strength hasn't returned yet.

Astros should consider sending Cristian Javier down to the minors to work on on his arm strength. Call up Spencer Arrighetti.

Astros lead 10-0 in the Top of the 7th. Yordan Alvarez has been on base all five times. 4 walks and an RBI single.
On-base % is just ridiculos. His OPS was 2nd best in all of baseball entering today at 1.409. It will soon be 1st.

Tatsuya Imai ended up pitching 5.2 innings. 9 strikeouts and 3 hits allowed. Pitch count at 94. Astros just took him out.
Just watching Imai pitch he's sensational. First game jitters. Second game he's dealing. Next up: Pitching deeper in games.