I hope the win doesn’t overshadow the need for a MLB calibur SP.
Good news: The Astros passed the Yankees on the standings and would be in playoffs if the season ended today (WC in Min)
Bad news: France or Bielak would be 4th starter and start game 1 or 2 of ALDS.
It’s too early to worry about these things. France had looked good before last night, and, hopefully, they get McCullers back in the next month or sooner and Urquidy back around the All-Star Break. In about a month or so, the Astros will have a better idea about what McCullers and Urquidy can contribute this season, and Dana Brown can start planning his trade deadline pursuits appropriately.
I also got to enjoy the Braves coming back against the Arlingtonians.
Those are 2 scary offenses.
Got home late last night from a HH with friends we hadn’t seen in forever. Turned on the game in the 7th and the Astros promptly put two on while I was making dinner. So, I naturally start watching the game only to see Hensley shit the bed. Turned off the game thinking a sweep would’ve been nice, but I’ve seen this song and dance too many times before and should probably just have another glass of wine (2021 Newfound Yount Mill Vineyard Grenache) in order to prepare myself for the inevitable. Got the text that the Astros walked it off, so I interrupted Kara’s regularly scheduled programming to watch the highlights. Goddamn, they were good.
I suspect France will be quite a different pitcher by the end of the season. It’s clear he has the stuff. Execution excellence, if it’s going to happen, comes with reps and expert tutelage and guidance, both of which he’ll get in spades with the Astros. Waaaaaay too early to project postseason performance based on his first three games. Same goes with Bielak, to a degree.
Also waaaaaay too early to be even interested in the standings (except for when the Yankees were in last place in their division).
Enjoyed the Cub’s announcers, especially as “doom” neared.
(8th) - they relished Smyly’s quality start - “only two 3-ball counts”
(Bregman’s 2B) “the ball in the cutout is like a pin ball machine…”
(during Tucker’s K) Watching the quality of at bats from Tucker here and Alvarez, we know about Bregman, and when they get Altuve back doing his thing…, very dangerous lineup. If they ever get Abreu going…
the Astros came into this game 10th in runs per game, but when you look at their 6-year post-season run they had some teams that were BANGERS!
led the majors in runs per game in '17, in '19 they were 3rd, and in '21 they led the majors - some teams that could REALLY score.
(9th - after Meyers HR) “This place is ROCKING!”
(After Tucker) “This is got to be the worse loss of the year… 4th walk-off loss.”
“Need someone to step up as closer… Just the 3rd & 4th ER off Leiter this season!”
Bregman was HUGE tonight: 3 for 4 w/ 2 RBI a K & IBB, 3 runs scored.
Almost did the same thing, was finishing cleaning up the kitchen while listening to the radio broadcast…, but suspended to watch after the 8th…
Somehow I knew we’d be told what the announcers for the Cubs (no apostrophe) had to say. I must be psychic.
For most of my Astros life, I never dreamed of having access to radio/TV/internet broadcasts of Astros games or an Astros forum.
This is a privilege, a field of dreams for me.
But it works for me to focus my limited time and energy on topics/posts of interest.
All the best.
Snuff
I have been listening to Colt .45s/Astros games on the radio since 1962. You never dreamed of having access to radio broadcast games??? Were you on a desert island or in some foreign country?
If you are as old as you say you are, I do not believe your time is “limited.”
Before the internet, when AM radio was king but only in affiliated markets that usually did not stretch beyond state lines. If you lived in an area that wasn’t part of the Astros radio network, you had to depend on newspapers, and occasionally television to keep up with the team. But I don’t know what the hell Snuff is talking about.
Neither does he.
You explained it much better than I did, Col.
Thank you.
Sometimes I could catch radio broadcasts from Chicago, St. Louis, Cincinnati, Atlanta, and sometimes Astros broadcasts via New Orleans. Read the Sporting News while it was a baseball paper and found libraries that carried Houston papers.
Looked forward to a the local ML team broadcasting games with the Astros and (later) could watch Astros playoff games. Missed half the 2005 WS to hurricane Wilma, so it doesn’t count.
“The Heart of a Champion” (Good read about the game - SB Nation)
I liked it better in the other thread.
I liked it better before a stupid SB Nation article from a game several days ago was posted.
