Major League Baseball: 2022 Season

[JohnBM01]

Houston Astros- 1-time World Series champions. New York Yankees- 27-time World Series Champions. It's becoming one of the hottest rivalries of late. So let's see how this match goes.

* NYY Yankees at HOU Astros (2 game doubleheader)

[GAME 1] The Houston Astros kind of clowned the New York Yankees early, with their first two hits of the game being bunts. The Astros lead 2-0 before the Yankees put on a solo jack to make it 2-1. The Yanks leveled the game at 2 with an RBI. The hero of this game was J.J. Matijevic hitting a walk-off RBI single with the bases loaded and two outs. Astros take Game 1 of the Doubleheader 3-2.

[GAME 2] Yordan Alvarez returned to the Houston lineup for Game 2 of the Doubleheader. So what does he do in his first at-bat? Oh, nothing... like hit a home run. There were back-to-back jacks for the Astros to go up 2-0 after one inning. Astros held a sizeable lead until Aaron Judge bombed a three-run jack in the Top of the 9th. However, it wasn't enough as the Astros survived 7-5 in Game 2 of this doubleheader.

GM1: (3-2; Houston)
GM2: (7-5; Houston)

NEXT: at SEA Mariners (3 games), starting on Friday

The Houston Astros now have a record of 61-32 and still leading the AL West. This tough stretch of games continues as we head out west to meet the surging Seattle Mariners, whom have won 14 straight games. That will then be followed by three games at Oakland, and then we're back home to play Seattle for four games. First things first, though- at Seattle for the weekend.


Congratulations to all other series winners! Congratulations to all others who recently won!

[UPDATE] All-Star Break already happened! Edited the record info.

 

[JohnBM01]

No more New York teams the rest of the season, unless the Astros meet the Yankees (and maybe the Mets) in the postseason. Sleepless in Seattle. Seattle has been hot lately, and I don't mean the temperatures. Fourteen straight wins by the Mariners is what the Astros are facing in this three-game series. Can the Astros tame the M's? Let's go to the Emerald City and find out who shone like diamonds in this series.

* HOU Astros at SEA Mariners (3 game series)

[GAME 1] The Houston Astros saw José Altuve bomb a solo jack to left to go up 1-0 early. More solo homers by the Astros put them up a bit more. The Astros would start off with a 5-0 lead heading into the 6th inning. Seattle finally lit up the scoreboard and excited the crowd thanks to a Ty France solo homer. Now 5-1, Houston heading into the 7th. Seattle drew a bases loaded walk in the Bottom of the 8th after Phil Maton put Ryne Stanek in a dubious position to try to strike out the side with one out. The Astros' lead was now 5-2 after the bases loaded walk. Seattle's 14 game winning streak came to an end as the 5-2 score would stand.

[GAME 2] Justin Verlander pitched for the Astros in Game 2 of this series, and he was ballin'. All he did was give up a solo homer. The Astros otherwise picked up a gritty 3-1 win.

[GAME 3] One pitch, one homer. José Altuve bombed one into the beautiful blue skies of Seattle to deep left to put the Astros up 1-0 early. That jack put Altuve up to 3rd all-time in leadoff homers for the Astros. He's behind George Springer (2nd, 39) and Craig Biggio (1st, 53). Make that back-to-back jacks when Jeremy Pena hit one in about the same place Altuve hit his homer. Hey- you hang' em, we bang 'em. It wouldn't be until the Bottom of the 7th that the Mariners would get two runners on as well as scoring. A two-out RBI triple by Sam Haggerty helped the M's cut the lead down to 6-2. Then it was 6-3 the same inning, Astros after a J.P. Crawford RBI double. Houston would score again to go up 8-3, then Seattle made it 8-5. The Astros left Seattle with a sweep of the surging M's. From 14 straight wins... to three straight losses.

GM1: (5-2; Houston)
GM2: (3-1; Houston)
GM3: (8-5; Houston)

NEXT: at OAK Athletics (3 games), starting on Monday

The 2022 Houston Astros will go to Oakland with a 61-32 and leading the AL West. Last time we met Oakland, we lost the series 2 out of 3. Payback is on the mind of the Astros after falling to the team with the worst record in the American League. This time, in THEIR house.


Elsewhere...

* Did you see the Toronto Blue Jays hammer the Boston Red Sox 28-5 in Boston on Friday? Among the highlights I saw on YouTube, Boston forgot the ball quite a few times, and even... an inside-the-park Grand Slam. Yikes! Good news is that this beating wasn't as bad as when the Texas Rangers hammered the Baltimore Orioles 30-3 in Baltimore long ago. Toronto would go on to sweep the Boston Red Sox.

* I see the Cincinnati Reds took two out of three hosting the St. Louis Cardinals. Cheers to the Redlegs.

* The New York Mets, meanwhile, are trying to avoid a sweep against the San Diego Padres. They are playing right now as of the time of this post.

* How did the other New York team do? Well, they took their series against the Baltimore Orioles 2 out of 3. The Yanks blanked the O's 6-0 today.


Congratulations to all other series winners! Congratulations to all others who recently won! You're always welcome to share your scores and summaries.

 

[JohnBM01]

The Houston Astros won about six straight series before the Oakland Atheltics finally tamed the Astros. Now, it's an attempt to pay back Oakland. This time- in THEIR house. Oh, and did I mention the A's still have the worst record in the American League while the Astros have the second best record in all of baseball? Let's find out if the payback materialized...

* HOU Astros at OAK Athletics (3 game series)

[GAME 1] When I first followed the game, it was 6-2, Oakland in the Top of the 5th. The A's apparently put a five-spot on the Astros in the Bottom of the 4th. Now a comedy of errors. A failed pick off attempt by OAK led to the Astros sending Jeremy Peña home from 2nd base. Then, Yordan Alvarez advanced to 3rd after being walked. Bold base running by the Astros led Houston to bring home another run to make it 6-4. The Athletics still managed to trump the Astros and get the better of them.

[GAME 2] An Athletics Grand Slam by Chad Pinder off of Luis Garcia put the A's up 4-0. The Astros ever since have played catch-up, but failed to complete their rally. They end up losing 5-4. Another series win (and possible sweep) forthcoming. You hate losing to teams with a record worse than yours, but Oakland seems to have the Astros' number. Great shame.

[GAME 3] The Athletics scored first in the Bottom of the 2nd on a solo homer. On the very next pitch, Christian Javier was taken deep again on back-to-back jacks to right field. It's 2-0 early for the A's at home. It was two unanswered until an RBI triple was scored by Houston to make it a 2-1 Athletics lead in the Top of the 5th. Oakland later put up another run, but I didn't see what happened. It's the A's leading 3-1 heading into the Top of the 6 now. "Air Yordan" had liftoff on a moonshot solo jack to right center. Now it's 3-2, Oakland. The A's put another run on the board to make it a 4-2 lead in the Bottom of the 7th.

GM1: (7-5; Oakland)
GM2: (5-3; Oakland)
GM3: (4-2; Oakland)

NEXT: vs. Seattle Mariners (4 games), starting on Thursday

As we head back home from this AL West road trip, the 2022 Houston Astros will return home with a 64-35 record, still with a kung fu grip on the AL West lead. Teams with nothing to lose are often the most dangerous. So I guess the Astros' run of success had to be halted or hampered at some point. Seattle wants some revenge of their own. So the M's and Astros will match up starting on Thursday to see who's the better team. Hopefully the Astros don't 🤬 the bed against Seattle like they did at Oakland.


Congratulations to all other series winners! Congratulations to all others who recently won! You're always welcome to share your scores and summaries.

 

[Dolph Drago]

Welp, it finally happened. Naquin got shipped off to the Mets Thursday. Okay.

But now pitching ace Luis Castillo is out of Cincy, as the Reds begin their 3rd rebuild in only 10 years. It sounds like Mahle and Drury may be gone soon, as well. I swear every time they finish a rebuild and the team starts to look competitive, they tear it down and start all over again. I remember the Marlins doing that a few times in the late 90's, early 2000's, except they won a World Series each time after doing so.

Anyway, Castillo is off to Seattle where he joins his old teammates Jesse Winker and Eugenio Suarez. Good luck to @JohnBM01's Astros facing him in their division.

 

[JohnBM01]

@Dolph Drago , I think you meant Luis Castillo going to the Seattle Mariners. I saw the news on Yahoo! Sports. Yep... looks like we'll be dealing with an ex-Red.

I'll have my SEA at HOU summary available once the series concludes. Trade market should be wild about this time.

 

[Dolph Drago]

@Dolph Drago , I think you meant Luis Castillo going to the Seattle Mariners. I saw the news on Yahoo! Sports. Yep... looks like we'll be dealing with an ex-Red.

I'll have my SEA at HOU summary available once the series concludes. Trade market should be wild about this time.

I can see how my post was confusing, as I didn't mention where he was going until the second paragraph. Naquin indeed went to New York, though. I will edit my post to clear it up.

 

[JohnBM01]

So at Oakland didn't work. Can the Houston Astros return to winning when they host the Seattle Mariners after HOU got swept at Oakland? Let's find out...

* SEA Mariners at HOU Astros (4 game series)

[GAME 1] A bomb to the Crawford Boxes by the Houston Astros put them up 2-0 early. A couple of RBIs later by Seattle, and we would be level at 2-2. The Astros decided to go up for good in the Bottom of the 8th with some clutch RBIs. It's 4-2, Astros heading into the Top of the 9th. That score would hold for the Astros to take Game 1 of this series.

[GAME 2] Justin Verlander came into the game with a 13-3 record on the season and a 1.86 ERA. When I first followed Game 2, Houston was ahead 5-0 in the Bottom of the 5th. Yordan Alarez went yard on a solo homer, then a sacrifice fly from Jeremy Peña made it 7-0. Mauricio Dubon made it a 9-0 Astros lead in the Bottom of the 6th with a two-run bomb to deep left.

[GAME 3] Game 3 started with Seattle leading 1-0 after Framber Valdez hit a batter and allowed a couple of base hits. That was later followed with Seattle bringing in another run on an RBI single. Maybe Seattle didn't take getting whacked on Friday too kindly and decided to do something about it. So Seattle ended up with a 3-0 lead in the middle of the 1st. The Houston Astros FINALLY got their first hit of the game on an Aledmys Diaz solo homer in the Bottom of the 5th. Houston would score again in the next inning thanks to an RBI single by Aledmys Diaz that brought Alex Bregman home from 2nd base. Seattle's lead was now 3-2 after six innings. We were level at 3-3 thanks to an RBI double by Jose Altuve that brought Martin Maldonaldo home in the Bottom of the 7th with nobody out. New game, y'all. Altuve came home on an RBI single, and the Astros FINALLY led the game. Now 4-3, Astros. The Mariners brought home some runs to go up 5-4 in the Top of the 9th. They retook the lead 5-4. The Astros would have had a fabulous rally to win, but end up having to settle for a 5-4 loss. Relief pitching blew it in the 9th and almost did in the 8th. Heartbreaker...

[GAME 4] The Seattle Mariners probably set the tone early by plunking Jose Altuve on the very first pitch in the Bottom of the 1st. That was okay, because the Astros would pound in a few runs to go up 2-0 after one inning. Jake Odorizzi was GOOD Odorizzi in keeping playing shutout baseball. That all changed in the Top of the 8th, however, as the M's put up a two-run jack to right to tie the game at 2-2 off of reliever Ryne Stanek. This one had to go to extra innings as the Astros failed to try to walk it off in the 9th inning. A base hit by Yordan Alvarez walked if off for the Houston Astros to take this series.

GM1: (4-2; Houston)
GM2: (11-1; Houston)
GM3: (5-4; Seattle)
GM4: (3-2, 10 innings; Houston)

NEXT: vs. BOS Red Sox (3 games), starting on Monday

The 2022 Houston Astros now hold a 67-36 record, still with a solid grip on the AL West lead. Seattle will go to New York City to face the Yankees, and the Yankees' biggest rivals will come to Houston- the Boston Red Sox. Three-game set between Houston and Boston starting on Monday. It's a rematch of the 2021 American League Championship Series.


Elsewhere...

* I heard the St. Louis Cardinals had interest in Jake Odorizzi of my Astros. Jake Odorizzi hasn't fully worked here in Houston, so if the Cards want to take Odorizzi and rack the brains of the NL Central a bit, go right ahead, St. Louis. I just don't know what pitcher St. Louis would give up in exchange for Odorizzi. I wouldn't be sure also what other teams would give up talent to make it a multi-team trade

* Speaking of the Trade Deadline, that happens this Tuesday. Whether your team is buying or selling, make the needed moves.


Congratulations to all other series winners! Congratulations to all others who recently won! You're always welcome to share your scores and summaries.

 

[JohnBM01]

The Houston Astros shipped off Jose Siri; and in return, we picked up T. Mancini from the Baltimore Orioles. The Astros also let go of some pitching prospects.

I'll have my series summary of Boston at Houston when it completes.


[UPDATE] The Houston Astros also shipped off Jake Odorizzi to the Atlanta Braves.

 

[Dolph Drago]

The Houston Astros shipped off Jose Siri; and in return, we picked up T. Mancini from the Baltimore Orioles. The Astros also let go of some pitching prospects.

I'll have my series summary of Boston at Houston when it completes.

Now you get another ex-Red to face in Tommy Pham. He was scratched minutes before first pitch last night, leading to speculation he might be getting traded. Though there have been a number of Reds scratched at game time due to injury or illness, so that still remained a possibility. It ended up being the former scenario, though, and off he went to Boston for a player to be named later.

Oh, a couple of other players, unsurprisingly, are no longer in Cincinnati. The aforementioned Mahle and Drury from an above post were sent off to Minnesota and San Diego respectively today. A bunch of prospects in return. Hopefully they pan out.

 

[JohnBM01]

Vin Scully, legendary sports broadcaster and announcer, has died. He was 94 at the time of his passing. He is one of my personal favorite announcers with his unique commentary and voice. He certainly has provided some amazing calls in baseball. Vin Scully will be sorely missed. I offer my condolences in loving memory of the great Vin Scully.

 

[JohnBM01]

A rematch of the 2021 American League Championship Series was held here in Houston. After taking 3 out of 4 from the Seattle Mariners, the Houston Astros will try to take down the Boston Red Sox. Find out if they succeeded as I present this series summary.

* BOS Red Sox at HOU Astros (3 game series)

[GAME 1] When I first followed this game, it was 3-2, Boston in the Top of the 9th with the Astros in their "Space City" City Connect uniforms. The Astros couldn't suppress the Red Sox on Monday night, so they have to settle for a 3-2 loss to the boys from Bean Town.

[GAME 2] Houston got off to a 1-0 lead in the Bottom of the 1st on some timely hitting. Boston would later tie things up at 1-1 with some timely hitting of their own. Boston took the lead on a solo jack to right in the Top of the 6th to make it 2-1, Boston. That score would stand as last-place AL East team, Boston, gets another win against AL West-leading Houston. Bloody shame.

[GAME 3] This Wednesday afternoon saw the Houston strike first. It was 4-0, Astros in the Top of the 5th when I first followed the game. Trey Mancini asserted himself with a two-run jack in this game. The Astros would then go to a 6-0 lead later in the game. The Astros were looking at a shutout, until Xander B. bombs a solo homer to prevent the shutout off of new Astro, pitcher Will Smith. Didn't matter. Inconsequential. We still prevented getting swept.

GM1: (3-2; Boston)
GM2: (2-1; Boston)
GM3: (6-1; Houston)

NEXT: at CLE Guardians (4 games), starting on Monday

The 2022 Houston Astros now hold a 68-38 record, still with a solid grip on the AL West lead. The AL East is the toughest division in all of baseball, so I'll take not getting swept by an AL East team. The Astros will now head to the Midwest to meet the Cleveland Guardians for a four-game weekend series. The AL Central is not as competitive, but Cleveland is a plenty tough team when they get going. We'll see how this series in northeastern Ohio goes.


Congratulations to all other series winners! Congratulations to all others who recently won! You're always welcome to share your scores and summaries.

 

[JohnBM01]

The Houston Astros begin a road trip going to northeast Ohio to meet the Cleveland In... uh, Guardians. So let's see how this four-game set went...

* HOU Astros at CLE Guardians (4 game series)

[GAME 1] The Houston Astros put up a few runs early, then cruised to a 6-0 victory. The last two scores were back-to-back jacks. Most of this game was just missed opportunities and blunders by Cleveland. It was still a solid victory behind the pitching of Justin Verlander.

[GAME 2] Sad news for the start of this game was that Dusty Baker wasn't coaching because he tested positive for COVID-19/Coronavirus. When I first followed the game, it was a 1-1 tie heading into the Bottom of the 2nd as the two teams traded runs. Yordan Alvarez helped get the Astros a 2-1 lead in the Top of the 3rd on an RBI single. Troy Mancini hit a BOMB of a Grand Slam with bases loaded in the Top of the 3rd. So Mancini bombed a two-run shot back in the previous series. Now, he belted one out of Progressive Field to put the Astros up 6-1. I was watching wrestling, so I missed most of the rest of the game. However, when I did follow the game again, it was now 9-3, Astros heading into the Top of the 9th. The 9-3 lead for the Astros would hold as the Astros picked up their 70th win of the season.

[GAME 3] Cleveland stuck first on an RBI double in the Bottom of the 1st. Luis Garcia saw a ball go to deep right for extra bases for the Guardians to take the early lead. Cleveland piled on some more runs in the Bottom of the 2nd. So make it 4-0, Cleveland after two innings. Astros in a hole. This was a hole the Astros eventually couldn't escape, losing 4-0.

[GAME 4] The Houston Astros are playing to either take the series or settle for a split. I did not follow this game at all. When I did see the score from my midday nap, the Guardians won 1-0. I saw on ESPN that the Astros got only two hits in the game. So Houston and Cleveland split their series. Much like how the Astros had to split at the New York Yankees.

GM1: (6-0; Houston)
GM2: (9-3; Houston)
GM3: (4-0; Cleveland)
GM4: (1-0; Cleveland)

NEXT: vs. TEX Rangers (3 games), starting on Tuesday

The 2022 Houston Astros now hold a 70-40 record, still with a sizable lead on the AL West. The Astros will finally get a day off before taking on their next opponent. It's back home to Houston to host Texas for three followed by Oakland for three.


Congratulations to all other series winners! Congratulations to all others who recently won! You're always welcome to share how your team has done lately, so let's hear it!

 

[JohnBM01]

Let's update the standings. You know it's becoming crunch time now in Major League Baseball- playoffs time is not too far away. So find your favorite team(s) in this update:

--- 2022 AL STANDINGS (as of: August 8, 2022) ---
AL EAST: New York Yankees (70-39), TOR (60-48), TB (58-50), BAL (56-52), BOS (54-56)
AL CENTRAL: Minnesota (57-51), CLE (56-52), CHW (55-53), KC (44-65), DET (43-67)
AL WEST: Houston (70-40), SEA (59-51), TEX (48-60), LAA (46-63), OAK (41-68)
CURRENT AL WILD CARD: TOR, TB, SEA

--- 2022 NL STANDINGS (as of: August 8, 2022) ---
NL EAST: New York Mets (70-39),ATL (64-46), PHI (60-48), MIA (49-59), WAS (36-74)
NL CENTRAL: St. Louis (60-48), MIL (58-50), CIN (44-63), PIT (44-64), CHC (43-64)
NL WEST: Los Angeles Dodgers (75-33), SD (61-50), SF (53-55), ARI (48-59), COL (48-63)
CURRENT NL WILD CARD: ATL, PHI, SD

There you have it. We have the Los Angeles Dodgers with the best record in baseball. However, the New York Yankees, Houston Astros, and New York Mets are all in the 70 wins club this season. If the Yankees lose tonight, NYY and HOU will have the same record and be tied for the best record in the American League. Both New York teams are doing VERY well so far this season. The doormat of the American League is the Oakland Athletics, and the doormat of the National League (and overall) is the Washington Nationals. The 2019 World Series champion Nationals is the only team south of 40 wins on the season.

Here are the next series involving the 70-win teams:

• MIN Twins at LAD Dodgers (3-games, starting TUE)
• NYY Yankees at SEA Mariners (3 games, starting MON)
• TEX Rangers HOU Astros (3 games, starting TUE)
• CIN Reds at NYM Mets (3 games, starting MON)

Aw- we do have an inner-forum rivalry here, as my good mates @Dolph Drago and @Blitz24 will see their (respective) Reds meet the Mets in Queens. Yep- Redlegs meet Metropolitans.


Enjoy the new series!

 

[Dolph Drago]

Aw- we do have an inner-forum rivalry here, as my good mates @Dolph Drago and @Blitz24 will see their (respective) Reds meet the Mets in Queens. Yep- Redlegs meet Metropolitans.

The Reds have been playing surprisingly well against teams with good records. We'll see how this one goes.

 

[Blitz24]

The Reds have been playing surprisingly well against teams with good records. We'll see how this one goes.

Not well at all. Reds scored 5 runs in the series while surrendering 21 against the Mets. Mets starters went 20.2 IP in the series (which is surprisingly old-school) and former Red Tyler Naquin had 3 XBH in the series sweep. The Reds are off to play in the Field of Dreams game on Thursday against the rival Cubs while the Mets get a day off before facing the Phillies in an NL East matchup over the weekend.

 

[Joey D]

This is long overdue:

Tigers part ways with GM Al Avila

DETROIT -- The Tigers on Wednesday parted ways with vice president/general manager Al Avila, who led the team through a difficult rebuild but paid the price for a disappointing 2022 season. Sam Menzin, vice president and assistant GM, will continue as the day-to-day point of the contact for the...

www.mlb.com

 

[Dolph Drago]

Not well at all. Reds scored 5 runs in the series while surrendering 21 against the Mets. Mets starters went 20.2 IP in the series (which is surprisingly old-school) and former Red Tyler Naquin had 3 XBH in the series sweep. The Reds are off to play in the Field of Dreams game on Thursday against the rival Cubs while the Mets get a day off before facing the Phillies in an NL East matchup over the weekend.

Ugh. I saw the first two losses. Glad I missed the third. And it doesn't surprise me a bit that a recently traded ex-Red would beat on them.

 

[JohnBM01]

The Field of Dreams game is tonight. Last year, it was a beautiful and amazing game between the New York Yankees and the Chicago White Sox in a corn field in Iowa. This year's rendition involves the Chicago Cubs and the Cincinnati Reds. The game will be on FOX starting at 6:00 PM Eastern Time.

Enjoy the Field of Dreams game if you'll be watching! And also, I will give you my series summary of the Texas Rangers at the Houston Astros once I complete my report.

 

[JohnBM01]

Let's resume the Silver Boot series! Texas pride is on the line between the Houston Astros and the Texas Rangers. Rivalry baseball coming up in this series summary!

* TEX Rangers at HOU Astros (3 game series)

[GAME 1] It was a good start... for Texas. A leadoff homer was bombed by the Rangers off of Jose Urquidy to go up 1-0 early. Texas would go up to 4-0 heading into the Bottom of the 4th. Aledmys Diaz got Houston excited again when he bombed a Grand Slam in the Bottom of the 4th with two outs to tie the game at 4-4. Texas went right back and bombed a solo homer in the Top of the 5th to retake the lead. The Astros tied the game again on a ball that almost was a home run to deep left. Now it's 5-5 in the Bottom of the 5th. Later, Altuve would score on a sacrifice fly to take the first lead for the Astros- 6-5. "King Tuck" (Kyle Tucker) hit a deep RBI to left to bring in a run to make it 7-5 in the Bottom of the 6th.

[GAME 2] When I followed the game after storms rolled through Houston, the Astros and Rangers were tied at 3-3 in the Bottom of the 8th. The game went into Extra Innings, and the Rangers hung five runs on the Astros to go up 8-3 in the Top of the 10th. A nice RBI by Kyle Tucker helped the Astros make it a 8-4 deficit against the Rangers. That was all they could muster, as they would not clinch the Silver Boot on Wednesday night.

[GAME 3] YouTube had this one. The Houston Astros saw Martin Maldonaldo bomb a three-run jack to put the Astros ahead big. They hung seven on the Rangers until the Rangers later put in three runs. Astros took the series and the Silver Boot with a 7-3 win today.

GM1: (7-5; Houston)
GM2: (8-4, 10 innings; Texas)
GM3: (7-3; Houston)

NEXT: vs. OAK Athletics (3 games), starting on Friday

The 2022 Houston Astros now hold a 72-41 record, still with a sizable lead on the AL West. Also, with recent struggles by the New York Yankees, we now have the best record in the American League! Can the Astros finally figure out how to defeat the Oakland Athletics? This weekend's series hosting Oakland will tell all.


Congratulations to all other series winners! Congratulations to all others who recently won! You're always welcome to share how your team has done lately, so let's hear it!

 

[TB]

 

[JohnBM01]

Michael Brantley of the Astros will have right shoulder surgery, and he will miss the rest of the season. One Astro's departure is met with the return of another- pitcher Lance McCullers Jr. I'm both skeptical and curious as to how he will perform after being away due to injury.

Fernando Tatis Jr. is baller... perhaps TOO baller. You see, he's been suspended for 80 games for testing positive for performance-enhancing drugs (PED) recently.


I'll have the series summary of OAK at HOU once I complete it. Meanwhile, enjoy the weekend series!

 

[HenrySwanson]

I don't know that much about baseball, but why wouldn't they intentionally walk someone who is on fire like that?

 

[JohnBM01]

The Houston Astros come into this upcoming series with the best record in the American League. Best AL record meets the worst AL record. Last time we met, Oakland swept the Astros in Oakland. Now let's see if the Astros can return the favor in Houston. Let's get it on!

* OAK Athletics at at HOU Astros (3 game series)

[GAME 1] It was 2-1, Oakland Athletics around the Bottom of the 5th. Astros are trailing... can we change that? Kyle Tucker did- with a Grand Slam to right! An RBI was tacked on for the Astros to take a 6-2 lead after five innings. Fast forward to the Top of the 7th, and the A's tacked on three runs to trim the Astros' lead to 6-5. The Astros picked up a run on a Sacrifice Fly in the Bottom of the 8th. The 9th inning was solid to close out the game. Astros preserve a 7-5 victory for Game 1 of this series.

[GAME 2] It was a Hall of Fame celebration for the Houston Astros on Saturday night. Today's Astros, though, played like an All-Time Astros team. The party began with a two-run bomb by Alex Bregman in around the 2nd inning or so. I was watching football, so fast forward to the Bottom of the 7th. The Astros bumped their lead to 6-0 then. The Astros would take this match 8-0.

[GAME 3] When I first followed Game 3, the Houston Astros were ahead 4-0 after five innings. The Astros would put up two more runs to go up to 6-0. It wasn't until the later stages until the Oakland Athletics decide to finally score runs. It began with a solo bomb in about the Top of the 8th followed by some RBIs in the 9th. Three unanswered runs was all Oakland could score in return. Astros SWEEP the Athletics in Houston after Oakland swept the Astros in Oakland. Final score to this one was 6-3. Houston.

GM1: (7-5; Houston)
GM2: (8-0, Houston)
GM3: (6-3; Houston)

NEXT: at CHW White Sox (4 games), starting on Monday

The 2022 Houston Astros now hold a 75-41 record, still with a sizable lead on the AL West and still with the best record in the American League. Well, we be road trippin', yo. Our latest Tour of Awesome will take us to the Southside of Chicago and to the defending champions in Atlanta. Four game series in White Sox land coming up for the Houston Astros.


Congratulations to all other series winners! Congratulations to all others who recently won!

 

[HenrySwanson]

Was watching the Orioles game and was so close to seeing a perfect game live!

 

[JohnBM01]

A few musings and notes to pass along...

* If you're looking forward to the 2023 Field of Dreams Game, it will not happen at that site in 2023 because construction is planned at that ballpark for next year. The latest Field of Dreams game saw the Chicago Cubs defeat @Dolph Drago 's Cincinnati Reds 4-2 this past Thursday.

* The Texas Rangers have fired manager Chris Woodward. The Rangers have never posted a winning season under Woodward in the four seasons he's been manager. The interim manager of the Rangers will be Tony Beasley. Texas spent over $500M USD on talent, and that has not improved the team much. Goes to show you that all the money in the world doesn't guarantee you the best talent. Heck, I remember when the Houston Astros had a payroll equal to the salaries of most New York Yankees players.

* @Blitz24 's New York Mets begin a four-game set at Atlanta. The two teams will cross paths seven times remaining this season, all in Atlanta. Mets currently lead the NL East and have a 75-40 record on the season and a 5.5 lead in the NL East over the defending champion Atlanta Braves. My Astros and the Mets crossed paths earlier this season, and I really think the Mets can do some damage in the postseason. Enough to win a World Series, though? Time will tell...


My Astros will be at the Chicago White Sox for four games starting tonight, then they're at Atlanta for a three-game weekend Interleague set. I'll have my series summaries when those series conclude, and you all can tell us about how your team(s) is/are doing also. Enjoy the new series!

 

[JohnBM01]

The Houston Astros will visit the Midwest and go back to the South on this road trip. First things first, though- going through the Southside of Chicago to meet the 2005 World Series-winning Chicago White Sox. Let's get it!

* HOU Astros at CHW White Sox (4 game series)

[GAME 1] I didn't get to follow this game, but I saw the Chicago White Sox wear their awesome "Southside" City Connect uniforms. The White Sox had Johnny Cueto on the mound, and his White Sox took down the Houston Astros 4-2.

[GAME 2] Justin Verlander vs. Dylan Cease tonight. To many, this is the premier battle for the AL Cy Young. The Astros found themselves down 1-0 early, but they'd bounce back to take a 2-1 lead. Excuse Jose Altuve while he touched the sky with a solo bomb to left to go up 3-1. The rest of the game saw the White Sox tie the game at 3 and then take a 4-3 lead on an RBi. The Astros had the White Sox, but Cease and company got the last laugh. It was a 4-3 defeat for the Astros.

[GAME 3] The Houston Astros started Game 3 with a four-pitch walk to Jose Altuve. They'd later score on a sacrifice fly by Yordan Alvarez to go up 1-0 after the Top of the 1st. They'd land another sacrifice fly to go up 2-0 in the Top of the 4th. They'd tack on an extra RBI to make it a 3-0 Astros lead. The Chicago White Sox finally scored on an RBI in the Bottom of the 4th. Astros got a double play, but the White Sox brought in another run to make it a 3-2 Astros lead the same inning. No further scoring happened as the Astros finally win a game in this series. 3-2, Astros was the final in this one.

[GAME 4] When I first followed the game, the Houston Astros were up 4-0 in (I am assuming) the Top of the 3rd. After four innings, the Astros were now leading 10-0. Bad weather came through my area, so I didn't see any more of this game. This game ended in a 21-5 victory for the Houston Astros. Over 25 hits collected by the Astros in this one. Wow!

GM1: (4-2; Chicago White Sox)
GM2: (4-3; Chicago White Sox)
GM3: (3-2; Houston)
GM4: (21-5; Houston)

NEXT: at ATL Braves (3 games), starting on Friday

The 2022 Houston Astros now hold a 77-43 record, still with a sizable lead on the AL West and still with the best record in the American League. Well, for Astros fans, this may be some sad reminders- at the Atlanta Braves. You know... the team that won it all in 2021 against my Astros? I doubt this will be a World Series 2022 preview, but it will surely be a competitive Interleague series. We'll see how things go in the ATL this weekend.

I'm sorry for not posting all of this sooner. Just dealing with some weather.


Congratulations to all other series winners! Congratulations to all others who recently won!

 

[JohnBM01]

In the 2021 World Series, it was the Atlanta Braves who knocked off the Houston Astros in six games. If you're a Braves fan, you want to slap around the Astros again. If you're an Astros fan, you want payback. Time to pay back our former NL foes... or at least, try.

* HOU Astros at ATL Braves (3-game series)

[GAME 1] The score was 3-1, Braves at one point. When I watched the game finally, it's 6-2, Atlanta in the Top of the 8th. That score would hold as the Final to this one. Yordan Alvarez had to leave the game with an illness.

[GAME 2] The Astros struck first on a solo bomb by Jeremy Peña to right in the Top of the 5th. However, the Braves went yard in the Bottom of the same inning saw the Braves go solo homer to left to tie the game at 1-1. We couldn't settle things in nine innings, so extras were needed. In the Top of the 10th, the Astros scored an RBI single to go up 2-1 with nobody out. Then, Yuli Gurriel joined the RBI party with a base knock just inside the left field line. Make it 3-1 Astros at that point. A deep RBI was scored by Atlanta in the Bottom of the 10th to make it a 3-2 Astros lead. They then tied the game at 3-3 on another RBI. The Astros brought home a run though one Astro was thrown out in the Top of the 11th. So the Astros re-took the lead now at 4-3. The Astros saw their lead go to a tie again on an RBI in the Bottom of the 11th. Last laugh went to Atlanta in a 5-4 victory in 11 innings.

[GAME 3] The Atlanta Braves struck first on a two-run bomb to right in the Bottom of the 1st. Yordan Alvarez brought home two Astros in the Top of the 3rd to make it a 2-2 tie. Houston would go-ahead on an RBI to make it 3-2, then a sacrifice fly the same inning made it a 4-2 Astros lead. The Astros would add one more run in the Top of the 9th to go up 5-2. The Braves brought in two runs in the Bottom of the 9th, but it wasn't enough as the Astros averted the sweep.

GM1: (6-2; Atlanta)
GM2: (5-4, 11 innings; Atlanta)
GM3: (5-4; Houston)

NEXT: vs. MIN Twins (3 games), starting on Tuesday

The 2022 Houston Astros now hold a 78-45 record, still with a sizable lead on the AL West and still with the best record in the American League. So we didn't exact revenge on the Braves this go-round. Shame. The Braves won it all last season for a reason. The Astros will get a day off before hosting the Minnesota Twins. That means Carlos Correa will come back to Houston. Minnesota is trying to re-take the AL Central lead. We'll see what happens in the next series.


Congratulations to all other series winners! Congratulations to all others who recently won!

 

[JohnBM01]

The Minnesota Twins were up next on the Astros' schedule. So let's play ball with the boys from Minneapolis/St. Paul here in Houston...

* MIN Twins at HOU Astros (3-game series)

[GAME 1] It was an emotional return for Carlos Correa to return to Houston. Even though he was on the opposing team, he was still greeted to a fine welcome after his service with the Astros. The Houston Astros scored first with an RBI single in the Bottom of the 2nd. Kyle Tucker came home on an RBI double in the Bottom of the 4th to make it a 2-0 Astros lead. Some indiscretion happened in the Bottom of the 5th where both benches cleared. So it ended up in the Twins' pitcher (Aaron Sanchez) getting ejected as well as some other Twins because of a bunch of pitches thrown out of the strike zone in anger. The Astros pretty much sealed the deal in the 8th(?) inning with a two-run bomb to the Crawford Boxes to go up 4-0. The Twins put in a couple of runs in the Top of the 9th, but it was too little, too late. Astros win 4-2 behind another quality start by AL Cy Young favorite Justin Verlander.

[GAME 2] One pitch, one jack. Jose Altuve bombed a homer to go up 1-0 on the first pitch of the game for the Astros. He moved up to 3rd all-time in Astros history in leadoff homers with 31 now. George Springer has 33 leadoff homers for Houston, and Craig Biggio has 53 leadoff homers for Houston. Minnesota tied the game on a sacrifice fly in the Top of the 3rd. It is now a 1-1 tie. The Astros scored on their own sacrifice fly in the Bottom of the 3rd to retain the lead. Astros now up 2-1. Another sacrifice fly score was made by the Astros in the Bottom of the 6th to go up 3-1. Trey Mancini bombed a two-run jack to put Houston up 5-1 later that inning. So a four-spot Houston put on Minnesota in the Bottom of the 6th. Another quality start for Framber Valdez giving up only one run in over six innings pitched. The Twins got a run home in the Top of the 9th to make it a 5-2 Astros lead. Another run came the same inning to make it 5-3, Astros. This win marks the most wins in Astros history after 125 games- 80.

[GAME 3] The Houston Astros gave Luis Garcia the ball for which to go to work. Luis Garcia can be fun to watch, especially when he rocks the baby, salsa, then pitches. It was 5-2, Astros when I first followed the game in the Bottom of the 4th. Minnesota would get in a run later in the game. The Astros brought in a run in the Bottom of the 8th to go up 6-3. That was the final score- 6-3, Astros. Houston sweeps Minnesota.

GM1: (4-2; Houston)
GM2: (5-3, Houston)
GM3: (6-3; Houston)

NEXT: vs. BAL Orioles (3 games), starting on Friday

The 2022 Houston Astros now hold a 81-45 record, still with a sizable lead on the AL West (12 games ahead of Seattle currently) and still with the best record in the American League. After avoiding getting swept in Atlanta, we come back home and handle ours. The Baltimore Orioles come on down to H-Town. Normally, Baltimore is a gimme. Unless you have been living under a rock lately, Baltimore actually put on a solid run of late. So this will not easy for Houston. But we'll see how the Astros do in this upcoming three-game set.


Congratulations to all other series winners! Congratulations to all others who recently won! Hopefully your beloved team(s) is/are doing well.

 

[Blitz24]

Framber Valdez has now gone 22 straight appearances with a quality start, meaning he is just 4 away from tying Bob Gibson and Jacob deGrom for the most consecutive quality starts in a row.

Speaking of Jacob deGrom, he threw 6 innings of 1 run ball, 3 hits allowed and 9 Ks against the Rockies. What is more interesting is the streak he is currently on. He has now gone almost 3 full calendar years without giving up more than 3 earned runs in a single appearance (36 appearances and counting).

 

[Fezzik]

Framber Valdez has now gone 22 straight appearances with a quality start, meaning he is just 4 away from tying Bob Gibson and Jacob deGrom for the most consecutive quality starts in a row.

Speaking of Jacob deGrom, he threw 6 innings of 1 run ball, 3 hits allowed and 9 Ks against the Rockies. What is more interesting is the streak he is currently on. He has now gone almost 3 full calendar years without giving up more than 3 earned runs in a single appearance (36 appearances and counting).

"Quality" start is one of the dumbest stats. 3 runs in 6 innings, that's a 4.50 era, what's quality about that?