Major League Baseball: 2024 Season

[JohnBM01]

Let me give a little assessment on my Astros. I invite you to do the same for your favorite team(s) if you like.

The 2024 Houston Astros are 22-28 on the 2024 MLB season, 3rd in the AL West. The Astros have a big road trip coming up with three at the Athletics and four at the Mariners. They will need to win or even sweep one or both series to help their AL West campaign. The Astros took advantage of a great 7-3 home stand recently to improve their record. The Astros can't keep squandering opportunities. They need better pitching and more consistent hitting. Kyle Tucker and Victor Caratini have been solid hitters. José Altuve hasn't been vintage, but good enough. Also, Justin Verlander still has plenty of charge in those arms. This team is in a slightly better place right now than where they were to start the season. However, more work still needs to be done.


Okay! If you want to assess your favorite team(s) or talk about some other team, feel free to do so.

 

[JohnBM01]

After the Houston Astros swept the Oakland Athletics in four games last time they met, you know the A's didn't take it lightly. So the A's want some revenge while they are still playing in Oakland. The Astros want to continue their trudge towards improving their record and their AL West title winning hopes. The Astros are chasing down the Texas Rangers for 2nd in the AL West, and this upcoming series and the next one (4 at Seattle) will be critical to their success. But first things first- Astros at Athletics for 3. Let's get it!

* HOU Astros at OAK Athletics (3 games)

[GAME 1] The Oakland Athletics went up early 1-0 in the Bottom of the 1st. I didn't see what happened, but it was the Top of the 2nd when I first tuned in. Justin Verlander surpassed Greg Maddux for 10th all-time in strikeouts in this game with 3,372 strikeouts. The Astros' side of the scoreboard finally lit their side of the scoreboard thanks to three straight hits to start the Top of the 4th. Neither of the first two hits were pretty, but they worked, which is all that matters. The hit party continued with Alex Bregman knocking in a two-run RBI single. All of this... with no outs. Astros lead 3-1 now in the Top of the 4th. Jake Meyers bombed one that stayed just fair to deep left. Three-run jack and six unanswered by the Astros now, a 6-1 Astros lead. First pitch in the Bottom of the 5th went over an Astros' head, and the lead was cut to 6-2. Oakland scored again in the Bottom of the 7th on an RBI single. The Astros' lead was cut down to 6-3 at that point as Bryan Abreu mostly threw balls well left of the strike zone. Ryan Pressly and Josh Hader did a nice job closing out to preserve the 6-3 victory.

[GAME 2] The remaining two games of this series are day games. The Athletics scored first with an RBI double bringing home two A's for a 2-0 lead. Astros finally score in the Top of the 6th on a Sacrifice Fly. Oakland's lead is truncated to 2-1. A base hit by Oakland in the Bottom of the 6th led to OAK extending their lead to 3-1. That would be the final score as tomorrow afternoon will be the Rubber Game of this series.

[GAME 3] I was focused so much on racing today, so I didn't follow much at all of this game. Final score: 5-2, Astros. By the way, this was Ronel Blanco's first game back from his suspension. Methinks we take another series...

--- REVIEW ---
GM1: (6-3; Houston)
GM2: (3-1; Oakland)
GM3: (5-2; Houston)

RESULT: HOU wins series 2-1

--- UPCOMING ---
NEXT: at SEA Mariners (4 games, starting Monday)

The 2024 Houston Astros are now 24-29 on the season, still 3rd in the AL West.

The Houston Astros can make a big statement in the AL West if they can win their next series. We're in Seattle to take on the AL West-leading and (currently 28-26) Seattle Mariners. A four-game set is on tap. The Astros will need to win 3 out of 4 or even sweep the Mariners to help their ascent up the AL West. If the Astros somehow sweep the Mariners, both Houston and Seattle will have 28 wins on the season.


Congratulations to all recent series winners and today's/tonight's winners! If your team split or lost a series, hope the next series goes better for you.

 

[Fezzik]

Angel Hernandez is retiring. About flippin time. The fact that this is big news tells you something, umpires should not be famous.

 

[Dolph Drago]

Angel Hernandez is retiring. About flippin time. The fact that this is big news tells you something, umpires should not be famous.

But I'm going to miss the Jomboy lipreading videos of him getting ripped apart by various managers for horrific calls.

 

[Blitz24]

Apparently the rumor mill is swirling that Pete Alonso (who got injured today after being hit by a pitch on his finger) will refuse to entertain an offer from the New York Mets if they trade him at the deadline.

 

[Fezzik]

Apparently the rumor mill is swirling that Pete Alonso (who got injured today after being hit by a pitch on his finger) will refuse to entertain an offer from the New York Mets if they trade him at the deadline.

Maybe he should've taken the reported $160 million they offered him last year. Based on recent free agency, don't think many clubs will go that high for a righty 1B masher who'll be the wrong side of 30 for the whole contract.

 

[JohnBM01]

Sleepless in Seattle. Well, the Houston Astros better not sleep on the opportunity to keep their trudge up the American League West standings. A big way to make a statement and help their cause is to take this upcoming series against the AL West-leading Mariners. A sweep would tie both teams at 28 wins apiece. Even a series win will help the Astros' cause. So what did the Astros do in the Emerald City? Well let me tell you in this summary.

* HOU Astros at SEA Mariners (4 games)

[GAME 1] When I first saw this game, it was a 3-2 lead by Seattle in the Bottom of the 5th. The Astros' hopes of possibly tying Seattle in total number of wins fell flat with this 3-2 loss to start this series. This loss even was part of José Abreu returning to the lineup from Minor League demotion.

[GAME 2] Getting scored on in the 1st inning was a problem with the Astros, and it reared its ugly head as timely hitting led to a 1-0 lead early in the Bottom of the 1st. Hunter Brown getting rocked again in the early innings. BOOM! A "Breggy Bomb" was hit in the Top of the 4th to put the Astros up 2-1 on a two-run jack. The Astros saw their lead become a 2-2 tie in the Bottom of the 8th on a one-out RBI double by Seattle. It was looking like another Ryan Pressly choke job. It WAS A choke eventually after missing a play at home followed by an error at 1st base. Mariners lead 4-2, leaving the Astros to try to force Bottom of the 9th. Former Astro, Ryne Stanek, closed out this game for the Mariners, doing what Ryan Pressly couldn't- close a game. The final: 4-2, Seattle.

[GAME 3] I spent most of Wednesday night cooking, so I saw very little of the game. It was 1-1 in the Bottom of the 9th when I first watched. Thankfully, the Astros were able to force extra innings. A sacrifice fly led to the walk-off for Seattle with the bases loaded. Seattle wins 2-1 in 10 innings on a walk-off sacrifice fly.

[GAME 4] The Houston Astros struck first on a hanging low "Breggy Bomb" to left in the Top of the 4th. This two-run jack put the Astros not only put them up 2-0, but also the first time they scored runs off of Mariners' pitcher Logan Gilbert this season. I turned away as the Top of the 5th happened; and next thing I know it, Victor Caratini launches a solo bomb to right. So 3-0 Astros now as they try to prevent getting swept in Seattle. The Astros knocked in an RBI in the Top of the 6th to go ahead 4-0. That was the final score as they snapped their 5-game losing streak to Seattle.

--- REVIEW ---
GM1: (3-2; Seattle)
GM2: (4-2; Seattle)
GM3: (2-1, 10 innings; Seattle)
GM4: (4-0; Houston)

RESULT: SEA wins series 3-1

--- UPCOMING ---
NEXT: vs. MIN Twins (3 games, starting Friday)

The 2024 Houston Astros are now 25-32 on the season, still 3rd in the AL West.

Time to return home for the Astros. And TWIIIIINS! Awaiting us back in Houston are the Minnesota Twins. Three games coming up against the mid-pack AL Central Twins are next on the schedule after a series win in Oakland followed by a 🤬 the bed performance at the Seattle Mariners.

Apparently, the Houston Astros are not happy with how Joe Espada is handling the team. Astros fans are even blaming management for doing such a poor job. This is becoming a forgettable season for Houston. Ever since José Abreu came back and against a very tough opponent, the Astros have been on the skids. They feel like they're playing more damage control than trying to make the ALCS. Late May is too early to look ahead to Texans football even while the Astros are having their internal issues. Still time to sort things out, but this is a brutal season for the Astros so far.


Congratulations to all recent series winners and today's/tonight's winners! If your team split or lost a series, hope the next series goes better for you. Well, what happened to your team(s) lately?

 

[JohnBM01]

Mid-pack Houston Astros meet the mid-pack Minnesota Twins. Houston was able to take the 3-game series at the Oakland Athletics, but they prevented getting swept at the Seattle Mariners losing that series 3-1. The Astros return home to host the Minnesota Twins. All the Astros can do right now is handle their own business and let the AL West (and even the AL in general) play itself out. The Astros' efforts to try to go above .500 continues with this upcoming series. Here's my summary.

* MIN Twins at HOU Astros (3 games)

[GAME 1] When I glanced on X/Twitter, I saw the Twins were up 2-0 in the Top of the 3rd. Then when I tuned into the game, Minnesota went up 5-1 on a sacrifice fly in the Top of the 6th. Alex Speas made his pitching debut for the Astros, and the Twins welcomed him with a solo homer to right-central. I stopped watching the game at that point as Minnesota went up 6-1. That was the final score- 6-1, Twins.

[GAME 2] To start the month of June, how about a two-run homer by Yordan Alvarez? Air Yordan's bomb to right put the Astros up 2-0 in the Bottom of the 1st. That ball is gone by... José Abreu? Yep. It's 3-0 Astros after José Abreu hits a thunderbolt to right-center. It is his first jack this season. Kyle Tucker bangs one to right for a 4-0 Astros lead in the Bottom of the 3rd. Yordan Alvarez struck again with his second dinger of the game. It was 5-0, Astros in the Bottom of the 5th. Minnesota averted the no-hitter and the shutout with an RBI in the Top of the 7th. 5-1 was now what the Astros led by. Minnesota would add another RBI in the Top of the 8th to bring it to a 5-2 Astros advantage. The Astros ended up taking this one 5-2. I took a brief nap and didn't see rest of the game after 5-1. The Rubber Game is tomorrow afternoon.

[GAME 3] The Rubber Game of this series was not on TV. Instead, it was on Roku TV. I did not see this game at all. Final score: 4-3, Twins.

--- REVIEW ---
GM1: (6-1; Minnesota)
GM2: (5-2; Houston)
GM3: (4-3; Minnesota)

RESULT: MIN wins series 2-1

--- UPCOMING ---
NEXT: vs. STL Cardinals (3 games, starting Monday)

The 2024 Houston Astros are now 26-34 on the season, still 3rd in the AL West.

This past series was between two mid-pack teams in two different AL Divisions. This next series is a mid-pack teams in two different divisions in two different leagues. The Astros of the AL West will meet one of their former NL Central foes when the St. Louis Cardinals visit Houston for a three-game set. St. Louis currently has the same amount of wins as Pittsburgh (27), but they have two fewer losses (29 losses for STL, 31 losses for PIT). How will the Astros handle the Cardinals? Find out in my next summary!


Congratulations to all recent series winners and today's/tonight's winners! If your team split or lost a series, hope the next series goes better for you. Well, what happened to your team(s) lately?

 

[JohnBM01]

Let's update the standings. These are standings as of 6:56 PM Eastern Time on June 3, 2024:

--- American League Standings (as of: June 3, 2024) ---
AL EAST: New York Yankees (42-19), BAL (37-20), BOS, (30-30), TB (29-31), TOR (28-30)
AL CENTRAL: Cleveland (39-20), KC (36-25), MIN (33-26), DET (29-30), CHW (15-45)
AL WEST: Seattle (34-27), TEX (29-30), HOU (26-34), OAK (24-37), LAA (21-38)
CURRENT AL WILD CARD: Baltimore (37-20), Kansas City (36-25)

--- National League Standings (as of: June 3, 2024) ---
NL EAST: Philadelphia (41-19), ATL (33-24), WAS (27-31), NYM (24-35), MIA (21-39)
NL CENTRAL: Milwaukee (36-23), STL (28-29), CHC (29-31), PIT (27-32), CIN (26-33)
NL WEST: Los Angeles Dodgers (38-23), SD (32-30), SF (29-31), ARI (27-32), COL (21-37)
CURRENT NL WILD CARD: Atlanta (33-24), San Diego (32-30)

Time to head into the official start of Summer. A long season still remains. Keep on playing hard!

 

[Fezzik]

It's been a while since the Yankees were really the Yankees. There have been periods over the last decade when they've had very good teams, but not this kind of sustained bludgening of the opposition. Just bombs flying everywhere from Judge and Soto, and suffocating starting pitching. I can feel the hatred from the rest of the league - it feels good!

Don't get to see as much of the National League as I'd like, there's just not enough time, but happy that the Brewers and Phillies are doing very well. Bryce Harper is probably my favourite non-Yankee, the one that got away.

 

[JohnBM01]

Mid-pack Houston Astros meet the mid-pack St. Louis Cardinals. This Interleague match is an NL Central family reunion for Houston in Houston against the 12-time Champion St. Louis Cardinals. Let's see what happens when these two former NL Central foes match wits in a game of baseball.

* STL Cardinals at HOU Astros (3 games)

[GAME 1] Mondays at home mean Houston dons the "Space City" City Connect uniforms. When I first checked in, it was a 7-4 lead for the Houston Astros in the bottom of the 8th. That score would hold as the Astros picked up the win. Kyle Tucker had to leave the game after fouling off a pitch that hit one of his feet.

[GAME 2] St. Louis started the scoring last night, and they started tonight with a solo jack to left-center to go up 1-0 in the Top of the 1st. A couple of groundball outs at 1st base led to the Astros taking a 2-1 lead in the bottom of the 1st. Alex Bregman got plunked on one of his hands, and then pitcher Spencer Arrighetti got his back left leg hit. Fast-forward to the Bottom of the 5th, and the Astros lead 7-2. There was a delay for whatever reason before starting the Top of the 6th Masyn Winn touched the sky for St. Louis with a two-run jack to left. Cardinals now trail the Astros 7-4 on Winn's thunderbolt. It's currently the same score that last night's game ended. A little fan interference on a solo shot by St. Louis led to a home run. The Astros are still ahead, but now by 7-5. Victor Caratini hit a ball deep enough to bring home an Astro on a sacrifice fly in the Bottom of the 7th. Astros now lead 8-6. José Altuve recorded his 600th multi-hit game in his career. Ryan Pressly closed solidly for a change to preserve the 8-5 victory.

[GAME 3] I did not see this game at all. The final score- 4-2, Cardinals. So the Astros missed out on sweeping the Cardinals.

--- REVIEW ---
GM1: (7-4; Houston)
GM2: (8-5; Houston)
GM3: (4-2; St. Louis)

RESULT: HOU wins series 2-1

--- UPCOMING ---
NEXT: at LAA Angels (3 games, starting Friday)

The 2024 Houston Astros are now 28-39 on the season, still 3rd in the AL West. A series sweep would have tied the Astros with the Rangers for 2nd in the AL West in wins.

A six-game road trip is coming up for Houston. The Astros will be in Anaheim to meet the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim for three, and then we meet the San Francisco Giants at my favorite ballpark- Oracle Park for three. The Angels are still last place in the AL West. However, the Angels still managed to take down the Astros in Houston earlier this season. The Astros now have to think revenge at the Angels. A series win could vault the Astros ahead of the Rangers in the AL West standings depending on how Texas does in their next series.


Congratulations to all recent series winners and today's/tonight's winners! If your team split or lost a series recently, hope the next series goes better for you.


[OMISSSION] I forgot to mention both José Urquidy and Christian Javier both will have Tommy John surgery, effectively ending their 2024 seasons. Two right-hand pitchers down for my Astros. This already turbulent season just got even more so now.

 

[Dolph Drago]

I just realized I haven't posted in the thread in some time. The Reds have learned how to win again. The pitching has been excellent for the most part and the offense has finally come out of their funk. Since May 24th, they've swept the Dodgers, lost their series against the Cards 2-1, took two of three against the Cubbies, and finished a sweep of the Rockies. Next up is a 4 game set with the Cubs (again) coming to town, followed by an off day.

Cincy now sits at 29-33 after being close to 10 games under not that long ago. Still last in the NL Central, but gaining some ground. Half a game behind Pittsburgh, 1 behind St. Louis, and only 2 games out of 2nd which is held by Chicago. I feel like this offense can get even better. Encarnacion-Strand is still out injured (only 10 day IL, thankfully), and hopefully McLain will make his season debut before too long. This team could make another run.

 

[JohnBM01]

The Chicago White Sox have made history... BAD history. They have now lost their franchise-worst 14 straight games. Their latest fail was a 14-2 loss at home to the Boston Red Sox. They have the worst record in baseball right now at 15-48. Tough times for the Southside of Chicago folks and their fans.

 

[Fezzik]

Juan Soto injury update: Yankees slugger back in Monday's lineup as designated hitter against Royals

Soto missed the weekend series against the Dodgers

www.cbssports.com

At least it happened before we gave him half a billion dollars.
Fingers crossed it's something relatively minor like Cole.

 

[JohnBM01]

Last night, the Seattle Mariners led at the Kansas City Royals 7-0 after one inning. They'd tack on one more run to go up 8-0 in the Top of the 4th. The AL West-leading Mariners ended up losing this one. The Royals somehow rallied to win 10-9 last night. I saw the highlights, and I think Kansas City cut the lead rather quickly being down 8-4 thanks to a three-run homer. They'd later stun the Mariners in walk-off fashion. Wow. That's baseball...

 

[JohnBM01]

The last time the Houston Astros played a series against the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim, the Angels took two out of three from the Astros. Now the Astros will meet the Angels again. This time, in Anaheim. Let me tell you what happened in this series.

* HOU Astros at LAA Angels (3 games)

[GAME 1] It was 1-1 when I first followed this game in the Bottom of the 2nd. No scoring happened again until the Top of the 7th when a deep fly ball to left wasn't caught. The bases were loaded with Astros at that point as Yordan Alverez drove in two runs to put the Astros ahead 4-1. Yanier Diaz hit a two-run jack to left to put Houston up 6-1. Four straight homers for a catcher with Yanier Diaz's thunderbolt. That's the most by an Astros catcher since 2019 (Robinson Chirinos), and only Cliff Johnson (1975) has more consecutive games with a home run with 5. José Abreu had liftoff on a solo bomb to right-center for a 7-1 Astros lead in the Top of the 8th (was 0-3 before the homer). Framber Valdez pitches a complete game with 106 pitches.

[GAME 2] Scoring first on Saturday night in Anaheim was the Astros. An awesome (and lucky) leadoff triple by Chas McCormick led to an RBI single by José Altuve to give the Astros a 1-0 lead in the Top of the 3rd. With the bases loaded and no outs, the Astros reached the middle of the 3rd bringing home only one run on an RBI single. So it's 2-0, Houston now. Air Yordan was in full flight in the Top of the 5th, smoking a two-run bomb to right. Astros now led 4-0 at that point. The Angels hit a homer in the Bottom of the 7th to right to deny the shutout. The Astros lead went from 4-0 to 4-1 there. An RBI single was cashed in by Yainer Diaz after a long at-bat in the Top of the 8th. Astros go up 5-1 now and later 6-1. That score would hold as the Astros are assured a series win.

[GAME 3] When I first saw this game, the score was 3-1 in the Bottom of the 4th with the Houston Astros leading. The Angels scored on a sacrifice fly in that same inning with the bases loaded and nobody out. The Astros lead now is cut to 3-2. Then with the bases loaded again the same inning, a bunt brought home an Angel to tie the game at 3-3. The Angels grabbed the lead in the Bottom of the 5th on an RBI. Angels go ahead 4-3. The Astros tied it again with deep RBI double in the Top of the 6th to make it 4-4. Then the Astros tacked on three more runs, two on a José Altuve home run. The Angels brought in a run in the Bottom of the 6 to truncate the Astros' lead to 7-5. The Angels brought in a run on an RBI in the Bottom of the 8th, followed by a ground ball out to tie the game at 7-7 in this slugfest with around a combined 25 hits. Trey Cabbage caught a deep shot to left, but couldn't hold on. And so the Astros had to accept a heartbreaking walk-off loss on a two-run homer. Great shame. No sweep for the Astros against the last-place AL West Angels.

--- REVIEW ---
GM1: (7-1; Houston)
GM2: (6-1; Houston)
GM3: (9-7; Los Angeles Angels)

RESULT: HOU wins series 2-1

--- UPCOMING ---
NEXT: at SF Giants (3 games, starting Monday)

The 2024 Houston Astros are now 30-35 on the season, still 3rd in the AL West. A series sweep would have tied the Astros with the Rangers for 2nd in the AL West in wins.

The Astros' California road trip continues with a stop in beautiful San Francisco at equally beautiful Oracle Park. No rest for the weary- got to get ready for the Giants in San Francisco for a three-game set starting tomorrow night.


Congratulations to all recent series winners and today's/tonight's winners! If your team split or lost a series recently, hope the next series goes better for you. Hopefully your beloved team(s) didn't have their hearts broken like mine on Sunday...

 

[Dolph Drago]

The Reds hitting has finally come out of hibernation. I just heard on TV that they are the best hitting team in the Majors since June rolled around. And while they lost the series finale in their 4 game series against the Cubs, they were on a 7 game winning streak leading up to it. For a brief moment, they held 2nd in the NL Central, jumping over St. Louis, Pittsburgh, and Chicago after spending a good chunk of time in the basement. They find themselves only 2 games under .500. I could see them staying hot until the break. What happens after is what worries me, as they tend to go in a tail slide just about every season at that point.

How nuts is this? Going into tonight's 2 game set to in their first battle of the Ohio Cup against the Indians Guardians, this is what the NL Central looks like. The Brew Crew is killing it, but it's a battle royale behind.

 

[JohnBM01]

Beautiful San Francisco is the city for the Houston Astros' next series. It's Interleague action as the AL West Astros meet one of their former NL foes, the NL West's San Francisco Giants. I personally am reminded of the nightmare of the Astros getting perfect game'd 10-0 with Matt Cain pitching. The Astros thankfully will not have to face Matt Cain. Let's find out how the Astros do at the Giants...

* HOU Astros at SF Giants (3 games)

[GAME 1] When I first saw this game, it was scoreless in the Top of the 6th. San Francisco is definitely a pitcher's park, but the Giants hit a long ball that ended up an RBI for the Giants. This ended the scoreless bit as San Francisco went up 1-0 in the Bottom of the 6th. The Astros responded in the Top of the 7th with a sacrifice fly that brought home Yordan Alvarez on a leadoff triple. Tied at 1-1 now. This pitching duel had to be settled in Extra Innings tied at 1. Astros brought home a run on a Sacrifice Fly in the Top of the 10th to go up 2-1. Remember Oracle Park is a pitcher's park, so hitting homers there is pretty hard. Caratini's smack would have left most parks. Astros brought home another runner on an RBI single the same inning for a 3-1 advantage. With the inherited runner, San Francisco brought the Astros' lead to 3-2 in the Bottom of the 10th on an RBI. Another bullpen collapse led to the Giants tying the game at 3-3 with nobody out. Back-to-back games for the Astros getting walked off was looking possible. San Francisco walked off the Astros on an almost Grand Slam. A deep RBI to left ends Houston on this Monday night as the Astros basically gave up in the 10th inning.

[GAME 2] Houston scored first on an RBI in the Top of the 3rd. San Francisco hit a solo jack to the Levi's Landing area to tie the game at 1-1 in the Bottom of the 3rd. An error by the Giants led to the Astros bringing home two runs to re-take the lead at 3-1 in the Top of the 5th. Houston came into tonight with the fourth-worst record when tied or leading after the 7th inning with a record of 28-12. The White Sox (17-15), Rockies (21-12), and Mets (24-13) have fewer wins in this stat. An atrocious relief pitching set will do that for you. Can the Astros' bullpen close out a game for once? In a word... YES! Astros hold on for a 3-1 victory and a Rubber Game tomorrow. They could make it a 4-2 road trip or settle for 3-3 tomorrow afternoon.

[GAME 3] I first watched around the Bottom of the 4th inning as it was a 4-1 lead by the Giants. It was later 5-1 that same inning on a sacrifice fly by SF. The Giants somehow got three runs that inning. Astros got to rally to try to get back into this one. Part of that rally was forming when Yordan Alvarez bolted one to left-center that brought home two Astros. In maybe the toughest park to bomb homers in, Air Yordan made it possible as the Giants lead got cut to 5-3. The Astros' rally, unfortunately, fell short by that same margin. San Francisco takes the series 2-1 with a 5-3 victory today.

--- REVIEW ---
GM1: (4-3, 10 innings; San Francisco)
GM2: (3-1; Houston)
GM3: (5-3; San Francisco)

RESULT: SF wins series 2-1

--- UPCOMING ---
NEXT: vs. DET Tigers (3 games, starting Friday)

The 2024 Houston Astros are now 31-38 on the season, still 3rd in the AL West. Still a "mid" team, even though we seem less capable than "mid" in our more powerful times.

It's a quick return home for the Houston Astros next. Joey D's Detroit Tigers opposes the Astros for a 3-game set this weekend. It's just one series at home followed by a quick road trip to the Chicago White Sox for three.


Congratulations to all recent series winners and today's/tonight's winners! If your team split or lost a series recently, hope the next series goes better for you. What's up with your teams, GTP?

 

[Dolph Drago]

Cincinnati split their two game set against Cleveland. After starting the season extremely slowly, Jeimer Candelario has been on fire as of late. He accounted for all 4 of the Reds' ribi's in last night's affair with a solo shot in the 1st before adding a 3 run dinger. Little change in the NL Central.

 

[JohnBM01]

José Abreu was let go by the Houston Astros with his poor performance this season. He was a great guy for the team, and I thought he was going to become a big part of the Astros' offense. All he's become in 2024 was the Astros' weakest link. Most of what he does is either strike out or hit out balls. With the Astros at 30-37 and 3rd in the AL West, the Astros are doing anything they can to make sure this rough season doesn't get any rougher. Maybe this move helps. A lot of fans here in Houston, though, wish Joe Espada would step down, because he seems incapable of inheriting a team that won the World Series two years ago and still has great (even if inconsistent) talent.

I'll tell you how Tigers at Astros go in my next summary. Enjoy this weekend's games!

 

[Dolph Drago]

Wow, I didn't realize he was struggling that much. I remember him being a baller with the White Sox. I also had no idea he was 37 years old.

 

[JohnBM01]

The Houston Astros released José Abreu before this upcoming series. Now the Astros will try to turn their season around without J. Abreu. Their first series without him as part of the roster begins now with Joey D's Detroit Tigers. A quick three-game series in Houston is coming up before the Astros take a brief 3-game set at the White Sox. But first things first- MoTown in H-Town.

* DET Tigers at HOU Astros (3 games)

[GAME 1] On my first follow of this game, it was 4-0, Astros in the Top of the 8th. That would be the final score- 4-0, Astros over the Detroit Tigers.

[GAME 2] I was in full 24 Hours of Le Mans mode, so I did not see this game. When I first checked on X/Twitter, it was 9-0 Detroit in the Top of the 3rd. It then became 11-0, Detroit in the Bottom of the 7th. I guess Detroit didn't take too kindly to losing and getting blanked last night. Final score: 13-5, Detroit. Rubber game tomorrow.

[GAME 3] I only saw the 9th inning of this game. When I first looked up this game, it was a 4-0 lead for the Astros into the Top of the 5th. Houston ended up winning 4-1. Houston's no-hit bid ended in the 8th, and the shutout bid ended in the 9th. Houston wins not only this series, but also the season series.

--- REVIEW ---
GM1: (4-0, Houston)
GM2: (13-5; Detroit)
GM3: (4-1; Houston)

RESULT: HOU wins series 2-1

--- UPCOMING ---
NEXT: at CHW (3 games, starting Tuesday)

The 2024 Houston Astros are now 33-39 on the season, still 3rd in the AL West. Still a "mid" team, even though we seem less capable than "mid" in our more powerful times. We have the same number of wins as of the time of this post with the defending Champion Texas Rangers, but the Rangers have two less losses (37).

If the Astros get swept at the White Sox, it would be rock bottom. A series loss at CHW would still hurt. Don't take any of your opponents lightly. This will be a quick 3-game road trip for Houston to the Southside of Chicago.


Congratulations to all recent series winners and today's/tonight's winners! If your team split or lost a series recently, hope the next series goes better for you. What's up with your teams, GTP?

 

[Dolph Drago]

Milwaukee continues their dominance against the Reds. Cincy took game 1...barely. Diaz tried to blow the 3-run lead in the 9th and De La Cruz had a critical error. It took a miracle of Benson throwing out what would have been the tying run at the plate followed by an ill advised, failed bunt popup to preserve the win. The offense didn't have much in a two-run loss yesterday. Then a blown 3-0 lead led to a 1-run loss in the finale. This was despite the heroics of De La Cruz, who had a homer, triple, stolen base, and botched pickoff attempt of him on 2nd base which he managed to fly all the way home on. The Brew Crew has now won 8 straight series against the Redlegs.

Game 1: 6-5 Cincinnati
Game 2: 3-1 Milwaukee
Game 3: 5-4 Milwaukee

A record of 34-37 leaves them 3rd in the NL Central, 8 games behind the leading Brewers. St. Louis is sitting second 1.5 games ahead, the Pirates share their spot with Pittsburgh with an identical record, and Chicago is half a game back in the bottom with one more loss.

 

[JohnBM01]

Some guy named Paul Skenes for the Pittsburgh Pirates is going to pitch tonight in Pittsburgh against the Cincinnati Reds. I heard Skenes is really good. A pitcher who's 3-0 with a 2.33 ERA. That should be a pretty intense contest in the Steel City.

Here are all the teams with 50 or more wins right now:

* NYY Yankees (50-24)

Yes. That's it, that's the list! Yanks are balling. Unless the Yankees completely fall off, they're going to be a threat this October.


My Astros are off tonight, so a quick assessment of my boys.

The Houston Astros are 30-39 on 2024, 3rd in the AL West and 9th in the AL Wild Card race. We have not been at or above .500 all season long so far. Injuries and ineptitude have hampered the Astros in 2024. Times are getting better for the Astros, but they are not the fire-breathers they once were. Even getting rid of José Abreu gives the Astros a little chance of maybe going on a winning way. Opposing the Astros in their next series is the team with the worst record in baseball- the (19-54) Chicago White Sox on the Southside of Chicago. I officially want Joe Espada fired if the Astros get swept at the White Sox. If they get 1 of 3, that's okay. The Astros basically got to generate confidence and character and show they still got it even after last season's woes. It is not really panic time in Houston, but a lot of fans haven't been too happy with the pace of the Houston Astros Baseball Club recently.


That's all for this post. Enjoy the new series!


[OMISSION] Cincinnati and Pittsburgh are tied for 3rd in the NL Central at 34-37. So Monday's game can help determine who holds onto 3rd in the NL Central.

 

[Fezzik]

Skenes is really really good. Probably the most potential of any rookie pitcher in the last decade. Pirates fans should enjoy the next few years - until he hits arbitration and gets traded like every other good player they've developed.

My Yankees had a tough weekend in Boston but we roll on. Anthony Rizzo is out for a while now with a fractured arm, but honestly he's been pretty awful so it's not a huge blow. Gerrit Cole is back this weekend which will make the already great starting pitching even better. Judge and Soto, not much needs to be said, they are on course for a tandem season equal in WAR terms to the likes of Ruth & Gehrig, truly historic.

 

[Blitz24]

MLB has lost a legend today as OF #24 Willie Mays has passed away at the age of 93. Mays was a 24 time All Star in his 23 year career and hit 660 HR with the New York/San Francisco Giants and the New York Mets.

 

[JohnBM01]

Loss of a legend. My condolences to all who known and loved Willie Mays.

HOU at CHW summary to come when it's done.

 

[Dolph Drago]

Cincinnati paid a visit to Pittsburgh for 3 games. Pitching duels ensued. Who came out on top?

Carson Spiers got the ball in game 1 for the Reds. The aforementioned Skenes played his opposite for the Buccos. I turned on the game too late and missed all the scoring. The streaking Candelario scored in the top of the 1st. The Pirates answered back with 3 of their own in the bottom of the inning and tacked on an additional run in the 2nd. And that was that. Cincy put their leadoff man on base in back-to-back innings late, but both ended up getting picked off. Any chance of a comeback was gone as Pittsburgh took the win.

Game 2 saw red hot (no pun intended) Nick Lodolo face off against Bailey Falter. It took longer for the first run to cross the plate in this one. Not that Cincy didn't try. They got a man on base in each of the first 3 innings but managed hit into 3 double plays over those frames and failed to score. Even so, the Reds struck first as Espinal hit a 2 run shot. Though he would ultimately take the loss, Falter didn't falter much (okay, that was an intended, lame pun), going 7 innings with the only runs coming off the Espinal shot. Lodolo was lights out, with Ke'Bryan Hayes' solo bomb accounting for Pittsburgh's only run in the 7th inning. His final stat line was 7 innings, 4 hits, 1 ER, 0 walks, and 7 strikeouts. Not bad. Scoring was over for both teams after the 7th. Reds win.

I missed the finale. It was a day game affair while I was at work. So I can't speak much for what all occurred other than looking at the box score. Evidently it was yet another pitcher's duel. A total of 5 hits combined the entire game. Yeesh. Bryan Reynolds blasted one to center field in the 8th off Nick Martinez for the lone run of the game. Pitching lines: Mitch Keller - 7 innings, 2 hits, 0 runs, 2 walks, 7 strikeouts. Hunter Greene - 6.1 innings, 2 hits, 0 runs, 0 walks, 9 strikeouts. What a waste of a fantastic start for Greene as the Pirates take the game and series.

Game 1: 4-1 Pittsburgh
Game 2: 2-1 Cincinnati
Game 3: 1-0 Pittsburgh

Yep, the Redlegs scored all of 3 runs the entire series. Luckily, they were able to avoid a sweep thanks to Lodolo's performance in game 2. With the series loss, Cincy sits at 35-39. Milwaukee still stands comfortably atop the NL Central. The rest of the teams have been trading places every night. Only a game and a half separates second place St. Louis and the bottom dwelling Reds.

 

[JohnBM01]

Man... who wants 2nd in the NL Central right now?

The Chicago White Sox await my Houston Astros. These two have some history, when the White Sox swept the Houston Astros in the 2005 World Series. Houston went from the sorriest team to being in the World Series in 2005 as an NL Central team. Now in 2024, Houston is a "mid" team in the AL West while the White Sox have the league's worst record. Let's see how the Astros' trip to the Southside of Chicago went.

* HOU Astros at CHW White Sox (3 games)

[GAME 1] The first scorers were the White Sox on a bases loaded groundout. It's 1-0 for the Southsiders in the Bottom of the 3rd. A missed double play opportunity in the Bottom of the 5th put the White Sox up 2-0 with the bases loaded.

[GAME 2] The Houston Astros led 1-0 when I first saw this game in the Bottom of the 3rd. The Top of the 4th saw the Astros score a run on an RBI by newcomer Cesar Salazar. Last night ended 2-0 by the White Sox; now, it's a 2-0 lead for Houston. The White Sox bombed a homer to right in the Bottom of the 4th to cut the Astros' lead in half at 2-1. The Astros added a run to their tally on an RBI single in the Top of the 6th. The Astros lead is now 3-1. They later brought in a run on a sacrifice fly in the Top of the 8th. So far, three unanswered runs since the White Sox' solo jack. The score of 4-1 will stand. Tomorrow afternoon is the Rubber Game of this series.

[GAME 3] I only saw the game around the Top of the 9th, and the Houston Astros were leading 5-3. The Astros apparently hung four runs on the White Sox in the Top of the 7th. Josh Hader closed the game well to preserve the win this game and this series. The final to this Rubber Game in the Southside of Chicago is 5-3, Astros.

--- REVIEW ---
GM1: (2-0; Chicago White Sox)
GM2: (4-1; Houston)
GM3: (5-3; Houston)

RESULT: HOU wins series 2-1

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

The 2024 Houston Astros are now 35-40 on the season, now 2nd in the AL West currently over the idle 34-40 Texas Rangers on Thursday. There is still a ways to go to catch up to the 44-33 Seattle Mariners. A lot season still left, though.

The struggling Astros may struggle harder when the Baltimore Orioles come to H-Town. The Astros will have to try to ground the O's as much as they can this upcoming series. The Astros are going to have to dig down deep if they want to take down the O's in their next series. The AL East has given the Astros some problems before and not just from the Yankees.


Congratulations to all recent series winners and today's/tonight's winners! If your team split or lost a series recently, hope the next series goes better for you. And as a heads-up, get ready for the special Giants vs. Cardinals game at Rickwood Field in Birmingham, AL, USA to take place at 7 PM Eastern, but with the pre-game show at 5:30 PM Eastern.

 

[JohnBM01]

The game last night from Rickwood Field was great. All of the stories and features regarding the history of Rickwood Field, of the late Willie Mays, and all were done so well. I began to liken this special game much like when Major League Baseball had those special games from the Field of Dreams ballpark. The St. Louis Cardinals defeated the San Francisco Giants 6-5 last night. Some of the scoring happened so quickly that I didn't see some of the scoring moments by some of the these two teams.

Enjoy the weekend series! I'll let you know how Orioles at Astros goes when I do my next summary.