Major League Baseball: 2024 Season

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THIS JUST IN...

According to reports, the Seattle Mariners have fired manager Scott Servais. Once having as much as a 10-game lead in the AL West, they have fallen to trailing by five games to the AL West-leading Houston Astros and sitting at 64-64 on the season.

Earlier this week, Joey Votto of the Cincinnati Reds announced his retirement at age 40. Votto spent his entire MLB career with the Reds and has been a force for the Redlegs. I wish him well in his retirement.
 
I honestly have no clue what to expect from the Reds anymore. Coming off the sweep at the hands of the Royals, Cincy took an out of country trip to the neighboring nation up north.

The offense was back for game 1, and pitching not too bad. Julian Aguiar (who I hadn't actually heard of before the game) made his pitching debut and gave up two runs in 4 innings. The game was knotted up at 2 apiece before a barrage of Cincinnati doubles in the 6th scored 4. Diaz got taken deep on the first pitch of the 9th, but was otherwise effective. The team from the USA prevailed.

Game 2 was a rough one. Spiers was hit often and hard. 13 hits, 9 earned runs - including 5 dingers - through 4.1 innings. The Jays scored in each of the first 5 innings. Junis came in to finish the 5th as well as the next. With the Reds down by 8, the rule stating a position player could come into the game to pitch was in place. That meant backup catcher Luke Maile made an appearance on the mound. His 2 hitless innings helped to give the rest of the bullpen some rest in the blowout. 3 runs won't win many games.

A series loss for Cincinnati looked to be in the books 3 innings into the finale, as the score was 6-0 favoring the home team. How does one avoid that? Try 11 unanswered runs by the men in red. The Blue Jays scratched across a run in the 9th, but it wasn't nearly enough. Cincy went yard 4 times, and Elly stole another base. That put him at 60 on the year along with with 20+ home runs on the season, only the fifth player to accomplish that feat since 1900. The others to do the same were Ronald Acuna Jr. last year, Rickey Henderson 3 times, and two former Redlegs - Joe Morgan (twice) and Eric Davis.

Game 1: 6-3 Cincinnati
Game 2: 10-3 Toronto
Game 3: 11-7 Cincinnati

The Reds remain what feels perpetually like 3 games under .500 at 62-65. It will take one heck of a run if they still want a shot at the playoffs. I don't want to get my hopes up, so I won't.


On another note, Joey Votto announced his retirement last night. I was kind of hoping to see him up there in Toronto on this trip, but his lackluster performance with their Triple A team since coming back from injury led to his decision to call it quits instead. Congrats to him on a fantastic and likely Hall of Fame career. Seeing as I wasn't alive during the Big Red Machine era, Votto is the best player I've personally seen play in Queen City and an on-base machine. I predict he will sign a 1 day contract with Cincy in the near future and officially retire as a Redleg. Thanks for the good times!
 
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Usually, the Baltimore Orioles wouldn't exactly strike fear into you if you played against them. Not so much recent years. Baltimore is 2nd in the AL East behind leaders, the New York Yankees. They are one of 10 teams that have 70 or more wins on the season so far. The Houston Astros, meanwhile, lead the AL West with a five-game lead over the suddenly freefalling Seattle Mariners. It's AL East meets AL West in Baltimore. Four game madness starts right now!

* HOU Astros at BAL Orioles (4 games)

[GAME 1] I thought this game would be on AppleTV+ or something, but it was on FOX. This Thursday night game saw its first score with the Astros on an RBI single in the Top of the 4th. 1-0 Astros at that point. Make it 2-0 as the Astros got some hitting magic going in this inning. Astros bang in another RBI in the Top of the 6th to get a 3-0 advantage off the bat of Ben Gamel. An error the same inning after a Houston bunt led to another Astro coming home for a 4-0 lead. Two more runs came home on an RBI by Shay Whitcomb, a rookie I'm starting to love. Spencer Arrighetti left the game pitching six innings of shutout ball giving up only three hits. The O's got... O'ed. Astros blanked the O's and limiting them to three hits for a 6-0 victory. This victory marks nine straight road wins for Houston.

[GAME 2] Yordan Alvarez was out of the lineup due to neck soreness. Friday night started with an error on the Astros on a would-be double play. A run scored by Baltimore was cashed in in the Bottom of the 2nd for a 1-0 advantage. José Altuve had liftoff on a two-run jack to right to give the Astros the go-ahead 2-1 advantage in the Top of the 3rd. It didn't look pretty, but it left the yard regardless. Houston added two more RBIs to give themselves a 4-1 advantage. The Baltimore Orioles got to Hunter Brown by launching a solo homer to right in the Bottom of the 3rd. B-More's thunderbolt cut the Astros' lead to 4-2. I didn't see the rest of the game from that point. The game ended with Baltimore getting a modicum of revenge- a 7-5 victory over the Astros this Friday night. This series is now 1-1 heading into Game 3 of 4. Also, the Astros' nine-game road winning streak is no more.

[GAME 3] On a beautiful day in Baltimore, José Altuve hit a beautiful leadoff homer to left to put Houston up 1-0. Jake Meyers put up a solo homer of his own in the Top of the 6th to put the Astros up 2-0. After Framber Valdez left the game on 5 2/3 innings with two outs and the bases loaded in the Bottom of the 6th, the next pitcher (Tayler Scott) gives up a deep three-run RBI double on his first pitch that put Baltimore ahead 3-2. Deflating moment for the Astros heading into the final three innings. The Astros did very little to save themselves since the O's go-ahead, and the Astros basically conceded to a 3-2 fail. Either tomorrow night will be a series win for Baltimore or a series split.

[GAME 4] A pitching duel after three innings saw the Astros score first in the Top of the 4th. An RBI that inning put Houston up 1-0. A big blast (not a homer) sent two more Astros home the same inning. Houston now up 3-0. The Baltimore Orioles finally figured out Yusei Kikuchi by hitting a three-run jack in the Bottom of the 5th to tie the game at 3-3. As Yusei Kikuchi left the game after 5 2/3 innings, former Astro-turned-Cub-turned-Astro-again, Hector Neris, took over. The Cubs used Neris more as a closer. Houston retook the lead in the Top of the 7th on not one, but two jacks. Back-to-back jacks put Houston up 5-3 at that point thanks to Alex Bregman followed by Yanier Diaz. Mauricio Dubon caught a deep ball that ended the 7th inning, but he paid for it by slamming hard into the wall at left field. A sacrifice fly in the Top of the 8th put Houston up 6-3. Houston will leave Baltimore with a series split. The boys from Houston win 6-3 tonight on this game on ESPN.

--- REVIEW ---
GM1: (6-0; Houston)
GM2: (7-5; Baltimore)
GM3: (3-2; Baltimore)
GM4: (6-3; Houston)

RESULT: series split 2-2

--- UPCOMING ---
NEXT: at PHI Phillies (3 games, starting Monday)

The 2024 Houston Astros are now 70-60 on the season, still leading the AL West (4.5 games ahead of Seattle).

The Houston Astros faced a fierce AL East opponent in Baltimore. Now, they'll face a fierce NL East opponent in Interleague play at the Philadelphia Phillies. It's a rematch of the 2022 World Series. Philadelphia has the third-best record in the league currently at 76-54. Phillies want their 2022 World Series revenge, and they could get it this upcoming series.

You know, Yusei Kikuchi is a player I'd like to sign for maybe two or three years. It seems like he's found his way nicely with the Astros outside of his time with the Toronto Blue Jays and Seattle Mariners. He's solid with his cutters and his four-seam fastballs. Kikuchi got a No Decision on Sunday night, but the Astros have won every game Kikuchi started since Kikuchi joined the Astros.


Elsewhere...

The 2024 Chicago White Sox lost their 100th game of the season- a 9-4 loss at home to the Detroit Tigers. The 2024 White Sox are the second-fastest to 100 losses since 1900, losing no. 100 through 131 games. Only the 1916 Philadelphia A's have reached 100 losses quicker (they finished 29-100-1). How bad has it been for the White Sox in team history? This ESPN article has some insight: https://www.espn.com/mlb/recap/_/gameId/401570424 .


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. Tell us how your team(s) did recently.
 
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Cincinnati nearly split their four game series against Pittsburgh today. Cincy was down 2 runs before putting up a 3 spot in the 7th. It remained that way going into the 9th. But in typical Diaz fashion this year, he wasn't going to make it an easy close out to the game. He got the first batter out on 1 pitch before proceeding to plunk Bryan De La Cruz. Two pitches later, former Red Yasmani Grandal blasted one into the right center seats. Reds lose by 1. Though it was a blowout in game 1, game 2 was also lost by 1 run (a game in which they led 5-0 at one point). Cincinnati dominated last night putting up a tenner. That's been the story of the year for the Redlegs. Blow others out, lose by 1, occasionally get blown out themselves.

Game 1: 7-0 Pittsburgh
Game 2: 6-5 Pittsburgh
Game 3: 10-2 Cincinnati
Game 4: 4-3 Pittsburgh

This year is over. Starting pitching injuries have racked up. Greene, Ashcraft, Abbott. The replacements have done a remarkable job, but they are still replacements. And when the starter does do well, the bullpen has a tendency to implode. Or the offense forgets to plate any runs.

I'm already looking to next season. HEALTHY players will be key. McLain being out all year hasn't helped. Encarnacion-Strand went out for the season early after getting hit on the hand by a pitch. Friedl hit the IL 3 separate times. I don't think there's a single player on the team who hasn't been out for at least some period of time. And while the backups sometimes play amazingly well before falling off, they can only do so much. What a frustrating season. 😩
 
Aaron Judge becomes just the 5th player in MLB history with three 50-HR seasons, but probably only the 2nd to do it clean (if you believe Babe Ruth wasn’t on something). Another 60+ season is possible along with his AL home run record. Probably the MVP as well.


No hitter has ever looked more dominant than Judge has looked across the past four months (he was still batting under .200 on May 2, remember), or been more of a presence at home plate than he has. According to Elias, the only other player to produce 45 homers and 100 RBIs with a batting average over .375 in 100 games -- as Judge just did -- was Barry Bonds in 2001
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Ridiculous.

The Yankees still have a slender lead over the Orioles in the East. I’m not confident we can hold on over the last month, still too many weaknesses, especially the bullpen.
 
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Dolph Drago
Starting pitching injuries have racked up. Greene, Ashcraft, Abbott...
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Lol. You can now add Lodolo to that list. Again. That is 80% of the starting staff from opening day. Nick Martinez is the last one standing. And he wasn't really a starter before this season but more of a bullpen/long inning guy when the Reds grabbed him.
 
When the Houston Astros used to be in the National League, matching up against the Philadelphia Phillies was commonplace. Philadelphia comes into this Interleague series with the third-best record in baseball at 76-54. Houston just split a series with Baltimore. Will Houston return home with a series win or a series loss? Let me tell you what happened in this series.

* HOU Astros at PHI Phillies (3 games)

[GAME 1] There was no José Altuve for this game, so batting leadoff was Alex Bregman in this one. Shay Whitcomb hit a very deep RBI double to deep left to bring home two Astros in the Top of the 4th. Houston strikes first with a 2-0 lead. I didn't really see the rest of the game afterwards, but I did see Philly cut the lead to 2-1 by the Bottom of the 5th. Then in the Bottom of the 6th, Philadelphia tied the game at 2-2. Final score: 3-2, 10 innings, Phillies.

[GAME 2] Justin Verlander reached 3.4K strikeouts in his career in this game. He becomes the 11th pitcher to hit this mark. Philadelphia struck first on an RBI single in the Bottom of the 3rd. 1-0 Phillies. The same inning saw the ball go over everybody's head on a three-run bomb. Now Philadelphia goes up 4-0. I had dinner and missed the rest of the game. Final: 5-0, Phillies.

[GAME 3] I started watching at the Top of the 3rd, and Houston was leading 1-0. At first, it was an Astros two-run homer by Jake Meyers in the Top of the 4th; but after review, it eventually was called a double. So it's still 1-0 Astros here. A deep RBI to left brought home two Astros. Miss out on a two-run jack, bring home two Astros on an RBI. Works out well. Three to zero advantage for the Astros. Add in another Astros' run on an RBI for a 4-0 Astros lead the same inning. Yordan Alvarez hit a softly-popped ball to deep left, but it was just enough to clear the fence. Astros now lead 6-0 in an awesome five-run fourth inning off of Yordan Alvarez's solo jack (his 26th homer of the season). TOUCHDOWN Astros! Yordan hit his 26th homer, then later hit his 27th on a solo bomb to center. It's 7-0, Astros (touchdown and extra point). Philadelphia's own Chas McCormick bombs a two-run jack to right-center in the Top of the 8th, and that was followed by Yordan Alavrez bombing his third homer of the game. Three-straight homers for Air Yordan to put Houston up 10-0 in the Top of the 8th. Spencer Arrighetti had a no-hitter through seven innings, and it was broken up in the Bottom of the 8th on a single. This one ended 10-0 in favor of Houston. Sweep averted with authority and absolution. No hitter would have been better (like the combined one in the 2022 World Series), but a win is a win, and that's all that matters.

--- REVIEW ---
GM1: (3-2, 10 innings; Philadelphia)
GM2: (5-0; Philadelphia)
GM3: (10-0; Houston)

RESULT: PHI wins series 2-1

--- UPCOMING ---
NEXT: vs. KC Royals (4 games, starting Thursday)

The 2024 Houston Astros are now 71-62 on the season, still leading the AL West by 3.5 games ahead of Seattle.

It is a tough deal to try to defeat Baltimore and Philadelphia on the road. Home is calling for the Astros. That call home involves a four-game set to close out August and welcome September. No rest for the weary. You got to endure.


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 team(s) lately?
 
You know a team is trash when hardly anyone shows up for the game- even on a doubleheader. When I checked my Yahoo! mail, I heard only 63 people were in the stands for a recent doubleheader between the Texas Rangers at the Chicago White Sox. The White Sox lost both games to fall to an MLB-worst 31-103. Even for weekday afternoon games, this is just sad.

No teams have clinched Playoff berths as of yet, and the only eliminated team from the postseason so far is still the Chicago White Sox. September will start to see more teams get in while lesser teams will have to try again next season. So keep rooting on your beloved team(s) if they still are in the hunt!

Enjoy this weekend's series!
 
Baltimore and Philadelphia were not too kind to the Astros. They split the series in Baltimore they could have won, and Houston averted getting swept in a three-game series in Philadelphia. Now the Astros can return home to host a talented Kansas City Royals team. The Astros will return to the road after this series, so how will they do before their next road series? Well, let's find out with this four game set...

* KC Royals at HOU Astros (4 games)

[GAME 1] Last time Hunter Brown faced the Kansas City Royals, he got his stuff rocked. How bad? Try getting lit up like a Christmas tree for nine runs and recording only two outs... in the first inning! He's 0-2 with a ERA of at least 36 in his starts against the Royals. Hunter Brown be like, "let's change that." There wasn't much scoring in this one. That all changed when I first saw this game see a 2-0 lead for the Houston Astros in the Bottom of the 6th. I didn't really watch this game. Final score: 6-3, Astros.

[GAME 2] The first score I checked was 1-0, Astros in the Top of the 8th. So this one was a pitcher's duel. And when I checked in, the Kansas City Royals denied the Astros of a potential no-hitter thanks to a base hit by the Royals. An Astro crossed home plate on a sacrifice fly in the Bottom of the 8th to extend Houston's lead to 2-0. Josh Hader gave up a two-run jack in the Top of the 9th for this game to tied at 2-2. Instead of a win, the Astros now have to try to walk-off the Royals. And... they did! An almost home run by José Altuve ended up being a walk-off RBI double. The "Little Giant" came up huge again!

[GAME 3] Most of this game was a pitching struggle with hits coming at a premium by both teams. A base hit with the bases loaded in the Bottom of the 6 led to a 2-0 Astros lead. The flood gates poured a bit more with an almost-home run to center that brought home two Astros. 4-0 Astros with nobody out in the same Bottom of the 6th. On a wild pitch the same inning, the Astros stole home for a 5-0 advantage. We went from a scoreless game to a five-run outburst with no outs by Houston. That might have woke up the Royals, because they denied the shutout was denied in the Top of the 7th with timely hitting led to the Astros' lead cut down to 5-1. Kansas City's rally continued in the Top of the 8 with a solo jack to left. A four-run lead is now a three-run lead. That rally, however, only lasted two runs. Astros are assured a series win over a game Royals team.

[GAME 4] When I first saw Game 4, it was a 4-2 lead for the Houston Astros in the Top of the 8th. Timely hitting led to the Astros pile on three extra runs in the Bottom of the 8th. A 1-2-3 Top of the 9th secured not only an Astros win, but also the season series and the tie breaker. After the Kansas City Royals swept Houston in a 3-game series in Kansas City, Houston returns the favor by sweeping them in a 4-game series in Houston. Astros end a brutal stretch of games in August with a lovely sweep of a talented Royals lineup.

--- REVIEW ---
GM1: (6-3; Houston)
GM2: (3-2; Houston)
GM3: (5-2; Houston)
GM4: (7-2; Houston)

RESULT: HOU wins series 4-0

--- UPCOMING ---
NEXT: at CIN Reds (3 games, starting Monday)

The 2024 Houston Astros are now 75-62 on the season, still leading the AL West. Now leading by 6 games ahead of Seattle.

Yep. Hey, Dolph Drago, your Cincinnati Reds got a little playdate with my Astros coming up. Mind if we visit Great American Ballpark and play a three-game series in lovely Cincinnati? I'm sure we'll have different accounts of the same series once this upcoming series concludes, but yeah. Astros will get to meet the awesomely talented Elly de la Cruz. Astros want revenge from last season, after Cincy swept Houston in Houston last season, even since the Reds also swept the eventual Champion Texas Rangers last season as well.


Elsewhere...

* The Chicago White Sox officially have the most losses in franchise history after their latest fail. The White Sox are currently 31-107, dead last in the AL Central, worst record in baseball, losers of 10 straight, and long been eliminated from Postseason contention. Good news for White Sox fans- there is only one month left. So the pain of this season will finally end. Just wait until about... September 29 of this year. The pain of this season WILL end. Just endure it a bit more.


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. How did your team(s) do lately?
 
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Cincinnati managed to avoid a 4 game sweep at the hands of the Brew Crew with an extra innings win today, their second walk-off win of the week but only the third of the entire season. I didn't see most of the series other than the first few innings of game 2. It was 4-0 Milwaukee when I stepped away from the game. By the time I got around to checking the final, I could only laugh. The Brewers had added 10 runs. The other losses were very typical of the Reds this year - 1 run affairs.

Game 1: 5-4 Milwaukee
Game 2: 14-0 Milwaukee
Game 3: 5-4 Milwaukee
Game 4: 4-3 Cincinnati!
JohnBM01
Yep. Hey, Dolph Drago, your Cincinnati Reds got a little playdate with my Astros coming up. Mind if we visit Great American Ballpark and play a three-game series in lovely Cincinnati? I'm sure we'll have different accounts of the same series once this upcoming series concludes, but yeah. Astros will get to meet the awesomely talented Elly de la Cruz. Astros want revenge from last season, after Cincy swept Houston in Houston last season, even since the Reds also swept the eventual Champion Texas Rangers last season as well.
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I am not predicting a result similar to last year, at least who will do the sweeping. I could see it going the other way, though. A sweep by the Astros very much could happen.
 
Quick musings:

* Chicago Cubs pitch a combined no-hitter, defeating the visiting Pittsburgh Pirates 12-0.

* Officially eliminated from the postseason now: Miami (currently 52-87) and Colorado (currently 51-89).


My HOU at CIN summary will be posted once that series concludes. Or if you been watching the scoreboard, you probably know what happened.
 
Houston picked up a huge four-game sweep of the Kansas City Royals. Now, they have an NL Central family reunion with the Cincinnati Reds. The Redlegs swept both the Rangers (eventual champions) and the Astros last season. Houston leads the AL West with a 75-62 record. Cincinnati is 4th in the NL Central with a 65-73 record. Methinks H-Town wants revenge on Cincy. Let's get it in lovely Cincinnati!

* HOU Astros at CIN Reds (3 games)

[GAME 1] I didn't know this game started early on Monday afternoon. What a beautiful, blue sky, sunny day in Cincinnati on Monday! Cincinnati led 2-0 going into the Top of the 3rd when I first saw this game. With the bases loaded, Yanier Diaz smacks a two-run RBI single to tie the game a 2-2. No further damage done that inning by Houston. Houston failed to end the inning on a popup in the Bottom of the 5th, and led to Cincinnati regaining the lead on two Reds crossing home for a 4-2 advantage. Another Red crossed home to go up 5-2 the same inning. Three unanswered runs by the Redlegs after Houston tied the game. That is until the Astros scored on a sacrifice fly in the Top of the 7th. Astros now trail 5-3. Maybe it is the short turnaround that is making the Astros vulnerable in this game. Cincy takes game 1, 5-3. Houston's five-game winning streak ends after this fail.

[GAME 2] Funny enough, there was a rare Tuesday day off for the Astros. So Game 2 of this series was on Wednesday night. Two pitches into Game 2, and Spencer Arrighetti sees a the ball go over his head and over the center wall. Cincy goes up 1-0 off of the Reds' thunderbolt. Cincy put up four RBIs to get a 7-0 cushion with Spencer Arrighetti is getting rocked, including two pairs of bases loaded RBIs. Thankfully (mercifully), Arrighetti was taken out after pooping the bed in the first inning alone after the Reds went up 7-0. Two more Reds crossed home on an RBI as they now led 9-0... and it's STILL the 1st Inning! Houston has a lot of rallying to do to prevent embarrassment. Astros somewhat started the rally by bringing home a run on an RBI in the Top of the 2nd. The Reds' lead is now cut to 9-1. The Reds scored on an RBI single in the Top of the 3rd to go up 10-1. I stopped watching this game after the End of the 5th. Final score: 12-5, Reds. Trying to avert a sweep tomorrow afternoon.


[GAME 3] I didn't see the game, and the Reds remain a challenge for the Astros. Final score: 1-0, Cincinnati. 🤬!!!

--- REVIEW ---
GM1: (5-3; Cincinnati)
GM2: (12-5; Cincinnati)
GM3: (1-0; Cincinnati)

RESULT: CIN wins series 3-0

--- UPCOMING ---
NEXT: vs. ARI Diamondbacks (3 games, starting Friday)

The 2024 Houston Astros are now 75-65 on the season, still leading the AL West. Now leading by 4.5 games ahead of Seattle as of the time of this post.

So basically, we go to the Cincinnati Reds to get our butts whooped. It's the second(?) straight season the Reds swept the Astros. Now another Interleague series is coming up for the Houston Astros. This time, the defending National League Champions, the Arizona Diamondbacks. Good job by Dolph Drago's Redlegs, but this is a terrible shame for a division leader to lose this brief road series to a lesser opponent (all due respect).


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. Well, my team failed; how did yours do?


[OMISSION/UPDATE 1] The Cincinnati Reds have now beaten the Houston Astros nine straight times after the latest Astros' fail against them.

[OMISSION/UPDATE 2] Seattle is now 4.5 back of the Astros after winning at Oakland on Thursday (was 5 back).
 
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I...umm...what?? I was surprised enough when Cincinnati took the first two games. I didn't see game 3 either, as I was working. I couldn't believe what I saw when I checked the final. 1-0 Reds?!? I'm used to seeing scores like that from Cincy. Score double digits one game, get shut out or score 1 run the next. What I don't usually see is them doing that and still getting the victory. A 1-run win, at that.

Sorry about your 'stros, John. The Reds' continued domination of the them reminds me of Houston's 100 loss seasons when they would meet in the NL Central. It's extremely odd that this has happened while the Astros are a damn good squad.
 
Dolph Drago
I...umm...what?? I was surprised enough when Cincinnati took the first two games. I didn't see game 3 either, as I was working. I couldn't believe what I saw when I checked the final. 1-0 Reds?!? I'm used to seeing scores like that from Cincy. Score double digits one game, get shut out or score 1 run the next. What I don't usually see is them doing that and still getting the victory. A 1-run win, at that.

Sorry about your 'stros, John. The Reds' continued domination of the them reminds me of Houston's 100 loss seasons when they would meet in the NL Central. It's extremely odd that this has happened while the Astros are a damn good squad.
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Reds haven't lost a game to the Astros since 2016.

Reds will come off of their sweep of Houston and travel to Queens to play the Mets, who just finished their sweep of all Sox teams and are riding a 7 game winning streak.
 
Blitz24
Reds haven't lost a game to the Astros since 2016.

Reds will come off of their sweep of Houston and travel to Queens to play the Mets, who just finished their sweep of all Sox teams and are riding a 7 game winning streak.
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Interesting. I could see Cincy going on some stupid run of wins against teams they shouldn't be all while knowing they are basically already out of the playoff picture.
 
Dolph Drago
Interesting. I could see Cincy going on some stupid run of wins against teams they shouldn't be all while knowing they are basically already out of the playoff picture.
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I will be shocked if the Mets finish the homestand with a 10 game winning streak. I think they will lose on Saturday,
 
The Houston Astros didn't have enough time to figure out how to beat the Cincinnati Reds next season, so they have to just move on to the next one. That next one? Meet the Arizona Diamondbacks- the defending National League Champions. They ventured out east to meet the Houston at Minute Maid Park. Or as some here call it, the "Juice Box." Anyhow, a three-game set against the Snakes will test the Astros as they hope to keep up their AL West lead with the Seattle Mariners still nipping at Houston's feet. Put the at Cincinnati series aside and focus on the Arizona Diamondbacks. Let's party in H-Town.

* ARI Diamondbacks at HOU Astros (3 games)

[GAME 1] The first score I saw was 4-0, Astros, Bottom of the 6th. Houston banged in another run on an RBI single to go up 5-0. Yordan Alvarez bombs one to right-center to put Houston up 8-0 in the same inning. That three-run jack by Air Yordan's 32nd homer of the season, and it was also the 2nd homer of the game by No. 44. After getting blanked in Game 3 of at Cincinnati, they blank and smash the Diamondbacks 8-0.

[GAME 2] The Arizona Diamondbacks scored on some timely hitting in the Top of the 2nd, up 2-0. Though the D-backs got a double play in the Bottom of the 2nd, José Altuve crossed home plate to put Houston on the board, 2-1. They'd trail by two again when the Diamondbacks hit a solo homer to left in the Top of the 3rd. Arizona was ahead 3-1 at that point. A base hit with the bases loaded helped the Houston Astros tie the game at 3-3 in the Bottom of the 4th. They would later go ahead 4-3 the same inning on a base hit by Yordan Alvarez. A bases-loaded walk the same inning led to Houston going up 5-3. Arizona launched another solo jack to left in this game in the Top of the 6th. Astros lead cut down to 5-4 against the defending NL Champions. A couple of RBIs put Houston up 7-4 in the BOttom of the 6th. Then, JP3 (Jeremy Peña) launched a three-run bomb to put Houston up 10-4. Arizona scored on an RBI in the Top of the 7th, cutting the Astros' lead in half, 10-5. Jose Altuve bombed one to left in the Bottom of the 7th. Altuve's 19th jack this season puts the Astros up 11-5. That was the final score as the Houston Astros are now 7-0 in games Yusei Kikuchi starts.

[GAME 3] ESPN Sunday Night Baseball had this game. Considering ESPN/ABC can sometimes be the "Always Hate Houston Network," I would be certain we'd fail in prime time. Maybe things change this time around. Arizona blasted the ball to deep right, bringing home three runs. So the Diamondbacks are up 3-0. Justin Verlander looked completely cooked in this game, and it shown more as the Diamondbacks bang in a bases loaded RBI in the Top of the 3rd. Then later, they bang a Grand Slam and further humiliate Justin Verlander. Arizona leads 8-0 now, game seeming to be over for Houston before it actually ends. The Astros finally got serious as Alex Bregman hit a two-run jack to left to finally get the Astros on the board in the Bottom of the 4th. The Breggy Bomb cut the lead down to 8-2. I stopped watching after the Diamondbacks hit a solo homer to deep left in the Top of the 5th to go up 9-2. Final: 12-6, Diamondbacks.

--- REVIEW ---
GM1: (8-0; Houston)
GM2: (11-5; Houston)
GM3: (12-6; Arizona)

RESULT: HOU wins series 2-1

--- UPCOMING ---
NEXT: vs. OAK Athletics (3 games, starting Tuesday)

The 2024 Houston Astros are now 77-66 on the season, still leading the AL West and leading by 4.5 games over Seattle.

It was a great series win against the Arizona Diamondbacks, but the Oakland Athletics are next on the schedule. Oakland visits Houston for a three-game series before Houston embarks on an all-California road trip (at LAA for 3 and at SD for 3).

It is important I note that a tropical system that formed in the lower western Gulf of Mexico is set to impact the Houston area starting Tuesday and into Thursday. No word yet on if this series can be played proper considering this tropical system.


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 team(s) is/are doing well of late. No team has clinched any postseason berths, and no further eliminated teams have been added. So keep playing winning baseball if your team still have postseason hope!
 
Blitz24
I was wrong @Dolph Drago. They lost on Sunday.
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Only off by one day. I literally turned on the game in the top of the 9th with the two Reds on and 0 outs. I assumed we wouldn't get anything. Or we would, then Diaz (Alexis) would blow it. Much to my surprise, it went well for Cincy. The other two games, not so much. :lol:
 
MVP battle in the Bronx the next few days. Yankees vs Royals, Judge vs Witt Jr. Both currently sitting at 9.6 fWAR (Witt is at 9.0 if you use bWAR). Judge doing it all with the bat, Witt more of an allrounder with the glove and legs.

The Yankees have been trying their best to throw away the AL East, but the Orioles have been just as determined to lose. We play them next week and those few games may decide the pennant.
 
Here are a few musings of mine on the MLB lately.

* The 2024 Chicago White Sox are currently 33-114. To avoid being the worst-ever team in modern Major League Baseball, they need to avoid the mark of the 1962 New York Mets, who finished that season with a record of 40-120. The Chicago White Sox have 15 games left this season. So they'll need to win at least six of the remaining 15 games to avoid absolute futility.

* For any White Sox fans, there are two reasons to be happy: (1) this 2024 season is nearing its sunset, so the pain of this season will soon be over, and (2) you won't surpass the 1899 Cleveland Spiders for all-time worst (20-134-0, .130 win percentage).

* Toronto went from almost No-Hitting the New York Mets... to losing 6-2. Blitz24's New York Mets finally woke up in the Top of the 9th in Toronto to play winning baseball. So what could/should have been a 1-0 victory for the Blue Jays ends up being a 6-2 win for the Mets. Baseball be weird.


After tomorrow's game, I'll have my summary of OAK at HOU.


[OMISSION] Win at least 6, not 7. Winning 7 would surpass the mark. Changes made, because I thought CHW's record after today was 33-113. And TOR would have won 1-0, not 2-0.
 
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JohnBM01
* Toronto went from almost No-Hitting the New York Mets... to losing 6-2. Blitz24's New York Mets finally woke up in the Top of the 9th in Toronto to play winning baseball. So what could/should have been a 2-0 victory for the Blue Jays ends up being a 6-2 win for the Mets. Baseball be weird.
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Would have been a 1-0 win. Toronto scored their 2nd run in the bottom of the 9th inning.
 
Oh. Still- that's wild. From almost history to getting embarrassed. I know my Astros had a history of throwing a no-hitter and still lose, but this is wild.
 
The [currently] 77-66 Houston Astros will face a stretch of California teams. Three against Oakland, three at the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim, three at the San Diego Padres, and four against the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim. Oakland can be a tricky team. The Astros know what they are up against, so all they can do is take to the field and play some hard-fought baseball. Let's see what the Astros can do with the Athletics coming to town...

* OAK Athletics at HOU Astros (3 games)

[GAME 1] A sacrifice fly by the Athletics in the Top of the 1st put them up early 1-0. Already proving their dangerous spoiler nature early. First pitch of the 2nd inning went over Arrighetti's head and into the Crawford Boxes for a 2-0 advantage. After no scoring for some time, the next score came off of Jon Singleton's almost home run in the Bottom of the 7th. This RBI triple in the helped the Astros cut the A's lead down to 2-1. Altuve magic on a high pop-up tied the game at 2-2. The Astros finally woke up. The game couldn't be settled in nine innings, so bring on extras. Oakland added runs on RBIs in the Top of the 12 off of shoddy pitching and pourous defense. The Astros got one run back in the Bottom of the 12th off of a deep RBI to left-center. The Athletics' lead is now down to 4-3. That was all they could muster as Oakland gets the win in Game 1 by a 4-3 score in 12 innings.

[GAME 2] The Houston Astros struck first on a sacrifice fly by Jake Meyers in the Bottom of the 2nd with the bases loaded. Then an RBI later that inning by the "Honduran Hammer," Mauricio Dubon would bring home another Astro. So the second inning ended with the Astros up 2-0. Brent Rooker drove in a run for Oakland in the Top of the 3rd to cut the Astros' lead to 2-1. An error by the Astros on a would-be double play saw Oakland now tie the game at 2-2 the same inning. Yanier Diaz banged in a dribbler in the Bottom of the 3rd to left that resulted in Yordan Alvarez scoring from 1st Base. Astros retake the lead at 3-2. José Altuve had to get checked on in the Bottom of the 5th. He left the game. Oakland bombs a two-run jack in the Top of the 6th to left to get the Athletics ahead 4-3. An RBI later that inning put Oakland up 5-3. The Astros get one run back in the Bottom of the 8th on some nicely hit balls. The Astros cut the Athletics' lead to 5-4. The Astros could do no further damage. They fall 5-4 as Oakland will take this series.

[GAME 3] I did not get to see this game as the Astros tried to avoid getting swept. And... they did! Final: 6-3, Astros.

--- REVIEW ---
GM1: (4-3, 12 innings; Oakland)
GM2: (5-4; Oakland)
GM3: (6-3; Houston)

RESULT: OAK wins series 2-1

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

The 2024 Houston Astros are now 78-68 on the season, still leading the AL West by 4 games over Seattle at the time of this post. If Seattle loses on Thursday night to Texas, we'll gain a game ahead of the Mariners.

Our tour of California continues, but this time IN California. The Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim await us for a three-game weekend series followed by a three-game series at the dangerous San Diego Padres. Astros just got to keep winning and hope Seattle keeps stumbling.


As of today, the Los Angeles Angels have been officially eliminated from postseason contention. They join the Chicago White Sox, Miami Marlins, and the Colorado Rockies.


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 team(s) is/are doing well of late. No team has clinched any postseason berths, and no further eliminated teams have been added. So keep playing winning baseball if your team still have postseason hope!
 

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