The 2019 series on team offense begins with the Boston Red Sox. The Red Sox finished first in the majors in 2018 with 5.41 runs scored per game. I am using RotoChamp as a source of default lineups. That Alex Cora order is plugged into the Lineup Analysis Tool (LAT) using Musings Marcels as the […]
Ken Giles and A.J. Hinch battle over the Astros management communications skills in the press: Giles on Monday expressed frustration with a lack of communication with the Astros staff during his two and a half seasons in Houston. “I’m getting thrown out there like I didn’t know what was going on,” Giles said, according to […]
The Astros held a closed door meeting today as Roberto Osuna addressed the domestic violence charges against him. A.J. Hinch spoke about it afterward: “I think our club is very aware socially,” Hinch said. “I think we are very aware of domestic violence and any negativity that brings. I will tell you universally this club […]
The Astros just get even younger as they call up seasonal age 21 prospect Kyle Tucker: Houston manager AJ Hinch says ”our team got better by adding him to the mix” and he plans to play Tucker every day, in left field or right field. Hinch says as the season gets into its latter stages […]
The Astros place Carlos Correa on the disabled list: The Astros will place All-Star shortstop Carlos Correa on the 10-day disabled list Friday with a sore back, manager AJ Hinch said Thursday. A corresponding roster move will be announced prior to Friday’s game against the Rays. Correa, 23, has been out of action since Monday […]
The 2018 series on team offense begins with the Houston Astros. The Astros finished first in the majors in 2017 with 5.53 runs scored per game. I am using RotoChamp as a source of default lineups. That A.J. Hinch order is plugged into the Lineup Analysis Tool (LAT) using Musings Marcels as the batter projections. […]
The Internet Baseball Writers of America announced the results of their votes for AL and NL Manager of the Year: Los Angeles – The Internet Baseball Writers Association of America (IBWAA) announced the winners in its Manager of the Year category Tuesday, with the Cleveland Indians’ Terry Francona winning the group’s American League award, and […]
Game three of the World Series takes place between the Dodgers and Astros in Houston Friday night, with first pitch time moved to 8:20 PM EDT. Yu Darvish takes on Lance McCullers. Darvish pitched magnificently in the 2017 post-season so far. In 11 1/3 innings he allowed two runs, both on solo homers. He walked […]
It appears arguing at a bar now requires a police presence: Houston Astros manager A.J. Hinch says there was “no altercation” at a hotel in California this week at the World Series after a TMZ Sports report that he argued with bar patrons. Pasadena police say they responded to a report of a verbal spat […]
Dave Cameron defends Dave Roberts bullpen usage. In the fifth and sixth innings, Verlander showed that riding your dominant starter is no guarantee of success, and that great pitchers give up runs sometimes. It happens. It’s baseball. But we don’t get to just wave away Verlander’s failures while acting as if Jansen’s were somehow written […]
Congratulations to the Houston Astros as they beat the Yankees 4-0 in game seven of the ALCS to win the American League Pennant. It was a two starter game, as Charlie Morton gets the win, and Lance McCullers gets the four inning save. I thought the Yankees had an advantage against Morton. They attacked him […]
Columbus Day holds the pleasure of 12 hours of baseball, weather permitting. The Astros and Red Sox open the day at 1 PM EDT with Charlie Morton facing Rick Porcello. Morton makes is second career post-season start. In the 2013 NLDS, the Pirates were up two games to one on the Cardinals. Morton started game […]
Colin Moran of the Astros fouled pitch off his face and will need surgery: Moran is likely to undergo surgery, according to Astros general manager Jeff Luhnow, who said Moran sustained a fracture or a displacement in two separate areas of his face. Moran’s vision is fine, manager A.J. Hinch said. He spent the night […]
A.J. Hinch made a very positive comment about the Astros the other day: The Houston Astros have the best record in baseball and their best start in franchise history. Surprising? Not for the manager A.J. Hinch and these unflappable Astros. “I didn’t put any limitations on this team,” Hinch said. “So I don’t really have […]
The 2017 series on team offense continues with the Houston Astros. The Astros finished eighth in the American League and fifteenth in the majors in 2016 with 4.47 runs scored per game. I am using RotoChamp as a source of default lineups. That A.J. Hinch order is plugged into the Lineup Analysis Tool (LAT) using […]
The 2016 series on team offense continues with the Houston Astros. The Astros finished sixth in the majors and fifth in the American League in 2015 with 4.50 runs scored per game. Once again I am using a combination of RotoChamp and USA Today as a source of default lineups. There is a small difference […]
Jeff Bannister wins the AL Manager of the Year, beating A.J. Hinch easily. Winning despite all the injuries brought Bannister the award, it appears. Paul Molitor got some love as well, with two first place votes. Update: It’s amazing to me that Ned Yost finished sixth. Proving the previous season wasn’t a fluke says to […]
The BBWAA presents the Manager of the Year Award Tuesday night, and you can watch the reveal on MLB TV. The three finalists in the National League are Terry Collins, Joe Maddon, and Mike Matheny. Jeff Bannister, A.J. Hinch, and Paul Molitor look to take home the award in the American League. Maddon, Bannister, Hinch, […]
The 2015 series on team offense continues with the Houston Astros. The Astros finished tied for twenty first in the majors and fourteenth in the the American League in 2014 with 3.88 runs scored per game. They scored the same number of runs as the New York Mets. I found a lineup for them at […]
Mark Appel discusses his heavy winter reading and possibly forming a Stanford club in the Astros clubhouse: Asked if Appel would help create an Astros Stanford circle with manager A.J. Hinch, Jason Castro and Jed Lowrie, Appel fed right into the joke. “We might like, form the Astros Stanford club during spring training, get Lowrie […]
The Cubs acquired Dexter Fowler from the Astros: The Chicago Cubs intensified their push toward 2015 playoff status by acquiring switch-hitting leadoff center fielder Dexter Fowler from the Houston Astros in exchange for infielder Luis Valbuena and pitcher Dan Straily. I expected Fowler’s stats to drop after leaving Colorado. While his power did decline, he […]
A.J. Hinch resigned from the Padres front office: As we’ve come to understand through the Padres’ new GM search it’s hard for fans to judge the job of an Assistant GM. I can say this about Hinch though, he’s always been a good communicator during his radio interviews. He has a way of breaking down […]
The Yankees acquired Chase Headley from the Padres: The Yankees acquired Headley in exchange for INF Yangervis Solarte and RHP Rafael De Paula. The Padres also sent $1 million in cash to New York to offset some of Headley’s salary. The Padres 3B was due to become a free agent after the season. Recently Interim […]
Beat writer Nick Piecoro gives his impressions of the Arizona clubhouse after the comments of the owner and the benching of Justin Upton: Things have already gotten ugly. But it feels like it’s close to getting really bad. In the years I’ve been around this team, I don’t remember comments so pointed from anyone in […]
The series on team offense continues with the Cleveland Indians. The Tribe finished sixteenth in the majors and ninth in the American League in offense last season, scoring 4.35 runs per game. The CBSSportsline probable batting order is the one manager Manny Acta is likely to write up this season. The OBP and slugging percentage […]
The City Concealed series by WNET, public television in New York City, brings to life forgotten and disappearing landmarks: The City Concealed video series explores historical locations around New York City that are either off-limits to the general public, or are otherwise difficult or impossible to see. The City Concealed, now in its third season, […]
The Diamondbacks are going to keep Kirk Gibson as manager. The Diamondbacks have played 1 1/2 games better under Kirk than under A.J. Hinch.
AZ Sankepit compares A.J. Hinch and Kirk Gibson: If Hinch was such a big part of the problem, as the nattering nabobs of AZ Central and their cronies perpetually proclaimed, then the team should presumably have got better when he was replaced – addition by subtraction. But there is little or no evidence that replacing […]
AZ Snakepit rounds up the news about the purge of front office and field managers in Arizona Thursday night. Kirk Gibson takes over as the field manager and Jerry Dipoto as the GM, both on an interim basis. I was impressed by this: According to Fanhouse’s Ed Price, Byrnes was fired after he refused to […]
The Diamondbacks have fired A.J. Hinch and Josh Byrnes. I can’t say I’m surprised at Hinch’s firing, given the poor record of the Diamondbacks. Byrnes comes as a bit of a surprise: He was hired in 2005 and given an eight-year extension in 2008. But, uh, so much for that. Byrnes was the one who […]