Major League Baseball: 2018 Season

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Happy Independence Day! The Houston Astros and Texas Rangers hooked up again for some baseball action. A quick two-game series happened between these two, and this is what happened:

GM1 HOU at TEX: (5-3; Houston)
GM2 HOU at TEX: (5-4, 10 innings; Houston)

This is the last game in Arlington this year between the Astros and Rangers. They come on down to H-Town later this month. So after a tough time in Tampa Bay, we return to the Lone Star State and take down the Texas Rangers. Beating your rivals is always a great feeling. That down-but-not-out mentality helps.

Up next for the Houston Astros- back home! 11 games! A homestand begins with a four-game series against the 2005 World Series champs- the Chicago White Sox. We get the White Sox, Athletics, and Tigers in this home stand.


Congratulations to all who won recent series as well as today's/tonight's winners.
 
The last time the Houston Astros took on the Chicago White Sox, we swept the series in the south side of Chicago. So what would happen when the White Sox met the Astros in Houston? Series summary:

GM1 CHW at HOU: (4-3; Houston)
GM2 CHW at HOU: (11-4; Houston)
GM3 CHW at HOU: (12-6; Houston)
GM4 CHW at HOU: (2-1; Houston)

(Not entirely sure) For the first time since joining the American League in 2013, they swept a season series against an American League opponent. We are now 61-31 on the season, 3.5 games ahead of the scrappy Seattle Mariners in the AL West. We are the only other team in Major League Baseball this season besides Boston to have 60 wins (BOS is 62-29). Not one National League team has reached 60 wins yet. Closest to 60 on the NL side is the Milwaukee Brewers at 54-36.

Up next for the Houston Astros Baseball Club... we're back to AL West business when the 50-40 Oakland Athletics come to H-Town for a four-game set. Middle series of this long home stand for the Astros. The 4-game OAK at HOU series begins tomorrow night here in Houston.


Congratulations to not only every team that won recent series and/or won games on Sunday, but also to all the All-Stars who will be playing in the All-Star Game on July 17 in Washington, D.C., USA. José Altuve is among quite a few Astros to make the All-Star lineup on the AL side.
 
Meanwhile here in Houston, we're still buzzing over the extremely weird finish to last night's game. Let me set this up a bit. We should have won 4-0 first and foremost. Then the Oakland Athletics decide to finally plate runs to tie the game at 4-4. We ended up in Extra Innings. OAK bombs one in the Top of the 11th to go up 5-4. We end up tying the game at 5-5 in the Bottom of the 11th. Then later that inning, THIS happened:



This is a much weirder finish to a game this season for Houston than when the Astros won at the Texas Rangers thanks to a balk call in the Top of the 9th. But heck... we'll take the win!

Got to love baseball, folks.
 
JohnBM01
This is a much weirder finish to a game this season for Houston than when the Astros won at the Texas Rangers thanks to a balk call in the Top of the 9th. But heck... we'll take the win!
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How about the walkoff pop-up against the Padres?
 
Okay, Barra333... that was also weird. Actually, I nearly forgot about that SD at HOU game when I came up with my latest post. Baseball is just weird in general. ...or at least it can be...
 
Speaking of 4-0 leads...Last night the Reds were down 4-0 against the Indians (thanks to an outstanding 8 innings from Trevor Bauer) with 2 outs in the 9th. The Reds went on to put up a 7 spot and win the game. That Indians pen is awful.
 
Dolph Drago
Speaking of 4-0 leads...Last night the Reds were down 4-0 against the Indians (thanks to an outstanding 8 innings from Trevor Bauer) with 2 outs in the 9th. The Reds went on to put up a 7 spot and win the game. That Indians pen is awful.
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I will be mighty impressed if the Indians pen can blow tonights game.
 
We welcomed the Oakland Athletics to Houston, and this is what happened in our four-game set:

GM1 OAK at HOU: (2-0; Oakland)
GM2 OAK at HOU: (6-5, 11 innings; Houston)
GM3 OAK at HOU: (8-3; Oakland)
GM4 OAK at HOU: (6-4; Oakland)

This hurts since it is a division game (AL West for us). We must have angered Oakland so much on Tuesday night that they just decided to take their frustrations out at us big time for the games on Wednesday night and Thursday afternoon. The Astros should have won by at least 4-0 and in regulation. However, the A's just wouldn't go away. And it isn't like Oakland is sorry or anything... you sometimes fall to more inferior teams in series. So the Houston Astros Baseball Club is now 62-34 on the 2018 season. Despite this series loss, we're still ahead of the [currently] 58-35 Seattle Mariners by 2.5 games in the AL West.

Up next for the Houston Astros... it's our final series before the All-Star Break. You all know I'm an Astros fan, but I also like the Detroit Tigers. So these cats from MoTown will take on my Astros here in Houston. MoTown. H-Town. Tigers at Astros. Let's play ball! This also will be a GTP inner-forum rivalry with my Astros and the Tigers of AnthonyD1993 and Joey D. If any of you other regulars follow baseball, be sure to chime and show your loyalty for when we have these inner-forum rivalry series.


Congratulations to all winners from today/tonight as well as recent series winners.
 
Chase Utley says he's going to hang it up after this season. I surely wish him well in his retirement.

Plenty of baseball going on right now heading into the All-Star Break. As of this post, Astro-turned-Tiger Mike Fiers is pitching for Detroit at my Houston Astros. We got Dallas Keuchel opposing Fiers. I got love for Fiers since he threw a no-hitter for the Astros in 2015.

Tonight's game was a 3-0 victory for the Houston Astros. Later in this series, Justin Verlander will take on his former team on Sunday, and he will be opposed on Sunday against Francisco Liriano.


Congratulations to all other winners from Friday, including blowout wins by road teams like the Toronto Blue Jays whacking the Boston Red Sox in Boston, and also the Cincinnati Reds whacking the St. Louis Cardinals in St. Louis.
 
The Houston Astros' final series before the All-Star Break involved a three-game weekend series in Houston against the Detroit Tigers. Here is how everything shaped up after these cats from MoTown came on down to H-Town:

GM1 DET at HOU: (3-0; Houston)
GM2 DET at HOU: (9-1; Houston)
GM3 DET at HOU: (6-3; Detroit)

So the Astros took care of business for two out of the three games in this series. Few seemed to go right for Houston in this series finale. Couldn't sweep the Tigers in this series, but we still won the series.

We are now 64-35 on the season heading into the All-Star Break. I think this is the best record in Astros' history heading into the All-Star Break. Houston is also five games ahead of the 58-39 Seattle Mariners in the AL West. Yahoo! Sports stats show the Astros are 3rd in batting average (.262), 2nd in runs scored (500), and we're atop the league in Earned Run Average (2.92 ERA) and Walks Plus Hits Per Innings Pitched (1.06 WHIP).

Up next for the Houston Astros Baseball Club... some Astros will go to Washington, D.C. to compete in the All-Star Break activities; and the rest will get ready for their next series at Patrick's Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim starting this coming Friday for a three-game set. That will be followed by a quick two-game series at the Colorado Rockies Tuesday next week.


Congratulations to all winners of recent series as well as those who won on Sunday.
 
HOME RUN!

Home run. Homer. Jack. Tater. Dinger. Bomb. Back back back back back... GONE! No matter what you call them, balls will be flying out of the park with the upcoming Home Run Derby. So get ready to see some of the best (or at least, most consistent) homr run hitters try to take the title of Home Run Derby champion in the 2018 All-Star Break.


If you'll be watching, enjoy this year's Home Run Derby!
 
Bryce Harper won last night's Home Run Derby. I mostly saw Alex Bregman try to compete, but he was too late getting hot with the bat. I didn't expect him to do much damage anyways.

Washington, D.C. is home to this season's All-Star festivities. Tonight, it will be Max Scherzer (NL, WAS) going up against Chris Sale (AL, BOS). Will it be the American League or National League winning this season's All-Star Game? Or in the words of our Omnis, "money (AL) vs. baseball (NL)? We'll find out tonight!


Enjoy the All-Star Game if you will be watching! Good luck (and congratulations) to this year's All-Stars tonight.
 
Well, Votto made a big boo-boo. He along with Scooter tried to make up for it with homers, but John's 'stros proved to be the deciding factor in this one.
 
It was an 8-6 victory for the American League in the 2018 All-Star Game last night, but this one couldn't be settled in regulation. Some of Dolph Drago' Reds asserted themselves by tying it up in the Bottom of the 9th. However, the Astros went with back-to-back jacks by Alex Bregman and George Springer to put the American League up for good. I read the eight homers in this game was the most Home Runs in All-Star Game history. It was still good seeing the Redlegs jack a few balls to show their power. But in the end, it was the American League who won the 89th MLB All-Star Game.


When the regular season resumes, here is what all of the teams are like:

--- AMERICAN LEAGUE ---
AL EAST: Boston (68-30), NYY (62-33), TB (49-47), TOR (43-52), BAL (28-69)
AL CENTRAL: Cleveland (52-43), MIN (44-50), DET (41-57), CHW (33-62), KC (27-68)
AL WEST: Houston (64-35), SEA (58-39), OAK (55-42), LAA (49-48), TEX (41-56)
AL WILD CARD HOLDERS (currently): New York Yankees and Seattle

--- NATIONAL LEAGUE ---
NL EAST: Philadelphia (53-42), ATL (52-42), WAS (48-48), MIA (41-57), NYM (39-55)
NL CENTRAL: Chicago Cubs (55-38), MIL (55-43), STL (48-46), PIT (48-49), CIN (43-53)
NL WEST: Los Angeles Dodgers (53-43), ARI (53-44), COL (51-45), SF (50-48), SD (40-59)
NL WILD CARD HOLDERS (currently): Milwaukee and Atlanta

--- OTHER OBSERVATIONS ---
WIN PERCENTAGE...
...BEST: Boston (.694)
...WORST: Kansas City (.284)

RECORDS:
...BEST HOME: Boston (34-13)
...BEST AWAY: Boston (34-17)
...WORST HOME: Kansas City (11-35)
...WORST AWAY: Baltimore (12-36)

CURRENT STREAKS:
...LONGEST WINNING: Pittsburgh (6 straight wins)
...LONGEST LOSING: Milwaukee (6 straight losses)

CURRENT TEN GAME STRETCH:
...BEST 10 GAME STRETCH: Boston (9-1)
...WORST 10 GAME STRETCH: Kansas City, Milwaukee, and San Diego (2-8 each)


So there you have it. When the season gets back underway, every game from here on out is towards playing for the postseason. Currently leading teams will need to stay hot to play in the postseason. Teams trailing will need to work hard to better help their postseason chances. Nobody as of right now is officially eliminated from playoff contention. So if you're down there is still a LOT of season left to make a huge difference. Keep playing hard!


If you are the discussing type, let me ask you...

These are the current last-place division teams:

* Baltimore (28-69)
* Kansas City (27-68)
* Texas (41-56)
* New York Mets (39-55)
* Cincinnati (43-53)
* San Diego (40-59)

Of these teams, which do you think will finish the best or have the best chance of bouncing back?


I may do an assessment of my Houston Astros, but you all are welcome to make your own assessment of your favorite team(s) or of some other team if you like. Good luck to all of your favorite teams once the regular season gets back underway.
 
This is good for Manny Machado to get off the sinking ship that is the Baltimore Orioles. Machado gives a little more firepower for the Dodgers. The competition is usually tighter in the NL West than his time in the AL East. So Machado will need to step his game up some playing in a more competitive and close division like the NL West.


As semi-promised, I figured I'd assess my Houston Astros.

Once everything came full circle in 2017 for the Houston Astros, the case of "laugh now, cry later" applied to the Astros. One of the most surreal predictions was of the Astros winning the 2017 World Series thanks in part to a bold prediction from Sports Illustrated. Nobody is calling the Astros as the "Lastros" after three straight seasons of 100+ losses. It took some time to get adjusted to the American League and the AL West after decades in the National League (which I still tend to miss). However, since 2013, they adjusted nicely and picked up quality talent. In a way, I am starting to believe the 2018 Houston Astros are even better than the 2017 Houston Astros. I only wonder if the Astros can parlay their 2018 success into another World Series championship. The mark of reversing a team's fortune is being shown with the Astros, because previously, hardly anyone cared about the Houston Astros and their consistent losing. Now, this team is dialed in and are an absolute baller franchise. Even though Boston has the better record at the All-Star Break, Houston believes and plays like they believe. What I tend to love most is the Astros' chemistry. They play hard but enjoy being around each other. I mean... the Houston Astros are very fun to watch and follow. While I don't think back-to-back titles will happen, the Houston Astros sure will make it interesting trying to go back-to-back!


So there is my assessment of my Houston Astros. If you want to talk about your favorite team(s) or some other assessment you'd like to make, go right ahead...
 
The Reds are still 10 games under .500, but they've been hot since June. It's a tough hole to dig out of when you start out 3-18, or 8-27. The offense is there, though we may lose a little firepower if Scooter is to get traded. All seems well otherwise as long as everyone stays healthy (Schebler did just go on the 10 day DL after slamming his shoulder into the outfield wall on Sunday).

We've got some promising, young arms who have been pitching well as of late. There are a few potential worries. One is a matter if they can keep up their performance or if hitters start to figure them out. Secondly, there is sure to be a limit on innings pitched for them so they don't wear themselves out or get injured due to overuse. Another what-if is will Homer rejoin the rotation? If he does, will he be atrocious like he was earlier in the season? Or will he turn it around? Finally, will Raisel Iglesias be traded? Among those who appear to be interested in him are John's Astros. He's a solid closer, no doubt about it.
 
If the Reds can keep up their hot form, they may show up in the Cubs' anr Cardinals' rear view mirrors. I honestly think of the current last-place division teams, the Red could finish strongest. Cincy just needs to keep playing hard and play consistent winning baseball. I actually believe in your Reds, Dolph Drago.
 
I think the Reds can scratch out of last place and possibly get to .500. They won't be challenging for the division, or even a wild card, this season though. It's nice to see someone believe in them! I tend to be a realist or a pessimist. :lol:
 
Back to work for the Houston Astros. We decided to go entertain the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim in their house. This is what happened:

GM1 HOU at LAA: (4-1; Houston)
GM2 HOU at LAA: (7-0; Houston)
GM3 HOU at LAA: (14-5; Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim)

The Astros were just flat on Sunday. Almost as if they were reluctant on Sunday to get ready for their next series rather than try to sweep the Angels. LAA still did plenty good on Sunday to sink my Astros. Otherwise, this is just one blemish on an otherwise pretty good road trip so far. We are now 66-36 on the season. The Astros are five games ahead of the Seattle Mariners in the AL West.

Up next for the Astros... we take Monday off, but then we go INTERLEAGUE! Two-game set at the Colorado Rockies staring on Tuesday to conclude this road trip.


Congratulations to all recent series winners as well as all winners from Sunday's games.
 
The Houston Astros decided to go a Mile High to meet the Colorado Rockies in a two-game set. This would be NL Central meets NL West in older times. But today, it's Interleague play. This is how this quick series ended in Denver:

GM1 HOU at COL: (8-2, 10 innings; Houston)
GM2 HOU at COL: (3-2; Colorado)

This one sadly ended in a split. The Wednesday game was pretty strange. Houston is now 67-37 on the 2018 season. We still have a 5-game lead over the Seattle Mariners in the AL West.

Up next for the Houston Astros Baseball Club... back home- briefly. Maybe the Astros can use Thursday off after failing to sweep the Colorado Rockies. We play the Texas Rangers one last time this season (unless we somehow meet in the Playoffs or something) starting this Friday. Three games in Houston. After that, more LATE games! More on that once the TEX at HOU series concludes.


Congratulations to all recent series winners as well as all who won on Wednesday.
 
A couple of big trades have taken place recently. The New York Yankees picked up former Astro J.A. Happ from the Toronto Blue Jays. And I believe the Chicago Cubs picked up Cole Hamels from the Texas Rangers. We all are headed towards August. You know what that means? Right- Playoff talk intensifying. Unless your team(s) is/are struggling, we're heading into the time where postseason discussion is more prominent. So keep playing hard!


Good luck to all of your favorite team(s) from this point on.
 
Lone Star State pride is on the line one last time in 2018. The Texas Rangers visited the Houston Astros.

GM1 TEX at HOU: (11-2; Texas)
GM2 TEX at HOU: (7-3; Texas)
GM3 TEX at HOU: (4-3; Texas)

Well, you know what they say- the team with nothing to lose are often the most dangerous. And so the Astros failed in their brief three-game home stand. Four-game losing streak for the Houston Astros now. I couldn't watch the Friday game once the Astros kept getting pounded by the Rangers. 67-39 is our record now. Still leading the AL West by 5 games over Seattle.

Up next for the Houston Astros Baseball Club... back on the road and LATE games! This Astros' Tour of Awesomeness begins with a trip to beautiful Seattle for three-game series against the hot Seattle Mariners. The fun begins tomorrow. This road trip also includes a series with the San Francisco Giants and a World Series rematch between the Astros and the Dodgers. We're ahead of Seattle by 5 games in the AL West, but that could all be trimmed down if the Astros don't take care of business in Seattle.


Congratulations to all winners from Sunday as well as all series winners.
 
Since the Blue Jays season is officially done, lets celebrate the achievements not directly related to the standings. Such as Lourdes Gurriel Jr getting multiple hits in 11 straight games (and counting). One more game and we are talking about things that haven't happened in 80-90 years. Even the most recent entry on that list is 45 years old.
Having said that, he is no certainty to play today after a nasty looking tumble following his 3rd hit yesterday.
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Speaking of the Blue Jays, the Houston Astros reportedly picked up Roberto Osuna from Toronto in a trade deal that includes our Ken Giles. Osuna is still serving a suspension for his domestic violence issues. He reportedly will be able to return to action starting this Sunday. So this is some pretty good bullpen bolstering. I mostly know Osuna for his time with the Miami Marlins.

As of right now, the Philadelphia Phillies are at the Boston Red Sox. The game is tied at 1-1 in the Top of the 8th as of this post.
 

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