Major League Baseball: 2021 Season

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Dolph Drago, I can only imagine what you felt like especially in Game 4. I mean... the Giants hung 19 on the Reds? Wow! I do remember a time when there were 19 runs in a game the Astros played. Thankfully, it was on the WINNING side as we trounced Tampa Bay 19-2 or so. Things may get tougher for your Reds, because the Milwaukee Brewers are coming to Cincinnati next. A series win for the Reds could vault the Reds to mid-pack in the NL Central. The Brew Crew are 3rd in the NL Central, and the Redlegs are 4th in the NL Central.


Now for some extra musings...

* As for my Houston Astros, the Texas Rangers are currently at the bottom of the AL West, sitting 19-27. But as we all know, baseball has so much parity. Even the worst teams can beat the better teams like it's nothing. So I'm not going to have any full confidence in my Astros in this three-game set coming up in Arlington, Texas.

* Good job by Blitz24's Mets, leading the NL East with a 20-17 record. They'll get the Miami Marlins next in Miami. Miami is 3rd in the NL East.

* The Detroit Tigers once had the league's worst record. They are currently 17-26, 4th in the AL Central. The Minnesota Twins have the worst AL record at 15-28. Detroit will go out to Kansas City, Missouri to take on the Royals in their next series.

* So the San Francisco Giants are UNDERDOGS? Well, they have the best record in the league with a 28-16 record. They'll host the 3rd-Place NL West Los Angeles Dodgers in their next series.

* Things should be interesting on the south side of Chicago, as the AL Central-leading Chicago White Sox host the 3rd-place AL East New York Yankees. Some are expecting the White Sox to make plenty of noise this season. Taking down the Yanks would be a serious statement.


Enjoy the weekend series!


[OMISSION] CURRENT RECORDS...
* Best AL: Boston (27-18)
* Best NL: San Francisco (28-16) <<< and best record overall
* Worst AL: Minnesota (15-28)
* Worst NL: Colorado (15-29) <<< and worst record overall
 
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The Battle for the Silver Boot continues! This time, in Arlington, Texas between the Houston Astros and the Texas Rangers. The Houston Astros swept the Texas Rangers in a 4-game series last time these two met. How did things go this time?

HOU at TEX: 3-game series
GM1: (7-5, 10 innings; Texas)
GM2: (8-4; Texas)
GM3: (3-2, 10innings; Texas)

[GAME 1] The Houston Astros struck first to go up 1-0 around the 3rd inning. Then afterwards, the Texas Rangers reeled off four unanswered runs. The Astros would rally to even the game at 4-4. Nine innings didn't solve anything, so we went to extras. The Astros put one more run on the board. The Rangers, though, walked it off as the Astros were one out away from a win thanks to a Rangers' three-run jack. This was the Astros' first extra innings loss (was 2-0). Winning opportunity wasted. [GAME 2] After being denied the win in extra innings Friday night, the Astros put in two runs in the 1st inning of Game 2. It was three unanswered runs until the Rangers banged in two runs in the Bottom of the 3rd. The teams then pulled to a 4-4 tie until some more Rangers crossed home plate to make it 8-4 heading into the 8th inning. Astros did next to nothing afterwards. Game 2 ends 8-4. [GAME 3] So are the Rangers going to return the sweep favor? No scoring didn't happen until about the 5th inning with the Rangers going up 2-0. Then later, the Astros leveled things in the 8th inning to make it 2-2. Extra innings was needed, and the Texas Rangers return the sweep favor to the Astros with a 3-2 win in 10 innings.

The 2021 Houston Astros are now currently 26-21. We are now 2nd in the AL West after getting swept in Arlington and looking up at Oakland atop the AL West.

Up next for the Houston Astros... WORLD SERIES 2017 rematch! We take Monday off and then host a quick two-game set with the Los Angeles Dodgers. The fun begins this Tuesday.


Congratulations to all other series winners and those who won today!
 
Nowadays, there is talk that an ex-Phillies player accused the Colorado Rockies of sign-stealing similar to what the Houston Astros did in 2017. This latest accusation happened in 2018. Though the hate has all been about the Astros, taking cheating "far and beyond" what one Phillie player is accusing the Rockies of. This is why I say that nothing in baseball really shocks me anymore. People do all sorts of chicanery and dirty moves to try to win. You know- pine tar, juicing balls, and of course... performance-enhancing drugs. Since most people are usually the "Always Hate Houston" type, every monkeyshine or low moment we do gets magnified and exposed. So I'm like... "I'm done."

Today's a two-game set in Houston in the 2017 World Series rematch. So Houston is getting the defending champions for a two-game set here in Houston. I would imagine this game would need SWAT or the Army if this game was in Rancho Cucamonga.


Enjoy some baseball, mates!
 
2017 World Series rematch! The Los Angeles Dodgers came on over to Houston to play some ball. It's only a two-game series, and I'm sure the Dodgers would love to return the favor in the World Series; but this series is just as big. Here's what happened:

LAD at HOU: 2-game series

GM1: (9-2; Los Angeles Dodgers)
GM2: (5-2; Houston)

[GAME 1] Most of the first third of the game was a pitcher's duel. The rest of the way was the Dodgers unleashing their fury starting with a two-run homer. It then went into more runs scored by the Dodgers until the Astros finally turned on their side of the scoreboard with an Alex Bregman home run. Even in an Astros' home game, there were a number of Dodgers fans who also made the trip out to Houston. A house divided, to say the least.
[GAME 2] So the Dodgers decided to put Trevor Bauer on the bump for the Dodgers. The ex-Red wants to take it to my Astros. The Houston Astros started furiously with José Altuve banging a leadoff solo jack to go up 1-0. Then the Dodgers came back to make it a 1-1 tie. It was go-ahead time again for Houston thanks to a Carlos Correa solo bomb in the 6th inning. José Altuve did some more work to knock in a run to make it 3-1 in the Bottom of the 7th. Then the following pitch saw an Aledmys Diaz banged a two-run jack to make it 5-1. Where was this offense last night by the Astros? The Dodgers responded in the 8th with a solo homer in the 8th. Now 5-2, Astros. That score would hold as the Astros split the series.

We are now 26-22 on the season and still 2nd in the AL in the AL West.

Up next for the Houston Astros... we take Thursday off and then host another hot California team in more Interleague action- it's the San Diego Padres at the Houston Astros over the weekend in Houston!


Congratulations to all winners of recent series and Wednesday's winners!
 
The Houston Astros split their series in Houston against the Los Angeles Dodgers. Now, another California team enters H-Town. Could the Houston Astros tame the San Diego Padres in this Interleague series? My summary:

SD at HOU - 3-game set
GM1: (10-3, 11 innings; San Diego)
GM2: (11-8, 12 innings; San Diego)
GM3: (7-4; Houston)

[GAME 1] The San Diego Padres led early 1-0. Later in the game, Chas McCormick hit a two-run bomb to go ahead 2-1. Fernando Tatis Jr. belted a solo jack late to tie things at 2. Nine innings wasn't enough to settle anything, so it's Extras time. Because of severe weather, I had to back away from watching the game. All I know is that the Padres put up one extra run in the tenth to go up 3-2. Then the Astros put up a run to tie it at 3-3. In the 11th inning, I have no idea what the hell happened. The Padres end up putting SEVEN runs- that's right- 7... on the Astros.
[GAME 2] The Astros tried to get over last night's smashing by smashing a 2-run homer to lead early 2-0. They then went up to as much as 6-1. Then the Padres came back like mad. The big hammer was dropped in the Top of the 9th as the Padres saw Tatis Jr. hit a three-run bomb to level the game at 6-6. So the closing pitching and bullpen are blowing games AGAIN. The two teams traded runs to force the 11th inning with a 7-7 tie. A passed ball had the Astros steal home to make it an 8-8 tie. Astros couldn't walk it off after 11, so it's 12 innings now. It is also the Padres breaking Astros hearts again with a three-run bomb to make it 11-8 in favor of San Diego.
[GAME 3] Tired of finding ways to lose, the Astros decided to do something about it. So the Astros led by a touchdown (and extra point) by putting 7 on the Padres. Was seven enough to win? Let's find out. San Diego decided to finally score starting with a solo homer to make it 7-1. Then later, the Padres made it 7-4 Astros. The Astros can't possibly blow leads for three straight games, right? Thankfully, no. The Astros held serve to win 7-4. The Houston Astros prevented a sweep against a hot team. I take nothing away from the San Diego Padres, but the Astros could have done a much better job of putting away even a hot team like San Diego. Instead, we settled for Extra Innings and lost both of those games.

As of the time of this post, the 2021 Houston Astros are now 28-24 on the season, and we are still 2nd in the AL West.

Up next for the Astros... it's a four-game set against the Boston Red Sox here in Houston. Boston's pretty good in their right, so the Houston Astros better not take Boston lightly. Tomorrow afternoon kicks off this series.


Congratulations to all series winners and Sunday winners! Feel free to let us know how your team(s) is/are doing so far...
 
Welcome to June! Let me provide a Standings Update heading into today's games. Find your favorite team(s):

(Source: Yahoo! Sports)

--- AMERICAN LEAGUE (as of June 1, 2021) ---
AL EAST: Tampa Bay (35-20), BOS (32-21), NYY (29-25), TOR (27-25), BAL (17-37)
AL CENTRAL: Chicago White Sox (33-21), CLE (29-24), KC (26-26), MIN (22-31), DET (22-32)
AL WEST: Oakland (31-25), HOU (29-24), SEA (28-27), LAA (24-30), TEX (22-33)

--- NATIONAL LEAGUE (as of June 1, 2021) ---
NL EAST: New York Mets (26-20), ATL (25-26), PHI (25-29), MIA (24-28), WAS (21-29)
NL CENTRAL: Chicago Cubs (30-24), STL (30-24), MIL (29-25), CIN (24-28), PIT (20-33)
NL WEST: San Francisco (34-20), San Diego (34-21), LAD (32-22), COL (20-34), ARI (19-36)

--- OTHER OBSERVATIONS... ---
WIN PERCENTAGES:
...BEST: Tampa Bay (.636)
...WORST: Baltimore (.315)

RECORDS:
...BEST HOME: Chicago White Sox (20-9 at home)
...BEST AWAY: Tampa Bay (20-7 away)
...WORST HOME: Baltimore (6-19 at home)
...WORST AWAY: Washington (8-14 away)
...BEST 1-RUN GAMES RECORD: Oakland (11-7)
...WORST 1-RUN GAMES RECORD: Arizona (1-11)

CURRENT STREAKS:
...LONGEST WINNING: Tampa Bay, Seattle, New York Mets, and Milwaukee (5 straight wins)
...LONGEST LOSING: Baltimore (14 straight losses)
...BEST LAST 10 GAMES: Tampa Bay (9-1)
...WORST LAST 10 GAMES: Baltimore (0-10)

Hopefully your favorite team(s) is/are doing well so far. If not, there's plenty of time to improve. So keep playing hard!


Enjoy some baseball today and throughout the week!
 
After two straight Interleague series matches, the Houston Astros went back to American League play. Coming to town are the Boston Red Sox for a four-game set. Two talented teams ready to throw down. Here's my summary...

BOS at HOU - 4-game series
GM1: (11-2; Houston)
GM2: (5-1; Houston)
GM3: (2-1; Houston)
GM4: (5-1; Boston)

[GAME 1] The Astros struck first loading the bases and allowing one run to score on a sacrifice fly. Then another run would score later that inning. José Altuve hit a two-run bomb to deep left to put the Astros up 4-0 in the 3rd inning. In the 5th, the Astros brought two more runs in. 6-0 for H-Town after five. Boston denied Houston the shutout as one run scored. The Astros hung five on the Red Sox in the sixth inning to go up 11-1. Boston then went with a solo jack in the 8th inning to make it 11-2. That would be the final score.
[GAME 2] José Altuve got himself a home run to put the Astros up 1-0 early in the game. Another run would follow later. Houston finally saw their end of the scoreboard light up when they put a run across to make it 2-1. Three runs were scored by the Astros in the Bottom of the 7th to go up 5-1. The 5-1 score would hold as the Astros took down the hot Boston Red Sox in Game 2.
[GANE 3] I did not follow Game 3, but we managed to win 2-1. Red Sox collected seven hits, but the Astros had only four.
[GAME 4] A lot of rain is expected here in Houston between now and at least Monday next week. Trying to avoid getting swept, the Boston Red Sox bolted out to a 3-0 lead after two innings. Jake Odorizzi had another rough start pitching for Houston. Because my XFINITY was skipping a lot trying to show the game, I stopped watching. Once I learned the final score, Boston won 5-1. It was Boston's way of saying, "see you in Boston!" when the Astros go on this next road trip.

The 2021 Houston Astros are now 31-25 on the season, and they remain 2nd in the AL West behind Oakland.


I hinted on it in my Game 4 report, but up next for the Houston Astros Baseball Club... we're road-tripping! They will meet the Toronto Blue Jays for a three-game set. For the first time in Astros history, they will be playing in Buffalo, New York; since the Blue Jays can't play in Toronto thanks to COVID-19/Coronavirus restrictions. The rest of the road trip is three at Boston followed by three at Minnesota.


Congratulations to all series winners and all who won today!
 
I haven't seen a game in a couple weeks, so I can't really comment on the Reds lately. But it's been rough for the most part as far as I can tell. They are 24-29 on the season.

However...being someone who enjoys stats, it's worth pointing out the dynamic duo of Nick Castellanos and Jesse Winker. These dudes have been mashing this season. Here are their rankings in some of the major hitting categories.

Castellanos
MLB: NL:
H: 2nd 2nd
2B: T5th T4th
AVG: 1st 1st
OBP: 4th 2nd
SLG: 2nd 1st
OPS: 2nd 1st
XBH: T5th T2nd
TB: 2nd 1st
BABIP: 2nd 1st

Winker
MLB: NL:
R: T7 T3rd
H: T8th T4th
HR: T6th T3rd
AVG: 2nd 2nd
OBP: 6th 4th
SLG: 3rd 2nd
OPS: 3rd 2nd
TB: T3rd 2nd
BABIP: 6th 3rd

Oh, and Castellanos is on a 19 game hitting streak.
 
The Houston Astros failed to sweep the Boston Red Sox, so they went ahead into their next series at Toronto. However, the Astros will play in Buffalo, which is home to Toronto's Triple-A affiliate, the Buffalo Bison. Here's how the Astros did at Toronto... in Buffalo...

HOU *at* TOR - 3-game series
GM1: (13-1; Houston)
GM2: (6-2; Toronto)
GM3: (6-3; Houston)

[GAME 1] Most of the game was a scoreless affair. Then later, the Astros brought in a run or two. The Astros had a couple of homers by Carlos Correa, and then Martin Maldonado banged a Grand Slam to go up 7-0. Some time later, the Astros are up 13-1, collecting 16 hits! Z. Greinke complete 17 complete games. DOMINATION by the Astros.
[GAME 2] I guess the Blue Jays wanted to return the favor from last night's rout that they did something about it. I couldn't see a lot of the game because XFINITY was acting up on me of late. All I know is that the Blue Jays led 6-1 heading into the 7th inning. All the Astros could do since is bring home one run, and that's it. Rubber Game for Game 3 of this series.
[GAME 3] The Rubber Game of this series began with a leadoff jack by José Altuve to go up 1-0 early. The 2nd inning saw Chas McCormick bomb one out of Buffalo to go up 2-0. A sacrifice fly by the Blue Jays put the Blue Jays on the board in the 2nd inning, now trailing 2-1. Great hitting and base running helped the Astros go up 4-1 in the 3rd inning. There wasn't much scoring until later in the 7th inning, as the Astros got in a run (unearned) in a bases loaded situation. Now 5-1 in favor of H-Town. Astros made it a 6-1 game on a Yuli Gurriel RBI single in the top of the 8th. The game ended 6-3 in favor of the Astros.

The 2021 Houston Astros are now 33-26 on the season, still 2nd in the AL West behind (35-26) Oakland. I will say that ballpark in Buffalo is quite lovely.

Up next for the Houston Astros... the road trip continues after a day off Monday. We're at the Boston Red Sox for a three-game set starting on Tuesday.


Congratulations to all recent series winners and all who won today!
 
Things have taken turn in the right direction for Cincinnati as the Reds completed a 4 game sweep of the Cardinals in St. Louis today. That was the first time that particular event (4 game sweep at St. Louis) has occurred since the wire-to-wire Reds did it in 1990. A common theme? Strong starting pitching and timely offense.

Vladimir Gutierrez made his second career start in game 1 with 5 innings of 2 run ball. Luis Castillo finally put together a solid performance, giving up only 1 run in his 6 innings of work in game 2. Tyler Mahle went 7 innings in game 3 giving up a pair of runs. And Wade Miley pitched 5 scoreless innings in the finale. The bullpen struggled a bit in game 2, giving up 3 runs. And they completely blew it today, relinquishing a 7-0 lead by giving up 7 themselves in the 6th. Maybe they shoulda kept Miley in there for another inning?

The usual suspects were Red hot (no pun intended) throughout the series. Castellanos picked up 2 hits in each of the first three games of the series while extending his hit streak to 21 games. In fact, of those 21, 15 (FIFTEEN!) of them were multihit games. Unfortunately his streak came to an end today. But his partner in crime, Winker, more than made up for it in the finale. He picked up 3 hits in the opener (one a homer), and 1 each in games 2 and 3. As for today? How about 3 hits...all being long balls? Yes, on the 4th anniversary of Scooter Gennett's 4 dinger game, Winker hit 3 of his own. The final came in the 9th after the bullpen meltdown, putting the Reds back on top. He is now tied atop the NL with 17 long balls on the year. Oddly, he was never seen as a power hitter in the minors, but since coming to the Bigs a few years ago, he has shown he can drive the ball. All I know is that he and Castellanos better get the starting nod for the outfield in the All Star Game. If not, it will be a travesty.

Anyhoo...
Game 1: 4-2 Reds
Game 2: 6-4 Reds
Game 3: 5-2 Reds
Game 4: 8-7 Reds

The Redlegs have won 6 of their last 7 and made their way to 1 game under .500 at 28-29. And while still 4th in the NL Central, they are only 4 games back from the division leading Cubs.
 
Wow... Redlegs swept the Redbirds? Congratulations to your Reds over the Cardinals, @Dolph Drago ! Do you think the Reds are playing better, worse, or indifferent this season so far compared to last?
 
JohnBM01
Wow... Redlegs swept the Redbirds? Congratulations to your Reds over the Cardinals, @Dolph Drago ! Do you think the Reds are playing better, worse, or indifferent this season so far compared to last?
Click to expand...
For the most part, the offense is much better, even with Votto, Moose and Senzel having been on the IL for a while now. The pitching, meanwhile, has taken a step back. It was expected the starters wouldn't be quite as strong considering they didn't replace Bauer. The bullpen has been the major disappointment, though. The good thing is that Michael Lorenzen will be back soon, and I think he will be able to help them out. Antone has been the one rock solid pitcher for them in the backend.

So all in all, it's a wash compared to last season. The team's strengths have swapped completely.
 
Still can't make heads or tails out of the Mets. On one hand, they are in first place and Jacob deGrom is arguably having the best pitching performance in modern baseball history (0.62 ERA in June). On the other, two SP from their expected June rotation (Carrasco and Syndergaard) won't be back until August and 4 players from their OD lineup (Nimmo, Conforto, Davis, McNeil) are still on the shelf until maybe July. Yet that hasn't stopped them. It really makes no sense.
 
The Houston Astros continued their tour of awesome by paying a visit to Boston. The Red Sox won the final game of the four-game series in Houston, preventing getting swept in Houston. How will Boston do at home against Houston? Here is my summary:

HOU at BOS - 3-game series
GM1: (7-1; Houston)
GM2: (8-3; Houston)
GM3: (12-8; Boston)

[GAME 1] José Altuve was out on the game's first pitch, but it was Carlos Correa who blasted a homer over the Green Monster that stayed JUST fair. 1-0 early. Five more Astros runs came in the 2nd inning to go up 6-0. The Astros would score again later to make it 7-0 on the Red Sox. The Red Sox did finally answer with a run to make it 7-1, Astros heading into the 5th inning. That score would be the final score for Game 1.
[GAME 2] The Astros had themselves plenty of offense, even banging a few balls over the Green Monster. It was 8-3 in favor of the Houston Astros. It began with a deep homer that just cleared the foul pole.
[GAME 3] Hello, offense! Game 3 was nuts! Stay with me on this one. So... the Astros struck first with a deep ball to right that cleared the foul pole. The Red Sox took a 2-1 lead later. Then came the Astros to make it 3-2. A deep left center bomb by Boston made things level at 3-3. Red Sox took a 4-3 lead until the Astros made it 4-4 on a bases loaded walk. A base-clearing triple put the Astros up 7-4 in the 5th inning. Red Sox tied it up at 7-7 with a three-run Boston blast. Blow-for-blow baseball, folks. The Little Giant, José Altuve belted a solo jack over the Green Monster to make it 8-7 in favor of H-Town. And AGAIN... the Red Sox tied the game. This time, at 8. Kyle Tucker botches a sure sacrifice fly and ends up committing an error. Astros hit-by-pitch put Boston ahead 9-8 in he Bottom of the 6th. Walking in a Bases Loaded runner doesn't help, and Boston was now up 10-8. Now 12-8, Boston as the Astros are getting pounded. Astros could do nothing since.

With this fail, the 2021 Houston Astros are now 35-27 on the season, 2nd in the AL West. We could have swept, but have to settle for two out of three.

Up next for Houston... our Tour of Awesome reaches its final city- Minneapolis, Minnesota. And Twiiiiins! Astros and Twins in a three-game weekend set starting Friday.


Congratulations to all Thursday winners and all recent series winners!
 
...and Twiiiiins! The Houston Astros concluded their road trip by going to Minneapolis. Here's how Houston did in Minnesota:

HOU at MIN - 3-game series
GM1: (6-4; Houston)
GM2: (5-2; Minnesota)
GM3: (14-3; Houston)

[GAME 1] The Twins started off scoring one run in two straight innings before the Astros answered back to make it 2-1. The game later went into a 3-3 tie. The Astros went ahead later 4-3, until the Twins got a deep ball to make it 4-4. Two extra runs were plated by the Astros in the Top of the 9th to make it 6-4, Astros.
[GAME 2] I didn't follow the game, but the Twins ended up winning 5-2. Good old Rubber Game for tomorrow.
[GAME 3] A beautiful blue sky Sunday in Minneapolis greeted the two teams in this Rubber Game. The game started with a leadoff single by the Astros' José Altuve on the game's very first pitch. The Astros would later score on a sacrifice fly (you're not catching Altuve) to make it 1-0, Astros after one inning. The Astros hit a two-run jack to go up 3-0 later in the game. Two more Astros runs crossed the plate to make it 5-0 at the Middle of the 5th. The Twins' side of the scoreboard finally lit up with a solo homer by Jeffers. The Astros picked up two more runs in the 6th to go up 7-1. Then later that inning "Air Yordan" blasted a two-run jack to right-center to make it 9-1 for Houston. Blunders by the Astros led to Minnesota getting themselves a run to make it 9-2. More Astros runs crossed Home Plate in the 7th inning to make it 11-2 heading into the Middle of the 7th. Chas McCormick lifted a solo jack to make it 12-2, Astros in the Top of the 8th. Another Astros run made it 13-2. A solo bomb by the Twins cut the lead to 13-3. The Astros take the series convincingly with a 14-3 victory in Game 3.

The 2021 Houston Astros are now 37-28 on the season, still 2nd in the AL West behind Oakland.

Up next for the Houston Astros Baseball Club... we're coming back to Houston and take Monday off before preparing for a stretch of 20 games. A brief two-game set with the Texas Rangers is in order. The Battle for the Silver Boot continues!


Congratulations to all Sunday winners and all recent series winners! Those even include Toronto embarrassing Boston 18-4 in Boston, and the Cincinnati Reds going above .500 by defeating the visiting Colorado Rockies 6-2.
 
I forget what happened in the series against the Brew Crew. Cincy won the middle game, but ultimately lost the series. The battle against the other team with a beer named stadium, the Rockies, came into town and had a much happier ending for the Redlegs.

Game 1 saw the Reds crush 5 home runs and a total of 11 runs. They finished with double digit runs in game 2 as well, putting up 10. In that one, however, NO runs were scored due to the long ball. The series wrapped up with a sweep for the home team in the Queen City with a pathetic 6 runs :lol:. Despite Sonny Gray hitting the IL, the starting pitching was relatively strong throughout the series. Tony Santillan made his debut today, going 4.2 inning and giving up a single run. Surprisingly the bullpen was actually decent as well. Offensively, since coming off the IL, Votto has hit well. Winker continues to do his thing. And Castellanos has started another hitting streak. I think it's at 5 or 6 games now.

Game 1: 11-5 Reds
Game 2: 10-3 Reds
Game 3: 6-2 Reds

Most importantly, the team is back above .500 (as John mentioned above) for the first time since April. The NL Central race is interesting. Chicago and Milwaukee are tied atop the division at 38-27. Cincinnati, on their 8-2 record through their last 10 games, now occupies the third spot at 32-31, one game ahead of St. Louie who have been in a slide (1-9 in their last 10). Pittsburgh brings up the rear at 23-41.
 
Bring out the brooms! Cincinnati made its way up to AMERICAN FAMILY FIELD (evidently it changed its name from Miller Park at the end of last season, meaning I was incorrect in my previous post about beer named stadiums) in Milwaukee for a three game set against the NL Central leaders, and it ended well for the boys in Red.

Cincy put a whooping on the Brewers to the tune of 10 runs in game 1. That was the bulk of the scoring for the series as pitching dominated the final two games. 9 innings wasn't enough in game 2, and it was a 0-0 tie leading to extras. You know what the Reds are good at? Winning in extra innings. And they did so without collecting a hit in the 10th inning. Brewer pitching made sure of it with a HBP, Walk, based loaded HBP, Sac fly. I did not see any of game 3, but it was the same final score as the previous at 2-1.

About that pitching. Here are the lines for the Cincinnati starters:
Gutierrez: 6 IP, 4 hits, 2 runs, 2 walks, 6 strikeouts
Castillo: 7 IP, 3 hits, 0 runs, 3 walks, 7 strikeouts
Mahle: 6 IP, 3 hits, 1 run, 2 walks, 12 strikeouts

And the bullpen that has been suspect throughout the season?
9 IP, 3 hits, 1 run, 2 walks, 17 strikeouts

Game 1: 10-2 Reds
Game 2: 2-1 Reds
Game 3: 2-1 Reds

Mighty impressive. I can only hope they continue this strong play. 6 straight wins, and 11 of 13 including 3 sweeps. The only losses were in their home series against the Brewers. The Redlegs now sit 3rd in the NL Central at 35-31, only 2 games behind the Brewers and possibly the same behind the Cubs pending their game against the Mets. Of this writing, the Mets are leading 6-1 in the 6th inning. deGrom had K'd 8 of 9 before unfortunately exiting with a sore shoulder.


[UPDATE] Mets held on to beat the Cubbies.
Current NL Central Standings:
Chicago 38-30
Milwaukee 38-30
Cincinnati 35-31 GB 2.0
St. Louis 35-33 GB 3.0
Pittsburgh 23-44 GB 14.5
 
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The Houston Astros will begin a stretch of 20 games before their next off-day. So let's start it off proper as the Astros hosted their rival Texas Rangers for a two-game set. Summary:

TEX at HOU (2-game series)
GM1: (6-3, 10 innings; Houston)
GM2: (8-4; Houston)

[GAME 1] Because of XFINITY issues and strong thunderstorms on Tuesday night, I didn't get to see too much of the game. Texas struck first with a deep shot (but not a homer). The Rangers would later score on a bases loaded walk to make it 2-0, Rangers. Houston did manage to score at one point to make it a 2-1 defecit on an RBI sacrifice fly. Then when it seemed like the Astros was going to lose 2-1, Carlos Correa hit a solo jack to the tie the game in the Bottom of the 9th with two outs and two strikes. So what would have been an Astros loss ends up going into extra innings. Regulation solves nothing. What should have retired Texas' side ends up being an RBI single for Texas with two outs in the Top of the 10. Now 3-2, Texas. The Astros ended up loading up the bases in Extra Innings, and José Altuve hits a walk-off Grand Slam to win 6-3. The Little Giant came up big! WOW!
[GAME 2] José Altuve was the hero from last night with his walk-off Grand Slam. Well, guess what he did for an encore as it was "Pride Night" tonight? Altuve hit a leadoff home run to go up 1-0 after the first inning. The "Chasmanian Devil" bombed a 2-run homer to make it 3-0 for the Astros. Then another Astros jack happened to make it 4-0. Texas lit up the scoreboard with a solo homer in the Top of the 3rd. Myles Straw banged a solo dinger in the Bottom of the 4th to put the Astros up 5-1. With the bases loaded and with Zack Greinke leaving the game, Texas put up two more runs to make it 5-3, Astros. Chas hit another bomb to put the Astros up 6-3. Texas wouldn't go away, and they hit a solo homer to make it 6-4, Astros in the Top of the 7th. One RBI was banged in by Carlos Correa to make it 7-4. José Altuve hit another solo homer in this game to put the Astros up 8-4. What got into Altuve? Dude jacking TWO balls tonight! The Astros have NEVER trailed or tied in this game. The 8-4 result will stand for the Astros by game's end.


The Astros are now 39-28 after this two-game series. The Astros are still 2nd in the AL West behind leading Oakland. We went 10 games above .500 for the first time this season heading into Game 2, now we're 11 above .500 after Game 2.

Up next for the Houston Astros... a big test coming up as the Chicago White Sox come on down to H-Town for a four-game weekend series. Ex-Astro Dallas Keuchel is part of the hot White Sox. So we're going from last-place AL West to first-place (and MLB best record) AL Central. This is going to be fierce.


Congratulations to all of today's/tonight's winners as well as all recent series winners!


[UPDATE] Forgot to post Houston's record! Edited HOU's record.
 
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Here's something I read about last night in the Rangers-Astros series that just wrapped up. According to Stats Inc., José Altuve became the first player in MLB history to hit a leadoff home run after hitting a walk-off Grand Slam in the previous game. Altuve is the "Little Giant" for a reason.


My Astros are gearing up for their 4-game set hosting the Chicago White Sox. Let me try to touch on how other teams are doing heading into today's games.

* Blitz24's New York Mets Mets will host the Chicago Cubs. Two 1st Place teams clash in the Big Apple. NL East-leading Mets meet the NL Central-leading Cubs.

* Dolph Drago's Cincinatti Reds have a tough test coming up at the San Diego Padres. Two third-place teams clash- Redlegs 3rd in the NL Central, and Padres 3rd in the NL West.

* Joey D and AnthonyD1993's Detroit Tigers are on the road to entertain the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim. Both teams are 4th in their respective divisions. Shohei Ohtani goes for LAA while Matt Manning will pitch for Detroit.

* I heard Arizona blown a 7-point lead recently. The Arizona Diamondbacks, with the worst record in baseball (20-49), are in beautiful San Francisco to meet the Giants in an NL West showdown. It's like the recent Rangers-Astros series: last-place in the Division at first-place in the Division.


Those are some of the games going on tonight. Enjoy some baseball, folks!
 
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In 2005, the Houston Astros and Chicago White Sox was the World Series. Of course, Houston was in the NL Central then. The Astros and White Sox hook up again. This time, as AL rivals. Chi-Town in H-Town went like this...

CHW at HOU - 4-game series
GM1: (10-2; Houston)
GM2: (2-1; Houston)
GM3: (7-3; Houston)
GM4: (8-2; Houston)

[GAME 1] José Altuve just beat out a pitch to be safe at 1st, followed by an error by the White Sox had two Astros on with no outs. Then Michael Brantley steps up... and bombs a three-run jack to right to go up 3-0! The Astros are on a streak tied for 2nd with most consecutive games with at least two homers. A deep shot (but not a homer) by Carlos Correa put the Astros up 4-0 in the bottom of the 4th. Two more Astros crossed home to make it 6-0, Houston. A sacrifice fly made it 7-0 Astros later. The White Sox finally had their scoreboard lit with a deep shot to left on an RBI single. 7-1, Astros now. Altuve STILL ballin' when he hit a solo dinger in the Bottom of the 6th. Now 8-2, Astros. They tied the MLB record for most straight games with two or more homers. Make it 10-2 after Abraham Toro hit a two-run jack in the Bottom of the 7th. The final score was 10-2 in favor of Houston.

[GAME 2] When I first followed the game, it was a 1-1 tie between the two teams in the 6th inning. Yordan Alvarez hit an RBI to get Yuri Gurriel to come home on a triple. Walk it off, Astros win! Five straight wins now for Houston. The 2+ home run streak may be over, but the Astros still got the win.

[GAME 3] An early score put the Astros up 1-0 by stealing home. The White Sox tied it up at 1. Then the Astros put another run across Home Plate to make it 2-1. Heading into the 7th, it's 6-1, Astros. The White Sox banged a solo jack to make it 6-2, Astros. A foolish error by the Astros made the White Sox halve the Astros' lead to 6-3. In the Bottom of the 8th, Carlos Correa hit a solo jack to make it 7-3, Astros. That would be the final score of Game 3- 7-3, Astros.

[GAME 4] An old friend returned to Houston, but playing for the team in black and white. Dallas Keuchel was dealing for the White Sox against Lance McCullers, Jr. on the Astros. The Astros loaded the sacks early and drove in a run early to make it 1-0. White Sox went ahead with a 2-run jack in the 2nd inning. It's 2-1, White Sox at this point. "Air Yordan" banged a two-run RBI single to put the Astros back on top 3-2 in the Bottom of the 3rd. Another Astros crossed home plate to make it 4-2 in favor of Houston on a Jones extra-base hit. Astros loaded 'em up again in the Bottom of the 3rd, and the White Sox's Dallas Keuchel left the game as the Houston fans gave the former Astros' pitcher a standing ovation as Matt Foster stepped in for CHW. D. Keuchel puts in only 2.2 innings of work. A bases loaded walk put the Astros up 6-2. No further damage by the Astros as the 3rd inning ended. Train No. 1 left the station as Carlos Correa hit a solo jack to put the Astros up 7-2. The White Sox's defense struggled again as the Astros put in another run to make it 8-2, Astros in the Bottom of the 5th. That final score would hold as the Astros won again and sweep the series.

The 2021 Houston Astros now are 43-28, and now atop the AL West after some losing recently by the Oakland Athletics. Six straight wins for the Astros on a PERFECT home stand (6-0)! According to Yahoo! Sports, we are 1st in batting average (.274) and runs (399), and we are 9th in ERA (3.66 ERA), and WHIP (1.18).

Up next for the Houston Astros Baseball Club... on the road. We got a three-game set at the team with the current worst record in the AL- the Baltimore Orioles. Our road trip consists of three games at the Baltimore Orioles, followed by a four-game weekend series at the Detroit Tigers.


Congratulations to all recent series winners and all of Sunday's winners!
 
Another sweep! Only the Reds were on the losing end of it this time in their 4 game set in San Diego. 😖 I can't say I'm entirely surprised. Cincinnati has always been terrible on the west coast, even back in the Big Red Machine days according to my dad. Aside from game 4, the bullpen was back to being...well, the 2021 Reds' bullpen. Not good.

Game 1 was interesting. Miley had a no hitter going through 5.2 innings. That, as well as the shutout, ended with one pitch to Fernando Tatis Jr. who blasted a solo home run in the 6th. Machado smacked his own to put the Padres up 2-0 after 7. Things then got wild in the 9th where the Redlegs put up a 4 spot, all with 2 outs, after some timely and impressive hitting. The rookies had great at-bats, with Stephenson fighting off pitch after pitch until tying the game with a single and India hitting a 2 run bomb to put the Reds ahead by 2. Unfortunately the relievers couldn't get the job done. Hendrix came in and immediately walked the leadoff man. Hosmer proceeded to tie the game on another San Diego long ball. The struggling Garrett then entered the game, promptly giving up a hit, and finally, the game winning 4th homer for the Padres. I went from being ecstatic to so, so disappointed in the matter of minutes.

I didn't see game 2. Evidently the Redlegs got pummeled for 8 runs.

Game 3 saw Votto and manager David Bell get tossed with a whopping 1 out in the game. Votto didn't like the 3rd base ump ringing him up on a check swing and made his displeasure known. BUT it wasn't until the home plate ump said something that Votto lost it and got ejected. Bell, who has a knack for getting thrown out himself (I do like how he stands up for his players), made an early exit during the altercation as well. As for the rest of the game, it was tied at 5 apiece when, you guessed it, the bullpen gave up their obligatory home run. Ha-Seoing Kim, filling in for Tatis who was injured earlier in the game, hit a mammoth 2 run shot in the 8th. Cincy could not counter.

I didn't see game 4 but did hear some of it on the radio. San Diego put 3 on the board in the 3rd, and the Reds did not respond until the 8th with a couple runs themselves. It could have been so much more if not for an inning ending double play with the bases loaded in the 7th. Actually that was a common theme to the series: missed opportunities. I think it happened twice in game 3 where they had men on 1st and 3rd with no outs and failed to score.

Game 1: 6-4 Padres
Game 2: 8-2 Padres
Game 3: 7-5 Padres
Game 4: 3-2 Padres

Cincinnati went from being 4 games over .500 back to even for the year at 35-35. Dropped to 4th in the NL Central, 4 games behind Chicago and Milwaukee and 1 behind St. Louis. The Reds head to Minnesota to take on a poor Twins team for 2 games before an off day Wednesday.
 
Apologies for the double post, but it didn't take Jomboy long to do his breakdown of the game 3 ejections. 😂
 
Jacob deGrom continues to be superhuman. Yesterday he "only" pitched 5 innings in the first game of a doubleheader vs. Atlanta, but he struck out 6 in 5 innings, allowed 1 hit (which should have been caught) and walked 2. Through 72 IP, he has registered a 0.50 ERA and a 0.51 WHIP, both numbers are on pace for records for pitchers.
 
The Houston Astros begun another tour of awesome by going on a two-city, seven game trip. The road trip begins with a three-game stop at the Baltimore Orioles. Astros and O's. Let's get it!

HOU at BAL (3-game series)

GM1: (10-2; Houston)
GM2: (3-1; Houston)
GM3: (13-0; Houston)

[GAME 1] Because of strong thunderstorms, I wasn't able to see this game from the start. Coincidentally, there was a rain delay in Baltimore for this game. The game did eventually get underway. When I first checked into this game, it was about the 4th or 5th inning with the Astros up 5-0. Another rain delay later, and the Astros would be up 7-0 when play resumed, top of the 8th. Make it 10-0 later in favor of Houston in the Top of the 8th. The Astros had a combined no-hitter going into the 8th, but it was broken up on a late two-run jack by the O's. Shutout over, no-hitter over (there was a hit-by-pitch), and now it's 10-2 Astros. That final score would hold.

[GAME 2] No worries of bad weather for Game 2. There was a home run that just went over the wall that was originally called a double. So it was 1-0 early for the Astros. Baltimore had something to cheer about when the O's brought in a run on an RBI. 1-1 in B-More after three innings. Scoring wouldn't happen again until the Top of the 7th as the O's couldn't catch a ball blasted to right. That RBI double gave the Astros a 2-1 lead. The Orioles have a team ERA somewhere around 5.67 ERA. Ouch. A sacrifice fly to deep left by the Astros made it 3-1 in favor of Houston in the Top of the 8th. The final score of Game 2 was 3-1, Astros.

[GAME 3] Game 3 saw the Astros bolt out to an early 3-0 lead in the Top of the 1st. An extra run happened after two innings to make it 4-0 Astros. Jose Altuve has been the Little Giant, and he came up big again with a two-run jack in the Top of the 4th to make it 6-0. The Astros added another run to make it 7-0 on an RBI in the Top of the 6th. Yordan Alvarez dropped the bomb in B-More for an 8-0 Astros lead in the Top of the 7th. Abraham Toro did Yordan better in the same inning- a three-run blast to make it 11-0, Astros. Chas McCormick put in a solo homer of his own in the Top of the 8th to make it 12-0, Astros. Another RBI gets across Home plate for the Astros. So now it's 13-0 in the Top of the 8th. No further damage did, as the game ends 13-0, Astros.

The 2021 Houston Astros are now 45-28 and still lead the AL West ahead of (45-30) Oakland. We have won 10 straight. Uh... we're done smacking up the Baltimore Orioles. So what's next?

Up next for the Astros... we are going to MoTown for a four-game set. Last time, the Detroit Tigers swept us in Houston. Let's see how things go in MoTown this weekend. H-Town. MoTown. Let's play ball!


Congratulations to all of today's winners and all recent series winners!
 
The Houston Astros paid a visit to MoTown for a four-game weekend series. After sweeping Baltimore at Baltimore, the Astros seek revenge after getting swept by Detroit earlier this season. Let's see how this one goes...

HOU at DET (4-game series)
GM1: (12-3; Houston)
GM2: (3-1, 7 innings; Detroit)
GM3: (3-2; 7 innings; Houston)
GM4: (2-1, 10 innings; Detroit)

[GAME 1] The bases were loaded in the 2nd inning for the Astros, and they managed to get in two runs to make it 2-0 early. Next inning saw an Astro cross home plate to make it 3-0, Astros. A bases loaded walk made the Astros lead 4-0 in the 3rd. MoTown got on the board with an RBI double to make it 4-1, Astros in the Bottom of the 3rd. RBI's by the Astros made it 6-1 in the Top of the 4th. A high ball landed just right for the Astros to bring another run home on bases-loaded with two outs in the Top of the 5th. It was later 8-1, Astros at the middle of the 5th. Michael Brantley prevented Detroit from getting a two-run homer with a sweet catch. The game later was 8-2 as the Tigers got in a run. Multiple times, the Astros have loaded the bases in this game. But finally in the Top of the 9th, Yordan Alvarez hit a Grand Slam to make it 12-2. Detroit drove in one run in the Bottom of the 9th to make it 12-3, but that was all they could do as the Astros won Game 1.

[GAME 2] Game 2 was postponed because of weather. There will be a doubleheader on Saturday. I didn't follow this game much, because I was out with my mother. The winning streak ended with a 3-1 win for Detroit. It was Zack Short on the Tigers who was the hero in Game 1 of the Doubleheader.

[GAME 3] In the Doubleheader on Saturday, the Detroit Tigers went up 1-0 and then 2-0. Yordan Alvarez and Carlos Correa, though, wanted to change that- and did THEY! "Air Yordan" banged a two-run jack, followed by a solo dinger by Carlos Correa. The back-to-back jacks put the Astros up for good in the back end of this Doubleheader.

[GAME 4] On the line for the Astros is either a series win or a split. Detroit won the season series by virtue of the sweep in Houston followed by the Game 2 victory. With bases loaded in the Top of the 4th, a sacrifice fly got Jose Altuve to run home to make it 1-0, Astros. In the Bottom of the 7th, the Detroit Tigers finally drew level with an RBI single to make it a 1-1 tie. In extra innings, the Detroit Tigers bunted to take the 2-1 victory. So the Tigers prevent a series loss and go for a split. If the Astros had won this series, it would have been their ninth-straight series won (which would have tied a franchise record). Instead, they'll have to settle for a split.

The 2021 Houston Astros are now 48-30 on the season, still leading the AL West.

Up next for the Houston Astros' Baseball Club... we're back home to host the Baltimore Orioles starting tomorrow night. That's right- no rest for the weary. We'll see what the Astros can do at home against the O's.


Congratulations to all Sunday winners and recent series winners!
 
The ending to the Tigers game today was pretty impressive. That suicide squeeze was not something I'd expect to see from Detroit.
 
It's back home for the Houston Astros now. Opposing the Astros at home are the Baltimore Orioles, who we swept in our last road trip. So how did this revenge series go? Well, let's find out. Here's my series summary:

BAL at HOU (3-game series)
GM1: (9-7; Baltimore)
GM2: (13-3; Baltimore)
GM3: (5-2; Baltimore)

[GAME 1] I seldom followed this game. When I checked in from an XFINITY sports app, I noted the Orioles were ahead 3-2 starting around the 3rd inning. The O's would add another run to make it 4-2. The Astros would tie the game 4-4 in the 7th inning on two bases loaded walks. Since then, the O's compounded the Astros' misery. After the Astros gave up some homers and more runs batted in in the 9th inning, I stopped watching the game. The Astros did try to rally to score runs, but it was too late. Damage done. It's back-to-back fails now as the Astros lost 9-7.

[GAME 2] Second pitch of Game 2, Jose Urquidy is taken deep by a solo bomb by Cedric Mullins. Oh, boy. A balk by the O's sent Carlos Correa to 3rd in the Bottom of the 2nd. The Astros would cash in on a sacrifice fly to tie the game at 1. Maybe us sweeping Baltimore in Baltimore motivated the Orioles because they've been nothing but vengeful. You'd hate to be a talented team to lose to the team with the worst record in your League. Sadly, that was the case as the O's routed the Astros 13-3 in Game 2. It is basically reality keeping up with the Astros- this is a stretch of 20 straight days of games before the next day off. So the Astros must be relatively tired at this point. Oh, well... time to avoid getting swept in revenge...

[GAME 3] The first inning saw the Orioles further motivated, lighting up Luis Garcia getting an early 4-0 lead for the O's. It took the Astros four innings to finally light up their side of the scoreboard. An RBI by Yordan Alvarez put the Astros up 4-1. They'd end the fourth inning down 4-2. A solo jack by the O's made it 5-2, Orioles. That would be the final score. So we sweep the O's in their house, then the O's sweep us in our house. Damned shame. But... that's baseball.

The 2021 Houston Astros are now 48-33 on the season, still leading the AL West. Maybe reality right now is catching up with the Astros. Stuck on 48 wins after getting a series split in Detroit.

Up next for the Houston Astros' Baseball Club... back out on the road and back to the Midwest. This time, the Astros will try to entertain the Cleveland team for a four-game set. I'm saying "The Cleveland Team" as they are ditching the "Indians" namesake. Anyhow- Astros and Cleveland at Progressive Field starting on Thursday.


Congratulations to all Sunday winners and recent series winners!
 
I went to a Reds game for the first time in 4? years. I hadn't planned to be there, but my dad called me in the middle of the workday. Someone he knew had treated him to some tickets at a nice part of the outfield where there was free food and drinks. The status of the game was in doubt, as it absolutely poured on the way to the ballpark. After a slight delay, the game began. The weather was nice by first pitch as evidenced in the picture taken in the top of the 1st. All Star baller Winker was chilling looking down at his feet for some reason.
Reds.jpg


And it started well. A walk by India, single by Winker and a long ball by his partner in crime, Castellanos made it 3-0 before an out was even recorded. Votto doubled and eventually made his way home on a sac fly. Then it started to slowly go downhill. San Diego hit 3 solo shots to make it 4-3. The Reds responded with a mammoth shot by Votto, his 1,000th career RBI. Gutierrez ran into trouble in the 5th inning, allowing back to back singles and a walk to leave the bases loaded. Then at only 60something pitches, Bell inexplicably pulled him. If you're unaware, Cincy's bullpen sucks. The reliever promptly gave up a grand salami to a batter who was hitting .143. The game had gone just long enough for Reds to now be losing when it started raining cats and dogs. I took some short video, but I'm too lazy to figure out how to post it here. Suffice it to say, the game was stopped. We left when the rain eventually started to taper, probably a good 45 minutes after it began. The game never started back up, and the Padres prevailed 7-4. The Reds are back under .500 at 39-40.
 
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Man. I heard the Atlanta Braves absolutely annihilated Blitz24's New York Mets last night in Atlanta, winning 20-2.


Here is a quick Standings Update. Find your favorite team(s):

--- AMERICAN LEAGUE (as of July 1, 2021) ---
AL EAST: Boston (50-31), TB (47-34), TOR (41-37), NYY (41-39), BAL (27-54)
AL CENTRAL: Chicago White Sox (47-32), CLE (42-35), DET (36-45), MIN (33-45), KC (33-46)
AL WEST: Houston (48-33), OAK (48-34), SEA (42-39), LAA (39-41), TEX (31-49)

--- NATIONAL LEAGUE (as of July 1, 2021) ---
NL EAST: New York Mets (41-35), WAS (40-38), ATL (38-41), PHI (37-41), MIA (34-45)
NL CENTRAL: Milwaukee (48-33), CHC (42-39), STL (40-41), CIN (39-49), PIT (29-50)
NL WEST: San Francisco (50-29), LAD (49-31), SD (49-33), COL (34-47), ARI (22-60)


I don't have any extra observations or Wild Card teams to report. This was just a quick Standings Update. The All-Star Break begins around July 12 through July 15.


Enjoy some MLB baseball!
 

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