BCEDAg said:

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The good guys won without Hader. Hats off to Abreu, Ort, Okert, King and De Los Santos for good clutch relief pitching. Sousa has been pretty reliable until tonight but hopefully he'll get it back together moving forward.

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Somebody is headed out, got like 4 more starters coming off the DL, beginning early next week

Dubin has to be a goner, just no bueno

linkdude said:

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HMMM...

"Right-hander Merrill Kelly, left-hander Patrick Corbin and relievers Danny Coulombe and Phil Maton are among their other potential free agents who could be subjected to the waiver process." https://t.co/DYnQLKjef6

— Adam Spolane (@AdamSpolane) August 17, 2025

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I took my 12-yo son to the game tonight. We got there way early to make sure we got the bobbles, then he watched the Orioles take BP from the Crawfords. Our seats were in the 400s, which was fine, but we went downstairs in the bottom 7th to get our picture with Wagner's HOF plaque. The plan was to then watch the last inning or so from the standing area, but we know how that went. Fortunately we met some nice folks near the gas pump (right by where Altuve's homer hit the wall) who let him squeeze in and share their space (I could see fine without being on the rail). He had a blast watching the last 5 innings from there and making some new friends.

Houston Astros
Through Aug. 16th
Record 69-54
39 games remaining (17 home, 22 away)
AL West division leader (+1.5 Seamen)
3rd AL seed (-3.5 Toronto, -3.0 Detroit)
7th best record in baseball

halfastros81 said:

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This 3-15 RISP has to stop. Lucky for us they were 0-14. Very lucky both pitches in De Los Santos 2 pitch inning were hit hard.

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honestly what is league average? I feel like people overreact to that kind of stuff on this thread. We may be low on this scale but I doubt it's totally off the reservation or anything.

ruxin98 said:

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halfastros81 said:

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This 3-15 RISP has to stop. Lucky for us they were 0-14. Very lucky both pitches in De Los Santos 2 pitch inning were hit hard.

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honestly what is league average? I feel like people overreact to that kind of stuff on this thread. We may be low on this scale but I doubt it's totally off the reservation or anything.

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Stros are 14th

https://www.teamrankings.com/mlb/stat/runners-left-in-scoring-position-per-game

1.5 up and rising.

BadAggie said:

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ruxin98 said:

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halfastros81 said:

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This 3-15 RISP has to stop. Lucky for us they were 0-14. Very lucky both pitches in De Los Santos 2 pitch inning were hit hard.

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honestly what is league average? I feel like people overreact to that kind of stuff on this thread. We may be low on this scale but I doubt it's totally off the reservation or anything.

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Stros are 14th

https://www.teamrankings.com/mlb/stat/runners-left-in-scoring-position-per-game

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so average. About what I figured. Thanks for tracking this down.

Espada has a philosophy that adds wear and tear and increases the likelihood of the leverage guys getting hurt.

Every outing is a crap shoot.
Multiple innings, high pitch counts, high stress pitches all increase the risk.

Espada treats 4 run games like save situations pitching Hader and Abreu instead of Sousa and Okert.

He pitches them 2 innings. He has them warm up in blowouts.

Espada injured Hader

AggiEE said:

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Espada has a philosophy that adds wear and tear and increases the likelihood of the leverage guys getting hurt.

Every outing is a crap shoot.
Multiple innings, high pitch counts, high stress pitches all increase the risk.

Espada treats 4 run games like save situations pitching Hader and Abreu instead of Sousa and Okert.

He pitches them 2 innings. He has them warm up in blowouts.

Espada injured Hader

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Yes having all of our starters hurt and having to bring up a bunch of AAAA pitchers and journeyman to piecemail together starts has nothing to do with it.

BadAggie said:

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Houston Astros
Through Aug. 16th
Record 69-54
39 games remaining (17 home, 22 away)
AL West division leader (+1.5 Seamen)
3rd AL seed (-3.5 Toronto, -3.0 Detroit)
7th best record in baseball

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Without Hader and Yordan I don't see us overtaking Detroit or Toronto (unless they hit a wal)

Just get the division title, and don't no-show the wild card series like we did last year

remember those tweets that said the Astros had an easy SoS remaining...

these 7 games with the Orioles (56-67) were supposed to be part of the easy

not so far

tjack16 said:

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BadAggie said:

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Houston Astros
Through Aug. 16th
Record 69-54
39 games remaining (17 home, 22 away)
AL West division leader (+1.5 Seamen)
3rd AL seed (-3.5 Toronto, -3.0 Detroit)
7th best record in baseball

---

Without Hader and Yordan I don't see us overtaking Detroit or Toronto (unless they hit a wal)

Just get the division title, and don't no-show the wild card series like we did last year

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We could be in the bye position as soon as Tuesday

AggiEE said:

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Espada has a philosophy that adds wear and tear and increases the likelihood of the leverage guys getting hurt.

Every outing is a crap shoot.
Multiple innings, high pitch counts, high stress pitches all increase the risk.

Espada treats 4 run games like save situations pitching Hader and Abreu instead of Sousa and Okert.

He pitches them 2 innings. He has them warm up in blowouts.

Espada injured Hader

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Hader has 48 appearances on the season. Only 6 were where the game was 4+ runs. He also had two appearances where the Astros were down (1 run one, 2 runs once, both instances he had several days rest). Of the six, I only see two where he wasn't coming off multiple days rest. Only 10 appearances on no rest.

Could the two inning appearance have contributed to the injury, absolutely, but Espada didn't hurt Hader. A game throwing the ball as hard as you can hurt Hader. This board would have gone ballistic had Hader been pulled after the short inning and the game got blown.

BadAggie said:

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Houston Astros
Through Aug. 16th
Record 69-54
39 games remaining (17 home, 22 away)
AL West division leader (+1.5 Seamen)
3rd AL seed (-3.5 Toronto, -3.0 Detroit)
7th best record in baseball

---

Magic number is 38 to clinch division

If we get Garcia France and Lance back in the next weeks that will be huge for the pen. Obvisouly some of them will have to go to the pen which will be a huge lift to the pen and not having to rely on some of the guys like Souza etc

astros4545 said:

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tjack16 said:

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BadAggie said:

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Houston Astros
Through Aug. 16th
Record 69-54
39 games remaining (17 home, 22 away)
AL West division leader (+1.5 Seamen)
3rd AL seed (-3.5 Toronto, -3.0 Detroit)
7th best record in baseball

---

Without Hader and Yordan I don't see us overtaking Detroit or Toronto (unless they hit a wal)

Just get the division title, and don't no-show the wild card series like we did last year

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We could be in the bye position as soon as Tuesday

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And we could just as easily be 2nd in the division by that point too. Just gotta win the division and let the rest take care of itself

We actually need to root for the rangerettes because they're playing Toronto. However, if they get swept today their season is just about over and we still have 6 games left with them. Would be nice if they start shutting down some of their guys and giving some younger dudes playing time.

Of course we seem to always play down to our competition so who the hell knows.

Orioles call up Samuel Basallo (top catching prospect) and get Colton Cowser off the injured list today.

Orioles Promote Samuel Basallo https://t.co/IDkEZgxadb pic.twitter.com/xrtE9tYsk8

— MLB Trade Rumors (@mlbtraderumors) August 17, 2025

AggiEE said:

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Espada has a philosophy that adds wear and tear and increases the likelihood of the leverage guys getting hurt.

Every outing is a crap shoot.
Multiple innings, high pitch counts, high stress pitches all increase the risk.

Espada treats 4 run games like save situations pitching Hader and Abreu instead of Sousa and Okert.

He pitches them 2 innings. He has them warm up in blowouts.

Espada injured Hader

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I'm trying to figure out how this got 5 stars.

Went to the game last night with one of my old A&M buddies who lost his dad a couple of months ago. Wagner was his favorite player and he wore the jersey. Was good to see him happy for a few hours. Compared to him, my last few months have been a party.

Remembered to wear my Cruz jersey after forgetting it against the Indians last month. The jersey is now a perfect 10-0. All hail the jersey.

Just read the entire the game thread and am relieved that I am not the only one dismayed by Espada's decision making or lack thereof. My observation last night was that he's like a kid playing a video game when it comes to late-game offensive strategy. All his choices seem to be "we're winning it right here" with no regards to the actual % of likelihood, traditional baseball wisdom, or what the defense is going to look like after you make all these moves.

Not sure if they showed this on TV, but in extras when Correa was the ghost runner, he and Jackson Holliday started really jawing at each other and Holliday took a couple of steps at Correa .Really bizarre.

The real highlight of the night was in the 11th when I said to my buddy, "I think Billy Wagner is throwing in the bullpen to pitch the 12th" and the woman in front of us overheard me, totally believed it, then told the same thing to her husband 3 minutes later as if it was a fact. He looked at her like she was insane and started a very detailed explanation of why that wasn't possible.

EDIT: After the game we got stuck in traffic near Toyota Center thanks to the end of the concert by the Swedish band Ghost. We thought for a few minutes the apocalypse was happening based on the number of people dressed in all black with their faces painted like they were out for your blood.

Here's a little taste of their quality of music.

aggielax48 said:

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AggiEE said:

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Espada has a philosophy that adds wear and tear and increases the likelihood of the leverage guys getting hurt.

Every outing is a crap shoot.
Multiple innings, high pitch counts, high stress pitches all increase the risk.

Espada treats 4 run games like save situations pitching Hader and Abreu instead of Sousa and Okert.

He pitches them 2 innings. He has them warm up in blowouts.

Espada injured Hader

---

Hader has 48 appearances on the season. Only 6 were where the game was 4+ runs. He also had two appearances where the Astros were down (1 run one, 2 runs once, both instances he had several days rest). Of the six, I only see two where he wasn't coming off multiple days rest. Only 10 appearances on no rest.

Could the two inning appearance have contributed to the injury, absolutely, but Espada didn't hurt Hader. A game throwing the ball as hard as you can hurt Hader. This board would have gone ballistic had Hader been pulled after the short inning and the game got blown.

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He got plenty of rest after his long appearances. That stretch he went 25-35 pitches 4 outings in a row he got at least 2 days between appearances. He was throwing 200 pitches or less per month with adequate rest in between appearances. He wasn't mismanaged or overused (by normal standards).

At the same time, there's a reason he limited himself in Milwaukee. You can choose to see that as soft or you can choose to see it as understanding your own body's limits. Good for him for going for more and testing his limits and I'm not mad about it. Especially considering what the standings look like. At this point though it would be irresponsible to not be more careful with him in the future and also to understand that he's not a 2-inning guy.

Same with McCullers, really. It's better to have a great pitcher on a limited basis than it is to add to our annual "discomfort" parade.

Ag_07 said:

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AggiEE said:

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Espada has a philosophy that adds wear and tear and increases the likelihood of the leverage guys getting hurt.

Every outing is a crap shoot.
Multiple innings, high pitch counts, high stress pitches all increase the risk.

Espada treats 4 run games like save situations pitching Hader and Abreu instead of Sousa and Okert.

He pitches them 2 innings. He has them warm up in blowouts.

Espada injured Hader

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I'm trying to figure out how this got 5 stars.

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If ripping Altuve every other AB for his approach at the plate gets stars, what hope does Espada have?

Seems we get down on 0-2 counts more than any other team in baseball. Must be a scouting report on which players to target the most.

Astros Bingo Update 8-17-25
Spreadsheet Link



The Rangers are ready to launch their 26-14 close to the season after a 14-2 loss took them to 61-63 last night. If you are one of the 7 people who picked them to miss the playoffs on your card, think are looking bright and sunny.


Bryan Abreu added 3 strikeouts to his count, is up to 81, and on pace for 111 now. His square is 100. Only 3 people picked it amazingly.



Mike Trout is up to 95 games played. Unless he gets hit by a bus, he's making 100. 5 people are about to get a square.


Career hit #2,360, HR #251 and stolen base #323 for Jose Altuve last night.



Mr. Upton pitched 7 innings of 2 hit, 0 run ball and the Giants lost 2-1 last night. He officially can't win 10 games this year which only affects one Bingo player. I mostly just wanted to post a Kate gif. It's been too long.

Shayboy3 said:

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Seems we get down on 0-2 counts more than any other team in baseball. Must be a scouting report on which players to target the most.

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Correa talked about how he brought back the idea to hit as a platoon with one strategy. Doesn't seem to be working out.

Peña is back in lineup pic.twitter.com/D0PgyxheUT

— Brian McTaggart (@brianmctaggart) August 17, 2025

Astros-Tigers probables

Mon: Spencer Arrighetti vs. Jack Flaherty
Tues: Hunter Brown vs. Tarik Skubal 🍿
Wed: Framber Valdez vs. Charlie Morton

— Chandler Rome (@Chandler_Rome) August 17, 2025

Ramos Urias and the Astros WALK OFF THE O'S! pic.twitter.com/OXPTuQGJGN

— Talkin’ Baseball (@TalkinBaseball_) August 17, 2025

Watching it again I'm surprised he didn't throw home. Easy out. That's a tough double play to turn against a baserunner with average speed

tjack16 said:

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Ramos Urias and the Astros WALK OFF THE O'S! pic.twitter.com/OXPTuQGJGN

— Talkin’ Baseball (@TalkinBaseball_) August 17, 2025

Watching it again I'm surprised he didn't throw home. Easy out. That's a tough double play to turn against a baserunner with average speed

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Easy out with the pitcher batting next. Mind numbingly stupid play.

Harry Dunne said:

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Ag_07 said:

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AggiEE said:

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Espada has a philosophy that adds wear and tear and increases the likelihood of the leverage guys getting hurt.

Every outing is a crap shoot.
Multiple innings, high pitch counts, high stress pitches all increase the risk.

Espada treats 4 run games like save situations pitching Hader and Abreu instead of Sousa and Okert.

He pitches them 2 innings. He has them warm up in blowouts.

Espada injured Hader

---

I'm trying to figure out how this got 5 stars.

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If ripping Altuve every other AB for his approach at the plate gets stars, what hope does Espada have?

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Which brings up something

Altuve is once again the favorite for Silver slugger yet again

His only competition seems to be Brandon Lowe, and it's actually really close stats wise

EastCoastAgNc said:

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Peña is back in lineup pic.twitter.com/D0PgyxheUT

— Brian McTaggart (@brianmctaggart) August 17, 2025

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You add Jake and Yordon int This lineup and it's pretty salty - we will have a shot as long as we do not fall behind the top spots. Get a pitcher or two back and we could cause some havoc