MLB The Show: Steelerfan's Houston Astros Franchise

[steelerfan]

Houston Astros (39-29) vs Seattle Mariners (30-37)
June 19-21, 2015
Safeco Field - Seattle, Washington

Probable Starters:

Game One - Friday 7:10 PM
Alex White (6-4, 4.24) vs Taijuan Walker (4-5, 3.48)

Game Two - Saturday 7:10 PM
Asher Wojciechowski (2-2, 7.11) vs Erasmo Ramirez (2-5, 4.93)

Game Three - Sunday 1:10 PM
Jarred Cosart (7-2, 3.18) vs Adrian Laker (3-4, 2.92)

[steelerfan]

The Astros trip to Seattle was an utter disaster. After playing 26 innings in two days in Denver, the last thing Houston needed was more extra innings and that's just what they got as game one was a 15 inning marathon.

After Houston took a 5-2 lead into the bottom of the 15th, reliever Jason Motte allowed 4 runs (only 1 earned) and the Astros fell, 6-5.

In game 2, a 7-run 6th inning by the Mariners erased a 5-0 Houston lead, with Luis Cruz being tagged with the L, and Seattle won 7-5.

The Astros dropped game 3, 2-0, were swept for the first time this season and were shutout for just the second time in 2015.

Ace Jarred Cosart took the loss to drop to 7-3 despite allowing just one run on 3 hits in 6 innings. Cosart did, however, walk 8 batters.

The Astros have lost 4 straight and 6 of 8.

HOU 5-12-1 F/15
SEA 6-12-0

HOU 5-12-1
SEA 7-8-1

HOU 0-3-0
SEA 2-5-0

The Astros, and their exhausted bullpen, will close their 8-game road trip in Anaheim with 3 games with the Angels beginning Monday night.

AL West Standings through Sunday, June 21, 2015

Rangers 42-28
Astros 39-32
Athletics 38-34
Angels 35-35
Mariners 33-38

[steelerfan]

Houston Astros (39-32) vs Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim (35-35)
June 22-24, 2015
Angel Stadium of Anaheim - Anaheim, California

Probable Starters:

Game One - Monday 7:05 PM
Brett Oberholtzer (4-5, 5.04) vs CJ Wilson (6-4, 2.38)

Game Two - Tuesday 7:05 PM
Jeff Locke (5-4, 3.95) vs Tyler Skaggs (6-4, 3.33)

Game Three - Wednesday 12:35 PM
Alex White (6-4, 4.09) vs Garrett Richards (4-5, 3.79)

[steelerfan]

Following a fifth consecutive loss, with Monday's 7-5 loss in Anaheim to the Angels being the latest, the Houston Astros announced that they made several roster moves.

First, the club Optioned reliever Jason Motte to AAA Fresno. Motte was Houston's big free agent signing over the winter and has been a huge disappointment. In 30.1 innings, Motte is 2-2 with an 8.90 ERA and he has allowed an astonishing 13 home runs to go with 23 strikeouts and 8 walks. Motte signed a 4-year deal worth more than 3.6 million dollars per year.

To replace Motte, the Astros called up reliever Josh D. Fields from Fresno. Fields has a 1.85 ERA in AAA with 27 Ks and 9 BBs in 24.1 innings. Fields pitched 3 scoreless innings for the Astros early in the season and was 1-2 with a 5.19 ERA for Houston in 2014.

Next, Houston purchased the contract of former top draft pick Delino De Shields from AAA Fresno and added him to the 40-man roster. De Shields was promptly promoted to Houston and the 22-year-old could make his Major League debut as soon as Tuesday. De Shields hit .262 with 3 home runs and 19 RBI with the Grizzlies.

To make room for De Shields, the Astros Optioned Alex Presley to Fresno. Presley was hitting just .207 with 5 homers and 27 runs batted in with the big club. In 2014, Presley hit .264 and is a .256 career hitter in just over 1500 at-bats.

[steelerfan]

The Astros managed to take 2 of 3 in Anaheim, after dropping game one for their fifth consecutive loss and making some changes to their big league roster.

In that opener Jose Altuve and Charlie Barbour reach had 3 hits and Robbie Grossman hit a 2-run home run but the Astros fell short, 7-5.

Brett Oberholtzer took the loss to fall to 4-6. The lefty pitched 5 innings and allowed 4 runs on 7 hits and 4 walks with 5 strikeouts.

Alex Presley and Jason Motte each appeared for Houston. Presley started in left field, going 0 for 4 with 3 strikeouts and Motte allowed a long ball in his only inning of work.

Houston squeezed out a much-needed win in game two, 3-2. Jeff Locke allowed just 2 runs on 6 hits in 6 innings but newly-recalled Josh Fields got the win, pitching 2 scoreless innings. Jesse Crain notched his 21st save.

Robbie Grossman drove in Carlos Correa after the shortstop tripled in the 5th inning of game 3, providing the contest's only run.

Three Astros pitchers combined for the 1-0 shutout. Alex White got the win, improving to 7-4, scattering 6 hits over 6.1 innings. Josh Fields impressed again going 1.2 scoreless innings. Fields has not allowed a run in his 6.2 innings this season with Houston. Jesse Crain closed the door for save number 22.

It should be noted that Delino De Shields started both games after being called up. De Shields went 0 for 5 at the plate, in 2 games.

HOU 5-12-1
LAA 7-14-2

HOU 3-10-1
LAA 2-9-0

HOU 1-3-0
LAA 0-6-0

The Astros return home on Thursday where they begin a 4-game series with the New York Yankees.

AL West Standings through Wednesday, June 24, 2015

Rangers 44-28
Astros 41-33
Athletics 38-36
Angels 36-37
Mariners 34-39

[steelerfan]

New York Yankees (27-45) vs Houston Astros (41-33)
June 25-28, 2015
Minute Maid Park - Houston, Texas

Probable Starters:

Game One - Thursday 7:10 PM
Ivan Nova (2-6, 3.27) vs Asher Wojciechowski (2-2, 7.27)

Game Two - Friday 7:10 PM
David Phelps (5-6, 2.58) vs Jarred Cosart (7-3, 3.08)

Game Three - Saturday 1:10 PM
Rafael Montero (2-9, 4.25) vs Brett Oberholtzer (4-6, 5.17)

Game Four - Sunday 1:10 PM
Masahiro Tanaka (4-6, 3.80) vs Jeff Locke (5-4, 3.89)

[steelerfan]

The Astros announced that they have claimed 26-year-old CF Jared Mitchell (62, C) off of waivers from the Chicago White Sox. To make room on the roster, Houston has released 25-year-old reliever Jhonathan Ramos (49, C) from Class-A Lancaster. If Ramos is unclaimed, Houston will be required to pay $37,500 to buy out his contact. Mitchell will be assigned to AA Corpus Christi.

[steelerfan]

After winning the first two of their 4 games at Minute Maid Park with the Yankees the Astros had to be thinking of doing better than a split with the Bronx Bombers. A spilt, however, is what the Astros settled for as New York took the last 2 games to even the series.

Domingo Santana hit a 3-run homer in the 7th inning in the first game to provide the offense in game one's 3-1 win.

Asher Wojciechowski went 7 innings and allowed just 1 run on 5 hits with a walk and 8 Ks for his 3rd win of the season and Jesse Crain pitched a perfect 9th for save number 23.

In game 2 Jose Altuve and George Springer each registered 3 hits, with Altuve and Robbie Grossman hitting home runs, as Houston prevailed 5-1.

Jarred Cosart went 6 innings and improved his record to 8-3 the Houston ace allowed just 1 run on 4 hits. Mike Foltynewicz recorded the final four outs for the Astros to earn his 2nd save.

Houston got solo homers from Jose Altuve and Carlos Correa in have three, but not much else went the Astros way as the Yankees were 9-2 winners.

Brett Oberholtzer took his 7th loss as the southpaw allowed 4 runs on 9 hits in 5 innings of work.

Jeff Locke was the loser in a 6-2 decision in the series finale. Locke have up 4 runs on 8 hits in 5 innings on the mound.

NYY 1-5-0
HOU 3-5-1

NYY 1-5-0
HOU 5-9-1

NYY 9-17-0
HOU 2-6-1

NYY 6-13-0
HOU 2-6-1

The Astros will host Kansas City in a 3-game series that behind on Monday. After the series, Houston will take Thursday off before playing 10 games away from home, leading up to the All Star Break.

AL West Standings through Sunday, June 28, 2015

Rangers 44-32
Astros 43-35
Athletics 39-39
Angels 38-38
Mariners 35-41

Astros Team Leaders

Batting Average (min 3.1 AB per team game played)
George Springer .280
Chris Carter .260

Wins
Jarred Cosart 8
Alex White 7
Jeff Locke 5
Brett Oberholtzer 4
3 tied with 3

[steelerfan]

Kansas City Royals (35-40) vs Houston Astros (43-35)
June 29 - July 1, 2015
Minute Maid Park - Houston, Texas

Probable Starters:

Game One - Monday 7:10 PM
James Shields (11-2, 1.86) vs Alex White (7-4, 3.80)

Game Two - Tuesday 7:10 PM
Jason Vargas (4-5, 3.95) vs Asher Wojciechowski (3-2, 6.26)

Game Three - Wednesday 1:10 PM
Tyler Thornburg (2-6, 5.14) vs Jarred Cosart (8-3, 2.99)

[steelerfan]

The Kansas City Royals claimed relief pitcher Jhonathan Ramos, 25, who was released earlier in the week by Houston.

Houston's Class-AA affiliate, the Corpus Christi Hooks, have won the Southern Division in the first half of the Texas League season with a record of 47-29.

Among the Hooks named to the Texas League South All-Star team are SP Thomas Shirley (4-1, 3.22), RP Vladimir Bradley (0-0, 2.43, 28 SV), 1B MP Cokinos (.279, 6 HR, 33 RBI), LF Marc Krauss (.287, 8 HR, 34 RBI), C Rene Garcia (.269, 1 HR, 20 RBI), 3B Matt Duffy (.251, 6 HR, 26 RBI) and LF Leo Heras (.250, 2 HR, 15 RBI).

[steelerfan]

The Astros struggles continued with Kansas City in town as the Royals took 2 of 3 from the home 9. The Astros have lost 4 of their last 5 to limp to a 44-37 record at the midseason point.

In the series opener the Astros were limited to 5 hits with George Springer's two-run homer in the bottom of the ninth being the bright spot.

Alex White had a decent outing but took his 5th loss after allowing 4 runs on 8 hits in 6 innings on the hill for Houston.

The Astros closed the month of June with a 5-2 win in game two. Adeiny Hechavarria went 3 for 3 with a run, a double and 2 RBI to lead the attack and Asher Wojciechowski had perhaps his best game of the season. The rookie hurler earned win number 4, going 7 innings and allowing 2 runs on 5 hits with a walk. Surprisingly, Wojciechowski did not strike out a single batter.

JP Howell struck out 3 of the 6 batters he faced in 2 perfect innings out of the bullpen to earn his first save.

The Astros were 17-13 in the month of June.

July opened with a 10-4 loss to the Royals in the series' rubber match. Jarred Cosart had a very rough outing in the finale. The Houston ace surrendered 6 runs on 7 hits and 3 walks with 6 strikeouts in just 4.1 innings. The loss dropped Cosart to 8-4.

KC 4-10-1
HOU 3-5-0

KC 2-5-0
HOU 5-12-0

KC 10-13-1
HOU 4-9-1

The Astros will take Thursday off and will begin a 10-game road trip on Friday in Boston. After 3 with the Red Sox, Houston will play 4 in Cleveland and then 3 in Tampa before the All-Star Break.

Note: Your Houston Astros Midseason Report will be published later today.

[steelerfan]

Major League Baseball Standings through July 2, 2015

American League

East
Blue Jays 49-32
Rays 47-34
Red Sox 39-42
Orioles 38-41
Yankees 30-49

Central
Indians 44-35
Royals 38-41
Tigers 37-43
White Sox 33-45
Twins 33-46

West
Rangers 47-33
Astros 44-37
Angels 40-39
Athletics 40-42
Mariners 38-41

National League

East
Nationals 52-27
Marlins 47-33
Braves 41-38
Mets 36-44
Phillies 34-47

Central
Reds 42-37
Cardinals 41-39
Pirates 39-39
Brewers 40-41
Cubs 27-54

West
Dodgers 46-34
Diamondbacks 43-37
Padres 41-40
Rockies 38-42
Giants 34-46

[steelerfan]

Major League Baseball Statistical Leaders through July 2, 2015

American League
Batting: Jose Bautista (TOR) .337
Doubles: Jose Reyes (TOR) 26
Triples: George Springer (HOU) 7
Home Runs: Jose Bautista (TOR) 24
RBI: Jose Bautista (TOR) 68
Runs: Jose Bautista (TOR) 52
Stolen Bases: Jacoby Ellsbury (OAK) 26
Bases on Balls: Mike Trout (ANA) 43
Slugging %: Jose Bautista (TOR) .650
OPS: Jose Bautista (TOR) 1.057

Note: Jose Bautista of Toronto had turned in Triple Crown and MVP numbers in the first half of the season. However, he was placed on the Disabled List on July 1st with a fractured forearm and will miss 4-8 weeks.

Wins: James Shields (KC) 12 (12-2)
Losses: Tanner Scheppers (TEX) 1 (8-1)
Saves: Casey Janssen (TOR) 30
ERA: Tanner Scheppers (TEX) 1.63
HR Allowed: Anibal Sanchez (DET), Tanner Scheppers (TEX) 4
Shutouts: James Shields (KC) 5
Strikeouts: Zack Greinke (TB) 121
Complete Games: James Shields (KC) 6
Innings Pitched: James Shields (KC) 124.1
Walks Allowed: Kevin Gausman (BAL) 16
WHIP: James Shields (KC) 0.95


National League
Batting: Miguel Montero (ARI) .348
Doubles: Daniel Murphy (NYM) 26
Triples: Everth Cabrera (SD) 6
Home Runs: Paul Goldschmidt (ARI) 20
RBI: Paul Goldschmidt (ARI) 62
Runs: Paul Goldschmidt (ARI) 63
Stolen Bases: Cameron Maybin (SD) 31
Bases on Balls: Anthony Rizzo (CHC) 48
Slugging %: Paul Goldschmidt (ARI) .604
OPS: Paul Goldschmidt (ARI) 1.003

Wins: Kyle Lohse (MIL) 11 (11-4)
Losses: Lance Lynn (STL) 1 (6-1)
Saves: Aroldis Chapman (CIN) 28
ERA: Kyle Lohse (MIL) 1.74
HR Allowed: Kyle Lohse (MIL) 3
Shutouts: David Price (LAD) 4
Strikeouts: Stephen Strasburg (WAS) 141
Complete Games: David Price (LAD), Brandon McCarthy (ARI), Matt Carpenter (STL), Kyle Lohse (MIL) 4
Innings Pitched: Kyle Lohse (MIL) 119.0
Walks Allowed: Kyle Lohse (MIL), Cliff Lee (PHI) 15
WHIP: Kyle Lohse (MIL) 0.94

[steelerfan]

Houston Astros Team Statistics (MLB Rank in Parenthesis)

Batting: .259 (11)
Runs: 362 (2)
Doubles: 141 (T7)
Triples: 18 (T9)
Home Runs: 88 (T7)
RBI: 351 (4)
Stolen Bases: 45 (9)
Stolen Base %: .592 (29)
Bases on Balls: 228 (23)
Strikeouts: 699 (27)
Slugging %: .418 (4)
On-Base %: .317 (18)
GIDP: 68 (30)

Assists: 785 (1)
Put Outs: 2196 (7)
Errors: 42 (T17)
Fielding %: .986 (17)

ERA: 4.12 (28)
Complete Games: 3 (T27)
Shutouts: 4 (T23)
Saves: 29 (2)
Blown Saves: 13 (T23)
HR Allowed: 96 (29)
Bases on Balls Allowed: 217 (4)
Strikeouts: 619 (T16)
Win %: .543 (8)

[steelerfan]

In 2014 the Astros were 42-39 at mid-season and wound up winning 83 games as they were 41-40 in the second half of the season. At the midway point of 2015, Houston sits at 44-37, 3.5 games back of the division-leading Texas Rangers and the Astros currently hold the AL's 2nd Wildcard spot. On pace for 88 wins, Houston Manager Bo Porter knows that any slip-up in the second half of 2015 could cost him his job. Club ownership is looking for an improvement on last year's 83-79 mark.

The biggest surprises of the season have come from a pair of 2014 draft picks. Charlie Barbour has provided a right-handed compliment to Jason Castro and Stanley Knott has been steady as the Designated Hitter and has spelled Chris Carter at first base. Jason Motte has been Houston's biggest disappointment. Motte joined the Astros during the offseason and signed a 4-year deal worth $14.53M. He was supposed to provide consistency to the middle of the club's bullpen. Instead, Motte posted an 8.90 ERA and allowed 13 home runs in 30.1 innings before being optioned to AAA Fresno where he has pitched 4 scoreless innings and has a win and a save.

Here are the key numbers for Astros hitters half way through 2015:

George Springer
294 AB, .282, 46 Runs, 22 Doubles, 7 Triples, 10 Home Runs, 43 RBI, 14 Steals, 22 BB, 72 K, .839 OPS, .994 F%

Chris Carter
288 AB, .253, 42 R, 11 2B, 15 HR, 43 RBI, 35 BB, 111 K, .786 OPS, .995 F%

Jose Altuve
247 AB, .255, 42 R, 9 2B, 1 3B, 8 HR, 20 RBI, 14 SB, 16 BB, 49 K, .701 OPS, .980 F%

Matt Dominguez
246 AB, .236, 21 R, 16 2B, 4 HR, 25 RBI, 19 BB, 67 K, .641 OPS, .972 F%

Dexter Fowler (on DL)
217 AB, .295, 28 R, 16 2B, 3 3B, 8 HR, 32 RBI, 5 SB, 20 BB, 46 K, .863 OPS, 1.000 F%

Robbie Grossman
215 AB, .237, 25 R, 13 2B, 5 HR, 24 RBI, 2 SB, 12 BB, 52 K, .649 OPS, .991 F%

Jason Castro
215 AB, .265, 25 R, 15 2B, 1 3B, 7 HR, 26 RBI, 1 SB, 19 BB, 49 K, .765 OPS, .992 F%

Stanley Knott
214 AB, .257, 20 R, 12 2B, 1 3B, 5 HR, 28 RBI, 20 BB, 48 K, .716 OPS, .985 F%

Carlos Correa
213 AB, .254, 28 R, 11 2B, 1 3B, 10 HR, 29 RBI, 1 SB, 22 BB, 58 K, .777 OPS, .974 F%

Marwin Gonzalez
118 AB, .297, 13 R, 5 2B, 1 3B, 2 HR, 18 RBI, 11 BB, 20 K, .763 OPS, .993 F%

Charlie Barbour
116 AB, .345, 23 R, 4 2B, 4 HR, 16 RBI, 2 SB, 6 BB, 28 K, .857 OPS, .993 F%

Adeiny Hechavarria
86 AB, .302, 11 R, 2 2B, 2 3B, 2 HR, 9 RBI, 6 BB, 19 K, .790 OPS, .977 F%

Domingo Santana
32 AB, .156, 5 R, 2 HR, 6 RBI, 1 SB, 3 BB, 13 K, .572 OPS, .967 F%

Delino DeShields
25 AB, .160, 2 R, 2 2B, 2 RBI, 7 K, .400 OPS, 1.000 F%

Astros hitters who are now with AAA Fresno:

Ronald Torreyes
27 AB, .259, 1 HR, 3 RBI
In Fresno: 189 AB, .312, 1 HR, 18 RBI

Alex Presley
222 AB, .207, 5 HR, 27 RBI
In Fresno: 39 AB, .333, 2 HR, 5 RBI


And, the pitchers:

Jarred Cosart
17 GP, 8-4, 3.36, 17 GS, 12 QS, 2 CG, 112.2 IP, 12 HR, 44 BB, 98 K, 1.23 WHIP

Alex White
17 GP, 7-5, 3.94, 16 GS, 8 QS, 93.2 IP, 7 HR, 26 BB, 67 K, 1.22 WHIP

Jeff Locke
16 GP, 5-5, 4.06, 15 GS, 10 QS, 1 CG, 1 SHO, 93.0 IP, 14 HR, 22 BB, 77 K, 1.26 WHIP

Brett Oberholtzer
16 GP, 4-7, 5.28, 16 GS, 7 QS, 90.1 IP, 13 HR, 30 BB, 87 K, 1.42 WHIP

Asher Wojciechowski
10 GP, 4-2, 5.81, 10 GS, 6 QS, 57.1 IP, 8 HR, 17 BB, 38 K, 1.40 WHIP

Mike Foltynewicz
33 GP, 1-2, 4.24, 1 GS, 2 SV, 4 HLD, 51.0 IP, 7 HR, 15 BB, 50 K, 1.41 WHIP

Luis Cruz
28 GP, 2-5, 5.67, 1 SV, 3 BSV, 4 HLD, 39.2 IP, 7 HR, 11 BB, 32 K, 1.71 WHIP

Brad Peacock (on DL)
7 GP, 3-1, 3.00, 6 GS, 5 QS, 1 HLD, 36.0 IP, 5 HR, 11 BB, 40 K, 1.08 WHIP

Darin Downs
30 GP, 1-1, 1.97, 2 BSV, 9 HLD, 32.0 IP, 3 HR, 8 BB, 31 K, 0.94 WHIP

Scott Atchison
32 GP, 3-0, 1.99, 2 SV, 3 BSV, 10 HLD, 31.2 IP, 2 HR, 9 BB, 25 K, 1.17 WHIP

Jesse Crain
33 GP, 1-3, 2.79, 23 SV, 3 BSV, 1 HLD, 29.0 IP, 4 HR, 8 BB, 24 K, 1.10 WHIP

JP Howell
28 GP, 2-0, 1.55, 1 SV, 3 BSV, 7 HLD, 29.0 IP, 1 HR, 8 BB, 20 K, 1.38 WHIP

Josh Fields
6 GP, 1-0, 0.87, 1 HLD, 10.1 IP, 0 HR, 2 BB, 9 K, 1.06 WHIP

Astros pitchers who are now with AAA Fresno:

Jason Motte
2-2, 8.90
in Fresno: 1-0, 0.00, 1 SV in 4.0 IP

[steelerfan]

The Astros lost a second consecutive series, dropping 2 of 3 to the Boston Red Sox at Fenway Park.

In the opener, Jose Altuve had 3 hits but the offense was relatively quiet aside from him. Brett Oberholtzer pitched well, allowing 2 runs on 5 hits in 6 innings, but was handed his 8th loss of the year.

Altuve, Stanley Knott and Chris Carter each homered for the Astros in game two as Houston punished Boston pitching for a 10-7 win.

Jeff Locke had a quality start and earned win number 6. The lefty went 6 innings and allowed 3 runs on 6 hits with 6 Ks and 2 walks.

In the finale Altuve homered again, along with Adeiny Hechavarria, but Houston floundered offensively and were only able to manage 3 base hits, allowing Boston to take the series.

Alex White had a decent outing as he allowed 3 runs on 6 hits with 7 strikeouts and 3 walks in 6 innings on the mound but he did not factor into the decision. The loss went to JP Howell who allowed a David Ortiz home run in the bottom of the 8th, breaking a 3-3 tie.

HOU 2-8-1
BOS 4-7-0

HOU 10-10-1
BOS 7-11-1

HOU 3-3-1
BOS 4-9-0

The Astros head to Cleveland next where they'll play four with the Indians beginning Monday.

AL West Standings through Sunday, July 5, 2014

Rangers 50-33
Astros 45-39
Athletics 42-43
Angels 40-42
Mariners 39-43

Astros Team Leaders

Doubles
Springer 23
Dominguez 16
Fowler 16
Castro 15

Quality Starts
Cosart 12
Locke 11
White 9
Oberholtzer 8

[steelerfan]

Houston Astros (45-39) vs Cleveland Indians (45-37)
July 6-9, 2015
Progressive Field - Cleveland, Ohio

Probable Starters:

Game One - Monday 7:05 PM
Asher Wojciechowski (4-2, 5.81) vs Zach McAllister (7-2, 3.39)

Game Two - Tuesday 7:05 PM
Jarred Cosart (8-4, 3.36) vs Danny Salazar (4-7, 3.47)

Game Three - Wednesday 7:05 PM
Brett Oberholtzer (4-8, 5.14) vs Jason Masterson (7-7, 3.29)

Game Four - Thursday 1:05 PM
Jeff Locke (6-5, 4.09) vs Josh Tomlin (6-2, 5.03)

[steelerfan]

In a wild series in Cleveland that featured 2 grand slams, an ejection, 2 complete-game shutouts and a game with 27 total hits, the Astros managed a split with the AL Central leaders.

In the opener the Astros bats were hot but rookie Asher Wojciechowski was hotter. Wojciechowski improved to 5-2 with a complete game shutout as he allowed just 3 hits, while walking 4 and punching out 9.

In game two, the Astros were on the receiving end of a complete game shutout from Cleveland's Danny Salazar.

Houston's pitching was atrocious, the defense was equally bad and ace Jarred Cosart had his second consecutive rough outing. Cosart allowed 7 runs on 5 hits in just 5 innings.

Mike Foltynewicz was tossed in the 8th inning after hitting 3 Indians batters, in apparent retribution for Jason Castro having been hit by Salazar.

Delino DeShields starred in game 3 as he delivered a pair on RBI doubles. It was George Springer, however, that plated the winner in the 10th inning as he and Charlie Barbour led off the inning with back-to-back doubles.

Brett Oberholtzer had another stellar night on the mound as he allowed just 2 runs on 5 hits with 8 strikeouts. The win, however, went to Scott Atchison (4-0) and Jesse Crain got his 24th save s he pitched a perfect 10th that included 2 punch outs.

Jeff Locke took the loss in the series finale, allowing 4 runs on 10 hits with 4 walks and just 3 strikeouts in 4 innings.

HOU 8-13-0
CLE 0-3-1

HOU 0-7-3
CLE 11-8-0

HOU 3-9-0
CLE 2-6-0

HOU 4-11-0
CLE 8-16-0

Houston will visit Tampa next where they will play their final 3 games before the All-Star Break.

AL West Standings through Thursday, July 9, 2015

Rangers 51-34
Astros 47-41
Angels 41-44
Athletics 42-46
Mariners 41-45

Astros Team Leaders

Runs
Altuve 50
Springer 47
Carter 43
Correa 30
Grossman 29

Complete Games
Cosart 2
Locke 1
Wojciechowski 1

[steelerfan]

Houston Astros (47-41) vs Tampa Bay Rays (50-38)
July 10-12, 2015
Tropicana Field - Tampa, Florida

Probable Starters:

Game One - Friday 7:10 PM
Alex White (7-5. 3.97) vs Alex Cobb (4-4, 4.32)

Game Two - Saturday 7:10 PM
Asher Wojciechowski (5-2, 5.02) vs Jeremy Hellickson (7-6, 4.66)

Game Three - Sunday 1:40 PM
Jarred Cosart (8-5, 3.75) vs Zack Greinke (10-2, 2.79)

[steelerfan]

A pair of players in the Astros organization have been named to the MLB All-Star Futures game squads.

Starting pitcher Omar Espinoza, 18, was the first overall pick in the 2014 draft and was recently promoted to AAA Fresno. Espinoza (69, A) has pitched 53.1 innings in AA Corpus Christi this season and has compiled a 4-3 record with an ERA of 3.21 with 58 K and 12 BB. He will represent the Astros as part of the USA squad.

Outfielder Teoscar Hernandez, 22, will play for the World team. Hernandez (60, B) has hit .275 with 2 home runs and 14 RBI in 109 AB in Corpus Christi.