MLB The Show: Steelerfan's Houston Astros Franchise

[steelerfan]

Houston Astros (68-72) at Oakland Athletics (77-67)
September 5-7, 2014
O.co Coliseum - Oakland, CA

Probable Starters:

Game One - Friday 7:05 PM
Jarred Cosart (9-8, 4.04) vs Josh Lindblom (6-5, 4.17)

Game Two - Saturday 1:05 PM
Brad Peacock (5-5, 3.44) vs Sonny Gray (10-8, 2.92)

Game Three - Sunday 1:05 PM
Scott Feldman (9-7, 3.89) vs AJ Griffin (8-7, 3.69)

All games will be broadcast* on the official home of Houston Astros Baseball - www.twitch.tv/steelerfan1933 - check your local cable provider for times and stations.


*Major League Baseball Blackout Rules Apply

[steelerfan]

In a 9-4 loss in the opener with Oakland, Astros second baseman Jose Altuve returned to the lineup after being activated from the DL. However, rookie shortstop Carlos Correa suffered a shoulder pull in the 8th inning.

The Astros decided to place Correa on the 60-Day DL, ending his season. In 28 games, the 19-year-old had 98 at-bats, hitting .245 with 2 home runs and 7 RBI. In the field, Correa had 87 assists and 39 put outs; while his 2 errors resulted in a .984 fielding percentage.

By placing Correa on the 60-Day DL, the Astros opened a spot on the 40-man roster. To fill this spot, Houston purchased the contract of 22-year-old 2B/OF Tony Kemp from AAA Oklahoma City. Kemp has yet to debut in the Majors.

[jaymo76]

Looking forward to seeing what Kemp can do. Did you make a corresponding move at A & AA?

[steelerfan]

Looking forward to seeing what Kemp can do. Did you make a corresponding move at A & AA?

Don't have to. The reason the roster can expand to 40 is because the minor league seasons are done.

[jaymo76]

Don't have to. The reason the roster can expand to 40 is because the minor league seasons are done.

Ah right. Forgot you were already at that point. How did your farm teams end up doing this season? Any hardware for the Astros organization???

[steelerfan]

Ah right. Forgot you were already at that point. How did your farm teams end up doing this season? Any hardware for the Astros organization???

No. They finished at or below .500.

[steelerfan]

No. They finished at or below .500.

The exact numbers:

AAA Oklahoma City RedHawks 70-74
AA Corpus Christi Hooks 33-31

[steelerfan]

The Astros have run their streak of not winning a series to nine in a row as they lost 2 of 3 in Oakland.

HOU 4-9-1
OAK 9-10-0

HOU 5-12-0
OAK 2-6-0

HOU 1-5-0
OAK 2-7-0

Jason Castro fueled a 4-run ninth with a 3-run homer in Houston's only win, in Game Two.

The Astros will stay on the west coast for 3 in Seattle before returning to California to play 3 in LA against the Angels.

With the roster at 40, the Oakland series marked more season and MLB debuts for Houston players:

22-year-old utility man Tony Kemp appeared as a pinch runner twice and scored the tying run in the ninth in Houston's 5-2 Game 2 win. For Kemp, it was his Major League debut.

Catcher Max Stassi, 22, caught the eighth inning of the 9-4 Game One loss and grounded out in the top of the ninth. Stassi had 7 at-bats in 2013, making this his season debut.

Dallas Keuchel, 26, made his season debut, allowing just one hit in one inning on the hill.

Vincent Velasquez, 22, was brilliant in his MLB debut in Game 3. Velasquez struck out 3 and allowed just one hit in 3 innings of work.

26-year-old David Martinez made his season debut in Game 3. The 6'2" righty gave up a hit and struck one batter out in 2/3 of an inning.

There are three Astros who have yet to make an appearance this season:

25-year-old pitcher Asher Wojciechski will make his Major League debut in Seattle as he is scheduled to start Game One.

Additionally, 24-year-old reliever Jose Cisnero and 26-year-old starting pitcher Colin McHugh are still waiting to make their season debuts.

[steelerfan]

AL West Standings through September 7, 2014:

Rangers 79-64 --
Mariners 78-64 0.5
Athletics 74-68 4.5
Angels 74-69 5.0
Astros 69-74 10.0

[steelerfan]

Houston Astros (69-74) at Seattle Mariners (78-64)
September 8-10, 2014
SAFECO Field - Seattle, WA

Game One - Monday 7:10 PM
Asher Wojciechski (0-0, 0.00) vs Taijuan Walker (7-2, 2.86)

Game Two - Tuesday 7:10 PM
Jerome Williams (13-6, 3.04) vs Erasmo Ramirez (8-13, 4.35)

Game Three - Wednesday 7:10 PM
Jarred Cosart (9-9, 4.33) vs Chris Young (8-7, 3.39)

[steelerfan]

Big news coming out of Seattle following Houston's 2-1 win over the M's in Monday night's series opener.

First, the win gives Houston 70 (70-74) this season, a mark they haven't hit since going 76-86 in 2010.

Secondly, George Springer's 2-run homer to right in the 4th inning helped the rookie reclaim the team lead in home runs with 29. Chris Carter is sitting on 28.

Next, Jesse Crain pitched a perfect ninth inning to earn his 40th Save of 2014. Considering that Crain missed the first month-plus, and is playing for a struggling ballclub, it is quite an accomplishment.

Lastly, the biggest news of the night came from Asher Wojciechski. The 25-year-old made his Major League debut and dazzled in 7 innings of work. The 6'4", 235 lb. righty allowed just one run on three hits to go with one walk and 6 strikeouts. Wojciechski was dominant at times, including striking out the side in order in the 4th inning and recording 4 consecutive punch outs going back to the 3rd inning. Certainly a debut to remember.

[steelerfan]

After losing 8 of their last 9 series, and splitting the other, Houston did the unthinkable in Seattle. The Astros swept the Mariners who are in the thick of the race for both the AL West title and an AL wildcard spot.

HOU 2-5-1
SEA 1-3-0

HOU 9-11-1
SEA 1-9-0

HOU 6-13-1
SEA 4-6-0

Tony Kemp got his first Major League base hit in Game 2 and Max Stassi recorded his first hit of the season (2nd career hit).

The Astros also cleared the bench, as the remainder of the 40-man roster debuted.

Collin McHugh, 26, made his season debut, allowing a hit and a walk while recording a strike out in a scoreless inning.

Reliever Jose Cisnero, 24, also made his season debut. In one inning, Cisnero 3 hits and a run with one punch out.

Injuries to Jerome Williams (bruised hand) and Jarred Cosart (bruised shin) have Mark Appel and Vincent Velasquez penciled into the Houston rotation.

The Astros travel to LA next to play 3 with the Angels, before returning to Houston to host Cleveland and Seattle.

AL West Standings through September 11, 2014:

Rangers 80-67 --
Mariners 79-67 0.5
Athletics 77-70 3.0
Angels 76-70 3.5
Astros 72-74 7.5

[steelerfan]

Houston Astros (72-74) at Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim (76-70)
Angel Stadium of Anaheim - Anaheim, CA
September 12-14, 2014

Probable Starters:

Game One - Friday 7:05 PM
Scott Feldman (9-7, 3.87) vs CJ Wilson (7-12, 6.61)

Game Two - Saturday 6:05 PM
Brad Peacock (5-5, 3.42) vs Hector Santiago (11-11, 4.99)

Game Three - Sunday 12:35 PM
Asher Wojciechski (1-0, 1.29) vs Garrett Richards (8-12, 5.42)

[jaymo76]

Haven't seen a lot of your games lately but I need to try and catch that Angels series. Love games broadcast from Anaheim... beauty of a stadium! Are you going to play them today?

[steelerfan]

Haven't seen a lot of your games lately but I need to try and catch that Angels series. Love games broadcast from Anaheim... beauty of a stadium! Are you going to play them today?

I'm going to get one or trip in tonight, yeah. Not sure what time though.

I'm going to be busy for most of the next week to ten days, during the day. My broadcasts will probably be in the evening.

[JBHuskers]

At the top of the page "the official home for Astros Baseball" love it!

They've been demoted from TV to Twitch

[steelerfan]

At the top of the page "the official home for Astros Baseball" love it!

They've been demoted from TV to Twitch

[steelerfan]

The Astros completed an impressive 9-game road trip by taking 2 of 3 in Anaheim to win their second consecutive series and go 6-3 on the trip.

HOU 4-5-2
LAA 2-6-2

HOU 4-7-0 F/10
LAA 5-7-1

HOU 6-13-0
LAA 0-1-0

The Astros got more impressive outings from the September Bunch, giving first career starts to Tony Kemp and Max Stassi in game 3.

Kemp is 4-5 with an RBI and 3 runs, while Stassi has made the most of his chances going 3-6 with a pair of runs.

The real buzz is being created by starting pitcher Asher Wojciechski who was even more impressive in his second start. In Anaheim, Wojciechski pitched a complete game 1-hit shutout that included 7 Ks and just one walk, while facing the minimum.

In 2 outings for Houston, Woj is 2-0 with an ERA of 0.56. In 16 innings, he has struck out 13 and walked 2 while allowing just 4 hits (0.38 WHIP). His opponents are hitting just .080 which includes right handed batters going hitless to date.

Houston will begin their final home stand of 2014 on Monday night as they host Cleveland for 4 followed by 3 with Seattle.

[steelerfan]

Houston Astros (74-75) vs Cleveland Indians (83-66)
September 15-18, 2014
Minute Maid Park - Houston, TX

Probable Starters:

Game One - Monday 7:10 PM
Jerome Williams (13-6, 3.01) vs Carlos Carrasco (8-4, 2.86)

Game Two - Tuesday 7:10 PM
Jarred Cosart (9-9, 4.34) vs Justin Masterson (10-3, 2.25)

Game Three - Wednesday 7:10 PM
Scott Feldman (10-7, 3.78) vs Danny Salazar (9-4, 3.04)

Game Four - Thursday 7:10 PM
Brad Peacock (5-5, 3.47) vs Zach McAllister (7-11, 3.64)

[steelerfan]

Note: The Toronto Blue Jays (81-67) have clinched the American League Eastern Division title, becoming the first club in Major League Baseball to secure a 2014 Playoff spot.