Astros Crawfish Boil: August 13, 2015

Astros news:

Brad Peacock has back surgery - Ultimate Astros
"We expect him to be fully recuperated and ready for spring training," Astros general manager Jeff Luhnow said.

Astros-Dodgers to be televised on TBS - Ultimate Astros
TBS will carry the Sunday, Aug. 23, Dodgers-Astros game from Minute Maid Park, marking the first Astros appearance in the eight-year history of the Sunday afternoon package from Turner Sports.

Astros’ Jose Altuve tries to make up for lost opportunities on bases - Ultimate Astros
"He often times tries to make up for lost opportunities," Hinch said. "When we go through some of these ruts, I’d have to look at the timing of some of these outs on the bases, it feels like a lot of them, they’re in the middle of some of these offensive ruts that we have and we try to overemphasize getting to the next base.

Astros Minors: J.D. Davis Explodes for Lancaster JetHawks
J.D. Davis Explodes for Lancaster JetHawks and hits home runs in six straight games in this Astros minors report.

Astros County: The Unbearable Lightness of Being an Astros Fan
I honestly have no idea what to make of this. But I do know that the playoffs are not guaranteed. I refuse to write off 2015 because it was unexpected. The idea that the Astros *could* (or, could not) miss the postseason because they can't win close games on the road infuriates me, and I refuse to be comforted because of a Sports Illustrated cover.

MLB news:

Hisashi Iwakuma Throws First AL No-Hitter in 3 Years - Sports Illustrated
Hisashi Iwakuma has become the second Japanese-born pitcher in major league history to throw a no-hitter, leading the Seattle Mariners to a 3-0 victory over the Baltimore Orioles on Wednesday.

Doug Melvin is leaving as general manager of Milwaukee Brewers
Doug Melvin is leaving his job as general manager of the Milwaukee Brewers, who are in last place in the NL Central and entering a rebuilding phase.

Boston Red Sox hire former Los Angles Angels GM Jerry Dipoto as consultant
The Boston Red Sox have hired former Los Angeles Angels general manager Jerry Dipoto as a consultant to help in player evaluation and offseason planning, the Red Sox confirmed Wednesday.

Cards, Mets rotations in historically good company.
There's little question MLB has transitioned into a pitching-dominated era, with some starting staffs -- including the Cardinals and Mets -- having historically good seasons. But how do they stack up against the best rotations of the past 30 years?

Prospect Purgatory: How Seattle’s Inability to Develop Talent Doomed a Once-Promising Season "
The Mariners now are essentially the polar opposite of a club like the Cardinals. While years of successful player evaluation and development have snowballed into incredible organizational depth and perennial success in St. Louis, the mounting impact of prospect whiffs has left the M’s with a Swiss-cheese collection of position players

For your listening pleasure:

I've been on a 60s/70s proto-heavy metal kick as of late and more specifically I've been delving deeper into bands that seem to be only remembered for one song. "All Right Now" is the only song by Free that gets any play on classic rock stations nowadays. It's a great song and it never fails to put me in a good mood. But dig deeper and you'll find a band that, much like Led Zeppelin would do a year later, hit their stride immediately, making some of the dirtiest, heaviest, blues-rock of that era. This song in particular is an Albert King cover, which would likewise be covered by Led Zeppelin on their debut album a year later.
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