Astros Crawfish Boil: August 22, 2015

I'm sure Dallas was talking about kitty cats (NSFW)

Astros News:

Houston Astros 25-man roster prediction for August 31st
While the Houston Astros need to play better to warrant even. The playoff discussion, the truth is that despite the poor play recently, they are still in first place in the AL West. Things can change between now and the end of the regular season, but I wanted to take a stab at what this roster will look like on August 31, 2015. This day is the deadline for a player to be playoff eligible.

Good pitching finding Astros in second-half stretch - Ultimate Astros
The Astros could lose every game against every good, great and stellar pitcher they face from now until the end of the regular season, and it wouldn’t mean they’d automatically be KO’d by an ace in the playoffs.

Former Astro Kiké Hernandez on low Minute Maid Park attendance: ‘That’s pretty sad’ - Ultimate Astros
"Fifteen thousand people on a Wednesday or Thursday night, and they’re in first place? That’s pretty sad," Hernandez said. "We get 45,000 people every night."

Carlos Gomez expects to get hot for Astros | MLB.com
HOUSTON -- Outfielder Carlos Gomez doesn't need to be reminded he hasn't performed up to his level of expectations since coming to the Astros last month in a trade with the Brewers. Gomez entered Friday's game against the Dodgers hitting .188 with one homer and four RBIs in 18 games.

The Houston Astros Face a Challenge Against L.A. Dodgers' Aces
I will come out and say it, the Saturday and Sunday games could be ugly for the Houston Astros. The Astros are already struggling to score runs, especially last night when Chris Archer pitched a complete game shutout versus the Astros lineup. Most people would complain about losing games like this, but others will say, "look who pitched against them, he’s an ace." Yes, Archer is now considered an ace after his slow start to his career, but the Astros offense has been limited by other non-aces as well.

MLB news:

What are the biggest needs for these five fringe playoff contenders? | SI.com
In order for a newly-acquired player to be eligible for the postseason, he must be acquired by his new team by Aug. 31. That gives teams just ten more days to make an upgrade who can help them in the playoffs. With that in mind, here’s a look at the biggest needs of the five teams on the fringes of the playoff hunt, defined here as those with less than a 50% chance of making the playoffs but more than an 18% chance, per Baseball Prospectus’s playoff odds.

The Uneasy, Perfect Fit: The Six-Man Rotation & the Mets | FanGraphs Baseball
The Mets are about to get all six of their best starters healthy again, as Steven Matz just had his second rehab start yesterday in his return from a strained muscle in his side. It looks like they’ll return to the six-man rotation. They should. The circumstances on this particular team make the six-man rotation a perfect match.

MLB, players' union announce domestic violence policy
The agreement, announced jointly by the commissioner's office and the players' union, has been in the works since last year, following a series of domestic violence cases involving NFL players.

Fan hit by foul ball during Detroit Tigers' home game against Texas Rangers
After a female fan was hit by a foul ball during the eighth inning of Friday's game between the Tigers and Rangers, Justin Verlander called on MLB to extend the netting behind home plate.

Clayton Kershaw Chases Zack Greinke, Nerd History | FanGraphs Baseball
Chasing records is fun. Sometimes it’s meaningless and fun, like the famed Ryan Webb, Matt Albers games-finished-without-a-save streak. Some chases have limited meaning, but they’re fun, like Zack Greinke‘s pursuit of Orel Hershiser‘s consecutive scoreless innings streak. Other are meaningful, like the 2015 Cardinals pursuit of the best park-adjusted ERA since before World War I.

For your listening pleasure:

How does one beat the Dodgers? You fight fire with Fiers!
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