Astros Crawfish Boil: September 25, 2015

Astros News:

Houston Astros seek road wins in final weeks | MLB.com
Even if the Astros sweep the Rangers this weekend at Minute Maid Park, they're still going to have work to do on the road to win the American League West. The Astros led the division by four games to start the month, but a 7-14 free fall in September has given the Rangers control.

Jim Crane: ‘A big disappointment’ if Astros don’t make playoffs - Ultimate Astros
Although clearly proud of the progress his club has made, Astros owner Jim Crane isn’t ready to claim the last laugh on those who snickered earlier this year when he proclaimed that he expected a playoff run.

Quinton McCracken impresses Red Sox in interview, but doesn’t land Boston’s GM job - Ultimate Astros
Red Sox president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski did not hire Astros farm director Quinton McCracken to be his general manager and went with an in-house choice, Mike Hazen, who was elevated from assistant GM.

Astros County: Your Neighborhood Astros Blog & Grill
On August 27 the Astros were coming off a series in which they took two of three from the Yankees in New York, including a 15-1 win where Carlos Gomez finally remembered how to hit the ball. FanGraphs' simulations gave the Astros a 97% chance of making the postseason. As of this morning, that number is down to 68.5% (have you ever felt so terrible about being projected to make the postseason two out of three times?)

Yogi-isms Help Explain The Astros Plight " CBS Houston
It has been a rough stretch for the Astros on and off the field. On Wednesday the team dropped a 6-5 matinee to the Angels and another series, two games to one. Earlier in the day the baseball world heard of the passing of Yogi Berra, who had coached for the team for four seasons in the 80’s.

MLB News:

Royals clinch AL Central with win vs Mariners | MLB.com
The Royals became the first Major League team to clinch a division title this season on Thursday as they rallied past the Mariners, 10-4, after Lorenzo Cain's two-run single in the sixth inning ignited a late-game rally and Johnny Cueto turned in seven strong innings of three-run ball.

Red Sox promote Mike Hazen to general manager | SI.com
Hazen is in his 10th season in Boston’s front office and his 15th working in Major League Baseball. He also worked as the Red Sox’s vice president/assistant general manager from 2012–2014 after he was named vice president of player development and amateur scouting in 2011.

The Royals Are Basically the Best Contact Team Ever | FanGraphs Baseball
Several months ago, also at JABO, I observed that the Royals were barely ever striking out. They were on a potentially historic pace, and it was definitely something to stay aware of. To be honest, I at some point stopped being aware of it, but then I noticed again. The season’s about over, now. The Royals are thinking about the playoffs. They’ll be taking with them one hell of a group of contact hitters.

If you build it, they will come: The Blue Jays' huge attendance boost - Beyond the Box Score
Since the trade deadline the Toronto Blue Jays have been playing really good baseball. Attendance at home games has increased along with the team's strong play. Here we examine where this attendance increase ranks historically.

Here are 8 great stats about No. 8, Yogi Berra.
Endless stories of Yogi Berra's kindness and humility began to circulate as news of his passing spread. While much of the conversation has been geared toward his character, it's also worth remembering that Berra was one of the greatest players of all-time.

I'd like to nominate this for Carlos Correa's walkup song

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