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Check out the rest of the Crawfish Boxes here and listen to the latest version of Locked on Astros, our partnered podcast, here.
Astros News
- It’ll be Oakland versus the Astros in ALDS as division opponents collide (Astros.com)
- And the five-games-in-five-days series means the Astros will need to have a different pitching strategy from what we saw in Minnesota (Texas Sports Nation, $$$)
- Of course, it also means the A’s can’t just ride their bullpen to victory against the Astros the way they did against the White Sox (Sports Illustrated)
- Brian McTaggart and Martin Gallegos have put together an FAQ for Game 1 of the series (Astros.com)
- While Andrew Simon has constructed a position-by-position analysis of the two teams (Astros.com)
- Roberto Osuna is excited for his teammates even if he isn’t on the roster (FOX 26)
- The team confirmed yesterday that JV has undergone Tommy John surgery (Astros.com)
- Jeff Luhnow will break his silence on the cheating scandal in an upcoming podcast hosted by “Astroball” author Ben Reiter (Yahoo.com)
- A bus driver who transported the Tennessee Titans before they had their COVID-19 outbreak also drove the Astros this past week (Bleacher Report)
- The perfidy of the Astros’ hosiery history has finally been revealed (Uni Watch)
Around the League
- 3 more teams advanced yesterday with the Braves, A’s, and Dodgers all heading to their respective division series (MLB.com)
- For the A’s, it was the first time since 2006 that they weren’t bounced in the first round (ESPN)
- Fernando Tatis’ epic bat flip might have signaled a turning point for the Padres (MLB.com)
- Meanwhile, Clayton Kershaw looked like the beast he usually is during the regular season with 13 K’s in 8 shutout innings against the Brewers (MLB.com)
- Speaking of Milwaukee, Ryan Braun’s career might be over after ending a career-worst season with an oblique injury (MLB Trade Rumors)
- Manfred’s desire to keep a permanent expansion of the playoffs is about to go head to head with the MLBPA this offseason (The Athletic, $$$)
- In a move that is terrible for baseball as a national sport, MLB and the minor leagues have officially dissolved ties after failure to reach an agreement, though lines of communication are still open (Boston Globe)