Astros Crawfish Boil: August 20, 2022

With game two of a three game set against the Atlanta Braves set for tonight, the Houston Astros may have to make a few callups.

In short order, the Astros lost a pair of outfielders in last night’s game. First, Yordan Alvarez took himself out of the game with two outs in the bottom of the fifth, then later had to go to the hospital due to shortness of breath. In the sixth inning, Mauricio Dubon was lifted after juuuust missing a highlight reel catch. Thankfully, X-rays came back negative. Jake Meyers came in for the last few innings of the ill-fated contest.

So Houston is likely going to have to test their position player depth. If Dubon and/or Alvarez are unavailable for any length of time, they’re going to have to make a few calls. Watch the transaction wire for possibly Niko Goodrum, Joe Perez, or Taylor Jones to make an appearance.

On top of the outfield shenanigans, LMJ wasn’t quite the ace that we had hoped for at this point (but he wasn’t facing the Oakland Athletics excuse for an offense either). Seven hits and three walks over his five innings for three runs for LMJ. The damage not quite offset by six strikeouts, then Phil Maton giving up another three-spot in his inning of work.

And yet....

Houston still has a sizable 10.5-game lead in the American League West Division over the Seattle Mariners, as well as a 3.5-game cushion for the top AL seed over the New York Yankees. Maybe don’t panic just yet? ijs

Astros News

• Yordan Alvarez was transported to the hospital after the game.
• A homegrown take on Houston’s depth.
• SI takes on the Will Smith “experiment.”
• Could Houston’s six-man rotation be the next evolution in baseball?
• Another SI story, focusing on Christian Vázquez.

MLB News

• Rebuilding a franchise: MLB’s three best and three worst. tl;dr — AZ, CIN, and PIT are doing it right, KC, OAK, and DET not so much.
• Yadier Molina plans to coach in Venezuela after retiring.
• Baseball’s 10 lowest payrolls. Baltimore is at the very bottom, at $42.4M.
• Ryan O’Hanlon’s idea on how to build a better boxscore....for soccer.
• Team USA’s roster is starting to come together for 2023.
• Last night, the Dodgers became the first team to clinch a winning record in 2022. As if they weren’t good enough already, right-handed fireballer Dustin May, on the road back from TJS, pitched an immaculate inning for Round Rock earlier this week.

Random Houston Astros Player

Juan Agosto

Photo by Focus on Sport/Getty Images

Juan Agosto is a six-foot-two, left-handed relief pitcher from Rio Piedras, PR. Born on February 23, 1958, Agosto was signed by the Boston Red Sox as a free agent in 1974. After spending four seasons in their minor league system, he was released after the 1978 season.

After sitting out 1979, the Chicago White Sox took a flyer on him. In six seasons at the major league level for the Pale Hose, Agosto posted an 8-8 record, a 3.87 ERA, and a 1.356 WHIP over 169 2/3 frames. Purchased by the Minnesota Twins in early 1986, Agosto accrued a 2.803 WHIP over 20 1/3 innings at the major league level. Resultantly, he spent most of the campaign at the Triple-A level with the Toledo Mud Hens, where he served as the team closer.

Agosto signed with the Astros as a free agent prior to 1987 Spring Training. After splitting that season between the Astros, where he put up a 2.63 ERA over 27 1/3 innings and their Triple-A club, the Tucson Toros, he spent the next three seasons as a mainstay in Houston’s bullpen. On August 20, he earned his first save with the Astros, pitching 1 2/3 perfect innings while racking up one strikeout.

In 1988, Agosto led the bullpen in wins and WHIP, going 10-2 with a 1.135. His 2.26 ERA, 75 games pitched, and 148 ERA+ led the pitching staff. While he ranked second in the National League in appearances. Although he only collected four saves through the campaign, his appearances were not without significant impact, with a leverage index of 1.32. His highest leveraged appearance in a victory was on August 21, when he entered in the 13th inning of an eventual 14-inning, 2-1 victory against the Pittsburgh Pirates. Agosto, who went to 9-0 for the season as a result of his performance, struck out two and allowed two singles, putting 15-of-19 pitches over the plate through two scoreless innings.

Agosto led the Astros with 71 appearances in 1989. He was 4-5 with a 2.93 ERA, a 1.361 WHIP, and 46 strikeouts in 83 innings. On June 3, in an eventual 5-4, 22 inning victory against the Los Angeles Dodgers, Agosto pitched four scoreless innings from the 12th through the 15th, striking out a pair and plating 70 percent of his pitches.

In 1990, Agosto led the majors with 82 appearances, going 9-8 with a 4.29 ERA and a 1.408 WHIP. On September 14, in collecting his third save of the season, Agosto allowed just one hit over the final three innings of a 2-1 victory against the San Francisco Giants. The Astros granted Agosto free agency following the season.

Agosto would go on to pitch the next two major league seasons between the St. Louis Cardinals and the Seattle Mariners. In 1993, after getting signed and released by the San Diego Padres, he signed once more with Houston on May 24. He appeared six times in relief and allowed four runs on eight hits.

Everyone remember this guy? The late-80s and early-90s were my formative baseball (and baseball card) years, and the Astros had a lot of players that stood out. Until next time, enjoy National Bacon Lovers Day!