Astros Crawfish Boil: May 17, 2023

Welcome to the midweek Crawfish Boil!

Dear reader, please forgive the late publication of this link-dump. I know you rely on it to talk amongst yourselves on a more-or-less daily basis. I’ll endeavor to minimize this sort of episode in the future.

Houston Astros News

Astros’ J.P. France was about to quit baseball. Then his girlfriend called (theathletic.com)

Has Houston Astros Catcher Maldonado Turned the Corner Offensively? (si.com)

Astros seek series sweep of Cubs as slumbering offense awakens (deadspin.com)

‘It is Everything’: Texans DeMeco Ryans Gets Advice from Astros Dusty Baker (si.com)

Astros insider: Chas McCormick’s leaping grab a defensive gem amid offensive outburst (houstonchronicle.com)

Here’s the domino effect we’ll be watching for from Astros offense (houston.sportsmap.com)

MLB App Glitch Pushes Notifications for Houston Astros Scores from 50 Years Ago (si.com)

Astros at season’s quarter-mark getting healthier, in the thick of AL West race (cw39.com)

AL West News

Why Rowland-Smith says Mariners need to ‘keep rolling’ with Brash (sports.mynorthwest.com)

Mariners reliever Justin Topa almost quit the game. Now he’s firing zeros nightly (theathletic.com)

26-16 - Rangers rebound for very usual 7-4 victory over Braves (lonestarball.com)

Texas Rangers Pitchers Primed for Rehab Stints Soon (si.com)

Shohei Ohtani’s Angels stint running short, so club attacks elephant in room (usatoday.com)

Angels’ Shohei Ohtani opens up about concerning upper-body injury after win over Orioles (clutchpoints.com)

Oakland A’s fans aren’t going down without a fight (ESPN.com)

Luis Medina starts as A’s look for series win against the Diamondbacks (athleticsnation.com)

MLB News

Brandon Williamson delivers stellar MLB debut, Cincinnati Reds top Rockies (Cincinnati.com)

Major League Baseball launches ‘MLB Together’ community assistance platform (usatoday.com)

MLB Star Power Index: Bryce Harper makes fashion statement, Fernando Tatis Jr. feels force of well-placed ad (cbssports.com)

Recent wave of MLB ‘cheating’ allegations against Rays and Yankees’ Aaron Judge misses a massive point (sports.yahoo.com)

Yankees’ Domingo German Ejected, Faces 10-Game MLB Suspension (si.com)

ESPN’s ‘Sunday Night Baseball’ Features Incredibly Cringeworthy In-Game Interview Moment (si.com)

Yankees’ Gleyber Torres Talks Aaron Judge, MLB Rule Changes, More in B/R AMA (bleacherreport.com)

Houston Astros Birthdays

Lefty hitting first baseman Carlos Peña (45) played 14 major league seasons. For most of the 2013 campaign, he did so with the Astros. He appeared in 85 games and hit .209/.324/.350, with eight homers and 25 RBI. Unlike the Jose Abréu acquisition, Peña only hit above .260 twice in his career, although we were expecting a little more power from him at the time.

Right-handed pitcher Jordan Jankowski (34) appeared in two games for the 2017 Astros, striking out five batters and allowing six runs in 4 ¹⁄₃ innings of work.