The Crawfish Boxes - 2013 AL West Series: Astros vs. Athletics Astros baseball: we've got uniforms and everything.https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/community_logos/11437/crawfishboxes-fv.gif2013-05-27T00:26:13-05:00http://www.crawfishboxes.com/rss/stream/41278512013-05-27T00:26:13-05:002013-05-27T00:26:13-05:00Oakland completes the sweep
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<figcaption>Bob Levey</figcaption>
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<p>Dallas Keuchel got hit around and Jason Castro does work with the bat in another loss</p> <p>Another series with the A's, another disappointing outcome. This time, the A's finished off a three-game sweep of Houston by beating up on <span>Dallas Keuchel</span> and the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.crawfishboxes.com/">Astros</a> 6-2 in Sunday's matinee.</p>
<p>Keuchel did go six innings and did mostly Dallas Keuchel things. He gave up nine hits but only walked one while striking out four. Oh, and he gave up all six runs, though only four were earned. Those six runs led to one of the more depressing Win Probability Added graphs in a while:</p>
<p><iframe style="border:1px solid black;" width="450" height="450" scrolling="no" frameborder="0" src="http://www.fangraphs.com/graphframe.aspx?config=0&static=0&type=livewins&num=0&h=450&w=450&date=2013-05-26&team=Astros&dh=0"></iframe><br><span style="font-size:9pt;">Source: <a href="http://www.fangraphs.com/livewins.aspx?date=2013-05-26&team=Astros&dh=0&season=2013">FanGraphs</a></span></p>
<p>After the fourth inning, Houston had less than a 10 percent chance to win the game. Ugh. </p>
<p>A couple of bright spots, though, at the plate. <span>Jason Castro</span> was 4 for 4, raising his season batting average to .283. It was the first time since July 23, 2012 that an Astros player had four hits without an extra-base hit in the mix. That was <span>Chris Johnson</span>, who accomplished the feat four times since 2010.</p>
<p>Also kinda cool? Castro becomes the 100th Astro to go 4 for 4 in a game. That's just neat. He's the first Astro to go 4 for 4 in a game since Chris Johnson did it on June 30, 2010. Before that, <span>Miguel Tejada</span> and <span>Lance Berkman</span> did it in 2009 while it happened five times in 2008, including once by <span>Darin Erstad</span>. How bout that? A Darin Erstad sighting! </p>
<p>Other than Castro, <span>J.D. Martinez</span> was 1 for 4 with a double, a run scored and an RBI while both <span>Carlos Pena</span> and <span>Ronny Cedeno</span> were 2 for 4. Chris Carter was 0 for 2, with two strikeouts, but also had a sacrifice fly and an RBI.</p>
<p>Blah. Anyone else glad that Houston doesn't play Oakland again until July 22?</p>
<h3>GIF of the Game</h3>
<p>Jose Altuve is very, very happy to be playing baseball. </p>
<p><a href="http://assets.sbnation.com/assets/2682365/AltuveSlide.gif" target="_blank"><img alt="Altuveslide_medium" class="photo" src="http://assets.sbnation.com/assets/2682365/AltuveSlide_medium.gif"></a> <br id="1369632262229"></p>
https://www.crawfishboxes.com/2013/5/27/4369126/mlb-scores-athletics-6-astros-2David Coleman2013-05-26T11:00:07-05:002013-05-26T11:00:07-05:00Game 50 Preview: Astros vs. Athletics
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<figcaption>Bob Levey</figcaption>
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<p>Keuchel aims to prevent third sweep at the hands of Oakland. </p> <h3>Houston vs. Oakland, 1:10 PM CT</h3>
<p id="paragraph0"><b>TV: </b>CSN<br><b>Radio:</b> KBME 790 AM<br><b><a href="https://www.athleticsnation.com/">Athletics</a> SBNation Blog: </b><a href="http://www.athleticsnation.com/" target="_blank">Athletics Nation</a></p>
<h4>Pitching Match</h4>
<p id="paragraph1">LHP <b><span>Dallas Keuchel</span></b> (1-1, 4.93 ERA / 1.70 WHIP) vs. RHP<b> <span>Bartolo Colon</span></b> (4-2/ 4.31 ERA / 1.10 WHIP)</p>
<h4>Preview</h4>
<p><span style="font-weight: normal;">Dallas Keuchel is the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.crawfishboxes.com/">Astros</a>' last hope against the A's. Keuchel picked up his first win of the season against Kansas City, allowing four runs over 6 2/3 innings. In two relief appearance against Oakland, Keuchel allowed only one run over six innings. <span>Coco Crisp</span> already has a double in two plate-appearances against Keuchel, he is quickly becoming an overall Astro-killer. Keuchel has been not-surprisingly tough on lefties with a 2.70 ERA, but <span>Seth Smith</span> is already 2-for-3 against the Astros lefthander. </span></p>
<p>Oakland starter, Bartolo Colon has a record of 2-0 in 2013 already. Colon has given up four runs over 12 innings. <span>Jason Castro</span> touched up Colon for a three-run home run as he made his start of the season in Houston. <span>Jose Altuve</span> appears to have broken out of his slump with three hits over the last two games. An appear by Colon will only help that, Jason Castro and he both have three hits of Colon this season.</p>
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https://www.crawfishboxes.com/2013/5/26/4367658/oakland-athletics-27-23-at-houston-astros-14-35-7-10-pm-ctRyan Dunsmore2013-05-25T23:25:12-05:002013-05-25T23:25:12-05:00Astros' Power Surge Goes For Naught, Fall to A's
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<figcaption>Bob Levey</figcaption>
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<p>Oakland bangs out 18 hits, rough up Harrell early to take second game of series</p> <p>Tonight's game was initially exciting for me. As a Saturday national broadcast on Fox, I was able to finally watch my team, and last night's deflating loss at least showed some positive signs for the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.crawfishboxes.com/">Astros</a> offense and starting pitching. Tonight's first inning went smoothly, as Lucas Harrell looked sharp by retiring the A's in order, while <span>Jason Castro</span> lined a home run that just snuck over the left field wall. Then, the second inning happened.</p>
<p>When it was all said and done, the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.athleticsnation.com/">Athletics</a> put up a six spot and sent twelve men to the plate. The A's grabbed the lead on a Chris Young double off the out of town scoreboard, continuing his domination against his hometown team. <span>Seth Smith</span> had two hits in the inning, the first on a bunt for a hit while the Astros defense was shifted to the right. Cue anti-Astros sabermetric approach from the CBS writers in 3...2..1. All six runs came against Lucas Harrell, who only lasted 1.2 innings, allowing 6 hits and 3 walks. Harrell's rough start increased his ERA to an ugly 5.43.</p>
<p><span>Josh Donaldson</span> also reached base twice in the inning, continuing his fine season as the A's third baseman. He's now hitting .321 with 7 home runs and 30 RBI. Donaldson's also playing some great defense at third; his UZR/150 6.5 and he was automatic on Friday night. Don't be surprised to see Donaldson in the conversation for an All-Star nod in July if he keeps up his hot start.</p>
<p>The lone bright spot for the Astros tonight came on offense. <span>Matt Dominguez</span> hit his sixth and seventh home runs of the season, both bombs to the Crawford Boxes. All of a sudden, Matty D has 24 RBI and an OPS of .715. Jason Castro added two homers of his own, giving him six on the season. Castro and Dominguez combined to go 5-for-8 in the game, while <span>Jose Altuve</span> also showed some signs of breaking out of his slump, reaching base twice via a single and a double. He put a good swing on the final out of the game, a long flyout to <span>Coco Crisp</span> in centerfield.</p>
<p>This game was another example of the Astros' starting pitching putting the team out of the game early. <span>Lucas Harrell's</span> start was a disaster, but Edgar Gonzalez's 4.1 innings were equally difficult to watch. He allowed 4 runs on 8 hits, including back to back homers by Donaldson and Brandon Moss. I'm struggling to figure out why Gonzalez is still on the roster; we have pitchers capable of filling the long relief role in <span>Travis Blackley</span> and <span>Jose Cisnero</span>, and I would much rather see a <span>Josh Zeid</span> or <span>Jason Stoffel</span> called up from OKC instead of watching Gonzalez throw high 80s meatballs over the plate.</p>
<p>It can be demoralizing for a team when they're down by eight runs in the fourth inning, but credit the Astros offense for showing a little fight with the power and eight hits. Hopefully the offense continues this momentum into tomorrow, and <span>Dallas Keuchel</span> can put together another strong start.</p>
<p><b>MVP of the Night:</b> <span>A.J. Griffin</span>, not because of his average outing with three homers allowed, but because he got me seven additional points for my fantasy team with the win.</p>
<p><b>LVP of the Night: </b>Coco Crisp, not because he reached base four times and continues to murder Astros pitching, but because he will haunt my dreams in the form of sprinting full-speed around third base with his helmet flying off.</p>
<p>I'm not Tim so no GIFs tonight. Instead, enjoy some of the more snarky tweets I saw tonight as I live-tweeted the game.</p>
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<p><a href="http://assets.sbnation.com/assets/2680199/bb.PNG" target="_blank"><img alt="Bb_medium" class="photo" src="http://assets.sbnation.com/assets/2680199/bb_medium.PNG"></a></p>
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<p><a href="http://assets.sbnation.com/assets/2680371/snocones.PNG" target="_blank"><img alt="Snocones_medium" class="photo" src="http://assets.sbnation.com/assets/2680371/snocones_medium.PNG"></a></p>
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https://www.crawfishboxes.com/2013/5/25/4366538/astros-power-surge-goes-for-naught-fall-to-as-11-5leistomania4092013-05-25T16:10:28-05:002013-05-25T16:10:28-05:00Game 49 Preview: Astros vs. Athletics
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<figcaption>Bob Levey</figcaption>
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<p>Astros attempt to turn the page on late-inning loss. </p> <h3>Houston vs. Oakland, 6:15 PM CT</h3>
<p id="paragraph0"><b>TV: Local Fox Station</b><br><b>Radio:</b> KBME 790 AM<br><b><a href="https://www.athleticsnation.com/">Athletics</a> SBNation Blog: </b><a target="_blank" href="http://www.athleticsnation.com/">Athletics Nation</a></p>
<h4>Pitching Match</h4>
<p id="paragraph1">RHP <b><span>Lucas Harrell</span></b> (3-5, 4.63 ERA / 1.65 WHIP) vs. RHP <b><span>A.J. Griffin</span></b> (4-3/ 3.59 ERA / 1.21 WHIP)</p>
<h4>Preview</h4>
<p>The <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.crawfishboxes.com/">Astros</a> once again appeared to have turned the proverbial corner, a winning record over their last seven games. Heading into the ninth, leading 5-3. Only to have the Astros closer, <span>Jose Veras</span>, blew his third save of the season - giving up a three-run homer to Chris Young. The loss prompted Astros fans to break out of more #AstrosMovies on twitter to drown their sorrows. </p>
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<p>@kel_shannon19</p>
<p>Dr. NO save(007) #astrosmovies</p>
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<p>@Bbfanlady</p>
<p>Veras Bueller's Day Off #AstrosMovies</p>
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<p>Rocky Veras Picture Show #AstrosMovies</p>
<p>@HouCounterplot</p>
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<p>On to today's game, Lucas Harrell has had a bumpy May to say the least. In his last four starts he has given up eight, one, five, and one runs in that order. Minute Maid Park is has been unkind to the Astros righty, collecting an ERA (5.85) that is two runs higher then on the road. In his previous start against Oakland, Harrell had one of his worst outings of the year. He allowed 8 runs over 4 1/3 innings - Lowrie, Crisp, and Young all homered. The Astros hitters' only success against today's starter A.J. Griffin came in a single inning, in his previous start against Houston. Houston (Gonzalez, Altuve, Maxwell, Carter) strung together four hits resulting in 2 runs, but went hitless in Griffin's other five innings of work.</p>
<p>We have already talked about A.J. Griffin solid start against Houston on April 16, in Oakland. He has gotten even better in May, allowing only seven runs over four starts in the month. This includes seven innings of one-run ball against the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.lonestarball.com/">Rangers</a>. I expect the Astros lineup to be stacked with right-handed bats, even with the right-hander on the mound. Griffin has an ERA of 4.44 against righties compared to 2.87 against left-handed batters. Harrell will have to work hard against CoCo Crisp; the A's centerfielder worked him over for a double, homerun, and a walk in their last meeting.</p>
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https://www.crawfishboxes.com/2013/5/25/4365272/oakland-athletics-26-23-at-houston-astros-14-34-7-10-pm-ctRyan Dunsmore2013-05-24T22:40:52-05:002013-05-24T22:40:52-05:00Astros Walk Their Way To A Loss
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<figcaption>JD Martinez hits a home run | Bob Levey</figcaption>
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<p>Astros pitching issue seven walks. Matt Dominguez and JD Martinez star for the Astros offensively.</p> <p>The <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.crawfishboxes.com/">Astros</a> offense came alive to score five runs in the bottom of the fifth inning all with two outs. <span>Matt Dominguez</span> got the Astros on the board with a solo homerun to left field.</p>
<p align="center"><a href="http://assets.sbnation.com/assets/2675557/MattyDHR.gif" target="_blank"><img alt="Mattydhr_medium" class="photo" src="http://assets.sbnation.com/assets/2675557/MattyDHR_medium.gif"></a></p>
<p align="left"><span>Ronny Cedeno</span> and <span>Robbie Grossman</span> kept the inning alive with singles then <span>Jose Altuve</span> broke an 0-18 slump with a single to center to score Ronny Cedeno and tying the game at 2-2. Then JD Martinez stepped up to the plate to put the Astros head with this three-run homerun to left field.</p>
<p align="center"><a href="http://assets.sbnation.com/assets/2675549/JDHR.gif" target="_blank"><img alt="Jdhr_medium" class="photo" src="http://assets.sbnation.com/assets/2675549/JDHR_medium.gif"></a></p>
<p align="left">The offense gave the Astros a healthy lead heading into the later innings of the game. The question on everyone's mind would be whether or not the Astros bullpen could hold the lead.</p>
<p><span>Erik Bedard</span> pitched a solid five innings for the Astros, which didn't seem likely if you watched the first inning. In the first Bedard managed to load the bases twice but held the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.athleticsnation.com/">Athletics</a> to only two runs allowed. He was able to get through the next four innings without allowing another run. In his two plus innings of work, <span>Paul Clemens</span> followed Bedard and allowed a homerun in his first inning of work but none after that to keep the score 5-3 in the Astros favor. <span>Wesley Wright</span> relieved Clemens in the eighth inning and retired both batters he faced. <span>Jose Veras</span> entered the ninth to his<a target="_blank" href="http://www.crawfishboxes.com/2013/5/24/4360110/jose-veras-gets-his-own-intro-officially-becomes-the-closer"> new sweet intro.</a></p>
<p align="center"><a href="http://assets.sbnation.com/assets/2668637/Veras_Gif.gif" target="_blank"><img alt="Veras_gif_medium" class="photo" src="http://assets.sbnation.com/assets/2668637/Veras_Gif_medium.gif"></a></p>
<p align="left">After walking <span>John Jaso</span>, Veras struck out <span>Eric Sogard</span> then dug in for a battle with <span>Coco Crisp</span>. Crisp would eventually walk setting up Chris Young to break the hearts of Astros fans. With a 1-1 count, Veras gave Young a curverball that he deposited deep into the Crawford Boxes. Here's what Gameday Scout had to say about the pitch:</p>
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<p align="left"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: bold; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; orphans: auto; text-align: left; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: #d8e4f1; display: inline !important; float: none;">Jose Veras didn't stick to the scouting report; Chris Young is hitting .200 this season against curveballs in that location.</span></p>
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<p align="left">If that's true then Veras didn't exactly make a bad pitch. Veras got out of the inning with out giving up anymore runs but the damage had already been done. The offense would need to come through again to salvage what they could of this game.</p>
<p align="left">In the bottom of the ninth inning the Astros made a valiant effort of it when Dominguez and <span>Jason Castro</span> walked to get runners on first and second with one out. Robbie Grossman then struck out looking on three pitches and Altuve attacked the first pitch he saw for an easy grounder to shortstop to end the comeback and the game.</p>
<p align="left">A very deflating loss for a game that showed so much promise. Ultimately, the pitching staffs seven walks combined would be the Astros undoing.</p>
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https://www.crawfishboxes.com/2013/5/24/4364318/astros-5-athletics-6-death-by-walksTimothy De Block