The Crawfish Boxes - AL West Series: Houston Astros vs Oakland Athletics, September 5-7, 2014Astros baseball: we've got uniforms and everything.https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/community_logos/11437/crawfishboxes-fv.gif2014-09-07T15:05:02-05:00http://www.crawfishboxes.com/rss/stream/58779102014-09-07T15:05:02-05:002014-09-07T15:05:02-05:00GameThread No. 143: Houston Astros at Oakland A's
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<figcaption>Jim McIsaac</figcaption>
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<p>Join the conversation as the Astros take on the A's.</p> <p></p>
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<br><a href="https://www.crawfishboxes.com/">Houston Astros</a> (62-80) at <a href="https://www.athleticsnation.com/">Oakland Athletics</a> (80-61), 3:05 p.m. (CST)</h4>
<p><br><strong>TV:</strong> CSN Houston, MLB.TV<br><strong>Radio: </strong>KBME 790 AM, KLAT 1010 AM<br><strong>A's SBNation Blog</strong>: <a href="http://www.athleticsnation.com/">Athletics Nation</a></p>
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<h4>Pitching matchup</h4>
<p><br>LHP Dallas Keuchel (10-9, 3.03 ERA, 1.19 WHIP) vs. RHP <span>Jason Hammel</span> (10-10, 3.58 ERA, 1.15 WHIP)</p>
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<h4>Lineups</h4>
https://www.crawfishboxes.com/2014/9/7/6116731/gamethread-no-143-houston-astros-at-oakland-athletics-sep-7-2014-3-05Ryan Dunsmore2014-09-07T14:00:02-05:002014-09-07T14:00:02-05:00Game 143 Preview: Houston Astros vs Oakland A's
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<figcaption>Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports</figcaption>
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<p>Astros and Dallas keuchel finish series with A's on Sunday.</p> <h4>
<a href="https://www.crawfishboxes.com/">Houston Astros</a> (62-80) at <a href="https://www.athleticsnation.com/">Oakland Athletics</a> (80-61), 3:05 p.m. (CST)</h4>
<p id="paragraph0"><b>TV:</b> CSN Houston, MLB.TV<br><b>Radio: </b>KBME 790 AM, KLAT 1010 AM<br><b>A's SBNation Blog</b>: <a href="http://www.athleticsnation.com/">Athletics Nation</a></p>
<h4>Pitching matchup</h4>
<p id="paragraph1">LHP Dallas Keuchel (10-9, 3.03 ERA, 1.19 WHIP) vs. RHP <span>Jason Hammel</span> (10-10, 3.58 ERA, 1.15 WHIP)</p>
<h4><span>Preview</span></h4>
<p>The less we talk about Saturday's game the better. Lets just jump right in to Sunday's game. The Astro couldn't have asked for a better pitcher to turn the page with than Dallas Keuchel. Keuchel has been the best pitcher on the Astros staff this season, though <span>Collin McHugh</span> has been making a strong case. The lefty posted 3.21 ERA in 42 innings in August. He is coming off a seven innings of two-run baseball against the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.lonestarball.com/">Rangers</a>.</p>
<p>This season against the A's, Keuchel has a 2.01 ERA in 22.1 innings - 14 strikeouts and eight walks. Keuchel has allowed just two runs over his last two starts (16 IP) against Oakland. Even with that record, of course <span>Josh Donaldson</span> has a positive record against Keuchel - batting .316 (6-19) with two extra-base hits. <span>Nate Freiman</span>, platoon first baseman, is batting .545 (6-11) with with five extra-base hits. <span>Jed Lowrie</span> and Derrick Norris each have two doubles in 10+ at-bats against Keuchel.</p>
<p>Countering Keuchel is Jason Hammel, who has allowed just two runs over his last 15 innings of work. That included a one-run outing over seven innings against Houston on August 26. In his previous outing against Houston, he gave up eight over 4.1 innings. Even with that success, the Astros have poor record against Hammel. Robbie Grossman and <span>Dexter Fowler</span> each have a home run against Hammel in their career.</p>
https://www.crawfishboxes.com/2014/9/7/6116679/game-143-preview-houston-astros-vs-oakland-athleticsRyan Dunsmore2014-09-07T00:07:42-05:002014-09-07T00:07:42-05:00Qualls throws away another game against the A's
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<figcaption>Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports</figcaption>
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<p>Astros take lead into the ninth after eight quality innings from Scott Feldman.</p> <p>So, how about them Texans? Who wants to talk about anything else beside <span>Chad Qualls</span> facing the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.athleticsnation.com/">Athletics</a>? (David Coleman whispers something) We have to? Really? (another whisper) Fine, whatever you say.</p>
<p>Lets talk about the positive things like <span>Scott Feldman</span>. Feldman allowed two earned runs over 8.1 innings, scattering seven hits, walking five, and striking out eight - including four three-up-three-down innings. The <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.crawfishboxes.com/">Astros</a> veteran starter has allowed just six runs over his last three starts (22.1 innings) against Oakland.</p>
<p>Moving on to the offense, the A's got on the board first with back-to-back singles and sacrifice fly from Brand Moss in the third. The Astros would respond with back-to-back singles of their own in the sixth from <span>Carlos Corporan</span> and <span>Jonathan Villar</span>. <span>Jose Altuve</span> drove home two runs with fortieth double of the season. <span>Scott Kazmir</span> walked the bases load in the seventh, Robbie followed by driving home a run with a sacrifice fly to put the Astros up 3-1.</p>
<p>Now the ninth inning. The Astros weren't able to drive home Jonathan Villar after he singles and stole second with two outs. Scott Feldman allowed a single to <span>Josh Donaldson</span> to start the bottom of the inning. <span>Adam Dunn</span> followed with a line out. Derrick Norris singled to put runners on the corners, and Feldman was pulled. <span>Josh Reddick</span> greeted the Astros closer, Chad Qualls, with a double to left - tying the game at three. <span>Jed Lowrie</span> drove home Reddick with a single to end the game.</p>
<p>Chad Qualls has given up 11 earned runs over four innings against the A's this season - including three blown saves.</p>
https://www.crawfishboxes.com/2014/9/7/6116363/athletics-4-astros-3-qualls-throws-away-another-game-against-the-asRyan Dunsmore2014-09-06T14:30:12-05:002014-09-06T14:30:12-05:00Game 142 Preview: Houston Astros vs Oakland A's
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<figcaption>Ezra Shaw</figcaption>
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<p>Astros send out Scott Feldman in game two in Oakland.</p> <h4>
<a href="https://www.crawfishboxes.com/">Houston Astros</a> (62-79) at <a href="https://www.athleticsnation.com/">Oakland Athletics</a> (79-61), 3:05 p.m. (CST)</h4>
<p id="paragraph0"><b>TV:</b> CSN Houston, MLB.TV<br><b>Radio: </b>KBME 790 AM, KLAT 1010 AM<br><b>A's SBNation Blog</b>: <a href="http://www.athleticsnation.com/">Athletics Nation</a></p>
<h4>Pitching matchup</h4>
<p id="paragraph1">RHP <span>Scott Feldman</span> (8-10, 4.09 ERA, 1.36 WHIP) vs. LHP <span>Scott Kazmir</span> (14-7, 3.39 ERA, 1.14 WHIP)</p>
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<h4>Preview</h4>
<p><span>Chris Carter</span> was booed last night as he batted in the ninth against his former team. Carter is batting .271 with seven home runs and twenty RBIs this season against the A's. Look at Trogdor's majesty. Carter and the Astros look to steal a second straight series against a American League West playoff team with a win today.</p>
<p>It's the battle of the Scotts on the mound today in Oakland. The Astros' Scott Feldman takes ball to start, he was 4-2 with a 3.32 ERA in his August starts. In August he also had two complete games, including his most recent start in Texas - Feldman pitched a complete game shutout. The A's knocked Feldman around in their first meeting on July 24, as Oakland put up six runs over 5.1 innings. But, the last two encounters Feldman has come out on top - four runs over 14 innings.</p>
<p><span>Josh Donaldson</span> once again has an Astros pitcher's number, batting .313 in 16 career at-bats against Feldman. Former Astro, <span>Jed Lowrie</span> is batting .400 (6-15) with two doubles against Feldman. Derrick Norris checks in batting .500 (5-10) with a home run against the Astros' righty.</p>
<p>Houston-Native and former Sugar Land Skeeter Scott Kazmir faces off against Feldman today. Kazmir is hoping to put his last two starts behind him, he has given up 13 runs over 4.1 innings against of all teams the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.halosheaven.com/">Angels</a>. The Astros maybe a welcome sight for the Kazmir, he has only given four runs over 21 innings against Houston this season - striking 18 and walking just 3.</p>
<p>Last night's hero <span>Chris Carter</span> and <span>Jose Altuve</span> will be happy to Kazmir. Carter is batting .445 (5-11) with two doubles, and Altuve is batting .500 (8-16) with two doubles.</p>
https://www.crawfishboxes.com/2014/9/6/6113349/game-142-preview-houston-astros-vs-oakland-athleticsRyan Dunsmore2014-09-06T02:17:09-05:002014-09-06T02:17:09-05:00Trogdor still burninating
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<figcaption>Troy Taormina-USA TODAY Sports</figcaption>
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<p>Obligatory mention that interim manager, Tom Lawless, is still undefeated.</p> <p><span>Chris Carter</span> continued his assault on unsuspecting baseballs, as he crushed his 36th HR of the season. Thirty six. That would be exactly one behind the MLB leader <span>Nelson Cruz</span>. Burninate young man, burninate.</p>
<p><span>Brett Oberholtzer</span> pitched a solid game, earning a quality start. He also pitched around some sub-par defense (some of it his own fault), so his overall pitching performance was actually better than the numbers might indicate. On the offensive side, it was essentially 3 guys tonight. <span>Jonathan Singleton</span> hit a solo shot in 3rd inning, his 13th of the year. <span>Jose Altuve</span> had yet another multi-hit game (he went 2-4), with his first hit of the evening coming in the top of the 4th. He proceeded to steal 2nd, his league-leading 51st of the year. He was driven in by a Carter single to center. Carter then hit a go-ahead 2-run HR in the 6th, and a strong bullpen performance by Veras and Sipp secured the victory. Although that was the game in a nutshell, here are some observations from the game:</p>
<p>- I think it might be time to play Marisnick in CF. I really like his arm in RF, but I think he is the best defensive centerfielder on the team. <span>George Springer</span> has a strong arm too, so he slots in nicely in RF, leaving LF to Fowler. I wonder if management is simply waiting on Springer to get back on the field to make the CF switch, to avoid asking Fowler to move all around the outfield in a relatively short period of time. It makes sense in theory at least.</p>
<p>- Singleton continues to flash exciting tools. His swing is a thing of beauty, and seeing him turn on a first pitch fastball to the right-center power ally is rather impressive. He actually made a couple of real nice plays at first too, which is also exciting to see. As is the case with most rookies, we just hope for more consistent play.</p>
<p>- Jose Altuve is a hitting machine. With two more hits tonight, he now has a league-leading 196 hits. He passed Enos Cabell to move into 4th on the <a href="https://www.crawfishboxes.com/" class="sbn-auto-link">Astros</a>' single season hit leaderboard. Biggio unsurprisingly has the current single-season hit record with 210, but 2nd and 3rd really surprised me. <span>Miguel Tejada</span> is currently second with 199, and Derek Bell is third with 198.</p>
<p>- <span>Adam Everett</span> looks like he hasn't aged a day since the Astros' 2005 World Series run. Good for him, and he looked rather comfortable as the bench coach sitting next to undefeated Tom Lawless. I know that these two are just the interim coaches, but they just might be on to something. And I welcome any chance that reminds me of that amazing double-play turned by <span>Eric Bruntlett</span> and Adam Everett, it still gives me chills to this day.</p>
<p>- I think there is a lesson or two to be learned from the A's offense falling off a cliff. Coincidentally or not, it appears to have happened right around the trade deadline, when they traded away <span>Yoenis Cespedes</span> for <span>Jon Lester</span>. Looking at stats alone, I can see why most, including myself, would come to the conclusion that Cespedes' production could have been easily replaced. But lineup construction is more complicated than that. Even when he wasn't producing at his peak, his mere presence is felt in the lineup. Opposing teams still know exactly how many batters are between his next at bat. <span>Josh Donaldson</span> will get much better pitches to hit with Cespedes protecting him. It really has a trickle-down effect, and changes the feel of the entire lineup. The <a href="https://www.bluebirdbanter.com/" class="sbn-auto-link">Blue Jays</a> went through something similar after <span>Edwin Encarnacion</span> missed considerable time due to injury. And I think Astros' fans can relate as well, as we experienced that with George Springer.</p>
<p>- That got me wondering if Billy Beane had a mulligan and could do it all over again, would he still make that trade? Does he still trade <span>Addison Russell</span> for <span>Jeff Samardzija</span> and <span>Jason Hammel</span>? Lastly, going full circle, it got me thinking of the good ol' trade with the main pieces being <span>Jed Lowrie</span> for <span>Brad Peacock</span>, <span>Max Stassi</span>, and Chris Carter. Although Jed Lowrie has had good production and been a good value for the A's, Billy Beane no doubt would welcome <span>Chris Carter's</span> bat in the A's lineup. And yes, Jed Lowrie has been an Astros-killer thus far. But Carter still remembers the trade as well, and he has been wearing out the A's to the tune of hitting 7 HR's against them this year, to go along with 20 RBI's. Doing that much damage to your former team has to feel good.</p>
https://www.crawfishboxes.com/2014/9/6/6113387/astros-take-series-opener-beat-as-4-3Idrees Tily2014-09-05T19:00:03-05:002014-09-05T19:00:03-05:00Game 141 Preview: Houston Astros vs Oakland A's
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<figcaption>Thearon W. Henderson</figcaption>
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<p>The Astros continue AL West tour to end the season with three in Oakland.</p> <h4>
<a href="https://www.crawfishboxes.com/">Houston Astros</a> (61-79) at <a href="https://www.athleticsnation.com/" class="sbn-auto-link">Oakland Athletics</a> (79-60), 9:05 p.m. (CST)</h4>
<p id="paragraph0"><b>TV:</b> CSN Houston, MLB.TV<br><b>Radio: </b>KBME 790 AM, KLAT 1010 AM<br><b>A's SBNation Blog</b>: <a href="http://www.athleticsnation.com/">Athletics Nation</a></p>
<h4>Pitching matchup</h4>
<p id="paragraph1">LHP <span>Brett Oberholtzer</span> (4-10, 4.39 ERA, 1.37 WHIP) vs. RHP Jeff Samardzija (6-11, 3.14 ERA, 1.11 WHIP)</p>
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<h4>Preview</h4>
<p>How a month, or a trade changes the outlook on a team. The A's were riding high before the trade deadline, the best team in baseball by far. But, a 12-17 record in August can make a team and it's fanbase question it's future. The low point, a four-game sweep at the hands of AL-West leading Los Angeles. All is not lost the A's are still sitting pretty in first place in the Wild Card standing- 2.5 games up on all comers, and only sit five games back of the <a href="https://www.halosheaven.com/" class="sbn-auto-link">Angels</a> with 23 games to go.</p>
<p>In come the Astros to O.co Collisum, who the A's are 25-10 against since Houston joined the American League West. But, Houston has come to life where the A's fell flat in August. Houston has a higher batting average, on-base percentage, and slugging (.248/.318/.387) in August compared to the A's (.222/.300/.344). The Astros pitching staff last month also stayed on par with the likes of Samardzija, Lester, Gray, Kazmir, and the A's bullpen - posting a 3.83 ERA compared to 3.71 for Oakland. The Astros were one inning away from taking two of three form the A's in their last meeting. A <span>Sam Fuld</span> home run undid the Astros in the final game of the series, as Astros closer <span>Chad Qualls</span> has given up 11 of his 18 earned runs this season to Oakland.</p>
<p>Brett Oberholtzer will attempt to keep the A's offense at bay in game one tonight. Houston has been in the win column in six of his last nine starts and eight of his last 13. But, Obe' has given up 14 runs over his last 16.1 innings of work - including seven over 4.1 innings against Texas in his last start. The Astros' lefty is facing the A's for a fifth time this season, he has 4.70 ERA in 23 innings against Oakland this season.</p>
<p>All-Star third baseman <span>Josh Donaldson</span> is batting .462 (6-13) with five extra-base hits against Oberholtzer in his career. <span>Craig Gentry</span> is batting .364 (4-11) with two doubles against Obe'. Former Astros <span>Jed Lowrie</span> is batting .400 (6-15) with two extra-base hits, and <span>Stephen Vogt</span> is 2-for-3 with a double and home run.</p>
<p>Former Cub, Jeff Samardzija has already faced the Astros three times since switch to green and gold. He has given up seven earned runs in 22.1 innings against Houston this season. The righty has gone eight innings against twice against Houston this season. He is coming off quality start in a losing effort against the Angels on August 30 - giving up one earned runs over eight innings Samardzija has 19 strikeouts and just one walk in his last two starts, both of which he last eight innings.</p>
<p>Former A's slugger, <span>Chris Carter</span> is batting .417 (5-12) against Samardzija with four extra-base hits. <span>Jason Castro</span> is batting .333 (5-15) with three doubles, and <span>Marwin Gonzalez</span> is 4-for-13 with a double and home run in his career against tonight's starter.</p>
https://www.crawfishboxes.com/2014/9/5/6112237/game-141-preview-houston-astros-vs-oakland-athleticsRyan Dunsmore