RC Raceway

HOUSTON (AP) — With their lineup at full strength for the first time in more than two months Masahiro Tanaka Jersey , the Houston Astros put on an offensive show against the Oakland Athletics on Monday night.“When we’re healthy, we’re the best team in baseball,” third baseman Alex Bregman said.Bregman and Tyler White homered and drove in four runs each, and the Astros rallied for an 11-4 win over the Athletics. It was the sixth straight win for the first-place Astros, who moved to 2 1/2 games ahead of Oakland in the AL West.George Springer and Jose Altuve helped in the victory, driving in a run each during a five-run third inning that erased an early 4-0 deficit. This was the first game Springer, Altuve and Carlos Correa were in the lineup together since June 25. Springer, who pinch-hit Sunday, missed the previous five games with a quadriceps injury.“When we’re going well we have this extended lineup, this long lineup where it doesn’t matter where we are, we’re a threat. We showed that again tonight,” manager AJ Hinch said. “So it certainly felt good that the guys stepped up and put up crazy good at-bats.”The Astros led by 1 with two on and one out in the eighth inning when Bregman, who tied a career high with four hits, sent a pitch from Lou Trivino just over the short fence in left field to push the lead to 8-4. White made it 11-4 with two outs in the inning when he launched a fastball from Emilio Pagan onto the train tracks atop left field for another three-run shot.The Athletics jumped on starter Gerrit Cole (12-5) for four runs behind a two-run homer by Marcus Semien in the second and a two-run run shot by Matt Chapman in the third. The homer by Chapman was his 21st after he homered twice Sunday.Cole settled down after the tough early innings to throw three scoreless frames and collect his second straight win. He allowed four hits and struck out eight to move ahead of teammate Justin Verlander (229) and into first place in the AL with 234 strikeouts.Trailing 4-0, the Astros got a single from Martin Maldonado off Brett Anderson (3-4) with one out in the third inning before Springer cut the lead to 4-1 with a double to left field. Bregman followed with a double to send another run home. Altuve then knocked a third straight double into left field to score Bregman and get Houston within 4-3.An RBI single by Marwin Gonzalez, who finished with three hits, with two outs in the inning chased Anderson. Yusmeiro Petit was greeted with a single by White, which scored Gonzalez to put the Astros up 5-4.“The five-run inning gave them some momentum and we just couldn’t do anything offensively against them after that,” manager Bob Melvin said.Anderson was disappointed that he had another tough outing against the Astros after allowing 10 hits and nine runs — both season-highs — in three innings of a 16-2 loss to them on May 7.“They’re a good team with a good lineup and have everybody back at full strength,” he said. “I just couldn’t stop the bleeding. It’s unfortunate that I’ve had two really (bad) outings against the team that we’re chasing.”TRAINER’S ROOMAstros: C Brian McCann (knee surgery) will return to Houston on Tuesday after completing a rehabilitation assignment, and the team will decide whether to activate him in the next couple of days or wait until Saturday when the rosters expand. … RHP Chris Devenski (left hamstring tightness) will pitch in a rehabilitation game for Double-A Corpus Christi on Thursday.SEEING CLEARLYJust before his home run in the eighth inning Paul O'Neill Jersey , there was a delay during White’s at-bat because he was having a problem with one of his contacts.“Usually I can get it to clear up pretty quick and I couldn’t get it, so I got some rewetting drops to clear it up,” he said. “Then I had to take my glove off and like move it all the way across my eye to get it right.”After that, he was able to see clearly, and it showed when he connected on his ninth homer this season.WHAT A RELIEFDaniel Mengden, who was recalled from Triple-A Nashville on Monday, allowed four hits in four scoreless innings to help Oakland’s taxed bullpen. It was his first relief appearance in the majors after 37 career starts and could be his only one for a while with Melvin saying there is a possibility he could rejoin the rotation after this series.UP NEXTHouston’s Charlie Morton (13-3, 3.05 ERA) opposes Oakland’s Edwin Jackson (4-3, 2.97) when the series continues on Tuesday night. Morton, who got his first win since July 31 in his last start, can tie a career high for victories. Oh What a Relief It Is: Free Agent Relief PitchersOf all the areas of concern for the Astros this year, the Bullpen has to rank fairly low. With that said, with 3 spots open in the Rotation, and a..."”34. Joakim Soria – Mets. Two years, $18MM. Soria, 34, continues to find success with his combination of a high strikeout and low walk rate. He was able to avoid the long ball despite a precipitous drop in ground-ball rate this season, which he split between the White Sox and Brewers. With a fastball under 93 miles per hour, Soria isn’t a flashy choice, but he still provides plenty of value.” Hammah’s Note - Soria seems like a solid but unspectacular option to fill out a bullpen. I just don’t see the Astros needing that player, especially when the rumored $9 Mil/year is in the same tier (although fewer years) as options with similar floor but much higher ceilings. My Vote: No. Elsa - Getty Images”37. Cody Allen – Braves. Two years http://www.yankeesfanproshop.com/authentic-giancarlo-stanton-jersey , $16MM. Allen dominated as the Indians’ closer from 2014-17, posting a 2.62 ERA, 12.1 K/9, and 120 saves. This year, an increase in home runs and walks allowed torched his value. Just 30 in November, Allen shouldn’t have a hard time finding a team willing to bet on a return to form. Perhaps his camp even prefers a one-year deal with an eye on reentering the market next season, but multiple years should still be possible if the goal is to take max dollars now.”Hammah’s Note - Cody Allen seems intriguing, from 2013-2017, Allen was consistently above average posting an ERA between 2.07 and 2.99. The home run rate is not the primary concern to me, but the increase in walks, reduction in strikeouts, and decline in velocity (94.3 to 93.5) is concerning to me. Unless there was an injury or a mechanical item the Astros see that makes him a good recovery project, My Vote - No ”40. Bud Norris – Indians. Two years, $12MM. Norris, 34 in March, has transitioned successfully from the rotation to the bullpen. This year for the Cardinals, he managed a 3.59 ERA, 10.5 K/9, 3.3 BB/9, 1.25 HR/9, and 42.6 percent ground-ball rate in 57 2/3 innings http://www.yankeesfanproshop.com/authentic-giancarlo-stanton-jersey , including 28 saves. His ERA sat at 2.85 in August 28th and ballooned after a rough week in September. Another factor to consider is that Norris is decidedly old school in the clubhouse, and was revealed as Mike Matheny’s bullpen monitor in Mark Saxon’s July story for The Athletic. A two-year deal seems likely.”Hammah’s note - Ohhh Bud Norris. From your statement saying “They are definitely the outcast of major league baseball right now, and it’s kind of frustrating for everyone else to have to watch it,” to your public criticism of the Singleton deal (he has to feel stupid about this now), to your mid-level results and advanced age. My Vote: Hard No. ”41. Brad Brach – Brewers. Two years, $12MM. Brach, 33 in April, had success out of the Orioles’ bullpen with a 2.74 ERA and 9.5 K/9 from 2014-17. He even earned an All-Star nod in 2016. After a rough 39 innings to begin his 2018 campaign, Brach was traded to Atlanta. The top line result — a 1.52 ERA — was strong, but Brach’s peripheral stats didn’t support it. He remains a useful righty arm, but his stock took a hit in 2018.”Hammah’s Note - Another previously very solid relief pitcher that had a “rough” 2018. His performance over the past 5 years in the AL east, has been consistent and is in some ways very intriguing. The most concerning aspect to me is the loss in velocity, which generally is the beginning of the end. It is a low risk deal, but I don’t foresee the Astros actively spending money on the consistent middle of the road performer unless there is something they see that they can improve. ===================================================================So let me know your thoughts, who would you be interested in signing or even having me deep dive into their profile. It’s an item of note, that the Astros truly had one of the best bullpen’s in baseball and that did not seem to be driven by “luck”. While you never want to bank on consistent performance from Relievers, I have to believe most of us feel good going into next year, even with McHugh (or others) potentially converting back to the Rotation. Additionally, there are some excellent prospects in the minors, who deserve a chance to cut their teeth in the MLB.