THE PALLILOG
Let's discuss 6 Astros that could be headed to All-Star Game
Jun 11, 2021, 11:21 am
THE PALLILOG
Good news: for the second time in just over a week the Astros had a chance to complete a series sweep of the Boston Red Sox. Bad news: for the second time in just over a week the Astros failed to sweep. Earlier this season they had chances in three consecutive series to polish off sweeps only to lose the finale. The good news outpaces the bad on this, meaning the Astros won all those series. The A's lost Thursday as well so the Astros enter the weekend one game behind Oakland in the American League West, two and a half back of Boston for the top wild card spot.
The Astros spend the weekend in Minneapolis for a three game set with the Twin, who have been the biggest flop in Major League Baseball to this point in the season. After an off Monday the Astros are scheduled to play 20 consecutive days. That would be four full turns through a five man starting rotation. With Lance McCullers expected to rejoin the big club after a successful four inning recovery start for the Sugar Land Skeeters Thursday, how will the Astros play it? Zack Greinke lacks the consistent excellence of an ace but obviously has a secure spot in the rotation. Framber Valdez has been tremendous in his first three starts. Luis Garcia has won his last five starts, demoting him to the pen now would be stupid. Jose Urquidy seems on safe ground. That leaves Jake Odorizzi.
The MLB All Star Game is a month from Sunday. Fortunately the outcome no longer dictates homefield advantage for the World Series, so who makes it and how it goes really aren't a big deal other than the fun of debate and for players with All Star bonus clauses in their contracts. It will be interesting to see how Astros fare in the balloting, both among fans and by their peers in the player vote. More than half the Astros' lineup has good All Star cases, but no one who clearly deserves to start. At first base Yuli Gurriel is having a sensational bounce back season, but right now Vladimir Guerrero Jr. is clearly the guy who should start. At second Jose Altuve isn't the player he was in 2016 and 2017 but has been plenty good, but Marcus Semien has been as good if not a little better and played in 10 more games. At shortstop Carlos Correa has come on very strong the last month to make it a good battle with Xander Bogaerts. At third Alex Bregman has been very good though not up to his 2018 or 2019 standard, with Rafael Devers, Jose Ramirez, Yoan Moncada, and Joey Wendle all ahead of him in Wins Above Replacement. At designated hitter while not matching his extraordinary Rookie of the Year level Yordan Alvarez is still a force, but J.D. Martinez has been better. Among pitchers Ryan Pressly has a shot pending how many relievers get taken.
So the Texans canceled their minicamp scheduled for this coming week. They must have looked awesome at OTAs! Um, yeah. If the Texans cling to any hope of mending fences with Deshaun Watson, no minicamp means Watson can't be a no-show, which means the Texans can't fine him 95-thousand dollars and hence more gasoline on the fire. Of course, the relationship already seems burnt to a crisp, irrespective of whether Watson will be eligible to play come September 12 and the season opener vs. the Jaguars.
The more the merrier?
There was never any chance that the College Football Playoff would remain at four teams. Just follow the money trail. The proposed jump to 12 teams is too much for my taste. I'd go eight with no byes. If the 12 plan with the top four seeds getting byes to the quarterfinals is going through, I do like that the first round games matching 5 vs. 12, 6 vs. 11, 7 vs. 10, 8 vs 9 would be home games for the higher seed. The idea that in December Florida could play at Penn State, Texas at Wisconsin, USC at Ohio St., among others, has appeal.
NBA playoffs
The NBA playoffs have been by and large lousy thus far, certainly relative to the NHL playoffs. Maybe Thursday night was a turning point, with Milwaukee rallying to get within two games to one of Brooklyn. Utah and Phoenix are on course for what would be an excellent Western Conference Finals matchup. The Suns have looked great, but Suns should be graded on a curve having dispatched the diminished Lakers and being up two-zip on the Jamal Murray-less Nuggets.
Buzzer Beaters:
1. If Hell is a thing, sounds like Bo Schembechler should be roommates with Joe Paterno.
2. Softball's Women's College World Series is a lot of fun to watch.
3. Desert island Mexican food items: Bronze-Tamales Silver-Fideo Gold-Fajitas
The Houston Astros wrapped up yet another series win this week, this time taking two of three from the struggling Colorado Rockies at Coors Field. Despite missing several key players and a bullpen that wasn’t fully available, the Astros continued their recent run of success, pushing their record to 52-35.
Manager Joe Espada appeared to be playing the long game in the rubber match on Thursday. After Houston rallied to tie the game in the seventh inning, Espada stuck with reliever Jordan Weems instead of turning to his high-leverage arms. That decision, while frustrating to some fans hoping for the sweep, underscored the team’s cautious approach to workload management as they navigate a long season.
One bright spot continues to be rookie Cam Smith, who delivered again in the clutch with a two-run triple in the seventh inning on Thursday. Smith has been Houston’s most dependable bat with runners on base and is quickly settling into the cleanup role—a rarity for a first-year player but one he’s earned with his poise and production.
Astros cleanup hitter RBIs this season:
Cam Smith: 10 RBIs in 7 games
All others: 28 RBIs in 80 games
— Matt Kawahara (@matthewkawahara) July 3, 2025
Off the field, the biggest storyline continues to be Yordan Alvarez’s injury. After reports surfaced that the slugger had experienced a setback in his return from a fractured hand, the team clarified that the issue is inflammation, not the fracture itself. Astros general manager Dana Brown said Alvarez received injections to address the irritation and is expected to rest for now. Encouragingly, the Astros say the fracture is no longer a concern, and while there’s still no definitive timeline for his return, the overall tone from the club was optimistic.
The transparency around Alvarez’s situation is part of a larger shift. After being criticized in recent seasons for vague injury updates, the Astros have begun issuing daily availability reports. It’s a move that signals the front office is trying to regain some trust with the media and fans after a stretch of frustrating ambiguity around player health.
Now, the Astros head to Los Angeles for a marquee matchup with the defending champion Dodgers. Friday’s opener will feature Lance McCullers Jr. making just his second start since returning from the injured list. McCullers gave up eight runs in his return against the Cubs and will be under the spotlight as he looks to settle back into form. Control will be the key, as walks have long been McCullers’ Achilles’ heel.
Saturday sets the stage for one of the most anticipated pitching matchups of the season: Framber Valdez versus Shohei Ohtani. With both teams fighting for positioning in their respective divisions, this weekend in LA should serve as a measuring stick—and perhaps a postseason preview.
There's so much more to get to! Don't miss the video below as we examine the topics above and much, much more!
The MLB season is finally upon us! Join Brandon Strange, Josh Jordan, and Charlie Pallilo for the Stone Cold ‘Stros podcast which drops each Monday afternoon, with an additional episode now on Thursday.
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