TAKING A SWING
Barry Laminack: Astros could use a lineup change
The Astros have scored 190 runs this season, the thir\rd highest total in baseball. They are averaging 4.87 runs per game, putting them eighth overall in the MLB. But 78 of their runs have come in 9 games against two of the worst teams in the AL (White Sox - 3 games, 27 runs and Athletics - 6 games, 51 runs ). That’s a whopping 8.6 runs per game average versus those two teams.
In the other 27 games? The Astors are averaging 4.1 runs per game. That would put them tied for 21st in baseball. So while the 190 runs looks great on paper, it feels more like fools' gold to me.
And while it seems as if some of the bats have woken up (welcome to the party Marwin Gonzalez - who is slashing .333/.385/.458 over the last seven days), I think it might be time for AJ hinch to explore a lineup change, specifically moving Alex Bregman back to the 2 hole.
On the surface Bregman’s numbers are admittedly underwhelming. His .259 batting average and .399 slugging percentage aren’t great, but dig a little deeper and you’ll see that Bregman has been doing “the little things” at the plate that make a huge difference.
His .369 OBP is second on the team, his 11 doubles are second on the team, he has the 2nd fewest strikeouts (21) on the team among hitters with over 100 plate appearances (Altuve has 20), but most impressive to me are his 23 walks, good for first on the team and it’s not even close (Reddick is second with 19...I know that surprised me too).
Oh did I mention Bregman is also 1st on the team with 3 steals?
I think moving Bregman back to the No. 2 hole in the lineup could end up having similar results that moving Springer to the leadoff spot dead a while back. What better way to increase run scoring on a team than to have traffic on the base paths, and the numbers prove that Bregman can provide that as much as anyone else on the team.
And while I understand that moving Correa and Altuve down a slot means they will get a few less at bats, I think it's more than acceptable to do so since it will also create more run producing opportunities for them.
TEXANS NEWS
Mike Florio lays out how likely lawsuit against Houston Texans will hold up
With news coming down this week regarding the Houston Texans and their alleged role in the Deshaun Watson situation, ProFootballTalk founder and former lawyer Mike Florio shares his thoughts on the Texans being sued by Tony Buzbee and how he sees the legal proceedings playing out.
Also, Florio believes that the outcome of these cases will come down to "legal duty," and the Texans will argue they had no idea what Watson was doing, and it wasn't their responsibility to protect these individuals that have no ties to the organization.
Be sure to check out the video above for a full breakdown from a legal perspective.