How Astros elite arms elevating Houston to new levels of expectations
HIGH HEAT
26 August 2024
The Astros pitching has been excellent. Composite Getty Image.
The Astros came away with a split in their weekend series against the Orioles and now head to Philly for a showdown with Bryce Harper and company.
The club was able to hold their own against one of the best teams in baseball without Yordan Alvarez doing damage in the lineup (Fri, Sat, and Sun).
While it's nice to see Yainer Diaz, Alex Bregman, Jeremy Pena, and Jose Altuve have success with the long ball, it's the pitching that's doing most of the heavy lifting as of late.
In fact, while the Astros have the ninth-highest OPS in MLB this season, that doesn't tell the whole story. Over the last 30 days, Houston is 16th in OPS (.729).
Even the lowly Mariners offense has scored more runs over that span. Clearly, this team needs Yordan to return to the lineup healthy, hopefully followed by Kyle Tucker in the coming weeks.
Over the last month, Jake Meyers is hitting .198, Mauricio Dubon .176, and Chas McCormick is sitting at .111. Manager Joe Espada is desperately trying to find a spark at the bottom of the lineup.
That's why newly acquired outfielder Ben Gamel saw work in all four games against Baltimore. He recorded 5 hits in 11 at-bats. We can work with that.
But in the meantime, the pitching is holding down the fort. They are first in team-ERA (3.04) over the last 30 days, and hold the lowest batting average against (.193).
Both Hunter Brown and Spencer Arrighetti were fantastic in the Orioles series. And what else can we say about Yusei Kikuchi? The Astros have won every game he's started since joining the team.
We know the Astros gave up a lot to get him, but at least he's performed as well as anyone could have hoped. Something to note, though, Joey Loperfido has been on a tear for the Blue Jays recently.
He has 4 multi-hit performances in his last 5 games, recording 3 doubles, 2 triples, and one homer. The Astros outfield could use that type of production in the worst way.
But it is a small sample size, and I'm sure Astros fans will be revisiting this trade for years to come.
Hector Neris is back, baby!
We saw Neris is his first action after rejoining the club, and the results speak for themselves. It looks like he never left after posting an inning and a third on Sunday, without allowing any runs, hits, or walks.
Be sure to check out the video above as we discuss the struggles on offense, the spectacular pitching, and what we should expect from a reloaded Astros bullpen with Ryan Pressly likely to rejoin the team in short order.
Catch our weekly Stone Cold ‘Stros podcast. Brandon Strange, Josh Jordan, and Charlie Pallilo discuss varied Astros topics. The first post for the week generally goes up Monday afternoon (second part released Tuesday) via The SportsMap HOU YouTube channel or listen to episodes in their entirety at Apple, Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts.
The Dodgers have spent a lot of money hoping to win their second straight World Series and bettors are putting their cash on Los Angeles.
BetMGM Sportsbook has taken 37.8% of its futures money on the Dodgers, which far exceeds its previous high of 21.7% of money that was placed on the 2022 New York Mets. It's also far ahead of this year's Mets, who at 9.4% are receiving the second-highest amount of the handle. The New York Yankees are third at 7.7%.
The Dodgers also lead in betting tickets at 17.5%, with the Mets next at 8.7% and the Philadelphia Phillies at 8.6%.
Opening day for most teams is Thursday.
“It's all Dodgers money,” BetMGM trading manager Halvor Egeland said. “That's somewhat frequent when it comes to the favorites. Favorites are going to take most of the money, but this is a level we don't typically see. ... It's a little bit of a hole liability wise, which is a little out of the norm for a favorite."
That's because sportsbooks typically set a high enough price in anticipation for the rush of money, but not to this level. The Dodgers, who already are 2-0 after a two-game series against the Chicago Cubs in Tokyo, are +240 at BetMGM.
The next closest are the Yankees and Atlanta Braves at +900 each.
DraftKings Sportsbook race and sports operations director Johnny Avello said the Dodgers are popular, but the futures money is fairly well spread out. LA is +290 at DraftKings and the Braves are next at +750 and the Yankees at +850.
“They've got a complete team,” Avello said of the Dodgers. “Will they win it all again? I don't know. Sometimes at the end of the year, things just need to go your way. I don't care how good you are.”
Meet the Mets
The Mets are challenging the Dodgers on spending, and the club made a splashy move by signing Juan Soto to a record $765 million, 15-year contract.
Bettors are banking on that aggressiveness to help the Mets win their first World Series title since 1986.
The Mets are listed at +1200 at BetMGM and DraftKings.
“If the Mets start off good, they're going to continue to take money,” Avello said. “If they don't start off good and we raise their odds, they're going to continue to take money. They're going to be bet all year long.”
Hope for the A's?
The Athletics went 32-32 after the All-Star break and then broke their recent practice and invested money in major league payroll.
There are believers in the A's, who are about to play their first of at least three seasons at a Triple-A ballpark in West Sacramento, California, before an anticipated move to Las Vegas,
The A's were bet up from a win total at BetMGM of 70 1/2 to 72 1/2, though the number settled back down to 71 1/2.
“We may end up going back there,” Egeland said of 72 1/2. “It seemed like as soon as we went up with the A's, there's some interest. Even in the division, we had some interest there on the A's, which is kind of surprising for the amount of money they spend. But I do think people like the young talent and pitchers like Mason Miller.”
Betting on Francona
Terry Francona was hired for another reclamation project, the Reds hoping he will find similar success in Cincinnati that he had with Boston and Cleveland.
“We are seeing some money on them to win it all,” Avello said. “You get a really good price. They’re projected to win around 78, 79 games or so. And this guy’s a winner. He finds ways to make teams that are average much better, so that’s why I think bettors are betting the Reds to win it all.”
The Reds, who have a core of young players led by Elly De La Cruz, are +8000 at BetMGM and +9000 at DraftKings.
Trout on comeback tour
Injuries have limited Los Angeles Angels slugger Mike Trout, once the game's most complete player, to 82 or fewer games three of the past four seasons.
He is moving from center to right field with the idea that covering less ground in the outfield might help him stay healthy.
Trout is the +300 favorite at BetMGM to be selected AL Comeback Player of the Year.
“People are loving that one,” Egeland said. “It's not an award that usually gets a ton of handle, but when you have someone like Trout available, that's where most of the money is going to go.”
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