PLAYING THE PONIES
Sam Houston Race Park selections for Friday, March 13
Mar 13, 2020, 5:29 am
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Here are my selections for Friday night at Sam Houston Race Park. These are not meant to be in exact order, but merely the four horses I think have the best chance to win. For beginners, I suggest exacta boxes with three horses, using two of mine and one of your own. And you can always pick up a copy of Acing Racing 2016 to learn everything you need to know.
FIRST
7-6-3-4
UPTOWN WTF had a nightmare trip in last
SECOND
1-6-4-5
SPACE COWGIRL comes off a nice effort at Fair Grounds
THIRD
3-8-9-2
DON'T LET ME LINGER should move forward in this spot
FOURTH
4-6-3-5
GRAND TRIBUTE has a couple of OK efforts at Delta
FIFTH
5-9-8-1
PASSIVE has been off since June but has steady works and best would be good enough
SIXTH
1-6-4-2
MISLED improved in last and another step forward should get it done
SEVENTH
9-11-10-4
VALENTINE'S DAY should improve off a solid second in meet debut
EIGHTH
7-1A-8-6
THE REMAINDER has good early speed and could prove tough
NINTH
7-9-5-2
BOUNDLESS JOY drops in class and should get a good trip
TENTH
6-10-9-2
HECOULDGOALLTHEWAY is a Kitten's Joy firster on the turf; could be a good night for Sasha
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Isaac Paredes has been a steady force in the middle of the Astros’ order, but a tweaked hamstring suffered during Thursday’s win over the White Sox may force Houston to recalibrate, again.
If Paredes misses time, the most logical shuffle would see Jose Altuve sliding back to second base, with Mauricio Dubón stepping in at third. It’s a reasonable patch. But internally, there’s also some intrigue around whether Cam Smith—currently thriving in right field—could slide back to his original position on the infield. The idea isn’t without merit; Smith is the club’s best offensive option at third in Paredes’ absence. But defensively, it’s hard to justify moving him right now. Smith made several standout plays in the Chicago series, reinforcing just how important his glove has become to the Astros’ outfield defense. One thing is for sure, the Astros can't afford to play both Dubon and Brendon Rodgers in the infield regularly. The offense would take a huge hit.
Timing, however, might be on Houston’s side. The next stretch of games features the Twins, Athletics, and Angels—three teams the Astros can beat even while navigating lineup instability. It helps that Yainer Diaz and Christian Walker are showing signs of life at the plate. Diaz, in particular, has been red-hot, posting an OPS north of 1.200 over the past week. Walker is batting over .300 during that same span, giving the Astros enough firepower to survive short-term turbulence.
Elsewhere, the outfield presents its own set of choices. Jacob Melton has shown enough in the field to warrant a serious look as Chas McCormick’s replacement when he returns from injury. He’s still searching for consistency at the plate, batting under .200 in his first 10 big league games. But his arm and left-handed bat give manager Joe Espada a little more lineup flexibility—especially with Yordan Alvarez still out and the offense skewing right-handed.
For now, the Astros have room to adjust. But if Paredes ends up missing significant time, they’ll need more than just a few temporary solutions to keep their momentum going.
There's so much more to cover! Don't miss the video below as we examine the topics above and much, much more!
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