Community Picks: Los Angeles Angels 0% vs Houston Astros 0%

Among the least consequential effects of Hurricane Harvey, which tore through Texas in the last week of August, was that it nearly scuppered the biggest trade of this baseball season—the type of deal the analytically driven Astros weren’t supposed to make. On Aug. 25, Jeff Luhnow, the Astros’ 51-year-old general manager, left Houston with his wife, Gina, and their three-year-old son, Henry, to accompany the club on a three-game road trip to Anaheim. The Astros lost 100 games in each of Luhnow’s first two seasons, as he initiated a rebuilding effort remarkable for its depth and controversy. Continue to Article

September 22, 2017 11:08:am EST

At just 22 years old, Astros shortstop Carlos Correa is at the top of his game and has quickly become one of baseball’s brightest stars. Before Correa went down with a torn ligament in his left thumb on July 17, he was cruising toward the finest statistical season of his young career. Not only was Correa putting up career numbers, he sat near the top of the American League and MLB leaderboards in many offensive categories. Continue to Article

September 21, 2017 11:07:am EST

The last game of the final day of the 2000 MLB season isn’t remembered much, and understandably so. With a man on first and no one out in the bottom of the third, Astros first baseman Daryle Ward took the first pitch he saw from Brewers righty Jamey Wright and sent it out to the seats. Facing Toronto reliever Ryan Tepera as the leadoff hitter in the top of the eighth, Kansas City leftfielder Alex Gordon worked the count full, then skied a breaking ball to right-center, where it landed just beyond the wall and below the first row of rightfield seats at Rogers Centre. Continue to Article

September 20, 2017 2:03:pm EST

The Astros clinched the AL West on Sunday afternoon with a 7-1 victory over the Mariners. It marks the Astros’ first division title since 2001 when they were in the NL Central. Justin Verlander delivered another strong start, holding the Mariners to one run on three hits and a walk with 10 strikeouts over seven innings. Continue to Article

September 17, 2017 5:40:pm EST

Carlos Correa and Evan Gattis had two hits apiece and each drove in a run as the Houston Astros jumped on James Paxton and cruised to a 5-2 win over the Seattle Mariners on Friday night to move closer to clinching the American League West. Houston's magic number dropped to two, meaning the Astros could earn a playoff spot and secure their first division title since 2001 with a win on Saturday if the Angels lose Friday or Saturday. Continue to Article

September 15, 2017 11:36:pm EST