AUGUST 12, 2022 • THEATHLETIC.COM
HOUSTON ASTROS 88-73 · 1ST IN AL WEST
88-73 · 1ST IN AL WEST
Caught Looking: From Alex Bregman's liners to Alex Wood's breathing to Nico Hoerner's thump A surprising thing happens when pitchers reach the 80-pitch mark in a game.
Athletics aim to break slide in game against the Astros
The Oakland Athletics look to break their five-game losing streak with a victory against the Houston AstrosAUGUST 12, 2022 • ASSOCIATED PRESS
Houston RBI softball team making 4-peat run VERO BEACH, Fla. -- Like a no-hitter in progress or a press-box mention of a game passing quickly through five innings, the word “four-peat”...
AUGUST 12, 2022 • MLB.COM
Astros manager Dusty Baker back after missing five games with COVID-19 - The Boston Globe Baker tested positive on Friday when the team was on a road trip in Cleveland.
AUGUST 12, 2022 • BOSTONGLOBE.COM
Thursday's MLB: Valdez pitches Astros past Rangers for AL's best record Framber Valdez threw seven shutout innings and the Houston Astros beat the Texas Rangers 7-3 on Thursday.
AUGUST 12, 2022 • DETROITNEWS.COM
High-quality stuff: Valdez nearing franchise history HOUSTON -- When Lance McCullers Jr. injured his right forearm in Game 4 of last year’s American League Division Series, the Astros’ pitching...
AUGUST 12, 2022 • MLB.COM
Valdez pitches Astros past Rangers for AL's best record Framber Valdez threw seven shutout innings, Martín Maldonado and Alex Bregman homered with three RBIs each, and the Houston Astros beat the...
AUGUST 11, 2022 • CHARLOTTEOBSERVER.COM
Alex Bregman - Reaches four times in win Bregman went 2-for-2 with a homer, three RBI and two walks in a 7-3 win over Texas on Thursday.
Impact After walking in his first two plate appearances, Bregman skied a two-run homer to left in the fifth inning off Cole Ragans, ending the rookie's outing. The third baseman added an RBI single in the seventh. In August, Bregman has hit safely in all but one game and has a .400/.500/.533 line with a 7:3 B:KK in 38 plate appearances. For the season, he has a .362 OBP and is one of eight qualified batters with more walks than strikeouts.
AUGUST 11, 2022 • ROTOWIRE
Framber Valdez - Dominant in victory Valdez (11-4) earned the win Thursday over Texas, striking out eight in seven scoreless innings while allowing four hits, a walk and a hit batsman.
Impact All four hits against Valdez were singles, and he managed to pitch around trouble in the third and seventh innings to hold the Rangers scoreless. At one point, he retired 11 straight batters. The 28-year-old has now thrown a quality start in 19 straight appearances. He's posted a 2.73 ERA and allowed just seven homers in 142 innings this year. His next start will likely be in the middle of next week against the White Sox.
AUGUST 11, 2022 • ROTOWIRE
Valdez throws 7 scoreless, AL-best Astros beat Rangers 7-3
Framber Valdez threw seven shutout innings, Martín Maldonado and Alex Bregman homered with three RBIs each, and the Houston Astros beat the Texas Rangers 7-3AUGUST 11, 2022 • ASSOCIATED PRESS
Houston's Baker back after missing 5 games with COVID-19
Houston Astros manager Dusty Baker has returned for the finale of a series against the Texas Rangers following a five-game absence after testing positive for COVID-19AUGUST 11, 2022 • ASSOCIATED PRESS
Blake Taylor - Beginning rehab assignment Taylor (elbow) will begin a rehab assignment with the Astros' rookie-level Florida Complex League affiliate Thursday, Chandler Rome of the Houston Chronicle reports.
Impact Taylor has been out with elbow inflammation since early June, but he resumed throwing in late July and has now been cleared to return to game action in the minors. He'll presumably require several rehab appearances before he's in the mix to rejoin the Astros.
AUGUST 11, 2022 • ROTOWIRE
Christian Vázquez - Sitting again Thursday Vazquez is not in the starting lineup for Thursday's series finale against the Rangers.
Impact Vazquez will be on the bench for a second straight game and he has gone 2-for-12 with no extra-base hits since joining the Astros at the beginning of the month. Martin Maldonado will start behind the plate and bat ninth versus Texas.
AUGUST 11, 2022 • ROTOWIRE
Yordan Alvarez - Sitting Thursday Alvarez is not in the starting lineup Thursday against the Rangers.
Impact Alvarez will get a breather as he's in the middle of a cold stretch from the plate, batting .146 with two extra-base hits over his last 11 games. Trey Mancini will take over at designated hitter and bat sixth in the series finale.
AUGUST 11, 2022 • ROTOWIRE
Rangers, Astros in Rubber Match Stats, probable lineups, injury updates and notes for Thursday’s matchup between Texas and the Houston Astros at Minute Maid Park in Houston...
AUGUST 11, 2022 • STAR-TELEGRAM.COM
Astros take on the Rangers with series tied 1-1
The Houston Astros and Texas Rangers meet on Thursday with the winner claiming the three-game seriesAUGUST 11, 2022 • ASSOCIATED PRESS
Kyle Tucker - Three hits including homer in loss Tucker went 3-for-5 with a solo home run and two RBI in Wednesday's loss to the Rangers.
Impact Tucker singled in the second inning, launched a game-tying solo homer in the fourth frame and added another RBI on a single in the bottom of the 10th. The homer was his 20th of the season and first since July 26. Tucker has now gone 4-for-8 with a home run, a double, three RBI and two runs over two games since he returned from a four-game absence due to an illness.
AUGUST 11, 2022 • ROTOWIRE
Justin Verlander - Looks human Wednesday Verlander pitched six innings, allowing three runs on five hits and a walk while striking out seven in Wednesday's extra-inning loss to the Rangers. He did not factor into the deci...
Impact Verlander returned to Earth Wednesday, allowing more than one earned run for the first time in eight starts. The Rangers scratched two runs across in the top of the fourth and a sacrifice fly by Leody Taveras in the sixth frame provided the final tally on his line. The 39-year-old was able to extend his quality start streak to eight consecutive outings, producing an absurd 1.17 ERA and 0.82 WHIP with 53 strikeouts over 53.2 innings during that stretch. His season numbers now sit at a 1.85 ERA and 0.86 WHIP with 134 punchouts over 136 frames in 21 outings.
AUGUST 11, 2022 • ROTOWIRE
Taveras career-high 5 RBIs, Rangers beat Astros 8-4 in 10
Leody Taveras drove in a career-high five runs, including a bases-clearing double as part of a five-run 10th inning as the Texas Rangers beat the Houston Astros 8-4AUGUST 11, 2022 • ASSOCIATED PRESS
Michael Brantley - Heading for second opinion Astros bench coach Joe Espada said Wednesday that Brantley is receiving a second medical opinion on his injured right shoulder, Brian McTaggart of MLB.com reports.
Impact GM James Click said recently he had no update on Brantley's status but indicated it's possible the veteran outfielder doesn't see the field again this year, though Click said he still hopes Brantley will return to action. The 35-year-old has been sidelined by the injury since late June, and he was shut down in mid-July when his body responded poorly to swinging a bat. At this point, Brantley shouldn't be expected to rejoin the Astros until at least sometime in September, assuming he even sees the field again in 2022.
AUGUST 11, 2022 • ROTOWIRE
Houston Astros vs Texas Rangers Box Score - August 11, 2022 - The Athletic Get real-time MLB coverage and scores as the Houston Astros take on the Texas Rangers at 12:10am UTC on August 11, 2022. The Athletic brings you the latest stats, scores, and analy...
AUGUST 11, 2022 • THEATHLETIC.COM
Mancini Q&A: Get to know your newest Astro This story was excerpted from Brian McTaggart’s Astros Beat newsletter. To read the full newsletter, click here. And subscribe to get it reg...
AUGUST 11, 2022 • MLB.COM
Lance McCullers Jr. - Season debut set for Saturday The Astros will activate McCullers (forearm) from the 60-day injured list to start Saturday's game against the Athletics at Minute Maid Park, Brian McTaggart of MLB.com reports.
Impact Houston had been running a five-man rotation since dealing away Jake Odorizzi ahead of last week's trade deadline, but McCullers' return from the IL will bring the Astros back to six starters. The right-hander will be making his first appearance for the big club since the ALDS last fall, after an offseason setback in his recovery from a flexor tendon strain kept him on the shelf for the first four months of the current campaign. McCullers wrapped up his four-start rehab assignment with a five-inning, 86-pitch effort at Triple-A Sugar Land on Sunday, so he's unlikely to face any major workload restrictions while he takes the hill this weekend on five days' rest.
AUGUST 10, 2022 • ROTOWIRE
Rodolfo Castro's on-field MLB phone flub a relatable moment
Pittsburgh Pirates infielder Rodolfo Castro's phone faux pas was a relatable momentAUGUST 10, 2022 • ASSOCIATED PRESS
Yankees' Aaron Boone reacts to Astros catching up in pennant race With Tuesday's loss, the Yankees fell into a first-place tie with the Astros for the American League's top record.
AUGUST 10, 2022 • NJ.COM
