The Astros couldn't withstand the Royals in Game 5 and they've been eliminated from the 2015 playoffs. They did pretty well for a team that wasn't really expected to arrive for another couple years, and they gained some valuable playoff experience to help them prepare for next time. They even led Game 5 for a couple of innings, but even the 2 runs they managed seemed like a lucky coincidence after Gattis got on base on a lucky single and Valbuena hit Cueto's one mistake over the fence. Especially after the Royals went ahead it seemed like the Houston batters lost their composure and came up hacking. Cueto was dealing, too, but Houston's bats weren't doing anything to help themselves. Hopefully Houston can keep most of the roster together this off-season and add a couple good pieces for next year's run.
Now I have to join fans of the other 25 currently-eliminated teams in either ignoring baseball until Spring or choosing a secondary rooting interest for the LCS round. I am currently leaning toward Toronto. I'd like to see R.A. Dickey win a championship, and I like a lot of the other players on the roster. I even liked Jose Bautista's bat flip. The MLB could use some WWE-style swagger in small doses, and if Sam Dyson doesn't like that kind of emotional display he ought not to throw pitches that get launched into orbit during an emotional elimination game.
I found this scan in my folder, and I couldn't for the life of me remember where it was from. I think I have solved the mystery, though, as digging through the piles on my desk unearthed an empty envelope from Sportscards from the Dollar Store. Putting 2 and 2 together, I believe these cards came from that envelope. The baseball cards are mostly from the Topps Archives set, which is one of my favorite products but has been priced out of my league by various celebrity autographs. I still like the idea of it, though. There were also several Houston Rockets cards, including these shiny Prestige cards of James Harden and Terrence Jones.
That Corey Brewer card is from the 2014-15 Panini Donruss set, which I posted about just a few days ago. I believe Jordie Benn was included in this mailing because of his deluxe-sized beard. Fernando Rodney and Robinson Cano close things out. Cano had kind of a rough year with 'only' 3.4 WAR, which he blamed on adjusting to a stomach ailment. Rodney kind of had a rough year because he's Fernando Rodney. He's on the Cubs' playoff roster, though, so that counts for something. He threw the ball pretty well for them after he wore out his welcome with the Mariners and got traded. I wonder if they'll actually let him pitch during their run? edit: It turns out they did let him pitch, and he even did some Fernando Rodney stuff!
Thanks for the cards, buckstorecards! Sorry your envelope and the related scans got buried for a while!
Astros can't return for 2016 with a guy at each corner infield spot that struggles to crack .200 and without a DH threat. Maybe one of the two hot shot minor league 1B prospects comes through. They could sign Big Papi to a two year deal that's affordable to DH. No long term expensive pitching deals, just some upgrades to the front of the bullpen.
ReplyDeleteYou make some good points. The personnel office seems to be doing okay, and I hope they don't let this earlier-than-expected success blind them to the holes in the roster. I don't think it will, especially with the way the ALDS ended.
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