Up by 1 (really 2)!!!

Big double play ends the game. Back to a 1 game cushion + the tie breaker!

Magic number down to 8.

Great win SOX - and a huge thank you!

Lambert and Cease going to push the lead to 2 plus the tiebreaker tomorrow

Need our boy Springer and the Jays to do us a solid this weekend.

That's a massive swing tonight.

Let's be honest. These are two .500 teams and they have 9 games left to make a statement. It won't take much.

5-4 gets us to 82 wins. They need 7-2 to get to 83.

yep, that was a very bad loss for the Rangers

Not wrong

Money quote sums up the Astros GM job: https://t.co/fPXDrbbpkM pic.twitter.com/naRsnHbcZa

— Jeremy Kaufman (@JeremyIKaufman) September 17, 2026

I'd still love to hear Ketch's take on the whole "we gave them a choice and Dana quit while Joe decided to finish the season" deal. He has been extremely quiet and I am just curious if he has been sworn to secrecy by his source, knocked off by Bagwell, if he was Dana all along, or if we did something to piss him off so he isn't talking to us anymore?

The thread has been a ball of negativity lately (due to poor play) and that will cause some regular posters to avoid it at times

Not a great team or a great season, but 10 games to go and 5-5 probably gets us into the playoffs.

Then it might be time for Crane to bite the bullet and commit to the rebuilding

amercer said:

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Not a great team or a great season, but 10 games to go and 5-5 probably gets us into the playoffs.

Then it might be time for Crane to bite the bullet and commit to the rebuilding

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With the Astros record against teams above .500, I feel like we have a legit shot to get to the ALCS, too, if we make the playoffs. I doubt we get past the Rays, but against anyone else I think we have a chance. I don't know that I've seen a team that is so good against good teams, and so bad against bad teams.

There are no teams the in AL that look scary (including us). I feel like it's wide open.

Dana's departure seemed to have an impact on the insider information

W said:

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Dana's departure seemed to have an impact on the insider information

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inside information was coming before Dana.

n_touch said:

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W said:

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Dana's departure seemed to have an impact on the insider information

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inside information was coming before Dana.

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Yes, and it stopped when he left.

Had a last second cancellation - who wants tickets tonight?

Preference for someone who hasn't been or wants to take kids to see baseball (and unlimited ice cream)

so after last night...the Astros (206) are back to 3rd in the MLB ranks for home runs

only 5 behind the Cubs (211) for the top spot

Good bull Frio! We've been once this season and had a blast ( hopefully they've been able to restock the ice cream after the kids cleaned them out). Put us down as a backup if there are no first-timers.

Farmer1906 said:

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Fangraphs Playoff Projections

Team - Make Playoffs - Win Div - Clinch Bye
Astros - 67.9% - 64.4% - 20.2%
Rangers - 25.4% - 18.8% - 2.6%
Mariners - 18.8% - 16.8% - 1.4%

AL Clinch Bye Odds
Rays - 81.0%
White Sox - 57.3%
Astros - 20.6%
Yankees - 18.2%
Guardians - 17.0%
Rangers - 2.4%
Mariners - 1.4%
Red Sox - 0.8%
Tigers - 0.3%

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Team - Make Playoffs - Win Div - Clinch Bye
Astros - 73.0% - 70.0% - 26.6%
Rangers - 27.9% - 19.6% - 3.5%
Mariners - 12.0% - 10.3% - 1.0%

AL Clinch Bye Odds
Rays - 82.6%
White Sox - 49.5%
Astros - 26.6%
Guardians - 17.7%
Yankees - 16.1%
Rangers - 3.5%
Twins- 1.6%
Red Sox - 1.3%
Mariners - 1.0%
Tigers - 0.1%

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Team - Make Playoffs - Win Div - Clinch Bye
Astros - 78.3% - 73.3% - 34.8%
Rangers - 32.4% - 18.0% - 4.9%
Mariners - 11.5% - 8.73% - 1.2%

AL Clinch Bye Odds
Rays - 74.4%
White Sox - 43.8%
Astros - 34.8%
Yankees - 25.0%
Guardians - 13.7%
Rangers - 4.9%
Twins- 1.5%
Mariners - 1.2%
Red Sox - 0.6%
Tigers - 0.1%

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Team - Make Playoffs - Win Div - Clinch Bye
Astros - 84.2% - 80.7% - 30.3%
Rangers - 30.3% - 17.2% - 3.3%
Mariners - 2.5% - 2.2% - 0.1%

AL Clinch Bye Odds
Rays - 83.5%
White Sox - 46.2%
Astros - 30.3%
Guardians - 20.0%
Yankees - 15.8%
Rangers - 3.3%
Red Sox - 0.7%
Twins- 0.2%
Mariners - 0.1%

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Team - Make Playoffs - Win Div - Clinch Bye
Astros - 90.3% - 87.8% - 42.9%
Rangers - 20.5% - 7.7% - 1.7%
Mariners - 5.9% - 4.5% - 0.3%

AL Clinch Bye Odds
Rays - 81.1%
Astros - 42.9%
White Sox - 36.6%
Guardians - 18.3%
Yankees - 18.7%
Rangers - 1.7%
Mariners - 0.3%
Twins - 0.2%
Red Sox - 0.2%


Look who's a 1/2 game out and now favored to clinch the bye.

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Team - Make Playoffs - Win Div - Clinch Bye
Astros - 81.0% - 77.7% - 23.5%
Rangers - 32.9% - 21.9% - 3.9%
Mariners - 0.3% - 0.3% - 0.0%

AL Clinch Bye Odds
Rays - 95.6%
Guardians - 37.1%
White Sox - 35.5%
Astros - 23.5%
Yankees - 4.4%
Rangers - 3.9%

Remaining Games
Astros

• Braves: Basically clinched the division with no shot at a bye. Just gotta officially do it.
• @Mariners: Will likely be officially eliminated by the time we play 2 there
• @Athletics: Been out of it for a while. Hopefully, it's a pad-your-stats-for-the-season kind of series in the Triple-A park, not a fight-for-your-playoff-life kind of series.

FrioAg 00 said:

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Had a last second cancellation - who wants tickets tonight?

Preference for someone who hasn't been or wants to take kids to see baseball (and unlimited ice cream)

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Just wanted to say thank you again. I took my 3 kids Wednesday and let them stuff their faces. I did the same earlier in the season. I think they may be ruined for all other parts of the ballpark.

Ketch is Dana....Dana is ketch!

Astros Bingo Update: 9-18-26
Spreadsheet Link

Today's Personal Note
My buddy who supplied the tickets last night and I realized during the game that we've been going to see the Astros together for 31 seasons.
We were both in summer session at A&M in 1995 when we went to an Astros-Padres Saturday doubleheader on his 21st birthday. The first game went 17 innings with both teams scoring 1 run in the first, 1 run in the 16th, and the Astros walking it off in the 17th. Tony Eusebio doubled off Trevor Hoffman to tie in the 16th, and Biggio won it in the 17th with a walkoff RBI single.

First game started at 2 and lasted 4-1/2 hours, second game started at 7 and the good guys won 4-1 as Mike Hampton outdueled none other than Fernando Valenzuela, who Biggio lit up for a 3-run homer. At the game last night, we figured we've been to at least 50 games together since, including Randy Johnson's first home start, multiple Opening Days, 3 playoff games, and even 2 at Wrigley Field when my buddy was living in Michigan for a few years.

YORDAN GETS TO 40 DONGS
Even after 25 seasons of Enron / Minute Maid / Daikin, 40 home runs is still rare air for this franchise. He joins Bagwell (3 times), Berkman (2 times), 2019 Alex Bregman and 2000 Richard Hidalgo in the club. He's also up to 319 total bases; that's good for 16th all-time in franchise history. 13 more gets him into the Top 10.


CAM SMITH DOES THE IMPOSSIBLE
When they showed the ad on the big screen saying "If an Astro steals a base tonight, everyone gets a coupon for 5 free wings from Pluckers," my buddy said, "The way the Astros are going, it should say everyone gets $5,000." When Cam picked up his 11th steal later, we spent the next several minutes laughing oUr way through a bit of the panicked Daikin Park promo team freaking out because nobody knew where those coupons were because the Astros hadn't stolen a base at home in months.

GOAT REPORT
Career hit #2,506 for Jose Altuve last night was also career double #479. He's 9 behind Jeff Bagwell for 2nd on the Astros' all-time list.

Astros Flashback: September 18, 2019: Astros pitcher Gerrit Cole becomes the third player in team history and just the 19th player in MLB history to strike out 300 batters in a season. He strikes out 10 Rangers in a 3-2 victory that not only clinches a playoff spot, but also makes the Astros just the 6th franchise in MLB history to have 3 straight 100-win seasons. More importantly, it leads to this photo of Cole's wife Amy with her new bestie Kate Upton, which we all know was largely based on the two of them being hotter than all the other wives, not that I'm complaining. Later we learn the two are constantly hanging out, and also that Amy Cole went on Kate's 30th birthday trip, which somehow I did not get invited to.



THIS IS NOT A HOFA PICTURE. KATE UPTON AND AMY COLE ARE FORMER ASTROS' WIVES. THIS PICTURE REPRESENTS TEAM UNITY AND JOY AND FRIENDSHIP.

I'd gladly take them if still available. However, If there's someone out there that's never been, then please give to them instead. My family typically goes to a handful of games every season but haven't made it out to the ballpark yet this year. Thanks!

Odds Wade Jr. is back at 1B tonight?

Wabs said:

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Odds Wade Jr. is back at 1B tonight?

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None. Espada won't sit Walker again. Instead Wade will play RF over Cam. Espada cares more about feelings than what's best for the team.

TRM said:

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Not wrong

Money quote sums up the Astros GM job: https://t.co/fPXDrbbpkM pic.twitter.com/naRsnHbcZa

— Jeremy Kaufman (@JeremyIKaufman) September 17, 2026

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Bagwell, dude. Just go away.

It's just a confirmation of what we all knew or suspected.

We are now the worst run organization in MLB. It's a clown show. And it's not just the GM position. It's systemic and rotted the entire organization. Just look at the media mess over CC coming back or not. They can't even agree on the message regarding the health of a player.

I don't see a fix of this short of:

1. Bagwell deciding to step away from his advisory role while simultaneously Crane going hands off and letting a professional staff do what they do best.

Or

2. Crane selling the club and a new ownership group comes in and starts over AND stays out of the way.

Sadly, #1 isn't happening. At least I don't see it happening.

Mathguy64 said:

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It's just a confirmation of what we all knew or suspected.

We are now the worst run organization in MLB. It's a clown show. And it's not just the GM position. It's systemic and rotted the entire organization. Just look at the media mess over CC coming back or not. They can't even agree on the message regarding the health of a player.

I don't see a fix of this short of:

1. Bagwell deciding to step away from his advisory role while simultaneously Crane going hands off and letting a professional staff do what they do best.

Or

2. Crane selling the club and a new ownership group comes in and starts over AND stays out of the way.

Sadly, #1 isn't happening. At least I don't see it happening.

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The only way #2 happens is if fans stop paying money for an inferior product.

Or if he gets a crazy $$ offer.

Mathguy64 said:

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Or if he gets a crazy $$ offer.

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So you're saying everyone on this board needs to pool our money and buy the team…I love it!!

First order of business…so long Joe!!!

I don't love thinking about the offseason during the season, but something has been bothering me.

1. We cannot afford to lose Jeremy Pena's offensive production. He's been a 130 wRC+ hitter for 2 seasons now.
2. We cannot go into 2027 with the same infield problems we went into 2026 with. Sure, it worked out because Correa was hurt, but it doesn't change the fact it was stupid as hell.
3. The outfield has to improve.
4. If we move off of Pena, Correa cannot be the answer at SS long-term.

How can we square all these issues?

1. Sign Seiya Suzuki - similar production as Pena, won't cost 150+ M, and goes to our biggest area of need.
2. Trade Pena - I doubt you can get a Tucker-like fleecing, but this will help clear some money and get us a starting CFer or SP help.
3. Ride with Correa as the SS for 1 season, then look to move him to 3B in 2028 (Walker and Paredes will be UFA)

2027 would look something like this
1. Paredes - 3B
2. Alavrez - DH
3. Suzuki - LF
4. Correa - SS
5. Altuve - 2B
6. Walker - 1B
7. Diaz - C
8. Smith - RF
9. ??? - CF

I agree with everything you said MG, but like I've said before, Luhnow and Hinch put Crane in the terrible spot where he doesn't think he can ever trust a GM/manger combo again to do the right thing. His level of personal and professional humiliation is unfathomable to the rest of us (unless some of you are secret billionaires).He is what their dishonesty made him.

CharleyKerfeld said:

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I agree with everything you said MG, but like I've said before, Luhnow and Hinch put Crane in the terrible spot where he doesn't think he can ever trust a GM/manger combo again to do the right thing. His level of personal and professional humiliation is unfathomable to the rest of us (unless some of you are secret billionaires).He is what their dishonesty made him.

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He can't? Or he won't? He is not the first guy to have people under him do bad stuff that he got held accountable for. You learn from the beatings and you move on. He obviously trusts Bagwell way more than he should according to what everybody else in baseball thinks of him. Why trust Bagwell that much and not somebody else?

On another note, how much is Amazon grounding 21 Air going to cut into our payroll spending in the next year if there is a season by some miracle?

CharleyKerfeld said:

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I agree with everything you said MG, but like I've said before, Luhnow and Hinch put Crane in the terrible spot where he doesn't think he can ever trust a GM/manger combo again to do the right thing. His level of personal and professional humiliation is unfathomable to the rest of us (unless some of you are secret billionaires).He is what their dishonesty made him.

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2 things: a) if the that's true then he just needs to sell the team and b) why put your trust in a guy like Bagwell that has made his own bad choices as well and shouldn't be trusted either.