Good win and much needed.

Sweeping the marlins would make it feel a bit better

tjack16 said:

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Good win and much needed.

Sweeping the marlins would make it feel a bit better

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No it wouldn't.

(and don't do this to yourself, brother)

This stat is actually insane.

Yordan Alvarez is hitting .294 with 15 home runs in two-strike counts this season. League average in two-strike counts entering today was .168.

— Matt Kawahara (@matthewkawahara) July 21, 2026

linkdude said:

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This stat is actually insane.

Yordan Alvarez is hitting .294 with 15 home runs in two-strike counts this season. League average in two-strike counts entering today was .168.

— Matt Kawahara (@matthewkawahara) July 21, 2026

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Incredible

W said:

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14 wins-in-a-row for Boston

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tjack16 said:

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Good win and much needed.

Sweeping the marlins would make it feel a bit better

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We won, Rangers lost. All in baby. Neyens and Kevin Alvarez for Jake McCarthy. Pew pew </Lance Zierlien Drayton voice>

Didn't watch last night. Now I need to stop watching to see if this starts a long winning streak (narrator: It didn't).

Don't let the green grass fool you. Don't let it change your mind.

Marvin said:

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tjack16 said:

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Good win and much needed.

Sweeping the marlins would make it feel a bit better

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No it wouldn't.

(and don't do this to yourself, brother)

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I just want the 6 game win streak bingo square lol

the Marlins have lost 7 straight games -- they are not very good

it seems like the Astros have been playing bad or not very good teams for a long time

(with the exception of the one series vs. the Rays -- which the Astros won)

hope springs eternal...

the Rangers and Mariners play a 4-game series this weekend

W said:

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the Marlins have lost 7 straight games -- they are not very good

it seems like the Astros have been playing bad or not very good teams for a long time

(with the exception of the one series vs. the Rays -- which the Astros won)

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You can say they're not very good, but they're still 3 games above .500 after a 7-game losing streak.

11 games left to the trade deadline

Hornbeck said:

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11 games left to the trade deadline

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I predict lots of active talks with Boston about somebody of marginal value to us, but eventually the talks come to nothing as Boston wants more than we are willing to give up.

Hornbeck said:

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11 games left to the trade deadline

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We can be anywhere from 59-54 to 48-65. I would guess as long as we're around 54-59 area (6-5) were gunna buy.

Farmer1906 said:

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Hornbeck said:

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11 games left to the trade deadline

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We can be anywhere from 59-54 to 48-65. I would guess as long as we're around 54-59 area (6-5) were gunna buy.

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txags92 said:

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Hornbeck said:

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11 games left to the trade deadline

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I predict lots of active talks with Boston about somebody of marginal value to us, but eventually the talks come to nothing as Boston wants more than we are willing to give up.

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11 games left until the deadline

I'll predict 6-5 which will keep us in buy mode

Also would be nice if the Mariners / Rangers 4 game series was a 2-2 split

Which would you rather

1. Seattle / Texas series goes 2-2 keeping us in the hunt and buy mode
2. Seattle goes 4-0 and gets a nice lead which forces us to think sell mode

tjack16 said:

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Which would you rather

1. Seattle / Texas series goes 2-2 keeping us in the hunt and buy mode
2. Seattle goes 4-0 and gets a nice lead which forces us to think sell mode

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#2. No question. I hate rooting for bad things to happen for the Astros, but among the worst possible outcomes for this season would be sneaking in to the last wild card spot at the wire. I am rooting for whatever it takes to shake Crane out of thinking he can keep bandaiding this team instead of rebuilding the farm and growing organically for the future.

Crane can't possibly have been looking at this season and still think we are a piece or 2 away from making noise.

redline248 said:

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Crane can't possibly have been looking at this season and still think we are a piece or 2 away from making noise.

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Based on Ketch's last few comments, that seems to be exactly what he and Dana are thinking.

tjack16 said:

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Which would you rather

1. Seattle / Texas series goes 2-2 keeping us in the hunt and buy mode
2. Seattle goes 4-0 and gets a nice lead which forces us to think sell mode

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Absolutely #2. Even though at this point I don't think anything will "force" us into sell mode, unfortunately.

tjack16 said:

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Which would you rather

1. Seattle / Texas series goes 2-2 keeping us in the hunt and buy mode
2. Seattle goes 4-0 and gets a nice lead which forces us to think sell mode

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I'll selfishly take number one. I have a toxic relationship with the lady in the white sash with blue letters.

Wabs said:

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tjack16 said:

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Which would you rather

1. Seattle / Texas series goes 2-2 keeping us in the hunt and buy mode
2. Seattle goes 4-0 and gets a nice lead which forces us to think sell mode

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Absolutely #2. Even though at this point I don't think anything will "force" us into sell mode, unfortunately.

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That will not force anything. We're still 4.5 out of the WC regardless of what Seattle does. If anything, that just get the Rangers out of the way.

Farmer1906 said:

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Wabs said:

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tjack16 said:

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Which would you rather

1. Seattle / Texas series goes 2-2 keeping us in the hunt and buy mode
2. Seattle goes 4-0 and gets a nice lead which forces us to think sell mode

---

Absolutely #2. Even though at this point I don't think anything will "force" us into sell mode, unfortunately.

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That will not force anything. We're still 4.5 out of the WC regardless of what Seattle does. If anything, that just get the Rangers out of the way.

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If we keep playing .500 ball going forward, that number of games back will grow. No reason to think we will play over .500 ball the next month.

We might have some 7-5 stretches in us, but we will also some 5-7 or 4-8 as well

Hopefully Jim gets "Scrooged" between now and the deadline. Drayton can be the ghost of trade deadlines past, Click can be the ghost of trade deadlines present, and the grim reaper can take care of the future.

Hopefully Jim will wake up and run through the streets asking how many days until the trade deadline and immediately declare a fire sale.

Farmer1906 said:

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Hornbeck said:

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11 games left to the trade deadline

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We can be anywhere from 59-54 to 48-65. I would guess as long as we're around 54-59 area (6-5) were gunna buy.

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If we trade anything away other than a AAAA player on the 40 man that will never amount to anything (like Melton in the offseason), then our front office/ownership is the worst in the league. Either sell or stand Pat, but no way in hell do you give up any future assets. It better be trades like Desenzo, Cole, and Whitcomb for guys like Soler, Addel, etc. I know those aren't lefty bats, but they shouldn't cost anything other than a AAAA player.

Agree with this.

Everytime there is a clip of Yordan Alvarez hitting a baseball I watch it with the SOUND UP.

The CRACK is just different.

POP! pic.twitter.com/i1YELekdw8

— Will Kunkel (@WillKunkelV) July 21, 2026

superaggie73 said:

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Farmer1906 said:

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Hornbeck said:

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11 games left to the trade deadline

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We can be anywhere from 59-54 to 48-65. I would guess as long as we're around 54-59 area (6-5) were gunna buy.

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If we trade anything away other than a AAAA player on the 40 man that will never amount to anything (like Melton in the offseason), then our front office/ownership is the worst in the league. Either sell or stand Pat, but no way in hell do you give up any future assets. It better be trades like Desenzo, Cole, and Whitcomb for guys like Soler, Addel, etc. I know those aren't lefty bats, but they shouldn't cost anything other than a AAAA player.

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I don't disagree. I wonder if they'll try to flip someone like Parades or Walker for someone with multiple years of control and ready to contribute at the big-league level.

Early in the season, I was tracking Caleb Durbin. He was who the Red Sox settled for at 3B when the Parades deal could never get done. He was terrible. One of the worst hitters in baseball the first 2 months. Then he went to Teacherman (Judge & Carpenter's swing coach) and has been doing very well in June and solid in July. I don't think the Red Sox will have much interest in Paredes.

Top 100 Trade Candidates

7. Jeremy Pena
Chance of being traded: 35%
Rest-of-season impact: High
Years of control: One more year after 2026

The buzz: After nearly signing a contract extension last year, Peña hired agent Scott Boras and put the kibosh on the deal. Now, Houston finds itself in a pickle: always wanting to contend, lacking the roster to do it.

Replenishing a bad farm system with few players close to the big leagues takes a move like trading Peña, and the only question at this point is whether it will be before Aug. 3 or before the Dec. 1 lockout. No longer are the Astros in the position they were when they held onto George Springer, Carlos Correa and Alex Bregman all the way to free agency. This is a Kyle Tucker situation -- only now the Astros aren't good, either, which could precipitate moving their shortstop before the deadline. The one potential drawback from Houston's perspective: There aren't a whole lot of contenders in the market for a shortstop, and it might make more sense to wait until the winter.

The scouting report: Peña has always been a plus defender at shortstop with a strong power/speed combo, but his feel for hitting and pitch selection comes and goes. He made the most of Daikin Park's Crawford Boxes by leaning into power and pull/lift, and his 2025 baseball card stats ran hot with better-than-you'd-expect outcomes on balls in play fueling a 5.7 WAR season. Expect more years in line with his other WAR figures (2.7 to 3.3) for the next few seasons.

Best fits: Braves, Rays, Yankees, Blue Jays, Red Sox.


21. Josh Hader
Chance of being traded: 30%
Rest-of-season impact: High
Years of control: Two more years after 2026, at $19 million per year

The buzz: Considering the utter lack of high-end relief pitching available at the deadline, Astros general manager Dana Brown would be smart to explore trading Hader, even as Houston mounts a run toward a wild-card spot. Franchise stewardship entails understanding markets and using them to your advantage, and with teams packed so closely and in need of a differentiator, a lockdown ninth-inning arm is quite a way to differentiate. The one potential fly in the ointment: Plenty of teams are fundamentally against paying $19 million per year for a one-inning reliever.

The scouting report: Hader is one of the best examples of why so many teams are chasing pitchers with big extension and lower arm slots who can still get "lift" on their fastballs: The angle at which his pitch approaches the plate (very flat) makes it very hard for power hitters to get on plane. That means lots of whiffs and mi****s at the top of the zone, which then also means any sort of decent or deceptive off-speed pitch will also play well as hitters gear up for the heater. Hader's bullet slider, placed below the zone, gives hitters fits for this reason: They miss on over half of their swings on the pitch.

Best fits: Yankees, Cubs, Blue Jays, Mariners, Dodgers, White Sox, Diamondbacks.


23. Isaac Paredes
Chance of being traded: 45%
Rest-of-season impact: Moderate
Years of control: One more year after 2026

The buzz: Paredes is only 27 years old but has been traded three times in the past four years. Houston's long-term infield glut and Paredes' free agency lining up with Peña's put Paredes squarely in the sights of teams looking for a right-handed bat. Though nobody's idea of a great hitter, he does specific things very well: pull the ball in the air and not strike out. Paredes will get on base around 34% of the time, bop you 20 home runs and can play corner-infield positions with reasonable competency. He's not a home run trade target. But a solid double? Sure.

The scouting report: Paredes doesn't have that much raw power, but he's elite at pitch selection and hitting the ball just right to take advantage of a short left-field porch, a huge reason the Astros traded for him in the Kyle Tucker deal. A more normal left-field wall will turn some homers into doubles and doubles into outs, which would pull his profile from above-average regular to lower-end regular. His lack of loud raw tools and a specific skill set makes evaluators wary of long-term projection, but the rest of this year and next is a reasonable time range to jump on board.

Best fits: Guardians, Mariners, Phillies, Pirates, Brewers, Reds.

41. Christian Walker, 1B, Houston Astros
62. Bryan Abreu, RHP, Houston Astros

Farmer1906 said:

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21. Josh Harder

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He's in the wrong profession with a name like that

I'll say it again for those in the back, "Last season's Mariners need to be investigated."

oh no pic.twitter.com/kLgIrugcEY

— Codify (@CodifyBaseball) July 20, 2026