The Crawfish Boxes

For a few innings anyway, Ethan Pecko was the center of the Astros universe on Wednesday Night. Fortunately for Pecko, his bullpen mates were hovering in the same cosmos. Astros 3 Angels 2. Making his major league debut, Pecko would flirt with danger, but went largely unscathed during the opening three frames. However, in the fourth, Vaughn Grissom would draw a walk, Josh Lowe then singled, and on Denzer Guzman’s double to deep left, each runner would score on controversial fan interference.

Okert is closing in on the club record for consecutive walkless apps. in a single season, which is 24 straight, posted by RHP Pat Neshek from April 8-June 2, 2015. Only RHP Garrett Whitlock (27g) has had a longer streak of consecutive walkless apps. in MLB in 2026.

Following the 2024 season, the Astros were unwilling to meet Alex Bregman’s price tag. Instead, they settled for a more modest option, signing Christian Walker to a three-year, $60 million contract. Bregman has slashed .264/.353/.433 while accumulating 7.5 bWAR since leaving Houston, while Walker has slashed .235/.302/.430 with 2.3 bWAR in two seasons with the Astros. Last winter, the Astros again decided not to pay the market price for high-end starters like Dylan Cease or Framber Valdez.

On the heels of Monday’s piece it can be difficult to keep a level-headed outlook on these things. I try to stay above board, but I am also human and subject to the kind of emotional responses any fan would have during good times and bad. In this case, when we have decided that a manager or general manager should be on their way out, it becomes a lot easier to find evidence that supports that particular point of view.

Another day of minor league baseball is in the books. See the results below. Hendrickson started for Sugar Land and went 5 innings allowing 5 runs while striking out 7. The offense got on the board in the 3rd inning on a Salazar solo home run. They got 2 more runs in the 7th inning on a Cole 2 run home run. Santa allowed a run in the 8th and the offense was unable to get anything else going as Sugar Land fell 6-3. Note: Ferreras is hitting .327 in Triple-A.

Tuesday Night marked the fifth time this season that the last place Angels defeated the Astros. Final Score LA 3 Houston 1 The Angels scored the first run of the night in the top of the third inning. Wade Meckler singled to center, stole second and came around thanks to a clutch two out RBI from Nolan Schanuel. The Astros had chances in the first. With two outs, Issac Paredes drew a walk and went to third on a single from Jose Altuve.

The Astros chose not to get a starting pitcher at the deadline, so this week’s question is here: Which of the following pitchers do you have the most trust in the rest of the year? Welcome to SB Nation Reacts, a survey of fans across the MLB. Throughout the year we ask questions of the most plugged-in Astros fans and fans across the country.

Okert is closing in on the club record for consecutive walkless apps. in a single season, which is 24 straight, posted by RHP Pat Neshek from April 8-June 2, 2015. Only RHP Garrett Whitlock (27g) has had a longer streak of consecutive walkless apps. in MLB in 2026.

Dana Brown has now had three full seasons to rebuild the system. In 2023, the Astros, fresh off a World Series title, brought in a new general manager in Dana Brown. Brown was lauded for his scouting acumen given his background as an amateur scout and his role in helping build a strong organization in Atlanta. With the 2026 MLB Draft now complete, we have four draft classes to evaluate what Brown and company have been able to do.

Mark Gubicza serves as a color commentator for the L.A. Angels. The 2x former All-Star Pitcher joins us exclusively at The Crawfish Boxes to preview the Astros next A.L. West series from Daikin Park. Q: I can recall some classic battles that you had back in the days with Boggs & Mattingly. How would you approach an elite hitter like Yordan at the plate? A: I would never fall into a pattern against Alvarez. Each at bat I would pitch differently to him.