Autumn Dreamin

Throwing over purely to reset the clock is an interesting strategy.

The difference in this series is a Kyle Tucker catch and like 2 timely hits on either side.

Yo is blazing hot right now.

Haseley with another HR. Maybe he's figured something out.

White Sox Fans: I hope Grifol sticks to a relatively consistent lineup, unlike TLR Also White Sox Fans: Grifol needs to shift multiple players up and down the order based on a 3 game sample In fact, Luis was 2-4 in the first game, so it's more like a 2 game sample. FWIW:

Josh Harrison continued his position player pitching duties very early for the Phils this season.

Haseley staying hot in Charlotte. 2-3 today with 2 walks, a stolen base, and a walkoff 2 run HR.

I mean, the annoying thing is the double standard of it always being "time will tell" before we're allowed to take away any positives while every negative is immediately treated as a season-defining constant. If 3 games is too small of a sample size to declare that Lance/Gio are back and Yaz/Yo can hit again, then it should also be too small of a sample size to declare career .290 hitter Luis Robert a bust and the bullpen unsalvageable. The other guys get paid to play too, and you have to accept that the team is going to lose some games. Losing to seeing eye singles from top tier hitters is just not the same as losing to yourselves because you've got Leury Garcia batting third and playing too shallow in center while Dallas Keuchel serves up 88mph meatballs. And we won 81 games with that happening! Maybe give the boys some time. Or at least be as willing to project TA7 to sustain .500 OBP for the season as we are to project a 10ERA season for the pen.

Lots of positives that bode well for the rest of the season: TA being TA (but he walks now??), Yo staying hot, catcher duo looking great, front 3 of the rotation are solid, team fighting back when down, improved defense, overall good hustle and health. Lots of negatives that should improve with time: rookie manager learning the BP without 2 of our best arms, rookie OF adjusting to MLB pitching, Robert and others finding a rhythm at the plate, arms still getting a feel for their stuff and work capacity. You don't play the Astros on the road every series, and they'll win more games playing like this than they'll lose. This is the toughest possible matchup to start the season, and they aren't looking overmatched. The fact that we can all point to individual ABs as the difference instead of being out of it from the start because 3 core players are on the IL and we got 6ER in 3.2IP from our SP should be more than enough to dispel the idea that nothing is different. Unfortunately, even if the team has improved...Sox fans stay the same.

Love to see the boys fight.

Both teams at about a .240 xBA. Sometimes theirs find grass at the right time and yours don't.

I don't know how you can watch this team playing tough and tight on the road against the reigning champs and conclude "same old team, 3rd place finish" three games in.

I think that was our first 1-2-3 inning since the 6th on Thursday, facing a very good pitching staff.

Astros fans insist that it's time for everyone to move past 2017 while also still carrying a burning flame of hatred for Joe Kelly.

I would argue that our SP has outpitched theirs in each of these games.

Astros wish they had catchers that rake like ours.

FWIW. for all the worry about Gio laboring early, the pitch counts are about even now.

Nice hustle, Seby.

First pitch leadoff hits from TA will never get old.

Montero makes $11 million and blew the save for the Astros yesterday. Pressly gave our supposedly bad offense the lead in the 9th, and he's getting paid more than Graveman and Diekman combined. s%*# happens.

Every time Luis tries to be patient at the plate he gets screwed by nonsense calls.

Wow.

Holding the Astros to 3 hits is pretty damn good, especially given that he didn't seem to have his best stuff for most of the day. Sucks that one of the hits was a homer, but he was 1 strike away from 6 scoreless. Great start from the Big Bastard.

Benny gets a double! Eloy gets a double! Yo gets a double! EVERYBODY GETS A DOUBLE!