Houston Astros: How big was yesterday’s win versus the Detroit Tigers?

Five takeaways from yesterday’s win

Aug 16, 2015; Houston, TX, USA; Houston Astros outfielder

rounds the bases after hitting a second inning home run against the Detroit Tigers at Minute Maid Park. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports

Fiers showed didn’t quit on his new team

Many people on Twitter recently have criticized the Carlos Gomez and Fiers trade, with neither making a big impact on the team. I will not call anyone out, but you know who you are. One thing that you need to know about Fiers, from the vantage point of someone who owned him in fantasy baseball, he can be susceptible to the occasional stinkers in between well-pitched games. He is a pitcher who relies on location without an overpowering fastball, so when he is off a little he tends to struggle.

He was off yesterday, but he looked in the bullpen and saw Josh Fields warming up in the third. I have no clue what he was thinking, but the way he performed told me he said “not again.” He fought hard to limit the Tigers to the two runs, too bad the bullpen couldn’t hold on for his first win as an Astro.

Dos Colby Jacks

Colby Rasmus was an interesting signing in the offseason by Jeff Luhnow with how loaded the Astros farm system was in the Astros outfield position. This is the Rasmus Luhnow thought he was drafting several years ago with the Cardinals, someone who plays great defense while hitting .260 with power. However, he did something that he has not done since 2012; he hit two home runs in the game. Both home runs meant something in yesterday’s game, not meaningless shots in a blowout.

His performance this season could lead to a contract extension with the Astros for the 2016 season and beyond, but that’s a topic we can discuss later in the offseason. Yesterday’s game was a big game for Rasmus and the Astros. He got the ice cooler dumped on him following the game along with Marisnick.

No one was hurt in the walk-off celebration

When Altuve got the hit to drive in the winning run, the entire Astros dugout went out to mob Altuve by second base. However, Altuve started back peddling away to avoid the mob. He could not outrun the speed of Carlos Correa, who did a J.J. Watt type tackle of Altuve to get him to the ground. His teammates then proceeded to strip off his jersey in celebration. Altuve and Correa were both okay after the sack.

For a brief second, I thought that it was George Springer tackling Altuve, my first thought was save the wrist. Luckily it was Correa, but Springer was involved in the icing of Marisnick at the end of the game. I don’t think that’s part of baseball activities George.

The first series win since the Diamondback series

The Astros were on a nine-game road trip going through Arlington and the West Coast including Oakland and San Fransisco. They were struggling, so it was good to get a series win again. To succeed in 2015, the Astros will have to learn how to play better on the road.

The Astros may be getting their swag back

The Astros may be coming out of their shell a little, and they could be getting reinforcements soon with Springer’s return to the team sometime in September and any potential call-ups once the rosters expand. They seemed to be down as a team on the road streak, with the recent struggles of Carlos Gomez and Evan Gattis, runs have been hard to come by.

This team is set for the playoff run, but you can expect that Lance McCullers Jr. will be up before the August 31st deadline to become eligible for the playoffs. It is unclear whether the Astros will have Vincent Velasquez on a potential playoff roster because there doesn’t appear to be room for him. The Astros will have decisions to make within the next few weeks, but it’s good to be relevant again in the playoff chase.

Next: Houston Astros: The Players Need Fans’ Support, Be Loud!