%20%20--%3E%0A%3Csvg%20version%3D%221.1%22%20xmlns%3D%22http%3A%2F%2Fwww.w3.org%2F2000%2Fsvg%22%20xmlns%3Axlink%3D%22http%3A%2F%2Fwww.w3.org%2F1999%2Fxlink%22%20x%3D%220px%22%20y%3D%220px%22%0A%09%20viewBox%3D%220%200%201055.1%20200%22%20style%3D%22enable-background%3Anew%200%200%201055.1%20200%3B%22%20xml%3Aspace%3D%22preserve%22%3E%0A%3Cstyle%20type%3D%22text%2Fcss%22%3E%0A%09.st0%7Bfill%3A%23231F20%3B%7D%0A%09.st1%7Bfill%3A%230E203C%3B%7D%0A%09.st2%7Bfill%3A%23EC4324%3B%7D%0A%09.st3%7Bfill%3A%23FFFFFF%3B%7D%0A%3C%2Fstyle%3E%0A%3Cg%20id%3D%22Template%22%3E%0A%3C%2Fg%3E%0A%3Cg%20id%3D%22Layer_2%22%3E%0A%09%3Cpath%20class%3D%22st3%22%20d%3D%22M58.3%2C200.3h82.4c12.4%2C0%2C21.7-1.5%2C28-4.5c20.2-9.6%2C30.2-26.1%2C30.2-49.3c0-3.2-0.2-9.3-0.6-18.3h-65.1v14.9%0A%09%09c-0.9%2C3.9-3.4%2C5.8-7.5%2C5.8H73.2c-5%2C0-7.5-2.5-7.5-7.5V59.2c0-5%2C2.5-7.5%2C7.5-7.5h52.5c5%2C0%2C7.5%2C2.1%2C7.5%2C6.4v10.8h65.7V55.7%0A%09%09c0-16.3-3.8-28.3-11.4-36.1c-8.8-12.9-24.7-19.3-47.4-19.3H58.9C47%2C0.3%2C38%2C1.7%2C32%2C4.3c-21.3%2C9-32%2C26.1-32%2C51.4v88%0A%09%09c0%2C16.5%2C3.6%2C28.7%2C10.9%2C36.6C20.1%2C193.7%2C35.9%2C200.3%2C58.3%2C200.3z%22%2F%3E%0A%09%3Cpolygon%20class%3D%22st3%22%20points%3D%22596.6%2C64%20596.6%2C0.8%20400.1%2C0.8%20400.1%2C64%20442.7%2C64%20442.7%2C51.3%20466.1%2C51.3%20466.1%2C148.1%20442.1%2C148.1%20%0A%09%09442.1%2C199.9%20554.8%2C199.9%20554.8%2C148.1%20531.5%2C148.1%20531.5%2C51.4%20554.8%2C51.4%20554.8%2C64%20%09%22%2F%3E%0A%09%3Cpolygon%20class%3D%22st3%22%20points%3D%22942.4%2C148.5%20942.4%2C200.2%201055.1%2C200.2%201055.1%2C148.5%201031.8%2C148.5%201031.8%2C51.2%201055.1%2C51.2%201055.1%2C0.8%20%0A%09%09943.1%2C0.8%20943.1%2C51.3%20966.3%2C51.3%20966.3%2C80%20888.9%2C80%20888.9%2C51.3%20912.6%2C51.3%20912.6%2C0.5%20800.1%2C0.8%20800.1%2C51.4%20823.5%2C51.4%20823.5%2C148.6%20%0A%09%09800.1%2C148.6%20800.1%2C200.1%20912.6%2C200.1%20912.6%2C148.6%20888.9%2C148.6%20888.9%2C116.4%20966.3%2C116.4%20966.3%2C148.5%20%09%22%2F%3E%0A%09%3Cpolygon%20class%3D%22st2%22%20points%3D%22315.5%2C83.9%20299.6%2C34.9%20283.7%2C83.9%20232.2%2C83.9%20273.9%2C114.1%20258%2C163.1%20299.6%2C132.8%20341.3%2C163.1%20%0A%09%09325.4%2C114.1%20367%2C83.9%20%09%22%2F%3E%0A%09%3Cpolygon%20class%3D%22st2%22%20points%3D%22715.6%2C83.9%20699.7%2C34.9%20683.8%2C83.9%20632.3%2C83.9%20674%2C114.1%20658%2C163.1%20699.7%2C132.8%20741.3%2C163.1%20%0A%09%09725.4%2C114.1%20767.1%2C83.9%20%09%22%2F%3E%0A%3C%2Fg%3E%0A%3C%2Fsvg%3E%0A)
Astros Countdown: Players to Watch in August
The Astros are still rolling.
The Houston Astros have won 14 of 21 games in the month of July and are currently 18 games up on the Seattle Mariners and the Texas Rangers for first place in the American League West. However, there are storylines going into the month of August. Here are five players to watch.
One of the feel-good stories for the Astros in 2017, Chris Devenski has been one of the best relievers in baseball this season. In 41 games this season, the 26-year-old has a 2.88 ERA with a 0.83 WHIP.
After a stellar rookie campaign in 2015 in which he has a 2.16 ERA and a 0.91 WHIP in 48 appearances, Devenski has become much more hard to hit this year. With a batting average against of only .163, he has struck out 78 batters in 59.1 innings of work, striking out 34.8 percent of all batters faced, the highest rate in his professional career.
The thing to watch with Devenski is how much the Astros use him down the stretch. He is tied with Michael Feliz for No. 2 on the Astros with 41 appearances this season. The biggest red flag in that is Devenski is averaging close over 1.1 innings of work per outing.
The wear and tear could already be affecting Devenski out of the bullpen. In the month of July, he has a 5.73 ERA, giving up seven earned runs, in 11 innings of work. The 11 innings of work is the least Devenski has pitched ina month in his major league career.
Devenski can be a valuable asset to the Astros out of the bullpen in October. However, with too many innings under his belt before then, that could hurt him in the long run.
With George Springer on the 10-day disabled list with a quad injury, Derek Fisher gets another major league stint with the Astros. However, depending on how he hits, this one could be for good.
So far, Fisher has not disappointed In 29 at bats, the 23-year-old outfielder is hitting .276 with a .846 OPS. Of his eight hits at the major league level, two of them have left the yard. Fisher has also brought in five RBIs and has scored himself five times.
This season, Fisher has developed a more patient approach at the plate than in years past. Before 2017, he would strikeout more that 20 percent of the time. In 2017 with Triple-A Fresno, he only struck out 19.3 percent of the time, the lowest percentage of his career.
In his eight-game stint with the Astros, he has struck out seven times in 29 at bats. Yes, that adds up to a strikeout percentage of 21.2 percent. However, he also has walked 12.1 percent of the time as a major leaguer, his highest percentage since he was with Double-A Corpus Christi in 2016.
With a solid offensive showing at the major league level, it would be hard for the Astros to send a prospect of the caliber of Fisher back to Fresno.
After going on the 10-day disabled list on June 8th for neck discomfort, Dallas Keuchel came back to the Astros starting rotation on July 28th against the Detroit Tigers. For many, it was not what was expected out of the former Cy Young award winner.
Coming into the start with a 1.67 ERA and a 0.87 WHIP, Keuchel gave up three earned runs. It was only the second time this season in which he has given up more than two earned runs in a start. He also gave up six hits and three walks in three innings of work, his shortest outing of the year.
In his first two innings, Keuchel struggled with his control. He threw over 30 pitches in each of those innings, throwing only 79 pitches in the start. However, Keuchel does go into the month of August with a perfect 9-0 record and a 1.94 ERA.
Last season, Keuchel pitched very well in the month of August. In four starts, He went 3-1 with a 3.10 ERA, his lowest ERA for a month in 2016, with a 0.97 WHIP and a .215 batting average against. He also only walked five and struck out 25 in 29 innings pitched.
Despite struggling in his final start in July, Keuchel needs to be in ace-like form if the Astros want continued success through the end of the regular season.
After struggling in the month of June, Alex Bregman seems to have found his offensive stroke again in the month of July. Now, with Carlos Correa out with a torn ligament in his left thumb, he is playing more of his natural position of shortstop.
First, offensively, he has been solid. In July, Bregman is hitting .319 with a .992 OPS, both the highest of any month this season. Of his 22 hits this month, he has become a doubles machine, hitting 10 doubles with one triple and two home runs. The extra-base power has allowed him to score more, scoring 20 runs this month. However, with a place at the bottom of the lineup, Bregman has only drove in four RBIs.
Even though his batting average is the exact same as his rookie season at .264 and his OPS is slightly smaller, Bregman has become a much more patient hitter. His walk percentage is up 3.2 percentage points to 10.1 percent while his strikeout percentage is down eight points to 16 percent.
Now, since Correa has been shut down, he has been playing shortstop more often. This season, with seven games played and five games started at that position, he has not recorded an error and has 10 assists and seven putouts.
Bregman is a valuable bat at the bottom of the lineup for the Astros. It will be interesting to see if that will sustain.
Joe Musgrove has been going through some growing pains as a starter for the Astros this season. However, with Keuchel and Collin McHugh back in the starting rotation, Musgrove may have found a new home as a long man in the bullpen.
Musgrove has the stuff to be successful in baseball. He has a mid-nineties fastball and a low-eighties slider that he throws the majority of the time. As a starter, it did not work for him. He had a 6.12 ERA and a .306 batting average against in 15 starts.
However, one tiny change may have changed Musgrove’s season. When he came out of the bullpen on July 22nd against the Baltimore Orioles, Musgrove pitched exclusively out of the stretch position. As an Astros reliever since then, he has not given up an earned run and has given up only two hits and has struck out four in four innings pitched.
Next: Astros injury update: George Springer placed on 10-day DL
It will be interesting to see what the Astros long-term plan is with Musgrove. The Astros should be thinking about keeping him with Francis Martes and Brad Peacock as innings eaters in the bullpen at least for the remainder of the season. His breaking ball and mid-nineties fastball fit perfectly there.
***Stats provided by MLB.com, Baseball Reference and Fan Graphs***