Astros 6, Blue Jays 1
W: Feldman (5-8)
L: Stroman (7-3)
Submitted by Reuben
After spending most of May through July scuffling and/or on the disabled list, Scott Feldman, owner of (by far) the biggest contract among current Astros, had become something of a forgotten man. The wildy unexpected successes of Dallas Keuchel and Collin McHugh, and the occasional brilliance of Jarred Cosart completely overshadowed the great beginning to Feldman’s Astro career, and his presumably-vital influence on the young pitchers as the lone veteran presence in the rotation.
These last two starts have been a nice reminder of what Feldman can be when he’s on his game: a very good pitcher, one who pounds the strike zone despite an ordinary fastball, and maybe gives up some hits, but ultimately, does a great job of eating innings and giving his team a good chance to win. Feldman went the distance Sunday afternoon, allowing 8 hits and just 1 run, becoming the only Astro besides Keuchel to notch a CG all year. He also induced 3 DPs, helping to keep the base traffic in check.
Chris Carter contributed the key hit in the game. With 2 outs in the 3rd, Robbie Grossman worked a 9-pitch walk to load the bases. After falling behind 0-2 (on consecutive sliders, surprise surprise), Carter laid off a slider in the dirt and two high fastballs before hooking a 3-2 slider into left field, scoring Marisnick and Altuve and giving the Astros a 2-1 lead, which they would build on with a 3-run 4th.
Jon Singleton continues to look vastly better at the plate. He was 2-for-4 with a hustle double, and also went from 1st to 3rd on an errant pickoff attempt. Marisnick and Matty D also had 2 hits, with Dominguez picking up 2 RBIs. Altuve had a hit and an intentional walk.
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Futility Watch: The Rockies just got swept by the Tigers, and the Rangers have lost 3 in a row, but the Astros are still worse than 27 other teams, pending the results of the Cubs/Dodgers game. In the “we’re not as shitty as we used to be” category, the Astros need just 5 more wins to surpass last year’s total.
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Okay, so, I can’t find the clip of the actual scene that inspired this recap’s title, where the very-foreign assassin glances at the name tags and quickly chooses the identity “Sidney Feldman” to gain entry to John Cusack’s high school reunion, but feel free to enjoy this clip of the excellent fight scene that takes place afterwards. Still one of my favorite movies.