'Just an epic at-bat': JV loses 13-pitch battle, tips cap to Contreras
HOUSTON -- Justin Verlander fired fastballs and curveballs and even a changeup at William Contreras in search of one final out. It was the best of baseball -- an all-time ace locked in a long battle against a budding star, two outs and two runners in scoring position in a
Williams' blistering speed turning heads in Asheville
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Injuries & Moves: Garcia throws 20-pitch bullpen session
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Get all that MLB.TV has to offer for half the price
You can follow your favorite players and teams on MLB.TV for just HALF the price. During the MLB.TV May Limited Time Only Sale, the All Teams Yearly package, allowing subscribers to stream every out-of-market game live or on demand, is available for just $69.99, while the Single Team package will
Peña's power bat continues to boost Astros (6 straight wins)
HOUSTON -- The biggest swing of Jeremy Peña's season was certainly one of the biggest swings of the Astros’ season to date. Peña’s go-ahead, three-run homer in the fifth inning on Friday night ignited the Astros’ dugout and sent them on their way to a 5-4 win in the series
Surging since Mexico series, Astros dominate A's
HOUSTON -- Prior to flying to Mexico City for their two-game series against the Rockies late last month, the Astros cleaned their slate. They were a disappointing 7-19 after getting swept by the Cubs, but they met as a team and decided none of that mattered anymore. The Astros hit
Astros trade righty Bielak to Oakland for cash
The A's acquired right-handed pitcher Brandon Bielak from the Astros in exchange for cash considerations on Friday. To make room on Oakland's 40-man roster, left-handed pitcher Easton Lucas has been designated for assignment. Bielak was drafted by Houston in the 11th round in 2017 and has spent his entire career
Mock draft: Big college bats stir things up at the top
With the 2024 Draft still two months away, there's not much hard intel on who's going where in the first round. That picture will become clearer as college and high school players start wrapping up their seasons in the next few weeks, and teams conduct interviews and get medical information
With bullpen limited, Framber's dominant outing extends Astros' win streak to 4
HOUSTON -- A few hours before Wednesday’s game against Oakland, Astros manager Joe Espada gave a dire warning about the state of his bullpen. “We are very limited,” he said. That put the onus -- and perhaps some pressure -- on lefty starting pitcher Framber Valdez to work deep into
Blanco suspended 10 games for foreign substance, won't appeal
HOUSTON -- Astros right-hander Ronel Blanco, who was ejected from Tuesday’s game against the A’s when umpires found a sticky residue in his glove prior to the fourth inning, was suspended 10 games Wednesday by Major League Baseball. Blanco won’t appeal the suspension, which began Wednesday. Astros general manager Dana
Astros legend Reddick tags in on radio duties
This story was excerpted from Brian McTaggart’s Astros Beat newsletter. To read the full newsletter, click here. And subscribe to get it regularly in your inbox.
Surprise! One encouraging prospect-related development for each team
Six weeks into the Minor League season, we have witnessed plenty of pleasant prospect developments. Athletics 2023 first-rounder Jacob Wilson is batting a sizzling .438 and already has reached Triple-A. Mets right-hander Jonah Tong has been a revelation with elite fastball characteristics and a Minors-best 0.33 ERA. As one Chourio
Cavnar, Morales make history calling A's-Astros
HOUSTON -- Given that Julia Morales has spent the better part of the past decade-plus in front of the camera as the Astros’ in-game reporter, the assumption is that at this point, there’s not much that could rattle her while she works. But on Monday, Morales’ nerves were jangling just
Bregman gets back to hitting basics ahead of two-homer game
HOUSTON -- Desperate times call for desperate measures. That’s why Astros third baseman Alex Bregman, after arriving home late Sunday from a weeklong road trip, was back in the batting cage on Monday morning trying to find a solution to his early-season woes. Bregman’s morning work admittedly didn’t leave him
Who takes the hardest swings on each MLB team?
The Statcast era of baseball research has reached another milestone: bat speed is live on Baseball Savant. You can check out this page for more thorough details on what bat speed entails and how it’s calculated. But in the meantime, we’re kicking things off by breaking down the best of
How to watch Red Sox vs. Cardinals FREE on Roku at 1 p.m. ET
There is a new place to watch free baseball every Sunday this season. Catch your favorite MLB action with Roku MLB Sunday Leadoff, streaming free on The Roku Channel every Sunday morning.
Verlander turns back the clock with vintage outing in Detroit
DETROIT -- Many view the seventh-inning stretch as a good time for a break in the action, but Justin Verlander wasn’t having any of that on Sunday afternoon. While players on both sides milled about in their respective dugouts, Verlander sprinted to the mound to prepare for the bottom of
Here's the freshly updated Top 100 Prospects list
Break out the caps and gowns. It’s time for a whole bunch of graduations and an updated Top 100 Prospects list. Young players who began the 2024 season on a Major League Opening Day roster with zero MLB service time exhausted their prospect status Sunday by way of the 45-day
'She's an amazing woman': Espada's mom set lasting example
HOUSTON -- Miriam Espada always wanted her kids to follow whatever path they desired, but she admittedly wasn’t so sure that baseball held the best future for her son, Joe. She wanted him to be a lawyer or a doctor like most mothers probably would. “There’s no way I could
Javier shows signs of rust in short return against Tigers
DETROIT -- Cristian Javier trotted out a little of everything on Saturday night at Comerica Park. He unleashed four-seamers, changeups and sliders during his first start in almost a month, and even sprinkled in a few knuckle curves. It was a great exercise in making sure everything still worked the
How 2024 Astros could take page from 2005 team's playbook
This story was excerpted from Brian McTaggart’s Astros Beat newsletter. To read the full newsletter, click here. And subscribe to get it regularly in your inbox.
'That's the team': Astros break out with 4-run 8th
DETROIT -- The Astros certainly had opportunities on Friday night. Tigers starter Casey Mize was on the ropes in the first inning. Framber Valdez was in control. Hits were sprinkled throughout the lineup, the defense was sharp enough, and Houston was fresh off a power-packed win in the Bronx. What
Astros ride two Ruthian blasts to much-needed win in Bronx
NEW YORK -- Nobody could accuse the Astros of getting behind the eight-ball early against the Yankees. For the third consecutive game, Houston homered in the top of the first inning against New York, this time with a pair of Statcast-shattering and awe-inspiring blasts. But unlike the previous two evenings,