Author: /u/StevenJeon

Today’s statline: 0-4, 3 k

​

At bat 1 (Bottom of second): 5 pitch strikeout looking

Yordan started the at bat by taking offspeed that dipped right into the bottom part of the zone for strike one, before watching a high fastball tail outside to even the count at 1-1. He then swung and missed pretty badly at a 89 MPH offspeed pitch low before watching another offspeed pitch tail outside to make it a 2-2 count. Yordan then took an inside fastball near his hands, but clearly in the zone for strike three to start the inning with a strikeout looking.

At bat 2 (Bottom of fourth): 3 pitch double play to second

Yordan came up in a big spot here, with runners on first and second and one out in a one-run game. He fouled off 99 in his hands for the first strike, and then watched another high-octane fastball fall low for ball one. He then swung at a low changeup and hit it right where Cole wanted it to go, to the second baseman who executed the double play to throw out Yordan and end the inning.

At bat 3 (Bottom of seventh): 3 pitch strikeout looking

Like the first at bat, Yordan once again watched offspeed fall into the zone for the first strike, and then hard fouled off a 98 MPH fastball in the zone. Yordan then watched as another fastball grazed the inside low part of the zone for strike three. He jumped around a little bit after the call, clearly disappointed in himself for not swinging at a pitch clearly in the zone. He should get a chance in the ninth to redeem himself though.

At bat 4 (Bottom of ninth): 3 pitch strikeout swinging

Yordan came up in a huge spot here, representing the last out with a the tying run on first. Unfortunately, he just had no chance against Cole, as Yordan was once again late on 98 outside for strike one, before again swinging and missing at the inside fastball near his hands at 98 for strike two. He just could not control the top of the zone whatsoever today against Cole, as he pounded another high fastball outside that Yordan swung and chased for the final out, ending a disappointing day for Yordan.

Final statline: 1-4, 2 K

​

At bat 1 (Bottom of second): 1 pitch groundout to second

Yordan swung at the first pitch, a low fastball in the zone, and hit a pretty good ground ball, but unfortunately it was right into the shift, where the second baseman made the routine play to throw out a plodding Yordan for the out.

At bat 2 (Bottom of fourth): 4 pitch infield single to second

Yordan took the first pitch, an outside fastball low for a ball, before taking a comical 75 MPH curveball way inside for ball two. He then fouled off a curveball in the zone for a bouncer to make it a 2-1 count before hitting a slow bouncer into the shift on another low curve in the zone. It was right to the second baseman, but Yordan was running hard, leading to a rushed throw and an infield single for Yordan. He wouldn’t score though, as Tucker flied out to end the inning.

At bat 3 (Bottom of seventh): 4 pitch strikeout swinging

Yordan took the first two pitches of the at bat, a fastball low in the zone at 96 for a strike, and then offspeed inside, but also in the zone for strike two. He then fouled off a curveball low in the zone to stay alive in the count, before swinging badly at an outside fastball for the strikeout.

At bat 4 (Bottom of ninth): 5 pitch strikeout looking

Representing the last out of the game, Yordan once again took the first pitch, but it was a curve low and almost in the dirt for ball one, before fouling off the next two pitches, an offspeed pitch outside that he was late on and probably shouldn’t have swung at, and then a 101 fastball he hard fouled off. He then watched another offspeed pitch fall low in the zone to even the count at 2-2, but then Loaisiga caught Yordan peeking at 100 up and in the zone to end the game on a strikeout looking.

Today’s statline: 1-4, 2 k

​

*Almost forgot to post this, I wrote this during the game but forgot to post it, better late than never I guess.

At bat 1 (Bottom of second): 4 pitch strikeout swinging

Yordan started the at bat by taking a questionable fastball that looked an inch off the plate on the broadcast but was called a strike anyways. The fact that the pitch was called a strike led to Yordan having to swing at the next pitch, a fastball in the same vicinity but higher, for fear of it being called another strike. However, he was pretty late on it and had a lazy swing leading to an 0-2 count. He then fouled off another fastball in a similar spot, protecting the zone with two strikes before Montas fooled him with a splitter down in the dirt that Yordan had no chance of hitting. A bad at bat, but I feel like the horrible call to start it kinda set the tone and set Yordan up in a position to fail.

At bat 2 (Bottom of fourth): 4 pitch strikeout swinging

Once again, Montas started the at bat by working Yordan outside, and he took an offspeed pitch in the zone for strike one. He then once again swung and missed at the Montas splitter in the dirt to make it an 0-2 count. Yordan tried his best to close off the zone and took a high fastball for a ball, but again, the Montas splitter was too much for him to handle, as he swung and missed at it again for the strikeout.

At bat 3 (Bottom of seventh): 1 pitch groundout to shortstop

A quick and easy first out here, as Yordan would swing away at a high fastball and hit a routine ground ball into the shift, where the shifted shortstop made the easy out for out one. Good to see him swinging away at good first pitches though, hopefully it continues.

At bat 4 (Bottom of ninth): 1 pitch single

Another example of Yordan hitting a juicy first pitch fastball on the first pitch, and this time it paid off, as Yordan drilled a screaming single down the first base line, where this time there was no way anyone could catch it, leading to a nice solid single. He was pinch ran for with Myles Straw, a solid move in theory as Straw is fast and can theoretically score from first on a deep single, but it ended up not mattering, as Gurriel grounded into a double play on the next at bat, erasing him.

Today’s statline: 0-3, K

​

At bat 1 (Bottom of second): 1 pitch flyout to center

Yordan once again swung at a good first pitch, a curveball right down the middle from Manaea, but he didn’t put enough power into it, as he ended up hitting a lazy fly ball that the center fielder easily handled for the first out of the inning. Yordan swung pretty well at the pitch, but it just wasn’t hit hard enough. A good swing though, and I’m encouraged by him swinging well at a leadoff pitch, a trend that has continued ever since he returned.

At bat 2 (Bottom of third): 5 pitch strikeout swinging

Yordan started the at bat by watching a low curveball near the dirt for ball one, before taking a changeup right down the middle to even the count at 1-1. He then watched a fastball graze the outer half of the zone to make it a 1-2 count, and then took another fastball way outside to even the count again. He then swung late at a changeup outside to end the inning. A bad last swing, but overall I feel like he was just watching Manaea’s pitches and trying to get a good view of the calibration and movement of his pitches, leading to some questionable takes.

At bat 3 (Bottom of sixth): 4 pitch groundout to shortstop

The at bat did not start the way it should, as Yordan took two easy fastballs right down the middle for a 0-2 count. Yordan then spit on offspeed way off the plate before swinging well at a low fastball and hitting a routine grounder to the right side that the shortstop easily handled for the routine out. Probably should have been more aggressive on those early fastballs in the meat of the zone, but hey what’s done is done.

Today’s statline: 3-3, 2 HR, 5 RBI, 3 R, BB

​

At bat 1 (Bottom of first): 1 pitch home run to center, 2 RBIs, R

Yordan’s first at bat back from his parental leave, and he started it with a bang. He crushed the first pitch he saw, a low fastball right in his money zone, and launched it 420 feet to dead center for a home run, scoring Brantley who had reached earlier on a walk. After seeing him consistently watch good first pitches for strikes in earlier games, it was a fresh relief to see him swing away on a juicy first pitch fastball and do damage with it. Hopefully that trend of being selectively aggressive continues.

At bat 2 (Bottom of fourth): 3 pitch single to right, R

Once again, Yordan swung at the first pitch he saw in the at bat, this time a fastball right down the middle that he fouled off. He then watched an inside fastball close to his hands before swinging at another inside fastball in the zone and pulling it hard to right field. The shortstop was positioned nicely there and made a nice effort but the ball glanced off his glove and into the outfield for a leadoff single. He would later advance to second on a Toro single and score on a bloop Myles Straw single.

At bat 3 (Bottom of fifth): 5 pitch home run to left, 3 RBIs, R

Yordan watched the first pitch of the at bat, offspeed low and near the dirt, for a ball, before watching another offspeed pitch, this one a borderline strike inside that could have honestly gone either way. He then watched two more inside fastballs near where the last one was for balls to make it a 3-1 count. His exceptional patience here forced Bassitt into the zone, and he grooved a cookie right down the middle that Yordan smashed to left field for a no-doubt, opposite field 3 run home run that tied the game and chased Bassitt out. A great job here by him to establish the inside half of the plate, forcing the pitcher to throw in the zone. A lesser hitter might have been tempted to swing at those inside fastballs after the second pitch was called a borderline strike, but Yordan didn’t give in and took the next two for balls, which was extremely admirable. Just a beautiful swing here by him too, the reaction by both him and the pitcher right after the ball was hit said it all.

At bat 4 (Bottom of sixth): intentional walk

A’s manager Bob Melvin wanted nothing to do with Yordan, as with a base open he chose to intentionally walk Yordan, who has already had a great night so far, choosing instead to pitch to Carlos Correa. It ended up working out, as Correa flied out to end the inning. A great sign of respect from one of the better managers in the game though.

Today’s statline: 1-2, HR, RBI, R, 2 BB

​

At bat 1 (Top of second): 7 pitch groundout to second

Yordan, as he always does, started the at bat by watching a fastball right down the middle for a strike, He then swung under another fastball to make it an 0-2 count. After the disappointing start though, Yorda buckled down, fouling off an offspeed pitch and then watching a fastball near his hands for a ball. He then took another offspeed pitch low and in the dirt for a ball, before tapping another offspeed pitch foul. Yordan then hit an extremely hard liner to right field on the next pitch, another low fastball, but because of the shift the second baseman was there and threw out Yordan for the easy first out. Still an extremely good at bat in my opinion, he did a great job protecting the plate after falling down in the count early and made excellent contact after a 7 pitch battle.

At bat 2 (Top of fourth): 4 pitch home run to right, RBI, R

The at bat started with Yordan taking an offspeed pitch low and outside for a ball, before taking a low inside fastball for ball two. He then tapped a low fastball foul for the first strike, before getting a low fastball in the zone that he just crushed into right center field. He was a tiny bit late on it, but he just muscled it with his immense raw power 446 feet into the Astros bullpen. Great job by him here to seek out his money pitch (low fastball in the zone) and lay off every other pitch before forcing the pitcher to cave and throw it.

At bat 3 (Top of fifth): 6 pitch walk

Yordan watched an inside fastball for ball one, and then watched the exact same pitch for ball two. He then watched a curveball right down the middle for the first strike, before watching yet another inside fastball for ball 3. On the 3-1 count, he hard fouled one down the right field line to make it a full count before watching an outside fastball (ironically very close to that bullshit pitch that rang him up for strike 3 yesterday) sail in for a ball as he took his base. He would be erased at second on an inning-ending Tucker double play, but I’m still very impressed by Yordan here, that makes it 3 straight good at bats where he hasn’t swung at any bad junk and has controlled the zone well.

At bat 4 (Top of eighth): 8 pitch walk

Once again, just a beautiful display of strike zone discipline here for Yordan, making it 4 plate appearances in a row where he just has refused to swing at a bad pitch. He started the at bat by watching a low fastball for ball one, before watching back to back fastballs right down the middle for strike two. Then on the 1-2 count, Yordan once again found a way to lock down the zone, fouling off a high fastball to protect the zone before watching a low offspeed pitch for ball two. He then watched an outside fastball for ball three to make it a full count, before hard fouling off a low fastball again to stay alive. He then watched an outside fastball high and way outside for ball four, to work it back from an 1-2 to a walk. Dusty would pinch run Chas McCormick for him, as he often does in the later innings, but Chas would not score, marking the end of Yordan’s day.

​

I must say, Yordan was terrific. As I’ve said before, he didn’t swing at a single bad pitch today, and capitalized on pitcher mistakes when he wasn’t showing off his elite discipline. This is the Yordan from 2019 that we all know and love, an efficient machine that refuses to give in to any pitcher. Amazing game overall from him today, hopefully it’s the start of a hot streak. Until then, thanks for reading and go Yordan!

Today’s statline: 1-4, RBI, K

​

At bat 1 (Bottom of second): 3 pitch lineout to pitcher

Yordan started the at bat by watching an inside curveball for ball one, before taking a fastball right down the middle for strike one. He then hit another similar curveball, this one high and right in the zone, for a soft line drive that the pitcher unfortunately easily snagged for the first out.

At bat 2 (Bottom of fourth): 6 pitch single to center, RBI

Yordan came up in a big spot here, runners on first and second. He took a fastball near his hands for ball one, before taking an offspeed pitch in a similar place but in the zone to even the count. Then he watched another fastball sail in near his hands for ball two, before fouling off a pitch right down the middle that made both announcers go “umphhh” in disappointment. He then watched an extremely high fastball for ball 3 to make the count full before getting an offspeed pitch near his hands that he punched into center field for a single that scored Brantley, giving the Astros their first run of the game. Great job there to simply fight off a pitch in the zone and use his natural power to drive in the runner without sacrificing contact.

At bat 3 (Bottom of sixth): 4 pitch strikeout looking

Yordan once again started the at at by taking a strike on offspeed right down the middle. He then looked foolish swinging on an outside fastball like he was underwater. He then took a similar pitch low and outside at 97 MPH before watching an absolutely horrible 3rd strike that was approximately 3 inches off the plate and not even close. Yordan couldn’t really do anything but shake his head as he went back to the dugout.

At bat 4 (Bottom of eighth): 3 pitch flyout to center

Again, Yordan watched the first pitch of the at bat for a strike, this time on a curve right down the middle. I know he wants to calibrate the pitcher’s speed and try and see him better, but I feel like he should try and be more aggressive on those first pitches, sort of like how Corey Seager does. He then fouled off a fastball near his hands for strike two before making good contact on a changeup low that unfortunately was just a routine flyout for the center fielder.

Halfway point of the season, so far the response to this series has been extremely positive, and I hope Yordan and I have what’s in me to finish the back half strong. Once again, remember to vote Yordan as your American League all star DH, which you can do here: https://www.mlb.com/all-star/ballot. Thanks for reading and go Yordan!

Today’s statline: 2-5, R

​

It was another one of those “Yordan in LF, Brantley at DH” days, and Yordan made the most of his opportunities there. He made the routine grabs there (There was a Wynns flyout that I remember for some reason) and made some good reads on singles hit to him, which is always good to see.

At bat 1 (Bottom of first): 4 pitch groundout to pitcher

Yordan started the at bat by watching two low fastballs, both of which were closer to the dirt than the strike zone, for a 2-0 count. He then swung and missed at a middle middle fastball that he probably should have done more with, kinda regretful but can’t change that. He then swung at the next pitch, a fastball low in the zone, and made pretty good contact on a hopper up the middle, but Lakins grabbed it and tossed it to first for the easy third out.

At bat 2 (Bottom of third): 3 pitch single to left

The at bat started the way most of Yordan’s at bats do, with a strike looking on a pitch right down the middle. He then watched what looked like an intentional pitchout for ball 1, before swinging at a fastball right down the middle and taking it to the opposite field for a clean 1-bounce single, advancing Gurriel to second. He would not score though, as Correa and Tucker struck out and Toro lined out to end the inning.

At bat 3 (Bottom of fifth): 2 pitch single to center, R

Yordan once again started the at bat by watching a fastball sail right down the middle of the zone. Something funny to note, this pitcher’s fastball topped out at around 88 MPH so I thought it was a changeup at first. The next pitch was the exact same pitch in the exact identical part of the zone, and Yordan squared up and hit a grounder that found it’s way through the shifted infield and into center for a single. Good job by him to hunt for a specific pitch from the pitcher and keep the defense honest with an anti-shift hit. He would later score on a Toro 2-run single that tied the game 3-3.

At bat 4 (Bottom of sixth): 3 pitch flyout to left

The same pitcher came out to pitch to Yordan in the sixth, and I must say it was funny to see his offspeed pitches barely loft in at 81 MPH. Yordan watched two of those sliders, one outside by a bit and the other waaay outside, for a 2-0 count. However on the third pitch the pitcher threw a slider right down the middle and Yordan popped it up to left field, where the left fielder made the easy grab to strand 2 runners and end the inning. Yordan seemed pretty upset at the pop fly, he probably should have done more on the pitch but it is what it is.

At bat 5 (Bottom of ninth): 3 pitch flyout to center

Again, Yordan watched the first pitch of the at bat, a sinker near his hands but in the zone, for a strike. He then swung and missed pretty badly on a changeup, that felt pretty deflating. He then got another changeup low but in the zone that he drove into center field, but it missed being a home run by like 10 feet as the center fielder made the grab running back towards the warning track.

While the power wasn’t really there for today’s game, Yordan still found gaps and did the little things to be a positive impact for his team. Such an effort deserves an all star berth, and you can vote for him (and other Astros) at https://www.mlb.com/all-star/ballot. Until then thanks for reading!

Today’s statline: 0-4, BB, R, 3 K

At bat 1 (Bottom of first): 1 pitch flyout to center

Pretty simple at bat here, as Yordan swung at the first pitch he saw, a fastball near his hands, and got a pretty good swing off on it. Unfortunately, he got under it a bit, and got jammed, leading to a routine fly ball to left center, where the center fielder made the routine catch for the third out.

At bat 2 (Bottom of fourth): 5 pitch walk, R

Yordan started the at bat by taking a low curve for a strike, before watching a similar pitch for a ball low in the dirt. He then watched two inside fastballs (I think they were fastballs, Eshelman throws so slow idk at this point) to make the count 3-1, before taking a low curve near his feet for ball 4. He would end up advancing to third on a Correa single, before scoring on a Tucker sacrifice fly.

At bat 3 (Bottom of fifth): 8 pitch strikeout swinging

Although Yordan didn’t get much out of this at bat, I was still extremely impressed by his approach and the battle he had with the pitcher before striking out. He started the at bat by watching a fastball right down the middle for a strike, before watching two changeups, one low and in the dirt, and the other high and outside. He then hit a screaming line drive to left field that was foul, before watching an incredibly wild high pitch for ball 3 to make the count full. Then on full count Yordan fouled off two changeups low and in the zone, good job to spoil those opportunities for the pitcher to put him away. Unfortunately on the 8th pitch, the pitcher threw a low changeup near the dirt, and Yordan, in an attempt to protect the zone, swung and missed pretty badly for the strikeout. A valiant at bat ended in a sour way.

At bat 4 (Bottom of seventh): 4 pitch strikeout looking

Pretty bad at bat by Yordan here, as he started by swinging and missing, although not by much, on two fastballs low but in the zone. He then fouled off a 0-2 fastball high but also in the zone to protect the plate. Then on 0-2 the pitcher threw a pretty good slider that looked like it sailed out of the zone for ball 1, although not by much. Yet the ump called it a strike to send Yordan back to the dugout in a huge situation. A borderline call ending a mediocre at bat.

[Random question: Why did the Astros use Brandon Bielak of all people to pitch the top of the ninth? Usually for the Dodgers (Who I also watch a lot) the closer (Kenley) pitches the top of the ninth in tie games, very curious why this guy with a career ERA nearing 6 pitched instead of someone like Pressley. Especially frustrating because the Astros scored FOUR runs in the bottom of the inning that could have won the game had a competent player pitched the top of the inning]

At bat 5 (Bottom of ninth): 4 pitch strikeout

Yordan started off the at bat by fouling off a fastball right down the middle before swinging and missing very uncharacteristically at a high fastball near his head. He then took a pitch in a similar location before watching a fastball right down the middle for strike three.

​

Probably a bad time to ask this considering today’s performance, but remember to vote Yordan into the all star game! As you guys might know, he moved into the top 3 a couple of days ago, and with a couple more votes, he could very well move past J.D. Martinez, guaranteeing him a spot in his first all star game. Obviously a tough night for Yordan (with some suspicious calls) but you have to stand by him during the slumps to enjoy his good games. Until then, thanks for reading!