Put the ball in play, dang it.

Last week, Eno Sarris of FanGraphs published a piece wondering about how to get more balls put in play. Baseball, in its ever more intense chase of efficiency, has been moving away from balls in play and toward a game of Three True Outcomes whenever possible. This is “smart” baseball. It’s also boring after a while. Especially at the park. That’s why what’s happening in Houston this year is so exciting. Amid this massive spike in home runs, in a world of power pitchers throwing harder and the strike zone seemingly shrinking to a pinpoint, we have Astros second baseman Jose Altuve leading the race for American League MVP. He is a brilliant player. He is everything the face of baseball should be (více...)

Blessed with speed, athleticism and the kind of power you wouldn't expect from a guy who might make Jose Altuve feel tall, Ozzie Albies has spent the past three weeks tackling the challenges that have arisen since he made his much-anticipated Major League debut on Aug. 1. (více...)

Jose Altuve went 2-for-3 with a stolen base and a run scored in Saturday's win over the Athletics. It's hardly worth writing up a pair of hits and a steal anymore; we should write about the times when Altuve doesn't do anything at the plate. [...] (více...)

Jose Altuve went 2-for-4 and hit his 19th homer Friday against the Athletics. Altuve broke out of an 0-for-4 slump tonight. He's up to 19 homers and 67 RBI now. [...] (více...)

MLB hits leader Jose Altuve is wondering what's off with his Astros over the past week. While scoring nine runs in back-to-back games against the D-backs, they were also shut out twice by Arizona -- including a 4-0 loss Thursday at Minute Maid Park -- and scored a total of 20 runs in their past five games, below their 5.71 runs per game this season. (více...)