The Windup: Astros are rolling, Red Sox making it work, and which returning players get ovations? (2024)

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There are a few things in this sport that can reliably be counted on. Among them: Buck Showalter’s jackets, and the Houston Astros finding ways to win games. I’mLevi Weaver, here withKen Rosenthal— welcome to The Windup!

No, you’re not rid of me

We had to know this was coming, didn’t we? As recently as May 8, Houston was 17-18. When attempting to identify the problems, there were more culprits than fingers with which to point. The entire offense was slumping,Jose AltuveandMichael Brantleywere on the IL, and starting pitchers were dropping like flies.

Well,they’re 11-1 in their last 12 games, and Altuve is getting on base at a .462 clip since his return on May 19.

• Brantley, Luis Garcia,José UrquidyandLance McCullers Jr.are still out with injuries; none of them is expected back soon.Alex BregmanandJosé Abreustill haven’t snapped out of their funks. And yet, names both unlikely (Mauricio Dubón,Jake Meyers,Martín Maldonado) and expected (Yordan Alvarez) have carried the weight, each posting .900+ OPS totals since May 9.

Who else? pic.twitter.com/SQQJ3naaVP

— Houston Astros (@astros) May 23, 2023

• The real star has been the pitching staff.Brandon Bielakhas allowed just one run in each of his two starts In that 15-day window, andHector Neris,Bryan Abreu,Seth Martinez,Ryne StanekandPhil Matonhave combined to allow just one run in 23 innings — and that run didn’t score until Martinez allowed it last night in a 12-2 blowout of the Brewers.

With that win, and the Rangers’ loss in Pittsburgh, Houston is suddenly just one game back in the AL West.

Ken’s Corner: Atlanta’s fondness for Freeman

Watching Braves fans giveFreddie Freemana standing ovation upon his second return to Atlanta on Monday night, I thought, “How many players could leave a team as a free agent and be that warmly received, not just once, but on multiple occasions?”

The number is probably higher than I initially thought.Xander Bogaertslikely would get the same treatment in Boston. So wouldAnthony Rizzoand other members of the 2016 Cubs in Chicago,Dansby Swansonin Atlanta, and I’m sure I’m missing a few.

Such affection is generally the result of a player spending a lengthy amount of time in an organization, winning a World Series title with that club and showing class along the way. Freeman, who signed a six-year, $162 million free-agent contract with the Dodgers during the 2021-22 offseason, had something else going for him: He made it quite clear hedidn’t want to leave the Braves.

Freddie Freeman gets a standing ovation from Braves fans in his first game back in Atlanta this season 👏

🎥 @BallySportsSO pic.twitter.com/nZZ7QkMiMK

— The Athletic MLB (@TheAthleticMLB) May 23, 2023

Not only was he celebrated again on Monday night, but he also delivered a typically brilliant offensive performance, going 3-for-5 with a three-run homer off his former teammate,Charlie Morton, in the Dodgers’ 8-6 victory.

Freeman, whohit his 300th home runlast Thursday, is now 33 hits short of 2,000. That milestone, he told me over the weekend, will be even more meaningful to him than the home-run mark.

A .900 OPS is one of Freeman’s annual goals; he is currently at .968, sixth in the majors. He freely admits, however, that he still cares about batting average, a statistic that today is viewed as an inadequate representation of a player’s offensive ability.

Freeman understands batting average is flawed, but said he would rather go 3-for-4 with three singles than 1-for-4 with a homer, believing it is more helpful to his team.

“I love hits,” Freeman said. “I’m just a hits guy.”

He’s a popular guy, too, as was evident Monday night.

We don’t cry ‘bout how they try to take us all out

It seems like every team is dealing with a slew of injuries right now, and the Red Sox are no exception. Take a look at thisinjury-update novellaover on MLB.com (but stop scrolling if you feel fatigue or wrist discomfort, lest your name be next on the list).

And yet, while Bostonis still 8.5 games back in the division, they’re only 2.5 games back in the wild-card standings, thanks to a motley crew ofcastoffs and call-ups.

I can’t describe it any better than Chad Jennings did here:

“They’re on basically their third-string center fielder, yet according to FanGraphs the Red Sox lead the majors in center field WAR. Neither of their current second basem*n opened the season in the big leagues, yet the Red Sox have the American League’s fourth-highest OPS at the position. (Pablo) Reyes started at shortstop Monday night in Anaheim, and if everyone on the 40-man were healthy, he would have been no higher than sixth on the depth chart. More likely, he would have been still playing in Las Vegas.”

Quite a few of the players on the IL are expected to be back in late May or early June, withTrevor Storytentatively looking at a return sometime in July.

Can they overtake the Rays? I mean … No? But can the renegades and rogues keep the boat afloat long enough to get healthy and make a run at the postseason? Stranger things have happened.

I’m cut with a different scissor

It’s easy to find sports folks who enjoy showing off their fashion sense on Instagram, TikTok, or elsewhere. So it’s funny — maybe only to me? — when one fashionista’s message to a reporter is: “Who is going to read this story?”

But hey, that’s Buck Showalter. Britt Ghiroli has a story todayabout Buck’ssurprisingly particular fashion choicesas a big-league manager. It’s a quirk about the manager that players likeFrancisco Lindorand others have taken note of.

It starts with the jackets, which Showalter has altered. The league prohibited his early-years practice of wearing Starter jackets, but now? “Showalter does technically wear MLB-issued stuff, but none of it is new,” Ghiroli writes. “He instead wears previously OK’ed items from years ago, a loophole he thinks drives the league nuts and one they’ll probably try to close when he’s done managing.” That includes vintage jackets from eBay and Craigslist.

God love the rebel.

As to whether Showalter wears his jersey underneath his jackets, he declined to say, but did give this wink-and-nod answer: “Let’s just say, when they do those (game-worn) giveaways during the season, whoever gets mine, it’s a really new jersey.”

Baseball Card of the Week: 1989 Fleer Ron Washington

Ken’s section about repeat ovations for returning players brought to mind someone I’ve seenreceive multiple ovationsupon returning to Arlington, Texas — most recently last week when the Braves were in town.

Washington never played for the Rangers, but he managed the best Rangers teams of all time in the early 2010s, including the only two World Series teams in franchise history.

Wash’s last year as a player was 1989, but he was no longer in Cleveland. He played the final seven games of his career as a member of the Houston Astros — five as a pinch hitter for the pitcher, and two (fittingly) as a defensive replacement.

Handshakes and High Fives

Rick Hummel, who covered the St. Louis Cardinals for 51 years for the St. Louis Dispatch, has passed away at 77 years of age. If you’re unfamiliar with “The Commish,” it’s worth reading thetributes included here, as well as his colleague Derrick Goold’swrite-up in The Dispatch.

I love a good walk-through with a player. Zack Meisel doesjust that withMike Zuninoas the Guardians catcher tries to work through a wretched slump and get back on track.

This week’spower rankingsare out, and man I’m not sure what to tell you about the Padres, who are now 2-8 in their last 10 games. One thing I do know, thanks to this article from Dennis Lin: they are looking for, among other things, a long-termsolution at catcher.

The Oriolesunveiled their City Connect jerseyson Monday, and I might be alone in this opinion, but I love them.

It’s Baltimore versus the world. pic.twitter.com/zk73GPNFjR

— Baltimore Orioles (@Orioles) May 22, 2023

Zach Buchanan’s weeklyminor-league scouting reportand notes column is here.

Joey Votto is not back, but he is, in his own words, “taking lives,” which is an extremely unsettling way to say he’staking live batting practice. (C. Trent Rosecrans used a parenthetical to change the original quote and provide context, which is no fun.)

After an investigation by NBC Sports, Oakland A’s TV broadcaster Glen Kuiperhas been fired.

Starkville hasa special guest this week: Ken Rosenthal of, among other things, the newsletter you’ve just finished reading.

(Photo of Freddie Freeman: Brett Davis / USA Today)