Umpire Ron Kulpa expels Astros coach Alex Cintron and Manager

AJ Hinch"WhiteFanposts Fanshots Sections Houston Astros NewsGame ThreadsHouston Astros Minor LeaguesAstros Game DayPodcastsGame Recap: Astros Hitting Drought Continues. Lose Series and Game 3 in Arlington 4-0New Andrew Benintendi Jersey ,73commentsUmpire Ron Kulpa expels Astros coach Alex Cintron and Manager AJ HinchCDTShareTweetShareShareGame Recap: Astros Hitting Drought Continues. Lose Series and Game 3 in Arlington 4-0Tim Heitman-USA TODAY SportsThe burning question after this game is:who was worse, the umpire, or the Astros hitters? Hmmmm. Ump?... Hitters?...Ump?.... Hitters?Let’s start with the umpire.If you saw the game you know what I mean.If you didn’t do not assume this is just bitter homerism speaking. This writer was an umpire. I don’t like criticizing umpires because 1. it’s useless whining, and 2. I know how hard umpiring is. But tonight was so bad, so consistently wrong, over and over again, and we can see the exact pitch location on the TV feed, that it is not crazy to think it was intentional. Here is the call that started it all.Pitch #5 was strike three to Joey Gallo, but umpire Ron Kulpa called it ball 3.Gallo eventually walked.Yet over and over again pitches resembling pitches number 2 and 6 were called strikes on the Astros.Astros players began complaining from the dugout, and Kulpa threw coach Alex Cintron from the game. Kulpa kept looking into the Astros dugout between pitches, apparently looking for some kind of confrontation, and eventually Manager AJ Hinch came out to talk to Kulpa, resulting in his expulsion as well. Here is what transpired.After pitching his last pitch in the sixth inning, Gerrit Cole, who had clearly been suppressing his exasperation all game Luis Tiant Jersey , had a few words of his own with tonight’s umpire.And yet, as bad as the umpire was, I must say in all honesty that it probably didn’t matter much.Oh sure, having to guess where the strike zone is doesn’t help a team already struggling for hits, but clearly this team has no confidence right now. Bad umpire or no, the Astros are as desperate for hits and runs as a thirsty man baking in the desert is for a drop of water.The Astros came into Arlington facing a pitching staff which, in its first three games, had surrendered 28 runs. Facing the Rangers’ four and five starters the Astros could only muster 6 runs. Tonight, going against Mike Minor and several so-so relievers, they could not score a single run, even though the same Mike Minor allowed six runs in four innings on Opening Day. The Astros have scored 15 runs in seven games. They came into this game with a .237 BA, but only a .100 average with RISP.Tonight they only got two runners into scoring position, and stranded both.Their record is now 2 and 5. The last time the Astros started a season that poorly was 2013. Does anyone who reads this website need to be reminded how bad the Astros were in 2013. Hint: Their best player was Jason Castro.Pitching at least was very good again, probably better than the four earned runs would indicate.In the first inning Astros nemesis Elvis Andrus hit a single and stole second. With two outs Nomar Mazara hit a weak ground ball into the shift that Jose Altuve had to charge from right field. Mazara beat the throw, and Andrus scored from second.In the fourth inning Joey Gallo walked with one out http://www.redsoxproshops.com/authentic-dustin-pedroia-jersey , and with two outs our old friend Hunter Pence singled Gallo home with a single down the right field line. Pence would then score on a well-hit Ronald Guzman double to center.Here’s Josh Reddick robbing Pence of a hit earlier in the gameCole finished the game allowing three earned runs in six innings, allowing 4 hits, 3 walks and whiffing 9 Rangers.The final Rangers run came in the eighth. After Josh James had retired five straight Rangers, Nomar Mazara got to James with a home run to center. James later got the final out on the Rangers, finishing with two innings, allowing one run and 4 K’sTomorrow is an off day for the Astros, who take on the A’s at home on FridayBox score and videos HERE Catching up on the Dodgers offseason with our first podcast episode of 2019. We recap the salary dump trade with the Reds, which included jettisoning Yasiel Puig and more to Cincinnati."Our first podcast of the year plays a little bit of catch up, recapping the Dodgers’ salary dump and roster-clearing trade with the Reds that basically has us in limbo waiting for what comes next.We also look back at the Yasiel Puig stint in Los Angeles, which was almost never dull. Plus, there are some minor league signings and a new top 10 prospect list from Baseball America.If you have any questions for future podcasts, please send them to tblapodcast@gmail.com, or tweet us at @ericstephen or @jacobburch.Dodgers rewindIn what will hopefully be a recurring podcast segment, we look back through old media guides and baseball cards to highlight a former Dodger. This week’s profile is Willie Crawford, the outfielder who played in Los Angeles for 12 seasons.From the 1968 Dodgers yearbookCrawford was signed by the Dodgers out of local Fremont High School in 1964 Tony Conigliaro Jersey , two years before the birth of the MLB Draft. He made his major league debut that September just nine days after his 18th birthday. As a “bonus baby” — Crawford got $100,000 to sign — he had to remain in the majors for a year or be exposed to waivers, but only batted 29 times in 1965 despite lasting the whole year on the active roster.Multiple references to Crawford’s high school track exploits never translated on the major league basepaths, stealing just 47 bases in his career while getting caught 36 times. He hit .268/.351/.413 with the Dodgers, his 118 OPS+ ranking 39th in franchise history among batters with at least 2,000 plate appearances, just ahead of Dusty Baker, Mike Marshall and Manny Mota, while a tick below Adrian Gonzalez and Jeff Kent, for instance.Crawford’s best season was 1973, when he hit .295/.396/.453, a 140 OPS+ with 78 walks in a 5.3-WAR campaign. Or as his Topps card told us, Crawford hit .295 with 26 doubles, 14 home runs and 66 RBI.Crawford died in 2004 in Los Angeles.Podcast linksRSS feedEpisode link (time: 41:17)