A strophe (/ËstroÊfiË/) is a poetic term originally referring to the first part of the ode in Ancient Greek tragedy, followed by the antistrophe and epode. The term has been extended to also mean a structural division of a poem containing stanzas of varying line length. Strophic poetry is to be contrasted with poems composed line-by-line non-stanzaically, such as Greek epic poems or English blank verse, to which the term stichic applies.
The Houston Astros are an American professional baseball team based in Houston, Texas. The Astros are members of the American League (AL) West division in Major League Baseball (MLB), having moved to the division in 2013 after spending their first 51 seasons in the National League (NL). The Astros have played their home games at Minute Maid Park since 2000.
Among several American League clubs vying for the postseason, the Astros and Orioles begin a key four-game series Thursday night at Camden Yards. The Orioles, who dropped to third place in the AL East for the first time this season with Wednesday's 8-1 loss to Boston, currently hold the final AL Wild Card spot. The Astros enter the series 5 1/2 games back of Baltimore in the Wild Card race, but they will have a chance to cut into the deficit this weekend.