What they said, what they meant: Injuries and Performance Issues

I know that everyone must be asking themselves either, “I wonder when Dan P is going to write another one of those wonderful What They Said – What They Meant posts” or “Thank God, Dan P stopped writing those What They Said – What They Meant pieces of dreck and drivel.” Well for the first set of folks – here you go. For the second set – maybe you need to check out the crawfishboxes.com or whatheheckbobby.blogspot.com today. Again all quotes are pulled from chron.com (spit!!).

Matt Albers after a recent bullpen session

  • What he said – “Mixed in all my pitches and got through it. I felt good. I’ll play light catch (Wednesday) and probably be off Thursday. Then I’ll probably throw another bullpen on Saturday and continue to increase next time. So next time – 25 to 30 pitches and increase the intensity.”
  • What he meant – “I know everyone thinks I’m enjoying collecting millions for doing nothing. The last 5 seasons I threw in between 56 and 63 games. I don’t like missing games and this will hurt me signing for 2015. Yes, I am a beefy guy – but Bartolo Colon is 3 inches shorter and 50 pounds heavier and it was never an issue. I want to get back and help my home town team – but it ain’t looking too good.”

Bo Porter on Jesus Guzman going to rehab at OKC

  • What he said – “Hopefully he doesn’t have any setbacks and he’s able to make it through this rehab without any problems and we’re able to be at full strength.”
  • What he meant – “Does it really matter? For the season he only has 8 more RBIs than I do. Heck before he went on the DL – I gave him only 14 ABs the last month. Altuve gets that in a 3 game series. Right now I don’t need him back and don’t really care.”

 

Dexter Fowler on his return after missing 40 games

  • What he said – “It feels good. Any time you get back on the field. I always told myself I want to play 162, but things happen. God has a plan, but I still have to go out and I’m very anxious to get back.”
  • What he meant – “I played in 119 games last season and if I play every game from here on out I will play in 118 games this season. The most I’ve ever played was 143 games in 2012. I don’t think anyone including God should plan on 162 games from me.”

Porter on George Springer’s Injury setback

  • What he said – “Losing George Springer is a big void to our ballclub. It’s a big void to our ballclub. He’s a player that can impact the game in so many ways. We’ve missed him the time he’s been out already. We will continue to miss him. At the same time the guys who are going to have the opportunity to get that playing time they can use that opportunity and take advantage of it.”
  • What he meant – “This sucks.”

Luhnow on Alex Presley’s rehab

  • What he said –  “Presley’s going to play the field tonight.  So that’ll be the next challenge for him. Really, it’s a matter of how he feels coming out of the game and how he feels tomorrow. If everything goes well, he’ll play again tomorrow.”
  • What he meant – “Yeah, he is one of our players so I am answering questions about him – but he is not as valuable as George Springer’s sweat bands to us.”

Porter on Domingo Santana holding the ball while a crucial run scored the other day

  • What he said – “I’ll tell you what I really like about it is the young man was just flat-out honest. He said: ‘I panicked.’ And if you watch the play one would think that. But for him to have the courage to stand there and say it, it speaks even more value to me to his makeup and how he’s made.”
  • What he meant – “It is hard to find anything positive to say about a kid, who is 0 for 18 with 14 Ks on top of making a bonehead play that most little leaguers would not do. But he is a baby. You know what George Springer was doing at his age? He had just signed and was having an 8 AB cup of coffee at A- Tri-Cities. Jason Castro? Dallas Keuchel? They were both at A+ Lancaster. Give the kid a break – he is way over his head and his age group right now.”

Porter on a lineup with Grossman leading off and Fowler 4th

  • What he said – “You look at the way Carter is swinging (the) bat, (so) I actually like having Altuve in front of him. The way Grossman has been swinging the bat of late out of the leadoff spot and then you look at the fact that you put Dexter, a proven major league hitter, behind Carter… it adds some protection to Carter.”
  • What he meant – “I friggin’ need Springer to make any sense of my lineup. Then he and Carter could be in the 3rd and 4th spot one way of the other. I could put Fowler in the leadoff – but then do I put Grossman in the 3rd or 4th spot? I’m just screwed.”

Porter on Josh Fields second straight outing giving up 2 late runs

  • What he said – “Earlier in the month when he was really locked in, even when the ball was up in the zone it had some late life he was able to get more swing and miss. Right now he’s just not getting the swing and misses that he was earlier on.”
  • What he meant – “His ball ain’t moving. And I don’t care if you are Bob Feller throwing 104 mph or whatever – if the ball is straight these batters will catch up to it. And they have.”

Bonus Quote – Oberholtzer after taking the loss in a 7 inning / 1 run effort

  • What he said – “I felt like I pitched pretty well tonight and gave the team a chance to win. Gibson did a really good job over there. He got out of that jam in the seventh where I thought maybe we could’ve capitalized with a few runs. Carter’s RBI came an inning too late and we were always working from behind.”
  • What you fair readers think he meant……..
←
→

45 responses to “What they said, what they meant: Injuries and Performance Issues”

  1. What Porter meant, speaking of Guzman: Look how great our AAA first baseman is doing in AAA.
    Porter on Springer: Where the he** is Springer?
    Porter on Fowler: Where the he** is Springer?
    Porter on Presley: Where the he** is Springer?
    Oberholtzer on his performance: Where the he** is Springer?
    Porter on Fields: Where the he** is Albers?
    Springer on Springer: Where the he** are the real doctors?
    Dominguez on his defense: What the he** are the shortstops doing way over there?
    Dominguez on his offense: Where the he** is my bat?

    Like

    Reply

  2. Oldpro, I agree with Dominquez’ question, “What the he** are the shortstops doing way over there” and Singleton could say the same about the second baseman.

    Oberholtzer says, “I tried to get a complete game but unfortunately our team has no relief pitching… just a bunch of gasoline jockeys.”

    Like

    Reply

  3. Porter on Guzman, What he really meant: “We need him back like we need a hole in our lineup. … I mean another one.”

    Bonus Quote, What Obie Really Meant: “I make one bad pitch and this bunch of swinging nancies can’t back me up. What, is Altuve supposed to score by himself every freaking game? And thanks to the bullpen for holding it down until we could score … oh, wait. Once again they screwed the pooch. I better be guaranteed a spot in the rotation next April or I’m gonna go all Chacon on someone’s (bleep)!”

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

    • Oh and Shawn Chacon is only 36 years old – we could easily give him a Mike Hampton / Russ Ortiz late life chance to prove he was sorry or to show Oberholtzer how to properly attack Luhnow. Ignore the fact he hasn’t played professionally in 5 seasons.

      Like

      Reply

  4. “Dexter Fowler on his return after missing 40 games”

    The last time I played in a game Jared Cosart was in our rotation, Jerome Williams was in our bullpen, and we were all pumped about having just drafted a kid from Southern California named Brady Aiken. I think I know how Rip Van Winkle must have felt!

    “Porter on George Springer’s Injury setback”

    At least poor Byron Buxton is in somebody else’s system! [ugh . . . too soon?]

    “Porter on a lineup with Grossman leading off and Fowler 4th”

    I’ve tried everything else. Nothing has worked. I was thinking to myself “I haven’t tried Grossman, Dominguez, Castro or Singleton at lead-off yet – and I figured I’d start with the one of that group that had the highest OBP.” Yep – Grossman’s .335 OBP leads everybody on the team not named Springer, Altuve or Fowler.!

    “Porter on Josh Fields second straight outing giving up 2 late runs”

    Who is Josh Fields? Oh, you must mean ‘Boom-Boom’!

    Like

    Reply

    • Nicely done – Mr. Bill – especially like the Rip Van Winkle reference. He was related to Rip Sewell right? (younger folks – google Rip Sewell – eephus pitch and ted Williams).

      Like

      Reply

    • Only dinger hit off of Sewell’s eephus pitch – though it was the All Star game – decades before they used it for home field advantage in the World Series (still one of the dumbest things baseball has ever done).

      Like

      Reply

  5. “Matt Albers after a recent bullpen session”

    Can I be first in line to take the ice bucket challenge?

    “Bo Porter on Jesus Guzman going to rehab at OKC”

    It is rumored that scouts from the Skeeters organization will be on hand.

    “Porter on Domingo Santana holding the ball while a crucial run scored”

    When he came up this time we told him all he’d have to do is play catch with Jesse Crain. Domingo caught the ball, cocked his arm, and . . . well, let’s just say he correctly determined that Jesse wasn’t ready.

    Like

    Reply

    • More niceties – though I will point out that if the Astros had signed a Skeeter pitcher after last season (Scott Kazmir) they would have gotten a lot more for their bucks than with another Scott named Feldman.

      Like

      Reply

      • “Oberholtzer after taking the loss in a 7 inning / 1 run effort”

        As Turk Farrell should have said, “It takes a Helluva pitcher to lose 20 games . . . with an ERA like mine.”

        Like

      • Our front office is way too smart to sign Kazmir. We had our eye on Jerome Williams. Biilly Beane was way too smart to sign Williams. He signed Kazmir.

        Like

      • Kazmir is a gas can. You don’t know if the guy that is 13-5 with a 2.78 ERA is gonna show up, or the 9-15 version with a 5.94 ERA. Why hand someone that has been that inconsistent a short term, expensive deal to play for a last place club?

        Like

      • Steven – the A’s paid attention and saw that Kazmir got his velocity back. They took advantage of that.

        Like

  6. Yeah – Mr. Bill – how many 20 game losers are their team’s All-Star rep (and deservedly so)? Turk was a terrific pitcher for some bad bad teams. So – a very good comparison here.

    Like

    Reply

    • I can’t tell you how it was to listen to Elston announce Farrell’s games on my little transistor radio, when I was supposed to be sleeping. Every four days I wondered if he was going to win 1-0 or lose 1-0 and would he pitch nine innings or twelve. The guy was amazing.

      Like

      Reply

      • OP1, I was listening to those games on a transistor at the same time. Turks was the first autograph I ever got, and I thought he was Whitey Ford and Babe Ruth and Warren Spahn all rolled into one. Do you realize that in 1962 he lost 20 games for the Colt 45s with an ERA of 3.02 and a WHIP of 1.097? And he pitched a whopping 241.2 innings that year, striking out 203. The next year he was 14-13 with the exact same ERA and a WHIP of 0.969.

        Like

      • Thanks for the memories – guys. My family moved here in the summer of 1965, so I had a little exposure to Turk. I had a lot more exposure to Don Wilson and Larry Dierker needing to sue for non-support.

        Like

  7. “[Porter] had a chat with struggling rookie first baseman Jon Singleton before Saturday’s game, using fellow left-handed hitter David Ortiz as an example of understanding how to hit. Ortiz then went out and put on a show, hitting a pair of two-run homers and driving in a career-high-tying six runs in the Red Sox’s 10-7 win over the Astros on Saturday. Porter, with a plate of food in his hand, passed Singleton sitting on a couch in the clubhouse Sunday morning and asked Singleton if he understood what he was talking about.”

    WHAT PORTER MEANT: Jon, I hope you are enjoying sitting on that couch, enjoying the perks of your $8M contract this fine game day morning. Meanwhile, do you know what David Ortiz is doing right now in the other clubhouse? He’s not sitting on a couch shooting the breeze like you are, Jon. He’s studying video of our pitching and our defense and strategizing how he is going to out-think our catcher’s pitch calling and placement, stay two steps ahead of any pitcher he might expect to face today, make any shift we might throw at him look silly, and beat your lazy, laid back hide to the bag at first base on any scalded grounder of his we can actually catch just for fun of it. When you figure that out, Jon, I will know you understood what I was talking about.”

    Like

    Reply

      • Actually, I like the young man a lot, Dan, and I actually expect him to get it together at some point and be everything he has been projected to be and more. I think Porter feels that way too. I just suspect from what I’ve seen so far that he’s got a lot of growing up and getting to work to do if he is going to make a run at living up to either his potential or his hype. And the sooner he gets started with it the better – for him and for our Astros. As you know – in baseball and in life – talent and greatness are just not the same thing.

        Like

      • Thanks for the elaboration Mr Bill. I agree with you – he has a lot if talent and he does need to mature.

        Like

  8. With Chris Carter hitting so well, finally, I would like to point out a few things to offer some encouragement for the future:
    -Chris Carter will be 28 in December and has been in pro baseball since 2005.
    -Carlos Correa is 19 and 2017 will be his year 22 season. Next year he will be 4 years younger than the average AA player.
    – Mark Appel is 23 and will be 26 in 2017. He is in AA ball.
    -Our #3 prospect is Domingo Santana and he is only 21 and is in AAA. He will be 24 years old in 2017, four years younger than Carter is right now.
    – Folty is our #4 prospect and he is 22 years old, four years younger than Kershaw. Folty is already with the big club, but in 2017 he won’t be as old as Keuchel is right now, and Keuchel is just getting rolling as a pitcher.
    -Colin Moran is only 21 and he is hitting .316 in AA ball. He would be 24 when our world series year comes around in 2017.
    -Our #6 prospect Lance Mc Jr is only 20 years old and is starting tonight in High A Lancaster and has been all year.
    -Our #7 prospect is has been pitching beautifully all year at Quad Cities. He’s only 21 and some say he has the best command in our system.
    – I think our #8 prospect Vince Velasquez may be a starting pitcher for the Astros in 2017 at the age of 25.
    -Our # 9 prospect, Rio Ruiz, will be a 21 year old 3B in AA ball next spring and he has hit .305 at Lancaster this year and he’s hardly shaving.
    -Our #10 prospect is a 20 year old lefty who earned his way to AA ball this year. His fastball is 90-95 and he only weighs around 165 pounds. When he fills out-wow! in 2017 this kid will only be as old as Mark Appel is now.
    If Carter reached his potential at 27, just think of the great things we have in store for us. I used 2017 as a subject year because that is when we are supposed to be good. But we will also be one of the youngest teams in the majors. Altuve and Springer will be the old guys.

    Like

    Reply

    • now this is what im talking about. add in a few other players that arent categorized as ‘prospects’ anymore because of mlb playing time such as springer, marisnick, singleton and the vets such as altuve, fowler, carter and you have plenty of hope going forward. good job oldpro.

      Like

      Reply

  9. Oberholtzer will pitch against Capuano tomorrow. Capuano is 0-3 so far with the Yankees. SHURELY these guys can score more than one run for the guy.
    I’m on the record saying this coaching staff is probably one of the best this team has had in a looooong time. I like all the base coaches, and Strom has done WONDERS with these young pitchers. I know some of you have been calling for the hitting coach to get replaced, but some how, in the last two months these guys are starting to get the bat on the ball for hits. I vote for ALL of them to stay with the Astros next season!
    Oldpro…….don’t cha just love all those kids we have in the minors! Can’t WAIT to see Hader, and Velasquez throwing heat! Our strength is in high A and Corpus…..
    who knows where these guys will be this time next year! I’m excited!!!

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

    • We have all seen it – on every staff there is a pitcher who just does not get runs scored for them . This is why Nolan Ryan had a 8-16 record in 1987 while leading the league in ERA. Buzzard’s luck some times.

      Like

      Reply

  10. And speaking of Chris Carter – he was named the AL player of the week. Let that sink in – did not see that coming 2 months ago.
    With 8 dingers and 20 RBIs on the 19th of August – he has a shot at the player of the month also.

    Like

    Reply

  11. Bud Norris is having a career year with Baltimore. He is 11-7 with a 1.21 WHIP and his K/BB looks good. His team is one of the top hitting teams in baseball and the top fielding team also.
    Good for him. He’s 29 years old so it’s about time. He’ll probably get some money soon.

    Like

    Reply

    • Bud still appears to struggle to go deep into games – in 6 of his last 11 starts he has gone 5 – 1/3 IP or less. And I would sure take his $5 million + paycheck as “some” money – but I understand what you mean. He will be getting one of those 4 year $50 million type contracts soon.

      Like

      Reply

    • It sure sucks that Oakland and the Angels could finish the season as the two best teams in baseball, not just the AL, and one of them will get stuck in the one and done wild card mess. I don’t like it – I know it makes intriguing TV – but it makes no baseball sense.

      Like

      Reply

  13. I appreciate there are non-Chronicle fans on this site, but I thought today’s article on Astros fielding was really good. Lots of surprising observations – they were not keen on Dominguez, Altuve, Singleton and Fowler as fielders, but were keen on Castro, Marisnick, Hoes and, especially, Keuchel.

    Like

    Reply

    • That article is behind a paywall for me.
      Altuve is an above average fielding second baseman. Despite being 5’6″ all of his range factors are on the positive side of league average. Altuve is only 24 years old. Most starting second baseman are breaking into the league at 25 years old or older. He is on the upside of his career and Cano is on his downside.
      Singleton is a baby. His defense is going to get better and better. He is the first baseman on a team with extreme shifts and it is all new to him. And he is tense. There is a lot of stress in him right now. His past has placed a lot on his big shoulders. When he grows into his position he is going to be a terrific first baseman. He fields like a guy who is afraid to make a mistake. It’s up to the coaches and fellow players to help him relax.
      Dominguez is growing into a bad body. His best fielding days may be over because he is losing quickness.
      Marisnick gets huge jumps on balls hit to center and Fowler does not.
      Hoes looks average. I don’t want to talk about Castro.

      Like

      Reply

Leave a comment