The 2015 Houston Astros season has come down to the nine final games with the Astros falling swiftly in the race for the AL West division lead and on the verge of missing the playoffs all together.
What will happen between now and the end of the season? What kind of team will they end up being and what will their legacy be, if any, in Astros lore?
Two distinct possibilities loom, both tied to poetic quotes.
Near the end of the 1996 blockbuster Independence Day, Bill Pullman as the president / fighter pilot war hero gives a rip-roaring speech, which if it had gone as long as a speech by the real president at the time, probably would have doomed the world’s inhabitants to being the featured weenies at a hot dog grilling. Nevertheless, who will forget the words semi-borrowed from Dylan Thomas, “We will not go quietly into the night”?
A second possibility could be summed up in a quotation borrowed and twisted from T.S. Eliot. “This is the way the (season) ends, not with a bang, but a whimper.”
Will this team, which….
- Is 7-14 in September
- Has turned a 4 game divisional lead into a 3 game divisional shortfall this month
- Is 0-9 in one run games since Aug. 24th
- Has only won 3 of their last 13 road games
- Has seen their bullpen implode in September
- Has been playing like the inexperienced team it is…
…..Be remembered for its glorious fight to the death or for a season’s end as memorable as a shrug?
ALL THINGS ASTROS 
24 responses to “Astros’ season balancing on the edge of a knife”
IMHO They have played their hearts out just to many holes on the 25 and ran out of gas. I’m hoping Lunhole gets smarter over the winter and some one kicks his egos ass. I consulted with Carnac the Magnificent today and he says Astros go to NY for 1 game play in. He is not sure yet who wins.
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“It ain’t over ’till it’s over”⚾⚾
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If they could just get two out of three this weekend I feel good about makingthe playoffs. But, it will take a miracle to take two from ( as Becky so eloquently put it ) the idiots to our north.
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They don’t have the you know whats to do it, but leave Conger, Gattis, val no Buena, and Carter on the Pine , we might do it!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
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And no Qulls….
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There is nothing that tells me they can win this series against Texas and even less that they can win on the road. I predict a 3-6 finish and missing out on the playoffs. They will win 1 game against Texas, get swept in Seattle and then, once the WC race is over rally to win 2 in Arizona as the pressure will be removed. It will be disappointing considering where they were on Sept. 1st, but I still like the direction they are heading. I will be watching with strong interest the Hot Stove League this offseason to see what Luhnow does. Will he admit his mistakes on Conger, Valbuena and Gattis and find replacements? I think he will. I am confident Carter will not be back next year. This team doesn’t need an overhaul, but there is definitely room for improvement.
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Pete Rose was/is willing to bet on baseball, but I am not. That said, I think you are about right on the finish. And if the Astros do make it to the WC, just can’t see them advancing. It is interesting about the Hot Stove. Last year it was the BP, 1st and 3rd. JL did what he could with his budget on 2 of the 3. I think he will try again within the budget limits. So no high end players and the trade will take away more of our prospects. To improve, I see no other way for him to do it. The other is just let 2016 play with the poor attendance for year 4, and hope some minor leaguers catch fire.
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I don’t get the whole “budget” delima. Crane has owned this team long enough to start putting some money in it to win. There are no more BIG time money makers to get rid of now, so open up your billfold and start the *pay to play* for 2016. I’m tired of hearing the old poor is me excuse. He knew how much it was gonna cost to build a major league team……now give your GM the go ahead to start fixing a few spots on this team.
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For those of us who don’t get the Astros on t.v…….the games will be on these stations.
Friday: ESPN
Sat.: Fox ( regular Fox not FSN)
Sun. TBS
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So they’re gonna display all three games on national TV? No pressure at all.
Don’t think I have the stomach to watch.
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You know you will Sandy!! I think the Sat and Sun games are afternoon games. If they look like crap on Sat…I’m going to go to Dillard’s they are having a big sale!!
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And…..I don’t wanna see Qualls unless it’s the bottom of the 9th 2 out and we are leading by 12 runs. That guy makes me so nervous, Fluffy isn’t safe!! Hinch needs to put the VERY best players on the field for this series. That means no Carter, no Conger, no Villerror. And don’t play that whole lefty right thing anymore…..it ain’t working.
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Each loss is more heartbreaking than the one that came before. It’s not over, but many are writing the eulogy. Luckily, they control their own destiny. I’m not ready to throw Luhnow or Hinch to the wolves. Some decisions were questionable, but the blown saves/holds/whatever are squarely on the players IMO.
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Hinch is told who to play, so no….I wouldn’t through him under the bus. The whole season has been squarely on the players. You can’t wish them to win, or score runs that’s the player’s fault, not the managers.
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I know it is WAY early, but per Spotrac – here are the 1B possible free agents.
Chris Davis who has 43 HRs but has more Ks than KKarter. Steve Pearce – yep same one and 4 years older. Napoli, Kyle Blanks, Dan Johnson (the one that is 29 years from Social Security), Frandsen, Kotchman and Luke Scott (same guy at 37). So it would appear that someone will have to be promoted and given a chance.
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Why they want Tyler White to change positions to a catcher is beyond me. HE IS A FIRST BASEMAN! I get that they want a catcher to play 1st base……so convert a catcher to learn to play 1st.!! Buster Posey is a catcher who learned to play 1st….not the other way around. I wanna give White every chance to make this club outta spring training, because A. J. Reed is hot on his heels!!
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I get the feeling it has a lot to do with Jon Singleton. I’ll be surprised if he’s not the first baseman in spring training.
They ain’t gonna pay him 2 million to play in AAA for the next two years.
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I have an update on Chip’s dad. He is improving, and they are putting a pacemaker in tomorrow. This is a precaution so if his heart starts acting up, it will kick in. Thank all of you who have lifted Chip and his family in prayer. It works!!
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1. They have first basemen in White and Duffy if they will just wake up and give them a try.
2.They have catchers in Stassi and Heineman, if they will give them a chance.
3. Stick a fork in them, they’re done.
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Yeah, and they never gave my favorite outfield prospect a shot. And they couldn’t figure out how to fix that Martinez guy. Santana, Martinez, Springer…..might have been one of the best outfields in the game, for peanuts. And then there is that outfield kid playing up the road that we couldn’t manage. He might just turn into the best utility man in the game. And maybe giving Tucker a shot at DH might have an impact too. This stuff is all under Luhnow’s watch. I think he’s got quite a few people hoodwinked.
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The club is in a far better place than when Drayton left. The question that is bothering all of us is whether the front office we have in place has made a difference. Would any Joe Schmoe GM with three consectutive #1 picks (including the first pick every round), plus a fourth season with two top five picks and some supplemental picks thrown in, plus a bunch of trades to re-stock the minor leagues under Ed Wade and under Jeff Luhnow, have re-built the minor leagues as well or better?
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consecutive
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They are a much better team. They have acquired some amazing talent.
But they don’t seem to have a clue how to use it.
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Look how long it took Kansas City and Pittsburgh to become respectable again and they had a decade plus of futility and high draft picks. Yes, Luhnow, like every GM in baseball has made mistakes, but it’s too early to declare he’s blowing it. While I don’t agree with his over-protection of the 40 man roster we may be thankful down the road that he didn’t expose certain players to the Rule 5 draft. Any talk of getting rid of Luhnow after this season is just lunacy. Next year, maybe, if the team regresses, but not this year.
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