Fans of the 2018 Astros: What’s bugging us?

It’s kind of unfair. Fans wait forever – up to 56 seasons (depending on our age and when we began cheering for them) for their Houston Astros to win a World Championship and then after they do, in a blink of an eye, the celebration is over and the angst over the next season returns. Is this why Yankee fans are sometimes the most miserable human beings on the planet. The 27 championships are in the rear view mirror and here they are in misery because their team falls short of the apex. Nine-year drought! OMG!!!

Yet here we are. Despite the fact our favorite team has been at the head of the division for the majority of the season, the lead has been tenuous due to the better competition in the division this season. In 2017, the Astros cruised easily into the postseason. Yes, we had some doubts when the team slumped in August, but September brought a rebirth behind the Justin Verlander trade and the team put on a great run of clutch play throughout the playoffs.

On September 20th, the Astros are 95-57 and if they go 6-4 against the Angels, Orioles and Blue Jays, all of whom are playing out the string, they will match last year’s record.

So what’s bugging us about this team and should it?

  • The Astros offense is not as good as last season and seems to disappear at the drop of a hat
  • However……Please, be reminded of the ALCS against the Yanks. The team had let a 2-0 lead in the series drop to a 3-2 deficit. Even their two wins were both 2-1 squeakers. They had scored only 9 runs in the first five games and were coming off a 5-0 whitewashing headed into two – win or go home games. But they got enough offense and a ton of pitching and took those last two games.
  • The relievers meltdown at the wrong times
  • However……Please, remember that there is no good time for relievers to meltdown and that frankly, the core of this relieving corps has been very good in most situations. This bullpen is a lot deeper than the one that melted down a ton of times in the 2017 playoffs and there will be pitchers left off this playoff roster that would be in their competitor’s ‘pen if they had them.
  • The starters are older and after being lights out earlier in the season have shown holes in their game in the last month or so.
  • However……Last season heading into the playoffs the team did not know how pitchers like Charlie Morton or Lance McCullers would react in the playoffs. Even with some rough spots, those two helped win some of the biggest games during the playoffs. They have them plus veterans Verlander, Gerrit Cole and Dallas Keuchel and overall they should be in good shape in the starter area (most games).
  • In 2017, the Astros were the Kings of the Late Innings coming back over and over again even with large late deficits. That has not been happening this season.
  • No “Howevers” here……If a fan wants to worry about this team, this is the area where they should be concerned. In many of their greatest seasons, the Astros rode late-inning magic. There is something about those comebacks and walk-off wins that not only energized the club, but raised their own expectations that games were never over. In 2018, that has just not been happening nearly as often as in 2017.
  • The Astros no longer have the best SS/2B duo in the majors.
  • No “Howevers” here either…. Carlos Correa was not up to snuff before his stint on the DL and has been a negative offensive force since his return. Jose Altuve is down (for him) and not near the offensive catalyst he has been the last few years for the Astros. Having a great SS/2B combo was a big advantage over most teams. Not this year.
  • The Astros play dumb and can’t play small ball.
  • Partial However…… In 2017 they were running into outs too, just like this year, though it is still a bother. The number of double plays they are grounding into is also a concern. Old ball with bunts and move-overs maybe will not return wholesale, but there will be times in the playoffs where getting one run in may be the difference in a game.

So what is bugging you this year?

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114 responses to “Fans of the 2018 Astros: What’s bugging us?”

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  2. What is bugging me is the injuries to Carlos Correa, George Springer, Brian McCann and Jose Altuve that have robbed those four players of their ability to drive the ball and hit for power.
    The Astros will not make it far in the playoffs without something close to the power they had last year.

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  3. What bugs me is what appears to be lack of effort or lack of willing to change what Ain’t Working. Baseball is a funny game. If you try hard you may still fail. But if you don’t try, or play bone head baseball, you reduce your chances to win. And to tag 1OP, Carlos leads the lead in sac flies. He is NOT in the top 100 in HRs. So he is not making solid contact. The entire 2018 team is not making solid contact anymore. 8 of the regulars have hit into DPs 22-12 times each. Again, not solid contact.

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  4. The GIDP is so puzzling, but aggravating. The Correa underachievement is very frustrating. You can argue he’s not among the top 10 SS in the league this season. Absolutely no excuse for that. The offensive regression overall is not a huge concern, given that last year was truly an outlier and this year’s offense is still decent compared to the competition. Success in the playoffs will depend on pitching.

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  5. “They can’t play small ball”….no, it’s they WONT play small ball. It’s beyond infuriating that they have two on no outs, and the guy at the plate won’t bunt them over. The only guy that has done that is Tony Kemp, and it’s hard to understand if it’s coming from the dugout, or if it’s Tony who makes that decision.
    Every single guy on this team is nursing a hurt. Correa probably needs surgery on his back, and I assume he will address that over the winter. George is fighting pain with his thumb, Altuve’s knee is still hurting….every starter in our rotation thinks their pitching arm weights about 500 pounds. I know what Hinch was trying to rest his regular starters, and let the minor league guys see what they have to offer. BUT….losing 2 games just might be the difference between winning the A.L. West, and a one game playoff. NOT ACCEPTABLE!!
    Those guys in that clubhouse know what it takes to get back to the WS, and it’s totally up to them to them to get there. Only THEY can drive that car. One of the things I want this team to do over the winter, is getting a Jeff Bagwell, Barry Bonds type of a hitting coach to replace Hudgens. I know I’ve jumped up and down about this before, and I haven’t changed my mind. Hudgens stinks.
    They have GOT to win this divsion, absolutely no excuses. I have to give another shout out about that Josh James!! I hope he’s going to be added to the playoff roster. The Angels had their butts handed to them yesterday…..they will be looking for blood this weekend. Good luck fellas⚾… (((G U L P))).

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  8. Some thoughts –
    – They were worse at home last year than the playoffs, but were better at home than on the road in the playoffs, though they did clinch both the Red Sox and the Dodger series on the road
    – I think the injuries to the Big 3 are lingering and probably will have to be addressed as many have said and I think it has been the difference between a very good offense and a sporadically good offense
    – I do wonder about 2017 – how much was it Dave Hudgens and how much was Alex Cora and Carlos Beltran
    – Will there be more sign stealing this playoffs (maybe even electronically) than last playoffs since the catcher will not be able to visit the mound every other hitter?
    – The GIDPs are killing me – I remember one season when Biggio never grounded into one (which seems miraculous in hindsight). Double plays are complete rally snuffers and they seem to roll into a lot of them with 2 or 3 men on.
    – Yes the Astros were on a complete roll headed into the playoffs last season and will likely not be quite as hot this time around
    – Oh man – hang in there old pro – we know about torrential rains around here and what we know is not good

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    • I want to throw some numbers out here:

      Bregman 669 PA 15 GIDP
      Springer 593 PA 12 GIDP
      Altuve 565 PA 16 GIDP
      Gurriel 540 PA 13 GIDP
      Marwin 523 PA 13 GIDP
      Reddick 461 PA 9 GIDP
      Correa 455 PA 16 GIDP
      Gattis 426 PA 13 GIDP
      Kemp 273 PA 6 GIDP
      Stassi 243 PA 5 GIDP
      JFSF 214 PA 5 GIDP
      White 207 PA 1 GIDP
      McCann 202 PA 6 GIDP
      Davis 95 PA 3 GIDP
      Maldonado 94 PA 5 GIDP

      A few players are worse, but most guys are hitting into a double play about once every 40 plate appearances. The outlier is Tyler White who has figured out how to do it only once this season in 207 PA.

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    • Of course we are seeing weaker performances out of Reddick, Springer and McCann this year but the most severe downturns offensively have come from Correa (who was not setting world on fire before his injury), Altuve, Marwin, and to some extent Gurriel. I’m not sure there is a Latin connection but I suspect that Cora and Beltran had an especially high impact on those four. We still don’t strike out much but when you look at how the team has fared offensively under Hudgens since he’s been here last year has been a clear outlier. If he can’t figure out what’s happening with these guys and apply a fix then why is he taking up space in the dugout? I still remember hearing that when he was in New York the Mets offensive production went down every year of his tenure.

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    • “That said, the Fort Worth Star-Telegram’s Jeff Wilson reported in a detailed column yesterday that Banister’s communication skills with his players had come under fire recently, with pitchers sometimes not knowing when their next start would be while some position players would find themselves in the lineup having previously been assured a day off. Texas also burned through several closers very quickly under Banister’s watch, with Shawn Tolleson flaming out in 2016 after being used on five consecutive days to close out the 2015 regular season. Sam Dyson, another bullpen workhorse under Banister, had dismal 2017 results after a heavy workload in 2016, though he’s since bounced back in San Francisco.”

      ^ Coomunication skills with his players, an issue which I can not see ever happening with AJ.

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      • Have you seen that team and that roster of players Jon Daniels gave him? I’m not defending him. I am saying the Rangers should have fired the guy who screwed the franchise up and hired Bannister. They should have started at the core of the problem and worked their way down?

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  10. I’m going to pick up four grandchildren at school. It’s now at 8.4 inches in ten hours. No letup in sight, but this is what I do. Make sure they get home safely.

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  12. Like most of you I’m bugged by the offense and the inability to play well at home. However this team IS better than last year and by quite a bit due to the pitching. Consider that we have an almost identical record and will surely finish with an equal number of wins while playing against much stiffer competition. Seattle and Oakland would be sitting pretty in the National League and its even conceivable that the Angels will finish at .500 or above. Was anyone in the Western Division a .500 team besides us in 2017? The problem is that while pitching wins and consistently keeps you in the ballgame hitting is a lot more fun to watch. Would this year’s team pull out a game like WS game 5? No way, but then again it probably wouldn’t find itself in the kind of holes the pitching staff made us climb out of. I have to confess that I like watching the A’s because they hit the snot out of the ball. I can’t see their pitching surviving in the playoffs but I bet they bruise whoever they play and if they can beat the Yankees I expect they will really test Boston. There might be some 10-8 games in that series.

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  14. We have now scored more runs in the first inning than we scored in the three previous games this season after an off day in the middle of a homestand. In those other 3 games we were outscored 20-3. HUGE HIT by Yuli.

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  16. Man, slept through 5 innings, turned on a 6-0 lead (7-0 tks to Yulie). Not complaining but give the man some help, hint. Hence what’s bugging me, offense. Baggy said it right, they *spoiled* us & we won’t see 2017 for a very long time (miracles do happen). CC concerns me (Tulow, Dustin) superstars w/inj issues. Hopefully he’ll grow out of that & fulfill his potential. I feel ya OP on power decline. GS recently went 4-5 I believe. Ok to base hit a tm into submission absent power numbers. We detest watching tm making loud outs swinging for the fences. AJ’s adamantly refusing to shuffle lineup when guys struggle for ‘extended periods’. Do we pamper & stroke ego’s now? Earning it the old fashion way works for me. I believe it was the Boston series postseason, when the lineup stopped chasing all those breaking balls & made pitchers bring the heat down the pipe. Who, what convinced them to do that & can they do again? Playing small ball, base running bugs the #$)@ out of me, pls fix. Last bugaboo, a legit shutdown closer this winter.

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    • Could Josh James be the closer we want or is he too valuable as a starter? Sure like his stuff. Congratulations on securing a playoff berth and a good game tonight. Now lets win the division.

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  19. Garrett Cole is AMAZING! Went into town this evening to go to dinner with my brother and sister in law, and to my favorite watering hole for a Bud light.
    So, I got to actually SEE tonight’s game! When we were driving home listening to 790 10th inning show, I couldn’t help to think about how far this team has come . I’m still up checking on the M’s, and A’s, game….still tied 6-6. Cross your fingers the M’s, pull out another miracle and help us out! Becky⚾

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  21. The A’s are playing for two things right now. #1 is chasing us for the ALD west and the second is home field advantage in the wild card. Only a 1.5 game differential there. As I said, they are motivated big time.

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      • Sandy, it could be that his fielding does not create enough torque when he works to create the pain. However, the twisting (torque) that he does when he bats does. I have noticed his swing is strikingly different now than it was earlier in the season, particularly his back swing. He is not following through completely as he used to.

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  23. It’s simple to figure. It doesn’t even have to consider what Oakland does.
    The Astros have nine games left. Their sixth win in those nine games makes them the AL West champions.
    The first game they need to win is tonight’s game.

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  26. GS at bat was exactly what I was talking about last night, not swinging at junk, taking his walk. Tuve just did his thing. Lineup becomes tough to beat with patience.

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  29. Just heap some praise on the lineup and then watch them foolishly run into an out for the 2nd time (Gattis, Altuve, a rally killer).

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  32. Pls don’t let it go for naught. McCann GIDP as I’m typing post, would have been nice to PH with one out when he is usually an auto out

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  39. The title above is “what’s bugging you.” Well it was a nice victory, but the running into outs when the play is right in front of you drives me sorta crazy. But the cherry on top was the bonehead play of Smith. RUN AT THE RUNNER. That was as stupid of play as you can make, unless you are the Angels and take a DP ball and throw it into right field.

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  40. OP, I did too! My husband ( not a big baseball fan) told me the score, that the bases were loaded. I turned on my radio at the same time that guy threw the ball away…and then the all out crazy 8th inning !!! OMG!! Verlander pitches his butt off, and leaves the game with a 1 and 0 lead. For ONE game I would love to see this bunch score some runs for him. Charlie gets the ball tomorrow, the Angels bullpen is worn out. PLEASE score some runs for him!! Skaggs is on a limited pitch count tomorrow, score early fellas!

    OP….more rain coming your way, we will all be thinking about you and your family!

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  41. I’m on the road so y’all have to hold the fort
    This was one of those games that this team needs a morale boosting late inning come from behind win

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  43. I got disgusted and turned it off when Trout homered.
    But even though I was watching something else I kept checking back.
    Held my breath through the bottom of the eighth. Then got so excited I couldn’t sleep.
    If this ain’t an addiction I don’t know what one is.

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  47. No word about why Charlie left the game. This will be a bullpen kinda day.
    JEEZE people, say a prayer for Charlie….we don’t need him to go out on DL!

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