Jul 13 2019

Considering the Astros’ weekend worries

Fans can’t help but feel like they are watching a real-life remake of the Tortoise or the Hare while following the 2019 Houston Astros.

“Why worry? We had six All Stars, more than any other team and that does not include Carlos Correa, who had an All Star season before it was rubbed out and Yordan Alvarez, who has been absolute beast since being called up.”

“Why worry? The other teams in the division are pretenders, not contenders.”

“Why worry? Nothing really matters until the playoffs. Just make sure you are playing well then.”

“Why worry? The Astros have a decent lead in the division and are not that far behind the best teams in the majors despite losing so many players to significant time to injuries.”

“Why worry? This front office can go out and add All-World pitchers like Justin Verlander and Gerrit Cole or reclamation projects like Charlie Morton and Wade Miley at the wink of a trade deadline.”

“Why worry? This teams pointy-headed nerds are always finding some statistical edge that tells them to throw 4 seam fastballs in the lower right quadrant of the strike zone in the 4th inning with a 2 run lead and the bases loaded and 2 out with a 2-2 count on alternate Tuesdays to one-up the competition.”

But of course, we do worry. because the hare seems to stop frequently these days for a rest while the tortoises like the Texas Rangers and Oakland Athletics dig into that lead. What if this time the clock runs out on a Verlander type deal at the deadline? What if the magical arms at the back end of the bullpen become chronic strugglers? What if the back of the rotation becomes instant losses every time out? What if the offense continues to mix shut out stinkers into their performances? What if the wrong guy gets hurt in September with no time to come back?

So, after watching the Astros sleepwalk through a Thursday loss and shockingly watch the tortoise overcome an 8-4 Astros’ lead for a 9-8 walk-off win against them on Friday night, where are you on worries?

Too soon to worry?

Never too soon to worry?

The three biggest concerns I have about the Astros are…

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96 comments on “Considering the Astros’ weekend worries”

  1. Too much other crap going on in life to really worry about my baseball club. But, it sure would be unfortunate to lose Verlander or Cole for the season. That would likely do us in.
    And I’d like to see the line up that we’ve not yet seen. You know the one with everyone back and healthy and #44 too. If we don’t get to watch that group get healthy and stay healthy, there are a couple of other very tough offensive squads along the way that we’ll have to reckon with.
    But the most important thing by far is to get that third high end starter, even if it costs too much. That will sure help the pen out too come post season. Too many bad walks from a couple of the guys we are using now. When a guy comes out of the pen to give us one inning and puts the first guy on, that screws everything up.

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  2. My concerns are:
    We all recognize the need for SP & RP. The back of the rotation is getting hammered, the pen overused. The pitching is exposed to the point other tms might salivate (perhaps) at jacking up the asking price for trade pieces. I wonder if JL will pursue the necessary pieces for another WS run or will he quietly reload for next season. The world knows Uncle Jeff is very frugal with his prospects. Unless he can come up with another Verlander type trade, ditto the bullpen, with some shrewd moves then he’s going to have to feel the pain to acquire high end help.
    The most dangerous part of this lineup has some HR proneness that stymies the offense. If we had 2018 AB & pre inj JA how much more consistent & dangerous would this lineup be? GS cutdown swing is All World & MVP worthy pre inj & moving forward. Diaz’s inj was unfortunate. CCs inj was incidental or stupadental (we don’t know which or if he’ll come back this season).
    YA has been a breath of fresh air, a bad @$% hitting machine! The backend of the lineup has shown flashes but mostly sucks.
    All the above & they still won 57 games. Dangggg they are not far off! Can JL & Hinch fix this? YA has brought the kind of swag that made this tm World Champs, why can’t the guys feed off that?
    Stir up this pot with the right ingredients & we’re back in the mix. It’s mostly here already

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  3. I’m not overly worried because the return of Diaz should signal the demise of White who has essentially been dead weight although I fully expect Straw to be sent down instead of White getting DFA. Correa’s return ought to be the last gasp for White. I’m hoping Joe Smith can regain his effectiveness and that we’ll get some reliable RP help that will shove Harris and Rondon to low leverage situations. Harris has good numbers but he has never passed the eye test with me and I have zero confidence in him. When he does perform I’m pleasantly surprised but never expect him to do well. Rondon is Jekyll and Hyde. Which one is going to show up. After giving up the tying homer on an 86mph hanging slider he goes on to strike out the next guy with 99, 97 and 90mph offerings. Is there anything between the ears on this guy? And where was McHugh last night when it mattered?

    I’m still scratching my head over Sneed getting sent down after pitching well and Framber hanging on after pitching awful. Does being left handed carry that much weight? Although Peacock’s return may send Framber packing it just seems like a bad message.

    Are any of you puzzled by the CC 60 day IL decision? Is it possible the FO is sending a message that we can live without him if he is going to be fragile/stupid? Two months to heal a rib on a healthy 24 year old highly conditioned athlete seems a little excessive to me unless the injury was a lot worse than initially reported.

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  4. I’m ready to see Altuve moved out of the top of the lineup. In 223 ABs he has only 26 RBI and 31 runs. OPS is .773. That is not top of the lineup production. Until he learns at least a modicum of plate discipline he is not going to produce. When you swing at balls 2 feet off the plate you are going to get a steady diet of them until you prove you can lay off.

    Alvarez has 1 more RBI than Altuve in 143 fewer ABs (80). Altuve is getting extra ABs courtesy of hitting high in the order and they are coming at the expense of more productive hitters (Brantley/ Alvarez/ Gurriel). I would rather have seen any of those three getting the 2 out AB in the 9th over Altuve.

    Here is my lineup (pre- Correa return)

    1. Springer – CF
    2. Brantley – LF
    3. Alvarez – DH
    4. Bregman – 3B
    5. Gurriel – 1B
    6. Altuve – 2B
    7. Reddick – RF
    8. Chirinos – C
    9. Straw – SS

    And after CC return

    1. Springer – CF
    2. Brantley – LF
    3. Alvarez – DH
    4. Bregman – 3B
    5. Correa – SS
    6. Gurriel – 1B
    7. Altuve – 2B
    8. Reddick – RF
    9. Chirinos – C

    I would keep him down in the order until he works through his issues and proves he can discern a ball from a strike.

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    • I agree concerning Altuve and his lack of plate discipline. Also has his swing angle changed to lift the ball more than when he was hitting for the high average with singles and doubles? He just seems to be a shadow of the great hitter that he was.

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    • It will take quite a bit more mediocrity from Altuve for Hinch to move him down. Thing is, he’s been mostly mediocre for more than a year now. Of particular concern is that righties get him out. Not too long ago, he’d hit anyone.

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    • Keep it up on Altuve guys. Since y’all talked trash about him, he has taken off like an Astronaut. hehe. Seven of eleven in the past two games.

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  5. Nice pickup for the Red Sox. Cashner is having a good season and getting him only cost a couple of 17 YO prospects. Cashner is an innings eater and I was kind of hoping the Astros would have considered him. He kills lefties and has a 1.41 ERA since the start of June. He would have looked good as a cheap #5 in our rotation and still left plenty of $$ and prospects to go after a #3.

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  6. Count me in on the question wondering why McHugh didn’t pitch last night.
    If these guys can’t split this series, leaving Texas for Los Angeles very well may put a sense of panic in this club….and it SHOULD. I posted this morning how this period in 2019 is mirroring 2017. All of us are waiting for Luhnow to get another pitcher for this rotation, but I’m getting nervous waiting for that to happen.
    Luhnow is pretty frugal when he makes a trade, and this time he might have to offer Tucker in a trade. Gotta get it with it Astros, or we may find ourselves sitting on the couch in October. Mike Minor is one tough lefty, good luck fellas.

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  15. Way too many posts for me tonight. But this illustrates what Correa does for the club when he shows up. He’s the anchor.

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  20. I don’t chirp on here much anymore , but so much talent on this team, but its just seems like since the won the WS, the have lost that edge, focus, leadership!

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  21. Since we all seem to be a bit fed up tonight, how does the dope given the official scorers job for the night give that third error to Springer?

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  23. Top of the 6th bases loaded and one out, and Altuve or Bregman could not get anyone in. If the Astros lose this game, you can point to that inning.
    The A’s won their game this afternoon.

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  27. Good morning! One thing about our guys, they don’t get down on themselves. Big win. So is McHugh on the shelf again, or is he scheduled to take over for Peacock early in the Monday game?

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  28. My opinion is that the team must address the backup catcher position. Stassi is such a liability that he is rarely used. Chirinos is 35 and carrying way too much load. At this pace he will have nothing left in the tank come playoff time.

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    • It would appear that IF the FO thinks Stubbs is the answer, he can come up at the end of the season. IF they think he is NOT the answer, there is none. Stubbs is now 26 and batting .238 in AAA.

      Stassi is hitting .183 in 71 ABs. Stubbs hit .160 in only 25 ABs. Stassi is throwing out 17% of base runners this year. In AAA Stubbs is about 21%. Chuckie Robinson at Corpus is doing slightly better per stats.

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    • I am arguing with myself. Did I see a much better team eventually win the game? Or did a team that made enough physical and mental errors to keep the game close, finally quit making errors and win?

      And I checked the box score this morning, and they still gave Springer an error on the throw that Stassi muffed or Choo kicked.

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  33. i dont think there is any panic at all on the team. they all realize a LONG baseball season has all kinds of streaks and slumps and injury related problems. we have dealt with it pretty well so far. luhnow will make a deal if one that makes sense comes along. the schedule in august and september looks to be to our advantage. the team wont panic, hopefully the weak handed fans out there wont either.

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    • Double R man, I have a masters degree in panic. So here is my latest thesis. What if between now and the trade deadline, no one but the Orioles, Miami, Blue Jays, Mets, and maybe one or two other THINK they have a shot at the Wild Card? I don’t give the Mets Correa for ANYONE. I would give up a top prospect (Example ONLY: Beer) but will they take him for an even swap?

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      • hey ac. i dont give up correa for anybody. i would go for giving up prospects for a #1 or #2 pitcher, also for a #3 but not the very top ones. beer i could see, really good bat but maybe no position. i want to keep tucker and of course alvarez is a big NO WAY!!! i have faith luhnow will work out a deal, if he cant its because the other teams wanted too much. dont give too much, we have a very solid team as is and when all are healthy we can beat anyone. pitching would definitely help, but name a team where that isnt so. we are ok, no need to panic.

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  34. Mr. Manfred, if home runs aren’t what drives you, how about changing the rule to make over-the-fence home runs be treated as ground rule doubles. Every runner on base at the time advances two bases, and the hitter must stop at second.

    This would speed up the game, as it would cut the time of all those long jogs around the bases in half.

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  36. No Springer in the lineup today. I’m not surprised since he FLEW from 1et base to home on Altuve’s hit last night, Altuve leads off today! We have some unsettled air here in Houston, and probably the Dallas/Ft. Worth as well, so it wouldn’t surptise me if rain didn’t stall today’s game at some point.
    I just hope when the team goes to Los Angeles we don’t see retaliation from the Angels to our catchers, I would keep Marisnick out of the lineup as well…..but that’s just me. What do you guys and girls think? I gotta tell you, if the arlington little league ever gets some good pitchers, they are going to be VERY good.
    Their young players are 100% for real.
    Can I get an AMEN for playing these guys for the last time they have to play these guys in that HOTTER THAN HELL PARK!! Good luck for Verlander today because these guys hit a TON of homeruns.

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  37. Peacock flew to Houston for an opinion on his shoulder. Just the news we didn’t need right now. Lord have mercy…..we need a miracle right now.

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  38. The Rangers are most definitely hot right now – hitting on all cylinders. So are the Angels, who are playing on sheer emotion right now after their tragic loss. We, on the other hand, came back out of the ASG dull, flat, and ho hum. So, unless we wake up, the Rangers will probably take this game today -and thus the series – pretty handily. I just hope our guys wake up soon. It looks like it is going to take a big trade to make this lethargic bunch play again.

    The Rangers? With our ‘we’ll spot you a walk followed by a homer or two’ approach to starting pitching, our keystone cops defense and ‘hold-my-beer’ base-running approach, and our swing for the fences every time offensive approach, we make them look fantastic. But exactly how good the Rangers really are , when all things are equal – and the opposing team not quite so eager to shoot itself in the foot – remains to be seen.

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  40. 1OP, is there a rental/SP available this coming trade deadline worth a flip, one worth giving up a top prospect for? Same for RP?
    Would love to see you guys proposals for a top shelf SP or RP this coming deadline. It may have been done already but I don’t recall seeing it. I for one would be willing to part with a high end prospect in a package for a worthy trade piece.

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    • Old School – I can’t link to it but back around June 19 I wrote a post about possible trade targets for SPs and RPs – if you can go back to it

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    • I think Bumgarner is worth giving up a couple of medium prospects for. He’s a rental.
      I think the Astros should go after Bumgarner and another starter who has a couple of years left on his deal.

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  42. I really don’t think Luhnow can wait until the deadline to get another starter.
    The A’S are playing very well, PLUS they are getting Manea and Cotton back this week. You DO remember Manea don’T you!!! If Luhnow has a pitcher he wants……give them *WHO EVER THEY WANT*! We want to see these guys playing in October! What ever it takes folks.

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  44. Luhnow said he and Reid Ryan were going to disguss this pitching situation and make a decision in the next 48 hrs. The problem is Cionel Perez and Brady Rogers are both on the IL, and they sent Cy Sneed down and he’s not eligible to come back for several days. “Not my Monkeys not my Circus”…..but ya gotta do something!

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  45. Sandy yeah the ump does need glasses…..I’ve never seen Bregman stand at the plate “chatting” with the ump about his strike zone. I yelled at Bregman to go sit down! Tim Timmons usually calls a pretty fair game.

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    • Sorry I have alligator arms. Can’t raise them. Can tell you one thing. We’re going to have to spend some money next year to improve the Bullpen cause what we have just ain’t working.

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