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How does the Dusty insanity end?

Folks, we are in uncharted territory here. Never before can I remember a situation where the manager of the defending champions lost so much support from the serious fan base in the following season.

I mentioned a serious fan-base because, let’s face it, there are a lot of folks that follow the Astros who don’t really notice who is playing catcher or centerfield, nor do they care why. They just notice if the Astros win day to day if they are in the playoffs, and if Academy is selling ALCS or World Series T-shirts in November.

But those who watch the lineup daily, so they can rightfully gripe about it are the serious fans. The ones who do look at players OPS’s, look at who hits better at home, better against left-handers, or better against everyone.

We often griped about A.J. Hinch’s lineup, but it was more often about where someone was in the lineup, not nearly as often about whether they were in the lineup. And it never seemed to be something like we’ve seen with the Chas McCormick situation. For a while, we could give Dusty a pass about using Martin Maldonado instead of Yainer Diaz because, after all, he was a rookie just learning the ropes behind the plate. But the decision-making has taken a turn that most knowledgeable fans can’t accept.

I don’t need to cite all the stats that show Diaz is so much better hitting, better throwing and better in pitching ERAs and won-loss results than Martin Maldonado. I don’t need to mention all the stats that show that Chas McCormick is so much a better hitter than either of the guys who are being rotated with him, Jake Meyers and Mauricio Dubon. We’ve beaten this to death. Just be clear that you don’t have to be a nerd hiding away in mama’s basement to find the stats that show these two players should be starters, not afterthoughts.

Dusty has talked about his reasons for playing who he plays, and it is not very satisfactory. Then we get the following two direct quotes on a couple recent situations.

First….

Astros insider: Why Dusty Baker pinch-hit for Chas McCormick in the ninth inning (msn.com)

Reading through this, Baker has decided to use stats to pinch hit for McCormick with Jon Singleton, and it is not even clear where and when the stats came from. The thing about this is that it seems to be a very selective use of stats. If Dusty is looking at stats, why did he sit Chas against a lefty the other day when Chas for the season is killing lefty pitching (.356 BA/ .420 OBP/ 1.083 OPS. It makes zero sense to have a guy hitting below the Mendoza line pinch-hitting for somebody who is hitting in the .280’s.

Then…

Astros’ Dusty Baker opens up on CF rotation (clutchpoints.com)

I’m sorry, do we take Jose Altuve out of the lineup and put Dubon in there because he might cover more ground at second base and has a better am? Do we rotate Dubon into Bregman’s spot, because he might have a better arm or cover more ground? No. There is no universe, except between Dusty’s ears where Chas McCormick is not an everyday outfield for any team. His OPS (.874) would be the 6th in the AL if he had enough at bats to qualify. If you factored him up to the number of at bats Kyle Tucker has this season, he would have 28 HRs and 90 RBIs.

But that’s the point, he is not getting as many ABs as his production tells you he should have. Yes, Meyers might cover more ground in CF, but his arm is worse than Chas’s and his bat is just not good. Dubon probably covers a tad more ground, has a better arm and despite the two homers he hit Monday, has a lot less power than McCormick.

What it comes down to is that Baker for some reason does not totally appreciate what Chas brings to the offense and goes out of his way to find reasons to sit him. This does not sit well with the fans, just like seeing Yainer Diaz hit a home run on Saturday and Monday and not start Sunday makes no sense to us.

But what happens going forward? How does this end? How does this insanity end with Dusty?

  • He gets let go before the end of the season, whether playoffs are a part of them or not?
    • Not going to happen
  • The team misses the playoffs and Dusty is not offered another one-year contract.
    • This feels like about a 60/40 possibility, though the Astros are likely making the playoffs.
  • The team makes the playoffs and does not go far, and Dusty is not offered another one-year contract.
    • This seems more like a 50/50 possibility.
  • The team goes far – to the ALCS or the World Series and Dusty is not offered another one-year contract.
    • I don’t see Crane doing this – this feels like a 10/90 possibility.
  • The team wins it all and Dusty is not offered another one-year contract.
    • This feels like a 0 possibility.
  • After one of the things above happens – Dusty decides to retire.
    • If he did not do it after winning the big one, it is hard to see him voluntarily leaving under his own steam unless he is having some health issues.

So, what do you think? Will he have to go due to Jim Crane’s decision rather than his own? Is there any chance he will go back to the vineyard on his own? What are you hoping will happen?

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89 responses to “How does the Dusty insanity end?”

    • Good to hear from you Larry – I think you are right – both pitchers are out there innings wise where they have not been before.

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  3. What do I think? The team will be better positioned to move forward in 2024 with a manager and staff determined by Dana Brown, regardless of what happens in 2023.

    Jim Crane will make any decision regarding Dusty Baker, very soon after the season ends for the Astros. He might already know what he plans to do. We might find out in a month. We might find out in two months.

    Dan, I’m surprised that you give Dusty a 50/50 return percentage for entering the post season but not going far. Or an almost definite return should the club perform deep into the post season.

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    • Maybe I’m wrong, I hope I’m wrong. I’m just afraid that Crane may be afraid to let Dusty go due to push back he might get nationally.

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  4. I just tried to send a second post, one expanding on what present issues we can expect to continue in 2024 and some others that would likely fester further if Dusty Baker remains at the helm. Alas, I guess it was too long. I should know better by now.

    Dan, Crane would not get much push back within the Houston community. And I think MLB and players throughout the league recognize what guys like Chas and Diaz have done, and what Abreu has not done. If ESPN wants to spout off and ignore stats and analytics, so be it. But yeah, if we win the ALCS again, who knows.

    One thing I know. No way I can continue to follow the Astros in the same way I have for years if Baker returns. It becomes an issue of integrity.

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  5. * No matter the circumstances, if the Astros and Baker part ways, all of baseball will make a stink about it because it’s the Astros.
    * Yesterday was the first time in MLB history that the #9 and #1 hitters homered back to back twice in one game.
    * Did anyone else notice the cannon Alex Bregman showed on the play to end the game yesterday? His shoulder is really healed and it showed on that play from as far from 1B as you can get for a third baseman.

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  6. We are in the middle of a race. It’s an exciting time to be a fan. The Mariners are doing their late season charge, the Rangers are doing their late season fade, and the Astros are right in the middle of a dogfight. Maybe we shouldn’t be, maybe we have the team that we could be on a 96-98 win pace if the right guys were put in pen and not pencil. But we are here.

    Despite all of that, my disappointment in their choices is palpable. I can feel it. I have never sat in the middle of a race like this and thought to myself what is next year going to look like? Yet here I am, daydreaming about next year, in the middle of a division race that we are squarely in (and favored to win due to schedules).

    Nothing would make me happier than Baker to go out with back to back titles, as long as it ends with him going out. He is a good man that steadied a shaky ship. Even the players he has shafted have not said a bad word about him. Think about it, Chas has earned the right to play everyday the same way Tucker, Bregman, Altuve, Pena and yes, to our chagrin, Abreu does. But he doesn’t. But he also doesn’t run to the first reporter and say things even harmless like “well, yea, I wish I played more.” Not even a whisper from Diaz about what is happening, and Dusty likely cost him a ROY award. But baseball has passed Dusty by, if it really ever actually made sense to him to begin with. The things we gripe about, so did Cubs fans, Giants fans, Reds fans, heck, Washington pretty much ran him out of town. I am not sure he was ever a good game manager, but he is a heck of a people person.

    I don’t know if Brown is actually in charge. Does Brown and Baker have an employee/employer relationship? I would think Crane and his executives said the right things, gave him the power, but does he actually feel like he has it? Or does Brown also think playing a catcher that makes the 9 spot an automatic out when the team spends days at a time struggling to score runs a good idea? It’s almost like the Astros don’t get to play with a DH. Maldy literally hits like a pitcher. Well, not all of them, Greinke wants a word with me.

    The very first move will tell me a lot. Is Baker back? If he is, I have no expectation that Loperfido will have a crack at LF in ST next year. I wouldn’t even be surprised if Brantley and Maldy are given new 1 year deals. If Baker is not back, I can look forward to a manager that will give Diaz 120 games at catcher next year (with a few at DH even), Chas in CF full time, and a guy like Loperfido given a legit look to play LF full time at a minimum salary, allowing us the breathing space to get this astronomical Tucker extension done.

    Never before in the middle of dogfight have I daydreamed about the offseason.

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    • Steve, if Baker is back, it’s his team, rather than Dana Brown’s team. Heck, maybe Dana is happy with the title. I hope not, because we’d continually lament the same issues in 2024. Agreed, likely we’d see Maldy back and pitchers requiring his services when it’s their turn in the rotation. I see Brantley back too, which would crowd the DH job and make left field weaker defensively. I already think Yordan is an accident waiting to happen out there. Dubon has hit first in the line up 71 times this year, providing a .270 OBP. An excellent utility player, but certainly not a leadoff man. And Abreu, we’re going to need a creative way of dealing with him next year, but he can’t simply be sent out to the plate 500 plus times hitting 5th or 6th.

      But the nail on the head is that I’ve also been thinking about the off season since Dan posed the question as to whether we’d prefer to miss the playoffs and be assured that Dusty would be gone after the 2023 season. That was several months ago.

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  7. Steven, I continue to check on Loperfido daily. He’s kept the OBP up at .388 in Sugar Land, but has also struck out 20 times in 15 games. So he’s got some adjustments to make.

    On the season, he’s started 32 games in center, 14 in right, 14 in left, 18 at 2nd and 20 at first. I sure don’t see him at second and I think his best position is center. He’s fast and covers ground. And from what I saw in Corpus, he’s got a much stronger arm than Chas. I’d love to see him win an early season call up. I don’t think Chas would mind having a regular home in left.

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    • Haven’t had a chance to actually see him, if he has the stronger arm its a no brainer. Chas has OK range, but its not great either. He probably should be an everyday leftfielder for a major league franchise. Anybody that can be a .275/30/100 guy if he is just put in the lineup and left alone is a guy to have.

      There is something in Baker’s DNA that just doesn’t jive with Chas. I would love to be the fly on the wall listening to a Baker conversation about Chas. What does he REALLY think? We know he is good at hinting – Diaz hasn’t hit lefties (ignoring the fact that Maldy hasn’t hit anyone), our stats guy suggest Singleton was better in that spot, etc. – but what does he REALLY think?

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  8. Last season I defended Dusty among family & friends who railed for his removal. And I was thrilled when he won his 1st WS championship. This season, after witnessing (IMHO) everything mentioned above, I began singing a different tune. It’s apparent to me Dusty has complete autonomy to do what he think is best for this tm, lineups, ect. It is also apparent Dusty does not have to continue with Abreu in the 5-6 hole every gm even when his rally killing bat does not belong there. And he does not have to continue with Maldy C certain SP’s or Dubon & Meyers doing the same. Dusty does what the hell Dusty wants to do! It drives me nuts to think we do not get to see what good lineups looks like because of Dusty’s preference for seasoned salts.
    For me, and other music lovers, one of the iconic B.B. King’s greatest hits comes to mind, ‘The Thrill Is Gone”. That’s how I feel about Dusty Baker.

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    • I’m not sure I was ever thrilled about having Dusty….not his fault but his presence was always a reminder that the only reason he was here was because of IT happening. But I was happy for him that he finally got the managing championship he had chased so long. I think he is in “A Bridge Too Far” territory now. He should have stepped down after winning the championship. Now if they win, everyone here will think it is despite him, not because of him.

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    • And he sure did not come out of his shoes while doing it. It was a smooth, controlled swing. He’s strong. What’s overlooked is that he’s also pretty mobile for a stocky guy. I loved his slide at the plate last week in Boston when scoring from first on a double. I thought he was going to be out easy.

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      • Good point Daveb – I was surprised how far it went because he did not exert extra effort in hitting it. He has Yordan power and that is rare.

        And they keep talking about his speed down to first base – not normal catcher speed.

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      • Just saw the lineup, as expected, Diaz sits. And I’ll bet that Tucker quietly does not have a great affection for his manager. I’m sure he does not like hitting 5th.

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  10. If we do win the WS again, I guess we’re stuck with Dusty. Other than that, Crane can offer him a one-year contract worth a dollar. Dusty says, “Hey man, a box of my toothpicks cost $3.79!”

    Nibblin’ on toothpicks
    Eatin’ some Sun Chips
    All those statistics covered with dust
    Drummin’ up memories, of old school days games played
    All of the fans think
    My brain has got rust

    Wasted away again in Dusty Bakerville
    Searchin’ for my lost OPS chart
    Some people claim that there’s Machete to blame
    But I know it’s somebody’s fault

    Don’t know the reason
    Yainer benched half a season
    With nothing to show but twenty plus jacks
    His swing’s a real beauty
    So sit your patootie, ‘cause I’d rather see
    Maldy take his hacks

    Wasted away again in Dusty Bakerville
    Searchin’ for my lost OPS chart
    Some people claim that there’s Jake Meyers to blame
    Now I think, – hell it could be my fault

    My lineups went flip flop
    What’s OBP? I forgot
    My Magic 8 Ball’s not working at home
    But there’s booze from my vineyard
    And soon it will render
    That tarot card reading just can’t be wrong

    Wasted away again in Dusty Bakerville
    Searchin’ for my lost OPS chart
    Some people claim that there’s Jose Abreu to blame
    But I know, it’s my own damn fault
    Yes, and some people claim that there’s Jose Abreu to blame
    And I know it’s my own damn fault

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  12. I just don’t know anymore, Dan. And every day, it becomes harder and harder to care. All I know is that if the Astros keep DF Baker after this year, they are going to lose critical pieces to the puzzle like Tucker, McCormick, and Diaz. They’ll just walk away and take their talent to another team. And I wouldn’t blame them a bit just like I don’t blame Strom for doing a Johnny Paycheck on this team.
    Then it will be a rebuilding process that will take years and we won’t see many postseason games in Houston until it’s done.
    The same way it happened after DF Baker left the Giants, the Cubs, and the Nats.
    “History never repeats itself. But it does often rhyme.” – Mark Twain

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  14. I’m trying hard to think of a major league manager I didn’t disagree with on numerous points. Regardless of Dusty keeping Diaz or Chas out of the lineup, the team is fortunate to have won as many games as we have despite the injuries. Credit needs to go to a lot of guys, but Dubon was really solid early, Tucker had an incredible stretch, and maybe we’re getting the otherworldly Altuve to go with a hot Bregman right now. I’m going to just assume all the complaining right now is an attempt at reverse-jinxing the team.

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  17. A 14-1win but I’m PO’d.
    They take out some of the starters but do you think Yanier gets in the game. Hell no says Dusty! Moldy did hit a home run but he also struck out 3 times. I’ve got to admire Yanier because I wouldn’t be able to keep my mouth shut. And you probably won’t see him tomorrow night either since JV will have Moldy catching again. I’m sure Dusty will produce a sub par line up for the game.
    I don’t understand why the esteemed sports writers in Houston aren’t asking questions. Yes we’re finally in 1st but we should be up at least 6 games due to Mr Tooth picks managerial style.
    John Granado and Lance Zerlein have talked about it. So have Brandon Strange, Charlie Palilo, and Josh Jordan among others that I’m sure that I missed. We are now in 1st place so lets stay there guys.

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    • I understand your frustration about Diaz not playing. But a manager cannot put his last catcher in the game early with a big lead because too many bad things can happen to a guy behind the plate and the Astros do not carry a third catcher.
      That is really a simple non-move on any manager’s part in that situation.

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  18. The Rangers have imploded and Seattle’s ship seems to be sailing in the wrong direction. The champs are in sole possession of 1st and I sincerely hope the PLAYERS take this momentum and run with it. The lunacy involving managers decisions .will continue and emotions will run all over the place for this tm. I’m pulling for the players to push back against the adversity and make a strong run at another WS championship.

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  19. Good morning! That’s a good post Old School. Certainly it’s nice to beat the Rangers, but two wins against them is not necessarily a reliable indicator of things to come. I don’t think Framber pitched all that well again last night. 4 walks in a game that all he had to do was pour the ball over the plate. It’s a lot of fun to see all those homers though, especially the batch from Altuve, but really, Eovaldi had no business being on the mound last night.

    Regardless, the boys are back in first, in spite of the manager. That has to be the theme going forward. We need Verlander to own game three of the series. And we need to see what our bats will do against non batting practice pitching.

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    • One of my wife and mine favorite songs from when we were first dating. Totally different sound with all the layered synthesizers and no rock guitar. Seems like we are losing rock stars from our youth every week.

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  22. Thoughts –
    – Every time I think I’ve got this team pegged – I don’t. When I think they are going to take advantage of a failing Yankees team they get swept. When I think the Rangers are going to ride a walk off home run the day before into beating on our boys – they go all medieval on the Rangers and knock the snot out of them for two games
    – The team (according to baseball reference) is 23-14 in blowouts (+5 runs) – 17-18 in one run games, a putrid 1-8 in extra innings. As pointed out in the broadcast last night only two teams in the history of baseball have done what the Astros are doing – 100+ run differential on the road and negative at home (this hopefully will change at home between now and the end of the season). What a tough team to figure out.
    – So, is Maldy telling Dusty – ignore the critics and I will hit two homers for you when it does not matter? He better not be depending on Maldy when he needs a hit.
    – Maybe he was protecting Altuve from a bean ball, but wouldn’t you want Jose to get a last shot at a 4th homer in that game yesterday?
    – What are the odds that the Astros would score 27 runs in the two games and KTuck would drive in none of them.
    – Jose Abreu is an odd case. I don’t know why he is hitting ahead of Chas in the lineup (when Chas is in the lineup). But he does have like 10 RBIs in the last 8 games. But heck he seems to be coming up every other at bat with the bases loaded.
    – Totally bizarre that Jeremy Pena a player with solid power has gone two months (July 5th) since his last home run, especially when he has been hit over .330 for the last 5 weeks or so. Not sure I’ve seen this before.

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  23. * Are the Padres anxious to go to Houston and clobber the Astros at home?
    * How far have the $500-600 million estimates of Ohtani’s next contract fallen?
    * Is Rosenthal’s revelation about talks between David Stearns perfectly timed for the Astros push to the AL West lead?
    * Baker didn’t talk much about Verlander vs Scherzer. He talked about Astros vs Rangers Game 3 of the series. He also said Brantley would play today.
    * Dan, it’s ok with me if Pena saves his power for October. There is some history.

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    • OP
      – I think right now most teams coming to Houston are like the scene from the movie Airplane where they are all lining up to take a shot at the hysterical passenger
      – I’ve been thinking about that Ohtani situation. It is likely he does not pitch next season. It is likely he will continue to hit – though that would be as a DH only. He could come back the season after as a great 2 way player again. But you have to think this might get him back in the “only” $400 MM range. Poor baby
      – I don’t think the possibility of having a new President of Baseball Operations would affect any performance on the field. It could affect Dusty, but he does not seem to let anything affect him at all
      – So, if Brantley plays does Chas sit? I will not be happy.
      – Not really upset about Pena not hitting home runs as he finally has been hitting well – like .338 BA in his last 37 games. I’ll take that

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    • Good thoughts 1oldpro. I’ll give you my thoughts.

      The Padres are playing out the string. They’d probably rather go home. But that sure does not mean the Astros are going to take advantage of them in Houston.

      Back in 1919 the Red Sox sold the original Ohtani to the Yankees for a 125 thousand dollars. He had already won 94 games pitching as a two way starter. The Yankees told The Babe to go hit and forget about pitching. Whatever team ends up with Ohtani should do the same. He’ll still get 50 million a year.

      Rosenthal is a rat in MLB’s pocket. But there is also a chance that Dana Brown is a sucker.

      I’m not expecting too much from Brantley.

      I’d like to see Tucker hit second and the revived Pena somewhere lower to help keep things moving at 7-8-9.

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  24. This article is not completely accurate. Since McCormick started hitting after being off the DL he is playing 81%,while it makes no sense to pinch hit for him with Singleton, and Diaz wasn’t hitting until June and has started 78% of games since then. Msldy foes have starters preference and he is teaching things to Diaz we don’t get to see. When Alvarez is in the outfield he likes to have Meyers or Dubon to cover more ground. He didn’t do that on Sunday vs Yankees and Yordan almost got seriously injured. In the playoffs McCormick will be in CF and Diaz will be the catcher unless JV or Framber request otherwise

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    • Christiann – first – welcome to the commenting world – glad to see you here.
      A couple points –
      – I think someone hitting like Chas should be playing 90% of the games.
      – With Brantley back, I think we’ve already seen his playing time go down.

      I do think you make a very fair point about playing the speedier guys when Yordan is in left field – I hadn’t thought of that. Yordan may need to be playing less left field (I always wished he would be our large Boog Powell first baseman, but I guess it is too late for that.

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  25. Dusty’s line up for today….(my guess)
    2nd – Altuve
    SS – Pena
    DH – Yordan
    3rd – Bregman
    RF – Tucker
    LF – Brantley
    1st – Abreu
    CF – Dubon
    C – Moldy

    Of course we might see Tucker get a day off replaced by Myers or possibly Chaz. You might see Diaz at 1st but unlikely.
    Does Bregman ever get a day off? He could probably use it.

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    • You won’t get a line up from me because I’d likely be very wrong. But if Scherzer is pitching well, Verlander could end up a “Dusty defensive line up” loss if the regular bats fall into slumber. And let’s face it, if the Rangers have any dignity left at all, they’ll come out swinging today. In fact, Max might even be selectively wild.

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      • If Dusty throws out a defensive lineup and they roll-over for Scherzer that’s still on the hitters. A sweep in this series would be huge. Going 2-1 only gains one game over the Rangers and isn’t as worthwhile. The team needs to come out and take care of business here.

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  26. The Astros are coming off a world series win and are in first place. I don’t think I’ve ever seen a manager in that position get this level of criticism over anything. A little faith would be nice.

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    • I think that’s an accurate claim E.H. Burris. Nor have I seen a manager coming off a World Series win get such an unprecedented level of criticism. And from ordinarily knowledgable fans? Personally, I think those knowledgable fans have a good case. But I also think most of us still have faith in the guys on the field playing the game.

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    • E.H. Burrus – welcome to the blog – sir
      I agree – like I said at the beginning of the post – this is unprecedented. But if the owner can toss aside the GM of a WS winning team (yes, he gave him a back handed offer, but he wanted him gone or he would have offered him more than one year) – then the fans can complain about the manager from said team.
      From my point of view – the difference here is that the Astros have no margin of error this year vs.previous years. It doesn’t matter much who you are playing day to day if you are on the way to winning the division by 16 games as in 2022. The Astros are winning their division and also a game and a half from watching the playoffs in a seat next to me. I trust he can win the division with the dominant team, I don’t trust the guy who is 37-47 in extra inning games and 56-49 in one run games (28-33 outside of 2022) since he got here to win a close playoff race. His players – well I have a bit more trust in them.

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    • This is so great!. I have been trying to get E.H. to join our blog for many years. It has finally happened.
      Welcome! I was exhausted from having to keep up my fake complaining.
      Why would I have any use for a part-time backup catcher with a .283 avg. 21 HRs, 54 RBI’s, a cannon for a throwing arm, the ability to beat out DPs and a higher defensive rating than my starter. None!
      I’m gonna “catch” a nap and a rainbow trout. Maybe Chas can grab a rod and reel, if he isn’t too busy.
      Nothin’ but love! and faith.
      Except for the Dream Weaver thing, it’s been a good day.

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  27. A little faith is always a good thing. But faith must be based upon trust – and borne out by long-term performance. Who has this year given us reason to trust:
    1. Jose Altuve;
    2. Kyle Tucker;
    3. Yordan Alvarez;
    4. Chaz McCormick;
    5. Yainer Diaz;
    6. (approx. 3/4 of the season), Framber Valdez;
    7. (approx 3/4 of the season) Ryan Presley, Hector Neris; Bryan Abreu, and Rhyne Stanek);
    8. (the 2nd half of each season he plays), Alex Bregman

    Who has this year given reason to distrust:
    1. Dusty Baker;
    2. Dana Brown [the jury is still out on this one, but at present, no trust has been earned];
    3. Martin Maldonado;
    3. Jose Abreu;
    4. Jeremy Pena;
    5. Jake Meyers;
    6. Christian Javier; and
    7. Jon Singleton.

    Other members of the team have provided enough hope and help at times that while they don’t qualify as people we actively trust; neither are they people that we actively distrust.

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  28. Well the line up is out and I got all 9 correct but I missed the order also had Brantley in front of Abreu. Do I win a prize? Or do I just get a “Thanks for playing “. We really need to win this one to keep that 1st place position.

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  30. The Astros totally schmaltzed the Rangers. I’m trying hard to temper my enthusiasm until after I’ve seen a couple of wins back in the home park. Mr. Burrus, there will be no complaining from me tonight though. It would be nitpicking.

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  31. I do not care the Stros shellacked the hapless Rangers pitching staff. I hope the hit parade this tm experienced gives them the confidence to keep their foot on the gas moving forward. Some of the guys who scuffled much of the season (Abreu/Pena) are turning it up for the stretch run. Abreu’s back issues appear to be behind him & he is hitting the ball harder. Pena looks and hits better smashing fastballs instead of chasing sliders. Brantley appears in mid season form. Tuck will break 100 RBI’s & keep rolling. Yordan scares pitchers and will terrorize them with healthier hands perhaps.
    This is not a critique, but rather an observation of an offense that appears to be rounding into form after a long hiatus. I did not forget Tuv, Breggy, Chas & Diaz.
    With a revised pitching staff, the offense is going to have to pick up some big time slack, esp when the SP scuffle. All I want for Xmas is a end-around playoff run topped with a trophy.

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    • Obviously, the Rangers pitching is in a bit of disarray – Eovaldi has good numbers on the season, but was coming off of the IL. But Scherzer had been brilliant since joining the Rangers – going into last night’s game his 6 starts with the Rangers – 2.21 ERA – giving up .150 BA/ .229 OBP/ .457 OPS in 36 innings. They totally decimated him in short order.

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      • I don’t think Scherzer is healthy. And I think the Rangers are about done. I’ll be very impressed if they can figure out a way to fix a totally broken pitching staff at this point.

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  33. Thoughts –
    – Is Tucker putting some pressure on himself to get that 100th RBI for the season and 100th HR for his career? Or are they just pitching around him? If they were pitching around him to get to Abreu it blew up last night.
    – Sure wish this team could get a re-do with that Yankee series. Hard to believe the team that tore apart the Red Sox and the Rangers folded against the Yanks.
    – After a bit of power outage (maybe hands related), Yordan seems to have his power working again – the league is in trouble.
    – Pena came within a couple of degrees of launch angle of finally getting off the schneid on home runs – but as I said I’ll take the new line drive machine any day over the diving/missing mess of the first few months
    – Abreu’s second home run looked physically impossible – only 19 degree launch angle – it was like that homer that Yordan barely got inside the RF foul pole in Boston the other day. Off the bat both balls looked liked either foul balls or doubles in the corner.
    – JV gave the team just what they needed – a solid 7 innings with a minimum of drama and only that leadoff homer by Semien as an earned run.
    – They will be having every Thursday in September off. That will probably help the pitching staff as a whole rest wise, but it might slow an on fire offense down.
    – Guys go back to MMP and kick butt some more.

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    • I watched the Woodpeckers and Cam Fisher last weekend against Kannapolis. He looks the part of a major leaguer when he steps into the batter’s box, but there is a little too much swing and miss from him right now. He was not facing good pitching and struggled to make contact in most at bats. On the flip-side, Brice Matthews was also playing and had 3 singles in the game I saw. He looks good at the plate, but doesn’t jump out as someone sure to progress all the way to the big leagues. I’d heard a lot about his speed, but he looked like a below average runner for a SS to me and was almost thrown out at home on one play. No one else in the Fayetteville lineup stood out.

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  35. Very interesting piece by Chandler Rome in The Athletic this morning about Chas. Several unnamed sources claim there is a weight issue. Both Chas and Dusty were quoted and Dusty denied the claim. Chas did confirm his weight is up to 220 and that he feels very healthy at that weight.

    I wish I could link the darn thing.

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      • Dan, you got a very abbreviated version. But that is the jest of the story. You missed a few humorous remarks from Dusty.

        If Chas is being honest about his 220 at 6’1″, I simply don’t believe Maldy is 230 at 6’0″.

        I guess it’s okay for Big Jon to be an especially large man, because he’s mainly pinch hitting these days.

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      • And I guess Abreu and Maldy are playing “sedentary” positions so they can be a bit heavier.
        We know that Chas is not a svelte greyhound in CF – probably belongs best in LF.

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      • I suspect that Chaz and Diaz are hoping that they get in at least some of the time. Sure don’t want to piss off Mr Tooth pick. I suspect that the are just hoping it won’t be that way next year. And complaining about it to news media or upper management never works either. I can tell you that from personal experience even when I was asked for my opinion by superiors.

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      • Chas should be a full time left fielder. We need a guy in center, and I don’t mean Dubon. As Steven noted earlier in the week, I hope Loperfido turns into a Pence; has a great spring, gets sent down and then quickly forces his way up to become our regular CF, arm and all! And of course Chas can still play the other outfield positions when there is a need. If managed adeptly, it would protect Yordan from too much time on the field, and really settle things. And assuming Frenchy is still about, he’ll still have work.

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  37. Another banner year for the Astros? JV is certainly steering us in that direction. Despite the recent slugging output, I think getting our pitching settled will be the key to reaching and moving on in postseason.

    His pitches have real life, wish we had front row seats
    Caught looking outside, no escape from velocity
    Open your eyes, look up, catch pop flies with ease
    He’s just a rich guy, he needs no sympathy
    Because it’s easy flung, easy throw, bring it high, sling it low
    Any size the strike zone doesn’t really matter to JV, to JV

    Mama, just whiffed a man
    Threw a curveball near his head, fooled on a splitter, now he’s dead
    Mama, the game had just begun
    But now he’s gone and thrown sliders away
    Mama, ooh, always mean to make teams cry
    If we’re not back winning again tomorrow
    We’re carrion, carrion ‘cause nothing else really matters

    Too late, opponents time has come
    Send shivers down their spines, bodies aching all the time
    Goodbye, everybody, we’ve got to go
    Gotta leave them all behind ‘cause they’re uncouth
    Mama, ooh (any size the strike zone)
    We don’t wanna cry
    We sometimes wish we’d never been fans at all

    Came from a little barrio, our second baseman
    Altuve, Altuve, will you do a Samba or Tango?
    Thunderbolts and lightning erupting from his mighty swing
    (Maldonado) Maldonado, (Maldonado) Maldonado, Maldonado runs too slow
    Malisimo-o-o-o-o

    We’re just some rich guys, nobody loves us
    We’re just some rich guys from some poor families
    Spare us our lives from this Manfredosity

    Easy come, easy go, will you let him throw?
    Josh Miller! High pitch count don’t let him throw (Let him throw!)
    Josh Miller! High pitch count don’t let him throw (Let him throw!)
    Josh Miller! High pitch count don’t let him throw (Let him throw!)
    Will not let him throw (Let him throw!)
    Never let him throw (Never, never, never, never let him throw)
    Oh oh oh oh
    No, no, no, no, no, no, no
    Oh, mamma mia, mamma mia (Mamma mia, let him throw)
    Beelzebub has Angel Hernandez set aside for me, for me, for me

    So you think you can boo us and spit in our eyes?
    So you think you can hate us and leave us to die?
    Oh, Bochy, odd-year curse on you Bochy
    Just gotta get outs, just gotta get 27 outs right here

    Ooh, ooh yeah, ooh yeah

    Nothing else really matters
    Anyone can see
    Nothing else really matters
    Nothing else really matters to JV

    Any size the strike zone

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  38. Will the Astros get to hit off of Glenn Otto again? He was just claimed by the Padres off waivers from the Rangers’ roster.
    He gave up a couple of long balls to the Astros in 1.1 innings on Monday.

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  39. per Dusty –

    “It’s not all about OPS. It’s not all about hitting,” Baker said. “And I’m a hitter, but this is a total game if you’re going to win, you know what I mean? You want to give yourself as many options and categories to win the game. Now, hitting wins the game, usually. But other areas of the games is what loses you one-run games or don’t-do-this or don’t-do-that. I know everybody wants Chas to play.”

    This guy is as stubborn as a government mule (stole that from good ole JR). He is now fielding daily questions about McCormick and Diaz and there are whispers that there are multiple members of the front office now questioning it. The real question, is one of those rumored front office guys have the initials D.B.?

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    • Steven, my favorite quote in The Athletic piece, or perhaps the most startling quote from Dusty Baker is this one.

      “He ain’t a big boy yet. It’s hard to be a big boy right out of the gate. What is this Chas’ third or fourth year? The big boys are Altuve, Bregman, Tucker, those are the big boys. The other boys are approaching big boys”.

      Why does this man, the leader, have to stir their pot? At best, the comments are inappropriate in multiple ways.

      For the record, besides Chas, only Bregman has a positive dWAR. Besides Chas, only Altuve has a higher OPS+.

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    • I’ll interpret, Chas and Diaz just don’t have what it takes to win with the game on the line. I on the other hand always know what is needed.

      That’s why we’ve on won 1 out of 9 extra inning games and are 17 and 18 in 1 run games. Dusty should be a politician .

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  40. I don’t want to beat an old horse, but we get to see every play twice on TV from different angles and slow motion and we can run it back and play it over again. He can see it from the end of the dugout once and then view it later as many times as he wants. Chas has 3.8 WAR as a part time player per Fangraphs, so the knowledge Baker has over me about anything baseball is more than balanced out by the knowledge Fangraphs has over both of us.
    I’m calling horse dookie over Chas’s weight because he has never been this productive before and if he were playing for another manager he would be in CF every day.
    And I daresay that our LFers and our RFers would be more confident if they didn’t have to play with 3 different CFers out there.

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