Asking the readers here to answer questions is often an enjoyable post, plus it means your writing servant has less work to do.
So, today, with Dan P stuck in workplace hell for the week, this will be a fast run through some questions for my friends and mild frenemies to answer.
1) Is it worse to be a fan of the team getting pursued than the ones pursuing when everyone is failing? This is like watching a race between two people stuck in quicksand. To go back to a previous post – what is more infuriating?
2) If you could wish for one thing and one thing only to happen positively for this team heading into and through the playoffs, what would it be?
3) Now that Yordan Alvarez is hitting his stride again at the plate, who is the Astros position player MVP? Kyle Tucker or Yordan?
4) In the off-season, how would you prioritize trying to extend the following players? Is there anyone you would just let play out their time here?
- Kyle Tucker
- Framber Valdez
- Jose Altuve
- Alex Bregman
5) In the off-season, would you be interested in the team making a trade or two that would send off veterans for prospects to strengthen the minor leagues? Who would be on your list to consider trading off?
6) If Dusty Baker “retired” and A.J. Hinch was fired by the Tigers, would you….? If not – what type of manager would you want as a replacement – old school, modern stat nerd, hybrid between the two?
7) If Jim Crane said the team needed to replace Minute Maid Park to compete with the other top teams in the majors but needed some taxpayer help, what would you say?
8) If the Astros barely make the playoffs, should the front office:
- Make major changes in the direction of the club?
- Do some tweaking going forward?
- Assume they were unlucky this season with injuries and don’t need to do anything special?
9) What about if they miss the playoffs?
10) On a range from 1 to 10 (1 being little and 10 being very), how confident are you about the Astros making the playoffs and making a splash?
Now it is your turn to send along your feelings, opinions, and, as a last resort, facts about these questions.
ALL THINGS ASTROS 
56 responses to “Astros 2023: Questions for the readers”
1. It’s worse to be a fan of the team that loses the race
2. Health
3. Tucker. He carried us at times when everyone else was hurt or playing below expectations.
4. Keep Tucker and Altuve. Let Framber get big bucks from someone else. I don’t think Bregman will get valued where he wants from the Astros.
5. There may be some budgetary moves made, but the players we want to move are unlikely to draw much interest.
6. I would not want Hinch to return. I’d like a manager open to the hybrid approach.
7. I’m all for replacing MMP, but I’m also not a taxpayer in Harris County.
8. I think you make some minor tweaks but expect Abreu and Montero will have to be better/more reliable next year. Blowing it up means an extended rebuild…you may as well take another run at it while you have Altuve, Alvarez, Tucker, Diaz, etc.
9. Yikes. This is a real possibility given how we played against NYY, Oakland and KC. I think if they miss the playoffs you let Dusty retire and hope you can replace him with someone who doesn’t take the team backwards. They probably need to be better in ’24 to win the division…and there isn’t any help coming from the minors. The team can’t afford to lose all those extra inning games, blow series to three teams in last place, etc. Whether you think that’s Dusty’s fault or the players is immaterial…it just can’t happen.
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1. I’m guessing M’s and Ranger and Jay’s fans are heaving from more of a roller coaster ride than we are right now. Personally, I’m rather indifferent at this point. I want to win the division and see what happens, I’m but almost more interested in seeing what happens with this club over the winter. There is just too much that has already pissed me off to be fully invested.
2. Clean, crisp play. If we lose because we don’t hit well or don’t pitch well, so be it. Just play smart baseball. No mental errors.
3. I don’t care.
4. Tucker, Altuve. Bregman has put together a very solid year. I still think he’s old for his age. It will cost 30 million x at least 5. Will Framber freak if Maldy is not here to hold his hand next year?
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5. Trades? I want to move aging Abreu for pennies if that’s what might get it done. I don’t want to resign an aging Brantley unless he’s willing to work for 4 or 5 million. I hope there is no real discussion about keeping Maldy around. Thank him and let him go. Maybe Bregman on July 31. Maybe Verlander and Framber too. Depends on how this team comes back together next year. Really, the biggest change to this team would be having the manager retire.
6. Not a chance with Hinch. He was a spineless man who lost his dugout. If he got rehired, you guys would not hear from me again. One man alone could have stopped what is still transpiring years later. Anyone who understands todays game of baseball would be a manager for me. Someone that uses stats to help him make better decisions. Someone willing to run out on the field and get tossed in support of his team. Someone confident and has a sense of humor.
7. Nor am I a taxpayer. But if I had to vote on such a referendum, the answer would be no.
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8. Properly managed, I think our pitchers would be starting to get rested up in the next week. Instead, we’ve got a whole lot of question marks about winning at home, an inability to pitch and especially line up decisions. Like I said above, leadership is the biggest issue right now, pitching next. If Jim Crane is prepared to let the GM fully act as a GM then he’s got to let Dana Brown put his stamp on the club in 2024. I guess he could always fire Brown, but I think he’s owed 4 years.
9. Missing the playoffs? Might be best in the long run. I can’t fathom Baker coming back if that happens.
10. Playoffs, 8, splash, 4.
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1 Both suck.
2 If the 2022 Javier could suddenly reappear, I’d be very happy.
3 Kyle
4 Altuve, Tucker, Framber, Bregman. I think Bregman secretly wants to be a Yankee.
5 No.
6 Yes, I would take Hinch back. He’s a wiser man now.
7 Have to recuse myself as I’m not a resident of Texas anymore.
8 Regardless of the outcome this year, do nothing special. Injuries were the main reason they aren’t winning 100 games.
9 No difference. No more WBC please.
10 I’m a solid 7 right now.
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To be very honest and concise about it, as long as DF Baker is associated in any way with the Astros organization, I don’t care what they do. He (and by association they) are dead to me.
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Glad I didn’t have to watch this disaster tonight. Pressley just ain’t got it anymore But Dusty will keep running him out there. Oh and I forgot about Montero, He blew a lead too.
As for your questions:
1. Both
2. Play competitive baseball
3. Tucker
4. Keep Tucker, Altuve. Framber is a 50% and Bregman ain’t the 2017 Bregman anymore. I even consider unloading JV but I doubt it can be done.
5. Love to unload, Abreu, Montero, Javier, Urquidy, Pressley but I doubt anybody will take them. Maybe Pressley.
6. Hybrid and No on Hinch
7. Don’t live in H-town any more but if I did the answer is no.
8&9. Major changes as team needs to get younger with new influx of talent.
10. 5 and that might be saying a lot.
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Good morning everyone, today is the 40th anniversary of Independence for St. Kitts and Nevis, the smallest sovereign state in the Western Hemisphere. Just like back home, today will be a day of barbecue and parades, fireworks, rum and maybe a bit of reflection too.
That Oriole squad reminds me a bit of our Astros of a few years ago. They run around the bases, make plays in the field, hit balls all over the place and have fun doing it. We’re older and look it. No crime in that, but it is our reality. We’ve held on to older players, acquired new older players and even reacquired older players. Face it, we need to get younger. The Astro organization has to get on the same page.
Dusty Baker said Pressly hung a slider to Mullins (that’s what it looked like to me) but Pressly said it was a good pitch.
Jake is probably not the best guy to pitch run. He might be the fastest guy, but there must be a reason why he’s stolen only 5 bases on the season. I don’t think he’s real confident out there.
As much as I love Kyle Tucker and want to get him resigned, he’s destined to be a left fielder. We’ve got a batch of left fielders.
Frenchy is overrated in center field.
If Baker would hit Singleton for Chas, why not use Brantley in place of Chas with two outs in the 9th?
We got the bad version of Montero in the 7th, but if the score had remained at 3-1 in the 6th, Baker had planned on bringing Souza in. Was he getting ready to raise the white flag so early? That’s the kind of thing that might take the wind out of his players sails. Alas, they battled on, putting up 6 runs that should have been enough. Unfortunately, for whatever reasons, not enough in 2023 at Minute Maid Park.
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Great thoughts.
I actually turned and asked my wife as we were watching, Perez to Chas, advantage Astros, then Cano comes out, Baker 100% should go to Brantley. Chas is MUCH improved as a player. But he still has a weakness against righties with velocity – and Brantley was standing over there like, hey, I’m here! Tucker still owns a bit of that, if you want to be the MVP you figure out what you need to do get a tying run in from 3rd with one out.
I haven’t seen anything to me that suggests Tucker is a future LFer, or at least not in the near future. And I don’t care about far future, the roster will have a 50% turnover in 4-5 years anyway, all rosters do.
Players aren’t going to say a lot in the media, but to be honest they just don’t look like a team that is confident. Are there a lot of guys out there that know Baker isn’t putting the team in the best position he can to win and it is affecting their play a little? Or is it really a question of how erratic the offense was in the first half and how erratic the pitching has been in the second half? Maybe some of both.
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1) A division no one apparently wants. Someone is going to get stuck with it whether they like it or not.
2) This team is very good. Lots of talent. What they could do for me is NOT make the playoffs. That would make me happier. Get France, Brown, Javier, Valdez and Urquidy all shut down weeks earlier. Start getting ready for next year. But it is almost impossible they don’t. Have we played 200 games this year? It feels like it to the bullpen. How do you get so many guys at career inning marks all over the staff? I’ll tell you this – they are built for a postseason run, and that’s exactly what this pitching staff doesn’t need, a deep postseason run only to get mauled by the Braves in the World Series.
3) I love Tucker. Guy is good at so many things. He is built like a ballplayer, he isn’t carrying extra mass that would make him injury prone. Things happen all the time that can take someone out for a month, but he seems less prone to it, and every contract should be taken with the idea of availability in mind (see Mike Trout, or the upcoming Ohtani-stakes). But nobody Yordan’s like Yordan. Period. Generational hitter. Just needs to stay upright and we will be watching a hall of fame induction. I just don’t know that he will stay upright.
4) Extend them all. If anyone walks, maybe Bregman, he seems to be aging faster than his actual age would suggest – but he is far from being the biggest problem on this team. Altuve is another guy that just needs to stay upright.
5) I actually like this roster. Alot. The guys I would consider moving aren’t going to fetch a return. I don’t want Abreu, but we are going to Abreu, so lets just hope he has a better year next year. But there is a mix of young guys and old guys, the salaries are all ok, I would just run it back and hope those starters 2022 for you and not 2023, that Montero pitches better, and Pressly is healthier and better with no WBC messing with his preparation. Pressly-bombs are not fun.
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I love Tucker. But Baseball Savant has him in the 14% percentile for range in right. And Baseball Reference has him with a -0.9 dWAR on the season. Is it just one odd year? He’s just not getting to balls he used to get to. Has the shift ban impacted him to that degree?
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It comes down to the play last night. A triple on something that wasn’t supposed to be a triple. Gunnar showed tremendous hustle, but Tucker took a bad angle and ended up chasing it to the wall. But he also made a tremendous play at the wall that was the front end of throwing out Hearns at the plate.
He can take those same bad angles in LF too. The stats are lying to us, there have been half a dozen times as a fan that I thought he was positioned wrong pre-pitch, or he took a bad angle, or last night bad angles and lets admit it, he didn’t exactly beat feet back to that roller, I think he kind of assumed Henderson was going to stop at 2nd.
Not saying he doesn’t end up in LF one day, I just don’t think it’s today, and there is no telling whats on the roster 3 years from now.
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I meant “the stats are NOT lying to us.”
They never do. Baker does, reporters do, not stats. They never lie.
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Steven, those stats from Baseball Savant and Baseball Reference are based on a body of work for the entire 2022 season. Tucker will not be leaving right field anytime soon, but the Astros don’t have a Gold Glove in right field at this point, nor to they have a prototypical center fielder. And they don’t have a strong arm (besides Yordan) at any outfield position. So more and more I lament the possibility that losing perhaps our two highest rated outfield candidates for Verlander may well come back and haunt us.
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I think Chas is your LF’er of the future. I think Tucker is in RF. I think CF is a position that the Astros should address in the offseason. Is that a tryout for Loperfido, or Leon, knowing they can always fall back on Dubon and Meyers if they need too, maybe. Maybe it’s an external answer.
It won’t be Loperfido unless there is a change in organizational philosophy and their approach to young players. Sometimes I wonder what the point of the minor leagues is if you are going to have a .321 lifetime average there, show up here, and be sat for a 36-year-old hitting .180 that you are clearly better in every facet of the game. The Astros treat Yainer Diaz like he is in high school and hasn’t been catching professional baseball for years now. Catching in the minors is actually harder than the majors because of minor leaguer’s command issues.
To me, Loperfido has proven what he needs to prove to come to ST next year and be afforded an opportunity to win a job – not make the roster and play once every 4 days behind Dubon but win the job.
However it shakes out, this outfield looks like an above average offensive unit that is below average defensively. Not everyone’s choice, I would love to have guys that do both, but it looks like it could end up that way for the foreseeable future.
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6) No.
7) I would tell him MMP has another 10 years left in her. Was there a few weeks ago, outside the fact that parking is terrible, getting out of the stadium after the game is terrible, and the airplane seats are terrible, it’s fine. But I wouldn’t be against starting an exploratory committee with the long range in mind if I were the city. Somewhere out of the downtown.
8) IMHO changes need to be made in the philosophy of player usage and pitching usage. It’s time for Baker to move on. I just don’t know that is what happens.
9) There is a bit of head to head and a Toronto issue to keep us out. It would take this perfect storm of Seattle and Texas splitting their head to heads and playing well outside of that and us just keeping up the stinking. The way the year has gone it feels like it could happen.
10) Holes or not they are probably still going to be the AL favorite going into the playoffs. The Rays would be your toughest go. Not taking anything from Baltimore and what those kids are doing, just up and down the lineup everyone can control the strike zone, their scouting department figured out something for sure. I just don’t think they have the pitching yet to be a favorite. It just seems like a year where the real WS is the NLCS and watching our pitching get taxed for another 3 weeks after half a dozen have already crossed career innings marks just get to crushed…. But stranger things happen. Maybe Atlanta and/or LA get knocked out early again and another Philly matchup, one I would favor, happens.
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Thoughts
– Big gut kick last night twice – once when Montero urped up the lead and second in the ninth with Pressly
– Feel like Pressly does not pitch as well with too much rest
– The two singles Pressly gave up were dead center pitches in the zone. The home run was down and in to a left handed hitter, where they like it when it is not too far in or too far down
– I think if Jake had tried to score on Tucker’s grounder he would have been a dead duck but yes I don’t think he’s a good base runner
– I was thinking about Brantley for Chas in the 9th
– I think this team is going to back into the playoffs and bow out quickly
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And a shout out to our friends at the crawfish boxes who are linking to us today
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https://www.crawfishboxes.com/2023/9/19/23878133/astros-crawfish-boil-september-19-2023
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The Orioles beat us convincingly despite being hungover. No surprise – the 100-loss A’s and 100-loss Royals beat us convincingly too.
This team has no ‘glue’ – so it just keeps falling apart.
They seem to feel like I do – the 2023 season can’t end soon enough. We will probably have considerably less talent next year, but maybe in the place of the guys we lose we’ll find someone with a little spark – and someone that actually cares about winning – or at least representing the city and organization well – each game they walk across the white lines.
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Not that I think we are going to have a lot more talent – but I don’t think we are headed for a lot less talent next season, Mr.Bill. I mean Brantley will be a free agent which would be a loss (if he was healthy) and Maldy would be a free agent, which would be addition by subtraction. Stanek I think will be out. Maton? Not picturing anyone else, though I could be having a senior moment.
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You may be right, but for what it is worth, here is what I am looking at:
1. THE LOSS OF BRANTLEY. In Brantley, we lose the consummate professional hitter who we can almost always count on to make valuable contact. He isn’t what he used to be, but who will replace him? Not Meyers. Not Dubon. Not Singleton [an experiment that should have already ended]. Our best shot right now looks like Joey Loperfido – but it looks like Joey’ has been cursed by management with Joe Sclafani disease.
2. THE FURTHER DECLINE OF THE OLD GUYS. Look, it is obvious that the skills of Jose Abreu and Justin Verlander are in rapid decline. I expect both of them to be significantly – in many cases embarrasssingly – worse in 2023 than this year.
3. The LOSS OF STANEK AND MATON in the bullpen. One thing about the Astros’ organization – it is not good at producing relief pitchers. Guys who come up in our system either can’t seem to throw enough strikes in general, or miss the sweet spot of the bat with the strikes they do throw. Our bullpen has been flirting with disaster all year – and without Stanek and Maton? Next year does not look pretty.
4. The STRANGE CASE OF FRAMBER, JAVIER, BROWN, & FRANCE. I have seen nothing in the recent performances of these critical starters to lead me to believe they are likely to return to form and consistency. All our rotation guys are schizophrenic. There is no ‘stopper’ – on the 2023 roster or, for that matter, in sight. I’ve watched Arighetti a lot – and while he is great at his level, he does not appear to have the stuff to fool anybody in the major leagues.
4. Hopefully, a few of these negatives will be outweighed somewhat by the absence of two guys who are absolute albatrosses this year – Baker and Maldonado.
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I know that this has been tossed out there before but do you think that there’s a possibility of Whitely becoming a closer? I know it’s a long shot but what a waste of several years if he becomes another Singleton. Every indication is that he has to be a starter. Like the Cheryl Crow song, ” A change will do you good”.
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Whitley’s lack of command makes him too hittable to be a major leaguer at the moment. Professionals don’t care if you throw 97, they care if you can throw 97 spotted in a corner. Until he figures that out and puts together a string of innings where he doesn’t walk people by being 5 feet off the plate and get bombed by leaving meat pitches in the middle of the plate in the same inning, he is probably a non-conversation starter in any role.
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1. The one being pursued
2. Javier gets his mojo back
3. I would say France is the MVP, positionally it’s got to be Tuck
4. Tuck, Tuve, Bregs then Framber
5. This depends on the Tucker situation: if they resign him then no need for a trade, if they don’t then trade him
6. Hybrid and no to Hinch, make Espada the manager
7. I don’t live in Houston but I am totally against taxpayer funded stadiums
8. Tweak
9. A better manager solves alot along with health
10. Very
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And here is a thought – if LMJ is throwing before ST, where the Astros see it, and they confidently say they think he is in the opening day rotation, I don’t see a world where they don’t trade Urquidy to maybe address CF or just for 2 or 3 B+ level prospects from a team like St Louis that wants to compete right now but just doesn’t have the pitching to do it.
Verlander isn’t exactly Verlander but he isn’t exactly bad. Framber will Framber, frustrate you at times but be good. LMJ if he is pitching (got it, big if) is a solid 3, and you are still stuck trying to figure out Brown, Javier and France before you even talk about Urquidy. By July Garcia’s name is going to be mentioned about making room.
There is an argument to keep Jose. This staff has proven to be unpredictable. Being 7 deep, especially with LMJ one of those, is not a bad thing at all. But someone isn’t going to be starting, maybe 2 someones. One of those someones, if they can address another issue like CF or organizational depth in the IF, has to be considered.
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So Brantley sits against a righty. Is he healthy?
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On the radio they quoted Dusty as saying he is “sore” – not a good omen because the last time he was “sore” was after his first rehab and we did not see him for months
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This Astro team is looking for a place to lie down. Stick a fork in them – they are done.
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I wish you’d be wrong but I don’t think you are.
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And we thought Hunter Brown was going to win ROY. I’m blacked out on the Orioles games so I guess that’s a good thing. I really think these guys are just out of gas. And with the other issues of injuries, line ups and controversies they have taken their toll. Starting the year as the odds on favorite to win another World Series to see it like it is now is very disheartening. I know it ain’t over till it’s over (Yogiism) but I think the fat lady may be warming up. Hope I’m wrong.
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Where as last night was getting a snow shovel smashed into your schnoz, tonight is like slow motion water torture dripping on our forehead with us tied down. We try to come back and the pitchers immediately give it back and more.
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I wonder if Crane can get a discount on a truckload of neck braces for his pitchers. They all have sore necks from watching their pitches sail out of ballparks across the country.
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Boy oh boy. We are darned near impossible to watch at this point. Horrid pitching. Shoddy defense. Seemingly a total lack of passion. The last few years have been a hell of a ride. But this team looks like they’ve had it. I’ve never been one to blame much on managers and coaches but there comes a time when change is necessary. I’m inclined to believe (1) it’s time for a managerial change (2) it may be time for a different pitching coach (3) this team needs to get younger (3) somehow, some way we need players in the lineup who play with more intensity (4) the trade for Verlander may not go our way although at the time I liked it a lot (5) the orioles remind me of us in the early days of Correa, Springer, and Altuve
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(6) I can’t know for sure if it’s actually a divided clubhouse but it sure seems to me to give off that vibe. I don’t see much enthusiasm or displays of unity.
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Well, it’s been a great run.
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Stick a fork in them. They are a defeated bunch. So sad to see them now.
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The only coach that has any fire is Cintron. He has gotten tossed a handful of times this season.
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I was watching the look on Yainer’s face (I think it was in the 7th inning) and was thinking exactly that. Kinda reminds me of the look on the canine-Americans faces in the shelter while they’re waiting for someone to adopt them.
Not gonna give them any belly rubs, though……
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Hunter Brown has a great future ahead of him. He’s kept his walks down to 3.1 per nine which is better than any minor league season for him. He’s gotten 10.3 K’s per nine. But he’s thrown a lot of mistakes in MLB. You can get away with much more mistake making in the minors. Anyway, right now, I want him to be healthy come February. He’s thrown a 150 plus innings. That’s enough. Through 5 last night, we were still in the game. He should have been pulled at that point. And why wait 11 days between Urquidy appearances? It’s still Spring Training for the guy. The results were predictable. I’m concerned about JP France too.
Pitching aside, we lost two guys on the bases again, we had a guy on the mound and a first baseman that were not in sync on a bunt, we made a bad throw from the outfield.. Again, we did not play a clean game.
The Orioles have a better baseball club right now. It’s pretty simple. I’m being generous, but they might have a smarter manager too. Sometimes managers get hot. They make all the right decisions. We’re having a continued problem in that regard.
Alex citron got himself tossed again, maybe because it’s not the managers job these days. Yordan seems to be moping around. Is he discouraged like me, or just tired and sore ike Brantley? Jose Abreu came out in support of Martín Maldonado as he should if fans are going after his wife. Reggie Jackson apparently said something on the O’s broadcast about Baker preferring to stay with his veterans rather than fully utilizing kids like Diaz. But mostly, it’s a very quiet clubhouse. I think the cracks are showing. Not a peep in the way of a pep talk or word of confidence from Brown or Crane. Hmm.
I’m ready for the off season. It’s been an exhausting campaign.
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Another moment of me looking over at my wife and telling her there was no reason for Brown to be out there for a 6th inning. Just none, especially where he is season wise in innings and pitches.
Baker strikes again.
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Today’s game – with a badly broken shell of a once-great pitcher (Christian Javier ) having to toe the rubber against the best of the three starters the Os have thrown at us this series- looks to be yet another humiliation in our home park. Have our guys had enough thrashings? Will someone finally stand up and defend the home park if not the team’s honor?
Or is the team determined to punish all its fans because a few idiots lost all decency and made crude, un-called for comments to some of Maldy and/or Presley’ s family members?
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My brother pointed out to me that Yordan ended the game last night looking at three strikes – very unusual. And now he’s not in the lineup….
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I’d sure like to know the full story on why Yordan is sitting today. Too much weird stuff going on.
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Just when it seems like everything is hopeless…. the team pulls out an improbable victory. On to KC!
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Christian resurrected? Even Manfred could not Mann-ipulate the rules to keep us from winning today. Javier is considering a change to his entrance song:
Blinded from its flight
Batters don’t have a clue
‘Cause that pitch is outta sight (3x)
El Reptil froze ‘em with his heaters in the summer
Like facing teens with wiffle bats
Gave them lumps, started slumps, to those adolescent chumps
He handed them their hats
With some boulders on their shoulders made them feel five times older
Heads spun like merry-go-rounds
They felt very uneasy and queasy, unbelieving
How they lightly tapped it back to the mound
How they lightly tapped it back to the mound!
‘Cause they were
Blinded from its flight
Batters don’t have a clue
‘Cause that pitch is outta sight (4x)
Not-so-silly old-school wisdom from his manager Baker
Told him he’s got what it takes
He said I’ll build you up slowly ‘til your arm gets strong
Throw that ball with the funky break
Miller, Murphy and cohorts were checking out the heat map charts
To see if he should pitch inside
And big ol’ baldy Maldy came by in a trade with Cubbies
And told him let invisi-ball ride
Told him let invisi-ball ride!
‘Cause they were blinded from its flight
Batters don’t have a clue
‘Cause that pitch is outta sight
Blinded from its flight
He got walk rate down but arm never got tight
He’s gonna make it through the night
He’s gonna make it through the night
But mama that’s where the fun is
But mama that’s where the fun is
Mama always told me not to look into the eyes of the Judge
But mama that’s where the fun is
Some brimstone Bronx zoo animal Apple watch hypocritical
Preachers from the east
Said dethrone the Astros, swing outside the strike zone
That’s where they expect it least
Same old moaning cacophony suffering from glaucoma
Watching the young guys dance
And our fresh launched moonshots were messing with their frozen butts
Reminding them they have no chance
How they lightly tapped it back to the mound!
‘Cause they were
Blinded from its flight
Batters don’t have a clue
‘Cause that pitch is outta sight (2x)
Arm like a slingshot flings it to a tender spot
Shows up haters in visiting stands
And some bloodshot forget me not asks, “Who’s your daddy?” within earshot
And kicks Joe Buck in his…pants
Not-so-silly old-school wisdom from his manager Baker
Told him he’s got what it takes
He said I’ll build you up slowly ‘til your arm gets strong
He got walk rate down but arm never got tight
He’s gonna make it through the night
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A Manfred Mann hit (unrelated to Rob Manfred the man) written by the Boss, Bruce Springsteen and improved by AstroNut!
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The 2023 Astros are living proof of the old adage that it’s far better to be lucky than good. They are very lucky. They are not very good.
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Well, after tomorrow’s games, SOMEONE will be tied for first place with the Astros.
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The Rangers and M’s don’t play till Friday so that 1/2 game won’t disappear until next Thursday when they face off against each other while the Astros have a day off. The Rangers and M’s both have 10 games left with 7 of those being head to head matches. That should be interesting to watch.
Astros have 3 against the Royals, 3 against the M’s and finish up with 3 against the D-Backs. They need to win each series to secure the division win. With the Blue Jays in the mix one of these 4 is going to be on the outside looking in. The Astros are the only one (including the D-Backs) that are playing in a funk right now. They pretty much control their own destiny. Here’s where the players, coaches, and Mr Tooth pick can earn their $$$. They should start with a sweep of KC this weekend. It’ll take at least 91 wins to secure the Division IMO. That’s going 6 and 3 over the last 9 so there you have it. Now can I get a job at ESPN making millions for espousing my opinion?
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Good point Sarge. Easier said than done, but if the Astros win just half their remaining games, chances are they’ll fall into some version of post season play.
Nice to see the Little Boys come through yesterday when the Big Boys could not. Our Little Boys are the future. Gosh, if Pena ever got in the habit of driving baseballs the other way, he might hit regularly. Little Boy Yainer punches a two base hit out to right off a lefty. Little Boy Chas moves him over by simply hitting a ground ball to second, a thing our Big Boys don’t like doing. Finally, Frenchy takes the lefty to right field one more time. Apropos.
Mixed emotions this morning. If we can count on five good innings out of Reptile going forward, then we have three starters for the post season. A team can win with that. But it also means our back up catcher will not do much if any catching in the post season. He won’t be allowed to be a Big Boy.
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Thoughts
– Looking back – the Astros have not been in very many what I would call pitching duels. The last one I found was a 2-1 loss back on Aug. 13 to the Angels and their last win was a 2-0 win over Cleveland on Aug. 1
– I was thinking that after losing a lot of games lately when they were playing sloppy – that this was a very well played game in all facets of the game. Though he only went 5 innings, Javier pitched the most like last season that he has in a long time. The relievers had a few hiccups but held the rope and though the hitting was weak overall – as daveb pointed out when things mattered they went with the pitches the other way and won the game.
– After cheering against the M’s and Rangers everyday forever, it will be weird to be wavering on this. We want them to split things and since we have the tiebreaker with the Rangers and not the M’s we may lean towards the Rangers a bit. But on the other hand we have a series with the M’s that will be in our hands.
– Is there something wrong with Yordan? Why did he watch three strikes in his last at bat Tuesday? Why didn’t he start Wednesday? When he pinch hit he took 4 balls so we don’t know if he was having any problems swinging.
– Had to feel good for Dubon, who seems like such a great guy and looks about the same age as the 12 year old pictures they showed during the game the other day.
– Astros have to take care of business against the Royals. Period.
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Doom and gloom. That’s what I am reading.
I am still optimistic they will win this division. I don’t know the definition of a “good” team, I think, subjectively, they are a good team. They are in 1st place. Now part of that might be about no one else really wanting the division, but even bad teams are not going to roll over. At bat by at bat even bad teams have professionals worried about their arbitrations or contracts. You are still going to get the best out of every hitter even if they play for the Royals. You have to expect that.
In Verlander’s last start he seemed rushed. I felt like he threw some hittable pitches and didn’t quite have as much command on the corners that he normally has. Like he was fiddling with things because of a hit, getting impatient and then made more bad pitches.
I think they will be a dangerous playoff team because they can shorten the roster and the bullpen. If you think it will be an easy or early exit, I promise Tampa or Baltimore won’t approach a series with the Astros that way.
The rotation is not what it was last year with mostly the same dudes. They are more likely this year than last to give up a 4 spot in the 3rd inning and put us behind the curve. But this offense is better than last years. They will have 3 100rbi guys. Altuve would have had a +.300 season for the first time in a while – and still would have had 30+ HR if he hadn’t missed so much time. Shortening things and not having to give ABs to Dubon or Singleton or Meyers – 1 through 8 (I’ll skip 9th knowing that is Maldy) is as good, or better, than anyone else. Abreu has been the biggest disappointment easily – Maldy you knew this is who he is – Abreu had expectations but even outside of those if your worst hitter is going to be a guy that finishes at .235 with 20 and 85-90 rbi, that is a good lineup. I’ll trust it.
I would still like to see no playoffs this year – the long term I just think not putting any more innings on Javier or Brown or France (and even Valdez and Verlander could use the early vacay and reset for next year) this year would benefit more than a playoff series loss – but it will take a perfect storm of events to keep them out of at least a WC. So might has well strap in and put the playoff hat back on, get my towel to wave, and lament Dusty Baker for another few weeks in October.
I get it, the struggle is real for them right now. They have basically a little over a week to change the momentum. It really is all momentum. The Cardinals once won a world series after a regular season they won 83 games in. They got momentum going at the end of September. And we are infinitely more talented than that Cardinals team.
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If I thought missing the ’23 playoffs improved out chances at winning it all in ’24 I could, perhaps, talk myself into it being a good thing. I’ve been complaining for years now about the added innings in the fall putting our pitchers at risk the following year. What concerns me is whether we have a viable window moving forward. A team with healthy Altuve, Alvarez, Tucker, and Diaz alone should be in the pennant race. If we get unlucky there we could look like the Angels instead. Also, someone has to go beat the Braves or Dodgers and do you really trust the Rangers to get it done? We all know Tampa or Baltimore would get swept.
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Heck Steven, I thought I was pretty positive!
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After a bit of a shaky start, Javier was his old self. I sure hope that carries forward.
Offensively we were still not ourselves. Their starter has what, 22 straight scoreless innings against us? He’s got great breaking stuff, but good approaches should at least yield one or two runs.
All in all, we did not collapse, and still have a chance to control our own destiny.
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