Well, Harris has never been overused but still wears down regardless. Devo will no longer be used for multiple innings, so we will see if that spares him. If anything, these guys may have to be underused. Peacock certainly has gone from a long man, to a starter, now to a one inning guy (or even one pitch guy) who is struggling to get regular work. In his case, I believe it has affected his mechanics in a slight negative way.
I've been saying for weeks that they have 1 too many arms in the pen, and they can't find work for who they have.
They're top 6 in MLB in ERA, BAA, OBP, OPS (7th in slugging), and a few other things I looked at earlier and now can't remember.
Reasons Astros won't demote Ken Giles from Closer Role 1. Trade Value for Ken Giles will be bad for Prospects. 2. Ken Giles loses Confidence even more, hurting his Value even more in trades. Ken Fastball is really flat with no movement. Slider never hits the corners of the strikezone. Hitters are ready for his 98 mph Flat Fastball. I really want the Astros to trade him elsewhere to NL team and get the best prospects you can find with draft picks. The Astros Players have a worried look on their faces, and nervous body language when Ken Giles pitches. Players Do Not Trust Ken Giles with a 1 run lead, Ken Constantly Falls behind in the count.
LOL. I love it when fans just 100% make things up to justify whatever their argument might be, even when it's not even needed to make said argument.
Bregman definitely didn't look happy one time I saw Giles pitch this season. And by didn't look happy, I mean pissed off. Not sure if that counts as worried and he could have been upset by something else .
That's my point. If you watch a 3-4 hour game and got to see all their faces all the time, I'm pretty sure you'd see lots of them make every basic expression at various times. No one has any idea what's in their head or what causes any of that. It's the same as people saying things about AJ Hinch losing the clubhouse and other nonsense because he doesn't yell at umps or things like that. The only insight we have into any of that stuff is what the players say to the media, which you can then believe or not. But trying to take snippets of facial expressions or body language and create a self-serving narrative around it is silly.
Saying a fan is 100% making it up is very different from saying it happened in snippets, but fan is creating a self-serving narrative. That said, it would surprise me if the positions players weren't worried when Giles came as players do tend to suffer from recency bias (unless player is in their clique).
Wow, I’m still shocked the Astros won a World Series with a closer by committee; while having an ineffective Ken Giles riding the bench. Hinch has got some stones! Giles may need some less pressure situations to build his confidence. He does not have shut down closer stuff right now.
Nothing better than a good laugh. It does wonders for the soul. Thanks. By the way, there is no reason to perpetuate myths and falsehoods in today's world. If you want to know if his fastball is flat, then go to a site like Brooks Baseball. It will tell you exactly how much movement there is. However, if you are one of those people that really want to believe it is flat, you are going to be disappointed. Also if you want to know how effective his slider is, check out a site like fangraphs. You do not have to guess, it will give you specific data. I just find it amazing that some people would prefer to rely on hearsay, perception, and fabrication instead of determining the truth.
To clarify, I'm saying he completely made up the idea that they have worried looks when Giles pitches. They probably have worried looks throughout a 3 hour game. And happy looks. And neutral ones. And excited ones. The idea that they have worried looks because of Giles is nonsense. It's no more realistic than them going out there and having worried looks through the first several innings when Keuchel pitches or looking nervous when Jake is out there to bat. They've all played tens of thousands of innings of baseball in their lifetimes and seen every kind of outcome - they aren't going to suddenly look worried in fairly normal baseball situations that they experience on a regular basis.
I’m glad Giles pitched effectively outside of the closers role. He’s a valuable arm, it’s just he is missing that edge that separates relievers from closers. Maybe he can regain his mojo getting effective outings. But I think he will be alright.
