He came close to losing the game with that 85 mph pitch right down the middle of the plate. I think its time to find him a new shinny place to pitch not called Houston. Find some team in need of a closer, who's pitching coach believes he can turn him into a stood and get some decent prospects for him.
I think its sink or swim time for Giles. I am glad we are feeding him to the sharks early in the season. We need to know what he is about this year. If he swims, we keep him. If he sinks, unfortunately, we are unlikely to get much of anything for him.
Even if he swims, and ends up having a year similar to last year, he's going to get quite a decent raise via arbitration.. and likely be too costly for a guy who isn't the for sure closer.
Well... considering the playoff rotation is 4 man rotation... McCullers or Morton are the most likely to get pushed into the bullpen to close.
I have no idea what goes on in the clubhouse, nor do I know how any of the players really feel about Giles, but from his comments and mannerisms he does appear to be the one player personality-wise that is most likely to cause consternation in the clubhouse.
I can see where you're coming from -- Giles is the loud, overflowing with confidence type. Basically, what you'd want from a closer -- except for all those hits he gives up :/ I don't have a problem with his quote above -- it's what I'd want him to say. I would feel a lot worse about him if he said "gee I really needed that one-out confidence booster." I thought Giles had good stuff, but now I'm not sure anymore. I'm no baseball scout so I won't pretend I know what I'm talking about with mechanics and pitches. He still throws hard, but that hasn't been enough for the past few years. I think McCullers could be a great closer, but IMO he's more likely to throw a fit on the team if we removed him from the rotation. He might need another injury to realize he might be better off closing it out.
Yeah...McCullers would be second on my list. I didn't have a problem with his quote either, I was commenting based on how he has come across (especially compared to the rest of the team) during his stint here.
Okay "Kenny", maybe you didn't need a confidence boost...... but everyone else on that field, in the dugout and in the stands sure as hell needed to see you do something.... even if it was getting a single out, with a 2 run lead and a hitter with a career .290 OB%.
His act is fine if he is having a low WHIP, getting saves and the team has confidence in him. I asked my sister that works for the team and she said that he isn't a major distraction and while brash and immature, he isn't really disliked especially. The problem is when you have someone that is very proud, and his struggles cause problems for the team. We aren't there yet........ but I keep wondering what would have happened if that long fly ball had landed fair and not foul.
He is like Brad Lidge in that he depends on a nasty pitch that is high maintenance and not always predictable. All his secondary offering rely on that nasty pitch being controllable. Since his pitch is unpredictable, it doesn't make for an ideal dependable close. You can see the same thing in the career of Brad Lidge. When they are locked in and controlling their out pitch, they are elite....... when they are not, well it isn't pretty. It is why, over time I have appreciated guys like Rivera or Hoffman or even a Doug Jones that have arsenals that don't pop out at you, but are very reliable. Rivera knows when his cutter is going to end up; Hoffman used that 4 seam fastball and palm (often called a change up) that he has complete control of.
He's become a scary closer to watch. You have no idea what he's got at any given time and what the outcome will be. And, what he exudes on the mound is not what I would call confidence. It looks more like doubt and then relief when he does get the job done. He's got a lot to show to prove he deserves to be in the role. I would not trust him in a high stakes playoff game with closing it out.
Won’t have to worry about that. Regardless of how he pitches during the regular season, Hinch has proven he will not hesitate to effectively bench him. If he is in a high stakes playoff game, then he will have proven that he is worthy.
If Astros are healthy in the playoffs, some of the relievers are going to be pissed because even if they are worthy, Morton, Peacock, and Cole (or LMJ) are going to get about 75% of the playoff relief innings.
Oh I think it's McCullers by a mile. He gets rattled on the mound with regularity when things aren't going exactly right.
