All series talk goes in here. Non series talk goes somewhere else. No PBP, that can be found from other sources if you need it. All games are broadcast on AT&T Sports SW unless otherwise noted. 7-15 Josh James (R) vs. Griffin Canning (R) 9:07 MLBN (out-of-market only) 7-16 TBD vs. Andrew Heaney (L) 9:07 7-17 Gerrit Cole (R) vs. Felix Pena (R) 9:07 MLBN (out-of-market only) 7-18 Wade Miley (L) vs. TBD 8:07
Oh ho, Josh James getting the start. Good for James. He's 4-0 in relief this year. Looked good last game. I think his ERA is inflated by some rather unfortunate circumstances earlier in the year. That said, he just pitched 2 innings only two games ago, and his number one weakness is running out of gas and becoming hittable. I hope he can give us 5 strong innings, and I also hope Hinch and Strom take him out if he's borderline for an upcoming inning. They always leave him in one inning too long, and that's where his ERA spikes. Looking forward to this.
Not sure the point of pitching McHugh yesterday? I'll take a 2-2 split of this series. Tell me where to sign. Trout could be out as well.
Pretty sure Astros are going to use him as an opener today for 1-2 innings. James being used first may be a symbol that he'll be used as through starter next time through the rotation. Even then, I'd expect 4 innings at most as he gets stretched out. Though, I expect Astros to make a trade in the next couple of weeks so James as a true starter doesn't likely happen this year without more injuries.
How thin are we at SP when we have an "Opener" going tonight and a "bullpen day" tomorrow. Luhnow help!!
When your expected starter comes up lame at the last second (Peacock), and there are no days off for the next week+, and your other starter (Framber) is suspect at best.... this happens. What it does confirm for me (unofficially) is that McHugh's career as a starter is likely done. I thought maybe they were holding him out of the last few games with this week in mind... but he did pitch yesterday, and its looking more and more that his career is that of a 1-2 inning set-up type role. Most people forget that Mike Fiers led the staff in innings pitched in 2017. There were some serious maneuvering that was needed mid-season that year, before the Verlander trade. Over a long season, this is more the norm vs. last year (where they almost had a perfect pitching rotation, both performance wise and health wise).
Very worrisome. Hopefully Luhnow trades for 1 stud pitcher and another pitcher along the lines of Tanner Roark or Alex Wood, Tom Millone type #5 SP.
At this point there's zero chance we don't add a starter at the deadline. I'm sure Luhnow would prefer a front end guy (as would we all), but if a deal doesn't materialize he'll pull the trigger on something else. It may be wise to try and add 2 guys. We've already rode this 3.5 man rotation longer than we probably should have. Now that Peacocks status is up in the air it's become a completely untenable situation. I would be shocked if we don't have a new, team controlled starter on August 1.
Oh, I know, but they've tried getting him that far before, and it's around there that he runs out of gas and gets tagged in the third time around the order. So, I can hope that he outperforms his normal self or that they pull him at the right time.
Yeah, agreed. Four is the highest I see him going. This being a test run is a good idea; I hope that's what they're planning. They need innings from guys, though. Let's hope the bats, as my mom always says, saved some runs for today. The pitchers need that.
I hope these fans have more class than that. The only Angel I've heard complain about Jake is Ausmus. I don't know where Angels fans rank on the classiness and maturity scale among teams in the league.
What the point of dragging on. If they hit Jake, take it and move on. Both are class act organizations, we don’t want anyone to get hurt for no reason.
Agree with this. His arm isn't stretched out. Whatever McHugh's problem was earlier in the season, Rangers had it pegged. Astros not using McHugh against them suggests it may still be problem, and Astros are trying to mitigate it in the pen.
Lucroy seemed to take it well, and he said that he and Marisnick have exchanged texts. Still love Ausmus for all the great memories in the past, but a little disappointed in how strong his response was.
Ausmus’ reaction completely expected... his player got hurt pretty badly, and he was a former catcher who first hand knows the awful risks of that play.
I hope not. I don't think he deserves it, but I understand and if he gets hit, unless they go head hunting he should take it like a man and walk to 1st. Now if they start taking shots at others........