Do you think it was their big lead that caused them to go into a slump last year? No... they were just playing shitty baseball. If anything, they were playing shitty baseball with a relatively intact lineup and bullpen last year around this same time. They have a ****-ton of reasons to be sucking at the plate now... and their overall pitching (both starters/bullpen), while still stellar, is not going to win every game 1-0 or 2-1. And I'm not in any way phased about Oakland being on a tear. They have a great team. When the Astros were dominating them earlier this season, you saw shades of talent up/down their lineup. At full strength, the Astros are about 5-7 games better than the A's... and they probably have enough season to get back there, depending on when their key guys get back and when they get in a groove again. But its disturbing that some of you gloss over the impact of the loss of some of these guys... Altuve wasn't just some bum who happened to get a lot of hits.
Stros won their first game after activating him... and had an great road trip after acquiring him. This is home bullsh1t.
Astros stumbled in August last year and then Verlander happened. I think this team needs an injection of offense now to bridge gap between now and when healthy reinforcements arrive. Whether there is an impact player to be had is questionable. Giants likely won’t decide on trading McCutchen until late August, and who knows if Donaldson will be able to contribute or if a guy like Smoak is available. All I’m saying is Astros need some positive juju on offensive side of the ball this non-waiver deadline because our AAAA won’t cut it.
You can’t have a corner outfielder with a 450 OPS... you can’t have a 1st baseman with a .700 OPS..... you can’t have a catcher with a .600 OPS But here we are.
I know a 2 week tear could save the season, but it's tough to believe that Springer and Altuve can be the cause for that tear right now. If they come back hitting, that'd make 2 guys getting hits. Genuine reason for concern here.
Yeah. He was subpar prior to the injury as well. Hopefully he puts 1.000 OPS on MLB the remainder of the season.
People are crediting Verlander for the turnaround last year... and he's just one guy pitching every 4th day. By that logic, two everyday all-star/MVP caliber players coming back could certainly have just the slightest bit of impact. The concern is if they don't come back at all... then yes, the post-season isn't really worth clamoring for.
The injuries to Altuve and Springer are a big deal... same with Correa, it takes time for him to get his timing back. Hence why I said I think they still make the playoffs. However none of that changes the fact that our 1st baseman had an OPS around .700, Gattis is sub .800... Marwin and Redick are between 700-750 OPS and the starting catcher can’t even crack .600. These are all big problems and we don’t have the luxury of the lead we had last year. Let’s just hope Altuve comes back healthy and soon and Luhnow wrangles another bat.
A ton, certainly. Though at that point, the freakout was about losing homefield, which they did lose to Cleveland. But at the end of the day, assuming they make the playoffs, they get a clean slate and all the slumps are forgotten. Put this team - when healthy - against anyone and I suspect we're favored. That's really all we can ask for.
Other teams got better as well. Right before this home-stand, the Astros were better than they were last season... both record wise and run differential wise... and that's with your shitty 1st baseman, your horrible DH, your sub-par OF and a weak catcher. To me, the biggest outlier of last season (Marwin) is also the biggest outlier this season, but in a negative way. He's the one guy who brought enough to the plate last year if the other guys didn't have it. Bregman elevating his game somewhat made up for it... but because of that, I don't feel the overall offense is as potent top to bottom as it was last year.
Nobody is glossing over the loss of Altuve and Springer. However, while Springer will be back on Friday, there is no concrete timetable for Altuve’s return. The Astros needed another bat even if everyone was healthy. Marwin, Reddick and Gattis have not come close to playing like they did last season. Gattis, in particular, was close to being a DFA candidate until he caught fire in June. Altuve, Springer and Correa being out is just exacerbating the issue. Lunhow needs to pull the plug on the Tucker MLB experiment for this year and go find a veteran bat that has cleared waivers. For example, Curtis Granderson is nothing special at this point in his career, but he’s a giant upgrade over Kyle Tucker, and can be had for nothing of consequence. Also, Tyler White needs to be the DH instead of Gattis until Evan shows he has a plan at the plate. The A’s could be one game back after tonight, and if you are the Astros, you want no part of a one game playoff against the Yankees.
Appreciate the positive vibe. No question we SORELY miss Altuve and Springer. Don't think anyone would not think they won't make a difference. However, the supporting cast leaves a LOT to be desired. White, Davis, Tucker, Gurriel, Maldonado, even Bregman are on snooze. Throw in some of the pitching lately and wow. We HAVE to have a bat from somewhere.Hope you're right but the concern is real IMO.
The good news is we did manage to score a run on 3 hits... and we are technically in first place.... and Tucker has his average up to a robust .140.
