Astros 16-14 in the 2nd half... we fired Jimy Williams for going .500... so here's hoping to a happy solution.
Altuve cost 2 ALCS games on his own... and his spot as one of the best players in the league is not endangered. Ken Giles, Mitch Williams though...
what's disturbing to me is yeah we went through August slumps in 2017, 2019. Differences Dusty Baker wasn't manager, and this slump began in late June. When the bottom fell out in Cincinnati, Baker was adamant there was no urgency to win games.
But they wouldn’t have fired him had they gotten off to a start where they were 20+ games over .500. The Astros won’t have to fire Baker. His contract is up at the end of the season. I also think Jimy would thrive in today’s metric-centric MLB. He was ahead of his time but nobody liked him because he was deemed unconventional.
After Tucker went down with the COVID protocol, Dusty’s comment about be careful what you wish for makes sense now! Dusty and Click aren’t on the same page…. Dusty and Click are obviously not clicking. Dusty isn’t following the game-plan. Dusty probably figures he’s forgotten more about baseball than Clicks even memorized.
Another low scoring game with a well rested bullpen. Will Baker manage this game a lot better than the last time this situation arose? Has Click had Blake Taylor kidnapped and bound by duct tape in the clubhouse? All questions we need answers to.
Framber at the exact same 85 pitch count after 6 innings as Greinke was the other night. Let's see if Dusty learned his lesson.
Javier, who hasn't pitched since Thursday, should be pitching the 10th, 11th and 12th if necessary. But no, it's Dusty's son-n-law Brooks Raley. Jesus Christ.
Astros are not going to fire Baker…we will win despite him or go down with him, and hopefully we hire Estrada this offseason. I think Dusty has served a fine job for his clear post-scandal muck up role, but it’s time to hand the keys to Estrada and hopefully with some star retention we can continue to win for years to come. The rift between Click/Baker seems pretty clear, borderline comical if the winning weren’t so overshadowing the reality. Not sure if Estrada is Click’s guy…but is the no-brainer I think.
I have less of an issue with his bullpen usage than his bizarre lineup and defense construction. With limited bench, Jones at first and Diaz at left is the way to make sure you don't lose Alvarez in late game situations.
Playing in the field helps most hitters hit better than as a DH as it keeps them active. Alvarez was hitting 0.363/0.438/0.747 as a LF prior to the game in 105 plate appearances. I'm not sure if that is sustainable, but I have no problem with Dusty placing Alvarez in LF with Valdez pitching to see.
There is one player on the roster who hits better in the field than at DH, and that is Yordan. There is one better at DH, and that is Brantley. Yordan isn't an everyday fielder, so this is a moot point.
I do think they should play Yordan in left once a series. I think it would be good for Alvarez and Brantley.
