I know jumping to conclusions based on Dusty's previous actions is called jumping to conclusions out of hate only, but has Dusty ever shown an ability over a full season to be able to deploy a non-closer in higher leverage situations than the closer? Dusty (or whoever is making pitching changes) has his order of relievers, and follows that order most of the time. If the Astros are going to continue with restricting Abreu to the 8th inning mostly or the 9th when Pressly is unavailable, he's not likely going to pitch in more important situations than Pressly. Click did a good job putting together a good set of relievers around Pressly so it hasn't mattered much.
No. The ball hit the bag. It would have been a tough play even if he fielded it cleanly, too. Yordan got 2 of the 3 outs in one inning. That might be the only time that happens in his career. Two great games to wash that bad taste out of our mouths. That final inning did get my heart rate up, though!
Hensley’s called strikeouts are killing me. He’s had a dozen or so in 69 ABs. Dude has to start swinging.
I don't know about this team. Sometimes...I feel like "Madonna, Madonna, Madonna!". And, other times...I feel like "Yoko, Yoko, Yoko!".
Maybe not more important, in any given game that is random the way Dusty uses relievers, but Abreu has been sent out in every inning from 5-9 so far this season. Abreu is more likely to be sent out in a winnable game than Pressly, who usually has a defined set of parameters that have to be met before he is called upon. Dusty has increasingly made Abreu the 8th inning guy, so I have a feeling his role is gonna be more defined moving forward, something I don't really agree with. IMO Abreu is our "best" reliever and should be used more frequently, but I agree Dusty won't use him depending on situation like he should to maximize his value. He is set in his old guy ways, you get the 6th, you get the 7th etc. Being the best closer and the best reliever are not always the same thing. We've seen a million times that elite relievers don't always make the transition to the last 3 outs. Not saying that would happen to Abreu, just that Pressly has been elite at getting the last 3 outs since we gave him that role, so why f**k with it, there's no upside. Abreu will likely put up flashier stats, but it's basically impossible for him to be better than Pressly has been at finishing games.
Tell you what that ump today was horrible. I mean he was consistent on the outside where it WASN'T a strike but he got Hensley and Bregman twice on that pitch
I hope to hell that we don't have any members here calling in to 790 post game shows because man they get some morons on there.
Let’s not forget that Dusty adjusted the way he deployed relievers in game 6 of the WS. He gave Neris the 7th, Abreu the 8th, and Pressly the 9th. I was certain he was going to put Montero back out there even though Philly had started hitting him pretty well. I was very happy to see Neris take the 7th, given Dusty’s track record, but he did make an adjustment. It seemed like Montero started this season as the 8th inning guy again this year, and Dusty changed it up after Abreu started off so good. Abreu’s role is high leverage stopper, which is where I think he should be. Dusty can drive me crazy at times, but he knows so much more about baseball than me that I have to trust him. Managing the bullpen for the regular season grind makes you have to pick and choose where to use those guys. I think he’s a lot more willing to use them to secure wins than to keep a game tied. Burning those guys on a loss can screw the team up for a week.
I thought he called a pretty good game, actually. He had that high strike for both sides. He missed a few, but I didn’t think it was too egregious. Edit: the worst call all year was the out call at 1B on Jake. Jake beat the ball by 2 feet. That would have been a killer without a challenge.
I was working and watching the game and it seemed like every time I peeked in he was calling that strike 4-6" off the plate, well and I hate umps also so there's that!
I was impressed at Dusty’s ability to manage the bullpen last year in a way that was fairly different than what he did in 2020, 2021 and definitely an adjustment from what he did at previous stints. Maybe it was the front office influencing things more but there was some things that stood out and continue to stand out: 1. Having 4 guys being used to close game interchangeably, which paid divedends when Pressly was hurt or unavailable. Also Abreu wasn’t one of those guys initially last year… it was Nerris, Stanek, and Montero. 2. When Montero was struggling, Dusty got him in some low leverage situations, built his confidence back up, and then threw him right in as closer again when Pressly was out (where he had success)… which further propelled his confidence/performance. 3. Easing Abreu into high leverage situations as the season went on and then going full-on thrusting him into the spotlight in the playoffs and benching Stanek. That could also have been a front office move… but Dusty has stuck with that plan this year so maybe it wasn’t totally just that. 4. He’s currently doing a good job of not over pitching any of his “elite 4” but yes, it does seem that roles are slightly more defined. However wouldn’t surprise me to see Nerris/Montero get the opportunity to close if Abreu/Pressly unavailable… and I do think instilling that experience/confidence is as important to cultivating an elite bullpen as anything.
Dusty had 4 guys he used in 2021 as well. They just weren't as good and/or got fatigued. I don't think it matters too much with the quality of the arms in the pen too much. I'd prefer Abreu be utilized against the meat of the order in the 7th or 8th in tight games or as the closer. It is a small preference. Right now, Abreu looks like he's got the 8th (or the 9th if Pressly is unavailable). Last year, it felt like it was every 7-10 days that over half the pen was spent despite the Astros not using their pen as much as other teams. I think this might be having every Thursday off and having an extra reliever, but I do agree that Dusty has kept his elite relievers better rested so far this year. The Astros really are not built to handle a starter crapping the bed well (I think this is part FO not having a true long man in the pen, and part Dusty for letting long men lose their ability to go long by rotting on the bench/short outings).
I didn’t get that impression at all last year. Maybe Nerris was used a tad much… but he seems most likely to be able to handle it. I don’t think any team is built to handle starters crapping the bed consistently… those are typically really bad baseball teams. They had to get Graveman in 2021… and he wasn’t as good as he was before the trade.
No way. Every single person here is the model of tempered reasonability and always sees the big picture.
