I'm assuming this has to do with wanting another arm in the pen and not needing 6 starters since there's 2 off days in the next 10.
Today is the 3rd day out of 8 that Altuve isn't playing. We also have 2 off days coming up in the next 8 days. If he is only able to play in 2/3 of our games, we have zero chance of making the playoffs
I am so low on Bregman right now that if this were his contract year, I would consider letting him walk.
Glass half full: We are seven games over 500 and slotted to make the playoffs today. We have been hit with injuries at a high clip but have the best hitter on the planet returning this season and his name is Air Yordan. We have seen meaningful strides from a slew of younger players and our HOU ranks 1 in ERA. Thid team is having a rough patch, and Bregmans struggles are not great…but at the end of the day, we’re the World Series champs and our lineup is proven. The injury bug has been a huge hamper that we’ve luckily avoided the past 6 years all things considered. I have no doubt this team will come out of this rut—no team wants to face HOU in the playoffs. We need to get our bullpen straight but the offense will improve. R-e-l-a-x
I like it. There's still time, there's still hope. A healthy Yordan and Brantley playing nearly everyday fixes many ills. Just need to hang on until then. I hope Alex has a good game, he is so very streaky, but I still think him the perfect #2 hitter
Even with our recent struggles, the pen still has the 4th best ERA in baseball Truth is with the shift no longer allowed, we aren't going to see the ultra low bullpen era's anymore. Also, I would guess most leverage relievers are being affected by the pitch clock more than starters are. They pitch in late/tight situations all the time so by nature they go a little slower, but the bigger thing is they don't have the sheer number of pitches that starters do to adjust. As for the playoffs, I fully agree no one would want to face us in the playoffs. Framber/Javier/Brown could match any top 3 any team could put out there against us, and i'll take our pen over almost any other when it's playoff time Problem is, there is a decent chance we don't see the playoffs. I know that right now we are sitting in what would be a playoff spot. But we are 3-6 since Yordan went down and it looks like Altuve will be a 4-5 games per week max guy for a while. We simply can't afford Dusty's lineup crap right now cause every single regular season game will mean much more this year than it has in the past. We need to be maximixing every situation, like a Tampa Bay does, if we want to stay in a playoff spot. It certainly doesn't look like that's the direction we are headed
In spite of giving up like 7-8 mph in max EV, Yainer is more likely to barrel in a given PA than Yordan. That’s wild.
I do appreciate this and there is so much time left to get right. Still, it just has the feel of a season gone wrong due to many things out of the Astros control. The season is far from lost but it also doesn’t have that magical feel that I felt for the majority of last season. Loooooong way to go though. I will never give up on my team.
No? He seemed fine early on, pitched around a ton of traffic, and hoped he had found a way. That being said, his past couple of outings haven't exactly inspired a ton of confidence. They have a couple of off days coming up, do didn't think it was just to bring in a fresh arm.
No. Bielak pitched yesterday, there's no need for 6 starters for 10 days at least (2 off days), this gives them an extra arm in the bullpen and keeps Bielak on a starter's schedule.
