Yeah, we got fleeced on the Graveman deal. Korey Lee is a good player, again stuck behind Dusty's favorite player Maldy. Yet another high cost to Maldy's playing time -- blocking and then losing talent.
I personally am fine with it. He is under contract next year at only 8 million and Lee is a back up catcher. Graveman isn't an 8th or 9th inning guy, but he is fine for a 6-7th inning pitcher, which the Astros needed and likely will still need. He has a 2.90 era with the Astros so far. He isn't unhittable like he was a few years ago, but more often than not he gets the job done.
Getting swept by the Mariners was supposed to be our come to Jesus moment. Not sure where you go from here but I have zero faith in Dusty and this coaching staff to pull the right strings. All season long folks have sounded the alarm that this team isn’t simply going to carry the division in their sleep but Dusty refused to show even the slightest bit of urgency. It’s coming back to bite them in the ass and the starting pitching seems too far gone to think a legitimate run is a reasonable expectation.
he was “unhittable” in 2021 until we acquired him. Then he sported a 1.39 WHIP for us down the stretch. He did pitch well in the playoffs.
We can gnash our teeth at this, or that move by Dusty, or Brown, but the main thing is that our starting pitching is not dependable right now. Unless Framber and Javier can return to form, this team won't do anything in the playoffs. There is no way on Earth we can depend on the like JP France, or Urquidy to see this through.
While there is certainly a basis for criticism, I think some of it is a lot of Astros fans aren't used to a tight race this late in the season. Wasn't it 2016 the last time we sniffed 3rd place in late August? Folks have short memories these days. We have been spoiled since 2017. That said, I am mad, disappointed and frustrated with how things are turning out. A lot can happen in 5 weeks of baseball though. Lets just see.
Kenyan Middleton was the get from the Chicago bullpen. We missed the boat on that one. Shoulda had Lance Lynn for peanuts as well. Hey both 0f those guys and Verlander ando you'd have lots of options all the way around.
I just don't see a way forward for this year beyond just hoping that suddenly all our starting pitchers don't suck.
Verlander is an A+ and I like the Graveman move. But this team only got 2 of 4 spots it needed. I think Graveman was the perfect get and Lee was the perfect piece to use to get him. No way this team was going to have 2 young catchers both on the roster so was : trade Lee, keep Lee in AAA, or move Diaz to 1B/DH/b-u C permanently. This team needed another veteran reliever that Dusty WILL use in the late innings who can help give Pressly, Abreu, and Neris some rest. They needed a 2nd guy though. Mission accomplished. Last 24 days in July vs 1st 24 days in August Pressly: 10 IP vs 7 IP Abreu: 9.1 IP vs 8.2 IP Neris: 9 IP vs 8 IP 16% reduction in IP The big miss was not getting a bat to help vs RHP. The only possible help is Brantley returning in September and being his past self. I would give the trade deadline a C for moves not made.
We should give Arrighetti (sic) and Loperfido a shot. Send Singleton down or out. Put our best lineup out there everyday. They need to be added to the 40 man before Sept. 1 to be eligible for playoffs. Lengthening the offensive line-up should be paramount. We should start using some tandems. Verlander/bullpen, Valdez/Urquidy, Javier/Arrighetti, JP/Brown, Bielak/bullpen. This would save some of our starters from overwork and preserve our bullpen. I think it’s worth a try.
McCullers and Garcia are both on 60 day IL so that is a loophole that would allow the team to add players after September 1st and be eligible for the playoffs. However I disagree with both of these choices. The team can add 1 additional pitcher and 1 additional position player September 1st. The pitcher needs to be a guy like Bielak who can give the team long relief/starter innings and is a known quantity. They just need to get the best 8-9 pitchers currently on the roster rested for the playoffs (and get in). They don't need unsurety and don't need to look for a guy hoping he can become one of those 8-9 playoff arms. As for hitting, Dusty has his players. Bringing Loperfido up would be like bringing Diaz up last year- a waste while he is pulling splinters out of his butt riding the pine. He isn't going to take Abreu's job away and DH needs to be available for Diaz since Dusty obviously is catching Maldy 5-6 times per week. Loperfido needs to finish the season getting PA's in Sugar Land. Brantley is the only position player I can see coming up and actually helping this team with reasonable playing time.
For France it's hard to tell if yesterday was the first signs of a career high innings load hitting, of if it was simply a harsh correction game given how much he's overperformed his peripherals. This is by far the most that's been asked of him as a full time starting pitcher.
And this is not a Dusty issue. Our SP is struggling. The Astros may need to rest some o the SPs to have them ready for the playoffs, but can the Astros win enough games doing that to get to the playoffs? A real conundrum.
I think the Red Sox video guy picked up on something and they exploited it. They were on a lot of pitches that weren't necessarily bad location or terrible velocity.
Based on career results, Graveman is just a slightly better version of Montero. Both have had 2 good/great seasons in their decade, and the rest either sucked or were pediatrician. The Astros were desperate for bullpen help and the reason is DUSTY. His playing subpar lineups led to more losses, closer games, and abuse of the main leverage guys. This has only led to an inability to load manage the starters. Now there's no hope in sight Framber, Javier, or Brown will ever be fresh again this season -- you can probably add France to that list.
I’m predicting Abreu is done for the season or will be soon. He re-hurt his back diving for the ball. I have no faith in Brantley lasting the rest of the year. I also don’t think Brantley is going to lengthen the lineup, because Dusty is going to sit Diaz at least 2 out of every 5 games when Brantley gets back. Hope I’m wrong, but if Crane and Brown let Dusty keep control of the lineup, we are going to miss the playoffs.
