So fast forward to August 15 1 Valdez 2 Brown 3 Arrighetti ? McCullers ? Gordon ? Walter ? Javier ? Garcia ? France Could be looking at choosing between 9 potential starters. I'd consider using Javier in relief. He primarily served as a relief pitcher for us before finally getting in the rotation permanently in 2022. Maybe even the same for McCullers. Will be difficult to dismiss both Gordon and Walter if they keep pitching this way. We should be able to go to a 6 man rotation during stretches where we have no off days.
Nope. Hot and Humid is the prime launching weather. Or just deny reality and cry yourself to sleep cuddled up next to those other guys.
Gusto should be on that list. France is probably a non factor. At least 2-3 other guys are going to have setbacks and not be available. Houston may not need to trade for a SP but they’re as likely to be shorthanded as they are to have a surplus. But if everybody is healthy and pitches to projections, the playoff pitching staff would look like this: SP: Framber, Brown, Walter, McCullers RP: Hader, Abreu, Sousa, King, Okert, Dubin, Javier, Garcia, Arrighetti At least 2 of those guys will probably be hurt, so Gordon and Gusto would be next in line.
Love the 2022 vibes im getting from this pitching staff. Get rocked for 12 runs, turn around and shut out the next day. This run has been nice. Also, I like winning series.
I’d love to see a tandem guy. Like MCullers and Morton were in the 2017 playoffs. Have two guys like either MCullers or Javier who aren’t known for going deep in games be a tandem with someone like Garcia or Walter. Javier/McCullers give you a good 5 then you get Garcia/Walter to pitch innings 6-9. Every 5th/6th day your bullpen gets a full day of rest seriously saving their arm over the course of a season. That’s an alternative to the 6 man rotation that focuses on saving bullpen arms the way a 6 man rotation is supposed to save starting pitchers. Obviously bring in Abreu/Hader on these days if needed to close out the game, but the idea is to slow them down some. Last year I think Abreu lead the league in appearances and Hader looked gassed after going multiple innings early and often last season and never really looked like peak Hader the rest of the year until this season
If Walter doesn’t fall off, he’s a lock as a playoff starter. Even his projections, which are not as good as the numbers he’s put up since he came up, place him as a better pitcher than Javier or Arrighetti. I really don’t think it matters much, as whoever the 3rd and 4th SP are will be on very short leashes, especially since there will be 2-3 extra quality SP available in the bullpen and they will have free rein to use their traditional RP just about every game.
Don’t count your chickens before they hatch. Let’s hope tubby Dana is only getting more aggressive to add bats the longer this run goes on.
AL CyYoung (IP/K, W-L, ERA, WAR) 1. Brown (98/118, 8-3, 1.74, 3.9) 2. Skubal (102/125, 9-2, 2.29, 3.4) 3. Fried (108/104, 10-2, 1.92, 3.7) 4. Crotchet (109/135, 7-4, 2.06, 3.7) 5. Valdez (109/108, 8-4, 2.72, 3.0) What a race between the top 4.
For nearly a month now I have heard the Astros are pretty serious about adding a playoff level starting pitcher… so very possible the #3 starter isn’t even on the team right now.
Assuming pitchers coming off injury / surgery are immediately going to return to form, during the stretch run, is a mistake. Javier has been gone for a long time. Garcia for even longer. Look at McCullers and how that’s working. I’m optimistic about those guys for 2026. But this year just ending it healthy and back in any form will be a success for them.
They sent him down rather than Gordon earlier in the year. Javier has a ring and 20M a year contract. We will obviously have to see how everyone pitches but I think the org probably has Walter ranked about the 8th option right now if you gave them truth serum.
I mean- whatever. I don’t understand that when you have the best pitching staff in the game- 4 quality arms coming back over the next 45 days, and an offensive unit held together by duct tape and bailing wire, but sure- go get another starter and let’s stay in 18th place in the majors in runs scored.
Agreed with this sentiment, priortizing a starting pitcher over a quality LH Bat (O'Hearn) is quite ridiculous.
