Please limit talk in this thread to this series. Other topics should be discussed in the appropriate threads. Play-by-play is not allowed. If you need that, there are other places to find it. Political discussions belong in the D&D forum not in here. All games are broadcast on Space City Network unless otherwise noted. 8-18 Spencer Arrighetti (R) vs. Jack Flaherty (R) 5:40. MLBN (out-of-market only) 8-19 Hunter Brown (R) vs. Tarik Skubal (L) 5:40 TBS (out-of-market only) 8-20 Framber Valdez (L) vs. Charlie Morton (R) 12:10. MLBN (out-of-market only)
Knowing this team they'll get shut down against Flaherty and Morton but somehow manage to beat Skubal
This is a really big series. Astros can come out of this tied for 2nd spot in the playoffs and having gotten a lot of momentum.
With Dubin and Ort in that bullpen, I have very shaky confidence we can pull off one win in this series. The bats are just ice cold right now. Really need Yordan back to diminish the diarrhea in the 7, 8 & 9 spots.
AJ Hinch revenge games. It is going to be a masterclass on bullpen management, baserunning, situational hitting, baserunning, and trolling umpires.
The Astros get swept and their goal shifts from potentially being the 2 seed to just making the playoffs and seeing what happens. The Astros have the talent to be a team everybody else is scared of. If Yordan comes back and their lineup clicks, their offense will be hard core badass. Combine that with Framber/Brown and they’d be favored in any series. But if that doesn’t happen then they’re just another team hoping to get hot at the right time.
I have no idea; this team is so erratic and understaffed. Based on recent performance, they will likely go 0-3. BUT, they could shock with 3-0 or something in between. In summary, we know nothing and should not have posted.
The Orioles have the lowest ERA in baseball over the last month. We did not even face their best guy. The Astros are a poor hitting team with a crashing bullpen and 2 good SP’s. It’s not that shocking that we got worked over.
I actually think the Astros are slogging thru the last effects of the sign-stealing punishments and a little bit of poor front office work from 2020-2023. Similar to last season, they came into this year with very poor upper level minor league depth and very minimal resources to improve their big league roster. Right now their position player roster is actually very deep. Even without Alvarez, Paredes, and Meyers, they currently have 9 players who project to be average or better hitters (>95 wRC+), and that doesn’t include Melton (a very high upside prospect) or Dubon (who is having a career year). But their luck seems to have run out in terms of plug-and-play scrub pitchers. Their lack of minor leaguers pitching depth is exposed, not because it didn’t exist, but because it’s been all used up. Alexander has been another gem, but their bullpen is really damaged. I have very high hopes for this issue, as they should have 3 pitchers ready to come up next week, and have another set of minor leaguers who will be eligible to come back if needed. For now I expect this team to get scorching hot starting sometime in the next 7-15 days, as Arrighetti and Javier find their footing, they have a half dozen pitchers vying for 3-4 roster spots, and they get Yordan back.
It is 100% a lack of discipline. They are undisciplined at the plate, on the bases, on defense, and on the mound. DD
Depends on which Astros team shows up, nothing will shock me. Will Spaghetti come back to form, Can Framber and Hunter go 7, can the bats wake up? LWW
