The health of the 2022 pitching staff - basically, the polar opposite of this season - falls into that "luck" category.
Any news on Meyers? He was pulled after taking a foul ball off his shin....after Tucker last year that is the last thing I want to hear. DD
It was also basically Framber (who continues to make every start), and JV coming off TJ surgery as the permanent rotation guys. LMJ/Odorizzi weren't in the rotation the whole year. Urquidy/javier/Garica - helps to be between 25-27 years old... but you could also cite this season as what set the stage for all three ending up requiring TJ surgery (which now seems to just be an inevitability if you're a young pitcher).
That was a great team. The only real levers were P, 1B, C, and CF if I recall correctly. I don't even think 1B was really an issue in the playoffs. I think pitching was mostly pitching coaches (granted, I think this about most good teams), but the Astros were tripping over good pitchers that year. Dusty got his catcher, but ended up having to start the front office's pick in CF.
I was at the Ice Box, where - as opposed to taking delight in their every failure, big or small - I was ROOTING FOR the home team! ...Like, you know, an ACTUAL Astros fan!
correctomundo. the offense did not have a out of this world performance. the yankees gifted the astros 3 straight runs by doing dumb shiet. offense still struggle with men in scoring position.
The injury to Maton helped to keep him away from Dusty. Dusty would have pitched Maton in the playoffs who was shaky at best. With the Maton injury he relied more heavily on Abreu who was incredible.
It happened in the last Yankees series too. I said it then and will say it again, the only way Manfred was giving us Robo umps next year is if he sees the Yankees getting screwed over, especially against the Astros. So, say hello to Robo umps in 2026 (or at least a challenge system).
I will say this - I have not seen a team in baseball this season, outside of arguably the Brewers for awhile where I thought "they are just better than the Astros." I expected it to be the Dodgers but they really just seemed like a listless team going through the motions. I see elements of teams I am concerned with --- the Yankees ability to hit for power is something that would concern me in a playoff series... the depth of the Dodgers line up..... the Rangers rotation........ However, there is no one that I look at and say "At their best they are better than the Astros at their best." This team isn't a 100 win team - but it has a VERY high potential upside in a month. Brown/Valdez/Javier in the rotation Garcia at the top end of a possible tandem 4th starter. The Astros will have a better idea on Bennett Sousa in the next week and whether he can start throwing again. Josh Hader thinks he will be back for October, we will have to wait and see. Honestly, getting one of the back and effective would make a big difference for the Astros - but there is still a chance they get both (or neither). Jake Meyers should be back soon, and in CF before the playoffs. I don't think anyone is counting on Paredes, but he is working out without a limp and is staying in shape. He would be a massive help for the Astros, but they may not even need him. There are a lot of "ifs" for the Astros, but most have not been ruled out at this time - and the upside is enormous. Anyone that tells you they know if this team will lose in the wildcard or win the World Series is someone you don't want to put your trust in.
Oh, I think they need that bat in the lineup in a baaaad way. How they squeeze him in will be pretty tricky... 2B, I guess, but that's less than ideal. Not sure I'd want a guy with a bum hammy playing up the middle.
He’ll DH which means Alvarez in LF and Altuve at 2B. Not an ideal defense but the lineup could be awesome.
Like... the Yankees did not prioritize defense even after their defensive disaster in last year's World Series. This is where Gary Pettis could have ran wild...
