McCullers Optioned to AAA <blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Astros roster move: Straily will start tomorrow and McCullers optioned for short stay. Might not even pitch Fiers starts Sunday in OAK</p>— Brian McTaggart ⚾️ (@brianmctaggart) <a href="https://twitter.com/brianmctaggart/status/628410269329272832">August 4, 2015</a></blockquote> <script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script> Probably won't be down there for long....
I don't think he hit the wall at all. His stuff was the same, he just couldn't locate anything last night. No command of his fastball.
Knee Jerk... Come on, this is baseball. We put up 8 ER on King Felix earlier this year, it happens. He was in a hitters park against a league rival, with the stakes constantly being raised. I am just glad that it was now, and now in September or October.
Its possible he may have been sent down anyways to control his innings. His recent outing just sealed the timing of it. What I don't like, is the mixed message. He may feel one way about it if its to save innings. Its another entirely if he feels its because of the bad outing. Not saying the answer was easy. But I dont want other pitchers getting the idea that if they have a bad day, their going to get replaced.
I agree. Wonder if he is actually going to Fresno? No reason for him to pitch at all if it's about managing innings. Can they "option" him to the minors, but still let him travel with the team and not be active? That would seem like a much better situation, both to manage his innings, the message it is sending, and the morale
It probably was planned. They told us so fast that it is hard to believe that made the decision in between the end of the game and media availability.
it's almost assuredly due to limiting his innings and he was almost assuredly told prior to last night's game that this was the case. and even if he wasn't told prior to the game, do you not think that Hinch is capable of explaining succinctly the situation to alleviate any potential misunderstandings? i'm not sure why people think this way, as if the astros brass has no sense of professionalism. much ado > nothing
Does anyone REALLY think our front office wasn't able to accurately explain the situation to McCullers? Or are we all just inventing crazy hypotheticals while we wait for the game tonight?
Oh i'm sure they know how to accurately explain it to him, no doubt about that. Let's not forget we are dealing with a 21 year old "kid" though, who has been living the dream with a group of others that for a large part, he came up through the system with. Then all of the sudden you are asked to go ride a bus in the minors while your buddies and teammates continue to live the dream. No matter how that is explained, it's gonna suck. Really wonder if he will even actually go to Fresno, or if it was just an option to create a space, he will rest a bit, but stay with the team
A succinct explanation doesn't guarantee how your going to feel about it. Lets say your right. And its clear his performance wasn't the reason. He still may feel something about his own performance. A day like yesterday is not the way you wanted to go back to the farm, even if you knew that day was coming.
Or that McCullers psyche is so fragile that he's going to go hide under the bed in a fetal position and cry ever so gently?
He only has a 100 innings pitched. I think there must be something up with this move. I think they are sending a message.
this was was coming even if he had given up 1/3 of a run last night. you really want to preserve his arm at this point in his career.
The first line of the chron's article about it starts "Lance McCullers understood why the Astros demoted him..." But yall can play armchair psychologist all you want. Air Langhi, have you not been paying attention? His career high is 104 IP, they've been saying for weeks now that they would be limiting his innings so he doesn't burn out later in the season. Pitching tired affects not only your effectiveness, but also your mechanics and that leads to injury. Everyone is on the same page here, except some of the fans.
