That doesn't add up at all. We certainly haven't gone from 5.1% to just over 70% to make the playoffs Tuesday. I'm officially declaring shenanigans.
Honestly I have no connections to Verlander. I don’t know if it is out yet, but I do know that he has said he waive his no trade clause for the right teams - so that tells me he isn’t THAT happy in NY. My guess is he knows his window is closing and wants to compete for a title every year left. Teams so far have told the Mets they want them to eat some of his salary through taking back a bad contract. My guess is if the Mets move Verlander it will be at the last minute so the Mets can see if a bidding war happens.
Maldonado is almost 37 years old and has a substantial injury history and is playing now with hand and a wrist injury. He is as tough a player as you will find. He is clearly past his prime but his importance to the Astros the last half decade plus isn’t made up.
I stayed up until midnight to watch after a long travel day, then passed out and legitimately thought I had dreamed the 9th inning. How nice to wake up and confirm it really happened!
Any thought of giving Lee a look soon. I haven't seen him since ST but he seems to have turned it back on recently.
You can feel that way and I may even agree with you - but he has now remained the starter through 3 smart GM’s and multiple managers.. and the pitchers all ask the manager to have him start behind the plate.
Why would they when their ERA'S are better with Diaz, Diaz is a better catcher who can hit, and Maldy leads the league in passed balls, can't throw anyone out, etc. I just don't buy it anymore. Nope. I know I know InTaNgIBleS
https://theathletic.com/4664281/2023/07/03/cristian-javier-struggles-continue-astros/ Dusty Baker does not make many mound visits. He usually leaves the dugout only to lift a pitcher, delegating pep talks or sequencing strategies to pitching coach Josh Miller. In the middle of a Monday afternoon meltdown, however, Baker left his dugout and shuffled toward a languishing starter. He examined Cristian Javier’s eyes and sought input from catcher Martín Maldonado. Six of the Rangers’ past nine hitters had reached against Javier, putting the Astros’ eight-run advantage in peril. Phil Maton stood ready somewhere out in left field, one overworked reliever in a bullpen full of them. “My bullpen was kind of spent. Those guys have been pitching a lot. I wasn’t exactly sure what I was going to do,” Baker said afterward. “I was going to look at his eyes, look at Maldy and (I) decided he had enough to get the next guy out, then my bullpen would line up the way I wanted it to line up.” …“He’s not working deep into games,” Miller said after Monday’s wild 12-11 win. “That’s something he did last year, the back half of the year when he was a consistent starter for us. He was dominant. He was a force. We’re working to get back to that version of him. He’s working his tail off. We’re going to go back to the drawing board and, hopefully, get him right.” …The velocity and spin rate on Javier’s poorly-performing four-seam fastball were down from his averages last season, but the 26-year-old right-hander insisted afterward he feels “very good” physically. The team believes all of Javier’s issues are mechanical. “There (are) subtle, little things we’re trying to adjust back to how he was moving last year,” Miller said. “I’d say it was visible in spots (on Monday), but not consistent. We’re aiming to get more consistent.”
He picked money over loyalty. Verlander is about money and playing in a prime time market. He could of picked the Rangers, but most likely he didn't want to face Astros and/or playing for a non-marketable team. Remember had the Yankees offer him more years, he would of been Yankees, or Dodgers.
