Unfortunately, it looks like they want to do a three challenge system such that challenging balls and strikes could become an important baseball skill instead of just getting the calls right. This assumes they get a system fast enough to call balls and strikes realtime (which it appears they have or are very close).
Baseball is often won or lost by inches. Speaking of which, I read Caratini's homer made it out by inches.
Agreed But if the result (good or bad) was because of inches then it's not fair to say it was due to great or awful performance.
Fair or not, a great play is still judged a great play even if it barely succeeds. Ditto for a bad play.
Welcome to the '24 Astros. They lost a game on a 65mph 2-run double that was a foul ball. The tide will turn. 93 wins incoming.
Thats a crock of shiit. Umps miss a lot more calls per team than 3 most nights. 3 challenges per inning wouldn't be enough some games. Do you know the explanation for this approach?
Pena is having the strangest season. In the middle of a very promising breakout at the plate but has sucked **** defensively after looking nearly God tier in the field in 2022. -6 DRS somehow already and -3 OAA so it's not just bad luck.
Focus - focus -focus. The focus for Pena has been with the bat. I am confident that he can field his position well - I am not so confident he can hit well. So - Ill take the progress with the bat because he can circle back with the glove.
Regarding the first inning, I don't disagree there was some "bad luck" last night, but at the same time, there's plenty of blame that should fall on Hunter for allowing it to happen. After the Kwan leadoff infield hit, he finds himself in a 3-1 count (if I recall the first pitch of this AB was incorrectly called a ball but still can't allow it to get to this point) against Gimenez and has to throw a fastball middle middle to ensure he doesn't walk him - this leads to a hit and runners on 1st and 2nd. After retiring Ramirez, he's literally no where close to the strike zone on the first three pitches, all fastballs, to Naylor before throwing the 4th straight fastball to him. Sure, it wasn't hit well, but at the end of the day, Hunter got himself in a situation where he couldn't afford to walk him and had to throw a fastball that Naylor knew was coming. If you don't get down 3-0 in the count there, it likely never happens. From what I've seen, Hunter has definitely had some bad breaks but he's also compounded the problem by losing command and/or throwing balls over the middle of the plate after the fact.
