Yes it will. How much of this is because darvish has improved even more since last season compared to how bad the Astros are.
I love the game of baseball. It's my favorite sport. But some of baseball traditions drive me nuts. Fans and media thinking they can affect an outcome by not talking about what is going on is absolutely ridiculous. Also, isolating the pitcher in the dugout is just as stupid. As a matter of fact, if I'm the pitcher, the fact that the team is ignoring me in the dugout would make me feel more uncomfortable than if they were chatting up a storm with me.