I think you have to consider it with as big a lead as the team has created for itself. Could pay huge dividends down the stretch with the extra rest.
I've never been a fan. I want to keep guys as routine as possible. But if we build this thing up to 17 or 18 games soon I would tell my starter 6IP or 90 pitches...whichever comes first. Kuechel McCullers (Trade Acquisition) Morton Fiers Peacock Musgrove McHugh (not holding my breath). AJ has some tough choices ahead. Good problems.
Keep Keuchel on normal 5 day rotation then use the 6th starter to spell the other 4 one time each. I'm more concerned about injuries for McCullers and Morton and Keuchel has complained in the past about 6 man rotations.
If we have the roster spots to make it work without killing the bullpen, I'd favor this over the 10-day DL strategy. Consistent subtle rest seems more ideal (to me) than extended breaks or shutting down arms for a month. Then again, I've never been a pitcher so I have no idea how much the routine changes would screw with people mentally. But I hate the idea of shutting down McCullers for a month mid-season to rest his arm, for example. EDIT: Something like what Bear Bryant suggested could work well too.
I can't believe we have the luxury to even consider something like this in early freaking June. What time to be alive.
These guys want to pitch. I'm sure none of them, even hurting, would like to be on a six-game rotation. That's why you have to put them on the DL, just to force them to heal a bit. Hinch knows what he's doing. Trust him, and trust the batters to back up whoever's pitching.
I think Keuchel has been open about not liking extra rest. Its better to just have another pinched nerve or 2. They will probably be rotating pinched nerves for the rest if the year.
Keuchel was wrong on how he handled himself in 2016. He pitched through pain and the results showed it. One can even go as far as saying that Keuchel would have better served by resting more in 2015, if not for the close wild card race.
Stay in routines. Players need that. It's one of the reasons I don't like closers pitching in high leverage situations in the middle of the game and starters closing out series in relief. They aren't used to it and you saw what it did to Chapman and Keuchel. You can switch, but I think it would take a major adjustment period of over a year to get it right.
I think it'd be better to pull guys earlier (5 innings or 75 pitches) to keep them fresh for the playoffs than disrupt the routine. Keuchel McCullers Morton McHugh Musgrove Then have Peacock, Fiers, and Devenski alternate throwing the 6th and 7th. Hoyt, Harris, Gregerson, Giles, and Feliz would pitch the 8th and 9th. Is this scenario Sipp would have to go. I'm also sure we will see each guy go on a few 10 day DL stints over the next 3 months, with Paulino coming up to spot start for those guys.
I don't disagree. He needs to rest, and I'm sure he will rest. But that rest will come in a DL stint or 2 and getting pulled early on occasion. Just regularly pitching in a 6 man isn't something I see us employing. I imagine we are more likely to use DL stints, and maybe even the tandem system first.
I trust Hinch. I am pretty sure Astros are currently in a 6-man rotation (though modified with DL stints/options). DL manipulation is just a way to get a 6-man rotation up to even a 9 man rotation if you are the Dodgers. Not sure how he'll handle Keuchel going forward, but I am expecting the others to have some "pinched nerves". Currently, the Astros have 5 starters with more WAR than Gerrit Cole. Peacock, according to Effectively Wild, is leading all SPs in K% with at least 10 innings pitched (they do note it is a small sample size). Paulino has a chance to dislodge Peacock from the top of that leader board in a few hours . McHugh is eyeing a return around the All-Star game. Morton may be back to throwing today if his Dr's appointment goes well later today. Once McHugh and Morton get back to being healthy, Astros are going to start having even more "injuries".
But then you risk over taxing the pen. Keuchel should get to do what Keuchel does. Yes, they need to keep close eyes on Lance and Morton. There will almost assuredly be another arm added to the mix. There's something to be said for taking your foot off the gas too early. It shouldn't matter what our lead is until September. Then you can look at rest and resetting the rotation for the playoffs. If you start to screw with things now or even at the All Star break, you run the risk of pissing off the baseball gods. You keep playing. Frankly, even having this conversation before 50% of the season is played is uncomfortable.
McCullers and Morton would be my concerns as well. Keuchel can handle a heavy load - the other two, we have no idea, and they will be critical in the playoffs. I'd love guys like Fiers to get as many innings as possible as long as we're comfortably in first - he's likely not pitching for us in the playoffs, and every inning he pitches is an inning some other more important guy doesn't have to.
To be fair, when it comes to things like rest or health, it's pretty normal. Warriors and Spurs tend to do just fine - and then they rest players and do even better. Normally in June, you're trying to put yourself in the best position to make the playoffs. For the Astros, it's really all about putting themselves in the best position to win in the playoffs. The things that teams normally can only do the last week or two of the season (rest, etc), the Astros can start thinking about earlier, freeing them to do those things much better.
This seems about as good place as any...Peacock has been awesome. His slider, which was his best pitch, is showing a ton more horizontal movement and he's using it twice as often. He's now throwing it more than his fastball now. So while increased usage typically makes a pitch less effective, the increased movement seems to have turned it from a pitch that got a good amount of whiffs to being missed over half the time. McHugh went from throwing 4 seam FBs from 50% to about 30%to increase his curveball usage. Could Peacock going from 4 seam FB rate of 60+% to under 40% to increase his slider usage have a similar result? I don't expect him to keep up the pace, but his last three starts were ace material minus the running out of juice. This sounds crazy, but I am excited about Peacock's next start. He had 6 great innings last start.
He appears to hang his slider and/or throw it well but up in the zone too often. Sometimes it has occurred late and was maybe due to fatigue, but has happened early in games too. With more video to watch, I'm worried hitters are going to take advantage of that and pound his mistakes more often. If not, or if he can limit those mistakes better, I'd be more excited.
