Our starting pitching is sub par. Can our bats and bullpen take us to the WS? For the first time this year, I am worried we aren’t going to get it done. We need a miracle from the minors. James? Dubin, Rogers? McCullers, maybe Framber, maybe Garcia. That just ain’t gonna cut it. Maybe we should bring Javier back to the rotation. I’m usually an optimist, but this rotation is really suspect. Love the trades, just think we needed a starter. White Sox are now the team to beat in my opinion.
Maybe our lack of depth has been exposed. Last year guys like Diaz, Toro and Straw were bench guys. This year it guys get hurt it seems like we have AAAA players as replacements and end up fielding a semi minor league team.
A lot of teams seem to he experiencing higher starter ERA's in recent weeks. The popular thought is the lack of sticky stuff but it could also be that pitchers are just getting tired after only going through a 60 game season last year. Hopefully it's a wall that they can break through and get a second wind to close out the season and playoffs.
Last year, Toro and Straw hit like and were essentially AAAA players, and Jack Mayfield got into 21 games and Garrett Stubbs into 14. Injuries for any team will show a true lack of depth over the course of 100+ games, which might not seem as bad in a 60 game stretch. Even the Dodgers and Yankees have had to run out some low-level players this year.
I'm not that worried because my expectations dropped dramatically after the trade deadline. In my opinion, several teams leapfrogged the Astros. I would take the White Sox and Blue Jays to beat the Astros in a series. I think the Rays and Yankees would be a coin toss, and the Astros should be able to beat the Red Sox and A's..... I have more hope for next season than this season, but they still gotta play the games so hopefully I'm wrong.
Anything can happen. Not that worried, but I never expected a World Series from this group. If they catch fire at the right time, who knows? Feels like they might be slightly outmanned at the moment, but if they get healthy at the right time, they’ll have a chance.
I hope I'm wrong, but as the axiom goes, good pitching generally beats good hitting - especially come play off time. When your best pitcher is the 2021 version of Zack Greinke, the Astros won't be popping any champagne corks this year.
Greinke-McCullers-Garcia-Valdez is a fine quartet of SP. Its not going to strike fear in any team, but if their lineup is fully healthy and clicking, this team has as good chance to win the WS as any in the AL.
2 months still left, so not too worrisome In the playoffs 2 years ago, Verlander stunk it up. We just need to get into the playoffs. I think the Stros are playoff hardened.
Yeah the offense sure has shown to come through the clutch. They fell asleep versus the rays the first 3 games, got dominated by the nationals at home in 2019 and we know what happened with the red Sox. Bergman coming off a injury and it's not like bregman has ever showed up big time in a series unfortunately. The pitching staff has always carried us in the playoffs don't be fooled into thinking Yuli is going to somehow carry us. I love this team but was disappointed we didn't get a TOR at the deadline. We use to be that team that traded for holes but crane doesn't want to pay the tax this year. They've played well above expectations so I'm enjoying it anyways but we lack pitching in a way you just can't hide
Worried? Not really. Pissed off by how the trade deadline went after taking a step back ten days later and evaluating our moves? Absolutely. Pissed off enough that I just spent an hour looking up the cost, in terms of prospects given up, for each of the major bats traded at the deadline and then wrote a lengthy post summarizing it in a thread I just created. At a high level, this is why I'm pissed... It's August and we're seeing Robel Garcia still in the starting lineup multiple days in a row (even one day is one too many TBH), Maldy playing 1B, and seemingly every day having MULTIPLE hitters in the lineup that are sub .200 hitters and sub. 300 OBP with zero pop, or really ANY skill that even comes close to being MLB average. During this one and the previous two (2019-2020) seasons, we haven't had many games with a fully healthy lineup so it's not a surprise to ANYONE with a clue that we still don't have a healthy lineup...and I will bet anyone here that we won't have a fully healthy lineup come October. In other words...get used to seeing at least one of Jake Meyers, the Athletics 31 year-old AAAA reject, Taylor Jones, and/or Robel Garcia in the lineup in addition to Maldy or Castro on a nightly basis. When you take into account you need to give your players off days, it won't be shocking to see two of these guys in the lineup at least once or twice every week. While I like Chas McCormick, I'm not exactly thrilled to be married to him throughout the playoffs - it won't surprise me if he's exposed against the top tier teams/pitching. Finally, I'm starting to wonder if Correa isn't hurt and trying to fight through it since he's in his contract year...he's looked via the eye test absolutely miserable at the plate and this is backed up by his stats over the last 25 games where he's batting under .200 with an OPS hovering around .600. So yeah...pretty pissed we didn't give up IMO what I feel was nothing in terms of prospects to get a bat like Starling Marte. Posters here shot me down and/or thought I was crazy for wanting Nelson Cruz (I knew he was going to be traded for peanuts) but I still truly believe having his bat in the lineup would have been worth the trade-off of having to live with the defense of Yordan in LF regularly (who FYI hits like Barry Bonds in his roided out prime when he starts in LF as he's hitting .361/.443/.759/1.202 with 10 HR, 22 R, 24 RBI, 12/12 K:BB, and the only SB of his career in 24 games in LF) and Tucker in CF. Given Brantley's history (and Yordan's for that matter) of being injury prone, there's always the chance that Chas has to end up playing CF and Tucker slides back to RF under this scenario...instead we get to see Taylor Jones, who ironically sucks at defense in the OF, or Jake Myers during nights where Brantley is out.
It isn't "maybe been exposed"...it's "definitely been exposed" by our lack of depth due to a subpar to poor trade deadline performance by Click/Crane. Had we traded for at least one of Marte, Gallo, or Schwarber (I realize he's banged up right now but talking playoffs here), we would have McCormick as an insurance policy/depth that we absolutely will end up needing if the previously ~300 games have proven in terms of this team being 100% healthy and all in the lineup at the same time for an extended period of time.
FYI I found this to be interesting/concerning...looking into Chas' stats against the Red Sox and White Sox (no AB against TBR and only 5 against NYY) this season, he's hit .182/.286/.182 in 14 PA and .158/.200/.158 in 20 PA in the games against the two teams, respectively. Additionally, he hit .143/.143/.143 in his combined 14 PA against the Giants and LAD during the past road trip. In summary, in nearly 50 PA against the teams we'll need to go through to win the WS, Chas has hit about as well as Robel Garcia has during the season...
I am worried about the manager. I have seen players mail it in, but Dusty is mailing in lineups. Can't assume a AAA lineup can beat the AL central...
Well Robel is batting .095 against teams with a winning record.... .188 against teams with a losing record... so Chas is still twice as good.
LOL touché. I'd ask if Robel was at least drawing walks or hitting for some pop but let's be real...he doesn't do either of those ever. Edit: Fun fact. Gurriel is hitting .340/.404/.534 against teams over .500 and .292/.359/.400 against teams under...that's almost .200 difference in OPS
