We needed a bat before we became a MASH unit, I hope Dana is on the phone talking to clubs although now everyone knows we are desperate......maybe Brice being called up is an audition, but dam, we cant keep this up for much longer. We have the All Star break which is good. The part that sucks is we have ZERO clue on when ANYONE is going to come back, No word on Yordan, Spaghetti or Pena and we dam sure don't know about Jake. IMO we need 2 bats now and a SP if this is going to last .....................we can't let this lead go to waste, I feel if we don't make some moves we will torpedo this awesome season we have had
Yep. What’s crazy is that not only do the Astros have 3 starters out (in addition to already being one bat short), they also have players who would be the primary BACKUPS to those 3 players out. Losing Meyers wouldn’t be nearly as bad if Melton and McCormick werent out. Losing Yordan would at least have the upside of giving Dezenzo everyday at bats for awhile. Rodgers would be getting regular time while Pena is out. So Houston is running out at least 3 third string players right now, and in a few cases, it’s a fourth stringer. Unprecedented as far as I can recall.
Yep, it’s a strange phenomenon…. And prior to the season, if you would have told me that Matthews was sporting a .900 OPS in his first season at AAA, and knowing the team didn’t really have a 2B they were happy with, I would have been expecting a callup around super 2 (which is likely not even a thing after the upcoming 1-2 year work stoppage). It’s somewhat out of “necessity” now…. But it’s not like he’s buried on the 2019 Astros pecking order when this team is near healthy. Let’s see if he’s starting. If not then I don’t expect his callup to last very long.
Congratulations to Brice Matthews on his first call-up, here's why he might fail: He has contact issues. Congratulations to Brice Matthews on his first call-up, here's why he might succeed: When he makes contact, ball go fast.
At this juncture, we've probably reached a point where "struggling" Brice Matthews isn't much worse than these 4A scrubs we are running out there. Hell maybe the raw ability will be enough to make him a passable starter already. Even as an optimist it's hard to ignore the K rate, but maybe getting experience against the magnitude of pitcher he's gonna have to face will be what he needs to take his next steps. The Mariners hilarious inability to win after we lose has given us a nice cushion, but a trade for a bat has to happen.
Due to the new playoff expansion rules. There are a lot more “buyers” hoping for that 7th seed. Our farm system is perceived as scrubville league wide despite the Astros constantly picking gems. A smart organization which we are, is probably going to trade one of our starters for better prospects. I don’t see us being in the market for anything substantial.
Yes, it is harder but not impossible. Right now there are 8 teams that are at least 6.5 games out of the wild card right now - and 7 are at least 8 games out. There are players out there that are available. I don't entirely agree with this, the Astros have players in the minor leagues and young players in the major leagues that teams want. Possibly. Define substantial. I would argue that Ryan O'Hearn, Cedric Mullins, Bryan Reynolds, Nathaniel Lowe and Marcell Ozuna could make a difference for the Astros. None of them are going to be terribly expensive in trade and all have upside. Even Mullins and Reynolds, who have had terrible seasons have had a lot of bad luck looking at their deeper numbers... and all are on teams well out of the playoff race. Yes, some of the other guys linked to the Astros (Zac Gallen for instance) will require a longer time to wait and bigger prospects .... but not all of the guys out there will.
During a soccer game, I once tried to go shoulder to shoulder with a guy who was 6" taller than me and a solid 250 lbs. He won. I went down on my side and he fell right on top of me. Completely compressed me into the ground. I couldn't breathe, laugh, sneeze, or generally move for a couple of weeks. Pena will be fine and I'd bet he'll be ready to go after the ASB or very close to it. I'd say, worst case, by the home series vs the A's.
Do we even have anything left with functional limbs and a pulse that can be traded? We just need to get healthy... and if I learned anything from the steroid era, roads are okay as long as you are trying to come back from injury.
Over/under on hitters from our last game still being on the roster come playoff time? Paredes, Smith, Altuve, Walker, Yainer, Caratini, Dubon all seem like locks. Meyers, if healthy. Short? Whitcomb? Hummel? Trammel? Salazar? Corona? I'm not sure I'd put any of those guys at a greater than 50/50 chance.
Never seen an Astros team so injured. We aren't becoming a MASH unit. We ARE a MASH unit. I agree we've been great but something has to turn concerning injury luck and we need to trade for at least one "plus" MLB bat or we seriously risk watching this brilliant season go down the tubes.
Brice officially called up. Corresponding moves to be named later. I am guessing Meyers to IL. Need to check if 40 man roster needs a change...
I wouldn't care if he struck out 4 out of 5 at bats if that 1 time he didn't strike out was an extra base hit.
