Crane will extend his contract, as he is smart unlike the other Houston owners. Dusty may not want to coach another year if we win it al this year though. Getting to championships is difficult, so you don't want to make major changes that would upset the chemistry. We were fortunate with the MLB punishment, that we were able to replace the staff with others that didn't revamp our way of playing and existing coaches like Stromy... Whereas the other Houston Pro owners get teams to a certain level of success, then do the unthinkable and revamp their systems and become a bottom feeder.
World series games 3&4 were both lost after the starter was pulled early. In both cases those starters had shown no signs of distress and were in complete control. There is no way to know if the outcomes turned on those decisions. At the time I and I believe most of you wondered why in the hell would such an action was taken. Our mistake was to assume it was a reasoned decision. Dusty was out there somewhere all on his own. In my opinion it was foolish at best. At worst it was inexcusable. If Dusty returns next year it will not be because he is good at his job.
The braves pulled their starter with a no hitter. It is just the way modern baseball is played. Not 3rd time through the lineups.
Game 3 the Astros were shut out and already losing when Garcia was taken out. In game 4, Greinke wasn’t pulled early. He was pinch hit for after throwing more pitches than he had since September. The Astros scored 2 runs combined in both games and you think pulling the pitchers is why they lost?
What I said was "There is no way to know if the outcomes turned on those decisions." and that "In my opinion it was foolish at best." In game 3 Our hitting woes were compounded by the ump playing against us. In game 4 I do believe pulling the starter was the primary cause of the loss.
We lost those games because we couldn't hit with RISP. I've been no fan of Baker this season, but he has managed the playoffs perfectly, and yesterday was a masterpiece. It is not his fault we go into hitting slumps, but his roster moves yesterday broke us out of that funk we were in. I think we're in real good shape now. Credit Baker.
Except for not double switching Siri and Graveman. Made no sense. Graveman should not have been the third hitter (guaranteed an at bat) in the 9th inning. Also, the decision to not have Siri steal until there were 2 outs in the 8th of the (at the time) 1 run game Friday. Don't get me wrong, Dusty has done a fine job, but he has made some head scratching decisions (as have most managers).
how the hell did not a single coach see the OBVIOUS need for a double switch is beyond me, That was flat out negligent and inexcusable, particularly for a guy who managed in the NL.
The reasoning which I get is if the game was closer, you are pulling Graveman after one inning and you want Diaz in that spot, not Siri anyways. Otherwise, you have less than ideal lineup configuration. Since the lead was bigger, it is a moot point.
No... it's not. Siri was in for defense. You must not understand how the double switch works. They should have put Siri batting 9th and Graveman 4th regardless if Graveman was going to pitch 1 inning or 2 innings. Regardless of the score, you want the pitcher as far away from the batters box as possible. Putting Graveman in Yordan's spot puts him 7 batters away in the 9th rather than 3. That's baseball 101.
I don’t mind the pinch hit, but I don’t think Marwin was the right choice there. He’s brutal from the left side. That game wasn’t lost because of any managerial decision. It was over when the Astros left 7 men on in the first 3 innings. One hit with men in scoring position and that game is very different. I mean the Astros were 0-8 with men in scoring position, left 11 on base and scored their only runs on a ground out and a solo homer. The managers job is to put players in a position to execute and they had tons of chances to execute and just didn’t.
Here's the thing, you still had the most valuable bat off the bench available to pinch hit in Diaz, so you want him in the right part of the order. Diaz is far more preferable over Siri in that pitcher spot with or without base runners due to his contact skill set. With Greinke used as a pinch hitter earlier, Stubbs is still available -- so you could withstand at least one more turn to the rotation if it goes into extras. Siri is still down the lineup at the 4 spot if it came down to it, and you still maintain the defense. The double switch is used if the reliever needs to go multiple innings and/or you are trying to conserve a bench bat. Since the 4 run lead stayed intact in the 8th, the issue is moot. If it was a 3 run lead, this is what would have played out: With double switch then Pressly to close: 7- Bregman 8- Maldonado 9- Siri 1- Altuve Closer - Pressly Bench: Diaz (a wasted bullet for the 4 hole), Stubbs (for extras) ----- Without double switch then Pressly to close 7- Bregman 8- Maldonado 9- Pinch hit Graveman with Diaz 1- Altuve Closer- Pressly Bench: Stubbs (for extras only)
He's clearly terrible. He's only taken every organization he's ever been with to the post season, with 3 manager of the year awards and 12th all time in wins.
As far as I’m concerned, Dusty had his chance. If you can’t win a title in two tries with this team then it probably isn’t gonna happen. The man is cursed in the playoffs. That and he makes bad decisions like pitching Luis Garcia on short rest for ABSOLUTELY NO REASON WHATSOEVER.
At least players will be focused on getting better next year, instead of Carlos Correa Free Agency. I believe Carlos Free Agency is hurting the team. If the Astros signed Carlos in Spring Training there wouldn't have been such a distraction on the team. The media the whole year repeatedly saying Carlos is leaving, the opposing fans booing and hating.
Odorizzi has been the second best pitchers this series. Garcia should have never been allowed to face Soler. That was inexcusable.
Hindsight is 20/20, but Urquidy for an inning when we had plenty of other guys? And Garcia, once he got through the order the first time you definitely pull him. No Jake Odorizzi period is puzzling.
