That’s one of the most painful things about watching him. It is clear his swagger and confidence is completely gone. He looks like he knows his body will not do what he is asking it to do and like he’s out there just hoping to get lucky. Very very hard to watch.
Walter's statcast page is all red. He's easily our #3 starter if the playoffs were next week. Hopefully he can keep it up. Gusto and Gordon have been meh (but still better than LMJ). Walter's success goes to show you can succeed with less velo, if you are a lefty who can limit walks and keep the ball on the ground. LMJ doesn't have any of those going for him.
I feel pretty confident that between Walter, Javier, Arrighetti, and the bullpen depth that Houston can cobble together very competitive playoff pitching for games 3/4/7 of any playoff series. I don’t think Houston needs to add pitching at the deadline unless it’s a really high end multiyear option that they feel really good about the value of the trade. They should be much more desperate for a bat.
Not many people would have confidence knowing they have lost 3 mph on their FB since their debut. You have to be someone like Greinke to handle that type of velocity loss - he was able to paint edges and mix speeds well. Lance has the type of stuff where he could theoretically do that and be good, but as I've said multiple times, he never had good control even prior to his injuries.
I think Lance's struggles are a warning sign for those who are espousing the great cavalry of injured pitchers who will be coming to the rescue later this season. Pretty good chance that all of those guys struggle, especially the ones who underwent significant surgery. Some will never return to their former level. Injuries suck. I loved watching Lance pitch when he was at his best. He should never have to buy a beer in H-town ever again.
I would imagine Arrighetti should be fine based on the type of injury (not arm/shoulder related) and the fact he hasn't had that long of a layoff. After that, you are right - hard to count on any of the others. I feel best about Javier based on the fact he supposedly has been touching 95 mph and his fastball is his go to pitch. Don't have high expectations for Garcia or France.
Javier really hasn't been "that guy" since 2022. Arrighetti had one great month last August. Both are returning from injury. Both are very high ceiling pitchers, we've seen what they look like when they are on. But I'm not sure if I'm ready to write either into my playoff rotation. I do think if Walter is actually a #3 type, it leaves only 1 game per series needing a quality starter. If so, what a great find by the Astros staff, following his release from the Red Sox in 2024.
I agree about the thumb injury not being likely to hinder Arrighetti going forward. It's just the layoff and the fact he walks too many guys. He's got the stuff to get away with it better than Lance, though.
Again , who else do we have right now ? Imo we should be going 6 man rotation , but to maximize wins ... I guess getting brown and framber the most starts makes sense . I think brown needs the extra day of rest. Lances fastball has looked a bit better He just needs more confidence to throw it in there I think until we have the depth to easily remove him , he should keep starting . I like Garcia , hope he comes back
Lance was good after his first surgery. I think knowing that if his arm blows up, it's over for him has made him timid to really throw hard.
Fine tune it in the minors if it takes time. Don't drag the rest of the team down by draining the bullpen with his inefficiency.
Brown looks like 2024 mid season Ronel... fatigue starting to hit but will rebound some rest. Hopefully, the all star break is enough.
He needs more imo Brown isn't great when his fastball is 95 vs 98 Framber is fine when he's throwing 92 or 97
The Astros are playing for a playoff spot and a good deal more this year. Without regard to my expectations they simply can not afford to start a pitcher as bad as McCullers on a weekly basis any longer. Should they toss away the hopes of the entire organization or the playing time of one unplayable pitcher?
Well he could probably out pitch me on most (but not all) days but I am over 70 years old so I am starting out with a small disadvantage.
Someone who won't spot the other team with 3 walks and a HBP. Jason Alexander or AJ Blubaugh until Javier, Garcia, Arrighetti, or France are ready.
