I wish we would use LMJ out of the pen next season. If he could come in and just throw that curve at some extreme rate without having to worry about pitching deep into a game I think he’d be a top closer/reliever in the game. He could air it out and get a few more mph on his fastball as well. Javier is tempting to use out of the pen as well. Either way we’re going to have to build it internally given how overpaid relievers are these days.
Similar to this year with Altuve’s errors, Correa’s mishap was arguably the pivotal moment that year. So much has to go right to win it all in baseball...
We would be better off if Reddick wasn’t playing... His AB in game 3 vs. Toro’s AB and then playing again today at DH makes absolutely zero sense. Edit: I’ve been loud about my dislike of Reddick and I think what people are missing is his <.600 OPS in the playoffs and his horrible ABs impacts the guys hitting in front of him...especially Gurriel hitting right in front of him. I’d love to see the data on the pitch type, strike %, etc. for our 7th hitter when he’s in the lineup. Even more interesting would be seeing the same data when there’s runners on, especially with 2 outs. Off the top of my head, I know when Maeda was pitching he has runners on 3rd and 2nd with 2 outs and Correa up, he walked him on four pitches clearly to get to Reddick and then immediately threw three pitches belt high, center cut...
Offense hasn’t had a break out game yet in this series. I think tomorrow is it. 9-4 Astros win. If the game is tight I would not be surprised to see Javier again for multiple innings. It would be nice if the Astros can get a sizable lead early and save the big guns for Game 6. My guess, Josh James starts. He is your most experienced guy in the pen capable of starting and going 3-4 innings.
Dunno man, few things scare me more than watching Josh James. Not saying we have any better choices, but still, scary.
Ive felt that all post-season and even more since we went down in this series... I think part of it is them not wanting to come off as obnoxious since everyone is already nitpicking everything they say. But to hell with it they need to get loose and play with that confidence
Like the kids say, "shots fired!" That was more like rpgs. I took taking Greinke out and not putting in cole the equivalent of passing it on the 1 yard line when you have the best yards after contact bruiser of a running back. Pheeew. Glad I got that out of my chest. Avoided the thread from last season this long.
I've got to think Garcia will play a huge role in Baker's plan for today. Of the guys left who could feasibly start or at least eat 3-4+ innings without giving up a ton of runs, he's probably the best option. I don't love that option, but if it's him vs. James or De Jong, give me Garcia. But those guys might have to play a role, too. Best case scenario, maybe you get 4-5 good innings of Garcia, and Taylor, Pardes, Javier and Pressley and fill in the rest. I could see Scrubb and Sneed pitching as well.
All things considered, I'm more than happy to see Garcia get a bulk of the innings tonight. I might use James (ducks) as an opener to pitch to top if the order, though.
I'll say it again, the Astros could have swept this series too. It's not a far stretch. They've encountered a huge amount of bad luck on the offense with bullets hit right at opposing players, and of course the 2 huge Altuve errors that led to both games 2 & 3 losses. That's how baseball goes.
Are we really gonna have to watch James pitch again? We all know how that goes right? I’d rather Reddick pitch
