I wouldn’t have done it... I think Baker wants a fresh pen and likely didn’t want any chance of the game going south. Valdez is a horse but it made me lift an eyebrow.
Like what I see from Perez. Only confident in two pitches but he has good stuff and is now throwing it for strikes. Obviously the injuries this year hurt and the record isn’t great but the Astros young players have played extremely well from top to bottom.
I wouldn't rejoice too hard just yet. Last time a star player's MRI reported "negative" he ended up needing season-ending surgery. Don't anticipate this one will be that bad but I could see this being like Bregman (from "day to day" to stint on the DL)
Good job by Perez, showed a lot of confidence and the ability to pitch deep into counts and still get outs. Also Jason Castro really sucks... so glad he isn’t an Astro. Maldonado isn’t perfect but he can still sometimes hit a pitcher with good stuff, Castro cannot.
That's a winner! Notes/observations: Tucker has finally arrived! And he now has a higher OPS than both Correa and Gurriel. Valdez looks to be legit, in large part due to his spike in velocity, improved command, and especially his curveball. If the league does not "figure out" his curve he is a legit #3 starter. Altuve not quite out of the slump just yet. Looked lost at times and now dangerously close to the Mendoza line again. Tomorrow, Javier gets the ball in the first game. The second? Maybe Sneed? Castellanos is probably only in for relief since he threw 62 pitches just 2 days ago. Also, with the off-day, is Bielak's turn in the rotation skipped? Or does he keep his spot and the others are moved back?
An x-ray is much different and more specific to skeletal injuries than an MRI. If he had broken something there is no missing that on an x-ray.
The LA Times wrote an article about last night's game with the headline "Did Patrick Sandoval tip his pitches?" as he got through the first inning in only 5 pitches and then the Astros jumped on him after that hitting everything.
And he had to throw in this paragraph "Maddon did not go so far as to accuse the Astros, whose 2017 World Series title was marred by their electronic sign-stealing scandal, of banging on trash cans to alert hitters of what pitch was coming." https://www.latimes.com/sports/ange...p-pitches-angels-starter-struggles-astros-mlb
This whole thing is stupid. Teams have been looking for "tells" and pitch tipping for over 100 years. Hell, Babe Ruth was tipping his pitches at one point with the Red Sox and it was the only time that he ever struggled on the mound. If He was tipping his pitches, then that is on the pitcher and manager. Maddon always finds something to whine about. He needs to do his job, look at the film and talk to his pitcher..... instead I am sure he will take his team to a roller rink or a cooking class.
Sandoval was not exactly throwing great pitches...he's lucky Brantley's 2B stayed in the park (83mph down the middle), Reddick's RBI singles were right over the plate, and Tucker's HR was a down and in 93mph FB to a hot hitter in a spot where LHB typically have success. I ****ing hate Joe Maddon. eta: Sandoval's given up 5R in each of his last 3 starts, if anyone wants to remind Joe Sandoval and the LA Times Reading is fun-damental. Wasn't Maddon, it was Sandoval, and he wasn't really accusing them of anything, more of a "it's something I need to fix if the video shows anything." I still ****ing hate Joe Maddon, and the quote @bobrek posted from the Times writer is just idiotic.
