To me it is more about giving Chas consistent reps. No question he has earned the right to start in CF at this point.
Chas should 100% be the full time starter. Jake is beyond not ready to be that guy. He needs AAA to build back confidence.
Hate to see it and I mean it, dude just can’t get past the injury bug. Hope it’s nothing serious for him.
Diaz is quietly having one of the best seasons ever for a reliever…. Right now his FIP is 0.80 and he is averaging 19 strikeouts per 9 with an OPS is .440. He also will be a 29 year old free agent after this year.
I don’t really like the guy. His politics are extreme and he was not well liked in the Astros clubhouse. I don’t wish an injury on him but I don’t really want to help a team we could face in the World Series too.
Does Espada make the lineup decisions when Dusty is unavailable? Never put attention to it before. Here is a video of America's favorite baseball player making wishes come true.
Chas was asked to make more contact and strike out less after last season so he could be playable in the playoffs. Chas has quietly cut down his K’s by a large amount. Unfortunately his OBP and average haven’t come up. Still, his OPS and power is back close to where it was last year. He had a slow start but turned it around. He may be able to get his OPS around .800 which is really good in the modern game. I actually agree with Dusty though, he isn’t a good defensive center fielder and is actually a fair amount below average. He is a good corner outfielder and can be the weaker starting corner outfielder on a really good team.
Always appreciate your insight Nook. what do you mean Odos politics are extreme? Just curious and not intending to spark a political debate but didn’t get that vibe from him
I doubt he helps ATL at this point. He’s oft injured, inconsistent and let’s face it he doesn’t have the stuff to be the kind of pitcher he would need to be to be effective these days, specifically in the post season.
From what I was told he has some very strong opinions on immigration that clashed with the Astros core. He could be very emotional and a hot head. He would calm down and work it out but his personality didn’t fit with the Astros clubhouse.
Dusty still does the lineups. Espada has input. Tucker will 3 or 4 days rest is probably a good thing.
I don't know about a late scratch like this, but Dusty makes up the lineups at the beginning of the series.
Off topic, but for perspective. The Angels started 4 hitters worse than Maldy today. Adell and Walsh also started and they haven't been much better than Maldy. That's one rough lineup 4-9.
Ah yes, self-awareness, feeling the room, cognizant of those around you etc. those traits are of the utmost importance at times and some just don’t have them or refuse to abide by them in favor of what they think is a universally agreed opinion. Never understood that……
I hope Jake gets well and isn't in much pain. I won't go into issues that could be polarizing, so to move the thread into a positive direction, I remember after Game 2 or 3 of last year's ALCS he lead a pep talk to rally the team after losing back to back blowout games. His long relief appearance in Game 2 was also highly overlooked in terms of importance - it helped keep the bullpen fresh, which was badly needed because like in Game 2, in Game 3 and Game 4 the starters were both knocked out after recording <6 outs. The bullpen was really used in Game 3 and again in the come-from-behind win in Game 4, so had they needed to pitch in Game 2, it would have had a ripple effect and we may not have been able to come back in Game 4.
