I did and at some point when it appeared that Montero had righted the ship, I actually gave props to Dusty for having Montero become the interim closer while Pressly was out.
The Orioles manager is running away with this thing. Forget the Mariners manager, what has he really done?
Just keep rollin boys... This pitching staff has a chance to become legendary of the course of the next month and a half. I knew we would be good, but it's still remarkable how consistent and dominant we continue to be.
Good...but not THIS good. IIRC, a number of sites/publications predicted us to finish 2nd or even 3rd in the West after the loss of Correa (and Cole, and Springer).
The media bias on those projections has been palpable since 2020. Even with the loss of Correa, there was no reason to believe this team would be struggling to win this division. They just get enamored by the Angels payroll and the Mariners pluckiness (previously the Rangers payroll and the A's pluckiness) to try and create a narrative that the Astros aren't the class of the division anymore. At the beginning of the year, I said I was most excited about seeing what a full year rotation of Valdez, Javier, Garcia, Urquiddy could do... this was while I was hedging that JV would have a transition year back and LMJ would also probably be eased back in a limited role. Now you've had all of that come to fruition... along with a dominant bullpen that doesn't get overtaxed, and it makes a helluva lot of sense why this team is on track to finish with one of the best Astros winning percentages ever.
No one predicted them to be this good. Pretty much everything I saw prior to the season predicted the Astros to win the division with a win total in the low 90s. A lot of publications said it was more likely the Astros would be challenged in the division and could finish second or third, but still predicted Astros to win it. If the Astros wind up at 105 wins (their current projection), then Dusty will get some consideration for the award. I don’t think he will win it.
It's got to be Brandon Hyde. The Orioles should have a 30+ win improvement. The Mariners win 90 games last year and will win 90-95 this year unless they go crazy the last 20 games.
While the Astros not winning the division were dumb picks, I don't fault the projections for not realizing the Astros pitching staff would be on pace for the 2nd lowest ERA in the AL since the DH was established. I have been amazed by the Astros pitching, and I really liked the staff going into the season.
Wait, is there anything POSITIVE posted about this team by CF posters who only think how bad the lineups are every day or what Click didn't do to get "better players" in the offseason or at the trade deadline? All I see is b**** b**** b****ING...
What Click did right. Signed JV coming off TJ. Added Mancini and Vasquez at the deadline. Maybe trading Odorizzi for Smith. Jury is still out.
I don't believe James occupied a 40 man slot while on rehab, So another move will have to be made to the 28 man but will not affect the 40.
