Not panicking. Plus watching them lose 2.5 hour games seems much more palatable than them losing 3 hour games. So at least we have that going for us..........which is nice.
The starting pitching being as thin and uncertain as it has been in a while is what concerns me. I expected the bullpen to take a step back because they were so uncommonly good last year. There was no reason to expect that Stanek and Montero would pitch so well again. The organization had a drunk weekend spending spree by Jeff Bagwell and essentially called it a day until Brown was hired. I don't know how you can't be concerned
If they need a good starter or pen arm, they have the money and assets to make it happen. I’m more concerned about future injuries. I think Montero will be fine, not so sure about Stanek.
The Stros gotta get healthy and play really well over the last 120 games. Altuve will be back soon and that will help. The Stros are real thin depth wise right now. I had them going 20-20 in the 1st 40 games and expected Altuve, Brantley back. I would move Neris into the 8th inning role and let Montero/Stanek/Maton fight it out for the 7th inning role.
Not watching or listening for 2.5 hours is even better. Just wait till the next morning and see if the game highlights are worth watching.
All the struggles we are going through, yet we are only 3.5 games out of first place. If we were in the AL East, I would be in full panic mode right now. But we're not. Hell, we haven't even played the A's yet.
Not yet. The days and weeks after Altuve returns will be the key. If the team hasn't turned it around by say early June, then panic. It does help that we're in the AL West. The Rangers are overachieving and will fall back down to earth soon. Pitching-wise, the Astros have actually been pretty good so far...just not dominant. They are 2nd in MLB in ERA - only the Rays were better, and they're neck-and-neck with the Twins and Mariners. In most of the losses, the pitching staff tends to have 7 or 8 strong innings, but gets shelled in one or two innings. Walks are also a bigger issue compared to last season. The injuries to Garcia and to a lesser-extent Urquidy will test our pitching prowess going forward. There's also no telling what the Astros will get out of McCullers once he returns - he wasn't exactly great last season and I'm about ready to declare him an injury-prone player. The offense is a far bigger concern, especially at Minute Maid for some reason. I am quite concerned about Jose Abreu...yes he's getting hits (singles and the occasional double) and driving in some runs, but the Astros signed him to be a power threat and he just isn't getting it done. I wonder if there's more to his struggles than just his age. So far, he's no better than Yuli was last season...and defensively at 1st, Abreu has been a downgrade so far. Bregman needs to get it together as well, but he's had slow starts in most years of his career, so him struggling at this point of the season is not surprising.
Astros just need to stay close until we get our guys back. Our depth is key and it's something our other AL West pals don't have.
About McCullers, he was outstanding last season when he came back, people just remember the 2 bad playoff starts. His awesome start in the first round was forgotten because the game went 18 innings.
There are rumors that several Astro Fans hit the panic button in 86 when Kerfeld entered the game, locked themselves in a vault, and may one day resurface when they sense it is safe.
Since 2015 not counting this year the Astros have gone 48-40(.545 Winning Percentage)without Jose Altuve. This year they are 23-19 For a you guessed it Drum Beat……. .545 winning percentage This is why I am not ready to panic. Altuve is the teams heart and soul.
My fear is that because of his reduced velocity, and his adjusted arsenal, he relies ever more on command. If he’s slightly off, his stuff is now very hittable and we are unlikely to see curveball after curveball with major spin due to what it does do the flexor tendon. the league also now knows what to look for against him vs their previous scouting report. He can obviously still be very effective, but there is less margin for error with his stuff.
Apparently he was sitting at 92 mph in the pen yesterday. Same MPH as last year. Far cry from the guy I watched in person in a AA game in San Antonio when he was throwing 100 mph with a nasty curve. His velo drop has been a slow death grind. Will be out of the league sooner than later if he isn't moved to the pen imo.
He’s not going to throw faster out of the pen. The last pitch he ramped up his arm to throw fast, he hurt himself on (The strikeout in the 2021 ALDS). He can be effective in the lower 90’s as he was last year… but as I said above, his margin for location error is slim.
Nick, I am not advocating a bullpen role for MPH increase although he would pick up a few most likely. Advocation is to keep him from injuring himself. He can't hold up. Never has, never will.
