How scrappy Astros must redefine team as tight division race enters critical stretch!

How scrappy Astros must redefine team as tight division race enters critical stretch!

Welcome into Stone Colds Tros. I’m Brandon Strange alongside Charlie Polo and Josh Jordan. You can follow them on X at Palo and Josh Jordan 975. And in between our podcast episodes, you can read their blogs covering the Astros, Texans, and Rockets over on sportsmap.com. On today’s episode, Houston tosses out the socks, but not without one stinker. And as has been the case when it comes to health all year, Houston just can’t catch any breaks, but their cup runth over when it comes to fractures and strains. Can the Astros stay healthy enough to eek out another division title? In the words of Jake Myers, do I have to answer that? But before we get going, show your support for this channel. Hit like on the video, subscribe to the channel, click the bell for notifications. We’re also on all your favorite podcast apps. As we mentioned on Monday, the three of us are relaunching the Texans podcast, Texans on Tap. First episode drops this week, so keep an eye out for that if you’re a Texans fan. Charlie Josh, welcome in. Uh, obviously the hater topic looms large. We’ll table that for just a minute to dig into the series with Boston. Thoughts on the returns of Christian Javier Argetti’s bounceback. Second thoughts and other start other thoughts on this series. Important developments. Javier starts giving up a base hit and then Alex Bregman hits it out and it’s uhoh. And then Javier was sharp, better command than he had in any of his buildup starts in the minor leagues. He got them through five innings, which was probably the max the Astros would have reasonably hoped for going into the game. And then the next night, all right, Aragetti, the results were eh, but the stuff was good, right? Only giving up one walk in five innings. Command all over the place. He walked five and then bullpen complete implosion. You know, the Red Sox pasted the Astros up at Fenway Park. the series this week they outscore the Astros by nine runs, three runs per game. This isn’t soccer with some aggregate scoring in a two-legg thing. So 14 to1 counted as much as two to one and the Astros take the the sandwich games around that. And then Hunter Brown who along with Frer Valdez are the tent poles for the stretch drive. And if the Astros are in the postseason, same there. Hunter Brown kind of scuffled with his command. you could see him exuding some frustration and he goes six and two/3 gives up one run. So that’s three out of four now. Two of them he only went five innings but three of his last four starts. Hunter Brown is back looking like the guy who was super elite uh most of the the first half of the season. So yeah, the back end of the bullpen now is uh a little aa causing no doubt for Astros fans and we’ll dig in more. But hey, back-to-back series wins over the Yankees, over the Red Sox. And so, whatever happens in the American League West, obviously the objective is to win that, right? They win a couple games, Toronto and Detroit, for the best record in the league. But if things go south, uh, the Astros, hey, the Guardians mixed in a loss on Wednesday. So, the Astros five games to the good to at least get into the postseason, which is the minimal objective. I thought Javier looked really good. I’ll start with him. And it’s hard to find a bigger Christian Javier fan than me. And I was a little worried early like did they rush him back? And I think at that first at bat with Bregman, he threw a nice fast ball at the knees on the outside corner that called it was called a ball. It was actually a strike in the Kzone. So then after that, he kind of threw me a get me over breaking ball to Bregman to get a strike and then he pounded into the Crawford boxes. So I think the umpire played a little bit of a role there and he was just settling in. I mean, he hasn’t pitched in so long in the big leagues. So I thought he looked good. Arroghetti. Charlie’s right. The stuff looks good. Not as many strikeouts in his his recent performance. What do you have? Three. Walked five guys. That’s my biggest concern with Spencer. It’s It’s kind of like McCull. He’s got so much spin. It sometimes it’s hard to to keep it in the zone for him. So, that’s always going to be a challenge, but you’d rather have all that movement than not. So, it’s kind of a good problem to have. But, I feel pretty good about the rotation. I just Erici, hone it in here, buddy. If Javier can come back from that injury and pitch like that, we should hold him to that standard, too. Seattle has the deeper rotation for these remaining 40 games. Maybe the Texas Rangers do also, but they can’t hit. The Rangers are done. It’s a match race now. Astros and Mariners in the American League West. Yeah. I mean out out of you’ve got these guys coming back and I mean obviously there’s the McCuller’s question that lingers out there but you know who even believes it’s a blister at this point. Um I do want to circle back to Hunter Brown though. You you mentioned it. He pitches six and two/3 um four strikeouts. That’s lower than we’re used to with him. Three walks. He struggled with his command for most of the game. He was a hunter hunting for his release point. Um, I think the line looks a lot better than what it looked like visually. He hasn’t been I know the results have been there, but he really hasn’t been the smooth operator that he was for most of the season. Charlie, you’re you’re not concerned with where Hunter Brown’s at right now. I won’t say concerned. How about wary? I mean, from spring training forward, we noted that Hunter Brown, who the last five months of last season was just fabulous in the process. He threw 170 innings plus a postseason start. More innings than he’d ever thrown before. Well, here he is on pace to top that and come in around 190 innings. So, uh, if he’s hit a mini wall, but still able to get results, they opted to go with him on four days rest in the finale against the Red Sox because of the off day on Thursday. Well, Friday starts 10 games in 10 days. Then oneoff day, 13 games in 13 days following that. Even though they don’t have six starters that you’re saying we’re comfortable running them out, I think they need to drop in a sixth starter. Even it becomes a bullpen game of of sorts that I don’t want Hunter Brown particularly. Uh, Frammber Valdez, I just think’s a more durable uh, horse and with his history, if you want to go with Framber on four days rest on a fairly steady diet, hey, if he’s a little bit tired, maybe that sinker has more sink to it. Uh, but Hunter Brown, I would not want him going on four days rest for his starts the rest of the way. Yeah, I agree with Charlie. And I mean, I’m not really concerned, Brandon. I think part of it, there’s just so many bigger problems the Astros have right now than Hunter Brown. So, you just you take what you can get from him. pretty much he’s been very good when the fastball command is there. He he’s almost unhitable. So, can’t worry too much about Hunter. You know, this bullpin, especially after the Red Sox went bananas, it scored 14 runs the other day. There’s some concerns there because everybody was complaining about Hector Nerys the other night. They cut him and then Hector is thinking, “How do you feel about the guys that are pitching instead of me tonight with the Dubin giving up four runs and two homer and two homers? Colton Gordon giving up four runs. Theirs didn’t look so bad after that performance, but yeah, these we’ll just hope it’s an outlier here, but I was really looking forward to Dubid coming back and really rough outing in his return. Well, is there anything scarier right now than to hear a bullpen game for this team? Uh there were there were questions arising about the bullpen while you know the starters are getting stretched out for these return. Middle relief you guys mentioned has been a revolving door. Hector coming and going, although he did pick up his uh tenure while he was here. So, congratulations on 10 years of service time. Uh Colton Gordon, long relief, was # built not built for this. Um Brian King’s been plagued by the gopher ball. Uh Josh her now appears to be out for uh the year with a serious shoulder injury following that 36 pitch outing last Friday. Uh, Houston has patchwork the roster all season. Uh, but that formula is now being tested in a really tight playoff race. Joe Espa called it a gut punch. How do you guys describe the impact of losing Houston’s ninth inning hammer? Gut punch, but no knockout punch. A hater was magnificent on balance this season. 28 saves and 29 opportunities. But saves can be a deceiving stat in terms of how vital the closer has been to nailing down those games. Just nine of Josh her 28 saves did he come in with a one-run lead, right? Where there’s no safety net underneath. So 19 of his 28 saves he had either a two-run lead or a three-run lead. The Astros can go with anyone as the so-called closer in the ninth inning. And most of the time they’re not going to give up multiple runs. Brian Abrau, yeah, the leadoff guy seems to get on uncomfortably often whether walk or base hit, but Abra has been better than hater over the balance of the season. Erra and the the mid ones to haters just to tick over too. So I think Bray will be just fine in the closer role, especially since the preponderance of haters save opportunities weren’t real nutters. Right? You come in with a six-3 lead, a 5-2 lead. You get credit for a save, but you could almost get credit for a non-c catastrophic appearance, right? Whoa. He protected a three-run lead for one inning. Okay. Golf clap. It’s the trickle down effect. Brandon, you talked about how Kings had a gopher ball issue. Bennett Susa has kind of nudged ahead of him, I think, in the rotation. Save opportunity uh against the Yankees last weekend. Um, Oakert has done good work this season, but has also tailed off some. And then the righties, it’s the cross your fingers combo of Orort and Duben and Eniel de los Santos out of nowhere. Um, so it’s the depth. They’ll be fine in the ninth inning with Abrau. It’s that bridge that gets taxed now between the starter and the closer, right? Spot. He’s not going to name a closer. ABR is going to be that closer unless as all good managers should do in the eighth inning in a one-run game and the top of the orders coming up for the opposition. You think of that as the real situation when you want your best reliever in the game and obviously that’s Brian Ara the rest of the way. Yeah, I think Abrao will be fine. He’s a great pitcher. He’s I mean he’s been in the toughest moments. He’s a champion. I don’t have concerns there. It’s just it’s the depth as Charlie went to. Now you only really have one leverage reliever that’s dominant instead of two. On the days where maybe a Bray’s pitched the last two days in a row, you’re not going to have him. So that that’s what’s going to be challenging for a spotty. He’s going to have to get creative. And yeah, you’re right. They did name a closer. Dana was on the flagship. Dana Brown, the GM, he’s he said it’ll be a Breu and some other guys, you know, depending on the situation. Susa, I think he mentioned. So kind of weird that they won’t just go out there and name a Breu. It’s not like they have anybody else. that’s in his his league as a pitcher. But whatever, that’s fine. Maybe they want to play the matchups if there’s some lefties coming up and they want to use Susa or King or whoever. So, and King isn’t that great against lefties. I’m kind of starting to notice, too. They they seem to have gotten him for a few of these home runs. But anyway, it sucks to lose hater. And you’re right, Brandon, at this point, Espatada has said it’s going to be more than 15 days. That’s all he’s really confirmed. But, you know, go get that second opinion if you know, if you liked what the first opinion was in that exam. So, unfortunately for the Astros, we’ve seen this movie before with these guys getting the second opinion. It it usually doesn’t go well. It’ll be a delightful surprise if we see Josh her before early 2026. Um, so that magnifies the importance of the starting pitchers beyond Framber and Hunter giving them some innings where maybe they stack a couple of starters. Right. Is Luis Garcia actually going to get back? Um, Colt Gordon’s on the Sugarland Express back down in the minor is Jordan Williams up. Will they get enough out of their starters since they’re one man short now in terms of how Joe Espatada like to map out the end of games where they have the lead? Yeah, I I do think the Abrau uh thing with him not being named the closer is probably due they’re probably going to pitch to matchups. I think if the Heart of the Order is coming up in the eighth, that’s probably where you’re going to see him. Um and and probably by matchups, lefty righties as well. Um with Abrau, the only thing that concerns me is 20% uh walk rate for the leadoff hitter for Abrau, the highest of all relievers. He’s at or near the top uh when it comes to K’s among relievers. So it’s kind of the duality of Abrau, but that Houdini act is a risky tight rope to walk when you’re a closer uh and when you’re pitching in high leverage situations. He’s been able to get out of it. That’s been kind of his calling card is being able to make a mess and then clean it up. So, that’s polite. Um, can Susa step up in the setup role consistently? That’s going to be the real question. But, I mean, it’s all you have. You’re going to have to go with it. You know, the uh the necessity being the mother invention and uh and of rosters at this point. Um, some other updates on health. uh Yordon Alvarez, Jake Meyers both headed to Florida. Alvarez continuing to ramp up pitching where we’re understanding that he was uh supposed to face uh live BP there in Florida. Uh Jake Meyer is ramping up his uh baseball activities. Um anybody believe still that Yordon’s hand was just a fracture? I don’t. Um Luis Garcia’s VO has picked up. We got uh the report that he’s touching 94 in his last start uh in Sugarland. So, that’s good. He had expressed concerns about not being able to throw with uh uh electric stuff uh given the new arm slot. It seems like maybe he’s working that out. Um out of out of these guys that you see, let’s start with offense first, I guess. Um Yordon and Myers. I tend to lean to the fact that we’ll see Jake before we see Yordon. Where are you guys at with that? Well, if Jake is able to do full speed running and then plant and cut, you know, you see the path. Yordon remains shrouded in mystery. He can dominate soft toss. He can take some swings in the cage. We’ll believe it when we see it in the lineup for the Houston Astros in a game that counts. I mean, it would be mana from heaven. And you look at the the depth that would be there in the lineup because you know Yordon’s going to be in there every day. Righty, lefty at the designated hitter role. There is trickle down with that. Cam Smith continues to struggle mightily. Now 13 for his last 90. That’s a 144 batting average. We’ve seen Aspatada start sitting him occasionally against right-handed pitching. Jesus Sanchez has to be in there every game. And that’s at Cam Smith’s expense if the Astros get back Jake Meyers. days you have Altuve in left field which I think are going to be fewer the rest of the way. And one other thing about lineup construct, it seems Raone Urias has nudged ahead of Mauricio Duban uh on the utility board at least within the infield and and I imagine with these two series upcoming against the Orioles the spot is going to give Aras a chance to do damage against his former team. Yeah, he’s been really good of late and showed some real power in the Red Sox series. I’m I’m excited about him. You know, as much as I love Dubon, I I just I don’t feel like he has the thump like Aras has, at least we’ve seen lately. So, and the defense is fine, too. I think that’s a great pickup because you’re going to have him on the roster next year, too, if you hold on to him. So, I like that move. Yordon, I mean, we’ve been talking about it all year, Brandon. I What’s it? His hand been bothering him since April. It’s mid August. I mean, what are we talking about here? Something’s not right. But he at least he’s progressing until he’s not right. We’ve been through this before. or we progresses, then he has a setback and we start over. So, we just got to hope this is finally the time that that he’s over it. And with Jake, yeah, it’d be great to have him back. I think on the pregame show, they they showed some video of him running around. So, he looks pretty good. Hopefully, he’ll be back maybe within the next couple weeks. But, you know, they rushed Jake Myers back too with that calf the first time. That’s how he he had this injury that he’s dealing with. So, make sure he’s he’s ready to come back. You don’t want another setback. Yeah. And another variable with Jake is where will the timing be? Does he just come back and pick up having the season that he had before going down? Right. Jeremy Pñena. No, not a hiccup. We don’t know that in Meyers, but they’re just hoping for production from Taylor Trel or Jacob Melton. Um Trel’s had some moments, but it’s clear he’s not a bonafide major league regular. Melton sure looks the part until he swings the bat. He hit 250 in the minors and it’s been a struggle to to make contact here. So, uh Meyers would be a very nice boost if you can join them for this final month and a half. And what quickly Chaz McCormack starting to be a live person on a baseball field hitting home runs again. So at least that’s something there where if you’re facing a lefty, Chaz can show you that he can still square up a lefty that that’s still in him. So it’s good to have options because we don’t know with Jake and as Charlie mentioned that these other guys aren’t really proven big leaguers. So if Chaz can give you anything that that’s just that’s just icing on the cake going down the stretch here. And you’re not referring to emergency relief pitching duty. He gave up less runs than some of those other guys than Dubin did. To be fair, it was still comic relief, but good for him. He got to do it once in a big league game. Well, color me unconvinced when it comes to Chaz and him being productive just because I mean we’ve seen flashes from a lot of guys this year have production. I mean Taylor Treml, Zack Short, Cooper Hmel. Uh so I mean we’ll see. I mean obviously we’re rooting for Chaz because like he’s he was such an uh integral part of uh their last championship run. Um I I want to move over to Well, before I do that, I just I do want to comment on Meyers, which is um you know, when it was kind of the competition between Meyers and uh McCormack, I was a little I think I underestimated Meyers defensive out and center. He has absolutely made me a believer this year. Um, and that’s probably just me being slow to the uptick here, but uh, Myers has made me a believer, and no more so than not having him on the field has made me a believer in Myers defense. Like, that guy is a a really bonafide good defender, uh, major league defender, and I can’t wait to get him back, if nothing else, uh, but for his defense. But let’s hope that bat warms back up the same way that Pñena did. Um, I do want to move now over to the division race. Um, Charlie, you mentioned the Rangers are spiraling, having lost 11 of their last 16. Looks like I got that one wrong. Um, the Redhot Mariners, uh, their schedule stiffens up facing uh, the Mets and Phillies on the road before hosting the A’s and Padres’s. I think I have that right. Um, who are the Padres’s who are also in a tight division race as well. Um, Houston gets the Orioles, seven of their next 10 with Detroit sandwiched in there. uh followed by hosting the Rockies and Angels. Look, if all things were equal, we’d say that this was a favorable schedule. Uh but this schedule or this season has been anything but predictable. That being said, let’s predict it. Uh do you guys think that the guys in Orange can take advantage of this on on paper softer schedule and get back to outpacing Seattle? Yeah, on paper. That’s why paper can be wadded up and thrown in the garbage. You need to go do it. But this is the window. Granted, with only one day off, 23 games in 24 days will be taxing, but the next 17 games, the Astros play three against a good team, the series in Detroit next week. Huge series. Tigers won the series at Dyen Park earlier this season. If you’re in it to the end with the Tigers and Blue Jays to avoid the best of three, the Astros need to take at least two out of three uh in Detroit next week in in all likelihood. I mentioned the Guardians earlier mixing in a loss 22-8 in their last 30 games. Hey, the Mariners worked in a loss on on Wednesday night, ending their nine-game uh winning streak. So, the Astros after their Thursday day off will open the Baltimore series alone in first place. Will they remain that way the rest of the way? The schedule indicates this could be the chance to reopen a little bit of a margin as the Mariners go play at the Mets who’ve been free falling themselves the last six weeks and then at the Phillies who are probably the second best team or arguably let’s make it arguably the second best team beyond behind Milwaukee. Brewers are 27-4 in their last 31 games. So, in short stretches, now obviously that’s extreme. Um, but you know, the Dodgers were world beaters earlier this season and had won like seven out of eight when the Astros went in their July 4th weekend and the Astros swept them. And since then, including that series, the Dodgers are like 12 and 20. The Guardians were on a 10-ame losing streak when they came into Dyken Park and dusted the Astros. And Cleveland’s been on a month-long jag since then. The Tigers dominant the first two and a half, three months. They went 1 and2 in a 13game stretch. Now rided the ship, winning 10 of their last 16. So in the smaller windows, the apple cart can be upset in terms of expectations. But the Astros could not ask for the schedule to be drawn up much better than what they get over the next 17 games starting Friday. Yeah, I think they can make some hay here. I, you know, we do look back at that A’s series and that’s the kind of the cautionary thing you point to where they got swept by them, but that was a different roster for the Astros when they played the A’s. Now, you know, that was before the trade deadline. I think the Astros are starting to feel the groove now. You went series against the Marlins, the Yankees, the Red Sox. You got Kareah back. I mean, Reus is starting to really look like a great addition. And then, you know, Javier looking like Vintage Javier. So, if he can stay healthy, I think they can put a nice little run together here. Dana Brown always talks about, oh, we just need to put one of those runs together nine, 10 games in a row. Usually every season we’ll do it, you know, a couple times or, you know, something like that is what he always points to every year. So, this is the perfect time for the Astros to do something like that. Maybe win, you know, eight, nine, 10 games in a row and just really put their foot on the throat of the Mariners in this division because if they don’t, it’s going to be a dog fight till the end. Yeah, I think you look at the Mariners roster, they have more players at their position who would start for the Astros than the Astros have who would start for the Mariners. Yordon gets back puts one big additional marker in the Astros column. Uh Fra and Hunter as good a one-two as there is but the Mariners have superior depth and getting Bryce Miller back to to add to that. Andre Munoz their closer remains healthy. The Astros just a losing hater. So I think it sets up as a as a great race and in terms of spuriness of the season and the Astros were 26 and 25 then went 29 and 10. the presumptive positive defining stretch of the season unless they’re going to close like Secretariat uh the remaining month and a half and out of that they’re 13 and 18. Only the Rays have a worse record in the American League over that stretch than the Astros. But you know who’s right there with the Astros uh give or take a half game in that stretch? The Tigers. So really good teams can have weeks long, even a monthlong, longer than that, uh, run of action where it’s like, this team stinks. The vicissitudes of 162 games. Um, the Astros have one more big surge left in them. It doesn’t mean that Seattle can’t can’t keep pace. And there’s that three-game series, Astros and Mariners looming at Dyken Park, the last Fortnite of the season. Well, it’s just really interesting because we know what the reputation is for Seattle and how they’ve closed seasons historically. It’s going to be interesting to see if this is a different team and whether this propels them into a into a postseason run or if they’re going to regress back into the Mariners that we know and frankly love. Uh, speaking of uh ending on a strong note, final thoughts before we’re out the door. Yer Diaz is an interesting player. Still only 26 years of age. In some levels, exasperating some of his work behind the plate. Can’t throw out a base steeler to save his life pretty much. Same for Keratini, which is in part the pitchers. But the Astros continue to give up more than 90% success rate in the C stealing game. Offensively, we’re approaching a month since the All-Star break. Yanner Diaz has one walk since the All-Star break in 85 at bats, but the ball explodes off the man’s bat. The insurance home run that he hit Wednesday, just an absolute bomb. If you can get more consistent elevation, I mean, this looks like a guy who shouldn’t be a 30 home run hitter, right? He hit 23 in less than full-time action as a rookie. Tapered down from that last season. He’s on pace to hit 22 23 uh this year. He and Christian Walker keep playing back and forth with a 700 OPS. Um, you know, if they can bump it up to even the 730 740 range the rest of the season, that augers very well for the depth of the Astros lineup. Yeah, I’ll piggy back there too just with Christian Walker, you know, not a great game in the finale against the Red Sox, but overall he’s trending up. He’s and he made some good plays on defense in that game as well, but he’s trending up over the last, you know, 30 days. He’s hitting over 260. OPS 833. He’s pretty much what you thought you were getting over this last month. And I think it can continue. I I think the gray edition I think it helps Christian Walker too. It lengthens the lineup. It takes a little pressure off of him. I I just think the just all the vibes around the team is really good now because they’re having success on the field. It’s not just a feel-good story of Kareah’s back. He is producing at a high level. You’re winning baseball games. Hunter Brown comes out in a big game in the finale against the Red Sox and says, “We’re going to we’re going to win this series because I’m going to keep these guys from scoring more than, you know, three runs.” And he did. He pitched a great game. What’ he give up one run? So, I think they could do it. Christian Walker could be a big key as we go down the stretch because, as you notice, he’s hitting the ball to center field a lot now. So, I think his timing is getting better and so many of those balls have hit off the top of the wall. He’s had like three or four almost homers. So he could be even having more production than we even realized just cuz he’s, you know, just been a little short hitting the ball right off the top of the wall. Let me dovtail off of the Korea thing because uh given what has happened this season, Dana Brown should invest in a pallet of bubble wrap for Carlos Koreah. And if he has any left over, give some to Pena Brown and Frober because those guys are going to be critical down the stretch. Quick message. If you’re interested in advertising your service or product on our show, contact our friends on the sales team by visiting houston.sportsmat.com/advertise. The link is always in our description. Just click it. Or you can just go to the website, whatever you want to do. Uh, one last reminder. If you’re watching on YouTube, be sure to click like on the video while you’re clicking things. And if you listen on podcast and apps like Apple or Spotify, give us a fivestar rating while you’re here. Next scheduled episode drops on Monday, so make sure you’re subscribed to the channel with those notifications on. For Charlie and Josh, I’m Brandon saying so long. Thanks for listening. Have a great weekend. And as always, ghosts. [Music] [Music]

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