Yes. A step further: Vs RHP Diaz @C Singleton @1B Yordan @DH Brantley in LF Chas in CF. 8th or later with a lead, Meyers replaces Brantley playing CF and Chas moves to LF. Vs LHP Maldy @C (should be less than 33%) Abreu @1B Yordan @DH Chas in LF Meyers in CF.
Crazy is that both JP and Brown will probably get ROY votes. I think JP deserves to be in the top 3 considering he is putting up Cy Young numbers if had pitched enough games and Baker gave him any run support during his first few months in the league.
Astros likely to have 3 of the top 10 AL rookies this year. Pretty incredible. Diaz is 5th among AL rookies in position player fwar. Brown and France are 2nd and 3rd in AL rookie pitching fwar.
I get Diaz as 12th in position player rookies in the AL. He would be a lot higher with more playing time at catcher.
Well, we recorded this one after the 8th inning of the game last night and I came in a little bit on Dusty and MM with a bit of a rant. Also, talked about Altuve brilliance and possible extensions, singleton, France/Brown and the rotation going forward and closing thoughts on Ohtani. Listen, share and enjoy Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/episode/0ypz4WGb7yWS5sCDdwpOR4?si=68tqURTXRsCy17mvG6p0XQ Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podca...n-astros-podcast/id1683955456?i=1000624468297 Amazon: https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/8...se-altuve?ref=dm_sh_Q5xVxG6NVhLkb9AucfjgWA0a1
I think the Singleton experiment will come to a close pretty soon. Diaz needs to be getting some time at 1b. We need his bat in the line-up every day. We are running out 3 black holes on a steady basis. This is the most I have ever been frustrated with the Astros. At least during the tanking years, I knew the purpose.
I agree about needing to deepen the lineup but Singleton has been a very good hitter since coming up to the Astros. 2k’s, 2 HR, and 5bb in 23pa. He needs to be in the lineup everyday. The real problem is Maldonado.
When the stars don't come through, the failures of guys who will always be lesser hitters get magnified. This team and offense stayed afloat without Yordan/Altuve. There will be 1-2 game stretches like we've seen the last two games, some of it good opposing pitching, some of it dumb luck... it all evens out and stars eventually continue to produce.
It’s unfortunate when good players don’t produce, but choosing to play bad players over better players is something worse.
At this point, it’s just Diaz vs. Maldanado…. Or basically just every game Diaz isn’t in the lineup (or every game Maldy is). When Diaz is in the lineup at DH, Maldy is still there. When/if Diaz plays first base, Maldy is still there. If Maldy is there and Meyers isn’t hitting and Pena isn’t hitting, there’s a hole. The hope is that Pena will rebound but whether he’s going through personal stuff, or playing with nagging injuries, offering him the occasional rest day isn’t all that much of an issue. Chas was in a rotation earlier this summer, started raking, then started playing everyday, and now we’re seeing a slight regression of his numbers… whether that’s due to fatigue, pitchers making adjustments, or just randomness remains to be seen. He’s still going to be out there nearly every day. Singleton vs. Dubon vs. Kessinger… these are guys playing either to give others rest or due to injury. Highly doubtful any of them start in the playoffs. Then there’s Meyers… a superior defender but still an iffy hitter. An iffy hitter is better than some of the above AAA guys but when you combine him.
.800 OPS in the last 7 and 14 days isn't regression. That is normal. Remember he was also robbed of a homerun with an amazing catch during that period. Chas is playing exactly the way he should be playing. He wasn't going to hit above 1.000 ops forever. Only Alvarez has that potential.
Completely depends on his back. If the injections loosen up and calm down his back - then he is a very valuable player. If he is still have flexibility and pain issues, then he needs to try and recover and not play the rest of the season.