uoftorange

Diaz should be starting at catcher 2 of 3 games and DH the other game. That's not going to happen anytime soon unless Maldy gets hurt. Hensley should be the everyday 2B. He's a competent defender and will get better the more reps there he has (unless Leon is healed up all the way and looks like he is) No one else on the roster should be playing there. Chas should be the everyday CF. If you need a late defensive sub, fine. But I really think Meyers takes bad routes way too often and uses speed to cover it up. LF I don't know what's best there when Yordan doesn't start in the field. Maybe Hensley if Leon is at 2B. Julks certainly looked good last year, and also looks to be seeing the ball a bit better today. So maybe that's the route. But I agree with everyone else that it makes no sense to keep running Dubon, Meyers and Maldy in the same lineup EVER Oh, and Dusty's "confidence thing" is super dumb. He's trying to install confidence in guys that shouldn't be playing. Makes no sense

Oh Lord, just realized it's CB behind the plate. A few of these calls have been stupid, like that one to Abreu

That was a damn good inning by Javier. Looked filthy

I'm not sure what the Astros could have done to address depth in pitching other than sign someone to a long term deal that didn't make sense economically, like Verlander or DeGrom. One on the DL, one that will be soon and was terrible this season so far. The Astros quite clearly upgraded at the GM spot IMO, so a few off season issues here and there long term are likely worth it. The move that should have 100% been made is Contreras or at the very least bringing back Vazquez and thanking Maldy for his service. Honestly should have been upgraded before last year but he was the only real hole so keeping him for continuity was fine. The problem with Dubon is that he's actually a really good utility player. He can't hit, and always puts the ball in play, which leads to lots of double plays. But he plays quality D pretty much over the whole diamond. He just gets massively exposed because Dusty has a hard on for defense and Altuve is hurt. I don't blame them for not giving Conforto a long term deal (also been garbage so far). I still think the Brantley signing was a good one. Time will tell. But the "he's done" stuff is silly. The docs cleared him and we've known pretty much all along that he wouldn't be ready at the beginning of the season. His contract didn't stop us from doing anything else.

I mean, Profar's hitting .091 through 11 ABs and a .258 OPS and he's had a negative dWAR pretty much his entire career. In 15 ABs Dubon (who sucks shit through a straw to be fair) is hitting .200 in 15 ABs with a .450 OPS and has had a positive dWAR every year of his career.

Love that Bregman went to a 4 inch chokeup like he was 8 on that hit

Should have been a grand slam. Idiotic that wasn't overturned

Big boy homerun

Damn, I truly forgot how much of a beating this thread can be. There was literally nothing wrong with the Brantley signing. It wasn't huge money and the guy is a real legit hitter. His power wasn't there, but people forget he was dealing with the shoulder for quite some time when he went out. There were a handful of guys they could have signed, but no one for only one year that has the upside he possibly has. Bregman has spent his entire Astros career sucking ass in April and May. He was 1 for 38 to start his career. He does this almost every year. Sometimes he has a good first week like last year then sucks for months after. He will be fine. We all make the joke every year that he would be the greatest player of all time if the season started in June Pitching went up against a healthy, very good Sox lineup that wasn't infighting with LaRussa like last year. That is one of the best lineups in baseball. Like someone said, if Pressley has a normal Pressley outing, we're 3-1 right now. I'll reserve judgement on Julks till I see more than 12 ABs. He hasn't looked great, but plenty of you have wanted to give up on guys that have been pillars of this org in their first few games. I bet more than a few of you on Bregman Altuve is going to be fine. It's a broken hand, not an arm or muscle issue or lower body. Yeah he'll wear a protector and get at bats to get going, but it's not like the guy didn't play a lot of the WBC and hasn't proven himself year after year. Let's get off the ledge being 2-2 against another solid team. PS. We won the freaking World Series last year

It's shockingly aggy, it's their very own "Saw Varsity's Horns off"

110 if he gets the Judge balls

Me too, and it sucked even though I sat next to Neil Smith's mom and sister and got to meet him and Joe Montana after the game. But it's crazy to me to think that anyone thinks that loss was more soul crushing than losing a 35-3 lead.

I think Rockethorn knows the rules, I just think he's incorrectly applying them here based on "that happens all the time". Happening all the time and being correct is completely different. Brock had a clean box out, then the guy jumped over him, not straight up (that's laughable), and basically pulled the chair out from under brock. But it was the offensive player that caused the contact and therefore should have gotten the foul

They can see things differently all they want. It's either the right call or it isn't. In this case, it's clearly not the right call.

Seriously, he jumped straight up in the air almost as much as I can dunk from the free throw line

No, they don't. They show a box out happening while the ball is on the rim and a player with two hands in the back of the guy boxing him out. It's was 100% a box out and a shit overturn. It's just silly to keep arguing it. And I reffed up to the high school level, it's been a while, but I still know my rules pretty well.

Again, you're wrong, but it's honestly not worth the time to argue it. There are other ways to foul than a hold or push, or a combo. Impeding progress, is a foul on it's own. Just because refs simplify it for calls, doesn't mean that there aren't many things that are fouls in the rule book.

With respect, you're wrong. He was blocking him out immediately

You are only partly correct. There is no "over the back" definition in basketball. But there is absolutely about 50 ways to call a foul there that aren't "a push".

Bregman is clearly the best option for leadoff. Move Tucker up to 4 and it will be fine for a bit. But definitely could cause a big issue if it goes futher than 2 months in

That's a damn shame, our LL fields are 10X nicer than that field.

I thought that too, but was assuming I mis-remembered, like Andy Pettite. The trades the Astros have made have been usually pretty solid, Joe Morgan and Kenny Lofton not withstanding. Realized we missed Pettite and Jeff Kent. Both pretty damn good signings. Same for Roger. Hmmm, makes me rethink the list. Nolan is still 1 though

This is correct, but the 2,3,4 spots are really close to each other. Alou was so damn underrated as a player. Pretty amazing just how few great FAs the Astros have signed in 60 years.

Chas is everything you could possibly want in an 8th best fielding player. I simply do not get how people think we can just randomly upgrade CF. There aren't many teams that can say their 8th best player in the lineup has a wRC+ like that I agree that Springer absolutely spoiled people but damn. Chas has performed offensively pretty damn especially considering being yanked around all over the place and in and out of the lineup.

Rocky IV is the greatest time and place movie of all time. And depending on your age is your favorite Rocky, and maybe even sports movie. It's basically a perfect movie for 1985, said everything everyone in Murica wanted. It's not the best written, it's not the best acted, but it's the perfect Rocky for what Rocky was for.