Houston Astros 2024 Season Thread

[Ojo Rojo 1,796]

Does anyone else think it's weird that Tucker has been out so long with a bruise?  Are they just resting him or is it a more serious injury than they let on?

[HtownHorn 14,337]

Apparently, Graveman's camp is now saying he is working to be available before the playoffs. Interesting what he or Murfee could provide. Ort and King are pitching for their spots every time out, hell, Seth Martinez had a sub 3.00 era and he has no spot currently on the MLB roster, especially once Verlander comes back and claims Dubin's spot. My guess is a 6-man rotation for the 18 games in a row, then Blanco or Arighetti move into Martinez's old role of long man.

[TejasPedro 1,848]

7 minutes ago, Ojo Rojo said:

Does anyone else think it's weird that Tucker has been out so long with a bruise?  Are they just resting him or is it a more serious injury than they let on?

Have you ever walked right into a trailer hitch? It’s like that. 

[Gourmand 7,761]

7 minutes ago, Ojo Rojo said:

Does anyone else think it's weird that Tucker has been out so long with a bruise?  Are they just resting him or is it a more serious injury than they let on?

A bone bruise can be quite serious, which is exactly what this is.

[kevwun 15,300]

They can take longer than an actual broken leg to heal.  I slipped walking down the steps off our deck once and landed on my pelvis on the edge of one of the steps and got a nasty bruise.  It took almost a year before it stopped hurting completely and the knot went away.

Edited August 14 by kevwun

[Wulaw Horn 18,918]

1 hour ago, Gourmand said:

All that talk about Kikuchi not even cracking a potential playoff rotation looks pretty silly now.

I don’t want him pitching before Valdez, Brown or JV. Blanco has been better than him this year. Arrighetti might or might not be preferable- asking 6 weeks. Unless JV sucks when he gets back we probably have 6 guys that you’d be fine penciling in to start a playoff game. Or Arrighetti turns back into a pumpkin. 
I don’t think he will. He’s legit good I think. 

[kevwun 15,300]

Kikuchi's control and habit of hanging pitches in the middle of the strikezone would put him towards the bottom of my playoff starter list.  He would be a good long relief option though.

Edited August 14 by kevwun

[Gourmand 7,761]

2 minutes ago, HtownHorn said:

Apparently, Graveman's camp is now saying he is working to be available before the playoffs. Interesting what he or Murfee could provide.

I don't think we can realistically expect either to provide much considering how bad we've had it with rehab outcomes for the pitching staff so far this season. Murfee threw a 25-pitch bullpen session in Florida this past weekend. Haven't heard any updates since. I expect we will know how that went in the next day or two. He could be an intriguing addition to the pen but, again, it's unrealistic imo to expect any significant contributions this late in the season when he hasn't even had a chance to build up to pitching in live games. 

[Gourmand 7,761]

6 minutes ago, Wulaw Horn said:

Blanco has been better than him this year.

Not lately, and you have to think Blanco's arm is getting a bit tired at this point. He will benefit greatly imo from a six man rotation when JV gets back and hopefully they can find spots to get him extra rest and go with the hot pitching hand(s) when they roll with a five man rotation instead.

[Storm the Field 5,255]

FWIW, as of today, Fangraphs playoff odds/projected records:

Astros 88-74. 67% chance to win AL West, 77% chance to make playoffs

Mariners 85-77. 32% chance to win AL West, 46% chance to make playoffs

And for laughs:

Rangers 77-75. 0.2% chance to win AL West, 0.6% chance to make playoffs.

[Scraps 13,485]

I am like 8 or 9 wins in a row for games I have attended both home and away.

I will not be there tonight so they are on their own.

[Gourmand 7,761]

13 minutes ago, Scraps said:

I am like 8 or 9 wins in a row for games I have attended both home and away.

I will not be there tonight so they are on their own.


 

This matchup of tonight's starters was not so good for us last time around so hopefully we pay Littell back with a series-ending sweep.

[Wulaw Horn 18,918]

19 minutes ago, Gourmand said:

Not lately, and you have to think Blanco's arm is getting a bit tired at this point. He will benefit greatly imo from a six man rotation when JV gets back and hopefully they can find spots to get him extra rest and go with the hot pitching hand(s) when they roll with a five man rotation instead.

Agreed. When I said Blanco has been better than him this year that’s a factually correct statement up to this point in time, but I don’t believe Blanco is a better pitcher. 
So- that makes him 4 or 5 depending upon how you feel about Arrighetti. It’s impossible to say who I would rather see pitch game 4 of an ALCS right now as betweeen the two. 

[Gourmand 7,761]

JV pitching Thurs for the Hooks

[Wulaw Horn 18,918]

1 minute ago, Gourmand said:

JV pitching Thurs for the Hooks

I had him Thursday there and Wednesday against Boston for my ideal. 

[tx 3 putt 75,474]

2 hours ago, Blackcat00 said:

Ort is pitching so well. Whitely also needs to get more innings and call him up in about a month. 

Inthibk we only get to call up one pitcher in sept, hard to see Whitley jumping Martinez and maybe possibly montero ?

[Gourmand 7,761]

With the way the schedule plays out for the rest of the month, I think it's a certainty that they go with a six-man rotation for those 18-straight games after tomorrow's off day. With Blanco's recent struggles pitching deeper into his starts and Verlander's age/uncertainty wrt coming back after a long an extended absence, what do you think they do in September with the pitching rotation? Should they just stick with a six-man rotation if everyone stays healthy or--with the importance of the division title--should they ride the hottest arms and maximize their win opportunity over concerns about load management for the starting rotation?

[HtownHorn 14,337]

Holy shit, whatever the Dodgers are doing in developing their pitchers, I hope we are doing 100% the opposite.

Gonsolin, Sheehan, May, Yamamoto, Buehler, Miller, and now River Ryan. 

[tx 3 putt 75,474]

1 hour ago, Ojo Rojo said:

Does anyone else think it's weird that Tucker has been out so long with a bruise?  Are they just resting him or is it a more serious injury than they let on?

[tx 3 putt 75,474]

11 minutes ago, Gourmand said:

With the way the schedule plays out for the rest of the month, I think it's a certainty that they go with a six-man rotation for those 18-straight games after tomorrow's off day. With Blanco's recent struggles pitching deeper into his starts and Verlander's age/uncertainty wrt coming back after a long an extended absence, what do you think they do in September with the pitching rotation? Should they just stick with a six-man rotation if everyone stays healthy or--with the importance of the division title--should they ride the hottest arms and maximize their win opportunity over concerns about load management for the starting rotation?

6 man rotation is the plan for the 18 game stretch 

[Gourmand 7,761]

1 minute ago, tx 3 putt said:

6 man rotation is the plan for the 18 game stretch 

but what about after that? stick with it for the remainder of the season or nah?

[tx 3 putt 75,474]

24 minutes ago, Gourmand said:

but what about after that? stick with it for the remainder of the season or nah?

depends how guys feel. Verlander will be a hard no, he wants to get into his groove 

the younger guys might benefit but when your body is ready to go every 5th day, hard to wait an extra day 

[Harrison Stafford 3,318]

Kikuchi deserves some love.  He’s given us three solid starts with an ERA of 2.70.

[Wulaw Horn 18,918]

54 minutes ago, Gourmand said:

With the way the schedule plays out for the rest of the month, I think it's a certainty that they go with a six-man rotation for those 18-straight games after tomorrow's off day. With Blanco's recent struggles pitching deeper into his starts and Verlander's age/uncertainty wrt coming back after a long an extended absence, what do you think they do in September with the pitching rotation? Should they just stick with a six-man rotation if everyone stays healthy or--with the importance of the division title--should they ride the hottest arms and maximize their win opportunity over concerns about load management for the starting rotation?

If everyone is pitching well?  Stick to the 6 man rotation in September. We don’t have anyone good enough that we just have to have them starting every 5th day, in comparison to there being no weak pitchers at the bottom of the order. Unless Arrighetti leaks oil, or Blanco just hits a wall (his velo was fine last start) or JV sucks or something like that. But otherwise just throw all 6 out there until you can’t due to performance. 
I wouldn’t hate- if you want to get back to a 5 man rotation, a piggyback start every 5th day of kikichi and Arrighetti or Blanco and Arrighetti and say the bullpen gets the day off today- that’s yalls job. And it could be an audition for the playoffs as well. 

[tx 3 putt 75,474]

 

$$$$

[UTPhil2006 3,768]

Kikuchi will be the No 4 in the playoffs. Spaghetti and Blanco will be well over their preferred IP limits and have 0 postseason experience. They will be useful in 1-3 inning roles in the postseason.  Whitley may come up but doubtful he jumps Martinez as you’re not gonna call Whitley up to sit on the end of the bench while he can get timely and useful work in Sugarland. 

[HtownHorn 14,337]

37 minutes ago, tx 3 putt said:

 

$$$$

I'd offer him 5-125 and if he says no, move on.

[tx 3 putt 75,474]

18 minutes ago, HtownHorn said:

I'd offer him 5-125 and if he says no, move on.

he’s making 30 mil this year 

[Dutchrudder 11,056]

I'm taking the family to the game on Friday night against the White Sox. It will be my kid's second Astros game, the last one was September 10th last year, when they used the Death Star lineup to score 12 on the Padres, so I'm hopeful they can get a 2 game win streak going. Probables are Crochet vs Spaghetti, so it should be interesting. We will be in the second row on that angled wall near shallow left field. Hope to get some foul balls for the kids too! 😁

[UTPhil2006 3,768]

3 minutes ago, Dutchrudder said:

I'm taking the family to the game on Friday night against the White Sox. It will be my kid's second Astros game, the last one was September 10th last year, when they used the Death Star lineup to score 12 on the Padres, so I'm hopeful they can get a 2 game win streak going. Probables are Crochet vs Spaghetti, so it should be interesting. We will be in the second row on that angled wall near shallow left field. Hope to get some foul balls for the kids too! 😁

You def will. @Ldogg53 has pretty much those same seats but in RF. Just talk to the bat boy and point out your kid and don’t be like the 80 kids that come screaming or the other 80 that ask for warm up balls and you should be golden for a foul ball 

[UTexasFight 9,298]

5 minutes ago, Dutchrudder said:

I'm taking the family to the game on Friday night against the White Sox. It will be my kid's second Astros game, the last one was September 10th last year, when they used the Death Star lineup to score 12 on the Padres, so I'm hopeful they can get a 2 game win streak going. Probables are Crochet vs Spaghetti, so it should be interesting. We will be in the second row on that angled wall near shallow left field. Hope to get some foul balls for the kids too! 😁

I too was at that Death Star lineup game!

I will not be there Friday, however 

Edited August 14 by UTexasFight

[tx 3 putt 75,474]

20 minutes ago, Dutchrudder said:

I'm taking the family to the game on Friday night against the White Sox. It will be my kid's second Astros game, the last one was September 10th last year, when they used the Death Star lineup to score 12 on the Padres, so I'm hopeful they can get a 2 game win streak going. Probables are Crochet vs Spaghetti, so it should be interesting. We will be in the second row on that angled wall near shallow left field. Hope to get some foul balls for the kids too! 😁

If your wife has big tits, she needs to be showing them off. You’ll get multiple balls 

get to your seats early and tell the kid to stand against the edge and look sad 

Edited August 14 by tx 3 putt

[runthebone 7,894]

Old Hoss Whitley is the solution

[Hornsbay22 452]

20 minutes ago, tx 3 putt said:

If your wife has big tits, she needs to be showing them off. You’ll get multiple balls 

get to your seats early and tell the kid to stand against the edge and look sad 

Also hammer Bracamonte, he'll get some things signed for you.

[TejasPedro 1,848]

Ask Julia for an autographed game worn pair of undies. Tell her it’s for your sick kid away at college. 

[UTPhil2006 3,768]

Altuve 2B
Bregman 3B
Alvarez DH
Y. Diaz, C
Peña SS
Dezenzo 1B
Meyers CF
Dubón RF
McCormick LF

RHP Blanco

[HtownHorn 14,337]

53 minutes ago, tx 3 putt said:

he’s making 30 mil this year 

and he had a .722 OPS coming into August. He's not a $30M player anymore. If he thinks he is getting $30M+ then let him go, neither Springer nor Correa has been the same player since they left the Astros chasing dollars over rings.

[Scraps 13,485]

Whitley needs to be up. You got to strike when the iron is hot with him (like LMJ)  cause that fucktard will prob get hurt in the offseason and be out half of next season.  

And Putt...Montero is not on the 40 man so he can fuck right off 

[tx 3 putt 75,474]

Astros go for 8th win in a row:

Altuve 2B
Bregman 3B
Alvarez DH
Y. Diaz, C
Peña SS
Dezenzo 1B
Meyers CF
Dubón RF
McCormick LF

RHP Blanco

[HtownHorn 14,337]

Dodgers DFA'd Ahmed Rosario to make room for Betts, if he makes it us in waivers we better claim him and put him in our OF.

[billfromlaketravis 11,290]

5 minutes ago, HtownHorn said:

Dodgers DFA'd Ahmed Rosario to make room for Betts, if he makes it us in waivers we better claim him and put him in our OF.

Has Rosario played OF before? 

*edit* Fantasy Baseball stats says he’s played plenty of OF. MLB profile says shortstop only. 

Edited August 14 by billfromlaketravis

[tx 3 putt 75,474]

He’s getting claimed asap 

[Scraps 13,485]

He would fit right in he has zero power

[kevwun 15,300]

He would be a lot more useful than Diaz.

Edited August 14 by kevwun

[tx 3 putt 75,474]

5 minutes ago, kevwun said:

He would be a lot more useful than Diaz.

Seriously ???

 

[tx 3 putt 75,474]

[kevwun 15,300]

3 minutes ago, tx 3 putt said:

Seriously ???

 

Yes, he he can field and hit.  2 things Diaz no longer does.  I know you love having a coach on the field.  I'd personally rather have a guy who can pinch hit when you really need a hit and don't want to watch Singleton pop up or Meyers strikeout.

Edited August 14 by kevwun

[tx 3 putt 75,474]

2 minutes ago, kevwun said:

Yes, he he can field and hit.  2 things Diaz no longer does.  I know you love having a coach on the field.  I'd personally rather have a guy who can pinch hit when you really need a hit and don't want to watch Singleton pop up or Meyers strikeout.

who’s playing time is taking ?

[kevwun 15,300]

He's useful just as a pinch hitter and defensive replacement.  They don't have that right now if Dubon and Caritini are in the lineup.

[Scraps 13,485]

They havent played that 26 spot all year they ain't gonna start now.  It would move Leon into the 26 spot if that were to all happen.  

That spot is stupid.  They need to allow teams to carry 14 pitchers