aggie1906 said:

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Cole, Gray, Archer, Quin, come on down.

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Gimme Archer, if that doesn't come to fruition gimme Cole.

So some of y'all are actually buying the illness bit?

He was never ill. You don't get too ill to start the moment you get up and start throwing. If he was ill they would've known a bit more beforehand.

He got up to warm up, his neck didn't feel right, and he was scratched. They didn't know what it was some they called it an illness.

I don't for one second think he was ill and they used that as an excuse to scratch him and give him rest.

titanmaster_race said:

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remember when we had Feldman in the pen? would be nice now to have someone who can eat innings and doesn't get yanked after just 2

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That is Peacock. The problem is with all the injuries he is having to start and we don't have the long reliever. It will all work out. I think after the ASB we will see a clearer picture of the pitching staff.

I follow this thread and don't post much. I like feeling the camaraderie with other Astros fans.

Here are a couple of my observations of the team (in case anyone cares) --

1. We need another starting pitcher. If we can get a big name without getting robbed in the deal, that's great. If we can get a solid #3 starter, say like a Kenta Maeda, Francisco Liriano or a Jeff Samardzija for relatively cheap -- I'm all for it. I think if our guys are healthy, we can still make a run with what we have. But, again -- that's if they are healthy. So, I think a move needs to be made not just to upgrade, but for insurance.

2. I'm not worried about the bullpen. Things ebb and flow. Right now, they are just down. Ken Giles is shaky. I think he's fallen in love with his slider. It's a devastating pitch, but it loses its effectiveness if he throws it all the time. Also, IMO, he needs to develop a cut fastball to get some movement on his great heater. If he could also develop a circle change, he could be downright unhittable. But, those may be some things he needs to work on in the off-season. The rest of the guys are fine. I think Gregerson will get straightened out. There is no hope for Tony Sipp. I wish we could get another lefty reliever to take his place, but with that contract -- it's unlikely.

3. I like Yuli a LOT. His bat is finally starting to come around. I can see him getting to 25 HR this year. Remember, this is still his first full year at MLB and he's learning the 1B position. I wish he was younger. He solves the 1B problem for the near future.

4. McCann has been as advertised. He and Gattis are so much better than the black hole Jason Castro behind the plate.

5. Where did Bregman's power go? It seems like he is scuffling a bit at the plate. But, he's young. So, as he grows, he'll get better.

6. I love the new 10-day DL. It gives the team a whole lot more flexibility. I think by managing it properly the Astros could be rested for September.

7. I'm a little disappointed in Beltran. I was expecting more. I just have to keep reminding myself this is 40-year-old Carlos Beltran and not the 27-28 year old version that was on the team years ago. It seems like he has bad AB's in critical situations.

The TL;DR version -- the Astros will work out the kinks. They need another starter. Bullpen is fine. Let's beat some Rangers ass.

**** the MLB AB app!!! It just spoke of that which is not to be spoken of!