Just because they can doesn't mean they should.

100% agree. Siri and Dawson are supposed to be plus defenders.

That may be, but it's clear Click and Baker aren't on the same page.

agdaddy04 said:

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That may be, but it's clear Click and Baker aren't on the same page.

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This has been clear since the beginning of the season when we went through the COVID issues.

Click would say one thing then Dusty something completely different.

So the Red Sox are coming to town and honestly they are one of the hardest teams to predict.

Since 2003 they've won 4 titles. And when they don't win titles, they are either well below average or barely squeak into the postseason. They even have had quite a 4th or last place finishes in their division. They are such a weird franchise and impossible to predict any given year

Looking at the Eduardo Rodriguez for tomorrow's game. This game is a candidate to get out of hand early if our bats are going well early again. He's struggled quite a bit lately losing his last 3 games and giving up 13 runs in 15 innings. Plus a few of our guys have had some good success in the few ABs they have had against him.

It would be interesting to know where in that pattern Dave Dombrowski took over. It seems he has a track record both with Boston and the Marlins in the late 90s/early 00's of building up world series winners followed closely by fire selling the team. That could lead to the kind of roller coaster you see there.

What is our regular season record against Boston since cora took over? Wonder if familiarity he has with our hitters had helped them any? Seemed to work wonders for AJ in Detroit.

★ Just published a new episode of Astros Unrestricted: Episode 1 of Astros Unrestricted! Listen: https://t.co/ABmMC55kb1

— Astros Unrestricted (@AstrosBHM) May 31, 2021

EastCoastAgNc said:

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What is our regular season record against Boston since cora took over? Wonder if familiarity he has with our hitters had helped them any? Seemed to work wonders for AJ in Detroit.

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9-9 between 2018 and 2019. Obviously we didn't face them in 2020.

And Cora wasn't the manager anyway in 2020

Farmer1906 said:

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Ronnie Dawson with a grand slam for @SL_Skeeters his 2nd HR of the season #Astros

— Astros Future (@AstrosFuture) May 31, 2021

Please make room for him.

#s around Siri's but has more walks than strike outs. He ain't getting any younger and plays a very athletic outfield.

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Holy crap, I love his stats from today.. on base 4 times with 3 walks and a grand slam? talk about efficient plate appearances.

I like you thinking but honestly with this BP there is no game that's out of hand.

Take yesterday for example. Pads still got the tying run to the plate in the 9th.

It absolutely rings true when we say that no lead is safe enough.

Aside from his WS start, yesterday was Grienke's best start as an Astro. How clutch was that. Good Lord, the bullpen is beyond awful.

He threw 8 scoreless earlier this year and then 8 and 1 run another time except he had more Ks & fewer hits.

Or at you just speaking of best start because we needed it?

Farmer1906 said:

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It's time to make a trade to open up space.

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I agree with this for one reason- who have we traded from the minors / fringe that actually developed into something of necessary value that hurt the team's future?

Hader comes to mind. JD Davis fits that description but would be a corner utility player. JD Martinez was released, not traded. Laureano was traded for Bailey, and he would be an upgrade over Straw with a career OPS+ of 126. Villar for Sneed? He wouldn't be playing middle infield in Houston so that can't make the list.

I'm sure there are names I'm missing, but by and large I can't think of a trade outside the disastrous one in 2015 (Gomez+Fiers for Hader+Santana+Houser+Phillips) that really tilted the other way. I guess you could go way back and put the Randy Johnson for Garcia+Guillen+Halama in '98 there because we got 2 months of Johnson with nothing to show for it.

Point is, Astros seem to do a good job on trades and even Luhnow had a clunker. I say do it.

The Astros enter today's game with a 5.20 bullpen ERA in May. Their relievers have walked 5.2 batters per nine innings this month and have a 1.57 WHIP. Perhaps most alarming? The bullpen has generated a major league-low 9.6 percent swinging strike rate in May.

— Chandler Rome (@Chandler_Rome) May 31, 2021

Beat40 said:

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EastCoastAgNc said:

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The Astros enter today's game with a 5.20 bullpen ERA in May. Their relievers have walked 5.2 batters per nine innings this month and have a 1.57 WHIP. Perhaps most alarming? The bullpen has generated a major league-low 9.6 percent swinging strike rate in May.

— Chandler Rome (@Chandler_Rome) May 31, 2021

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Yup, they're not swinging because they know they'll likely get walked.

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April:

3.99 ERA
3.25 BB/9
1.22 WHIP
12.3 percent swinging strike rate https://t.co/kxCQuuovPJ

— Chandler Rome (@Chandler_Rome) May 31, 2021

April wasn't much better in terms of swing rate, though I don't know what a good number is.

It was close to 30% better.

That'll be fun for the midweek game at Olsen next year

I believe you mean issues with the active roster....

Here's the breakdown on the Red Sox record so far. They seem to struggle against the AL West (granted, in a small sample size).

Dusty Baker said Alvarez might have been available today, but he "nixed" that. He decided to wait another day. Gurriel is "getting close," Baker said. "He'll come in sometime later in the series."

Baker said they're not hurt bad enough to go on IL.

— Brian McTaggart (@brianmctaggart) May 31, 2021

Baker said he hopes McCullers will return in the "middle of June." He said he has to build himself back up again. McCullers played catch in the outfield today.

— Brian McTaggart (@brianmctaggart) May 31, 2021

I'm guessing Lance's break was basically planned in advance to occur when Odo and Framber returned. Keeping him a little under 200 innings for the year seems about right.

Any guesses at who goes down / on IL with Urquidy being activated today?

EastCoastAgNc said:

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Any guesses at who goes down / on IL with Urquidy being activated today?

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Enoli should be the one to go down. Could also be Ralph Garza

EastCoastAgNc said:

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Any guesses at who goes down / on IL with Urquidy being activated today?

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Luckily we have a few easy candidates to head to Sugar Land or be DFA'd.

Red Sox open up against the Astros with Eduardo Rodriguez on the mound at 4:10 p.m. ET. pic.twitter.com/XZWAHhoAIE

— Chris Cotillo (@ChrisCotillo) May 31, 2021

The Astros against Eduardo Rodriguez: Altuve 4, McCormick 7, Bregman 5, Correa 6, Tucker 9, Díaz 3, Jones DH, Straw 8, Maldonado 2

Urquidy RHP

— Chandler Rome (@Chandler_Rome) May 31, 2021

Astros say reliever Blake Taylor being activated today

— Mark Berman (@MarkBermanFox26) May 31, 2021

Farmer1906 said:

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Astros say reliever Blake Taylor being activated today

— Mark Berman (@MarkBermanFox26) May 31, 2021

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That means they have to clear 2 spots now.

Dusty Baker on Gurriel/Alvarez: "It’s a situation where they’re not hurt badly enough where you can put them on 10 days and lose them, so you’d rather wait two or three days extra and not lose them for 10. They’re close.”

Alvarez has not been available for the last 5 days

— Chandler Rome (@Chandler_Rome) May 31, 2021

This seems to be the full quote from Dusty on Alvarez and Gurriel

Reliever Blake Taylor is back with the #Astros after rehabbing with the @SL_Skeeters. pic.twitter.com/OFw1jYJGne

— Mark Berman (@MarkBermanFox26) May 31, 2021