Agreed. I was very impressed with Bielak yesterday.
***Official Houston Astros 2021 Season Thread***
3,834,035 Views |
73542 Replies |
Last: 2 yr ago by Teddy Perkins
Superb Sasquatch said:Buck Compton said:Is this a troll? 1-1 is a best case. The way this team is hitting, yes we could sweep. His likely is it to start a season 6-0? Unlikely, but asking if we can realistically split seems like you're new around here.Superb Sasquatch said:
So can we realistically split the series with the Angels? I feel like thats the best case scenario, obviously i am hoping for a sweep but the Angels I feel like have more talent than the A's
It wasn't a troll. I fully believe the Astros can beat any team in the MLB but I feel that they caught people off guard with these first four games. A lot of people I'm sure expected the A's to win that first series. Now the Astros sort of out everyone on notice like "Hey, we're still a VERY good baseball team and the division goes through us." So now other teams will take the Astros more seriously.
You thought teams wouldn't take the Astros seriously? Seriously?
I second the vote for trolling, haha.
I love Texas Aggie sports, but I love Texas A&M more.
The piggyback is where it's at. I think this is the best strategy to get to ~1450 innings we need.Deluxe said:As much as I love me some Luis Garcia, I also love that his competition for innings has come out of the gate pretty strong. Bielak, Javier, Urquidy and Abreu all looked solid in their debuts. Hopefully Garcia can make that 5/5 tonight. We're going to need all of them this year.CFTXAG10 said:
I am excited to watch Luis Garcia pitch tonight. Great opportunity for him.
I think the piggyback recipe we used yesterday could be used deployed pretty often this year and the five guys listed above should be effective in that format. It would be huge to keep our high lev bullpen pieces fresh as the year goes on.
Greinke is probably our most consistent pitcher to go deep. Framber could be too once he's healthy and built back up.
Let those guys go deep and ride them like workhorses.
Then match up the rest.
McCuller - Javier
Odorizzi - Garcia
Urquidy - Bielak or Abeau.
Then you can alternate guys who close the door.
Parades - Taylor - Pressly
Smith - Raley - Baez
This leaves out Stanek & Scrubb and also 17 guys. Plus I am probably missing someone, but not everyone will stay healthy and you adjust as things change.
So he thinks people thought the team who went to the ALCS last year, WS the year before, is sneaking up on division opponents now?Marvin said:Superb Sasquatch said:Buck Compton said:Is this a troll? 1-1 is a best case. The way this team is hitting, yes we could sweep. His likely is it to start a season 6-0? Unlikely, but asking if we can realistically split seems like you're new around here.Superb Sasquatch said:
So can we realistically split the series with the Angels? I feel like thats the best case scenario, obviously i am hoping for a sweep but the Angels I feel like have more talent than the A's
It wasn't a troll. I fully believe the Astros can beat any team in the MLB but I feel that they caught people off guard with these first four games. A lot of people I'm sure expected the A's to win that first series. Now the Astros sort of out everyone on notice like "Hey, we're still a VERY good baseball team and the division goes through us." So now other teams will take the Astros more seriously.
You thought teams wouldn't take the Astros seriously? Seriously?
I second the vote for trolling, haha.
maybe the Angels will be the 'stros primary competition in the West this year.
Oakland (0-4) is going to have a rough April. Next 6 vs. the Dodgers and Astros. Then 4 at Tampa at the end of the month.
the A's and Angels don't play each other for the first time until May 21st
Oakland (0-4) is going to have a rough April. Next 6 vs. the Dodgers and Astros. Then 4 at Tampa at the end of the month.
the A's and Angels don't play each other for the first time until May 21st
perhaps opposing teams think all the booing is going to affect the Astros on-field performance.
obviously does not appear to be the case after the 4 games vs. Oakland
obviously does not appear to be the case after the 4 games vs. Oakland
Yep. The piggyback capitalizes on our current strengths, which is that we have alot good arms across the board but not many workhorses. My sense is the organization has been grooming pitchers for this type of workload for many years, starting early in the minor leagues. None of our minor league pitching prospects ever pitch more than 5 innings. Also get the sense is that Tampa has been doing some variation of this as well and Click has run full speed ahead integrating our program and theirs.
It seems like this approach has so many benefits:
1) Increased emphasis on velocity/spin is taxing on the arm. 90 pitches is probably the new 110 pitches relative to how guys pitched 10 years ago.
2) Keeps the high lev bullpen guys fresh when we can have two "starters" finish off a game
3) Starters never have to go through the order a third time
4) Opens up opportunity within the organization, which leads to better internal competition for innings. In a more traditional rotation mindset, we'd say our rotation this year is gonna be ZG, LMJ, Odo, Framber and Urquidy. Then guys like Abreu, Garcia, Bielak, etc. just have to wait their turn, wait for injuries, etc. With piggyback system, there's "defined" roles for an additional 2-3 starters on the roster.
It seems like this approach has so many benefits:
1) Increased emphasis on velocity/spin is taxing on the arm. 90 pitches is probably the new 110 pitches relative to how guys pitched 10 years ago.
2) Keeps the high lev bullpen guys fresh when we can have two "starters" finish off a game
3) Starters never have to go through the order a third time
4) Opens up opportunity within the organization, which leads to better internal competition for innings. In a more traditional rotation mindset, we'd say our rotation this year is gonna be ZG, LMJ, Odo, Framber and Urquidy. Then guys like Abreu, Garcia, Bielak, etc. just have to wait their turn, wait for injuries, etc. With piggyback system, there's "defined" roles for an additional 2-3 starters on the roster.
Ag_07 said:
Yeah...They mad
Screw that. It's abundantly clear that Chapman was trying to obscure Correa from either making a play on the ball when fielding it or throwing and got caught in between. Correa's job is to field it and make the throw and he had nowhere to go. Chapman initiated the collision trying to break up the double play and it's on him.
Don't start none, won't be none.
Chapman was 1 for 11 at the plate with some surprisingly shaky defense
Agreed. Well said.
Your walk leaders for the Astros are Jose Altuve and Yuli Gurriel with 4 each. The 2 freest swingers on the club. Who saw that coming?
Any idea when Brantley will be back?
Farmer1906 said:
Your walk leaders for the Astros are Jose Altuve and Yuli Gurriel with 4 each. The 2 freest swingers on the club. Who saw that coming?
I wonder if Altuve in the leadoff spot is at least attempting to be more selective and with his diminutive size you would think he could work some walks that way.
As for Yuli I think there is such a drop off after his spot in the order that pitchers are simply pitching around him. I know I would with the way he's been punishing the ball lately.
I think Dusty said he wants to have him back in the lineup on Tuesday.bullard21k said:
Any idea when Brantley will be back?
Pitchers need to enjoy pitching around Yuli while it lasts. The Chas revolution has begun and has the potential to totally reshape the bottom of the order.Prosperdick said:Farmer1906 said:
Your walk leaders for the Astros are Jose Altuve and Yuli Gurriel with 4 each. The 2 freest swingers on the club. Who saw that coming?
I wonder if Altuve in the leadoff spot is at least attempting to be more selective and with his diminutive size you would think he could work some walks that way.
As for Yuli I think there is such a drop off after his spot in the order that pitchers are simply pitching around him. I know I would with the way he's been punishing the ball lately.
Quote:
Any idea when Brantley will be back?
I read he was having trouble gripping the bat and until that goes away he will be shelved. Having said that he's listed as day-to-day.
Angels 2 game series will be interesting. I love the way the Astros looked v. Oakland but honestly the A's looked pretty weak. How much of it was Astros strength and how much was the A's suck. Some of each to be sure. Love the way Altuve and Gurriel look. Last yrs late season issues seem to be behind them.
Marvin said:Superb Sasquatch said:Buck Compton said:Is this a troll? 1-1 is a best case. The way this team is hitting, yes we could sweep. His likely is it to start a season 6-0? Unlikely, but asking if we can realistically split seems like you're new around here.Superb Sasquatch said:
So can we realistically split the series with the Angels? I feel like thats the best case scenario, obviously i am hoping for a sweep but the Angels I feel like have more talent than the A's
It wasn't a troll. I fully believe the Astros can beat any team in the MLB but I feel that they caught people off guard with these first four games. A lot of people I'm sure expected the A's to win that first series. Now the Astros sort of out everyone on notice like "Hey, we're still a VERY good baseball team and the division goes through us." So now other teams will take the Astros more seriously.
You thought teams wouldn't take the Astros seriously? Seriously?
I second the vote for trolling, haha.
All in favor?
The aye's have it. I am a troll then.
The Chas revolution! I like it.
I'm keeping my expectations modest for a guy whose career minor-league OPS is .760, but we are definitely in the market for someone that can play decent defensive centerfield and and if he can just be a slightly better than replacement level offensive player that would be enough to not have to go spend money we don't have before the deadline.
I'm keeping my expectations modest for a guy whose career minor-league OPS is .760, but we are definitely in the market for someone that can play decent defensive centerfield and and if he can just be a slightly better than replacement level offensive player that would be enough to not have to go spend money we don't have before the deadline.
TarponChaser said:Ag_07 said:
Yeah...They mad
Screw that. It's abundantly clear that Chapman was trying to obscure Correa from either making a play on the ball when fielding it or throwing and got caught in between. Correa's job is to field it and make the throw and he had nowhere to go. Chapman initiated the collision trying to break up the double play and it's on him.
Don't start none, won't be none.
I dont think its that complicated, Correa just wanted to tag him and throw, but he has no idea if hes gonna keep running hard (in which case Carlos is gonna sweep tag him as he goes by and throw from the baseline behind where he already passed), or if he is gonna stop and retreat (forcing Correa to run after him to try and tag him or throw to first and get him in a rundown). The third (dumb) option was for Chapman to freeze and stop and in that case Carlos is on a full speed collision course with him.
I think the smart play is to stop and retreat to avoid the tag, and i think what happened is that Chapman realized that but way too late, and so when hes trying to slow and stop he ended up stopping right where Correa was going to be.
Re: The piggyback, I agree with all that but if a guy can give you three or four good relief innings then he's probably good enough to deserve a shot as a starter. In order for that strategy to be viable you have to have an excess of guys that can consistently give you good long outings in order to say stay semi-stretched out as well as starters that are performing well enough to stay in the rotation. Inconsistent outings by either means going to the next guy earlier which means shorter appearances.
I love the concept and I love that we're doing it, I just don't expect for it to be possible for it to be a regular thing as the season goes on. Hope I'm wrong.
I love the concept and I love that we're doing it, I just don't expect for it to be possible for it to be a regular thing as the season goes on. Hope I'm wrong.
not astros related, but i love the in depth analysis and explanation of modern hitting/pitching strategies
https://ts.la/eric59704
Blast from the past since we face Quintana.
The Sox ended up getting Eloy Jimnez in that deal with the Cubs.
Quote:
https://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2016/12/white-sox-asked-astros-for-musgrove-martes-tucker-in-return-for-jose-quintana.html
During the Winter Meetings, it emerged that the Astros had asked the White Sox about lefty Jose Quintana, and that the Astros believed the White Sox' price to be too steep. Today, Peter Gammons tweets that the White Sox asked the Astros for big-league righty Joe Musgrove plus their top two prospects, righty Francis Martes and outfielder Kyle Tucker.
The Sox ended up getting Eloy Jimnez in that deal with the Cubs.
Harry Dunne said:
The Chas revolution! I like it.
I'm keeping my expectations modest for a guy whose career minor-league OPS is .760, but we are definitely in the market for someone that can play decent defensive centerfield and and if he can just be a slightly better than replacement level offensive player that would be enough to not have to go spend money we don't have before the deadline.
The Straw hate is so strong on this thread....willing to give Chas plenty of leeway while ignoring that yesterday Myles got a hit, and RBI walked 3 times and scored twice.
Very weak take. Straw had a nice game yesterday. Hopefully he can build on it.
not sure what you're talking about. I'm one of the biggest Straw guys on here. Go read some posts over the last week. I've been defending his defense and his base stealing and advocating for him in every way possible.Lonestar_Ag09 said:Harry Dunne said:
The Chas revolution! I like it.
I'm keeping my expectations modest for a guy whose career minor-league OPS is .760, but we are definitely in the market for someone that can play decent defensive centerfield and and if he can just be a slightly better than replacement level offensive player that would be enough to not have to go spend money we don't have before the deadline.
The Straw hate is so strong on this thread....willing to give Chas plenty of leeway while ignoring that yesterday Myles got a hit, and RBI walked 3 times and scored twice.
At the same time I'm an equal opportunity employer. If Chas has got the goods or even if he's just hot for a while let's give him a shot. Don't be so defensive. Being excited that one guy is heating up doesn't mean you hate another guy.
This was Straw's 4 game stretch.
.143 Avg
.294 Obp
.143 Slg
.437 Ops
0/1 SB
He didn't have a good start. It's only 4 games. Obviously, not nearly enough to make any decisions, but it reaffirms the low opinion of him some on here hold.
I think most are being a little facetious with Chas.
.143 Avg
.294 Obp
.143 Slg
.437 Ops
0/1 SB
He didn't have a good start. It's only 4 games. Obviously, not nearly enough to make any decisions, but it reaffirms the low opinion of him some on here hold.
I think most are being a little facetious with Chas.
Exactly. Fun hype posts about Chas' strong start to the season have nothing to do with Straw. Literally everyone on here is rooting for Straw to do well.
I've mentioned it before but I'm not concerned with Straw at the plate.
He is what he is but he can be disguised and hidden if the lineup overall is producing at a high clip like we saw over the weekend.
If he can just play solid defense that's fine with me.
He is what he is but he can be disguised and hidden if the lineup overall is producing at a high clip like we saw over the weekend.
If he can just play solid defense that's fine with me.
Some starting pitching data from the first series.
There have been 82 starters start in 2021.
The average IP per start is 5.14
Philly leads the league with 6.9 IP, Pit is dead last with 3.7. We sit in the middle at 5.1.
The average ERA for starters is 4.17
Miami leads the league with 0.00 in 2 starts, Mil is dead last with 10.65. We are 5th at 1.98.
The average FIP for starters is 4.47
Minny leads the league with 1.96 in 3 starts, NYY is dead last with 7.87. We are 3rd at 2.39.
There have been 82 starters start in 2021.
The average IP per start is 5.14
Philly leads the league with 6.9 IP, Pit is dead last with 3.7. We sit in the middle at 5.1.
The average ERA for starters is 4.17
Miami leads the league with 0.00 in 2 starts, Mil is dead last with 10.65. We are 5th at 1.98.
The average FIP for starters is 4.47
Minny leads the league with 1.96 in 3 starts, NYY is dead last with 7.87. We are 3rd at 2.39.
I want everyone on the team to hit .500 with 75 dingers and 200 RBI. Will never root against any of our guys.
Thats a random Tuesday night in Bourbon Street.
Chick fight.
Dude who has already blown chunks. and his buddy patting him on the back while it drools out of his mouth.
Chick running from the fight who sees the chunks and nimbly in heels avoids it.
Dude backing away from the fight pulling his buddy who almost steps in the chunks.
A bunch of idiots filming in portrait mode.
Chick fight.
Dude who has already blown chunks. and his buddy patting him on the back while it drools out of his mouth.
Chick running from the fight who sees the chunks and nimbly in heels avoids it.
Dude backing away from the fight pulling his buddy who almost steps in the chunks.
A bunch of idiots filming in portrait mode.
The dude blowing chunks in the zen position!
We should all be so lucky to have a friend like his.
We should all be so lucky to have a friend like his.
Hurts to have uncle Mike out against Quintana. He absolutely owns him: 15 for 33, 1.140 OPS