Astros pitching coach Brent Strom is concerned his guys might be tipping their pitches: “We noticed some things, the swings they take on certain pitches that raise our suspicions. It’s all perfectly legal on their part..Perhaps there’s some tells in there.” @Ken_Rosenthal had 1st pic.twitter.com/THsAixurzm

— Mark Berman (@MarkBermanFox26) October 19, 2021

tailgatetimer10 said:

---

I'm not sure changing the line up will allow us to score more than 9 or 12, so are we just complaining to complain?

---

Would any single move make up score 12? Of course not, but why would you do things that make your team worse?

Why do we want Brantley and Bregman to game more PAs a game than TED?

We have a fairly large sample size throughout this year and in the last couple weeks.

2021 wRC+
Tucker - 160
Bregman - 115
Brantley - 123

2nd Half wRC+
Tucker - 177
Bregman - 113
Brantley - 105

Last 30 Days (regular season) wRC+
Tucker - 204
Bregman - 104
Brantley - 67

Playoffs OPS
Tucker - 1.025
Bregman - .655
Brantley - .613

Playoff Plate Appearances
Tucker - 28
Bregman - 30
Brantley - 31

texasaggie2015 said:

---

He's more secretive about this email than Manfred and the Yankees letter

---

The problem is if anyone quotes it, it's there forever, out of my control. I don't trust the internet.

But the gist was, I can read his articles and see that he's not a Red Sox homer. And the Astros are embarrassing and need to play better. Written with poor punctuation and incomplete sentences.

Keeper of The Spirits said:

---

0 Grand Slams will feel like success

---

Seems a little lofty.

But why not.

FredMc92 said:

---

redline248 said:

---

FredMc92 said:

---

redline248 said:

---

Tucker will continue hitting the cover off the ball with no one on base

---

Uh ..the guy literally hit a 3-run homer LAST NIGHT.

Can you explain how you can hit a 3 run homer with no one on base.

---

have you ever tried not taking things literally?

---

Maybe try making points that actually make sense?

Sorry, but the bleeding going on after the lineup was released was just pathetic. I actually looked it over like 10 times to see what I was missing, because , apparently, "it was maddening".

Just a week ago, we called that exact same lineup "The lineup of death" and now Dusty is an idiot for rolling it out there..

Never change, Texags.

Not to mention that it's obvious to anyone with eyes that the issue is pitching and not the lineup.

Just another excuse to complain about Dusty.

It just gets old. Very old, Almost as old as Dusty...

---

If you don't understand the point I was making, maybe baseball isn't the sport you should be following.

This writer sounds like a punk bltch.

The Astros are an embarrassment? The manager of his team was caught cheating on 2 different teams!!! Him and Beltran were the ring leaders!

We need to do better? Now that I can agree with. We deserve to be in the world series. We're the better team overall and were over the course of 162. No argument here

Why even hint at we are onto them?

Remember when Drayton McLane promised Roy Oswalt a bulldozer if he beat the Cardinals in Game 6 of the '05 ALCS, and he made good on it? Maybe Jim Crane can give one of our starting pitchers a yacht or something if they can go for 5 innings.

Farmer1906 said:

---

I think the biggest point that is being missed is we're not reacting to match ups and just sticking with historical line ups because this is how Dusty did it most of the year.

If we applied the same logic to pitching and said, Brooks Raley gets the 6th inning. He's not a closer. He's not a starter. He's a middle guy. He gets the 6th inning no matter if its righties or lefties or if the starter is great. That would never happen.

Right now Michael Brantley is a slap hitter. He's not generating power. He's not hitting lefties. He's not able to steal, take the extra base, etc. But since he's Michael Brantley then he's in the 2 hole.

---

Brantley stole a base against the White Sox.
That probably puts him at a significant percentage of our post-season stolen bases this year.

McCormick: “Maldonado after the game yesterday just gave us a little speech about keep fighting. These guys have been in this position before.”

— Brian McTaggart (@brianmctaggart) October 19, 2021

Surprised Correa wasn't one of the guys to speak up

You can make a similar argument with Bregman, right now. He has 1 extra base hit this postseason.

Now, obviously, both he and Brantley got some hits against Chicago, so they could heat up at any time. It's just that Tucker is already hot and he needs to be getting more ABs right now. Before it's too late.

EastCoastAgNc said:

---

McCormick: “Maldonado after the game yesterday just gave us a little speech about keep fighting. These guys have been in this position before.”

— Brian McTaggart (@brianmctaggart) October 19, 2021

Surprised Correa wasn't one of the guys to speak up

---

Can't hit worth a damn. Was supposed to be nails at calling a game behind the plate...haven't seen that lately. I guess now he's just a great motivational speaker. Good enough to keep him in the starting lineup.

Uncle Charlie in Trouble

Charlie Morton struggling in the bottom of the first. Gave up a 2 run bomb to Seager, got to two outs, and now has the bases loaded against Taylor.

If he gives up a Granny, then I'm convinced the Media is colluding with LA and Boston to get the matchup they want for the WS.

Dusty Baker said he decided to start Chas McCormick in center field over Jake Meyers tonight because he still doesn't think Meyers is quite ready yet. Meyers is available to play.

— Jake Kaplan (@jakemkaplan) October 19, 2021

No he isn't Dusty...we're not that stupid.

Astros aren't committing to Framber Valdez as their Game 5 starter just yet in case they need him tonight out of the bullpen. Luis Garcia will be available out of the bullpen tonight, as well.

— Jake Kaplan (@jakemkaplan) October 19, 2021

Texaggie7nine said:

---

If he gives up a Granny, then I'm convinced the Media is colluding with LA and Boston to get the matchup they want for the WS.

---

He got out of it.

Seriously. Did he think Jake was good enough to go earlier? Or was he gonna play Jake at less than 100%?

redline248 said:

---

Seriously. Did he think Jake was good enough to go earlier? Or was he gonna play Jake at less than 100%?

---

He's wasting a roster spot that could really be used by another pitcher. Wish Dusty and Click would pull their heads out and actually do something to help the team.

CoachRTM said:

---

The body language between Vasquez and the 1B coach makes me think that Urquidy might be tipping his pitches.

---

My post from early in last night's game. I'm pretty sure Urquidy was tipping

EastCoastAgNc said:

---

redline248 said:

---

Seriously. Did he think Jake was good enough to go earlier? Or was he gonna play Jake at less than 100%?

---

He's wasting a roster spot that could really be used by another pitcher. Wish Dusty and Click would pull their heads out and actually do something to help the team.

---

If the pitching replacement for Meyer is needed, then we have already lost

AggieLit said:

---

n_touch said:

---

Texaggie7nine said:

---

Astros pitching coach Brent Strom is concerned his guys might be tipping their pitches: “We noticed some things, the swings they take on certain pitches that raise our suspicions. It’s all perfectly legal on their part..Perhaps there’s some tells in there.” @Ken_Rosenthal had 1st pic.twitter.com/THsAixurzm

— Mark Berman (@MarkBermanFox26) October 19, 2021

---

Absolutely no doubt they are doing something.

---

Cora could have a whole team going through video of our pitchers from throughout the season to find tells. Just because he stopped illegally stealing signs doesn't mean he isn't a mastermind of legally stealing them.

---

I agree with you. However, since it's across multiple pitchers, I wonder if the tell is more with Maldy than the pitchers.

What are the chances 3 separate starters are all tipping at the same time?

astros4545 said:

---

EastCoastAgNc said:

---

redline248 said:

---

Seriously. Did he think Jake was good enough to go earlier? Or was he gonna play Jake at less than 100%?

---

He's wasting a roster spot that could really be used by another pitcher. Wish Dusty and Click would pull their heads out and actually do something to help the team.

---

If the pitching replacement for Meyer is needed, then we have already lost

---

Yeah, I know, but I'd at least like to see them go down fighting. Each game seems to be getting worse. Gave up 4 runs in game 1, 9 runs in game 2, 12 runs in game 3. 16 tonight? 20 tomorrow? Sure hope not...

Enrique Hernandez

How does a guy that hit .250 with 20 HR's in the regular season hit .500 in playoffs so far with 3 home runs in the the past 4 days?

I mean, I know the pitching has sucked ass but dude is playing out of his mind right now. Payback from his year with the Astros and being traded or pissed off still about losing in 17 when he was with the Dodgers?

He has17 hits from 10/8 to 10/18 but only been walked once.
Is he just hot and getting too many good pitches at top of order and not wanting to walk him?

Something just not adding up. This Red Sox lineup is getting help from places most teams wouldn't even want on their roster and somethings got to give tonight and rest of series.

Tipping, if the case, would help explain some of it. Also the pitch quality- I mentioned it several times on here and MLB radio discussed it this afternoon- the Astros are throwing way too many non-competitive pitches. Whether ahead or behind in the count, the pitchers are not remotely stressing the batters with the quality of their pitches. Too many are three feet off the plate, a foot high or bouncing before the ball makes it to the plate. Batters are having it way too easy these past two games.

WE ARE GOING TO WIN TODAY I BELIEVE MAYBE I HOPE

EastCoastAgNc said:

---

Astros aren't committing to Framber Valdez as their Game 5 starter just yet in case they need him tonight out of the bullpen. Luis Garcia will be available out of the bullpen tonight, as well.

— Jake Kaplan (@jakemkaplan) October 19, 2021

---

Like it. If we get a lead, all hands on deck.

CoachRTM said:

---

CoachRTM said:

---

The body language between Vasquez and the 1B coach makes me think that Urquidy might be tipping his pitches.

---

My post from early in last night's game. I'm pretty sure Urquidy was tipping

---

No one is better than Cora at this stuff. See Enrique Hernndez's out of nowhere 17 hits and 5 home runs in 6 games. Seems pretty crazy for a career .242 hitter over 7 years. He does have 2 HR's in 13 AB's against Grienke so here's to praying we get 3-4 good innings. Seems like whatever is going on with Hernndez he is the key to Sox momentum for the rest of their lineup. Don't give him **** to hit right now and so be it if he walks.

As far as tonight goes we need to get 6 IP from ZG and Javier.

Whether it's 2/4, 3/3, 4/2 whatever. We have to have it.

And they may be available but it would be clutch to not use Framber or Garcia.

If Cora's so great at this, why did his team finish with the wild card? Does he just save it all up for the playoffs?