redline248 said:

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That is a championship lineup

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AgLA06 said:

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Beat40 said:

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Man, imagine if Uncle Mike comes back, hits .300 and draws some walks.

Not putting a lot of hope into it, but if that were to happen, it would certainly be welcome!

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Imagine if he justs hits .275 and draws a bunch of walks. Maybe even has the occasional dinger.

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texasaggie2015 said:

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Wow. It's going to be really interesting to see what type of role he plays when he returns.

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EastCoastAgNc said:

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Tuesday's plan.

🕠: 5:40 PM
📺: @ATTSportsNetSW
📻: @SportsTalk790 | Spanish: 93.3 FM pic.twitter.com/5si0x5YxMw

— Houston Astros (@astros) August 15, 2023

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redline248 said:

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Brantley could be a boost, or he could be a reason for Dusty to put Diaz or Chas on the bench more

Flip a coin

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BadAggie said:

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Prosperdick said:

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CoachAg19 said:

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BadAggie said:

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AgLA06 said:

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BadAggie said:

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Presumably bat would have been for the bench.

Market was such that decent rental bat would've cost a fair amount.

So you go to plan B and call up the 1B from AAA crushing it.

Plan C is Uncle Mike giving it another go at a return.

I don't buy this idea that one weak Maldy bat in the lineup prevents the rest from producing.

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Yah proven statistics and reality or over rated!

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Maldy sucking at plate is as much a crutch for underperformance of the top of the order in a given game here as Maldy's super great intangibles are for the pitching staff.

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Last night in the top of the 7th inning, Maldy had a 3-1 count with 1 out and a runner on 1st. He swung at ball 4 and grounded out. He had the hottest hitter in baseball coming up behind him. And what did Altuve do? He doubled down the line to left. Had Maldy just stood still and taken ball 4, he would've been on 2nd base for that double, as there was a passed ball in Altuve's AB that would've advanced him. The game would've been tied 2-2 after Altuve's double. Tucker then walked. Bregman got out to end the inning. If Maldy, who has a .178 average, had not swung at ball 4, we would've had Alvarez up with two runners on in the 7th rather than him leading off the 8th.
1, 2, and 4 all got on RIGHT behind him, but his out on a ball he shouldn't have swung at cost us a run and the chance for more with Alvarez coming up with runners on. Should Bregman have produced with runners on? Absolutely. Should Alvarez had been in the 3-spot to begin with? Most likely.
In a 3-0 or 3-1 count, Maldy should NEVER be swinging. Not at this point in the season. If this were May...fine, take your hacks. Not in August when you SHOULD be trying to win every game at all costs.

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I also think what most are missing is NORMALLY (not your example above) having a black hole at the 9 spot shouldn't have a significant impact on your overall lineup producing runs BUT removing that black hole and replacing it with a big bat in the MIDDLE of the lineup DOES have a significant impact.

That's the big issue here...not only does the pitcher lose a breather at the 9 hole but he now has to face Diaz after trying to get through Altuve, Breggie, Yordan, and Tucker (maybe Chas too) so that's 6 batters in a row that can do major damage to a pitcher. It now becomes a gauntlet.

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So Maldy's to blame for everyone else in the order getting out with RISP? Some of you need to stop smoking your own dope.

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BadAggie said:

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Prosperdick said:

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CoachAg19 said:

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BadAggie said:

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AgLA06 said:

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BadAggie said:

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Presumably bat would have been for the bench.

Market was such that decent rental bat would've cost a fair amount.

So you go to plan B and call up the 1B from AAA crushing it.

Plan C is Uncle Mike giving it another go at a return.

I don't buy this idea that one weak Maldy bat in the lineup prevents the rest from producing.

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Yah proven statistics and reality or over rated!

---

Maldy sucking at plate is as much a crutch for underperformance of the top of the order in a given game here as Maldy's super great intangibles are for the pitching staff.

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Last night in the top of the 7th inning, Maldy had a 3-1 count with 1 out and a runner on 1st. He swung at ball 4 and grounded out. He had the hottest hitter in baseball coming up behind him. And what did Altuve do? He doubled down the line to left. Had Maldy just stood still and taken ball 4, he would've been on 2nd base for that double, as there was a passed ball in Altuve's AB that would've advanced him. The game would've been tied 2-2 after Altuve's double. Tucker then walked. Bregman got out to end the inning. If Maldy, who has a .178 average, had not swung at ball 4, we would've had Alvarez up with two runners on in the 7th rather than him leading off the 8th.
1, 2, and 4 all got on RIGHT behind him, but his out on a ball he shouldn't have swung at cost us a run and the chance for more with Alvarez coming up with runners on. Should Bregman have produced with runners on? Absolutely. Should Alvarez had been in the 3-spot to begin with? Most likely.
In a 3-0 or 3-1 count, Maldy should NEVER be swinging. Not at this point in the season. If this were May...fine, take your hacks. Not in August when you SHOULD be trying to win every game at all costs.

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I also think what most are missing is NORMALLY (not your example above) having a black hole at the 9 spot shouldn't have a significant impact on your overall lineup producing runs BUT removing that black hole and replacing it with a big bat in the MIDDLE of the lineup DOES have a significant impact.

That's the big issue here...not only does the pitcher lose a breather at the 9 hole but he now has to face Diaz after trying to get through Altuve, Breggie, Yordan, and Tucker (maybe Chas too) so that's 6 batters in a row that can do major damage to a pitcher. It now becomes a gauntlet.

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So Maldy's to blame for everyone else in the order getting out with RISP? Some of you need to stop smoking your own dope.

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