tjack16 said:

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Marvin said:

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You purists can check out of the thread all you want. I love having passionate discussion, even when it's bipolar and swings wildly within the same game. Sometimes we need a break, and sometimes misery loves company. Sometimes we just need to vent. It's makes the lows low, but it also makes the highs incredibly awesome.

To each his (or her) own!

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Yeah if people want logical… a fan forum thread in the middle of a playoff race isn't the place for that. I'd rather have passionate/bi-polar fanbase than a fanbase who doesn't really care.

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But the bi-polar teeters on the edge of jumping off a cliff and it's really, really tough to wade through. I mean, it's literally pages and pages of negativity until the team is leading to the point it's exhausting. I didn't read a word of this thread over the weekend.

This thread is actually the worst when the team is losing. It isn't fun.

What I mean is this - the Astros could be down 1 or 2 in the 6th and the tone of the thread is they are getting blown out. That's a pretty consistent tone when the Astros aren't leading.

RETURN OF THE KING

#SpaceCity Day 💫

🕖: 7:10 PM
🏟: Closed
📺: @ATTSportsNetSW
📻: @SportsTalk790 | Spanish: 93.3 FM pic.twitter.com/QRyUIQAx8X

— Houston Astros (@astros) August 21, 2023

Glad Diaz keeps getting ABs

Beat40 said:

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tjack16 said:

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Marvin said:

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You purists can check out of the thread all you want. I love having passionate discussion, even when it's bipolar and swings wildly within the same game. Sometimes we need a break, and sometimes misery loves company. Sometimes we just need to vent. It's makes the lows low, but it also makes the highs incredibly awesome.

To each his (or her) own!

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Yeah if people want logical… a fan forum thread in the middle of a playoff race isn't the place for that. I'd rather have passionate/bi-polar fanbase than a fanbase who doesn't really care.

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But the bi-polar teeters on the edge of jumping off a cliff and it's really, really tough to wade through. I mean, it's literally pages and pages of negativity until the team is leading to the point it's exhausting. I didn't read a word of this thread over the weekend.

This thread is actually the worst when the team is losing. It isn't fun.

What I mean is this - the Astros could be down 1 or 2 in the 6th and the tone of the thread is they are getting blown out. That's a pretty consistent tone when the Astros aren't leading.

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ding ding ding. And it's obnoxious. And for the most part it's a lot of people who don't exist during a discussion like the thread has been since 11am or so today. I avoid Aggie football threads for the same reason and this thread never use to be like that.

gougler08 said:

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Glad Diaz keeps getting ABs

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Last 30 Days - 169 wRC+ which is 20th best in baseball. Only Altuve is hotter than him over that time.
Chas, TED, and Breggy not too far behind at 150, 149, & 140.

It's been really interesting to see Diaz get so many starts at 1B lately. It makes you wish that he could have done this in April and May and not August, but it is what it is. How does he project over there in his career? Could he actually play a lot of 1B in the future?

Seth Martinez up for Mushinski

— Brian McTaggart (@brianmctaggart) August 21, 2023

OKCAg2002 said:

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It's been really interesting to see Diaz get so many starts at 1B lately. It makes you wish that he could have done this in April and May and not August, but it is what it is. How does he project over there in his career? Could he actually play a lot of 1B in the future?

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I'd rather him catch and have a good 1B.

Farmer1906 said:

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Seth Martinez up for Mushinski

— Brian McTaggart (@brianmctaggart) August 21, 2023

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Guessing Dana is starting to figure out the only way you keep Galaxy Brain from using the worst pieces he has available when it counts is to remove those pieces from the board.

OKCAg2002 said:

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It's been really interesting to see Diaz get so many starts at 1B lately. It makes you wish that he could have done this in April and May and not August, but it is what it is. How does he project over there in his career? Could he actually play a lot of 1B in the future?

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He played some in the minors. He doesn't look out of place at first. The sample size is very small tho. He's a +1 outs above average at first in that small sample.

But I think he's shown more than enough signs of being a damn good catcher. Add his offense and you have yourself a weapon that most teams don't. It's so much easier to find someone who can be plus on offense at 1B.

League Avg wRC+
1B - 112
C - 90

OKCAg2002 said:

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It's been really interesting to see Diaz get so many starts at 1B lately. It makes you wish that he could have done this in April and May and not August, but it is what it is. How does he project over there in his career? Could he actually play a lot of 1B in the future?

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They've been working with him at three different positions. Catcher, first base and left field.

He'll catch a lot next year.. but I think ideally they'll have someone who will catch about 40% of the time so he can play somewhere else (or even DH) to save his legs and increase the longevity of his career. They love his bat.

SpaceCityAg05 said:

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That is what most concerns me right now. Teams and players slump or play badly, but the number of mental errors is off the charts for us right now, indicating our heads are not in the right place. THAT is not something I am used to seeing with this team.

Peña not going to 2B on an easy DP ball was unbelievable and cost us dearly. That is different than a bad throw or misplay and I am seeing a lot of it in recent days.

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I agree...there's something going on with the team in general.

It's almost like they're coached by someone who sleepwalks through games, never defends his team when they get bent over by the umpiring crew, and constantly ****s with a lineup so nobody knows when/where/how much they're playing on any given day.

And yes, that "style" worked last year because we didn't get bit particularly hard by the injury bug and there was way less lineup tinkering (mostly just head scratching days off).

Here's to hoping he's figured it out and we go on a run.

Prosperdick said:

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SpaceCityAg05 said:

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That is what most concerns me right now. Teams and players slump or play badly, but the number of mental errors is off the charts for us right now, indicating our heads are not in the right place. THAT is not something I am used to seeing with this team.

Peña not going to 2B on an easy DP ball was unbelievable and cost us dearly. That is different than a bad throw or misplay and I am seeing a lot of it in recent days.

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And yes, that "style" worked last year because we didn't get bit particularly hard by the injury bug and there was way less lineup tinkering (mostly just head scratching days off).

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There's a reason Dusty has been fired from every stop he's made during his career and there's a reason why it took until last year to win his first World Series.

You won't find someone more respected as a person across the league than Dusty Baker.. but it's no secret that he has his flaws as a manager.

I think this season is the first time during his stint here that the team just isn't good or deep enough to overcome his flaws.

That said, there's some things Dusty has done behind the scenes that have done wonders for this club. One example is he fought endlessly for Yuli Gurriel to be on the postseason roster last year. He wasn't going to be, but the front office finally gave in and Yuli performed. Maybe that was lucky. I don't know. But Dusty was the one person who went to bat for him.

I'll be surprised to see Dusty back with the Astros next year. Dana Brown wants someone who is his guy managing this team and I believe Jim Crane will oblige.

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I'll be surprised to see Dusty back with the Astros next year. Dana Brown wants someone who is his guy managing this team and I believe Jim Crane will oblige.

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Lest we forget the circumstances the organization was under that led them to hiring Dusty. For all his flaws, he was not a bad fit at the time because he was an outsider, a players coach, and didn't care what the media was saying about the organization. That said, he was never the long term answer. Winning the World Series was a huge bonus, and an enormous feather in his cap. But the organization is in a place where the scandal is relatively behind them, and they can focus on hiring a manager for the future past 2023.

Dusty is arguably the greatest manager in Astros history