texasaggie2015 said:

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Because if it flares up and he can't go for a couple days it's a waste of a roster space unless you want to shut him down for 10 whole days again.

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Ok, then there's a decision point. That would seem to be a constant possibility.

texasaggie2015 said:

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AustinCountyAg said:

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W said:

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Dusty is just daring Dana to fire him

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I said this yesterday. Dusty is doing this **** outa spite because he thinks he's untouchable and knows more than everyone. He's playing with fire and it's pissing me off. Dana/Crane should fire his ass now before he ****s around and they miss the playoffs

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Ehhh.. I don't think this is true. Dusty has always done things his way. That's sort of what he's known for. My friend who is a huge Cubs fan warned me about this back in 2020. I think this is the first year the Astros haven't been good enough to easily overcome his way of doing things.

There's a reason he's been fired at every stop he's made. And he's had some really, really good teams. It took until last year to win a championship.

The Astros have always won in spite of Dusty Baker. Not because of Dusty Baker.

He's a great man. You'll never hear a bad thing about his character and I would love to have a beer with the guy. But it's time to move on after this season is over.

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good point. He's done this forever and it's no wonder he had to coach for 90 years before he won a WS.

My point stands though. They need to fire his ass.(It will never happen, but it's what needs to happen) Like you said this team isn't good enough to overcome his crap. Maybe in the playoffs they are because you mentioned the FO has say in roster and lineups, but we've got to get to the playoffs first.

texasaggie2015 said:

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Because if it flares up and he can't go for a couple days it's a waste of a roster space unless you want to shut him down for 10 whole days again.

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That makes sense. So is he just going to spend the rest of the season playing for Sugar Land? Or do you think they'll call him up at some point?

Okay, not to beat a dead horse, but damn that game last night was frustrating.....



Dusty--I'll give him a pass on when to pull Urquidy-he had to try to get some extra innings out of him, since the BP is overtaxed. I'll even applaud him for pinch hitting for Maldy in the 9th, even if it burned the DH. I am completely baffled by the bottom of the 10th. Even if we assume Yordan was completely incapable of playing last night and miraculously healed in the last 12 hours, Dusty had to know he had 2 players left on the bench, with Meyers and the pitchers spots up next with 1 out. So he pinch hits Dubon for Meyers (Meyers .234/.306/.698 with 91 OPS+; Dubon .266/.298/.375 for OPS+ of 85). But that left Julks to PH for the pitcher's spot. Julks over the season has a .244/.297/.354 and OPS+ of 79, but going back to July 1, he's .188/.275/.238. That includes his hot streak near the July 4th.... I can't figure out why not let Meyers take his hacks, and PH Dubon for the pitchers spot.

Now, as much as Dusty didn't help, Tucker and Bregman whiffing in the bottom of the 9th was disappointing, and Abreu with a non-competitive AB in the bottom of the 10th was killer. If Abreu able to move the runners, it could have been tied or at least 7-6 if Pena still singles....

Lots of blame to go around...

Beat40 said:

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AggiEE said:

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Beat40 said:

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AggiEE said:

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Beat40 said:

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W said:

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I wish Machete had more self-awareness

when you have a .568 OPS and OPS+ of 56...and lead the league in passed balls...

you tell your manager to play the other guy

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How do you know he hasn't?

I believe it was in 2021, Altuve was in a bad slump and he asked Dusty to move him down in the lineup. Dusty didn't do it because it's Altuve.

Point is it's possible Maldy has set aside his ego and mentioned Diaz should catch more, but Dusty isn't doing it because he trusts Maldy more.

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Maldy is not Altuve

Maldy is Maldy. A career Maldonado line hitter who runs like he's got two pianos strapped to his back

We traded for a superior Vasquez last year and Dusty was still mostly playing Maldy.

This year, we have arguably the best catcher in the league, and he gets 1 out of every 6 starts, to play Maldy instead

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You missed the whole point. The poster I was responding to said Maldy needs more self-awareness and tell Dusty to play Diaz over him.

My point was how does that poster know Maldy hasn't? Altuve was an example of someone who did and Dusty made the decision to not move him down in the order.

What you just said has nothing to do do with the conversation.

Maldy certainly could have already told Dusty Diaz needs to catch more, but Dusty makes the lineup, trusts Maldy more, and therefore plays Maldy more.

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Maldy doesn't need to just fold over and say

"Ok coach, I'm here for you. I'll play 80% of the time like you want. "

Dusty's position on an Altuve slump is defensible. His position on Maldy isn't. It's incompetence

And I don't think Maldy wants to play less either. He's got a huge ego and probably wants to play more himself than he actually wants the team to win

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All professional athletes have huge egos. It's why managing them isn't for everyone. Altuve asking the manager to move him down in the order is incredibly rare and is just another reason to celebrate Altuve.

But Maldy playing more is because of Dusty.

And your last sentence is a pretty bull**** thing to say about a guy you don't personally know.

My overall point is it's Dusty's fault and should be treated as such.

So, anyway, I'm done with this conversation.

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If Maldy wanted to force himself less playing time, held a meeting with Dusty and Dana, his "leadership" abilities would allow that decision to be made

It's not just on Dusty. Maldy has a say. He just prefers to play which is costing us wins this year based on the enormous difference in offensive and defensive abilities.

So I absolutely can claim with confidence that Maldy (and Dusty) both care more about their own egos than winning games. Period. This isn't a difficult or questionable decision

Dusty Baker said Michael Brantley came into his office today and he's headed back to Sugar Land and will play Friday/Saturday. Baker said "he's not physically there yet."

"He's not ready and I told him, 'let us know' when he's ready because he's champing at the bit, but at the…

— Brian McTaggart (@brianmctaggart) August 24, 2023

So the Astros would rather let Julks come in off the bench 1/41 to take a crucial AB with bases loaded and a chance to tie or win than call up Uncle Mike. If its truly up to Brantley to decide thats one thing, but you can't convince me having him available off the bench isn't better than many of the guys currently getting regular AB's for this squad

safe to say they should've went after Grienke at the trade deadline. Could've had another arm and a solid bat for pitch hitting situations such as last night.

Looks to me like a strength thing

AustinCountyAg said:

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W said:

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Dusty is just daring Dana to fire him

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I said this yesterday. Dusty is doing this **** outa spite because he thinks he's untouchable and knows more than everyone. He's playing with fire and it's pissing me off. Dana/Crane should fire his ass now before he ****s around and they miss the playoffs

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Untouchable? I have to imagine that Dusty knows anything short of a WS and he will not return next year. There's just no way.

W said:

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yes, that's why folks think there is something else going on...like a possible contractual situation

the Astros seem afraid to bring him up and see if he can play. Even if it's only for 2 or 3 games...and he retires afterwards

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but we're already paying him $12mil this year, whether he plays or not. It's a one-year deal.

Now it could be an insurance deal - where if he plays a game(s) they cannot claim insurance for some portion of the $12mil.

exactly - he's on a one-year deal. In my mind, he has to win another WS to come back.

Dusty's spouse (the entire organization and fan base) is divorcing him and he is making spiteful, emotional decisions. That always goes well for everyone. Some lawyers are about to get paid when he inevitably finds a way to make this discrimination in some form. You aren't a protected class Dusty, you are just stupid.

CoachAg19 said:

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The Porkchop Express said:

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If Dusty wins another WS, this board is going to be hilariously bi polar.

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If Dusty wins?
If the team wins, it won't be because of any brilliant or masterful moves by Dusty. The talent is there for this team to win.

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Clearly they already didn't win because of him last year. Even moreso than we previously thought.

Brian McTaggart said on SportsTalk790 that he doesn’t know if Brantley will play this year 😅

Edit: this was Tags opinion, so nothing official, but he doesn’t sound optimistic.

— Space City Sports (@LiveSCS) August 24, 2023

Yup.

Again- I really hope I'm wrong.

Especially now that we know Dusty not responsible for the post season lineups. I always gave Dusty credit for his post season lineups.

BMX Bandit said:

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This teams starting pitching is beat to hell

If they win World Series, Dusty deserves a rom of credit. Some of y'all are so insufferable

Likewise, if they crash out early in playoffs, that's on Dusty

And that march to the title continues in less than an hour. See y'all at the juice box!

If you can't enjoy a business man special, you just aren't a happy person.

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What's "insufferable" about what I said exactly? A poster earlier today literally said that once the postseason rolls around the front office has control of the lineup card at the end of the day. If we win the WS again this year, it will be because our roster is still immensely talented. And I agree with you, the starting pitching is roughed up right now. That doesn't mean that we can't still win it with the arms that we do have.
I'm not suggesting that he shouldn't get some sort of credit, because he obviously will (and rightfully so).