yea very sus decisions all year long

Regular season home records

2014 38-43
2015 53-28
2016 43-38
2017 48-33
2018 46-35
2019 60-21
2020 20-8
2021 51-30
2022 55-26
2023 YTD 35-34

Given recent performance in home games the Astros are heading towards the first losing season at home since 2014.

This is a clear break with the performance of the prior two years.

Regular season road records

2014 32-49
2015 33-48
2016 41-40
2017 53-28
2018 57-24
2019 47-34
2020 9-23
2021 44-37
2022 51-30
2023 YTD 42-27

The Astros this season can finish with a better road record than the 2019 team which won a franchise record 107 regular season games if they go 6-6 in the remaining 12 road games.

While better road than home results is not new in the championship era, with the 2017 and 2018 teams performing better on the road, parity at home is a significant break with performance since 2015.

If you really want to be pissed, you extrapolate Chas' season stats over 491 at bats, which is what Tucker has had so far, and compare.

Even with the injuries, particularly to the starting rotation, it feels based on having watched a lot of baseball games and in particular the Astros over the last few seasons that this team should have ten more wins to this point on the season. Way too many instances of poor performing offensive players (ie Julks, Meyers, Dublin, Maldanaldo, and the AAAA guys) getting a lot of ABs, in addition to reactionary decision making on when to pull a starting pitcher (usually the pitcher is pulled after giving up runs). This is highly unscientific, but I've seen this crap too often this season.

Based on what we know, while the front office is still apparently staffed by people with an analytical bent, there are 'baseball people' that Crane listens to and Dusty is still stuck in 1976.

Maybe last night was the final straw and Crane has told Dusty that he is no longer setting lineups, choosing starters, and making most other managerial decisions, and if he doesn't like it he can resign. Barring that, this team will be hard pressed to repeat.

There's still time, perhaps. Making Diaz, McCormick, and Brantley everyday batting order mainstays is an option and one would assume that a self made billionaire like Crane is capable of having a come to Jesus meeting with Dusty.

Before I forget we know that Yordan is going to get today's game off after what happened in the field last night, just be prepared.

BadAggie said:

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Even with the injuries, particularly to the starting rotation, it feels based on having watched a lot of baseball games and in particular the Astros over the last few seasons that this team should have ten more wins to this point on the season. Way too many instances of poor performing offensive players (ie Julks, Meyers, Dublin, Maldanaldo, and the AAAA guys) getting a lot of ABs, in addition to reactionary decision making on when to pull a starting pitcher (usually the pitcher is pulled after giving up runs). This is highly unscientific, but I've seen this crap too often this season.

Based on what we know, while the front office is still apparently staffed by people with an analytical bent, there are 'baseball people' that Crane listens to and Dusty is still stuck in 1976.

Maybe last night was the final straw and Crane has told Dusty that he is no longer setting lineups, choosing starters, and making most other managerial decisions, and if he doesn't like it he can resign. Barring that, this team will be hard pressed to repeat.

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Let me preface by saying I've never been a Dusty fan. That being said, I think he was the perfect hire for the time. I have been following the Astros for 50 years now, and this ranks up there with the most frustrating seasons. Angry? No, because it's a game and it's entertainment for me....but definitely frustrating.

I've been waiting for someone to throw out a number of where they expect we could be as far as wins go...so, say we win 92 this year, you think this could have been a 102 win team WITH the injuries to the starters AND the losses of Altuve, Alvarez and Brantley for so much of the season? That would only be a 5 game dropoff from last year. Not sure anyone would suggest this roster would be capable of that kind of record. It has been frustrating for sure, and the home record is baffling, but we have lost games with Diaz and McCormick in the lineup at home.

Personally, I think this season is the perfect storm of coming back to the pack. We have sustained deep playoff success for 6 straight years which has to be difficult to do. Many of our pitchers ramped up early in the spring for the WBC. We have been without 1/3 of our projected starting rotation (I include 6) pretty much all season, and these are guys you would slot 2-4, so pretty dependable. We did not roll out our projected starting 9 until last week. We lost 6 games in the schedule to both the Angels and A's which we would have likely won most of those games. The Mariners have been coming on for the last couple of years, and the Rangers have gone old-school Yankees to buy their way to contention. This was going to happen this year, I think, regardless of who wore the manager hat.

gambochaman said:

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BadAggie said:

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W said:

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W said:

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you know things have gone awry this season....

Dubon has 430 plate appearances / 408 at-bats

that was not the plan way back in spring training

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after tonight's game....Dubon is up to 433 plate appearances

he had 179 plate appearances in April & May while Altuve recovered from the WBC injury.

since June 1st...Dubon has 254 plate appearances...when Altuve was active & healthy (except for a 2-week stretch over the all-star break)

didn't realize how much Dusty has been playing him...regardless of Altuve's injury status

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Same for Meyers Julks and Maldy.

Dusty has cost this team 10 wins year to date.

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My count is at 14

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Do you really think this team would have the best record in baseball at this point? Better than Atlanta?

That seems reasonable. I just keep looking at the overall win total, and I just have a hard time seeing more than 92-95 wins based on everything we have faced. If it was just the pitching injuries, or just the hitting injuries, maybe we could have been in the 97-100 range. Overcoming both is a tall task.

So who is the front runner for Dusty's replacement next year?

Is Espada a shoe-in?

On Jeremy Peña’s steady, but not sexy, offensive progress, Dana Brown on Dusty Baker’s future and a Forrest Whitley update - https://t.co/3ZlVR7V9Aw

— Chandler Rome (@Chandler_Rome) September 4, 2023

Mose Schrute said:

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So who is the front runner for Dusty's replacement next year?

Is Espada a shoe-in?

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Seems that is what everyone is assuming, but has he even been a candidate for other jobs?

AlwaysNextYear89 said:

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Mose Schrute said:

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So who is the front runner for Dusty's replacement next year?

Is Espada a shoe-in?

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Seems that is what everyone is assuming, but has he even been a candidate for other jobs?

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He has.

I've wanted Espada to take over since Hinch left. Every offseason he's listed as a finalist for a job somewhere else, but hasn't left yet.

So is he unlucky, bad at the interview process, or is he holding out for the Astros job?

AlwaysNextYear89 said:

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Mose Schrute said:

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So who is the front runner for Dusty's replacement next year?

Is Espada a shoe-in?

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Seems that is what everyone is assuming, but has he even been a candidate for other jobs?

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He's interviewed but never been offered. I remember hearing that Cintron was an in house possibility too.

If the Brewers really move on from Counsel, I wonder if Dana will go after him

tjack16 said:

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We all assume Espada but I wonder if it's better to just get somebody totally new. I can 100% see Espada being a Dusty disciple and taking his mindset and ways into 2024.

If you let Dana pick his own guy, then they will likely be on the same page in terms of lineup construction and analytics… which is something we've lacked since Lunhow/Hinch left.

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He's been here since 2018. Is there any reason to believe he's a Dusty Disciple thru and thru? Lineup construction included?

Mose Schrute said:

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tjack16 said:

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We all assume Espada but I wonder if it's better to just get somebody totally new. I can 100% see Espada being a Dusty disciple and taking his mindset and ways into 2024.

If you let Dana pick his own guy, then they will likely be on the same page in terms of lineup construction and analytics… which is something we've lacked since Lunhow/Hinch left.

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He's been here since 2018. Is there any reason to believe he's a Dusty Disciple thru and thru? Lineup construction included?

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I mean maybe not but that's 2 seasons under Hinch and 4 under Dusty. So I'm assuming he's learned more under Dusty than AJ.

My main point was making sure the GM and manager are on the same page… best way to do that might be to let the GM pick his own guy.

One good thing about the schedule is that while we are playing the Rangers, Seattle has the Reds who are in a 4 team tie for a wildcard spot. And the rangers haven't been great on the road. Hopefully the Reds can take a game or two.

You have the opportunity where your two "weak links" in your lineup are a former MVP and an ALCS/WS MVP. It really isn't complicated at all.

Any word on Yordan?

I resemble your last sentence.

Fair point

Fake line up time