htxag09 said:

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Beat40 said:

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superaggie73 said:

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tjack16 said:

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If we don't make the playoffs, I can't imagine how Espada and Brown survive this season. Especially if we finish below .500

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Espada I get, but Brown has been hamstrung by Crane. Crane signed Montero and Abreu before even hiring Brown. Crane wanted Hader. Crane would never let an Abreu replacement be brought in this offseason. Wtf is Brown supposed to do?

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Why would you get rid of Espada when almost the same exact team was one win away from going to the WS?

He's just as hamstrung by Crane as Brown is. Those guys Crane really wanted are the guys he has to play.

Many said anyone could have managed the Astros to the WS these past couple of years. Maybe Baker is owed an apology or more of the blame needs to be on the players.

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I feel like you and me see this differently. Not saying to fire espada, but I believe the fact that this is a WS caliber roster that keeps tripping over their own dicks is even more of a strike against espada. Not like he's getting the most out of them….

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Bregman sucks.
Abreu is a walking corpse.
Chas is a pumpkin.
Pena has never again shown 2022 postseason form.
Yordan's lulls are un-overcomeable.
The entire rotation is hurt.
The WS caliber bullpen was built by a GM since let go and most of those relievers are gone too. The ones who are left are suddenly gas cans.

There are three, maybe four guys on the entire roster who hit semi-regularly and they're never all going at the same time. What part of this is a WS caliber roster? These guys are aging, devoid of life, and rudderless. They're professionals who plain suck. I blame them. And I blame Crane and Dana. Whoever let it get to this point.

Bregman needs to hit 6th starting f'ing tomorrow. And Abreu needs to be out of the lineup entirely. Maybe I can blame Espada for those two things. Or maybe the FO is meddling with that too.

1876er said:

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tjack16 said:

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1876er said:

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This team blows. This is for all the geniuses that couldn't wait to get rid of Dusty.

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This team would be 4-9 with Dusty too. Except Dusty would still be batting Abreu 5th and Tucker 6th

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Do you still think Dusty would be 7-17?

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Yes. Joe didn't blow the 6 saves

1876er said:

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tjack16 said:

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1876er said:

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This team blows. This is for all the geniuses that couldn't wait to get rid of Dusty.

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This team would be 4-9 with Dusty too. Except Dusty would still be batting Abreu 5th and Tucker 6th

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Do you still think Dusty would be 7-17?

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Yep. It's on the players. Not the manager's fault that Brown, France, Hader, Pressly, Bregman and Jose Abreu all forgot to show up this season

The Porkchop Express said:

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It's a new day and a new opportunity to win a ballgame. Still in the part of the season where a 3-game win streak can turn things around.

If you're a doubter or a hater, let's not forget our past.



On June 1 2005, the staff of the world's dumbest daily newspaper declared the season over at 15-30. The team went 74-43 the rest of the year and made it to the World Series.

LFG

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These guys will have to improve quite a bit to get to 15-30

EastCoastAgNc said:

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I remember last year when the Cardinals kept sucking that it eventually came out that Wilson Contreras was wretched at planning for and calling games. He was replacing Molina, which was of course a massive hole to fill, and it was quite an obvious downgrade. I'm by no means a Maldy truther, but I do wonder if some of the pitching woes come down to the guy calling the game behind the plate.

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Problem is the Astros have had six starts this season in which the starting pitcher gave up more than 3 runs.

I can buy that Diaz needs improvement with later inning calls and managing relievers

But he and the starters at least have done well, and two of those bad starts were with rookie pitchers including the sacrificial lamb called up from Corpus.

Why is it forbidden to say Espada may not be a good manager? He took over a team that made the ALCS and is now one of the worst teams in all of baseball.

1876er said:

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Why is it forbidden to say Espada may not be a good manager? He took over a team that made the ALCS and is now one of the worst teams in all of baseball.

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How'd he make Abreu, Pressly, and Hader suck?

If that trio takes care of business to date Astros could be over .500

We would be 12-12 if I was still managing. I wouldn't have named Hader the closer without him earning anything. Pressley would have felt supported and pitched better. Hader would be out there trying to earn the closer role. I'd be batting Bregman 2nd, JP 5th, Caratini 6th, Abreu 7th, Pudding, 8th, and Dubie 9th


And you would all have your pitchforks out

1876er said:

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Why is it forbidden to say Espada may not be a good manager? He took over a team that made the ALCS and is now one of the worst teams in all of baseball.

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It isn't forbidden. He may not be, but as far as in-game decisions, I don't think he had made too many errors.

However, I think what most people's point is that this had happened:

1. Bregman is really bad right, Abreu would do better walking up the plate empty handed.
2. Crane wanted Hader, which meant they couldn't resign any of the bullpen from last year. In conjunction, Hader, Pressly, and Abreu, all who have been super reliable these past couple of years have been really bad to start the season
2. JV, Framber injury stints, now Javier.

#1 & 2 are vets and all-stars who aren't performing. Those are the guys you would have leaned on no matter the manager.

#3 is the top of your rotation.

So yeah, Espada might not be a good manager, but given all that's happened above, there hasn't been a fair time to even assess him.

1876er said:

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Why is it forbidden to say Espada may not be a good manager? He took over a team that made the ALCS and is now one of the worst teams in all of baseball.

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Don't think anyone is saying it's forbidden. Just saying how can you know after 24 games where your supposedly elite back of the bullpen blew every save, your 2019 MVP runner up is a noodle bat well on his way to the worst contract season in recent memory, your owner gave $19.5M to a guy hitting .063, your all-world slugger isn't hitting home runs (and as a matter of fact literally no one is except … Jake Meyers?), your Springer and Correa replacements are not living up to it, your entire rotation is on the IL, and not a single player in that clubhouse has the stones to be a vocal leader?

It's too ****ed to blame any specific person imo. Except the person at the top who made it that way.

1876er said:

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Why is it forbidden to say Espada may not be a good manager? He took over a team that made the ALCS and is now one of the worst teams in all of baseball.

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It's not. It's just kind of nonsensical. Baseball managers don't have that kind of impact. Nothing has stood out of overly foolish.

If I understood it correctly, Click wanted to trade Urquidy for Contreras (or had a deal in place Crane nixed) and Crane shot that down and then disposed of Click after the season, for not being aggressive enough or something. After the team won a title.

Crane went with Brown, a talent evaluator with a very good draft history as GM but at the moment the Astros need a 'wheeler dealer' type GM, someone who can make a move or two to help right the ship.

Farmer1906 said:

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1876er said:

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Why is it forbidden to say Espada may not be a good manager? He took over a team that made the ALCS and is now one of the worst teams in all of baseball.

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It's not. It's just kind of nonsensical. Baseball managers don't have that kind of impact. Nothing has stood out of overly foolish.

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This.

It's a perfect storm of **** right now. Injuries and a few key contributors being put out of whack. No GM has a magic wand to fix this.

The only thing that will fix it is time. In time, this team will be much better. The only player who likely won't get right is Abreu.

The only question is will there be enough time? We just need to find a way to scratch and claw Ws while players get right.

White Sox, Marlins, Rockies , Astros.

Oakland is 2 games better than us.

15% of the season is over.

This is who we are. The Astros leadership has got to stop reacting to losses like we are contenders right there in the thick of it and it will all work itself out. Some changes and sense of urgency has to happen

The poll results are in!


Q: Who should play 1B for the Astros for the rest of the 2024 season?

54.5% said a fan picked at random 30 minutes before first pitch.
27.3% said Jon Singleton
9.1% said Mike Simms
9.1% said Trevor Bauer

Complacency and arrogance are the two quickest paths to decline. A sense of urgency is always needed! No matter the sport or the business!

— Jeff Luhnow (@jluhnow) December 3, 2022

Posted in December of 2022, but so appropriate now

Beat40 said:

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W said:

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someone mentioned the 2004 Astros earlier

Jimy was sacked at the break after starting 44-44

Garner came in and went 48-26

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Sure - but he had at least 2 full seasons as the Astros manager prior to that.

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Crane will do whatever he feels like, so nothing would surprise me.

However, firing Espada for expecting Abreu, Pressly, and Hader to do their jobs would be unwarranted at this point.