NO EASY ANSWERS
As puzzling moves compound, Houston Astros face toughest decision yet
May 3, 2022, 6:17 pm
Dusty Baker's moves are again coming into question. Photo by Michael Reaves/Getty Images.
Last October, with another World Series appearance looming, Astros owner Jim Crane was asked if he intended to bring back Dusty Baker as manager in 2022. There were whispers that the on-field manager and front office management weren’t seeing eye-to-eye on team matters. Maybe it was time to think long haul and Baker at 72 might be more suited for an advisory executive position.
Crane said, “Listen, Dusty deserves another shot for next year. We’ll see where it goes. Dusty has done a great job here, and I don’t think there is any reason we wouldn’t visit about it after the World Series. We don’t want to get distracted by any contracts or any extension.”
The guy just took you to the World Series and you’ll “see where it goes”? Crane eventually rewarded Baker with a one-year deal to return to the Astros helm.
One year.
That’s this year, the Astros are sputtering with a disappointing 12-11 record. Top to bottom, the team is mired in a collective month-long batting slump. Jose Altuve, Yuli Gurriel, Alex Bregman, Kyle Tucker, Michael Brantley, Martin Maldonado, Jose Siri, and Yordan Alvarez, the meat of the Astros usually formidable lineup, are all hitting below their career averages. The only reason the entire starting lineup isn’t batting below their career averages is because shortstop Jeremy Pena is a rookie.
Some say it seems the Astros have been on the road the whole season, and that explains the lackluster record. True, including Monday night’s 3-0 shutout of the Seattle Mariners, the Astros have played only seven games at Minute Maid Park. But the Astros have a losing record, 3-4, at home so far this season.
Besides, the Astros have developed a reputation as road warriors in recent years. In 2017, they were 53-28 away from Houston. In 2018, they were a ridiculous 57-24 on the road. They also had winning away records in 2019 and 2021.
There have been recent grumblings about Baker’s general decision-making by fans on social media. Here’s one move that really had fans scratching their heads.
Last Sunday the Astros and Blue Jays were tied, 2-2 in the seventh inning. The Astros were batting with two down and the potential go-ahead run on second base. Maldonado stepped to the plate. It was crunch time.
Fans wondered, why is Baker letting Maldonado hit? At the time, the weak-hitting catcher (lifetime .210 average) was batting .090, the worst batting average among regulars in the league. This was the day before teams had to cut their rosters from 28 to 26 players, so Baker had pinch hitters on his bench.
You couldn’t blame Astros fielders if they were grabbing their gloves as Maldonado took his practice cuts. Leadoff hitter Chas McCormick might have wondered, do I really need to go to the on-deck circle? Was that Orbit throwing up his hands in disbelief?
Maldonado struck out swinging. Toronto scored a run in its bottom of the seventh. Game over. Astros lose.
The Astros are playing tough, close games. They lost a couple of one-run nail-biters last weekend against Toronto, a power-packed American League rival. The games were played with playoff intensity. Every at bat could have been the difference between winning and losing.
One at-bat in particular.
Not to trample worn-out territory, but Baker’s decision to let Maldonado hit in that crucial moment was perplexing, if not a downright bad bet.
It may seem like the season just began and, as the poet Robert Frost said, there are miles to go. But 23 games is one-seventh of a year in baseball. That’s a pretty fair sample. After another oh-for Monday night, Maldonado now is batting .083.
Let’s put that into historical context. The all-time lowest batting average by a player with enough plate appearances to qualify for the batting title is .168 by Orioles slugger Chris Davis in 2018. Less than two years later, at age 34, Davis was out of baseball.
If Maldonado starts hitting and DOUBLES his batting average by season-end, he still will break the record for worst batting average in baseball history.
Maldonado is 35, an age when hitters typically don’t improve, at least not since MLB cracked down on steroid cheaters. Maldonado’s recent yearly averages have dwindled from .227 in 2019 to .172 last season. He is trending downward. At what point do the Astros say Maldonado is irredeemable at the plate?
With the Mariners and Angels smelling Astros blood in the water, can the Astros afford a hitter who can’t hit? Magic 8 Ball says “outlook not so good.”
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How these 3 critical factors could swing battle between Texans and Jets
Oct 30, 2024, 3:06 pm
The Jets host the Texans and their scary defense on Halloween night! Photo by Tim Warner/Getty Images.
Houston (6-2) at New York Jets (2-6)
Thursday, 8:15 p.m. EDT, Amazon Prime
BetMGM NFL odds: Jets by 2.
Against the spread: Texans 3-4-1; Jets 2-6.
Series record: Jets lead 7-3.
Last meeting: Jets beat Texans 30-6 in East Rutherford, New Jersey, on Dec. 10, 2023.
Last week: Texans beat Colts 23-20; Jets lost to Patriots 25-22.
Texans offense: overall (9t), rush (18), pass (8), scoring (14).
Texans defense: overall (2), rush (13), pass (3), scoring (15t).
Jets offense: overall (24), rush (30), pass (13), scoring (25).
Jets defense: overall (4), rush (17), pass (2), scoring (11t).
Turnover differential: Texans plus-4; Jets minus-3.
Texans player to watch
RB Joe Mixon. He has carried Houston's offense in the three games since he returned from an injury and could be even more important this week after wide receiver Stefon Diggs tore the ACL in his right knee last Sunday and is out for the season. Mixon ranks third in the NFL by averaging 100.6 yards rushing a game and has had at least 100 yards rushing and a TD run in three straight games.
Jets player to watch
Edge rusher Haason Reddick. After ending his lengthy contract holdout early last week, Reddick made his Jets debut and played 26 snaps on defense with two quarterback pressures while working mostly on third downs. His snaps might increase a bit Thursday and he could help the Jets get after C.J. Stroud, who has been sacked 22 times this season — tied for third most in the NFL.
Key matchup
Jets offensive line vs. Texans' pass rush. New York has had issues this season with injuries, consistency and protecting Aaron Rodgers. The Jets will face a tough test Thursday night against the Texans, whose 27 sacks are third in the NFL. DE Will Anderson Jr. is tied for third in the league with a career-high 7 1/2 sacks, including at least one in his past three games. DE Danielle Hunter has 5 1/2 sacks and DT Tim Settle has four, powering a formidable defensive front for Houston. Hunter leads the league with 51 quarterback pressures and Anderson is fourth with 39, the only teammates in the top 15, according to Next Gen Stats.
Key injuries
Diggs' injury leaves Houston without its top two receivers. Nico Collins, who leads the Texans with 567 yards receiving, is out for at least one more game after being placed on injured reserve with a hamstring injury. ... S Calen Bullock was limited in practice Monday and Tuesday after injuring his shoulder Sunday. … LBs Azeez Al-Shaair (knee) and Henry To’oTo’o (concussion) both missed the Colts game, but could return this week. … S Jimmie Ward could miss a fifth straight game with a groin injury. … LG Jarrett Patterson is in the concussion protocol and is likely out. … RB Dameon Pierce missed practice this week with a groin injury. ... Jets LB C.J. Mosley suffered a stinger in his neck during pregame warmups at New England and was meeting with neck and spine specialists this week. ... RG Alijah Vera-Tucker (ankle), WR Allen Lazard (chest), DL Leki Fotu (knee) and safeties Tony Adams (hamstring) and Ashtyn Davis (concussion) all missed the game vs. the Patriots and their availability for this week was uncertain. ... K Greg Zuerlein was placed on IR. Riley Patterson and Spencer Shrader were signed to the practice squad, and one will be promoted for the game.
Series notes
The Jets have won the past two meetings. ... New York won the first five meetings, including the first game between the franchises in 2003, when LaMont Jordan's late 8-yard touchdown run helped lift the Jets to a 19-14 victory. ... Zach Wilson threw two touchdown passes in the most recent meeting, a 30-6 rout by New York during which Stroud left with a concussion.
Stats and stuff
The AFC South-leading Texans have won four of their past five. ... Stroud is 2-0 with three touchdowns and zero interceptions in two career starts in prime time. He had 285 yards passing last week for his ninth career game with at least that many yards passing, which is tied for second most in the NFL since 2023. ... WR Tank Dell had a touchdown reception last week and has a TD catch in two of his past three games. ... TE Dalton Schultz had a season-high 52 yards receiving against the Colts. He has two TD receptions in each of his past two Thursday night games. ... Hunter has 10½ sacks in eight career Thursday night games. … LB Neville Hewitt, who spent the 2018-21 seasons with the Jets, forced a fumble last week. … Rookie CB Kamari Lassiter had a career-high three passes defended last week. … S Jalen Pitre had his first interception of the season last week. ... S Eric Murray had seven tackles and a season-high three passes defended last week. ... New York is trying to snap a five-game skid. ... Jeff Ulbrich is 0-3 as the Jets’ interim head coach since replacing the fired Robert Saleh on Oct. 8. Ulbrich, also the team's defensive coordinator, said earlier this week he'll continue to call plays on defense. … Rodgers snapped a streak of three consecutive games with an interception. He has seven in eight games, six shy of his single-season career high set in 2008 in his first year as Green Bay’s starting quarterback. ... Rodgers hasn't passed for 300 yards since throwing for 341 against Chicago on Dec. 12, 2021 — a span of 30 regular-season games and 31 overall, including one playoff game. ... WR Garrett Wilson leads the NFL with 84 targets, 11 more than the Giants’ Malik Nabers. Wilson’s 51 receptions are second in the league behind Las Vegas’ Brock Bowers, who has 52. ... WR Davante Adams had four catches for 54 yards, giving him seven receptions for 84 yards in two games since being acquired from the Raiders. ... Second-year WR Xavier Gipson caught his first career TD pass last Sunday. ... TE Tyler Conklin has a TD catch in consecutive games after not having one since catching two TD passes in Week 8 of the 2022 season against New England. ... RB Breece Hall has 316 yards receiving, the most among NFL running backs. ... Edge rusher Will McDonald has eight sacks, second in the NFL to the Giants’ Dexter Lawrence (nine). … The Jets have only six takeaways, ranking among the fewest in the league. Backup CB Brandin Echols has New York's only two interceptions.
Fantasy tip
Houston wide receiver John Metchie is coming off a career-best three-catch game and could see more targets — and perhaps his first NFL touchdown — with both Diggs and Collins out. Might be worth a stash as a potential WR3.
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