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Astros search for a manager enters the homestretch. Who will it be?

Astros search for a manager enters the homestretch. Who will it be?
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Jeff Bannister

This time next week Jim Crane will have hired or be closing in on hiring the Astros' new manager. Who is it going to be? Considering Crane himself doesn't know yet, how the heck should I know? The candidate pool is deep in quality, four former big league skippers (none of whom have won a World Series) and at least three others who have never managed in Major League Baseball.

Dusty Baker. 70 years old. Over 22 seasons he steered four different franchises to the postseason. Tremendous people skills. I always felt his teams took on his upbeat but intense personality. Not a tactical wizard and a questionable resume re: handling of several pitchers. That's not a dealbreaker If Brent Strom is still the pitching coach.

Buck Showalter. Organized and prepared as all get out. Taken three different teams to the playoffs. More coincidence than anything else, the Yankees and Diamondbacks won the World Series...the season immediately after they fired Showalter.

John Gibbons. Low key personality. Two American League Championship Series trips with the Blue Jays.

Jeff Banister. LaMarque high school grad, played at UH. Back-to-Back AL West titles with the Rangers before their roster fell apart and the Astros took over the division. Also a lifetime big league batting average of 1.000. One at bat, he singled.

Any of those four would be a highly credible hire.

Those seeking experience by getting experience: Raul Ibanez, Will Venable, and Eduardo Perez. Where the Astros are, I would lean away from them. Incumbent bench coach Joe Espada is a more credentialed candidate than those three, but Espada was on A.J. Hinch's staff when the Astros are confirmed as cheaters, so can't see Crane going with him.

The experienced big league managers would command more money. That should play zero role in the choice, even though if the Astros stay largely healthy and avoid precipitous performance declines, you or I could manage their roster to 90 wins. Who is best equipped to navigate the S.S. Astros through some stormy seas bound to hit? Because, A. that's baseball, and B. they'll face some unusual stuff in their role as the lying, cheating villains of MLB. Can't know the answer to that.

Rockets fading from the spotlight

The Texans disintegrated on the field in Kansas City, the Astros' integrity turns out to have in part either disintegrated or been non-existent, leaving the Rockets among the big three to uplift the city's sports spirits over the next couple of months. Problem, relatively few seem to care. Glaring numbers of empty seats (even though sold) at Toyota Center, lower TV ratings, and a palpable lack of buzz to them. No shame in a 27-16 record, but that's not close to special and things just seem a bit stale. Dog days of midseason or larger problems?

The Rockets enter the weekend closer to the Draft Lottery than to the Western Conference leading Lakers. The Rockets are at best b-list contenders, waaaay more likely to get bounced from the playoffs in the first round than to win the West. They may be in serious trouble relative to this season's aspirations, and going forward.

Recent deep shooting slump aside, James Harden is a phenomenal offensive force, and Russell Westbrook is a force of nature. But a Harden/Westbrook backcourt headlines a non-championship caliber defense. And there just aren't good enough players around them. Harden is 30 years old, Westbrook is 31. Eric Gordon and his balky knee and erratic jumper, also 31. Over the next three seasons the Rockets are on the hook for those three guys at an average of about 106 million dollars per season.

For two straight off-seasons, the Rockets have been cheap with construction of the bench. Whatever the extent he's been following owner Tilman Fertitta's marching orders, among teams that fancy themselves contenders General Manager Daryl Morey has produced the worst bench in the NBA.

There are a bunch of teams with better overall talent, there are lottery teams with better young talent. It all adds up to the best guess being Head Coach Mike D'Antoni parts ways with the Rockets after the season. How good a job will the Rockets job be for the next coach? The answer might be, not very, in terms of pursuing an NBA championship.

While not being a big deal, it won't look good on the Rockets side if/when Chris Paul makes the All Star Game and Russell Westbrook doesn't.

Buzzer Beaters

1. If you were Kelvin Sampson would you leave UH for the Rockets? 2. The Pro Bowl is Sunday! 3. Things on TV I'd watch before the Pro Bowl: Bronze-Real Housewives of Anywhere Silver-A full XFL game Gold-Three hours of test pattern

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How this sudden change could disrupt the Astros’ flow

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Houston will have to lean on Altuve and Paredes with Pena on the IL. Composite Getty Image.

Fresh off their 50th win of the season, the Houston Astros begin a three-game series in Colorado on Tuesday night, looking to stay hot against a Rockies team still searching for answers.

Houston enters the matchup atop the AL West with a 50–34 record, having won seven of its last 10 games. Though the Astros haven’t been as sharp on the road — just 18–20 away from home — their pitching and power-hitting combo continues to give opponents fits. Isaac Paredes leads the team with 17 home runs, and when Houston clears the fences multiple times in a game, the results speak for themselves: an 18–5 record when hitting two or more homers.

Victor Caratini has quietly chipped in during this recent stretch, going 8-for-33 with three home runs and eight RBIs over the last 10 games, helping make up for some offensive inconsistency. Houston’s team batting average over that span sits at just .225.

Left-hander Colton Gordon takes the mound Tuesday, carrying a 3-1 record and 3.98 ERA into his ninth start of the year. He’ll face a Colorado offense that’s scuffled all season, particularly at home. The Rockies have managed just eight wins in 40 games at Coors Field and are riding a 2–8 skid. Rookie righty Chase Dollander (2-8, 6.06 ERA) gets the start for Colorado as he looks to slow down a Houston team that has found different ways to win.

While Hunter Goodman and Mickey Moniak have provided some spark for the Rockies at the plate, the team has been outscored by 26 runs over the past 10 games and owns one of the league’s worst pitching staffs, a troubling combo against an Astros club that doesn’t need many openings to take control.

This will be the first meeting between the two teams this season. For Houston, it’s a chance to keep momentum rolling against the team with MLB’s worst record. For Colorado, it’s another test in a season full of them.

BETMGM SPORTSBOOK LINE: Astros -173, Rockies +144; over/under is 11 1/2 runs

Here's a preview of the Astros lineup for Game 1.

So what stands out? With Pena unavailable, Espada is once again using Paredes to leadoff, followed by Jake Meyers in the two-spot. Caratini is hitting fifth and will serve as the DH. He's followed by Diaz and Walker. Cooper Hummel will hit eighth and play left field, as Altuve is playing second base. Dubon will hit ninth and fill in for Pena at shortstop.


Image via: MLB.com/Screenshot.

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