THE PALLILOG
H-Town's rooting interest shifting with Astros most-hated rivals in crosshairs
Jun 22, 2023, 1:17 pm
Up next, the Astros play the Dodgers on Friday. Photo by Getty Images.
Award nomination adds more proof Jose Altuve's vilification is unwarranted
The Astros’ longest home stand of the season was not a good one, but not good is better than miserable. Winning the last two games from the Mets made it four wins and five losses, and certainly makes for a happier off day after finishing a stretch of 26 games in 27 days with a 13-13 record. The Astros played a level of baseball not good enough to be a playoff team. Plenty of games remain to change that, including on their other nine game home stand, which comes up in a month. That one has the Rangers, Rays, and Guardians coming to town, so the Astros better be playing better when it rolls around. Presumably having Yordan Alvarez back in the lineup will help.
Wheels up
Now it’s on the road for 10 games starting with three in Los Angeles followed by three in St. Louis then four in Arlington. A great trip would be huge but can’t make the Astros’ season. A lousy trip could break it in terms of the American League West race. The Astros sit five and a half games back of the Rangers.
The Dodgers have been scuffling themselves and trail Arizona in the National League West. The Dodgers and Astros have been on parallel tracks. The Astros won June 3 to take their record to 35-23. Since then, 6-11. The Dodgers won on June 2 to take their record to 35-23. Since then, 6-10. The Dodgers’ bullpen has been a mess in recent weeks, so the Astros getting into it as early as possible takes on added importance this weekend. The Dodger organization is always cranking out starting pitching. In the first two games, uh oh, the Astros face pitchers they’ve never seen before. Friday it’s Emmet Sheehan who made his big league debut last weekend with six no-hit innings. Saturday it’s elite prospect Bobby Miller who the rampaging Giants roughed up in his last outing, but before that Miller gave up just two runs in 23 innings over his first four starts. Sunday, nasty-stuff Tony Gonsolin is the Astros’ challenge. The Astros have J.P. France, Ronel Blanco, and Hunter Brown lined up to pitch against a Dodger lineup that while top-heavy has four hitters in it (Freddie Freeman, Will Smith, Mookie Betts, J.D. Martinez) having much better seasons than any Astro not named Yordan.
In a not common condition for them, the Cardinals stink. One of the best and proudest organizations in Major League Baseball history, a 93 win division champ last season, the Redbirds look like Deadbirds. At their current losing percentage the Cardinals are headed for their worst record since the year the Chicago White Sox threw the World Series. 1919! Other than strike-shortened seasons and the sixty game 2020 COVID sprint, the Cardinals last failed to win 70 games in 1978. Approaching the halfway mark of this season they are on pace for a feeble 66-96 finish. The Astros will catch them right after the Cards return from two games against the Cubs this weekend in London.
Much more on the Astros-Rangers series next week. Ahead of the Astros arriving at Globe Life Field the Rangers spend this weekend playing three at the Yankees, then are home for four versus the lowly Tigers. So, if a diehard Astros fan, do you choke down some bile and root hard for the Yankees against the Rangers? One might say it’s rooting against the Rangers and not for the Yankees. Semantics. If the Rangers ultimately are to be the AL West’s best this year, it actually would be better for the Astros if the Rangers were to whip up on the Yankees since the Astros could be battling with the Yanks (and Orioles, and Blue Jays, and Red Sox, and Angels, and Mariners) for a Wild Card berth.
On the bright side
The only silver lining to Yordan’s extended absence is it basically left Dusty Baker no choice but to play Yainer Diaz more. Diaz has started 10 of the last 11 games, batting .286 with two doubles and four home runs yielding a .914 OPS. He has work to do learning not to swing so much (a lousy three walks in 119 at bats) but the ball explodes off the man’s bat. Now if Dusty would only come to grips with the reality that Martin Maldonado being on pace to start 118 games at catcher is ridiculous. Maldonado is as ever a very poor offensive player. With obviously better lineup options for what has been an offensively-challenged team too often this season, playing him as often as Dusty does is now managerial dereliction of duty. Defensively, Maldonado’s movement behind the plate and throwing have obviously deteriorated. For all Maldy’s wisdom behind the plate, Astros’ pitchers still have a lower earned average this season in Diaz’s starts. Diaz should be catching at least half the games, with other starts at designated hitter and occasionally first base.
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How latest Astros events highlight serious concerns around core philosophies
May 22, 2025, 12:59 pm
Two seasons ago the Astros were oddly feeble at home and warriors on the road. Now, this season is headed nowhere if they can't pick it up away from Daikin Park. In the first week of April, the Astros won their initial road series of the season. It will be June before they win another. Well, presumably June. Approaching seven weeks since they took a series at Minnesota, it's now seven consecutive road stops without a series victory. In six straight three-game road series the Astros have lost two out of three, including at the laughingstock White Sox. They did split the four-game set in Arlington against the Rangers last weekend. The Astros’ road record is 10-15.
Now they're home for 10 in a row, starting with four versus the team the Astros look up at in the American League West standings. The Seattle Mariners hit town three and a half games ahead of the Astros. Last June, the Astros trailed the Mariners by 10 games and wound up winning the division. Expecting a sequel as good as an original usually is not a good idea. Winning this series is certainly not a necessity given the season still only reaches its one-third completed mark this coming Tuesday. Still, at least getting a split is advised, or the Astros are looking at falling five and half games off the lead should the Mariners win three out of four, seven and a half back should Seattle sweep. But flip the script. If the Astros sweep, they go to bed Sunday night leading the division. Taking three out four would be just fine, and have the Astros within a game and a half of first.
The Astros are carrying a payroll roughly 75 million dollars larger than that of the Mariners. The M’s have a farm system (currently one of the highest rated among the franchises) vastly superior to what the Astros have (one of the worst systems in the sport). So if Mariners’ ownership opted to loosen the purse strings in pursuit of in season talent infusions, the M’s are way better positioned to make an impact move than are the Astros. Just remember, even if the Mariners are going to pull away, the wild card picture does not have three teams that are obviously ultimately better than the Astros.
Positive vibes only
If you're into good luck charms, dig up a four-leaf clover or find a rabbit's foot, then cross your fingers where Ronel Blanco is concerned. It is quite an ominous sign that the Astros sent Blanco back to Houston a day early after he reported soreness in his pitching elbow. I mean, who would be surprised to hear that Blanco is done for the season a la Hayden Wesneski. It's increasingly essential that Hunter Brown and Framber Valdez hold up physically and qualitatively the rest of the way. That Brown had his worst start of the season Wednesday in Tampa is no big deal. It's called being human. The Rays torching him for three home runs and five runs in five innings spiked Brown's earned run average all the way up to 2.04. Ooooh. Brown has been fantastic.
The Astros underestimated how long Spencer Arrighetti would be out. Shocking! Some boost from him seems necessary. There is only so much the Astros can reasonably hope for out of Lance McCullers, and the likes of Colton Gordon and Brandon Walter. That either Cristian Javier or Luis Garcia makes it back by, say, August is a best-case scenario. Then it would be hope about level of performance. The Astros hold no monopoly on serial pitching injuries. The Mariners have lost three-fifths of their stout starting rotation. George Kirby making his first 2025 start Thursday is a boost for them. Logan Gilbert and Bryce Miller are both still out.
Heart of the matter
Among the core frustrations for Astros’ fans are the continued crummy overall performances of Jose Altuve, Christian Walker, and Yainer Diaz. If it turns out that the 35-year-old Altuve has truly fallen over the hill as opposed to just enduring an extended deep slump that would be an obvious bummer. The same with the 34-year-old Walker though there is no emotional tug for Astros’ fans with Walker as there is with Altuve. Yainer Diaz is just 26. His regression is troubling, perhaps low-lighted by his one walk in his last 33 games played, four walks for the season in 170 plate appearances. That’s pathetic. Yainer, Victor Caratini, and Astros’ pitchers have collectively done a brutal job at dealing with opposition running games. The Astros have given up 62 stolen bases in 67 attempts, with one of the five caught stealings a pickoff, another a botched double steal.
For Astro-centric conversation, join Brandon Strange, Josh Jordan, and me for the Stone Cold ‘Stros podcast which drops each Monday afternoon, with an additional episode now on Thursday. Click here to catch!
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