We're all thinking the same thing about Jose Abreu. Will someone speak up? Composite Getty Image.
Coming off another disappointing series loss on Monday, in which Jose Abreu once again went hitless, something occurred to me while watching the disappointed faces in the dugout.
What will it take for the Astros to call the Abreu experiment a failure, and move on? It doesn't seem like the manager or GM are making the call on this.
This decision will have to come from Jim Crane, and in part, Jeff Bagwell. But what if one of the veteran players spoke privately with Crane and/or Bagwell about what the plan is with Abreu.
Clearly, players typically stay out of these decisions for many reasons. You don't want to have the reputation of messing with other guy's money. We here that all the time in sports.
But as a thought exercise, how would Jim Crane respond if Jose Altuve or Justin Verlander just wanted some clarity on where this is headed and showed some concern for time running out on the season. It seems to me their words would hold more weight than a first time manager and general manager.
And it wouldn't be the first time a player allegedly went to Crane directly. We've all heard the reports about Carlos Correa asking Crane to change his mind about Verlander throwing out the first pitch a couple of years ago. If a Hall of Fame level player privately voiced concern to Crane, would he take it more seriously?
Let's be honest with ourselves, the guys in the clubhouse probably wouldn't broach this topic with Crane. But don't you think they're thinking it, and talking about it privately among each other?
Manager Joe Espada told the Astros flagship on Thursday that there is a timetable for Abreu, but the team is not going to share that with the public.
Which is fair, but one has to wonder how long they're willing to wait. Is it the All-Star break, the end of the season, the end of June. Who knows? Martin Maldonado kept his job all last season, with a legit better option already on the roster.
This all speaks to a bigger problem, it doesn't seem like the manager or the GM will make the call on Abreu. And they're the ones taking the most heat for his poor performance. Especially Espada.
And with so many fans calling for Espada to be fired, we legitimately wonder if a new manager would handle things differently and have more control over the roster and who plays.
Be sure to watch the video above as we examine the Abreu issue, and how much blame Joe Espada deserves for the Astros disappointing season.
Catch our weekly Stone Cold ‘Stros podcast. Brandon Strange, Josh Jordan, Charlie Pallilo discuss varied Astros topics. The first post for the week generally goes up Monday afternoon (second part released Tuesday) via The SportsMap HOU YouTube channel or listen to episodes in their entirety at Apple, Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts.
Critical lessons learned from Texans' heartbreaking loss to Packers
Oct 20, 2024, 3:52 pm
Brandon McManus kicked a 45-yard field goal as time expired in his debut performance with Green Bay, lifting the Packers past the Houston Texans 24-22 on Sunday.
Green Bay (5-2) overcame three turnovers to win its third straight and snap the Texans’ three-game winning streak.
* Be sure to watch the video above as the crew from Texans on Tap reacts live to the game on YouTube.
The Packers released rookie Brayden Narveson and signed the 33-year-old McManus on Wednesday. McManus had been out of a job since the summer, when two women sued him and the Jacksonville Jaguars in civil court alleging he sexually assaulted them when they were working as flight attendants on the Jaguars’ trip to London last year.
The NFL said late last month it didn’t find sufficient evidence that McManus violated the personal conduct policy. Lawyers representing McManus and the women said the civil case had been resolved.
Green Bay signed McManus because of his history of reliability from within 50 yards. And McManus delivered by making a winning kick on his first field-goal attempt with the Packers. He celebrated by doing a “Lambeau leap” into the corner of the end-zone stands.
Green Bay’s Jordan Love was 23 of 31 for 214 yards with three touchdowns and two interceptions.
Houston's Joe Mixon rushed for 115 yards and two touchdowns. Ka’imi Fairbairn was 3 of 3 on field-goal attempts and put the Texans (5-2) ahead by making a 35-yarder with 1:44 left.
C.J. Stroud was just 10 of 21 for a career-low 86 yards and was sacked four times.
On the game's final drive, the Packers were at midfield when Love hit Romeo Doubs for a 13-yard gain. An offside penalty on Houston's Will Anderson brought the Packers 5 yards closer. After a 6-yard completion from Love to Doubs got Green Bay to Houston's 26, the Packers called a timeout with 3 seconds left to set things up for McManus.
Josh Jacobs put the Packers ahead midway through the third quarter when he got his first career touchdown catch, on the sixth-year pro’s 212th overall reception. Jacobs had the NFL record for most career catches without a touchdown reception.
On second-and-goal from the 8, Jacobs caught a screen a few yards behind the line of scrimmage and ran across the middle of the field into the end zone.
But the Packers went three-and-out on their next three possessions, allowing the Texans to come back again.
The Texans built a 19-14 halftime lead by scoring 16 points off three Packers turnovers.
Injuries
Packers LB Quay Walker left in the first half to get evaluated for a concussion after teammate Kingsley Enagbare's leg inadvertently hit him in the head at the end of a play.
UP NEXT
Texans: Host the Indianapolis Colts next Sunday.
Packers: Visit the Jacksonville Jaguars next Sunday.
