How Jim Crane responds to this could be Astros most important moment
STONE COLD 'STROS
08 May 2024
What is Jim Crane thinking right now? Composite Getty Image.
As the Houston Astros continue to struggle through what has been a nightmare start to the season, one voice we haven't heard from in a while is club owner Jim Crane.
To be fair, Crane is under no obligation to comment on the state of the team. He has a GM and manager to address the media, and he has other business responsibilities outside of the Astros.
But we do wonder what he's thinking right now about the team's disastrous start to the season. Clearly, he can't be happy with how the club is performing on the field. But a lot of the front office decisions he approved have backfired.
And this is a year he decided to break out the checkbook and go over the luxury tax for the first time since 2020 by signing Josh Hader to a 5-year, $95 million deal. A move that has been a massive failure through the first 35 games.
Signing Hader this offseason, Jose Abreu, and Rafael Montero the previous offseason all look like misses. And even he has to acknowledge that parting ways with former GM James Click after the 2022 season may have jumpstarted the beginning of the end of the Astros dynasty (let's hope that's not the case).
If anything, we have to think he'll be gun shy about signing free agents to big deals moving forward, based on the poor results from Abreu and Hader.
And if the team continues to struggle as the trade deadline approaches, will he be open to trading some assets like Framber Valdez, Alex Bregman, or Kyle Tucker? Our guess is no, this guy has been a winner in all areas of life. He'll probably be thinking this team isn't dead yet, they are bound to turn things around based on their history (or back of the baseball card). And staying the course may end up being the correct move, only time will tell.
At the end of the day, Crane has led this organization to incredible heights, and is clearly the best owner in Houston sports history. But even he makes mistakes, and one of them appears to be listening to his baseball advisors like Jeff Bagwell and Reggie Jackson over the analytics department that this dynasty was built on.
Be sure to check out the video above for the full discussion about what Crane might be thinking right now, his role in the current state of the team, and much more.
Catch Stone Cold 'Stros (an Astros podcast) with Charlie Pallilo, Brandon Strange, and Josh Jordan every Monday on SportsMapHouston's YouTube channel! We'll continue to drop more episodes throughout the week.
Hunter Brown pitched two-hit ball into the sixth inning, and the Houston Astros beat the slumping Cincinnati Reds 3-0 on Friday night.
Brown (6-1) struck out nine, matching his season high for the fourth straight start. The right-hander also issued a season-high four walks in his fifth consecutive win.
Brown departed after Gavin Lux walked with two out in the sixth. Kaleb Ort got Spencer Steer to bounce into a forceout at second.
Josh Hader handled the ninth for his ninth save.
Cincinnati finished with four hits in its sixth loss in seven games.
Reds right-hander Nick Martinez (1-4) surrendered 10 hits and three runs in six innings. He struck out five and walked none.
Zach Dezenzo hit a two-out RBI single in the second, and the Astros added two more runs in the fifth.
Mauricio Dubón followed Brendan Rodgers’ leadoff double with a chopper past third baseman Santiago Espinal, moving Rodgers to third. Jeremy Peña drove in Rodgers with a groundout to second, and Isaac Paredes doubled home Dubón with two down.
Jose Altuve, Christian Walker, and Yainer Diaz each had two hits for the Astros.
Cincinnati's Austin Hays returned from the injured list after missing 10 games with a left hamstring strain. He went 1 for 4.
Reds outfielder Jake Fraley was scratched due to left calf tenderness after missing the last two games.
Key moment
Tyler Stephenson hit a one-out double for Cincinnati in the ninth. But Hader struck out Rece Hinds and Espinal, ending the game.
Key stat
It was Houston's first win against the Reds since June 19, 2016, ending a nine-game skid.
Up next
Lance McCullers Jr. (0-0 0.00 ERA) will make his second start of the season and first home start since October 3, 2022, against Reds right-hander Brady Singer (4-2 3.66 ERA) on Saturday night.
