THE PALLILOG
These major season milestones will test Houston Astros resolve and leadership
Jul 15, 2022, 10:51 am
The Astros have some injuries to overcome. Composite image by Brandon Strange.
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The All-Star break is approaching at a good time for the Astros. That may seem an odd assertion for a team that has won 13 of its last 16 games, is 58-30 overall and could well be 61-30 after a three game home weekend series with the awful A’s. However, the injury bug has repeatedly bitten. Yordan Alvarez is out with a sore right hand. Michael Brantley continues to be sidelined by a bad shoulder. And then Thursday night the first pitch of the game drilled Jose Altuve in the left shin and forced him from the game. The Astros have enjoyed a ridiculously easy schedule the last two-plus months. They will reach the break having faced an opponent with a losing record in 50 of their last 59 games. The schedule stiffens after the break, so a few days off to get some key bodies healthier is well-timed. Because of the lockout-delayed start of the regular season, the Astros’ break is shortened a day with a doubleheader against the Yankees slotted in Thursday. Then it’s the long flight to Seattle for three against the rampaging Mariners, winners of 11 in a row.
The Astros enter the weekend having closed within three and a half games of the Yanks for the best record in the American League. Home field advantage guarantees nothing (see World Series 2019 and 2021) but the Astros sure would be better off having it than not. The Yankees have finally hit their first lackluster stretch of the season, dropping four of their last five games. After taking the first two games of a series at Fenway Park the Yankees blew leads in losing the next two, then lost two out of three at home versus the lowly Reds. Panic time in the Bronx! While the Astros should be slapping around the A’s this weekend, the Yankees see the Red Sox again.
The plan for Verlander
Some interesting and smart maneuvering of the Astros’ starting rotation. Currently with six healthy starters, Dusty Baker and the rest of the braintrust made a tweak for the weekend. Jose Urquidy opens the Oakland series Friday night with Verlander held back until Saturday. Multiple layers to this. Verlander has been stupendously good and is a finely-tuned pitching machine. Nevertheless, he is 39 years old and off Tommy John surgery. Backing JV down from a 200 inning season pace, muy inteligente. Verlander’s last start came on seven days rest, his outing Saturday will be on eight days rest. Going Saturday means Verlander will have two days off before being part of his ninth American League All-Star team. He should not pitch in the game. Heck, ideally he'd take part in the pregame pomp and circumstance (if he desires) then pass on the game itself and fly back to Houston. Verlander would have his preferred four days rest from Saturday to Thursday, perfect for starting one of the games against the Yankees, one would think the 5:40 start (rather than the 12:10). How about Cristian Javier to start the just after nooner? He did most of the work in the Astros’ combined no-hitter at Yankee Stadium. Whether Framber Valdez gets to throw an inning in the All-Star Game, let him fly from Los Angeles to Seattle ahead of starting against the Mariners either Friday or Saturday.
If the Astros sweep the pair from the Yankees they become the clear favorite to punk New York for the number one seed. While the Astros’ after the All-Star break schedule is tougher than the before, it’s still easier than what the Yankees face. The AL West is grossly inferior to the East, meaning the Yankees intradivisional slate is much harder.
The trade deadline is less than three weeks away (August 2). Just as the Astros are a playoff lock but still should be in the market for an upgrade over Martin Maldonado or Yuli Gurriel, the Yankees are a lock but could use a starting pitcher and left-handed hitting outfielder. Two months ago I suggested Cubs’ catcher Willson Contreras and Nationals’ first baseman Josh Bell as guys who should be objects of Astros’ desire. Still holds. The sleeper acquisition would be an outfield bat, particularly if Brantley’s shoulder is a serious problem. At this point neither Chas McCormick nor Jake Meyers has the look of a plus centerfield stick. Jose Siri is not a legit Major League hitter. If there is no landable centerfielder but a quality rightfielder is obtainable, shifting Kyle Tucker to center is viable if not optimal for the Astros’ defense. Remember, in 2018 Jeff Luhnow came close to dealing for Bryce Harper. Could/would James Click try to sell Jim Crane on a similarly OMG pursuit? The Astros don’t have enough to bid seriously on Juan Soto, should the Nationals entertain offers. Unless you’d be okay trading Javier and/or Luis Garcia, top pitching prospect Hunter Brown, and much more.Most Popular
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Astros keep doing this, and it’s getting hard to ignore
Jun 25, 2025, 10:01 pm
While the rolling Astros have a week of possible World Series preview matchups against the Phillies and Cubs, it’s the Rockets who made the biggest local sports headline with their acquisition of Kevin Durant. What a move! Of course there is risk involved in trading for a guy soon to turn 37 years old and who carries an injury history, but balancing risk vs. reward is a part of the game. This is a fabulous move for the Rockets. It’s understood that there are dissenters to this view. Everyone is entitled to an opinion, including people with the wrong opinion! Let’s dig in.
The Rockets had a wonderful season in winning 52 games before their disappointing first-round playoff loss to the Warriors, but like everyone else in the Western Conference, they were nowhere close to Oklahoma City’s caliber. While they finished second in the West, the Rockets only finished four games ahead of the play-in. That letting the stew simmer with further growth among their young players would yield true championship contention was no given for 2025-26 or beyond.
Kevin Durant is one of the 10 greatest offensive players the NBA has ever seen. Among his current contemporaries only Stephen Curry and Nikola Jokic make that list. For instance, Durant offensively has clearly been better than the late and legendary Kobe Bryant. To view it from a Houston perspective, Durant has been an indisputably greater offensive force than the amazing Hakeem Olajuwon. But this is not a nostalgia trip in which the Rockets are trading for a guy based on what he used to be. While Durant could hit the wall at any point, living in fear that it’s about to happen is no way to live because KD, approaching his 18th NBA season, is still an elite offensive player.
As to the durability concern, Durant played more games (62) this past season than did Fred VanVleet, Jabari Smith, and Tari Eason. The season before he played more games (75) than did VanVleet, Dillon Brooks, and Alperen Sengun. In each of the last two seasons Durant averaged more minutes per game (36.9) than any Rocket. That was stupid and/or desperate of the Suns, the Rockets will be smarter. Not that the workload eroded Durant’s production or efficiency. Over the two seasons he averaged almost 27 points per game while shooting 52 percent from the floor, 42 percent from behind the three-point line, and 85 percent from the free throw line. Awesomeness. The Rockets made the leap to being a very good team despite a frankly crummy half-court offense. The Rockets ranked 21st among the 30 NBA teams in three-point percentage, and dead last in free throw percentage. Amen Thompson has an array of skills and looks poised to be a unique star. Alas, Thompson has no credible jump shot. VanVleet is not a creator, Smith has limited handle. Adding Durant directly addresses the Rockets’ most glaring weakness.
The price the Rockets paid was in the big picture, minimal, unless you think Jalen Green is going to become a bonafide star. Green is still just 23 years old and spectacular athletically, but nothing he has done over four pro seasons suggests he’s on the cusp of greatness. In no season has Green even shot the league average from the floor or from three. His defense has never been as good as it should be given his athleticism. Compared to some other two-guards who made the NBA move one year removed from high school, four seasons into his career Green is waaaaaay behind where Shae Gilgeous-Alexander, Anthony Edwards, and Devin Booker were four seasons in, and now well behind his draft classmate Cade Cunningham. Dillon Brooks was a solid pro in two seasons here and shot a career-best from three in 2024-2025, but he’s being replaced by Kevin Durant! In terms of the draft pick capital sent to Phoenix, five second round picks are essentially meaningless. The Rockets have multiple extra first round picks in the coming years. As for the sole first-rounder dealt away, whichever player the Rockets would have taken 10th Wednesday night would have been rather unlikely to crack the playing rotation.
VanVleet signs extension
Re-signing Fred VanVleet to a two-year, 50 million dollar guarantee is sensible. In a vacuum, VanVleet was substantially overpaid at the over 40 mil he made per season the last two. He’s a middle-of-the-pack starting point guard. But his professionalism and headiness brought major value to the Rockets’ kiddie corps while their payroll was otherwise very low. Ideally, Reed Sheppard makes a leap to look like an NBA lead guard in his second season, after a pretty much zippo of a rookie campaign. Sheppard is supposed to be a lights-out shooter. For the Rockets to max out, they need two sharpshooters on the court to balance Thompson’s presence.
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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