How Houston Astros going unorthodox is one of their best immediate answers
STONE COLD 'STROS
08 August
The Astros need to maximize their weapons! Composite Getty Image.
The Astros secured a huge series win over the Rangers this week, as the offense was finally able to get going in the final two games.
In the series finale, manager Joe Espada started both Victor Caratini and Yainer Diaz. Which led to the most runs (6) the Astros have scored since July 27.
Caratini and Diaz combined for five hits in the contest, which definitely helped elevate a slumping offense. With Kyle Tucker still sidelined for the foreseeable future, should the Astros consider starting both Diaz and Caratini on a regular basis?
At this point, it seems like they have no other choice. Caratini has hit more consistently than Chas McCormick, Jon Singleton, Aledmys Diaz, and Pedro Leon. There's no debating that.
And the Astros will need every ounce of offense they can muster as they battle with the Mariners for first place in the AL West.
However, there is a ripple effect that takes place when they roll with this lineup. Yordan Alvarez will have to play left field if the DH spot is already being used for either Caratini or Diaz.
It also means the club might consider calling up Cesar Salazar just to have an extra catcher on the roster in case an injury were to take place.
Which isn't the worst idea in the world. Salazar has a .318 batting average with the big league club this year in his limited at-bats (22). Would the Astros really miss Aledmys Diaz if it allowed them to start their best offensive lineup on a regular basis?
What about the pitching?
Astros GM Dana Brown recently discussed the outlook for Luis Garcia this season. Brown said they want to be careful with him as he makes his way back from Tommy John surgery. The club doesn't want to push him and cause another setback. Garcia being a healthy part of the 2025 starting rotation appears to be the team's top priority.
This update got us thinking, we know Lance McCullers won't pitch in 2024, and it's becoming more likely that Garcia won't either. And if we look back on Justin Verlander's Tommy John surgery, he didn't pitch the following season either.
So it shouldn't come as a surprise if Cristian Javier and Jose Urquidy don't pitch in 2025. And at this point, do we ever expect to see McCullers pitch again?
Also, JP France will be working his way back from shoulder surgery, so it's hard to count on him.
Verlander's return in 2025 looks uncertain as well, since he in all likelihood won't pitch enough innings (140) in 2024 for his contract to vest for next season. (He currently has 57 innings pitched).
Which means the 2025 rotation could look like this:
Framber Valdez, Hunter Brown, Ronel Blanco, Luis Garcia, and Spencer Arrighetti.
If Yusei Kikuchi continues to pitch well for Houston, you have to wonder if they'll try to re-sign him.
Another option could be elevating AJ Blubaugh from Sugar Land. He currently has a 4.20 ERA, so he's not exactly killing it in the minors.
There's so much more to get to, make sure you watch the video above for the full discussion!
*Catch our weekly Stone Cold ‘Stros podcast. Brandon Strange, Josh Jordan, and 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.
How undefeated streaks collide in clash between Texans and road warrior Lions
Nov 7, 2024, 4:41 pm
With the Texans coming off their sorry second half showing at the Jets and the Detroit Lions coming to town riding a six-game winning streak, it has the look of pretender vs. contender Sunday night at NRG Stadium. The 7-1 Lions are obviously the better team but that is no guarantee that they will be the better team Sunday night. The point spread is only three and a half points. It’s not as if a Texans victory would be a stunning upset. The Texans knocking off the Lions would not balance the books for the Detroit Tigers having bounced the Astros from the baseball playoffs last month, but it would be one of the better regular season wins in Texans’ history.
If not upsetting, it certainly isn’t uplifting that Nick Caserio made zero consequential moves before Tuesday’s trade deadline. If you’re a Texans fan it is upsetting, though shouldn’t be infuriating. Claiming off waivers an offensive lineman (Zachary Thomas) who was getting about 10 snaps per game on one of the very worst o-lines in the NFL (New England Patriots) does not qualify as consequential. It’s not as if Caserio could snap his fingers and make a great deal for a legitimate starting left guard. But his job is to build the roster and he made nothing that qualifies as even a modest upgrade to the most glaring weakness on the team. Play can’t be much worse than what Kenyon Green was providing at left guard before his season-ending injury. But Kenyon was only playing because the staff considered him better than Kendrick Green and Jarrett Patterson. Or, Kenyon was getting unwarranted extended run to prove conclusively he was a waste of a first-round draft pick in 2022.
If Caserio believes the Texans are a bonafide threat in the AFC, adding nothing is a clear fail. Any gurgling about “we believe in our guys” as justification for inertia should be scoffed at, unless Caserio or anyone else believes the Chiefs, Bills, Steelers, and Ravens didn’t “believe in their guys.” All those AFC contenders made clear upgrades. This is not talking about the Texans trading high draft choices. Last week the Minnesota Vikings acquired Jacksonville starting left tackle Cam Robinson for a conditional fifth-round pick.
Tale of the tape
As for Sunday, NBC has to be hoping the Texans being 4-0 this season at NRG Stadium bodes well for them, at least giving the Lions a good game. The Texans are with the Chiefs, Bills, Commanders (!), and Bears (!!) as unbeaten at home. On the other hand, the Lions are a perfect 4-0 on the road. The Chiefs and Falcons have also yet to lose on the road.
While hoping that Aidan Hutchinson makes a complete recovery from his multiple leg fractures, the Lions’ beastly defensive end’s absence sure helps the cause of the Texans’ feeble pass-protecting offensive line. Hutchinson was the early leader for Defensive Player of the Year with seven and a half sacks in five games before he went down. The Lions traded for DE Za’Darius Smith from Cleveland this week. It’s unclear whether Smith makes his Detroit debut chasing C.J. Stroud.
The Texans have topped 30 points in a game once this season. The Lions average an NFL-leading 32.3 per game, topping 30 in four of their last five games, only coming up short last Sunday in a rain-soaked 24-14 win at Green Bay. Over those five games quarterback Jared Goff has completed an absurd 83.8 percent of his passes, with 11 touchdown passes and no interceptions. For the season Goff is completing 74.9 percent. If he maintains that number, he’ll break the NFL record of 74.4 that Drew Brees posted with the Saints in 2018.
Third time's the charm?
Only once in their history have the Texans managed three consecutive winning seasons. They went 9-7 in each of them under Bill O’Brien in 2014, ‘15, and ‘16. They did so with three different quarterbacks leading them in passing yardage: Ryan Fitzpatrick, Brian Hoyer, and Brock Osweiler (really!). The Lions are two victories from securing their first back-to-back-to-back winning seasons since 1993, ‘94, and ‘95. That was the heyday of the great Barry Sanders at running back. Three different quarterbacks led the Lions in passing yardage those years. You’re probably fibbing if you claimed “I know them: Rodney Peete, Dave Krieg, and Scott Mitchell.”
For Texans’ conversation, catch Brandon Strange, Josh Jordan, and me on our Texans On Tap podcasts. Thursdays feature a preview of the upcoming game, and then we go live (then available on demand) after the final gun of the game: Texans on Tap - YouTube
The Astros are always in season for discussion. Our Stone Cold ‘Stros podcasts drop Mondays: Click here to watch!
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