How Astros rookie manager, catcher have refocused Houston's championship window
FUTURE IS BRIGHT
15 August
Change can be a good thing. Composite Getty Image.
The Houston Astros are on an 8-game tear and the offense is doing its part despite the absence of slugger Kyle Tucker.
One of the main reasons for the team's success has been Yainer Diaz's ability to protect Yordan Alvarez in the lineup while they await the return of Tucker.
Diaz has made several improvements this season, one of which is significantly decreasing his strikeouts. Clearly, Diaz feels a lot more comfortable at the plate in 2024.
Hitting coach Alex Cintron told The Athletic recently that he believes Diaz was pressing last season, thinking if he didn't produce at a high level, he wouldn't get regular playing time.
But as we look back at last season, there really wasn't anything Diaz could have done to replace Martin Maldonado at catcher. Dusty Baker was unwilling to play any catchers over Maldy no matter the results or pressure from the front office.
When Astros GM James Click traded for Christian Vazquez in 2022, Baker held steady to playing Maldy. Baker also allegedly convinced owner Jim Crane to veto a trade for catcher Willson Contreras.
Last season, GM Dana Brown said he would like to see Diaz get more playing time at catcher. Dusty stuck to his guns with Maldy, despite the aging player's historic lows on offense and Diaz making a run at Rookie of the Year.
When the playoffs arrived, Diaz didn't get one start at catcher, and zero starts period in the ALCS. Maldonado hit .125 in that series, just a few points higher than his .119 batting average in 2024 with Chicago that led to him getting DFA'd.
Furthering the case that Maldy was done last year, but Baker wouldn't make the switch.
One has to wonder if giving Diaz more playing time at catcher during the regular season could have provided the Astros with the edge needed to overcome the Rangers and return to the World Series.
A new day
Houston's manager and front office now seem to share the same vision. Joe Espada is much more willing to give young players opportunities to prove they can do the job. When Dana Brown promotes players to the big league roster, Espada gives them a chance to play.
There doesn't seem to be friction between the manager and the front office. And you never know when a young player can give a team a spark.
The Rangers had no problem elevating prospect Evan Carter in 2023. They brought him to the big leagues in September, and he was a force in their offense that helped the team eventually secure a championship.
That's why it's exciting to see Espada and Brown give opportunities to guys like Zach Dezenzo, Joey Loperfido (before he was traded), and Pedro Leon.
Plus, look at the perception of Espada now with Astros fans. Many were ready to run him out of town early in the year, and hope Baker would come save the club.
Fast-forward to August, and the Astros hold a three-game lead over the Mariners for first place in the division.
Be sure to watch the video above as we examine the impact Diaz and Espada are having on the streaking 'Stros, if the Astros missed a big opportunity in 2023, and much more!
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.
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.
