Photo by Bob Levey/Getty Images
Viewed as a snapshot of the last couple of weeks the Astros are horrible. Widen the view to the season to date and they're still the fourth best team in Major League Baseball and on pace to win 98 games. But they are staggering. It's now nine losses in the last 11 games. In four of them the pitching staff has given up at least 10 runs. The Pirates beating the snot out of the Astros 14-2 and 10-0 within 24 hours means the Astros start the weekend with their American League West lead over the surprising Texas Rangers down to four and a half games. That's the Astros' slimmest margin since they went to sleep the night of May 9.
The Astros can make no moves and quite likely win the division, but in pursuit of some homefield advantage in the postseason and then putting out the best team they can in the playoffs, it's increasingly clear that General Manager Jeff Luhnow is asleep at the wheel if he's not exploring trading for a starting pitcher. I would bet a good chunk of money that Luhnow is not asleep at the wheel. None of the Astros pitching prospects have given good reason to think a good answer for 2019 lies within.
Star struck
That George Springer is a deserving All Star Game starter despite missing a month tells you the kind of season he's having, and the kind of season American League outfielders as a group are not having. Michael Brantley is worthy too. Mike Trout, duh.
Alex Bregman gets voted in to start for the first time. He's having a season that overall is right in line with last year's monster breakout campaign. But I bet Bregman is ticked that his batting average is only .264. He's popping the ball up a lot this season, and also popping the ball out of the park with much greater frequency (the juiced balls help, but everyone else gets to swing at them too). Bregman is on pace for 43 home runs. As Astros only Jeff Bagwell (47). Lance Berkman (45) and Richard Hidalgo (44) have topped 43 in a season.
Making moves
The NBA free agency frenzy gets underway at 5:00 Central Time Sunday afternoon. The Rockets can only be bit players in the direct free agent market, but as usual General Manager Daryl Morey is thinking bigger. It is amusing that while Morey is saying the Rockets should be talked about as the favorites in the Western Conference, he's trying to break apart the team. With designs on making it better, but still trying to break it up. There was no trade market for Chris Paul, so relief from the 3 years 124 million dollars left on Paul's deal was not happening. Besides, while Paul's contract is absurd he is still a legit starting point guard. Who would the Rockets have replaced him with anyway?
So, the foremost object of Daryl's desires is Tomball native and current 76er Jimmy Butler. If Butler says he wants to be a Rocket for four seasons and approximately 140 million dollars (the Sixers can offer up to five years about 190 mil), the Sixers probably would be open to signing and trading him. To make it work under the salary cap the Rockets would have to unload Eric Gordon and Clint Capela. Or: Gordon, P.J. Tucker, and salary cap filler like Nene and Gary Clark.
Gordon would make sense for the Sixers (so would Tucker). Capela would be a 16 million dollar backup to the vastly superior Joel Embiid. Meaning Capela would have to rerouted elsewhere.
Would either trade make the Rockets better? No, at least not initially. Butler can be a pouter if he doesn't see the ball as much as he wants. How would standing around while James Harden dominates work out? Paul has the same issue. Or would Harden accept a downsizing of his role which made him MVP and MVP runner-up the past two seasons? Let's presume they could get past that. The Rockets other two starters would be…? Without Capela, who protects the rim and rebounds? Hope they're not thinking fallen over the hill DeAndre Jordan. JaVale McGee? And what about the bench, which stunk most of last season.
There are role players such as Seth Curry, Danny Green, and Al-Farouq Aminu to be had in free agency, but the Rockets can be outbid for many of them, and it's not as if all free agents dream of playing for the Rockets. Morey's offseason signings last summer stunk. It's critical that he's much better this year.
Buzzer Beaters
:1. Left knee discomfort for Yordan Alvarez. Oy. Hope it's nothing more. 2. If Kawhi Leonard picks the Clippers it's not insane to count seven Western Conference teams that could wind up better than the Rockets. 3. Best Beatles' Songs: Bronze-Yesterday Silver-Hey Jude Gold-Let It Be
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The Houston Astros sent a message loud and clear with one of their most emphatic wins of the season, an 18-1 demolition of the Los Angeles Dodgers, and they did it without Yordan Alvarez or Jeremy Peña in the lineup.
Jose Altuve silenced the Dodger Stadium boos with a pair of home runs and even stayed after the game to sign autographs for young fans. Lance McCullers Jr. delivered six strong innings in a bounce-back outing, and the offense erupted behind big nights from Zach Short, Cam Smith, Yainer Díaz, and Christian Walker.
With key contributions across the board, this was a total team win, one that highlights the depth, momentum, and legitimacy of this Astros squad as the second half approaches. Manager Joe Espada is pressing all the right buttons, and with All-Star nods for Josh Hader, Hunter Brown, and Peña, Houston looks like a team no one wants to face right now.
Don't miss the video below as ESPN Houston's John Granato and Lance Zierlein react to the big series in LA, and much more!
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