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NASCAR heads to Delaware for the Dover 400
The NASCAR Cup Series heads for the Monster Mile in Dover, Delaware for a Saturday-Sunday doubleheader. This is the third and final doubleheader of 2020 as we saw the other two were run at Pocono and Michigan. This Dover track is called the Monster Mile because of its rough and abrasive concrete surface. There have been some massive wrecks here so it is never out of the question to see a pile-up that can take out multiple cars. It will be fun to see what lies ahead for this weekend's doubleheader.
Last week, Chase Elliott went on to capture his eighth career victory in the first ever running of the Daytona Roval and while the race definitely had its moments, it was much more tame than expected. It seemed like there weren't very many places where anyone could pass especially in the chicane in the turns three and four. I have to applaud these drivers though, with this being a brand-new track layout, all of these drivers did an excellent job at handling this track. We could have very well seen the field go into turn one and forget they are on a road-course and miss the turn completely, but they all kept it straight and there were hardly any big accidents. There were also some pleasant surprises in this race as well including a fifth place finish by Chris Buescher and a tenth place finish by Michael McDowell.
Like everywhere else in the world, the Ccoronavirus has taken the NASCAR world by storm as Austin Dillion announced that he had tested positive the morning of the race. This came as a shock to everyone around the NASCAR world especially considering the timing of his diagnosis. Thankfully, Dillion appears to have recovered and will be racing this weekend at Dover. This proves that even though the sport has been doing really well, they are not invincible to this virus. I have to say though, considering what we have seen in other sports such as baseball, I will say that NASCAR has done exceptionally well at not having an outbreak. Needless to say, this will be another wake-up call for the sport especially as it draws ever closer to the playoffs.
While Dillon was at home recovering, it was announced that RCR Xfinity driver Kaz Grala would be tapped to fill in, and he went out and absolutely crushed it! This young man got into a race car that he had never seen, hadn't run a single lap of practice in and went out there and led a few laps and finished in seventh! I am so impressed with how well he did this weekend. This isn't the first time the Massachusetts driver has exceeded expectations. Back in 2018 at an Xfinity race in Daytona, Grala took a car with a ten-year-old chassis and nearly won. If Kaz is given a chance in a good ride, it may take some time for him to grow but given the opportunity, I really believe he can make some noise. Be on the lookout for Kaz in the future.
One driver who experienced the exact opposite of the spectrum was Kyle Busch. As we all know this has been the season from hell for the defending champion. He has yet to win this year, something that has never happened in his whole career as he has won at least one race since his rookie year back in 2005. The Daytona Road course only put salt on the wounds as he was involved in multiple accidents including the final caution that took him out of the race. Because he has accumulated a bunch of stage points, he is solidly in the playoffs but this is nowhere near the position he wants to be in. I wouldn't fade him though going forward considering how talented he is.
Speaking of the playoffs, the battle for the 16th and final spot in the chase is becoming less and less of a battle as Jimmie Johnson sits twenty-five points behind his Hendrick racing teammate William Byron. It would almost seem as if Jimmie needs to win one of these next two races to get in. Recently, Johnson changed up his paint scheme from black and purple to white and purple. He called it his "RAlly" scheme considering Ally Bank is his sponsor. It seems as if that he has found a little bit of luck considering he finished fourth last week at Daytona and is moving on the right track coming into Dover. I look for him to be upfront this weekend.
The drivers that I have winning this weekend are Martin Truex Jr. and Chase Elliott. To start, this has been a track that Martin Truex has pretty much owned ever since he began his career here. In four of the last five races he has finished in the top five and 300 laps in total. I look for him to take one of the two races. The other driver that I think will win is Chase Elliott. This has also been a track he has run exceptionally well at. He has led 294 laps and despite mechanical issues at the last race here, he has been extremely fast including when he won the fall race back in 2018. I look for those two to go to victory lane during this doubleheader weekend.
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With the Astros now officially ten games under .500 for the season, manager Joe Espada is taking a lot of heat from the fanbase for the team's struggles.
While we don't agree with the sentiment, we even hear fans clamoring for the return of Dusty Baker and Martin Maldonado, thinking the Astros wouldn't be in this mess if they were still here.
Which is ridiculous. First of all, Maldonado has been awful for the White Sox, hitting .048 (even worse than Jose Abreu's .065). And for those of you that think his work with the pitching staff justifies his pathetic offense. Let me say this: Where was Maldy's game calling genius for Hunter Brown, Cristian Javier, and Framber Valdez last year? All of them regressed significantly.
And as far as Baker is concerned, we have no idea how much a difference he would make, we can only speculate. Baker would also be dealing with a pitching staff ravaged with injuries. And let's not forget, Baker was the guy that refused to move Jose Abreu down in the batting order, even though he would finish the regular season with the ninth-worst OPS in baseball.
The reality of the situation is managers can only do so much in baseball. Which leads us to something else that needs to be considered. Is Espada being handcuffed by the front office? Espada and GM Dana Brown both said recently that Jon Singleton was going to get more at-bats while they give Abreu time off to try to figure things out. Yet, there Abreu was in the lineup again in the opening game of the Cubs series.
It makes us wonder how much power does Espada truly have? The Astros have some other options at first base. Yainer Diaz may only have eight games played at the position, but how much worse could he be than Abreu defensively? Abreu already has four errors, and Diaz is obviously a way better hitter. Victor Caratini isn't considered a plus offensive player, but his .276 batting average makes him look like Babe Ruth compared to Abreu. Let him catch more often and play Diaz at first. Starting Diaz at first more often could also lengthen his career long-term.
Maybe that's too wild of a move. Okay, fine. How about playing Mauricio Dubon at first base? I understand he doesn't have much experience at that position, but what's the downside of trying him there? If he can play shortstop, he can play first base. He's driving in runs at a higher rate (11 RBIs) than everyone on the team outside of Kyle Tucker and Yordan Alvarez. And he's producing like that as part-time player right now.
The other criticism we see of Espada is his use of Jon Singleton to pinch hit late in games. Let's be real, though, who else does Espada have on the roster to go to? Batting Abreu late in games in which you're trailing should be considered malpractice. Espada can only use who he has to work with. This all really stems from the Astros poor farm system.
They don't have anyone else to turn to. The draft picks the club lost from the sign-stealing scandal are really hurting them right now. First and second rounders from 2020 and 2021 should be helping you in 2024 at the big league level.
Maybe they go to Astros prospect Joey Loperfido soon, but after a hot start he has only two hits in his last six games.
Finally, we have to talk about what seems like a committee making baseball decisions. Lost in a committee is accountability. Who gets the blame for making poor decisions?
As time continues to pass it looks like moving on from former GM James Click was a massive mistake. He's the guy that didn't sign Abreu, but did trade Myles Straw (recently DFA'd) for Yainer Diaz and Phil Maton. He also built an elite bullpen without breaking the bank, and helped the club win a World Series in 2022.
The reality of the situation is Dusty Baker and James Click are not walking back through that door. And all good runs come to an end at some point. Is this what we're witnessing?
Don't miss the video above as we hit on all the points discussed and much more!
Catch Stone Cold 'Stros (an Astros podcast) with Charlie Pallilo, Brandon Strange, and Josh Jordan. We drop two episodes every week on SportsMapHouston's YouTube channel. You can also listen on Apple Podcast, Spotifyor wherever you get your podcasts.