ART BY JESUS RODRIGUEZ
Born with a comic book in one hand and a remote control in the other, Cory DLG is the talent of Conroe's very own Nerd Thug Radio and Sports. Check out the podcast replay of the FM radio show at www.nerdthugradio.com!
Hey Nerds!
Friday! We made it, it's the weekend and it's time to get crazy.
GOOD DEED OF THE DAY
AICF and Mark Clayton Scholarship Golf Tournament, help some kids go to college, it's expensive. #NerdsUnite
THE NBA DRAFT
The NBA Draft was last night and it's crazy. There were seventeen trades during the draft and honestly I'm confused about a lot of team's direction. Atlanta clearly knows what they're doing, they've built a great young core. A lot of other teams though are clearing space and moving pieces all so only one of them can sign a hobbled Kevin Durant who might even just resign with the Warriors and be traded later. The Lakers who have been trying really hard to be the most incompetent team in sports lately continued the trend by buying a draft pick and adding a player, wait what? I thought they were looking to clear space for a Max player? Now they're adding players? Say what? I'm not sure New Orleans should be all that thrilled with their line up but I guess if you have to trade a superstar this is what it looks like.
WHILE YOU'RE OUT
As always and as usual, you should support your local Comic shop. There's some interesting stuff going on in Marvel, they're bringing the Infinity Gems back to the forefront and did so with Marvel's favorite X Man, Wolverine. The story culminates in Wolverine: Infinity Watch #5, which is supposed to set up the stones back in Marvel proper where they haven't been around for well over a decade. If Superman has always been your thing but you've never been able to get into it, DC launched Superman: Year One under their Black Label line. Black Label is a more adult approach to superheroes and DC comics has been really selective about what books come out under this line, so an intro to Superman is an interesting choice. If Indy books is more your thing then makes sure to check out Lab Raider #1 from Black Mask, they're taking a lot of risks and telling new stories with new superheroes and breaking a lot of new ground. Check this thing out.
WHO ME?
Tonight I'll be up at The Adventure Begins playing Heroclix with Joey Savage, we'll be hanging out and having a good time. It's BYOB and a great time, so why aren't you going to come hang out with us? You should, you really, really should.
NOT THAT YOU ASKED
So hopefully, by the time you read this, I'll be releasing my first complete digital comic book. I am SO PUMPED about this next step. This is the next step in me pushing and developing my career and I am super excited. This is hopefully a big and great next step for me. Fingers crossed and thanks in advance for the support.
Feel free to check out my digital short story The Wilson House or buy a shirt from Side Hustle Ts where some proceeds help people struggling with cancer or listen to Nerd Thug Radio. Thoughts, complaints, events and comments can be sent to corydlg@gmail.com.
What looked like a minor blip after an emotional series win in Los Angeles has turned into something more concerning for the Houston Astros.
Swept at home by a Guardians team that came in riding a 10-game losing streak, the Astros were left looking exposed. Not exhausted, as injuries, underperformance, and questionable decision-making converged to hand Houston one of its most frustrating series losses of the year.
Depth finally runs dry
It would be easy to point to a “Dodger hangover” as the culprit, the emotional peak of an 18-1 win at Chavez Ravine followed by a mental lull. But that’s not the story here.
Houston’s energy was still evident, especially in the first two games of the series, where the offense scored five or more runs each time. Including those, the Astros had reached that mark in eight of their last 10 games heading into Wednesday’s finale.
But scoring isn’t everything, not when a lineup held together by duct tape and desperation is missing Christian Walker and Jake Meyers and getting critical at-bats from Cooper Hummel, Zack Short, and other journeymen.
The lack of depth finally showed. The Astros, for three days, looked more like a Triple-A squad with Jose Altuve and a couple big-league regulars sprinkled in.
Cracks in the pitching core
And the thing that had been keeping this team afloat, elite pitching, finally buckled.
Hunter Brown and Josh Hader, both dominant all season, finally cracked. Brown gave up six runs in six innings, raising his pristine 1.82 ERA to 2.21. Hader wasn’t spared either, coughing up a game-losing grand slam in extra innings that inflated his ERA from 1.80 to 2.38 in one night.
But the struggles weren’t isolated. Bennett Sousa, Kaleb Ort, and Steven Okert each gave up runs at critical moments. The bullpen’s collective fade could not have come at a worse time for a team already walking a tightrope.
Injury handling under fire
Houston’s injury management is also drawing heat, and rightfully so. Jake Meyers, who had been nursing a calf strain, started Wednesday’s finale. He didn’t even make it through one pitch before aggravating the injury and needing to be helped off the field.
No imaging before playing him. No cautionary rest despite the All-Star break looming. Just a rushed return in a banged-up lineup, and it backfired immediately.
Second-guessing has turned to outright criticism of the Astros’ medical staff, as fans and analysts alike wonder whether these mounting injuries are being made worse by how the club is handling them.
Pressure mounts on Dana Brown
All eyes now turn to Astros GM Dana Brown. The Astros are limping into the break with no clear reinforcements on the immediate horizon. Only Chas McCormick is currently rehabbing in Sugar Land. Everyone else? Still sidelined.
Brown will need to act — and soon.
At a minimum, calling up top prospect Brice Matthews makes sense. He’s been mashing in Triple-A (.283/.400/.476, 10 HR, .876 OPS) and could play second base while Jose Altuve shifts to left field more regularly. With Mauricio Dubón stretched thin between shortstop and center, injecting Matthews’ upside into the infield is a logical step.
*Editor's note: The Astros must be listening, Matthews was called up Thursday afternoon!
The Astros are calling up Brice Matthews, their top prospect on @MLBPipeline
via @brianmctaggart pic.twitter.com/K91cGKkcx6
— FOX Sports: MLB (@MLBONFOX) July 10, 2025
There’s also trade chatter, most notably about Orioles outfielder Cedric Mullins, but excitement has been tepid. His numbers don’t jump off the page, but compared to who the Astros are fielding now, Mullins would be a clear upgrade and a much-needed big-league presence.
A final test before the break
Before the All-Star reset, Houston gets one last chance to stabilize the ship, and it comes in the form of a rivalry series against the Texas Rangers. The Astros will send their top trio — Lance McCullers Jr., Framber Valdez, and Hunter Brown — to the mound for a three-game set that will test their resolve, their health, and perhaps their postseason aspirations.
The Silver Boot is up for grabs. So is momentum. And maybe, clarity on just how far this version of the Astros can go.
There's so much more to discuss! Don't miss the video below as we examine the topics above and much, much more!
The MLB season is finally upon us! Join Brandon Strange, Josh Jordan, and Charlie Pallilo for the Stone Cold ‘Stros podcast which drops each Monday afternoon, with an additional episode now on Thursday.
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*ChatGPT assisted.
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