THE WRESTLING REPORT
Wildcard Week derails all momentum for Money in the Bank
May 8, 2019, 6:44 am
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This week seemed to hit a pretty big speed bump. Raw spent the first almost 30 minutes talking and cutting promos. Including Vince McMahon stumbling through some half developed concept called the "Wildcard Rule" where now three stars from Smackdown can come to Raw and vice versa. This makes absolutely no sense considering the whole point of a brand split is to have different guys on different shows and we literally did the superstar shake up two weeks ago. One thing that was exciting was the return of Daniel Bryan but why do it on Raw considering he was Smackdown's Champion all the way up to and through WrestleMania although no official announcement was made either way. It's good to see Ricochet in singles action, although I do think he works best as part of a tag team to let him get time to recover and get his wind back from all those flips he does during a match.
Later on Becky Two Belts showed up and she doesn't even have to speak to make her presence known and I love that she didn't, just ran out and shut up Lacey Evans. Also, have they decided on a name for this Viking group yet? What are we calling them now? The Viking Experience? That's not going to work for me. Raw then rematched Roman Reigns against Drew Mcintyre and I really don't know who wanted to see more of that. Then Shane McMahon and Elias showed up and now there were five members of Smackdown on Raw, uh what? I'm glad Kofi retained the title instead of just putting it back on Daniel Bryan, and I think this shows that WWE is banking on Kofi being the champ for a while. Overall, Raw was confusing and poorly planned it felt like.
Snackdown continued the terrible idea of a wild card rule with AJ Styles kicking off the show he left literally three weeks ago. They then transitioned into an Mustafa Ali promo where he says he won't quit, that may be but he might get hurt and miss the whole thing, again. The match had a great finish though, as much as I complain about Randy Orton it is always great when he shows up and just RKOs someone out of nowhere, I really do like that. Bringing the Usos back for a title match against the newly crowned Daniel Bryan and Rowan was a weird decision to say the least, and it just lends itself to the confusion from this Wildcard week, like why are AJ Styles and Sami Zayn in a triple threat with Kofi for the title? Why not just book them on Smackdown anyway? What was the point? Like I said, this was a confusing week.
Maybe next week will be better as Money in the Bank's "go home" week comes around.
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The Houston Astros walked out of Phoenix with a three-game sweep of the Diamondbacks, but the biggest win of the series might not have been in the standings, it could’ve been the emergence of their latest young spark plug.
Once again, the pitching carried the load. Brandon Walter continued his breakout season with another strong showing, and right now, he looks like Houston’s third starter if the playoffs began today. Behind him, Ryan Gusto and Colton Gordon have quietly helped stabilize a rotation ravaged by injuries. All three own ERAs under 4.5, a luxury the Astros couldn’t have anticipated heading into the year. Another thing they couldn't have anticipated was Lance McCullers' ERA this season being almost seven.
Walter’s rise comes at the same time the McCullers situation grows murkier. After starting the season late, he’s on the injured list again, this time with a blister on his pitching hand. Though the issue isn’t related to his arm, the “vibes” simply haven't been there. He’s struggled in four of his last five starts, and one wonders whether a "phantom" IL stint might be in his future, especially with Cristian Javier and Spencer Arrighetti progressing in rehab assignments. The roster squeeze is coming, and McCullers might not make the cut.
Crushing dingers!
Offensively, the conversation begins and ends with Brice Matthews. The first-round pick has quickly shifted from injury fill-in to potential staple, nearly winning the series by himself with three home runs across the first two games. His athleticism has popped in the field, and while contact concerns remain, the power and energy are real. Matthews is the only prospect of his pedigree ready to contribute, so the club made a wise decision to take a shot on upside, and Matthews delivered. That's why we were so emphatic about the Astros elevating Matthews. Get him in the lineup as a DH if you have to, whatever it takes, this offense needs pop. Then lo and behold, not only does he give the offense a lift, his defense also helped seal a win against Arizona.
Veteran slugger Christian Walker might be heating up too, posting a .348 average with three home runs and an .895 OPS in July. That’s a promising development, especially in a month when the Astros have flipped their typical formula. The pitching has been average — 18th in ERA, 18th in WHIP, 21st in opponent batting average — but the offense has been elite: top-five in slugging, OPS, and runs scored.
Injury bug
Still, questions persist. Chief among them is the health of Yordan Alvarez. His recent comments about his hand injury — specifically, his uncertainty and acknowledgement that rest hasn’t helped — were troubling. If surgery isn’t an option and time off isn’t working, what is the long-term solution? At this point, fans are right to worry about whether Alvarez will ever fully return to the dominant form he once showed.
Trade deadline
With the trade deadline one week away, general manager Dana Brown has to weigh all of this. The pitching could soon be bolstered by returns from the IL. But the offense, especially with no clear return dates for Alvarez, Jeremy Peña, Jake Meyers, and Isaac Paredes, might need immediate help. Despite the sweep, Houston scored just three and four runs in the final two games of the Diamondbacks series. If they’re serious about contending for a championship, another bat may be required. They'll see much better pitching in the postseason.
If the Astros do decide to add an arm, a power right-handed reliever could make sense. With Bryan Abreu the only truly dominant righty in the bullpen, a little late-inning muscle wouldn’t hurt.
Bottom line: the Astros are winning, and they're doing it in multiple ways. But with health concerns piling up and playoff positioning tightening, there’s still plenty of work ahead. Fortunately for Houston, they may have just found another foundational piece in the most unexpected place, a rookie who’s already changing the conversation.
There's so much more to get to! 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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