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As the days go by, it seems as if the problems continue to grow. Perhaps the biggest problem is that they're self-inflicted wounds. Those are the worst kind because they could've been avoided had one taken the proper precautionary steps. The salt in the wounds are the moves the Astros continue to make that improve an already championship roster. Meanwhile, their football and basketball counterparts are steadily making fools of themselves. Let's take a closer look at what is making Houston a frustrating place for sports fans:
To extend or not to extend
Rockets head coach Mike D'Antoni is essentially a lame duck coach heading into the final season of his contract. Some of his assistants have been run off, or fired. There was even talk of the team bringing in Tyronn Lue. Add all this to the fact that he called off contract extension talks amid some language in his contract, only for the talks to begin again after said language was removed adds up to a puzzling situation to say the least. The Rockets need to get a clear cut direction for their head coach and commit to it. This Shakespeare-like drama isn't a good look.
Texans fire Brian Gaine
When the Texans let general manager Brian Gaine go last Friday evening, it was a shock to the system. Who fires their GM weeks before training camp is supposed to start? This move was not only bad timing, it came out of nowhere. Not only are fans, and the media, looking for definitive answers, but they're also left wondering if Cal McNair is stable enough to be running the show on Kirby? It's a strange flex for Cal to use at a strange time, but it's his team now and maybe he's out to prove things will be different under his rule.
Trade...or nah?
The rumor mill has been hot and heavy as it pertains to the Rockets. Supposedly they're willing to trade anybody not named James Harden. There has even been talk that the willingness, or lack thereof, to trade Jadaveon Clowney could be a reason why the Texans fired Gaine. On the Rockets end, change is needed. They need a shock to the system since the formula they have in place isn't getting the ultimate job done. They may be heavily relying upon other teams to get weaker in order to make a move up the food chain (like the Warriors). The Texans on the other hand, have not improved beyond a team stuck in purgatory of being good enough to barely make the playoffs, but bad enough to not not draft very high. A Clowney trade could've brought them a decent enough haul to help improve their chances. Same for the Rockets. A tweak to their lineup could bring enough of a change to help get them over the roadblock that resides in the Bay Area.
The rich get richer
The Astros finally called up Yordan Alvarez. He promptly hit a home run in his second at bat to set off a frenzy of hot takes about his future. This comes on the heels of he and Kyle Tucker both having killer seasons in the minors and some debating which of the two should be called up. All of this, and I haven't even mentioned Forrest Whitley's inevitable call up. Oh, and that other famous beard who used to pitch for the Astros recently had to settle for a one year pro-rated $20 million dollar deal with the Braves which is a far cry from the multi-year big money deal he thought he deserved. Meanwhile, the Astros aren't missing him at all and are sporting one of the best records in MLB, despite being plagued with injuries.
So what now?
The Astros are basically on cruise control. They just have to continue to make the right decisions when it comes to personnel and they'll be fine. Jim Crane will need to dip into the luxury tax in order to keep more of the core players together if they plan on continuing to contend over the next few years. Even if they don't, they have really good players in the pipeline to keep on chugging along. The Rockets have been on the brink the last couple years. However, they need some tweaking in order to move past their stagnation. What that tweaking needs to be perhaps comes in the form of a coaching staff and roster shakeup. As long as they have Harden, they'll be OK, but the window to win a title is shrinking with the days that go by. Creating some roster flexibility by trading Chris Paul and/or Clint Capela will help, but it depends on what they get back in return. The Texans have the unfair advantage of being the drug this city is addicted to. Fan support won't waver because the city needs football like a junky needs their next fix. That's why Bill O'Brien can be a C-student, get extended while the guy he wanted as general manager gets fired, and seemingly still has job security. There are still moves for the Texans to make, but with the draft gone and free agency dried up, those moves are limited this offseason.
I wish nothing but the best for all Houston sports teams.The Astros probably need it the least as they have taken the proper steps to ensure they'll be contenders for years to come. The Rockets can be fun to watch at times, but are stuck in a rut in which it seems they may be in for the foreseeable future due to the confines they've gotten themselves into with some albatross type contracts. It's not impossible, but it is an improbable mountain to climb. The Texans have moved to the front of the line when it comes to hot messes. They need to become more focused and driven. If they can commit to a certain direction and stick to it, They have some pieces in place to build around and need to make the right decisions moving forward in order to get out of the rut they're in. For the sake and sanity of Houston sports fans, I hope and pray the Texans and Rockets get their collective shit together.
- It’s the first place Houston Astros against the first place Los Angeles Dodgers as they open their latest head-to-head series. This is not a recording. The two most dominant powers in the sport over the last decade gather at Dodger Stadium this Independence Day weekend. The Astros have a sizable lead in pursuit of their eighth American League West championship in the last nine years. The Dodgers have an even more sizable lead as they chase their fourth straight National League West crown, which would be their 12th in 13 years. Each franchise has won two World Series in that time frame, each has lost two. All Astro and Dodger parties would sign off immediately on a 2025 World Series matchup. This three-game set carries no big picture significance, but every game counts, and it’s just fun seeing these two get after it. It would be more fun if the Astros had Yordan Alvarez available. Then again, the Dodgers won’t have Josh Fields.
Both continue to roll along despite rashes of injuries. When the Astros awoke May 24 their record sat at 26-25. Since then they have gone 26-10. That is a dominant stretch despite this clearly not being a dominant team. The still Alvarez-less offense is mediocre. So is the starting pitching apart from the one-two awesome punch that Hunter Brown and Framber Valdez have been. When Brown or Valdez has been the Astros’ starting pitcher this season, the team record is 25-9. With anyone else making the start, 27-26. They have been every bit as dynamic a duo so far in 2025 that Justin Verlander and Gerrit Cole were for the Astros in 2019 when Verlander edged out Cole to win his third Cy Young Award. Brown is a lock to be named to his first American League All-Star team this Sunday. Valdez is worthy of a third consecutive selection but could get caught in a numbers squeeze. Eight or nine starting pitchers are picked for each league.
The Dodgers won’t face Brown this weekend, but will have to deal with Valdez on Saturday night. His mound counterpart will be Shohei Ohtani. Oooooooh! Framber didn’t give up a run in 13 innings over his last two starts, and over his last 10 outings has a super-spiffy 1.72 earned run average. The amazing Ohtani is easing back into pitching after his second Tommy John surgery. Ohtani has started three games, totaling just four innings. He has yet to throw 30 pitches in an outing. Saturday he probably will be allowed 30 to 40.
Arms race
While Friday’s outing isn’t remotely a make or break start for Lance McCullers, it does speak to a significant question the Astros hope to find a pleasing answer to over the remainder of the regular season. Who is their third starting pitcher in a playoff series? After Brown and Valdez there is simply no one who inspires confidence at this point. McCullers has been awful his last two times out, jacking up his ERA to 6.61 eight starts into his season. 20 walks issued in 32 2 /3 innings pitched is glaringly bad. McCullers is still reasonably in ramp up mode, but given his injury history along with performance concerns, the third starter spot can’t be considered his to lose. Spencer Arrighetti’s resume is thin but his return at the level he pitched at after the All-Star break last season would be massive. Colt Gordon and Brandon Walter have both done some nice fill-in work, but no one plausibly wants them starting what would be a do or die game if the Astros wind up in a game three of a best-of-three Wild Card series.
Historic achievement
Not as if it’s subplot or anything this weekend, but let’s call it notable that the two active career hits leaders in Major League Baseball share the field this weekend. Jose Altuve this week vaulted past Jeff Bagwell for second in Astros’ history behind Craig Biggio. Altuve enters the weekend 743 hits behind Biggio. He is no lock to catch him before Altuve’s five-year contract expires at the end of the 2029 season. Altuve will be 39 then. Biggio was 41 when he rapped his 3000th hit, then added 60 more before beginning the waiting game for election to the Hall of Fame.
Like Biggio got and presumably someday Altuve will get, Dodger first baseman Freddie Freeman will get the call from Cooperstown some day. Like Altuve, Freeman is 35 years old, has won a Most Valuable Player Award, one Gold Glove, and with his selection this week been named an All-Star nine times. Aaron Judge may change this in the next couple of years, but among active players only Mike Trout (by a long shot) has compiled more Baseball-Reference offensive Wins Above Replacement than Freeman (second) and Altuve (third).
For Astro-centric conversation, join Brandon Strange, Josh Jordan, and me for the Stone Cold ‘Stros podcast which drops each Monday afternoon, with an additional episode now on Thursday. Click here to catch!
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