Space City. Great, great, great, Welcome to another Space City Saturday
on Sports Talk seven ninety Michael Cunners live and local h Town breakdown on the
world that matters to you, does Houston four World? All these great using
fans here, we love you all. So finish up on that to do
list, loot up the cooler, because you can't drink in talk sports all
day if you don't start now. This is Space City Saturday. Here's seven
nineties astro's insider Michael Cunner. Let's do it for the next two hours here
on Sports Talk seven ninety. I mean you can do the drinking. I'm
drinking the coffee. You can do the sports talking as well with me.
Michael Connor seven one three two on two five, seven ninety on a Space
City Saturday, on a day where we're gonna talk about a baseball team that
can't hit a baseball right now, We're gonna talk about a basketball team that's
got a lot of possibilities coming to it, and then we're gonna also talk
about a fake battle that will be coming in training camp here for the Houston
Texans. So much to get into, including some non Houston things as well.
But you can join us at seven one three two on two five,
seven ninety. As I mentioned on Twitter at MC seven ninety, the station
is at Sports Talk seven ninety. But let's kick things off with the baseball
team that, um, well, they're back in a rut. They are
just three and seven now in their last ten ball games. The good news
this morning, I'll start off with the good news. The Rangers also stink
right now, So it's not just the Astros the stink right now. Both
teams are playing bad baseball. Both teams are three and seven in their last
ten games. It's unfortunate for the Astros that they're playing poorly at this point
because this would have been a period of time where you could have taken back
a division lead. But this is kind of how this season has gone.
They have not found any ability when that team, the Texas Rangers, gets
themselves into a funk or something to make up some room in the standings.
And that's not what they did right there. That's not what they did last
night once again, as they lose to the Cincinnati Reds, the Cincinnati Reds
team that has won six consecutive baseball games. Now and then Astros will look
to snap that winning streak. Today the Reds are only a half game out
in the NL Central because they're now this is how embarrassing that division is.
The Reds are five hundred at thirty five and thirty five, and they're tied
with Pittsburgh who's thirty four and thirty four for second place in the NL Central.
They're a half game back of the first place, one game over five
hundred Milwaukee Brewers. While you got the Astros over here now they're not playing
great. They're now thirty nine thirty one. Texas sits at forty two and
twenty seven. But watch out, objects in the rear view mirror are closer
than they appear. The Los Angeles Angels are red hot. They are now
technically tied in terms of games back with the Astros. Astros do have a
tiebreaker over them, and they are just ahead in the winning percentage column.
So right now, technically the Astros are in second place. But you lose
again to night and or this afternoon, then the Angels win again, then
we're talking about the Angels being ahead of you in the standings, and then
you're having to climb pass two teams, and one of those teams Red hot,
and today the pitching matchup does not favor the Astros. Brandon Black against
Hunter Green, you can go look at both guys and say, hey,
well they both got a four h one r a. Hunter Green's a better
pitcher, he's got more stuff, And based on the way the Astros bats
have swung, they've been swinging those bats for the last two days. You
don't feel great about that about them beating a guy that has thrown more one
hundred minor pitches than anybody else in baseball this season. It's not comforting.
It gets back to the point that I think has really continued to be driven
home. Dana Brown is not hidden from it at all. They need bats
at the deadline. They're gonna need a few things, but they have to
find some sort of addition to this lineup. It's gonna make a difference now,
of course. Look, things are difficult when you're best hitterer out and
you're Don Alvarez. He's been gone and he's gonna be gone for at least
through the All Star Break, probably a little bit longer, which sucks.
Some guys are starting to step up in certain areas. Josea Brews had some
moments recently, Kyle Tucker's played a little bit better. Alex Bregman is quietly
going back into the funk overall that he was in before. His numbers have
dipped back down, back to numbers that you don't want to see. How
Alex Bregman. He's only slugging three seventy six this season. It's not good.
Jeremy Paania has been okay, it's been better than Bregman so far,
but like they need more out of him. Du Bond's gone into a tailspin
his I mean, I know, batting averages and everything, but he's creeping
at going back into the two eighties with another bad day if he's playing a
day and then Jose out two bas since he's been back, and I can't
rush to judgment completely on josel two because he missed so much time in the
ramp up period was so quick. It's gonna take him a minute. He's
seventy five at bats into his season. He's gonna take a second to get
going. But they do need him to get going. It's the same point
that I feel like when we do these you know, big picture conversations with
this baseball team all this season, the same point every single time there they
are offensively not good enough and nothing is necessarily going to change based off of
the players that they have on this roster. Slight improvements in some areas,
sure, but offensively not good enough to compete every single night, and you're
getting shut down by the Likes. And now look again, I know they're
back at five hundred. They only have four fewer wins than you do the
Reds. But in a normal scenario, there's no business, there's no world
where the Reds have any business being as good as you and honestly shutting you
down like that. I know that these teams don't see each other. And
you just go look at the Astros. If you believe in the Pythagorean win
loss, which is based a lot off I mean it's based off of runs,
runs, score runs aloud, their records should be way better than what
they are. They should be forty one and twenty nine compared to I mean,
that's not way better but thine thirty one. But there's been some games
recently that you look at and it goes back to the road trip that they
were on that was very very poor, a lot of mental errors, a
lot of kicking, yourself. Washington series starts off really well, they sneak
by in the second game, and then game three they just get shut down,
and you always, you know, I know, it's easy to get
mad and to say us, you know a lot of things about baseball players
and teams when when things aren't going like for us, it's easy to do
this like, oh, well they're just terrible, Like how could you not
get any hit? Some nights there are pictures that you're facing that you know
you gotta tip your cap to and say, hey, that guy just went
out there tonight and he kicked our ass. It happens, and maybe that's
you know, you do that with Abbott last night. That guy's three and
zero now in his big league career with a flat zero er. He's been
awesome, one of their top prospects. Maybe there's a lack of familiarity,
of course, between the Astros and some of these teams that they're gonna be
playing here on this homestand because it's Cincinnati who they never play. They see
the Nationals in spring training, which helps, and then look at the Mets,
who they see in spring training, which he would think help as well,
which, by the way, setting things up Monday, and it's not
official yet. They won't announce anything for the next couple of days, but
Monday should be lined up to have Justin Verlander pitch against the Astros. He's
coming off of a good one the other night when he faced Garrett Cole.
I would expect, unfortunately, him to pitch a lot better than he has
this season when he plays the Astros back in the ballpark. And it's actually
not Monday. I'm sorry, Scherzer's lined up to pitch Monday. I believe
Verlander is gonna pitch Tuesday. But that's even if that Mets team that's gonna
be coming to town after this is a complete underachiever. Yea poor baseball and
this is a home stand that we all looked at and went, hey,
this is where you gotta clean up to the first four They two and two.
This is the reality of the situation that cannot lose the next two games
of this series. Can't. And then they got to find a way to
take two out of three against the New York Mets. But even with the
Mets struggling like they are, they still have guys that are a Verlander and
Sures are pitching in the series. Those are guys that can absolutely shut you
down, even if they haven't played great baseball this season. I hope it
doesn't go poorly because there's been too much lately that's just been kind of blah.
I'd rather watch the good clearly than the bad, and we're watching a
lot of bad and it's frustrating again. But because this is a period of
time where you go look at what's going on around them with Texas and you're
saying, you need to fix this. Now they're finally floundering are the Rangers.
They're playing bad baseball. They've been getting their ass kicked at home all
week long as Texas. They lost three or four to the Angels, they've
lost, they lose last night to the Blue Jays. It couldn't be a
better situation for you, which, by the way, you need to figure
in that you want to talk about timing. You know how it usually goes
is the ebbs and the flows of the season. Both these teams are down
right now. They'll both probably pick it up and start playing well here in
a couple of weeks, and they face each other here at the end of
the month for a four gamer up in Arlington, But I don't know about
you, guys. I'd prefer them to go into that series a little bit
closer than three and a half games out, just from the standpoint of you
don't want to lose three out of four and suddenly be further back in your
division race. Would really really like to see them gain some ground, and
it's just like they just can't find a way to do it. But again,
right now, you gotta worry about the Angels too. They're playing good
baseball even if you go watch them, and you know, we've seen the
Astros kick their ass already a bunch this season. They're not that good,
but they're hot. Sometimes he even get hot and play about their talent level.
I think that's what's going on there. But I would just like to
come on here one day and do this. And I don't have any of
your Astros coverage this weekend, by the way, Matt did last night,
and Ross will have you today for the three ten first pitch two o'clock on
deck show here one game two of this three game series. But I would
just like I would really enjoy doing a show whatever it is on Deck tenth
ending this any of the show where I come in and go. Man.
You know, the Astro's offense, they just they're They're an absolute machine that
nobody can stop. It's been a minute, it has been a minute since
they've done that, and it's frustrating to watch seven three two on two five
seven ninety again, that's the number. To join us this morning here on
Space City Saturday, let's dive into the news of the week for the club
that is not play related. I guess it is play related, but it's
not really play related. The injury for Lance mccullor's contract. Let's discuss it
all next here on seven ninety Space City Saturday on Sports Talk seven ninety.
It is Space City Saturday. Right here on Sports Talk seven ninety. Michael
Connor back here with you. You can get in here this morning with us
at seven one three excuse me, two one two five seven ninety seven one
three two one two five seven ninety. Plenty to get into today, including
the Astros of course not being very good as of laid into the loss last
night. They'll look to bounce back today Game two of the three game series
two o'clock on Deck Show. Ross will have you for that. The game
first pitch I should say, starts at three ten today, Brandon Black up
against Hunter Green. We're gonna get into the Rockets coming up in just a
bit because there's another name out there on the market that they've quietly, sort
of I guess, been linked to in terms of a potential trade scenario for
the team. So we'll get into that and what's going on with them,
because it's about to get busy. Draft this week. By the way,
they will make the fourth pick in the draft. We will have a draft
show coming up this week at the Rockets draft party. We'll have complete details
on all that later on in the week, but keep keep an eye because
the Astros have a night off that night that Thursday, so we will all
be downtown, or at least a lot of us will be. I know
I'll be down there and part of that show on Thursday for Rockets draft party,
which again hopefully involves a trade up or a falling of a player to
them at number four, whatever it might be, whoever they get, whatever
it is, it's always an exciting period of time to add somebody, and
hopefully, again like usual, I think we will probably be joined by whoever
it is they take at number four. And number twenty on the phone at
some point during that show. So again that's Thursday night. More details coming
up for you later on in a few days with the exact people times,
All that stuff coming for you here on Sports Talk seven ninety. But the
Astros, as I mentioned losers last night, where we can discuss all that
is throughout this show today, where you're at, how you're feeling, you've
done be and frustrated some of the poor play, Like we're just just checking
on you guys, your mental health with the Astros this Saturday morning. One
thing that of course did happen this week that has been a topic of conversation
for the entire season to this point has been the name of Lance mc colors.
He's done for the year, and before it even became a thing,
him pitching on the mound for the Astros, which sucks. Flexor tendon surgery
had that also had a bone spur remove that. As Dana Brown put it
was the size of a lima bean. Not an encouraging thing to hear.
It's better than I would I would assume it's better than hearing that he is
having Tommy John for a second time in his career. I think we all
kind of feared that, and I mean, that's the easy assumption when it
comes to a pitcher who has a forearm issue or whatever's going on, is
that it's going to be the elbow. But they're gonna be without him for
the rest of this season for sure, even though he never pitched for him
again. But they also they might not have him for the big beginning of
next season. The timeline on it is kind of weird. He'll pick up
a baseball again in November. Dana Brown said that they'll have a better idea
of where he's at and what the rehab process continues to be come January,
so you know, it's going to be interesting to see exactly how that goes.
But here's the unfortunate truth for Lance mcculler's and the Astros. They they
took a gamble, which every contract is a gamble. It has not paid
off one bit signing him to that five year, eighty five million dollar extension
which ran which runs from the twenty twenty two seasons, so this was year
two of it technically through the twenty twenty six season, and he's given you
a total of eight regular season starts and three postseason starts. As Dana Brown
mentioned earlier this week with us when we talk to him as a media members
there or at minim part made credit to Lance for grinding through it. You
know, that's what he wanted to do, was to grind through it,
and he did that last year to come back. It's a little bit frustrating,
I think, because you've wasted such a sting period of time and if
this was an issue after the twenty twenty one now look, he was also
out of stage and I get it where he wanted to get paid at the
moment and wanted to get his get his bag done, and get his long
term future secured. He was coming off of a really good year in twenty
twenty one. Obviously came to an end there in the White Sox series,
but that's where this injury started, was in twenty twenty one. I mean,
you think about last season, and last season was a huge success for
this team, but they didn't even really need Lance my colors. I know
that he won a game or he didn't win a game, but he pitched
really well in that start in Seattle and Game three. The other two starts,
he wasn't any good in the postseason last year, it's like, look
back on it, they could have survived without him, And if this was
something that you knew was a possibility last year, it's a little bit frustrating
that you didn't do it last year. And it gets yourself healthy this year
to come back and be a part of this staff because the Astros need him
more now than they ever have before. I mean outside of the twenty twenty
one season, when obviously, you know, Garrett Cole had had been gone
now for a couple of years, and you know, all these departures had
happened to the staff, and Verlander was out with his Tommy John recovery twenty
twenty one that he needed and badly, and he came out and he gave
him twenty one or twenty eight starts that year. Last year they didn't need
him so much and they they won a lot of games without him last year.
This is the year that they really needed this guy, and they've paid
over a thirty million dollars of this contract and he's pitched again eleven games.
So I mean, it's just it's a it's unfortunately, it's a bad investment.
It is a you know, it's a it's a terrible return on your
investment. And they have three more years at seventeen point seven million dollars per
year. In terms of the actual cash left to go for the tax purposes
on your money spent, it's the average of the eighty five, so it's
fifteen something. And I don't want to do the whole hate for Lance and
all that. Like, there's a lot of people that just have this vitriol
towards him, and I don't really understand. He has been part of some
really big moments for this franchise. He's won some important games. When he
pitches, he has got the kind of stuff that he puts him at the
top of any rotation in baseball. That's just what his stuff is make him.
I always the fascination with him has always been, well, let's go
make him a reliever. It's not gotta change anything. I gotta change his
body breaking down. He still has to pitch a baseball. The best value
for the Astros with him was always to keep him as a starting pitcher,
and that's why they always haven't always will. It's never been a possibility him
becoming a bullpen arm. All the years of all the craft that people want
to talk about it's never been on the radar. I get as fans,
you know, you look, we look at the contract and we we want
to have our assessments of it and get mad about all they're spending this money
here where they could be spending it somewhere else. And this guy it's constantly
hurt. But like I don't take it like some people take it personally towards
the Colors and it's like, you know, it's not his fault. He's
a human being that his body's breaking down. It sucks. Yes, Now,
I think this is where when we talk about how the Astros handle telling
us about injuries, this is where a lot of the vitriol comes from from
fans. Their lack of being upfront with people and hiding things from the media
I have never understood, because then it breeds distrust and you just never know
what's what's going on and what to believe eve, and then it turns on
the player and a player unfortunately with mc Colors, I mean he's on social
media and everything. It turns into people tagging him and saying like so at
the end of the day, like that that gets where I get back to.
There's an injury going on. He just tell us about the injury.
Is I don't think it's that difficult and it's not gonna keep I always go
it does, he'll say, and give the other team an edge or something.
If the players hurt, the players hurt, they know the players hurt.
How does that give me? So that one always frustrates me. But
flat out getting too far ahead of it and saying you know, a bunch
of bad stuff about Lance is silly, because I will say this through and
through, this is an athlete. We love our athletes to come to our
city and become one of us and never want to go anywhere. And this
guy from day one has been one of those guys Houston through and through.
I hope he gets healthy and gets back on the mount. I love watching
him pitch when he's good. He is awesome, and they're going to need
him in twenty twenty four, at some point Altt goes in terms of workload
and his ability to pitch for an entire season's gonna be interesting to see.
You probably can't count a lot on him that year. But this is the
unfortunate spot that you're in with him, is that you're always going to be
holding your breath with Lance mccullor's waiting for the next injury. That's what his
career has been is what his career will probably continue to be. I hope
that that trend finally changes for him for all of us so we don't have
to sit here and wonder about it, and you can count on him for
a significant workload at some point to fulfill his talent level, because his talent
level is awesome. Seven one three two one two five seven ninety. That's
our phone number to join us here on Space City a Saturday. We're with
you until twelve o'clock. We'll get into some of the Texans, what's going
on with them this past week and some of the storyline that they created.
But the we'll get back to the phone lines with you guys here in just
second, and the Rockets and some names involved or involved possibilities for trades and
whatnot as we ramp up to the draft this week. It is Space City
Saturday right here on seven ninety. We now return to Space City Saturday,
Sports Talk seven ninety. Space City Saturday here on Sports Talk seven niney.
Michael Connor back here with you can join us seven three two, one,
two five seven ninety. We're talking about your Houston Astros of course as we
kick things off this morning. They've been sluggish of late, not playing good
baseball at all, and uh, well, it just stinks to watch Lands
mccolors. The injury that was announced this week that we all knew it was
probably coming in terms of he's not going to pitch this season, but that's
going to Uh that's official. Now we'll get into the Rockets here and just
a bit big week for them, of course, the NBA Draft coming up
on Thursday. We will also get into some names that are floated about they've
suddenly been linked to in the trade world, which they have the ammunition to
go pull off a big trade if they want to. Let's go to the
phone lines and visit first this morning with Andy. What's up, Andy,
Well, you sound like his agent? Do what you sound like Lands mccolor's
agent. Why the fact the fact? Well, I mean you said,
at the top of a top of any league, any team's uh pitching staff,
he's he's a six, he's a six and four six wins, four
losses. I mean, if you're basing your thoughts on Lands mccolors off of
a off of a winning loss record. I'm sorry, you don't understand how
they've evaluate players anymore. Like it's just his stuff, stuff that he has,
pitches at the top of the pitches, at the top of anybody's rotation.
It's just the facts, his stuff. I'm talking about his stuff.
Let me ask you something. I want you to pick five teams and give
me their number one picture and tell me what their wins and losses are and
their era. You know what the nastual guy last year was Lander? Do
you know what his dra was? One seventy five? Okay? What was
Lancer color? What was it lancem color r? When he came back last
year? Andy? Oh oh, so you want to you want to know.
I'm going off your basis here. I'm going off of your basis here,
Andy, Andy, I'm going off what you're telling me. What was
m Okay, So you're going off? Okay, So you're gonna you're gonna
move the goalpost for Verlander. You can just go off one year. But
I ask you what the colors was last season, and you can't tell me
because you want to move the goalpost. Andy, I'm not gonna argue with
you. I know your phone call. Thank you for the phone call is
a good picture. Thank you. I appreciate it. Andy, like all
you ever do is call and argue with people. You. I get it.
You want to go off the simpleton sitting here looking at wins and losses.
I never sat here and was trying to be Lance, but Color's agent.
He has always been hurt. That contract is bad. You're hearing needs
to be fixed like I have been critical. But I can also take that
aside and look at the player and go, oh my god. His stuff
when he pitches is the stuff that pitches towards the top of a rotation,
which is all I said. I didn't say he's the number one on the
team, never have. All I said was they needed him now more than
ever, and if he was here now, he'd be at worst the third
starter on this team. I want him to pitch at some point for this
baseball team. I do. That's the selfish side in me. I want
him to go and pitch because they need him and he's good. But I'm
telling you, if you're going off of ra and wins and losses, you're
not evaluating pictures. That's just that's not it. Wins and loss is a
product of your team. So based off of that, right now, Framber
Valdez is no good. Frauber Valdez is six and five this season. That's
no good. And I can I can sit here and evaluate Ra and all
that stuff like you can. You can give me the RA for Verlander last
year, But when I ask you what the year? Hell of the previous
two years from the Colors? Last year's eight starts. The year before it
was twenty eight in twenty twenty one, is Ra was three sixteen? Last
year when he came back it was two twenty seven. Is he perfect when
he's out there? No? But this is what I'm talking about with the
just constant. There's just some conversation that continues to go back, and it's
silly. What has he done to you personally? Nothing? You're not paying
him. Why do you get so mad about him? I get that you
could be a fan of the team and you want him to be out there,
and it's frustrating that he's not. I'm frustrated by two because they could
have allocated these dollars somewhere else. But it's we can't move goalposts on it.
It's just the truth. If you can't see that, the picture stuff
is good enough to be a top of the rotation guy in most teams that
he would play on. I'm sorry, you just you're not watching baseball,
right. Let's go to Martin next. Hello Martin. Hey, Yeah,
I'm still really bleeped off about the Rockets getting the fourth take overall in that
bleeping lottery. I'll never recover from that. But I call really about Lance
McCullers. You know, um yeah, ever since I think it started around
when Jeff Luno took was a GM. They really keep their injuries like top
secret information, like a classified document with nuclear secrets or something, ever since
then. But anyway, lets mccutters. I look at it in a positive
way. I'm rooting for the guy. I keep hoping, maybe, pretty
god, this is the last injury and he can put it all together and
be all that win nineteen twenty games. He has that talent. And he's
only still twenty seven, twenty eight years old. He's twenty nine now twenty
nine, Okay, he's still he's still relatively a young dude. I mean
I remember when JR. Richard after he was like thirty one, thirty two
years old. That's when he became a superstar. But anyway, I'm rooting
for Lance, root for all of them through their injuries. Luis gar see
it with his Timmy John and you know, we can't predict these things.
They unfortunately happened, and I'm rooting for Lancha mccutter is all the way and
all the others. Man, that's all. Thank you, Martin. I
appreciate it and good to hear from you. Look that that's what I get
back to. More anything is that. At the end of the day.
As for as frustrating as we can be, I'm still hopeful for the player
because here's the thing too, The player's not going anywhere. He's got three
years left on a contract. He's here, He's going to be part of
this franchise. You want him to be out there on the mound. I
know that the Trackercker says he's probably counting on him to do a lot is
not reasonable. But I can say that when he's out there, I know
that his stuff is good. His stuff is quality stuff that can get you
a lot of victories in this league. And you just have to continue to
be hopeful that he gets to that point because you don't want the last three
years of that deal. Overall, there's gonna be some of it that's definitely
gonna be missed next year. I'd be shocked if he's starting the season on
time. But and you want that player to be back out there, simple
as that. Seven one three two one two five, seven ninety. That's
our phone number to join us here on Space City Saturday. You can find
me on Twitter at MC seven ninety as well. We'll discuss more on the
Astros as I mentioned the Rockets and some names that are out there. We'll
get into that next year on seven ninety the Space City created, Decreted,
Decreted. Welcome to another Space City Saturday. I'm Sports Talk seven ninety,
Michael Cutter's live and local h town breakdown of the world that matters to you,
Houston, Fourth World, all these great Houston fans here. We love
you all. So finish up on that to do list, lout up the
cooler because you can't drink and talk sports ald Hey, if you don't start
now, this is Space City Saturday. Here are seven nineties Astro's insider Michael
cunner Ki. Welcome back to Space City Saturday here on Sports Talk seven,
I mil Connor back here with you. You can get in here with us
seven one three, two one two five seven ninety. We're talking astros,
we're talking rockets. I got some texts and stuff to get into. We're
with you until twelve o'clock. Stros back in action this afternoon three ten first
pitch over at Minimate Park, Cincinnati Reds in Town, Ross via Real.
We'll have you for the on deck show coming up at two o'clock this afternoon,
tenth inning show after the ball game as well. I'll be back with
you on Astro's covered on a Monday. I was off last night. Ross
and up Matt owed me a day each, so we got we got a
nice extended weekend for me here. But I'm still working with you here today
on a Saturday until noon. Like I mentioned, let's go back to the
phone lines though, and get to you guys in and we'll actually you know
it real quick. I know that some of you might not listen as much
as other people do, and you hear the conversation Andy there a minute ago,
and it's probably gonna you're like, why would I call him if he's
just gonna do that, I promise you I won't have that short of a
lasher than anybody. And even to Andy, Andy, even if I argue
with you all the time, you can still call back. And he's just
been calling for years. I've been working here for a very long time,
and he does this every single time he calls. He just wants to call
and yell at you and tell you that you're wrong. And I just don't
feel like doing the back and forth when your evaluation of a pitcher is going
to be wins and losses in the era, It's deeper than that. It's
always been deeper than that. And again, if you can't just do the
homework to me, or if you if I ask you a question you don't
want to answer it because you're moving the goalpost. I'm just not going to
engage in the conversation in it. Like it's just it's not worth my time
to go back and forth and back and forth and back and forth, you
know. And I'm not saying that we can't disagree. We're always going to
disagree. This is what talk radio is about, is disagreeing. It's completely
fine to disagree. I'm just I just my leash is a little bit shorter
for Andy because he's done it forever and you heard him he was gonna be
stupid. That's okay. You can call me stupid today, and tomorrow you
might not call me stupid. Andy. I hope you're still listening. I
hope that you will call us back at some point. Let's go to Lewis
and talk some strokes. What's up, Louis, Hey, I really agree
with you that if you know, these things are a lot deeper than they
might look. I think there's you know, there's always a little bit of
room for perspective, right, And something I think about with his injury and
the way that you know, they vocalized everything. At the start of Jordan's
career, it was kind of a concern with his knees, right, and
that there was going to be like an ongoing problem with his knees. Am
I right about that? That that an accurate perception? Um? I mean,
yeah, I think that there was some concern. I don't know if
it was like a chronic concern, but obviously getting the surgery done on both
of them I think was done in large part to clear some of the some
of the worries for sure. Yeah. So whenever yourdon finally got you know,
operation done and he got the debris removed. That really helped him out.
And that's something that we haven't seen be a problem for him for a
long time. And I'm hoping that that's the case with the bones fur,
you know, the fact that they're talking about like it's bigger than we really
thought it was, and you know, it's really opening our eyes like this
is something that could have been you know, the longstanding well at least like
one of the long standing problems that he's had with his help. And if
that's the case, then you know, getting that work done that could really
open some doors for him to be healthy, you know, in the future.
And I'm really hoping that that's the case, and I'm optimistic that it
is. I'm with you. Thank you for listening this morning. Appreciate the
phone call, Lewis. Look and again that's maybe that's the Houston Astros fan
that's been in me since I was a child, still coming out like I
want to be optimistic about everything. That's how I've always operised, how I
operate in general. I don't want to be pessimistic about anything, and I
want to see the player get back out there, because again, I know
it with the players stuff is, and his stuff when he's pitching, its
top of the level rotation kind of stuff. I mean, he's got one
of the best breaking balls in baseball. He's got always had an unbelievable sinker,
one of the best groundball rates of any pitchers in baseball every single year
when he goes, he keeps the ball in the yard for the most part.
And the only issue that's ever really been a thing for him when he's
on the mount his pitch efficiency and maybe walking guys too much. That's really
been about it. That keeps his whip number high most seasons. But he
just he does a lot of the things that you want a starting pitcher to
do outside of that. I mean, I'm just looking at it real quick.
Not again, home runs allowed aren't everything. The most home runs he's
ever allowed in a season's thirteen and twenty twenty one, So I mean,
like, I love pitchers personally that give up nothing but groundball outs, gets
strikeouts, which he gets a lot of strikeouts, by the way, and
he also, you know, does a lot of important things in terms of
not giving up hits. And you can just go to his career's career numbers
for hits per nine are always pretty damn solid. Everything is pretty damn good,
and they just need to find a way to get the health situation right
hopefully, and it might always be a concern. It might not ever go
away hopefully again. Yeah, like you said, removing a bone spur is
something that will help him fixing the tendon. You know, some guys they're
throwing motion, and he's got a little bit of a different I think throwing
motion than you know, most I don't want to say most guys, but
it's it's not it's not like I think it's something that you would put in
front of somebody that's like teaching. Hey, I want you to throw up
baseball like this. That's exactly how he throw it. But you just never
know. Bodies break down and that's that's the life of sports. Let's go
to JB next here on the Space City Saturday to Himo JB. Hey,
Michael, Hey, that's a great take because I'm calling about a theory that
I have and you follow the game pretty well. I want to get your
takes on this. Um, you know, it seems like the thing I'm
most frustrated about is Bregman Jose even though you know he's still coming back to
that phone injury and you know, Chucker, I know they're young guys relatively
speaking, twenty seven to twenty nine thirty one for pose Amy, but in
washing baseball for many years and decades, it seems like the teams, you
know, we know we're on a lucky not a lucky we're on a very
special run of six years of ALCSS. And but you know, that's very
unusual because I can't think of many teams other than the Braves back in the
nineties where it was just sustained greatness for more than six or seven years.
Because I think what I'm seeing is that guys who get to their late twenties
like Bregman or early thirties, like I mean, you look around the league,
you guys, you see guys uh their productivity going down, superstars like
Trout, Bryce Harper, and I think, you know, the new normal,
maybe that you can look at the Korea and Springer um that once you
start hitting your late twenties, after you've performed for you know a great amount
of time, you start losing it, and that this is just my theory,
and I want to get your take because you know, we have to
look at history of baseball to see but I mean, I'm shocked that Bregman
is just so up and down. And really, I think what you need
as a team is you need the young guys, you know, catch lightning
in a bottle like we did with Springer and Korea and Jose, because you've
got that very small window between you know, the mean twenty two to twenty
seven maybe uh, to really kill it. And that's where we are with
your don He's in that window right now. I mean you can talk he's
starting maybe to lose it. So I think we really have to look at
baseball history to see if what the Astros are going through now it's it's normal
that you have this really peak period where everybody's in their mid twenties, which
is so young, but once they start hitting late twenties, you see declining.
And as I've sited with Harper and Trout now in his thirties and you
know, in pictures their own animal. I mean, pictures keep you in
the game, maybe like they're doing for us right now. So I just
wanted to get your take on that. We know we're in a special run
here, but we're all we may be on the decline now. That is
not unexpected in baseball history terms. Yeah, thank yeah, thank you,
Jab. It's always great to hear from we're running up closer to the top
of They are always appreciate you listening making the phone call. I think that
that's something that's definitely a possibility with certain guys, obviously with where they're at
their stages of their career. And as you mentioned, you know these a
lot of these guys now been doing it for years. This is what Alex
Bregman's into his eighth year technically because he started briefly the year before. That
mean, it's like there's definitely a stage where I think you have to become
a different player. I don't necessarily know how, Like if some of them
are declining yet, Kyle Tucker better not be declining. He's twenty six,
Like that'd be a problem if he's declined. And he mentioned Jordan on same
type of thing. Bregman's twenty nine, he'll be thirty soon. I think
with him specifically, I go look at things and I think the scariest part
of his game this year that's not been there, and again this is always
a historically slow starter. Two seasons and he got hot there for a second.
But like in terms of the the you know, his normal like hard
hit percentages and eggit velocities and barrel percentages and all that stuff, all the
numbers are incredibly low, which is not completely normal. He's still elite at
getting on base, not chasing bad pitches, not striking out, getting walks.
I mean, like he's elite at all that stuff, but there's just
not been a lot of hard hit stuff the last couple of years, and
I think that's the that's the worrisome thing with him. I also think that
for players, and you mentioned al Tube there as well, and you know
al Tube had a great season last year. I think Altub is one of
those guys is just born to hit. But I think there's also an evolution
of who these guys become like as they get later into their careers and whatnot.
At like for out Tube, he's gonna become and he has become such
a such a pull hitter, and that's very important I think for him to
get hits and to produce the power, and you know, other guys they
get to deeper stages of their career. I think they do that. But
yeah, I think, I mean, for sure, even as you get
to thirty years old, and if you've been doing as long as you have,
in the eye, sus have been on one hell of a grind.
Like there's no telling what it physically does to your body. Like we all
know it. I mean, I know I notice it now in my life.
And I'm not a professional athlete, but I'm an active person. Like
I'm in the gym every day. I do a lot of things. But
like even at the age of thirty two now, like I see things that
I'm out playing basketball my nephews the other day, and like, you know,
I for I can work out and eat right and do all these little
things, whatever it might be, and they're still like there's part of me
when I go out and play basketball. I'm like, good god, I'm
slowing down a little bit. Like I can't handle this as much as I
could five years ago. So like if you play baseball every day for all
those years, like I can't imagine, you know, at some point you
do start to slow down, and they're not you know, again, most
of these guys aren't close to slowing down completely like they're still gonna win at
a really high level. I think it's a lot of it is built into
the culture that they've done and everything, and it's just been it's been something
that they've they've always has been able to handle. So that is something that
you know, I feel confident and today, well we need to grab a
top of the hour time out. When we get back, we'll get more
of your phone calls right here on Space City Saturday. Space City Saturday continues
on Sports Talk seven ninety. Here we go on Space City Saturday hour or
two of the show. You can join us this morning at seven one two,
one two five seven ninety on Twitter at MC seven ninety. I promise
you we're going to get into that Rockets discussion that I wanted to get into
and the Texans in the second hour. I always appreciate I remember gonna you
guys that we can't talk Astros baseball. Look, we are in the time
of the year where they have the most going on, and you know we're
watching them every single night. We're frustrated right now because they lost again last
night to the since not again to this team, but they did lose again
last night. They lose the opener to the Cincinnati Reds two to one for
a team that the Astros just used to beat the hell out of. I
mean, and they ran the numbers last night on a T and T sports
Net. If you ever go look at career numbers for how certain players play
against certain teams, we know, like Albert Poolholes for years just absolutely murdered
the Astros. Go back and look at what Lance Berkman, Jeff Bagwell and
Roy Oswald did to the Cincinnati to the city of Cincinnati and the Reds for
just ever. I mean, those guys Berkman specifically put up insane numbers against
Cincinnati just destroyed them forever. And you know that they had to be scarred
by that. But you go back and look at I think the last time
and I need to I had to check for sure, but I can remember
the series in twenty nineteen when the Astros were on the road in Cincinnati,
because that's last time I can remember playing them, I believe, and they
had like I mean, it was like Garrett Cole and Justin Verlander, I
think, both pitching this years they got swept and that was the year they
one one hundred and seven games it's like it's for some reason. Now Cincinnati
might be getting a little bit of revenge after all those years, but hopefully
not today. They'll bounce back in Game two of the series again three ten.
First pitch here on seven NINEY Brandon Black against Hunter Green, Ross v
Real. We'll have you for the on deck show starting at UM starting at
two o'clock. For that one, let's go back to the phone lines to
seven one three, two one two five seven NINEY. Danny is up next
here on seven NINEY. Hello Danny, Hey, how you guys doing good?
Hello? I'm sorry, um, just working here. Uh first,
first off, first time caller, won't be the won't be the first time
listener as well, won't be the last time. But I just want to
read. I just want to talk about I'm not gonna beat a dead horse
about mc colors or anything like that, but I do want to talk about
the recent signing or extensions and I just want to hear your thoughts about it.
Yeah, I'm just gonna hang up and listen. I'll bray you.
How do you feel about that the signing? Was it too much do you
think? Or was it marcot? Bryce? And how do you feel about
Montero, do you think we paid him too early? On that? And
Pressley personally, I think that I think we shouldn't have signed him. I
mean, I think we should have gave an extension, of course, but
as much as he got, I don't think. I don't know. He
just to me, he just don't have to exude that confidence. He doesn't
have the stuff I think sometimes um and then definitely he doesn't throw on the
hundreds like some of them, some of the other closures. And last but
not least, I'm starting for all these questions, but I'm not work right
now. And last one, at least the free agents that are coming up
in the uh, the free agent that are coming up, I just want
to know, is there any guys out there pitching and hitter hitters that maybe
we could look forward to maybe picking up. Thanks appreciate, appreciate your time.
Thank you so much for the phone call. So let's let's roll through
some of it here with the We'll start with a brave Now. Look,
I think at time, everybody with a bray you knew that he was a
good player, and everybody was excited for it, including myself. I saw
the contract and knew like I think most people did that. They went a
year further on that deal than anybody else was willing to go. The per
year number that he got, He would have gotten that anywhere, but the
difference is that he was probably only getting two year offers everywhere else, and
he signed so quickly because the Astros came in and offered the third year.
That's what you have to do in free agency to get players. You have
to extend further in years than the other teams are willing to go. You
can go back to Josh Reddick. When the Astros signed Josh Reddick, a
lot of people in Baseball code God, why would they give him a four
year deal? They give him a four year deal because it took four years
to get him, Like to guarantee that you're getting that player. It was
taking a four year deal. So I was fine with it. Again,
he was a great player last year for the White Socks. He's a former
MVP. There's really no reason to be upset with it at the time.
I mean, now, yeah, it's it's not been good. Now I'm
hopeful for the rest of his season. Now he's not going to get back
to being the type of numbers that jose A Brayu is typically at, which
is, you know, eight hundred plus ops. But if he can get
himself back into a range and he's back over six. I know he's back
over six hundred for his ops right now, that doesn't mean a lot.
If he can get back to that range, like though, get him over
seven hundred, that would be an encouraging sign. And he's done a lot
lately in terms of the last night. You look at the end of the
game, his lasted bat, he rips that double off the wall out there
and left to turn on a fastball like that that was inside off the plate
and barrel it up and smoke it like he did. It's very encouraging,
very encouraging, and it's it's another positive sign. That's been a good month
of June him so far. I feel a lot better about the player now
than I did a month ago. Montero, Look, I am always fine
with keeping you know, keeping your team together. That just won a World
Series, Like, you're really not gonna get me mad on that one.
Everybody knew it was an overpay. I didn't love it. I don't think
many people did like it. Three years thirty four and a half million dollars
whatever was he wasn't getting. He was gonna get paid on the market.
I don't think he was getting that much. He's the eighth highest paid reliever
in all of baseball. He has a career track record that, outside of
last year, was a guy that gave up a ton of runs, walked
a bunch of guys, and was on multiple teams. It's a bad contracts
as simple as it gets. It was a bad contract. It was a
bad decision. They should not have done that. The Pressley thing, and
I think this is a is a bigger picture topic, and we did this
last weekend. Now, look, Ryan Pressley right now is not pitching well.
Facts are the facts. He knows that team knows that he has been
bad recently. And when I say bad recently, I'm talking about his last
and I'm pulling up his game log at this very moment. It is his
last couple of games. Here one, it's this month of June, and
you could go back, I guess to the end of the month of really
the end of the month of May. He had a blown save against the
Twins, bounced back and got a save in his next one, gave up
a run in his next outing blow a save against Cleveland, and his next
one got a save in his next game against Cleveland. After that, gave
up a bunch of unearned runs in the next one that came back, and
that was another blown save opportunity, even though they were unearned. And then
he of course gave up the home run a couple of nights ago against the
Nationals. And I had channed the room of the Athletic wrote this the other
day and he acknowledges as well. The difference in Ryan Presley right now is
that he's been so dependent on a slider, and he's throwing a slider more
than ever, and teams are going up there knowing he's just gonna throw sliders,
and a lot of them are being left over the plate and they're getting
crushed at the moment. So he's got to get back to establishing his fastball.
But number one thing in this game is establishing your fastball. And if
you can establish a dominant fastball early in the account, it allows you to
go to breaking stuff and it makes you more lethal, and we're not seeing
that at the moment. I think, unfortunately, this is the life of
the closure. And you brought up a great point of it too, that
he doesn't throw one hundred miles an hour. We have this mindset as baseball
fans that you're not a good closer unless you throw one hundred miles an hour,
and this is not fair to any pitcher that's out there. Some of
the best closers in the history of this game didn't throw one hundred miles an
hour. I mean Ririann Rivera, the greatest ever through at ninety two to
ninety three mile an hour cutter for twenty years and is the greatest closer ever.
Trevor Hoffman was an amazing I think he's second all time, and saves
he got by doing it on a changeup. He never had an electri fa.
Ryan Pressley, though, has a good fastball. Ryan Pressley can run
it up ninety four to ninety seven, so just because it doesn't hit a
hundred doesn't mean anything. I think it's completely unfair the way that people have
talked about Ryan Pressley as of late, like should like you bring up shouldn't
have given him the contract? Why? Because he's been a lead at closing
out games for three years, like that, they shouldn't have done it.
He's still effective and he's going I heard Ross bring this up yesterday and it's
yeah, I know, it's it's hot topic right now to where people are
gonna, oh, you're you're wrong. He's going to be fine. I'm
telling you he's going to be fine. He's going to be getting back to
being Ryan Pressley. And you're never going to think about it when closers have
blips because it's the end of the game. We overreact to it. I
mean, you just go back to save opportunities every single year and what the
player does in closing out baseball games. This year so far, he's twelve
out of fifteen. Last year he was thirty three out of thirty seven.
Year before he was twenty six out of twenty eight, and then in twenty
twenty when he took over the closer role, he was twelve out of sixteen.
Throughout these years, I just go look at earn runs and the innings
pitched that twenty twenty season eight ern runs and twenty one innings pitched. Twenty
twenty one, sixty four innings pitched. Gave up sixteen runs all year.
Last year sixteen runs and forty eight and a third. This year he's at
eleven and twenty eight. He doesn't give up a lot of runs typically,
is what I'm telling you. Opponent batting average is always pretty low, in
the low two hundreds. This year it's at two twenty nine. Last year
is at one eighty one. So he's got to get a little bit better
there. But I mean, here's the facts. The numbers spell it out.
He has been one of the best fit sures of baseball games. Then
you add the postseason to it. What he did in the postseason last year
was ridiculous. He was a perfect eleven innings of shutout baseball. He was
six of six and save opportunities. And since he's been the closer for the
Astros, he is eleven of eleven in the postseason when it comes to saving
ball games. The facts are just the facts. He's been an elite closer
now for multiple years, and he's never going to get the respect that he
properly deserves because, like you mentioned there, he throws one hundred miles.
He doesn't throw one hundred miles an hour, because we as fans have this
ingrained in our brains that you have to throw one hundred miles an hour to
be a closer. And it's just not true. He's under contract, by
the way, for next year at fourteen million, and the twenty twenty five
season he has a mutual option with a two million dollar buyout option because was
guaranteed with fifty games pitched in both twenty twenty three and twenty twenty four.
So far this year he has pitched twenty nine games, so he'll get to
that fifty mark barring something bad happening, and he will eventually guarantee that option
year. And that's fine. I'm beyond happy with Ryan Presley being their closer.
I would like at the moment for him to stop pitching poorly like everybody
else. See three two one two five se ninety that's our number. To
join us here on Space City Saturday. When we return, let's get into
the into the Rockets stuff and your conversation of what is going on. It's
big week for them as well. That's next year in seven ninety. Welcome
back to Space City Saturday. On scort took seven ninety. Make City Saturday
here on Sports Talk seven niney. Michael Connor back here with you. You
can get in here and join us seven one three two one two five seven
niney real quick before we start to transition some of our discussion. The Astro's
lineup for today is out and it looks a little bit different once again.
They again play three ten first pitch today here on seven ninety two o'clock on
deck show Ross by Real. We'll have you for that and he'll have the
for the tenth inning show afterwards as well. But the lineup today has Corey
Jolks at the top of it, playing left field, so he is leading
off today. Jose Al Twove at second, bats second, Bragman at third,
bats third, Kyle Tucker and right field hits clean up. Jose A
brave Us the designated hitter today, he'll bat fifth. Yaner Diaz is catching
today in batting sixth, Jeremy Painting is shortstop, bats seventh, Jake Myers
at in center field, bats eighth, and then Great Kessenger gets the start
today at first base and bats to night. So again that's your Astro's lineup
today with Corey Jolkes leading off for the first time time with the Astros.
Here been a solid bat, solid bat for the Astros pretty much all season
long, maybe not the overall kind of numbers that you would love in terms
of the ops and whatnot, but he's not been a detriment to the team
as a reason made the team and he's performed I think pretty well to keep
his spot up here. But the week ahead for the Houston Rockets is pretty
important as well. NBA Draft coming up Thursday. Again, we will have
a draft show for you a Thursday night. The Rockets gonna have an official
draft party and everything. We'll be down there for that. We'll get you
all the details on that later on this week. But kind of a big
deal because the Rockets hold the fourth pick in the NBA Draft. There's a
lot of talk left and right about who's going where. We know who's going
number one to the Spurs Victor Woman. Nah, that's gonna suck, but
it is what it is. And you can't convince me that there's not some
sort of conspiracy theory with a connection to Tony Parker and all that. The
NBA just seems how to find these storylines rigged that they do. And now
I'm kidding, but the we know who's going one, we have an idea
I think of who's going two of three? Two and three of course,
and be Brandon Miller and Scoot Henderson and some sort of some sort of mix
there. I think the overall consensus for the Rockets if they are picking at
number four, is going to be of course, Amen Thompson. You know,
it's a player that has a lot of athletic ability that a lot of
people are you know, really high on. The question is going to be
is he going to be? You know, is he gonna be a top
end type of star players. He's just gonna be. Really it's the fourth
pick, who knows. But it's a guy that can go and get his
own shot something maybe that the Rockets are missing. If they end up at
four and they take Amen Thompson, I think that everybody should be happy about
it and we'll see exactly what happens. Now. They could take this player
and he never plays for the Rockets if they and I think this is the
interesting part of their of their office season to see, you know, what
exactly they're going to do here with this roster build. We know that they
absolutely nailed it in terms of going out and getting the head coach that they
wanted. They got Emyudoco, and I think that that was a guy that's
definitely that's definitely was wanted by a lot of teams across the league, and
for good reason. He's I think that just kind of culture center with the
discipline that he's going to bring in that this franchise and a lot of franchises
could have used. I've always been curious of does he want to come in
and build through it with the young players, and like, is he the
young guy that's going to take the young players to that next level. We
know about the links to James Harden, the you know, the latest reports
have been that he's torn between Philadelphia and Houston. You know, I know
that a lot of us don't necessarily want to see him back. I'm going
to continue in my mind going about every day thinking James Harden's coming back.
I think there's just been too many There's been too many stories that have been
out there that tell you that this player is coming back to the city of
Houston. Whether it's a good thing for this franchise or not. Except for
debate, maybe overall it's probably not. But if it is that, then
it is what it is. The team, you know, could have other
looks to it. Does he want Emaudoko to have a more veteran laden team.
I don't know, and if he does, there's going to be options
available out there in terms of players you could go get. You know,
I think a lot of eyes right now are clearly on the Portland Trailblazers and
what's going to go on there? Are they sticking at three? Are they
trading to pick away for another veteran player? Are they getting rid of are
they getting rid of Damian Lillard? What are they doing? I don't know.
I think that they hold a huge a huge part of the of the
off seasons, kind of held up on what they're doing on Thursday. But
the name that's been floated about out there this past week that there's not been
a lot of instant connections made for people. You know, I know that
when you see names pop up in trade scenarios, you're always going to go
look to the contenders and what if this team win got this player or whatever
might be. The name is Zion Williamson of the New Orleans Pelicans, still
twenty two years old, just signed last year a big one hundred and ninety
three million dollars five year extension with the Pelicans. Overall, so far in
his career, I would tell you he's a disappointment, not from his production
that he gives you when he plays. When he plays, he is productive,
He is a force. He is a game changer on the floor when
he's out there. But I saw this number yesterday. Since he's been in
a league, he has missed over sixty percent of the Pelicans games that have
been in that he has been there, that he could have played in.
He missed an entire season in the twenty twenty two season with the foot injury.
He played twenty nine games last year. I think there's a lot of
question about his desire to get back out there when the injuries have come up.
Now, if you've followed the name Zion Williamson at all, you know
that it's been a very interesting offseason for him so far because apparently he's got
a baby on the way. He's been um, he's got a porn star
that is apparently also in his life that is putting his business there business out
on Twitter constantly about a lot of things that are unfortunately as that we just
can't speak about on the radio. There's clearly some baggage when it comes to
Zion Williamson. There's been reports now look at and if I'm looking at their
roster and everything. If I'm a New Orleans Pelicans fan, there's not a
lot of them out there. Chris Gordy and I did a New Orleans show
there for a few for a couple of years, and we would get some
Pelicans phone calls when we do it. When we were doing that on top
of Houston, we'd do Houston and then we do New Orleans in the morning,
and you know, so I started to pick up watching the pell But
you just go look at their roster. I mean, you have a team.
If he's getting his thirties now, CJ. McCollums a really really good
player, really really solid player, real really good shooter. Brandon Ingram has
been been an All Star now since he's been there in New Orleans, and
he's a really good shooter as well. They a lot of talent on that
roster. They have enough talent on that roster to contend in the Western Conference,
but they never get healthy. And whether that's bad luck or the fact
that there's always it seems like there's always this storyline with them in their training
staff, like they can't get players healthy. I remember Eric Gordon was there
forever could never stay healthy when he was there, gets to Houston magically healthy
for the most part. He'd have his stuff here and there, but like
way more healthy in Houston than he ever was in New Orleans. So is
there any element of that with Zion? I don't know, but I could
tell you right now. I know that there's concerns again for players and whatnot.
I would if they wanted to, I would make a trade for Zion
Williamson. If I was the Rockets, I wouldn't have any issue with it.
I think that you look at the player and the talent level that's there,
and you have a coach that you brought in that you feel is so
good at setting that culture and being what you want as your next long term
head coach here and getting you back on that winning path. If New Orleans
wants to deal, I'm making the phone call. And again I know that
everybody goes to you have to match up salaries in what are you to do
things for that and all that. But like the Rockets have the ammunition to
make a trade. They have all the draft capital in the world, They
have a high pick this year. They have some young players that might be
attractive to add to the deal. Would you be mad if the outcome of
this offseason is to go into next season with some sort of combo of Zion
Williamson, James Harden and let's just say one of the young guys gets to
stick around, either Jalen or Jabari Smith plus whatever else you're gonna do.
Would that be the worst case scenario in the world. Are they instant Western
Conference contenders to win it all? Probably not, but they're a playoff contender
without a doubt. I'd go down the road and take a look at what
it would take to get Zion Williams and if New Orleans is willing to move
him. There's some reports that are conflicting it to saying, you know,
they're not really shopping him. There's also been reports that they only want to
give him up in a deal where they would land Scoot Henderson. So there's
been there's been some thought that they could trade him to Charlotte get the number
two pick, gets Scoot Henderson. If that's the case, the Rockets could
be out. But they have everything that a New Orleans team would probably want
in this trade, given the draft picks that they have at their disposal,
especially for those ones coming from the Brooklyn Nets here in the next few years
where they can be pretty high draft picks overall seven one, three, two
on two five seven nineties number to join us. If you want to give
you our thoughts on the possibility of Zion Williamson. Would you be happy with
that if the Rockets could go down that road to go and get that player,
even with the history that he has in terms of injury. We'll also
get into the Texans because there's something that they that a little tiny, I
say tiny storyline that I don't think it's real, and I want to discuss
it here before the end of the show on Space City Saturday. This is
Space City Saturday on Sports Talk seven ninety. It is Space City Saturday.
As you heard right there on Sports Talk seven ninety, Michael Connor here with
you on a fun day of sports. To be honest with you, I
love today, um now, I will tell you it's because one, I'm
a huge fan of the US Open that is going on today and it's a
later US Open. Now I'm not the biggest fan usually when it's late,
but I will say for the sake of watching the Astros today and watching US
Open golf, I like it. The astros played three ten. A lot
of the leaders don't tee off our time here locally to like after five o'clock,
so I know that it's never a huge topic of conversation. But it's
been a pretty good tournament so far. It's not a typical US Open to
this point, if you've not paid attention. The scores are pretty darn high.
Usually the US Open, these guys struggle to hit the par number most
days. But Ricky Fowler in the lead at ten under par, Wyndham Clark,
even for me, the big golf guy, I don't know a lot
about Wyndham Clark, He's a nine under, and then Rory McElroy and Xanders
Chafflet at eight under a piece. And I will say from this leaderboard that
we have right here, and there are some guys by the way that I've
gotten out on the course already and posted some pretty big numbers. Harris English
menou Lee. Both those guys four and five under hard today. They've propped
themselves up into the top ten on the leaderboard. So it appears and there's
I'm looking at the scores for today that if the guys that have been playing
and there are that are playing. There are some excuse me, that's this
is from yesterday because they haven't played yet. I'm sorry, I'm looking at
the wrong part, but whatever, you know what I mean, Like there's
there's gonna be some scoring involved. It looks like, um, I'm just
looking at the top of this leaderboard. I'm really hopeful that Ricky Fowler gets
himself very in the US hope. And this is a guy that has forever
been one of those guys that just couldn't win one. And he's got some
wins and he's he was always so close, and he's now into his mid
thirties, and he really has had a tough last couple of years if you've
paid attention to golf at all, Like he kind of really lost himself.
And it happens sometimes the guys in their career Jason Days having a renaissance now
and his career, getting his swing back and everything. But Fowler, I
mean, he wasn't he wasn't able to play. He has not played the
Masters, and since twenty twenty, he's not played in the US Open since
this is the first time since twenty twenty he's played in the Open Championship.
In twenty twenty one, but he missed out last year, so like he's
played to a point where he's not automatically eligible to play in these things like
he had been for years, And you just go back and look at all
the times, like just in the Masters he's finished top or tied fifth,
second, tied ninth. In twenty fourteen, he finished tied fifth, tied
second, tied second, tied third in all the Majors that year. So
I'm hopele for him. I hope that he gets a victory and gets his
first major. And I think that that's always a cool thing for guys really
well alike too, very popular on the PGA two always has been, of
course with his crazy orange that he wears on Sundays. And I just again
hopeful for him that he's able to pull it off, because he's fun when
he's playing good golf. So that'll conclude most of our golf conversation. And
this mean you're probably falling asleep listening to it. But I'm a big fan
of the game of golf, so I will be watching that this evening,
you know, after the astro's wrap up. One astro's note real quick,
Brian mctaggard just tweeted at the Jose or Keaty is going to throw off of
a mound tomorrow for the Astros. They have of course been without him.
There's been a lot of talk that he would get back out on the mound
during this homestand and according to Brian McTaggart, who's I'm sure talking in the
clubhouse right now to the players or Keatie, we'll throw off the mound tomorrow
for the Astros. Planning is to throw about twenty fastballs at eighty five miles
an hour. That's a very encouraging sign and the Astros can absolutely use him
having him back in this rotation student rather than later. But I mentioned all
the sports stuff going on Astros us open. I will also shortly after we
get done here. I know that this is not something that everybody watches,
but I will completely admit it. I admitted it a couple of weeks ago,
and the video game has got me hooked on it. The new one
came out yesterday, by the way, the f one game. We've become
f people in this house in the last few months because we started watching the
Drive to Survive show. They are in Canada, this week, so I'll
be sitting down watching the qualifying here in a bit to see how things will
line up for tomorrow, and I'll be watching that race tomorrow. I can't
believe it. I live in a world now where I want to watch cars
drive around a track I never thought I would, and the F one Drive
to Survive show has gotten me there. But another thing that's been going on,
the Texans had their last look at them on a field before training camp,
which, by the way, I still there's still no official date on
it, but it'll be that last week of the month of July, probably
around the twenty six, twenty seventh, maybe twenty eighth or whatever. To
start it, I just need to pull the calendar real quick. I'd imagine
he had twenty six or twenty seventh is when they get started. When they
get started out there for training camp. It is their last look at them
here this week before they as they hit the summer break. But the storylines
there's not a lot of them for this team that of course is so young,
first year of Damiko Ryan's At some point it would be if if I
can get the ability to go out and see one of these, maybe we'll
go out and taking the training. Can't practice at some point because I would
like to do that and get the vibe of what's going on. But we're
standing, Gordy, we're out there. This week, they came back in
and Stan told us when he came in that, you know, he was
surprised at how like it wasn't as you know, I guess, loud and
popping as he thought. But like, this is a new coach. They're
teaching a lot of things, so who knows, maybe their style, but
they are intriguing this season. One of the small, I guess small storylines
has been you know, who's taken the first team reps at the quarterback spot
and they take c J. Shroud second. Overall, we all know who's
gonna be the starting quarterback. I think that this storyline of Davis Mills could
be the starting quarterback for this team in twenty twenty three to start the season
is silly and it's a waste of time. If CJ. Stroud is ready,
there's no world and he's ready compared to Davis Mills. I'm sorry,
you're not going to convince me that CJ. Stroud coming in as a rookie
is not better than two years in Davis Mills, who all he does most
of the time is throw garbage time touchdowns and interceptions to the other team.
He is not that good. He's a solid backup. That's what he is,
a solid backup quarterback. And he is definitely gotten him to It's definitely
gotten him to a spot where he can make a very long career doing what
he's doing right now, which is going to be holding the clipboard and watching
other guys play, and his long term future is not here in the City
of US. It was a nice thought to think that you could take this
guy in the middle rounds. I think that that was when Nick Casserio lived
in a world of analytics and you know, value and having to do the
Patriots way and all this credit like he thought he could do it here.
You can't. Can't. It's not something that you can replicate. For all
the all the talk, all the years, like replicating the Patriots way of
doing things never gonna happen. You know why, it's never gonna happen because
nobody else had Tom Brady, and you can see what happens since he's left.
They don't have Tom Brady. They can't do it the same way.
It's just impossible. They finally buck up, they get a new coach,
the right coach after two mistakes, and they bring in, of course c
J. Stroud. They trade up to get Will Anderson. They go away
from the conservative line of thinking to player acquisition, and I'm a huge fan
of it. But I'm even from when Gordian Standing ro out there this week
and they came back in there talking about how CJ. Stroud looks, this
is starting quarterback. You don't delay the inevitable, because the inevitable is CJ.
Shrouds starting. I want to see him from day one, and I
don't think if there's any chance that we don't see him from day one.
I think this window dressing of a competition is just to keep a young player
from getting too comfortable and too confident. You make him think that he has
to go out there and win it and play to a certain level. You
always want there to be some level of pressure on these guys so they don't
just fall into bad habits or something. And I get it, but I'm
not going to sit here as the storyline will get into training camp and it'll
be who's taken the first team reps today, Luke, who's taking the first
team reps in this drill? Demiko, what do you think about this?
It's a competition. It's not a real competition. They can say it all
they want, it's not a real petition. And if it is, if
he gets beat, then we have a real problem. Like if CJ.
Stroud comes out and gets beat, you are in trouble. But I don't
think that we're going to go through a camp in preseason where we sit back
as fans and go you know who looked better than CJ. Stroud, Davis
Mills. I think the real question is gonna be is he gonna be on
the roster. I don't know how many teams will be pining for him.
They're not just gonna release him. There's no point. But if you can
go and get a sixth round pick for him, seventh round pick for him,
I think you do it. You have case Keenum and is what it
look at the Texans season. If CJ. Stroud went down for some regent
to play your back up, your season is already over. You're not at
the spot where you're competing. So what they do with him, we'll see
seven two two five seven nineties are fun number to join us. One final
break here on the show, when we return back into some astros, get
you set for another day here with them next year on seven Hinty Space City
Saturday continues Sports Talk seven nineties. It is one of my favorite things red
wine here on Sports Talk seven ninety. I genuinely do love red wine now
here on a Space City is Saturday. I love my beer. We love
our Crawford Bock. I will be having something from Carbock later today. I
cannot decide yet what it is because I will have to and it's really really
hot outside, but I have to go mow my yard this evening, and
every time you finish the mo you have to have something in terms of a
beer, and I have a fridge full of Carbok products, including the Crawford
Box, which, by the way, Crawford Box cast always up at Sports
seven One comments being Chris already talking Astro's Baseball brought to you by Carbok Brewing.
But there will be something that I will be having later today at some
point. But the red red Wine song. I do love red wine too.
We just if I've talked about it some of course, but we obviously
just got we just got married in April. It's good, lord, it's
almost been. It's just coming up on two months in a couple of days.
But we got married over in Italy and we spent twenty one days over
there and it was unbelievable. And I she got me into red wine like
a year or two ago, and I never really thought i'd love it like
I do. But we have. Well, we ordered a lot of wine
that is sitting in our house now from Italy. That's here, so I'm
gonna be having some bottles of red wine between now and the end of the
year. I tell you that we've already had a few. But it's a
it's a nice beverage that I never thought i'd get into. It makes me
feel old, I say old, but like as I'm getting older, like
I like different things like that, and it includes the red wine. But
today, you know what I would like as an Astro's victory over the Cincinnati
Reds game number two of the three game series this weekend. If you missed
it earlier, the lineup looks a little different today, Corey jokes leading off
playing left field today. So I know that a lot of people have worried
or wondered, like, what what does dust are you doing with the lineup?
Putting somebody ahead at Tuba every day. I think this is a product
of the current spot of not having your on Alvarez and wanting to get somebody
on base ahead of Jose Altuve. Maybe get him some pitches, get him
a little bit more protection. You know, they've been slotting du Bon ahead
of him quite a bit, and you have him there and then you have
Bragman behind that can back him up a little bit. But you know,
al two Va could have a guy get on base and hit a two run
home run instead of a solo home run. I think if they get back
to the spot where Yourn's back and playing and good, you put out two
in the lead off spot, you put Jeremy Painting in the two hole,
and you just go back to winning that way. And I think that they'll
be completely fine with that outcome for this team every single day. But I
can understand the oh, you're just tinkering the tinker. They're not. You
know, they're not doing this to just mess up what they have going on.
It'll be all right. What I know is that this they have to
have more offensive production than they had of late. Today's gonna be a difficult
one again, Brandon Black. This Red's lineup's hot. It's a little Hunter
Green is gonna go for Cincinnati. Astros don't have a I don't even think
that They've definitely not seen him. But he throws. He's thrown more more
one Hunter Monar pitches than anybody else in baseball this season. He can be
a problem today. I'm hopeful that he's not, but he could absolutely go
out there and give them some issues. But the likes of Josea. Bray,
you, Jeremy Paintings, and we gotta get you, gotta see Alex
Bregman get back to being Alex Bregman again too. He had that brief moment,
but he's gone back into a little bit of a tailspin. They need
him to get out of that tailspin and start hitting, thumping a little bit
there at the plate over the and I'm pulling up his numbers at this very
moment over his last i'd say week, it hasn't been that great over his
last seven games. Yeah, he's hitting just one thirty three and thirty at
bats over the last fifteen games two twenty four. So over those last fifteen
games, he's really struggled once again. They need more of it, many
more of that, and his strikeout numbers in the last couple of weeks have
been up not normal for Alex Bregman. So they need that. They need
alt Twove to start getting comfortable and start performing. Like Jose Altuve is capable
of performing, and they could find themselves in a spot where they're feeling a
lot better, but the deadline is getting closer by the day. It's going
to be active for them. Dana Brown talked about it earlier this week.
We're going to continue discussing it basically every single chance that we have the opportunity
to as fans, because it's something that we would like to see upgrades in
certain areas. He Dana Brown has continued to acknowledge that they need bats.
He brought up the other day specifically based off the situation for Michael Brantley,
the desire and the need to probably get another left handed bat in this lineup.
There's been some early links in articles, nothing real out there about the
name Cody Bellinger, because he's a rental type of bat. Cubs probably move
on. I know that there's the history that he was playing well before getting
hurt this season. There's a history that he has said a lot of things
about the Astros. I don't know if that'd be a real possibility. I
can't. I don't think that this regime would hold it to hold it back,
or hold that player, you know, be too worried about getting that
player based off of something like that years ago. I don't know. I
could be completely off on that, but I think that, yeah, getting
a left handed bat for this team would be something that is necessary because I
don't think that you can still operate in a world where you believe Michael Brantley's
playing for you this season. You know, I want to be optimistic,
like like I am, like I was saying earlier about everything with them,
But again, this is like the mcclors thing to me, where there's all
these setbacks and now that you know they're starting to rant Brantley back up.
He's been hitting in the cage, he's been throwing, he's been doing all
the drills and everything, and so far apparently there's not been a lot of
pain, or there's not been pain the day after, where it's how the
body responds. I believe, more than anything is how he responds the next
day, how he feels. It's his right shoulder, it's the one that
he leads with as a hitter. But you had this whole process where we
I mean, look, we left Florida, and everybody was led to believe
it it'd be the end of April when he'd be playing baseball games. I
mean, it's June the seventeenth, and he's back to just ramping things up.
But I don't know if there's a reason that you can believe necessarily that
all of a sudden he's gonna get out and start playing games again. And
why would his body be any different this time. I mean, it's not
like it was a lengthy of a period of rest. I get. I
don't know. I don't know how any of that works. Like I know,
I can only know how my body responds to certain things, like if
we all have our little small knicks and bumps and bruised or whatever. But
like you give it rest, and sometimes it doesn't work. Like I've been
dealing with a I've been having a forearm strain recently in my right arm,
and I kind of went lighter on some things for about a week in terms
of weightlifting with that arm, and it feels better. But if I know,
if I do one thing bad, there's still a twinge to it too,
like I could reaggravate the thing and go through weeks of waking up the
middle of night my damn elbows on fire. So I don't know how a
shoulder is and I don't know how it's going to respond to that. But
I just don't think that you can, especially when it comes to operate at
the deadline, you can count on that bat being part of your team at
any point this season. Hope that that's not the case. Hope that this
player is part of it because they could use him every single day that he's
out there. Thank you to all of you that listened this morning here on
Space City Saturday. All of you they called, even Andy, and we
argue with Andy, I still love you all. Thank you to Adam back
in the studio doing his thing as well. Astros Today three ten, first
pitch, two o'clock on Deck Show. Ross Via Reale has you for that
one, so make sure you are tuned in and ready to go for what
is hopefully an Astro's victory in Game two of the three game series against the
Cincinnati Reds. We'll be back doing this again next Saturday here on Sports Talk
seven nineties, so don't go anywhere. We'll be back to hang out with
you. Hopefully some good things to talk about between now and then when it
comes to your Houston Astros and Houston sports in general, with the draft coming
up this week as well for the Rockets. Enjoy the rest of your Saturday.
I'll talk to y'all Monday right here in Sports Talks seven ninety