Speaker 1: Eleven o two. This is our number two, the mat
Thomas Show at Ross. We are very happy to have
you with us until two o'clock this afternoon. Ross is
going to carry the show, as many of you believe
he already does, from noon until two, as I will
head off to San Francisco. A man going the other
direction to Chicago to see the return of Lance mccullors
Juniors joining us right now as he does every Thursday.
It's our friend Brian mctagger tags. How are things I'm good?
Speaker 2: How are things going there? Ready to go back to
San France.
Speaker 1: Yeah, it's a quick fly. It's only like three hours
and forty five minutes. You know what that's all about.
Speaker 2: That's it. I'm sure you'll be in complete luxury though,
so you'll make that is fair?
Speaker 1: Are you an economy plus or we get the upgrade
to Chicago today?
Speaker 2: No, I was sixtieth on the upgrade list. I don't know.
Speaker 1: Yeah, they don't realize who you are.
Speaker 2: Then, apparently all right to talk to people.
Speaker 1: Let's get to blue Balls performance. Obviously, the salami giving
up was not great. The fence behind him hurt him, obviously,
Just some general impressions of what you thought of aj
Blueball and his major league debut.
Speaker 3: Yeah, I mean he was kind of what what we'd
heard or seen in spring training. I mean, a guy
that throws hard, you know, hitting ninety eight competes or strikes.
I mean, I was impressed the way he came out
the first inning and you know, got a couple of
strikeouts and looked like he he belonged. And yeah, things
got a little messy there. The air didn't help. But
I think the most impressive thing probably is that he
came back out in that fourth inning after giving up
the slam and posted a one two three inning and
he you know, he he brushed it off and just
went back out there and you know, did did what
they asked him to do. So all things considered, I
mean there's a reason why he's one of their top
prospects and a guy that think is going to be
in this rotation next year, probably maybe even later this year.
And he's he's he's got a great demeanor, he's got
a great makeup, like you know a lot of these
guys they have. Now you know, Eric Getty's probably cut
from the same cloth as well. So you know, he
was a guy drafted out of University of Wisconsin at Milwaukee,
not exactly a baseball powerhouse.
Speaker 2: He was a reliever.
Speaker 3: So you know, credit to the Astro Scouts for really
seeing something in him and turning him into a starter.
And you know that they might have uncovered a guy
who could be you know, a mid, middle of the
rotation starter for them down the road.
Speaker 1: You know, Ross and I were kind of teasing each
other during the course of spring, turning about would there
be enough enough starting pitching depth. You know, you're gonna
get blue Ball back at some point, as he got
sent down, You're gonna get Arrogetti back, you got mccollors returning.
Give me the stata in your mind of where this
rotation is and is there enough to obviously put together
a six man rotation? And do you feel like that
there's gonna be enough to withstand any sort of Pennant
race in summer with these guys right now on the mound.
Speaker 3: Yeah, I think there's probably more depth than I expected.
I mean, they're you know, they're pitching really well, but
you're right, you know, blue Balls an option. You know
one guy that I thought would be you know, an
option coming in, and I think we'll still see him
at some point. It is Colton Gordon, a left hander,
and they're one of their top prospects. So they have
enough starting pitching depth if they don't have any more injuries,
if mccullor's comes in and is effective. H. You know,
I'm not sure Garcia is coming back this year. I'm
not sure Howvier is coming back this year. So I'm
really not you know, counting on them at this point.
But to me, the biggest concern coming into the season
if you were the Astros was, you know, starting pitching depth,
which you know they've answered that bell and and and
the bullpen and if you know, they they've had some
guys step up in the bullpen and pitch really well.
And now I mean, look, look, you know I think
the Astros are fifth in the league or in major
leagues and e RA and third and bullpen ERA.
Speaker 2: So uh, the pitching staff has been one of their strengths.
Speaker 4: Yeah, and mccullor is being part of that starting on Sunday.
I mean, I just find this fascinating, Brian. I mean,
you know, you've been covering sports for a long time,
and h one of the things to me is kind
of seeing things and talking about them and then watching
them play out. I'm so fascinating to see how this
Lance mccolors junior thing plays out. I mean, I could
again ask you a guess. I I guess your guess
as good as anybody's. I mean, the setback word is
always going to be hanging over his head. And then
the real question is is he going to be able
to still get out at the major league level.
Speaker 2: Yeah, I think that's a fair analysis. Ross.
Speaker 3: I have no idea what to expect Sunday. I mean,
you kind of know what Fromber's gonna do.
Speaker 2: On Friday.
Speaker 3: You definitely know what Hunter Brown's gonna do. And then
just I mean, he's been out so long, and yeah,
he's made some rehab starts at double A, triple A.
Can't put a lot of stock into those things. Uh,
you can't put a lot of stock in the spring
training results. I have no idea. I think we're gonna
see a little bit of a different picture than he
was last time we saw him on the mound. He's
not gonna be ninety seven ninety eight anymore. His mechanics
are a little more compact. I think his pitch mix
has probably changed a little bit. So I think we're gonna,
you know, see a guy who still competes like he
always has. I mean, Lance mccullors has always been a competitor,
but it's just gonna be a little bit different look
than we've seen.
Speaker 2: And uh uh yeah. I mean, you know, he's put
in a lot of work.
Speaker 3: I know he's frustrated a lot of people by constantly
getting injured and all the surgeries that he's had, But
you know, talking to him and talking to people on
the team, I mean, this is a guy who has
put in a lot of work and a guy who
thought a couple of times that you know, it might
not happen, I might be done, and you know, credit
to him for pushing through.
Speaker 2: And now he's here.
Speaker 3: There's a light at the end of the tunnel, and
that's gonna come out on Sunday afternoon, and you.
Speaker 2: Know, hope he does well.
Speaker 3: I mean, you know, I don't root either way usually,
but just seeing the work that he's put in, you know,
facing the White Sox is a good soft landing spot
for him, So I think he's set up to succeed
on Sunday.
Speaker 4: Brian McTaggart with us here on a Sports Talk seven
to ninety. Let's flip to the lineup side. Jeremy Pania
been in the leadoff spot the last few games, paying
big dividends. We've kind of been talking ever really since
his rookie season and the ALCS and World Series MVP
about a breakout coming, and I guess we have to
wonder if if it's finally here.
Speaker 1: He's got eight hits his last four games.
Speaker 3: Yeah, I mean, he had a really really good spring,
and again, like I just said, you can't put a
lot of stock in the spring, but he looked like
a guy who had made some adjustments and was poised
for a big season. Came out of the gate. Didn't
happen right away, but slowly, but surely he's coming around.
And I think there's just a different error and a
different confidence about Jeremy that we haven't seen.
Speaker 2: He looks like he belongs more.
Speaker 3: The word leadership is getting thrown around a little bit
more about him, and uh, I mean that's a great
thing for the Astros, because you know, he's a guy
that's a go glove caliber shortstop and I like to
look at the top of the order. I mean, he's
walking a little bit more they need him maybe, you know,
not to strike out as much. I think he's trying
to cut down on strikeouts as well. But I thought
the whole thing without two ve going to the number
two spot in the order and pretty much asking him
to be put in the number two spot was fascinating
as well. And just from the fact that he did
more time to come in from from the outfield to
get ready for his bat to begin the game, and
talking without two Vay later, just you know, after the
interview was over, he said that, Hey, they asked me
to go to the outfield and I did it. And
I think it's only right that, you know, they work
with me if I want a bat second, so and
that's fair. And Jeremy's been the guy who stepped into
that number one spot and so far, so good. We'll see,
there's a long way to go, but it looks like, yeah,
this could be the best season yet of Jeremy Panya.
Speaker 1: You may not have the metrics on this. Is he
hitting sliders better this year than in previous years, I
don't get some sample size is really small, but there's
been anything that has been his achilles heel that has
been that teams will just bury him with that slider.
Speaker 3: Yeah, I'd have to look I'd have to look it up, Matt.
I mean, it appears to me that he is. You know,
I remember back when he was, you know, winning the
MVP of the ALCS. You know, he had a couple
of big hits on sliders and in the World Series,
and then it still ended up being a pitch that's
given him fits.
Speaker 2: But yeah, that'd be an interesting thing to look at.
Speaker 3: But he just seems overall that, uh, he just become
a more complete hitter.
Speaker 2: You know, a couple of it was spring training last year.
Speaker 3: He came trying to hit the ball in the air
a little bit more after you know, he went the
second half of the twenty three season without a homer and.
Speaker 2: And that worked out pretty well.
Speaker 3: So he's constantly adjusting and trying to get to where
he needs to be.
Speaker 2: But you know, he's growing, he's maturity.
Speaker 3: This is what is fourth year now, so he's sort
of putting all that information together and it looks like
it's working.
Speaker 1: How many more left fielders we're going to see this year?
Speaker 3: How many more left fielders? M h there's been Yeah,
there's been a lot. I mean Zach Decenzo is sort
of forcing their hands to try to get him out there.
I mean, he's the guy that is getting more and
more playing time. He can play left and right at
first and third. I mean it's hard to get opportunities
at first and third just with the guys you have there. So,
you know, I think getting him in left field, you know,
here and there, it'll be interesting to see on the road,
a six game road trip here in a couple of parks,
how much they play out too, VA and left and
in second and d H. You know, so I think
there'll be a couple more opportunities for de Senzo to
play some left field. But you know, he's starting to
creep into simid bats too in right field, taking those
away from Cam Smith a little bit as well.
Speaker 1: And how do you size up the battle at second
base at this point too?
Speaker 2: Well, I think it is what it is.
Speaker 3: I mean, you're gonna have al two bay start occasionally.
Brendan Rodgers is gonna make two or three starts a week.
Do Bond's gonna be out there two or three starts.
I mean, yeah, I wouldn't say it's a battle. I
just think it's a rotation. At this point, they just
who's the starting second basement. I guess it's Brendan Rodgers.
You know, it's just the way. You know, it's just
the way it is. I mean, we're so used to
seeing jose Al Tuovay start at second base the last
fourteen years. It's pretty much over and over, with the
exception when he got injured and to Bond stepped in
a couple of years ago and did a nice job.
But it's all gonna depend on how two bay where
he plays, and that just sort of sets up a
lot of things in the line up.
Speaker 2: Who's the left, what do you do with Jordan and
things like that.
Speaker 1: Uh, is the game slowing down for cam Smith at all?
In your mind? Is it still moving at a pretty
fast pace? I mean, the batting average isn't great. This
ops is getting a little bit better. Did have a
hit for the squad yesterday, but just in general, you
know it with so much publicity going into the season
for the regression, which was natural to try to settle in.
How is his demeanor because you know, obviously he wakes
up with a smile of the morning and happy with
the big leagues was a little experience he had in
the minor league level. What are you noticing from him
into the last of two weeks or so.
Speaker 2: Yeah, I think he's settling in a little bit. You're right.
Speaker 3: I mean, there was so much hype about him in
spring training, and he embraced it, and he was a
fun personality, a guy with a lot of energy. And
then when he made the team, it was such a
great story with it. You know, his mother coming in
the clubhouse and he you know, he's had some moments
early in the season. The Sunday night game, he came
up with a big hit. So I think now we're
sort of getting to the dog days where the attention
is off him.
Speaker 2: A little bit.
Speaker 3: Some other guys are playing a little bit better, like
you know, Descenzo, who's also still a rookie, I believe,
and so it's just time for him to settle in
and put in the work and see what he can do.
I don't think his demeanor's changed at all. I mean,
I don't think he feels over matched or too big
for the moment, but I think he knows that, hey,
this is this is the big leagues, and you know,
I need to make adjustments on a daily basis. He's
he's going around the league and seeing pictures at the
caliber he's never seen before, playing in parks he's never
played in before. So there's a lot going on for
him right now. And I can imagine if he's overwhelmed
at times, he's probably could be warranted. But yeah, I mean,
I still think there's a lot of room for growth, obviously,
but I'll keep running him out there because he does
look a little bit more comfortable than he did. But
obviously the results of the plate aren't there yet, but
he will get better.
Speaker 2: Tag.
Speaker 1: Save travels to the Wendy City and we'll talk again
next week. We appreciate the visitors.
Speaker 2: Always, all right, save travels to you too, Thank you. Friend.
Speaker 1: That's Brian McTaggart, who will be on the Astros on
Deck show. Friddy from Chicago And what do they call it?
I always get the ballpark mixed up. He used to
be called Newcomiski and then they made it like, is
it's still us cellular?
Speaker 2: Is it? No?
Speaker 3: No?
Speaker 2: No? A guaranteed rate