Speaker 1: Brian, we have just been exacerbated. We can't be speechless
because we're doing a major market radio show. But the
approach where this team controlled its own destiny for the
first time, now it doesn't control its own destiny. How stunned,
aren't you at the lack of offense and just the
lack of urgency that has hit this twenty six man,
twenty eight man roster here the last couple of days.
Speaker 2: Yeah, I'm I'm stunned. I mean, like everybody, I thought
after the swept the Rangers. You know, a week ago
they were tied for first place. You had the Mariners
come into town, and I knew that would be a
tough series. But even after they lost that series, I
was like, Okay, I mean, they still got this favorable schedule,
but the A's have been a bad matchup for them
for for whatever reason. I mean, they cannot beat the A's.
And then and then last night when the several Reno's
pitching and oh he's terrible at home and you know where,
you know where this is gonna go.
Speaker 3: I mean, how many times have they faced.
Speaker 2: A pitcher who is struggling our major league debut and
he's gonna come out and carve him up, and he
did just that, so and you know, in a way
it's stunning, But then it's kind of the way that
seasons played out. And yeah, I mean now I think
they have to win out and out to have any chance,
so they put themselves in that spot.
Speaker 1: You know, we had a caller asking about it. Is
Joe doing the motivational thing? Is he trying to fire
him up? If whatever he's doing it's not working. You
are in that clubhouse. And we always talk about if
you all of a sudden change who you are in
Game one, p. Fifty nine of the season, you're gonna
lose that clubhouse. But generally speaking, you've gone into probably
a very solemn, very quiet clubhouse the last couple of days.
Give me some thought or two from the veterans that
you're talking to about what they're seeing and what they're
doing in terms of not performing, not only not in performing,
but going to a ballpark that's one of the most
hit or friendly in manjor League baseball. I'm going to
put together one run in the last two days.
Speaker 3: Yeah, I think.
Speaker 2: With first of all, with baseball clubhouses, it's very much
the same pretty much every day they play so many
games you go in there after a winner loss. For
the most part, you wouldn't know unless if they win,
there's usually music playing. If they lose, there's not, So
there hasn't been a lot of music playing lately, but
you can you can sense the frustration from the guys.
Speaker 3: And you know, Christian Walker talked.
Speaker 2: A lot about it the other day, and are we pressing?
Speaker 3: You know, I don't know, you know how you define that,
And you know, Korea got up and talked last night.
Speaker 2: I know, I know the fans want Joe to go
in there, and you know, be Eorrol Weaver, and I mean,
it's just not the way it works anymore. I mean,
it's just not the way baseball managers are wired. And
I know that he just talk to these guys, but hey,
it's up to them to go out there and get
it done. I mean, they're getting paid big money. If
they can't get fired up for these games, getting motivated
to play these games, that's on them and not the manager.
And I mean, obviously the injuries have caught up with
his team, but you know, framber Valdez's collapsed.
Speaker 3: You know, our two days faded, Cam Smith faded.
Speaker 2: I think really the loss of Alvarez and Antanion not
playing in the last three days just been devastating for them.
I don't know if I answer good question, but I
just ranted a little bit.
Speaker 1: Now you're good. I like it. You gave us great materials.
Always think why we pay you the big bucks, Brian.
We appreciate it. And to that end, you know you're
talking about Joe Spota. I mean, it's the collapse of
this level. Even just a week ago, I would have said,
I feel like everybody's pretty much safe. And this comes
from the players, the coaches, whatever. How are you feeling
if this keeps going the way that it has about
this offseason upcoming for Joe Aspota, for the hitting coaches
who've been under a lot of public pressure, and for
this astro staff and some of the players like Christian Walker.
Speaker 2: Yeah, they have a lot of tough questions, tough decisions
they have to be made. I mean, yeah, I wrote
a couple of weeks ago I thought Spotta would be
manager of the year if they won the division.
Speaker 3: That's not gonna happen.
Speaker 2: I mean, I still think for all the injuries that
they've had, he's done a nice job that being said,
I you know, I do think that Jim Crane might
want to shake some things up with with some members
of the staff. I don't know that for sure. I'm
just kind of guessing. So, you know, I think they'll
review their medical staff and their you know, return to
play procedures to see where they're at. But I think
as far as players go, Yeah, what do you do
with the Christian Walker? I mean, uh, you know, he
is he gonna get better next year, a year older?
You know, I'm not sure he is. So do you
trade him and eat all that money?
Speaker 3: What do you do? Uh? Hay Stus Sanchez looks like
a guy that's going to be non tender to me.
I mean, he's been bad since he came over here.
Speaker 2: He's gonna make a little bit of money, so you know,
he's not been a good acquisition. So I think they
they walk past him, but they have to go get
some pitching big time. I don't know if that's trade
free agency. Do you trade one of your start players
to get some pitching. There's just a lot of ways
they can go. But injuries have devastated him, there's no doubt.
Speaker 3: I mean, you know, we've we've.
Speaker 2: Seen that all year, But yeah, going to be a
probably one of the most interesting off seasons that they've
they've had in quite some time.
Speaker 1: Well, not the offseason yet from er Valde is also
an interesting offseason. It's gonna be for him as well.
But he is on the hill today and you know, uh, Brian,
I've been kind of thinking to myself the you know,
it feels like the times where you doubt from are
the most is when he comes through. But I've been
doubting him the most the last few times he's been
out there, and he just has not been able to
turn it around.
Speaker 3: What is going on?
Speaker 2: Yeah, I don't know. He's just completely lost it here
over the last couple of months. There one and nine
in his last ten starts for when he had that
two month stretch, and every time he pitched they won.
Speaker 3: I think they won thirteen starts in a row and he.
Speaker 2: Was automatic and I'm like, he's gonna get cy Young.
Speaker 3: Votes and it's just completely lost it here.
Speaker 2: I mean, this would be a chance for him and
you know what could be and probably should be his
final start in the regular season with the Astros, to see,
hey make.
Speaker 3: A stand right here, win this game.
Speaker 2: Put some pressure on Detroit to win tonight, uh and
maybe if they can pull even going into the Angels Series,
they have a chance. But if he goes out there
and doesn't get it done again, that's it.
Speaker 3: They're done.
Speaker 2: So it's sort of Fromber's last stand here with the
Astros hopes on his back, and that's if you're an
Astros stand, that's probably something you don't feel good about.
Speaker 1: A couple more minutes here with Brian McTaggart of the
MLB dot Com and on the Astros beat with us
from Sacramento. So what's going through jose L Tuvay's mind?
And I hate to do this to you, but you're
with those guys almost every single day, Carlos Karay, you
get two veteran guys. Korea has been really good since
coming back. Doesn't have the power that he once had,
probably never gonna have it again. The Altuve drop has
been considerable. These guys, if they're batting fifth, sixth, seventh
in your lineup, are going to be guys you can
live with doing that. But if there have been in
your one, two, three, four spots, it makes this offense,
you know, very lean, to say the very least what Yeah,
this is nosel what's going through Carlos right now?
Speaker 2: Yeah, I mean I think both of them have got
to be frustrated. And uh, I could tell talking to
Carlos last night he was, you know a little frustra well,
really frustrated. And he even he even said, hey, we
know the fans are frustrated, but so are we.
Speaker 3: I mean, this is this is our livelihoods Altov has
been in the playoffs eight years in a row.
Speaker 2: This is gonna be something that's you know, he hasn't
experienced in a long time when this club was coming
out of the rebuilt, so that probably doesn't feel good.
But look at their lineup and compare it to when
the you know, the Mariners came to town. I was
going up and down their lineup and and then that
lineup they had JP Crawford hitting ninth and he hits
a grand Slam.
Speaker 3: I mean he would you know.
Speaker 2: Uh, they look at the Yankees lineup, Thunder up and
down the lineup as just don't have that they it
parts of Part of it is injuries, part of it
is players underperforming.
Speaker 3: Part of it as players regressing. They're just a point
where they you know.
Speaker 2: They they're gonna have to make some changes offensively to
get better in the offseason, and they need pitching.
Speaker 3: Like I said, it's uh.
Speaker 2: I think for Alcube and Korea would be tough, you know,
for them to swallowing out making the playoffs. But you know,
Alciva is also playing with a sore foot. We in
the clubhous last night we were trying to get an
interview with him, but he was still getting treatment on
that right foot, so that's probably something that's impeding him
as well. So it's just it's just a big barrel
of everything gone wrong here at the same time.
Speaker 1: You know, to me, Brian and I brought this up
on the show yesterday. A baseball season is in theory
twenty six weeks. Twenty five of the weeks were like, man,
this has been cool. This team has overcome so much
injuries and still in first place and gritty and getting
these big wins and beating first place teams, and then
Brian in this twenty sixth a week, it has just
gone from Wow, these guys are gritty to do they
give a damn? I mean, hey, Sue Sanchez butchering two
balls in left field yesterday. I don't do this very often,
but I brought this up on social media yesterday. I
don't want to see him play anymore.
Speaker 4: I was so discouraged that the team, and I hate
to use the term listless, but to me, it's been
listless the last couple of days. And I don't know
if you've been in if you can do that overcoming
all the things they have done for so many months,
with so many injuries and much underperforming to still have
a puncher's chance.
Speaker 1: I think that's why the frustration is kicked in for
me personally, and for a lot of our listeners.
Speaker 3: Yeah, I get it. They do look listless.
Speaker 2: And when you know the other pictures carving you up
and you know you're not getting a runner to third
base until the ninth inning, it's tough to watch.
Speaker 3: Its tough to sit through.
Speaker 2: You know, I wonder how much the sweet so the
Mariners just sort of really deflated them to where not
that they didn't still have a lot to play for
at that point, but you know, this is a team
that wins the division every year and sort of you know,
represented a changing of the guard here. This was a
the Mariners were out there having a blast. They were
having fun. You know, they had to try it, and
the dugout and the team on the other side looked
like they were just absolutely miserable. I just wonder how
much that just took out of them. And they're just
you know, limping to the finish line here and now
looks like unless they really get it together, they're they're
probably gonna miss the playoffs. And that's something we haven't
seen around here in a while.
Speaker 1: Yeah, mentioned the lineup and talk about lacking some depth
and maybe being better on paper than on the field.
The part of that has been janer Diez. If you
go is ops plus the last three years, it has
gone down significantly year after year. What do you think
is going on there? Is that just he's having some
bad luck this season? Is is every day catching something
that is maybe wearing down on him. So it just
makes me wonder kind of what the future is for
him as well.
Speaker 2: Yeah, I think that's another reason he's you know, he's he's.
Speaker 3: Regressed as well.
Speaker 2: If I were the Astros, you know, I mentioned non
tendering Sanchez, I would probably If I'm Dana Brown, I
would try to trade Jiner. I don't like his approach
at the plate. You know, defensively, he's got big time limitations.
I would try to trade him and upgrade that position. Defensively,
I'd resign Karatini. I would just remake the catching position
because I don't think jan is gonna be it. So
I think that's, you know, one of the many things
they have to look at. In additionally, you know what
he do with Christian Walker. You know, where do you
add starting pitching? You know, how do you handle out
quve going forward? Like I said, I mean this is
they have a lot of questions that they've never had
to ask and ask for for a long time.
Speaker 3: Here it was just hey, roll out.
Speaker 2: These guys and they're gonna win ninety ninety five games
and win the division. They're not at that point anymore. So, Uh,
Dana Brown's got his work cut out for him here
this offseason, and it's it's gonna be very, very interesting.
Speaker 1: We always appreciate your Thursday visits with us. You're gonna
come on with us again probably the next couple of
weeks when all the blankts the fan at some point
with decisions. So just know that you're always welcome here
on seven Honey. Thank you for the time, save travels
down to Anaheim and we'll talk with you very soon.
Speaker 3: Friend. All Right, guys, enjoyed it, Thanks for having me.
Speaker 1: All Right, you got it. Brian McTaggart, I was gonna say,
we'll look forward to talking with him next Thursday. Well
can we get him? I mean we're gonna we're gonna
get him in season wrap up