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Speaker 1: All right, let's go ahead and talk about well with

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the team yesterday obviously not going the way that you wanted.

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Been a little bit of an up and down season

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of course, as we know. I saw this from Brian McTaggart.

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Did you know that you guys have started seven and

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nine now five out of the last six years for

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those going to the ALCS. So, I mean, it's not

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the worst homent ever.

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Speaker 2: There you go, there you go. I'll take gut, you know,

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and you man, you said it. You know, it's kind

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of be a little up and down. Uh you know, uh,

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the first two weeks of the season. You know, it's

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been kind of a struggle finding consistency on on on

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a few few areas of our of our game. But

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you know, for the most part, I've been pleased. You know,

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we are getting some pretty good pitching, you know, offensively,

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some up and downs. I feel like we're doing some

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good things out the plate. We're finding a way to

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get on base by walking, something that we can't do

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well last year. I think we are right now, like

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fifth in the league in walk great seeing a ton

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of pitches, we just haven't been able to really capitalize

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on those on those innings when we find a lot

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of people on base, so we'll computer to keep grinding

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and we'll find a way to get through this.

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Speaker 3: Yeah, it's funny.

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Speaker 1: It's been up and down to the extent where you

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guys have won two games in a row and Frommer

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who pitched for you last night, has kind of been

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that guy up and down. What is happening to him,

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especially in a start like last night where he's given

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up more extra base hits than he ever has in

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a start.

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Speaker 2: You know what I think, you know, yes, yesterday it's

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something that we you know, it's we don't get to

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see Baldez have nights like die very often. You know,

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I just found the pitches were up in the zone,

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sinker not really down in inducing the ground balls. Early

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in the game. It did, but you know, kind of

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third fourth inning stuff starting to stay up. He's breaking

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ball usually he varies that pitch with two strikes gets

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swing him, says he wasn't getting the width that he

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normally I normally are then he normally gets. So you

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know he'll he'll get he'll put this behind him and

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get we'll get ready for the next one.

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Speaker 3: Skiff.

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Speaker 4: We talk about your your pitching and and you know

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how good it's been, particularly in the in the bullpen

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as well so far this year.

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Speaker 3: But you look at the opponents your face.

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Speaker 4: I mean the Angels, Uh, coming out of this weekend,

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I think we're leading baseball in home runs hit. And

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then you go to this series with the Cardinals, who

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lead all of baseball in batting average, and I just

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watching that team last night for the first time this year,

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like they just put up such good, hard at bats

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it's hard to get out, so that in that lineup,

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you know, is that what we can expect more of

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that in these next couple of games.

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Speaker 2: Yeah, And you know they have a pretty good balanced lineup.

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They got some left these righty steak and platoon. You know,

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they have some guys with the bench that do come

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in and and give your quality at bats. They got

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back to both skills. They do have some speed. So

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it's not an easy lineup to navigate. So we need

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to make our adjustments and and win this one.

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Speaker 4: With this with today, I was out, you know, it

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was out of spring training, early in camp, and that

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you know when pitchers and catchers report, and I know

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and I saw you guys work on it. Every day,

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the catch the catchers with Victor and Yan Air, you know,

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throwing balls to first, throwing balls a second, throw balls

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a third. It seems like this year those teams are

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being a little bit more aggressive on you guys and

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taking bases.

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Speaker 3: Is that? I mean, obviously you guys see it.

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Speaker 4: What can you do to counterbalance that other than just

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continue to work with your catchers on timing and being record,

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you know, the recognition of guys on base and when

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they're you know, looking like they're.

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Speaker 3: Going to steal.

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Speaker 2: Yeah, but you know what, it will take more than

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just a catchers throwing guys out. We need we need

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an opportunity our pitchers need to give us you know

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a little better more more time for those guys you

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throw people out. We need to do a better job

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interrupting the running game, you know, not asking for us

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to leap league and stealing, but we need to, you know,

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reduce the amount of stone based attempts that we are

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getting early this year, and we we are highlighting that

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we're trying to make some adjustments. I think the last

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couple of games have been better picking the guys, you

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know that we know they're going to run the counts

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are going to run asking their pitchers to hold the

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ball some sly steps, you know, they're also the element

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of the clock is also something that teams are using.

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We need to do a better job of using the

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clock to time our packs to first or inside moves

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and such such as things.

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Speaker 4: Talking with manager Joe spot and skip all. You know,

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one of the biggest storylines throughout spring training of courses.

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Oh my gosh, Al twove and left and you know

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what's that going to look like? Small sample size for

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the first few weeks, But man, i'd see you guys

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are one of the better teams defensively and in those

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defensive metrics, and so far, so good with Al two

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A left and camp Smith and right.

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Speaker 3: I feel like both those guys have been doing their job.

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Speaker 2: Yeah, they'd be, they'd been working their their afters off man.

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Credit to them. You know, I think we you know,

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we we work really hard this off season to consider

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making these moves and and you know we did it

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thinking about the sacrifices and so all these players we're

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going to have to make moving positions and and alt.

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It has been such a pro and and you know

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it's only been two weeks. We got a lot of room,

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a lot of room to grow as as a club.

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But you know, so far, we're finding ourselves in the

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top five and the defensive matrix, and credit goes to

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our players and our coaches that are going to getting

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these players ready to play.

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Speaker 1: Yeah, and Joe, I think we've talked about this before.

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I am the president of the Jake Myers Fan Club.

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I think he also deserves some credit. I mean, what

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makes him so good to you out there in center field?

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Is it just the reads, the jumps and just everything,

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the speed.

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Speaker 2: Everything, you know, he gets good jumps, His perception off

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the ball, off the bat is excellent. Something that we

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also seen of Jake this year. He's been actually more

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of a leader on the outfit, having two inexperienced outfielders

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next to him to he's left and right, So he

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is been taking more charge moving those guys. Uh, you know,

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be more vocal, you know, moving those guys. We counts

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and and we we you know, we need to give

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Myerson credit of the the development of both all two

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way and Ken Smith in ESSENTI also in the outfield,

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a lot of credit goes to Jake. He's really taking

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charge out there in the outfield.

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Speaker 4: Scip I saw the Obviously, the torpedo bats became a

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big topic a couple of weeks ago across the league.

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I saw Mauricio Dubond pregame on Sunday in the clubhouse

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and he was showing us his torpedo bat. He was

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all excited about it, and sure enough I hit on

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Sunday two hits last night.

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Speaker 3: Is there is it?

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Speaker 4: Is it just happenstance or is this thing maybe working

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for Doobie?

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Speaker 2: I think he's working for Dewey. But let's not take

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you know, anything away from his ability to get the

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barrel to the ball. You know, he's he knows how

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to do that, so you know, maybe some credit. He

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really likes the bat, so maybe some credit to the bat.

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He sees. He feels like he's getting, you know, the

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right part of the bar the barrel on the ball,

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and he feels like the boy's jumping a little bit

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more off his bat. And and you know, anything that

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you can that you can use to uh, you know, confidence,

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these guys are willing to use that, and so far

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this is working out for Dubon.

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Speaker 1: Astros manager Joe A. Spotta was this here on Sports

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Talk seven. State of the rotation as it is right now.

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Ryan Gusta with a pretty solid start for you on

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Saturday and is tab to start again. How are you

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feeling about where you are there? And also Lance mccullor's junior,

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where we're feeling about his progress.

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Speaker 2: Lance McCullough junior, feeling really good about his progress. He'll

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make it start this weekend with our Double A club

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and that goes well. He's knocking on the door. He's

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making his first major league start in a couple of years.

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So I'm really happy for him, thrilled about where he's

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at right now. His level of confidence is, you know,

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over the roof right now, So I feel really good

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about that. And we still gave us a pretty good start,

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you know right now, we are we are talking, we're

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talking things through. I also like the way he has

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come and solidify our pen. But you know, he he's

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that arm that can be used in a hybrid role

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where he can give you starts, he can come in

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and give you some multiple innings out of the bullpen.

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But he did a really nice shop and he's first

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start with us.

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Speaker 1: And on Lancepuculor's junior, what have your conversations been like

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with him, because I remember what, for example, when when

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Charlie Morton first came to Houston, he had had major injuries,

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and he talked about being injury prone and being you know,

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that's a term that I don't really like, and it

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was something that's kind of mentally in the back of

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his mind, and we all kind of feel like that.

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With Lance Pecullors junior, he's unfortunately had these setbacks, but

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Charlie Morton's been healthy every year since he first got here.

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So wanting that for Lance Pucullor's junior, I'm just curious

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what your conversations have been like that in the approach

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of the organization as well.

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Speaker 2: You know what I want to start. I think the

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biggest part of lands Station right now, where he's at,

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is his state of mind. He is in a really

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good place. He is He's worked really hard to accept

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the fact that his injuries has been part of his career.

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He is he understands the changes he had to make

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to his routine. He you know, he's a man of

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faith where he put everything in the hands of God,

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and I feel like moving forward, he is in a

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place where, you know, Joe I know where I'm at.

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I'm getting a second chance. I'm going to make the

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best out of this second chance, you know, he said, Joe,

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you know I'm the team. These organizations have given me

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so much that I'm willing to give back whatever it

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takes for me to get back on the mount And

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he's doing that. And when your mind is in the

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right place, I think your heart follows, and and that's

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where LANs is. And once we get him back and

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we get him going, I think he could be a

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big peace for us, because when he's healthy, he's a

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really good pitcher.

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Speaker 3: All right. Joe A.

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Speaker 1: Spotta was here on Sports Talk seven ninety. Thanks for

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the time, Joe, And well, when you need to bounce back,

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when not bad to have Hunter Brown on the.

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Speaker 2: Mountain, that's right, that's right, that's right, fellas. We we

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have him on the mound and he's ready to go.

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He knows, you know the importance of this games. Getting

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getting this game today maybe when we're serious tomorrow.

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Speaker 1: All right, Thanks a lot, I appreciate the time.

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Speaker 3: We'll talk to you down the

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Speaker 2: Road, all right, fellas, take care, Thanks Kop, thank you all.