Alright boys the time is upon us
And… go
1 Like
Altuve
Gurriel
Bregman
Correa
Tucker
Diaz
Brantley
Alvarez
Maldonado
McCormick
Castro
Meyers
Gonzales
McCullars
Urquidy
Valdez
Graveman
Stanek
Pressley
Grienke
Odorizzi
Garcia, Y.
Garcia, L.
Taylor
Javier
Maton
I went with 13 pitchers and 13 position players. Could probably do with 12 pitchers for the ALDS, but there wasn’t a compelling case for SIri over Maton.
In the past they’ve gone with 1 fewer pitcher in the short series. Who knows?
1 Like
Also, I have absolutely no idea what they do with Odo/James/Maton
Forget James.
I know I am in the minority, but I think Maton can pitch. He has a big breaking pitch, but it is too flat; I hope Strom is changing him to get on top of his curve. I also hope he is telling him to use his fastball more.
To me, you leave James off the roster. He just hasn’t pitched enough this year to trust.
I completely agree that Maton can pitch.
I see him as the next Will Harris success story.
However he is in that awkward, in between time where he is adjusting to what Strom and the staff want him to do.
I don’t think he can be counted on to pitch effectively right now.
I think the team will go with 12 pitchers in the LDS anyway.
Siri aa a pinch runner, or Stubbs so that Castro can be used and not sit the bench the whole series.
1 Like
I like this idea. We’ve talked about this before, but Castro is a weapon that doesn’t get used nearly as often as he could. It would be nice not to be limited so much in the postseason. Stubbs is also an option as a pinch runner. Maybe not as fast as Siri, but he’s plenty fast and a good baserunner, especially if you’re talking about running for Maldonado or a hobbled Brantley.
3 Likes
Kaplan in the Athletic agrees with keeping Stubbs and Siri on the roster, and suggests going Valdez-LMJ-Garcia as a three man rotation. He omits both Raley and Taylor due to limited lefty threats but I can’t imagine Dusty going for that.
Also keep in mind that Bradley’s knee probably means we need an extra OF.
There is no way I’d go into the Postseason without a lefty in the pen. And I would not include James either. He pitched fine a few times out in late blowouts, but this is a different kind of game.
2 Likes
If you go with a 3 man rotation you must consider:
LMJ or Framber pitch on short rest in game 4 the other will go on full rest in game 5.
Or Urquidy goes in game #4 and both of them are available on full rest in game #5.
I don’t think Urquidy is much of a downgrade from one of them on short rest. Maybe not at all.
The extra postion player is not enough of a benefit in my opinion.
They have gone without a lefty before.
The difference is that this year, they have 2 lefties that are both among the top 8 or 9 in results this year.
They need to be used correctly but they should both be there.
They’ve gone without when they didn’t have one. Having two and not taking either is a bad idea.
2 Likes
Absolutely not on a 3-man rotation. Jose Urquidy has shown enough to deserve to be a part of the Astros’ playoff rotation (both this season and his body of work in the playoffs the last two seasons).
3 Likes
Agreed. Also, I don’t see how you can make a compelling case for Maton over Taylor with how erratic his command is. I think Maton is going to be a valuable bullpen piece in 2022 and beyond, but now is not the time to try and rely on someone trying to make mechanical adjustments.
I could also see Javier being an odd man out in favor of an extra outfielder, Stubbs, or taking two of Taylor, Raley, and Maton. With Odorizzi and Greinke as long relief options in the playoffs, how much usage will he see?
I actually think Javier could be out even if they don’t keep the extra position player.
Maybe maybe not.
I think his performance out of the bullpen last post season gets him a bit of a boost though.
Pressly, Graveman, Stanek, Yimi Garcia, and Grienke ( if healthy) are locks.
That leaves 3-4 from:
Odorizzi
Taylor
Raley
Javier
Maton
Bielak
James
I don’t see the point of all three of Greinke, Odorizzi and Javier. You have to keep Raley and/or Taylor. You have to.
3 Likes
I agree. And Javier is the odd man out.
1 Like