Is this like when a free agent says “it’s not about the money”?
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We have stopped making any progress at all, and in fact have stopped all activity altogether, but this is NOT a setback!
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A setback would be his arm literally falling off
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Dusty hired someone from the Russian news agency to help him prep for media questions.
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We now know where Baghdad Bob got off to.
I was listening to Dana Brown’s interview on 790 this morning in the car. He said they will have an update on Brantley this afternoon. He said they want to take a step back and make sure he won’t feel anything in his shoulder after a swing.
On McCullers, he’s ready to start the typical spring training ramp up process.
As for Urquidy, nothing has changed. A little before or after the All-Star Break is the expectation.
Finally, they’ll likely know before game time today whether Dubon needs an IL stint due to his hamstring.
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Jake’s 70th percentile ranking for 2023 is among all players. His avg. velo is right around mid-pack for both centerfielders and all outfielders. That 97.6 mph max is in the top-5 among CFs and top-10 among all OFs, though… if that 97.6 throw was an accurate read on the gun, that might suggest that Jake has some underutilized arm strength. I’m sure he’s been tentative with the shoulder injury. Maybe he has just been holding back, and will start uncorking it more often as he gets more comfortable.
He pitched at Nebraska, but that doesn’t always translate to position players throwing.
I thought it may be an error. It looks far out of place and unlikely but they have had lots of time to correct it.
I will say that I have been watching Jake’s throws and they look visibly harder than last year. Much more carry.
My thoughts on his reaction to throwing Teoscar out last week are that he knows what people are saying about his arm and he has paid attention.
Based on the lineups since Chas came back, it seems like Dusty has a clear favorite between him and Meyers—and that favorite is Corey Julks.
From Chandler Rome on Brantley:
The Astros sent Michael Brantley back for further testing. He is “more sore than usual because he played a lot” on his minor league rehab assignment, Dusty Baker said.“
“It’s unclear where the Astros actually sent Michael Brantley (Dusty Baker said he didn’t know and the team refuses to make its trainer available), but Baker said he hoped Brantley could rejoin the team in Chicago this weekend.“
*Dusty Baker on Michael Brantley: "We don’t want to rush him, like we’ve always said. The timetable doesn’t always match your body table. We’ll have to wait until he’s better.”
https://twitter.com/chandler_rome/status/1656368838655770624?s=46&t=J8i7q0F51Y4-d7E78YpG0Q
https://twitter.com/chandler_rome/status/1656371352826429440?s=46&t=J8i7q0F51Y4-d7E78YpG0Q
https://twitter.com/chandler_rome/status/1656372261509799937?s=46&t=J8i7q0F51Y4-d7E78YpG0Q
Also, McCormick is not in today’s lineup due to a sore back, according to Rome.
“Chas McCormick is out of the lineup with a sore back, Dusty Baker said. Baker said he “overdid it” on his minor league rehab assignment and also wondered whether Michael Brantley did something similar.”
https://twitter.com/chandler_rome/status/1656369034785615873?s=46&t=J8i7q0F51Y4-d7E78YpG0Q
The one bit of good news is about Dubon’s hamstring:
“Mauricio Dubón is probably unavailable today, Dusty Baker said, but the injury isn’t considered serious.”
https://twitter.com/chandler_rome/status/1656370768312422400?s=46&t=J8i7q0F51Y4-d7E78YpG0Q
Huh?
Chandler Rome has a never-ending bone to pick with the Astros about how much access and transparency they owe him. He makes sideways remarks like that any time the team refuses or doesn’t immediately answer a question. He also does it whenever someone gives a confusing answer, which happens quite frequently when Dusty is the one who fields the most questions.
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Yeah, I could be wrong, but I don’t think teams usually make the trainer available. Those questions are answered or not answered by the manager
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Yeaaaaahhh…I read that on my phone while distracted. I not for a second thought about “trainer being available to Rome” I thought “why the hell wouldn’t the trainer be available to Brantley?”
The sideway comments are petulant but I do understand the frustration of not having access to the information when your job is covering the team.
He should try covering Jerry Jones.
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Yup. There is that nasty federal law lurking in the background.
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I thought the CBA addressed that