Winnable by a good team. Which this is not.
The injuries piled up. 7 runs is plenty to win most games, but with all our pitching injuries we are going earlier to the bull pen and using guys who just arenāt up to the challenge.
Bad call or not, the whole āintent to deceiveā is a myth. Any illegal act by a pitcher with runners on base is a balk, intent to deceive doesnāt figure into it.
1 Like
The fuck? Blanco went 6 innings and 2 of their best relievers choked on their own vomit.
The injuries got nothing to do with it.
3 Likes
The Astros went to their proven 8th inning guy and he stomped his dick.
2 Likes
Yeah this is just another item on the āthis isnāt our yearā pile.
Which is getting pretty fucking tall.
These are the timesā¦blah, blah, blah. Everyone else can suck those rings.
Youāre pretty much praying for the 2020 āsneak in the back door then raise hellā scenario.
2 Likes
This.
I canāt imagine this team wins 80 games, let alone makes the Postseason. Just not our year.
1 Like
The starters have done a pretty dang good job this year. The bullpen has cost the team a lot of games this season. They were also a big reason why we won last year. So frustrating
This is the wild card flytrap.
Your team is playing mediocre/bad baseball, you can count the games out of a wc spot without using your toes, and you tell yourself āif we get hotāā¦
But itās still mediocre/bad baseball.
2 Likes
If Stanek bent his back leg, then stepped off, that is a balk. I did not see it so I do not know what he did.
ETA: I just watched. He did not step off. I have no idea what he called. Oops! They played the wrong highlight with the balk notification. YES, he did step off, but I still have no clue.
The team pissed away chances for lots more runs mid-game. Why Abreu was allowed to pitch to 5 batters is a mystery.
3 Likes
This is where I am too, and with the trade deadline just a few weeks away, I canāt see trading away what little desirable assets we have (Dirden, Gilbert, Lee, Arrighetti) for average at best rental players. If this team doesnāt do something in a hurry to change your mind, Iād stay put or sell. For example, If some contender called about Maldonado, Iād move him and go with Lee and Diaz the rest of the season. And if it were to get to that point, while Stanek and Maton are rentals and wonāt fetch a blue chipper, Iād move them too. You can always resign them in the off season.
Iām hoping it doesnāt get to that point.
8 Dodgers crossed the plate. Only three of them put a ball in play. Thatās pissing a game away.
5 Likes
Very curious, which rule here did Stanek break?
https://media.hometeamsonline.com/photos/baseball/DCBRL/OBR_Balk.htm
The only thing I saw out of an ordinary step off was a slight twitch of the back leg before stepping off. I do not think it was even close to bending his back leg to start his motion toward the plate, but that must be what the ump called.
Not that it matters, but Ben Verlander was all over the ārogue umpireā (his words) who made the call. Verlander said it was the first balk of Stanekās career.
This Astros team gives us all an unnecessary reason to drink.
3 Likes
The frustrating thing to me, among a million others, is how Maton and Abreu have suddenly become liabilities in high leverage situations. Montero went south a while ago and has not returned yet. The reliable choices with a late lead have dwindled down to nearly nothing.
To the consistent comment last night that the other Abreu is a ādisaster,ā he had 2 hits and an RBI, which was equal in run production to Altuve and Diaz and better than everyone not named Bregman. It was also equal or better in hits than everyone not named Altuve. He did not win the game in the 9th when he could have with a homer so I guess that is the disaster because he could not direct a ball hit on the ground. When one is on a vendetta, one AB is enough for an epithet. Pissed me off when I read it, but I went to bed without comment so I would not say something I would regret to someone I genuinely like.
1 Like
Whatever Stanek did, that canāt be what anybody had in mind when the balk rules were written.
Oh well.
4 Likes
One suspects skullduggery.