I had to stop watching right about then. “Entertainment” that makes you agitated and frustrated is not good for the soul. For me anyways. I have no problem with getting beat by a better team. I have no problem with baseball-y things happening that turn a game. But, this offense’s inability or unwillingness to adjust their hitting strategy is infuriating. By the time it got to the 4th inning, it was palpably clear the Astros were going to loose this game and do so with a whimper.
I just can’t agree here. Strong leaders lead, especially when those under their charge are struggling. I’m in zero clubhouse meetings but from my somewhat distant vantage, I see no evidence of leadership impact. Just “let the boys play through this, they’re good and will figure it out”. No strategic pivots on the hitting or pitching side of the ball. No galvanizing emotion in the dugout. No evidence of analytic thought driving decision making. Just guessing their way through things like lineup construction based on feel for the day. None of that is leadership.
I’ve been on teams like this. You know what’s even more demoralizing than performing poorly individually and having that contribute to poor team performance? It’s not seeing/feeling strong, decisive leadership from your superiors when you need it most. I blame Dusty and his assembled team for most of this.
I think the opener strategy is really good against the Astros. They want to bash a guy the third time through the lineup—their whole m.o. seems predicated on that. The opener strategy kicks that plan in the nuts.
That feeling is on both sides of the ball, waiting for a young pitcher to implode… Shocked by Altuve’s desperate bunt attempt, trying to get something started…
It feels like individuals pressing, rather than not trying. They couldn’t find a crack in the dam…