Let’s go storm that castle!
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There’s absolutely no way this version of Justin Verlander starts game one of the Wild Card Round. Framber, Brown and Kikuchi are clearly better options right now.
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If the Astros starters remain healthy and they get to the ALDS, Justin Verlander should not start game 1. He’s simply not pitching well enough right now. In four of his last five starts, he’s allowed 23 ER in 17.1 innings. Ronel Blanco has been better all year and should get the nod if the Wild Card Round goes three games.
I get this.
But I think Blanco and Arrighetti can both be weapons out of the bullpen in the post season. I think JV is limited to being a starter, even if its as an opener or on a very short leash.
If the WC round goes 3 games and the Astros are fortunate enough to advance, none of the top 3 starters would be on regular rest, so one of the 3 of them would likely start.
You don’t move a starter to the bullpen because he would be a weapon out there. You move a starter to the bullpen because there are better starting options
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You are overthinking this. You do not hand a game 1 assignment in any round of the postseason to a pitcher with a 5.59 ERA that has allowed 25 ER in his last 22.1 innings. Ronel Blanco has been a weapon as a starter all year. He deserves the assignment for pitching the way he has. JV can be on the roster, but if the Astros make the ALDS, he is just going to have to accept that he is not one of the four best starting pitching options they have.
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Yep. In the postseason, it’s pretty simple. Who are my 4 best guys? Those 4 are your starters. Before game one, you ask, who gives me the best chance to win tonight? He starts. Game two, you look at the other 3 guys and ask the same question. The answer starts game two. Ect ect.
Game two does not exist until game one is over. Game three does not exist until game two is over. That’s how you manage in the postseason. It’s not a 3, 5, or 7 game series. It’s a race to 2, 3, or 4 wins.
It’s not the rocket science people sometimes try to make it out to be
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I am one of the great over thinkers.
I stick by my point, and opinion that JV is a starter or a cheerleader. Nothing in between makes sense.
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Round 1 should clearly be Framber, Brown and Kikuchi in a 12 pitcher, 14 batter alignment. Round 2, should the BBG’s allow, should be Framber, Brown, Kikuchi followed by Blanco with JV and then Arrighetti available in an unscripted “bullpen game” with a quick hook on Blanco if he shows trouble after the first time through, a quick hook on JV at any real sign of trouble and Arrighetti gets the long relief in this or any game necessary. In a 13 / 13 alignment. Wash, rinse, repeat.
Edited to add: I’d be open to swapping Blanco and JV on Round 2, Game 4 out of respect for JV the teammate and JV the long time stud pitcher for the Astros. But, Espada would have to be analyzing each pitch vs. the game plan and pull JV quickly if he is still struggling.
I hope Espada and Brown are paying attention to my genius here.
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Actually there is an extra off day that allows Framber to go #2 and #5 on full rest if they get to the ALDS.
I wonder how his arm is holding up. I remember him falling off a cliff in the playoffs in '21. I wonder if an extra day of rest would not be such a bad thing.
The other night his command wasn’t as sharp as it has been recently. I’d vote for the extra day, too, unless our backs are really up against the wall.
You talking about Framber? You don’t have to go back to '21, he was absolute hot garbage in the Postseason last year. The Astros likely win another ring if he’s even lukewarm garbage.
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2019 will always hurt.
But any Astros team from 2015/2017-2022 wins the WS last year.
It was right there.
19 will bother me forever though.
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Yordan was batting 6th and Correa was batting 7th on that 19 team. Imagine that kind of lineup depth.
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So right now, the roster decision is basically tabling two pitchers from the following list: Kaleb Ort, Caleb Ferguson, Bryan King, Shawn Dubin, and JV.
Ferguson’s a lefty, so he’s probably in on that alone. King and Ort are likely keepers, IMO, since they seem like the best options in this group if you need a single strikeout to get out of an inning. I think Dubin and JV get left out in the cold for this round, at least.
King is also a lefty. I prefer him to Ferguson. King’s been more consistent but the overall numbers are close. Ferguson has post season experience so he probably gets the nod.
I think opponent should dictate the final spots but really only the top 8-9 pitchers should have a major impact, especially in the short series.
Too soon!!!
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It seems Espada and Brown agree with y’all. Verlander is pitching on Saturday, which pretty much takes him out of the wild card roster. He could conceivably be available for game 3, but for all the reasons stated in this thread (especially DVauthrin and das) it’s good cover to keep him on the sidelines.
Of course, if he pitches a vintage Verlander on Saturday, all bets are off.
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It blows my mind that the Astros are the only team to lose all four home games of a seven game series and they did it twice in four years!