April 1, 2026 • 38 mins
Wednesday on an abbreviated version of The A-Team, Adam Wexler shares his thoughts on the Astros sweeping the Red Sox, and DeMeco Ryans' latest comments from the NFL League Meetings. Plus, Wex weighs in on the Rockets' upcoming matchup with the Bucks.
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Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
F DA team.
Speaker 2 (00:03):
Ay, it is five o'clock here on a Wednesday afternoon
here on the A team, just wrapping up the Astros
tenth inning show and an hour out from a Rockets
coverage beginning. So AC on his way over Toyota Center
for Rockets Bucks tonight. I was over there last night
for them to manhandle, very surprisingly manhandle the New York
(00:25):
Knicks last night, down one nothing after a Jalen brunts
and free throw, and then they scored the next twelve.
Then they never looked back. The Knicks never got within
eight the rest of the game. It was incredible what
the Rockets were able to do last night, and they'd
love to replicate that tonight. They're seeing a far less
competitive group than the Knicks. The Knicks could actually win
the East this year. The Bucks cannot. The Bucks won't
(00:46):
be in the postseason for one thing. And if you
caught my post earlier this afternoon, they only have eight
players totally unavailable for tonight's game, essentially anybody who could
help them win. I hope the A Rockets are able
to take advantage of that. Every win does count. Interesting
where you might want to see the Rockets finish though,
and we'll discuss that a little bit as we roll
through this five o'clock hour. Obviously also noting that the
(01:08):
Astros have taken care of business every day on this
homestand over the last five games, from their Saturday afternoon
or Saturday evening victory over the Angels to Sunday's series
closing victory over the Angels, and now three consecutive games
against the Red Sox where they absolutely mashed essentially in
(01:28):
all of those games. Did need to figure it out
and find it in that first of those five wins
when they were down six to nothing and then scored
the next eleven runs in that game, all without a homer.
Then they scored nine runs in the next game, also
all without a homer. Now, they did have nine doubles
in that game, and they lead the majors in doubles
(01:50):
heading into play today. There's a few other teams that
I guess could do something about that, but they added
to their seventeen with two more today, nineteen doubles through
their first seven games today. Only six runs for the
Astros in their six to four victory over Boston. I
say only because even though that's what they're averaging for
the season. They had put up eight or more runs
(02:12):
in each of the four previous games, all of them wins,
something they had not done it at all last season.
Had to go back a couple of seasons to see
them do that, and with the two home runs they
hit today, first from Carlos Carea, the three run shot
that turned a two to two game into a five
to two Astros lead, and then the solo home run
from Christian Vasquez, giving the Astros a six to two lead.
(02:33):
Those two homers plus the first six in the first
two days of this series, they hit eight home runs
in three games against the Red Scott Red Sox, scoring
twenty three times. The only hit one homer against the
A's against the Angels, and now they added out eight
to that Korea with his first, Vasquez with his first,
(02:53):
cam Smith hit his first earlier in this series, Altuve
a pair eoron and Alvarez just keeps doing it almost
every single day. He's got three on the season. He's
basically among the league leaders across the board. And that's
why I've said this for several years. I was actually
just sending a note back to somebody who said, you know,
they watch us on SEHN outside our city limits and
(03:15):
limits in the Round Rock area.
Speaker 3 (03:16):
You know you can catch us.
Speaker 2 (03:17):
Via the iHeartRadio app no matter where you are as well.
But he was noting that t he was around when
Jordon Alvarez was there in Round Rock. We just mentioned
that magical first season as an Astro for Jordon, where
he hit fifty combined home runs between Houston and round
Rock that season, the first year he got called up,
and obviously he's never looked back. In our little back
(03:40):
and forth conversation, he said it's the best hitter he's
ever seen, and I agreed. And I've followed the Astros,
not quite from inception, but from the late seventies all
the way through each of the decades since their World
Series teams, their Hall of famers, Jeff Kent, Carlos Beltron Bagwell,
(04:01):
Craig Bigio, Jordon Alvarez. The best hitter that's ever put
on an Astro's uniform, Saysar Sadanio, Lance Berkman, moistes Aloo.
He's the best hitter they've ever had, and he's currently
the best left handed hitter in the American League. Well,
I'll always leave a show hey out there, because as
far as danger goes. It's I think it's okay to
(04:22):
call him the best left handed hitter, probably in baseball,
but certainly in the National League.
Speaker 3 (04:27):
I just don't think there's anybody better. There's no one
more imposing.
Speaker 2 (04:30):
You saw Jordon or heard Jordon get hit in the
game today and wasn't very happy about it. There's just
not really anywhere to pitch him and get him out regularly,
and so they were trying to bust him up inside
as much as they could today. Despite the fact that
he got another couple of hits and he got caught
with a fastball, he wasn't very happy about it.
Speaker 3 (04:47):
Hit him just above that right hit.
Speaker 2 (04:50):
He threw his bat down, no real incident, but he
was clearly saying something more to himself than to Red
Sox pitcher Garrett Crochet or their catcher Wong, but clearly
not very happy about it. He was the second runner
on base in a two to two game and after
they recorded the second out of the inning, Esak peretis, well,
Carlos Carey hit to go ahead home run. It's only
(05:12):
a four to two game, or he's not even batting
in that inning. Potentially, if you retire Yord on which
for the Red Sox, it's been more difficult for them
to retire Jordon Alvarez basically than any other player in
their franchise's history. He's got the best ops career ops
against that team than anybody else who's ever put on
a major league uniform. He had the loan multi hit
(05:35):
game today for the Astros, but the top six in
their order today all got on base. They actually had
seven of the team's eight hits. Try to figure them
things out with the bottom of the order. The Astros
have seen a bunch of lefties already and will continue
that with their games in West Sacramento against the Athletics.
Two left handed starters expected to go in the Friday
(05:57):
and then Sunday games against the Astros meant a little
bit more Bryce Matthews a little bit less. Joey low
Perffdo low Perfito gets in the game today and he
draws a walk. Bryce Matthews not a very good time
today again against and not just a lefty, but an
elite lefty. Just because the Astros handle Garrett Crochet regularly
doesn't mean he is an awesome and he was the
(06:18):
only other pitcher besides Tark Skooble to finish ahead of
Hunter Brown in last year Cy Young Race, he retired.
Matthews struck him out a couple of times. Jake Myers
an o for on the day, although he also walked
and again today was the day for Christian Vasquez to
do the catching. He's now caught Lance mccullor's junior and
now Mike Burrows. Burrow's a much better start in this game,
(06:40):
a lot more in control of things.
Speaker 3 (06:42):
He still is.
Speaker 2 (06:43):
I don't really think it's bad luck. I felt like
the Contreras RBI single early in the game had a
little bit of that vibe to it. I mean, he
beat it into the ground, but he hit it hard
enough to get it well past Burrows and right up
the middle and easily drove in that first run of
the game to open the game.
Speaker 3 (07:00):
And just a little too much traffic.
Speaker 2 (07:02):
I think that's probably a problem number one that needs
to be solved for Burrows. You know, too many walks
in these two starts. Obviously he's getting hit around a
little bit too much. Fourteen hits and ten and two
thirds is far far more than I would have ever expected,
even over any two start span. Has been terrible in
either game, and he didn't give up the long ball
in this game like he did a couple of times
in his first start. But again, there's just too many
(07:24):
runners on base to constantly pitch your way out of trouble,
which she's obviously been forced to do a little bit
more often than he would like. Rotation will not change
in the games coming up against the Athletics, Hovey, Tatsuya
and Lance mccullor's getting the ball Friday, Saturday Sunday, after
tomorrow's off day and travel day to get to the Athletics.
A couple of things on the NFL front will save
(07:45):
until the next segment we want, is you just reiterate
what was going on with the Rockets briefly from last night.
They got Tarry Easton back in the starting lineup, and
there's a very good reason for it. It's not necessarily
because he'd had a couple of good games, and he
had not necessarily because he looked like Tarry Easton, from
how hard he was playing, how much juice he was bringing,
(08:05):
his work on the boards, his work defensively, the fact
that he had made a few more three point shots.
It was just more about who they were up against
the Knicks really a tremendous amount on their starting five,
and that starting five is pretty difficult for Reed Shepherd
to have any matchup against. That's a positive for the Astros.
You certainly don't want him defending Jalen Brunson, and Easan
(08:27):
wasn't defending him much either. That was a men Thompson's assignment,
and there's really nobody else that you would not expect
the Knicks to try to take advantage of. And then
kind of send the Rockets into a little bit of
a scramble defensively depending on how Reed Shepherd's being attacked.
So he comes off the bench and the Rockets get
these two things. Tarry Easton's best offensive game arguably of
(08:48):
the entire season, and Reed Shepherd basically matches it. Easton
scored tenth consecutive points in the first quarter and made
his first five shots, including a couple of threes. Read
Shepard off the bench also hit his first five shots.
He scored twenty off of the Rockets bench, and it
was one of his better games of the season. And
(09:09):
we actually talked to Reed MT and I following the
broadcast last night court side, and then that's kind of
what I pointed out to him to get that kind
of production for both of those players, as you guys
have flip flopped that starting spot over the last really
ten games, a few from Tai than the last six
from Reid until last night, and the expectation is especially
since I Mey Dooka basically said as much, the expectation
(09:31):
is read Shepherds back in the starting lineup tonight and
likely for most of their remaining games on the Milwaukee Bucks.
Just because I brought it up, I want to make
sure I'm not very clear about who is available for
the Milwaukee Bucks tonight as they take on the Rockets.
The Rockets can move a half game ahead of the
Minnesota Timberwolves for the five spot with a victory tonight.
They have the same record currently in Minnesota as Idle Tonight,
(09:54):
probably have a much more difficult schedule the rest of
the way, but I don't really think that's a huge factor.
These teams are to be getting ready for the playoffs
and playing their best basketball.
Speaker 3 (10:03):
That means they can and should beat good teams.
Speaker 2 (10:05):
The only players unavailable tonight for the Milwaukee Bucks are
Yannis on A Dakoumpo. The nasis on A Dacoumpo, Gary Harris,
Kyle Kuzma, Kevin Porter, Junior, Bobby Portis Turning Prince, Miles Turner.
All of those players are not playing tonight for the
Milwaukee Bucks, and there's a chance that Ryan Rollins, who's
played pretty well in their absences, Mike also miss tonight's game.
(10:28):
He was added to the injury report this afternoon with
a hip strain.
Speaker 3 (10:31):
He's questionable.
Speaker 2 (10:32):
Everybody at the Rockets disposal is at the Rockets disposal.
I don't think we're gonna see a carbon copy of
last night. I actually think we're gonna see more of
what we saw against the Pelicans two nights ago or
three nights ago now on Sunday. This team is trying
to get through the season with zero concern about winning.
The players that will be out there, obviously they're trying
(10:54):
to win. Every team that is quote unquote tanking. They
put five guys on the court, They rotate players in,
and those particular players are doing whatever they can to
play good basketball and play winning basketball and playing hard
and giving effort. They're just second class basketball players. They're
all reserves. They're all guys that would not normally have
significant minutes given to them. That's how management handles how
(11:16):
they want to finish out the season. Just remember this
about the Bucks. I said this for several weeks. When
the hole is Giannis is going to be forced to sit,
does he want to come back and play?
Speaker 3 (11:25):
There's really nowhere for them to go.
Speaker 2 (11:27):
They're not going to catch some of these dregs of
the NBA because they have too many more wins than them,
and those teams aren't winning ever, So the Bucks can
lose out and all that's going to happen is they'll
be a little bit worse, have one more, small, small
chance in the lottery over the Bulls. Maybe, because if
(11:47):
you're on the wrong side of the top twenty, the
top ten teams in the West, and the top ten
teams in the East, you're essentially losing every single game.
I mean, some of these teams are as good as
three and seventeen. Most of them are more like two
and twenty in their last twenty two, one in seventeen,
in their last eighteen games, they literally lose every single game.
(12:08):
One of those wins has happened at the Rockets disposal
or at the Rockets hands that lost to the Bulls
still stands out one.
Speaker 3 (12:17):
Eleven ninety four the final.
Speaker 2 (12:18):
Last night, the Rockets, like I said, easily handle of
the New York Knicks, a smooth and easy twenty seven
for kd Amen Thompson and Katie each with eight assists,
Alpernshingdoun with ten, and they said a new season best
with thirty five helpers in last night's victory. We will
hear from Dana Brown when we come back how the
(12:40):
Astros have decided to handle Jeremy Paanea's injury situation. And
in Dana's mind, why is the offense for the Astros
cooking those items?
Speaker 3 (12:51):
Next, you're on the eighteen.
Speaker 1 (12:53):
Bitch on the way, dude, and that is Hamberg deep
to left field, Pactus Durant looking got ze Atlanta and
Landris Crawford bunches I'm go ahead, three run home run
for Prelos Correa and the Astros delete it five to two,
Korea's first.
Speaker 2 (13:09):
Of the year to come up to the Astros' eighth
home run of the season, seventh of the series. They
would add one more, giving them nine on this campaign.
There's only two teams in Major League Baseball that hit
the ball out of the park more than the Astros,
and they only hit one in the first four games
of the season, so remarkably hot offensively quite obviously, eight
(13:32):
runs are better in each of the games proceeding today
and during this five game winning streak. Now they win
at six to four this afternoon. They lead the Majors
in doubles with nineteen and their forty five runs scored
in their seven games. Nobody is scoring more runs per
game in the American League than the Astros. It's one
good week. It's also the only week. It's all we have,
(13:55):
and hopefully there's more of it to come. Dana Brown,
the Astros general manager, is a weekly visitor here on
Sports Talk seven to ninety. He does so on the
Morning Drive each and every Wednesday morning. He did that
earlier today, so mentioned a couple of things from him
that I wanted to share with you this afternoon, specific
to the offense. First, since that's what we're talking about.
Another six run day for Houston. Got on the board
(14:17):
early against Garrett Crochet, took the lead in the fifth inning,
extended the lead on the Vasquez homer and giving up
two solo home runs, one in the eighth and one
in the ninth did not impact the outcome of the game,
just merely the eras for both Tang and a Braw,
those two pitchers who gave up those homers. A bray
you will you'ar a bra you the first of the
two homers off the Astros relievers. And then Anthony, who
(14:39):
had nothing going in this series against the Astros, he
actually snapped an zero for fourteen skid and Hunter Brown
absolutely carved him up in yesterday's victory, but he had
a pinch hit home run off of Brian a Brew
and then a Braw closed out the game with three
consecutive strikeouts, all of them swinging, and the Astros got
the six to four victory. So Dana Brown's thoughts on
(15:02):
maybe some reasoning behind why the offense is cooking here
early in the season.
Speaker 3 (15:07):
A lot.
Speaker 4 (15:07):
We're disciplined at bats. You know, we're making the pitchers work.
You know, we're walking when the guys don't plow strikes
instead of chasing. And so this is leading to having
guys on base and you know, guys getting their pitch
driving the runners in guys seem to be locked in
right down, and you know the hitters are in a
(15:28):
good space right now. I hope they continue, you know,
to have good at bats. It's called quality at bats,
and they're doing a good job at it.
Speaker 2 (15:34):
And the Astros have played one more game than many teams.
The Angels are another team that's played seven. By the
time the Yankees and Mariners wrap up this afternoon, and
it's gotten a little cozy, even though the Mariners have
yet to score. A big dumper is stepping into the plate.
His team's down four, and if you hit one over
the fence, it will be tied. They'll wrap up their
activities and get through their respective seventh games of the season.
(15:58):
The Astros are at the top of near the top,
if not for their own pitching staff. Walking the Angels
left and right. They're second in the majors and walks
again through seven games, so their walks per game still
has them at the top of the American League. And
on the other side, walking back to the dugout with shame,
holding onto your bat because you just struck out. They're
(16:20):
right in the middle of the pack right now, and
I suspect that's going to continue. Both of those things
if they continue in those directions where they're probably top
ten and fewest strikeouts from their offense and top ten
in most walks from their offense. They're going to be
in a very very very good place offensively this season.
Obviously health needs to go along with it. They have
(16:43):
managed their way through the first seven games, needing Jeremy
Penya in the lineup just three times, and we do
think that's going to change over this road trip, and
Joe Spotta is expecting back to back games in the
lineup for Jeremy Payana. They kind of explained how they've
tried to handle things with them, and I thought Dana
did even more of that again with that visit this morning.
So the handling of Jeremy Pana and maybe more so
(17:05):
how they will handle other players, it's all to varying degrees,
and really it's hard to say from a general rule
how they'll handle it because every injury is clearly different.
Leg injury, elbow injury, finger injury, you name it, and
then the severity of it clearly similarly is not something
you can just put a general rule on, but specific
to Jeremy and then maybe overall how they look at
(17:27):
things from an injury front this year, here's more from data.
Speaker 5 (17:29):
You know, he didn't have much of his spring training.
The worst thing you can do, and we learned this
lesson last year, is you know, get these guys back
on the field a little earlier. You just take your
time and you let these guys build up the way
to properly build up. And you know, the return to
play policy that we have in place, we're just trying
to stick to that. And when we don't want these
(17:51):
guys to come back, you know, you don't have a
spring training, and you come back early and you start
playing every.
Speaker 4 (17:56):
Day, the energy in the ballpark, the fans, and you know,
you get jacked up and you start doing things that
your body's not really ready to do. And so I
think building him up this way is the right way,
because you got to remember, we play one hundred and
sixty two. It's a marathon, not a sprint.
Speaker 3 (18:12):
It absolutely is.
Speaker 2 (18:13):
There are still one hundred and fifty five games remaining.
He's only missed four of them. He's not unhealthy. If
you remember what Joe spot I had to say yesterday,
this isn't really even about the finger. It's more about
exactly what Dana just described. They want this to be
the only time he's missing time for this particular injury.
He's over the injury. Let's make sure his body is
(18:34):
over the fact that he barely played in spring training,
and obviously it was truncated to begin with, and that
he had to leave to go play in the WBC,
and you didn't know specifically how much work he would
get there. But then when he had hurt in the
exhibition game before the exhibition games actually started, he didn't
play at all until the Astros got him back here
to Houston, and he did play at dyke And Park
(18:55):
right before the season began. He homered at dyk And
Park during those two exhibitions games with the Space Cowboys.
He's tenth on the Astros in at bats this year.
He's got fifteen at bats through the three games that
he's been out on the field for. And the nine
players that are in front of him basically are the
reason why the Astros have the best offensive baseball so far.
(19:17):
They've gotten it done with Christian Walker, with Jordan Carlos,
and Jose With He sacked partis, driving in five runs
on just five hits. Even Janer Diaz, who really hasn't
done anything special this year, he came up with the
bases loaded and then poked a single to bring home two.
He came up with a runner on third in less
than two outs. He swung with the first pitch because
(19:37):
it was up in the zone and he knew he
could drive it, and it hit a sack fly. Productive
abs are a much much bigger part of the twenty
twenty six astros so far. Then, I think we got
used to and we'll start to learn a little bit
more about how much of that has been impacted by
the change. They clearly made two very very significant change
(20:00):
to the organization as it relates to their on field product.
Dana was essentially talking about one of them, their athletic
training and performance staff and their medical side. There are
enough new faces, new doctors and others in this organization now,
even though the assistant was promoted and other people in
the department are still here. I think they have a
(20:23):
different idea of how to do things, how to handle things,
how to approach rehab, and really how to attack the
injuries that inevitably will happen this year. And the other
thing is obviously the hitting coaches. Both Troy Snicker and
Alex sin Tron are still working as hitting coaches. In
Major League Baseball, just not here in Houston anymore. After
each of them. We're here for arguably the most successful
run in Astros history, both offensively and obviously as a team,
(20:46):
whether it's just a new voice or different approach or
whatever the case may be. And know a lot of
people are looking at what some of the most recent
ex Astros are doing elsewhere, like Mauricio Dubon and Jesus
Sanchez in Atlanta and Toronto, respectively, and trying to add
that to the sea.
Speaker 3 (21:05):
I told you it was the hitting coaches.
Speaker 2 (21:07):
There's an element of that that's almost always going to
be true, but the element still lands on the player's shoulders.
You know, the Astros can describe a philosophy they want
their hitters to go to the plate with, but they
have to go out there and execute it. And the
Astros lineup just today, for example, it includes basically nothing
but players who were part of last year's offense, healthy
(21:30):
or not.
Speaker 3 (21:30):
Obviously, that's a big factor.
Speaker 2 (21:31):
Outside of Matthew's low Perfito and Basquez, everybody else was
here last year and their chase rates were out of control.
Their ability to recognize the strike zone and work long
counts if you weren't est operatis, it just didn't happen.
And those same guys, not just specifically, because their new
hitting coaches, hipose I Apasse and Rodriguez have said, here's
(21:52):
what we need you to do. Go execute this year
gonna be great. It's part of it. But I don't
want to look at last year's hitting coaches and try
to spin some angle that they were bad at their jobs.
Speaker 3 (22:03):
They were making this happen.
Speaker 2 (22:05):
I think there's parts of their jobs that probably go
unrecognized about how much they help an offense, how much
they help their hitters, really, honestly, how much they help
the entire team because what they know, what they pay
attention to, and what they can convey to hitters more
than just a simple philosophy. You still got to get
these players to go out and execute it. You got
to get jose Al Tube it'd be more patient. You
gotta get JANR. Diaz to swing it strikes and not
(22:26):
every pitch. Not necessarily a hitting coach's ability.
Speaker 3 (22:31):
To do that. The player has to do it.
Speaker 2 (22:32):
They can tell you think they've been telling Yanerdez hey Man,
when you go to the plate and you have your
bat with you don't take any pitches ever, and he said, perfect,
that fits my style brilliantly.
Speaker 3 (22:43):
I don't think that was the messaging that they were
giving him.
Speaker 2 (22:45):
But seven games end of the season pretty much nothing
to be too displeased with. As the Astros have secured
a fifth consecutive win. If they win a sixth on Friday,
as they get to play the Athletics, who are one
in five, that'll be the longest winning streak sent twenty
twenty four. They did not have a six game winning
streak last year, had a pair of fivers in June
and managed to play themselves all the way into the
(23:07):
last days of the season, losing a tiebreaker for the postseason.
If this is a team that's gonna put together a
winning streak or streaks the longer than that right out
of the gate, I think you're like what you see
from the Astros here in twenty twenty six. A few
other items on the NFL front that we have not
gotten to in our brief programming time today. We will
do that next as it replay relates to your Houston
(23:30):
Texans very specifically league meetings this week. What did they
produce some interest to the Texans I'll tell you about.
Speaker 3 (23:36):
That next the age on Sports Talk seven ninety hitch.
Speaker 2 (23:42):
You into Rockets Basketball here at the top of the
hour Rockets and Bucks tonight from Toyota Center and right
here on your home for Rockets Basketball. Sports Sox seven
to ninety wrapped up the Astros game a little bit
to ago. Their won ten first pitch with the Red
Sox closed out their seven game homestand and they did so.
The victory two home runs one from Gray, one from Vasquez,
five innings from Mike Burrows and ending a piece from
(24:04):
blue Ball and King and Tang and Brian Abrew and
the Astros get the victory. A bra gets the saved
despite giving up another run on a long ball, Roman
Anthony took him over the fence. They had a three
run lead. It ended up being a two run victory.
He did also strike out three batters. The site there
(24:25):
in Arizona this past week has been for the league
meetings on the NFL side, and they pushed through a
couple of proposals.
Speaker 3 (24:32):
Which were discussed here. Earlier in the week.
Speaker 2 (24:35):
The Texans head coach talked about a little bit of
why they've put together the group that they have to date,
not obviously finished, but specifically why they targeted David Montgomery,
and at least publicly, the expectation is that he wants
to and they think he can become more of what
they had with Joe Mixon, which is a true number
one back. I don't think it means no Woody Marks
(24:56):
and no Juwar Jordan, but I don't know that it
means they're going out and looking for much else. I
don't think they will neglect it intentionally in the draft,
but I don't think they'll be specifically looking for it.
They have two young running backs in the fold with Montgomery,
both added via draft, not near the top, not expected
to be a bell cow running backs, but you take
those chances on players like that, you could actually find
(25:18):
one there, and it wouldn't shock me if they did
that again. And then specifically about why the particular offensive
linemen that they have added are here. Obviously, with ed Ingram,
they know all about him and how he fits their system,
With Cole Popovich, how they like to run the ball,
where his attributes are they are definitely as a run blocker,
and I think you would say the same thing about
both Braden Smith and Wyatt Teller in the.
Speaker 3 (25:38):
Past, they've both had excellent seasons.
Speaker 2 (25:41):
Health has been an issue in both of their cases,
had some ongoing calf issues with Teller and a multitude
of different injuries for Braden Smith preventing them from playing
full seasons, not preventing them from playing the majority of
each of their respective seasons. And there really shouldn't be
any doubt about where they're going to be and how
they're going to do things. Most everything that's happen, And
(26:01):
one thing from the meetings, the league meetings we really
didn't discuss is some comments that Demiko o'rians made about CJ.
Stroud in this offense, and they fall right in line
with everything I think we've discussed here. You know, the
Texans are not going to have one of the best
offensive lines in football this upcoming year, not as a
full total look at how they play on the offensive line,
(26:23):
but as a run blocking line, as a team that
wants to run the ball, as a team that wants
to protect the ball and wants to set up the
pass with the run, which they wanted to do last
year and probably wanted to do in year one with
Joe Mixon and Dimiko Ryans and everybody, and they've not
ever really been able to get there, and this will
be year four of wanting to do that. It's why
they signed who they signed. And Dimiko mentioned one other
(26:46):
thing about this whole process. It's not just about trying
to run the ball. They're not just trying to do
that to set up the pass. They're doing a lot
of things to make life easier on the quarterback. I
don't think it means they don't believe he could go
out there and Josh Allen it and Lamar Jackson it
and Pat Mahomes it as justin Herbert just go try
to win games all all on his own, balls in
(27:06):
your hands every play, make magic happen. I think CJ
has shown in the past and I think he will
show in the future he can do that. I think
they're trying to avoid having him have to do that.
And I think the change that they made on the
coaching staff also reflects that. I think tomake It was
very careful with his words and not trying to paint
anybody in a bad light. More about maybe there's just
(27:28):
a need for a new voice. There's need for a
voice that I think fits more in with what they
want potentially, and that's why Jerry Schlippintz Schuplinsky is the
new quarterback coach. He was on staff last year, so
year one with Nick Kayley was year one with Jerry,
as it was year one for Cole Popovich as the
head of the offensive line, but was year three for
Gerard Johnson in the quarterback room with CJ. Stroud, and
(27:50):
now CJ will be working with a different group. Been
small changes to that group and clearly an oc change
from year two to year three last year from Slow
to Kayley, but I think this change is also rather significant. Obviously,
Jiraw Johnson's a very good Coach's been up for offensive
coordinator positions, will likely be again in the future. They'll
work with the Eagles this year, which will be a
(28:11):
very interesting situation considering if it's not aj Brown drama
one day, then apparently now it's Jalen Hurts drama the
next day. Through no fault of Jalen Hurts, He's like
the best leader any team could ever hope to have
at the quarterback position, and somehow he's always in the
middle of all this angst with the Philadelphia Eagles. If
they don't win the Super Bowl or play in the
Super Bowl. It's like everything's gone wrong there, so let's
(28:31):
find out who we can blame. He is the target
of that here. It looks like over the last twenty
four hours and maybe more. But I think that change
that they made in the quarterback room, I think the
changes they made on the offensive line not just in
that they brought different people in. It's the specific players
they brought in. They want to bully people, they want
to push teams around, they want to gain yards and
(28:54):
keep their backs from getting hit in the backfield when
they take handoffs. I think it's all designed to give
your quarterback what every quarterback should want, and that's uncertainty
from the defense. You're in good down and distant situations,
you have the ability to open up the entire playbook.
And I think the Texans have been up against that
(29:15):
for probably the last two years with who's been out
there on their offensive line, and that does bring clearly
an element of pass blocking into it all. And that's
more than just their offensive lineman. We've rarely mentioned it.
And if I'm telling you they're going to block better,
they're gonna be better run blockers. You're going to do
more to protect their quarterback. Well, we should probably mention
the more signing it's a blocking tight end. Foster Moro
(29:37):
is gonna catch twenty four balls this year. He's gonna
be on the field for a lot more opportunities than that.
But they won't be using him to run routes. They'll
be using him to keep Blake Fisher off the field potentially,
or whomever is their swing tackle. I doubt very seriously
Trent Brown is going to be a swing tackle that
gets used the way that Blake Fisher was used last year,
(29:58):
and they have made so they don't need to. Blake
Fisher was blocking. Blake Fisher was on the field because
they needed an additional blocker and they didn't employ a
tight end who could do that.
Speaker 3 (30:08):
Now they think they have found one.
Speaker 2 (30:10):
All of this is designed very very clearly across the board,
All of these signings, they all point to the very
same thing. I hope they have the skill position players
at running back to help that make happen. Help make
that happen. And that's just our personal opinions, and everybody's
got one on what David Montgomery will be in year eight.
Four years with Chicago, three years with Detroit and now
year eight, he plays here in Houston. And obviously what
(30:32):
you have on the outside hearing from Demiko about Tank Bell,
I don't think it's any change to what they've said.
That didn't sound very confident about giving you any kind
of real timeline, but previously they have he should be
ready here. We expect to be a part of the
offseason workout program. They didn't say specifically the beginning of it,
but they really haven't said anything about it. They just
(30:54):
want Tank to get back to what he was and
that they still have extreme confidence that he will, so
do I And if that's the case, then all of
a sudden, again your wide receiver room with no additional
players in it should be much better than it was
a year ago, again providing health. And I also will
acknowledge there will be changes, There will be veteran sign
and they likely will draft another wide receiver as well.
(31:16):
But they're in a better position today on paper than
they've been at any point, arguably in the CJ.
Speaker 3 (31:21):
Stroud era.
Speaker 2 (31:23):
And that is the intention of every off season, for
every team that doesn't win the Super Bowl, and for
every team that doesn't make it to the Super Bowl,
and for every team that hasn't ever played in the
conference championship game. That is this team. They've been in
the final four in the AFC in year one, and
year two and year three.
Speaker 3 (31:40):
With CJ.
Speaker 2 (31:40):
Will and Demiko progress in twenty twenty six, we shall
see no new light shed on any Texans opponents.
Speaker 3 (31:52):
Don't worry.
Speaker 2 (31:53):
The draft is coming in three weeks, three weeks from
tomorrow's Round one, and not long after that we'll get
to fill out the entire schedule and everyone just can
start planning their trips to go see the Texans on
the road and see if they somehow unlikely get one
of the nine international games we'll attend you and wrap
things up here on the A team. On the other side,
(32:16):
the eight all games played today in the American League
West have now gone final. Yankees do beat the Mariners
five to three, so the Yankees are now the proud
owners of the best record in the American League. They're
five to one. The Astros match them with five wins.
They're five and two after their six to four victory
(32:36):
over the Red Sox today complete the three game sweep.
Have won five consecutive games. They'll take that winning streak
on the road to go see the one and five A's.
They lost their fifth game in six games to open
up the season. They lost five to one to the Braves.
The Rangers handled easily by the Baltimore Orioles. Rangers are
four and two. They've won every game that Nativaldi is
(32:58):
not pitched in both of the games he has appeared in,
he's pitched poorly, and they've lost each time, including today,
the Angels had a tough time scoring runs, as has
been the case now after the early portion of the season.
They got two wins when Jose Soriano's pitching. They've only
won one of their other five games. They lose today
to the Cubs six to two. They're at three and four,
(33:21):
and that victory from the Yankees was over the Mariners,
and that sends the Mariners under five hundred to start
the season. They are now three and four. They did
score three runs in the eighth and ninth innings, matching
the total the Yankees had given up prior to today. So
six Yankee games, six runs allowed, and they've won all
(33:42):
but one of their first six games the season. They're
the two teams in the American League, the Astros and
the Yankees that have started the year with five victories
through the first.
Speaker 3 (33:50):
Week and change.
Speaker 2 (33:51):
Yankees were on the field on Wednesday, but remember the reason.
The fact that they started on Wednesday actually help them
a great deal at the beginning of the season. They're
already down no Carlos Redon, no Garrett Cole, and they
were able to trot out a four man rotation. Max
Friedz pitched twice and Cam Schlittler through for the second
(34:13):
time today and he was awesome again, just like he
was in the postseason. He has yet to be scored
upon in his two starts, and they've played six games
and their top two starters have been able to start
two of them apiece in their first six games because
of the additional days off they got after starting on
Wednesday for streaming purposes, Astros and A's Friday evening, then
(34:38):
the Astros and A's a pair of afternoon games three
o'clock first pitches on both Saturday and Sunday, immediately into
three game series with the Rockies on Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday,
the road trip off day a week from tomorrow, and
then four games with those Mariners Friday, Saturday, Sunday, and
Monday and early, look at how things shake out, how
(35:00):
they match up with one another, a little bit of boob,
how their respective rotations lineup. I would not expect the
Astros to have made any changes to who's in the
rotation at the beginning of that series.
Speaker 3 (35:14):
Maybe not long.
Speaker 2 (35:15):
After they'll take a look at the Triple A level
and consider is it time to go to a six
month rotation. They've hinted at when they might do it
when they play those twenty three games in twenty five days,
but it won't really have gotten into the meat of
that when they finish out this road trip. The afternoon
game over in Jacksonville for your Space Cowboys, it included
(35:39):
start number two for Jason Alexandri He would be under
consideration if they want to go to a six man rotation.
Speaker 3 (35:44):
I hope he's the last one they consider. I don't.
Speaker 2 (35:48):
I really could never figure it out last year, how
who's getting major league hitters out? But seeing his believing
and he went out there nine straight times and the
Astros won. But he did not pitch particularly well in
his first start today, I guess it was better. Couldn't
get out of the fourth inning, gave up three more
runs and six hits, but nobody else scored after that
against the Space Cowboys.
Speaker 3 (36:09):
So their ten runs were more than enough.
Speaker 2 (36:11):
JP Frantz has pitched well in each of his appearances
so far this year. Spencer are Getty's gonna get start
number two over the weekend. He pitched very well in
his first start, and so did Colton Gordon, who should
be the starting pitcher for tomorrow's game for the Space Cowboys.
Just things to consider as they get into that pitching
situation where I don't think they're going to go any
(36:31):
longer with a five man rotation. By the way, Shay
Whitcombe hit home run number one and two of his
season today, all of this coming after his work in
the World Baseball Classic. At some point, there's gonna be
other issues with players on this team. Right now, the
only issue is Jeremy Payne, which I think they're passed,
and we should see him playing back to back games,
probably as early as two of the three games, if
(36:53):
not all three against the A's picking up on Friday.
Was not in the lineup today, so he gets the
day off tomorrow like everybody else, heads into that series.
Speaker 3 (37:01):
Like I said, I would imagine.
Speaker 2 (37:02):
Him being a particularly good spot for them not to
need to decide which days he plays and which days
he doesn't. They decided against putting him on the ten
day IL, and this is why because they wanted to
ease him back into the lineup, not because he wasn't
ready to play on day one or two or three
and they needed five more days of rest, but rather
they wanted to parse out those starts so he could
(37:25):
get into the literal swing of things because he basically
didn't have a spring training at the plate. He basically
wasn't out there in spring training because this was the
time when he was hurt. Rockets basketball is what's coming
your way next. They have seven games remaining tonight and
Friday night, both at home, short two game road trip
out West, and if you didn't hear a report yesterday
(37:45):
from the Athletic and then from today from Shams, of
course Steph Curry is targeting a return to the Golden
State lineup when the Rockets make their last trip out
west to see Golden State this weekend, and then the
Rockets finish the campaign with three games at home. It's
Rockets Bucks tonight. That's what we have for you next,
right here, on Sports Talk seven ninety a C and
MT have the Carl Ross brings you into Rockets launch
(38:08):
Pad Next
F DA team.
Speaker 2 (00:03):
Ay, it is five o'clock here on a Wednesday afternoon
here on the A team, just wrapping up the Astros
tenth inning show and an hour out from a Rockets
coverage beginning. So AC on his way over Toyota Center
for Rockets Bucks tonight. I was over there last night
for them to manhandle, very surprisingly manhandle the New York
(00:25):
Knicks last night, down one nothing after a Jalen brunts
and free throw, and then they scored the next twelve.
Then they never looked back. The Knicks never got within
eight the rest of the game. It was incredible what
the Rockets were able to do last night, and they'd
love to replicate that tonight. They're seeing a far less
competitive group than the Knicks. The Knicks could actually win
the East this year. The Bucks cannot. The Bucks won't
(00:46):
be in the postseason for one thing. And if you
caught my post earlier this afternoon, they only have eight
players totally unavailable for tonight's game, essentially anybody who could
help them win. I hope the A Rockets are able
to take advantage of that. Every win does count. Interesting
where you might want to see the Rockets finish though,
and we'll discuss that a little bit as we roll
through this five o'clock hour. Obviously also noting that the
(01:08):
Astros have taken care of business every day on this
homestand over the last five games, from their Saturday afternoon
or Saturday evening victory over the Angels to Sunday's series
closing victory over the Angels, and now three consecutive games
against the Red Sox where they absolutely mashed essentially in
(01:28):
all of those games. Did need to figure it out
and find it in that first of those five wins
when they were down six to nothing and then scored
the next eleven runs in that game, all without a homer.
Then they scored nine runs in the next game, also
all without a homer. Now, they did have nine doubles
in that game, and they lead the majors in doubles
(01:50):
heading into play today. There's a few other teams that
I guess could do something about that, but they added
to their seventeen with two more today, nineteen doubles through
their first seven games today. Only six runs for the
Astros in their six to four victory over Boston. I
say only because even though that's what they're averaging for
the season. They had put up eight or more runs
(02:12):
in each of the four previous games, all of them wins,
something they had not done it at all last season.
Had to go back a couple of seasons to see
them do that, and with the two home runs they
hit today, first from Carlos Carea, the three run shot
that turned a two to two game into a five
to two Astros lead, and then the solo home run
from Christian Vasquez, giving the Astros a six to two lead.
(02:33):
Those two homers plus the first six in the first
two days of this series, they hit eight home runs
in three games against the Red Scott Red Sox, scoring
twenty three times. The only hit one homer against the
A's against the Angels, and now they added out eight
to that Korea with his first, Vasquez with his first,
(02:53):
cam Smith hit his first earlier in this series, Altuve
a pair eoron and Alvarez just keeps doing it almost
every single day. He's got three on the season. He's
basically among the league leaders across the board. And that's
why I've said this for several years. I was actually
just sending a note back to somebody who said, you know,
they watch us on SEHN outside our city limits and
(03:15):
limits in the Round Rock area.
Speaker 3 (03:16):
You know you can catch us.
Speaker 2 (03:17):
Via the iHeartRadio app no matter where you are as well.
But he was noting that t he was around when
Jordon Alvarez was there in Round Rock. We just mentioned
that magical first season as an Astro for Jordon, where
he hit fifty combined home runs between Houston and round
Rock that season, the first year he got called up,
and obviously he's never looked back. In our little back
(03:40):
and forth conversation, he said it's the best hitter he's
ever seen, and I agreed. And I've followed the Astros,
not quite from inception, but from the late seventies all
the way through each of the decades since their World
Series teams, their Hall of famers, Jeff Kent, Carlos Beltron Bagwell,
(04:01):
Craig Bigio, Jordon Alvarez. The best hitter that's ever put
on an Astro's uniform, Saysar Sadanio, Lance Berkman, moistes Aloo.
He's the best hitter they've ever had, and he's currently
the best left handed hitter in the American League. Well,
I'll always leave a show hey out there, because as
far as danger goes. It's I think it's okay to
(04:22):
call him the best left handed hitter, probably in baseball,
but certainly in the National League.
Speaker 3 (04:27):
I just don't think there's anybody better. There's no one
more imposing.
Speaker 2 (04:30):
You saw Jordon or heard Jordon get hit in the
game today and wasn't very happy about it. There's just
not really anywhere to pitch him and get him out regularly,
and so they were trying to bust him up inside
as much as they could today. Despite the fact that
he got another couple of hits and he got caught
with a fastball, he wasn't very happy about it.
Speaker 3 (04:47):
Hit him just above that right hit.
Speaker 2 (04:50):
He threw his bat down, no real incident, but he
was clearly saying something more to himself than to Red
Sox pitcher Garrett Crochet or their catcher Wong, but clearly
not very happy about it. He was the second runner
on base in a two to two game and after
they recorded the second out of the inning, Esak peretis, well,
Carlos Carey hit to go ahead home run. It's only
(05:12):
a four to two game, or he's not even batting
in that inning. Potentially, if you retire Yord on which
for the Red Sox, it's been more difficult for them
to retire Jordon Alvarez basically than any other player in
their franchise's history. He's got the best ops career ops
against that team than anybody else who's ever put on
a major league uniform. He had the loan multi hit
(05:35):
game today for the Astros, but the top six in
their order today all got on base. They actually had
seven of the team's eight hits. Try to figure them
things out with the bottom of the order. The Astros
have seen a bunch of lefties already and will continue
that with their games in West Sacramento against the Athletics.
Two left handed starters expected to go in the Friday
(05:57):
and then Sunday games against the Astros meant a little
bit more Bryce Matthews a little bit less. Joey low
Perffdo low Perfito gets in the game today and he
draws a walk. Bryce Matthews not a very good time
today again against and not just a lefty, but an
elite lefty. Just because the Astros handle Garrett Crochet regularly
doesn't mean he is an awesome and he was the
(06:18):
only other pitcher besides Tark Skooble to finish ahead of
Hunter Brown in last year Cy Young Race, he retired.
Matthews struck him out a couple of times. Jake Myers
an o for on the day, although he also walked
and again today was the day for Christian Vasquez to
do the catching. He's now caught Lance mccullor's junior and
now Mike Burrows. Burrow's a much better start in this game,
(06:40):
a lot more in control of things.
Speaker 3 (06:42):
He still is.
Speaker 2 (06:43):
I don't really think it's bad luck. I felt like
the Contreras RBI single early in the game had a
little bit of that vibe to it. I mean, he
beat it into the ground, but he hit it hard
enough to get it well past Burrows and right up
the middle and easily drove in that first run of
the game to open the game.
Speaker 3 (07:00):
And just a little too much traffic.
Speaker 2 (07:02):
I think that's probably a problem number one that needs
to be solved for Burrows. You know, too many walks
in these two starts. Obviously he's getting hit around a
little bit too much. Fourteen hits and ten and two
thirds is far far more than I would have ever expected,
even over any two start span. Has been terrible in
either game, and he didn't give up the long ball
in this game like he did a couple of times
in his first start. But again, there's just too many
(07:24):
runners on base to constantly pitch your way out of trouble,
which she's obviously been forced to do a little bit
more often than he would like. Rotation will not change
in the games coming up against the Athletics, Hovey, Tatsuya
and Lance mccullor's getting the ball Friday, Saturday Sunday, after
tomorrow's off day and travel day to get to the Athletics.
A couple of things on the NFL front will save
(07:45):
until the next segment we want, is you just reiterate
what was going on with the Rockets briefly from last night.
They got Tarry Easton back in the starting lineup, and
there's a very good reason for it. It's not necessarily
because he'd had a couple of good games, and he
had not necessarily because he looked like Tarry Easton, from
how hard he was playing, how much juice he was bringing,
(08:05):
his work on the boards, his work defensively, the fact
that he had made a few more three point shots.
It was just more about who they were up against
the Knicks really a tremendous amount on their starting five,
and that starting five is pretty difficult for Reed Shepherd
to have any matchup against. That's a positive for the Astros.
You certainly don't want him defending Jalen Brunson, and Easan
(08:27):
wasn't defending him much either. That was a men Thompson's assignment,
and there's really nobody else that you would not expect
the Knicks to try to take advantage of. And then
kind of send the Rockets into a little bit of
a scramble defensively depending on how Reed Shepherd's being attacked.
So he comes off the bench and the Rockets get
these two things. Tarry Easton's best offensive game arguably of
(08:48):
the entire season, and Reed Shepherd basically matches it. Easton
scored tenth consecutive points in the first quarter and made
his first five shots, including a couple of threes. Read
Shepard off the bench also hit his first five shots.
He scored twenty off of the Rockets bench, and it
was one of his better games of the season. And
(09:09):
we actually talked to Reed MT and I following the
broadcast last night court side, and then that's kind of
what I pointed out to him to get that kind
of production for both of those players, as you guys
have flip flopped that starting spot over the last really
ten games, a few from Tai than the last six
from Reid until last night, and the expectation is especially
since I Mey Dooka basically said as much, the expectation
(09:31):
is read Shepherds back in the starting lineup tonight and
likely for most of their remaining games on the Milwaukee Bucks.
Just because I brought it up, I want to make
sure I'm not very clear about who is available for
the Milwaukee Bucks tonight as they take on the Rockets.
The Rockets can move a half game ahead of the
Minnesota Timberwolves for the five spot with a victory tonight.
They have the same record currently in Minnesota as Idle Tonight,
(09:54):
probably have a much more difficult schedule the rest of
the way, but I don't really think that's a huge factor.
These teams are to be getting ready for the playoffs
and playing their best basketball.
Speaker 3 (10:03):
That means they can and should beat good teams.
Speaker 2 (10:05):
The only players unavailable tonight for the Milwaukee Bucks are
Yannis on A Dakoumpo. The nasis on A Dacoumpo, Gary Harris,
Kyle Kuzma, Kevin Porter, Junior, Bobby Portis Turning Prince, Miles Turner.
All of those players are not playing tonight for the
Milwaukee Bucks, and there's a chance that Ryan Rollins, who's
played pretty well in their absences, Mike also miss tonight's game.
(10:28):
He was added to the injury report this afternoon with
a hip strain.
Speaker 3 (10:31):
He's questionable.
Speaker 2 (10:32):
Everybody at the Rockets disposal is at the Rockets disposal.
I don't think we're gonna see a carbon copy of
last night. I actually think we're gonna see more of
what we saw against the Pelicans two nights ago or
three nights ago now on Sunday. This team is trying
to get through the season with zero concern about winning.
The players that will be out there, obviously they're trying
(10:54):
to win. Every team that is quote unquote tanking. They
put five guys on the court, They rotate players in,
and those particular players are doing whatever they can to
play good basketball and play winning basketball and playing hard
and giving effort. They're just second class basketball players. They're
all reserves. They're all guys that would not normally have
significant minutes given to them. That's how management handles how
(11:16):
they want to finish out the season. Just remember this
about the Bucks. I said this for several weeks. When
the hole is Giannis is going to be forced to sit,
does he want to come back and play?
Speaker 3 (11:25):
There's really nowhere for them to go.
Speaker 2 (11:27):
They're not going to catch some of these dregs of
the NBA because they have too many more wins than them,
and those teams aren't winning ever, So the Bucks can
lose out and all that's going to happen is they'll
be a little bit worse, have one more, small, small
chance in the lottery over the Bulls. Maybe, because if
(11:47):
you're on the wrong side of the top twenty, the
top ten teams in the West, and the top ten
teams in the East, you're essentially losing every single game.
I mean, some of these teams are as good as
three and seventeen. Most of them are more like two
and twenty in their last twenty two, one in seventeen,
in their last eighteen games, they literally lose every single game.
(12:08):
One of those wins has happened at the Rockets disposal
or at the Rockets hands that lost to the Bulls
still stands out one.
Speaker 3 (12:17):
Eleven ninety four the final.
Speaker 2 (12:18):
Last night, the Rockets, like I said, easily handle of
the New York Knicks, a smooth and easy twenty seven
for kd Amen Thompson and Katie each with eight assists,
Alpernshingdoun with ten, and they said a new season best
with thirty five helpers in last night's victory. We will
hear from Dana Brown when we come back how the
(12:40):
Astros have decided to handle Jeremy Paanea's injury situation. And
in Dana's mind, why is the offense for the Astros
cooking those items?
Speaker 3 (12:51):
Next, you're on the eighteen.
Speaker 1 (12:53):
Bitch on the way, dude, and that is Hamberg deep
to left field, Pactus Durant looking got ze Atlanta and
Landris Crawford bunches I'm go ahead, three run home run
for Prelos Correa and the Astros delete it five to two,
Korea's first.
Speaker 2 (13:09):
Of the year to come up to the Astros' eighth
home run of the season, seventh of the series. They
would add one more, giving them nine on this campaign.
There's only two teams in Major League Baseball that hit
the ball out of the park more than the Astros,
and they only hit one in the first four games
of the season, so remarkably hot offensively quite obviously, eight
(13:32):
runs are better in each of the games proceeding today
and during this five game winning streak. Now they win
at six to four this afternoon. They lead the Majors
in doubles with nineteen and their forty five runs scored
in their seven games. Nobody is scoring more runs per
game in the American League than the Astros. It's one
good week. It's also the only week. It's all we have,
(13:55):
and hopefully there's more of it to come. Dana Brown,
the Astros general manager, is a weekly visitor here on
Sports Talk seven to ninety. He does so on the
Morning Drive each and every Wednesday morning. He did that
earlier today, so mentioned a couple of things from him
that I wanted to share with you this afternoon, specific
to the offense. First, since that's what we're talking about.
Another six run day for Houston. Got on the board
(14:17):
early against Garrett Crochet, took the lead in the fifth inning,
extended the lead on the Vasquez homer and giving up
two solo home runs, one in the eighth and one
in the ninth did not impact the outcome of the game,
just merely the eras for both Tang and a Braw,
those two pitchers who gave up those homers. A bray
you will you'ar a bra you the first of the
two homers off the Astros relievers. And then Anthony, who
(14:39):
had nothing going in this series against the Astros, he
actually snapped an zero for fourteen skid and Hunter Brown
absolutely carved him up in yesterday's victory, but he had
a pinch hit home run off of Brian a Brew
and then a Braw closed out the game with three
consecutive strikeouts, all of them swinging, and the Astros got
the six to four victory. So Dana Brown's thoughts on
(15:02):
maybe some reasoning behind why the offense is cooking here
early in the season.
Speaker 3 (15:07):
A lot.
Speaker 4 (15:07):
We're disciplined at bats. You know, we're making the pitchers work.
You know, we're walking when the guys don't plow strikes
instead of chasing. And so this is leading to having
guys on base and you know, guys getting their pitch
driving the runners in guys seem to be locked in
right down, and you know the hitters are in a
(15:28):
good space right now. I hope they continue, you know,
to have good at bats. It's called quality at bats,
and they're doing a good job at it.
Speaker 2 (15:34):
And the Astros have played one more game than many teams.
The Angels are another team that's played seven. By the
time the Yankees and Mariners wrap up this afternoon, and
it's gotten a little cozy, even though the Mariners have
yet to score. A big dumper is stepping into the plate.
His team's down four, and if you hit one over
the fence, it will be tied. They'll wrap up their
activities and get through their respective seventh games of the season.
(15:58):
The Astros are at the top of near the top,
if not for their own pitching staff. Walking the Angels
left and right. They're second in the majors and walks
again through seven games, so their walks per game still
has them at the top of the American League. And
on the other side, walking back to the dugout with shame,
holding onto your bat because you just struck out. They're
(16:20):
right in the middle of the pack right now, and
I suspect that's going to continue. Both of those things
if they continue in those directions where they're probably top
ten and fewest strikeouts from their offense and top ten
in most walks from their offense. They're going to be
in a very very very good place offensively this season.
Obviously health needs to go along with it. They have
(16:43):
managed their way through the first seven games, needing Jeremy
Penya in the lineup just three times, and we do
think that's going to change over this road trip, and
Joe Spotta is expecting back to back games in the
lineup for Jeremy Payana. They kind of explained how they've
tried to handle things with them, and I thought Dana
did even more of that again with that visit this morning.
So the handling of Jeremy Pana and maybe more so
(17:05):
how they will handle other players, it's all to varying degrees,
and really it's hard to say from a general rule
how they'll handle it because every injury is clearly different.
Leg injury, elbow injury, finger injury, you name it, and
then the severity of it clearly similarly is not something
you can just put a general rule on, but specific
to Jeremy and then maybe overall how they look at
(17:27):
things from an injury front this year, here's more from data.
Speaker 5 (17:29):
You know, he didn't have much of his spring training.
The worst thing you can do, and we learned this
lesson last year, is you know, get these guys back
on the field a little earlier. You just take your
time and you let these guys build up the way
to properly build up. And you know, the return to
play policy that we have in place, we're just trying
to stick to that. And when we don't want these
(17:51):
guys to come back, you know, you don't have a
spring training, and you come back early and you start
playing every.
Speaker 4 (17:56):
Day, the energy in the ballpark, the fans, and you know,
you get jacked up and you start doing things that
your body's not really ready to do. And so I
think building him up this way is the right way,
because you got to remember, we play one hundred and
sixty two. It's a marathon, not a sprint.
Speaker 3 (18:12):
It absolutely is.
Speaker 2 (18:13):
There are still one hundred and fifty five games remaining.
He's only missed four of them. He's not unhealthy. If
you remember what Joe spot I had to say yesterday,
this isn't really even about the finger. It's more about
exactly what Dana just described. They want this to be
the only time he's missing time for this particular injury.
He's over the injury. Let's make sure his body is
(18:34):
over the fact that he barely played in spring training,
and obviously it was truncated to begin with, and that
he had to leave to go play in the WBC,
and you didn't know specifically how much work he would
get there. But then when he had hurt in the
exhibition game before the exhibition games actually started, he didn't
play at all until the Astros got him back here
to Houston, and he did play at dyke And Park
(18:55):
right before the season began. He homered at dyk And
Park during those two exhibitions games with the Space Cowboys.
He's tenth on the Astros in at bats this year.
He's got fifteen at bats through the three games that
he's been out on the field for. And the nine
players that are in front of him basically are the
reason why the Astros have the best offensive baseball so far.
(19:17):
They've gotten it done with Christian Walker, with Jordan Carlos,
and Jose With He sacked partis, driving in five runs
on just five hits. Even Janer Diaz, who really hasn't
done anything special this year, he came up with the
bases loaded and then poked a single to bring home two.
He came up with a runner on third in less
than two outs. He swung with the first pitch because
(19:37):
it was up in the zone and he knew he
could drive it, and it hit a sack fly. Productive
abs are a much much bigger part of the twenty
twenty six astros so far. Then, I think we got
used to and we'll start to learn a little bit
more about how much of that has been impacted by
the change. They clearly made two very very significant change
(20:00):
to the organization as it relates to their on field product.
Dana was essentially talking about one of them, their athletic
training and performance staff and their medical side. There are
enough new faces, new doctors and others in this organization now,
even though the assistant was promoted and other people in
the department are still here. I think they have a
(20:23):
different idea of how to do things, how to handle things,
how to approach rehab, and really how to attack the
injuries that inevitably will happen this year. And the other
thing is obviously the hitting coaches. Both Troy Snicker and
Alex sin Tron are still working as hitting coaches. In
Major League Baseball, just not here in Houston anymore. After
each of them. We're here for arguably the most successful
run in Astros history, both offensively and obviously as a team,
(20:46):
whether it's just a new voice or different approach or
whatever the case may be. And know a lot of
people are looking at what some of the most recent
ex Astros are doing elsewhere, like Mauricio Dubon and Jesus
Sanchez in Atlanta and Toronto, respectively, and trying to add
that to the sea.
Speaker 3 (21:05):
I told you it was the hitting coaches.
Speaker 2 (21:07):
There's an element of that that's almost always going to
be true, but the element still lands on the player's shoulders.
You know, the Astros can describe a philosophy they want
their hitters to go to the plate with, but they
have to go out there and execute it. And the
Astros lineup just today, for example, it includes basically nothing
but players who were part of last year's offense, healthy
(21:30):
or not.
Speaker 3 (21:30):
Obviously, that's a big factor.
Speaker 2 (21:31):
Outside of Matthew's low Perfito and Basquez, everybody else was
here last year and their chase rates were out of control.
Their ability to recognize the strike zone and work long
counts if you weren't est operatis, it just didn't happen.
And those same guys, not just specifically, because their new
hitting coaches, hipose I Apasse and Rodriguez have said, here's
(21:52):
what we need you to do. Go execute this year
gonna be great. It's part of it. But I don't
want to look at last year's hitting coaches and try
to spin some angle that they were bad at their jobs.
Speaker 3 (22:03):
They were making this happen.
Speaker 2 (22:05):
I think there's parts of their jobs that probably go
unrecognized about how much they help an offense, how much
they help their hitters, really, honestly, how much they help
the entire team because what they know, what they pay
attention to, and what they can convey to hitters more
than just a simple philosophy. You still got to get
these players to go out and execute it. You got
to get jose Al Tube it'd be more patient. You
gotta get JANR. Diaz to swing it strikes and not
(22:26):
every pitch. Not necessarily a hitting coach's ability.
Speaker 3 (22:31):
To do that. The player has to do it.
Speaker 2 (22:32):
They can tell you think they've been telling Yanerdez hey Man,
when you go to the plate and you have your
bat with you don't take any pitches ever, and he said, perfect,
that fits my style brilliantly.
Speaker 3 (22:43):
I don't think that was the messaging that they were
giving him.
Speaker 2 (22:45):
But seven games end of the season pretty much nothing
to be too displeased with. As the Astros have secured
a fifth consecutive win. If they win a sixth on Friday,
as they get to play the Athletics, who are one
in five, that'll be the longest winning streak sent twenty
twenty four. They did not have a six game winning
streak last year, had a pair of fivers in June
and managed to play themselves all the way into the
(23:07):
last days of the season, losing a tiebreaker for the postseason.
If this is a team that's gonna put together a
winning streak or streaks the longer than that right out
of the gate, I think you're like what you see
from the Astros here in twenty twenty six. A few
other items on the NFL front that we have not
gotten to in our brief programming time today. We will
do that next as it replay relates to your Houston
(23:30):
Texans very specifically league meetings this week. What did they
produce some interest to the Texans I'll tell you about.
Speaker 3 (23:36):
That next the age on Sports Talk seven ninety hitch.
Speaker 2 (23:42):
You into Rockets Basketball here at the top of the
hour Rockets and Bucks tonight from Toyota Center and right
here on your home for Rockets Basketball. Sports Sox seven
to ninety wrapped up the Astros game a little bit
to ago. Their won ten first pitch with the Red
Sox closed out their seven game homestand and they did so.
The victory two home runs one from Gray, one from Vasquez,
five innings from Mike Burrows and ending a piece from
(24:04):
blue Ball and King and Tang and Brian Abrew and
the Astros get the victory. A bra gets the saved
despite giving up another run on a long ball, Roman
Anthony took him over the fence. They had a three
run lead. It ended up being a two run victory.
He did also strike out three batters. The site there
(24:25):
in Arizona this past week has been for the league
meetings on the NFL side, and they pushed through a
couple of proposals.
Speaker 3 (24:32):
Which were discussed here. Earlier in the week.
Speaker 2 (24:35):
The Texans head coach talked about a little bit of
why they've put together the group that they have to date,
not obviously finished, but specifically why they targeted David Montgomery,
and at least publicly, the expectation is that he wants
to and they think he can become more of what
they had with Joe Mixon, which is a true number
one back. I don't think it means no Woody Marks
(24:56):
and no Juwar Jordan, but I don't know that it
means they're going out and looking for much else. I
don't think they will neglect it intentionally in the draft,
but I don't think they'll be specifically looking for it.
They have two young running backs in the fold with Montgomery,
both added via draft, not near the top, not expected
to be a bell cow running backs, but you take
those chances on players like that, you could actually find
(25:18):
one there, and it wouldn't shock me if they did
that again. And then specifically about why the particular offensive
linemen that they have added are here. Obviously, with ed Ingram,
they know all about him and how he fits their system,
With Cole Popovich, how they like to run the ball,
where his attributes are they are definitely as a run blocker,
and I think you would say the same thing about
both Braden Smith and Wyatt Teller in the.
Speaker 3 (25:38):
Past, they've both had excellent seasons.
Speaker 2 (25:41):
Health has been an issue in both of their cases,
had some ongoing calf issues with Teller and a multitude
of different injuries for Braden Smith preventing them from playing
full seasons, not preventing them from playing the majority of
each of their respective seasons. And there really shouldn't be
any doubt about where they're going to be and how
they're going to do things. Most everything that's happen, And
(26:01):
one thing from the meetings, the league meetings we really
didn't discuss is some comments that Demiko o'rians made about CJ.
Stroud in this offense, and they fall right in line
with everything I think we've discussed here. You know, the
Texans are not going to have one of the best
offensive lines in football this upcoming year, not as a
full total look at how they play on the offensive line,
(26:23):
but as a run blocking line, as a team that
wants to run the ball, as a team that wants
to protect the ball and wants to set up the
pass with the run, which they wanted to do last
year and probably wanted to do in year one with
Joe Mixon and Dimiko Ryans and everybody, and they've not
ever really been able to get there, and this will
be year four of wanting to do that. It's why
they signed who they signed. And Dimiko mentioned one other
(26:46):
thing about this whole process. It's not just about trying
to run the ball. They're not just trying to do
that to set up the pass. They're doing a lot
of things to make life easier on the quarterback. I
don't think it means they don't believe he could go
out there and Josh Allen it and Lamar Jackson it
and Pat Mahomes it as justin Herbert just go try
to win games all all on his own, balls in
(27:06):
your hands every play, make magic happen. I think CJ
has shown in the past and I think he will
show in the future he can do that. I think
they're trying to avoid having him have to do that.
And I think the change that they made on the
coaching staff also reflects that. I think tomake It was
very careful with his words and not trying to paint
anybody in a bad light. More about maybe there's just
(27:28):
a need for a new voice. There's need for a
voice that I think fits more in with what they
want potentially, and that's why Jerry Schlippintz Schuplinsky is the
new quarterback coach. He was on staff last year, so
year one with Nick Kayley was year one with Jerry,
as it was year one for Cole Popovich as the
head of the offensive line, but was year three for
Gerard Johnson in the quarterback room with CJ. Stroud, and
(27:50):
now CJ will be working with a different group. Been
small changes to that group and clearly an oc change
from year two to year three last year from Slow
to Kayley, but I think this change is also rather significant. Obviously,
Jiraw Johnson's a very good Coach's been up for offensive
coordinator positions, will likely be again in the future. They'll
work with the Eagles this year, which will be a
(28:11):
very interesting situation considering if it's not aj Brown drama
one day, then apparently now it's Jalen Hurts drama the
next day. Through no fault of Jalen Hurts, He's like
the best leader any team could ever hope to have
at the quarterback position, and somehow he's always in the
middle of all this angst with the Philadelphia Eagles. If
they don't win the Super Bowl or play in the
Super Bowl. It's like everything's gone wrong there, so let's
(28:31):
find out who we can blame. He is the target
of that here. It looks like over the last twenty
four hours and maybe more. But I think that change
that they made in the quarterback room, I think the
changes they made on the offensive line not just in
that they brought different people in. It's the specific players
they brought in. They want to bully people, they want
to push teams around, they want to gain yards and
(28:54):
keep their backs from getting hit in the backfield when
they take handoffs. I think it's all designed to give
your quarterback what every quarterback should want, and that's uncertainty
from the defense. You're in good down and distant situations,
you have the ability to open up the entire playbook.
And I think the Texans have been up against that
(29:15):
for probably the last two years with who's been out
there on their offensive line, and that does bring clearly
an element of pass blocking into it all. And that's
more than just their offensive lineman. We've rarely mentioned it.
And if I'm telling you they're going to block better,
they're gonna be better run blockers. You're going to do
more to protect their quarterback. Well, we should probably mention
the more signing it's a blocking tight end. Foster Moro
(29:37):
is gonna catch twenty four balls this year. He's gonna
be on the field for a lot more opportunities than that.
But they won't be using him to run routes. They'll
be using him to keep Blake Fisher off the field potentially,
or whomever is their swing tackle. I doubt very seriously
Trent Brown is going to be a swing tackle that
gets used the way that Blake Fisher was used last year,
(29:58):
and they have made so they don't need to. Blake
Fisher was blocking. Blake Fisher was on the field because
they needed an additional blocker and they didn't employ a
tight end who could do that.
Speaker 3 (30:08):
Now they think they have found one.
Speaker 2 (30:10):
All of this is designed very very clearly across the board,
All of these signings, they all point to the very
same thing. I hope they have the skill position players
at running back to help that make happen. Help make
that happen. And that's just our personal opinions, and everybody's
got one on what David Montgomery will be in year eight.
Four years with Chicago, three years with Detroit and now
year eight, he plays here in Houston. And obviously what
(30:32):
you have on the outside hearing from Demiko about Tank Bell,
I don't think it's any change to what they've said.
That didn't sound very confident about giving you any kind
of real timeline, but previously they have he should be
ready here. We expect to be a part of the
offseason workout program. They didn't say specifically the beginning of it,
but they really haven't said anything about it. They just
(30:54):
want Tank to get back to what he was and
that they still have extreme confidence that he will, so
do I And if that's the case, then all of
a sudden, again your wide receiver room with no additional
players in it should be much better than it was
a year ago, again providing health. And I also will
acknowledge there will be changes, There will be veteran sign
and they likely will draft another wide receiver as well.
(31:16):
But they're in a better position today on paper than
they've been at any point, arguably in the CJ.
Speaker 3 (31:21):
Stroud era.
Speaker 2 (31:23):
And that is the intention of every off season, for
every team that doesn't win the Super Bowl, and for
every team that doesn't make it to the Super Bowl,
and for every team that hasn't ever played in the
conference championship game. That is this team. They've been in
the final four in the AFC in year one, and
year two and year three.
Speaker 3 (31:40):
With CJ.
Speaker 2 (31:40):
Will and Demiko progress in twenty twenty six, we shall
see no new light shed on any Texans opponents.
Speaker 3 (31:52):
Don't worry.
Speaker 2 (31:53):
The draft is coming in three weeks, three weeks from
tomorrow's Round one, and not long after that we'll get
to fill out the entire schedule and everyone just can
start planning their trips to go see the Texans on
the road and see if they somehow unlikely get one
of the nine international games we'll attend you and wrap
things up here on the A team. On the other side,
(32:16):
the eight all games played today in the American League
West have now gone final. Yankees do beat the Mariners
five to three, so the Yankees are now the proud
owners of the best record in the American League. They're
five to one. The Astros match them with five wins.
They're five and two after their six to four victory
(32:36):
over the Red Sox today complete the three game sweep.
Have won five consecutive games. They'll take that winning streak
on the road to go see the one and five A's.
They lost their fifth game in six games to open
up the season. They lost five to one to the Braves.
The Rangers handled easily by the Baltimore Orioles. Rangers are
four and two. They've won every game that Nativaldi is
(32:58):
not pitched in both of the games he has appeared in,
he's pitched poorly, and they've lost each time, including today,
the Angels had a tough time scoring runs, as has
been the case now after the early portion of the season.
They got two wins when Jose Soriano's pitching. They've only
won one of their other five games. They lose today
to the Cubs six to two. They're at three and four,
(33:21):
and that victory from the Yankees was over the Mariners,
and that sends the Mariners under five hundred to start
the season. They are now three and four. They did
score three runs in the eighth and ninth innings, matching
the total the Yankees had given up prior to today. So
six Yankee games, six runs allowed, and they've won all
(33:42):
but one of their first six games the season. They're
the two teams in the American League, the Astros and
the Yankees that have started the year with five victories
through the first.
Speaker 3 (33:50):
Week and change.
Speaker 2 (33:51):
Yankees were on the field on Wednesday, but remember the reason.
The fact that they started on Wednesday actually help them
a great deal at the beginning of the season. They're
already down no Carlos Redon, no Garrett Cole, and they
were able to trot out a four man rotation. Max
Friedz pitched twice and Cam Schlittler through for the second
(34:13):
time today and he was awesome again, just like he
was in the postseason. He has yet to be scored
upon in his two starts, and they've played six games
and their top two starters have been able to start
two of them apiece in their first six games because
of the additional days off they got after starting on
Wednesday for streaming purposes, Astros and A's Friday evening, then
(34:38):
the Astros and A's a pair of afternoon games three
o'clock first pitches on both Saturday and Sunday, immediately into
three game series with the Rockies on Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday,
the road trip off day a week from tomorrow, and
then four games with those Mariners Friday, Saturday, Sunday, and
Monday and early, look at how things shake out, how
(35:00):
they match up with one another, a little bit of boob,
how their respective rotations lineup. I would not expect the
Astros to have made any changes to who's in the
rotation at the beginning of that series.
Speaker 3 (35:14):
Maybe not long.
Speaker 2 (35:15):
After they'll take a look at the Triple A level
and consider is it time to go to a six
month rotation. They've hinted at when they might do it
when they play those twenty three games in twenty five days,
but it won't really have gotten into the meat of
that when they finish out this road trip. The afternoon
game over in Jacksonville for your Space Cowboys, it included
(35:39):
start number two for Jason Alexandri He would be under
consideration if they want to go to a six man rotation.
Speaker 3 (35:44):
I hope he's the last one they consider. I don't.
Speaker 2 (35:48):
I really could never figure it out last year, how
who's getting major league hitters out? But seeing his believing
and he went out there nine straight times and the
Astros won. But he did not pitch particularly well in
his first start today, I guess it was better. Couldn't
get out of the fourth inning, gave up three more
runs and six hits, but nobody else scored after that
against the Space Cowboys.
Speaker 3 (36:09):
So their ten runs were more than enough.
Speaker 2 (36:11):
JP Frantz has pitched well in each of his appearances
so far this year. Spencer are Getty's gonna get start
number two over the weekend. He pitched very well in
his first start, and so did Colton Gordon, who should
be the starting pitcher for tomorrow's game for the Space Cowboys.
Just things to consider as they get into that pitching
situation where I don't think they're going to go any
(36:31):
longer with a five man rotation. By the way, Shay
Whitcombe hit home run number one and two of his
season today, all of this coming after his work in
the World Baseball Classic. At some point, there's gonna be
other issues with players on this team. Right now, the
only issue is Jeremy Payne, which I think they're passed,
and we should see him playing back to back games,
probably as early as two of the three games, if
(36:53):
not all three against the A's picking up on Friday.
Was not in the lineup today, so he gets the
day off tomorrow like everybody else, heads into that series.
Speaker 3 (37:01):
Like I said, I would imagine.
Speaker 2 (37:02):
Him being a particularly good spot for them not to
need to decide which days he plays and which days
he doesn't. They decided against putting him on the ten
day IL, and this is why because they wanted to
ease him back into the lineup, not because he wasn't
ready to play on day one or two or three
and they needed five more days of rest, but rather
they wanted to parse out those starts so he could
(37:25):
get into the literal swing of things because he basically
didn't have a spring training at the plate. He basically
wasn't out there in spring training because this was the
time when he was hurt. Rockets basketball is what's coming
your way next. They have seven games remaining tonight and
Friday night, both at home, short two game road trip
out West, and if you didn't hear a report yesterday
(37:45):
from the Athletic and then from today from Shams, of
course Steph Curry is targeting a return to the Golden
State lineup when the Rockets make their last trip out
west to see Golden State this weekend, and then the
Rockets finish the campaign with three games at home. It's
Rockets Bucks tonight. That's what we have for you next,
right here, on Sports Talk seven ninety a C and
MT have the Carl Ross brings you into Rockets launch
(38:08):
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