April 18, 2024 • 12 mins
Brian Bogusevic, former Astros outfielder and Space City Home Network analyst, joins Next Up to react to the Atlanta Braves sweeping the Astros in three-game series at Minute Maid Park. Wednesday's matchup saw the Astros lose 5-4 in the 10th inning, bringing the Astros season record to 6-14. "You don't want to panic," but "its an issue" and the Astros have "to be better," Bogusevic said. The Braves tied the game when Ryan Pressly gave up two runs in eighth. If the back of the bullpen isn't performing well, "the way the team is structured just doesn't really function." José Abreu continued to struggle at first base with a fielding error that resulted in a run for the Braves. Abreu also went 0-for-2 with a walk to drop his batting average to .078. "I think we're going to see [Joey] Loperfido at some point," because "at this point, anything is an upgrade than what you're getting." The Astros faced tough opponents in their first 20 games, but Bogusevic envisions a lighter schedule ahead as the Astros travel to take on the Washington Nationals. "Other players have to have more consistent performances," and "there are things that should level out."
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
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(00:00):
The Houston Astros. Astro Astro.This ex exclusive Astros segment on Sports Talk
seven ninety is brought to you byMoral Mechanical. Yes, let's go,
Hey, let's go. Guys.All right, let's do a weekly segment.
Won't you say? I want toget maximum time with this gentleman because
I'm breathing fire. He's a formerastro brother knows the game. You see
(00:22):
him doing analysts work for Space CittingHome Network, our partners in that light.
Let's go to the guest line.Now, let's talk to the Astros.
Nobody in baseball needs a break morethan the Houston Astros. We know
the record six and fourteen. Beena long time since the record looked like
this through twenty games. Let's welcomein Brian Bogasvic Boget, Good morning.
(00:43):
Have you caught your breath, yougot your thoughts in order? What we're
thinking about these twenty four astros throughtwenty games? Good morning. I think
you are very right in that thisoff day is much needed. You know,
sometimes you worry when it's going reallygood that an off day can kill
the momentum. But in the situationthat we're in right now, a couple
(01:06):
of off days here coming up?Sound pretty good? All right? Let
me start by asking this one.And I mean, there's so many areas
and this has really been my mantraand Gord and I kind of disagree a
little bit, and I'm curious,Like we've got the back of baseball cards
and Dana's talking about the schedule hasbeen daunting when you're a championship club.
(01:26):
Am I wrong for expecting these Astroswith those names in comparison to the rest
of the league, Like, amI wrong for expecting the Astros to play
at a championship level? Or shouldI just embrace Joe A Spot a new
era, new team and just likeafford them the platform to start over.
(01:48):
No, I don't think anything isstarting over. I think that's you know,
a large reason why Joe A.Spotta is the manager this year is
because he's been there for the lastsix years, and you know, it's
not a rebuild or a restart,it's a keep moving this train forward.
So no, I don't think anything'sstarting over. But it's it's a very
(02:09):
difficult thing because you don't want topanic ever, and you certainly don't want
to panic when you're ten percent ofthe season has gone by only okay,
okay, so yes, you haveto you have to say things and do
things in a manner of continuing tojust try to do the right things every
(02:31):
day and let it level out.Because anybody that's spent an entire uh season
with a baseball team knows that thereare a lot of things that you have
to just give time to. Butat the same time, there's also,
uh there there are also times andplaces to say. It's not an issue
(02:52):
of time, it's an issue ofhas to be better, and there's certainly
both things are going on right now. I like and by the way,
shut out, Brian. This isI think first time, first segment I've
been on with you this year.So good to talk with you. Mat
Yeah yeh yeah, yeah. Youget your name on the show, but
you don't show up. Well Isee you coming on. I'm like,
let me bail. I don't wantto talk to Brian. No, I'm
(03:13):
kidding. It's always good Brian though, because we're in this every day to
kind of take step take a stepback and take a ten thousand foot view.
And I know people hate you,know, but when we look at
it. Look, we said comingin the schedule was gonna be tough.
We all admitted this. So whenthe schedule is tough and you lose games,
now it's panic button and all this. But I look at Brian,
the what's ahead. You go andplay the Nationals, they're below five hundred.
(03:38):
You play the Cubs, they're abovefive hundred, But I still think
you're better than that team. TheRockies are god awful, The Guardians are
playing a little bit above their head. I think they're okay. And then
the Mariners are sub five hundred threeor next five series are against teams below
five hundred. I look at thisstretch, Brian and say, here's where
you go get your wins. Ifthey go get swept in DC, then
I'm going, yes, panic button. If they go get swept in Chicago
(03:58):
against the Cubs, yes the panicbutton. But their losses to this point
aren't bad losses. I mean,Kansas City had their number last year and
then they had their number this year. But losing to the Yankees, losen
to the Braves, you know,you actually have the season series lead on
the Rangers. That's the best partof the season so far. So we
can admit two things are true.The start of season has not been good
by any stretch, but they're stillplaying competitive baseball. They're in these games.
(04:20):
They just have to find a wayto win, and you got some
much winnable games coming up on theschedule. Yeah. I mean, whether
you're looking at a team as awhole or an individual player hitter or pitcher,
you have to take kind of realisticlooks at what has happened. You
know, if a hitter is zerofor four but hits the four balls hard,
(04:42):
you can be okay with the process. But if he's four for four
and hit three numbers and got lucky, maybe there's changes that need to be
made even because of the results.So if you're looking at the past twenty
games, and there are certainly thingsthat have to be better right the back
of the bullpen, If those guysdon don't get better, things aren't going
to go well this season, andother players have to have more consistent performances
(05:06):
offensively to win on an everyday basis. But if you look back at this
and say injuries were a huge issuethe offense, some of the underlying factors
were good, but kind of moremore fluky things right, hitting with runders
in scoring position over over this smallestsample size should level out, like there
(05:27):
are things that should level out.But if this is the worst twenty games
with these injuries, this part ofthe schedule and some underperformance from some guys
that you can pretty much rely onto get better as the season goes on,
then only being four and a halfgames out of first place with you
know, one hundred and forty gamesto play, isn't that bad of the
(05:49):
situation. But if another twenty gamesfrom now the record is the same and
the underlying factors are the same,then you can think, Okay, we
we got to be worried. Butno, if this was your most difficult
stretch of the schedule, with avery difficult part of the season in terms
of what you're dealing with, thenI don't think it's all doom and gloom.
(06:14):
Brian bogus Sevic twenty fourth overall selectionby the Astros in the two thousand
and five MLB draft. Man playedwhat about five seasons or so here in
Houston. I do believe of fiveseasons and the major he knows what he's
doing. Been in the outfield alot of other places, Bogi, there
are several holes in the ship.You just addressed a few of them.
If Dana Brown and Joe Spot wereto ask you into the office, what
(06:39):
do you think is most critical tofix, and then what do you think
is easiest to fix moving forward overthis in these next three opponents. Yeah,
okay, so the most critical thingto fix is the bray you Presley
hater part of the bullpen. Thatwas you know, going into this season,
(07:00):
that was the one thing that weknew we were good in the back
of the both ten and it hasn'tbeen you know there, There's there's been
games where they individually haven't looked good. There's been games when you know,
as a as a unit, ithasn't been good. And if if we
get to the seventh inning with alead, it's got to be a win
and and and and it hasn't been. I think that I think that's only
(07:23):
happened maybe once once, maybe twice. This year. Uh So, So
that absolutely has to be six becauseif that doesn't work throughout the course of
the season, then then the teamdoesn't work. The team is set up
to play six inning games and havethe seventh, eighth, and ninth innings
be a given for them. Thatthat is the most critical. I think
(07:43):
the easiest fifth, you know,quote unquote easiest fix is in the starting
pitching, because it's just a matterof getting guys healthy. I mean,
they you get, you get youreplace anybody with Verlander and Fromber and and
the way Christian how has thrown theball. Now all of a sudden,
you're starting pitching has gotten significantly better. At least and and and and at
(08:07):
best you have a unit that canreally carry you. So I think I
think it's easiest, you know,to say, these guys get healthy and
and they're who they're supposed to be. And starting pitching is fine. But
if if the back of the bullpendoesn't work for you know, the majority
of the season, if not theentirety of the season, the way the
team is structured just just doesn't reallyfunction. Yeah, and it's look,
(08:28):
they're they're a team right now builton the offense has to show up if
they if they're scoring eight runs,they're winning. If they're scoring four runs
or less, they're not. Andthat's just kind of what it is.
Now to your point, you getVerlander back, maybe you know, you
get Fromber back yours too, andmaybe you can win more of these four
to two type games when when youget those guys back. But what what's
realistic, Brian? We know Verlanderis going to make his season debut tomorrow
(08:48):
in DC. Uh, you know, a couple of minor league starts and
maybe not the best you know.Uh, we'll look at the box score
going, oh, I give upthese runs. But from what I heard,
at least in Corpus, the defensewasn't great. I mean, that
kind of stuff happens, so he'llhave the best defense behind him coming up
this Jose Brad not great in multipleI'm sorry, what's realistic expectation for Verlander?
(09:16):
Martin? I'm thinking maybe like likefive innings, three runs, something
like that. I wouldn't expect likeseven innings of one run ball from Verlander
tomorrow. No, it's I thinkit would be unrealistic to expect anybody to
come in I mean the first startof the season, which is you know,
essentially coming out of your spring trainingand being seven eight innings and dominating.
(09:37):
But what what he will, atthe very very least do is be
a stabilizing force in the rotation.He's a guy when even even when he's
not totally stretched out, even whenhe's not at his best. Even when
he goes out there and the daydoesn't have his good stuff, he's going
to get you five six innings likethat's that's what he That's like his baseline.
(09:58):
So if and you know, thebiggest thing that we've seen affect this
team over the course of the lasttwo weeks has been just these disaster starts
from guys and then how it affectsthe bullpen and so on down the line.
So I think you know his thefloor that he brings right away is
a stabilizer and innings, and thenyou get down the line, you know,
(10:22):
a couple of starts, and nowall of a sudden, you've got
a guy who can go out thereand just win a game on his own
when he's at his best. Allright, Bog, we got to get
you out here on this one,brother. And I answer this from quickly
even though it's a it's a deepconversation. Jose of Bray, You is
batting below his jersey number. Whatare they going to do with this first
base thing? Last time we askedyou, you said they were gonna stay
with it. We do something withfirst base, Bogue? What are we
(10:46):
doing? Okay? Okay, it'snot going to be a short answer,
but I think here, here's here'sthe first thing. I think we're going
to see low Berfido at some pointsooner than later, but with a couple
of caveats, the first being Idon't think the corresponding move is jose A
Braw. I think he. Ithink I think Lowperfido gets added to the
mix, and you know, yourbest case scenario is still jose A Braw
(11:09):
being whatever version of jose A brayou they think is still in there.
Hey, it's been, it's andit's probably and it's not even really been
that good anymore. But but butI here's the thing. If you bring
(11:30):
up Joey Loperfido and it's a youngplayer and he struggles and you have to
send him back to the minor leagues, if the corresponding move was jose A
Bray, you then you're sitting withnothing. So I I don't think it's
a cutbait situation. I think lowBerfido would eventually get added to the mix,
and at this point anything is anupgrade over what you're getting. But
I think looking down, you know, downstream a little bit, they still
(11:56):
want to try to get some betterversion of jose A. Brew. So
I I think we see a shortterm, you know, solution added to
the mix, but I don't thinkit's anything as permanent as making a wholesale
change. Five years in the BIGSformer first round selection by our astros.
You see him doing great work onSpace City Home Network. Appreciate Brian Bogus
(12:18):
Sevin dropping by for his weekly Pleasefollow him, would you at Brian b
O g U S E V IC. All right, Bogy, get
you some rest, man. Iknow, don stros on the road,
but you'll be in the studio doingwhat you do. Looking forward to seeing
you in hearing your brother talk nextweek. All right, thanks guys,
all right, take care brother
The Houston Astros. Astro Astro.This ex exclusive Astros segment on Sports Talk
seven ninety is brought to you byMoral Mechanical. Yes, let's go,
Hey, let's go. Guys.All right, let's do a weekly segment.
Won't you say? I want toget maximum time with this gentleman because
I'm breathing fire. He's a formerastro brother knows the game. You see
(00:22):
him doing analysts work for Space CittingHome Network, our partners in that light.
Let's go to the guest line.Now, let's talk to the Astros.
Nobody in baseball needs a break morethan the Houston Astros. We know
the record six and fourteen. Beena long time since the record looked like
this through twenty games. Let's welcomein Brian Bogasvic Boget, Good morning.
(00:43):
Have you caught your breath, yougot your thoughts in order? What we're
thinking about these twenty four astros throughtwenty games? Good morning. I think
you are very right in that thisoff day is much needed. You know,
sometimes you worry when it's going reallygood that an off day can kill
the momentum. But in the situationthat we're in right now, a couple
(01:06):
of off days here coming up?Sound pretty good? All right? Let
me start by asking this one.And I mean, there's so many areas
and this has really been my mantraand Gord and I kind of disagree a
little bit, and I'm curious,Like we've got the back of baseball cards
and Dana's talking about the schedule hasbeen daunting when you're a championship club.
(01:26):
Am I wrong for expecting these Astroswith those names in comparison to the rest
of the league, Like, amI wrong for expecting the Astros to play
at a championship level? Or shouldI just embrace Joe A Spot a new
era, new team and just likeafford them the platform to start over.
(01:48):
No, I don't think anything isstarting over. I think that's you know,
a large reason why Joe A.Spotta is the manager this year is
because he's been there for the lastsix years, and you know, it's
not a rebuild or a restart,it's a keep moving this train forward.
So no, I don't think anything'sstarting over. But it's it's a very
(02:09):
difficult thing because you don't want topanic ever, and you certainly don't want
to panic when you're ten percent ofthe season has gone by only okay,
okay, so yes, you haveto you have to say things and do
things in a manner of continuing tojust try to do the right things every
(02:31):
day and let it level out.Because anybody that's spent an entire uh season
with a baseball team knows that thereare a lot of things that you have
to just give time to. Butat the same time, there's also,
uh there there are also times andplaces to say. It's not an issue
(02:52):
of time, it's an issue ofhas to be better, and there's certainly
both things are going on right now. I like and by the way,
shut out, Brian. This isI think first time, first segment I've
been on with you this year.So good to talk with you. Mat
Yeah yeh yeah, yeah. Youget your name on the show, but
you don't show up. Well Isee you coming on. I'm like,
let me bail. I don't wantto talk to Brian. No, I'm
(03:13):
kidding. It's always good Brian though, because we're in this every day to
kind of take step take a stepback and take a ten thousand foot view.
And I know people hate you,know, but when we look at
it. Look, we said comingin the schedule was gonna be tough.
We all admitted this. So whenthe schedule is tough and you lose games,
now it's panic button and all this. But I look at Brian,
the what's ahead. You go andplay the Nationals, they're below five hundred.
(03:38):
You play the Cubs, they're abovefive hundred, But I still think
you're better than that team. TheRockies are god awful, The Guardians are
playing a little bit above their head. I think they're okay. And then
the Mariners are sub five hundred threeor next five series are against teams below
five hundred. I look at thisstretch, Brian and say, here's where
you go get your wins. Ifthey go get swept in DC, then
I'm going, yes, panic button. If they go get swept in Chicago
(03:58):
against the Cubs, yes the panicbutton. But their losses to this point
aren't bad losses. I mean,Kansas City had their number last year and
then they had their number this year. But losing to the Yankees, losen
to the Braves, you know,you actually have the season series lead on
the Rangers. That's the best partof the season so far. So we
can admit two things are true.The start of season has not been good
by any stretch, but they're stillplaying competitive baseball. They're in these games.
(04:20):
They just have to find a wayto win, and you got some
much winnable games coming up on theschedule. Yeah. I mean, whether
you're looking at a team as awhole or an individual player hitter or pitcher,
you have to take kind of realisticlooks at what has happened. You
know, if a hitter is zerofor four but hits the four balls hard,
(04:42):
you can be okay with the process. But if he's four for four
and hit three numbers and got lucky, maybe there's changes that need to be
made even because of the results.So if you're looking at the past twenty
games, and there are certainly thingsthat have to be better right the back
of the bullpen, If those guysdon don't get better, things aren't going
to go well this season, andother players have to have more consistent performances
(05:06):
offensively to win on an everyday basis. But if you look back at this
and say injuries were a huge issuethe offense, some of the underlying factors
were good, but kind of moremore fluky things right, hitting with runders
in scoring position over over this smallestsample size should level out, like there
(05:27):
are things that should level out.But if this is the worst twenty games
with these injuries, this part ofthe schedule and some underperformance from some guys
that you can pretty much rely onto get better as the season goes on,
then only being four and a halfgames out of first place with you
know, one hundred and forty gamesto play, isn't that bad of the
(05:49):
situation. But if another twenty gamesfrom now the record is the same and
the underlying factors are the same,then you can think, Okay, we
we got to be worried. Butno, if this was your most difficult
stretch of the schedule, with avery difficult part of the season in terms
of what you're dealing with, thenI don't think it's all doom and gloom.
(06:14):
Brian bogus Sevic twenty fourth overall selectionby the Astros in the two thousand
and five MLB draft. Man playedwhat about five seasons or so here in
Houston. I do believe of fiveseasons and the major he knows what he's
doing. Been in the outfield alot of other places, Bogi, there
are several holes in the ship.You just addressed a few of them.
If Dana Brown and Joe Spot wereto ask you into the office, what
(06:39):
do you think is most critical tofix, and then what do you think
is easiest to fix moving forward overthis in these next three opponents. Yeah,
okay, so the most critical thingto fix is the bray you Presley
hater part of the bullpen. Thatwas you know, going into this season,
(07:00):
that was the one thing that weknew we were good in the back
of the both ten and it hasn'tbeen you know there, There's there's been
games where they individually haven't looked good. There's been games when you know,
as a as a unit, ithasn't been good. And if if we
get to the seventh inning with alead, it's got to be a win
and and and and it hasn't been. I think that I think that's only
(07:23):
happened maybe once once, maybe twice. This year. Uh So, So
that absolutely has to be six becauseif that doesn't work throughout the course of
the season, then then the teamdoesn't work. The team is set up
to play six inning games and havethe seventh, eighth, and ninth innings
be a given for them. Thatthat is the most critical. I think
(07:43):
the easiest fifth, you know,quote unquote easiest fix is in the starting
pitching, because it's just a matterof getting guys healthy. I mean,
they you get, you get youreplace anybody with Verlander and Fromber and and
the way Christian how has thrown theball. Now all of a sudden,
you're starting pitching has gotten significantly better. At least and and and and at
(08:07):
best you have a unit that canreally carry you. So I think I
think it's easiest, you know,to say, these guys get healthy and
and they're who they're supposed to be. And starting pitching is fine. But
if if the back of the bullpendoesn't work for you know, the majority
of the season, if not theentirety of the season, the way the
team is structured just just doesn't reallyfunction. Yeah, and it's look,
(08:28):
they're they're a team right now builton the offense has to show up if
they if they're scoring eight runs,they're winning. If they're scoring four runs
or less, they're not. Andthat's just kind of what it is.
Now to your point, you getVerlander back, maybe you know, you
get Fromber back yours too, andmaybe you can win more of these four
to two type games when when youget those guys back. But what what's
realistic, Brian? We know Verlanderis going to make his season debut tomorrow
(08:48):
in DC. Uh, you know, a couple of minor league starts and
maybe not the best you know.Uh, we'll look at the box score
going, oh, I give upthese runs. But from what I heard,
at least in Corpus, the defensewasn't great. I mean, that
kind of stuff happens, so he'llhave the best defense behind him coming up
this Jose Brad not great in multipleI'm sorry, what's realistic expectation for Verlander?
(09:16):
Martin? I'm thinking maybe like likefive innings, three runs, something
like that. I wouldn't expect likeseven innings of one run ball from Verlander
tomorrow. No, it's I thinkit would be unrealistic to expect anybody to
come in I mean the first startof the season, which is you know,
essentially coming out of your spring trainingand being seven eight innings and dominating.
(09:37):
But what what he will, atthe very very least do is be
a stabilizing force in the rotation.He's a guy when even even when he's
not totally stretched out, even whenhe's not at his best. Even when
he goes out there and the daydoesn't have his good stuff, he's going
to get you five six innings likethat's that's what he That's like his baseline.
(09:58):
So if and you know, thebiggest thing that we've seen affect this
team over the course of the lasttwo weeks has been just these disaster starts
from guys and then how it affectsthe bullpen and so on down the line.
So I think you know his thefloor that he brings right away is
a stabilizer and innings, and thenyou get down the line, you know,
(10:22):
a couple of starts, and nowall of a sudden, you've got
a guy who can go out thereand just win a game on his own
when he's at his best. Allright, Bog, we got to get
you out here on this one,brother. And I answer this from quickly
even though it's a it's a deepconversation. Jose of Bray, You is
batting below his jersey number. Whatare they going to do with this first
base thing? Last time we askedyou, you said they were gonna stay
with it. We do something withfirst base, Bogue? What are we
(10:46):
doing? Okay? Okay, it'snot going to be a short answer,
but I think here, here's here'sthe first thing. I think we're going
to see low Berfido at some pointsooner than later, but with a couple
of caveats, the first being Idon't think the corresponding move is jose A
Braw. I think he. Ithink I think Lowperfido gets added to the
mix, and you know, yourbest case scenario is still jose A Braw
(11:09):
being whatever version of jose A brayou they think is still in there.
Hey, it's been, it's andit's probably and it's not even really been
that good anymore. But but butI here's the thing. If you bring
(11:30):
up Joey Loperfido and it's a youngplayer and he struggles and you have to
send him back to the minor leagues, if the corresponding move was jose A
Bray, you then you're sitting withnothing. So I I don't think it's
a cutbait situation. I think lowBerfido would eventually get added to the mix,
and at this point anything is anupgrade over what you're getting. But
I think looking down, you know, downstream a little bit, they still
(11:56):
want to try to get some betterversion of jose A. Brew. So
I I think we see a shortterm, you know, solution added to
the mix, but I don't thinkit's anything as permanent as making a wholesale
change. Five years in the BIGSformer first round selection by our astros.
You see him doing great work onSpace City Home Network. Appreciate Brian Bogus
(12:18):
Sevin dropping by for his weekly Pleasefollow him, would you at Brian b
O g U S E V IC. All right, Bogy, get
you some rest, man. Iknow, don stros on the road,
but you'll be in the studio doingwhat you do. Looking forward to seeing
you in hearing your brother talk nextweek. All right, thanks guys,
all right, take care brother
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