June 13, 2024 • 11 mins
Brian Bogusevic, former Astros outfielder and Space City Home Network analyst, joins Next Up after the San Francisco Giants defeated the Astros 5-3 Wednesday at Oracle Park. Framber Valdez started on the mound, recording a season-low four innings while allowing eight hits and five earned runs. "That's a tough call to make" to pull Valdez early, but "when guys are elevating off of him, it's not good," Bogusevic said. The Astros dropped the three game series to the Giants 2-1, have lost three out of their last four games, land at a 31-38 record on the season and fall 8.5 games back from the lead in the AL West. Bogusevic says "it's the veteran guys...that got to lead the way" for a postseason spot. "They have to turn leads into wins every time." Jon Singleton returned to the lineup Wednesday, batting in the cleanup spot as the designated hitter, but went 0-4 at the plate. Jose Abreu started at first base and batted eighth, going 0-3 with his at-bats. In regards to playing Abreu, "I don't think it's Joe Espada's decision," Bogusevic said. Espada and Dana Brown "are being handed a roster that they need to play." The Astros are "just stuck with that you have...until you find a better option." The MLB trade deadline falls on July 30, and Bogusevic says the Astros are "going to be in position to add" to the roster. "They can only get better," and the main acquisitions would need to address "starting pitching" and "a big bat somewhere" in the lineup.
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
(00:00):
For more clarity on yesterday's game andthe totality of the Astro season thus far.
Won't you say we go back?Let's go to the phone lines now.
The guest line, the former Astroin his own right. You see
him doing great work on Space CityHome Network, dropping by for his weekly
one. Brian Bogusamic Bogue, Goodmorning to you, Good morning, how
y'all doing? Uh? The Astrosplayed, which means Gordon and I am
(00:23):
probably gonna argue, and so webring you into officy eight. All right,
let's start with Let's start with yesterdayafternoon. Fromber did not have a
great outing, and given where thelineup was mostly due to injury, astros
come up short. What stood outmost to you specific to yesterday? First
(00:46):
of all, it would be theamount of hard contact against Fromber. I
mean, he's a guy who youknow typically pitches to contact, but most
of it happens on the ground.When guys are elevating the ball off of
him, When guys are getting whatlooked like comfortable swings off of him,
(01:06):
you know that it's not right.And I think that you know certainly had
a lot to do with the quickhook for him, because you know,
a guy who pitches the way Frombertdoes. You can have some games where
teams rack up hits against them andit's just ground balls that are finding holes,
and you know, hey, we'llstick with it. It'll be all
right, it'll be all right.It was obvious that that that wasn't the
(01:29):
case yesterday, so I think thespot of recognized that pretty early as well.
And you know, that's a toughcall to make because you know you're
basically going all in on your bullpenbeing able to hold the lead, which
which they did. You know,you don't turn it into a win,
but with the off day on theback side of it, you can you
can kind of use everybody up.But yeah, that's probably the most concerning
(01:49):
thing. It'd be one thing ifRomber gave up a bunch of hits and
it was just ground balls finding holes. But when guys are elevating off of
him, not good. Yeah.I said this, Brian, I mean
yesterday to me, you know,Fromber was outstanding the prior to starts,
and so you know, I chalkedthat up to Okay, it was a
bad outing, and every good pictureis entitled to one of those. But
it's just magnified on top of theheat, on the heels of you know,
(02:12):
the bullpen blows the game on Sunday, and then the bullpen blows that
you know, you you finally executein extra innings and take a three to
one lead in the tenth, andthen Montero can't protect it and you blow
that one, and so all thisis compounded. Like in a normal season,
a loss like that yesterday happens ina World Series year, right like
a from ber of JV, justas a game where they don't have it.
However, it's compounded when you havetwo games prior to that where the
(02:35):
bullpen blew it and now you've youknow, lost three out of four,
and so it's just so frustrating.Like somebody described this season as it's like
we're doggy paddling, like we're inwater. We're trying to get across the
pool, but we just cannot gainany ground. And it's I don't know
what more to say other than thisis just so frustrating. It's terribly frustrating,
and you're right, it is compounding. You know, if you're on
(02:57):
the track to a one hundred andfive win season, a game like yesterday
is just you know, whatever,you move on and you go on another
streak where you win five six gamesin a row, think about it.
But yes, because of the waythe previous losses happened, but also the
fact that you don't have you know, you haven't allowed yourself to have much
margin for error anymore. And agame when Fromber's on the mound you needed
(03:19):
to be a win, a gamewhen a lead is handed over to the
back of the bullpen, it needsto be turned into wins. You don't
have the luxury anymore of saying,you know, that's kind of baseball,
and those things happen where they can'treally happen anymore. And that's what's so
frustrating is if you look at thisroad trip and the three and three road
trip, and the way the threelosses unfolded, wouldn't be how you would
(03:44):
think this team would get beat atthis point in the season, with the
depth of the starting pitching being tested, with injuries to Tucker in the lineup,
and trying to just kind of piecetogether a lineup, you would think
those would be the things that wouldcome up to bite you. But the
fact that the back of the bullpengave up two leads and Fromber had a
dud start, and those are yourthree losses. That's what's a so terribly
(04:06):
frustrating, is that those are theones that you think you should be able
to get wins. But b that'salso the carrot that's being dangled out in
front of this team and saying,hey, if we get these things right,
we should be able to win awhole bunch of games. And we've
been saying that all season, butyou know, it continues to not happen
consistently. The voice of Brian Bogacevic, formally the twenty fourth overall pick in
(04:28):
the five MLB draft by the HoustonAstro, is doing great work on Space
City Space City Home Network. Excuseme, you can see him a pretty
regular basis. Thanks for dropping byon every Thursday at ten thirty. I'm
sorry, I was reading something.I got a bit distracted, all right,
Boga, give me the Brian Bogacevicpath to prosperity as the All Star
(04:53):
Game approaches. I mean, Iwhat it we a month away? All
right, Bogie, who's got tolead to charge? Here? Tucks limping
around and if you saw him inthe uh, you know the line there
shaking hands with the guys as theywere coming out the field. So it's
not going to be back for aminute. Uh, who's got to do
this? Jordon played well yesterday andthey still came up. Give me the
players. Who's got to do thething to get this this ship righted?
(05:15):
You know, I think it's it'spretty it's a pretty easy answer. And
you could probably just look at thepayroll and say, who are the guys
that got to lead the way?And it's got to be your veteran guys,
and it's it's El Tuve, Bregman, and Jordan, you know,
for now, until Tucker gets back. They those three and then eventually four
(05:35):
basically have to be great for therest of the season. Verlander and Fromber
at the top of the rotation haveto be great, and then three four
guys at the back of the bullpen. You know, if you want to
include Montero in that, which he'sbeen really good for most of the season.
They have to turn leads into wins, you know, every time,
(05:57):
and and all all the rest ofthe stuff, all of the you know,
Jake Myers has been a great storyPain has been great offensively this year.
Those things are all additive, youknow, moved on the margins.
Should low persido be in Triple Aor the big leagues? Should guys be
pinch hitting or pinch running it likethat? Like those are all on the
fringes, right. You need thesecore guys to be the leaders and really
(06:21):
just get hot for the last threemonths of the season. And unless your
dudes are dudes, you're not gonnahave much of a chance. I feel
like I'm beating a dead horse herebecause I feel like it continues to come
up. But how much long arewe gonna do? So break you thing?
I mean, it's for them toput on a line up yesterday,
Brian with both a bray you andJohn Singleton in it. Who's Singleton's averages
(06:43):
down to two thirteen and a Breoat one twenty four? Like I feel
like math has to take a hasto supersede thoughts sometimes and go, hey,
this doesn't make sense. This isnot a great lineup one through nine?
Like how much longer do we haveto go through the Brea? You
think, God bless him, he'smaking a lot of money. But I
think everybody can see, even theblind fans that Mini Ma Park can see
the same working. Yeah, it'sit's very much the same now as it
(07:13):
was to start the year. AndI think it's kind of, you know,
work itself out that that's kind ofgoing to be the way it is.
So I don't think it's Joe aspot of decision. I don't necessarily
think it's Dana Brown's decision. Soare you saying specifically, well, my
original question of who's of who's onthe roster and who plays? So you
(07:33):
don't think a spot and Dana Brownon sittting the lineup every day, I
think that they are being handed aroster that they need to play. I
mean, what what what are theoptions? I mean at first base,
you only have two options and noneof neither of them has been awesome.
And until there's there's a better option, what what are you going to do?
So I think if, if,if management decides that at the trade
(07:57):
deadline or coming up to the tradedeadline they really want to double down and
go use some prospect capital or throwsome cash around to make an acquisition.
You're kind of just stuck with whatyou have to say. You know,
how long is this going to taketo run its course? With the brain
that the answer is until there's reallya better option, which there really isn't
(08:20):
one at this point. For you, what is that line? And I
asked you this before, and I'mtrying to frame it differently because Gordon on
eleven o'clock out, we're going toget into a channel of rong piece.
Gordon and I argue yesterday about whatdo they do by the time they get
to the deadline. Because of yourposition, I will spare you that and
(08:41):
just ask you, what do youpresume the Astros will do, whether it
be first base, whether it bea pitcher, will they stay pat will
they add or will they subtract.I think they're going to be in position
to add because I don't think anybody'sgoing to run away with the division.
(09:01):
And I think that they the Astrosas a team, can only play better.
I think they've played their worst baseball. They've kind of tread water for
a while. I think they canonly get better, so they will be
within a reasonable striking distance. Andthe two areas that they add would be
starting pitching, but I don't thinkit's at the top of the rotation.
I think it would just be gettingsomebody who could fill in the middle or
(09:24):
back of the rotation with and kindof be trusted to just give quality innings.
And then you have to add abig bat somewhere, whether that's getting
somebody to mix into an outfield DHmix or somebody in a first base mix.
Those would be the obvious two.The question becomes is how much are
(09:45):
you willing to part with? Andthen really what do you have to part
with? Do you have enough inthe farm system to entice somebody to trade
one of those larger pieces. Andalso one of the things that the Astros
have had in years past, theyhaven't necessarily use it, but to carrot
to dangle at the trade deadline,was they had this surplus of major league
(10:05):
ready starting pitching. They had guyslike Orkidi, Luis Arcia JP France,
all these guys that were kind ofall in the mix for their back end
of the rotation. That's all beendried up like that's not an option to
trade from. So it comes straightstraight up to is there enough in the
farm system to go get one ofthose big pieces? And you know,
(10:26):
if you go by just prospect rankings, the answer is probably not. So
how do you make that work?You know, unless you just take on
a whole bunch of salaries from somebodyfascinating. We'll continue to do this.
Don't worry, Bogie, we gotanother six weeks to do this. We'll
have this now. Every week we'regoing to revisit that exact same question based
on where the astros all. Weappreciate you dropping by you know that,
(10:48):
brother, and again you do greatwork there on Space City Home Network astros
Analysts former astro in his own right, brother did some pitching as well as
some outfield work. Brian Bogusavik followhim on social at Brian b O g
U s E V I C talkto you, Bogan. All right guy,
my man,
For more clarity on yesterday's game andthe totality of the Astro season thus far.
Won't you say we go back?Let's go to the phone lines now.
The guest line, the former Astroin his own right. You see
him doing great work on Space CityHome Network, dropping by for his weekly
one. Brian Bogusamic Bogue, Goodmorning to you, Good morning, how
y'all doing? Uh? The Astrosplayed, which means Gordon and I am
(00:23):
probably gonna argue, and so webring you into officy eight. All right,
let's start with Let's start with yesterdayafternoon. Fromber did not have a
great outing, and given where thelineup was mostly due to injury, astros
come up short. What stood outmost to you specific to yesterday? First
(00:46):
of all, it would be theamount of hard contact against Fromber. I
mean, he's a guy who youknow typically pitches to contact, but most
of it happens on the ground.When guys are elevating the ball off of
him, When guys are getting whatlooked like comfortable swings off of him,
(01:06):
you know that it's not right.And I think that you know certainly had
a lot to do with the quickhook for him, because you know,
a guy who pitches the way Frombertdoes. You can have some games where
teams rack up hits against them andit's just ground balls that are finding holes,
and you know, hey, we'llstick with it. It'll be all
right, it'll be all right.It was obvious that that that wasn't the
(01:29):
case yesterday, so I think thespot of recognized that pretty early as well.
And you know, that's a toughcall to make because you know you're
basically going all in on your bullpenbeing able to hold the lead, which
which they did. You know,you don't turn it into a win,
but with the off day on theback side of it, you can you
can kind of use everybody up.But yeah, that's probably the most concerning
(01:49):
thing. It'd be one thing ifRomber gave up a bunch of hits and
it was just ground balls finding holes. But when guys are elevating off of
him, not good. Yeah.I said this, Brian, I mean
yesterday to me, you know,Fromber was outstanding the prior to starts,
and so you know, I chalkedthat up to Okay, it was a
bad outing, and every good pictureis entitled to one of those. But
it's just magnified on top of theheat, on the heels of you know,
(02:12):
the bullpen blows the game on Sunday, and then the bullpen blows that
you know, you you finally executein extra innings and take a three to
one lead in the tenth, andthen Montero can't protect it and you blow
that one, and so all thisis compounded. Like in a normal season,
a loss like that yesterday happens ina World Series year, right like
a from ber of JV, justas a game where they don't have it.
However, it's compounded when you havetwo games prior to that where the
(02:35):
bullpen blew it and now you've youknow, lost three out of four,
and so it's just so frustrating.Like somebody described this season as it's like
we're doggy paddling, like we're inwater. We're trying to get across the
pool, but we just cannot gainany ground. And it's I don't know
what more to say other than thisis just so frustrating. It's terribly frustrating,
and you're right, it is compounding. You know, if you're on
(02:57):
the track to a one hundred andfive win season, a game like yesterday
is just you know, whatever,you move on and you go on another
streak where you win five six gamesin a row, think about it.
But yes, because of the waythe previous losses happened, but also the
fact that you don't have you know, you haven't allowed yourself to have much
margin for error anymore. And agame when Fromber's on the mound you needed
(03:19):
to be a win, a gamewhen a lead is handed over to the
back of the bullpen, it needsto be turned into wins. You don't
have the luxury anymore of saying,you know, that's kind of baseball,
and those things happen where they can'treally happen anymore. And that's what's so
frustrating is if you look at thisroad trip and the three and three road
trip, and the way the threelosses unfolded, wouldn't be how you would
(03:44):
think this team would get beat atthis point in the season, with the
depth of the starting pitching being tested, with injuries to Tucker in the lineup,
and trying to just kind of piecetogether a lineup, you would think
those would be the things that wouldcome up to bite you. But the
fact that the back of the bullpengave up two leads and Fromber had a
dud start, and those are yourthree losses. That's what's a so terribly
(04:06):
frustrating, is that those are theones that you think you should be able
to get wins. But b that'salso the carrot that's being dangled out in
front of this team and saying,hey, if we get these things right,
we should be able to win awhole bunch of games. And we've
been saying that all season, butyou know, it continues to not happen
consistently. The voice of Brian Bogacevic, formally the twenty fourth overall pick in
(04:28):
the five MLB draft by the HoustonAstro, is doing great work on Space
City Space City Home Network. Excuseme, you can see him a pretty
regular basis. Thanks for dropping byon every Thursday at ten thirty. I'm
sorry, I was reading something.I got a bit distracted, all right,
Boga, give me the Brian Bogacevicpath to prosperity as the All Star
(04:53):
Game approaches. I mean, Iwhat it we a month away? All
right, Bogie, who's got tolead to charge? Here? Tucks limping
around and if you saw him inthe uh, you know the line there
shaking hands with the guys as theywere coming out the field. So it's
not going to be back for aminute. Uh, who's got to do
this? Jordon played well yesterday andthey still came up. Give me the
players. Who's got to do thething to get this this ship righted?
(05:15):
You know, I think it's it'spretty it's a pretty easy answer. And
you could probably just look at thepayroll and say, who are the guys
that got to lead the way?And it's got to be your veteran guys,
and it's it's El Tuve, Bregman, and Jordan, you know,
for now, until Tucker gets back. They those three and then eventually four
(05:35):
basically have to be great for therest of the season. Verlander and Fromber
at the top of the rotation haveto be great, and then three four
guys at the back of the bullpen. You know, if you want to
include Montero in that, which he'sbeen really good for most of the season.
They have to turn leads into wins, you know, every time,
(05:57):
and and all all the rest ofthe stuff, all of the you know,
Jake Myers has been a great storyPain has been great offensively this year.
Those things are all additive, youknow, moved on the margins.
Should low persido be in Triple Aor the big leagues? Should guys be
pinch hitting or pinch running it likethat? Like those are all on the
fringes, right. You need thesecore guys to be the leaders and really
(06:21):
just get hot for the last threemonths of the season. And unless your
dudes are dudes, you're not gonnahave much of a chance. I feel
like I'm beating a dead horse herebecause I feel like it continues to come
up. But how much long arewe gonna do? So break you thing?
I mean, it's for them toput on a line up yesterday,
Brian with both a bray you andJohn Singleton in it. Who's Singleton's averages
(06:43):
down to two thirteen and a Breoat one twenty four? Like I feel
like math has to take a hasto supersede thoughts sometimes and go, hey,
this doesn't make sense. This isnot a great lineup one through nine?
Like how much longer do we haveto go through the Brea? You
think, God bless him, he'smaking a lot of money. But I
think everybody can see, even theblind fans that Mini Ma Park can see
the same working. Yeah, it'sit's very much the same now as it
(07:13):
was to start the year. AndI think it's kind of, you know,
work itself out that that's kind ofgoing to be the way it is.
So I don't think it's Joe aspot of decision. I don't necessarily
think it's Dana Brown's decision. Soare you saying specifically, well, my
original question of who's of who's onthe roster and who plays? So you
(07:33):
don't think a spot and Dana Brownon sittting the lineup every day, I
think that they are being handed aroster that they need to play. I
mean, what what what are theoptions? I mean at first base,
you only have two options and noneof neither of them has been awesome.
And until there's there's a better option, what what are you going to do?
So I think if, if,if management decides that at the trade
(07:57):
deadline or coming up to the tradedeadline they really want to double down and
go use some prospect capital or throwsome cash around to make an acquisition.
You're kind of just stuck with whatyou have to say. You know,
how long is this going to taketo run its course? With the brain
that the answer is until there's reallya better option, which there really isn't
(08:20):
one at this point. For you, what is that line? And I
asked you this before, and I'mtrying to frame it differently because Gordon on
eleven o'clock out, we're going toget into a channel of rong piece.
Gordon and I argue yesterday about whatdo they do by the time they get
to the deadline. Because of yourposition, I will spare you that and
(08:41):
just ask you, what do youpresume the Astros will do, whether it
be first base, whether it bea pitcher, will they stay pat will
they add or will they subtract.I think they're going to be in position
to add because I don't think anybody'sgoing to run away with the division.
(09:01):
And I think that they the Astrosas a team, can only play better.
I think they've played their worst baseball. They've kind of tread water for
a while. I think they canonly get better, so they will be
within a reasonable striking distance. Andthe two areas that they add would be
starting pitching, but I don't thinkit's at the top of the rotation.
I think it would just be gettingsomebody who could fill in the middle or
(09:24):
back of the rotation with and kindof be trusted to just give quality innings.
And then you have to add abig bat somewhere, whether that's getting
somebody to mix into an outfield DHmix or somebody in a first base mix.
Those would be the obvious two.The question becomes is how much are
(09:45):
you willing to part with? Andthen really what do you have to part
with? Do you have enough inthe farm system to entice somebody to trade
one of those larger pieces. Andalso one of the things that the Astros
have had in years past, theyhaven't necessarily use it, but to carrot
to dangle at the trade deadline,was they had this surplus of major league
(10:05):
ready starting pitching. They had guyslike Orkidi, Luis Arcia JP France,
all these guys that were kind ofall in the mix for their back end
of the rotation. That's all beendried up like that's not an option to
trade from. So it comes straightstraight up to is there enough in the
farm system to go get one ofthose big pieces? And you know,
(10:26):
if you go by just prospect rankings, the answer is probably not. So
how do you make that work?You know, unless you just take on
a whole bunch of salaries from somebodyfascinating. We'll continue to do this.
Don't worry, Bogie, we gotanother six weeks to do this. We'll
have this now. Every week we'regoing to revisit that exact same question based
on where the astros all. Weappreciate you dropping by you know that,
(10:48):
brother, and again you do greatwork there on Space City Home Network astros
Analysts former astro in his own right, brother did some pitching as well as
some outfield work. Brian Bogusavik followhim on social at Brian b O g
U s E V I C talkto you, Bogan. All right guy,
my man,
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