August 5, 2024 • 15 mins
Last week the Astros acquired Yusei Kikuchi and Caleb Ferguson just before the deadline, looking to increase their bullpen depth. With Kikuchi's win Friday, the Astros lose the series to the Rays. Steve shares a few thoughts on the Astros production and coming out of an unpleasant weekend.
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
We're about the Sean Salisbury Show continued. Steve Sparks joined
us first weekly visit at eight thirty. Great to have
him on ASTROS broadcaster, Steve, welcome.
Speaker 2 (00:11):
Ben.
Speaker 1 (00:13):
You've mentioned many times that the hitting order, and rightfully so,
isn't a big concern of yours. You expect them to
hit well other than the Ryan I'm not telling you
that you don't know other than.
Speaker 3 (00:24):
The White Sox.
Speaker 1 (00:24):
Last fifteen games or so, they're second to the bottom
in runs scored. So what's going on with them, Steve
that you can see that year in the ballpark every night.
Speaker 3 (00:36):
Well, a lot of.
Speaker 2 (00:37):
Guys have gotten cold at the same time, and that's
going to happen.
Speaker 3 (00:41):
You'll have spurts where that occurs.
Speaker 2 (00:44):
But I'm surprised to some extent that it hasn't happened
more with Tucker out of the lineup. Nobody's going to
pitch to yord On, you know, but you've got your
table setters right now that have gone cold without TV,
and so jord On isn't just getting opportunities to really
drive the ball because nobody's gonna throw him many pitches.
Speaker 3 (01:08):
To really hit. So I think that's part of the
problem right now. So I think they're just.
Speaker 2 (01:13):
Biting time and hopefully they continue to pitch as well
as they can.
Speaker 3 (01:17):
You mentioned that puny run.
Speaker 2 (01:19):
Production, but they still are close to five hundred and those,
so I mean, you've got to feel pretty fortunate about that.
Speaker 3 (01:28):
So they've done a great job in that matter.
Speaker 2 (01:30):
But yeah, offensively one through nine, it doesn't look as
lengthy as it has at other times.
Speaker 3 (01:35):
But a lot of that is because.
Speaker 2 (01:37):
Tucker's out of there, and he's one of the best
hitters in baseball.
Speaker 1 (01:40):
Hey, Steve, you you had mentioned about jord On, you know,
not seeing the pitches he can drive. He's such a
great hitter. But in his power, you know, where he
can hit the ball out of the ballpark. Is there
no mechanical issues or nothing wrong with him? Do you
think it is just simply they're locating where they want
to and they're not going to throw him a good
pitch because of the lack of protection of the lineup.
(02:01):
Is that is that solely what you see from and
a little bad luck hitting it at people? But why
isn't the ball going out of the ballpark other than that, you.
Speaker 2 (02:10):
Know, yeah, probably mechanical at some point, good enough to
see super small things that might be going on right now.
But the glaring numbers between home and road right now
for him would suggest that he's just not seeing the
ball that well at home. So I think he's hitting
two fifty ish at home and three fifty ish on
(02:33):
the road, and the ops numbers are super spread in
those regards.
Speaker 3 (02:38):
So you know, the Astros go to Globe By Field.
In the last ten or eleven games there, they're averaging
almost nine runs of games.
Speaker 2 (02:45):
So maybe that's what's That's what's going to cure their
ills right now, is just getting into an environment where
they've had pass success and they can go out there
and start banging again. But right now it seems like
bottom half of the lineup is it really picking up
the slack?
Speaker 1 (03:04):
Steve Sparks, Astros broadcaster, for his weekly visit, Steve, I,
do you do you like teams? We had the conversation
from a caller, and I don't think he was suggested
that he doesn't like teams that win ugly. But if
he felt like that, if the Astros weren't gifted something
in game, like an air from the other team or
(03:24):
mistakes that this year, it just isn't hitting to the
point where they look smooth in their wins. You know,
if it's not clean, other teams are playing cleaner than them,
So is it a Steve is a former player as well.
Do you see the teams that know how to win ugly?
Like you mentioned these games, there's still only one game
at a first place. Are those teams better equipped for
(03:45):
the postseason than a team that has had a fairly smooth,
easy path path to the You know, they're scoring six
runs and five runs and not facing much adversity.
Speaker 3 (03:55):
Which team do you like better? I think in the
playoffs are usually those ones that you're talking about.
Speaker 2 (04:03):
Those are the ones that are more clean and they
don't give games away.
Speaker 3 (04:06):
It's it's unreal. It's like we go over and listen
to the other team's.
Speaker 2 (04:10):
Manager most days as well, and almost everybody, to a
man in the last five years, is talked about how
his team has to p play clean baseball to beat
this Astros too, can't give them extra outs.
Speaker 3 (04:23):
They say it almost every day.
Speaker 2 (04:25):
You know, they talk about how perfectly they almost have
to play to beat them. So you know, that's the
kind of pressure that the Astros put on teams, and
even going into a series. They know it, so that
makes them a little tighter even going into the series.
I think the Astros can play more clean than they
have lately, you know. I think they can shore it
up a little bit in a few areas, and I
(04:47):
think that's part of being tired, you know, and.
Speaker 3 (04:51):
What they've done.
Speaker 2 (04:52):
They've played guys to a great degree. And I think
being able to get some guys off their feet, and
I'm thinking of Bregnant and Paynya and Alqve maybe rotate
them in the in the d a spot or get
them off their feet for a day or every once
in a while.
Speaker 3 (05:09):
Could go a long way.
Speaker 2 (05:10):
But right now it's really hard to pick those days
because there's only a games separating them and the Mariners
and the Rangers are nipping at their heels too, so
it's very difficult to do. But I think in the
long run, you look at the big picture, I think
it would be beneficial. But I think a lot of
teams you look at ugly games, I think it's a
lot of times because guys are.
Speaker 1 (05:29):
Tired, yet they still know how to win those a
lot of times to or at least that's been their
mo in the past, to be able to find a
way well. Other teams have to play clean to beat
the Astros. The Astros have survived at times not playing
clean and still winning games, which is a tribute to
you know, when pitching's going well or somebody getting the
right timing of the hit, which hasn't.
Speaker 3 (05:48):
Been their norm this year.
Speaker 1 (05:49):
Steve go going back to the to the Kyle Tucker situation,
because I well, first off, let me let me ask
you this what the Astros? Could you mentioned the exhaustion
both are on my mind.
Speaker 3 (06:02):
They're tired.
Speaker 1 (06:03):
That run that they had that you had called and
said June in July is a good chance for them
to start moving like on a golf on a Saturday
at a major, and they did. Could there because they
had so much ground to makeup. Could that emotional and
mental exhaustion catch back up to you to where it's like, damn,
we exerted so much energy and we're not getting the
rest we need after that. That that becomes a problem
(06:26):
with this as well, the emotional and mental grind as
opposed to just the physical.
Speaker 3 (06:31):
I don't think they think like that.
Speaker 2 (06:33):
I think they just go out there and prepare them
was the same way every day they're fifteen to thirty
five since the end of April. That's the best record
in all of baseball over the long haul. You just
look at doing things the same way every day, because
you know that works over.
Speaker 3 (06:46):
The long haul.
Speaker 2 (06:47):
Out of the last eighty five games, they're the best
in all of baseball. So you want to look at
ten game samples that I think you're missing the picture
on what they do really well is they prepare.
Speaker 3 (06:58):
They're good to begin with, and they just keep forging
on Mentally.
Speaker 2 (07:03):
I don't think that they feel like they've gotten to
where they want to go just because they caught the
maritors at one point. I think they understand that that
there's something way down the line, it's a couple of
months away, and they just keep doing the same thing
over and over.
Speaker 1 (07:18):
Steve, are you surprised, I mean, when when this happened
with Kyle Tucker and by it's obviously a serious injury
because the guy's been durable. Are you surprised it's taken
Are you surprised it's taken this long?
Speaker 3 (07:29):
Oh? Yeah, of course. Yeah.
Speaker 2 (07:31):
We all thought it was going to be a minimal
eye ol stit and I don't question him at all.
As far as how long it's taking, it's just it's
just one of those things where it's frustrating on a
fans and you know, an organization that you can't get
him in there because he means so much to the team.
So other than that, that's that's all I'm thinking, because
(07:54):
I know he's doing everything you can.
Speaker 3 (07:56):
I'll be honest with you. I seek him in the.
Speaker 2 (07:58):
Hotel pools, the indoors with trainers every day, you know,
So he's he's getting after it, and you know, it's
just a situation where to plant that foot and to
twist is excruciating.
Speaker 3 (08:15):
Yeah, So whatever it takes to get in to getting
past that, I don't know what it is. It's just
a matter of healing.
Speaker 2 (08:22):
And once he gets to that point, he'll hit the
ground running and the astros are.
Speaker 3 (08:26):
Just hoping it soon. You know. I know he stayed
back for the first portion of this road trip.
Speaker 2 (08:31):
He just wants to make sure he exhausts everything he
can at the ballpark with the trainers there and the
doctor's there to.
Speaker 3 (08:38):
Continue to push this forward.
Speaker 2 (08:41):
There's a flying line, and you know, on injuries, pushing
things too far can be detrimental.
Speaker 3 (08:46):
So you got you got to play it.
Speaker 1 (08:47):
Just run, no doubt. This injury sucks. Man, it's a
bummer because like we got really just it just sucks.
He can almost take that injury, Steve that like you know,
the guy blows out his ankle or isn't he You
don't want to, but it's one that you were not
hanging on every trip. Yes, exactly. It's like he will
see Tommy jump. We'll see you next year. We'll see
in eighteen months, we'll see in twelve months. This one
(09:08):
is like every day you wake up, is this the day?
So the frustration?
Speaker 3 (09:12):
All right?
Speaker 1 (09:12):
Last week when the trade came down, your initial your
initial thought is a baseball guy Kokuchie for you know,
for Wagner and Bloss and for low perfdo.
Speaker 2 (09:25):
My first thought was I'm glad they didn't part with Melton,
Matthews and Uola.
Speaker 3 (09:32):
That's my that's my initial thought. Okay, I love those three.
Speaker 2 (09:36):
Guys, Melton, Matthews and Uola. I think those guys and
even Chase Jorisky down at Lower Myers. I'm sure teams
are asking about these guys, and I know, I know
there's popularity, but there was popularity with Miles Straw and
Jake Marisnik and a.
Speaker 3 (09:53):
Lot of guys that the Astros have traded in years past.
But you got to you got to give up something time.
Speaker 2 (10:00):
To time, and I think Lost was the headliner, and
that in a couple of years down the line he
might be a mid rotation starter in the big leagues
and you're going, man, But the Astros had to give
themselves a chance to get five or six innings in
every single spot in their rotation, or because of what
we've been talking about, their relievers were not going to
(10:22):
be upright at the end. So getting Kikuchi in there,
who posts every day, nobody has started more games than
Kakuchi this year. It's going to go out there and
give you good, solid, major league innings was paramount.
Speaker 3 (10:34):
They had nobody else to rely on.
Speaker 2 (10:36):
In the minor league at this point that had any
experience to do that.
Speaker 3 (10:40):
So to get him it was going to cost.
Speaker 2 (10:43):
The other team knows exactly how badly you need them,
and they're going to squeeze you for everything they can,
and I thought they did a good job of not
giving up their their best pieces. It hurt, and it's
a lot, and it looks like, all right, they give
up three guys that looks like they can help major
league team, But the Astros also have guys that are
(11:05):
probably better.
Speaker 3 (11:07):
You know in the system. I mentioned Miguel Huyola.
Speaker 2 (11:11):
He's probably better than Blass and I'm glad they didn't
give him up, to be honest with you, I love
that kid.
Speaker 1 (11:16):
Yeah, and Steve with that after watching Kakuchi Friday night,
which we know he can induce a lot of swing
and this and struck out eleven and did he pitched
really well Friday? Early indication? If that's what we're going
to see from him after he settled in, then this
trade's definitely Then then this is a win for the Astros,
(11:37):
right And do you think that?
Speaker 3 (11:40):
Go ahead?
Speaker 1 (11:42):
I was just gonna say, do you do you think
that this trade is? Does this get him over the
top and make them a much heavier World Series?
Speaker 3 (11:59):
Are they better? Are they better?
Speaker 2 (12:02):
They're better, no question about it. And he's good and
they think they can unlock some things. And the pitch
usage is the easiest thing to tweak, especially with a
thirty three year old. You're not going to change his
some mechanics and say hey, do this and.
Speaker 3 (12:15):
You'll get better In nine games. We got you for
nine games.
Speaker 2 (12:19):
But there's one thing you can tweak in a nine
game sample size, and if he buys in, and if
you can show and prove to him that this is
probably work, then it's all worth it. So it looked
like the pitch usage, as far as going some more
change ups and utilizing that slider with.
Speaker 3 (12:37):
Two strikes was the way to go. And he bought in.
Speaker 2 (12:40):
And the change up was unbelievable. And how much he
you I think he threw twenty five of those. But
the swing and miss he got more swing and misses
than any Astros pitcher has all season long.
Speaker 3 (12:52):
I think he's twenty.
Speaker 2 (12:52):
Six at the end of the day, and that's an
exorbitant number.
Speaker 3 (12:57):
So he looked great in that one.
Speaker 2 (13:00):
I can't I can't imagine we can expect him to
look like that every game for the next two months.
That of that man would be fantastic. But one thing
like this Astro's rotation right now, they're all pitching well.
Speaker 3 (13:14):
The Astros have.
Speaker 2 (13:15):
Won Fromber's last seven games. Hunter Brown's pitching to a
two three ERA in his last two months.
Speaker 3 (13:22):
You know, you can go down the list. Arrig Getty's
punching out twelve yesterday. Now it looks like you got
a really good chance to win every single night for
a long time. There.
Speaker 2 (13:31):
For a long time, Sean, Uh, you didn't love the
pitching matchup. You know, you look at what the Astros
were facing as far as their picture against their picture,
and you never I didn't feel.
Speaker 3 (13:44):
Great about it agree given night in the last few years.
We always have.
Speaker 2 (13:49):
And to think that you can feel that way, Sean
was six starting pitchers on the IL and you can
still feel like that. I think that's the mark of
how how good this Astros team is is when you
can take like a hard gut touch six times and
still come out smelling like a rose.
Speaker 3 (14:09):
I think that says a ton about them.
Speaker 1 (14:12):
Yeah, Steve, if they go on to win this division
and make a run in this playoffs, this is as
impressive as any of them considering what it is, it
really will it would be as impressive as any of
the runs they've had since in the last seven or
eight years.
Speaker 3 (14:24):
So yeah, yeah.
Speaker 2 (14:26):
You get frustrated with it the offensive time time, but man,
to be in the position they're in, with all they've endured,
it's pretty amazing.
Speaker 3 (14:35):
So I think going forward. Yeah, you can get better.
I'm a little excited about pedro.
Speaker 2 (14:40):
Leone seeing you know, the most of the ball, what
he can possibly do, you know, stick him in the
nine hole and let him.
Speaker 3 (14:48):
Ride for a little bit and see what happens. But
that was overdue. Yeah, I think the Astros did just fine.
I think they've got options.
Speaker 2 (14:57):
And Dana mentioned it on the pregame show yesterday with
Shane Whi him and Zach Decenzo maybe platuning with Singleton.
He said, if you don't trade them, bring them up
and I like that, you know, let's see what you got,
you know, if they need some help from time to time,
let's get him up here.
Speaker 1 (15:14):
Yeah. The only way we're going to see is by
putting them in a batter's box and letter rip. Let's
do this. I'm with you, Steve Hey, great stuff, my man.
I'm glad it worked out. Kokuchi looked really nice on
Friday night. Let's hope that couldn't continue somewhere close to that,
and the bats will awaken and we'll be back at
it and we look forward to next Monday.
Speaker 3 (15:31):
Steve, thanks so much, brother, Thanks for having me Sean.
Speaker 1 (15:34):
You bet appreciate it. That's a great Steve Sparks, we'll
come back and discuss.
Speaker 3 (15:37):
He likes it.
Speaker 1 (15:38):
And sometimes you got to give up to get and
they got it and it's came a good deal. On
Friday Night, Sports Talk seven ninety rolls on Sean Salsberche
We're about the Sean Salisbury Show continued. Steve Sparks joined
us first weekly visit at eight thirty. Great to have
him on ASTROS broadcaster, Steve, welcome.
Speaker 2 (00:11):
Ben.
Speaker 1 (00:13):
You've mentioned many times that the hitting order, and rightfully so,
isn't a big concern of yours. You expect them to
hit well other than the Ryan I'm not telling you
that you don't know other than.
Speaker 3 (00:24):
The White Sox.
Speaker 1 (00:24):
Last fifteen games or so, they're second to the bottom
in runs scored. So what's going on with them, Steve
that you can see that year in the ballpark every night.
Speaker 3 (00:36):
Well, a lot of.
Speaker 2 (00:37):
Guys have gotten cold at the same time, and that's
going to happen.
Speaker 3 (00:41):
You'll have spurts where that occurs.
Speaker 2 (00:44):
But I'm surprised to some extent that it hasn't happened
more with Tucker out of the lineup. Nobody's going to
pitch to yord On, you know, but you've got your
table setters right now that have gone cold without TV,
and so jord On isn't just getting opportunities to really
drive the ball because nobody's gonna throw him many pitches.
Speaker 3 (01:08):
To really hit. So I think that's part of the
problem right now. So I think they're just.
Speaker 2 (01:13):
Biting time and hopefully they continue to pitch as well
as they can.
Speaker 3 (01:17):
You mentioned that puny run.
Speaker 2 (01:19):
Production, but they still are close to five hundred and those,
so I mean, you've got to feel pretty fortunate about that.
Speaker 3 (01:28):
So they've done a great job in that matter.
Speaker 2 (01:30):
But yeah, offensively one through nine, it doesn't look as
lengthy as it has at other times.
Speaker 3 (01:35):
But a lot of that is because.
Speaker 2 (01:37):
Tucker's out of there, and he's one of the best
hitters in baseball.
Speaker 1 (01:40):
Hey, Steve, you you had mentioned about jord On, you know,
not seeing the pitches he can drive. He's such a
great hitter. But in his power, you know, where he
can hit the ball out of the ballpark. Is there
no mechanical issues or nothing wrong with him? Do you
think it is just simply they're locating where they want
to and they're not going to throw him a good
pitch because of the lack of protection of the lineup.
(02:01):
Is that is that solely what you see from and
a little bad luck hitting it at people? But why
isn't the ball going out of the ballpark other than that, you.
Speaker 2 (02:10):
Know, yeah, probably mechanical at some point, good enough to
see super small things that might be going on right now.
But the glaring numbers between home and road right now
for him would suggest that he's just not seeing the
ball that well at home. So I think he's hitting
two fifty ish at home and three fifty ish on
(02:33):
the road, and the ops numbers are super spread in
those regards.
Speaker 3 (02:38):
So you know, the Astros go to Globe By Field.
In the last ten or eleven games there, they're averaging
almost nine runs of games.
Speaker 2 (02:45):
So maybe that's what's That's what's going to cure their
ills right now, is just getting into an environment where
they've had pass success and they can go out there
and start banging again. But right now it seems like
bottom half of the lineup is it really picking up
the slack?
Speaker 1 (03:04):
Steve Sparks, Astros broadcaster, for his weekly visit, Steve, I,
do you do you like teams? We had the conversation
from a caller, and I don't think he was suggested
that he doesn't like teams that win ugly. But if
he felt like that, if the Astros weren't gifted something
in game, like an air from the other team or
(03:24):
mistakes that this year, it just isn't hitting to the
point where they look smooth in their wins. You know,
if it's not clean, other teams are playing cleaner than them,
So is it a Steve is a former player as well.
Do you see the teams that know how to win ugly?
Like you mentioned these games, there's still only one game
at a first place. Are those teams better equipped for
(03:45):
the postseason than a team that has had a fairly smooth,
easy path path to the You know, they're scoring six
runs and five runs and not facing much adversity.
Speaker 3 (03:55):
Which team do you like better? I think in the
playoffs are usually those ones that you're talking about.
Speaker 2 (04:03):
Those are the ones that are more clean and they
don't give games away.
Speaker 3 (04:06):
It's it's unreal. It's like we go over and listen
to the other team's.
Speaker 2 (04:10):
Manager most days as well, and almost everybody, to a
man in the last five years, is talked about how
his team has to p play clean baseball to beat
this Astros too, can't give them extra outs.
Speaker 3 (04:23):
They say it almost every day.
Speaker 2 (04:25):
You know, they talk about how perfectly they almost have
to play to beat them. So you know, that's the
kind of pressure that the Astros put on teams, and
even going into a series. They know it, so that
makes them a little tighter even going into the series.
I think the Astros can play more clean than they
have lately, you know. I think they can shore it
up a little bit in a few areas, and I
(04:47):
think that's part of being tired, you know, and.
Speaker 3 (04:51):
What they've done.
Speaker 2 (04:52):
They've played guys to a great degree. And I think
being able to get some guys off their feet, and
I'm thinking of Bregnant and Paynya and Alqve maybe rotate
them in the in the d a spot or get
them off their feet for a day or every once
in a while.
Speaker 3 (05:09):
Could go a long way.
Speaker 2 (05:10):
But right now it's really hard to pick those days
because there's only a games separating them and the Mariners
and the Rangers are nipping at their heels too, so
it's very difficult to do. But I think in the
long run, you look at the big picture, I think
it would be beneficial. But I think a lot of
teams you look at ugly games, I think it's a
lot of times because guys are.
Speaker 1 (05:29):
Tired, yet they still know how to win those a
lot of times to or at least that's been their
mo in the past, to be able to find a
way well. Other teams have to play clean to beat
the Astros. The Astros have survived at times not playing
clean and still winning games, which is a tribute to
you know, when pitching's going well or somebody getting the
right timing of the hit, which hasn't.
Speaker 3 (05:48):
Been their norm this year.
Speaker 1 (05:49):
Steve go going back to the to the Kyle Tucker situation,
because I well, first off, let me let me ask
you this what the Astros? Could you mentioned the exhaustion
both are on my mind.
Speaker 3 (06:02):
They're tired.
Speaker 1 (06:03):
That run that they had that you had called and
said June in July is a good chance for them
to start moving like on a golf on a Saturday
at a major, and they did. Could there because they
had so much ground to makeup. Could that emotional and
mental exhaustion catch back up to you to where it's like, damn,
we exerted so much energy and we're not getting the
rest we need after that. That that becomes a problem
(06:26):
with this as well, the emotional and mental grind as
opposed to just the physical.
Speaker 3 (06:31):
I don't think they think like that.
Speaker 2 (06:33):
I think they just go out there and prepare them
was the same way every day they're fifteen to thirty
five since the end of April. That's the best record
in all of baseball over the long haul. You just
look at doing things the same way every day, because
you know that works over.
Speaker 3 (06:46):
The long haul.
Speaker 2 (06:47):
Out of the last eighty five games, they're the best
in all of baseball. So you want to look at
ten game samples that I think you're missing the picture
on what they do really well is they prepare.
Speaker 3 (06:58):
They're good to begin with, and they just keep forging
on Mentally.
Speaker 2 (07:03):
I don't think that they feel like they've gotten to
where they want to go just because they caught the
maritors at one point. I think they understand that that
there's something way down the line, it's a couple of
months away, and they just keep doing the same thing
over and over.
Speaker 1 (07:18):
Steve, are you surprised, I mean, when when this happened
with Kyle Tucker and by it's obviously a serious injury
because the guy's been durable. Are you surprised it's taken
Are you surprised it's taken this long?
Speaker 3 (07:29):
Oh? Yeah, of course. Yeah.
Speaker 2 (07:31):
We all thought it was going to be a minimal
eye ol stit and I don't question him at all.
As far as how long it's taking, it's just it's
just one of those things where it's frustrating on a
fans and you know, an organization that you can't get
him in there because he means so much to the team.
So other than that, that's that's all I'm thinking, because
(07:54):
I know he's doing everything you can.
Speaker 3 (07:56):
I'll be honest with you. I seek him in the.
Speaker 2 (07:58):
Hotel pools, the indoors with trainers every day, you know,
So he's he's getting after it, and you know, it's
just a situation where to plant that foot and to
twist is excruciating.
Speaker 3 (08:15):
Yeah, So whatever it takes to get in to getting
past that, I don't know what it is. It's just
a matter of healing.
Speaker 2 (08:22):
And once he gets to that point, he'll hit the
ground running and the astros are.
Speaker 3 (08:26):
Just hoping it soon. You know. I know he stayed
back for the first portion of this road trip.
Speaker 2 (08:31):
He just wants to make sure he exhausts everything he
can at the ballpark with the trainers there and the
doctor's there to.
Speaker 3 (08:38):
Continue to push this forward.
Speaker 2 (08:41):
There's a flying line, and you know, on injuries, pushing
things too far can be detrimental.
Speaker 3 (08:46):
So you got you got to play it.
Speaker 1 (08:47):
Just run, no doubt. This injury sucks. Man, it's a
bummer because like we got really just it just sucks.
He can almost take that injury, Steve that like you know,
the guy blows out his ankle or isn't he You
don't want to, but it's one that you were not
hanging on every trip. Yes, exactly. It's like he will
see Tommy jump. We'll see you next year. We'll see
in eighteen months, we'll see in twelve months. This one
(09:08):
is like every day you wake up, is this the day?
So the frustration?
Speaker 3 (09:12):
All right?
Speaker 1 (09:12):
Last week when the trade came down, your initial your
initial thought is a baseball guy Kokuchie for you know,
for Wagner and Bloss and for low perfdo.
Speaker 2 (09:25):
My first thought was I'm glad they didn't part with Melton,
Matthews and Uola.
Speaker 3 (09:32):
That's my that's my initial thought. Okay, I love those three.
Speaker 2 (09:36):
Guys, Melton, Matthews and Uola. I think those guys and
even Chase Jorisky down at Lower Myers. I'm sure teams
are asking about these guys, and I know, I know
there's popularity, but there was popularity with Miles Straw and
Jake Marisnik and a.
Speaker 3 (09:53):
Lot of guys that the Astros have traded in years past.
But you got to you got to give up something time.
Speaker 2 (10:00):
To time, and I think Lost was the headliner, and
that in a couple of years down the line he
might be a mid rotation starter in the big leagues
and you're going, man, But the Astros had to give
themselves a chance to get five or six innings in
every single spot in their rotation, or because of what
we've been talking about, their relievers were not going to
(10:22):
be upright at the end. So getting Kikuchi in there,
who posts every day, nobody has started more games than
Kakuchi this year. It's going to go out there and
give you good, solid, major league innings was paramount.
Speaker 3 (10:34):
They had nobody else to rely on.
Speaker 2 (10:36):
In the minor league at this point that had any
experience to do that.
Speaker 3 (10:40):
So to get him it was going to cost.
Speaker 2 (10:43):
The other team knows exactly how badly you need them,
and they're going to squeeze you for everything they can,
and I thought they did a good job of not
giving up their their best pieces. It hurt, and it's
a lot, and it looks like, all right, they give
up three guys that looks like they can help major
league team, But the Astros also have guys that are
(11:05):
probably better.
Speaker 3 (11:07):
You know in the system. I mentioned Miguel Huyola.
Speaker 2 (11:11):
He's probably better than Blass and I'm glad they didn't
give him up, to be honest with you, I love
that kid.
Speaker 1 (11:16):
Yeah, and Steve with that after watching Kakuchi Friday night,
which we know he can induce a lot of swing
and this and struck out eleven and did he pitched
really well Friday? Early indication? If that's what we're going
to see from him after he settled in, then this
trade's definitely Then then this is a win for the Astros,
(11:37):
right And do you think that?
Speaker 3 (11:40):
Go ahead?
Speaker 1 (11:42):
I was just gonna say, do you do you think
that this trade is? Does this get him over the
top and make them a much heavier World Series?
Speaker 3 (11:59):
Are they better? Are they better?
Speaker 2 (12:02):
They're better, no question about it. And he's good and
they think they can unlock some things. And the pitch
usage is the easiest thing to tweak, especially with a
thirty three year old. You're not going to change his
some mechanics and say hey, do this and.
Speaker 3 (12:15):
You'll get better In nine games. We got you for
nine games.
Speaker 2 (12:19):
But there's one thing you can tweak in a nine
game sample size, and if he buys in, and if
you can show and prove to him that this is
probably work, then it's all worth it. So it looked
like the pitch usage, as far as going some more
change ups and utilizing that slider with.
Speaker 3 (12:37):
Two strikes was the way to go. And he bought in.
Speaker 2 (12:40):
And the change up was unbelievable. And how much he
you I think he threw twenty five of those. But
the swing and miss he got more swing and misses
than any Astros pitcher has all season long.
Speaker 3 (12:52):
I think he's twenty.
Speaker 2 (12:52):
Six at the end of the day, and that's an
exorbitant number.
Speaker 3 (12:57):
So he looked great in that one.
Speaker 2 (13:00):
I can't I can't imagine we can expect him to
look like that every game for the next two months.
That of that man would be fantastic. But one thing
like this Astro's rotation right now, they're all pitching well.
Speaker 3 (13:14):
The Astros have.
Speaker 2 (13:15):
Won Fromber's last seven games. Hunter Brown's pitching to a
two three ERA in his last two months.
Speaker 3 (13:22):
You know, you can go down the list. Arrig Getty's
punching out twelve yesterday. Now it looks like you got
a really good chance to win every single night for
a long time. There.
Speaker 2 (13:31):
For a long time, Sean, Uh, you didn't love the
pitching matchup. You know, you look at what the Astros
were facing as far as their picture against their picture,
and you never I didn't feel.
Speaker 3 (13:44):
Great about it agree given night in the last few years.
We always have.
Speaker 2 (13:49):
And to think that you can feel that way, Sean
was six starting pitchers on the IL and you can
still feel like that. I think that's the mark of
how how good this Astros team is is when you
can take like a hard gut touch six times and
still come out smelling like a rose.
Speaker 3 (14:09):
I think that says a ton about them.
Speaker 1 (14:12):
Yeah, Steve, if they go on to win this division
and make a run in this playoffs, this is as
impressive as any of them considering what it is, it
really will it would be as impressive as any of
the runs they've had since in the last seven or
eight years.
Speaker 3 (14:24):
So yeah, yeah.
Speaker 2 (14:26):
You get frustrated with it the offensive time time, but man,
to be in the position they're in, with all they've endured,
it's pretty amazing.
Speaker 3 (14:35):
So I think going forward. Yeah, you can get better.
I'm a little excited about pedro.
Speaker 2 (14:40):
Leone seeing you know, the most of the ball, what
he can possibly do, you know, stick him in the
nine hole and let him.
Speaker 3 (14:48):
Ride for a little bit and see what happens. But
that was overdue. Yeah, I think the Astros did just fine.
I think they've got options.
Speaker 2 (14:57):
And Dana mentioned it on the pregame show yesterday with
Shane Whi him and Zach Decenzo maybe platuning with Singleton.
He said, if you don't trade them, bring them up
and I like that, you know, let's see what you got,
you know, if they need some help from time to time,
let's get him up here.
Speaker 1 (15:14):
Yeah. The only way we're going to see is by
putting them in a batter's box and letter rip. Let's
do this. I'm with you, Steve Hey, great stuff, my man.
I'm glad it worked out. Kokuchi looked really nice on
Friday night. Let's hope that couldn't continue somewhere close to that,
and the bats will awaken and we'll be back at
it and we look forward to next Monday.
Speaker 3 (15:31):
Steve, thanks so much, brother, Thanks for having me Sean.
Speaker 1 (15:34):
You bet appreciate it. That's a great Steve Sparks, we'll
come back and discuss.
Speaker 3 (15:37):
He likes it.
Speaker 1 (15:38):
And sometimes you got to give up to get and
they got it and it's came a good deal. On
Friday Night, Sports Talk seven ninety rolls on Sean Salsberche
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