April 7, 2025 • 14 mins
Shaking back from their horrendous series against the San Francisco Giants finishing 0-3, the Astros look to have turned the page concluding their series against the Minnesota Twins finishing 2-1 yesterday afternoon. Grinding out a huge win yesterday to solidify the series win, Astros broadcaster Steve Sparks joins for his weekly segment with Sean and Dan and shares a few of his thoughts and takeaways from this series and yesterday's nail biting game. Also, following yesterday's gritty win, Steve also shares what does grinding out a win like this mean looking ahead as we've merely just scratched the surface of the 2025 season.
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Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:02):
Salsbury, old Bury, Salisbury.
Speaker 2 (00:07):
Okay, let's do this Sewn Salisbury USC Troupes, longtime friend
Shawn Salisbury, Dan Matthews.
Speaker 1 (00:17):
This is the Sewan Salisbury Show.
Speaker 3 (00:23):
Eight o'clock every Monday means Steve Sparks joins the show. Yeah,
Steve Sparks, welcome in early out on the West Coast.
We got him, we got him here. Now we always
do uh at eight o'clock on Mondays. Steve over this weekend.
I guess for you. Wins on Sunday. We'll get back
to Saturday in a second. But when you win a
game like they did yesterday, I know one game doesn't
(00:46):
make a season, but do you always do do people
point back to six, seven, eight, ten times during the
year we say that might have been the turnaround? Does
a game this early kind of require that significance as
you roll down the stretch as the season rolls along,
even though it's early ten games in.
Speaker 4 (01:03):
Yeah, so, I think so.
Speaker 2 (01:04):
And the reason is is we've seen so many times
over the last two years where it almost starts to
just kind of build up for the Astros offensively, where
it starts with good, extensive at bats, maybe you know,
and walking a little bit more and seeing yourselves in
better counts, and then I think, for me, it's all right.
(01:24):
Here's a couple of games in a row where they've
left double digit men on base, but they didn't hit
well with runners in scoring position, and then they start
to explode and then becoming themselves again.
Speaker 4 (01:36):
So I think that's where they are now.
Speaker 2 (01:38):
And I think we saw it start to build slowly
in Minnesota and it culminated with that great comeback win yesterday.
So to get those big hits in big situations, I
think it was a matter of time because some of
these guys were probably pressing a little bit early on
in the season, maybe new guy on the team, stuff
(01:59):
like that. But you know, you saw it all culminate
yesterday a race against six run deficit.
Speaker 4 (02:04):
It's pretty cool.
Speaker 3 (02:05):
Yeah, Steve ten what ten hits with the first four
guys in the order, which has been a nice change.
I want to get back to the point you made
about leaving runners in scoring position. It's groundhog day when
it comes that. We heard that that was a theme
last year. Just looking at the lineup now and then
give me a healthy even with Tucker in the lineup
in Bregman last year the beginning, even though Bregman's a
(02:26):
slow starter, which offense potentially last years or this year's
at the end of the year. Would you say, going in,
if you pitted him against each other, would you expect
to be better.
Speaker 2 (02:39):
That A.
Speaker 4 (02:39):
That's a good question. I think they're pretty similar.
Speaker 2 (02:41):
You know, I'd love parades in the two hole, and
I love his ability to work pitchers. You know, last year,
and we've already talked about this, they saw the fewest
pitches in all of baseball, right, So it's not just
it's just not what they did in a vacuum offensively,
but it's what the other pitcher didn't have to do
in how.
Speaker 4 (03:02):
Much better it made it for the.
Speaker 2 (03:03):
Other team's bullpen because the other starter could go seven
innings against the Astros so easily. You know, you always
saw him getting deep because they only threw eighty eight
pitches through six or seven innings.
Speaker 4 (03:14):
So I like the way they're doing it now.
Speaker 2 (03:18):
I think working the pitchers getting themselves accounts, I think.
Speaker 4 (03:23):
Is a better style that.
Speaker 2 (03:25):
You know, the Astros bats went colda in the playoffs,
and I know it's only two games, but I think
when you're facing good pictures.
Speaker 4 (03:31):
You don't want to make it easy on them.
Speaker 3 (03:33):
Steve Sparks, weekly guest Astros broadcaster, eight o'clock on Mondays,
every single week. Steve, let me get to Cam Smith
for a second. I know he's obviously a lightning ride
for conversation because he's talented. Struck out three times Saturday,
not in the lineup on Sunday. I'm just thinking about
a guy like him because of his youth and why
he's up here.
Speaker 1 (03:53):
Should he be?
Speaker 3 (03:55):
It's not a question questioning Joe or Dana Brown, but
does a guy like that need to play every day?
Speaker 1 (04:01):
He's young?
Speaker 3 (04:01):
The ball isn't heavy coming off with three playing through
those days where you say, man, he struck out three
times yesterday, come back in the lineup. I know you
want to see a lot of players, but I also
like lineups that.
Speaker 1 (04:11):
Are pretty set. Do we need to.
Speaker 3 (04:13):
Play him every day or does he need to be
playing in Triple A every day?
Speaker 2 (04:20):
Well? I think Joe knows how to handle out of
this stuff pretty well. And I know you know there's
been plenty of guys get off to slow starts. Bregman
was one for thirty two. Tucker got off to a
tough start as a major leaguer, and it's just getting
your feet wet.
Speaker 4 (04:37):
And I think I think when the team.
Speaker 2 (04:39):
Was struggling early on the Astros team offensively, I think
as a young player, that puts a little bit more
pressure on you because you feel the way to that
too and you want to do too much. So I
think as everybody else starts to hit a little bit better,
you can you can kind.
Speaker 4 (04:55):
Of get your feet wet and play two or three
days in a row and see.
Speaker 2 (04:59):
How how we're doing as far as the stuff that
we're working on behind the scenes, and then this kind
of easier way in there. He's a big time talent.
I think he's a big time talent. You know, Mike
Trout started off brutally. There's a million examples of guys
that have started off slow. But I think it gets
exasperated a little bit when the team starts slow.
Speaker 3 (05:18):
And I love his you know, with his skill set,
and I don't know him personally, but it feels from
my vantage point, Steve and I know you're getting to
know him, but you talk to everybody in the know.
Is the mental and emotional part of this. I don't
think it's going to affect him.
Speaker 1 (05:31):
Am I right? I mean where do you that part
of his game?
Speaker 3 (05:35):
Do you think that you know, striking out Saturday has
long term effect on him or is he just kind
of like got that feeling of it's okay, I know
I'm going to come out of this and get my
opportunity to play every day.
Speaker 2 (05:46):
I just think he's a very diligent worker and the
only thing I can really go for from right now
is what other people are telling me, like you said,
but just the quality of the bats that I saw
that he's not really chasing outside of the strike zone,
that you know, he's still trying to execute his game
plan and not panic.
Speaker 4 (06:06):
So that's what I like.
Speaker 2 (06:07):
And I think it starts with a good base like
that and it'll come around.
Speaker 4 (06:11):
I mean, we've seen it.
Speaker 2 (06:12):
And I think too getting out of a slump when
you're not a guy that tries to pull the ball
a ton, I think it's a lot easier to get
out out of slow starts by going the other way.
You see it a little bit longer, you know, you
keep that front shoulder, that front hip closed a little
bit longer, and drive it. I think when he's naturally
a good opposite field hitter. I think guys like that
(06:34):
can get back on track easier.
Speaker 3 (06:36):
Steve On Jeremy Paina, do you what are you seeing
from him early on? Because he had such a good
spring the visual you're seeing from his plate appearances.
Speaker 4 (06:46):
I love the.
Speaker 2 (06:47):
Fact I can tell he's seeing the ball so much
better that there's way less chase of the slider off
the plate. Even other teams aren't just going to it
right away now too, They recognize that he's seeing more fastballs.
Speaker 4 (07:00):
He's hitting the ball hard.
Speaker 2 (07:01):
The Astros are third in hard hit percentage in all
of baseball, even with their slow start, offensively behind the
Yankees and Philly. So they're doing They're doing what they
have to do to get and counts to hit the
ball hard. And that's that's the name of the game,
you know, And sometimes those results lie, and I think
for paying you right now, the results are a little
fabricated just by uh, the sheer fact of how hard
(07:25):
he's hitting the ball.
Speaker 4 (07:26):
I love how still his head is. I go back
to that a lot. I know he's recognizing pitches and
spin much better this year.
Speaker 3 (07:32):
See Sparks Astros broadcaster here every Monday at eight o'clock, Steve,
I go down and watching this yesterday, and I know
when people say, well you mentioned in contraras understand my point.
I know you will. Blanco struggles, he comes in and
gives you two point one. Well, you know, seven outs.
I know, I know that. I mean he gave up
four hits. And then when you look at the stat line,
(07:52):
what three runs three yearned runs did it looks like well,
he wasn't very good, but he did eat up the innings,
which led you to Montero gave you two.
Speaker 1 (08:00):
King gave you one. A Bray you gave you one,
and Hater gave you two.
Speaker 3 (08:04):
And none of those guys once you got to Montero
gave up, gave up a run. So that bullpen and
the pitching that you talked about, and I'm sitting there
when contraspicious and man struggling, but to gobble up the
innings and for Hater to give you two at the
very end, I actually thought it was a really good
and impressive bullpen performance, especially with the way the Twins
started the game.
Speaker 2 (08:25):
You know why I think that the Astros won that game,
not because and I agree, I think there's a lot
of guys that contributed.
Speaker 4 (08:33):
Montero's been looking great and all that stuff.
Speaker 2 (08:36):
I think the Astros won that game yesterday because of
the job that Ryan.
Speaker 4 (08:39):
Guesto did the day before. Ye good point in a
game that they lost.
Speaker 2 (08:43):
He gave him three beautiful innings out of the bullpen.
He's now given up one run in seven innings. He's
been the perfect long relievers so far. Where it lingers
and it lasts for two or three games, it'll last
again today because of what guests So did two games ago,
because the guys more fresh and than they would have
been had he not gone out there and throwing thirty
(09:05):
nine pitches in three innings in twenty nine of them
were strikes, quality innings, and he's done a phenomenal job.
And I say this all the time that the job
of a long reliever is pretty thankless. But if you
get a guy like him who can come in there
and pound strikes and give you quality innings, those guys
are invaluable for what it does for the team for
(09:26):
the next couple of days.
Speaker 3 (09:27):
Yeah, the collateral damage sometimes can be bad, but the
collateral damage are the good. Part of this of him
eating those innings up, even in a loss, and Steve,
we always are just so focused and compartmentalized on that
very the next game and we're playing in it. But
like anything, collateral damage, it could have been two games
ago when he did it to save somebody and.
Speaker 1 (09:45):
In that to give you three quality INDs.
Speaker 3 (09:47):
This may end up being a huge piece to the
puzzle for them this year in Gusto correct.
Speaker 4 (09:54):
Very much so.
Speaker 2 (09:55):
I love what I see he looks like Mechanically, First
of all, it just looks like there's there's great lines,
everything's lined up with home plate where I just feel
like he can simplify things and go hit.
Speaker 4 (10:05):
The glove with four really good pitches.
Speaker 2 (10:08):
I just think he's he looks like he's he's aggressive,
and I love guys that look like they're coming at you.
You know, it doesn't matter what the score is, he's
going to come compete. And that's what Gusto looks like
to me.
Speaker 4 (10:18):
Right now.
Speaker 2 (10:19):
Things can change, but I love what I've seen in
the early going with Gusto. That's a big reason why
the Astros we're trying to get him up to the
big league. A couple of times last year.
Speaker 3 (10:28):
Steve, you said when this before the season started, you said,
I was asked you what the lineup should be, and
where you if you were if you were making the
lineup and you gave the batting order, and when you
got to Jake Myers, that Jake hit and I could
care less what he does to plate. He's an elite,
an elite defender. Well, I'm looking at him. He's hitting
two fifty, draws, three walks. Yesterday he gets a hit?
(10:49):
Are his bat at bat Steve, I'm not even just
talking about the result. I'm going what the journey to
get there? What's he doing different? Because if he hits
two fifty, steven plays that defense, We'll call ten over
broken glass to see that, right?
Speaker 1 (11:02):
What's different with him? Yeah? There you go, right?
Speaker 3 (11:06):
And so you're getting one hundred extra bonus points. Man,
It's like it's like you've given you know, me giving
you ten strokes when you're like a single digit anticapper,
a scratch golfer.
Speaker 1 (11:14):
Not fair.
Speaker 3 (11:15):
So the way he's playing on top of his defense,
you've got to be elated with him. But what is
he doing different that you think see at the plate
patience wise and putting the bat.
Speaker 1 (11:24):
On the ball.
Speaker 2 (11:26):
I think he's recognizing what he can do at the plate.
You know, sometimes guys.
Speaker 1 (11:30):
He knows his weakness is Steve.
Speaker 2 (11:33):
That's perfect. That's perfect, you know. And I'll say the
inner third of the plate he can handle. The out
of third of the plate is much tougher for him.
I actually see it from where I am clear as day.
So but when he waits and starts swinging at pitches
on the inner half of the plate, and he gives
himself a really good chance, and he also gives himself
(11:54):
self a chance of not falling behind the pitcher. He's
going to throw a first pitch slider off the plate
and get ahead of the count on not even a strike.
You know, he was zeroen won more than anybody else
in the Major League last year. But now he's finding
himself in favorable counts. He's been a little bit more patient.
And even if he hits a buck fifty, but she's
(12:16):
four and a half pitches per plate appearance.
Speaker 4 (12:18):
That gives you something too.
Speaker 2 (12:20):
But I'm telling you his defense, especially with some inexperience
that they have in the corner outfields now.
Speaker 4 (12:25):
Is going to be invaluable this year. So he's he's
very important.
Speaker 2 (12:28):
But what he's given you offensively so far in the
early going that's icing on the cake, especially when the
Astros can turn it over.
Speaker 3 (12:36):
Is the case of Blanco's performance yesterday to start and
Arraghatty just it's early season and it's going to happen
to most pitchers that pitched. They just nothing mechanically. Steve
just happened to be that the Twins were putting the
boat on the ball pretty good early in the game.
Speaker 2 (12:51):
Yeah, I think so, you know, And we saw a
few games get away from Araghetty last year. I think
four games where he struck out double digits where he
can absolutely dominate teams, and I think just an inning
got away from him. There's a couple of things that
can go haywire and you're you're in the dugout and
you're going, how did that happen so quickly? And I
think with Blanco, this is the first year in the
(13:12):
last four or five years that he hasn't played winter ball,
and because he started last year and pitched a lot
of innings, the ass asked him not to play winter ball.
I think he usually gets off to really good starts
to his seasons because he plays winter ball, and he's
more sharp than than most and I think It may
just take take him in a little extra turn or
two to get it going from.
Speaker 3 (13:31):
The TV or seeing him in person this year, Steve,
I hate to bring this up, but you know what,
and you're you're there see it every day. Jiner Dis
is a really good player and a good hitter, but
he's hitting below one hundred and it's probably not maybe hyperbolic,
not fair for me to say alarming. Should we be
alarmed at all this early in the season about his
plate appearances?
Speaker 2 (13:52):
That wouldn't be He hit three three bills, but he
hit two ninety nine.
Speaker 1 (13:56):
Right last year, right.
Speaker 3 (13:57):
I guess that's why the discrepancy is like, but again,
when you're what, just ten ten or so games in,
it's really hard to put the judgment on it. But
are you seeing anything that we don't see, Steve, with
your expertise,
Salsbury, old Bury, Salisbury.
Speaker 2 (00:07):
Okay, let's do this Sewn Salisbury USC Troupes, longtime friend
Shawn Salisbury, Dan Matthews.
Speaker 1 (00:17):
This is the Sewan Salisbury Show.
Speaker 3 (00:23):
Eight o'clock every Monday means Steve Sparks joins the show. Yeah,
Steve Sparks, welcome in early out on the West Coast.
We got him, we got him here. Now we always
do uh at eight o'clock on Mondays. Steve over this weekend.
I guess for you. Wins on Sunday. We'll get back
to Saturday in a second. But when you win a
game like they did yesterday, I know one game doesn't
(00:46):
make a season, but do you always do do people
point back to six, seven, eight, ten times during the
year we say that might have been the turnaround? Does
a game this early kind of require that significance as
you roll down the stretch as the season rolls along,
even though it's early ten games in.
Speaker 4 (01:03):
Yeah, so, I think so.
Speaker 2 (01:04):
And the reason is is we've seen so many times
over the last two years where it almost starts to
just kind of build up for the Astros offensively, where
it starts with good, extensive at bats, maybe you know,
and walking a little bit more and seeing yourselves in
better counts, and then I think, for me, it's all right.
(01:24):
Here's a couple of games in a row where they've
left double digit men on base, but they didn't hit
well with runners in scoring position, and then they start
to explode and then becoming themselves again.
Speaker 4 (01:36):
So I think that's where they are now.
Speaker 2 (01:38):
And I think we saw it start to build slowly
in Minnesota and it culminated with that great comeback win yesterday.
So to get those big hits in big situations, I
think it was a matter of time because some of
these guys were probably pressing a little bit early on
in the season, maybe new guy on the team, stuff
(01:59):
like that. But you know, you saw it all culminate
yesterday a race against six run deficit.
Speaker 4 (02:04):
It's pretty cool.
Speaker 3 (02:05):
Yeah, Steve ten what ten hits with the first four
guys in the order, which has been a nice change.
I want to get back to the point you made
about leaving runners in scoring position. It's groundhog day when
it comes that. We heard that that was a theme
last year. Just looking at the lineup now and then
give me a healthy even with Tucker in the lineup
in Bregman last year the beginning, even though Bregman's a
(02:26):
slow starter, which offense potentially last years or this year's
at the end of the year. Would you say, going in,
if you pitted him against each other, would you expect
to be better.
Speaker 2 (02:39):
That A.
Speaker 4 (02:39):
That's a good question. I think they're pretty similar.
Speaker 2 (02:41):
You know, I'd love parades in the two hole, and
I love his ability to work pitchers. You know, last year,
and we've already talked about this, they saw the fewest
pitches in all of baseball, right, So it's not just
it's just not what they did in a vacuum offensively,
but it's what the other pitcher didn't have to do
in how.
Speaker 4 (03:02):
Much better it made it for the.
Speaker 2 (03:03):
Other team's bullpen because the other starter could go seven
innings against the Astros so easily. You know, you always
saw him getting deep because they only threw eighty eight
pitches through six or seven innings.
Speaker 4 (03:14):
So I like the way they're doing it now.
Speaker 2 (03:18):
I think working the pitchers getting themselves accounts, I think.
Speaker 4 (03:23):
Is a better style that.
Speaker 2 (03:25):
You know, the Astros bats went colda in the playoffs,
and I know it's only two games, but I think
when you're facing good pictures.
Speaker 4 (03:31):
You don't want to make it easy on them.
Speaker 3 (03:33):
Steve Sparks, weekly guest Astros broadcaster, eight o'clock on Mondays,
every single week. Steve, let me get to Cam Smith
for a second. I know he's obviously a lightning ride
for conversation because he's talented. Struck out three times Saturday,
not in the lineup on Sunday. I'm just thinking about
a guy like him because of his youth and why
he's up here.
Speaker 1 (03:53):
Should he be?
Speaker 3 (03:55):
It's not a question questioning Joe or Dana Brown, but
does a guy like that need to play every day?
Speaker 1 (04:01):
He's young?
Speaker 3 (04:01):
The ball isn't heavy coming off with three playing through
those days where you say, man, he struck out three
times yesterday, come back in the lineup. I know you
want to see a lot of players, but I also
like lineups that.
Speaker 1 (04:11):
Are pretty set. Do we need to.
Speaker 3 (04:13):
Play him every day or does he need to be
playing in Triple A every day?
Speaker 2 (04:20):
Well? I think Joe knows how to handle out of
this stuff pretty well. And I know you know there's
been plenty of guys get off to slow starts. Bregman
was one for thirty two. Tucker got off to a
tough start as a major leaguer, and it's just getting
your feet wet.
Speaker 4 (04:37):
And I think I think when the team.
Speaker 2 (04:39):
Was struggling early on the Astros team offensively, I think
as a young player, that puts a little bit more
pressure on you because you feel the way to that
too and you want to do too much. So I
think as everybody else starts to hit a little bit better,
you can you can kind.
Speaker 4 (04:55):
Of get your feet wet and play two or three
days in a row and see.
Speaker 2 (04:59):
How how we're doing as far as the stuff that
we're working on behind the scenes, and then this kind
of easier way in there. He's a big time talent.
I think he's a big time talent. You know, Mike
Trout started off brutally. There's a million examples of guys
that have started off slow. But I think it gets
exasperated a little bit when the team starts slow.
Speaker 3 (05:18):
And I love his you know, with his skill set,
and I don't know him personally, but it feels from
my vantage point, Steve and I know you're getting to
know him, but you talk to everybody in the know.
Is the mental and emotional part of this. I don't
think it's going to affect him.
Speaker 1 (05:31):
Am I right? I mean where do you that part
of his game?
Speaker 3 (05:35):
Do you think that you know, striking out Saturday has
long term effect on him or is he just kind
of like got that feeling of it's okay, I know
I'm going to come out of this and get my
opportunity to play every day.
Speaker 2 (05:46):
I just think he's a very diligent worker and the
only thing I can really go for from right now
is what other people are telling me, like you said,
but just the quality of the bats that I saw
that he's not really chasing outside of the strike zone,
that you know, he's still trying to execute his game
plan and not panic.
Speaker 4 (06:06):
So that's what I like.
Speaker 2 (06:07):
And I think it starts with a good base like
that and it'll come around.
Speaker 4 (06:11):
I mean, we've seen it.
Speaker 2 (06:12):
And I think too getting out of a slump when
you're not a guy that tries to pull the ball
a ton, I think it's a lot easier to get
out out of slow starts by going the other way.
You see it a little bit longer, you know, you
keep that front shoulder, that front hip closed a little
bit longer, and drive it. I think when he's naturally
a good opposite field hitter. I think guys like that
(06:34):
can get back on track easier.
Speaker 3 (06:36):
Steve On Jeremy Paina, do you what are you seeing
from him early on? Because he had such a good
spring the visual you're seeing from his plate appearances.
Speaker 4 (06:46):
I love the.
Speaker 2 (06:47):
Fact I can tell he's seeing the ball so much
better that there's way less chase of the slider off
the plate. Even other teams aren't just going to it
right away now too, They recognize that he's seeing more fastballs.
Speaker 4 (07:00):
He's hitting the ball hard.
Speaker 2 (07:01):
The Astros are third in hard hit percentage in all
of baseball, even with their slow start, offensively behind the
Yankees and Philly. So they're doing They're doing what they
have to do to get and counts to hit the
ball hard. And that's that's the name of the game,
you know, And sometimes those results lie, and I think
for paying you right now, the results are a little
fabricated just by uh, the sheer fact of how hard
(07:25):
he's hitting the ball.
Speaker 4 (07:26):
I love how still his head is. I go back
to that a lot. I know he's recognizing pitches and
spin much better this year.
Speaker 3 (07:32):
See Sparks Astros broadcaster here every Monday at eight o'clock, Steve,
I go down and watching this yesterday, and I know
when people say, well you mentioned in contraras understand my point.
I know you will. Blanco struggles, he comes in and
gives you two point one. Well, you know, seven outs.
I know, I know that. I mean he gave up
four hits. And then when you look at the stat line,
(07:52):
what three runs three yearned runs did it looks like well,
he wasn't very good, but he did eat up the innings,
which led you to Montero gave you two.
Speaker 1 (08:00):
King gave you one. A Bray you gave you one,
and Hater gave you two.
Speaker 3 (08:04):
And none of those guys once you got to Montero
gave up, gave up a run. So that bullpen and
the pitching that you talked about, and I'm sitting there
when contraspicious and man struggling, but to gobble up the
innings and for Hater to give you two at the
very end, I actually thought it was a really good
and impressive bullpen performance, especially with the way the Twins
started the game.
Speaker 2 (08:25):
You know why I think that the Astros won that game,
not because and I agree, I think there's a lot
of guys that contributed.
Speaker 4 (08:33):
Montero's been looking great and all that stuff.
Speaker 2 (08:36):
I think the Astros won that game yesterday because of
the job that Ryan.
Speaker 4 (08:39):
Guesto did the day before. Ye good point in a
game that they lost.
Speaker 2 (08:43):
He gave him three beautiful innings out of the bullpen.
He's now given up one run in seven innings. He's
been the perfect long relievers so far. Where it lingers
and it lasts for two or three games, it'll last
again today because of what guests So did two games ago,
because the guys more fresh and than they would have
been had he not gone out there and throwing thirty
(09:05):
nine pitches in three innings in twenty nine of them
were strikes, quality innings, and he's done a phenomenal job.
And I say this all the time that the job
of a long reliever is pretty thankless. But if you
get a guy like him who can come in there
and pound strikes and give you quality innings, those guys
are invaluable for what it does for the team for
(09:26):
the next couple of days.
Speaker 3 (09:27):
Yeah, the collateral damage sometimes can be bad, but the
collateral damage are the good. Part of this of him
eating those innings up, even in a loss, and Steve,
we always are just so focused and compartmentalized on that
very the next game and we're playing in it. But
like anything, collateral damage, it could have been two games
ago when he did it to save somebody and.
Speaker 1 (09:45):
In that to give you three quality INDs.
Speaker 3 (09:47):
This may end up being a huge piece to the
puzzle for them this year in Gusto correct.
Speaker 4 (09:54):
Very much so.
Speaker 2 (09:55):
I love what I see he looks like Mechanically, First
of all, it just looks like there's there's great lines,
everything's lined up with home plate where I just feel
like he can simplify things and go hit.
Speaker 4 (10:05):
The glove with four really good pitches.
Speaker 2 (10:08):
I just think he's he looks like he's he's aggressive,
and I love guys that look like they're coming at you.
You know, it doesn't matter what the score is, he's
going to come compete. And that's what Gusto looks like
to me.
Speaker 4 (10:18):
Right now.
Speaker 2 (10:19):
Things can change, but I love what I've seen in
the early going with Gusto. That's a big reason why
the Astros we're trying to get him up to the
big league. A couple of times last year.
Speaker 3 (10:28):
Steve, you said when this before the season started, you said,
I was asked you what the lineup should be, and
where you if you were if you were making the
lineup and you gave the batting order, and when you
got to Jake Myers, that Jake hit and I could
care less what he does to plate. He's an elite,
an elite defender. Well, I'm looking at him. He's hitting
two fifty, draws, three walks. Yesterday he gets a hit?
(10:49):
Are his bat at bat Steve, I'm not even just
talking about the result. I'm going what the journey to
get there? What's he doing different? Because if he hits
two fifty, steven plays that defense, We'll call ten over
broken glass to see that, right?
Speaker 1 (11:02):
What's different with him? Yeah? There you go, right?
Speaker 3 (11:06):
And so you're getting one hundred extra bonus points. Man,
It's like it's like you've given you know, me giving
you ten strokes when you're like a single digit anticapper,
a scratch golfer.
Speaker 1 (11:14):
Not fair.
Speaker 3 (11:15):
So the way he's playing on top of his defense,
you've got to be elated with him. But what is
he doing different that you think see at the plate
patience wise and putting the bat.
Speaker 1 (11:24):
On the ball.
Speaker 2 (11:26):
I think he's recognizing what he can do at the plate.
You know, sometimes guys.
Speaker 1 (11:30):
He knows his weakness is Steve.
Speaker 2 (11:33):
That's perfect. That's perfect, you know. And I'll say the
inner third of the plate he can handle. The out
of third of the plate is much tougher for him.
I actually see it from where I am clear as day.
So but when he waits and starts swinging at pitches
on the inner half of the plate, and he gives
himself a really good chance, and he also gives himself
(11:54):
self a chance of not falling behind the pitcher. He's
going to throw a first pitch slider off the plate
and get ahead of the count on not even a strike.
You know, he was zeroen won more than anybody else
in the Major League last year. But now he's finding
himself in favorable counts. He's been a little bit more patient.
And even if he hits a buck fifty, but she's
(12:16):
four and a half pitches per plate appearance.
Speaker 4 (12:18):
That gives you something too.
Speaker 2 (12:20):
But I'm telling you his defense, especially with some inexperience
that they have in the corner outfields now.
Speaker 4 (12:25):
Is going to be invaluable this year. So he's he's
very important.
Speaker 2 (12:28):
But what he's given you offensively so far in the
early going that's icing on the cake, especially when the
Astros can turn it over.
Speaker 3 (12:36):
Is the case of Blanco's performance yesterday to start and
Arraghatty just it's early season and it's going to happen
to most pitchers that pitched. They just nothing mechanically. Steve
just happened to be that the Twins were putting the
boat on the ball pretty good early in the game.
Speaker 2 (12:51):
Yeah, I think so, you know, And we saw a
few games get away from Araghetty last year. I think
four games where he struck out double digits where he
can absolutely dominate teams, and I think just an inning
got away from him. There's a couple of things that
can go haywire and you're you're in the dugout and
you're going, how did that happen so quickly? And I
think with Blanco, this is the first year in the
(13:12):
last four or five years that he hasn't played winter ball,
and because he started last year and pitched a lot
of innings, the ass asked him not to play winter ball.
I think he usually gets off to really good starts
to his seasons because he plays winter ball, and he's
more sharp than than most and I think It may
just take take him in a little extra turn or
two to get it going from.
Speaker 3 (13:31):
The TV or seeing him in person this year, Steve,
I hate to bring this up, but you know what,
and you're you're there see it every day. Jiner Dis
is a really good player and a good hitter, but
he's hitting below one hundred and it's probably not maybe hyperbolic,
not fair for me to say alarming. Should we be
alarmed at all this early in the season about his
plate appearances?
Speaker 2 (13:52):
That wouldn't be He hit three three bills, but he
hit two ninety nine.
Speaker 1 (13:56):
Right last year, right.
Speaker 3 (13:57):
I guess that's why the discrepancy is like, but again,
when you're what, just ten ten or so games in,
it's really hard to put the judgment on it. But
are you seeing anything that we don't see, Steve, with
your expertise,
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