Chandler Rome on The A-Team: This Will Probably Not Be Last Time Astros Scramble For 5th Starter

The Athletic's Astros beat writer Chandler Rome joins The A-Team for his weekly visit. He talks about what Astros players said after getting to .500 for the first time this season. He also talks about the Astros pitching rotation, while Justin Verlander is away from the team. Plus, he talks the recent strong starts by Hunter Brown and Spencer Arrighetti. We also got news that Luis Garcia has started making rehab appearances for the Astros, coming back from Tommy John surgery. 

Episode Transcript

(00:00):
As promised, joined by Chandler Romeof the Athletic here for his weekly visit,
and man, you know, wenormally talk to you on a Wednesday.
It was time for the Astros totack on one more win for this
seven game winning streak, and they'relooking to make it eight tonight in New
York. This is the best we'veseen. This is actually what we all

(00:21):
expected to see from this baseball team, even with some of the roster turnover
this year. I think that that'ssafe to say as they're just now and
we are celebrating it ridiculously. They'rejust now back to five hundred for the
first time all year since oh andoh yeah. But I don't think they're
celebrating it, as you may haveseen or read just from some of the

(00:44):
scenes in the clubhouse on Wednesday,It's hard to celebrate five hundred when you've
been the seventh straight alcs's. SoI think it was just kind of an
artificial benchmarks that they knew they hadto get to to make this thing respectable
and and to quite frankly cement theirstatus is by at the deadline now look
and they could still they go twoand eight on this road. Trip,
and we could be having the sameconversation we've been having all season. But

(01:07):
I think there was something a littlebit and they they'll maybe never acknowledge it,
but I think there was something sentimental, and I think something a sense
of accomplishment, however small, itis that they clawed back from being twelve
under five hundred to get back tofive hundred, and now they have to
find a way to build on it. They have to build momentum. And

(01:30):
you know, if you're a fivehundred team at the end of the season,
you're probably not making the playoffs.So five hundred is not their goal.
Five hundred shouldn't be their goal.Their goal should be to build on
this, to get some distance betweenfive hundred and really start making a legitimate
push at this thing. Certainly,when you have Blanco and Valdez set to
go to open up this series,all seems like you'd at least give yourselves
a chance against the team that's playingjust as well as you are. These

(01:53):
are the two best teams based onJune playing one another, the Astros and
the Mets. But obviously Sunday doesstill loom in front of this team.
It's on the front side of thisten straight days of this road trip of
baseball, they would still have sevenmore games remaining after it. All appearances
suggest it will be used as abullpen day, and they're set up to
do that in that they still onlytechnically have four starters on the active roster,

(02:16):
thus wouldn't have to change anything.But how dangerous do you think that
is considering it might have to bedone again, and it obviously could set
them up for a very tough situationfor the final seven games of the seat
of the road trip. Yeah,I think they're just going to have to
see how the next two games go, whether how much of their bullpen they
have to use with Blanco and Valdez. If both of those guys do what

(02:38):
they've been doing all year and getsyou into the six or seventh inning,
then I think you can be okaywith that. But if either one of
those guys has a hiccup or hasto come out of the game early and
you have to go through your bullpen, then you kind of have to reassess
a little bit. It definitely won'tbe aj Blueball because he pitched last night
in Sugarland and wouldn't be on fullrest, and then you kind of start

(03:00):
to think of who it could be, and maybe Ryan Gusto. You know,
Blair Henley's still in the organization,but the fact that they passed him
over for a guy that made eightstarts above a ball would signal to me
that they don't have much faith inhim, and that he took him off
of the forty roster. Eric Lower'sstill down there. They could call him
up. He's got an opt outin his deal in July first. This

(03:23):
is just me purely speculative. Idon't know if he's going to opt out
or not, but I don't thinkthe Ashers can afford for him to opt
out, just given the state oftheir non existent depth. They need as
many bodies as possible, So Idon't know, if you know, maybe
calling him up would would keep himin the organization, just just straight up.
I know he hasn't pitched great inSugarland, but it's a guy that

(03:46):
has one hundred big league starts underhis belt, just some insurance that they
don't normally have. But I stillthink if if neither Valdez nor Blanco,
if they if they have their normalstarts and they get him in six or
seventh in and they don't use thebullpen. I think they can get by
in that Sunday game with starting SeanDuban and then seeing what comes after him.

(04:08):
But yeah, you put yourself ina tough spot for the next seven
games, especially with not knowing whatJustin Berlander's status is. As far as
I know, he hasn't started throwingyet, and the longer he goes without
throwing, the longer it'll take himto build back up and to get back
into the rotation. So Sunday isprobably not going to be the only day
that they have to scramble to figureout what's going on. But it's just

(04:29):
kind of the plight that they're in. Do you know the status of Hunter
Brown and Spencer Earraghetty And I knowthat's a question that's different for both pitchers,
But what the point I'm making isis this who they really are.
I know one has a very,very much more limited body of work that
we've seen, but man, boththese guys looked spectacular their last time out.
Back to back. Yeah, thatwas the Rockies. Though the Rockies

(04:55):
are just a disaster. My god. That was a tough That was tough
two game games to watch, butI probably put more stock in Brown right
now than Araghetty, and that's nota slight dispenser Araghetty, who has been
thrust into a situation that I don'tthink anyone in this organization thought he'd be
he'd be, he'd be a acrucial just kind of entrenched member of this

(05:18):
rotation by this point. I thinkthey thought he'd debut this year, but
I don't think they thought. Idon't think anyone presumed he would be one
of the stars they were relying onat the end of June. So Hunter
Brown, you've now seen it spana month and a half. The Sinker
has done wonders for him. He'spitching was so much more confidence. The

(05:38):
four team is bumping ninety eight ninetynine now. You can just tell like
he has a different presence, adifferent kind of swaggering confidence than he ever
had, even at points last yearwhen he was pitching. Well, this
is the best he's pitched. He'sgot seven consecutive quality starts, some of
those against very good lineups. SoI'm more inclined to put more and what

(06:00):
we're seeing from Hunter Brown and SpencerAraghetty. But I think Spencer Arighetty's pitching
well too. He's pitching as wellas could be expected for a guy that
again should probably still be in TripleA, should probably still be refining and
you know, refining his tools,refining his command, his pitch mix,
things like that. He's having learnedon the fly. He's having to learn

(06:20):
start by starting the big leagues fora team that needs everyone it can get.
And when you put it that way, when you put it that that's
his job, I think he's doinga pretty darn good one. I don't
think there's much question. As wetalk with Chandler Rome of The Athletic on
the Astros in Major League Baseball,I don't think there's much question the Astros
would prefer if they hadn't spent nearlyan entire month without Kyle Tucker. But

(06:42):
the opportunity to see every day playfrom Joey low Perfedo obviously impacts that.
And he's basically in the lineup everyday, which I think is quite obviously
the right thing to do. AndChas McCormick continued to get opportunities to show
one way or the other was hegoing to turn it around or was he
going to need to maybe be sentout so he could get every day at
bats, and he's shown signs ofturning the corner. Just curious your thoughts

(07:05):
on honestly, all three of theoutfielders they have out there today and what
you kind of expect from them therest of the season. Nodding to the
fact Tucker will eventually return, Jake'sback in center, Chaz has the start
and right, and Joey is yourleft fielder. Yeah, I think it's
going to be fascinating when Tucker doesreturn. Kind of what do they do?
Is that going to be the impetusthat makes them look at Joey Loperfido

(07:29):
at first base? That's something theystill seem pretty hesitant to do. But
if low berfdo is still giving thisteam the spark and the energy that it
needs, do they look at that? But I also think Mauricio Dubon is
giving that exact same kind of sparking, athleticism and dynamic that they that they
haven't had in a while. AndI think he's settling into an every day

(07:50):
well more. He's playing more thanJohn Singleton at first base. I don't
want to say that Mauricio Dubond's theevery day, first basement, because I
don't think that's the case just yet. But he's gonna he's gonna play more
than John Singleton there. I thinkit'll be fascinating when they come back.
You know, Joey lo Praffito,I I know it seems like he's he's
doing everything, but you know hehasn't he has set the world on fire

(08:13):
since he's been back up. Imean he's been he's been good. He's
been don't get me wrong. He'she's been what they needed from just an
energy and a defense and a speedathleticism standpoint, but offensively hasn't set the
world on fire. And you knowthey're gonna he's gonna have ample runway to
keep maybe turning that around because KyleTucker is gonna need a rehab assignment and
I doubt he's doing baseball activities yet, So it'll be at least another week

(08:37):
week and a half that he canmaybe turn it around and see what See
what Joey Lopraffito can give you.Chas McCormick, I never thought they were
ready to give up on him,but I had not that sending him down
would have been giving it. Givingup on him. But I do know
that that was a consideration that theywere That was something that they were thinking
that maybe could could help him,just a mental reset for a few days.
And you know, I don't know, maybe the of Joey Loperfido has

(09:01):
spurred Chas McCormick on a little bit, because, I mean, Dana Brown
came out and said that when theybrought Joey Loperfido back up, the Chas
McCormick was in line to lose atbats and anytime you're playing times threatened,
that's kind of when you have tostep up a little bit and kind of
kind of focus in a little bitmore. Maybe that did it for McCormick.
I'm not sure, but we'll see. I think for right now,

(09:24):
this is the best lineup that givesthem a chance to win. But Kyle
Tucker's return is going to force theminto a lot of difficult questions and difficult
and good I think, especially ifall these if all these guys keep producing,
I think it's a good problem tohave if you've got three or four
guys all producing well and you haveto figure out how to get them all
in the lineup. Good news onLuis Garcia today. I mean, should

(09:48):
I not get too overly excited justthe fact that they weren't he setbacks alone.
Yeah, I mean these are allmilestone, these are all good moments.
I mean, I haven't heard whatJoe Spot had to say today,
but Joe's spott made it seem likehe could throw two innings and his first
rehab appearance, the fact that onlythrew one was a little bit I'm not
even going to say the word concerningmaybe they just changed the plan up.

(10:09):
But yeah, presuming he got outof it healthy, presuming he feels good,
he'll make another one in five daysand may go two or three innings.
But you're seeing how long this isgoing to take, right, Like,
this is going to be a slow, steady like one inning, then
maybe three innings, then maybe fouror five innings, then maybe five or
six innings, then maybe another oneat five or six innings. Then he's

(10:33):
back in the big leagues. Sothat's another four or five rehab starts of
five days between them. That's stillanother twenty five thirty days before he's a
major before he's an option to getback to the major league roster. So
yes, good news, initially,but it's not as if he's knocking on
the door right now. He getsin the big leaes. This is still
this is still a long build upprocess and one it's going to take at

(10:54):
least another twenty or so days.Appreciate, appreciate the time time as always,
as the Astro sets out on aten game road trip, we'll have
one more homestand after that, andthen it'll be the All Star break for
probably twenty two of the twenty sixAstros. We shall see Taylor enjoy the
rest of the weekend that hopefully gotoff to a fantastic start with your visit

(11:16):
with us. All right, thanksguys,