Chandler Rome on The A-Team: Joe Espada Has Always Kept His Poise

Chandler Rome of The Athletic joins The A-Team for his weekly visit. He talks about Kyle Tucker's injury situation, how the Astros have played over the last couple of weeks and the job Joe Espada has done this season. 

Episode Transcript

(00:00):
Chandler Rome of the Athletic is goingto join us for his weekly visit today
as we bring him in here onyour home for Astros Baseball Sports Talk seven
ninety. Why I can tell youthis, Chandler and the Astros have one
ten out of eleven and everybody's happy. But all anybody is talking about is
the fact that Joe Espota came onthis station earlier today and said, yeah,
a few weeks away from Kyle Tuckerreturning. Does that surprise you at

(00:22):
all? Or is that just tohumthe way you expected things to be with
the way they've handled this injury situation. I mean, look at the schedule,
I mean a lot. I don'tget why people are surprised, Like
he's not coming back on this roadtrip, and then they go back and
they play six games before the AllStar breage at home, like he's going
to need a minor league rehab assignmentbecause he's been out for so long he

(00:43):
hasn't started doing on field baseball activities. Yeah, of course it's going to
be like he's not coming back ina matter of days, Like, yeah,
it's gonna be a couple of weeks. And as far as like how
the injury has gone. I mean, it's just been one of these things
that it must have hit him inthe precise right place to keep him out
of this long. I mean,from what I understand, they have done

(01:06):
multiple images that had multiple tests doneto make sure that nothing was missed or
anything, and there is no fracture. This isn't something where they've missed.
It's just a deep phone bruise thathas been difficult for him to get better.
So yeah, I'd be surprised ifhe plays in a game before the
All Star break. At this point, it does seem like things are trending

(01:26):
a little bit better, But untilhe gets on the field, you really
can't start to really put a timelineon anything. I guess I'm me not
knowing anything about this other than whatI've read and seen. Like, you
know, I'm not talking to him, I'm not talking to the medical staff.
You know, things that you doon a day to day basis or
semi regular basis whenever you can.I just feel like I was told he

(01:49):
had a bruise on his shin,and I can't believe that it's taken the
same amount of time as like ahairline to major fracture. Well, you're
wrong one thing there. You saidyou talk to the medical staff all the
time. The ashers do not maketheir medical staff available, and and and
honestly, in this situation, Ithink it'd be proven that they did,

(02:12):
because look, I'm not asking toread the X ray. I'm not asking
to read the MRI. I'm justasking for a little bit like again,
like you're asking me this question becausefans are curious. This is something that
I think they should try to clearup a little bit. And Kyle Tucker's
been he hasn't been as available ashe usually is with this injury, but
most injured players don't love talking everyday, so I guess I can't blame

(02:34):
it. So it's slept up toJoe A Spota and it's left us to
Dana Browns and to talk when lasttime I checked, either of those guys
went to medical school. Neither neitherof those guys have any sort of medical
acumen, but they're the ones beingforced to put it out there. And
so this is what you But nothing'sgoing to change on that anytime soon,
So we're just kind of left hereto play doctors on the radio. Yeah,

(02:55):
and it's uh, it's such afun game. But you know what,
can't really argue with the result rightnow, because despite the fact that
he's out, and despite the factthat you know, we're not looking for
Justin Verlander to be rejoining the rotationanytime until after the All Star Break,
this team has put together a runthat is not only impressive, winning ten
of eleven, but it's equally asimpressive as the toilet bowl circling that the

(03:21):
Seattle Mariners are doing at the exactsame time. Ten games back to three
games back is just insane in theshort amount of time that they've been able
to do it. Yeah, theAls may not be very good. Look
at what the Rangers are doing.Little Rangers are not. The Rangers are
not bathing themselves in void right noweither. Yeah, but it took not
It's a credit to the Astros thatthey've done this again. Kyle Tucker played

(03:45):
two games in June. Justin Verlanderwent on the IL I believe, like
the tenth day of June, andthey've just kept trucking along and they're in
one of these momentum rides right nowwhere everything's basically going right. You know,
yesterday they go fourteen up fourteen teamnow and the fifteenth hitter s he's
a hanging breaking ball and it's itover the fence and that's all they need
because Hunter Brown has turned into thebest picture in baseball. Yeah. Yeah,

(04:08):
they're they're going, they're going wellright now. And it's it's a
testament to the depth, testament tothat Joe A. Spada has kept this
thing on the rail, testament tothe guys in the clubhouse. They're they're
taking advantage of others' mistakes, they'retaking advantage of teams that aren't playing well,
and they're they're playing as good asthey can play. Yeah, and
I didn't mean to interrupt you there, but you mentioned Hunter Brown, and

(04:30):
I feel like we're asking you thisevery single week lately because the month of
June was electric for him. Whatis it? Though, it's not a
matter of just either adding or inthis case, I guess highlighting a certain
pitch more the type of turnaround thathe's had just this season alone, but
particularly when you go back to lastseason, is is no, it's nothing

(04:50):
short of incredible. What is itthat you're seeing that that has made him
so dominant and able to make acomplete one eighty turnaround. Yeah, I
mean I wrote about it a littlebit last night and the end of this
morning. But putting the sinker inthe arsenal's help. The sinker itself is
not a great pitch, but becauseall of his other stuff moves so much,

(05:14):
just the little movement that the sinkerdoes have really throws hitters off and
it makes them have to respect theinner half of the plate because for so
much of Hunter Brown's major league career, hitters didn't need to really respect the
inner half because everything he throws hisfour scene has perceived cut to the left,
his cut or cuts to the left, his curveball, sweeper, everything
is to the left. He neededsomething to get on the inner half of

(05:39):
the plate and this has helped that. And I think too, I mean
he's just confident too. I meanhe's he's not dumb, like he knows
the role he's on, and heis kind of feeling invincible right now,
as he should. I mean,he's got a one, he's got like
a point nine to ninety eight andlast seven starts he should feel on themselves.
So it's just a different sort ofguy out there. I mean,
you see the confidence as I thinkyou see just the Maud presence is better.

(06:02):
You know the story I wrote lastnight, he acknowledged that, like
his body language had gotten bad,his mentality had gotten bad. And again
after what happened in the Oyls,I don't think you can blame him.
But it's been a complete one eighty. There's a lot of people to credit,
the pitching coaches, Josh Manvil Murphy, credit Alex Bregman, had Ryan
Presley, two veterans who stepped into really pick him up when he was

(06:25):
down. It's a great success storyand it's one that they hope that they
can keep building on a little bit. Yeah, and then of course you've
got Spencer arra Getty and I thinka lot was made about and you mentioned
Joe a spot of there, andJoe's spot has been at the center of
so many things this season. Alot of it's been maybe not so positive
because some people thought that, hey, this guy that was handed this platter

(06:48):
of issues with this team, especiallyfrom an injury standpoint, might be an
over his head. I've never thoughtthat was the case. But I also
never thought that we've had a clearpicture on whether or not he's a good
manager. In so many ways.One thing that I do think the tide
has turned on is the perception thatmaybe you know, the clubhouse isn't on
his side, or he's lost theclubhouse or whatever. There's something written about

(07:09):
that. But I just I thinkthat when you saw that that video of
him with Spencer Arraghetti and you've heardJeremy Paine, you go out of his
way to say what a good leaderhe is. I don't know if that's
you know, for the overall picture, change the tone, but just where
do you think Joe A. Spottit is at in his maiden voyages as
manager here on July second. Well, as a great author once wrote,

(07:33):
winning fixes everything. Yeah, andthe askers are winning, so that helps
any public perceptions manager. But Ieven when I came on you guys a
show when they were seven and nineteen, like, I couldn't job the players
were underperforming. There were guys thatthere were guys that any manager in baseball

(07:54):
would would turn to, you know, Alex Bregman, Josh Hater, Ryan
A. Brady, Ryan Presley,like a staff. There's good players that
just weren't performing in the first inthe first month of the season. And
then add to that the avalanche ofinjuries that would cripple any team, no
matter who's managing them a spot,you know, I think, but that's

(08:15):
to resolve Joe of everything. Ithink there were some learning curvegin to go
through as as we expected. Imean, this is even though it seemed
like such a logical move, eventhough it seemed like such a seamless fit
fil a first year manager, it'sstill the first time he's sitting in the
big chair making all the big decisions. There was going to be some growing
pains. It just so happened thatthose growing pains coincided with the worst start

(08:35):
this franchises had since nineteen sixty nine. So he never lost in the clubhouse.
He never look And this is nottrying to like create anything or anything,
but like the clubhouse is like anyplace of business or life, Like
there's twenty there's twenty seven different personalities, and there there's twenty seven different kinds

(08:56):
of people. Like not everyone isgoing to get along. I'm not saying
that Joe's spotts players in the clodeOffs. He doesn't get along with it.
It's just like a fact though,that like not everyone thinks alike,
not everyone alike, and there.You know, that's like in any in
any walk of life, in anyoccupation, that's what's gonna happen. So
I think Joe'sponta has done a veryadmirable job keeping his poise. For one,

(09:18):
I mean, there were times Iused to joke with Brian and Taggert
when they were when they were inApril, when they were losing and when
it was going south and they weresnaps, right, and he never did,
like give him credit, like evenprivately, like I'll tell you even
privately, like when the cameras wentoff when we would have some some sessions
with them just without off the recordbase like never once snapped, never once,

(09:41):
you know, just broke in anyway. And I think that's a
big testament to him and his steadykind of vision and his steady demeanor and
his stoicism, the way he's beenable to keep this thing on the rails
well. And I look, Iwould have I would have left it at
that, but because you brought thatup, and because I know this is
looking in the rear view mirror alittle bit, but I just can't get

(10:03):
over the fact that whatever time ofyear, jose A Bray, you wasn't
a part of the roster. Therecord is insane, and I know it's
probably a coincidence, but you've gotto have an opinion on that one way
or the other. It's just it'sjust a weird quirk about an already very
weird, quirky season. I mean, and I'm going to say this in

(10:28):
the nicest heck can getting Joseah Gettingjose A Brady off the team made this
team better just by the virtue ofthey took off one of the worst players
in baseball and they replaced him withguys that, even at below average,
are still going to have production thatsupersedes it. At the same time,

(10:48):
Josea Brady was not the reason thesole reason the team started seven to nineteen.
Joseo Bredy is not the sole reasonthis team is still three games back
in the division. Like I getthe record looks like what it is,
and we've talked about it, Likegetting a Brad you off the roster allowed
Joe Aspada to manage this team.I think how he wanted to, like
mixinggan matching, lading games and hittinga little bit, being able to use

(11:11):
his whole bench. A Brad justdidn't allow that there. He was just
such a it was just tough tohide him. It was tough to mask
him, and something we talked abouta lot. But again, like I
don't want this to be a pilingon of Josea breed, Like I think
the reason they have won eleven oftwelve or twelve to thirteen or whatever it
is is because's not on the roster. Like I think this team was far

(11:35):
had the same amount of talent withJOSEA. Brady on the roster that it
does, but that it does allowedhim. They just started to play better.
And you know, I don't thinkHunter Brown started pitching better because Joseo
Brady's not in the quartos, likeI don't think Renel Blanco turned into like
Renel Blanco was good when jose Bradywas on the roster. I don't think
the back end of the bullpen andTaylor Scott started pitching well just when Joseo

(11:58):
Brady left, like they were unmittingfactors that have helped his team to get
back on track. Other than justgetting rid of it's Chandler rome of the
athletic He joins us each and everyweek, and of course you can find
his work in the athletic Chandler,we appreciate the time as always. We'll
do it again next week. Enjoythe holiday in Canada. A se Did

(12:18):
Reach Shepherd try to sell you astock option after his press office today?
No, he's actually my general counsel. Now, I don't I don't know.
He looks he looks like he lookslike the kind of guy that like
like he like, graduated college andthen comes to like the pledge class and
tries to sell him like a stockoption that's going to get him in a
made off scheme or something else.All right, I'll pass that along to

(12:41):
the powers that be over at ToyotaCenters. Great. Well, he's a
great player. I watch him aton of no people. What people don't
know about you, Chandler, isthat you would text me often during Rockets
games. You are you have anaffinity for at least keeping up with the
local basketball crew. I do.I like you kick and play. I

(13:01):
enjoyed watching him play. Well,it's it's gonna be a very interesting season.
I don't know if they'll be ableto top what's going on with the
Astros so far, but still along way to go. And uh,
I know you'll be there for forevery step of it. Thanks again,
Chandler. All right, thanks Jedd, all right, Chandler Rome with the
Athletic here on Sports Talk seven ninety. That man is full of surprises.
I tell you you guys doubt me. Chandler is one of the best in

(13:24):
the biz.