June 26, 2025 • 40 mins
On this edition of the Crawford Boxcast presented by Karbach Brewing, Dan Mathews and Space City's Kevin Eschenfelder discuss how exactly the Astros are winning, look ahead to the Cubs, and much more.
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Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
Two pinchons for the Crawford Podcast and you get myself,
Dan Matthew used to get Space City Home Networks and
for the last three games. Kevin Heschinfelder in with us tonight.
We're live here at Carbach Brewing on the Northwest side
here as the Astros able to finish off a three
game sweep of the Phillies, and they take care of
(00:22):
business today two to one win over there at dyke
In Park and Ash, I mean you were front and
center for at all you and Robert Ford on the
call for all three games. Let me just run through
some quick numbers here for you. Three for twenty one
with runners in scoring position. You score five runs in
this entire series, and you also leave seventeen runners on base,
(00:47):
just on the surface, without telling you how much the
other team scored. What would be your reaction to how
this three game series went.
Speaker 2 (00:54):
I would say it would not have gone very very well.
First of all, thank you for having me, but that's.
Speaker 3 (00:58):
Kind of in the story about how they've been able
to get things done.
Speaker 2 (01:02):
At the end of the night, they end up scoring
more runs in the other team, and you just shake
your head and walk away and go how do they.
Speaker 3 (01:08):
Do that, and they continue to do.
Speaker 2 (01:09):
It, and how I don't know, but I'm just hope
Astro fans are enjoying the way what.
Speaker 3 (01:14):
They're doing right now.
Speaker 1 (01:15):
Yeah, And you know, me and you were talking a
little bit off the air before of two home stands
now that have been the weirdest home stands for the
Astros where you get this one where combined you outscore
the opponents five to one, and then the other one
that was the weird one was the Raise series where
it was four games and you get outscored thirty to nine.
Speaker 3 (01:36):
Oh, by the way, you split that series. Yeah, you
had the two big games in which you know, it was.
Speaker 2 (01:41):
Two blowouts and two close wins, and so you took
advantage of that Raise. It played really really well. And
that's what's been impressive about to me, not only the
Rays series, because the Rays were starting to play really
well then and you split that four game series.
Speaker 3 (01:55):
But you think about this Phillies team.
Speaker 2 (01:57):
You can go back and go through about a fifty
four stretch. Philly's with the best record in the major leagues,
and they came in here and you were facing, uh,
you're facing three pitchers coming into this series, all of
which had e ras under three and you and you
just flat outpitched them. And you know, if I had
told you from ber and Hunter Brown would have done it,
(02:18):
you'd have gone, yeah, okay, I can see that. And
then but you know the thing, And I think one
of the big stories about this season a guy like
Colton Gordon who comes.
Speaker 3 (02:25):
In and he gives you a five shutout.
Speaker 2 (02:28):
Innings and then the bullpen, which has been lights out,
they come in and sealed the deal and and you're
winning games like that. And I just have never felt
like this team is over at SKIS. I just think
that the fact that they are what they are is there.
There is you know, you talk about chemistry and culture
and you don't know what it is, but you know
it's there.
Speaker 3 (02:47):
When you see it, and you get that feeling.
Speaker 1 (02:49):
That's what's there right now for this team. I'm gonna
put you on the spot a little bit. You had
the stat during the game about I mean, I heard
you mentioned mcnante, John Halama.
Speaker 3 (02:58):
I'm trying to remember the interest that you had in
ninety eight.
Speaker 2 (03:01):
Billy Billy Wagner, John Halama, Mike mcnonte, and C. J.
Nt Kowski was Kowski Yep, that's a blast from the past.
Speaker 3 (03:09):
Right lefties. Yep.
Speaker 1 (03:11):
As I saw also too that Stephen grond who's with
the team, and he put out that Uh Lias Sports
Bureau said, it was the first time in major league
history or Astro's history, that you had five lefties pitch
in the same game. Yeah, it was third time in
major league history that you've seen that happen. But not
only was it the fact that you had five lefties
(03:33):
go in there, but think about it, you had five
lefties combining on a shutout of Skolton Gordon went five
in that game. Uh, he's Okert came in, he pitched
the sixth, Susa pitched the seventh, Brian King pitched the eighth,
and then John then that Josh Hater came in and
closed it out, uh.
Speaker 3 (03:47):
Pitching the ninth inning. So that that was what was
really impressive about that.
Speaker 2 (03:51):
And yeah, it's you know, you think Dusty Baker was
always talking about lefties here and left he's there, and
you know he didn't have any. Now, yeah, you go
through that about that, you got four lefties, You've got
four righty's in.
Speaker 3 (04:02):
That bullpen right now.
Speaker 1 (04:04):
It's definitely going well for the Astros because the pitching
gives up one earned run. In the entire series, the
bullpen works seven scoreless innings in this one, where you
only needed two in the opener. You needed four last
night with Okert, Sousa and King as well as Hater,
and then today you don't have Josh Hater. But still,
(04:24):
I mean, you know, it's funny. I was doing this
on Twitter earlier, where it cracked me up. One of
my favorite things to do when something happens is to
search the player, Like if somebody grounds into a double play,
I just want to see what people are doing. I'm sick,
I know, but I searched Brian King and I see people, oh,
Brian King, all of this. And my response was all right, hey, look,
I understand you give up the one run right there,
(04:45):
but how about we talk about a leadoff double that's
left on base, or even in the second inning when
you do score that run, you've got all these other chances.
I'm like, let's not underscore that you only scored one
run at this point, and last time I checked, the
other team was trying to.
Speaker 2 (05:00):
To make sure that they succeeded as well. It doesn't
always go the way you want it, but certainly it
has gone way more the right way for the Astros
this season, particularly when you're talking about the bullpen, because
you know it's a bullpen.
Speaker 3 (05:13):
It's been so very good.
Speaker 2 (05:15):
You know, what was it the old the old saying
having the two keys to being a great manager is
a good sense of humor and a great bullpen. And
the bullpen has certainly been very very good for this
Astros team. You and you think during this going into
today's game, Astros had that sixteen game stretch and they
(05:35):
have won. Uh, they had one in their last sixteen
home wins. I'll give you this number here, the last
sixteen home wins, and that was before today, so that
number goes down today the bullpen eer was thirty eight.
And I mean they had outscored their opponents seventy three
to twenty six, but thirty eight out of the bullpen, man,
that's uh, that is a Those are six inning games
(05:58):
or five inning games in some cases like last night,
So when you got the bullpen to come in and
do the job like they have done, and that's always
been the case, and I said it, I think in
today's game is the fact that you know, you think
Josh Hater goes down or not goes down, but it's not.
Speaker 3 (06:11):
Available in a day like to day.
Speaker 2 (06:12):
And Plan B is is not a bad I think
there's a lot of teams that would love to have
the Astros Plan B and Brian Abray you as their
Plan A as their closer.
Speaker 4 (06:22):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (06:23):
And I heard you mentioned that with Robert two during
the broadcast, because I mean, you're one hundred percent right,
especially with how good a bray you has been, where
it's only been three times this year that he's given
up earned runs. And I understand what happened up in
you know, Seattle and then the seventh inning that you
had here at home, but for the most part, he's
been just absolutely nails for this team this year.
Speaker 2 (06:41):
You always remember it when it's you, when it's your team,
you always remember the things that went the wrong way. Yeah,
and it's only happened twice. Both of them happened to
be against the Seattle Mayors. Both of them had to
be Julio Rodriguez who came up with a big hit
at that time. But you know, all in all, Man,
the fact that and you know, give Joe a spot
of some credit too about having him be able to
mix and match and come up with different matchups, just
(07:04):
like in last night's game when you kind of neutralize
those left handed bats Rob Thompson for the Philadelphia Phillies
in last night's game, and then you know, last night
he went ahead and threw a couple of those lefties,
and you always know Schwarber is going to be there
in the lineup, but that's not all of them. And
you think about Bryson Stotton and Brandon Marsh got rare
starts against the lefty in last night's game.
Speaker 3 (07:25):
But you know the fact is is that you.
Speaker 2 (07:28):
Know, he's done a nice job mixing and matching, and
you stayed with the lefties, and then that was certainly
an advantage for the Astros.
Speaker 1 (07:34):
No, definitely, And I mean, you know, I've talked about
how well they've been pitching, and I mean just looking
at the way that this team has been this season,
I mean, you've got a bullpen that has the league.
Speaker 3 (07:44):
Hitting two oh seven against him.
Speaker 1 (07:45):
I mean, they've just been unreal in terms of how
they've been able to hold opposing offenses off balance. But
just overall, here you're now winners a fourth straight, and
you've now got a fifteen game over five hundred record.
You're forty eight and thirty three on the year, and
you've got a six game lead at the moment as
me and you were recording the show tonight for the
(08:07):
Crawford box cast, but of course coming to you live,
which you can jump apart up someone three two, one
two five seven ninety. The Astros have a six game
lead on the Mariners. I mean this time last year,
If I'm not mistaken, I think wasn't this about the
time last year?
Speaker 3 (08:20):
They were ten games back of the Mariners.
Speaker 1 (08:22):
And we've got Dana brownals every single week on the
Shawn Salisbury Show, and he's like, hey, look, if we
can cut it to five games by July, we feel
pretty good.
Speaker 3 (08:31):
Well, now it's the other way around. Yeah, I don't
know the exact thing. I think it may have been
June eighteenth.
Speaker 2 (08:35):
When they were ten games back and they went.
Speaker 3 (08:37):
To where it was a.
Speaker 2 (08:37):
Historic, you know, flip flop as far as you had
one team that was began to play great baseball and
the other team that just happened to take a nose
dive at the same time, coincidentally at the same time,
And yeah, the Astros went from ten games down to
a game up by mid July. It was pretty crazy
to watch. But that's the thing is right now and
it's not that long ago. You go back, what was
(08:58):
it May twenty thirty were you've got now a what
are they five and a half games today?
Speaker 3 (09:04):
So you're talking about a nine game difference in the standings.
Speaker 2 (09:07):
Uh, basically you're talking about it about just less than
four weeks. So it's it's pretty remarkable how quickly things
can change.
Speaker 3 (09:15):
And that's why. And I know with talk radio, I
know that things people tend to you have.
Speaker 2 (09:19):
To have an extreme opinion one way or the other.
But you know, I mean sometimes you just got to
let things play out. And that's exactly if I told you,
you know, I had told you that, you know, last
year this time that they'd be ten games back, that
they would be in first place in.
Speaker 3 (09:33):
A month, you wouldn't have believed me.
Speaker 2 (09:35):
But at the same time, I think another key to
for the Astros this season is they've never been more
than four games out of first place. It's if you
if you like the way they played or didn't like
the way they played, they were never more than four
games back. And when you don't get a chance to
bury a team, and when you don't take advantage of that,
you can come back and bite you, and you know,
(09:56):
just keep doing what they do and hard to figure
out understand, but they they I think it's you don't
know what culture is until you see.
Speaker 3 (10:05):
It and live it and kind of living it right now.
Speaker 1 (10:07):
Yeah, And that's something we're going to talk about too
here on the show tonight. Is I mean, just how
this team is doing this right now? Because if I
told you coming into this season, you don't have yord On,
you've got an underperforming yin Or Diaz, You've got an
underperforming Christian Walker, and you also have lost Renel Blanco,
Hayden was Nesky, and Spencer Arraghetty out of your what
(10:29):
you were expecting to be your full time rotation this year.
I probably think we would be talking about a team
that well, maybe twenty twenty five is not through year.
Speaker 3 (10:38):
Let's try to get in twenty six exactly. You're starting
to think about twenty twenty six.
Speaker 2 (10:43):
Again, you just go back to the whole uh three
fists of your starting rotation.
Speaker 3 (10:48):
I mean, on opening day there got I didn't know
who Colton Gordon was.
Speaker 2 (10:53):
Whenever the season started counting in for Brandon Walter too,
Jason Alexander and and Walter, Jason Alexander who comes in
and Deal who gave up nine earned runs in his
last start before coming to the Astros that was as
a member of the Athletics against against the Yankees.
Speaker 3 (11:08):
They just they just figure out a way to get
it done. And and uh.
Speaker 2 (11:13):
I you know you're gonna get Spencer Arraghetti back, You're
gonna get Jordan back. But yeah, if I had told
you those situations, I think if I just told you
that Jordon wasn't wasn't there, you think this team might
be in trouble.
Speaker 3 (11:24):
But uh, they figure out a way. And uh, and
you and forget about the fact that you.
Speaker 2 (11:31):
Go back to where you were the last day of
the regular season last year and think about what's not here.
And that's what I don't think they think about. They
don't think about what's not here. They think about what
is here, and that may be the key to their success.
When you obviously Bregman, you think about Brian Presley, you
think about Kyle Tucker, you think about Alex you know
Alec I said Alex and all those guys that they're
(11:52):
not here, Jordon, you can throw into that knix as well.
But other guys, do you know who camp Smith was
this time last year? No, none of us did, So
there you go. Unless you watched the College World Series.
Speaker 1 (12:01):
If you watch Florida State in the College World Series,
then you had an idea who the guy was. But
aside from that, you just saw part of the trade.
All right, let's go to MLB pipeline. Okay, this guy's,
you know, one of their highest ranked prospects.
Speaker 3 (12:13):
Okay, it's gonna be pretty good.
Speaker 1 (12:15):
And then he comes in here and he has the
spring training he has and you got Dana Brown call
him the aircraft carrier.
Speaker 2 (12:21):
He's He certainly has been a guy that's had a
head for the big moment, that is for sure.
Speaker 3 (12:27):
Leo had to walk off home to walk off base
hit in the last home stand? Did it again? Today?
Wasn't walk off, but it was. And that was on
a No. Two pitch too. You think about that.
Speaker 2 (12:37):
And he hits a screaming line drive into left field
and that turns out to be the game winner. And man,
he talk about a kid that's just having a just
an absolute blast and a sparky talked about this in
spring training, and you know, he would he and I
would talk back and forth.
Speaker 3 (12:53):
I go, what do you like about him?
Speaker 2 (12:55):
And he said, man, he's his pitch recognition. That's to me,
that's above my level. That's something that that a former
player sees. But he goes, I can just tell the
way he reacts to pitches. He sees pitches, He he
understands spin, he sees situations and things like that. He's
never out, you know, not unlike Jordon. I mean, you
rarely see Jordan take an unbalanced swing. You rarely see
(13:16):
that with Cam Smith. And to think about where he
is right now, eighty one games. See, we had him
on the post game here today, after the after the
final score today or the final game out was made today,
and you know, just a kid.
Speaker 3 (13:29):
I said, what has it gone by? What's it been
like for you?
Speaker 2 (13:32):
You know, you're half a season into your first season
in the big league.
Speaker 3 (13:35):
He goes like, Man, I goes, I can't believe it.
I got to pinch myself because I can't believe that
it's gone by this quickly, and how much fun it
has been.
Speaker 2 (13:42):
And for him to say how much fun it has
been and not say, you know, the pressure.
Speaker 3 (13:47):
This has been hard.
Speaker 2 (13:47):
It's been hard, you know, the pressure every day is
has been tough.
Speaker 3 (13:51):
You can tell he embraces it.
Speaker 2 (13:52):
And that's what you want to see from a guy
that could possibly be a superstar.
Speaker 1 (13:55):
And I mean, and what you're talking about, you and
Robert catching up with him after the game, I heard where.
I mean the first thing he says is make credits
two and you know, parentis for getting on base before
because I'm out in that spot without those guys?
Speaker 2 (14:08):
Where did that come from? Who do you always hear saying?
You never hear? You can hear jose Al Tuba can
hit a two run home run to win the game.
He won't talk about the home run he hit. He'll
talk about the guy that got on base in front
of him. I really And that tells you how smart
cam Smith is is that he sees leadership like that
and he goes, you know what, I'm gonna emulate that
that's the guy that I'm gonna be like that guy.
Speaker 3 (14:29):
And I do think we.
Speaker 2 (14:32):
Talk about what has kind of been a constant through
all the players that have come and gone, jose Al Tuob.
Speaker 3 (14:38):
I don't think I'm not in the clubhouse.
Speaker 2 (14:40):
I don't think jose Al Tube is a verbal leader,
but I do think that there is an aura about
him that people go, that's the way he does it,
that's the way I should do it. Yeah, And I
do think that that permeates through the culture this this organization.
Speaker 1 (14:52):
I was gonna see m VPS multi time All Star,
World World Champion a couple of times. Usually it's one
of those. It's that's the old saying, Hey, there's the
right way to do it. There's the way that you're
doing it.
Speaker 3 (15:03):
Yes, exactly, and it certainly he's done it the right
way for a long long time, for sure. Absolutely.
Speaker 1 (15:08):
All right, we're just getting started here on the Crawford
Box cast again. It's Dan Matthews and Kevin Heschenfelder in
for Chris Gordy and Ross Phillo Reale. It's a live
edition and you're hearing it right now on Sports Talk
seven ninety. So that means that you can get involved
at someone three two one two five seven ninety. Once again,
that's someone three two one two five seven ninety.
Speaker 3 (15:28):
How are the astros doing this right now?
Speaker 1 (15:31):
We'll give you the tail of tape here on the
other side as we continue here from carboch brewing here
on a victorious Astros at two.
Speaker 3 (15:39):
To one, winning at Thursday.
Speaker 1 (15:41):
I think most Astros fans feel the same way, Ash.
I think that most people where even if you had Jordan,
you're getting a little bit better production out of Janar
Diaz and Christian Walker at the moment, and you're fifteen
games above five hundred and depending on what happens in
the Mariners and Twins game, that ye're six six and
(16:02):
a half games up in the division. I think a
lot of people are taking that. But oh, by the way,
you don't have that right now, because some of those
guys I just mentioned they're not even part of the
current picture.
Speaker 2 (16:11):
I was gonna say, what there, What is there gonna
be frustrated about? If you're frustrated with the way things
have gone in this season for the Astros, then you're
gonna be a hard person to please, because, like you said,
fifteen games over a five hundred day sweet that three
game series against the Philadelphia Phillies, a team that was
playing better than anybody else in Major League Baseball basically
over the last the third of a season. And so yeah,
(16:34):
it's it's hard to be frustrated about that and the
way they've taken care of business and at dyk In
Park has been really fun to watch.
Speaker 3 (16:41):
And you think about it if you're if you're.
Speaker 2 (16:42):
A division winner, you know you're gonna be playing some
home important home games in the postseason at dyke And
Park as well if you're the Astros.
Speaker 3 (16:49):
But yeah, they have, they've.
Speaker 2 (16:51):
Made it, and they get that feeling daan about when
you play at home of even when they possibly.
Speaker 3 (16:57):
Lose a lead late or a game it's.
Speaker 2 (17:00):
Tied l you get that feeling like today of it's
not about here we go again in a bad way.
It's okay, wait, I wonder what they're gonna do here
to win the game.
Speaker 3 (17:09):
No, definitely true.
Speaker 1 (17:10):
And by the way, he's Kevin eshmfielder Dan Matthews here
with you on the Crawford Box Cast here live at
Carback Brewing. We're in for Chris Gordy and Rossville Reale.
And No, that's a great point brought up by you,
because this is a team now that's thirty and thirteen
on their home field this year, and of the division leaders,
that's the best record in baseball on their home field.
(17:30):
The Dodgers are second best at thirty and fourteen at
Dodger Stadium.
Speaker 3 (17:34):
Yeah, no other team has more wins.
Speaker 2 (17:36):
Yeah, Dodgers are right there as well, but still the
Astros with with a better winning percentage at home.
Speaker 3 (17:41):
You know. And the thing is is if you you.
Speaker 2 (17:45):
Know, if you're dominated at home and you're good on
the road, you're gonna have you're gonna win a lot
of games, and you're gonna win a division and you
can even be mediocre on the road. And that's another
thing too that I think it's kind of flown under
the radar, is that they were they struggled so mightily
on the road early in this season. But now all
of a sudden, you remember, they didn't win a series.
They won in Minnesota in the first series of the
(18:06):
road series of the season away from dyke In Park.
They didn't win another road series until what the Pittsburgh series.
Speaker 3 (18:12):
Yeah, that's right. Yeah, So it was.
Speaker 2 (18:15):
A long time between that and now all of a
sudden they put together consecutive road series wins and now
they're within a couple of games of five hundred, all
on the road.
Speaker 3 (18:23):
So you got, you know, take care of business in Colorado.
You got a chance to be.
Speaker 2 (18:27):
Over five hundred on the road, and you've been absolutely
dominated at home.
Speaker 1 (18:31):
And it's crazy to think too that you're forty eight
and thirty three when let me just read off some
names here pretty quick of guys that you don't have
in the fold.
Speaker 3 (18:40):
You don't have Jordan Alvarez. We'll see when he comes back.
Speaker 1 (18:43):
Dana Brown on with us, which, by the way, that
cut you just heard that was the same visit with
the Sean Salisbury show that he does every Wednesday at
nine to thirty. You don't have him. You don't have
Chas McCormick. You don't have Zach Decenzo. You don't have
Brendan Rodgers. You don't have Jacob Melton. You have not
had pedro Leone all season long. I didn't even gotten
to the pitchers yet. Because Lance mccullors Junior are gonna
(19:04):
make a return on Saturday, it looks like that's going
to be the case.
Speaker 3 (19:08):
Spencer Arraghetti still a long ways away. We'll see you on.
Speaker 1 (19:11):
Christian Javier Luis Garcia, same deal there, Sean Duban probably
after the All Star break, JP Franz Renel Blanco, I
Hayden was Nesky. Both of those guys obviously you know
you're not gonna have them the rest of the way.
It's one after another.
Speaker 2 (19:23):
And uh yeah, you've everybody deals with injuries. They're just
more important when that happens to your team, So everybody
deals with it. And the fact that they would always
and I've heard WEX talk about this.
Speaker 3 (19:34):
Before too, is that.
Speaker 2 (19:37):
Every time a ranking comes out about minor leagues, who's
whose minor league system is good, whose minor league system
is bad?
Speaker 3 (19:45):
How many times have you seen the Astros.
Speaker 2 (19:46):
Have a guy come up and produce at the major
league level, and you always hear the same thing about
how their minor league system ranks, you know, in the
bottom half or even lower than that as far as
as far as that you know major league rankings. And
the fact is is that they just bring a guy
up and knows what to do. And I mean, to me,
that tells me that that they know how to develop talent.
Speaker 1 (20:09):
Well not only that they know how to develop talent,
but I mean it's also they're scouting where you see
something and a guy and you're able to say, hey,
if we're able to fix this with his fastball, we're
able to fix this with their approach at the plate,
whatever it might be. I mean, it's just it's it's
the minute details that some people might look at and say, oh, well,
how important can that necessarily be. It's about hitting, it's
(20:29):
about pitching, it's about throwing the ball, fielding it, doing
all those different things. But the Astros seemingly have the
market corner in terms of being able to find those advantages,
had a great ability to.
Speaker 2 (20:39):
Find what you do and maybe tweak what you do
and find out what you do best and tell you
to do that. It goes back to Colin m quey.
They couldn't stay on a major league roster, ended up
winning nineteen games in the major leagues.
Speaker 3 (20:52):
In a season.
Speaker 2 (20:54):
So they just said, it's it's pretty remarkable the way
they can find your strength and help you use that
strength to its maximum. And that's what they've been able
to do. You know, Sean Duban, I think that's a
that's a big key too. Hoping to get him back
because you know he adds a lot of just an
ability to eat up some innings out of the bullpen.
(21:15):
That's always big. He was pitching very very well. Uh
Wasstnski's going to be out for a while. Blanco's going
to be out for a for a while. You're not
gonna see them anytime soon, but hoping to get Spencer
Arraghetti back soon and that would be.
Speaker 3 (21:28):
A huge addition to this starting rotation.
Speaker 2 (21:32):
And people go, well, what are you gonna do with
the other guys, Well, you're you're gonna You're gonna figure
it out, and that's that's what you're going to do,
whether somebody moves to the bullpen or somebody loses their
spot in the rotation.
Speaker 3 (21:41):
You know, Spencer Arraghetty, what we.
Speaker 2 (21:43):
Saw last year in the second half when he really
figured it out, Uh, it was. It was pretty special
and and you know, just a freak accident and hoping
he'll be back real soon.
Speaker 1 (21:52):
I'm gonna repeat myself, and I'm sure there's probably some
of the audience that get annoyed when I do this,
But here it goes is that pitching is a lot
like offensive and defensive lineman in football. I don't think
there's a single football coach out there. I mean, you
do the U of H football games. I don't think
Willie Fritz. You know, hey, coach, you know you've got
a couple of backup offensive and defensive linemen that have
played really well, What are you gonna do with them?
Speaker 3 (22:12):
Oh, we'll find a way to use them, exactly.
Speaker 2 (22:15):
That's a that's a great point, and to you know,
the fact that not only use them, but figure out.
Speaker 3 (22:20):
A way to put.
Speaker 2 (22:22):
Them in a position to succeed and help the team
at its best. I was thinking about Hunter Brown and
what he was able to do today and the fact
that he and Fromber to be those one to two
at the top of the rotation. But you don't have to,
you know, wait for those two because you had other guys.
Speaker 3 (22:36):
While they may not give you as.
Speaker 2 (22:37):
Many innings in the sense that you know Fromber goes
out and gives you seven innings, you know Hunter Brown
goes out gives you seven innings of shutout baseball. Here
today is that you know they're serviceable to the point where.
Speaker 3 (22:49):
They give you keep you in games. And then if
you can have two.
Speaker 2 (22:53):
Guys that are gonna go out and give you six
and seven innings in your rotation, two fifths of your rotation,
then you know things are going to be okay as far.
Speaker 3 (23:00):
As your bullpen is concerned. Hunter Brown, I went back
and looked this.
Speaker 2 (23:03):
You know, when he kind of turned his career around
at the middle of May last year. Last thirty four
starts for him. When you make thirty one thirty two
starts in a season, uh, you're talking about a guy
that is eighteen and seven with an era that went
down today, but it was two o five when I
did the did the calculations. Coming in a day over thirty.
Speaker 1 (23:23):
Four starts unbelievable. He's been pretty incredible for this team.
And I mean, you know, it's funny that you even
mentioned that, because let's just let's go back to April
last year in Kansas City where he can't even get
out of the first inning and we're starting to wonder aloud.
Speaker 3 (23:36):
I mean, man, it was talking with do you send him,
do you pull him?
Speaker 2 (23:40):
Do you do you put him in the bullpen and
let him pitch out of the bullpen, And that's exactly
what they did.
Speaker 3 (23:44):
Yeah, he kind of right Detroit Detroit.
Speaker 2 (23:47):
And when he came in I think he pitched five
innings out of the bullpen after he just really couldn't
get anybody out or there was thought, you send him
down and let him try to figure it out at
Triple A and uh, man, he found that two seemed
fast fastball and that sinker and gave him something to
get right handers out, something you know, to move to
the other side. When you talk about splitting the plate
in the middle and having a one pitch go in
(24:10):
on right he's on the arm side and one going
away on right handers to the glove side. You know,
once he found that out and figured it out and
mastered it because you knew what was in there was
the fact that you got a guy that you know
he's gonna pump it in there at ninety seven ninety
eight miles an hour. That's that's a good start. And yeah,
he's been He's been nothing short of amazing ever since.
Speaker 3 (24:30):
He's fearless.
Speaker 1 (24:30):
I mean even well, I'm trying to think, was that
the second out bat today against Schwarber where I think
he's down three to one and he goes ninety eight
right there, three and two, here's ninety eight again and
you're gonna take it now.
Speaker 2 (24:44):
They pitched Kyle Schwarber. Really, they pitched the top three
in that order. You think about Trey Turner came into
this series. He got two hits, but he came into
this series leading the National League and hitting as far
as number of hits, and yeah, they pitched the top
third of that order really really tough as far as
today's started one, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight nine, ten.
Speaker 3 (25:05):
Yeah, oh for twelve was in today's game.
Speaker 2 (25:08):
Uh, as far as that top third of the order
for the Philadelphia Phillies. And again this is a This
wasn't a Phillies team that came in struggling. I mean,
you know, talking with their their broadcasters, they're like, well,
we just couldn't, just didn't swing the bat. And then
you know, it's how you're looking at it, who Who's
whose perspective you're seeing it from. If you're an Astro,
you're thinking, man, we pitched great. If you're a Philly
you're thinking, well, we just didn't swing the bat. I'll
(25:29):
tell you, I think it had a lot more to
do with the astros pitching than it did the other
side of it.
Speaker 3 (25:33):
And how good has that pitching been.
Speaker 1 (25:35):
We will talk about it here on the Crawford Box
cast when we continue along. Here again, we're alive here
at Carboch Brewing. If you want to drop on in
and say hello, you can do so. But also too,
you can drop in on the phone lines at Sebone
three two one two five seven ninety. Once again, that's
Sebone three two one two five seven ninety, Sean Matthews,
Kevin Aschteenfelder in for Chris Gordy and ross Ville Real.
(25:57):
This is the Crawford Box cast Sports Talk seven ninety.
This is the Crawford Box gas here live at Carbach Brewing,
and we will be here for about another twenty minutes
or so. If you want to drop on in, if
you want to hit us up on the phone lines,
you can do so. Sebon one three two one two
five seven ninety. Once again, that's seven one three two
one two five seven ninety. You got myself, Dan Matthews,
got Kevin Ashenfelder of course, who you heard over these
(26:20):
last three games with Robert Ford in the radio.
Speaker 3 (26:23):
Booth with us.
Speaker 1 (26:23):
You also see him on TV Spased City Home Network.
But the Stros take care of business against the Phillies.
They sweep the series and now get ready for the
Chicago Cubs, who we'll talk about here in just a second.
But esh, I mean, we've been talking about and singing
the praises of this pitching staff, so I mentioned it
a little bit earlier the bullpen. Let me just run
(26:45):
through some stats for the bullpen and how good they've
been this season. The league is hitting two oh seven
with a six point thirty seven OPS against some They
have a three twenty one ERA and they are fourth
in ERA as an overall pitching staff this year at
three forty, first in strikeouts overall at seven ninety eight.
Speaker 3 (27:04):
That's getting it done.
Speaker 1 (27:06):
And again another overall stat for the pitching this year,
first an opponent batting average, the league is hitting two
eighteen against both the starting and the relieving core for.
Speaker 3 (27:17):
The Astros this year.
Speaker 2 (27:18):
Yeah, it's and I love the number of the strikeout
number because I understand as the starter that can run
your pitch count out, but as a reliever to getting
swing and miss, particularly in the rules now with the
extra endings, but just getting swing and miss out of
that bullpen, that's that's so big. And you know they
just keep continue to go out night after night. It's
the mixing and matching I think so much of when
(27:41):
you think about a bullpen and them producing, you know,
you think about that that guy going out and doing
his job, where a guy like Joe a Spot is
thinking about where do I mix and match pockets as
far as okay, the best matchup for guy a reliever
A to go against pocket A and being able to
(28:01):
put him in that position. I think that's where managing,
that's why, that's why you're a manager, not a head.
Speaker 3 (28:05):
Coach in baseball. You manage the game and and you
know his his ability to put people in the right
position to succeed.
Speaker 2 (28:12):
Granted, obviously you have to execute everything as a player,
but being in that position to to take advantage of
those matchups is certainly very very important.
Speaker 1 (28:22):
And think about how many times, you know, how many
different guys he's put in the high leverage spots this year.
I mean, before the injury, Sean Dubin was a guy
that kind of earned that right of somebody that could
get some of those seventh innings. I mean, Brian King,
we've seen him, a Ton Bennett Susa. I mean, a
guy that's been completely i think underrated for this team
this year. How good he's been. I mean, I know
I made the joke on Twitter that he's the best
(28:45):
tenth inning closer in all of baseball, but I mean
just whenever you seemingly have thrown him out there, he
puts up Zeros.
Speaker 2 (28:51):
Yeah, Betts Susan's coming and gotten his gotten two saves
over the last week and a half or so, and
you know, it just comes in and locks things down
in the ninth inning. Everybody's not going to be available
every night. Sometimes the situation will call on where you
have to you have to go on beyond a bray.
You and hater at the end, back into the bullpit
and bet and Bennett Susan's gotten.
Speaker 3 (29:11):
I mean, he's nasty.
Speaker 2 (29:12):
I mean, you know now that he has found his
ability to throw strikes. That was the only thing that
was questionable. And you can't have a reliever that can't
throw strikes, and Bennezusa struggled with that from time to time,
but he has not had that problem anymore. You think
about this, this is a guy that's that's claimed off waivers.
What was it, Detroit was his last team, Yeah, waiver claim.
He really came in and came in in September of
(29:34):
twenty twenty three. Yeah, and so he wasn't available for
the postseason. Then you know, missus twenty twenty four. Now
man healthy and he's got a lot of hop on
his fastball. And the fact is is that you know,
he knows how to pitch, he knows how to get
guys out. I don't care if you strike him out.
I don't care what you do, but just the fact
that you're able to. He starts with throwing strikes quality strikes,
(29:54):
and that's certainly been at something Bennett SUSA has done.
Speaker 1 (29:57):
And I'm not saying I'm asking for this scenario to
play out. I mean you mentioned twenty three and twenty
two as well, where Phil may Tom was kind of
the edit guy that if it looks like, all right,
I'm not going to use any of my high leverage guys,
I really would like to stay away from the rest
of my middle you know, relief guys. If we're up
by a bunch, we're down by a bunch, I mean
the first scenario, up by a bunch, you like to
(30:19):
have that. But I mean you mentioned Sean Duban as
being a guy that can be counted on. Suso's one
of those guys. I mean, Steven Okert has mostly been
a one inning guy, but I mean he's somebody else.
I mean last night, you want to talk about how
good he was. He comes in, has a three up,
three down inning and oh by the way all three
of them are strikeouts.
Speaker 3 (30:35):
Yeah, and Okurt is a guy too, that's a veteran.
It's been around. I mean, people may not you know
he's a he's a typical metal reliever. Nobody knows who
he is until you know who he is.
Speaker 2 (30:43):
And yeah, he's been a guy that's been very, very good.
And it goes back to a situation too, where you
and I talked about it is where you've got enough
sample size from him, haven't got enough tape on him
to figure out what he does well and to be
able to come in and and have him use that
to its best ability.
Speaker 3 (31:02):
And yeah, he's there.
Speaker 2 (31:05):
They're everybody that's been Everybody's going to have their days off.
Everybody's going to give up that big hit in the
ninth inning and lose a game. That's gonna happen to
every single reliever. But all in all, I mean, no
matter who you've called on and put into what position
you've been able to put them in, whether it's Steven
Oker or SUSA or Brian King or Caleb Ort, whatever
the case may be, guys have come up big and
(31:28):
it's been a huge part of why the Astros have
been able to stay where they are right now? Is
that the lockdown bullpen? After having very good starting pitching me?
Speaker 1 (31:35):
And how crazy is that we've mentioned all these guys.
We hadn't even mentioned a guy that's got twenty one
saves and twenty one chances and how good Josh Hater's been.
Speaker 3 (31:42):
Yeah, and it's not that easy.
Speaker 2 (31:44):
You know, people always forget what do you remember about closers.
It's like field goal kickers. You always remember the one
he misses, right, And the fact that he comes in
and is able to lock things down the way he
has and he does it. He seems like every night
he comes in and does it in a different way,
whether it's you know, with the breaking ball one night
or with the slider, with the uh with the fastball
the next and then you know, whatever he has a
(32:06):
feel for, he has the ability to go out and
do it. I just love the fact that the mentality,
and we talked about culture and things like that that
you know, he wasn't a guy that was a multi
inning guy before he came here, but realize that this
is an organization that took care of him whatever you
need him to do I have. I mean, you think
about multi multiple times he's come in and had to
(32:26):
give you more than three outs, and that's you saw.
We saw it with Briana Bray. You today, whatever you
guys need, I'm here to do wichever whatever it is
you need.
Speaker 1 (32:34):
Yeah, he's been unreal, and I mean even you know,
sometimes he's able to have the three up, three down inning.
I mean out of a closer, that's what you want
to have. But I mean the other night where Auto Kemp,
the second strike was a swing that went off his
back foot, so that's that strike too. And then at
Mundo Sosa, he's got a mo too, and he bings,
he hits him with the pitch, and you're just kind
(32:55):
of like, oh, man, don't, don't do last year Josh
Hater right now, Please don't.
Speaker 2 (32:59):
But you know the thing is every closer does that.
It's just when it's your closer, you remember it. It
happens to everybody. But man, you know your your your
your job is to you're getting paid to close out games.
And who's been better as far as the percentage is concerned.
I don't think you can get better than Josh Hater.
Speaker 3 (33:18):
Absolutely not.
Speaker 1 (33:19):
And he and the rest of this bullpen have been fantastic.
For the Astros here as again they went their fourth
straight today and able to sweep the Phillies and now
getting ready for the Cubs again. If you want to
get in on the phone lines, the number is seveon
one three two one two five seven ninety. Once he
got seveone three two one two five seven ninety. Speaking
of the Cubs, we welcome back some familiar faces. We'll
(33:43):
talk about that and also what to expect from the
Cubs here in this three game series over the weekend
as the Astros look to close out a good home
stand here at dik And Park. It's Dan Matthews, Kevin
Ashchenfelder in for Chris Gordy and Rossville Reale. This is
the CROPPERD Box cast here on Sports Talk seven to ninety.
Crawford Box Gass continues from here at Carbach Brewing here
(34:05):
on the northwest side, and it's Dan Matthews, Kevin Ashenfelder
in for Chris Gordy and Ross Villarreal. Astros take care
of business against the Phillies two to one winners this afternoon.
Speaker 3 (34:17):
Yep, that's right.
Speaker 1 (34:18):
They sweep the series, outscoring the Phillies in three games
five to one, and now I'm gonna get ready for
the Cubs series. We'll get you set up for that
series in just a second. But we've got Kevin, who
wants to weigh in here on the phone lines. Kevin,
what's going on?
Speaker 4 (34:35):
Hey, thanks for taking my call and looking at box
score on that five to one total runs, I don't
think that's ever been done before. From what I can find,
on a regular season game, the fewest runs scored in
a sweep was seven, and I think we just set
a high water mark. I wonder if you had any
(34:56):
visibility on that.
Speaker 2 (34:58):
I was fighting traffic to get over here from Dyke
in Parks. I couldn't confirm that, But that's that's pretty impressive. Yeah,
it's it's a good point. You know.
Speaker 3 (35:06):
You think about three of.
Speaker 2 (35:07):
Those five runs scored in the eighth in a too
in the Astros final at bat.
Speaker 4 (35:12):
Yeah, it was crazy. I think had we walked five
guys through the entire series, Philly's walked only eight. Just
amazing numbers.
Speaker 3 (35:22):
Yeah, it really was.
Speaker 2 (35:23):
It was fun to watch, and you know, I think
you would agree with me, Kevin, because great minds think
alike named Kevin.
Speaker 3 (35:29):
Is that.
Speaker 2 (35:31):
Just it was?
Speaker 3 (35:31):
It was edge of your seat type baseball. I thought
it was.
Speaker 2 (35:33):
I thought it was very much of a feeling of
playoff type baseball. And you know, you don't have to
made the comment today on the game during the game
was you don't have to have an eight to seven
game to have an exciting baseball game.
Speaker 3 (35:45):
And I thought this was fantastic to watch over these
last three days.
Speaker 4 (35:50):
Yeah, I agree with you. Sometimes pitching duals, you know,
can be a bit slow. Sometimes they're sloppy.
Speaker 3 (35:56):
So you're right.
Speaker 4 (35:57):
I think all of these were nail biders for sure.
Speaker 3 (36:00):
Now, I think both teams played well.
Speaker 2 (36:01):
And Wex made a point I was listening to driving
over here as Wex made a point, if Phillies came
in here playing really good baseball, they left playing really
good baseball.
Speaker 3 (36:12):
It's just the Astros scored more runs than they did
in this series.
Speaker 1 (36:15):
Yeah, and appreciate the call, Kevin, But I mean took
out the Mets, I think, what two out of three games,
and then took a game and a half lead there
in the NL East, And I mean that's that's a
tough enough division right there that you're playing, where you
consider the three top teams there of you know, going
up against the Mets and then don't count out the
Braves just yet. I saw that in twenty one first hand,
(36:37):
of you know what can happen when that team gets going,
and the talent they have in that building, and you know,
having that postseason experience and winning experience too, that they're
a team that can still be pretty tough. And that's
actually where Philly goes next, is goes to Atlanta and
takes on the Braves. Yeah, and the Mets play later tonight,
and so they if the Mets can come away with
the victory tonight, that will be a dead heat as
(36:59):
far as the National League East is concerned. Yeah, as
we sit right now, it does seem like the Astros
are going to be six and a half games up
on the Mariners, because, as you know, we're doing this
live on Sports Talk seven to ninety, but of course
taped for the Crawford Box cast, the Mariners trail the
Twins tend to nothing in the bottom of the eighth,
(37:20):
So I think that's I think we're pretty safe to
say that the Astros will hit the road no matter
what happens this weekend, still in the lead in the
American League West. Kyle Tucker and Ryan Presley coming back
this weekend with the Chicago Cubs. It's their first turn
return back to Dyke and Park. They're gonna get a
tribute video tomorrow nights. I mean, just real quick here,
(37:40):
you know, as we got a couple of minutes left here. Esh,
I mean, I said it on Twitter. There should be
nothing less than ovations for both guys for everything that
they that they did for this organization.
Speaker 2 (37:50):
One hundred percent. I don't think anybody has left here.
I gave a standing ovation to George Springer, Carlos Korea.
Speaker 3 (37:57):
Nobody's left here. They left. They left for a better job,
opportunity in a different place.
Speaker 2 (38:02):
That was their choice. I wouldn't take. I would say
thank you for what you did while you were here.
Speaker 3 (38:07):
The same thing.
Speaker 2 (38:08):
Ryan Presley is going to go down as one of
the best relievers in Major League postseason history. I don't
care what anybody's that in history. I mean, do you
think about what he's been able to do in the postseason.
Kyle Tucker was a situation where you know what it
was the right time, and if you're going to trade
a guy like Kyle Tucker, you better get something back.
(38:29):
And man, I tell you what, I love what they
got back, because let's not flying under the radar is
the way Eatsac Pretis has played at third base. So
not only do you get something back, you fill a
hole that was voided obviously whenever when Alex Bregman left.
So I mean, all in all, all the best to
the people that leave and get something back in return.
And man, I think you got the best years of
(38:50):
Ryan Presley's career. I wish him all the best after
this weekend, and you know, the best to everybody.
Speaker 3 (38:57):
I mean, the fact is is that that you got.
You had to get something back, and they did, and
you gotta like what they got.
Speaker 1 (39:04):
And this is a Cubs team too. I mean, just
looking at the numbers. They won today over the Cardinals
three to nothing, but they're fourth and average third and
Homer's second and runs batted in, but they are very
gettable on the pitching side. That's a pitching staff that
has a three to five ERA this year. So I
don't think we're gonna see a three game series that
ends with one team with five and the other with one.
Speaker 3 (39:25):
Yeah maybe in one game, yeah exactly, And I don't
think that's gonna be the case. But that you know,
we'll see how it plays out.
Speaker 2 (39:31):
Sometimes when you just when you think you got baseball
figured out, you realize.
Speaker 3 (39:34):
You don't have baseball figured out. But it'll be fun.
Speaker 2 (39:37):
It'll be a great atmosphere. I think all three games
will be sold out. I know that there's not gonna
be many tickets available, so it'll be fun. When Kyle
Tucker comes, I hope people give him a standing ovation.
I hope his first time up they give him a
standing ovation.
Speaker 3 (39:48):
Say for Ryan.
Speaker 2 (39:49):
Presley, because you know what, they contributed great memories to
this organization, whether it was in the postseason or the
regular season. And I think a Kyle Tucker will always
think of him making that catch on Castiados's foul balled
and to win the World Series in twenty twenty two.
Speaker 3 (40:05):
So I've got nothing but positives for those guys.
Speaker 1 (40:08):
I mean, I was gonna say he went point A
to B to C on that where A was Presley,
B was Costianos leaning out and hitting that ball, and
then Kyle Tucker and then he and Trey Mancini jumping
into each other and then saying, hey, let's go celebrate
a world title.
Speaker 3 (40:22):
You got that, and what great memories.
Speaker 2 (40:25):
That will last a lifetime for Astros fans. And those
are the guys that were all a great part. Whether
you can go back and name however many you want,
but all a part of the golden era.
Speaker 3 (40:35):
Of Astros passport for sure. That's appreciate, Tom Man always brother.
That was good Tom.
Speaker 1 (40:39):
It's been another edition to the Crawford Box cast Ian Matthews,
Kevin Aschenfelder in for Chris Gordy and Ross Philo, real
special things to Frankie Westmoreland back in the studio until
next week.
Speaker 3 (40:49):
Keep listening right here Sports Talk seven ninety
Two pinchons for the Crawford Podcast and you get myself,
Dan Matthew used to get Space City Home Networks and
for the last three games. Kevin Heschinfelder in with us tonight.
We're live here at Carbach Brewing on the Northwest side
here as the Astros able to finish off a three
game sweep of the Phillies, and they take care of
(00:22):
business today two to one win over there at dyke
In Park and Ash, I mean you were front and
center for at all you and Robert Ford on the
call for all three games. Let me just run through
some quick numbers here for you. Three for twenty one
with runners in scoring position. You score five runs in
this entire series, and you also leave seventeen runners on base,
(00:47):
just on the surface, without telling you how much the
other team scored. What would be your reaction to how
this three game series went.
Speaker 2 (00:54):
I would say it would not have gone very very well.
First of all, thank you for having me, but that's.
Speaker 3 (00:58):
Kind of in the story about how they've been able
to get things done.
Speaker 2 (01:02):
At the end of the night, they end up scoring
more runs in the other team, and you just shake
your head and walk away and go how do they.
Speaker 3 (01:08):
Do that, and they continue to do.
Speaker 2 (01:09):
It, and how I don't know, but I'm just hope
Astro fans are enjoying the way what.
Speaker 3 (01:14):
They're doing right now.
Speaker 1 (01:15):
Yeah, And you know, me and you were talking a
little bit off the air before of two home stands
now that have been the weirdest home stands for the
Astros where you get this one where combined you outscore
the opponents five to one, and then the other one
that was the weird one was the Raise series where
it was four games and you get outscored thirty to nine.
Speaker 3 (01:36):
Oh, by the way, you split that series. Yeah, you
had the two big games in which you know, it was.
Speaker 2 (01:41):
Two blowouts and two close wins, and so you took
advantage of that Raise. It played really really well. And
that's what's been impressive about to me, not only the
Rays series, because the Rays were starting to play really
well then and you split that four game series.
Speaker 3 (01:55):
But you think about this Phillies team.
Speaker 2 (01:57):
You can go back and go through about a fifty
four stretch. Philly's with the best record in the major leagues,
and they came in here and you were facing, uh,
you're facing three pitchers coming into this series, all of
which had e ras under three and you and you
just flat outpitched them. And you know, if I had
told you from ber and Hunter Brown would have done it,
(02:18):
you'd have gone, yeah, okay, I can see that. And
then but you know the thing, And I think one
of the big stories about this season a guy like
Colton Gordon who comes.
Speaker 3 (02:25):
In and he gives you a five shutout.
Speaker 2 (02:28):
Innings and then the bullpen, which has been lights out,
they come in and sealed the deal and and you're
winning games like that. And I just have never felt
like this team is over at SKIS. I just think
that the fact that they are what they are is there.
There is you know, you talk about chemistry and culture
and you don't know what it is, but you know
it's there.
Speaker 3 (02:47):
When you see it, and you get that feeling.
Speaker 1 (02:49):
That's what's there right now for this team. I'm gonna
put you on the spot a little bit. You had
the stat during the game about I mean, I heard
you mentioned mcnante, John Halama.
Speaker 3 (02:58):
I'm trying to remember the interest that you had in
ninety eight.
Speaker 2 (03:01):
Billy Billy Wagner, John Halama, Mike mcnonte, and C. J.
Nt Kowski was Kowski Yep, that's a blast from the past.
Speaker 3 (03:09):
Right lefties. Yep.
Speaker 1 (03:11):
As I saw also too that Stephen grond who's with
the team, and he put out that Uh Lias Sports
Bureau said, it was the first time in major league
history or Astro's history, that you had five lefties pitch
in the same game. Yeah, it was third time in
major league history that you've seen that happen. But not
only was it the fact that you had five lefties
(03:33):
go in there, but think about it, you had five
lefties combining on a shutout of Skolton Gordon went five
in that game. Uh, he's Okert came in, he pitched
the sixth, Susa pitched the seventh, Brian King pitched the eighth,
and then John then that Josh Hater came in and
closed it out, uh.
Speaker 3 (03:47):
Pitching the ninth inning. So that that was what was
really impressive about that.
Speaker 2 (03:51):
And yeah, it's you know, you think Dusty Baker was
always talking about lefties here and left he's there, and
you know he didn't have any. Now, yeah, you go
through that about that, you got four lefties, You've got
four righty's in.
Speaker 3 (04:02):
That bullpen right now.
Speaker 1 (04:04):
It's definitely going well for the Astros because the pitching
gives up one earned run. In the entire series, the
bullpen works seven scoreless innings in this one, where you
only needed two in the opener. You needed four last
night with Okert, Sousa and King as well as Hater,
and then today you don't have Josh Hater. But still,
(04:24):
I mean, you know, it's funny. I was doing this
on Twitter earlier, where it cracked me up. One of
my favorite things to do when something happens is to
search the player, Like if somebody grounds into a double play,
I just want to see what people are doing. I'm sick,
I know, but I searched Brian King and I see people, oh,
Brian King, all of this. And my response was all right, hey, look,
I understand you give up the one run right there,
(04:45):
but how about we talk about a leadoff double that's
left on base, or even in the second inning when
you do score that run, you've got all these other chances.
I'm like, let's not underscore that you only scored one
run at this point, and last time I checked, the
other team was trying to.
Speaker 2 (05:00):
To make sure that they succeeded as well. It doesn't
always go the way you want it, but certainly it
has gone way more the right way for the Astros
this season, particularly when you're talking about the bullpen, because
you know it's a bullpen.
Speaker 3 (05:13):
It's been so very good.
Speaker 2 (05:15):
You know, what was it the old the old saying
having the two keys to being a great manager is
a good sense of humor and a great bullpen. And
the bullpen has certainly been very very good for this
Astros team. You and you think during this going into
today's game, Astros had that sixteen game stretch and they
(05:35):
have won. Uh, they had one in their last sixteen
home wins. I'll give you this number here, the last
sixteen home wins, and that was before today, so that
number goes down today the bullpen eer was thirty eight.
And I mean they had outscored their opponents seventy three
to twenty six, but thirty eight out of the bullpen, man,
that's uh, that is a Those are six inning games
(05:58):
or five inning games in some cases like last night,
So when you got the bullpen to come in and
do the job like they have done, and that's always
been the case, and I said it, I think in
today's game is the fact that you know, you think
Josh Hater goes down or not goes down, but it's not.
Speaker 3 (06:11):
Available in a day like to day.
Speaker 2 (06:12):
And Plan B is is not a bad I think
there's a lot of teams that would love to have
the Astros Plan B and Brian Abray you as their
Plan A as their closer.
Speaker 4 (06:22):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (06:23):
And I heard you mentioned that with Robert two during
the broadcast, because I mean, you're one hundred percent right,
especially with how good a bray you has been, where
it's only been three times this year that he's given
up earned runs. And I understand what happened up in
you know, Seattle and then the seventh inning that you
had here at home, but for the most part, he's
been just absolutely nails for this team this year.
Speaker 2 (06:41):
You always remember it when it's you, when it's your team,
you always remember the things that went the wrong way. Yeah,
and it's only happened twice. Both of them happened to
be against the Seattle Mayors. Both of them had to
be Julio Rodriguez who came up with a big hit
at that time. But you know, all in all, Man,
the fact that and you know, give Joe a spot
of some credit too about having him be able to
mix and match and come up with different matchups, just
(07:04):
like in last night's game when you kind of neutralize
those left handed bats Rob Thompson for the Philadelphia Phillies
in last night's game, and then you know, last night
he went ahead and threw a couple of those lefties,
and you always know Schwarber is going to be there
in the lineup, but that's not all of them. And
you think about Bryson Stotton and Brandon Marsh got rare
starts against the lefty in last night's game.
Speaker 3 (07:25):
But you know the fact is is that you.
Speaker 2 (07:28):
Know, he's done a nice job mixing and matching, and
you stayed with the lefties, and then that was certainly
an advantage for the Astros.
Speaker 1 (07:34):
No, definitely, And I mean, you know, I've talked about
how well they've been pitching, and I mean just looking
at the way that this team has been this season,
I mean, you've got a bullpen that has the league.
Speaker 3 (07:44):
Hitting two oh seven against him.
Speaker 1 (07:45):
I mean, they've just been unreal in terms of how
they've been able to hold opposing offenses off balance. But
just overall, here you're now winners a fourth straight, and
you've now got a fifteen game over five hundred record.
You're forty eight and thirty three on the year, and
you've got a six game lead at the moment as
me and you were recording the show tonight for the
(08:07):
Crawford box cast, but of course coming to you live,
which you can jump apart up someone three two, one
two five seven ninety. The Astros have a six game
lead on the Mariners. I mean this time last year,
If I'm not mistaken, I think wasn't this about the
time last year?
Speaker 3 (08:20):
They were ten games back of the Mariners.
Speaker 1 (08:22):
And we've got Dana brownals every single week on the
Shawn Salisbury Show, and he's like, hey, look, if we
can cut it to five games by July, we feel
pretty good.
Speaker 3 (08:31):
Well, now it's the other way around. Yeah, I don't
know the exact thing. I think it may have been
June eighteenth.
Speaker 2 (08:35):
When they were ten games back and they went.
Speaker 3 (08:37):
To where it was a.
Speaker 2 (08:37):
Historic, you know, flip flop as far as you had
one team that was began to play great baseball and
the other team that just happened to take a nose
dive at the same time, coincidentally at the same time,
And yeah, the Astros went from ten games down to
a game up by mid July. It was pretty crazy
to watch. But that's the thing is right now and
it's not that long ago. You go back, what was
(08:58):
it May twenty thirty were you've got now a what
are they five and a half games today?
Speaker 3 (09:04):
So you're talking about a nine game difference in the standings.
Speaker 2 (09:07):
Uh, basically you're talking about it about just less than
four weeks. So it's it's pretty remarkable how quickly things
can change.
Speaker 3 (09:15):
And that's why. And I know with talk radio, I
know that things people tend to you have.
Speaker 2 (09:19):
To have an extreme opinion one way or the other.
But you know, I mean sometimes you just got to
let things play out. And that's exactly if I told you,
you know, I had told you that, you know, last
year this time that they'd be ten games back, that
they would be in first place in.
Speaker 3 (09:33):
A month, you wouldn't have believed me.
Speaker 2 (09:35):
But at the same time, I think another key to
for the Astros this season is they've never been more
than four games out of first place. It's if you
if you like the way they played or didn't like
the way they played, they were never more than four
games back. And when you don't get a chance to
bury a team, and when you don't take advantage of that,
you can come back and bite you, and you know,
(09:56):
just keep doing what they do and hard to figure
out understand, but they they I think it's you don't
know what culture is until you see.
Speaker 3 (10:05):
It and live it and kind of living it right now.
Speaker 1 (10:07):
Yeah, And that's something we're going to talk about too
here on the show tonight. Is I mean, just how
this team is doing this right now? Because if I
told you coming into this season, you don't have yord On,
you've got an underperforming yin Or Diaz, You've got an
underperforming Christian Walker, and you also have lost Renel Blanco,
Hayden was Nesky, and Spencer Arraghetty out of your what
(10:29):
you were expecting to be your full time rotation this year.
I probably think we would be talking about a team
that well, maybe twenty twenty five is not through year.
Speaker 3 (10:38):
Let's try to get in twenty six exactly. You're starting
to think about twenty twenty six.
Speaker 2 (10:43):
Again, you just go back to the whole uh three
fists of your starting rotation.
Speaker 3 (10:48):
I mean, on opening day there got I didn't know
who Colton Gordon was.
Speaker 2 (10:53):
Whenever the season started counting in for Brandon Walter too,
Jason Alexander and and Walter, Jason Alexander who comes in
and Deal who gave up nine earned runs in his
last start before coming to the Astros that was as
a member of the Athletics against against the Yankees.
Speaker 3 (11:08):
They just they just figure out a way to get
it done. And and uh.
Speaker 2 (11:13):
I you know you're gonna get Spencer Arraghetti back, You're
gonna get Jordan back. But yeah, if I had told
you those situations, I think if I just told you
that Jordon wasn't wasn't there, you think this team might
be in trouble.
Speaker 3 (11:24):
But uh, they figure out a way. And uh, and
you and forget about the fact that you.
Speaker 2 (11:31):
Go back to where you were the last day of
the regular season last year and think about what's not here.
And that's what I don't think they think about. They
don't think about what's not here. They think about what
is here, and that may be the key to their success.
When you obviously Bregman, you think about Brian Presley, you
think about Kyle Tucker, you think about Alex you know
Alec I said Alex and all those guys that they're
(11:52):
not here, Jordon, you can throw into that knix as well.
But other guys, do you know who camp Smith was
this time last year? No, none of us did, So
there you go. Unless you watched the College World Series.
Speaker 1 (12:01):
If you watch Florida State in the College World Series,
then you had an idea who the guy was. But
aside from that, you just saw part of the trade.
All right, let's go to MLB pipeline. Okay, this guy's,
you know, one of their highest ranked prospects.
Speaker 3 (12:13):
Okay, it's gonna be pretty good.
Speaker 1 (12:15):
And then he comes in here and he has the
spring training he has and you got Dana Brown call
him the aircraft carrier.
Speaker 2 (12:21):
He's He certainly has been a guy that's had a
head for the big moment, that is for sure.
Speaker 3 (12:27):
Leo had to walk off home to walk off base
hit in the last home stand? Did it again? Today?
Wasn't walk off, but it was. And that was on
a No. Two pitch too. You think about that.
Speaker 2 (12:37):
And he hits a screaming line drive into left field
and that turns out to be the game winner. And man,
he talk about a kid that's just having a just
an absolute blast and a sparky talked about this in
spring training, and you know, he would he and I
would talk back and forth.
Speaker 3 (12:53):
I go, what do you like about him?
Speaker 2 (12:55):
And he said, man, he's his pitch recognition. That's to me,
that's above my level. That's something that that a former
player sees. But he goes, I can just tell the
way he reacts to pitches. He sees pitches, He he
understands spin, he sees situations and things like that. He's
never out, you know, not unlike Jordon. I mean, you
rarely see Jordan take an unbalanced swing. You rarely see
(13:16):
that with Cam Smith. And to think about where he
is right now, eighty one games. See, we had him
on the post game here today, after the after the
final score today or the final game out was made today,
and you know, just a kid.
Speaker 3 (13:29):
I said, what has it gone by? What's it been
like for you?
Speaker 2 (13:32):
You know, you're half a season into your first season
in the big league.
Speaker 3 (13:35):
He goes like, Man, I goes, I can't believe it.
I got to pinch myself because I can't believe that
it's gone by this quickly, and how much fun it
has been.
Speaker 2 (13:42):
And for him to say how much fun it has
been and not say, you know, the pressure.
Speaker 3 (13:47):
This has been hard.
Speaker 2 (13:47):
It's been hard, you know, the pressure every day is
has been tough.
Speaker 3 (13:51):
You can tell he embraces it.
Speaker 2 (13:52):
And that's what you want to see from a guy
that could possibly be a superstar.
Speaker 1 (13:55):
And I mean, and what you're talking about, you and
Robert catching up with him after the game, I heard where.
I mean the first thing he says is make credits
two and you know, parentis for getting on base before
because I'm out in that spot without those guys?
Speaker 2 (14:08):
Where did that come from? Who do you always hear saying?
You never hear? You can hear jose Al Tuba can
hit a two run home run to win the game.
He won't talk about the home run he hit. He'll
talk about the guy that got on base in front
of him. I really And that tells you how smart
cam Smith is is that he sees leadership like that
and he goes, you know what, I'm gonna emulate that
that's the guy that I'm gonna be like that guy.
Speaker 3 (14:29):
And I do think we.
Speaker 2 (14:32):
Talk about what has kind of been a constant through
all the players that have come and gone, jose Al Tuob.
Speaker 3 (14:38):
I don't think I'm not in the clubhouse.
Speaker 2 (14:40):
I don't think jose Al Tube is a verbal leader,
but I do think that there is an aura about
him that people go, that's the way he does it,
that's the way I should do it. Yeah, And I
do think that that permeates through the culture this this organization.
Speaker 1 (14:52):
I was gonna see m VPS multi time All Star,
World World Champion a couple of times. Usually it's one
of those. It's that's the old saying, Hey, there's the
right way to do it. There's the way that you're
doing it.
Speaker 3 (15:03):
Yes, exactly, and it certainly he's done it the right
way for a long long time, for sure. Absolutely.
Speaker 1 (15:08):
All right, we're just getting started here on the Crawford
Box cast again. It's Dan Matthews and Kevin Heschenfelder in
for Chris Gordy and Ross Phillo Reale. It's a live
edition and you're hearing it right now on Sports Talk
seven ninety. So that means that you can get involved
at someone three two one two five seven ninety. Once again,
that's someone three two one two five seven ninety.
Speaker 3 (15:28):
How are the astros doing this right now?
Speaker 1 (15:31):
We'll give you the tail of tape here on the
other side as we continue here from carboch brewing here
on a victorious Astros at two.
Speaker 3 (15:39):
To one, winning at Thursday.
Speaker 1 (15:41):
I think most Astros fans feel the same way, Ash.
I think that most people where even if you had Jordan,
you're getting a little bit better production out of Janar
Diaz and Christian Walker at the moment, and you're fifteen
games above five hundred and depending on what happens in
the Mariners and Twins game, that ye're six six and
(16:02):
a half games up in the division. I think a
lot of people are taking that. But oh, by the way,
you don't have that right now, because some of those
guys I just mentioned they're not even part of the
current picture.
Speaker 2 (16:11):
I was gonna say, what there, What is there gonna
be frustrated about? If you're frustrated with the way things
have gone in this season for the Astros, then you're
gonna be a hard person to please, because, like you said,
fifteen games over a five hundred day sweet that three
game series against the Philadelphia Phillies, a team that was
playing better than anybody else in Major League Baseball basically
over the last the third of a season. And so yeah,
(16:34):
it's it's hard to be frustrated about that and the
way they've taken care of business and at dyk In
Park has been really fun to watch.
Speaker 3 (16:41):
And you think about it if you're if you're.
Speaker 2 (16:42):
A division winner, you know you're gonna be playing some
home important home games in the postseason at dyke And
Park as well if you're the Astros.
Speaker 3 (16:49):
But yeah, they have, they've.
Speaker 2 (16:51):
Made it, and they get that feeling daan about when
you play at home of even when they possibly.
Speaker 3 (16:57):
Lose a lead late or a game it's.
Speaker 2 (17:00):
Tied l you get that feeling like today of it's
not about here we go again in a bad way.
It's okay, wait, I wonder what they're gonna do here
to win the game.
Speaker 3 (17:09):
No, definitely true.
Speaker 1 (17:10):
And by the way, he's Kevin eshmfielder Dan Matthews here
with you on the Crawford Box Cast here live at
Carback Brewing. We're in for Chris Gordy and Rossville Reale.
And No, that's a great point brought up by you,
because this is a team now that's thirty and thirteen
on their home field this year, and of the division leaders,
that's the best record in baseball on their home field.
(17:30):
The Dodgers are second best at thirty and fourteen at
Dodger Stadium.
Speaker 3 (17:34):
Yeah, no other team has more wins.
Speaker 2 (17:36):
Yeah, Dodgers are right there as well, but still the
Astros with with a better winning percentage at home.
Speaker 3 (17:41):
You know. And the thing is is if you you.
Speaker 2 (17:45):
Know, if you're dominated at home and you're good on
the road, you're gonna have you're gonna win a lot
of games, and you're gonna win a division and you
can even be mediocre on the road. And that's another
thing too that I think it's kind of flown under
the radar, is that they were they struggled so mightily
on the road early in this season. But now all
of a sudden, you remember, they didn't win a series.
They won in Minnesota in the first series of the
(18:06):
road series of the season away from dyke In Park.
They didn't win another road series until what the Pittsburgh series.
Speaker 3 (18:12):
Yeah, that's right. Yeah, So it was.
Speaker 2 (18:15):
A long time between that and now all of a
sudden they put together consecutive road series wins and now
they're within a couple of games of five hundred, all
on the road.
Speaker 3 (18:23):
So you got, you know, take care of business in Colorado.
You got a chance to be.
Speaker 2 (18:27):
Over five hundred on the road, and you've been absolutely
dominated at home.
Speaker 1 (18:31):
And it's crazy to think too that you're forty eight
and thirty three when let me just read off some
names here pretty quick of guys that you don't have
in the fold.
Speaker 3 (18:40):
You don't have Jordan Alvarez. We'll see when he comes back.
Speaker 1 (18:43):
Dana Brown on with us, which, by the way, that
cut you just heard that was the same visit with
the Sean Salisbury show that he does every Wednesday at
nine to thirty. You don't have him. You don't have
Chas McCormick. You don't have Zach Decenzo. You don't have
Brendan Rodgers. You don't have Jacob Melton. You have not
had pedro Leone all season long. I didn't even gotten
to the pitchers yet. Because Lance mccullors Junior are gonna
(19:04):
make a return on Saturday, it looks like that's going
to be the case.
Speaker 3 (19:08):
Spencer Arraghetti still a long ways away. We'll see you on.
Speaker 1 (19:11):
Christian Javier Luis Garcia, same deal there, Sean Duban probably
after the All Star break, JP Franz Renel Blanco, I
Hayden was Nesky. Both of those guys obviously you know
you're not gonna have them the rest of the way.
It's one after another.
Speaker 2 (19:23):
And uh yeah, you've everybody deals with injuries. They're just
more important when that happens to your team, So everybody
deals with it. And the fact that they would always
and I've heard WEX talk about this.
Speaker 3 (19:34):
Before too, is that.
Speaker 2 (19:37):
Every time a ranking comes out about minor leagues, who's
whose minor league system is good, whose minor league system
is bad?
Speaker 3 (19:45):
How many times have you seen the Astros.
Speaker 2 (19:46):
Have a guy come up and produce at the major
league level, and you always hear the same thing about
how their minor league system ranks, you know, in the
bottom half or even lower than that as far as
as far as that you know major league rankings. And
the fact is is that they just bring a guy
up and knows what to do. And I mean, to me,
that tells me that that they know how to develop talent.
Speaker 1 (20:09):
Well not only that they know how to develop talent,
but I mean it's also they're scouting where you see
something and a guy and you're able to say, hey,
if we're able to fix this with his fastball, we're
able to fix this with their approach at the plate,
whatever it might be. I mean, it's just it's it's
the minute details that some people might look at and say, oh, well,
how important can that necessarily be. It's about hitting, it's
(20:29):
about pitching, it's about throwing the ball, fielding it, doing
all those different things. But the Astros seemingly have the
market corner in terms of being able to find those advantages,
had a great ability to.
Speaker 2 (20:39):
Find what you do and maybe tweak what you do
and find out what you do best and tell you
to do that. It goes back to Colin m quey.
They couldn't stay on a major league roster, ended up
winning nineteen games in the major leagues.
Speaker 3 (20:52):
In a season.
Speaker 2 (20:54):
So they just said, it's it's pretty remarkable the way
they can find your strength and help you use that
strength to its maximum. And that's what they've been able
to do. You know, Sean Duban, I think that's a
that's a big key too. Hoping to get him back
because you know he adds a lot of just an
ability to eat up some innings out of the bullpen.
(21:15):
That's always big. He was pitching very very well. Uh
Wasstnski's going to be out for a while. Blanco's going
to be out for a for a while. You're not
gonna see them anytime soon, but hoping to get Spencer
Arraghetti back soon and that would be.
Speaker 3 (21:28):
A huge addition to this starting rotation.
Speaker 2 (21:32):
And people go, well, what are you gonna do with
the other guys, Well, you're you're gonna You're gonna figure
it out, and that's that's what you're going to do,
whether somebody moves to the bullpen or somebody loses their
spot in the rotation.
Speaker 3 (21:41):
You know, Spencer Arraghetty, what we.
Speaker 2 (21:43):
Saw last year in the second half when he really
figured it out, Uh, it was. It was pretty special
and and you know, just a freak accident and hoping
he'll be back real soon.
Speaker 1 (21:52):
I'm gonna repeat myself, and I'm sure there's probably some
of the audience that get annoyed when I do this,
But here it goes is that pitching is a lot
like offensive and defensive lineman in football. I don't think
there's a single football coach out there. I mean, you
do the U of H football games. I don't think
Willie Fritz. You know, hey, coach, you know you've got
a couple of backup offensive and defensive linemen that have
played really well, What are you gonna do with them?
Speaker 3 (22:12):
Oh, we'll find a way to use them, exactly.
Speaker 2 (22:15):
That's a that's a great point, and to you know,
the fact that not only use them, but figure out.
Speaker 3 (22:20):
A way to put.
Speaker 2 (22:22):
Them in a position to succeed and help the team
at its best. I was thinking about Hunter Brown and
what he was able to do today and the fact
that he and Fromber to be those one to two
at the top of the rotation. But you don't have to,
you know, wait for those two because you had other guys.
Speaker 3 (22:36):
While they may not give you as.
Speaker 2 (22:37):
Many innings in the sense that you know Fromber goes
out and gives you seven innings, you know Hunter Brown
goes out gives you seven innings of shutout baseball. Here
today is that you know they're serviceable to the point where.
Speaker 3 (22:49):
They give you keep you in games. And then if
you can have two.
Speaker 2 (22:53):
Guys that are gonna go out and give you six
and seven innings in your rotation, two fifths of your rotation,
then you know things are going to be okay as far.
Speaker 3 (23:00):
As your bullpen is concerned. Hunter Brown, I went back
and looked this.
Speaker 2 (23:03):
You know, when he kind of turned his career around
at the middle of May last year. Last thirty four
starts for him. When you make thirty one thirty two
starts in a season, uh, you're talking about a guy
that is eighteen and seven with an era that went
down today, but it was two o five when I
did the did the calculations. Coming in a day over thirty.
Speaker 1 (23:23):
Four starts unbelievable. He's been pretty incredible for this team.
And I mean, you know, it's funny that you even
mentioned that, because let's just let's go back to April
last year in Kansas City where he can't even get
out of the first inning and we're starting to wonder aloud.
Speaker 3 (23:36):
I mean, man, it was talking with do you send him,
do you pull him?
Speaker 2 (23:40):
Do you do you put him in the bullpen and
let him pitch out of the bullpen, And that's exactly
what they did.
Speaker 3 (23:44):
Yeah, he kind of right Detroit Detroit.
Speaker 2 (23:47):
And when he came in I think he pitched five
innings out of the bullpen after he just really couldn't
get anybody out or there was thought, you send him
down and let him try to figure it out at
Triple A and uh, man, he found that two seemed
fast fastball and that sinker and gave him something to
get right handers out, something you know, to move to
the other side. When you talk about splitting the plate
in the middle and having a one pitch go in
(24:10):
on right he's on the arm side and one going
away on right handers to the glove side. You know,
once he found that out and figured it out and
mastered it because you knew what was in there was
the fact that you got a guy that you know
he's gonna pump it in there at ninety seven ninety
eight miles an hour. That's that's a good start. And yeah,
he's been He's been nothing short of amazing ever since.
Speaker 3 (24:30):
He's fearless.
Speaker 1 (24:30):
I mean even well, I'm trying to think, was that
the second out bat today against Schwarber where I think
he's down three to one and he goes ninety eight
right there, three and two, here's ninety eight again and
you're gonna take it now.
Speaker 2 (24:44):
They pitched Kyle Schwarber. Really, they pitched the top three
in that order. You think about Trey Turner came into
this series. He got two hits, but he came into
this series leading the National League and hitting as far
as number of hits, and yeah, they pitched the top
third of that order really really tough as far as
today's started one, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight nine, ten.
Speaker 3 (25:05):
Yeah, oh for twelve was in today's game.
Speaker 2 (25:08):
Uh, as far as that top third of the order
for the Philadelphia Phillies. And again this is a This
wasn't a Phillies team that came in struggling. I mean,
you know, talking with their their broadcasters, they're like, well,
we just couldn't, just didn't swing the bat. And then
you know, it's how you're looking at it, who Who's
whose perspective you're seeing it from. If you're an Astro,
you're thinking, man, we pitched great. If you're a Philly
you're thinking, well, we just didn't swing the bat. I'll
(25:29):
tell you, I think it had a lot more to
do with the astros pitching than it did the other
side of it.
Speaker 3 (25:33):
And how good has that pitching been.
Speaker 1 (25:35):
We will talk about it here on the Crawford Box
cast when we continue along. Here again, we're alive here
at Carboch Brewing. If you want to drop on in
and say hello, you can do so. But also too,
you can drop in on the phone lines at Sebone
three two one two five seven ninety. Once again, that's
Sebone three two one two five seven ninety, Sean Matthews,
Kevin Aschteenfelder in for Chris Gordy and ross Ville Real.
(25:57):
This is the Crawford Box cast Sports Talk seven ninety.
This is the Crawford Box gas here live at Carbach Brewing,
and we will be here for about another twenty minutes
or so. If you want to drop on in, if
you want to hit us up on the phone lines,
you can do so. Sebon one three two one two
five seven ninety. Once again, that's seven one three two
one two five seven ninety. You got myself, Dan Matthews,
got Kevin Ashenfelder of course, who you heard over these
(26:20):
last three games with Robert Ford in the radio.
Speaker 3 (26:23):
Booth with us.
Speaker 1 (26:23):
You also see him on TV Spased City Home Network.
But the Stros take care of business against the Phillies.
They sweep the series and now get ready for the
Chicago Cubs, who we'll talk about here in just a second.
But esh, I mean, we've been talking about and singing
the praises of this pitching staff, so I mentioned it
a little bit earlier the bullpen. Let me just run
(26:45):
through some stats for the bullpen and how good they've
been this season. The league is hitting two oh seven
with a six point thirty seven OPS against some They
have a three twenty one ERA and they are fourth
in ERA as an overall pitching staff this year at
three forty, first in strikeouts overall at seven ninety eight.
Speaker 3 (27:04):
That's getting it done.
Speaker 1 (27:06):
And again another overall stat for the pitching this year,
first an opponent batting average, the league is hitting two
eighteen against both the starting and the relieving core for.
Speaker 3 (27:17):
The Astros this year.
Speaker 2 (27:18):
Yeah, it's and I love the number of the strikeout
number because I understand as the starter that can run
your pitch count out, but as a reliever to getting
swing and miss, particularly in the rules now with the
extra endings, but just getting swing and miss out of
that bullpen, that's that's so big. And you know they
just keep continue to go out night after night. It's
the mixing and matching I think so much of when
(27:41):
you think about a bullpen and them producing, you know,
you think about that that guy going out and doing
his job, where a guy like Joe a Spot is
thinking about where do I mix and match pockets as
far as okay, the best matchup for guy a reliever
A to go against pocket A and being able to
(28:01):
put him in that position. I think that's where managing,
that's why, that's why you're a manager, not a head.
Speaker 3 (28:05):
Coach in baseball. You manage the game and and you
know his his ability to put people in the right
position to succeed.
Speaker 2 (28:12):
Granted, obviously you have to execute everything as a player,
but being in that position to to take advantage of
those matchups is certainly very very important.
Speaker 1 (28:22):
And think about how many times, you know, how many
different guys he's put in the high leverage spots this year.
I mean, before the injury, Sean Dubin was a guy
that kind of earned that right of somebody that could
get some of those seventh innings. I mean, Brian King,
we've seen him, a Ton Bennett Susa. I mean, a
guy that's been completely i think underrated for this team
this year. How good he's been. I mean, I know
I made the joke on Twitter that he's the best
(28:45):
tenth inning closer in all of baseball, but I mean
just whenever you seemingly have thrown him out there, he
puts up Zeros.
Speaker 2 (28:51):
Yeah, Betts Susan's coming and gotten his gotten two saves
over the last week and a half or so, and
you know, it just comes in and locks things down
in the ninth inning. Everybody's not going to be available
every night. Sometimes the situation will call on where you
have to you have to go on beyond a bray.
You and hater at the end, back into the bullpit
and bet and Bennett Susan's gotten.
Speaker 3 (29:11):
I mean, he's nasty.
Speaker 2 (29:12):
I mean, you know now that he has found his
ability to throw strikes. That was the only thing that
was questionable. And you can't have a reliever that can't
throw strikes, and Bennezusa struggled with that from time to time,
but he has not had that problem anymore. You think
about this, this is a guy that's that's claimed off waivers.
What was it, Detroit was his last team, Yeah, waiver claim.
He really came in and came in in September of
(29:34):
twenty twenty three. Yeah, and so he wasn't available for
the postseason. Then you know, missus twenty twenty four. Now
man healthy and he's got a lot of hop on
his fastball. And the fact is is that you know,
he knows how to pitch, he knows how to get
guys out. I don't care if you strike him out.
I don't care what you do, but just the fact
that you're able to. He starts with throwing strikes quality strikes,
(29:54):
and that's certainly been at something Bennett SUSA has done.
Speaker 1 (29:57):
And I'm not saying I'm asking for this scenario to
play out. I mean you mentioned twenty three and twenty
two as well, where Phil may Tom was kind of
the edit guy that if it looks like, all right,
I'm not going to use any of my high leverage guys,
I really would like to stay away from the rest
of my middle you know, relief guys. If we're up
by a bunch, we're down by a bunch, I mean
the first scenario, up by a bunch, you like to
(30:19):
have that. But I mean you mentioned Sean Duban as
being a guy that can be counted on. Suso's one
of those guys. I mean, Steven Okert has mostly been
a one inning guy, but I mean he's somebody else.
I mean last night, you want to talk about how
good he was. He comes in, has a three up,
three down inning and oh by the way all three
of them are strikeouts.
Speaker 3 (30:35):
Yeah, and Okurt is a guy too, that's a veteran.
It's been around. I mean, people may not you know
he's a he's a typical metal reliever. Nobody knows who
he is until you know who he is.
Speaker 2 (30:43):
And yeah, he's been a guy that's been very, very good.
And it goes back to a situation too, where you
and I talked about it is where you've got enough
sample size from him, haven't got enough tape on him
to figure out what he does well and to be
able to come in and and have him use that
to its best ability.
Speaker 3 (31:02):
And yeah, he's there.
Speaker 2 (31:05):
They're everybody that's been Everybody's going to have their days off.
Everybody's going to give up that big hit in the
ninth inning and lose a game. That's gonna happen to
every single reliever. But all in all, I mean, no
matter who you've called on and put into what position
you've been able to put them in, whether it's Steven
Oker or SUSA or Brian King or Caleb Ort, whatever
the case may be, guys have come up big and
(31:28):
it's been a huge part of why the Astros have
been able to stay where they are right now? Is
that the lockdown bullpen? After having very good starting pitching me?
Speaker 1 (31:35):
And how crazy is that we've mentioned all these guys.
We hadn't even mentioned a guy that's got twenty one
saves and twenty one chances and how good Josh Hater's been.
Speaker 3 (31:42):
Yeah, and it's not that easy.
Speaker 2 (31:44):
You know, people always forget what do you remember about closers.
It's like field goal kickers. You always remember the one
he misses, right, And the fact that he comes in
and is able to lock things down the way he
has and he does it. He seems like every night
he comes in and does it in a different way,
whether it's you know, with the breaking ball one night
or with the slider, with the uh with the fastball
the next and then you know, whatever he has a
(32:06):
feel for, he has the ability to go out and
do it. I just love the fact that the mentality,
and we talked about culture and things like that that
you know, he wasn't a guy that was a multi
inning guy before he came here, but realize that this
is an organization that took care of him whatever you
need him to do I have. I mean, you think
about multi multiple times he's come in and had to
(32:26):
give you more than three outs, and that's you saw.
We saw it with Briana Bray. You today, whatever you
guys need, I'm here to do wichever whatever it is
you need.
Speaker 1 (32:34):
Yeah, he's been unreal, and I mean even you know,
sometimes he's able to have the three up, three down inning.
I mean out of a closer, that's what you want
to have. But I mean the other night where Auto Kemp,
the second strike was a swing that went off his
back foot, so that's that strike too. And then at
Mundo Sosa, he's got a mo too, and he bings,
he hits him with the pitch, and you're just kind
(32:55):
of like, oh, man, don't, don't do last year Josh
Hater right now, Please don't.
Speaker 2 (32:59):
But you know the thing is every closer does that.
It's just when it's your closer, you remember it. It
happens to everybody. But man, you know your your your
your job is to you're getting paid to close out games.
And who's been better as far as the percentage is concerned.
I don't think you can get better than Josh Hater.
Speaker 3 (33:18):
Absolutely not.
Speaker 1 (33:19):
And he and the rest of this bullpen have been fantastic.
For the Astros here as again they went their fourth
straight today and able to sweep the Phillies and now
getting ready for the Cubs again. If you want to
get in on the phone lines, the number is seveon
one three two one two five seven ninety. Once he
got seveone three two one two five seven ninety. Speaking
of the Cubs, we welcome back some familiar faces. We'll
(33:43):
talk about that and also what to expect from the
Cubs here in this three game series over the weekend
as the Astros look to close out a good home
stand here at dik And Park. It's Dan Matthews, Kevin
Ashchenfelder in for Chris Gordy and Rossville Reale. This is
the CROPPERD Box cast here on Sports Talk seven to ninety.
Crawford Box Gass continues from here at Carbach Brewing here
(34:05):
on the northwest side, and it's Dan Matthews, Kevin Ashenfelder
in for Chris Gordy and Ross Villarreal. Astros take care
of business against the Phillies two to one winners this afternoon.
Speaker 3 (34:17):
Yep, that's right.
Speaker 1 (34:18):
They sweep the series, outscoring the Phillies in three games
five to one, and now I'm gonna get ready for
the Cubs series. We'll get you set up for that
series in just a second. But we've got Kevin, who
wants to weigh in here on the phone lines. Kevin,
what's going on?
Speaker 4 (34:35):
Hey, thanks for taking my call and looking at box
score on that five to one total runs, I don't
think that's ever been done before. From what I can find,
on a regular season game, the fewest runs scored in
a sweep was seven, and I think we just set
a high water mark. I wonder if you had any
(34:56):
visibility on that.
Speaker 2 (34:58):
I was fighting traffic to get over here from Dyke
in Parks. I couldn't confirm that, But that's that's pretty impressive. Yeah,
it's it's a good point. You know.
Speaker 3 (35:06):
You think about three of.
Speaker 2 (35:07):
Those five runs scored in the eighth in a too
in the Astros final at bat.
Speaker 4 (35:12):
Yeah, it was crazy. I think had we walked five
guys through the entire series, Philly's walked only eight. Just
amazing numbers.
Speaker 3 (35:22):
Yeah, it really was.
Speaker 2 (35:23):
It was fun to watch, and you know, I think
you would agree with me, Kevin, because great minds think
alike named Kevin.
Speaker 3 (35:29):
Is that.
Speaker 2 (35:31):
Just it was?
Speaker 3 (35:31):
It was edge of your seat type baseball. I thought
it was.
Speaker 2 (35:33):
I thought it was very much of a feeling of
playoff type baseball. And you know, you don't have to
made the comment today on the game during the game
was you don't have to have an eight to seven
game to have an exciting baseball game.
Speaker 3 (35:45):
And I thought this was fantastic to watch over these
last three days.
Speaker 4 (35:50):
Yeah, I agree with you. Sometimes pitching duals, you know,
can be a bit slow. Sometimes they're sloppy.
Speaker 3 (35:56):
So you're right.
Speaker 4 (35:57):
I think all of these were nail biders for sure.
Speaker 3 (36:00):
Now, I think both teams played well.
Speaker 2 (36:01):
And Wex made a point I was listening to driving
over here as Wex made a point, if Phillies came
in here playing really good baseball, they left playing really
good baseball.
Speaker 3 (36:12):
It's just the Astros scored more runs than they did
in this series.
Speaker 1 (36:15):
Yeah, and appreciate the call, Kevin, But I mean took
out the Mets, I think, what two out of three games,
and then took a game and a half lead there
in the NL East, And I mean that's that's a
tough enough division right there that you're playing, where you
consider the three top teams there of you know, going
up against the Mets and then don't count out the
Braves just yet. I saw that in twenty one first hand,
(36:37):
of you know what can happen when that team gets going,
and the talent they have in that building, and you know,
having that postseason experience and winning experience too, that they're
a team that can still be pretty tough. And that's
actually where Philly goes next, is goes to Atlanta and
takes on the Braves. Yeah, and the Mets play later tonight,
and so they if the Mets can come away with
the victory tonight, that will be a dead heat as
(36:59):
far as the National League East is concerned. Yeah, as
we sit right now, it does seem like the Astros
are going to be six and a half games up
on the Mariners, because, as you know, we're doing this
live on Sports Talk seven to ninety, but of course
taped for the Crawford Box cast, the Mariners trail the
Twins tend to nothing in the bottom of the eighth,
(37:20):
So I think that's I think we're pretty safe to
say that the Astros will hit the road no matter
what happens this weekend, still in the lead in the
American League West. Kyle Tucker and Ryan Presley coming back
this weekend with the Chicago Cubs. It's their first turn
return back to Dyke and Park. They're gonna get a
tribute video tomorrow nights. I mean, just real quick here,
(37:40):
you know, as we got a couple of minutes left here. Esh,
I mean, I said it on Twitter. There should be
nothing less than ovations for both guys for everything that
they that they did for this organization.
Speaker 2 (37:50):
One hundred percent. I don't think anybody has left here.
I gave a standing ovation to George Springer, Carlos Korea.
Speaker 3 (37:57):
Nobody's left here. They left. They left for a better job,
opportunity in a different place.
Speaker 2 (38:02):
That was their choice. I wouldn't take. I would say
thank you for what you did while you were here.
Speaker 3 (38:07):
The same thing.
Speaker 2 (38:08):
Ryan Presley is going to go down as one of
the best relievers in Major League postseason history. I don't
care what anybody's that in history. I mean, do you
think about what he's been able to do in the postseason.
Kyle Tucker was a situation where you know what it
was the right time, and if you're going to trade
a guy like Kyle Tucker, you better get something back.
(38:29):
And man, I tell you what, I love what they
got back, because let's not flying under the radar is
the way Eatsac Pretis has played at third base. So
not only do you get something back, you fill a
hole that was voided obviously whenever when Alex Bregman left.
So I mean, all in all, all the best to
the people that leave and get something back in return.
And man, I think you got the best years of
(38:50):
Ryan Presley's career. I wish him all the best after
this weekend, and you know, the best to everybody.
Speaker 3 (38:57):
I mean, the fact is is that that you got.
You had to get something back, and they did, and
you gotta like what they got.
Speaker 1 (39:04):
And this is a Cubs team too. I mean, just
looking at the numbers. They won today over the Cardinals
three to nothing, but they're fourth and average third and
Homer's second and runs batted in, but they are very
gettable on the pitching side. That's a pitching staff that
has a three to five ERA this year. So I
don't think we're gonna see a three game series that
ends with one team with five and the other with one.
Speaker 3 (39:25):
Yeah maybe in one game, yeah exactly, And I don't
think that's gonna be the case. But that you know,
we'll see how it plays out.
Speaker 2 (39:31):
Sometimes when you just when you think you got baseball
figured out, you realize.
Speaker 3 (39:34):
You don't have baseball figured out. But it'll be fun.
Speaker 2 (39:37):
It'll be a great atmosphere. I think all three games
will be sold out. I know that there's not gonna
be many tickets available, so it'll be fun. When Kyle
Tucker comes, I hope people give him a standing ovation.
I hope his first time up they give him a
standing ovation.
Speaker 3 (39:48):
Say for Ryan.
Speaker 2 (39:49):
Presley, because you know what, they contributed great memories to
this organization, whether it was in the postseason or the
regular season. And I think a Kyle Tucker will always
think of him making that catch on Castiados's foul balled
and to win the World Series in twenty twenty two.
Speaker 3 (40:05):
So I've got nothing but positives for those guys.
Speaker 1 (40:08):
I mean, I was gonna say he went point A
to B to C on that where A was Presley,
B was Costianos leaning out and hitting that ball, and
then Kyle Tucker and then he and Trey Mancini jumping
into each other and then saying, hey, let's go celebrate
a world title.
Speaker 3 (40:22):
You got that, and what great memories.
Speaker 2 (40:25):
That will last a lifetime for Astros fans. And those
are the guys that were all a great part. Whether
you can go back and name however many you want,
but all a part of the golden era.
Speaker 3 (40:35):
Of Astros passport for sure. That's appreciate, Tom Man always brother.
That was good Tom.
Speaker 1 (40:39):
It's been another edition to the Crawford Box cast Ian Matthews,
Kevin Aschenfelder in for Chris Gordy and Ross Philo, real
special things to Frankie Westmoreland back in the studio until
next week.
Speaker 3 (40:49):
Keep listening right here Sports Talk seven ninety
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