Brian McTaggart Says Astros Are 'Running Out Of Time' To Turn Things Around

Brian McTaggart, Astros beat reporter for MLB.com, joins The Matt Thomas Show as the Houston Astros attempt to avoid a series sweep by the New York Yankees. The Astros have extended their losing streak to four games after back-to-back defeats at Yankee Stadium and move to a 12-24 record on the season. "The deeper they get in this thing, the harder it is to get out," McTaggart said. "Very few teams have gotten out of" the hole the Astros are in. Alex Bregman has only two hits in his last 20 at-bats and Yordan Alvarez went 0-5 at the plate Wednesday in the 9-4 loss. "They're getting no production out of third base," and "Yordan looks a little lost at the plate." Alvarez and Bregman have yet to have a day off this season, and McTaggart says "it's going to have to happen" because "you got to try something" and "they're running out of time." McTaggart also discusses the possibility of Pedro Leon getting called-up, Hunter Brown staying in the rotation and more.

Episode Transcript

(00:00):
We spend ten caughty minutes every Thursdayat one o'clock with the one and only
Brian McTaggart. We're gonna talk aboutsomething positive. First, Are you graduating
one, two, or all threeof your children this weekend? To this
weekend? The oldest already graduated,but yeah, by twin daughters are graduating
from Baylor on Friday. So I'mon my way to Waco right now,

(00:23):
So no Astros coverage for me thisweek. So yeah, that's something positive.
Definitely. I want to congratulate yourwife because you had little to do
with this. I can just tellyou that from first hand experience knowing you
for like twenty years, that isvery true. She deserves a whole ton
of the credit because you know,she helped get him there and over the

(00:43):
hump, and you know I help, I'll help, I help pay for
it. So I get a littlebit of credit there. Yeah, she
gets a lot of credit. Youget very little, but you will give
you some congratulations of the entire McTaggartfamily. All right, Well, you
know what, it was a goodreason to miss this trip so far.
Even though we love New York City, we love the pomp and circumstance of
playing in that majestic fasodium in theYankee Stadium. So many callers Brian have

(01:07):
said, this team looks down thedumps, defeated, dejected. You've been
around this baseball team a long time, obviously, since it's hey day run,
starting back in twenty fifteen to whereit is now, and there have
been some parts that have moved around. Is this as sullen as you've seen
this team since the early days ofthe brand new look Astros? Yeah,

(01:30):
I think saw. I mean,I don't have to agree with that.
I mean, I think early on, when they weren't playing well, I
think the word I kind of usedwas a shell shot. They were just
a little surprised, and you know, I think they thought, man,
you know, it's just a matterof time. Another week, get this
turned around, reel off five sixin a row, and we're back in
business. But the deeper they getin this thing, the harder it is
going to be to get out.And you're right, they seems like with

(01:53):
every passing day there's like a realitysetting in and you can see it certainly
on the field that they're in themselvesin the kind of hole that very few
teams have ever gotten out of.And it is there. They have a
lot of work to do. It'sgonna be really, really tough. I
think at this point for them toget back in the playoff pitcher, they
still can a long way to go. But uh, you know, twelve

(02:15):
twelve games under, that's uh,you got to win a lot of ball
games to get out of that.There are things that are called slumps in
baseball. It happens really, frankly, in all the sports. Brian and
We've seen Bregman go through slumps.We've seen Tucker, We've seen Albarez.
I mean, everybody can't be immuneto it, even l two Van.
But the slump that Jordan is inright now, the slump that has been

(02:38):
the entire season of Alex Bregmant,I mean, it's almost like we can't
recognize him right now. Yeah,that's you know, I think if their
offense would have been doing a littlebit better, they you know, they
maybe overcome some of these pitching walls, but you know, they're getting very
They're getting no production on a thirdbase, you know, Jord down for
the last three or four weeks,no production, getting very little production out

(03:01):
of left field, and center field. It's just not a very good offense
right now. I mean they geta lot of hits, you know,
not driving the guys in. Butit's tough to watch Bregnant what he's going
through. Not surprised he got droppedin the order, and you know,
you really feel for him because Imean this all he's done his whole career
here with the Astros is winning,and he wants to win as as badly

(03:23):
as anybody in that clubhouse. Andhe also works harder than anybody at his
swing and I can only imagine whathe's going through just and you know your
down looks a little loss at theplate as well. There's just, man,
just everything is sort of going onfor this team right now. It's
tough to watch. And what ifanything, I mean besides winning of course

(03:44):
would help out Brian, But Imean, do you think about the team,
the mood of the team, whatneeds to change there? Is there
something that can be done? Doesthere needs be somebody to choose somebody out
or do I don't even know anysort of idea they can come up with
to change what's going on is asfar as their mood, yeah, I
mean they've had a couple of thosemeetings, you know, after games,

(04:04):
and you know it worked a littlebit, you know, the whole reset
in Mexico City thing. I mean, yeah, but you know, you
were playing the Rockies. It's notlike they got a hot prospect they can
call up who you know, cancome in and infuse life. I mean,
they did that, are ready withlow berfedo. They just got to
try to get healthy slowly, butsurely they're getting their pitching back and some

(04:26):
of these guys got to start carryingtheir weight offensively. The only thing that's
going to cure this is really offfive six wins in a row and sort
of get them on the right track. But I mean, if they go
thirty and twenty over their next fiftygames, they're still not at five hundred.
And now you're you're halfway through theseason and you still got to climb.
So it's been done before. Youknow, the Five Astros were fifteen

(04:47):
to thirty. That was a teamthat also had star players everywhere, and
there were different inflection points in thatseason that sort of helped them get to
where they are. But five Astrosalso started turning it around. So they're
running out of time, really tosort of get this thing going. What
do you think about something if thisdoesn't turn around sooner? Could do you

(05:09):
think there could be a shake upas far as hitting pitching coaches. Probably
of course not a spot, butsomething to that effect. Yeah, yeah,
it wouldn't surprise me. I meanwe've never really seen Crane go through
this before. I mean, hewent through a rebuild, so you knew
you were getting into that. They'vehad a tremendous amount of success. So
if they get to the All Starbreak and they're still struggling like this,

(05:30):
it will be interesting to see howCrane approaches that. And not only that,
but the trade deadline. I mean, Dana Brown was pretty adamant the
other day they're not going to besellers. I don't foresee any scenario or
Crane would think they're sellers. Iwouldn't completely roll out them, maybe trading
one guy to get something back.But yeah, it wouldn't shock me if

(05:51):
management decides we got to make achange somewhere. Back to your point,
you know a little while ago,you need to do something to shake things
up, and I don't know howyou know, changing coaches, would you
know, be met in that clubhouseor shape things up, but you got
to try something, and nothing they'vetried so far as work. You've got
a lot of guys, especially Brianin the infield, that just don't take

(06:13):
days off. And can Joe beat this point of his young manageriald a
career to say, you know what, jord on a day at the on
the bench and the dugout to surveythings, maybe take a deep breath.
It said the same thing for AlexPregnant. How do you think that would
go over at this point with eitherone of those two guys, Well,
it's gonna have to happen. Imean, neither one like to take days

(06:33):
off. You know, Pregnant missthose three games earlier in the year when
he was sick. But I mean, and they're in a stretch now where
they're paying twenty nine and thirty games. I'll be shocked if both those guys
don't get a day off or cuteat this point and just you know,
try to give them a day.Yeah, these guys like to play every
day, two day, likes toplay every day, and so far you

(06:55):
pretty much has. But you know, I think we'll definitely see that here
within the next two to three it's, uh, you know what we like
to do sometimes as fans to tryto find that next hero. Pedro Leon's
hitting the ball well right now?Is that a consideration? I mean,
could there be some additional roster flippingto try to find some hot hands somewhere
that maybe is not on the twentysix man roster right now? Yeah?

(07:17):
Maybe, But I mean, youknow, is pegro Leon gonna come and
save the days? He gonna comehit like this in the big league?
I mean, there really is nowbetween Triple Triple A pitching and big league
pitching more than a velocity that thoseguys just don't see this velocity up here.
So if pedro Leon comes up,he's gonna have a big learning curve.

(07:39):
I mean, per Fido is gettingto learn, you know, two
weeks starter, but he was low. He's okay. But it's there's really
either you know, they there's guysat the Triple A roster, but there's
just not a lot of guys thatyou know, there's no Koreas or pregnants
coming up like there were ten yearsago. There are farm systems just not
in that spot. So I don'tthink that's the answer. So I don't

(08:03):
know I mean I would I wouldn'tbe surprised if we do see Peger Leon
at some point because he is,you know, hitting the cover off the
ball at Triple A and you know, give him a shot and see what
happens. Final question, Uh,We've got Christian Hoby are coming back this
weekend against the Tigers up in Detroit. You're putting a lot of pressure on
him if we're gonna have a lotof pressure on obviously Jose Orchidi when he

(08:24):
comes back. Are you a littlesurprised that we've not seen some corner turn
with arrogetting now with a handful ofstarts and obviously every start that Tonner Brown
has had so far for this teamthis year. Yeah, I mean I
thought Arraghetty start against Cleveland and Houston, I mean that was a he went
five and two thirds and that wasclearly his best start, and I thought,
Okay, you know this kid's settlingin a little bit now. Going

(08:46):
to Yankee Stadium for your fifth startagainst the team, there's absolutely matching that.
I mean, that's a really toughassignment and you didn't go. Well.
I still like what I see fromhim. I mean, I think
he's taking steps forward, So youknow, I think he's got a couple
of easier starts coming up. Oaklandcomes in, and you know, let's
see what he can do with twoor three starts, you know, in
a row at home. But yeah, Hunter Brown's a big issue. The

(09:09):
problem is they don't they don't haveany starting pitching depth anymore. They're gonna
go with the six man rotation righthere. JP France is injured, so
you have no choice but to keepHunter in the rotation and let him work
out his problems. But yeah,I mean, I thought, based on
the spring he had too where helooked really good, that he was the
guy that would turn it around.But uh, you know, we're probably
a month from Herkidi coming back,mccullors maybe a month after that, so

(09:33):
you know, who knows. Bythat time, they could be twenty games
under and it might not even matteras far as twenty twenty fourth concerned.
Thanks to visitors always same travels towake On my friend. We'll talk in
next week, all right, ThanksMatt,