September 2, 2025 • 10 mins
Astros manager Joe Espada joins Matt and Ross discussing the series split versus the Angels, and getting ready for the Yankees series ahead.
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Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
Adam Ross. Very happy to be joined now by the
manager of your Houston Astros. Nice win yesterday over the Angels.
Couple that with the Seattle Mariners losing to Tampa Bay
and Houston enjoys a three game lead opening up a
three game series with the Yankees. Skip is with us, Joe.
It's Matt and Ross. Good afternoon, do you congratulations on
the win? And I thought I wanted you to take
our audience into the conversations you've had with Luis Garcia,
(00:24):
and maybe not in just the last twenty four hours,
with the last couple of years, because a lot of
guys could have said, you know what, Myron was not
meant to be. And I thought some of your postgame
comments kind of explained that this was a long physical
and mental grind for him to come back to where
he was and was able to pitch for you yesterday.
Speaker 2 (00:41):
Yeah, And you know, during during that period, you know,
I've seen players in my experience when they start creating
you know, these doubts and insecurities about am I able
were going to be able to get back on the
mound right, especially after a few setbacks that he had
while he's recovery and the star taking getting themselves and
and and and for us, for me who have known
(01:04):
Louis for a very long time and knowing you know
the character of the human and how strong mentally he is,
and you know, a man of faith like you know,
it's for us to continue to encourage him that things
are going to be okay.
Speaker 3 (01:17):
It's going to take some time.
Speaker 2 (01:19):
And and when you see someone overcome those challenging.
Speaker 3 (01:23):
And getting back on them, you know, seeing him back.
Speaker 2 (01:25):
Pitching again, you know, it's it's special because these guys
have worked really hard to get to the major leagues,
to have success of the major leagues, we have seen
Louis been a really good pitcher here for many many years,
and just to see him accomplish where he did yesterday,
it was a very special moment.
Speaker 1 (01:42):
You know, Joe, I don't want to give away company secrets,
but people are like, well, you know, his velocity wasn't
as good as it was pre injury, and I'm thinking, well,
my god, his arm has been in a sling for
a long period of time and maybe he'll never be
to that point. But have you been told about what
that could be or is he going to be a
guy that can tap out at ninety two. And let
me tell you, Joe, as you know, there are guys
(02:03):
in Major league baseball as long as the command is good,
you can live with ninety two at the big leagues.
Speaker 2 (02:08):
You know, for me, this is what I tell everyone, like,
we need to give him time. It's two years this
guy having pitched on a major league mount. He has
over you know, he has had setbacks, He's coming back
from a very ugly injury. Sometime he takes pitchers time
to get back to their normal you know, v Low
and and and you know show what they show two
(02:31):
years ago. For me is I was just proud of
the fact that he worked his tail off to get
back on the mount and through six innings, I guess
a good lineup and we should celebrate that.
Speaker 3 (02:43):
The VLO that all this stuff, we just got to
give us some time.
Speaker 1 (02:47):
I think it's a very fair assessment. Joe spotted with
us here on Sports Talk seven ninety. You've had of
the last week's skip. A lot of guys get on
the base pass the runners in scoring position numbers were
just not to your level. And I'm sure the frustration
and yesterday was one off. But I think if you're
going to win this division. You got to have the
numbers better. Is an approach?
Speaker 3 (03:07):
Is it? Tell me?
Speaker 1 (03:08):
Tell me where it is. I don't even know what
possibilities are about why this team has struggled at times,
and especially in the last week with getting guys on
but not able to touch the pay station.
Speaker 3 (03:19):
Yeah, you know what.
Speaker 2 (03:20):
For me, it's like we are getting we're getting the
guys on. So our approach when we're trying to get
people on base, understanding our capabilities and our strength as
individuals and as a team, we have really good approaches
for one people get on base. Sometimes we tend to
get away from who we are as individuals and know
(03:40):
our strength and witnesses and also recognize what pictures are
trying to do to us.
Speaker 3 (03:45):
So when we when we try to.
Speaker 2 (03:46):
Do a bit more of what we can do and
we try to get the big hit when we don't
really need to. We could just get what the pictures
gives us. Let the guy on deck get the jump done.
Speaker 3 (04:00):
But sometimes in.
Speaker 2 (04:01):
The moment we want to be we want to be
in that spot. We want to be the hero, we
want to get the big higg And I appreciate that
about the players we want to be in the moment,
and we want our guys to have that desire to
be in that spot.
Speaker 3 (04:12):
But also you have to kind.
Speaker 2 (04:14):
Of control yourself, your emotions and get pitches that you
can handle, because the pictures they recognize that, and they
going to try to get us to, you know, swing
at pitches that they're not our pitches.
Speaker 1 (04:26):
Astro's manager Joe Spotta with us here on Sports Talk
seven ninety yord On Alvarez looking pretty good at the plate,
looks like he's drawn a lot of walks, had the
home run as well. Just overall, how are your conversations
when been like with him? Is he just back to
the same old Jordan or is there still a little
bit of work to be done.
Speaker 2 (04:43):
Yeah, you know, I think he you know, he is
physically and mentally in a good spot. I think we
need to steal monitor he's workload. He has missed four
months before returning, and we want to make sure that
we have him there for this, you know, for this
month and and and and postseason, if you know, if
(05:03):
we get to that point where we could play deeping
to October. We want to make sure that we we
take care of his body and make sure that we
building him, we build him up properly because we want to.
Speaker 3 (05:16):
Keep him from the long run. But right now, what
I've seen is that that's have been really good.
Speaker 2 (05:22):
He feels good in the outfield, his body feels good.
But we got to steal monitor he's worklow here as
we try to get him back and some of the
players who are also working in the self getting back
here to our lineup.
Speaker 1 (05:34):
And yeah, what is that like for you as we
go down the stretch, Because we know that this organization
has always wanted to give guys days off so that
you can make sure that they're fresh come October, and
there's been very good results in a lot of deep
October runs with that. So what is it like for
you day to day working with players and trainers and
trying to balance keeping guys fresh but also the pressure
(05:54):
of a division race.
Speaker 2 (05:56):
Yeah, you know what it's it's you know, our workload
prior to the game is also very important.
Speaker 3 (06:03):
Kind of cutting down on the amount of early work
that we do.
Speaker 2 (06:09):
You know, our work in the weight room has changed
is more like a recovery, uh, doing some extra stretching,
trying to get these guys a little later arrival to
the ballpart, trying to get them to sleep a little
bit longer, and trying to stay home and and and
just try to monitor their work well that way, you know,
also giving this guy I'm using the d H spot
to kind of, you know, get these guys off their
(06:32):
feet a bit.
Speaker 3 (06:34):
So we you know, it's it's a it's a it's
a grind here.
Speaker 2 (06:37):
But there's ways that we can do it where we
could use our you know, giving these guys a day
off here and there, and also kind of monitoring our work.
You know, these guys, they they have a routine, making
adjustments to their pregame routine. So where we're not when
seven o'clock starts refreshed and we know we don't feel fatigued.
Speaker 3 (06:58):
Skip.
Speaker 1 (06:58):
I think being even killed a manager works. Whether you're
talking about a game in April fifteenth, July fifteenth, or
September fifteenth, which will be coming up for you in
the next couple of weeks. You are still in a
division race, three game lead, how do you manage the
I'm still Joe Aspata, I'm still the manager. I want
to make sure the clubhouse is as normalized as possible.
(07:19):
But we're down to about thirty games left to go,
you're holding off two teams in division. Sense of urgency,
how do you how do you go through that? And
how did last year, as your first time doing that,
help you towards you think this year is September run.
Speaker 3 (07:32):
You know what you know?
Speaker 2 (07:34):
For me, the experience here, the last the last year,
you know, seventy years that I've been here, I've always
seen our guys as being the best towards the end.
And it's because we have done a really good job
of setting a foundation where we know and we trust
our process, our work, our players. For you know, they
(07:57):
want to see their leaders to be calm and compose
and understanding that you know, we know the job that.
Speaker 3 (08:03):
We need to do right.
Speaker 2 (08:04):
And for me, it's preparing these guys to compete every day,
providing the information they need every day to be the
best versions of themselves, you know, pushing things back a
little bit so that you stay home and guys listen,
spend you know, spending hour or two with your family.
That really helps me when I'm around my family and
my kids and take your mind away from the game,
(08:25):
especially when you're down the stretch, because when they get here,
it's all hands on deck, they walk through those doors
and its and it's go time and and it's and
I've seen that in their eyes and and in their work.
But also there has to be a balance where they
can they can relax, and I want them fresh when
they're walking here and understand that.
Speaker 3 (08:46):
You know, we have to all be in this together.
Speaker 2 (08:48):
We all have to be all.
Speaker 3 (08:49):
In this together. And we are.
Speaker 2 (08:51):
And it's a special group. It's a special clubhouse. And
I'm very always, you know, working really hard to protect
what we've built here. For For the last seventy.
Speaker 1 (08:59):
Years, you've had to use a variety of starting pitchers.
You've had numerous up and down players at Triple A
to here and back and forth, You've had different guys.
Speaker 3 (09:08):
It feels like.
Speaker 1 (09:09):
To me, Joe, that there are still some roster spots again,
I'm gonna put the car before the horse here for
you for the playoff run, with the series development and
going to the postseason, I feel like there's gonna be competition.
Speaker 3 (09:20):
During this time.
Speaker 1 (09:22):
Is that a fair assessment to say that there are
no There are some gimmes, but there are probably a
lot more guys that we should be thinking about what
they do in September for you, if they want to
play for you in the postseason.
Speaker 3 (09:33):
You know what.
Speaker 2 (09:33):
This is the way I this is our conversation with
my players is you know, they're doing everything in their.
Speaker 3 (09:39):
Power to get to the postseason.
Speaker 2 (09:40):
When we get to the postseason, we're blessed to get
to that point, we'll make those decisions.
Speaker 3 (09:45):
But right now is.
Speaker 2 (09:46):
If you do your job and you play your best,
you're making a case.
Speaker 3 (09:50):
For yourself and that's all it matters.
Speaker 2 (09:53):
Playing for two days game, doing whatever it takes to
win today's game, and tomorrow will take care you know,
we'll take care of itself.
Speaker 1 (10:00):
Great stuff is always good luck with the Astros and
Yankee series coming up, and look forward talking to again
next Tuesday. We appreciate the time as always
Adam Ross. Very happy to be joined now by the
manager of your Houston Astros. Nice win yesterday over the Angels.
Couple that with the Seattle Mariners losing to Tampa Bay
and Houston enjoys a three game lead opening up a
three game series with the Yankees. Skip is with us, Joe.
It's Matt and Ross. Good afternoon, do you congratulations on
the win? And I thought I wanted you to take
our audience into the conversations you've had with Luis Garcia,
(00:24):
and maybe not in just the last twenty four hours,
with the last couple of years, because a lot of
guys could have said, you know what, Myron was not
meant to be. And I thought some of your postgame
comments kind of explained that this was a long physical
and mental grind for him to come back to where
he was and was able to pitch for you yesterday.
Speaker 2 (00:41):
Yeah, And you know, during during that period, you know,
I've seen players in my experience when they start creating
you know, these doubts and insecurities about am I able
were going to be able to get back on the
mound right, especially after a few setbacks that he had
while he's recovery and the star taking getting themselves and
and and and for us, for me who have known
(01:04):
Louis for a very long time and knowing you know
the character of the human and how strong mentally he is,
and you know, a man of faith like you know,
it's for us to continue to encourage him that things
are going to be okay.
Speaker 3 (01:17):
It's going to take some time.
Speaker 2 (01:19):
And and when you see someone overcome those challenging.
Speaker 3 (01:23):
And getting back on them, you know, seeing him back.
Speaker 2 (01:25):
Pitching again, you know, it's it's special because these guys
have worked really hard to get to the major leagues,
to have success of the major leagues, we have seen
Louis been a really good pitcher here for many many years,
and just to see him accomplish where he did yesterday,
it was a very special moment.
Speaker 1 (01:42):
You know, Joe, I don't want to give away company secrets,
but people are like, well, you know, his velocity wasn't
as good as it was pre injury, and I'm thinking, well,
my god, his arm has been in a sling for
a long period of time and maybe he'll never be
to that point. But have you been told about what
that could be or is he going to be a
guy that can tap out at ninety two. And let
me tell you, Joe, as you know, there are guys
(02:03):
in Major league baseball as long as the command is good,
you can live with ninety two at the big leagues.
Speaker 2 (02:08):
You know, for me, this is what I tell everyone, like,
we need to give him time. It's two years this
guy having pitched on a major league mount. He has
over you know, he has had setbacks, He's coming back
from a very ugly injury. Sometime he takes pitchers time
to get back to their normal you know, v Low
and and and you know show what they show two
(02:31):
years ago. For me is I was just proud of
the fact that he worked his tail off to get
back on the mount and through six innings, I guess
a good lineup and we should celebrate that.
Speaker 3 (02:43):
The VLO that all this stuff, we just got to
give us some time.
Speaker 1 (02:47):
I think it's a very fair assessment. Joe spotted with
us here on Sports Talk seven ninety. You've had of
the last week's skip. A lot of guys get on
the base pass the runners in scoring position numbers were
just not to your level. And I'm sure the frustration
and yesterday was one off. But I think if you're
going to win this division. You got to have the
numbers better. Is an approach?
Speaker 3 (03:07):
Is it? Tell me?
Speaker 1 (03:08):
Tell me where it is. I don't even know what
possibilities are about why this team has struggled at times,
and especially in the last week with getting guys on
but not able to touch the pay station.
Speaker 3 (03:19):
Yeah, you know what.
Speaker 2 (03:20):
For me, it's like we are getting we're getting the
guys on. So our approach when we're trying to get
people on base, understanding our capabilities and our strength as
individuals and as a team, we have really good approaches
for one people get on base. Sometimes we tend to
get away from who we are as individuals and know
(03:40):
our strength and witnesses and also recognize what pictures are
trying to do to us.
Speaker 3 (03:45):
So when we when we try to.
Speaker 2 (03:46):
Do a bit more of what we can do and
we try to get the big hit when we don't
really need to. We could just get what the pictures
gives us. Let the guy on deck get the jump done.
Speaker 3 (04:00):
But sometimes in.
Speaker 2 (04:01):
The moment we want to be we want to be
in that spot. We want to be the hero, we
want to get the big higg And I appreciate that
about the players we want to be in the moment,
and we want our guys to have that desire to
be in that spot.
Speaker 3 (04:12):
But also you have to kind.
Speaker 2 (04:14):
Of control yourself, your emotions and get pitches that you
can handle, because the pictures they recognize that, and they
going to try to get us to, you know, swing
at pitches that they're not our pitches.
Speaker 1 (04:26):
Astro's manager Joe Spotta with us here on Sports Talk
seven ninety yord On Alvarez looking pretty good at the plate,
looks like he's drawn a lot of walks, had the
home run as well. Just overall, how are your conversations
when been like with him? Is he just back to
the same old Jordan or is there still a little
bit of work to be done.
Speaker 2 (04:43):
Yeah, you know, I think he you know, he is
physically and mentally in a good spot. I think we
need to steal monitor he's workload. He has missed four
months before returning, and we want to make sure that
we have him there for this, you know, for this
month and and and and postseason, if you know, if
(05:03):
we get to that point where we could play deeping
to October. We want to make sure that we we
take care of his body and make sure that we
building him, we build him up properly because we want to.
Speaker 3 (05:16):
Keep him from the long run. But right now, what
I've seen is that that's have been really good.
Speaker 2 (05:22):
He feels good in the outfield, his body feels good.
But we got to steal monitor he's worklow here as
we try to get him back and some of the
players who are also working in the self getting back
here to our lineup.
Speaker 1 (05:34):
And yeah, what is that like for you as we
go down the stretch, Because we know that this organization
has always wanted to give guys days off so that
you can make sure that they're fresh come October, and
there's been very good results in a lot of deep
October runs with that. So what is it like for
you day to day working with players and trainers and
trying to balance keeping guys fresh but also the pressure
(05:54):
of a division race.
Speaker 2 (05:56):
Yeah, you know what it's it's you know, our workload
prior to the game is also very important.
Speaker 3 (06:03):
Kind of cutting down on the amount of early work
that we do.
Speaker 2 (06:09):
You know, our work in the weight room has changed
is more like a recovery, uh, doing some extra stretching,
trying to get these guys a little later arrival to
the ballpart, trying to get them to sleep a little
bit longer, and trying to stay home and and and
just try to monitor their work well that way, you know,
also giving this guy I'm using the d H spot
to kind of, you know, get these guys off their
(06:32):
feet a bit.
Speaker 3 (06:34):
So we you know, it's it's a it's a it's
a grind here.
Speaker 2 (06:37):
But there's ways that we can do it where we
could use our you know, giving these guys a day
off here and there, and also kind of monitoring our work.
You know, these guys, they they have a routine, making
adjustments to their pregame routine. So where we're not when
seven o'clock starts refreshed and we know we don't feel fatigued.
Speaker 3 (06:58):
Skip.
Speaker 1 (06:58):
I think being even killed a manager works. Whether you're
talking about a game in April fifteenth, July fifteenth, or
September fifteenth, which will be coming up for you in
the next couple of weeks. You are still in a
division race, three game lead, how do you manage the
I'm still Joe Aspata, I'm still the manager. I want
to make sure the clubhouse is as normalized as possible.
(07:19):
But we're down to about thirty games left to go,
you're holding off two teams in division. Sense of urgency,
how do you how do you go through that? And
how did last year, as your first time doing that,
help you towards you think this year is September run.
Speaker 3 (07:32):
You know what you know?
Speaker 2 (07:34):
For me, the experience here, the last the last year,
you know, seventy years that I've been here, I've always
seen our guys as being the best towards the end.
And it's because we have done a really good job
of setting a foundation where we know and we trust
our process, our work, our players. For you know, they
(07:57):
want to see their leaders to be calm and compose
and understanding that you know, we know the job that.
Speaker 3 (08:03):
We need to do right.
Speaker 2 (08:04):
And for me, it's preparing these guys to compete every day,
providing the information they need every day to be the
best versions of themselves, you know, pushing things back a
little bit so that you stay home and guys listen,
spend you know, spending hour or two with your family.
That really helps me when I'm around my family and
my kids and take your mind away from the game,
(08:25):
especially when you're down the stretch, because when they get here,
it's all hands on deck, they walk through those doors
and its and it's go time and and it's and
I've seen that in their eyes and and in their work.
But also there has to be a balance where they
can they can relax, and I want them fresh when
they're walking here and understand that.
Speaker 3 (08:46):
You know, we have to all be in this together.
Speaker 2 (08:48):
We all have to be all.
Speaker 3 (08:49):
In this together. And we are.
Speaker 2 (08:51):
And it's a special group. It's a special clubhouse. And
I'm very always, you know, working really hard to protect
what we've built here. For For the last seventy.
Speaker 1 (08:59):
Years, you've had to use a variety of starting pitchers.
You've had numerous up and down players at Triple A
to here and back and forth, You've had different guys.
Speaker 3 (09:08):
It feels like.
Speaker 1 (09:09):
To me, Joe, that there are still some roster spots again,
I'm gonna put the car before the horse here for
you for the playoff run, with the series development and
going to the postseason, I feel like there's gonna be competition.
Speaker 3 (09:20):
During this time.
Speaker 1 (09:22):
Is that a fair assessment to say that there are
no There are some gimmes, but there are probably a
lot more guys that we should be thinking about what
they do in September for you, if they want to
play for you in the postseason.
Speaker 3 (09:33):
You know what.
Speaker 2 (09:33):
This is the way I this is our conversation with
my players is you know, they're doing everything in their.
Speaker 3 (09:39):
Power to get to the postseason.
Speaker 2 (09:40):
When we get to the postseason, we're blessed to get
to that point, we'll make those decisions.
Speaker 3 (09:45):
But right now is.
Speaker 2 (09:46):
If you do your job and you play your best,
you're making a case.
Speaker 3 (09:50):
For yourself and that's all it matters.
Speaker 2 (09:53):
Playing for two days game, doing whatever it takes to
win today's game, and tomorrow will take care you know,
we'll take care of itself.
Speaker 1 (10:00):
Great stuff is always good luck with the Astros and
Yankee series coming up, and look forward talking to again
next Tuesday. We appreciate the time as always
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