August 22, 2025 • 7 mins
Following a rough series in Detroit with the Tigers sweeping the Astros and losing their series to the Orioles right before, the Astros head on to Baltimore for another 3-game series against the Orioles. Taking Game 1, the Astros snap their 4-game losing slump with a final score of 7-2, putting them exactly 2 games ahead of the Mariners. Still out in front, leading the AL West Division, Sean and Dan take a moment to evaluate the Astros' latest flaws with yesterday's victory and how the Astros can keep from entering a slump this late in the season.
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
We're talking Astros right now. If you want to get
in someone three two, one, two, five seven ninety and Sean,
it was three straight starts, quality outings by Jason Alexander.
Two of those were wins. The last one was, ironically enough,
the last time the Astros had won before last night,
where they beat the Orioles in twelve innings over at
(00:20):
dyke In Park. But five and a third. They got
to him a little bit there in the sixth, so
you got to bring in Stephen Oker to be able
to try to limit the damage. He's able to as
one of those inherited runs does score, but aside from
a home run, still a good outing by Jason Alexander.
Tell me if in twenty twenty five you had a
guy named Jason Alexander being a difference maker for the Astros.
Speaker 2 (00:43):
I did not, neither, did you.
Speaker 3 (00:45):
I didn't know Jason Alexander until he I mean, I
had no idea about his game until he took the
mound on this team. Did you No, No no idea,
no idea, all said this guy.
Speaker 2 (01:00):
Jason Alexander started like I have.
Speaker 3 (01:02):
If you said, Sean, give me a scouting report, well,
my scouting report is can you hand me Google.
Speaker 2 (01:07):
I have no idea who Jason Alexander is. Well I
do now, and it's been impressive.
Speaker 3 (01:14):
And of the of what the last four appearance is yesterday,
I get when you say I put it in like
kind of rolling my eyes. His worst, but he gave
you five What did he get the how deep did
he get in the fifth end? Was it five and
a third or was he just straight five?
Speaker 1 (01:28):
He was five and a third, Yeah he got, but
then a couple more singles loaded the base.
Speaker 3 (01:34):
Yeah, five and a third. That's as far as the
last handful of starts. That's been his worst out and
yet was able to get in there, gut it out,
keep the runs down, and the bullpen came in and
finished out.
Speaker 2 (01:44):
I thought he was.
Speaker 3 (01:45):
And it helps that he got help early on. You
could pitch a little more freely, even though you know
they I think they had eight hits off from seven
or eight hits off him in the watching last.
Speaker 2 (01:54):
I don't know. It might have been less than that, or.
Speaker 3 (01:56):
It might have been more, but it was in that range,
and it was he just scattered him around and was
able to do his job.
Speaker 2 (02:02):
That was a solid start.
Speaker 3 (02:03):
Whatever they judge how they judge him to all the
quality starts and the numbers that go with it, but
for this team they needed it again and he stepped
up again. But listen, man, he has been a he
has been a you know what, Like I said I
to it reminds me of not his pitching style or
any of that, and he's probably gone a little deeper,
but the way he's gone in he say, who's JP Frantz.
(02:24):
I've heard of him, but what's he all about? A
couple of years ago when he came in, when they
were going through some hell and the injuries, Bam stepped
in into his job in the bullpen as a starter,
and you're like, you know what, this guy's been really
good for and now we look forward to having him back.
I think Jason Alexander's far exceeded anybody, even the people
who might have known him, like may probably a Brian McTaggart,
(02:44):
guys like Channel Rome who baby know them or maybe don't.
I know Brian does, Brian knows probably everybody. But when
it comes to understand, but I had no idea what
kind of stuff the guy had or who he was
if you ask me. Right now to this day where
he's from. I don't have any idea. I don't know
where he played college ball, what a round he was drafted.
I know this as a picture at the astral for
the Astros, he has been a godsend when they've needed
(03:06):
him through this and again last night.
Speaker 2 (03:09):
Does his job. You can't keep him right now out
of the starting rotation.
Speaker 3 (03:13):
You can't. You absolutely cannot. I don't care who gets healthy.
I don't know how you move him around right now?
Who do you trust more? If they're in Lance mccullors
or Jason Alexander.
Speaker 2 (03:23):
I think you know the answer to that. It's not
even close right now.
Speaker 3 (03:26):
Stuff, we know how good mccullor's is, but we're still
there's a blister still keeping him out of the lineup.
A blister that's a that's a severe blister, I can
tell you that. And Jason Alexander's posting and posting, not
just posting and just showing up. He's he's performing the
other p a lot of peas performance potential posting. He's
(03:49):
doing it all and and has been great for this.
You can't take him out when Lance mccullor's come back.
If you were if you said, man, we're down to
one picture, mcculor's or Jason Alexander. The answer is really simple, mccolors.
You're in the bullpen. You are nic He is not
replacing him right now.
Speaker 2 (04:04):
I can't do it.
Speaker 3 (04:06):
So the trust factor, that doesn't mean a long time
talking about today. Right now in the starting you can't
do it. Like I said, part of ability and performance
is you got to show up.
Speaker 2 (04:17):
And he is. And while he's there, he's getting it done.
Speaker 3 (04:19):
So what I know about him now, he looks like
he's got a mentality attacks you. He gets after it,
he's throwing strikes, he's helping giving his team a chance
to win. Isn't that what you always want. I'm going
to give you a chance to win, and he does
and he has, and the team responded last night by
you know, giving himselves the best run, you know, best
to run performance they've had in a minute. So I'm
(04:42):
all for it, and you can't you cannot regard. I
don't care if Garcia gets healthy, I mean, doesn't matter
to me until Jason Alexander proves he can't. He's proven
he can, he stays in the rotation.
Speaker 1 (04:55):
Three and oh was a one point five to four
in his twenty three and a third innings pitch so
far this month, and in the four starts he's made,
last night was the least effective in terms of innings
pitched because he's gone well, he solid six innings in
the last three.
Speaker 3 (05:11):
Dan, let me ask you this, what would we be
saying about him if he was a guy that had
been in the organization, was a young stud, if it
was I'm just I'm not comparing him to him or
his stuff. But if let's just say O Tani or schemes,
which they do me Skeens does, but in their first
(05:32):
four starts, let's say a first round you know, the
third pick of the draft or the first pick of
the draft that you brought up after ten minor league starts.
I'm just using this an example, and this was how
he was performing, and he.
Speaker 2 (05:44):
Was a high pubbed guy.
Speaker 3 (05:46):
What would you be saying, What a great draft pick,
that's phenomenal, what a future he has? Look at the
earned run average, Look how he's look at the depth
of his innings and he still doesn't understand how.
Speaker 2 (05:57):
To go deep.
Speaker 3 (05:58):
He just walked off a college campus a year ago,
or he was in minor league baseball. For you look
at what he's doing, you'd be you'd be giddy.
Speaker 2 (06:07):
Yeah, it just he did.
Speaker 3 (06:08):
He's you know, he's not the highly pub Nobody really
knew about him.
Speaker 2 (06:12):
He came out of nowhere in my life. I didn't
know who he was. So point how old is he?
I have zero idea? How old is he? How long
has he been in Major League Baseball?
Speaker 1 (06:20):
Alexander is uh see, he was born in ninety three,
So he's thirty two, and he's.
Speaker 2 (06:27):
Not a kid right now.
Speaker 3 (06:29):
If the other one, you know, what'd be saying about
guys at thirty two, that be saying, damn, this guy's
really got, this guy's really grinding out this time it is.
He's not a lot of innings logged over his career.
I would imagine like somebody thirty two has been an
everyday starter all the time. Everywhere I think about that,
he's pitching like like he's got, like he's man, I'm
pitching for a contract at twenty five years old. If
(06:51):
you'd ask me, I said, I don't know. Is he
twenty seven, twenty eight? I don't know nothing. But now
we start to know about him. So think about what
he's doing and if he was a highly publicized twenty
five year old. We'd be saying, this kid's future is
going to be really, really good. He's given you stuff
thirty two years old. You're getting something out of him
that you would have taken if I'd have said you
(07:13):
have to bet it. You just said, no way, dude,
I ain't taking that risk. Well, who knows what's going
to happen, But for these last four starts, Jason Alexander
has earned the right.
Speaker 2 (07:21):
To make another one. That's a that's a damn fact.
Speaker 1 (07:24):
Yeah, it's definitely showing up at the right time for
the Strows and hopefully Lance McCullers Junior can hit the
ground running Tonight's as the Astros starting to little by
little get some of their injured guys back, Dwayne Jason Lewis,
see all three of you right there. You will be
worked into the conversation. You want to join them, got
a couple of spots open for you. Seven one three
two one two five seven ninety. You get it's seven
(07:46):
one three, two one two five seven ninety
We're talking Astros right now. If you want to get
in someone three two, one, two, five seven ninety and Sean,
it was three straight starts, quality outings by Jason Alexander.
Two of those were wins. The last one was, ironically enough,
the last time the Astros had won before last night,
where they beat the Orioles in twelve innings over at
(00:20):
dyke In Park. But five and a third. They got
to him a little bit there in the sixth, so
you got to bring in Stephen Oker to be able
to try to limit the damage. He's able to as
one of those inherited runs does score, but aside from
a home run, still a good outing by Jason Alexander.
Tell me if in twenty twenty five you had a
guy named Jason Alexander being a difference maker for the Astros.
Speaker 2 (00:43):
I did not, neither, did you.
Speaker 3 (00:45):
I didn't know Jason Alexander until he I mean, I
had no idea about his game until he took the
mound on this team. Did you No, No no idea,
no idea, all said this guy.
Speaker 2 (01:00):
Jason Alexander started like I have.
Speaker 3 (01:02):
If you said, Sean, give me a scouting report, well,
my scouting report is can you hand me Google.
Speaker 2 (01:07):
I have no idea who Jason Alexander is. Well I
do now, and it's been impressive.
Speaker 3 (01:14):
And of the of what the last four appearance is yesterday,
I get when you say I put it in like
kind of rolling my eyes. His worst, but he gave
you five What did he get the how deep did
he get in the fifth end? Was it five and
a third or was he just straight five?
Speaker 1 (01:28):
He was five and a third, Yeah he got, but
then a couple more singles loaded the base.
Speaker 3 (01:34):
Yeah, five and a third. That's as far as the
last handful of starts. That's been his worst out and
yet was able to get in there, gut it out,
keep the runs down, and the bullpen came in and
finished out.
Speaker 2 (01:44):
I thought he was.
Speaker 3 (01:45):
And it helps that he got help early on. You
could pitch a little more freely, even though you know
they I think they had eight hits off from seven
or eight hits off him in the watching last.
Speaker 2 (01:54):
I don't know. It might have been less than that, or.
Speaker 3 (01:56):
It might have been more, but it was in that range,
and it was he just scattered him around and was
able to do his job.
Speaker 2 (02:02):
That was a solid start.
Speaker 3 (02:03):
Whatever they judge how they judge him to all the
quality starts and the numbers that go with it, but
for this team they needed it again and he stepped
up again. But listen, man, he has been a he
has been a you know what, Like I said I
to it reminds me of not his pitching style or
any of that, and he's probably gone a little deeper,
but the way he's gone in he say, who's JP Frantz.
(02:24):
I've heard of him, but what's he all about? A
couple of years ago when he came in, when they
were going through some hell and the injuries, Bam stepped
in into his job in the bullpen as a starter,
and you're like, you know what, this guy's been really
good for and now we look forward to having him back.
I think Jason Alexander's far exceeded anybody, even the people
who might have known him, like may probably a Brian McTaggart,
(02:44):
guys like Channel Rome who baby know them or maybe don't.
I know Brian does, Brian knows probably everybody. But when
it comes to understand, but I had no idea what
kind of stuff the guy had or who he was
if you ask me. Right now to this day where
he's from. I don't have any idea. I don't know
where he played college ball, what a round he was drafted.
I know this as a picture at the astral for
the Astros, he has been a godsend when they've needed
(03:06):
him through this and again last night.
Speaker 2 (03:09):
Does his job. You can't keep him right now out
of the starting rotation.
Speaker 3 (03:13):
You can't. You absolutely cannot. I don't care who gets healthy.
I don't know how you move him around right now?
Who do you trust more? If they're in Lance mccullors
or Jason Alexander.
Speaker 2 (03:23):
I think you know the answer to that. It's not
even close right now.
Speaker 3 (03:26):
Stuff, we know how good mccullor's is, but we're still
there's a blister still keeping him out of the lineup.
A blister that's a that's a severe blister, I can
tell you that. And Jason Alexander's posting and posting, not
just posting and just showing up. He's he's performing the
other p a lot of peas performance potential posting. He's
(03:49):
doing it all and and has been great for this.
You can't take him out when Lance mccullor's come back.
If you were if you said, man, we're down to
one picture, mcculor's or Jason Alexander. The answer is really simple, mccolors.
You're in the bullpen. You are nic He is not
replacing him right now.
Speaker 2 (04:04):
I can't do it.
Speaker 3 (04:06):
So the trust factor, that doesn't mean a long time
talking about today. Right now in the starting you can't
do it. Like I said, part of ability and performance
is you got to show up.
Speaker 2 (04:17):
And he is. And while he's there, he's getting it done.
Speaker 3 (04:19):
So what I know about him now, he looks like
he's got a mentality attacks you. He gets after it,
he's throwing strikes, he's helping giving his team a chance
to win. Isn't that what you always want. I'm going
to give you a chance to win, and he does
and he has, and the team responded last night by
you know, giving himselves the best run, you know, best
to run performance they've had in a minute. So I'm
(04:42):
all for it, and you can't you cannot regard. I
don't care if Garcia gets healthy, I mean, doesn't matter
to me until Jason Alexander proves he can't. He's proven
he can, he stays in the rotation.
Speaker 1 (04:55):
Three and oh was a one point five to four
in his twenty three and a third innings pitch so
far this month, and in the four starts he's made,
last night was the least effective in terms of innings
pitched because he's gone well, he solid six innings in
the last three.
Speaker 3 (05:11):
Dan, let me ask you this, what would we be
saying about him if he was a guy that had
been in the organization, was a young stud, if it
was I'm just I'm not comparing him to him or
his stuff. But if let's just say O Tani or schemes,
which they do me Skeens does, but in their first
(05:32):
four starts, let's say a first round you know, the
third pick of the draft or the first pick of
the draft that you brought up after ten minor league starts.
I'm just using this an example, and this was how
he was performing, and he.
Speaker 2 (05:44):
Was a high pubbed guy.
Speaker 3 (05:46):
What would you be saying, What a great draft pick,
that's phenomenal, what a future he has? Look at the
earned run average, Look how he's look at the depth
of his innings and he still doesn't understand how.
Speaker 2 (05:57):
To go deep.
Speaker 3 (05:58):
He just walked off a college campus a year ago,
or he was in minor league baseball. For you look
at what he's doing, you'd be you'd be giddy.
Speaker 2 (06:07):
Yeah, it just he did.
Speaker 3 (06:08):
He's you know, he's not the highly pub Nobody really
knew about him.
Speaker 2 (06:12):
He came out of nowhere in my life. I didn't
know who he was. So point how old is he?
I have zero idea? How old is he? How long
has he been in Major League Baseball?
Speaker 1 (06:20):
Alexander is uh see, he was born in ninety three,
So he's thirty two, and he's.
Speaker 2 (06:27):
Not a kid right now.
Speaker 3 (06:29):
If the other one, you know, what'd be saying about
guys at thirty two, that be saying, damn, this guy's
really got, this guy's really grinding out this time it is.
He's not a lot of innings logged over his career.
I would imagine like somebody thirty two has been an
everyday starter all the time. Everywhere I think about that,
he's pitching like like he's got, like he's man, I'm
pitching for a contract at twenty five years old. If
(06:51):
you'd ask me, I said, I don't know. Is he
twenty seven, twenty eight? I don't know nothing. But now
we start to know about him. So think about what
he's doing and if he was a highly publicized twenty
five year old. We'd be saying, this kid's future is
going to be really, really good. He's given you stuff
thirty two years old. You're getting something out of him
that you would have taken if I'd have said you
(07:13):
have to bet it. You just said, no way, dude,
I ain't taking that risk. Well, who knows what's going
to happen, But for these last four starts, Jason Alexander
has earned the right.
Speaker 2 (07:21):
To make another one. That's a that's a damn fact.
Speaker 1 (07:24):
Yeah, it's definitely showing up at the right time for
the Strows and hopefully Lance McCullers Junior can hit the
ground running Tonight's as the Astros starting to little by
little get some of their injured guys back, Dwayne Jason Lewis,
see all three of you right there. You will be
worked into the conversation. You want to join them, got
a couple of spots open for you. Seven one three
two one two five seven ninety. You get it's seven
(07:46):
one three, two one two five seven ninety
Popular Podcasts
Stuff You Should Know
If you've ever wanted to know about champagne, satanism, the Stonewall Uprising, chaos theory, LSD, El Nino, true crime and Rosa Parks, then look no further. Josh and Chuck have you covered.
New Heights with Jason & Travis Kelce
Football’s funniest family duo — Jason Kelce of the Philadelphia Eagles and Travis Kelce of the Kansas City Chiefs — team up to provide next-level access to life in the league as it unfolds. The two brothers and Super Bowl champions drop weekly insights about the weekly slate of games and share their INSIDE perspectives on trending NFL news and sports headlines. They also endlessly rag on each other as brothers do, chat the latest in pop culture and welcome some very popular and well-known friends to chat with them. Check out new episodes every Wednesday. Follow New Heights on the Wondery App, YouTube or wherever you get your podcasts. You can listen to new episodes early and ad-free, and get exclusive content on Wondery+. Join Wondery+ in the Wondery App, Apple Podcasts or Spotify. And join our new membership for a unique fan experience by going to the New Heights YouTube channel now!
24/7 News: The Latest
The latest news in 4 minutes updated every hour, every day.