September 15, 2025 • 14 mins
With the league set to conclude its last few series just before teeing into the postseason, many teams across the MLB battle away in hopes of clinching a playoff spot, further extending their season for a chance at the World Series. Focusing on the Astros, the Stros wrap up their weekend series against Atlanta, taking two of the three games from the Braves and winning their first series since the Colorado Rockies roughly 3 weeks ago. Gaining the series win but slipping out of first place now one game behind Seattle, Steve shares a few takeaways from the weekend mixed with some things that need polishing if the Astros wish to reclaim their spot at the top of the division before it's too late.
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Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
It is, and it's that time of the week.
Speaker 2 (00:02):
Astro's broadcaster every Monday eight o'clock. Steve Sparks joins us.
Speaker 1 (00:07):
Great to have you on. Steve.
Speaker 2 (00:09):
Always appreciate you, my man. Judging from the visit to
Atlanta and just watching those games, tell take me out
of there at the plate. I'm talking about, not pitching.
Take me something out of there that says this team
can sustain really good play the last twelve games to
win the division.
Speaker 1 (00:26):
Just from the hitter stands.
Speaker 3 (00:28):
Okay, bottom half of the lineup starting to produce six, seven,
eight hitters at one point the first two games of
that series. I think we're fifteen for twenty one at
one point. So getting production in the bottom half, you know,
guys like your donor are going to produce. It's the
top you feel good about where the Astros balance goes.
(00:48):
As far as being competitive hitters one through nine, this
is as bad as good as they've had it for
quite a while now with more guys getting healthy.
Speaker 2 (00:57):
And Steve, you trust the top of the order is
going to pull their weight with the stars.
Speaker 3 (01:01):
Correct, Yes, I do. I mean you have to expect
that and that's what you count on with Paynan Altuvee
and ord On and Christis Walker. Those guys get paid
to go out there and produce. And I think where
the Astros are right now, I mean, you can't ask
for much more than this. They can control a lot
of where they go from here on out. They've got
(01:22):
a great opportunity playing guys in their division that they're
fighting to get into the playoffs with. And those guys,
those guys at the top shown need to need to
step up and lead this team.
Speaker 2 (01:33):
Steve, have you ever been on a team or in
all your years of covering it and broadcasting it, and
I'm sure you have, but if you've been on a
team to where your stars at this time of the
year went south and didn't produce, yet you were still
able to go on and win, I mean win a
bunch of games. Or have you want where a team
where their stars didn't produce and they were able to
(01:54):
get deep into a playoff run that type offensively I'm
talking about.
Speaker 3 (01:59):
Yeah, I can say you can say that about even
the playoffs with the Astros being in the playoffs so many,
so many years now, and we've been spoiled, but there's
been times when guys gotten really cold, yep, And you
don't talk about it because the Astros have been so successful,
But there's been two or three guys that have gotten
cold at the same time and they've still been able
to overcome it. That's what a team's all about, you know.
(02:20):
And I think the Astros have been built mostly on
pitching throughout the years, but they've had some great lineups
and they've had a lot of clutch players. And sometimes
it's How two Bays, sometimes it's Pregment, sometimes it's Tucker,
it's this guy that guy, but a couple of those
guys do need to step up for sure.
Speaker 1 (02:37):
Yeah, is there somebody at the top of the order? Steve?
I know how talented and you do too.
Speaker 2 (02:41):
I mean you've talked about it, and you know the
long season part of it. Is there somebody at the top?
You know on the first five that you are concerned about?
I mean, How two Bay seems obvious if he's banged
up or if he's not. Is there something or someone
at the top of the order that has that you
are concerned about?
Speaker 3 (02:58):
You know, I'm not concerned because I really trust him,
but it's Jeremy. I mean, Peania has gone on a
little bit of a hole, but I trust him implicitly
just because I think he's extremely talented and hard working,
and I think he'll play well, you know, whether the
results say it or not. I think he'll give himself
a great chance to be the best version of himself
(03:20):
because the way he prepares I love it. You watch
him in between innings, you watch him in pregame, preparation,
all of those things him. Guys like Cam m Correy
at Man, they're top notch as far as preparation.
Speaker 1 (03:33):
Steve Sparks, Astro's broadcaster, on his Monday visit.
Speaker 2 (03:36):
Here on Sports Talk seven ninety Sean Salisbury Show, Steve,
I don't know of anybody better with your approach. You're
always fair to talk about fromber than you. What are
we missing?
Speaker 1 (03:48):
Well?
Speaker 2 (03:49):
Why the last nine or ten starts? Has this been sideways?
A couple of good ones? But what is it that
doesn't allow him to reach down and give us more
of that as a post the less of it, especially
at the time when you need these guys to win
a division.
Speaker 3 (04:07):
Well, I think it's just like anybody else, even if
you're a young player or an older player, or a
very successful player. I'll tell you one thing that I
noticed more than anything else, John, when I got to
the big leagues and I turned thirty one my rookie year,
and I couldn't believe. And I played with a lot
of those guys in the minors, but I couldn't believe
(04:27):
that major leaguers were as insecure as they actually were, right,
And I couldn't believe they weren't as confident as even
somebody who sucked like I did. I mean, some of
those guys were all stars, and they just didn't have
a ton of confidence. And I say that because if
you have a bad game or two, it's hard to
(04:50):
go out there with confidence. You know. Sometimes you just
have to be very confident in how you prepared to
really have a lot of confidence. And if things go badly,
it's hard not to say here we go again in
the back of your mind, not to say it really
audibly or to let it show. But it's really hard
(05:11):
to have true confidence when things and results haven't been
going your way. So when they stumble or they scuffle.
And that's why we talked about you know, sometimes it's
just one good a b or a couple of blue
pits away from a guy getting hot at the plate,
and the same thing goes to pitching. So I think,
(05:33):
you know, when we see inconsistencies a lot of times
if there's nothing wrong with them, I think a lot
of times it's between the years and it lies mostly
with confidence.
Speaker 2 (05:42):
Yeah, and Steve in this case, he's so good, which
we've well documented some of you. How good is stuff
is that we don't even need to qualify it.
Speaker 1 (05:49):
He's so good.
Speaker 2 (05:50):
If the emotional overcoming or the confidence matched the stuff. Hell,
we'd be talking to cy young winner in competition every
frigging year, and we already are at times. But okay,
now that we know the conflict, and we've known it
with Fromber and it's not personal. It's just that he
gets a little sideways. And it's hard to fathom that
somebody that talented does lack some confidence. But I've seen
(06:11):
it in football too, in stories of guys that people
wouldn't believe you're like, that guy's in the Hall of Fame.
Speaker 1 (06:16):
But there was times.
Speaker 2 (06:17):
Bruce Matthews will tell you the great Guard he was
afraid of his job every day on the practical That's
why he didn't miss. Now think about that eighteen nineteen
years if it's good enough for Bruce, it's good enough
for me, that's for sure as a teammate of mind.
But yes, yes, fear their fear of not being able
to pull it off. Yet everybody in the building knows
well they're dominant. They're never getting replaced until they decide
(06:39):
they want to quit. But with fromber, now that we
know the conflicts, even I'm not trying to play psychologists,
and I know you're not either, because I don't get
paid by that hour. But when he knows the conflict,
how do you fix it? How does the guy so
good with so much talent fix it so the believability
and so the emotional stuff doesn't get in the way. Okay,
a bout any big deal? Do you fix that after
(07:00):
all this time? Because that's been his weakness since he's
been in the league.
Speaker 3 (07:05):
Well, I mean it's part of It's part of coaching, right,
I mean you get to know guys and you know
what buttons to push to get him through situations like that,
And you know, sometimes you know, you don't coach everybody
the same way. Some guys were brought up differently and
respond to different methods of coaching, And and do you
need to pat him on the back or you need
(07:26):
to kick him in the rear end. Whatever you have
to do to keep them focused, I think is the secret. So,
I mean, it's you know, it's a lot of times
go out there and coach man, go out there and
and help this guy through this, make him feel great
about himself going into a game, and and to be
able to stick to a plan and go out there
and use your weapons. Do your stuff is good enough
(07:49):
and you go out there and use it.
Speaker 1 (07:50):
Are they doing that, Steve? Are they? Is he to
the point? You know?
Speaker 2 (07:53):
Sometimes Yeah, sometimes you just do that phenomenal.
Speaker 3 (07:58):
Right, he's got I would put them above most. I mean,
I think Josh Miller, Bill Murphy, the pitching staff with
the Astros are fantastic, and I think, you know, sometimes
you have challenges and you just you go through the
role of deck as a coach, right, sean quarterback, Sometimes
(08:19):
you can say one thing to a guy, but sometimes
you have to say it a different way to get.
Speaker 1 (08:23):
Him to do it right. And the player's got to
be receptive to it too, right, Steve.
Speaker 2 (08:27):
The player's got to be two years in one mouth
and be receptive to coaching.
Speaker 3 (08:30):
Right, Yeah, you know, and I don't want to speculate
on how they you know, tried to help him through
some inconsistencies. But man, when he's going well, I mean,
there's there's not much to talk about other than just
you know, drop your jaw and watch him and get
double plays and get into the authentic souh, then you
(08:51):
need to turn it around. I get what you're saying,
you know, and when he's inconsistent, it gets frustrating because
you you have high expectations for somebody of that caliber,
but you know, you just got to keep trusting that
he's going to go out there and figure it out.
Speaker 1 (09:04):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (09:04):
I think the maddening part of the frustration is we
know how good he is, right See, we're not talking
about an average guy, so he's taken us to top levels.
So when he's not, it's like the Hell's going on here?
Speaker 1 (09:13):
Right man?
Speaker 2 (09:14):
It's it's not supposed to be like this because he's
actually spoiled us with his stuff. So hopefully he finds
his way at the right time of year, because we're there, Steve,
what are we going to find out about the astros?
Speaker 1 (09:24):
In your mind?
Speaker 2 (09:25):
And these next say, you know, with the with the Rangers,
and the Mariners, and the Mariners are playing damn good baseball.
What are we going to learn in that six game
stretch about this team?
Speaker 1 (09:34):
In your opinion?
Speaker 3 (09:37):
Well, I think we're going to learn about some of
the deaths that they have pitching wise, and I think
they'll probably have a bullpen game again like they did
in Atlanta, which worked out very well. Jayden Murray was
great starting that one, and the other three guys were
rookies that that pitched very well and the Astros won
the game, and of course the offense was jump started
(09:58):
by Zack cole who who kind of got to go.
But the thing I think that we're going to learn
a lot is that the Astros have won Jason Alexander's
last eight starts, and he starts off this home stand,
which is I think a big one. The Astros need
to get off to a good start, and I think
they got the right guy on the Mountain. I mean,
he threw seven scoreless innings and his last started to
(10:18):
get some very good line up in Toronto. He just
looks unflaffable right now. I mean he looks like the
real deal. I Mean he's very talking about somebody who's
very confident right now. That's Jason Alexander. And you talk
about how much there's expectations with from Er high expectations.
You didn't have any expectations with Jason Alexander and Brandel
(10:40):
Walter and some of these guys, and when they do
what they're doing right now, you're ecstatic. And I don't
know where they'd be with Alexander some of these guys
who have stepped up, But I think we'll learn about
the depth of they're pitching right now. And I think
jose Brian Abray who got some rest in that last
series of Atlanta, and I don't think that'll hurt him
(11:01):
at all. I think you needed a little bit of
a blow and to be able to probably lean on
him quite a bit in this last two weeks. I
think the brad you will pitch it box.
Speaker 1 (11:12):
Much needed and that'll be awesome.
Speaker 2 (11:14):
Steve, before I let you go on this one, do
you have to have the conversation? Were not specting on
what Joe's going to do? Just do we need the
conversation of like in a short series playoffs right now?
Speaker 1 (11:26):
The way they're pitching.
Speaker 2 (11:28):
Is there any chance you run Alexander out there second?
As opposed to Fromber.
Speaker 3 (11:35):
Well, we'll know a lot more by then. Are you're
talking about the playoffs?
Speaker 2 (11:39):
Yeah, if we get to it and you say, okay,
everybody's fresh and ready to go, I'm running for me.
I'm running Hunt Brown out First. Is there a chance
or do feelings get hurt that Jason Alexander if this
continues that your depth in your I mean your belief
and confidence in him says we got to run him
out there?
Speaker 1 (11:55):
Second? Is that where we are? We not there yet.
Speaker 3 (11:59):
We'll get a lot more more information in the next
twelve game for me, Hunter and Fromber are your your
one two punch And those are the guys that got
you at this point. And Promber has been brilliant at times,
and I think you just coach them up and get
into that point again. And I and I'm confident that
Hill pitch well his next game. I don't see, you know,
(12:21):
the velocity is still good. I can see a couple
of things mechanically that may have flattened out his curveball
and his two seam fastball, and I think it's probably
an easy fix. I think you can get on top
of those and get back to what he was doing.
So uh. For me still it's Hunter Brown or Frombervaldez.
You win with those guys and you lose them.
Speaker 2 (12:41):
Yeah, the reward is just too big, not too Steve, right,
I mean you've you've gone this far, you just got
to run.
Speaker 1 (12:46):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (12:46):
Yeah, the reward is bigger than the risk when it
comes to fromber right now, correct, I believe so.
Speaker 3 (12:52):
I mean I would stick to my guns. He's my guy,
and I know he's a nightmare matchup for anybody when
he's on.
Speaker 2 (13:00):
That gets started right away because this would be a
good time to do it, and it's going to be
a Blasteve. I know, I'm a glutton for punishment. I
love this because everybody's engaged, and I love the competition,
you know what I'm saying. I told I said earlier.
And when you got a ten game lead, which is
nice for the players to get rest, but you kind
of say, okay, I'll see in the playoffs.
Speaker 1 (13:17):
Man.
Speaker 2 (13:17):
I love I know it's like organized chaos, but I
do love it because this is like the player in
me that wants to have something every second of the day,
and I actually love it just as long as the
astros are one game better than the person they're the
team that's chasing them, or that they're chasing that they
end up one game better. But I love this competition part.
I'm sure you're kind of liked me. A glutton for it, man,
(13:38):
I dig it me too.
Speaker 3 (13:40):
I can't wait together, especially this week. Man, it's home
stand and I'm not trying to be a promoter or anything,
but to be able to control their own destiny by
playing that the two teams that they're fighting with. Man,
it doesn't get any better.
Speaker 2 (13:52):
I'm with you, a huge at a huge six game set,
twelve games to go down one in the division. Steve,
great stuff, man. We look forward to it next week
and have a great week. This should be a blast
to watch, moment and listen to. So thank you.
Speaker 1 (14:05):
We appreciate it.
Speaker 3 (14:07):
You got it, Sean, Thanks for having me.
It is, and it's that time of the week.
Speaker 2 (00:02):
Astro's broadcaster every Monday eight o'clock. Steve Sparks joins us.
Speaker 1 (00:07):
Great to have you on. Steve.
Speaker 2 (00:09):
Always appreciate you, my man. Judging from the visit to
Atlanta and just watching those games, tell take me out
of there at the plate. I'm talking about, not pitching.
Take me something out of there that says this team
can sustain really good play the last twelve games to
win the division.
Speaker 1 (00:26):
Just from the hitter stands.
Speaker 3 (00:28):
Okay, bottom half of the lineup starting to produce six, seven,
eight hitters at one point the first two games of
that series. I think we're fifteen for twenty one at
one point. So getting production in the bottom half, you know,
guys like your donor are going to produce. It's the
top you feel good about where the Astros balance goes.
(00:48):
As far as being competitive hitters one through nine, this
is as bad as good as they've had it for
quite a while now with more guys getting healthy.
Speaker 2 (00:57):
And Steve, you trust the top of the order is
going to pull their weight with the stars.
Speaker 3 (01:01):
Correct, Yes, I do. I mean you have to expect
that and that's what you count on with Paynan Altuvee
and ord On and Christis Walker. Those guys get paid
to go out there and produce. And I think where
the Astros are right now, I mean, you can't ask
for much more than this. They can control a lot
of where they go from here on out. They've got
(01:22):
a great opportunity playing guys in their division that they're
fighting to get into the playoffs with. And those guys,
those guys at the top shown need to need to
step up and lead this team.
Speaker 2 (01:33):
Steve, have you ever been on a team or in
all your years of covering it and broadcasting it, and
I'm sure you have, but if you've been on a
team to where your stars at this time of the
year went south and didn't produce, yet you were still
able to go on and win, I mean win a
bunch of games. Or have you want where a team
where their stars didn't produce and they were able to
(01:54):
get deep into a playoff run that type offensively I'm
talking about.
Speaker 3 (01:59):
Yeah, I can say you can say that about even
the playoffs with the Astros being in the playoffs so many,
so many years now, and we've been spoiled, but there's
been times when guys gotten really cold, yep, And you
don't talk about it because the Astros have been so successful,
But there's been two or three guys that have gotten
cold at the same time and they've still been able
to overcome it. That's what a team's all about, you know.
(02:20):
And I think the Astros have been built mostly on
pitching throughout the years, but they've had some great lineups
and they've had a lot of clutch players. And sometimes
it's How two Bays, sometimes it's Pregment, sometimes it's Tucker,
it's this guy that guy, but a couple of those
guys do need to step up for sure.
Speaker 1 (02:37):
Yeah, is there somebody at the top of the order? Steve?
I know how talented and you do too.
Speaker 2 (02:41):
I mean you've talked about it, and you know the
long season part of it. Is there somebody at the top?
You know on the first five that you are concerned about?
I mean, How two Bay seems obvious if he's banged
up or if he's not. Is there something or someone
at the top of the order that has that you
are concerned about?
Speaker 3 (02:58):
You know, I'm not concerned because I really trust him,
but it's Jeremy. I mean, Peania has gone on a
little bit of a hole, but I trust him implicitly
just because I think he's extremely talented and hard working,
and I think he'll play well, you know, whether the
results say it or not. I think he'll give himself
a great chance to be the best version of himself
(03:20):
because the way he prepares I love it. You watch
him in between innings, you watch him in pregame, preparation,
all of those things him. Guys like Cam m Correy
at Man, they're top notch as far as preparation.
Speaker 1 (03:33):
Steve Sparks, Astro's broadcaster, on his Monday visit.
Speaker 2 (03:36):
Here on Sports Talk seven ninety Sean Salisbury Show, Steve,
I don't know of anybody better with your approach. You're
always fair to talk about fromber than you. What are
we missing?
Speaker 1 (03:48):
Well?
Speaker 2 (03:49):
Why the last nine or ten starts? Has this been sideways?
A couple of good ones? But what is it that
doesn't allow him to reach down and give us more
of that as a post the less of it, especially
at the time when you need these guys to win
a division.
Speaker 3 (04:07):
Well, I think it's just like anybody else, even if
you're a young player or an older player, or a
very successful player. I'll tell you one thing that I
noticed more than anything else, John, when I got to
the big leagues and I turned thirty one my rookie year,
and I couldn't believe. And I played with a lot
of those guys in the minors, but I couldn't believe
(04:27):
that major leaguers were as insecure as they actually were, right,
And I couldn't believe they weren't as confident as even
somebody who sucked like I did. I mean, some of
those guys were all stars, and they just didn't have
a ton of confidence. And I say that because if
you have a bad game or two, it's hard to
(04:50):
go out there with confidence. You know. Sometimes you just
have to be very confident in how you prepared to
really have a lot of confidence. And if things go badly,
it's hard not to say here we go again in
the back of your mind, not to say it really
audibly or to let it show. But it's really hard
(05:11):
to have true confidence when things and results haven't been
going your way. So when they stumble or they scuffle.
And that's why we talked about you know, sometimes it's
just one good a b or a couple of blue
pits away from a guy getting hot at the plate,
and the same thing goes to pitching. So I think,
(05:33):
you know, when we see inconsistencies a lot of times
if there's nothing wrong with them, I think a lot
of times it's between the years and it lies mostly
with confidence.
Speaker 2 (05:42):
Yeah, and Steve in this case, he's so good, which
we've well documented some of you. How good is stuff
is that we don't even need to qualify it.
Speaker 1 (05:49):
He's so good.
Speaker 2 (05:50):
If the emotional overcoming or the confidence matched the stuff. Hell,
we'd be talking to cy young winner in competition every
frigging year, and we already are at times. But okay,
now that we know the conflict, and we've known it
with Fromber and it's not personal. It's just that he
gets a little sideways. And it's hard to fathom that
somebody that talented does lack some confidence. But I've seen
(06:11):
it in football too, in stories of guys that people
wouldn't believe you're like, that guy's in the Hall of Fame.
Speaker 1 (06:16):
But there was times.
Speaker 2 (06:17):
Bruce Matthews will tell you the great Guard he was
afraid of his job every day on the practical That's
why he didn't miss. Now think about that eighteen nineteen
years if it's good enough for Bruce, it's good enough
for me, that's for sure as a teammate of mind.
But yes, yes, fear their fear of not being able
to pull it off. Yet everybody in the building knows
well they're dominant. They're never getting replaced until they decide
(06:39):
they want to quit. But with fromber, now that we
know the conflicts, even I'm not trying to play psychologists,
and I know you're not either, because I don't get
paid by that hour. But when he knows the conflict,
how do you fix it? How does the guy so
good with so much talent fix it so the believability
and so the emotional stuff doesn't get in the way. Okay,
a bout any big deal? Do you fix that after
(07:00):
all this time? Because that's been his weakness since he's
been in the league.
Speaker 3 (07:05):
Well, I mean it's part of It's part of coaching, right,
I mean you get to know guys and you know
what buttons to push to get him through situations like that,
And you know, sometimes you know, you don't coach everybody
the same way. Some guys were brought up differently and
respond to different methods of coaching, And and do you
need to pat him on the back or you need
(07:26):
to kick him in the rear end. Whatever you have
to do to keep them focused, I think is the secret. So,
I mean, it's you know, it's a lot of times
go out there and coach man, go out there and
and help this guy through this, make him feel great
about himself going into a game, and and to be
able to stick to a plan and go out there
and use your weapons. Do your stuff is good enough
(07:49):
and you go out there and use it.
Speaker 1 (07:50):
Are they doing that, Steve? Are they? Is he to
the point? You know?
Speaker 2 (07:53):
Sometimes Yeah, sometimes you just do that phenomenal.
Speaker 3 (07:58):
Right, he's got I would put them above most. I mean,
I think Josh Miller, Bill Murphy, the pitching staff with
the Astros are fantastic, and I think, you know, sometimes
you have challenges and you just you go through the
role of deck as a coach, right, sean quarterback, Sometimes
(08:19):
you can say one thing to a guy, but sometimes
you have to say it a different way to get.
Speaker 1 (08:23):
Him to do it right. And the player's got to
be receptive to it too, right, Steve.
Speaker 2 (08:27):
The player's got to be two years in one mouth
and be receptive to coaching.
Speaker 3 (08:30):
Right, Yeah, you know, and I don't want to speculate
on how they you know, tried to help him through
some inconsistencies. But man, when he's going well, I mean,
there's there's not much to talk about other than just
you know, drop your jaw and watch him and get
double plays and get into the authentic souh, then you
(08:51):
need to turn it around. I get what you're saying,
you know, and when he's inconsistent, it gets frustrating because
you you have high expectations for somebody of that caliber,
but you know, you just got to keep trusting that
he's going to go out there and figure it out.
Speaker 1 (09:04):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (09:04):
I think the maddening part of the frustration is we
know how good he is, right See, we're not talking
about an average guy, so he's taken us to top levels.
So when he's not, it's like the Hell's going on here?
Speaker 1 (09:13):
Right man?
Speaker 2 (09:14):
It's it's not supposed to be like this because he's
actually spoiled us with his stuff. So hopefully he finds
his way at the right time of year, because we're there, Steve,
what are we going to find out about the astros?
Speaker 1 (09:24):
In your mind?
Speaker 2 (09:25):
And these next say, you know, with the with the Rangers,
and the Mariners, and the Mariners are playing damn good baseball.
What are we going to learn in that six game
stretch about this team?
Speaker 1 (09:34):
In your opinion?
Speaker 3 (09:37):
Well, I think we're going to learn about some of
the deaths that they have pitching wise, and I think
they'll probably have a bullpen game again like they did
in Atlanta, which worked out very well. Jayden Murray was
great starting that one, and the other three guys were
rookies that that pitched very well and the Astros won
the game, and of course the offense was jump started
(09:58):
by Zack cole who who kind of got to go.
But the thing I think that we're going to learn
a lot is that the Astros have won Jason Alexander's
last eight starts, and he starts off this home stand,
which is I think a big one. The Astros need
to get off to a good start, and I think
they got the right guy on the Mountain. I mean,
he threw seven scoreless innings and his last started to
(10:18):
get some very good line up in Toronto. He just
looks unflaffable right now. I mean he looks like the
real deal. I Mean he's very talking about somebody who's
very confident right now. That's Jason Alexander. And you talk
about how much there's expectations with from Er high expectations.
You didn't have any expectations with Jason Alexander and Brandel
(10:40):
Walter and some of these guys, and when they do
what they're doing right now, you're ecstatic. And I don't
know where they'd be with Alexander some of these guys
who have stepped up, But I think we'll learn about
the depth of they're pitching right now. And I think
jose Brian Abray who got some rest in that last
series of Atlanta, and I don't think that'll hurt him
(11:01):
at all. I think you needed a little bit of
a blow and to be able to probably lean on
him quite a bit in this last two weeks. I
think the brad you will pitch it box.
Speaker 1 (11:12):
Much needed and that'll be awesome.
Speaker 2 (11:14):
Steve, before I let you go on this one, do
you have to have the conversation? Were not specting on
what Joe's going to do? Just do we need the
conversation of like in a short series playoffs right now?
Speaker 1 (11:26):
The way they're pitching.
Speaker 2 (11:28):
Is there any chance you run Alexander out there second?
As opposed to Fromber.
Speaker 3 (11:35):
Well, we'll know a lot more by then. Are you're
talking about the playoffs?
Speaker 2 (11:39):
Yeah, if we get to it and you say, okay,
everybody's fresh and ready to go, I'm running for me.
I'm running Hunt Brown out First. Is there a chance
or do feelings get hurt that Jason Alexander if this
continues that your depth in your I mean your belief
and confidence in him says we got to run him
out there?
Speaker 1 (11:55):
Second? Is that where we are? We not there yet.
Speaker 3 (11:59):
We'll get a lot more more information in the next
twelve game for me, Hunter and Fromber are your your
one two punch And those are the guys that got
you at this point. And Promber has been brilliant at times,
and I think you just coach them up and get
into that point again. And I and I'm confident that
Hill pitch well his next game. I don't see, you know,
(12:21):
the velocity is still good. I can see a couple
of things mechanically that may have flattened out his curveball
and his two seam fastball, and I think it's probably
an easy fix. I think you can get on top
of those and get back to what he was doing.
So uh. For me still it's Hunter Brown or Frombervaldez.
You win with those guys and you lose them.
Speaker 2 (12:41):
Yeah, the reward is just too big, not too Steve, right,
I mean you've you've gone this far, you just got
to run.
Speaker 1 (12:46):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (12:46):
Yeah, the reward is bigger than the risk when it
comes to fromber right now, correct, I believe so.
Speaker 3 (12:52):
I mean I would stick to my guns. He's my guy,
and I know he's a nightmare matchup for anybody when
he's on.
Speaker 2 (13:00):
That gets started right away because this would be a
good time to do it, and it's going to be
a Blasteve. I know, I'm a glutton for punishment. I
love this because everybody's engaged, and I love the competition,
you know what I'm saying. I told I said earlier.
And when you got a ten game lead, which is
nice for the players to get rest, but you kind
of say, okay, I'll see in the playoffs.
Speaker 1 (13:17):
Man.
Speaker 2 (13:17):
I love I know it's like organized chaos, but I
do love it because this is like the player in
me that wants to have something every second of the day,
and I actually love it just as long as the
astros are one game better than the person they're the
team that's chasing them, or that they're chasing that they
end up one game better. But I love this competition part.
I'm sure you're kind of liked me. A glutton for it, man,
(13:38):
I dig it me too.
Speaker 3 (13:40):
I can't wait together, especially this week. Man, it's home
stand and I'm not trying to be a promoter or anything,
but to be able to control their own destiny by
playing that the two teams that they're fighting with. Man,
it doesn't get any better.
Speaker 2 (13:52):
I'm with you, a huge at a huge six game set,
twelve games to go down one in the division. Steve,
great stuff, man. We look forward to it next week
and have a great week. This should be a blast
to watch, moment and listen to. So thank you.
Speaker 1 (14:05):
We appreciate it.
Speaker 3 (14:07):
You got it, Sean, Thanks for having me.
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