I hear ya, but in order to make a run at a WS they need much more than Brown as their SP. Arrighetti and fillers won't amount to much in the post season. It would be a first round or WC exit for sure.
I believe in the Stros rotation. They;re starting to come around. I dont really believe in the bullpen.
I actually think the SP are weathering the onslaught, but I have very little faith in the bullpen. Not sure why Hader isn't up yet, but give me King, Abreau and Hader to close games with Okert in the mix and I am down with that. I am hoping the mental side of Abreau gets right with Hader back
We can find some relievers at the deadline. I'm not too worried about that as long as our big money ones are doing okay. We aren't doing crap unless some of our young guys can contribute. Smith, Matthews, Cole, or Dezenzo.
I'm actually excited for the bullpen. Hader and Sousa need to get healthy but King, De Los Santos, and Okert have all been solid. Pearson brings the RH high octane this bullpen has been missing. He needs to show he will be serviceable. I believe in Santa and if he can develop as the #6 or 7 guy that is perfect. Its not 2022 but I do not feel its the weak link.
If the Stros were going to buy, just a bit, one solid 6-7-8 reliever would be nice. ...and one functional OF
When Hader does come back, the Astros may have a hard decision to make about who gets sent down. The current 7 Astros RPs: Bryan King Bryan Abreu Steven Okert AJ Blubaugh Enyel De Los Santos Nate Pearson Alimber Santa The decision may not be that hard since a lot of the players don't have options left.
Yeah it's either Blubaugh or Santa if nobody gets hurt. And Blubaugh is more of a fit for pitching multiple innings which is what they will need with all those other guys profiling as traditional 1-inning relievers. So I would bet heavy on Santa getting sent down if an injury doesn't change things.
With Imai requiring them to carry a 6 man rotation, and 6 RP without options, they pretty much have to carry at least 1 RP who can reliably throw 2-3 innings in relief if a starter gets knocked out early. If they didn’t have to carry 6 SP or if they had a bunch of optionable relievers then I’d agree they should send Blubaugh down and stretch him out.
I heard yesterday that Hunter is expected to pitch again tomorrow but he isn't shown in the MiLB app as projected starter for either CC or SL I hope it is true because that would mean they are ramping him up on a 4 day rest schedule instead of 5. Potential return Sunday 6/14 at KC instead of home 6/17 vs Det that I originally expected.
Astros seasons within a season: Mar 27-Apr5: 6-4 Apr6-Apr19: 2-11 Apr20-May6: 7-8 May7-May14: 2-5 May15-May27: 8-4
