I had so many people argue with me last year when he did this over and over. The 9th is a far easier inning to pitch than the 10th … using your closer in the 9th to “keep the game tied” is NOT a good strategy. That strategy became obsolete the second the ghost runner was introduced. The number of games Espada has cost this team is mind blowing - Abreu decisions alone have probably cost 5-6 wins. Just stubborn inanity.
Next they’ll sweep the Royals and we’ll all get excited again. Then they will go 4-6 after that and be just close enough not to sell at the deadline.
I am generally an eternally optimistic person. But I'm not seeing a sniff of the playoffs from this team. There is no way this team can go on a run of 7 or 8 in a row. Especially when the fall off is so drastic when we rest our starters. In the beginning of the season, I used it's those injuries keeping us back mindset. Now I realize this team has a very bad roster makeup Will be focused on World Cup, US Open golf, and Texans OTA's to get me through the beginning of summer. Will still watch non West coast games but on my phone and not the TV.
I know everyone wants to see Altuve get to 3000 hits but there is no way in hell you can run him out there another 3 seasons. He's basically a backup at this point of his career.
I wish I liked soccer so the next month could be all World Cup, but I will watch some even though I know zilch about it. I think I am resolute that my Stros are just not as good this year, I have been spoiled for the past decade, and this team just doesn't have "it". Ride this out, fire Joe and retool for next year...........6 weeks to Texans tr get rolling!!
I don't see any way he gets there in this contract. He has 578g left on this contract and is 570 hits from 3000. In 2024 he played 95.0% of the games and averaged 1.21 hits per game. In 2025 he played 95.7% of the games and averaged 1.01 hits per game. So far in 2026 he has played 68.6% of the games and averaged 0.88 hits per game. If you ignore age regression and just say he keeps his averages of the last 2+ seasons thats playing 89.9% of all games and averaging 1.08 hits per game. Assuming there are no missed games due to labor strife or weird acts of God he finishes his contract: 2992 hits if everything goes perfectly.
Terrible managerial decisions last night, Espada has a mind of De Aaron Fox, or he is Sleepy Joe. Yordan at 1st base in the 9th Inning, let me repeat 9th Inning. Yordan should have pinch ran because at the current extra inning rule, usually game ends in the 10th. And Yordan likely not getting another at bat, if he did get an extra at bat usually it is a blowout. Taking him out in the 9th would of given him rest. Let Hader pitch the 10th, didnt he pitch like a starter during rehab?!?!? No urgency and just not knowing the situation. Angels really swept the Stros if they weren't gifted by defensive mistakes in the 1st game of the series.
Biggest hope hitting-wise that is more probable than not is Paredes and to a lesser extent Meyers (because Jake has been so bad there's nowhere to go but up). If the Astros get a 200 OPS increase between them, it makes a huge difference. I'm not putting hope in Altuve due to age -- he's gotta show he's still able. Walker needs to be above average. He's been struggling since April. There's still hope for Lope.
I love Altuve, but he is a very frustrating player to watch. We all know about his baserunning adventures, but he can be equally frustrating at the plate. To start the season he was showing a lot of patience, walking and getting better pitches to hit. He made it about 3 weeks and reverted right back to being swing happy. He's shown at various times in his career he's perfectly capable of being a more patient hitter but he's like a crack fiend that can't help himself. I'm still holding out hope that he will make some changes and has a little more gas in the tank.
Watching Biggio do it almost took the fun of it out for me.................I see the same thing with Altuve, its gonna get ugly
Getting thrown out at 2B by 15 feet on his 3000th hit was certainly memorable...I guess Altuve has a .3014 career average. No way he keeps it over the line.
I am not at all convinced Altuve is washed. Of course he could be; he’s a 36 year old 5’5” infielder who already had very low end bat speed. But between how often he’s bucked doubts and his recent injury, he very well could come back and finish the season strong. He will never be an MVP again and he might not have another 3 win season in him, but I think he can be a 1.5-2.5 win player if he stays healthy and gets a little luck.
The thing with Altuve is that he is very streaky and sometimes the quality of his season depends on whether he ends on a 20-30 game hot streak or not. Also - I am not convinced he is washed up either --- he has had his obituary written numerous times the last 3 years and has had periods of sub 700 ops for long periods of time and then goes on a tear for awhile and has a high OPS. The only consistent I can find from hearing from people around the team is that as he gets older, he really starts to get tired and nagging injury when he plays a lot. When he gets rest and is fresh, over time he proves to still be a good hitter and sometimes a very good one. In the past the Astros couldn't afford to rest him - and now, he is fighting it when they want him to rest. He is a gamer, but I also wonder if some of this is that he wants to reach 3,000. I think long term he gets in regardless, but it won't be because of the raw numbers --- it will be his prime, his tremendous post season success and leadership of an elite organization for a decade.
There's a difference b/t saying a guy is "washed" vs saying a guy is "diminished" Altuve at 2B for 120 games or so is a good player. eta: the average MLB 2B hits .250 .323 .381 .704
