Stranger Things
Since I binge watched the entire first season of the hit Netflix show yesterday during a desperately needed off day from both jobs, it was only fitting to use the title of that show for today's post title. Just like the contents of the show, this past series for the Houston Astros left many of us trying to solve an eccentric, and often frightening, mystery. How is it that a team as good as the spacemen can allow for a team like the Oakland Athletics to sweep them 4 games, including a Saturday doubleheader? Why is it that the worst team in the American League, and a AL West divisional rival, can outscore them 41-15 across said set of games? What can possibly come of a bullpen, that has been solid for the Astros all season, is all of a sudden giving up 29 EARNED RUNS in just one series?
These are questions that aren't very easy to answer. Much like the Netflix show, this sort of phenomenon may keep us guessing for a while. Hopefully, not for too long of a while, since the Cleveland Indians just surpassed the Astros for the best record in the American League. A record that, mind you, the spacemen have held for a vast majority of the 2017 season. The Tribe achieved this by smacking up on the faltering Baltimore Orioles to extend their win streak to a nearly insurmountable 18 games straight. That's far more than the Astros had at one point, which was a tie with the Los Angeles Dodgers at 11 across the board.
So now, things are getting just a bit scary coming down the stretch. Between the Arizona Diamondbacks posing a threat to the National League, and the Indians posing the biggest roadblock to the World Series for the Astros in the American League, the playoff picture may not be as set as once originally thought. This means the spacemen are definitely going to need to "Earn It" going forward. With Justin Verlander taking the bump to start the next series in Anaheim against divisional rivals, the Los Angeles Angels, this shouldn't be too much of a problem. However, like with any divisional opponent, and especially one chasing a wild card berth, it won't be any cake walk!
Storm clouds have gathered. Not just metaphorical ones for the team, but real ones in the form of Hurricane Irma. I had, and have, family and friends in the path of the storm. Thankfully and miraculously, they are all doing okay. I want to extend a big thank you and show of gratitude to all that sent thoughts and prayers my way. Among all the things that were already weighing on me, having a big storm head for family and friends out east was not something that I needed to add on to the heavy load of burdens.
Add to that, today is 9/11. A day that is always etched in my mind as the day I almost lost my aunt Diana. I thank the dear Lord above every day that she is still here. But also, I weep for those colleagues that she lost that fateful day. Let us all make sure that we never forget what and who we lost that day. At the same time, let us also remember who we are as a nation, as a community, and as a human race family. I know I sure do.
But through both the real and the metaphorical dark clouds, silver linings have presented themselves. The biggest being the sparing of my family and friends. But along with that, there have been some for the Astros as well. Despite being swept in Oakland, the way magic numbers work to clinch the division championship will now assure them it will happen while they are on a home stand. This will be another boost to the city of Houston, as they are still picking up the pieces from Hurricane Harvey that hit them a couple of weeks ago.
In even further good news, your people's champion and mine, Evan Gattis, returned to the active roster this past weekend. After rehabbing with the Lower A affiliate, the Quad City River Bandits, he made his way back to the Astros, was activated Saturday and served as DH on Sunday. I highlighted these things in my weekly Astros recap with House of Houston. You can read the article by clicking on the tweet below!:
By contrast, Carlos Beltran has gone back to his whiffing ways. Aside from getting a pair of hits on Saturday, he just has not been clutch at all. Realistically, this has been the case all season, as I've not-so-subtly pointed out from time to time. Since the team now has extra catchers on the bench, Hinch may need to consider carrying one of them into the post season. That way, Gattis can be free to DH more when not behind the plate, as it should have been all season. But I digress....
El Oso Blanco has been so much more disciplined and patient at the plate, and it has paid dividends up to this point. Don't believe me? I'm sure many of you probably don't, so here are some stats from the likes of ESPN, Fangraphs and Baseball-Reference.com. You can see for yourselves exactly what I have been waving in everyone's faces all season long. Especially, for the CDH (critics, doubters, and haters) club.
Numbers can only improve with more playing time. I get that Beltran is the future HOF with the big contract and mentoring abilities to the younger players. None of that is lost on me, contrary to popular opinion. But when Beltran and his lackluster numbers and streaky hitting gets favored over Gattis' patience, discipline and RBI contact abilities just because of money, that's where the problem comes in. It also doesn't help when I hear Hinch say things like this:
If Hinch really wants to play "the best guys we can to win the game," Evan Gattis is the one to go to. With all due respect, it ISN'T Carlos Beltran anymore. Especially, not this season. Father time has caught up to him, and once the team gets that world championship, and I still very much believe they can and will, Beltran needs to ride of into the sunset. If the bear isn't working behind the dish, he needs to be DH from now on. Carry a third catcher on the post season roster, if absolutely necessary, to free up space for Evan to DH.
Neither Hinch, Luhnow or anyone else in that organization need to squander what Gattis has brought, and is actually capable of bringing. He's more than bat first. He's glove first, team first, fan first, and to some degree, even reporter first with his approach ability and outgoing nature. Most other teams in this league would kill for the kind of both skills and humble poise that Gattis brings to the Houston Astros. Let's hope they're smart about what they do with him in both the near and distant futures. Whether folks like it or not, he has one on this team. And it will be a pretty lengthy one at that, if all goes right!
These are questions that aren't very easy to answer. Much like the Netflix show, this sort of phenomenon may keep us guessing for a while. Hopefully, not for too long of a while, since the Cleveland Indians just surpassed the Astros for the best record in the American League. A record that, mind you, the spacemen have held for a vast majority of the 2017 season. The Tribe achieved this by smacking up on the faltering Baltimore Orioles to extend their win streak to a nearly insurmountable 18 games straight. That's far more than the Astros had at one point, which was a tie with the Los Angeles Dodgers at 11 across the board.
So now, things are getting just a bit scary coming down the stretch. Between the Arizona Diamondbacks posing a threat to the National League, and the Indians posing the biggest roadblock to the World Series for the Astros in the American League, the playoff picture may not be as set as once originally thought. This means the spacemen are definitely going to need to "Earn It" going forward. With Justin Verlander taking the bump to start the next series in Anaheim against divisional rivals, the Los Angeles Angels, this shouldn't be too much of a problem. However, like with any divisional opponent, and especially one chasing a wild card berth, it won't be any cake walk!
Storm clouds have gathered. Not just metaphorical ones for the team, but real ones in the form of Hurricane Irma. I had, and have, family and friends in the path of the storm. Thankfully and miraculously, they are all doing okay. I want to extend a big thank you and show of gratitude to all that sent thoughts and prayers my way. Among all the things that were already weighing on me, having a big storm head for family and friends out east was not something that I needed to add on to the heavy load of burdens.
Add to that, today is 9/11. A day that is always etched in my mind as the day I almost lost my aunt Diana. I thank the dear Lord above every day that she is still here. But also, I weep for those colleagues that she lost that fateful day. Let us all make sure that we never forget what and who we lost that day. At the same time, let us also remember who we are as a nation, as a community, and as a human race family. I know I sure do.
But through both the real and the metaphorical dark clouds, silver linings have presented themselves. The biggest being the sparing of my family and friends. But along with that, there have been some for the Astros as well. Despite being swept in Oakland, the way magic numbers work to clinch the division championship will now assure them it will happen while they are on a home stand. This will be another boost to the city of Houston, as they are still picking up the pieces from Hurricane Harvey that hit them a couple of weeks ago.
In even further good news, your people's champion and mine, Evan Gattis, returned to the active roster this past weekend. After rehabbing with the Lower A affiliate, the Quad City River Bandits, he made his way back to the Astros, was activated Saturday and served as DH on Sunday. I highlighted these things in my weekly Astros recap with House of Houston. You can read the article by clicking on the tweet below!:
So yes, Astros fans. He has scuffled a bit since sustaining the concussion back last month. And yes, the bear has only gone 1-for-15 since that happened. But if you look closer at some of the footage from these games, he has actually made really decent contact with the ball, but they've just resulted in outs. Some have actually advanced runners up 90 feet. Has it been a while since we've seen a run scoring hit from Gattis? Sure. Is he long overdue for a home run? Of course he is. But these things can only happen with more playing time.Via @tvwizard85 - The #Astros had a lot of PEAKS & VALLEYS but things were mixed with a lot of OPTIMISM. What else? https://t.co/beGFgtzhw7— House Of Houston (@HouseOfHouston) September 11, 2017
By contrast, Carlos Beltran has gone back to his whiffing ways. Aside from getting a pair of hits on Saturday, he just has not been clutch at all. Realistically, this has been the case all season, as I've not-so-subtly pointed out from time to time. Since the team now has extra catchers on the bench, Hinch may need to consider carrying one of them into the post season. That way, Gattis can be free to DH more when not behind the plate, as it should have been all season. But I digress....
El Oso Blanco has been so much more disciplined and patient at the plate, and it has paid dividends up to this point. Don't believe me? I'm sure many of you probably don't, so here are some stats from the likes of ESPN, Fangraphs and Baseball-Reference.com. You can see for yourselves exactly what I have been waving in everyone's faces all season long. Especially, for the CDH (critics, doubters, and haters) club.
Numbers can only improve with more playing time. I get that Beltran is the future HOF with the big contract and mentoring abilities to the younger players. None of that is lost on me, contrary to popular opinion. But when Beltran and his lackluster numbers and streaky hitting gets favored over Gattis' patience, discipline and RBI contact abilities just because of money, that's where the problem comes in. It also doesn't help when I hear Hinch say things like this:
"These at-bats are hard to come by. One thing I've let our team know is this isn't a fairness exercise. We're trying to play the best guys we can to win the game. We want to win the division. Once you make a decision like that, you put up the best matchups you can. Some guys are going to fight for playing time, some guys aren't. But I would expect Beltran to DH a lot."There is one problem to this mindset. He says it's not a fairness exercise and how some guys are going to fight for playing time while others aren't. But I have to wonder, aside from money and mentoring, how has Beltran actually "earned" playing time in October? What has he actually contributed besides for veteran presence? We already have enough of those around, so there's no real use for that anymore, now is there?
If Hinch really wants to play "the best guys we can to win the game," Evan Gattis is the one to go to. With all due respect, it ISN'T Carlos Beltran anymore. Especially, not this season. Father time has caught up to him, and once the team gets that world championship, and I still very much believe they can and will, Beltran needs to ride of into the sunset. If the bear isn't working behind the dish, he needs to be DH from now on. Carry a third catcher on the post season roster, if absolutely necessary, to free up space for Evan to DH.
Neither Hinch, Luhnow or anyone else in that organization need to squander what Gattis has brought, and is actually capable of bringing. He's more than bat first. He's glove first, team first, fan first, and to some degree, even reporter first with his approach ability and outgoing nature. Most other teams in this league would kill for the kind of both skills and humble poise that Gattis brings to the Houston Astros. Let's hope they're smart about what they do with him in both the near and distant futures. Whether folks like it or not, he has one on this team. And it will be a pretty lengthy one at that, if all goes right!
Original Photo Credits: QC River Bandit Photog on Twitter (Left) and Corpus Christi Hooks on Twitter (Right)
Either Gattis needs to be here, or serve as DH. Benching him extensively should no longer be an option with expanded rosters, or even on the postseason one, for that matter!
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