Jake is 11 for 51 since returning

with zero x-base hits

Jake is now 11 for 51 since returning. Paredes is 2 for 15. That's the tough thing about guys coming back from extended absences. They don't always pick up where they left off.

Yordan, on the other hand, was mashing. His injury pretty much ended our season. The Pena injury sure hasn't helped these past two games. The lineup we're rolling out right now just isn't good.

at least the decision on Espada has become a no-brainer

Blummer stated the obvious in postgame "Astros not showing any sign of urgency". I was thinking the exact same thing watching this game. Almost every batter had no plan while at the plate and defense was atrocious. Sorry guys but unless some miracles happen in the next five games this season is over.

If I'm Crane, as soon as the Astros are eliminated, Joe, the hitting coaches and training staff are fired. Dana is told that he has one year to"prove it" or he's done.

Season on the line and the team is playing like it's early April

Joe is not a postseason manager, it's been a backs against the wall situation for some time and nothing

How last season ended is instructive lest we let 'injuries' cloud the picture

W said:

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at least the decision on Espada has become a no-brainer

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My God, you sure hope so…this team is so much better than their performance over the past 3 months, even with the injuries.

I think they ultimately quit on Espada and found nothing to rally around with regard to him.

He was a horrible mistake to hire in the first place and made so much worse when he was allowed to keep the awful staff around him.

The other thing that just doesn't get talked about enough….how much of the injury bug that has plagued this team the last 2 seasons is just bad luck? Given how woeful this coaching staff is, how much of it could've been picked-up on earlier with players who trusted them? I have a hard time thinking that the injury issue is simply on the medical/training staff.

That said…fire them all.

iBrad said:

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I realize everyone hates Espada, but what manager is winning down the stretch with this roster?

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A manager who would have already fired Cintron months ago and can motivate the players to excel, demand accountability and not be their friend.

iBrad said:

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I realize everyone hates Espada, but what manager is winning down the stretch with this roster?

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That's a fair point, but the players don't seem prepared. Their approach sucks, and there doesn't seem to be any sense of urgency. The lack of motivation and fire, imo, is on the manager. At least make it look like you are making an effort.

Framber literally crossed up Salazar on purpose to drill him and Joe's response was to have Framber and Salazar come to his office with the result that Salazar had to take the blame for pushing the wrong Pitchcom button or whatever. That's when Joe lost the team for good

iBrad said:

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I realize everyone hates Espada, but what manager is winning down the stretch with this roster?

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I can assure you that there are plenty of managers who could win with a lineup that has Altuve, Walker, Correa, Sanchez, Urias, Diaz, Alvarez, Smith, Meyers (which Espada has largely had for the last month while falling to pieces).

The injury situation has really been more of a scary thing for the pitching staff and yet, they're not losing b/c of their pitching. They're losing b/c they have a roster of perennial All Stars, potential HoF'ers, etc. and nobody got better as the season went on…guys stayed in funks and the team couldn't do anything with RISP all season, they lead the league in GIDP and can you remember the last time they effectively ran a hit-and-run??

They're extremely poorly managed, there's no chance with this staff that anyone is going to "figure it out" if they start struggling b/c they have someone who knows how to help them work through it.

The team looked hapless and punchless by the end of the season b/c that's how they were rendered strategically.

Here's hoping that our Fighting Texas Aggies can continue their winning ways to help us all pull out of Astros baseball doldrums. If the Astros aren't in the playoffs I don't give a rats ass watching the baseball playoffs. I'll just move on to Aggie football and Bucky ball.

remember to make the playoffs...

the Astros only have to be 6th best team in the American League

it's understandable that the Astros will finish behind the Mariners. Seattle has the better roster.

but look at the Guardians roster -- outside of Jose Ramirez -- their position player group is awful

no excuse to finish behind Cleveland

iBrad said:

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It's not like motivation and fire are going to make guys who have been struggling all of a sudden figure it out. It's a crap lineup. There's very little firepower. No Yordan. No Pena. Paredes isn't close to what he was.

As an opposing pitcher, who do fear?

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Nobody b/c the entire team is in a funk and guys who have made a career of being clutch hitters or hard to strike out, etc. have been rendered useless by a staff that inspires nothing in them.

If the Astros had a fire sale and just tried to trade everyone away to start over…there will be many a career renaissance next season in other places.

This team isn't nearly as bad as you think they are…you've just become conditioned to expect the least out of them b/c that's what a dog**** manager will do.

The fact that the entire team looked like emotionless CJ Stroud on the sidelines with our entire season on the line tells me Espada has completely lost the team. This team is done and has given up. A manager in baseball is not near as critical as in some other sports, but the one thing he does have an influence on is on the teams attitude, and just like Joe this team has zero attitude or accountability.

The Astros missed their chance to cut Framber when it was more than deserved yet they chose to play cover up, and the entire team has really crumbled.

I've posted this a couple times but I sat right on the home dugout on Saturday and between every pitch and play, coming into and leaving the dugout every inning, after empty ABs, and so on, these guys and Altuve in particular just looked dead inside. Surly, tired, over it. It was staggering. I left accepting that the season was done, it just seemed so clear these guys didn't have it in them anymore.

You can blame Espada or you can blame them, or the injuries or aging or years of long postseason runs sapping the hunger or whatever, or some combination, but the bottom line in practical terms is they don't look like there's any urgency because there isn't. They're ready to go home. That's just how it is.

It is sad because we've been so spoiled but we have to hope for a lot of changes in 2026 and maybe it'll be for the best.

jja79 said:

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linkdude said:

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I think he has been alright, but it's just a tough look with how his offense has been

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This is who he is. He strikes out a lot but drives in runs. He leads the team doesn't he? He's lapping Correa since he returned. I just looked at the splits and Correa has 186 AB, 8 doubles, 6 HR and 19 RBI. He's been a complete failure. 14 extra base hit in 2 months, 47 games.

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Come on.
Correa since his return to the Astros has put up .9 bWAR and an OPS+ of 112 before tonight.

First season Walker is sporting -.3 bWAR (worse than first season Abreu) and an OPS+ of 90 in 619 PAs.

His slugging % is .399 to Correa's .425 with us before tonight.

Correa has helped the team and Walker has hurt it compared to your average replacement player. Granted we've had some fairly below average replacement players this season so Walker's in good company as far as the AAA brigade.

https://www.baseball-reference.com/teams/HOU/2025.shtml

Edit - and it looks just eyeballing it like Walker has 17 extra base hits in his last 179 ABs (not counting none tonight). He was 7 for 102 before that, so pretty much Correa without the average, OBP, or glove as far as their time with the Astros this season.

https://www.espn.com/mlb/player/gamelog/_/id/32758/christian-walker

This team has played like **** ever since Framber started calling out his team mates instead of taking responsibility, meanwhile sleepy Joe only allows it to get worse as every start since he has totally **** the bed and his antics against team mates got worse

His negative energy and psychological issues have plagued this team ever since.

Joe has to get blame for how he handled it, not to mention all the injuries due to him not resting players enough or intelligently using relievers when you have 4+ run leads

can you even imagine having a four run lead right now?

the luxury

the decadence

AggiEE said:

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This team has played like **** ever since Framber started calling out his team mates instead of taking responsibility, meanwhile sleepy Joe only allows it to get worse as every start since he has totally **** the bed and his antics against team mates got worse

His negative energy and psychological issues have plagued this team ever since.

Joe has to get blame for how he handled it, not to mention all the injuries due to him not resting players enough or intelligently using relievers when you have 4+ run leads

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Framber being treated like some untouchable legend when he was acting like a hot mess cancer is a big reason this team slid in the second half.

This is not to ignore the team's offensive struggles, but you allow any player to act as he did and retain his position and that is absolute poison.

Let's be clear, that was not just a Joe decision. Dana was covering for his ass at times.