The Launch Angle

So, yeah, the Astros are in deep trouble. I mean, if you have been watching the games, that statement isn’t a surprise. They’ve been a difficult watch for two weeks now. This pitching staff is putrid at the moment. The lineup has somewhat cooled off. Injuries have piled up again. Quality depth is hard to come by. Simply put, this team is a mess, and I don’t anticipate a stark reversal in fortune anytime soon.

Now 8-15, including 2-12 in their last 14 games, you could argue that Houston is in must-win territory. In April. If history is any guide, well, I wouldn’t hold high expectations for the rest of the season. And, to be clear, I don’t. Although the 2024 team experienced a similar rough start, that roster was better than the present one. That team had Framber Valdez, Alex Bregman, and Kyle Tucker. Hunter Brown found out that a sinker worked and he became one of the team’s best pitchers. There was actual depth to rely upon. This year’s team doesn’t have that.

Dropping four of six games against two rebuilding teams in the Rockies and Cardinals was awfully disappointing. Today’s loss, in particular, stung. Mike Burrows was perfect through the first four innings before he imploded in the fifth. Joe Espada used arguably his best relievers in Kai-Wei Teng, Enyel De Los Santos, and Bryan King in a loss. The lineup made another comeback, forcing a 4-4 tie going into the ninth. But there were enough miscues, enough questionable decisions to make it all backfire.

For example, Joe Espada stuck with King in the tenth inning, although his ninth-inning performance wasn’t all that encouraging. Yes, I know Espada didn’t have many good choices to use for the tenth inning of a tie game. It was still a poor decision on his part, though. A fresh arm in that spot is probably better than King was today. How about Brice Matthews playing too much off the line at third base when Masyn Winn hit his three-run double that ultimately won the game for St. Louis? There was also the fielding error that allowed Jordan Walker to get on base. Or getting picked off at first base as a pinch runner in the eighth? For everything that this team did right, and there were instances, it was all undone by bad decisions and processes.

I don’t want to pick on him again, but Matthews has only had six plate appearances since April 8. He hadn’t played third base with any regularity since 2024. He primarily made this team as an outfielder, with the possibility of helping out at second base or shortstop. But third base? That felt like a decision ready to backfire at any moment. And it did. In any case, the swing-and-miss issues in Matthews’ profile have largely prevented him from receiving regular playing time in the first place. Other than an occasional pinch runner and defensive replacement, what value does he bring to the team at this moment? And, in those two aspects, he found a way to whiff today. All of this to say that Dana Brown’s roster decisions, dating back to his hiring, have been questionable at times. Keeping Matthews on the active roster at this point is another one worth questioning.

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