Potent lineup masks issues
Greinke, Valdez need to carry load as youngsters near highs in innings
Perhaps nothing better epitomizes Houston’s first half than Sunday’s stunning ninth-inning comeback against the New York Yankees. The Astros appeared a shell of themselves for eight innings. Jose Altuve made almost everyone forget that.
The Astros’ lineup is littered with enough superstars to mask their deficiencies. Houston can outhit any opponent with ease, but counting on it nightly is a dangerous way to exist. Look no further than last weekend against the Yankees. Before Sunday’s ninth
inning, Houston had totaled 10 hits and two runs across all three games.
The offensive malaise forced an imperfect pitching staff to operate without margin for error. Saturday showcased it at its best. Sunday offered the worst. Six pitchers teamed to walk a franchise-record 14 batters. Altuve again rendered it moot.
“It’s been challenging,” manager Dusty Baker said before the game. “These guys have battled and battled and battled, and it’s been great sometimes, and it’s been very tough (sometimes).
“We’re what, 18 (games) over. 500? It doesn’t seem like it. It’s been a struggle. Sometimes we’ll score runs, sometimes we pitch, sometimes the bullpen is great. It’s a situation where we haven’t had our total game, we haven’t had our total lineup. We haven’t had our total anything.”
Sunday’s win put the Astros at 55-36. They entered the 2019 All-Star break 5733, went 64-35 during the first half of 2018, and were 60-29 prior to the 2017 Midsummer Classic. They miss Alex Bregman more every day and will soon enter uncharted territory with their stable of young starting pitchers.
General manager James Click’s most urgent need at the trade deadline is bullpen help, but whether the team crosses the competitive balance tax to acquire it remains a legitimate question.
Here are three thoughts about the state of the team coming out of the All-Star break:
Framber Valdez and Zack Greinke must figure it out
A day after Zack Greinke gave the Astros four innings and revealed right shoulder pain, Framber Valdez set a terrible tone Sunday. He commanded nothing and oozed inefficiency. He needed 62 pitches to procure his first nine outs. He surrendered five walks to the Yankees in the first four innings, matching his most in any start this season.
Luke Voit worked a fourpitch free pass in the fifth to give Valdez a season high. Gleyber Torres followed with a run-scoring single to left-center field. Baker did not allow Valdez another batter.
The four innings he threw were his fewest since his first start of the season — when the club kept him on a strict pitch count. Valdez threw only 45 of his 91 pitches for strikes. He has walked 13 batters during his last 17 innings, ballooning his ERA from 1.67 to 2.98 in the span of four starts.
“I’m just thinking I’m a little bit too anxious out there, a little bit too anxious to try to throw my pitches,” Valdez said through an interpreter. “It’s something I really need to work on in
the short term here, and I need to fix by my next outing.”
The Astros are counting on Valdez and Greinke for their durability. Houston’s starters threw 5022⁄3 innings during the first half of the season. Those two combined for 1692⁄3 of them — and Valdez didn’t join the rotation until late May. The Astros’ key to success is avoiding their bullpen. Greinke and Valdez are two vital parts of accomplishing that.
Valdez’s rubber arm-type resiliency is lauded within the organization, but it’s useless if he’s ineffective. The A’s teed off on twoseam fastballs he left up and over the outer half of the plate. Five days later, the Yankees saw a pitcher who could not command anything other than his curveball.
Valdez had a 1.67 ERA in his first 321⁄3 innings off the injured list. Rediscovering that form is critical, especially for a rotation headed into uncharted territory.
Innings concerns for youngsters
Around early August, the Astros will encounter a dilemma. Luis Garcia will approach a workload he hasn’t seen before. Jose Urquidy might not be far behind. Cristian Javier is in the bullpen, but he’s already reached 71 innings. He hasn’t thrown more than 114 in any professional season.
“It’s always a concern. How we’re going to maneuver depends on how they feel and how they produce,” Baker said. “Who do we have in reserve? Everyone wants you to win, but no one wants you to overextend. It doesn’t work like that. You have to overextend somewhere and somebody if you’re going to win, and you’re going to have to go to territories you haven’t been before.”
The Astros already blew past an innings limit with Urquidy in 2019. He threw so well in September that they kept him on the major league roster past his prescribed total and gave him a start in the World Series. Urquidy’s professional high is 1461⁄3 innings. He’s thrown 771⁄3 this season
Not every arm responds as favorably as Urquidy’s. Nor should the Astros expect them to.
Garcia is at 851⁄3 innings. He has not thrown more than 1082⁄3 frames in any of his four previous professional seasons. The Astros are already finding ways to save him. They slotted him last in their five-man rotation out of the All-Star break and skipped one of his starts prior to it. Garcia shows no signs of fatigue, but as the innings increase, the questions will continue.
Chas McCormick’s continued case for more playing time
Chas McCormick started Chad Green’s downfall in the ninth inning Sunday. He destroyed the second pitch he saw for a double to score two runs and trim the Astros’ deficit to three. McCormick raised his OPS to .829. He has as many hits (35) as RBIs.
McCormick’s case to play more is solid, but Myles Straw has done nothing to lose his job in center field. Straw slashed .310/.401/.405 in his final 137 plate appearances of the first half. His defense is obviously improved. Baker has stood behind him as the starter on multiple occasions.
McCormick will not take any playing time from Kyle Tucker or Michael Brantley. Yordan Alvarez’s ability to play left field more than anticipated cuts into McCormick’s action even more. McCormick has just 28 plate appearances since June 24.
McCormick has outperformed the minor leagues. If Baker wants to get more power in his order — especially when it goes through funks like the last week — playing McCormick as a change of pace is wise. He provides a spark most bench bats don’t.
McCormick’s best role on this current roster is as a fourth outfielder, defensive replacement or pinch runner — something all teams need. But he still is a 26year-old with three minor league options who’s proved he can hit major league pitching, perhaps enticing to some teams on the trade market in the next two weeks.