Pitchers and Catchers Have Reported

The Astros Bullpen: Better Than You Think, But Not As Good as You Hope

Seattle is one of my favorite cities, and that fact, combined with the mediocrity of the Mariners franchise over the last decade, makes it hard to imagine having a bad weekend in America's Emerald City . And yet, here we are. In the crosshairs of the team's beat reporters and Twitter followers is the bullpen. On Friday night, five relievers combined to give up 4 runs and to blow a 3 run lead. On Sunday, a disastrous 5th inning, highlighted by a 2 run homer given up by Brooks Raley to the first batter he faced turned the ballgame to the Mariners advantage. The Astros managed to avoid a bullpen blowup on Saturday night primarily by not using it--starter Zack Greinke went 8 strong innings before Ryan Pressly earned his first save of the season. I add here to the #Discourse around the Astros bullpen. But I hope not to add to the "sky if falling; I'm gonna call sports talk radio about it" sense that is percolating throughout the fanbase. My take is is more subtle, if...

Myles Straw Has Exceeded Expecations

With his bases clearing double, 2 out double in the 7th inning last night, Myles Straw broke open the game last night against the White Sox, and allowed Astros fans to relax at least a little while the bullpen worked. The big hit, combined with Lance McCullers 10 strikeouts in 7 innings, propelled the Astros to a 7-1 win. Straw's big hit prompted Kevin Bonda to post this clip from Happy Gilmore on behalf of #AstrosTwitter. Astros Twitter to Myles Straw… pic.twitter.com/mwqgIMIhQk — Bonda (@BenOndaTop) July 17, 2021 Of course, the sentiment that Bonda's tweet represents seems an accurate reflection of the sentiment of Astros fans about Straw over the course of this season. After the signings of Michael Brantley and Pedro Baez this off-season, it became clear that Straw would be the everyday centerfielder, as the front office was not going to go over the luxury tax threshold to sign a free agent like Jackie Bradley, Jr. Myles Straw hits a bases clearing double. Straw ...

Ryan Pressly. Bullpen Ace.

On July 22, 2018, Mike Petriello of MLB.com posted an article headlined "5 best relievers you don't know who may get dealt." The first reliever he discussed in the article--Ryan Pressly. Petriello noted that Pressly, then of the Twins, had the 7th best spin rate in MLB on fastballs and 2nd best on curveballs. Petriello concluded his write up on Pressly by saying "it's easy to see progressive teams...like the Dodgers or Astros being extremely interested here." Petriello's guess was right. A progressive team like the Astros was extremely interested in Pressly--the Astros traded for Pressly five days later, in exchange for prospects Jorge Alcala and Gilberto Celestino. Needless to say, it's been a good trade for the Astros. In his 4 seasons with the Astros, Pressly has pitched 133.2 innings with a 2.02 ERA, and a 0.90 WHIP. He's struck out 12.0 batters per 9 IP, while allowing only 1.8 BB/9, for a 6.59 ratio. Opposing batters are slashing .191/....

Breathin' Orange Fire

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