Game of the Week: July 14: HOU @ TEX

[Commissioner Erick]

Houston Astros (46-44) @ Texas Rangers (42-49)


HOU: Daniel Childress (1-0, 4.43)
TEX: Aaron Taylor (6-6, 4.52)


The Texas Rangers vs Houston Astros contest is a matchup of a third place AL West team with a winning record versus a sub-.500 fourth place. That isn’t a surprise, but learning who is the third and who is the fourth place club is.

The Houston Astros somehow have a winning record, a year after losing a franchise worst 107 games. The team has been a respectable seventh in offense thanks to a bunch of castoffs having great years.

• Steve Hutchinson was waived by Colorado last year—he’s an All-Star this year, with 19 homers, 22 doubles, and 21 steals. All are career highs. He’s been an excellent player, taken for free.
• Luis Castillo put up negative WAR in three of his last four years. He was a throw in for salary matching in the deal for Jorge Cotto. He’s batting .306 with nearly as many walks as strikeouts
• Wilkerman Garcia was a running joke with Baltimore. He’s hitting .290 with 11 steals.
• Juan Vega sat out all of 2032. Fly by Night has been flying high in 2033, with 18 homers and 73 RBIs as the club’s run producer.
• Ratchet Quiroz was acquired when Kansas City dumped him for reliever Marcus Thomas.He’s hitting .310 with 33 doubles.

With so many bit parts having great years, Houston has been competitive despite still building up their talent base. Houston has the best system in the league, but their best prospects are still in the low minors, so what’s happening with the big club is a bonus.

Texas was having a good season until an 8-20 June put the kibosh on their playoff hopes. The team just hasn’t hit, with a team average of .228. After a brutal start, Doorbell Gestoso has turned his season around, hitting .300 in both June and July. Texas will need him to keep up his hot play if they want to start the second half on a good note.


Questions for the GMs:


For Stephen Strosko, did you have any notion you would be in contention for a playoff spot at the All Star break this year?

Which overperforming player has been the biggest surprise to you and why?

Despite never managing before, and never playing above Double-A, you took a chance on Chase Johnson-Mullins to be your Bench Coach this season. Why did you make that decision?

For Dave Lowitzki, Jacob Allread is dealing with a bad back. Will he spend any time on the IL?

Juan Gestoso has hit the last six weeks. Could we see him hit higher than ninth today?

You made a big trade with Cleveland recently to get more talent on your major league roster. How would you assess the deal so far?


TRIVIA: Three Astros position players had at least 3.1 WAR the last season they made the playoffs. Who were the three players?

[astros]

Did you have any notion you would be in contention for a playoff spot at the All Star break this year?

It was my hope that we would be in this position. I actually expected the offense to be good, but I didn't expect it to be this good. While some of these players seem to be throw-ins for trades or random signings, they were intentional additions to the larger picture I'm aiming for in Houston. A high OBP crew that utilizes R/L platoons and prioritizing hot bats, centered around one or two major run producers. While some of the players might not have a great track record in the PBA, I'm confident that the system we have in place is helping them get to the best that they have to offer consistently.

I actually expect this performance to stick and plan to add to the team in the bullpen. Some bats may cool off, but others will take their place. Puebla is heating up and coming back from an early injury. Vega is playing well, but is also heating up and has more to offer.


Which overperforming player has been the biggest surprise to you and why?

Garcia. I expected him to get on base and to play good defense. But I didn't expect for him to hit for great average as well against both right and left-handed pitching. He has helped stabilize the bottom half of the order and has even popped up to a higher spot during his hotter streaks. Hutchinson is a close second, but less of a surprise because I expected him to play well. He obviously is exceeding all expectations though as he leads the team in virtually every category offensively.


Despite never managing before, and never playing above Double-A, you took a chance on Chase Johnson-Mullins to be your Bench Coach this season. Why did you make that decision?

He fit the sort of system we were going for and had really good relationships with the players and coaches that were in place. It's definitely a reach, but he did well during the interview process and we felt comfortable with the decision. It's obviously panned out well.