Post by Commissioner Erick on Feb 26, 2018 14:02:10 GMT -5
Toronto Blue Jays (46-50) @ Houston Astros (53-43)
TOR: Marcus Stroman (8-9, 4.15)
HOU: Dallas Keuchel (10-3, 2.66)
Despite being a healthy 10 games over .500, many would you lead you to believe the Houston Astros have struggled this season. Last year's batting champ has seen his average plunge 100 points this year. Only four names have hit double digit home runs this far. Two starters have ERAs over five, and a bullpen ERA that was second last year has slipped to fifth.
Two games out of the Wild Card race, the Astros will look to step it up when they tackle the Toronto Blue Jays.
It's a testament to the talent and depth of Houston that few players have met expectations and yet the team is still comfortably over .500. Yulieksi Gurriel hit .278 last season with 23 home runs. This year, it's .222 with eight. Josh Reddick popped 22 home runs with a .269 average a year ago. This year, that's dropped to six blasts and a .220 average. Carlos Beltran supplied 20 home runs as a DH. Those numbers have been spread out against a host of players.
The raw offensive numbers are roughly on pace to be slightly worse than last year's. However, the American League has seen more depth this year than last year, so the numbers only go as far. For the Astros to be true contenders, they'll need somebody other than Alex Bregman, Tony Kemp, George Springer or Carlos Correa to pop.
Fortunately, they'll have May's Pitcher of the Month on the hill, Dallas Keuchel, to attack Toronto. Once again, Keuchel's excellent command of his sinker has led him to an All Star Game. He has the fifth best home run rate, and the ninth best walk rate in the league, a combination that has seen him put up a 2.66 ERA with a 1.05 WHIP. The ERA is third in the league, the WHIP is fourth, and as a result, his WAR is second. His sinker induces such consistent weak contact that batters are only hitting .258 against him on balls in play.
Even if the Astros struggle to score, they'll likely take solace in Keuchel shutting down a Toronto team that has put its veterans on the trade block. Now nine games out of the Wild Card, Toronto only has four healthy starters among its position players over the age of 25. The rest of the team should see a lot of at bats as Toronto gauges its talent for next year.
Getting Anthony Alford up to speed may be one of the most important tasks for Toronto. Last year's number 89 prospect, Alford tore through the minors and held his own in half a season with the Blue Jays last year. This year, his OBP has dropped below .300. Scouts suggest Alford's bat speed is slow, forcing him to start his swing earlier to catch up to velocity. As a result, he strikes out a ton, the eleventh most among qualified AL hitters. Only three players worse than him on the list walk as infrequently as he does.
While the Jays have not named their starter after the break yet, it’s likely Marcus Stroman will get the nod. Stroman has regressed this year after a superlative 2017. Most observers believe the increased ERA is context-driven as his FIP is 3.43, roughly the same as last year’s. Nonetheless, Stroman hasn’t gone 6 innings since July 1st and has a 9.84 ERA over that stretch. Last year’s bronze medal winner for the Cy Young will need to step up his efforts if Toronto wants to win this game, as the Blue Jays offense will likely have trouble with Dallas Keuchel.
Questions for the GMs:
For Joe Mazzola, Stroman hasn’t had nearly as good a season this year as last year, and he’s really fallen off as of late. How do you explain that?
Are there any specific players you want to examine closely in this game as you plan on looking more to the future?
You recently dealt J.A Happ for a haul of prospects. What do you think of the deal you got for him?
For Sean Bain, you’ve split the playing time somewhat regularly between three catchers. Garrett Stubs has settled in as the starter more often than not. He has the highest average and WAR, but the least power. How do you plan on handling the catcher position in today’s contest, and then going forward?
Yuli Gurriel is not hitting the way he did his rookie year. How long can you go getting replacement level work from a position on the diamond that demands offense?
Despite a lot of speed at the top of your lineup, your team ranks seventh in stolen bases in the AL. Do you not believe in stolen bases as a weapon for your team?
TOR: Marcus Stroman (8-9, 4.15)
HOU: Dallas Keuchel (10-3, 2.66)
Despite being a healthy 10 games over .500, many would you lead you to believe the Houston Astros have struggled this season. Last year's batting champ has seen his average plunge 100 points this year. Only four names have hit double digit home runs this far. Two starters have ERAs over five, and a bullpen ERA that was second last year has slipped to fifth.
Two games out of the Wild Card race, the Astros will look to step it up when they tackle the Toronto Blue Jays.
It's a testament to the talent and depth of Houston that few players have met expectations and yet the team is still comfortably over .500. Yulieksi Gurriel hit .278 last season with 23 home runs. This year, it's .222 with eight. Josh Reddick popped 22 home runs with a .269 average a year ago. This year, that's dropped to six blasts and a .220 average. Carlos Beltran supplied 20 home runs as a DH. Those numbers have been spread out against a host of players.
The raw offensive numbers are roughly on pace to be slightly worse than last year's. However, the American League has seen more depth this year than last year, so the numbers only go as far. For the Astros to be true contenders, they'll need somebody other than Alex Bregman, Tony Kemp, George Springer or Carlos Correa to pop.
Fortunately, they'll have May's Pitcher of the Month on the hill, Dallas Keuchel, to attack Toronto. Once again, Keuchel's excellent command of his sinker has led him to an All Star Game. He has the fifth best home run rate, and the ninth best walk rate in the league, a combination that has seen him put up a 2.66 ERA with a 1.05 WHIP. The ERA is third in the league, the WHIP is fourth, and as a result, his WAR is second. His sinker induces such consistent weak contact that batters are only hitting .258 against him on balls in play.
Even if the Astros struggle to score, they'll likely take solace in Keuchel shutting down a Toronto team that has put its veterans on the trade block. Now nine games out of the Wild Card, Toronto only has four healthy starters among its position players over the age of 25. The rest of the team should see a lot of at bats as Toronto gauges its talent for next year.
Getting Anthony Alford up to speed may be one of the most important tasks for Toronto. Last year's number 89 prospect, Alford tore through the minors and held his own in half a season with the Blue Jays last year. This year, his OBP has dropped below .300. Scouts suggest Alford's bat speed is slow, forcing him to start his swing earlier to catch up to velocity. As a result, he strikes out a ton, the eleventh most among qualified AL hitters. Only three players worse than him on the list walk as infrequently as he does.
While the Jays have not named their starter after the break yet, it’s likely Marcus Stroman will get the nod. Stroman has regressed this year after a superlative 2017. Most observers believe the increased ERA is context-driven as his FIP is 3.43, roughly the same as last year’s. Nonetheless, Stroman hasn’t gone 6 innings since July 1st and has a 9.84 ERA over that stretch. Last year’s bronze medal winner for the Cy Young will need to step up his efforts if Toronto wants to win this game, as the Blue Jays offense will likely have trouble with Dallas Keuchel.
Questions for the GMs:
For Joe Mazzola, Stroman hasn’t had nearly as good a season this year as last year, and he’s really fallen off as of late. How do you explain that?
Are there any specific players you want to examine closely in this game as you plan on looking more to the future?
You recently dealt J.A Happ for a haul of prospects. What do you think of the deal you got for him?
For Sean Bain, you’ve split the playing time somewhat regularly between three catchers. Garrett Stubs has settled in as the starter more often than not. He has the highest average and WAR, but the least power. How do you plan on handling the catcher position in today’s contest, and then going forward?
Yuli Gurriel is not hitting the way he did his rookie year. How long can you go getting replacement level work from a position on the diamond that demands offense?
Despite a lot of speed at the top of your lineup, your team ranks seventh in stolen bases in the AL. Do you not believe in stolen bases as a weapon for your team?
