Alvarez

[TerryPuhl21]

Curious what the prevailing opinion here is regarding Alvarez now that his bat is showing some life. Are we starting him in left tonight or is he a pinch hitter only?


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[HudsonHawk]

Ordinarily I'd say Reddick is too valuable to not have out there in RF, but you're in a world of shit right now scoring runs, and you need every RBI you can possibly get.  I put Alvarez in LF and Brantley in RF.  But I'm desperate.

[das]

Curious what the prevailing opinion here is regarding Alvarez now that his bat is showing some life. Are we starting him in left tonight or is he a pinch hitter only?

With Greinke's flyball rate of 42% against righties (Nats will likely have 8 righties in the lineup tonight), I don't see how they stick Alvarez in the OF over Reddick.  His flyball rate against lefties is almost half that.  Too bad for Alvarez. 

Which way they go depends on what Hinch thinks the biggest need is for Game 3.  Nats have matched or beat the Astros in just about every aspect of the game so far so I am just not sure.

[Texifornia]

I think Alvarez starts in left field and Brantley in right. It's not a great defensive lineup, although Alvarez was not bad in his few appearances in left and Brantley may have a better arm than I've been giving him credit for. Right now, Astros needs all the offense they can muster and with the exception of his NY HR, Reddick has struggled.

Hopefully, being named RoY will inspire Alvarez to hit the ball into the Potomac.

[das]

Ordinarily I'd say Reddick is too valuable to not have out there in RF, but you're in a world of shit right now scoring runs, and you need every RBI you can possibly get.  I put Alvarez in LF and Brantley in RF.  But I'm desperate.

I have a question for you:  If, last week, you were told that the Astros would score 4 and then 3 runs with Scherzer and Strasberg on the mound with Cole then Verlander opposing, would you have thought the Astros would be down 0-2?

The reason I ask is:  with those two on the mound, I'm not sure more than 3 or 4 runs is a reasonable expectation and Sanchez likely will not be that different.  So, if you are expecting a low scoring affair, do you architect for the one big hit or for the better defense?  I'm flip flopping back and forth every 15 minutes.  I just don't know.

[Mike S.]

I think Alvarez starts in left field and Brantley in right. It's not a great defensive lineup, although Alvarez was not bad in his few appearances in left and Brantley may have a better arm than I've been giving him credit for. Right now, Astros needs all the offense they can muster and with the exception of his NY HR, Reddick has struggled.

Hopefully, being named RoY will inspire Alvarez to hit the ball into the Potomac.

That would be one hell of a foul ball as the stadium doesn't face the river, but I take your point and hope Alvarez hits several fucking moon shots in the Metro station nearby.

[HudsonHawk]

I have a question for you:  If, last week, you were told that the Astros would score 4 and then 3 runs with Scherzer and Strasberg on the mound with Cole then Verlander opposing, would you have thought the Astros would be down 0-2?

The reason I ask is:  with those two on the mound, I'm not sure more than 3 or 4 runs is a reasonable expectation and Sanchez likely will not be that different.  So, if you are expecting a low scoring affair, do you architect for the one big hit or for the better defense?  I'm flip flopping back and forth every 15 minutes.  I just don't know.

3 and 4 runs, and those two guys I would have thought they'd be 1-1.  But with Greinke and Bullpen, I need at least 5-7 runs, minimum.  I have to go with offense.  Again, I'm desperate. 

[BudGirl]

Hinch said in his presser yesterday that Alvarez probably does not start, but nothing was confirmed yet.

[TerryPuhl21]

3 and 4 runs, and those two guys I would have thought they'd be 1-1.  But with Greinke and Bullpen, I need at least 5-7 runs, minimum.  I have to go with offense.  Again, I'm desperate.

I think I’m with you HH, but man, the way the Nats have been hitting the ball Yordan will be tested out there. We desperately need an offensive explosion to help get this ship sailing in the right direction.


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[Bench]

Reddick is starting and hitting 7th. Chirinos 8th.

[homer]

Yordan Alvarez is Back
Some people thought Yordan Alvarez’s bat sprung to life in Game 5. Not true. It happened in a batting practice session Oct. 21, the day before Game 1.

We know Alvarez was getting beat consistently with fastballs in the ALCS. With his back side collapsing, Alvarez went 1-for-22 with 12 strikeouts.

But something happened in batting practice on the eve of the World Series.

(And I witnessed a similar event in the 2016 NLCS with a 1-for-24 Addison Russell. He took BP hitting the ball almost entirely to centerfield to stop hooking pitches–and homered in the next two games.)

Alvarez took two rounds of BP in which he hit everything to the left of centerfield. But the ball was not jumping off his bat. He was hitting lazy flyballs. He looked as bad as he did in the ALCS.

Finally, Astros hitting coach Alex Cintron stepped in and pulled him aside as they both looked at the tablet attached to the batting cage, the one streaming video of BP.

“I’ve stayed quiet for the most part,” Cintron said. “Most hitters only want to listen when they have really hit bottom. I thought he was there. It was time.”

Cintron then showed Alvarez a change to make in his setup. Alvarez had been setting up with a fairly erect stance–with a weak base and his head out over his toes–and his first movement to the baseball caused his back leg to slide behind him before contact.

Cintron showed him how to “sink into” his legs–bending his knees while keeping his hips back and head over his center of gravity. He showed him how he could accentuate this position by “sinking into” his legs and then leaning back in the shoulders to emphasize keeping his weight centered–not forward. Matt Carpenter, Anthony Rizzo and Paul Goldschmidt are among the hitters who use this technique.

Alvarez stepped into the cage and took up Cintron’s suggestions. He immediately looked like a different hitter. He was crushing balls over the home run line in leftfield, one after another. The change was astonishing to see.

When Alvarez was done with his round Cintron came over and gave him a fist bump. Alvarez smiled for the first time in weeks. That’s when he was fixed. That’s why he hit the home run to left-center in Game 5. Fastballs no longer bother him; he's already matched his hit total off of them (two, including a home run) in the World Series as he did in the ALDS and ALCS combined.

Verducci

[AtascAstro]

Fun read, thanks for sharing!

After all the Soto fawning, would love to see Yordan steal his spotlight.

[Astros Fan in Big D]

Good stuff.

Also corroborates what various folks have said: hitters don't listen to coaches much.

[Mr. Happy]

Good stuff.

Also corroborates what various folks have said: hitters don't listen to the team'scoaches much.

But they all have their own gurus. Believe this.