HH is correct; the rule is now the rule. Shame on Rasmus for not knowing it.
I wasn't disagreeing. I was just recognizing for the first time the enormity of the rule-change. Hinch's comments in McTaggart's write-up reflect my own thoughts. (
http://m.astros.mlb.com/news/article/171318948/slide-rule-impacts-end-of-astros-brewers-game) If this is the result, they should consider revisiting the change.
However, in my opinion, neither Feldman nor Fiers is worthy of starting pitcher innings.
Way too early to give up on Fiers. He pitched 62.1 innings for us last year with a 3.32 ERA. And a no-hitter.
I can't wait to get McCullers back, but I wouldn't be surprised to see them give Devenski a start or two just to see how he does. I also wouldn't be surprised to see them look around for another starting pitcher, which makes the trade to Philly start to look questionable. I hope that Giles gets things worked out soon. As HH said, the future is right now.
Devenski was a revelation. It occurs to me that the starting pitching (Keuchel accepted) was quietly pretty unimpressive for just about the entire second half of ST. And Giles got touched in nearly every outing.
I watched a lot of the ST games vis a vis NL East broadcasts, and to a one they were gleeful about Giles's departure. That plus past performance gives me hope that he's just going through some young-guy-first-time-traded-to-a-contender-transition blues...
What worries me most is that we continue to be a team that doesn't quite do things right. Gomez Gomezing off second base and the Revenant spoiling a thrilling comeback seem of a piece with any number of critical mishaps that have haunted this team for years (Correa's Game 4 flub the most pronounced). These Astros seem to consistently
just fail to get over the hump. I suppose that is baseball, which is suffering, but Jesus Christ. Certainly other teams--more veteran teams, with longer histories of competitive play--don't as routinely shoot themselves in the foot.
