Today's Loss

[Mr. Happy]

Anybody else worried about Osuna?

[Texifornia]

Anybody else worried about Osuna?

I'm thinking he should have punched himself in the face.

Also, a little.

[JimR]

No

Are you worried about JV?

[JimR]

Folks. Teams lose. We were lucky to be ahead. Chill.

[Astros Fan in Big D]

Not really.

We'll see how things go the rest of this stretch (this series was the first 3 of 17 straight days without an off day).


Truthfully we played not so inspiring baseball Friday and Sunday.  I just hope that doesn't carry over.

[Col. Sphinx Drummond]

As long as they win 2 out of three, I'm happy.

[doyce7]

While Osuna hasn't been great lately, every pitcher outside of Mariano Rivera goes through bad stretches. He will find it again, of that I am sure

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[JimR]

Anybody else worried about Osuna?

Three or more changeups in a row. Scouting report stuff. Awful location.

[TerryPuhl21]

Anybody else worried about Osuna?

Well, of pitchers who have 25 or more saves, Osuna, Chapman, Doolittle and Jansen are tied for having blown the most saves with 5 each. Hader has blown 4. Will Smith is the best having only blown 2 and Brad Hand and Kirby Yates have blown 3. To me, this means Osuna could stand to tighten it up a little, but in the big picture, they all blow it sometimes. No need to panic.


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[Mr. Happy]

No

Are you worried about JV?

Not really. We just must expect more mortal performances out of him as he ages. However, I'm not liking the makeup or the pitch execution that I've seen from Osuna for the last few weeks.

[JimR]

Not really. We just must expect more mortal performances out of him as he ages. However, I'm not liking the makeup or the pitch execution that I've seen from Osuna for the last few weeks.

Easy to criticize after a loss. Have not heard much when he gets outs.

[Mr. Happy]

Easy to criticize after a loss. Have not heard much when he gets outs.

Actually, I wondered if something was up during his last save. But I can't articulate what it is without watching some video.

[Mr. Happy]

Osuna's 1-3 with 16 saves and a 4.66 ERA in his last 30. Allowed 30 hits in 29 innings. His righty-lefty splits are off kilter. He's having a little difficulty getting righties out, pitching to a 3.97 ERA this year, as opposed to a .219 ERA against portsiders. His batting average against number lefty is an excellent .163, while his righty is .236, a bit more pedestrian, although certainly servicable.

[homer]

Astros insider: Roberto Osuna changes it up

[JimR]

Astros insider: Roberto Osuna changes it up

Great article, which somewhat confirmed my thinking yesterday about why Ruiz got so many changeups. Osuna’s slider is a great pitch too, and he and the hitters are now 1-26 on changeups. No doubt Hinch has or will make the catchers aware of this too. A conversation with all of them in the room is a good idea which Hinch likely already has done. Maybe this is why Chirinos called so many in a row. Wilkerson ambushed his first pitch yesterday for a double, and this could have made Osuna reluctant to throw it at the end. Closing is tough business. If he gets them out, fans say “that is why he gets paid.” If he blows one like yesterday, all hell breaks out, and scorn and derision rain down.

I was going to meet some folks yesterday so listened to the bottom of the 9th on the radio. I had a vague, uneasy feeling from the beginning because Baltimore fought so hard all day and outplayed the Astros until the top of the 9th. I did not think they would go quietly, and Wilkerson’s charmed life movement  around the bases intensified my uneasiness. He could have been thrown out at third, he maybe WAS thrown out at home, yet the run was on the board. Then there was the HBP. After Sparks praised Osuna for being a pitcher who protects his teammates, I said out loud (to the radio) “Yeah, but that is the tying run.” Then multiple changeups to Ruiz (scouting report?) with the last one in the worst possible location and BOOM.

As I said yesterday, maybe on the GZ, my initial thought was the Astros were supposed to lose that game. Call it karma or the BBGs, but Baltimore deserved to win after their effort against JV taking the lead and driving him to cover after 5. A team does not beat another 23-2, even in the classy way the Astros handled the win, without some consequences somewhere. I hated the loss, which kicked me in the stomach like it did you, but part of me said “Good for you, Orioles, for not rolling over and quitting when the superior team rallied late.” The BBGs reminded me (and everyone?) even last place teams deserve respect.

Getting back on the winning track in Chicago will help hurt feelings a lot.

[Knoxbanedoodle]

Great article, which somewhat confirmed my thinking yesterday about why Ruiz got so many changeups. Osuna’s slider is a great pitch too, and he and the hitters are now 1-26 on changeups. No doubt Hinch has or will make the catchers aware of this too. A conversation with all of them in the room is a good idea which Hinch likely already has done. Maybe this is why Chirinos called so many in a row. Wilkerson ambushed his first pitch yesterday for a double, and this could have made Osuna reluctant to throw it at the end. Closing is tough business. If he gets them out, fans say “that is why he gets paid.” If he blows one like yesterday, all hell breaks out, and scorn and derision rain down.

I was going to meet some folks yesterday so listened to the bottom of the 9th on the radio. I had a vague, uneasy feeling from the beginning because Baltimore fought so hard all day and outplayed the Astros until the top of the 9th. I did not think they would go quietly, and Wilkerson’s charmed life movement  around the bases intensified my uneasiness. He could have been thrown out at third, he maybe WAS thrown out at home, yet the run was on the board. Then there was the HBP. After Sparks praised Osuna for being a pitcher who protects his teammates, I said out loud (to the radio) “Yeah, but that is the tying run.” Then multiple changeups to Ruiz (scouting report?) with the last one in the worst possible location and BOOM.

As I said yesterday, maybe on the GZ, my initial thought was the Astros were supposed to lose that game. Call it karma or the BBGs, but Baltimore deserved to win after their effort against JV taking the lead and driving him to cover after 5. A team does not beat another 23-2, even in the classy way the Astros handled the win, without some consequences somewhere. I hated the loss, which kicked me in the stomach like it did you, but part of me said “Good for you, Orioles, for not rolling over and quitting when the superior team rallied late.” The BBGs reminded me (and everyone?) even last place teams deserve respect.

Getting back on the winning track in Chicago will help hurt feelings a lot.

This made me feel better. Well encapsulated.

[Mr. Happy]

Astros insider: Roberto Osuna changes it up

Thanks for posting that, Homer. Excellent article.

[Mr. Happy]

Great article, which somewhat confirmed my thinking yesterday about why Ruiz got so many changeups. Osuna’s slider is a great pitch too, and he and the hitters are now 1-26 on changeups. No doubt Hinch has or will make the catchers aware of this too. A conversation with all of them in the room is a good idea which Hinch likely already has done. Maybe this is why Chirinos called so many in a row. Wilkerson ambushed his first pitch yesterday for a double, and this could have made Osuna reluctant to throw it at the end. Closing is tough business. If he gets them out, fans say “that is why he gets paid.” If he blows one like yesterday, all hell breaks out, and scorn and derision rain down.

I was going to meet some folks yesterday so listened to the bottom of the 9th on the radio. I had a vague, uneasy feeling from the beginning because Baltimore fought so hard all day and outplayed the Astros until the top of the 9th. I did not think they would go quietly, and Wilkerson’s charmed life movement  around the bases intensified my uneasiness. He could have been thrown out at third, he maybe WAS thrown out at home, yet the run was on the board. Then there was the HBP. After Sparks praised Osuna for being a pitcher who protects his teammates, I said out loud (to the radio) “Yeah, but that is the tying run.” Then multiple changeups to Ruiz (scouting report?) with the last one in the worst possible location and BOOM.

As I said yesterday, maybe on the GZ, my initial thought was the Astros were supposed to lose that game. Call it karma or the BBGs, but Baltimore deserved to win after their effort against JV taking the lead and driving him to cover after 5. A team does not beat another 23-2, even in the classy way the Astros handled the win, without some consequences somewhere. I hated the loss, which kicked me in the stomach like it did you, but part of me said “Good for you, Orioles, for not rolling over and quitting when the superior team rallied late.” The BBGs reminded me (and everyone?) even last place teams deserve respect.

Getting back on the winning track in Chicago will help hurt feelings a lot.

Damn, Coach. I had a very similar feeling. I was very impressed with the Orioles fight. Most shitty teams go down in order after losing a lead in the ninth inning. Congrats to the Birds.

[Astros Fan in Big D]

Winning 2 of 3 is a 108 win pace.

[Bench]

Winning 2 of 3 is a 108 win pace.

Going .500 the rest of the season is a 99 win pace.

[chuck]

I thought this was pretty interesting:

https://twitter.com/astro_numbers/status/1160947275083988992?s=21

If the release points are that different then batters should be able to tell by the release point if it's a fastball or a slider. I wonder where his changeup release point is. I guess it starts to matter less and less after seeing six or seven changes in a row.