00:00The Astros right now, they have won four in a row, right,
00:04and swept a really good Cubs team that is struggling,
00:08but at least record-wise, the Cubs have been a good baseball team this year.
00:13Swept the Cubs, pitched well in that series.
00:16They haven't allowed a run in two of their last several games,
00:20and then coming out and pouncing the Rangers with a no-hitter to start.
00:26Four in a row, they've won seven of their last ten,
00:31and they are now three-and-a-half back of the A's,
00:34who have now dropped to 500 in the West.
00:37So they're three-and-a-half back right now.
00:39We've talked about it for about the last couple of weeks, few weeks,
00:43like, hey, man, they've got to make a run.
00:44They've got to make some kind of a run that makes a difference
00:48when their big guns come back.
00:50Now, they've gotten Jake back, and they've gotten Pena,
00:53who is a big gun, back.
00:55And we know Hunter Brown, Josh Hader, hopefully to come back soon.
01:00They needed to make a move.
01:01They're in the midst of making that move.
01:03Do you think this is just a good stretch that happens to any team
01:08that plays 162 games, or does this feel like a sign to you
01:13that the Astros are ready to make a move?
01:15Well, it feels like a sign to me that they're ready to get better.
01:19And I think in getting better in this division,
01:22I think you're going to make a move.
01:23So, you know, several things can be true here.
01:26When you look at how the Astros have won seven of ten,
01:30they've won four in a row,
01:32and when you look at how they did that,
01:35it wasn't just happenstance.
01:37I mean, the pitching has been significantly better,
01:41whether it's Spencer Ergetti or it's MI from last night,
01:46his last outing.
01:47I mean, the start in pitching has been better.
01:50My man K-Way Tang had, what, he was six scoreless a couple nights ago.
01:54Sixth inning.
01:54I mean, they have settled in, and guys have now in a situation
01:57where they could not have gotten any worse, obviously.
01:59They have been significantly better.
02:03I didn't see what had been Lambert last time.
02:05He went five.
02:06He went five.
02:07So, he did all right.
02:08So, you know, I think there's obviously some signs there
02:12that the Astros have been better.
02:13It's not just been, hey, this typically happens in a 162.
02:18I think the Astros have been better from a pitching perspective.
02:22You look at Abreu.
02:23Abreu seems to have turned the corner.
02:25The Pearson cat comes in there, and he's really, really impressive.
02:29Last night, Santa comes in there and has two shutout innings
02:33to cap off the no-hitter.
02:35I mean, it seems like guys are starting to maybe not come into their own
02:41and maybe not get necessarily hot, but they're walking out there
02:47and giving us a chance to win.
02:48And the bats seem to be coming around as well.
02:51Pena's back.
02:52He's swinging it really well.
02:53You mentioned Jake in center field.
02:54Christian Walker's having a damn potentially a career year.
02:58Obviously, Jordan is Jordan.
03:01So, I mean, I have a hard time looking at this, Ron,
03:04any other way than this is the Astros are coming back to center,
03:09which is a good sign because they were well below center,
03:12if you know what I'm talking about, before.
03:14Whether it's pitching, the hitting's been inconsistent,
03:16really, really, really good.
03:17Earlier in the season took a little bit of a lull
03:19and appears to be coming back around.
03:21Seems like it's all dependent on big boy, Jordan Alvarez.
03:25But, yeah, look, I have a hard time not viewing this
03:28as the Astros are playing better baseball.
03:31And this is a sign that, you know, we can win some games
03:35and make a run moving forward.
03:36Yeah, they've got to – this next week is important to see
03:42if this, like, this thing continues.
03:45Still does.
03:45Like, does this – do they continue to move forward?
03:49Not necessarily, oh, they've got to keep sweeping cats
03:52or go on some long streak.
03:53Do you – can you keep winning series?
03:55Yeah.
03:56You know what I mean?
03:56Like, can you start that trend?
03:59Because I know I was listening to Sean Pendergast one morning,
04:02a few – last week, week before something.
04:04He's like, and they just lose every series they play right now
04:09at that moment.
04:09They just keep losing series.
04:10Can you start to get to a place where you win series?
04:16Because the pitching – the pitching is starting to look more real
04:21outside of Spencer Arrighetti.
04:23A, there are still some feels of, all right, what are you going to get?
04:26Peter Lambert is kind of getting close where he's kind of had a decent sample size
04:30of – like, he's giving you a chance.
04:33Yeah.
04:34Like, giving you a chance to being good at times.
04:37So, that's getting closer.
04:39But that's just the thing is pitching usually – if pitching gives you a chance
04:42every night, then you've got a shot.
04:44Not quite sure if they're ready to do that, need to see more.
04:48And then, obviously, if Hunter Brown, when he comes back, then that kind of changes
04:52that a bit because now you've got at least two guys you feel pretty good about,
04:57maybe even more, the way that Tang and Lambert are coming on.
05:01This – I'll just say this.
05:03They've done what they needed to do to get it – to make this a conversation.
05:08They've done – in the last ten games, the last couple weeks,
05:12they've done what they've needed to do to make this a real conversation.
05:15Yeah, and I think it's real, Ron.
05:18I mean, it's like we can look at the record and you look at the division,
05:21the lead in the division, and kind of how that, hey, man,
05:23your three-and-a-half game, your five-and-a-half game is back.
05:26Whoa, now you're six.
05:26Whoa, now you're back to four-and-a-half.
05:28Like, that's fine.
05:29If you look at the product that is the Astros right now,
05:32I don't know how you don't feel better about what you just said.
05:36Guys are going to walk out there and give us a chance to win a game.
05:38I look at the Astros right now and I go, hey,
05:41give me Hunter Brown and Spencer Eric Getty at the top.
05:43I believe I know what I'm getting out of them, too.
05:46Right?
05:46And then your three, four, five, as you mentioned,
05:49have no idea what Peter Lambert is or isn't.
05:52Right?
05:52But right now I like it.
05:54Right?
05:54Am I?
05:55Don't know what he is or he isn't,
05:56but it looks like he's trending in the right direction.
05:59I don't know what we have with K.W. Tang or whatever the hell his name is.
06:02Yeah, those guys are in a different category where, like, Spencer,
06:06I feel like I know what I'm kind of getting, Spencer.
06:09Lambert is getting close to that.
06:12But Tang and EMI still need to see some more.
06:16But where I was going with that, though, right?
06:18I mean, how many teams in Major League Baseball right now wouldn't like to see
06:22a little bit more from their fourth and fifth starter?
06:24Right?
06:24Obviously, somebody has to emerge and be that third guy.
06:27But, man, it's starting to shape up.
06:29Guys are giving us a chance to win games.
06:31And the product that is the Houston Astros is watchable.
06:34I mean, it's from a pitching perspective.
06:36I mean, I told you, we leave here at 6 o'clock,
06:39and they first pitch at 6.10 or whatever the hell it is.
06:42By the time I get home, I walk in at 6-0.
06:45I mean, hell, I'm tuning out.
06:47There was a time there, it seemed to be 3-0 about halfway through the ride.
06:53Quick, quick, quick now.
06:54No, I mean, it's a better product right now, and I think in turn,
06:57we're going to win some games.
06:58Now, we'll see if it's enough to actually be a real threat in the playoffs
07:04or even a long-term year stretch to get into the division or the wild-card hunt.
07:10We'll see.
07:10But right now, boy, it's hard to watch this, what we've been watching recently,
07:14and not say it looks like the Astros product has made a turn for the better.
07:17Yeah, text line, as we said, is this a good stretch,
07:19or do you think this – is this just a good stretch that most teams have
07:25that play 162 baseball games in a season,
07:28or is this a sign that they're really ready to make a serious move?
07:33Ocho, Ron, it's just a stretch,
07:35and this no-hitter will be the apex of the season, so enjoy it while it lasts.
07:41Not to mention the last no-hitter came in –
07:44somebody said the last no-hitter came in 2024.
07:47Astros serving up a nice helping of fool's gold is what someone text in.
07:52Does not change my mind.
07:54I will check on them in mid-August.
07:57Screw the Strohs.
07:59Oh, the Texans are playing screw the Strohs from the text line.
08:03Yeah, listen, it very well could be.
08:08I'm just saying, seven and three in their last ten,
08:12they've done what they needed to do for this to be even a conversation.
08:17If they come through in the rest of this series and the rest of the week,
08:22and we get to the weekend, and this is, all right,
08:25they've won a series against the Rangers.
08:27They've won a series against the Twins.
08:29Like, okay, here we go.
08:30So now it is a deal of, like, they're getting themselves closer.
08:35Who knows what the A's are going to be doing.
08:37All right, three and a half – three and a half out now with still some of the –
08:44I mean, with Altuve's out, but still knowing that your closer
08:47and your number one starter should be back pretty soon,
08:51that is a – that is at least a position that they had to put themselves in.
08:58Now, where they are right now, if Hunter Brown, Hader, Altuve returned,
09:04they're returning in a space where it matters.
09:07If you're seven and a half back right now and you're just losing
09:11and they're 12, 13 games under like they were, then it don't mean as much.
09:16But now they've put themselves in a position where it matters.
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