Houston Sports Talk: Astros Lead AL West, Texans Prep for Season
Transcript
00:00Always good to hook up with
00:07Sean Pendergast from 610 AM
00:09Sports Talk in Houston in
00:12H-Town. He does the morning
00:13drive show and you can follow
00:14him on X at Sean T Pendergast
00:17P-E-N-D-E-R-G-A-S-T on X and
00:20it's good to get him back on
00:21Coast to Coast. He was just at
00:23Texans Camp. We'll talk about
00:26them in a second. I want to
00:27start with the Astros because
00:29they've had six in a row.
00:32Bregman and Alvarez co-player
00:35at a week in the AL. You just
00:37told me that Verlander has
00:40looked good in his rehab and is
00:42close. So, they took over first
00:47in the West last night from
00:48Seattle but that's kind of been
00:51going back and forth. I thought
00:53you know, the big series in
00:55Seattle was going to be more
00:57beneficial to him. It really
00:58But here they are a half game
01:00up and they're hot and they've
01:01won six straight seven of ten.
01:03What do you think of what
01:04you're seeing from him lately?
01:06Yeah, it's it's been good
01:08Scotty. They they went through a
01:10little bit of a lull with the
01:11bats. Uh you know, a week or so
01:13ago, they actually play much
01:15much better this team on the
01:16road than they do at home and
01:18that goes all the way back to
01:19the end of last year when they
01:21were in that dogfight for the
01:22division and it looked like boy
01:23the schedule was real favorable
01:25They had the A's and the Royals
01:26a whole bunch of games at home
01:27and then they were down to nine
01:29on a homestand down the stretch
01:31for whatever reason this team
01:33plays better on the road and
01:35they play up to and down to the
01:37level of their competition this
01:39year. You know, some of the
01:40series of late that they've
01:41actually had a lot of success.
01:42They won a series against the
01:43Dodgers. They swept the Orioles,
01:45you know, about six weeks ago.
01:48They they uh you know, they
01:50they they took uh they they
01:52they've beaten a bunch of teams
01:54that would be in the play. They
01:55swept the Red Sox in Boston this
01:57year, the biggest offense in
01:58baseball. So, it's not record
02:00wise. It's not where the Astros
02:02are used to being but you can
02:04see kind of the you can still
02:06see somewhere in there. The team
02:08that that has made it to seven
02:10straight ALCS and a lot of the
02:11things they were dealing with
02:12early in the year were injuries
02:14to the pitching staff and they
02:15just had some huge performances
02:17over the last couple of months
02:18from some of the young pitchers
02:19Hunter Brown in particular has
02:21really been like an ace over the
02:23last couple of months and now
02:25you start to see Spencer
02:26Arrigetti putting some good
02:27starts together. Ronald Blanco
02:28has done some good things.
02:29They're going to get Verlander
02:30back here pretty soon. He's
02:31obviously an older guy but um
02:33and then we'll see with
02:34Kikuchi gets his third start
02:35tonight. So, it's come together
02:37in a very strange way for them
02:39but as you talked about, I was
02:41listening to you guys uh in the
02:42previous segment, it's still the
02:44old guard of Altuve and
02:46Bregman and Jordan that getting
02:48it done with the bats that are
02:49ultimately going to be what
02:50probably carries this game.
02:51What's the deal with Tucker?
02:54Man, it's I wish II wish we knew
02:57that at the Astros are this
02:59this era of Astros baseball of
03:01all the teams that I've not only
03:03covered but rooted for might be
03:04the most dodgy and kind of
03:06dishonest when it comes to
03:08sharing information on injuries.
03:10We've been given a roller coaster
03:12ride with this Tucker thing with
03:14this foul ball off the shin
03:15which I was at that game sitting
03:16in the second row about ten feet
03:18from where it happened and he
03:20actually tried to stay in that
03:21game in June 3rd and now here we
03:23are. We're coming up on
03:24September soon and he's he's
03:26still out. So that injury is
03:28obviously pretty serious. We got
03:30kind of our first glimpse. I
03:31guess what the truth might look
03:33like yesterday because some
03:34video surface of him working out
03:36in the outfield in Tampa before
03:38the game between the Astros and
03:39the Rays. He's obviously on the
03:40injured list, but he's traveling
03:41with the team again and he still
03:43looks like he's limping around
03:45on that thing. So I don't think
03:47if we see Tucker this year at
03:49this point, it certainly won't
03:50be until September because he's
03:52still limping around and even
03:53once he gets fully healthy, he's
03:55going to have to go do some
03:56rehab baseball in Sugar Land or
03:58Corpus Christi with a minor
04:00league affiliate. So, so that's
04:02a that's a big one Verlander and
04:04Tucker. It's you know, it's like
04:06you're getting back, you know, a
04:08quasi ace and an MVP candidate
04:10if they're both able to come
04:11back healthy. You talked about
04:13some of the big games they've
04:14won against good teams and this
04:17streak started when they won the
04:19series against the Rangers at
04:21Globe in Arlington. Then they
04:23went to Fenway as you mentioned
04:26and swept. Now, you're in the
04:29trap down in Tampa. You're
04:31seeing this kid coming Yarrow
04:32tonight and Kikuchi's going
04:35tonight and then I think they
04:37wrap it up there tomorrow. Then
04:39they go back to Minute Maid and
04:41they have the lowly White Sox
04:43who kicked the Yankees ass last
04:45night, but you got the lowly
04:47White Sox who you should crush
04:49and then you got Boston again in
04:52Houston. Do you feel as I told
04:55you before like on this show,
04:56I've been riding the Astros for
04:58two months that they're going to
05:00win the West. I said over and
05:02over on his shoulder of the best
05:03team. They're the best team in
05:04the division. They're one of the
05:06best teams in baseball when they
05:08get their act together. They're
05:09going to they're going to win
05:10that division and to me being up
05:12a half game is I'm chewing
05:14nails. Are they going to come
05:16through and win the division
05:18with all these games? They got
05:19coming up at home. Yeah, I think
05:22they are and I say that even
05:24after talking about how they've
05:25kind of struggled at home of
05:27late and then late in the season
05:29last year, but I think they're
05:31just I they're just too
05:32talented and they've had to
05:33overcome so much just to get
05:35here. They started out 12 and
05:3724 this year. So I mean that
05:39that's that obviously that chunk
05:41of baseball is an outlier for
05:42this team. I rarely have big on
05:4412 and 24 if ever during this
05:46run going back to 2017. So
05:49that's a total outlier since
05:50they started 12 and 24. They've
05:52given up the least runs in
05:54baseball and now they're
05:55getting Verlander back. The
05:57bullpen is starting to round
05:58into form and at least two
06:00starts in the Cucucci trade, you
06:02know, even though they got
06:03widely panned for it for giving
06:04up the prospects. They gave up
06:05two starts in the Cucucci trade
06:08looks pretty good. Now. We'll
06:09see what happens what happens
06:10tonight, but the Astros have
06:12done an amazing job this year in
06:14terms of coaching with the
06:15pitching and with like from
06:18Valdez. They started to have him
06:20use his curveball more when
06:21Hunter Brown had a 10 era
06:23through May Alex Bregman sat
06:25down with him on the team plane
06:26and said, dude, you need to
06:27throw your sinker more and he
06:28started throwing a sinker more
06:29and now the guy is a quality
06:31start every time he goes out
06:32there Cucucci comes into the
06:34building and they said dude, you
06:36know, I'm oversimplifying it
06:37here Scotty, but they he threw
06:39his change up like 10% of the
06:40time in Toronto and they said
06:42you need to throw that change up
06:43more and use it more and do it
06:45strategically. He's basically
06:46tripled the use of his change up
06:48and now he's come in and he's
06:49given them two really good
06:50starts since coming into the
06:52building. So they've been able
06:54to kind of piece the thing
06:55together and kind of muck it
06:56through June. And then, you
06:57know, since the start of July,
06:59they've been one of if not the
07:00best teams in the American
07:01League if they're fully healthy
07:04and they've been playing the way
07:05they're playing, especially if
07:06they get Tucker back, then I
07:07think you're, you know, if
07:08you've got them winning the
07:09division, I think you're in
07:10really good shape. I think
07:11you're in good shape anyway,
07:12they've seen this movie, you
07:15know, so many times now down the
07:16stretch in September. No team is
07:18more battle tested in September
07:19and October than the Houston
07:21Astros. So you were at Texans
07:23camp. I got a couple minutes
07:25here. Respectfully. They they
07:28kicked the Steelers ass. The
07:30expectations are through the
07:32roof for this football team
07:34after what Stroud did last year.
07:36Can they live up to all of it?
07:39The schedule is really tough.
07:40They step up big time in weight
07:42class this year in terms of the
07:43quarterbacks that they play and
07:45just the teams that they play.
07:46They're getting a first place
07:47schedule now and those three
07:49variable games in the schedule
07:50for them are Baltimore, Kansas
07:52City and Dallas and they're all
07:53primetime games and Christmas
07:55games and things like that. I do
07:57think they're built for this
07:58though. CJ Stroud, you watched
08:00him. He's mature beyond his
08:01years. You know, he's battle
08:03tested from back at Ohio State
08:05and the rookie year he had. I
08:06think the big key is D'Amico
08:07Ryan's who just does a really
08:10good job of filtering out all
08:11that noise good and bad with
08:12this team and they've even
08:14though they play a harder
08:15schedule. They've made major
08:16upgrades on offense with step
08:17step on Diggs who has fit in
08:18incredibly. He's been their
08:20best offensive player in
08:21training camp. I've been to
08:22every practice so far other
08:23than the three they had in Ohio
08:25last week. He's been their best
08:27player offensively and Daniel
08:29Hunter has been an absolute
08:30monster defensively for them
08:32both in practice and in that
08:33Steelers game on Friday. So
08:35there they put a roster together
08:37that is absolutely up for this
08:38challenge. No question about it.
08:40Yeah, I watched the game as you
08:43know, I'm a Steeler fan. I
08:44watched the game. I wanted to
08:45puke. I mean, I thought the
08:47Texans pushed him around. I
08:49mean, I they roughed up fields
08:51they, you know, he fumbled a
08:53couple snaps. I thought Houston
08:55like didn't care about the
08:56preseason. Meanwhile, I thought
08:58they look fantastic. I will
09:00tell you I don't trust Steph
09:03Diggs. I think he's cancer
09:05waiting to happen. He's going
09:07to snap at some point. The
09:08leopard doesn't change his
09:09spots. I worry about him. He's
09:11fantastic. Great player does it
09:13but once he's not happy, he
09:14turns into a jerk. I hope he
09:16doesn't ruin that team.