MLB Network | Mark Derosa breakdown Jason Heyward homers, Astros defeat Athletics 6-3 to avoid sweep

been a very tough pill to swallow you going to Anaheim and I would have felt bad for TK and Blum on that long flight to Anaheim that would have been that would have been miserable for him but thankfully they came alive the bats came alive at the end and when they really needed them and they had a big eth in and it was it was M it was marvelous to see all right speaking of that eighth inning yordon let it off and he hit one we thought may had a chance got to the warning track in left field but then after that just the hits just kept on coming started with the AER started the night H parade baby Hit Parade and they took advantage of it you know starting off getting to mcfallen with a left look at that s swing by Kyle Tu you can see him starting to come along hit him where they ain't man Third Base he shifted him over he hit it right down pretty much right where the third base would be playing at that's good hitting yeah then John Singleton this with two outs and Runners on the corners the Astros with a lot of damage in this game with two outs a lot of damage with two outs but you see him just Reach Out And Touch it like AT&T right there not trying to do too much with it like he said just trying to put the ball in play pass the if he can and that's exactly what he did and Jake Myers takes over for with a double in the Gap yeah the first of three straight at bats that ended up in hits there was an intentional walk in there as well but Jake Meyers he just kept kept on it just kept it going TJ McFarland and gr homeman just really couldn't stop the bleeding out of that Bullpen for the ace Noe B Be B ass on and I like that extension by Jake Myers off a second base and this is the reason he's able to store because D Cameron really closing on that ball and if you see the replay you'll see how much big of an ex Stitch and he got off of second base in which it was able which was why he was a look at that right there as soon as it was hit he broke and DZ closed on it ptis sent him and he beat this about throw barely but that extension is why he was able to barely beat that throw I love the aggressive send though in a situation like that make it a three run make him make a play make him make him throw you out at the play if they throw you out tip the cap but as you see it was a perfect throw perfect charge on the ball still couldn't get him so that's what you that's what you mean right there well off fber Val has done the last couple of starts was throws seven no hit Innings then seven shutout Innings what would he do today well it wasn't quite that good but it was pretty darn good fromer Valdez on top of his game against six punch outs he gave up the one earned run in this ball game on just five hits but again pitching into the seventh inning giving you a six and a third of outstanding pitch pitching in this game goes 96 pitches I'm telling you when he has that split split change finger pitch that he throws whichever you want call a split all change when he has that working along with that Sinker oh my goodness man he is nasty to me and he had the curve ball working down in the way I mean a really could do nothing with him he had all three working and they just were off balance the whole day you know he the ground ball and you have to give the defense credit behind him pya made some plays gregman almost came up with an amazing play he was so mad at himself but all in all duban right here you see him come over there and make that play that play looks like it's routine but it's not going to his right throws it going to his going to his left and makes makes an amazing play as well what's it like facing a guy cuz it I I I've never faced major league pitching I watch it on TV like everybody else there's some people you know there there that late just little bit of movement to miss miss a sweet spot fber looks like he's throwing a Whipple ball I mean there's times when that you see that two that that Sinker runs in or runs arm side then you'll see the the curveball that drops the way it does what's that got to be like with the movement that you because you don't see movement on most guys like you do with fber Valdez I agree especially as throwing as hard as he does and for that long so you're going to probably face him three times through the lineup just because he usually goes deep in the game six seven Innings and you're a visiting team so the first three guys probably going to get four or five four bats at the minimum off of him the hardest part about him is sometimes he front doors it as a right-hand hitter and sometimes he leads it out over the plate so you have to make your mind of which one you want to do and sometimes even when it's out over the play it's sinking down for a left that's why you don't see a lot of lefties facing it's it's very tough to hit it and Butler actually got a hit off him got a sinker in it was a double down the line but it was like a jam shot double that was a lucky hit but you know as a lefty I would never like facing him I wouldn't want to face I wouldn't want to face I would face him but I wouldn't pick that's who I would pick and go face him he just has unbelievable stuff he knows how to place it as well and sometimes he takes he takes a little bit off off the velocity just to make the sink and goes go a little stay in the zone I think Lawrence Butler would say you you forgot how hard this there are no lucky hits against he would left on left on left against Robert Valdez don't forget how hard this game is that's true that's true it's very hard I know but you heard me say no all right seventh inning this is when the A's got on the board starts off very solid two base hit into right center field and now all of a sudden with Jacob Wilson at second base A's have a little something going they wouldn't be done that's solid base hit as well that would tie this game that was a one out single that would tie the game tie the game making part make it 2-1 game then Brian Bru comes in yes he did you know he comes in and does exactly what he need got a ground hard ground ball the first face singles to tags first face makes a great throw PR put the tag on Dad's camera and we're out the end yeah it was just uh yeah and Brian BR you that was we saw how just absolutely dominate he was a couple nights ago when he came into the game tonight had to throw all of two pitches to get two outs that's great he was dominant he pitched two innings had 20 pitches this is perfect for him two pitches and why I say that because guess what the road trip is starting we got 14 more in a row now so that is perfect for him I know the I know the coaching staff and the Pitcher staff were very elated to know that he didn't have to come in and do a lot of work tonight yeah and the back this is in fact a couple of nights during this series that you got your starting pitcher go into the seventh inning uh you're going to be if you're going to go with this you know obviously you're going to be six six man rotation you're going to you're order in the bullpen you need length you always need length out of your starters but particularly during a stretch in which you have 16 games in 16 days yes no off days you know so sometimes they have to piece things together they tried to do it in the Extra Inning game but they had to do what they had to do end up losing that one but that that one hurt so then the next day had to that rolls over to that day and today was even better because frano was able to come in and give us get into the seventh inning and do what he had to do but the bullpen came in and they wasn't they wasn't particularly well with Presley and but ha was better but pressy gave up that game time home run but guess what the offense picked him up so that's what I like about it if they if that if the bull pin is falling a little bit offense pick them up at that time because they'll pick you up at times too team effort uh certainly that was the case here today Astros they win at 63 over the Oakland time for us to hear from the manager Joe asot it is presented by Nissan yeah and you know that's a good way to start because he has contributed um immensely um big hits you know he gives you a quality of bat finds the barrel um you know ability to walk so you know um i' I've thrown a few a few guys out there and everyone finds a way to you know contribute and John has done uh a really really good job what did you think about how you guys were just able to string together hits there in that e yeah they bottom our lineup you know Jay got a big knock um Heyward big two-run Homer intentionally walk him to to pitch with dubon dubon finds a hole um you know that that's that's big when we can stretch it out and get big hits from everyone we found oursel you know scoring some some runs late in the game and uh we got a little bit of cushion there so um that was that was the case today you think I thought he was I thought he was really good again you know deep counts those guys to see a lot of pitches um you know it they're they're better than what the record reflects how good they' being in the second half because those guys are starting to figure some stuff out offensively right like they they could prolong on that bat they got some power with you know Rooker is a threat you know it's like they they find ways to score runs so you know credit to Valdez he finds way to get people out you know ground balls when he needed to um I thought personally the play of the game was the uh the play in the fifth the Allen ground bought up the middle um if that ball gets through you know his pitch coun is going up now you got to deal with Butler and Rooker it would have been completely different game if Jeremy doesn't make it that was for me the the play of the game Singleton on the other end of that one too yeah you know keeping you know finishing the play I just thought that when that played happened you know as a manager you like all that I got to write down because that can completely you know change the outcome of the game how I managed the bullpen I got to get somebody it just changes a lot of things so Jeremy finishing that play with sing that was that was huge how have you seen this year maybe in game like overcome some of the small stuff that could go wrong whether it's stuff in the first inning or or just how has he been able to kind of settle himself and overcome some of that stuff has it been better this year than years yeah you know and and I've been here for many years with fber when he first came up and conversations in between Innings conversation after outings and he's he's done a lot of growing up um you know plays behind him or Miss call he has done a better job of controlling his emotions I I'm one pitcher away to getting out of the inning um and and good pitchers Aces they do that and I think framber has you know turned the corner and been more mature because you know we need him to get big wins and just like this one so [Music] been see yeah so he was asking about TW way so we went to got some images more done here um and it looks things look okay um nothing that I can report here you know that I can tell you that I'm I'm that I'm worried about um this being more than just a day-to-day thing so we we were able to answer those questions like doing a game sorry one more thing on single like about his approach you know number one you got you got to be able to control the strike zone he's always swings to strikes you know he's something that he's done since he first got to the big leagues and anytime you could do that and now you he's so strong you get the barrel to the pitches that you know you can handle you got you got a chance um so as long as he continues to do that you know he's he's a threat especially I against ra handy pitching um so credit to him he's been consistent you know he he waits for the for his opportunities and he has um he has made the best out of them by guys [Music] there is a speed bump on the front there is a speed bump on the front there's a speed bump on the front