is it over you know it might be but the Rings will always fit hi I'm Weston I love talking about the Astros and I'm here to talk about the Astros versus Diamond Back series which took place over the weekend where the Astros win the series two games to one they win the first two very very confidently the offense looked fantastic the pitching in the first game was phenomenal pitching in the second game was fine and then they dropped the third and final game and yeah that's uh um that's what we're alluding to to begin with and we're going to get there but I really just want to go over some fun stuff first you know how last video I was talking about the fact that I'm not concerned when the top of the lineup doesn't really perform well for a series or for a week because I have the utmost confidence in players like yordan Alvarez Jose Altuve Alex bregman and everybody else not to forget the sport of baseball and how to hit a baseball um sometimes it takes a couple weeks for them to get their legs back under them and other time s they respond with this yordon Alvarez had more RBI through the first two games than the entirety of the Arizona Diamondbacks and it wasn't like the Diamondbacks got shut out they scored five runs they had a good offensive output yordon had six RBI in the first game of the series it took until like the series started Friday night and it took till Sunday afternoon for the Diamondbacks as a team to surpass yordon Alvarez and RBI which is is just so gosh darn fun that he's on our team and locked up long term have I mentioned that have I mentioned that maybe the greatest like James click on his way out was a World Series champion and yet the best gift he left the Astros might not be the World Series win it might be the fact that Jordan Alvarez is locked up through his prime making like $19 million it's just it's silly and goofy and I smile every time I think about it because holy crap they have him locked up through his prime for 19 a year that is dumb and ridiculous and Goofy also Altuve was back and good to the surprise of nobody bregman again back not particularly shocking Kyle Tucker did finally make his return which was very nice to see hopefully he can find his form again as we head towards the playoffs because him being good is uh you know important also Peña had some good hits that was really nice to see dbon had a really game through that series the offense looked great like even in their loss they put up six runs which is fantastic fantastic the offense was not an issue whatsoever first game you get a gem from farra Valdez go seven Innings shut out seven strikeouts I can't stop singing the Praises of FR Valdez and how Wild it is that I've just come full circle with this guy from like yeah no not really to oh wait this guy might actually be goated to kind of taking a step back from it kind of just being like yeah you know he's certainly solid and then when everyone started to turn in the midst of that he found so back he's never been more he I don't even know that he found back because I don't know that he was ever this and this is a bold statement because he's received sa young votes I don't know that he's ever been this good in this type of way where it's not just the ground balls and the really good bip luck behind one of the best defenses in the sport he's just good like he's pitching really really well when the Astros needed a pitcher to step up we thought of all people and this is insane like with the benefit of hindsight and it might still be like he had a bad game but I still think he can be really solid we thought it was going to be arag Getti stepping up fber stepping up he's taking the spot of Ace right now and he's pitching unbelievably well to do so and it's not just surface level it's the underlying numbers he is genuinely having a really really really good end of the season and if he can keep it up through the playoffs that would be fantastic Kikuchi had maybe his worst game as an Astro and it still was like it was not great I want to say it was six Innings a four run ball which is like you know subpar he still had six strikeouts and no walks I'm not going to say that he pitched a gem because he didn't he gave up four runs over six but like that's not a Burn It To The Ground thing that's not panicking that's just like yeah well you know he wasn't great the strikeout still get give me confidence the walks give me obviously utmost confidence placed a couple of bad pitches whatever you're not going to lose sleep over it um what you are going to lose sleep over is the final game of the series because Verlander pitched and since coming back from the injury he's had moments where you're like you know maybe he can come out of it um and he just hasn't he hasn't really found the ability to come out of it he's been somewhere between mid to slightly less than mid to terrible in the performances and that was probably the worst one where he gives up eight runs through three Innings pitched does not pick up a strikeout and if you want to hang your hat on something he only walked one but it's it's so there's so little to find good about that game for Verlander's performance and it sucks because and I'm not even talking about the money or the assets traded last season I'm talking about it just sucks and I don't like I can say that and I think everyone mut ually just kind of is like yeah I get exactly what you're saying I love Justin Verlander I adore Justin Verlander he's probably my favorite pitcher ever and I've said that a couple of times like I love Lance mccullers's Lance is a pitchure that I love watching but dude through all of it it's just always been Verlander like he is something special and I got to see him for my team I got to watch him pitch for my team I got to watch him win two World Series win an ALCS MVP win a bunch of different playoff games win a pair of sa young Awards and make a bunch of different All-Star games and start those All-Star games and throw a no hitter which is one of my favorite baseball memories of all time in one of my favorite seasons of all time maybe my favorite season of all time because by God 2019 was just so much fun and it's the unkind truth that it's inevitable eventually time comes for everyone and it sucks age looks like it finally is catching him and I'm not saying that with any like well I don't I say that through gritted teeth because I hate watching it because I never wanted to see him stop being him because he came back from a terrible injury in 2022 and won a sa young and it just hurts and I don't have specifics I don't have the numbers and I don't care this is a pitcher who's been for a large part and I think a lot of people can say this obviously he only came to the Astros in 2017 but for the massive baseball a massive people my age especially and even a bit older than me he pitched from like 2005 when he first started to currently he's been our childhood and it's a part of it that I it just hurts it's the same as seeing the different greats in the NFL go the different quarterbacks it's breeze it's Brady it's not Rogers quite yet that coming out later tonight by the way that's going to be interesting uh no no idea what that's going to look like it's Manning it's other Manning it's people that you've loved watching and a person like Verlander who always has just been a great competitor he's been seemingly a super fun personality around the sport and it's seeing the decline that came really hard and really quick and it just hurts I I don't think you can take away the roster spot and the way you've been gutted the minor leagues to get the pitching staff to be where it is currently it's not like you can just go back to the well you're not going to send him to Triple A you've got to write it out I think you've got to put him in the pen though I I don't think you can continue to have him start games and that's crazy to say but you just can't I I want to find a way to use him that is beneficial to this team and that is beneficial to him and that's the other part you owe it to him just as much to let not let him make not let him do this like it it sounds really bad and possibly even a bit goofy but like you almost owe it to him to not let him do this to himself like I understand that five runs all came in the Third how did you let him finish that inning why did you let him try to finish that inning he gives up three in the second the second a run crossed in the second you should have been thinking about like he's really been not looking at recently and you try to write it out and it just you've got to use him in a way that he actually can be useful to this team and I still think it's there somehow some way I still think he can be of good service and soak up good endings for this team but it's no longer as a starter and I don't know what I don't know what Bullpen Verlander looks like maybe it's worse but you've got to try something and I hope that through that something he can just find a enough gas to get through the postseason and maybe have a couple more even if it's just one inning even if it's just relief appearances a couple more vintage Verlander moments because by God I've got to see at least a couple more my heart needs to see at least a couple more and so now the Astros during an off day prepare for the ne and now during the off day the Astros will prepare for the Oakland Athletic series which will begin tomorrow and it's going to be the three- game series throughout the week I will be here after afterward to talk about that series but as for right now that is all I have to say so if you enjoyed the video please consider to like And subscribe thank you all so very much for watching I hope you all have an absolutely fantastic day and as always ghost Ros