Astros Lose 8-2 + Awful Pitching vs Nats + What's Their Biggest Need?

Summary

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Payne & Pendergast Podcast Summary

Episode: Astros Lose 8-2 + Awful Pitching vs Nats + What's Their Biggest Need?
Date: July 9, 2026
Hosts: Sean Pendergast & Seth Payne (with Luke Morrow sitting in for Sean at the top)

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Episode Overview

This episode dives deep into the Houston Astros' disappointing series loss to the Washington Nationals, spotlighting the team's glaring pitching woes, questions about rotation depth, and the debate surrounding the team's most pressing needs ahead of the trade deadline. Hosts Sean Pendergast and Seth Payne offer their trademark unfiltered takes, blending sharp baseball analysis with candid fan frustrations. The duo also explores systemic issues in Astros roster construction and how these challenges may derail their postseason aspirations.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

Astros’ Pitching Meltdown vs Nationals

• The Immediate Problem:
  • The Astros lost 8-2 to the Nationals, completing a series where the starting pitching was described as “abysmal and a disaster.”
    (02:44) Sean: "We sit here in the wasteland of the Nationals series, where your three pitchers, just 1, 2, 3, were absolutely abysmal and a disaster."
• Spencer Arrighetti's Struggles:
  • Arrighetti’s ERA ballooned to 8.74 over his last seven starts.
  • (03:22) Seth: “He now has an ERA of 8.74, so nearly nine in his last seven starts. For Arrighetti, after he started so great, this is a sharp regression to the mean.”
• Astros’ Rotational Uncertainty:
  • There's a lack of trust in almost every rotation option, including those coming off injuries (Hunter Brown, Javier, Blanco).
  • (05:05) Seth: "I don't feel so great about [Arrighetti] anymore. There's not a lot of guys you feel very good about in this rotation at this point as we head toward the All-Star break."

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The “One or Two Inning” Conundrum & Rotation Depth

• Inconsistent Outs and Burning the Bullpen:
  • Astros starters rarely make it deep, straining the bullpen nightly.
  • (04:44) Sean: “If any of these guys facing the Nationals could get through five innings, it would have been a damn miracle.”
• Imai’s Unique Frustration:
  • Unlike others, Imai gets pulled early with low pitch counts, potentially causing clubhouse grumbling.
  • (06:41) Sean: “Burroughs or Arighetti or anybody else will sit out there and they'll just take their medicine… Imai—I would be internally grumbling right now.”
• Dana Brown’s Approach Critiqued:
  • Offseason pitching reinforcements came by "quantity not quality," with most failing to stick.
  • (09:05) Seth: “They brought in those six arms. They have a combined ERA of nearly six this year. Three guys are already out of the big leagues… you could have devoted your resources to one more secure option.”

Notable Quote:
(08:54) Sean: “Dana Brown’s fix for this pitching problem has really just been hoping for guys to get healthy or just signing and trading for a bunch of nondescript guys… we saved a lot of money on five guys who aren’t doing a damn thing for you, but we saved a lot of money on them.”

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What’s the Astros’ Biggest Need at the Deadline?

• Has Pitching Superseded the Outfield as Top Priority?

  • Despite Dana Brown’s public comments that the “main need is still left-handed hitting outfielder,” both hosts strongly argue starting pitching is the clear priority.
  • (09:24) Seth: “Have we gotten to a point now where starting pitching has superseded or has become the bigger concern for this team than an outfielder?”
  • (11:30) Sean: “Starting pitcher for me right now feels like the biggest deal… you could bring in hitters… but they don’t do a damn thing about one of your starting pitchers imploding.”

• Sustainability Concerns:

  • Offense alone can't cover pitching failures—pointing out games lost despite double-digit runs scored.
  • (11:30) Sean: "They scored 11 runs the other night and still couldn't win… pitching still wins World Series."

• Recent Performance, but Fragile Foundations:

  • Post-May 21, Astros are 26-18, but with a rotation ERA of 5.60. Most wins came versus subpar teams.
  • (11:54) Sean: “They’ve been winning these games, but it’s just that it’s not sustainable versus good teams.”

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Organizational Approach, Big-Market Identity, and Fan Frustration

• Comparisons to Small Market Teams:
  • Astros' recent payroll austerity likened to the Rays, Brewers, Guardians, rather than true big-market operators.
  • (17:06) Seth: “They should be a big market team… yet they’re trying… to spend less. When, look, it’s not my money... but the third largest city now in the country… those teams spend.”
• Stuck in the Middle:
  • Not spending with the heavyweights, not rebuilding—just “half-measures.”
  • (17:46) Sean: “I do feel like sometimes they get stuck in the world of half measures... instead of just going full bore into it.”
• Verlander Comparison:
  • Hosts reminisce on the pivotal Justin Verlander acquisition as the kind of move that spurred a championship era, questioning if such a bold swing is possible or needed now.
  • (19:17) Seth: “Is there a Justin Verlander out there to be had this year for the Astros? Because boy, could they use somebody like that.”

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Astros’ Outlook: Mediocre Purgatory?

• “Mediocre, Not Bad”:

  • Frustration is not that the team is “bad” but frustratingly average—unlikely to tank or contend in current form.
  • (21:22) Seth reads a text: “The Astros are a bad team. They're a turd. You keep turning this turd over in your hands looking for something. Stop looking.”
  • (21:30) Sean: “That’s the problem though. They're not bad. They're mediocre. Which is the worst place to be.”

• Loss of “Astros Pitching Magic”:

  • The days of transforming nondescript arms into quality contributors (Charlie Morton, etc.) believed to be gone with Brent Strom’s departure.
  • (21:33) Sean: “Remember… how they always just take all these guys like Charlie Morton and turn him into the best version of themselves? Those days are gone. That is the withering breaths of Brent Strom as an Astro.”

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Memorable Moments & Notable Quotes (with Timestamps)

• On Arrighetti’s Downturn:
  • (03:22) Seth: “After he started so great, this is a sharp regression to the mean.”
• On Pitching Woes vs the Nats:
  • (02:44) Sean: “If any of these guys… get through five innings, it would have been a damn miracle.”
• On Roster Construction:
  • (09:05) Seth: “They brought in six arms. They have a combined ERA of nearly six this year. Three guys are already out of the big leagues.”
• On Small Market Mentality:
  • (17:06) Seth: “They should be a big market team… yet they’re trying… to spend less.”
• On Astros’ Status:
  • (21:30) Sean: “They’re not bad. They’re mediocre. Which is the worst place to be.”
• On Loss of ‘Pitching Fairy Dust’:
  • (21:33) Sean: “Those days are gone. That is like the withering dying breaths of Brent Strom as an Astro.”

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Important Segment Timestamps

• 02:44 – Astros pitching meltdown vs Nationals; rotation panic begins
• 03:22 – Arrighetti's struggles & regression
• 04:44-06:38 – Dissection of rotation, bullpen strain, and lack of trustworthy arms
• 09:05-09:23 – Deep criticism of Dana Brown’s offseason strategy
• 10:11-11:54 – Debate: pitching need vs adding a bat; sustainability issues
• 14:05-15:52 – Only series wins vs winning teams; rotation exposed by a decent NL opponent
• 17:06-19:17 – Organizational philosophy, missed ‘big-market’ opportunity, “Verlander type” appeal
• 21:22-21:33 – Fan frustration crescendo; “mediocre not bad”; end of pitching development magic

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Conclusion

The hosts paint a sobering picture of a once-mighty Astros machine now mired in mediocrity, hamstrung by poor pitching depth, risk-averse roster construction, and a front office seemingly content to shop for bargains rather than swing for difference-makers. Both lament that the team’s successes in the weak AL mask more fundamental problems—ones that could doom them if not addressed at the trade deadline. Fan discontent is growing, as evidenced by biting listener texts, and the call is clear: either make a bold move or risk a wasted season.

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Transcript

[Charles Barkley]

It's Charles Barkley here with Wayfair, and let me tell you, game day is serious business at my house. If I'm grilling, chilling, and watching hoops, my outdoor setup better be ready to play. That's where Wayfair wins. From patio seating and umbrellas to grills and grill accessories, Wayfair's got it all, and it shows up fast. I'm talking fast and easy delivery. So level up your grill game and your outdoor chill game and head to Wayfarer.com to get your outdoor space ready for the season.

[Sean Pendergast]

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So anyways, this has been a refreshing break. Brought to you by Snapple Real Tea.

[Sean Pendergast]

Real juice with Snap's a dizzy, refreshing sports radio 610 presents Seth Payne and Sean Pendergast.

[Charles Barkley]

We coming to eighth time. Let's get the work in, man.

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[Sean Pendergast]

Oh, give me some juice, baby. Oh, yeah. Let's do it.

[Seth Payne]

Happy Thursday. Appreciate you starting the morning with us Payne and Pendergast. I'm Luke Morrow, in for Sean alongside Seth Payne. Ben Gary on the steel wheels. As always, you can always join the conversation in the YouTube and Twitch chats on the text line.

[Sean Pendergast]

What's that about steel wheels?

[Seth Payne]

Ben's running things on the steel wheels.

[Sean Pendergast]

Oh, the steel wheel. I've never heard that before. Okay. No, yeah, I like that.

[Seth Payne]

Yeah, it's the phrase. You know, everyone always says ones and twos.

[Sean Pendergast]

Steel wheels or the 808 or the. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Ben's rolling on 20s. He's doing everything.

[Seth Payne]

That's right. He's he's, he's got the wheels of steel back there and keeping us on the track here, making sure everything goes smoothly. Everyone says ones and twos, you know, so and so on the ones and twos, but for the purpose of sports radio, not so much. I think that's more of a music thing, right? And then. And it's also kind of over. Everybody uses ones and twos. So I go steel wheels.

[Sean Pendergast]

That's a like the Astros pitching with their ones and twos. Who's their best pitcher, second best pitcher, fifth best pitcher at any given time, they're going one or two innings maybe. Hey, if you could get to five innings, if any, if any of these guys facing the Nationals could get through five innings, it would have been a damn miracle. But we sit here in the wasted, the wasteland of national series, where your three pitchers, just 1, 2, 3, were absolutely abysmal and a disaster. And we're now, we're just wondering what the hell the Astros are going to do about it.

[Seth Payne]

Yeah, it's who do you feel good about at this point? Right. I mean, so the Astros lose yesterday 8 to 2. Spencer Arrogetti got knocked around. He now has an ERA of 8.74, so nearly nine in his last seven starts. For Arrogetti, after he started so great, this is a sharp regression to the mean. So we've been talking last couple days about, like, Burrows, and we never really pondered Ericetti, but he continues to scuffle. I don't feel so great about him anymore. There's not a lot of guys you feel very good about in this rotation at this point as we head towards the All Star break as the Astros end up losing that series.

[Sean Pendergast]

Eric Eddie, I mean, we talked about Eric Eddie. Just because this is what he does. He goes through these streaks of good and bad and like he's it looked like he might have been lifting himself out of a bad streak, but then he was right back in it last night. And I keep reminding myself that the Nationals are the they've scored the most runs in Major League Baseball, or at least top two at any given time, and it's potent. But you'd like to think, okay, if this is a team that you're going to make aggressive moves at the deadline, that it's worth it and that you can actually, you can slug it out with teams like the Nationals who aren't even a good baseball team. They're just, they've got a really good offense and they've got paltry pitching, and it like right now it just does. It does. After that series is not a team that feels like, oh, yeah, just with a couple little tweaks. Here we go. We're off to the races. And we're stuck in a position yet again where just like last year when Dana Brown was saying that these guys coming off the il, that's. That's kind of where we're hoping to get a boost in the pitching. And I like. It's been a steady procession of guys coming back from the IL this year. And so far as we wait and see Hunter Brown get back into form, the trips back from the IL haven't done a damn thing for the starting pitching.

[Seth Payne]

Yeah, Javier pitched last night. Just an inning at the end of the game. He looked okay. He's looked okay in his two appearance. Not great.

[Sean Pendergast]

Might get a start on Sunday.

[Seth Payne]

Yeah, that's the weird thing. Dana Brown is playing it very close to the vest. He said Javier might be an option. I think he said Blanco. What was the phrase he used? Something like has an outside shot of being the starter on Sunday. Something along those lines. They haven't mentioned Lance McCullers name publicly that I've heard. They talked about Wisneski. Yeah. And that Triple A pitching prospect. I'm drawing a blank on his name at the moment, but he was just the pitcher of the month last month at aaa. There's. How about him? Potentially as an option, as a spot start for Sunday. So we'll see who actually gets gets that start. But all those names he mentioned, the guy's already in the rotation. Like, how many do you trust? We obviously don't trust Burrows. That's why he's in Triple A. I don't think we trust IME a whole lot at this point. I don't know if we can trust Eric, Eddie. And then because of those injuries, like, how much faith or trust can we really put in Javier and Blanco and McCullers and Wisneski.

[Charles Barkley]

Yeah.

[Seth Payne]

You know, and Lambert's another guy pitching really well. But then it's like, yeah, but you're kind of waiting for that other shoe to drop because he. He just hasn't done this over the course of an entire season. Hunter Brown's the only one. But even he hasn't been great since coming back from the. From the injury. I don't know who or how many you can trust right now in the starting rotation.

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[Sean Pendergast]

At the very least, there's no way. I just. I have a really hard time envisioning right now feeling good about imai at any point during this season. And even if he gets better, the thing that's bothering me the most about him, honestly, is that Burroughs, Burroughs or Araghetti or anybody else will sit out there and they'll just take their medicine. I the alright, you're having a rough day. But you know, we just flat out, we can't, we can't afford to just be burning up our relievers every single night and they sit out there and they take their medicine. Imai I like in the times that he's been pulled after one or two or three innings, it's not like he's racked up a pitch count up into the high 80s or anything. He's been pulled with 37 pitches. He's been pulled with 30 in the 30s a couple of times, in the 50s once. That's where I start to get to a point. I was trying to evaluate myself in these situations. If I were an Astros player where you're trying to always be a good dude and not criticize your teammates and everything, I would say I would be internally grumbling right now when, when Imai goes out there and it's not going well for him and he gets yanked. And meanwhile, maybe I'm a guy that's been left out there to die just to try to preserve the bullpen no matter how bad my performance is and everything. Like, there's a. There's almost. There's just. There's the performance side of things, but then there's also the all right, man, you made this mess. You got to deal with this instead of treating them like, yeah, like all these additions that Dana Brown made in the off season where he just threw numbers at it. Let's bring in all these starting pitchers and Lambert's the only one that's really worked out that, that there's like, at some point, what are you going to do to get yourself out of this mess? Like Dana Brown's Dana Brown's fix for this pitching problem has really just been hoping for guys to get healthy or just signing and trading for a bunch of nondescript guys in the off season. And then you spend the first half of the season realizing, oh, okay, well, Lambert's the only one we can really depend on. So sorry about that. Hey, we saved a lot of money on five guys who aren't doing a damn thing for you, but we saved a lot of money on them. So. So in the sum total, could you maybe have spent that money on a starting pitcher or something? Like a bonafide starting pitcher of Those five guys, it seems, seems like the math is relatively simple.

[Seth Payne]

Yeah, yeah, that's true. It's like quantity and quality. You know, they brought in those six arms. They have a combined ERA of nearly six this year. Three guys are already out of the big leagues and it's like, well, you brought in six different guys. You tried it with six RA pitchers and Lambert is the. Actually I don't think he's technically included in that six pitcher list.

[Sean Pendergast]

Yeah, you're right.

[Seth Payne]

He was signed to a minor league contract. So it's, you're like well hopefully one or two of these six hit or you could have just, you know, devoted your resources to one more secure option and, and felt a little bit about the rotation. Kind of like Sonny Gray they were in on. Sonny Gray reportedly got beat out by the Red Sox and now Gray is the second best ERA in the al. It's like man, it'd be nice if we had that guy in the rotation here. But to your point, the an article came out yesterday that Dana Brown said the Astros main need is still left handed hitting outfielder. There's plenty of holes in the lineup too, especially in that outfield. We know statistically it might be the worst in baseball, but have we gotten to a point now where starting pitching has superseded or has become the bigger concern for this team than an outfielder?

[Sean Pendergast]

Yeah, I feel like the, the hitting is a one in nine proposition on any given night and the one guy can help you and boost the lineup in other ways, etc. Etc. But just with this starting rotation the way it is right now, I just, I don't see how you make it through a seven game series. I think if you're going to get implosions from it, you're going to have at least two implosions on any given night or in any given series. If I take a seven game series and try to figure out whether I can trust Imai or I don't know if Burroughs came back up or if Javier's in there as the starter, do I trust that two of those guys are not going to have an implosion in a seven game series? And it's really hard to envision that. So and we, and look, we've seen the games the Astros have lost despite scoring double digit wins when one of your starting pitchers is having an implosion. Yeah, starting pitcher for me right now feels like the, the biggest deal in terms of just like there's that you could bring in, you could bring in hitters that could do some good things for you. But they don't do a damn thing about one of your starting pitchers imploding unless you can. Who are they going to bring in that you can count on, you know, scoring five runs on a night when your starting pitcher gives up seven or eight?

[Seth Payne]

Yeah, right. I mean, you have your down already playing at an incredible MVP pace and that's not enough. They scored 11 runs the other night and still couldn't win. So yeah, you know, it's still a case of pitching still wins World Series. If you look at recent World Series champions, their eras are all towards, you know, like the top 10 in the league. You still got to be able to pitch well. And right now, the Astros just still haven't been able to pitch good enough.

[Sean Pendergast]

Yeah, just from Kawahara in The Chronicle Since May 21, the record is 26 and 18. The starting rotations era in that time is 5.60. Like it's they've been winning these games, but it's just that it's not so sustainable. It's not sustainable versus Good teams. And great. You've been doing a good job of winning series and that's cool. A lot of them are against either mediocre or bad teams because you do play in the al, after all. But lo and behold, you go to your old nemesis over in the National League and it's just a completely different story.

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[Charles Barkley]

It's Charles Barkley here with Wayfair, and let me tell you, game day is serious business at my house. If I'm grilling, chilling and watching hoops, my outdoor setup better be ready to play. That's where Wayfair wins. From patio seating and umbrellas to grills and grill accessories, Wayfair's got it all and it shows up fast. I'm talking fast and easy delivery. So level up your grill game and your outdoor chill game and head to Wayfarer.com to get your outdoor space ready for the season.

[Sean Pendergast]

Wayfarer Every style, Every home

[Lowe's Advertiser]

Messy fans Lowe's messy halftime event hits July 19th. That's coming up fast. So now's a really good time to become a Milo's Rewards or my Lowe's Pro Rewards member. Join for free and get access to exclusive messy moments and epic surprises. Let's just say halftime's looking different this year. Make sure to follow Lowe's on TikTok and tune in to the Lowe's messy halftime event on July 19th. Members get more at Lowe's loyalty program subject to terms and conditions. Visit lowe's.com terms for details. Subject to change yeah, that's true, right?

[Seth Payne]

They played a decent team in the NL here this series and dropped two out of three in the starting pitching obviously couldn't hang. The Astro starters still have the second highest ERA in the majors. It's hard to win like that. We gave the example the other day of the 2006 Cardinals through the only team though that was able to in their case go all the way and win a World Series with a lousy pitching staff. You still need to be able to pitch to win and they just haven't done that consistently enough. Now to your point, it's a good thing they're in the AL and they've still been able to win series against these lousy teams. They that's part of the reason why the Astros have the fourth worst run differential still in the AL and yet are two games out of first place because that division and the AL are so bad. But this. Look, the Rays series was big this past weekend, no doubt. But then this was another opportunity to continue that momentum. You're on the road against a decent Nationals team, you lose the series. And I was thinking about this and I looked it up yesterday, but you know they've only had winning series against winning teams three times. The Guardians, who are one game over.500. The Cubs, who are having a good year. But remember when the Astros played the Cubs, they were in that middle of like a 10 game losing streak. And then this past weekend against the Rays, which really was a good series. If I'm nitpicking, you could point out the this comeback on Saturday that that was the difference in the series victory. But my point being in all this, where we're on July 9th, we're almost at the All Star break, you can only point to three teams with a winning record that the Astros have actually taken a series from. So while we talk about all these series wins and that's great, you know, it's been mostly against the Royals and the Tigers and the Twins and these teams that are just lousy and when you Play a Nationals team, pitching staff gets exposed.

[Sean Pendergast]

Yeah. And I think part of it, too, man, there's like last night, Bryce Matthews, you know, misses out on a fly ball and deep center field. And the. There's a part of it with this team where it just feels like they're stuck. They're stuck in this. They're stuck in this gray area of, you know, all right, you're going to play your young guys, you're going to play your guys with upside. That's great. That's cool. You're hoping that Bryce Matthews is starting to turn the corner as a hitter, but it just feels like you're. It feels like you're doing the kinds of things that you'd be doing in the middle of a tank or a reset and getting your. And that's part of Dana Brown's whole philosophy anyway, is he gets young guys out there as soon as possible and lets them learn on the fly. I like. That's a great, like, Tampa. Tampa Bay raised philosophy or something in the way that they typically. Not this year, but the way that they've operated in a lot of ways. But this is the Houston freaking Astros, man. It's not supposed to be like this. Like, you're so, like, this is. This is not a. This is not a. Hey, let's just. Let's just roll things out there and see how they do and eventually it'll all work out. And then. Especially when you're having conversations about whether to be active at the trade deadline or not.

[Seth Payne]

Yeah, that's been one of my biggest complaints for the last year or two, that they should be a big market team or operating like such, like a top five team in the league. And yet they're trying in recent years, the payroll's gone down three straight years. They're trying to be more like the Rays or the brewers or even the Guardians. And the brewers and the Guardians and the Rays, they all find ways to win while spending less. But the Astros at times have really made it harder on themselves here in recent years by trying to spend less. When, look, it's not my money. It's easy for me to say, but I don't think that should be the case. It's the. The third largest city now in the country. It's a big market. You've had success the past decade. I put you in the same category as the Cubs and the Mets and the Yankees and the Red Sox and all those teams and those teams spend. They're not in the bottom of the league.

[Sean Pendergast]

Well, that's where The Astros are kind of stuck in a weird spot though too where Jim Crane has spent into the competitive balance pretty like, pretty regularly.

[Seth Payne]

Yeah.

[Sean Pendergast]

It's just that also they're not, they're. They're a large city, but not one of the biggest markets. And they're right there, right, right, right between the top tier markets and the mid tier ones. And they spend like aggressively for their weight class, but it's still not enough to just ever, you know, you just don't have the revenue to keep up with the Dodgers and teams like that. The Dodgers, the Dodgers, their, their revenue is something absurd. It's like 50% higher than the, than the next highest team or other than like out outside of it. It's ridiculous. So I don't, I'm always torn on that. I just, I do feel like sometimes they get stuck in the world of half measures and instead of just going full bore into, full bore into it, they're just always looking for the bargain or the semi aggressive signing or, or whatever it might be. And it's just, it's been an, it's been an UNCOM gray area for a few years now. And we say this is. Justin Verlander announces his retirement. The original pivotal big move there was actually a pretty financially easy move for them to make, or it was an easy trade for them to make back in the day. But that was like, that was the, that was the first really, really bold move that just pivoted everything for the Astros as the golden era began.

[Seth Payne]

Yeah, is there a Justin Verlander out there to be had this year for the Astros? Because boy, could they use somebody like that. Not, not Justin Verlander in 2026, but that type of move when it happened nearly a decade ago. Feedback. You can always text the show 713-572-4610. And right now, Astro fans, Seth, they're having a hard time. People are already saying time for football, Football, football, football was another message that came in. Someone said, complete crap, really. Somebody said, I have to compete or I have to watch a mid team in a bad division with no chance. It's meaningless. So a lot of negativity amongst the Astro fans suddenly this morning, it's a rough time.

[Sean Pendergast]

July is a really, really rough time to be languishing in Major League Baseball. The kids are home, they're annoying you all day long. There's just you. It's hot. You don't want to go outside. There's everything. There's nothing else going on in the major sports world other than this and at least in the last couple years, the Astros have done us the honor of making a push this time of year and get you feeling good about things. And it's they. But again, that's where it goes. It gets so frustrating and annoying that they have been making a push in terms of wins and losses, but they've just got these incredibly huge chasms in your starting pitching rotation that make it really impossible to look at this as anything that's going to be suspended, sustainable through tough parts of the schedule, or certainly in a, in a playoff series.

[Seth Payne]

Yeah, yeah, it is. It's Some of it's kind of the fool's gold of like, sure, you can make the playoffs, but this does still does not seem like a team that can truly compete. By the way, thank you to the texter that that reminded me. It's Ethan Peko is that minor leaguer I referenced earlier. He was the pitcher of the month for June, but his ERA is still like 4.78 in AAA. But he's somebody that I know Astro fans are trying to get excited about. Of like, man, our starting pitching is not very good. Maybe this kid can come up and really develop into something.

[Sean Pendergast]

We'll see.

[Seth Payne]

And lastly, on the text line, someone said the Astros are a bad team. They're a turd. You keep turning this turd over in your hands looking for something. Stop looking.

[Sean Pendergast]

So that's the problem, though. They're not bad. They're mediocre.

[Seth Payne]

Yeah.

[Sean Pendergast]

Which is the worst place to be. It's just the absolute worst place to be when. And you just keep trying to swap out for a Sanchez for a Lo Profito or let's say, hey, let's see. Let's see which one of these nondescript pitchers can come in here and take advantage of the Astros car wash. Remember, remember how they always just take all these guys like Charlie Morton and turn him into the best version of themselves? Those days are gone. Like, that is like the withering dying breaths of Brent Strom as an Astros. Like they've all evaporated out of the building. There's none of the. There's none of the. There's none of the Brent Strom magic left in there anymore. Whatever residue they were smoking off of his old. His old seat in the clubhouse, it's been spent.

[Seth Payne]

Yeah. Ah, the good old days. Hey, let us know on the text line, what is what has become the biggest Astros need now? Who do you actually Trust in this rotation? 713-572-4610. Baseball Talk on Sports Radio 610 is presented by Xfinity Score, the most reliable Wi Fi 1 price 5 years guaranteed Xfinity. Imagine that coming up. We referenced this yesterday, but we really didn't dive into it. ESPN's been doing this top 10 ranking each day and they did put out yesterday the top 10 edge rushers, which bodes well for the Texans, but also begs the question of how much pressure is on this Texans team here and now. We'll talk about that next. Payne and Pendergast

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[Sean Pendergast]

Real juice with snaps and then refreshing.

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[Seth Payne]

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[Sean Pendergast]

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Oh nuts.

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[Sean Pendergast]

One at a time.

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