Martin Maldonado has spent the past two postseason runs as an auxiliary catcher in Houston, so it was only natural for them to give him a starting job here for once. But it kind of makes sense, as this is the part of July where he ends up being traded here anyway.
Machete is facing some differences with this specific Astros squad. First of all, Dusty Baker is manager, and he seems to be off to an alright start with the club. Secondly, Justin Verlander just hit the DL and will probably be out for the remainder of the season. And lastly, every single club in the majors hates them for cheating, something done a year before Machete joined the club in the first place.
Good news is the Astros are up 2-1 after a productive series against the Mariners. They still have an ace to spare with Zack Greinke, who was...human but alright today against the M's. Machete himself already has 5 hits in 3 games, including 6 RBIs, so he's an improvement. Brantley, Correa and Gurriel seem to be off to the best starts, and they're relying more on hits than on straight homers. And Abraham Toro and Kyle Tucker's bench work has confirmed that this team still has depth.
Now, the real test is gonna be rotation depth, because aside from Greinke and McCullers, the Astros may not have many solid arms left to really provide a front [thanks Wade and Gerrit, for leaving]. A great lineup can only get you so far [see: Phillies, Philadelphia], and a great farm system can only produce so many accurate starting pitchers. You can hope someone like Josh James or Framber Valdez will be able to willfully start games, but...with the Dodgers heading to town soon, with their expansive, impressive rotation, will it be enough?
Coming Tomorrow- Speaking of catchers, a reliable-hitting backstop for a less-than-reliable NL West team.
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