The Matt Thomas Show with Ross - Brian McTaggart Discusses Hunter Browns Absence & Astros Next Steps

Episode Date: April 9, 2026

Brian McTaggart Discusses Hunter Browns Absence & Astros Next Steps

11.03 on Sports Talk 790. We're going to spend 10 quality minutes with our close personal friend. The one, the only. Brian McTaggart here on the show. Before we get to McTaggart, do you have it? Let me know when you do. All right. This is Dana yesterday with Dan and Cole on his weekly visit discussing the Hunter Brown injury situation.

And I don't want to say it was flummoxed, but I was like. Vexed? Yeah, it was definitely vexed. Here is Dana on Hunter and what he saw and now the results of the shoulder string, which we found out just a couple days ago. I think one of the things, and we were talking about it internally, is Brown came in the camp, and he was red hot from beginning. You know, he was 96 to 98, and, you know, he was throwing hard,

and we were, you know, kind of all taken back a little bit. I think he was just so ready to go and he was so amped up. he was probably throwing a little too hard maybe for spring training. I wouldn't mind seeing him throwing, you know, 94 to 96, every now and in touch of seven. But, I mean, he came in guns blazing. And, you know, I'm not sure if that's the reason. But I would say that he came in hot. All right.

So Brian McTagger, next time you cover spring training, which will probably be in two years. If you see Hunter Brown throwing 97, we'd tell him to back it off a little bit for us, please. Yeah, I mean, he does. definitely was hitting 98 in the spring. And I think it was maybe his effort, after his third spring training start and we were talking to him after. We're like, man, you look like you're ready to go. I mean, you're hitting 98. And he was like, yeah, I feel ready to go for the season. So, you know, these guys used to come to spring training and start throwing their bullpins in Florida. And then they would go from there. Now when they come to spring training, they're like, oh, I'm throwing four or five

bullpins back home. I started throwing in January. It seems like that they're starting earlier. Right. So I don't know if that. leads to anything, but it certainly seems like they're throwing more often than they used to be back in the day and guys are getting hurt more. So who knows, we don't know why he got injured, but he certainly looked, you know, a month ago like he was ready for the start of the season. So let's put things in progression a little bit here, moving along. We got Jake Myers coming down here to get testing done. What do we know about Christian Javier and where he is at this exact moment. Not sure if he came to Houston or what. I mean, I guess it would surprise me if he

hadn't come to Houston on the off day to figure out what was going on there too. I mean, there's no need for him to go to Seattle at this point. But I do know that Taylor Tremel will be in Seattle to join the team. J.P. France as well will be in Seattle to join the team. So that tells you right there, Myers is going on the injured list. Neither one of those guys are on the 40 man, but they do have an open 40-man spot, and they can move, you know, a guy on the 15-day L to the 15-day IL to the 60-man. I think Blanco is still on the 15-day. So not any big-time 40-man implications, but, I mean, they, here we are still mid-A

and they're already really testing their depth and reaching down to AAA and bringing guys up that they thought maybe they wouldn't need to later in the season. It's crazy that we kind of bragged on the Astros' depth and pitching, But you look at it and you're going, all right, it's okay to brag on it when you lose a three, four, and five in your rotation. When you lose the number one guy, the guy that you're building around is your true ace, it just stings a little bit more. Yeah, and they didn't expect that. I mean, Hunter's been a guy who's been healthy his entire career. I mean, they like the fact that they had Aragetti and AAA, Jason Alexander and Triple-Oid, Colton, Gordon, J.P. France. like, okay, if one of our other starters, our middle starters go down.

You know, we have these guys who've been up the last couple of years and have given us some good innings. You feel good about that, but you did not expect your ace to go down. And you're not going to replace him with anybody at AAA of that caliber. So, yeah, I mean, you know, we'll have to wait and see the extent of the injury and how long it is until he comes back. It's not, nothing about it is good. Nothing about it feels good if you're the Astros. and getting swept and really the entire road trip, but not off to a good start at all.

So there's nowhere to go but up from here. And so they're going to need some of these depth pitching guys to step up. And that includes guys like Blue Ball who didn't pitch well when he came in, but he's going to have to pitch better. France is going to have to come in and pitch better. And they're going to have to eat some innings and get deep into the game. Otherwise, this is going to spiral and get out of control pretty quickly. Spiral is the word I was just about to use Brian because, okay, it's, we know it's beginning of April,

so we don't want to panic. It's a long season. But as you said, I mean, this looks like this is a situation that's not good and that when you have these starters who aren't pitching the way they are. And then you mentioned blue ball getting lit up. I mean, Ryan Y started off okay. And then he's been getting lit up. And Brian Abray, who just has given up a run every time he's gone out there.

We're focusing a lot on the starting injuries and rightfully so. But, I mean, there's got to be a lot of work. for Joe's spot in his bullpen. Well, and that goes to the starters. When these guys aren't going deep, you know, the starters aren't going in the fifth or sixth inning very much. Now you're putting extra pressure on the bullpen. And they brought in, you know, three wrong, long relievers,

because they knew that there were a couple of guys, specifically McCullors and Javier who wouldn't go deep in the games. But now, you know, Burroughs isn't going deep in the games. And now Hunter Brown's out. So it's just putting pressure on everybody. And this really started at the beginning of spring training when, when Hader was injured and was going to have to start the season on the aisle, and then you move a Breu into the closer role, which, you know,

he wasn't actually great at. You know, you'd rather have him in the setup role, and you're moving guys around their bullpen now. And so nothing about this has gone to plan. It's got to be really frustrating for them coming off a season last year where they had so many injuries on the pitching staff. But they do have guys, I think we'll see come up. I mean, I think Eric Getty comes up and joins us.

the rotation next homestand. Jason Alexander pitched really well. Last time out in AAA, he's a guy that won like, what, nine starts in a row for them. But again, you're really testing your depth really early in the season and banking on nobody else getting injured. Brian McTaggart with us here on Sports Talk 790. On to the offense side, one run scored in the last couple of games. Obviously, we're not going to panic there because the offense has been very good, but what do you think has been plaguing them the last couple of games?

Yeah, it just looks like they got away from their approach a little bit. I mean, especially the middle game in Colorado. Yesterday, you know, they just, I just think they got pitched really well. But they just got to get back to what they were doing in the first 10 games of the season, including in Oakland or in Sacramento when they were swinging the bat so well. So one run and back-to-back games in Colorado is not great. I don't think it's a real cause for alarm yet. I mean, Jordans cooled off a little bit.

I mean, he wasn't going to keep up at that pace. But I think their offense is somewhere in between what we saw in the homestand and somewhere in between what we saw in Colorado. They're not going to score seven runs a game. They're not going to score one run a game. They're somewhere in between there. And if, you know, if Christian Walker keeps swinging it, you have to feel good about that. I think Alvarez, if he's healthy, obviously, he's going to have a huge year. And, you know, Al-Tuves off to a nice start.

So I think pitching is really where this team needs to try to hold things together here. because I think the offense will be okay. All right. So let's size up the Astros outfield, Brian, not only this week, but maybe for the foreseeable future. Yeah, well, I think you're going to be seeing a lot more low profito in Bryce Matthews. I mean, they had sort of been platooning in left field there, but I think there's now there's chances for both of them to play every day. I mean, they're going to sprinkle in Tramel, of course, another left-handed hitter. But I think for Bryce Matthews, especially, this is a,

a real chance for him to come in and show what he can do at a really good spring. And I think it's played pretty well so far. Loper Fido looks like a guy who's ready to start every day. And I think he's definitely going to get that chance. And you feel good about Cam Smith and right field. So, you know, losing Myers hurts. I mean, when you had Myers in center, you had Cam and right, you had Lopoito and left. That is a really, really good defensive outfield, really athletic.

And you're still going to be athletic because you've got to. Bryce Matthews, who's a great athlete as well. So, you know, how much can he hit? We're going to find out. So, you know, they have options there. And it'll just be a matter of, you know, how they work in formal at this point. All right, wrapping things up with a little pitching conversation. Back to Abra you for a second.

Again, he's not had a clean inning yet this year. The ERA's north of 19. We've seen Brian King get a little bit of heavy leverage situation. Obviously, the Astros got to be in a leverage situation here in the foreseeable future to make this. but how long of the leash is a brayy right now as we speak about Joe going to him in the key moments of a baseball game, especially the fact that he's even with a chance in a non-leverage situation, he still struggled yesterday in Denver. Yeah, I mean, I think there is a little bit of a leash there.

I mean, what do you do? I mean, they just, do you put keying it closer at this point? I mean, again, you put guys in these roles they're not used to. We've seen this over the years. I mean, a bray is an example. It hasn't gone particularly well. even going back to the member when they put Will Harris at closer. He'd done so well as a setup man, did not do well as a closer.

If you move one guy out of his role, then another guy out of his role. Now you've got everyone pitching in different roles, and you're really rolling the dice there. So I think there's going to be a little bit of a runway here for a brayu. But at some point, he's going to have to pitch and get guys out and pitch one, two, three innings. And, you know, when is that cutoff line going to be? I think only a spot I can answer that. But it's probably coming down the road. but I don't think yet.

I mean, I still think on Friday night if they have the lead in the ninth inning, and they're going to give the ball to a bray. And very lastly, you're heading to Seattle where the Mariners are off to a terrible start this year. Their pitching is great. They're not hitting. Both teams needing of a series win in the worst way right now.

Yeah, both these teams are headed in the wrong direction. You know, you look at the pitching matchups. We've got EMI going against Hancock. I mean, every one of these pitching matchups is probably going to favor for the Mariners, which is what happens when you face the Mariners. They got Hancock, Castillo, Gilbert, and Kirby. So these Astros bats are going to have their work cut out for them. And we really don't even know who's pitching the last couple of games of that series for the Astros yet.

So, you know, they've got to go up there and try to get a split and just try to salvage anything they can on this home road trip and come back for a homestown. They got the Rockies at home. You know, you got to turn the page there and try to beat up on them. And Astros are, what, only a game or two under 500? So it's not the end of the world, but it feels like it. But if they go to Seattle and have a good series, come home face the Rockies. You can turn this thing around pretty quickly.

Safe travels, my friend, we'll hear you tomorrow night as part of the On-Dex show. Thank you for the time, as always. And great coverage is always by you at MLB.com and Astros.com. Thanks again for the visit. All right. Thank you.