The Matt Thomas Show with Ross - Brian McTaggart: “Hader Just Couldn’t Get It Done"

Episode Date: September 24, 2026

Brian McTaggart: “Hader Just Couldn’t Get It Done"

All right, let's go to Seattle, Tacoma International Airport. I'm assuming I don't know how I don't know. In the first class lounge is our buddy Brian McTaggart, a Thursday visitor. Hopefully this is not your second to last Thursday with us here on the show. Tags, I brought this up on Twitter this morning because a lot of the controversy from, I don't think it's controversy, but it is what it is. You have a choice in the 10th inning of a game in which you're trying to win the game and advance to a one-game lead in American League West.

You have a choice of Brian King, Tatsui Emi, or Josh Hater in a second inning. Which of the three guys would you have gone with last night in the 10th inning of that baseball game? Yeah, I would have with Josh Hater. You know, he pitching on five days of rest. He only threw 19 pitches in the ninth inning. And when they took the lead in the top of the 10th, I was like, well, this game's over. I mean, he just didn't get it done. I mean, you know, when a player doesn't get it done sometimes, I mean, you know, everyone jumps on Spada and he's like, oh, he blew it.

He shouldn't have put him in for two innings. But if he would have pulled him after one inning and one of those other guys would have given it up, it would have been the other way around. Why did he not push him for two innings? Because he only threw 19 pitches and he was rested. So he had his best guy on the mound with a chance to close it out. He just didn't get it done. He just, he walked three guys and ultimately give up the walkoff hit and, and they move on. You know, to me, and I feel like we're an endless record repeating ourselves here.

It's the starter's not going deep. It's the top of the order contributing. The bottom of the order is a hot mess. I don't know, Brian, if things get in your life get you angry, but if you're a baseball fan, seeing the OPS of the starting outfield for this season, just flat out makes me angry. Yeah, it's been terrible. And you're right. I mean, they get past the top four or five hitters.

And, you know, Tremel has been bad for a long time. Nelson Velasquez, you know, he's a fringe, big leaguer, if that. Lucas Spence, you know, they brought him up. He looks like he's still overmatched. It's rough. It is really rough. And it's putting a lot of pressure on the top guys in that order. But, yeah, you got starting pitching.

I mean, two winnings from Javier. Pecco doesn't get out of the third. And, I mean, Joe's pushing every button he can the last couple of days. The first 21 outs they recorded last night were by rookie pitchers. And so doing everything he can just to try to get these wins. And it is hard. And, I mean, they're going to be up against it today with pitching. The good news is their next three games, they have their best three starters going. The A's are terrible.

but they're going to a ballpark where anything can happen. And the A's have nothing to lose. And we've seen this before. We saw it last year. So they're in a better spot than the Rangers for sure. But, man, they get that win last night and they are in the driver's seat. But, you know, this thing is changing day to day. But if they can just pull this off with this roster, it would be pretty amazing.

But guess what? People in Ireland are thinking the same thing about their team, too. They're actually talking Dallas Cowboys football, Brian. Come on now. You know better than that. Hey, real quick. But, yeah. Spence gets a call up yesterday.

Call our ass about why not Loper Fito. Any intelligence on that? Yeah, I mean, I think they were looking for a little more strength defensively in center field. But, I mean, Loporfito hasn't exactly, you know, hit the ball well when he's been up here either. So I know his numbers in AAA had been pretty good. but I mean that's the best I can tell you. Joe did say yesterday before the game that it was a defensive-minded decision. And you mentioned the rotation three best.

We were speculating that if Hunter Brown would be on regular rest for Friday and then also be available for a potential wild card series for game two on regular rest. Has everybody, has the rotation been set? No. I mean, Joe is going, they're going day by day with this. I mean, they, they, they, I honestly think they have no plans for Friday on what they're going to do. Yeah, I mean, you know, a hundred could slide in there. But it depends on, you know, where they are in the standings.

I mean, I don't think they've looked that far down there. They're just trying to patch nine innings together tonight and get by the A's. But, you know, they do have these three guys on normal rest coming up. And I think they're just doing whatever they can. And if they make it, they will figure it out on Tuesday who's going to pitch. Now, yeah, the sooner they clinch them. better. Maybe you can line up a guy or two to start the wild card series.

They just want to get there. Brian McTaggart, MLB.com, ashros.com with us here on Sports Talk 790. Well, I mean, it's all laid in front of them. Last series of the year, as you mentioned, the three starters. I mean, in the A's, it seems like they're not even trying to win.

So I would say, what better time than now coming down in the last series? Yeah, I mean, they're in a good spot. I mean, the A's are not good. They're beat up. Their pitching is in disarray. But like I said, I mean, that could put you in a dangerous spot if you're the Astros because they got a bunch of young guys out there who have nothing to lose.

And they know the gravity of these games for the Astros. But let's be honest, as dysfunctional as the Astros' roster is, I mean, they should sweep the A's or at least win these first three games and put this thing out of reach. I don't think there's any excuse for them not to go there and win these next three games and pretty much lock this thing up. You know, Sunday could be, you know, if they still have to win Sunday's game, it's going to be all hands-on-deck kind of thing, and those games can get kind of crazy. But with everything that's at stake and as bad as the A's are, they need to win these three

games and should. You have been a longtime bait rider for this team. You have been there through the 100-loss seasons. You have been there through the World Championship runs and the deep playoffs. Just from as a reporter, what is it like? walking into a clubhouse with a team that is under 500, that the division winner at the very most

will win, what, 82 games this year? And I know the tenor has not changed, but, man, it's almost like you're really earning your pay tags because you're asking the same kind of questions and just trying to phrase them in a more polite manner, because it's the same problems.

It's D as a third base last night in the 10th inning. It's not going deep in games. It's the outfield with its runners left on base. you're just having to kind of reinvent the same storyline almost every single night right now. Yeah, it seems like every game's almost the same. It's they scratch and claw for a few runs. You know, it's two to one, three to one, going to the six or seventh. Then you're wondering, you know, what relievers can hold it?

Can they get the ball to a bray you and hater? It wasn't really the case last night. They had a four-run lead. But with the state of their pitching, even a four-run lead, you're like, well, I mean, it's still early in this game. It's the third inning. you don't feel good about it, that, you know, they're going to be able to hold it just with the arms they're putting out there. But, yeah, it's, you know, why did you, why did this guy hit, you know, over this guy?

And, you know, neither one of them are really good choices. There's five or six guys on this roster that probably shouldn't be in the big leagues. And they're getting big at bats or big pitches and big spots just because that's the situation they're in. So, you know, the coaching staff. and the players are coming in and feeling the same way every day too, and they have to be frustrated that, man, if they just would have won 83 games, they would run away with this division,

and here they are with four games to go and in a dog fight with another team with a losing record. It's crazy. Yeah, back to Hayter for a second. I know you had to talk to him after the game. A thought about the second inning, it felt like to me he just felt like it was a night where he just could, everything was just outside the strike zone,

and, you know, sometimes you can get away with that with some bad pitches, Sometimes you had some patient hitters, and that's exactly what Seattle did last night, enforcing all those walks. Yeah, he was trying to get some swing and miss and chase outside the zone, especially up with the sinker. And he wasn't getting it. And so, you know, he said instead of throwing pitches in the zone and taking chances, the ball getting hit, you know, he's searching for these strikeouts. And they fouled, what, 11 of us, 44 pitches off. They only swung and missed five times.

So, you know, they were very patient, some great approaches by the. Mariters and, you know, three watts in the, you know, the 10th inning, put him in a bad spot. But there was no part of me that ever thought that Hader shouldn't have pitched the 10th or, you know, at some point you need to take him out. It was, you got to live and die with Josh Hater right here because he's by far your best option right now, even though he pitched, you know, he pitched the ninth inning. And by far your best option of catcher has been Yonner Diaz. I mean, I want to say quietly, I guess, if you're following the team, you notice. but, I mean, not making a bunch of headlines, but he's been hitting very, very well.

And it has been a couple of rough weeks for the Christian Vasquez truthers. Yeah, Diaz has really come around the last month, hitting the ball hard. I mean, first Astros catcher to have a triple and a homer in the same game in seven years. And he hit another ball hard too.

So, yeah, he's up over 280. So he's one of your middle of the order bats you can rely on right now. And, you know, when he comes, he's to the point. comes to the plate, you feel pretty good about, you know, the quality of the bad and, and what he's going to do. So that's good because they need somebody to step up other than, you know, the top three guys in the batting order. But, you know, it'll be interesting to see

if they get Panya back. You know, he pinch, pinch ran yesterday, but, you know, I'm not sure of his ability to swing the bat right now, but obviously having him at the top of the order changes your look a little bit. So, you know, Varshow out as well. We know, he's been pretty terrible since I traded for him. So, but, you know, I know they're going to do what they can and try to get, you know, Pena back in this lineup. Kind of reminiscent of the last year where they lost Pena for the last few games. They were on the West Coast to end the season,

and they ended up not making it. All right. Cristobal, get it out real quick. What's going to happen? Tell the truth. Don't lie. I think that's going to win the division just because they have the tiebreaker, so they had the leg up here.

Like I said, the Hays are terrible. The Rangers are, they're scheduled. a little tougher. You know, they got Kumar Rocker pitching today who has not been good against a Mets team that looks like they're having a great time playing this sport, spoiler role. And then they go to the Twins, your road game.

So Astros are still in a good spot here. So I think the Astros do win the AOS and will host the Wildcard series next week at Dyken Park. And that'll be either the White Sox or the Guardians. Who would fare better for the Astros against which one of those

two teams? I would assume the White Sox, because they've kind of failed off, trailed off the last two months? Yeah, I think the White Sox Astros handled them pretty easily in the regular season. But, man, with this season, who knows? Just got to get there and then figure it out. And I forget who tweeted it last night. I saw it late last night, kind of mocking the Astros and Rangers and then saying, but one of these teams is going to go to the World Series,

which would not shock me just with the way this season's gone. Well, think about your all those Marriott points you'll be getting then. very true that's that's the lone silver lining so all right well you're with us next Thursday and hopefully we're discussing how to set up the division series

because the Astros will finish off the wall card by then hopefully Brian thank you for the time safe travels down to sack and we'll talk to you next week all right that's Brian McTaggart MLB.com