The Matt Thomas Show with Ross - Brian McTaggart Joins After Astros Lose Game 2 vs Athletic's

Episode Date: September 25, 2025

Brian McTaggart Joins After Astros Lose Game 2 vs Athletic's 

Brian, we have just been exacerbated. We can't be speechless because we're doing a major market radio show, but the approach where this team controlled its own destiny, for the first time now, it doesn't control its own destiny. How stunned are you at the lack of offense and just the lack of urgency that has hit this 26-man, 28-man roster here the last couple days? Yeah, I'm stunned.

I mean, like everybody, I thought after they swept the Rangers, you know, a week ago, they were tied for first place. You had the Mariners coming to town, and I knew that would be a tough series. But even after they lost that series, I was like, okay. I mean, they still got this favorable schedule. But the A's been a bad matchup for them for whatever reason. I mean, they cannot beat the A's. And then last night when the Severino's pitching and, oh, he's terrible at home, you know where this is going to go. I mean, how many times did they face a pitcher who is struggling or major league debut,

and he's going to come out and carve him up, and he did just that. So, you know, in a way it's stunning, but then it's kind of the way that season's played out. And, yeah, I mean, now, I think they have to win out now to have any chance. So they put themselves in that spot. You know, we had a caller asking about it. Is Joe doing the motivational thing? Is he trying to fire him up if whatever he's doing, it's not working? you are in that clubhouse and we always talk about if you all of a sudden change who you are in game 159 of the season,

you're going to lose that clubhouse. But generally speaking, you've gone into probably a very solemn, very quiet clubhouse the last couple days. Give me a thought or two from the veterans that you're talking to about what they're seeing and what they're doing in terms of not performing, not only not performing, but going to a ballpark that's one of the most hitter-friendly in Manjolik baseball. I'm going to put together one run in the last two days. Yeah, I think with, first of all, with baseball clubhouses, it's very much the same pretty much every day. They play so many games. You go in there after a winner loss, for the most part you wouldn't know unless if they win, there's usually music playing.

If they lose, there's not, so there hasn't been a lot of music playing lately. But you can sense the frustration from the guys, and, you know, Christian Walker talked a lot about it the other day. And are we pressing? You know, I don't know. How do you define that? And, you know, Correa got up and talked last night. I know I know the fans want Joe to go in there and, you know, be Earl Weaver. And, I mean, it's just not the way it works anymore.

I mean, it's just not the way baseball managers are wired. And I know that he just talked to these guys. But, hey, it's up to them to go out there and get it done. I mean, they're getting paid big money. If they can't get fired up for these games, getting motivated to play these games, that's on them and not the manager. And, I mean, obviously, the injuries have caught up with his team. but, you know, Framber Valdez's collapse, you know, Alteuves faded, Ken Smith faded.

I think really the loss of Alvarez and then Pena not playing the last three days, it's just been devastating for them. I don't know if I answered the question, but I just ranted a little bit. No, you're good. I like it. You gave us great materials always. That's why we pay you the big bucks, Brian. We appreciate it.

And to that end, you know, you're talking about Joe Spada. I mean, it's the collapse of this level, even just a week ago, I would have said, I feel like everybody's pretty much safe. And this comes from the players, the coaches, whatever. How are you feeling if this keeps going the way that it has about this offseason upcoming for Joe Espada, for the hitting coaches who've been under a lot of public pressure, and for this Astro staff and some of the players like Christian Walker? Yeah, they have a lot of tough questions, tough decisions they have to be made.

I mean, I wrote a couple weeks ago, I thought Espada would be manager of the year if they won the division, that's not going to happen. I mean, I still think for all the injuries that they've had, he's done a nice job. That being said, I, you know, I do think that Jim Crane might want to shake some things up with some members of the staff. I don't know that for sure. I'm just kind of guessing.

So, you know, I think they'll review their medical staff and their, you know, return to play procedures and see where they're at. But I think as far as players go, yeah, what do you do with the Christian Walker? I mean, you know, is he going to get better next year, a year older? You know, I'm not sure he is. So do you trade him and eat all that money? What do you do? Hesu Sanchez looks like a guy that's going to be non-tendered to me.

I mean, he's been bad since he came over here. He's going to make a little bit of money. So, you know, he's not been a good acquisition. So I think they walk past him, but they have to go get some pitching big time. I don't know if that's trade free agency. Do you trade one of your star players to get some pitching? there's just a lot of ways they can go, but injuries have devastated him.

There's no doubt. I mean, you know, we've seen that all year. But, yeah, it's going to be probably one of their most interesting off-season that they've had in quite some time. Well, not the off-season yet. Framber Valdez is also an interesting off-season. It's going to be for him as well, but he is on the hill today. And, you know, Brian, I've been kind of thinking to myself,

it feels like the times where you doubt Frommer the most is when he comes through, but I've been doubting him the most the last few times he's been out there, and he just has not been able to turn it around. What is going on? Yeah, I don't know. He's just completely lost it here over the last couple of months. They're what, one in nine in his last 10 starts for when he had that two-month stretch, and every time he pitched, they won.

I think they won 13 starts in a row, and he was automatic, and I'm like he's going to get Cy Young votes, and just completely lost it here. I mean, this would be a chance for him and, you know, what could be, and probably should be his final start in the regular season with the Astros to see, hey, make a stand right here, win this game, put some pressure on Detroit to win tonight, and maybe if they can pull even going into the Angels series,

they have a chance. But if he goes out there and doesn't get it done again, that's it, they're done. So it's sort of Fromber's last stand here with the Astros hopes on his back. And that's, if you're an Astros fan, that's probably something you don't feel good about. A couple more minutes here with Brian McTaggart of the MLB.com

and on the Astros beat with us from Saccharacter. Cremento. So what's going through Jose Altuve's mind, and I hate to do this to you, but you're with those guys almost every single day. Carlos Correa, you get two veteran guys. Correa's been really good since coming back. Doesn't have the power that he once had. Probably never going to have it again. The Altovae drop has been considerable.

These guys, if they're batting fifth, sixth, seventh in your lineup are going to be guys you can live with doing that. But if there have been in your one, two, three, four spots, it makes this all. defense, you know, very lean to say the very least. What is going through Jose? What's going through Carlos right now? Yeah, I mean, I think both of them have got to be frustrated. And I could tell talking to Carlos last night, he was, you know, a little frustrated. Really frustrated.

And he even said, hey, we know the fans are frustrated, but so are we. I mean, this is our livelihoods. Altube has been in the playoffs eight years in a row. this is going to be something that's, you know, he hasn't experienced in a long time when this club was coming out of the rebuild, so that probably doesn't feel good. But look at their lineup and compare it to when the Mariners came to town. I was going up and down their lineup. And that lineup, they had J.P. Crawford hitting 9th and he hits a grand slam. I mean, he would, you know, they look at the Yankees lineup, thunder up and down the line. The Astros just don't

have that. Part of it is injuries. Part of it is players underperforming. Part of it as players regressing. They're just at a point where they, you know, they're going to have to make some changes offensively to get better in the offseason and they need pitching. Like I said, it's, I think for Alcube and Kareo would be tough, you know, for them to swallow not making the playoffs, but, you know, Al-Tube is also playing with a sore foot. We, in the clubhouse last night, we were trying to get an interview with him, but he was still getting treatment on that right foot. So that's probably something that's impeding him as well. So it's just, It's just a big barrel of everything gone wrong here at the same time.

You know, to me, Brian, and I brought this up on the show yesterday, a baseball season is in theory 26 weeks, 25 of the weeks. We're like, man, this has been cool. This team has overcome so much injuries and still in first place and gritty and getting these big wins and beating first place teams. And then, Brian, in this 26th the week, it has just gone from, wow, these guys are gritty to do they give a damn? I mean, Hesu Sanchez butchering two balls in left field yesterday,

I don't do this very often, but I brought this up on social media yesterday. I don't want to see him play anymore. I was so discouraged that the team, and I hate to use the term listless, but to me it's been listless the last couple days. And I don't know if you've been in, if you can do that overcoming all the things they have done for so many months with so many injuries and so much underperforming to still have a puncher's chance. I think that's why the frustration is kicked in for me personally. personally and for a lot of our listeners. Yeah, I get it.

They do look listless. And when, you know, the other pitcher's carving you up and you're not getting a runner to third base until the ninth inning. It's tough to watch. It's tough to sit through. You know, I wonder how much the sweep to the Mariners just sort of really deflated them to where, not that they didn't still have a lot to play for at that point. But, you know, this is a team that wins the division every year and sort of, you know,

represented a changing of the guard here. This was a, the Mariners were out there having a blast. They were having fun. You know, they had the Trident and the dugout. And the team on the other side looked like they were just absolutely miserable. I just wonder how much that just took out of them. And they're just, you know, limping to the finish line here. And now it looks like unless they really get it together, they're probably going to miss the playoffs.

And that's something we haven't seen around here in a while. Yeah, mentioned the lineup and talk about lacking some depth and maybe being better on pay. than on the field. A part of that has been Yiner Diaz. If you go is OPS plus the last three years, it has gone down significantly year after year. What do you think is going on there? Is that just he's having some bad luck this season? Is, is everyday catching something that is maybe wearing down on him? So it just makes me wonder kind of what the future is for him as well. Yeah, I think that's another reason. He's, you know, he's regressed as well. If I were the Astros, you know, I mentioned non-tendering Sanchez. I would

Probably if I'm Dana Brown, I would try to trade yiner. I don't like his approach at the plate. You know, defensively, he's got big time limitations. I would try to trade him and upgrade that position defensively. I'd re-sign Karatini. I would just remake the catching position because I don't think Yiner is going to be it. So I think that's, you know, one of the many things they have to look at. In addition, you know, what he'd do with Christian Walker, you know, where do you at starting pitching?

you know, how do you handle Altuvae going forward? Like I said, I mean, this is, they have a lot of questions that they've never had to ask for a long time here. It was just, hey, roll out these guys and they're going to win 90, 95 games and win the division. They're not at that point anymore. So Dana Brown's got his work cut out for him here this offseason, and it's going to be very, very interesting. We always appreciate your Thursday visits with us. You're going to come on with us again probably the next couple weeks when all the blankets the fan at some point with the decision. just know that you're always welcome here on 790.

Thank you for the time. Safe travels down to Anaheim, and we'll talk with you very soon, friend. All right, guys, enjoyed it. Thanks for having me. All right, you got it. Brian McTaggart. I was going to say,

we'll look forward to talking with him next Thursday. Well, can we get him in? I mean, we're going to get him in. Season wrap up.