The Matt Thomas Show with Ross - Brian T Smith On Game 3 - This Is Why They Got Zach Greinke

Episode Date: October 25, 2019

Brian T. Smith of The Houston Chronicle joins Matt and Ross to discuss World Series Game 3

is the Matt Thomas Show. All right, Brian T. Smith is with us for our nation's capital. We'll get to him in just a second. I want to remind folks, Ross, come on by here because the A team's going to be here from 3 o'clock until 5. They are? Yeah. They're actually going to put a full 2-R-day in. Oh, wow.

Are they going to make it? Are they going to be okay? They're going to be exhausted? I hope they are all right. I hope they're all right. I don't think they're going to be able to focus. Like, we've had a difficult time focusing on the show today. they might have some issues

this is really I don't know how we're going to do it but the big news is this Adam and Adam at 4.50 this afternoon are going to announce a way to win a trip to the Palm Beaches courtesy of the Palm Beaches and tell them what they're going to be potentially winning if they listen this afternoon

with Adam and Adam at 450 this afternoon it's a getaway trip for two to the Palm Beach is known as America's first resort destination price package includes four-day three-night accommodations, round-trip airfare, a rental car. Tickets to the World Series rematch at spring training for the season opener for the first rematch of the Houston Astros and the Washington Nationals

and a VIP behind-the-scenes tour of fit team ballpark in the Palm Beaches. Go to the Palm Beaches.com for more information. The Palm Beaches.com. You've got to, and I know that Brian T. Smith has been down in Florida before. West Palm Beach has a terrific vibe to it, and you need to go down there, win the prize package at $4.50 or make your way down there this February and or March. BTS is under Nation's Capital.

Give me some thoughts about how AJ Hinch handled the press conference yesterday. What was his vibe to you folks getting ready for game three tonight? AJ was as professional and calm and even as he's ever been, Matt. It's been a difficult postseason. The last few days for the Astros to stay the least, off the field on the field. AJ, I go back to what he would say in 2015, and it sounded a little Stanford psychological, you know, cheeseball, Zen, but it helped them win a world title. And honestly, if they're going to do this, if they're going to become the first team since the 1996 New York Yankees to lose the first two at home, find a way to win the World Series, it's going to be very much because of A.J. Hinch. And AJ Hinge and 15 were saying, I will always be the calmest heartbeat in the room.

You know, they need somebody right now, Matt, within that clubhouse on that team in this organization to find a way out of this. And AJ's done it before. You know, AJ watched his team in 17, drop three straight games in Yankees Stadium. Look horrible. Hey, Yankees Stadium. Come home to Minute Made when to go to the World Series. He had to win game seven of the World Series in Dodgers Stadium before. The start of this four-old period has been a little shaky, but the aster's are going to do it.

It has to start tonight, and it has to start with Zach Grinky. You had a column last week about Zach. I didn't necessarily agree with all of it, but that's okay. That's what we're good friends that we can agree to disagree. But I will say in this context, there is a column to be written tonight about Zach, because with your number one and your number two starters, not performing up to expectations, he makes a lot of money, he carries a lot of, the resume is incredible. This is where not only tonight he's got to step up, but hopefully with a potential game 7.

This is the moment that Zach Grinky was brought here July 31st. Nothing prior to that. That's exactly it, Matt. And look, whatever Zach Grinky does tonight will in many ways erase everything else or add to everything else. If that Grinky can go out, Nationals Park, First World Series in Washington, D.C. in 3,000 years, If he can go out tonight and give him six innings, two run balls, seven innings of one run ball, two run ball, whatever. Walk off the mound with a lead. Walk off the mound and it's just a tie game.

And then he has to find a way to win it. Is that Grinky can do that? The trade right now is worth it. Now we have to see what happens with those prospects, et cetera, et cetera. But yes, this is why they brought him here. And I will say, yeah, I wrote a strong comment about Rinkie a couple starts ago. I also thought that his last start in Yankee Stadium was a much better start. He could have stayed on that mound.

He gritted through a really tough. first inning. He found a way through that. We still haven't seen the, I feel like the best of what Zachary can do is an Astro in the playoffs. We saw it in the near no-hitter for the regular season. Probably won't throw a no-hitter tonight, but if he can give them six, seven good innings two-run ball, one-run ball, and find a way to quiet this, you know, Yankees, bomber, national lineup with Soto, et cetera. That is why they got Zach Ricky, especially considering that the Nats just beat the Astros Aces, Burlander, and Cole in Minnesota. May Park.

BTS, I felt like even after the home run with the defensive miscues that Bregman had that Alex has been carrying the way of the world on his shoulders. Are there other guys in an Astros clubhouse feeling that way, or is he kind of in his own world rightly or wrongly because he feels like he's been a large part of the reason why the team has struggled

offensively? I think it's a good question. I know that Breggman's comments got a decent amount of attention. Honestly, I think if you've been, and I know you have Matt, but I think if the average fan is following Astros, you know, daily, weekly over the last few years. This is Alex Bregman being on Fredman. Adam's Bredman was really hard on himself in the season opening series in Tampa Bay and said he had been horrible.

This is honestly what Alex Bregman does. Alex Bregman will make guarantees that they don't come true. He guaranteed that the Astros are winning game four at Tampa. They didn't win that game. They also won game five and had a couple walk-offs against the Yankees in their World Series. That is just Alex Bregman. He's the big, you know, MMA wrestling boxing boxing. vaccine quote type of guy that's in his blood, that's in his DNA. I'm not concerned about

is Alex Redmond being hard on himself. He is always hard on himself. The bigger issue is it's not just Regman that has to carry more weight. It's Josh Reddick. It's Carlos Correa. It's George Springer. Jordan Alvarez. Julie Gurriel, I had it in the latest chronicle. They've got six key guys, you know, locked in one through nine lineup guys that are hitting 233 or below in the playoff, and I know batting average is a little outdated. A few of those guys are at about 160 and below. You're not going to beat the Nationals. You're not going to win the World

Series. You're not going to win two or three at Nationals Park. If that continues, as much as I want to say, you want to say, yeah, it's on Grinky. He's got to step up. This is why they got him. If the Astros hitters don't do anything, that will become the story of this postseason. That's one of the best lineups in baseball history,

maybe the most powerful and efficient and strongest lineup in Astros history completely disappeared. in the 2019 playoffs. All right, get your crystal ball out, Brian, envision. How much and in what capacity Yon Alvarez plays in these next three games? Yeah, you know, that is not being, there's been a lot talked about that it really has nothing to do with the actual game on the field the last few days.

That is not being talked about enough. And A.J. was asked about it yesterday. We're going to find out in a couple hours, right? The lineup will come out. AJ will present it. We'll see where it's at. He said yesterday it's unlikely that Alvarez. plays left today, but that he feels like he will during the season.

I think, you know, he's pinch-hitting, obviously. Sixth inning, seventh inning with a pitching change and maybe then you're putting it in. But in terms of a start, maybe one out of three, that's what AJ hinted out yesterday, but that's a huge deal because Alvarez was fantastic at game one. You know, had a couple situations in game two, but it looked like he was finding it and your team struggling at the plate and then you have to take Alvarez out of the lineup, It doesn't hurt the Astros chances of being the next team to be the next 1996 change. All right.

A couple last questions for you. If the Astros fall tonight, who starts game four? That's a good one, Matt. I'm sure A.J. Hinch flying to D.C., coming to the ballpark today on the team, but he's got that in the back of his head. I'll be shocked if he reveals that because we will ask him, hey, what's the plan for game for? AJ this far has very much been by the AJ book in the playoffs saying, you know, I'm focused on the next game.

I'm going to focus on this game. I will not discuss the next game. He's always got a backup plan. He's got a backup plan to the backup plan. And if they're down 3-0, you cannot have a bullpen game. I mean, your season is on the line. The world title's on the line. You're going to have to throw Garrett Cole on short rest.

That's the only option they would have in my opinion. All right. Now the last one. Will there be a game six in Houston, Texas on two? Tuesday night. Man, I'm going to be honest with you. I'm going to feel back the curtain. That's maybe the hardest question anyone's asked me in years. Because you know what? You know what? Throw it at me. I don't care. I'm a big boy.

You're listening to the show too much, Brian, if you're saying feel back the curtain. I don't know right now. I don't really know where this team is at. That seventh inning was so, if it was just one inning. It was so discouraging. It did feel like the team quit at one point. you know, when they're throwing it around and look at the bad news bears. I also think having an off-day, getting on the plane, getting the C, D.C., your back's against the wall. We will find out tonight, right? What the dozen Astros are truly made of.

And I will always believe that if you've got Al-TUve, if you've got Springer, there's too much heart and soul in this team for them to quit, but they also were up 1-0 against the Red Sox, and they won at Finway, and they absolutely collapsed last year. So I don't really know what to make of this team. I'm going to say yes right now, and that's a tribute to 107 wins. But, Matt, I also won't be shocked right now if the National Sleeps this series. Things do not feel good as we speak.

And maybe that changes, but as we speak to the Houston Astros. All right, I'll give you mind. If the Astros win tonight, they bring the series back to Houston, and they win the World Series. It's not grandiose. If they lose tonight, there will be no game six. Houston, Texas. Matt, man, if they lose tonight, the series gives 99.999% over. I mean, they will become the most magical team in baseball history if they go down

3-0 and find a way to win the World Series. And conversely, Brian, think about this. If the Nationals win the night and sweep the asteros on Saturday, how many teams in Major League Baseball history swept a championship series and a World Series? That puts the Nationals in rarefired. there. It truly does. And we will find out very quickly tonight, right?

I always go back to 2017 in Game 7 in Dodgers Stadium. The Astros go there at 3-2. They lost a very tough game six. And it's Dodgers Stadium. The Dodgers on paper were still the better team. And the Astros came out in that first inning, right, with George Springer, and they turned it on. And yeah, maybe they were reading pitches off Dargers, but they turned it on. and the confidence they had, the focus, that will always stick with Astros fans.

They're going to have to be that same type of team tonight. But, yeah, if they lose tonight, I mean, they'll either be the greatest turnaround of baseball history, or they are absolutely done. I'm going to say it comes back to Houston, but they're going to have to prove something to not me tonight to themselves and the Astros fan base. We'll leave it there. Thank you, BTS, enjoy the Midlandic Area. And thank you very much for the time, as always.

Brian T. Smith from the Houston Chronicle. Amazing work, as always. He catches every Friday here on the Matt Thomas show.