The Matt Thomas Show with Ross - Dusty Baker On Dealing With This Unusual Season & The Many Injuries

Episode Date: August 4, 2020

Astros Manager Dusty Baker joined The Matt Thomas Show on Tuesday afternoon, and talked about a number of topics, including the team's bout with injuries, including the latest to closer Roberto Osuna.

The Houston Astro. The Astros. This exclusive Astros segment on Sports Talk 790 is brought to you by Expedity, The Future of Awesome. It's awesome. It is 1230 on the Matt Thomas show, Sports Talk 790. Matt Ross, and we are happy to begin weekly visits with someone we want to really get to know, but unfortunately the Zooms will preclude us from that in this damn COVID thing.

We say hi to the manager of the Houston Astros. Desti Baker here on Sports Talk 790. Dusty, it's Matt and Ross. First of all, good afternoon, and welcome to our little family. How are you doing and how is the off day in Phoenix, Arizona? Well, it was very uneventful. You know, we just stayed in the hotel. I got a beautiful pool right outside of my room, but we couldn't get in the pool, go to the restaurant, go to the spa.

I really can't do much except stay in your room and go to the ballpark, but, you know, we're trying to stay safe. We're not trying to do like some of the other clubs have done, but they've gone out into the general public and then brought the COVID back to the team. So our fitness staff here and our training staff is very, very hard on us and up on time to do, you know, the right thing and follow the protocols. And, you know, so far, we've been pretty good. Have your grown men that you lead caught on to this fact that there are a lot of teams around baseball

that aren't following the rules and are they kind of self-policing themselves, do you think? Well, they have, yeah. I mean, but, you know, we still got some improvement to do. I mean, because, you know, guys are used to being close to each other. Guys are used to being close to each other in the dugout and in the training room and in the fitness room and then, you know, the laundry room and every room in the stadium. So, you know, we're doing better. And, you know, we're doing better keeping our mask on and cleaning our hands. And, you know, they give us a new set of gloves and, you know,

You know, things will wash your hands with, you know, every day. I mean, we got tons of things around. You got to see my, you know, my office, my house, you know, they're everywhere. But I'll tell you, these guys are on top of it. I mean, they're the best I've been around. And I can say that in a short period of time because, you know, they're so conscious of how of the things that we have to do, you know, to keep us on the field. Let me ask you this, Skip, do you, and I don't mean to say this literally, but do you wake up every morning, with a quick phone call to your trainers, your doctors to see who you have with healthy arms

because I feel like every day somebody else is dropping, which is a very sad part, but it's the realization of what has been your season so far. Well, you know, like, no, I don't call them. When I wake up, I already have a text on my phone. Oh, okay. I got you. They text me because, and it says, hey, man, my test was negative and all of the tests are negative or every once in a while.

So-and-so, you know, I had a positive test, you know, I mean, which is, been rare. Like I said, they've been on top of it. But every morning, you know, I wake up, and the first thing I do is that, you know, you see, you know, how the test came out from a couple days before that. And the second thing that you do, you take an E10, like a test of like 17 questions. You have a runny nose. You have any congestion. You have diarrhea. You have upset stomach. And then you take your, after you answer all those no, and then you've got to take a, you know, use a thermometer. and take your temperature, and you've got to take it twice and log it on, and if any those are bad, or if you slunk any of those, and you're supposed to stay in the room and not even

go to the stadium, they'll come to you. So, you know, baseball's trying. I mean, they're really, really trying, you know, the best they can, you know, to keep us on the field. COVID is one thing, Skip. How about the arms? I mean, that's what I'm thinking I'm perhaps more concerned about, is that I'm being introduced to new pitchers daily, and I've been an Astro fan since 1979 and have a pretty good feel for your squad. I don't have a feel for your bullpun, except they've really come through for you more times and not so far this year. Well, you know, I don't have a real good feel either. I mean, we're kind of learning as we go and learning, you know, from talking to the guys,

trying to figure out, you know, who we can talk to in the minor leagues who've had them, you know, knowing who can throw strikes or trying to figure out who likes to be in situations and others don't like to be in the situation. Fortunately, for me, you know, Miller had some of these kids. in the minor leagues. And, you know, that helps a lot. And, you know, just communicating is, you know, the best we can and trying to put them in a position where they will succeed, which is probably the toughest because you don't know which positions that they, you know, that they, you know, perform, you know, the best

under. So, you know, that's been a little tough, you know, and also, you know, we really miss Diaz, we miss Alvarez, we met the Qidi, and I'm hoping that we get them back. You know, within a couple of weeks, because, you know, they're both a big part of our offense, big part of our bench, and a big part of our pickingset. I don't know, Dusty, if a team can thrive, you know, you want to put your head above water when you lose your number one starter in Verlander, and then Osuna leaves you over the weekend after pitching to a couple of folks.

Anything new on him that you can tell us about? Nope. You know, I got to call him this morning. I was trying to, you know, wait for a couple of days for some of the Dusta Fettel. and I got to call him this morning. It doesn't look real good, actually. So, you know, he went and had an MRI yesterday, and, you know, he's in our prayers and in our thoughts.

But, you know, the reality is that it's probably not, you know, very good or good news. So I'll wait until I get to the stadium today to find out. And let's just talk about the starting pitching, Dusty. You got Christian Javier going today. I mean, with the injuries and the issues that have cropped up and the issues in the bullpen. How do you – what conversations do you have with these guys? I mean, Lance McCullors and Zach Rinkie, the veteran guys, you talked to them about having to step it up

or you just let them go about their business? No, I mean, you don't want them to step up any more than they're capable of stepping it up. You know, the main thing is just do your job and hopefully some of the other guys can do theirs. And, you know, like I try to talk to most of the young guys and tell them. that, hey, this is your opportunity, you know, opportunity to, you know, to excel, to make the team impress us, stick around in the big leagues, and make some money for, you know, yourself and your families. And the fact that, you know, how many people 22, 23, 24 years old are reaching a lifetime

goals, so you have to urge them to step, you know, over that threshold. And I read an article years ago that Tommy A.D. said that the hardest thing about being, being in the big leagues is the fact of feeling like you belong in the big league. So I'm trying to tell them, hey, man, you have to feel that you're here. You have to forget the name on the back of the uniform that you're facing in the opposition. And all you see is a catcher. It's the same game whether you're playing in May Park or if you're paying in Bushrod Park. So, I mean, that's all in theory, of course.

You know what I mean? It's a lot easier that it's bounce. But, you know, you still have to tell them something. Dusty Baker with us here on the Matt Thomas show on Sports Talk 790. Is there any chance you could call your buddies that are federal managers and ask Major League Baseball to keep your roster size away it is? Because apparently you've got to cut a couple of guys here in the next couple of days. Well, you know, we're waiting to hear that.

I mean, you know, everybody's kind of pulling for that because everybody's kind of in the same boat. And so I'm hoping that we get to keep this roster size a little while longer because it's going to make it tough on all of us to cut it to 28 and then eventually they're 26. And, you know, are you going to have enough pitch? Are you going to have enough guys on the bench? I mean, that's going to be a real, real tough thing, you know, to do.

And it's going to hurt some of the development of some of the young kids that we have called up, you know, that have developed them before our eyes. You know, we'll see. And, you know, that's a good point. You know, we've been discussing it weekly. You know, James Quick flew in yesterday. We're going to discuss it today on. on who we're going to keep possibly

or if baseball is going to keep the expansion as it is. Because honestly, you know, we like to be armchair managers ourselves, Dusty, and I don't know what you're going to do. I mean, you need arms desperately because your starters aren't going overly deep and your bullpen's been so reliable and there have been guys that have deserved this opportunity.

I really do hope they reconsider this. Well, so do I. And plus, you know, like, we need it also on the bench because these guys go from, you know, not playing at all to playing nine innings every day. So you have to have a bench to give these guys the rest or else you're going to hurt them, too. You know, and, like, you know, we have a couple guys, you know, that are ailing a little bit now. You know, you know, you've got to get Michael Brantley some time off because, you know, his legs are a little sore.

And, like I said, you go from, I mean, we're still in spring training mode. And, you know, you just hoping that we don't have any more injuries. We don't have any positive clover tests. And, you know, we can get better as, as, you know, as. time goes on because I feel this club will definitely, you know, get better as time moves on and also we'll get back Alvarez and Diaz and their key to just try to hold on and play the best we can, whoever we can until that time comes. How bad, Dusty, did George and Jose need the off day yesterday?

Well, they need it badly. I mean, like I said, I mean, you go from playing six or seven innings and max in that spring training number two to seven innings every day. And, you know, I mean, not only do you need a physical day off, but you need a mental day off, because those, in Georgia's case and Georgia's case, I got to give him a day off, but not against Oakland, probably when we get back to Houston and Altuve. I mean, these guys aren't used to seeing, you know, their averages on the interstate up there. You know, one's hitting I-88 and the other one's hit in I-78 and I-664. I mean, that plays on your mind.

And so, you know, you need a physical day off sometime and a mental day off sometime. And I'm hoping to them to put the sooner. Astros manager, Dusty Baker here on the Matt Thomas show. And Dusty, speaking of, you mentioned, in nine-inning games, well, it's been more than nine innings for you guys three of the last four times. So what do you make of the extra innings rules and the strategy? element and just how do you feel about it overall? Well, I'm not crazy

about it, you know, but I mean, they're trying to say, speed up the game and save some arms and, you know, there's a couple things, you know, like, I'm not crazy about the pitcher off to face three three hitters. I mean, because that eliminates the, you know, the specialty lefty or

eliminates a lot of strategy on the matchups and stuff. So like I say, we still have to adhere to it. I mean, we're still learning, you know, you probably manage a little different on the road when those extra inning games, and you do it home because you can manage for one run,

but it depends on who's up. People say, hey, why don't you run? Well, some of these guys have never run it, you know. And it's easier than it sounds. And also it depends on who's up next or who's up next after him because they're going to walk somebody to get to somebody else, a weaker, you know, possible hitter or a double-play candidate. And so it all boils down to getting some hits.

It all boils down to advancing runners, you know, for up the plate and driving them in, you know, from having an opportunity. Skip, you must be listening to some of our postgame call-in shows and Twitter because everybody wants the assures a bun every single time. So if you just put the bunt down, you'll keep a segment of your population very happy. I don't know if you can do that or not. It's a big debate. Yeah, I mean, it's a big debate, but I'm the only one that's out there that's doing it.

Well. You know, there's a bunch of people that can tell you what to do, but they don't know the circumstances that tell you how to do it. Well, just to let you know, we're anti-bunt, so you just keep doing what you're doing. So I'm just telling you that. Well, hey, I mean, like I said, if you're butt, no matter what, you still got to get a hit. Yeah. You know, I mean, we've had this loaded like four or five times, and then it does that. until you still got to get a hit, no matter what.

So we'll see. Madison, Bumgarner, how many horror stories can you tell us about his performance as you're going against him tonight? Not that many, you know, because I didn't, you know, we didn't face him that much. You know, like I wasn't in the National League. Well, I was in the East, you know, when Bum was on his game, even though I live in San Francisco, I've seen him pitch a whole bunch of times. And, you know, we'll have to see if he still has his velocity because he still has

deception. But it all depends if he has his velocity, which increases his deception. And so, I mean, this guy knows how to pitch and he knows how to win. And, you know, like I said, it's going to give our lefties a bit of a problem because he throws across his body and he's throwing across the lefties. I mean, he's really tough on lefties. And the guy tomorrow night, Robbie Ray, he's eating. tougher on left because he goes harder than, you know, the bum gardener. So, you know, we've got

our work cut out for us the next couple of days, but they're low down over there. You know, they're down. You got to keep them down. And, you know, you do that possibly by scoring early because we haven't scored early. You know, you've got to jump them early. And if you do that, then, oh, man, here we go again. And if the longer you keep them in the game, then the more they figure they have a chance to win. So that's our game plan tonight. It's the same every night, but especially against these guys. We've got to jump them early. Well, Dusty, we're greatly looking forward to our visits weekly here on this show.

Thank you for being so forthcoming as we thought you would be. We look forward to our visit again next week and enjoy the weekend down in Arizona. Okay, I'll see you later. All right. Sounds good. Dusty Baker with us here on the mat. Thomas will be greatly appreciate him spending some time with us here today. 1244 is our time. What I got out of that?

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