Dusty Baker Not Changing Despite Astros 'Devastating Loss'

The Houston Astros continue to stumble down the stretch of the season, but despite their 'devastating loss' to the Baltimore Orioles on Monday, Dusty Baker has no plans to change.

The Houston Astros returned home from a disappointing three-game stretch against the Kansas City Royals where they, once again, dropped the first two games against one of the worst teams in the MLB.

Monday was supposed to be different.

The home park's batter's eye that has been giving the Astros' players problems was being fixed to help see the ball better.

In a small sample size, that was the case, scoring seven runs against the AL's best team Baltimore Orioles.

But, they still lost the game 8-7 in a result that manager Dusty Baker highlighted as a painful one to let get away.

"It was devastating, but you have to get over it. You can’t bring it back. That hurt a lot," the 74-year-old manager said to Chandler Rome of The Athletic.

Ultimately, a lot of what happened Monday is what has plagued the team in recent weeks during their struggles.

The pitching staff gave up multiple runs in big spots and their best hitters combined to go 4-19.

Baker has been heavily criticized during the season for his lack of adjustments within the lineup. That was no different on Monday when he left his veteran catcher in to strikeout during an important part of the sixth inning.

Instead of subbing out Martin Maldonado, he left him in, resulting in an out with runners on first and second base. He could have gone to rookie Yainer Diaz or veteran outfielder Michael Brantley who are much better hitters.

That's not what Baker does though and it's likely not something he will do despite the sudden losses and criticism.

"There’s more urgency, but you can’t panic, either. It does no good. It does your players no good. You try to do the same and just improve," the manager said.

While his decisions can be questioned and criticized, one thing that needs to improve is the performance of this team's stars.

Because Baker isn't changing how he manages the game, that's for certain.