Inside the Texas Rangers and Astros Staff Roundtable Preview Discussion
Welcome to our first roundtable of the 2023 MLB season! The staffs of Inside the Astros and Inside the Rangers sat down to discuss this weekend's series.
We discuss the strengths and weaknesses of each team and how we think the weekend will go between the Texas Rangers and the Houston Astros at Minute Maid Park.
Let's get started!
Kade Kistner: Welcome everyone, I’m Kade Kistner. I’m here with Art Garcia the publisher of Inside the Rangers and Matt Postins a staff writer for the Rangers. How are y’all this evening?
Matt Postins (Staff Writer, Rangers): Good!
Art Garcia (Rangers Publisher): All good here!
KK: Great. So we have the first set of three in the Silver Boot series. How are y’all feeling about the Rangers chances here? Any struggles or strengths the team needs to be worried about?
AG: The Rangers have to be feeling good considering their start, but the loss of Corey Seager is huge. The closing situation also appears a bit shaky.
MP: The Rangers have really only had one, close, low-scoring game that turned into a win and that was the finale against the Philadelphia Phillies. Either the Rangers blast their way out of trouble or they lose a low-scoring game. It's a bit feast or famine and that's where losing Seager hurts.
KK: Yeah, the Rangers' offense appears to be feast or famine right now. And the bullpen has been pretty good to start the season, but Leclerc's blown save has to be of concern. It's interesting because the Astros are in a similar boat. They have begun the season in a bizarre fashion. The offense has been okay, but the rotation, especially the back half of Luis Garcia and Hunter Brown has been shaky.
Perhaps in the Astros' favor is the fact that Alex Bregman may have figured it out after a slow start. He had an .411 OPS entering the Pirates series and then hit multiple home runs. So who knows?
MP: The Rangers have won five games in Houston in four years. So any break the Rangers can get this weekend is a good one.
AG: A series win for Texas would be a nice boost this early in the season, but to Matt's point, even getting one win would feel somewhat a success considering the Rangers' recent history in Houston.
MP: Perez threw his complete game shutout there last season so he seems to like pitching in Houston. Jon Gray wants to cut down on his walks, even though he only has five this season. Andrew Heaney is coming off a great start against KC, but that followed a brutal start in his debut. I think the Astros dodged a bit of a bullet missed deGrom this time around.
AG: Martin Perez, the staff ace last season, starts Friday's opener and that could set the tone for the rest of the series. Perez is coming off his best outing and knows the Astros well.
Considering the results so far, the Rangers have to like their chances matching up with Houston on the mound. We haven't been able to say that in a long time.
KK: I feel like Perez is Texas' best best this series, especially going against a struggling Garcia. Brown is a wild card much like Heaney. He has had one good start and one lackluster outing. Valdez is going to be a challenge for any offense, but considering the loss of Seager it seems like Valdez could feast.
Who are some players Houston should be worried about heading into this series?
MP: Nathaniel Lowe. His bat came around in the Kansas City series and he's one of the few Rangers that can hit to all fields consistently.
AG: Without Seager in the lineup, somebody needs to step up. Obviously, Marcus Semien has the pedigree and is one of the team leaders. Adolis Garcia has shown signs of snapping out of his early doldrums. And Texas fans would sure like to see Josh Jung get in some good licks.
KK: All four of those guys have to be a worry for Houston. The one thing the Astros have going for them is their lineup. Between Yordan Alvarez, Kyle Tucker, Alex Bregman, Jeremy Peña and a surging Mauricio Dubon, it could pose a problem for Texas.
And one can't forget Jose Abreu either. Can the Rangers pitching neutralize that combination?
MP: This is the best lineup the Rangers have faced to this point. Maybe you can keep that group down for one game. But not the entire series.
AG: If anything, Rangers pitchers will be prepared. Bringing back pitching coach Mike Maddux was big this offseason, so expect the Texas arms to have a plan in place for every bat in Houston's imposing lineup. And manager Bruce Bochy is one of the best ever at handling pitchers and we've seen that so far with the bullpen.
KK: Alright, final question and I need honest answers here boys. What is your prediction for this series? I am going 2-1 Astros. I think the Rangers get to a struggling Garcia. But the offense will power past your final two guys. And Valdez acts as a true ace as a stop gap. But I think it will be an interesting weekend, unlike the last five years.
AG: I think the Rangers shock the world and win two. Well, that won't shock the world, but this Rangers team is different. No better place than to show that than against the defending champs.
MP: Astros take the series 2-1. Like I said before, five wins in Houston in four years. The Rangers are going to have to show us they can do this.
KK: Well gents, I appreciate y'all's time in doing this roundtable. Like I said, I think this will be a fun weekend of baseball. Let's chat soon!
AG: Awesome sauce.
MP: No problem.
And that's that Rangers fans. How do you think this series will go?
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You can find Kade Kistner on Twitter @KadeKistner.
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