Astros manager keeps closer role a mystery after Hader's injury
After the Astros put Josh Hader on the 15-day injured list due to shoulder strain, the question is who will replace the former NL Reliever of the Year as the team's primary closer. Manager Joe Espada made his thoughts clear on that after Tuesday's terrible 14-1 loss against the Red Sox, where their relievers were busted.
While naming set-up man Bryan Abreu as the team's closer would make sense, Espada is holding his cards close to the chest.
"I'm not naming (anyone) for the ninth, naming (anyone) for the eighth," the manager said.
The Astros will need a reliable arm to win close games as they are in a tight American League West division race. As of now, Espada will rotate his relievers based on game situations moving forward.
Abreu, boasting a 1.67 ERA, seems to be the best option to go with. Lefties Bennett Sousa and Bryan King, newly recalled Colton Gordon, and veteran Steven Okert are also in the mix. Newcomer Enyel De Los Santos has also made an appearance in relief.
Espada admitted the loss of Hader, who leads the team with 28 saves and carries a 2.05 ERA, was a "gut punch," but he has put his faith in the guys they have to make up for his absence.
"I feel good about all those guys," Espada said. "I was talking to the relievers about this. Josh Hader, how successful he's been, he needs guys to give him the ball with the lead. So all these guys have set him up to be the closer that he is. Not taking anything away from Josh - Josh is probably the best. But you need guys to help him get to that point. And these guys are capable of doing that."
The Astros and Mariners are tied for first place in the AL West with an identical 67-53 record. The Astros play the Red Sox in the series finale on Wednesday.
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The point about the difficulty of the wings developing on defense is well-taken if we assume that some of the Wizards' wings will defend opponents who are either much faster and more agile or much larger and stronger. My conclusion is that all of us — me included — need to acknowledge that the NBA game has changed, and continues to change. Our traditional notions of positional roles don't apply as much as they once did. Because of the prevalence of the 3-point shot and because so many teams play fast on offense, defenders now have to cover more ground than ever before. It's now common for players we don't consider 'point guards' to initiate offenses, and it's now rare for centers on offense to play with their backs to the basket. It's a league increasingly populated by versatile players in the 6-foot-4 to 6-foot-9 range. The distinctions among what shooting guards, small forwards and power forwards are expected to do are murkier than ever before, particularly within switch-oriented defensive schemes. Let's examine the league's reigning champs, the Thunder. When everyone's healthy, the Thunder's starting lineup features a pair of 7-footers, Holmgren, who is ultra versatile, and Isaiah Hartenstein, who is more of a traditional big. A close look reveals that, with Holmgren missing more than half the season with an injury, the Thunder relied heavily on lineups dominated by players we regard as wings. During the regular season, nine of Oklahoma City's 10 most-used five-man lineups included only one big or no big at all. Wings such as Jalen Wiliams, Lu Dort, Cason Wallace, Aaron Wiggins and Isaiah Joe received tons of minutes. Even the Thunder's primary initiator, Gilgeous-Alexander, is 6-foot-6, a height typically associated with that of a wing. 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Pundits apply the guiding principles of NFL roster construction to the NBA, when, in fact, many of those principles are specific to football. 'The game of basketball is so fluid, and positionally things are changing,' Dawkins told me a few days after this year's draft. 'And unlike football, where you're drafting for one position on one side of the field, you have to play both ends of the floor in basketball. So sometimes you're playing one position on offense but you're playing a different type of position on defense, and there's cross-matches and mismatches. So the way the game is going, with the flexibility, the type of players we're drafting gives Coach (Brian) Keefe options. So we're just going to continue to find people who fit our attributes and bring them into our building.' Coulibaly and George are quintessential examples of this. With Coulibaly listed as 6-8 and George listed as 6-7, we'd traditionally consider them as threes. But last season, the Wizards often deployed Coulibaly and George defensively to guard opponents' top offensive initiators — a critical defensive role that, years ago, probably wouldn't have gone to 6-foot-8 or 6-foot-7 players. In the year ahead, I expect the Wizards' lineups to closely resemble the playing groups the Wizards employed during their best 10-game stretch last season, the stretch from Feb. 24 through March 15 in which they went 6-4. Think a three-wing lineup such as Carrington, Coulibaly, George, Middleton and Sarr or AJ Johnson, McCollum, Tre Johnson, Whitmore and either Bagley or Vukcevic. I won't be shocked to see the Wizards sometimes employ lineups of four wings and one big, depending on the opponent. On most nights, the Wizards will face opponents that play just one big at a time. Think Boston, Detroit, Philadelphia and Toronto, for instance. So, for the Wizards, employing wing-reliant lineups won't be the issue that will put Washington at a disadvantage. The Wizards will be able to make adjustments to protect themselves defensively against opponents that use lineups with two bigs. Cleveland's Jarrett Allen and Evan Mobley would cause problems when they play simultaneously. New York would be tough on nights when Karl-Anthony Towns and Mitchell Robinson play simultaneously. Milwaukee would be a potential nightmare with Giannis Antetokounmpo and Myles Turner. Then again, Cleveland, New York and Milwaukee figure to cause problems for lots of East teams. Advertisement I think Wizards officials would portray having so many wings as an advantage for the players' development, citing how those players will have to compete against each other for playing time. There's some truth to that. Even with three-wing lineups, there will be only a finite number of minutes to go around. There's no question in my mind that, when healthy, and as long as they remain bought-in to the team concept, the highest-upside young players — Coulibaly, George, Tre Johnson and Whitmore — will get their minutes. But finding playing time for deserving players is something that Keefe will have to juggle. How many minutes will McCollum, Middleton, Kispert and Champagnie log each game? Perhaps Middleton will held out for one game of many back-to-backs, a decision that would keep Middleton healthy and would give opportunities for others, including Riley. I don't anticipate Jones or Watkins to play a whole lot, especially early in the season. And remember, with Washington now at 16 players on standard NBA contracts, the team will have to reduce its roster size by one player before the regular season starts. (Top photo of Kyshawn George: Reggie Hildred / Imagn Images) Spot the pattern. Connect the terms Find the hidden link between sports terms Play today's puzzle
