Astros make under-the-radar pitching move amid struggles vs. Mariners.
The Houston Astros are well below .500 and need to start finding answers for their mid-season woes. Both the Seattle Mariners and Texas Rangers are ranked above them in the AL West. All of this means that Joe Espada has to step up and shake up the roster so that they are able to catch up and make a possible postseason run. Someone who has not been quite as productive for the squad is Miguel Diaz and the front office quickly took notice.
What happened to Miguel Diaz?
Apr 5, 2024; Arlington, Texas, USA; Houston Astros relief pitcher Miguel Diaz (39) pitches during the game between the Texas Rangers and the Houston Astros at Globe Life Field. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports
© Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports
Miguel Diaz is getting released by the Astros, per the MLB’s transactions tracker. He has not seen much playing time under Joe Espada. In fact, the only time he got fielded was when during a loss to the Rangers back in April. Even then, he only got to pitch in one inning and did not earn a single score. After that, he was assigned to Sugar Land. His stint with the Triple-A squad was not too great either.
At first glance, his 9.64 earned run average isn’t too bad like other pitchers getting waived. Looking further into it, one might observe that he did this in 13 appearances throughout 14 innings which was horrid. This meant that he allowed 15 earned runs which is not what the Astros need right now if they want to catch up to the Mariners.
The more unfortunate part of Miguel Diaz’s stint under the Astros’ Triple-A affiliate was his ability to strike out batters. He had a 40% strand rate while striking out 15.2% of the time and only had walks on 7.6% of his pitches. He did not allow a home run which was great but there was just something more that Joe Espada needed to make him stay or even call him up to play with the Astros.
But, maybe he just needed more time to get his groove on. After all, he had just been picked up by the Astros. This was after getting waived by the Detroit Tigers back in April. He did not get the benefit of Spring Training nor ample time to acclimate to the new system that he was in. Nonetheless, he will now enter free agency. Hopefully, the next team that signs him is not in too much of a rush such that his major league stints could last longer.
Astros ALCS streak in danger
As the season goes by, the hopes of the Astros getting into the postseason get more and more bleak. Their pitchers had a combined ERA of 4.90 at the end of April and nothing much has changed. This 25th-ranked rotation clearly needs to step up or they can kiss that seven-year streak farewell. All of that starts with Justin Verlander and Framber Valdez.
