To play or not to play? That has become the question Astros fans are debating following Houston’s 4-0 loss to the Kansas City Royals on Sunday.
With an opportunity to complete a three-game sweep and continue building momentum, the Astros elected to keep two of their most important hitters, Isaac Paredes and Jose Altuve, out of the lineup. The result was a noticeably less potent offense that performed exactly as many feared it would, managing little at the plate in a shutout loss.
Let me be clear: I
am not one of those people calling for Joe Espada’s job because of a lineup decision. I’m also not naive enough to believe the manager is solely responsible for filling out the lineup card. General Manager Dana Brown, the analytics department, and other members of the baseball operations staff undoubtedly have significant input in those decisions on a daily basis.
That said, this isn’t the first time we’ve had this discussion.
The Astros have once again found themselves digging out of an early-season hole, spending much of the first half trying to make up ground in both the division and Wild Card races. When you’re playing catch-up, every game matters. Every opportunity to gain ground matters. And in those situations, I believe your best players need to be on the field as often as possible.
Houston had an off day on Thursday. Yes, Saturday night’s game featured a 90-minute rain delay, but shortly after play resumed, the Astros wrapped up the victory in the next inning. It’s not as though the club had endured a grueling stretch of baseball leading into Sunday afternoon.
That’s why I struggle to understand sitting two of your top four hitters when a sweep was there for the taking.
A victory would have given the Astros four wins in six games on the road trip, continued the momentum they’ve built over the last several weeks, and helped them inch closer to .500 while narrowing the gap in both the Wild Card and division races.
Instead, the lineup looked diminished from the start, and the offense never found its footing.
The larger question is one that has divided Astros fans on social media.
Do you subscribe to the belief that the season is a marathon, not a sprint, and that key players should receive rest whenever the organization believes they need it, regardless of circumstance?
Or do you believe that when a team starts slowly and spends months trying to recover lost ground, the urgency changes? That every game carries added significance and your best players should be in the lineup whenever reasonably possible to maximize your chances of winning?
I fall into the latter category.
Had it been my decision, both Altuve and Paredes would have been in Sunday’s lineup. The team had just enjoyed an off day earlier in the week, and they were headed home immediately after the game. Given the circumstances, the opportunity to secure a sweep and continue gaining ground outweighed the need for rest.
The good news for Astros fans is that the season is far from over. Houston remains within striking distance, sitting only a few games out of a Wild Card spot and still close enough to keep an eye on the division race. As injured players continue to return and the roster gets healthier, the Astros should only improve.
But if they’re serious about climbing back into contention, I believe their best players need to be on the field as often as possible.
What do you think? Should teams prioritize rest no matter the circumstances, or should the urgency of the standings dictate when stars get days off?
