00:00That's right, every hump day right here on The Drive with Sterner and Hughley, we do a little stock talk.
00:05If you didn't know, the glorious return of Astros baseball is tomorrow.
00:10Yes, technically opening day is today. Those turd-ass Yankees are playing some baseball, but who really cares?
00:16Astros return tomorrow. We are doing an Astros opening day roster edition of Stock Up, Stock Down right now.
00:22And I want to start with you, Dirty Red, Clint Sterner.
00:25You know what I like to do, get these negatives out of the way.
00:29Stock Down for you, Clint, as we head to opening day tomorrow for these Strobes.
00:34Well, I'm going to go with Spencer Arrighetti for the Stock Down.
00:37I told you guys probably a month ago, and I kind of, whether it was admitting it or just kind
00:42of putting it out there,
00:43I've got, I had a little something special for Arrighetti.
00:45I just, there was beyond just going, hey man, this guy's got a real chance.
00:49Like, I wanted to see Spencer. I can't explain it.
00:53I just wanted to see Spencer. I felt like he's got some stuff.
00:55I felt like he had the stuff that could play at a, you know, two or three starter level.
01:01He seems to be a likable kid.
01:03And, you know, I thought, I thought I was hoping that with Hunter Brown really being the only, only starter
01:10in the rotation
01:11that is firmly, you know, in the spot, in the number one spot with four open spots,
01:18I thought for sure Spencer Arrighetti would be in one of those.
01:20Now, I understand he had twins, I believe, so he missed a start in the rotation.
01:26I don't think they, you know, coming off an injury from last year, and, you know,
01:30so I think there's probably no rush to get him back in the run, given what he's dealing with,
01:35with the birth of his twins, as well as coming off the injury last year.
01:38So, I understand that this may just be a little bit of a hiccup for Spencer Arrighetti,
01:44but for him to not be in the top five in this rotation, and to have Lance McCullers, one of
01:52those guys,
01:54you know, two guys in MI and Burroughs, that this is their first opening day roster to be on,
01:58Christian Javier coming back off of injury.
02:01I'll be honest, I'm a little disappointed in the fact that Spencer Arrighetti isn't firmly in the middle of this
02:06group
02:07and in the conversation.
02:08So, it may be, it may be, Paul, just a, hey man, just give him a couple of weeks,
02:14but still, he's not in the top five, I gotta say, his stock's down.
02:17Might be a, give Lance McCullers a couple of weeks, and wait till he ends up where he normally ends
02:22up.
02:23I hate to make a joke about it, because I actually do like Lance McCullers,
02:26and I think a lot of people give him an awful lot of crap,
02:28considering what he did do for this team in 2017.
02:30I think we do have to remember that, and I actually enjoy the pep rallies
02:34that he brings to the locker room, to the clubhouse from time to time.
02:37Bury me in the H.
02:38Hell yeah.
02:39But at times, I mean, you look at a guy that's getting paid that kind of money,
02:44and isn't it about, hey, let's see what he has,
02:47because we have to figure out if he's got anything left the last year of his contract,
02:51the first month of his contract, the first month of this last year.
02:54So, I think it might be more about figuring out what McCullers is than Arrighetti,
02:57but for Arrighetti, that's definitely disappointing to not make the opening day roster.
03:02So, stock down Spencer Arrighetti for old Clint Sterner.
03:05Over to you, Paul.
03:06In your view of this Astros squad heading into opening day tomorrow, stock down in your eyes.
03:11I feel like I'm going to be mad at the Astros training staff all season long already.
03:16So, stock down for the Astros training and medical staff.
03:18It's a new group, man.
03:18I know.
03:19It's a new group.
03:20You know what's got me a little concerned?
03:21Number one, I know that he hit a home run literally out of Daikin Park last night,
03:25but I am concerned that Jeremy Pena re-aggravates whatever he was dealing with,
03:31that he suffered in that injury in the World Baseball Classic.
03:33Well, it was like a mini fracture, and they were kind of weird about how they...
03:36Just the two.
03:36Right.
03:37Yeah, exactly.
03:38That meaningless-ass tournament.
03:40It's one of those things where you see it happen, and then you hear them communicate it,
03:44and you're like, oh, this doesn't sound all that different.
03:46The injury that he's dealing with, maybe it's Team USA, not the Astros,
03:50formerly led by Jeremiah Randall and that training staff.
03:53And then on top of that, okay, Josh Hader left bicep tendonitis.
03:58Oh, what's going on here?
04:00So, I'm a little bit concerned already, and I mean, my God,
04:03you have a very low bar to clear if you're the Astros training and medical staff,
04:06but I have a side eye towards them right now.
04:08Well, I mean, rightfully so, and they're just catching the heat from last year's group, I think.
04:14Yeah, for sure.
04:15It's more about last year than it is anything else, but I'm nervous all of a sudden.
04:19If old Jeremy Finger, if it comes a problem, then, boy,
04:23that could be bad news for the training staff.
04:25You are correct.
04:26Yeah, all we can hope is that this new training staff, this new group for the Stros,
04:29they didn't just stay at a Holiday Inn Express last night or something.
04:33Back to you, Clint, and if you're just tuning in with us,
04:36this is Stock Up, Stock Down.
04:37We're doing an Astros opening day roster edition here on the drive with Sterner and Hughley.
04:42Clint, stock up for these Astros ahead of opening day.
04:45Bryce Matthews, boys.
04:46He's on the opening day roster.
04:48We obviously know who he is.
04:50He's been up and down the last couple of years, one of the top prospects,
04:52but just a monster spring, hit 250-plus, had an OPS of over 800, stole eight bases,
05:00was four for four last night.
05:01So, leaving that taste in the mouths of the decision makers, if you will, had to be a huge plus
05:07for him.
05:08I can't help but look at him.
05:10And, look, I know there's movement with the Astros and change is good,
05:13but I can't help but look at Bryce Matthews, who can play both in middle infield spots,
05:18left field and center field, and can run and is a threat on the base pass.
05:23I can't help but look at him as a good, strong replacement for who Mauricio Dubon was last year
05:30because he was big.
05:30We hadn't talked enough about that.
05:31Now's not the time, but we hadn't talked enough about Mauricio Dubon not being here.
05:35Boy, he was relied upon heavily over the last two or three years.
05:38And so, hopefully, Bryce Matthews can become that guy.
05:41If there's room, we already got extra infielders.
05:43Now you had Bryce to the mix.
05:44Boy, you know, you got a surplus.
05:47But we'll see.
05:47He had a monster spring.
05:48Yeah, young Bryce Matthews did have a monster spring.
05:51Getting a lot of praise lately from the talking heads over there with the Strohs.
05:54Back to you, Pauly G.
05:55I'm going to co-sign what you were saying about Bryce Matthews there
05:58because take a look at the depth around him.
06:02Is Jake Myers going to get hurt at some point this season?
06:04Let's be honest.
06:06Yes.
06:06Is Jordan Alvarez going to get hurt at some point this season?
06:09Let's be honest.
06:10Yes.
06:11Jordan.
06:11The depth in the outfield is already a bit suspect.
06:16And on top of that, Dan and Brown already put the writing on the wall for Cam Smith.
06:20Hey, man, you got to perform.
06:21Otherwise, we'll put somebody else in there.
06:23And he's clearly shown that he is not above putting a positional player in the outfield,
06:27whether it was Jose Altuve or the Cam Smith experiment as it began.
06:31So definitely good for Bryce Matthews coming into this season on the streak that he's on.
06:36But it is spring training.
06:38Just to be a little bit different, I'm going to say stock up.
06:41All the ladies in the city of Houston.
06:45I feel like the eye candy stock is up because, have my babies, Joey Loperfito.
06:51They love him, this guy.
06:52The ladies do love Loperfito.
06:54And Payne is a taken man now.
06:56You know, he gave the rock out to his fiance.
06:59And on top of that, who's the person that they're going to be oogling in the outfield?
07:04It's weird, Clint.
07:05Seeing online, some of the conversations had by the fine, strong, powerful, independent women of Astros Twitter.
07:12Oh, boy.
07:12They got an eye for that, fella.
07:14Panty dropping Pena is shelved for the year.
07:18Great point.
07:19What are we going to do with Loperfito?
07:22How can we pull this together, boys?
07:24He can't.
07:25Cucucci tonight.
07:26There was a good one.
07:27But we can't just, we just can't, Panty Dropper just can't bounce around the field, right?
07:31We got to come up with something.
07:33Loperfito has a ton of potential.
07:35When it comes to some kind of lady reference.
07:39Ladies night.
07:40Loperfito.
07:40Oh, that's great.
07:41Why not, man?
07:42Lean into it, Astros.
07:44Lean into it.
07:45He will greatly appreciate it.
07:46Just replace that Hello Kitty night or whatever with that.
07:48Very, very fair.
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