It was the final question of a long, hard, disappointing day at the ballpark directed toward Alex Bregman, and yet it produced a spark of hope that could carry Astros fans and the Astros themselves into what could be a trying or fulfilling weekend.
Offense, Bregman said, is all about repeatability, the elusive talent of replicating successful mechanics in succession over an extended period.
Simple concept, hard to accomplish, as the Astros demonstrated once more in their 3-2 loss Wednesday night to the Mariners.
“We need to repeat what we’re doing at the plate when we’re good, and we’re not doing a good job of repeating constantly,” Bregman said. “For myself, mechanically I’ve been bad, and I’m working on it every single day and I’m going to continue to do that. That’s the only way for success.”
Manager Dusty Baker knows it, too, both from participation and observation across a half-century around the big leagues.
It was much on his mind as he pondered Wednesday night the fact that with an American League West playoff berth still unclaimed, he will have little chance to give regulars a break in the upcoming four-game series against the Rangers that begins Thursday night in Arlington.
“I’ve been on teams where you rest guys and they kind of rust out and lose their stroke,” Baker said. “And I’ve been on teams where you play to the end but guys are tired but they’re sharp.
“I’m an optimist, and I’d like to think that this is going to help us rather than hurt us.”
For the month of September, the Astros are hitting .221 with 23 homers, which ranks 20th in Major League Baseball, and an OPS of .644, which ranks sixth from the bottom.
Their batting average on balls in play, a popular new age statistic, is .250, which ranks 29th and reflects a degree of bad luck along with underperformance. One example is the 101.7 mph liner launched Wednesday by Jose Altuve that produced an inning-ending double play.
Consistent success is elusive, despite occasional moments such as a comeback win against the Dodgers and a ninth-inning rally Wednesday against the Mariners that fell a run short.
“Between (hitting coaches Alex Cintron and Troy Snitker) are pulling their hair out trying to figure out what is wrong, and I’m trying to help them,” Baker said. “The guys are putting in the work and putting in the time, it’s just that today we hit a couple of balls hard for outs, and strikeouts at the wrong time are just killing us.”
Bregman was running through much the same explanation when, as he prepared to wrap up his video conference, he was asked if four regular-season games gives the Astros enough time to figure out what’s wrong.
“It’s one swing,” Bregman replied. “It’s one swing. When you’re not mechanically right and you take one swing and it’s right, you can repeat that one swing and it will get you locked in for a long time.
“I feel like we’re all just one swing away. I’m not saying that it’s noe swing for the entire team, but each individual guy is one swing away from feeling good and feeling right, and hopefully we’ll get that one swing in the next four days and get on a roll.”
The Astros have other issues with which to deal, including the worrisome inconsistency of Zack Greinke in his last four starts, which have included three losses and a no-decision.
But perhaps the anticipation – and the potential accomplishment - of that one perfect swing will be a start to the regular season’s final weekend.
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September 24, 2020 at 11:05AM
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Astros insider: Alex Bregman looking for just one good swing - Houston Chronicle
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