I didn’t figure it was possible, but the Astros have found something even more annoying than the frequently cited “discomfort” used for most injuries: Using “the back of his baseball card” to justify why the organization is confident certain players will eventually bounce back from his early season struggles. Dana Brown and Joe Espada have used that term, as recently as Wednesday, with the former using it for Josh Hader and the latter for José Abreu.
So, that’s great...
In all fairness to Espada, he was placed in a tough spot. Part of his job as manager is to shield his players from outside criticism, as much as fans don’t like it.