Summarize this content to 2000 words in 6 paragraphs in Arabic
Dana Brown insisted that the Astros won’t be sellers at the trade deadline, that his team has too much potential and talent to not turn this horrific 27-34 start around at some point, though their current trajectory — and it’s not a good one — could eventually dictate otherwise.
On the same day Brown addressed Houston’s looming trade deadline tactics, star outfielder Kyle Tucker fouled a ball off his right shin — the X-rays came back negative, according to MLB.com — and ESPN reported that starting pitcher Jose Urquidy planned to visit Dr. Keith Meister with the potential to need a second Tommy John surgery.
“I don’t see any scenario where we’re sellers. I think we’re going to be buyers,” Brown told reporters, according to The Athletic.
Just about nothing has gone right for the Astros this season, though.
A new era began following their 2023 ALCS exit with manager Dusty Baker’s retirement, and ace Justin Verlander landed on the injured list and missed his Opening Day start against the Yankees.
Starters Lance McCullers Jr. and Cristian Javier are both on the IL, too, while Framber Valdez also spent time out of the rotation while dealing with elbow inflammation.
And then pieces of the Astros’ lineup has struggled to produce, resulting in veteran Jose Abreu getting optioned to Triple-A after a brutal 7-for-71 start.
Brown’s tone reflected a blend of defiance and reluctance about what Houston will do ahead of the July 30 deadline, even as Fangraphs gives the Astros a 36.4 percent chance to make the playoffs and a 22.3 percent chance to win the AL West — a division where they currently sit second and six games behind the Mariners entering Tuesday night’s games.
They lost seven of their first nine games, 19 of their first 26 and 25 of their first 40.
“I don’t foresee us being sellers at all,” Brown said, per The Athletic. “We’re going to grind it out. I think we’re going to get back to .500 before people know it and we’ll be back in the race.”
Verlander, Valdez, Tucker, third baseman Alex Bregman and reliever Ryan Pressly could all be options to get traded if the Astros decide to sell, according to The Athletic.
Their latest obstacles emerged Monday, when the news about Urquidy broke and then Tucker, hours later, redirected a pitch off his shin, didn’t finish the at-bat in the third inning and reportedly used crutches after the game.
“It just hit me in the shin,” Tucker told reporters, according to MLB.com. “I’ve fouled balls off of my leg before and stuff, but this one kind of just hurt a little more.”
The injuries all seem to hint at one reality for the Astros by the end of July.
Their GM seems adamant about avoiding that and waiting for their close games —the one- and two-run losses — to flip, which could’ve started with their 7-4 win over the Cardinals to open a series Monday.
But after a disastrous 61 games for the Astros, their 2024 outlook continues to worsen and jeopardize an eighth consecutive appearance in the ALCS for a franchise that has become almost synonymous with that stage of the season.
“We would have to really fall apart for that to happen,” Brown told reporters of a potential sell-off, per The Athletic. “The pitching would have to be struggling. The hitters would have to be struggling. If there’s any sign of hope, I can’t see us doing it.”
