Crush City Territory: A Houston Astros Podcast

The Astros have the American League's worst rotation — and now must confront some difficult questions at the All-Star break. Tyler Stafford and The Athletic's Chandler Rome discuss the continued struggles of Spencer Arrighetti and Tatsuya Imai and what the team could do to reinvigorate its rotation before analyzing the end of Justin Verlander's Hall of Fame career and Yordan Alvarez's desire...

Mike Burrows had his worst start of a brutal first half, prompting serious questions about where the Astros go from here in their rotation. Tyler Stafford and The Athletic's Chandler Rome try to answer some of them, including whether Burrows would be better served in the minor leagues, how Cristian Javier fits in all of this and the dilemma Joe Espada faces each night. Stafford and Rome also discu...

The Astros have one of baseball's least-productive outfields and a pitching staff without much stability behind reigning Cy Young finalist Hunter Brown. Which area deserves the most attention at the trade deadline? Tyler Stafford and The Athletic's Chandler Rome debate that topic, the true value of popular trade target AJ Blubaugh, the role that returning pitchers will play and how much Dana Brown...

Tatsuya Imai's enigmatic season continued with another clunker against the Minnesota Twins. Cristian Javier is making his long-awaited return — but as a reliever. And the Astros are fielding trade calls on several members of their bullpen, including AJ Blubaugh. Former Astros outfielder Josh Reddick joins Tyler Stafford and The Athletic's Chandler Rome to discuss the predicament, why Javier...

Yordan Alvarez had an MVP moment on Tuesday night, whacking a go-ahead grand slam off Twins ace Joe Ryan during the Astros' 6-4 win. How many more moments like this will Alvarez need to lock up the honor? Tyler Stafford and The Athletic's Chandler Rome discuss that, Jeremy Peña's trip to the injured list with a strained left calf and Tatsuya Imai's increased comfort in Houston's clubhouse....

The Astros won their fifth consecutive series, crept to two games below .500 and sit just a half-game back of a playoff spot in the American League. Tyler Stafford and The Athletic's Chandler Rome discuss the Astros' successful weekend in Detroit, the contributions from their entire roster and Tatsuya Imai's second straight strong start before analyzing a pretty compelling roster crunch looming on...

The Astros are 19-12 in their last 31 games and, after winning two of three against the Blue Jays, have won four series in a row. Tyler Stafford and The Athletic's Chandler Rome discuss the growing momentum, Mike Burrows' return to the starting rotation and Yordan Alvarez's continued awesomeness before discussing the dearth of outfield options on the roster and one internal candidate who could be...

As the minor-league season reaches its halfway point, Astros farm director Sam Niedorf joins The Athletic's Chandler Rome to discuss the best performances of the first half, the breakout of catching prospect Jason Schiavone, the progress of teenaged prospects Xavier Neyens and Kevin Alvarez along with the continued development of Miguel Ullola, Ethan Pecko and Bryce Mayer. Rome then discusses the...

In this episode of Crush City Territory, Mitch Bannon and Chandler Rome of The Athletic break down many connections between the Jays and Astros franchises, the parallels between their 2026 seasons and preview Houston’s upcoming series in Toronto. To explore coverage, visit aspcapetinsurance.com/ FOUL . The ASPCA® is not an insurer and is not engaged in the business of insurance. 🌶️...

The Astros are 15-10 since May 22, but need to start stacking more wins if they want to be a legitimate playoff threat. Todd Kalas, the team's television voice on Space City Home Network, joins The Athletic's Chandler Rome to discuss whether the team is turning a corner, the two offensive players Houston must receive more from to become more dynamic and whether Tatsuya Imai could be on borrowed ti...

Astros ace Hunter Brown made his long-awaited return in a series win that featured two saves from Josh Hader. Having both pitchers back provides a boost to a team in desperate need of one. Former Astros outfielder Josh Reddick joins Tyler Stafford and The Athletic's Chandler Rome to discuss the impact both arms will provide, how Brown looked in his first start since March 31 and a temporary move t...

At a time when they need to start stacking wins, the Astros mustered just a 3-3 road trip against two of the American League's worst teams. Might Hunter Brown's return from the injured list be the boost they need? Tyler Stafford and The Athletic's Chandler Rome discuss the disappointing results from the road and Tatsuya Imai's unacceptable start on Friday before previewing Brown's return to a big...

Cristian Javier looked great in his second minor-league rehab start. Hunter Brown made his final one on Wednesday. What will the Astros do when both are back? Tyler Stafford and The Athletic’s Chandler Rome discuss the dilemma during the first ever live edition of Crush City Territory. The duo answers listener questions about Lance McCullers Jr, the trade deadline and Jeremy Peña's fu...

Astros general manager Dana Brown said the team has had "zero conversations" about trading AL MVP favorite Yordan Alvarez — and he doesn't believe the Astros will be selling at all by Aug. 3. Former Astros outfielder Josh Reddick joins Tyler Stafford and The Athletic's Chandler Rome to discuss Brown's comments, the trade speculation surrounding Alvarez and Jeremy Peña and how Houston...

Jose Altuve's return from the injured list made the Astros' lineup whole again — and helped to kickstart a series win against the division rival A's. Tyler Stafford and The Athletic's Chandler Rome break down the series win, what Altuve's return means for a run of soft spot of their schedule and how they might address Mike Burrows' continued problems in the starting rotation.  🌶️ See om...

Eight games under .500 and seeking a spark, the Astros shook up their struggling outfield by signing LaMonte Wade Jr. and sending Joey Loperfido to Triple-A Sugar Land. Tyler Stafford and The Athletic's Chandler Rome discuss Wade's arrival and the decision to demote Loperfido before revisiting some missed opportunities this winter to solidify the outfield. The two then discuss whether slugger Yord...

Down to their final four outs — and staring at 98 percent odds to lose — the Houston Astros authored the most improbable comeback of their imperfect season, scoring six two-out runs in the eighth inning to stun the Pittsburgh Pirates at Daikin Park. Tyler Stafford and The Athletic's Chandler Rome discuss the wild comeback, Cam Smith's heroics, Josh Hader's much-anticipated return and w...

Tatsuya Imai went toe-to-toe with Milwaukee Brewers phenom Jacob Misiorowski and delivered the most encouraging start of his major-league career. Tyler Stafford and The Athletic's Chandler Rome discuss Imai's progression and debate whether he's turned the corner before analyzing the rest of an encouraging series against the Brewers, including Joe Espada's management of game one and how to handle B...

Yordan Alvarez became the fastest player in Astros history to reach 20 home runs in a season. His power is propelling the Astros back to relevance and has his teammates in awe. Former Astros outfielder Josh Reddick — Alvarez's former teammate — joins Tyler Stafford and The Athletic's Chandler Rome to discuss Alvarez's dominance, his candidacy for AL MVP, why people sometimes miscast th...

Tatsuya Imai, Steven Okert and Alimber Santa teamed to throw the 18th no-hitter in Houston Astros history in a 9-0 win against the Texas Rangers at Globe Life Field on May 25. Few of the other 17 felt more improbable. Tyler Stafford and The Athletic's Chandler Rome discuss Imai's six hitless innings and whether they showed any progress before digging into Santa — the first rookie since 1900...

For the first time since 2013, the Astros won a game at Wrigley Field. Even better, Houston swept the Chicago Cubs and, for the first time this season, has tangible momentum heading into a massive series in Arlington. Tyler Stafford and The Athletic's Chandler Rome break down the sweep, Christian Walker's continued resurgence, the stabilization of Houston's pitching staff and how the bullpen could...

Astros catching prospect Jason Schiavone leads all of Minor League Baseball with 18 home runs and just received a promotion to Double-A Corpus Christi. Schiavone joins Tyler Stafford and The Athletic's Chandler Rome to discuss his breakout season, some swing adjustments that have allowed him to unlock power, the nuances of calling games as a catcher and what his goals are for the remainder of his...

Down Jose Altuve, Carlos Correa and Yainer Diaz, the Astros have one of baseball's worst offenses in May and are watching their season start to slip away. Former Astros outfielder Josh Reddick joins Tyler Stafford and The Athletic's Chandler Rome to discuss the Astros' dispiriting series loss to the Twins, the disastrous state of their lineup and what — if anything — can be done to fix...

The Astros had perhaps their most satisfying series win of the season, taking two of three from their intrastate rival Texas Rangers while staying afloat in the AL West. Tyler Stafford and The Athletic's Chandler Rome break down the series win, Spencer Arrighetti's excellent performance and his powerful quote after it before analyzing Jose Altuve's oblique injury and what it means for the rest of...

The Astros were outscored 24-10 en route to losing three out of four games against the Seattle Mariners. They're now 11 games below .500 and 6.5 games back in the American League West. Former Astros outfielder Josh Reddick joins Tyler Stafford and The Athletic's Chandler Rome to search for solutions and things that offer hope before breaking down Tatsuya Imai's dismal return to a major-league moun...