Going into the Brewers series, the Astros had been 2-9 in their last 11 games. Not liking the roller coaster effect of losing a bunch of games, winning a bunch and losing a bunch again, Houston general manager Ed Wade decided to hold a team meeting.
Want to know what he told the players?
Two things.
To the hitters, Wade held a baseball in one hand and a bat in another and said, "Gentlemen, this is a baseball. This is a bat. Your job is to hit the ball with a bat and do so in a way where you can at least make it to first base before a fielder can throw you out.
To the pitchers, Wade said: Gentlemen, I want each and every one of you to work on a new pitch. It's called a strike.*
Actually, the team meeting was reportedly to reaffirm things taught at spring training and to help the team (which had a 17-11 May but has been shaky in June) get back to basics.
*I must give credit where credit is due: this joke comes from a comment Cleveland Indians pitcher Jim Kern made to reporters in 1986 regarding his control problems.
