Karl Ravech won’t state the obvious about Jose Altuve

It sure seems like Karl Ravech was told not to talk about sign stealing

The Houston Astros won the 2017 World Series at least in part due to a sign-stealing scheme. There, I said it. The players weren’t punished for their transgressions and because of that, their get out a jail free card has rubbed many the wrong way.

Rob Manfred would like all of baseball to move on from the Astros scandal, but because the punishment didn’t fit the crime, the season-long storyline has crept into the playoffs. Houston is facing Minnesota in the AL Wild Card round, and Jose Altuve’s struggles have followed him into the postseason.

Rather than acknowledging the obvious, play-by-play announcer Karl Ravech can’t quite tell what’s wrong with Altuve.

By ignoring the Astros’ scandal, ESPN and ABC are only making matters worse

The spotlight is on the Astros this postseason. After losing to the Nationals in last season’s World Series, Houston faced an offseason from hell. They haven’t recovered from that, and finished the shortened 2020 season under .500 with many of their key contributors, including Altuve, hitting far below their average slash lines. Combine that with the injury to Justin Verlander, who will undergo Tommy John surgery, and Houston isn’t favored to make it far this postseason.

However, the names in the lineup suggest they’re still capable of a run. That’s what’s so scary about the Astros. Were they to finally put it all together for the first time all season, they could prove their doubters wrong and then some.

Trash cans or not, it’s time for the Astros to repent for their sins.