Mark Berman talked to Chris Johnson, who was predictably shocked by this evening's news:
"They called me and Wally in and said they were sending us to Oklahoma City to clear our heads and get things going. Oh yea, we were shocked. They said they got a month left and we're going to go there and just play. It's really tough. It's a big blow. I know I had a tough start, but the organization is making some changes and I guess me and Wally aren't part of it. We've gone through the grind all year. I've battled, learned and made adjustments. It's shocking. It's tough. It's not something we expected, but the organization is going in a different direction I guess.
They're making changes, going young and bringing up some younger guys and to send us out tells you maybe they don't want you to really be a part of it. We're just going to have to try to work harder and win them back, I guess."
Communication hasn't exactly been the Astros' strong point, but yeah, they're going to have to go back to OKC and win them over again.
I would say that Wallace has a longer leash than Johnson. There's no one really at Triple-A contending for a 1B/3B spot. Kody Hinze is raking at Corpus, but has only been there a month or so. If they can go back and get it going again, it could re-inspire confidence in both.
We didn't come out here to play tiddlywinks, son.
-Hal Smith
