GAME 7 - April 6: Deja Vu All Over Again...

Chicago 3, Houston 2

Word for the Day: Deja Vu. See Game 5.

The pitching was excellent. The offense was positively 2005-ish.

Despite the Astros' very frustrating loss on Sunday, not to mention the dismal 2-5 record for their opening road trip, I'm starting to feel more and more optimistic about this season. Everyone knows that teams win on pitching and defense, not hitting. This team is supposed to have weak starting pitching (except for Oswalt), so-so defense, and big bats. That adds up to a losing season. Or does it?

So far we have the losing part mastered - but not on that recipe. Everything is upside down. What have we seen so far? Puny run production. A lot of batting averages in the 1s and 2s. Some awesome fielding. Off-kilter pitching from the CYA candidate - but terrific pitching from most of the other starters.

Could this be a recipe for a great year, despite the naysayers and blog blabbers?

Backe's start in this game is fairly representative of the season so far - he gave up only 2 ERs over 6 innings, on 6 hits, 3 BBs, and 7 Ks. Backe's run support was so bad that he had to do it himself - he doubled to lead off the third inning, and scored on Erstad's single. Besides that - nothing in his six innings. (Okay, the Cubs had Zambrano on the mound, but the Astros aren't going to play every game of the season against ace-type pitchers.)

This game got off to what looked like a strong offensive start. Bourn led off with a single, then took third on Pence's double. Erstad (hitting in place of Berkman who is still out with a stiff neck) struck out. Then Lee hit a fly ball to Soriano in left for the second out. Should Bourn have tried to tag up and score? The race was on: Bourn's speed vs Soriano's gun. Soriano fired a bullet to home plate and Bourn was tagged out to end the inning. It didn't work out - but I like that the Astros are taking chances on the bases.

Tejada hit his first homer of the season to tie the game 2-2 in the seventh. But Villareal gave up a home run to that pesky Derrek Lee in the bottom of the inning, and posted his second loss of the season.

In other news, Matsui is headed for Corpus for rehab. Berkman and Wig are still day-to-day.