GAMES 99-101 - July 21-23: Three Steps in a Very Wrong Direction

July 21 - Pittsburgh 9, Houston 3
July 22 - Pittsburgh 8, Houston 2
July 23 - Pittsburgh 8, Houston 7

Quote of the Day: "Right now we have all the earmarks of a bad team. I'm not saying we have bad personnel and I'm not saying we can't turn it around, but right now the only thing you can say is that we're bad. If we don't turn it around, we'll end the season a bad team. It's unfortunate because I think we have talented players. We're better than we've played." (Berkman)

By the time the Astros bullpen fell apart last Sunday, the Astros had long since checked out of the game; they hadn't really shown much inclination for scoring since they left the bases loaded in the fifth. Not so on Monday, when they held a tenuous one-run lead in what had been a kind of lackluster game right up until, with just 2 outs to go in the ninth, Valverde totally went up in flames. He got the first out on a fly ball, then blew the save on a home run to Jason Bay. Gave up a single to Nady, then a first-pitch homer to LaRoche. A walk, another single... by that time Byrdak had hurriedly warmed up. But not enough - after a strikeout for the second out, he gave up a 3-run in-the-park home run. He struck out Ryan Doumit - who had also opened the inning - to end the meltdown. But too late -- when the Astros came up in the bottom of the ninth, their 3-2 lead was now a huge 9-3 deficit. They did not come back.

Both of the starting pitchers started the season in Triple A, so one might have expected a blowout on both sides. But both pitched surprisingly well - at least from an ERA perspective. Runelvys Hernandez pitched into the sixth inning, giving up only 2 runs on 8 hits and 2 walks, striking out 3. But both teams left runners on base right and left - a total of 25 LOB between them. Up to the ninth inning, it was largely a game of missed opportunities. Valverde and Brydak gave them some extra chances.

If I thought that Monday's game was one of the worst of the season, I only needed to wait until Tuesday's for competition. In a near replay of Sunday's shutout, the Astros didn't get into this game offensively until the bottom of the seventh, when they eked out a single run on a pair of singles from Berkman and Pence. They got a second hard-earned run in the ninth, when Lee was hit by a pitch, moved up, and scored on Wiggington's single. Houston's rent-a-starter for the day, Jack Cassel, leaked a run here and a run there, giving up 5 runs over his 5 innings. Brydak, in an eerie replay of the previous game, gave up a 3-run homer to put the Astros at the bottom of a very steep hill. They did not come back.

This set the stage for the Astro's last chance to redeem themselves, and at least avoid a sweep. It was a Wednesday afternoon game. By the time I got home from work, the Astros had already lost 8-7. This time it was Moehler who dug the hole for the Astros - giving up 4 runs in the top of the first inning, another in the second, another in the third... That was enough for Coop, and he brought in Sampson. In another beautiful relief effort, Sampson threw 2 2/3 beautifully scoreless innings, giving up only one hit. Meanwhile, the Astros were pretty much matching the damage offensively, so by the sixth inning, the score was tied 6-6.

In the seventh, the ping-pong game continued, but this time Geary gave up 2 and his teammates only scored 1, leaving them a run behind, 8-7. Wright and Brocail pitched scoreless innings, but the Astros failed to put another run across. They did not come back.

They were swept. Skunked. That stinks.

Did I mention that they were playing against the PIRATES?

The Astros now have the NL Central cellar all to themselves. That really stinks.

While all this was transpiring, Ed Wade made a deal for a veteran lefty starter, Randy Wolf, from the Padres. He's not having a good year - in his 21 starts, he has a 6-10 record and 4.74 ERA. Just about exactly the same as Backe this year. I'm not sure how this makes the Astros contenders, but it is an indication that the Astros management hasn't given up on the season - yet.

In other news, Q is back from his concussion-induced rehab, sporting one of Ausmus' hockey-style helmets for greater noggin protection.

Off to Milwaukee to play the Brewers, who have an 8-game winning streak going. Will Houston be able to break its 4-game losing streak?