GAME 13: RISP is a Four Letter Word

April 20: Reds 4, Astros 3

Back in my Houston childhood, girls did not play baseball. At the little league field, we ate Frito Pies and fluorescent Sno Cones, got sunburned, and cheered for our brothers. So, having never actually played ball, I generally don't second guess the big league managers. Even so...

I just knew that the Astros, down 4-3, would retake the lead in the eighth when Jason Michaels led off with a double, with the top of the order coming up. But I was stymied when Matsui sac bunted him to third. Why have him bunt? He's not a pitcher, he's a lead-off hitter. Let him hit to right, and at least have a chance to get a base out of it. The SABR guys can duke it out over the real and perceived value of sacrifice bunts, but my gut feeling was that we wasted a precious out.

I won't go through the gory details of how we got all the way to bases loaded, with two outs, and Pence at the plate with a full count. You just know that the kid has "patience, patience" running through his head like a mantra, telling himself no wild swings at balls in the dirt, a RBI walk ties the game... And then he's called out on a borderline pitch at the knees, looking stunned.

As long as I'm breaking with habit and questioning managerial decisions: I wasn't happy to see Hampton replaced in the seventh. A lead-off single followed by a sac bunt put a runner on second with one out. Hampton, at 100 pitches, got the hook. After some problems in the first inning, resulting in the Reds' 2 runs, the bulldog had been pitching well, and I thought that he could get out of it and finish off the seventh. I'll give Cooper the benefit of the doubt - he's out there and knows his guys; maybe Hampton was gassed. Or maybe Coop's just thinking of the long season and wanting to make sure that the elderly Hampton can endure for the long haul.

At any rate, the decision to replace Hampton with Geary and then Byrdak - the same duo that gave us yesterday's blown game - didn't work out well. Willie T hit an infield to put runners on the corners, and Hairston walked to load the bases. Enough fun for Geary. Byrdak came in to face the Votto, who hit a 2-run double to give the Reds a 4-3 lead. Hmmm. (Sound familiar?) Bourn played the ball well in center, getting it quickly to Tejada, who passed it on to Pudge to nail Hairston trying to score. Geary got his second "L" in two days.

Oh, did I mention that Berkman and Lee had back-to-back homers in the sixth? That should have been right up at the top of this game recap, where I should have been reviewing all the great things that helped the Astros win this one. Quality start by Hampton, pair of dingers in the sixth - and a crooked number in the eighth... that didn't happen.

Well, as we keep rationalizing, it's early yet. But Astros history would indicate that we'll be sorry about all these early-season losses when we get to the last week of September and pull up a game or two short. This team should be winning games - good starting pitching, solid bullpen (recent fumbles notwithstanding), enough base runners to sustain them - but zip with RISP.

Tonight: The Dodgers are in town. It will be weird to see Ausmus in opposing duds.