Birthday greetings to my favorite baseball player of all time, JEFF BAGWELL, from Tel Aviv, Israel!
Wednesday, May 27, 2009
Happy Birthday, Jeff Bagwell!
Birthday greetings to my favorite baseball player of all time, JEFF BAGWELL, from Tel Aviv, Israel!
Good News, Bad News
Good News: I can access mlb.tv from Israel! I didn't think I'd be able to, but it turns out that the only people who are blocked are those who are too close to the games, not too far away. With my daughter's high speed Internet, I actually get better live video streaming on her computer than on my own at home. Go figure.
Bad News 1: The games, of course, are generally in the middle of the night. A typical 7:05 PM start time in Houston is 3:05 AM here. Afternoon games are prime-time, but there aren't many of those. I might get up early and watch the last couple of innings live - and of course, I can watch the whole game on the archive if I want.
Bad News 2: The Astros have lost every game since I left. I know that I should not take this personally. But remember how they started winning at Spring Training when I got to Kissimmee? Well...
I'm not going to attempt to write up all the games while I'm away. But I will post when I can just to stay in touch.
Here's a few fun things from Israel. I'll post some pictures later... My daughter lives near Shuk ha Carmel (Carmel's open market) in a not-yet-yupped-up neighborhood in Tel Aviv. The produce in the shuk is AMAZING and very cheap. E.g., to-die-for gorgeous sweet fresh-picked tomatoes are 3 shekels a kilo - that's about 37 cents a pound. The olive guy has about 100 types of olives - he filled up a big bag of mixed ones and charged Miry (who is young and pretty) 10 shekels - about $2.50. The beach is a five minute walk from my daughter's apartment. Haven't been swimming yet, but took a long walk on the boardwalk.
There's no professional baseball league in Israel this summer. It fizzled after one season in 2007, and while there's talk of trying it again, there are no local ball games. Someday when baseball is back, I hope to be asked to lead Take Me Out to the Ballgame - in Hebrew of course. There is a Hebrew translation, which was done by my-husband-the-Hebrew-poet (the only Hebrew poet from Lubbock, Texas). I sing TMOTTBG loudly in Hebrew at every game I attend (Spring Training, Nationals Stadium), but of course no one can hear me over the crowd. Once in a while I get a funny look when I sing, "Im lo nenatzeach OY VEY!" (if they don't win, oy vey!"). If you want a copy of the lyrics, just ask.
Off to the art museum... we're going to galleries and concerts and soaking in the cultural scene here in TA. Then I can come back home and return to my normal summer - sitting around watching ball games on the Internet, tweeting at my imaginary electronic friends. :-)
Friday, May 22, 2009
GAMES 38-40: Back to the Cellar After a Bad Brew
May 19: Brewers 4, Astros 2
May 20: Astros 6, Brewers 4
May 21: Brewers 4, Astros 3
It's really befuddling how an Astros team with so much talent could be at the bottom of the heap, but that's where they are after sipping some bad brew from the Brewers. It's so annoying: Houston could have been back at .500 (for the first time since Game 2 of this disappointing season), but they just let the chances slip away in 2 of the 3 very close games of this series.
Here's one take-away for the Astros: If you want to beat the Brewers, you have to score the runs before the ninth inning. That's when Trevor Hoffman takes the mound. Since returning from the DL, he's had about a dozen chances to show how nearly perfect he is, and two of those came in the games you lost to Milwaukee this week.
Game 1 provided Astros fans with a bit of a scare, as yet another pitcher was pulled unexpectedly for an injury. This time it was Mike Hampton, yanked with only 60 pitches, after throwing 4 inning, giving up 2 runs on 3 hits and 3 walks. It turned out not to be anything too terrible - a cut on his finger - and he'll be able to make his next start. There were three things to like about this game: (1) Matsui's stealing home in the first inning, (2) Ortiz's solo homer - first by an Astros pitcher this year, and (3) Fulchino's perfect three innings in relief. Aside from the Hampton scare, there was one thing to dislike about this game: The Astros lost. After those two runs, they couldn't manage to squeak out anything else - Berkman, Lee, Blum, Pudge all finished the game with oh-fers. By the time Hoffman took the mound with the Astros two runs down, the game ended (as the poem goes) "not with a bang, but a whimper."
Game 2 went a lot better, as we've come to expect when Wandy's on the mound. I don't actually mind saying "I toldja so" - I've been saying since Spring Training that this year is Wandy's big one, if he just stays healthy. It was another dynamite performance for our pint-sized lefty: He pitched 7 innings, giving up only one run on a solo homer (his first HR since last August). Six hits, just 1 walk, and 5 strikeouts - low for Wandy. This performance earned Wandy his 5th win of the season, and lowered his ERA to 1.83, second best in the NL.
The game had an odd start: Bourn was finally tasked to lead off, and did so with a hit - only to be immediately called back to hit again. Matsui, who had never come to the plate, was declared out. (The pitch-by-pitch scored it as: "Matsui grounded out to catcher.") Turned out that Coop had told the team of the change in the batting order, but not the ump - the lineup card was wrong. Bourn went on to walk, and scored on Berkman's double.
The Astros hitters rallied for Wandy, scoring runs in each of the first 3 innings and throwing in an extra pair for good measure in the sixth (turned out that they were needed after all). Tejada hit a solo homer to lead off the second. Pence hit a 2-out 2-RBI triple in the third to give Houston a 4-0 lead after 3. Pence led off the sixth with an infield single, then scored on Tejada's double. Pudge's groundout put Tejada on third, and he scored on Wandy's first hit of the season. Wandy actually smiled as he stood on first base - not something you see much of when he's on the field.
Once Wandy was done for the night, the Brewers attempted a comeback. Reliever Arias, who pitched a perfect eighth, led off the ninth with two singles and a walk to load the bases with no outs. That caused Coop to bring in Sampson, who allowed two of the runners to score on a double, and then another of his own, before ending the game with Wandy's win preserved.
Game 3 was the biggest disappointment. I ran home as fast as I could from work so that I could see Oswalt pitch. I will admit that this wasn't his finest start - he gave up only 1 run while he was on the mound, but was in and out of trouble with 10 hits over his 6 1/3 innings. His Astros team mates didn'g give him much room for error: Their measly 3 runs all scored on homers, a 2-run shot by Pence in the second, and a solo number from Tejada in the fourth.
The Astros had another big chance, when Berkman slid into home plate to score in the fifth inning - and was called out by the ump. The Puma jumped high into the air, tossed his helmet, stamped his feet and yelled (looking more than anything like a giant 4 year old having a tantrum). The only thing that he got for his troubles was an instantaneous ejection. Then, of course, Cooper had to jump into the fray to show solidarity, and got himself thrown out also, leaving third base coach Ed Romero at the helm for the fateful decisions in the seventh.
After striking out the first batter of the seventh inning, Oswalt allowed a single and a walk; he seemed a bit gassed after 106 pitches and several high-intensity situations. That was enough for our Cooper Wannabee to pull him. Eight pitches and two pitchers later, Roy O had yet another no-decision. Fulchino hit his batter to load the bases. Byrdak give up a single to Fielder, allowing Oswalt's two runners to score, tying up the game. Corey Hart doubled off Sampson the Astros' third reliever of the inning, scoring the Brewers' go-ahead run.
Wright and Hawkins did a great job of keeping the Astros in the game. Each pitched a scoreless inning, striking out two. But the Astros did not threaten until the ninth. Hoffman gave them a tease, allowing Blum and Pudge to single before shutting down the side. It's probably good that the Astros didn't tie it up in the ninth, if they were going to ultimately lose. Romero had already used up just about the whole bullpen.
I think I almost felt worse about Oswalt not getting a win out of it than I did about losing the game - andthe series. It's ridiculous that the Wiz only has one win for the season a quarter of the way through - what, he's going to end the season with 4 wins? NOT.
This could be my last blog entry for a couple of weeks. I'm going to be on vacation, and I doubt if I'll be able to watch any games. It would be nice if my house/dog-sitters could keep up my blog, but alas, they are not Astros fans.
I'm hoping that by the time I get back, the Astros will be well above .500, and that Berkman will be pushing .300. This too shall come to pass. It's hard to imagine that they could do this without my faithful virtual attendance at their games and my tweeting cheers. One can only hope.
May 20: Astros 6, Brewers 4
May 21: Brewers 4, Astros 3
It's really befuddling how an Astros team with so much talent could be at the bottom of the heap, but that's where they are after sipping some bad brew from the Brewers. It's so annoying: Houston could have been back at .500 (for the first time since Game 2 of this disappointing season), but they just let the chances slip away in 2 of the 3 very close games of this series.
Here's one take-away for the Astros: If you want to beat the Brewers, you have to score the runs before the ninth inning. That's when Trevor Hoffman takes the mound. Since returning from the DL, he's had about a dozen chances to show how nearly perfect he is, and two of those came in the games you lost to Milwaukee this week.
Game 1 provided Astros fans with a bit of a scare, as yet another pitcher was pulled unexpectedly for an injury. This time it was Mike Hampton, yanked with only 60 pitches, after throwing 4 inning, giving up 2 runs on 3 hits and 3 walks. It turned out not to be anything too terrible - a cut on his finger - and he'll be able to make his next start. There were three things to like about this game: (1) Matsui's stealing home in the first inning, (2) Ortiz's solo homer - first by an Astros pitcher this year, and (3) Fulchino's perfect three innings in relief. Aside from the Hampton scare, there was one thing to dislike about this game: The Astros lost. After those two runs, they couldn't manage to squeak out anything else - Berkman, Lee, Blum, Pudge all finished the game with oh-fers. By the time Hoffman took the mound with the Astros two runs down, the game ended (as the poem goes) "not with a bang, but a whimper."
Game 2 went a lot better, as we've come to expect when Wandy's on the mound. I don't actually mind saying "I toldja so" - I've been saying since Spring Training that this year is Wandy's big one, if he just stays healthy. It was another dynamite performance for our pint-sized lefty: He pitched 7 innings, giving up only one run on a solo homer (his first HR since last August). Six hits, just 1 walk, and 5 strikeouts - low for Wandy. This performance earned Wandy his 5th win of the season, and lowered his ERA to 1.83, second best in the NL.
The game had an odd start: Bourn was finally tasked to lead off, and did so with a hit - only to be immediately called back to hit again. Matsui, who had never come to the plate, was declared out. (The pitch-by-pitch scored it as: "Matsui grounded out to catcher.") Turned out that Coop had told the team of the change in the batting order, but not the ump - the lineup card was wrong. Bourn went on to walk, and scored on Berkman's double.
The Astros hitters rallied for Wandy, scoring runs in each of the first 3 innings and throwing in an extra pair for good measure in the sixth (turned out that they were needed after all). Tejada hit a solo homer to lead off the second. Pence hit a 2-out 2-RBI triple in the third to give Houston a 4-0 lead after 3. Pence led off the sixth with an infield single, then scored on Tejada's double. Pudge's groundout put Tejada on third, and he scored on Wandy's first hit of the season. Wandy actually smiled as he stood on first base - not something you see much of when he's on the field.
Once Wandy was done for the night, the Brewers attempted a comeback. Reliever Arias, who pitched a perfect eighth, led off the ninth with two singles and a walk to load the bases with no outs. That caused Coop to bring in Sampson, who allowed two of the runners to score on a double, and then another of his own, before ending the game with Wandy's win preserved.
Game 3 was the biggest disappointment. I ran home as fast as I could from work so that I could see Oswalt pitch. I will admit that this wasn't his finest start - he gave up only 1 run while he was on the mound, but was in and out of trouble with 10 hits over his 6 1/3 innings. His Astros team mates didn'g give him much room for error: Their measly 3 runs all scored on homers, a 2-run shot by Pence in the second, and a solo number from Tejada in the fourth.
The Astros had another big chance, when Berkman slid into home plate to score in the fifth inning - and was called out by the ump. The Puma jumped high into the air, tossed his helmet, stamped his feet and yelled (looking more than anything like a giant 4 year old having a tantrum). The only thing that he got for his troubles was an instantaneous ejection. Then, of course, Cooper had to jump into the fray to show solidarity, and got himself thrown out also, leaving third base coach Ed Romero at the helm for the fateful decisions in the seventh.
After striking out the first batter of the seventh inning, Oswalt allowed a single and a walk; he seemed a bit gassed after 106 pitches and several high-intensity situations. That was enough for our Cooper Wannabee to pull him. Eight pitches and two pitchers later, Roy O had yet another no-decision. Fulchino hit his batter to load the bases. Byrdak give up a single to Fielder, allowing Oswalt's two runners to score, tying up the game. Corey Hart doubled off Sampson the Astros' third reliever of the inning, scoring the Brewers' go-ahead run.
Wright and Hawkins did a great job of keeping the Astros in the game. Each pitched a scoreless inning, striking out two. But the Astros did not threaten until the ninth. Hoffman gave them a tease, allowing Blum and Pudge to single before shutting down the side. It's probably good that the Astros didn't tie it up in the ninth, if they were going to ultimately lose. Romero had already used up just about the whole bullpen.
I think I almost felt worse about Oswalt not getting a win out of it than I did about losing the game - andthe series. It's ridiculous that the Wiz only has one win for the season a quarter of the way through - what, he's going to end the season with 4 wins? NOT.
This could be my last blog entry for a couple of weeks. I'm going to be on vacation, and I doubt if I'll be able to watch any games. It would be nice if my house/dog-sitters could keep up my blog, but alas, they are not Astros fans.
I'm hoping that by the time I get back, the Astros will be well above .500, and that Berkman will be pushing .300. This too shall come to pass. It's hard to imagine that they could do this without my faithful virtual attendance at their games and my tweeting cheers. One can only hope.
Sunday, May 17, 2009
GAMES 36-37: It Ain't Over Till It's Over...
May 15: Postponed (rain)
May 16: Cubs 5, Astros 4
May 17: Astros 5, Cubs 4
One of the things I like best about baseball (besides a bunch of youngish guys running around in tight pants) is the lack of the clock. The game isn't over until the last out. It may look hopeless. FanGraphs might put the win probability at 0. But until the last pitch, anything could happen.
That's why I didn't buy into the idea, claimed in Selena Robert's recent tell-all book, that A-Rod only tipped pitches in games where it didn't matter, where the score wasn't close, where the outcome was already decided. It's not really clear whether the alleged pitch-tipping actually happened (a NY Times statistical analysis claims that it's unlikely), but the whole notion that there is a situation in which the game is "decided," before the last pitch, just doesn't compute for me. The game is never over until it's over - anything can happen right up to the very last pitch.
This weekend's two game in Chicago were a case in point. Saturday's game looked like a typical Houston-getting-shutout bummer, right up until the ninth inning when the Cubs' 4-0 lead disappeared out from under Chicago's closer. After eight innings of scoreless frustration, Berkman hit the first pitch of the ninth into the stands. Carlos Lee followed suit with a solo homer of his own, cutting the Cubs' lead in half. Tejada and Pence singled, then Blum was hit by a pitch to load the bases. That set the stage for Pudge to hit a 2-run single to tie the game. Surprise! It ain't over till it's over.
Back-to-back fly balls by Michaels and Matsui gave the Astros 2 outs. Bourn walked, bringing up Berkman with the game tied, two outs, and the bases loaded. A year ago that would have been an automatic grand slam. This year it was a ground out to end the threat.
But it ain't over till it's over. The Cubs came back in the bottom of the inning to score a run off the Astros' closer du jour, La Troy Hawkins. Nothing dramatic - a walk, a sac bunt, and a single. Game over. Tilt. At least Roy O didn't get stuck with the loss, after his teammates didn't do anything to help him get a second win of the season. (Now a quarter of the way through, the stats would project 4 wins for him in 2009.)
The Astros got payback on Sunday in the final game of the series. In celebration of my dad's birthday, they took a nice fat 6-3 lead into the ninth inning. With Hawkins out after yesterday's game, it was Sampson's turn to play closer. Second batter hit a solo homer, to make it 6-4. Three singles later, it was 6-5 with 2 on and 2 outs, Nail biting time. The count went to 3-2 before the batter, Soto, hit a sharp liner to third - right into the glove of Jeff Keppinger - to end the game.
Notable stats of the game: Pudge hit a solo homer, his 300th career long ball. Mazel tov. Astros Starter Moehler pitched 5 innings, giving up 3 runs on 5 hits, 2 walks, a wild pitch, a hit batsman, and 4 strikeouts. It earned him his first win of the season. Mazel tov. Berkman was 2 for 3 with a double and a single and two walks. His BA is up to .230 - not exactly where it was this time last year (about double that!), but about 50 points over where it was a couple of weeks ago. I predicted a few weeks ago that the Astros would hit .500 when Berkman hit .250. With the Astros at 17-19 (plus the "tie" in DC), we could be at .500 later this week. With a couple of multihit games, Berkman could be past .250 moving up to where he ought to be in the same time frame. Gezhuntheit.
So the Astros and the Cubs split a rain-shortened series in the Windy City. As for the missing game of this series, the Friday afternoon game that was rained out, I have a suggestion: It should be played in the Texas Rangers Ballpark in Arlington, to balance out the Astros' hurricane-plagued "home games" last season that were played up in Milwaukee. Fair is fair, right?
May 16: Cubs 5, Astros 4
May 17: Astros 5, Cubs 4
One of the things I like best about baseball (besides a bunch of youngish guys running around in tight pants) is the lack of the clock. The game isn't over until the last out. It may look hopeless. FanGraphs might put the win probability at 0. But until the last pitch, anything could happen.
That's why I didn't buy into the idea, claimed in Selena Robert's recent tell-all book, that A-Rod only tipped pitches in games where it didn't matter, where the score wasn't close, where the outcome was already decided. It's not really clear whether the alleged pitch-tipping actually happened (a NY Times statistical analysis claims that it's unlikely), but the whole notion that there is a situation in which the game is "decided," before the last pitch, just doesn't compute for me. The game is never over until it's over - anything can happen right up to the very last pitch.
This weekend's two game in Chicago were a case in point. Saturday's game looked like a typical Houston-getting-shutout bummer, right up until the ninth inning when the Cubs' 4-0 lead disappeared out from under Chicago's closer. After eight innings of scoreless frustration, Berkman hit the first pitch of the ninth into the stands. Carlos Lee followed suit with a solo homer of his own, cutting the Cubs' lead in half. Tejada and Pence singled, then Blum was hit by a pitch to load the bases. That set the stage for Pudge to hit a 2-run single to tie the game. Surprise! It ain't over till it's over.
Back-to-back fly balls by Michaels and Matsui gave the Astros 2 outs. Bourn walked, bringing up Berkman with the game tied, two outs, and the bases loaded. A year ago that would have been an automatic grand slam. This year it was a ground out to end the threat.
But it ain't over till it's over. The Cubs came back in the bottom of the inning to score a run off the Astros' closer du jour, La Troy Hawkins. Nothing dramatic - a walk, a sac bunt, and a single. Game over. Tilt. At least Roy O didn't get stuck with the loss, after his teammates didn't do anything to help him get a second win of the season. (Now a quarter of the way through, the stats would project 4 wins for him in 2009.)
The Astros got payback on Sunday in the final game of the series. In celebration of my dad's birthday, they took a nice fat 6-3 lead into the ninth inning. With Hawkins out after yesterday's game, it was Sampson's turn to play closer. Second batter hit a solo homer, to make it 6-4. Three singles later, it was 6-5 with 2 on and 2 outs, Nail biting time. The count went to 3-2 before the batter, Soto, hit a sharp liner to third - right into the glove of Jeff Keppinger - to end the game.
Notable stats of the game: Pudge hit a solo homer, his 300th career long ball. Mazel tov. Astros Starter Moehler pitched 5 innings, giving up 3 runs on 5 hits, 2 walks, a wild pitch, a hit batsman, and 4 strikeouts. It earned him his first win of the season. Mazel tov. Berkman was 2 for 3 with a double and a single and two walks. His BA is up to .230 - not exactly where it was this time last year (about double that!), but about 50 points over where it was a couple of weeks ago. I predicted a few weeks ago that the Astros would hit .500 when Berkman hit .250. With the Astros at 17-19 (plus the "tie" in DC), we could be at .500 later this week. With a couple of multihit games, Berkman could be past .250 moving up to where he ought to be in the same time frame. Gezhuntheit.
So the Astros and the Cubs split a rain-shortened series in the Windy City. As for the missing game of this series, the Friday afternoon game that was rained out, I have a suggestion: It should be played in the Texas Rangers Ballpark in Arlington, to balance out the Astros' hurricane-plagued "home games" last season that were played up in Milwaukee. Fair is fair, right?
GAMES 33-35: Astros Give Up 26 Runs - and Win Series
May 12: Rockies 12, Astros 1
May 13: Astros 15, Rockies 11
May 14: Astros 5, Rockies 3
It's not a good sign when the Astros give up 26 runs in a 3-game series - in fact, it sounds like a recipe for being swept. But when you're playing a mile high, strange things can happen. High scoring games are an every-day event out at Coors Field in Denver, as the Rockies reminded the Astros with a 12-1 win in Game 1. But the Astros caught on fast, and had a big game of their own in Game 2, evening up the series with 15 runs on 24 hits. (Let's not talk about the 11 runs they gave up!) Compared to these slugfests, Game 3 was practically a shutout, with a measly 5-3 score, as the Astros squeaked out another series win.
Game 1 was pretty much of a disaster. The Astros were shutout until the seventh inning, when they scored their only run on three consecutive singles (Pence, Blum, Pudge). All of their 8 hits in the game were singles. Meanwhile, all but 3 of the Rockies' 12 runs scored on homers, including a solo and a grand slam by Ian Stewart. All of the Astros' pitchers were beaten up, Starter Paulino got tagged for 8 runs in 4 innings. He left the game with the bases loaded in the 5th, Rockies ahead 5-0. Brydak promptly gave up the grand slam, dumping 3 of the 4 runs on poor Paulino. Ortiz came in for the last 3 innings, giving up another 3 runs, but they were all gratuitous - fun for the Denver crowd, but with the Astros not scoring, meaningless in the outcome.
By Game 2, the Astros had figured out that the way to win in Denver was to pile on the runs. They scored 15 of them on 24 hits (one short of the franchise record for hits in a game) - and amazingly, none were homers! There were 6 doubles and 18 singles, but nary a home run. (Someone should check on that humidor.) Astros starter Mike Hampton, after his years in Denver, did a little better than Paulino - he gave up 5 runs in 6 innings, only 2 on homers (another by that pesky Ian Stewart). Hampton also has been quite a good hitter in his day, and went 2 for 3 in this game, scoring 2 of the Astros' runs. All of the Astros' starting lineup had a multiple hit game: Berkman was 4 for 4, plus a walk, 2 RBIs and 3 runs. Lee, Tejada, and Pence each had 3 hits, while Matsui, Bourn, Blum, Quintero joined Hampton with 2 hits apiece. Most of the damage came off of Jason Marquis, who allowed 9 runs without making it out of the fourth inning.
Unlike Game 1, however, the Astros didn't really have a sure thing going. They went into the ninth inning with a 15-6 lead. Seven batters later, Geary had given up 5 runs - including another grannie - but could not manage to finish off the inning. With the lead now eroded to 15-11, and that pesky Ian Stewart at the plate, Coop called for his substitute closer. Hawkins did the job - he got the out on 4 pitches to even up the series. Not a save situation, but still a sigh of relief. Meanwhile, after this latest in a series of poor performances by Geary, the Astros finally admitted that he's been pitching injured, with right biceps tendinitis, and put him on the DL. It's amazing that the Astros were using Geary so heavily when he was pitching poorly, costing the team several games as he tried to heroically muddle through. Now Geary will be able to keep Valverde and Brocail company on the DL, while Fulchino has been called back up.
Game 3 was a very different kind of game. With the Astros best 2009 pitcher on the mound (Wandy, not Roy!), the Rockies only managed to score 3 runs, none of them on the homers that had beseiged Houston's pitchers in the earlier games. It was another fantastic start for the pitcher I've been boosting all season -Wandy went 7 innings, giving up 3 runs (1 unearned) on 5 hits and no walks, striking out a career-high 11. No Rockie grand slams in this game - Wandy hasn't given up a home run this season. In fact, he hasn't allowed a homer since August last year. Sampson and Hawkins each pitched a hitless, scoreless inning to help Wandy to his fourth win of the year. His 1.90 ERA is now second in the NL.
The Astros put the first 3 runs on the scoreboard in the first inning, with a lot of little small-ball moves: Matsui hit a bunt single. Bourn followed with an infield single, bumping Matsui over to third. Berkman was safe at first on an error, allowing Matsui to score the first run. Lee's fielders choice erased Berkman, but moved Bourn to third with one out. Tejada struck out, but Lee and Bourn took off on a double steal, landing Lee on second, and Bourn with his first steal of home plate. Pence's single scored Lee to give the Astros a 3-0 lead in the top of the first.
More small ball in the xth for the Astros' fourth run: Bourn singled, moved up to third on an fielding error, and scored on a sac fly. The Astros got their one and only homer of the series in the eighth, when El Caballo knocked the first pitch of the inning over the left field wall.
So the series wasn't pretty, but at this point the Astros will take a win any way they can. Since I last saw them in that ugly Stinko de Mayo "tie" game, they've won 5 of 6 games. They aren't at .500 yet, but they also aren't off to as bad a start as the 2005 Astros - and we all know where they ended up: In the World Series. I'm not writing this team off yet.
May 13: Astros 15, Rockies 11
May 14: Astros 5, Rockies 3
It's not a good sign when the Astros give up 26 runs in a 3-game series - in fact, it sounds like a recipe for being swept. But when you're playing a mile high, strange things can happen. High scoring games are an every-day event out at Coors Field in Denver, as the Rockies reminded the Astros with a 12-1 win in Game 1. But the Astros caught on fast, and had a big game of their own in Game 2, evening up the series with 15 runs on 24 hits. (Let's not talk about the 11 runs they gave up!) Compared to these slugfests, Game 3 was practically a shutout, with a measly 5-3 score, as the Astros squeaked out another series win.
Game 1 was pretty much of a disaster. The Astros were shutout until the seventh inning, when they scored their only run on three consecutive singles (Pence, Blum, Pudge). All of their 8 hits in the game were singles. Meanwhile, all but 3 of the Rockies' 12 runs scored on homers, including a solo and a grand slam by Ian Stewart. All of the Astros' pitchers were beaten up, Starter Paulino got tagged for 8 runs in 4 innings. He left the game with the bases loaded in the 5th, Rockies ahead 5-0. Brydak promptly gave up the grand slam, dumping 3 of the 4 runs on poor Paulino. Ortiz came in for the last 3 innings, giving up another 3 runs, but they were all gratuitous - fun for the Denver crowd, but with the Astros not scoring, meaningless in the outcome.
By Game 2, the Astros had figured out that the way to win in Denver was to pile on the runs. They scored 15 of them on 24 hits (one short of the franchise record for hits in a game) - and amazingly, none were homers! There were 6 doubles and 18 singles, but nary a home run. (Someone should check on that humidor.) Astros starter Mike Hampton, after his years in Denver, did a little better than Paulino - he gave up 5 runs in 6 innings, only 2 on homers (another by that pesky Ian Stewart). Hampton also has been quite a good hitter in his day, and went 2 for 3 in this game, scoring 2 of the Astros' runs. All of the Astros' starting lineup had a multiple hit game: Berkman was 4 for 4, plus a walk, 2 RBIs and 3 runs. Lee, Tejada, and Pence each had 3 hits, while Matsui, Bourn, Blum, Quintero joined Hampton with 2 hits apiece. Most of the damage came off of Jason Marquis, who allowed 9 runs without making it out of the fourth inning.
Unlike Game 1, however, the Astros didn't really have a sure thing going. They went into the ninth inning with a 15-6 lead. Seven batters later, Geary had given up 5 runs - including another grannie - but could not manage to finish off the inning. With the lead now eroded to 15-11, and that pesky Ian Stewart at the plate, Coop called for his substitute closer. Hawkins did the job - he got the out on 4 pitches to even up the series. Not a save situation, but still a sigh of relief. Meanwhile, after this latest in a series of poor performances by Geary, the Astros finally admitted that he's been pitching injured, with right biceps tendinitis, and put him on the DL. It's amazing that the Astros were using Geary so heavily when he was pitching poorly, costing the team several games as he tried to heroically muddle through. Now Geary will be able to keep Valverde and Brocail company on the DL, while Fulchino has been called back up.
Game 3 was a very different kind of game. With the Astros best 2009 pitcher on the mound (Wandy, not Roy!), the Rockies only managed to score 3 runs, none of them on the homers that had beseiged Houston's pitchers in the earlier games. It was another fantastic start for the pitcher I've been boosting all season -Wandy went 7 innings, giving up 3 runs (1 unearned) on 5 hits and no walks, striking out a career-high 11. No Rockie grand slams in this game - Wandy hasn't given up a home run this season. In fact, he hasn't allowed a homer since August last year. Sampson and Hawkins each pitched a hitless, scoreless inning to help Wandy to his fourth win of the year. His 1.90 ERA is now second in the NL.
The Astros put the first 3 runs on the scoreboard in the first inning, with a lot of little small-ball moves: Matsui hit a bunt single. Bourn followed with an infield single, bumping Matsui over to third. Berkman was safe at first on an error, allowing Matsui to score the first run. Lee's fielders choice erased Berkman, but moved Bourn to third with one out. Tejada struck out, but Lee and Bourn took off on a double steal, landing Lee on second, and Bourn with his first steal of home plate. Pence's single scored Lee to give the Astros a 3-0 lead in the top of the first.
More small ball in the xth for the Astros' fourth run: Bourn singled, moved up to third on an fielding error, and scored on a sac fly. The Astros got their one and only homer of the series in the eighth, when El Caballo knocked the first pitch of the inning over the left field wall.
So the series wasn't pretty, but at this point the Astros will take a win any way they can. Since I last saw them in that ugly Stinko de Mayo "tie" game, they've won 5 of 6 games. They aren't at .500 yet, but they also aren't off to as bad a start as the 2005 Astros - and we all know where they ended up: In the World Series. I'm not writing this team off yet.
Sunday, May 10, 2009
GAMES 30-32: Sweeping the Padres on Madres Day
May 8: Astros 2, Padres 0
May 9: Astros 5, Padres 4
May 10: Astros 12, Padres 5
It's hard to pick the best thing about this weekend's series with the San Diego Padres. Was it the sweep - the first 3-game sweep of the season? Was it the Wizard finally getting his first win of the year? Was it the season high 12 runs in the Mother's Day win? Or maybe Wandy's eight innings of shutout pitching on Friday night?
I think I'll go with the last one. I've been predicting Wandy's Big Year all season, and so far he's been coming through in a big way. Game 1 on Friday night was his best start yet: 8 scoreless innings, just 5 hits, no walks, and 7 strikeouts. It was not at all apparent in the first inning that Wandy was going to have such a great game: With one out he had runners on second and third, and the heart of the lineup coming to bat. A groundball to third - two down. Then Chase Headley hit a long fly ball to center. It looked like extra bases for sure until Bourn snagged it in an amazing over-the-shoulder catch that left him lying on Tal's Hill - with the ball still in his glove. The pattern recurred in the second inning: Runners on second and third with one down. And again Wandy pitched his way out of trouble. After that, however, he did not allow a single base runner until there were two outs in the seventh, retiring 16 batters in a row. He then came back to throw a perfect eighth. The eight scoreless innings pushed Wandy's ERA down to 1.80, third lowest in the NL.
It was slim pickins for the Astros Friday night - their only runs scored on Pence's two-out 2-run single. The Astros only managed to get 5 hits in the game, and 4 belonged to Pence and Lee. Hawkins pitched a perfect ninth for the save. I watched this game late Saturday night after the Sabbath.
Game 2 of the series, on Saturday evening, was even closer. I tuned in after the Sabbath ended, just in time to see the Astros lose a 3-1 lead. Moehler had a good start, throwing 7 innings, giving up only 1 run on 5 hits, 1 walk, and striking out 6. But as soon as he came out in the eighth, Geary, Arias, Wright, and Hawkins combined efforts to give up 3 more runs, putting the Astros behind 4-3. Too bad for Moehler; excellent start but no decision.
Happily the Astros came back in the bottom of the eighth. Bourn and Pence both walked to lead off the inning. Lee singled to score Bourn, tying the game, moving Pence to third. Tejada grounded to the pitcher. In a crazy and lucky move, Pence took off for home and scored what turned out to be the winning run. With the Astros now ahead 5-4, Hawkins came in to close in the ninth. He gave up a double to ex-Astro Chris Burke, but then retired the side, no harm done.
In Game 3, Roy Oswalt didn't pitch as well as either Wandy or Moehler - in 6 innings he gave up 4 runs - all scored on home runs. The game didn't do anything good for his ERA, but it made a big improvement in his win record: it was his first win of the season. It would have been hard for Oswalt NOT to have won this game, as his teammates went on a rare all-out hitting spree. They scored a season record 12 runs on 16 hits. Special kudos go to El Caballo who hit 3 for 4, including a homer, with 4 RBIs and 2 runs. Tejada was 3 for 5, with 4 RBIs, scoring twice. Pudge went 4 for 4, with a triple and a homer.
Meanwhile, Berkman was 0 for 0 - he didn't play. He's recovering from a sore left writst, a minor injury received on a checked swing on Thursday night. He's day to day. In worse news, Brocail's injury is worse than initially expected - he may not be back until after the All Star Break, or even later.
Oh well, let's think good thoughts, and cheer for the Astros to keep up the winning streak as they head out to Colorado.
May 9: Astros 5, Padres 4
May 10: Astros 12, Padres 5
It's hard to pick the best thing about this weekend's series with the San Diego Padres. Was it the sweep - the first 3-game sweep of the season? Was it the Wizard finally getting his first win of the year? Was it the season high 12 runs in the Mother's Day win? Or maybe Wandy's eight innings of shutout pitching on Friday night?
I think I'll go with the last one. I've been predicting Wandy's Big Year all season, and so far he's been coming through in a big way. Game 1 on Friday night was his best start yet: 8 scoreless innings, just 5 hits, no walks, and 7 strikeouts. It was not at all apparent in the first inning that Wandy was going to have such a great game: With one out he had runners on second and third, and the heart of the lineup coming to bat. A groundball to third - two down. Then Chase Headley hit a long fly ball to center. It looked like extra bases for sure until Bourn snagged it in an amazing over-the-shoulder catch that left him lying on Tal's Hill - with the ball still in his glove. The pattern recurred in the second inning: Runners on second and third with one down. And again Wandy pitched his way out of trouble. After that, however, he did not allow a single base runner until there were two outs in the seventh, retiring 16 batters in a row. He then came back to throw a perfect eighth. The eight scoreless innings pushed Wandy's ERA down to 1.80, third lowest in the NL.
It was slim pickins for the Astros Friday night - their only runs scored on Pence's two-out 2-run single. The Astros only managed to get 5 hits in the game, and 4 belonged to Pence and Lee. Hawkins pitched a perfect ninth for the save. I watched this game late Saturday night after the Sabbath.
Game 2 of the series, on Saturday evening, was even closer. I tuned in after the Sabbath ended, just in time to see the Astros lose a 3-1 lead. Moehler had a good start, throwing 7 innings, giving up only 1 run on 5 hits, 1 walk, and striking out 6. But as soon as he came out in the eighth, Geary, Arias, Wright, and Hawkins combined efforts to give up 3 more runs, putting the Astros behind 4-3. Too bad for Moehler; excellent start but no decision.
Happily the Astros came back in the bottom of the eighth. Bourn and Pence both walked to lead off the inning. Lee singled to score Bourn, tying the game, moving Pence to third. Tejada grounded to the pitcher. In a crazy and lucky move, Pence took off for home and scored what turned out to be the winning run. With the Astros now ahead 5-4, Hawkins came in to close in the ninth. He gave up a double to ex-Astro Chris Burke, but then retired the side, no harm done.
In Game 3, Roy Oswalt didn't pitch as well as either Wandy or Moehler - in 6 innings he gave up 4 runs - all scored on home runs. The game didn't do anything good for his ERA, but it made a big improvement in his win record: it was his first win of the season. It would have been hard for Oswalt NOT to have won this game, as his teammates went on a rare all-out hitting spree. They scored a season record 12 runs on 16 hits. Special kudos go to El Caballo who hit 3 for 4, including a homer, with 4 RBIs and 2 runs. Tejada was 3 for 5, with 4 RBIs, scoring twice. Pudge went 4 for 4, with a triple and a homer.
Meanwhile, Berkman was 0 for 0 - he didn't play. He's recovering from a sore left writst, a minor injury received on a checked swing on Thursday night. He's day to day. In worse news, Brocail's injury is worse than initially expected - he may not be back until after the All Star Break, or even later.
Oh well, let's think good thoughts, and cheer for the Astros to keep up the winning streak as they head out to Colorado.
GAMES 28-29: I Don't Want to Talk About It
May 6: Cubs 6, Astros 3
May 7: Cubs 8, Astros 5
Another rotten two game series. At least Minute Maid Park has a retractable roof. After being soaked in Atlanta and then in Washington, who knows what unmentionable molds and mildews the Astros were suffering from? I bet they were glad to be back home - at least until they were swept in the opening two-gae series. (Who made up the schedule this year? Is there anything more annoying than a bunch of two game series?)
Game 1 got off to a terrible start. Hampton gave up two singles and a walk, interspersed with a pair of fly-ball outs, to load the bases with two down. The next batter hit a looooonnnng fly to center. Bourn went after it, and laid out for the catch - but missed. It was a base clearing triple. Pudge allowed Hampton's next pitch to get away from him, allowing the runner to score to give the Cubs a 4-0 lead in the first inning. Hampton settled in after that, and pitched scoreless innings through the fifth. In the top of the sixth, however, another Cubs runner scored on a second passed ball, and that was it for Hampton's night. Although he only had 5 1/3 innings, he did pass one momentous milestone before Coop gave him the hook: He threw over 100 pitches, a rare feat for Astros starters these days. Not his best start though: He gave up 5 runs on 7 hits and 4 walks, striking out 4.
The bedraggled bullpen did a good job for the rest of the game. Arias, just up from Round Rock, relieved Hampton, pitching 1 1/3 innings, giving up a single run. Wright and Fulchino each pitched a perfect inning.
The Astros' offense wasn't anything to get excited over. They scored 3 runs on 8 scattered hits, including a homer by Berkman, his 7th of the year. Hampton, who has a history of being a good batter, hit an RBI single. But all together, the team could not put together enough runs to overcome those first inning difficulties.
Game 2's 8-5 score actually looks a lot closer than the game actually was. Going into the bottom of the ninth, the Cubs were ahead 8-2; the final score only looks close because the Astros added on 3 at the last minute. It was hardly a save situation.
Mysteriously, considering how badly the bullpen needed a rest, Coop outdid himself in pulling his starter early: He took out Ortiz after only 2 1/3 innings, with under 60 pitches. And no, Ortiz was not injured, except perhaps for his self-esteem. He hadn't been pitching a terrific game - at the time he was removed, he'd given up 3 runs on 6 hits and 3 walks. The bases were loaded with one out. Byrdak, who relieved him, allowed one of Ortiz's runners to score before getting out of the inning. Out of the half dozen Astros on the mound, Sampson was the best by far: He pitched three perfect innings to eat up the middle of the ballgame. The bullpen goat was Paulino. Entering the ninth just two runs behind, 4-2, he gave up 4 runs on 3 singles, a double, a home run, and a pair of walks.
The Astros' offensive star of the game was Tejada, who's making a regular occasion out of multihit games. He was 3 for 4 , including a first inning 2-run homer, two doubles, and a single. Berkman was splendidly terrible - he was 0 for 5 with 4 strikeouts, including the out that ended the game. He had a fielding error, just to add to his misery.
What's worse that two-game series? Being swept in two-game series. And just to make it even a little more painful, the Astros also found out that Brocail's injury is a torn hamstring, and he'll be out for at least a month. He can go hang out with Valverde, who had fluid drained from his injured right calf - he will be out 3-5 weeks too.
I really don't want to talk about it any more.
May 7: Cubs 8, Astros 5
Another rotten two game series. At least Minute Maid Park has a retractable roof. After being soaked in Atlanta and then in Washington, who knows what unmentionable molds and mildews the Astros were suffering from? I bet they were glad to be back home - at least until they were swept in the opening two-gae series. (Who made up the schedule this year? Is there anything more annoying than a bunch of two game series?)
Game 1 got off to a terrible start. Hampton gave up two singles and a walk, interspersed with a pair of fly-ball outs, to load the bases with two down. The next batter hit a looooonnnng fly to center. Bourn went after it, and laid out for the catch - but missed. It was a base clearing triple. Pudge allowed Hampton's next pitch to get away from him, allowing the runner to score to give the Cubs a 4-0 lead in the first inning. Hampton settled in after that, and pitched scoreless innings through the fifth. In the top of the sixth, however, another Cubs runner scored on a second passed ball, and that was it for Hampton's night. Although he only had 5 1/3 innings, he did pass one momentous milestone before Coop gave him the hook: He threw over 100 pitches, a rare feat for Astros starters these days. Not his best start though: He gave up 5 runs on 7 hits and 4 walks, striking out 4.
The bedraggled bullpen did a good job for the rest of the game. Arias, just up from Round Rock, relieved Hampton, pitching 1 1/3 innings, giving up a single run. Wright and Fulchino each pitched a perfect inning.
The Astros' offense wasn't anything to get excited over. They scored 3 runs on 8 scattered hits, including a homer by Berkman, his 7th of the year. Hampton, who has a history of being a good batter, hit an RBI single. But all together, the team could not put together enough runs to overcome those first inning difficulties.
Game 2's 8-5 score actually looks a lot closer than the game actually was. Going into the bottom of the ninth, the Cubs were ahead 8-2; the final score only looks close because the Astros added on 3 at the last minute. It was hardly a save situation.
Mysteriously, considering how badly the bullpen needed a rest, Coop outdid himself in pulling his starter early: He took out Ortiz after only 2 1/3 innings, with under 60 pitches. And no, Ortiz was not injured, except perhaps for his self-esteem. He hadn't been pitching a terrific game - at the time he was removed, he'd given up 3 runs on 6 hits and 3 walks. The bases were loaded with one out. Byrdak, who relieved him, allowed one of Ortiz's runners to score before getting out of the inning. Out of the half dozen Astros on the mound, Sampson was the best by far: He pitched three perfect innings to eat up the middle of the ballgame. The bullpen goat was Paulino. Entering the ninth just two runs behind, 4-2, he gave up 4 runs on 3 singles, a double, a home run, and a pair of walks.
The Astros' offensive star of the game was Tejada, who's making a regular occasion out of multihit games. He was 3 for 4 , including a first inning 2-run homer, two doubles, and a single. Berkman was splendidly terrible - he was 0 for 5 with 4 strikeouts, including the out that ended the game. He had a fielding error, just to add to his misery.
What's worse that two-game series? Being swept in two-game series. And just to make it even a little more painful, the Astros also found out that Brocail's injury is a torn hamstring, and he'll be out for at least a month. He can go hang out with Valverde, who had fluid drained from his injured right calf - he will be out 3-5 weeks too.
I really don't want to talk about it any more.
Wednesday, May 6, 2009
GAME 27: Stinko de Mayo
May 4: Astros 10, Nationals 10 [11 innings, so far...to be continued in July]
If a soothsayer had told you that on Tuesday the Astros would put double-digits on the scoreboard with the Wizard on the mound, what would you do? I would have jumped with joy. If that combination does not spell "WIN," it's hard to imagine what does. So Roy O was on the mound, and the Astros did indeed get 10 runs... but the Cinco de Mayo game (free t-shirts for the first 10,000) totally stunk. At least the Astros didn't lose... yet.
The last time I glimpsed my guys, they were trudging into the dugout in pouring rain, to wait out their third rain delay in the past 5 games. This was after almost 11 innings of a game that more similarities to ping pong (the scoring) and little league (the playing) than to major league baseball. Of course, I ran undercover to wait out the rain delay - I'm not one of those fans who goes home before the game is finished. An hour later they announced that the game was indefinitely postponed, to be continued... (That is actually an improvement over the bad old days, just a couple of years back, when a tie game would have been played over from scratch.)
The game ended in the bottom of the 11th with a Nats runner on first and one out. I was just as glad to see it called for rain - the Astros bullpen (the subject of much recent commentary here) had been pretty terrible, and I figured that the outcome would be a loss. The ignomy of a sweep - even a two-game one - at the hands of the worst team in baseball was too much.
Roy O had started the game, hours before, with much hype about how he'd eat up a bunch of innings and give the bullpen a much needed rest. Instead, after 5 innings and change, Oswalt was pulled due to a finger injury resulting from a bunting accident. He had a decent start, giving up 4 hits and 2 walks, with a two-run homer in the fourth accounting for the Nat's only score. His teammates helped him out for a change, with a run in the second and a four-run fifth, to give Oswalt a 5-2 lead. In the bottom of the sixth, Guzman led off with a single. Oswalt was in the middle of an at-bat by Nick Johnson when he stopped to have his finger examined. After he walked Johnson, Cooper pulled him and brought in Sampson.
It wasn't raining - yet. I don't know if Sampson's bruised foot played into the story. Whatever the cause, the Stinko de Mayo game quickly started to smell more like gorgonzola than Monterrey Jack. Sampson's first batter singled in one of Oswalt's runners. Four walks later, Oswalt's lead was gone and the Astros were now losing 6-5. That was enough of Sampson. With 2 outs and the bases loaded, Byrdak came in to pitch. The fielders choice should have ended the ending - but Tejada fumbled and another run scored. A hit batter forced in another run, before the 12th at-bat ended the inning with the Nats ahead 8-5.
The Astros came back to tie it up in the seventh, and then the score rickocheted back and forth, leaving the two teams tied at 10-10 at the end of nine. This was a very ugly 20-run game: There were many hits, of course - 14 by the Astros anad 10 by the Nats. But there were also a lot of walks (13 total), errors (3), wild pitches (2), and a hit batsman. In a game that was supposed to give the bullpen a rest, the Astros used 4 relievers: Sampson, Byrdak, Geary, and Hawkins. Three of them were on the mound when runs scored (not necessarily charged to their ERAs), and Hawkins is still on the mound, come July when the game will be resumed in Houston.
I'm going to do something outrageous here and declare myself the Fan of the Game. I went to both cold rainy games, despite a heavy cold, and cheered them all the way, despite the fairly miserable performances. When I got home from the game, I was greeted by a tweet from RoundRock15, inviting me to take a look at his blog. There, I found that my dedication to photographing my favorite team had been caught for posterity in the lens of FSHouston. I stole the picture off RoundRock's blog, and reproduce it here despite my usual rule about using anyone else's pictures - at least it's my image:
Yep, that's me - looking the way I always look during a game, with a camera sticking out of my face. I took a boatload of pictures (nice ones too, since I splurged on a good seat), which will be posted on my website before long. In the meantime, you just get me.
If a soothsayer had told you that on Tuesday the Astros would put double-digits on the scoreboard with the Wizard on the mound, what would you do? I would have jumped with joy. If that combination does not spell "WIN," it's hard to imagine what does. So Roy O was on the mound, and the Astros did indeed get 10 runs... but the Cinco de Mayo game (free t-shirts for the first 10,000) totally stunk. At least the Astros didn't lose... yet.
The last time I glimpsed my guys, they were trudging into the dugout in pouring rain, to wait out their third rain delay in the past 5 games. This was after almost 11 innings of a game that more similarities to ping pong (the scoring) and little league (the playing) than to major league baseball. Of course, I ran undercover to wait out the rain delay - I'm not one of those fans who goes home before the game is finished. An hour later they announced that the game was indefinitely postponed, to be continued... (That is actually an improvement over the bad old days, just a couple of years back, when a tie game would have been played over from scratch.)
The game ended in the bottom of the 11th with a Nats runner on first and one out. I was just as glad to see it called for rain - the Astros bullpen (the subject of much recent commentary here) had been pretty terrible, and I figured that the outcome would be a loss. The ignomy of a sweep - even a two-game one - at the hands of the worst team in baseball was too much.
Roy O had started the game, hours before, with much hype about how he'd eat up a bunch of innings and give the bullpen a much needed rest. Instead, after 5 innings and change, Oswalt was pulled due to a finger injury resulting from a bunting accident. He had a decent start, giving up 4 hits and 2 walks, with a two-run homer in the fourth accounting for the Nat's only score. His teammates helped him out for a change, with a run in the second and a four-run fifth, to give Oswalt a 5-2 lead. In the bottom of the sixth, Guzman led off with a single. Oswalt was in the middle of an at-bat by Nick Johnson when he stopped to have his finger examined. After he walked Johnson, Cooper pulled him and brought in Sampson.
It wasn't raining - yet. I don't know if Sampson's bruised foot played into the story. Whatever the cause, the Stinko de Mayo game quickly started to smell more like gorgonzola than Monterrey Jack. Sampson's first batter singled in one of Oswalt's runners. Four walks later, Oswalt's lead was gone and the Astros were now losing 6-5. That was enough of Sampson. With 2 outs and the bases loaded, Byrdak came in to pitch. The fielders choice should have ended the ending - but Tejada fumbled and another run scored. A hit batter forced in another run, before the 12th at-bat ended the inning with the Nats ahead 8-5.
The Astros came back to tie it up in the seventh, and then the score rickocheted back and forth, leaving the two teams tied at 10-10 at the end of nine. This was a very ugly 20-run game: There were many hits, of course - 14 by the Astros anad 10 by the Nats. But there were also a lot of walks (13 total), errors (3), wild pitches (2), and a hit batsman. In a game that was supposed to give the bullpen a rest, the Astros used 4 relievers: Sampson, Byrdak, Geary, and Hawkins. Three of them were on the mound when runs scored (not necessarily charged to their ERAs), and Hawkins is still on the mound, come July when the game will be resumed in Houston.
I'm going to do something outrageous here and declare myself the Fan of the Game. I went to both cold rainy games, despite a heavy cold, and cheered them all the way, despite the fairly miserable performances. When I got home from the game, I was greeted by a tweet from RoundRock15, inviting me to take a look at his blog. There, I found that my dedication to photographing my favorite team had been caught for posterity in the lens of FSHouston. I stole the picture off RoundRock's blog, and reproduce it here despite my usual rule about using anyone else's pictures - at least it's my image:
Yep, that's me - looking the way I always look during a game, with a camera sticking out of my face. I took a boatload of pictures (nice ones too, since I splurged on a good seat), which will be posted on my website before long. In the meantime, you just get me.
Tuesday, May 5, 2009
GAME 26: A Dark and Gloomy Night - and Wet Too!
May 4: Nationals 9, Astros 4
Let's start with the good news: I met some nice Astros fans at the cold, rainy opening game of the big (2 games!) series in Washington. While the Jumbotron was featuring the Fan
of the Game contest - all Nats fans, oddly enough - I was sitting right behind a youngster who has great taste in favorite players, as shown by his #5 Bagwell hat. Grayson's dad might have season tickets for the Nats, but when the Astros come to town, he knows who to cheer for. Sitting right over the Astros dugout, Grayson was in a great place to score a game ball - and finally at the end of the game, he got it, courtesy of another fan in Astros regalia.
Houston f
ans Meg and Mary were also at the game, out to cheer for their team despite the icky weather. Now I think that Mary and Grayson would have been great candidates for F-o-t-G, and it's outrageous that they should be overlooked just because they don't cheer for the Nats. Discrimination! However, I can do my little part to rectify the situation by naming them the Astros Fan in Exile Fans of the Game!
Now for the bad news: After waking up with all the symptoms of a bad cold (no, not swine flu!), I almost hoped that the first game of the Astros-Nats series would be called for rain! It rained all day, and I checked the hour-by-hour weather predictions constantly: Rain, showers, rain, showers, rain predicted all day. By late afternoon it was fluctuating between mist and light rain. Since the Nats' game on Sunday was postponed due to the weather, I guessed correctly that barring a hurricane they were going to play through the precipitation on Monday. So I packed up my kleenex and my Dollar Store rain poncho, and headed for the subway, to meet up with my brave soul friend Marlene at the stadium.
It's hard to say what contributed the most to the unfortunate outcome of the game. It was a foregone conclusion that Brian Moehler wasn't going to pitch deep on his first appearance after his stint on the DL. Sure enough, he threw only 5 innings (93 pitches), giving up 2 runs on 8 hits and 2 walks, striking out 5. A credible return to the mound, but a short one. That meant that the Astros would have to put more innings on a tired and injury-depleted bullpen.
I predicted in my last blog entry that Coop's propensity for the sacrifice would go beyond the all those bunts, and that the overuse of the pen in Atlanta was sacrificing the series in Washington. So I wasn't all that surprised when it was a meltdown by the pen that gave the Nats a big lead. The box score shows just 1/3 of the sixth inning each for Wright and Paulino, but the fine print tells the dismal story - 10 batters between them, 5 runs on 3 hits, 4 walks, and a hit batter. Then Fulchino came to pitch for the rest of the game - 46 pitches over 2 1/3 innngs. He gave up another pair of runs, but that was just something to entertain the few die-hard hometown fans who were crazy enough to sit through the whole game in the rain.
The bullpen was our Achilles heel, but the weather didn't help matters: It ranged from misty to drizzly to rainy over the course of the game. In the sixth, when the bulk of the trouble came, it was coming down pretty steadily. I find it hard to believe that this wasn't a factor in the lack of control by the Astros pitchers in that inning. It may have also affected the home plate ump's ability to see the game clearly. My fellow blogger RoundRock15 questioned two of the "balls" on the at-bat that resulted in Paulino's walking in a run in the sixth.
It wasn't all gloom and doom - the Astros got on the scoreboard right away. Matsui led off the game with a b
unt single, stole second, and scored easily on Berkman's double. In the fifth, the Astros added three more runs on back-to back singles by Keppinger and Towles, followed by back-to back doubles by Matsui and Bourn. (And, yes, of course there was a sac bunt by Moehler in between!) Bourn, unfortunately was thrown out trying to stretch it into a triple - he would have scored easily since Berkman and Lee both singled behind him.
Other offensive numbers: Matsui was 2 for 3, with 2 RBI and 2 runs scored. Lee went
3 for 4 Berkman was 2 for 4 with an RBI - he briefly flirted with a batting average over .200. Is it too early to say that he's coming out of his April slump?
Before leaving this game report, I have to give kudos to my friend Marlene, who is not a baseball fan but who came out in the rain to watch this one with me. We had great seats, a few rows back behind first base, courtesy of my friend Chuck. But sitting near the field meant sitting in the rain. Marlene didn't last quite as long as Moehler, but she did give it a good try - and she provided sandwiches and Israeli chocolates. After she left, I moved across the sparsely populated stadium and spent the rest of the game in the second row over the Astros dugout. That means I have a lot of pretty good photos of a pretty bad game. (Pretty good for a rainy night game, at least.) I'll post more on my Astros Fan in Exile Photo Album as soon as I get a chance to format them.
Another day, another game. Today it's Roy O on the mound for the Astros. Let's hope for a complete game - and his first win of the season!
Let's start with the good news: I met some nice Astros fans at the cold, rainy opening game of the big (2 games!) series in Washington. While the Jumbotron was featuring the Fan
of the Game contest - all Nats fans, oddly enough - I was sitting right behind a youngster who has great taste in favorite players, as shown by his #5 Bagwell hat. Grayson's dad might have season tickets for the Nats, but when the Astros come to town, he knows who to cheer for. Sitting right over the Astros dugout, Grayson was in a great place to score a game ball - and finally at the end of the game, he got it, courtesy of another fan in Astros regalia.Houston f
ans Meg and Mary were also at the game, out to cheer for their team despite the icky weather. Now I think that Mary and Grayson would have been great candidates for F-o-t-G, and it's outrageous that they should be overlooked just because they don't cheer for the Nats. Discrimination! However, I can do my little part to rectify the situation by naming them the Astros Fan in Exile Fans of the Game!Now for the bad news: After waking up with all the symptoms of a bad cold (no, not swine flu!), I almost hoped that the first game of the Astros-Nats series would be called for rain! It rained all day, and I checked the hour-by-hour weather predictions constantly: Rain, showers, rain, showers, rain predicted all day. By late afternoon it was fluctuating between mist and light rain. Since the Nats' game on Sunday was postponed due to the weather, I guessed correctly that barring a hurricane they were going to play through the precipitation on Monday. So I packed up my kleenex and my Dollar Store rain poncho, and headed for the subway, to meet up with my brave soul friend Marlene at the stadium.
It's hard to say what contributed the most to the unfortunate outcome of the game. It was a foregone conclusion that Brian Moehler wasn't going to pitch deep on his first appearance after his stint on the DL. Sure enough, he threw only 5 innings (93 pitches), giving up 2 runs on 8 hits and 2 walks, striking out 5. A credible return to the mound, but a short one. That meant that the Astros would have to put more innings on a tired and injury-depleted bullpen.
I predicted in my last blog entry that Coop's propensity for the sacrifice would go beyond the all those bunts, and that the overuse of the pen in Atlanta was sacrificing the series in Washington. So I wasn't all that surprised when it was a meltdown by the pen that gave the Nats a big lead. The box score shows just 1/3 of the sixth inning each for Wright and Paulino, but the fine print tells the dismal story - 10 batters between them, 5 runs on 3 hits, 4 walks, and a hit batter. Then Fulchino came to pitch for the rest of the game - 46 pitches over 2 1/3 innngs. He gave up another pair of runs, but that was just something to entertain the few die-hard hometown fans who were crazy enough to sit through the whole game in the rain.
The bullpen was our Achilles heel, but the weather didn't help matters: It ranged from misty to drizzly to rainy over the course of the game. In the sixth, when the bulk of the trouble came, it was coming down pretty steadily. I find it hard to believe that this wasn't a factor in the lack of control by the Astros pitchers in that inning. It may have also affected the home plate ump's ability to see the game clearly. My fellow blogger RoundRock15 questioned two of the "balls" on the at-bat that resulted in Paulino's walking in a run in the sixth.
It wasn't all gloom and doom - the Astros got on the scoreboard right away. Matsui led off the game with a b
unt single, stole second, and scored easily on Berkman's double. In the fifth, the Astros added three more runs on back-to back singles by Keppinger and Towles, followed by back-to back doubles by Matsui and Bourn. (And, yes, of course there was a sac bunt by Moehler in between!) Bourn, unfortunately was thrown out trying to stretch it into a triple - he would have scored easily since Berkman and Lee both singled behind him.Other offensive numbers: Matsui was 2 for 3, with 2 RBI and 2 runs scored. Lee went
3 for 4 Berkman was 2 for 4 with an RBI - he briefly flirted with a batting average over .200. Is it too early to say that he's coming out of his April slump?Before leaving this game report, I have to give kudos to my friend Marlene, who is not a baseball fan but who came out in the rain to watch this one with me. We had great seats, a few rows back behind first base, courtesy of my friend Chuck. But sitting near the field meant sitting in the rain. Marlene didn't last quite as long as Moehler, but she did give it a good try - and she provided sandwiches and Israeli chocolates. After she left, I moved across the sparsely populated stadium and spent the rest of the game in the second row over the Astros dugout. That means I have a lot of pretty good photos of a pretty bad game. (Pretty good for a rainy night game, at least.) I'll post more on my Astros Fan in Exile Photo Album as soon as I get a chance to format them.
Another day, another game. Today it's Roy O on the mound for the Astros. Let's hope for a complete game - and his first win of the season!
Saturday, May 2, 2009
GAMES 23-25: Wet and Tired and Injured - But Winning
May 1: Braves 7, Astros 2
May 2: Astros 5, Braves 1
May 3: Astros 7, Braves 5
The Astros followed up their disappointing home stand last week with a good start to the road trip, notching back-to-back series wins in Cincinnati and Atlanta. Granted, the Braves aren't what they used to be - they only have one fewer loss than the Astros. But let's not quibble - a win's a win.
The Atlanta series did not get off to a very promising start - Game 1 was a 7-2 loss as Hampton's former team tagged him for 6 runs (5 earned) in 4 1/3 innings. It was a dreary game that featured a seventh-inning drench - a two-hour rain delay before the last two innings. I was hoping that the arrival of May would herald a big turnaround for Berkman. He went 1 for 5 - of course, given his slump, that hit actually raised his batting average. The Astros' two runs were both scored on non-hit plays: Berkman's RBI groundout in the first and Hampton's fielders' choice in the fourth. All in all, a dreary game. If the Astros could just manage to reserve Friday nights (when I'm offline for Sabbath observance) for their dreary games, that would be great.
By the time the Sabbath was over, Saturday's Game 2 had already ended, rain delay and all. Astros' starter Roy Oswalt had only pitched one inning when rain interrupted the game for over an hour and a half. When it resumed, Oswalt was replaced with Paulino. I am the unlikely beneficiary of this - Oswalt has been rescheduled to start on Tuesday afternoon against the Nationals. Since I did not get to see Roy O at Spring Training, due to his WBC stint, this will be my chance to get some 2009 photos of him.
Berkman got the Astros off to an early lead with a first-inning solo homer. He finished the game with a 1 for 5 line, but it was amended to 2 for 5 on Sunday, when the scorer changed a Braves error to a hit for Berkman. No problem! When the Puma's BA is in the 100's a month into the season, he'll take anything he can get.
Paulino lost the lead in the second inning, when the game resumed from the rain delay. It took him a bit to settle down - a lead off double and a bunt single put runners on the corners with no outs. He struck out the next two batters, before allowing the runner on third to score on a wild pitch, then struck out the third batter to end the inning. It took four additional Astros pitchers - Byrdak, Sampson, Brocail, and Hawkins - to close out this game. They combined for 4 scoreless innings, with only 4 hits among them. Byrdak got the win.
The Astros Big Inning (sadly, a 3 run inning is a Big Inning for them this season) came in the fourth. Lots of players contributed a lot of little pieces, but Braves' third baseman Chipper Jones contributed the most: With Lee on first and no outs, Jones booted Tejada's double-play ground ball, and both runners were safe. Three singles and a sac fly later, the Astros had put three runs on the board. Jones almost got the Astros back though. Batting with two outs in the seventh, he smacked the ball into pitcher Chris Sampson's ankle. Sampson was able to field the play, ending the inning, before limping off the field. Later reports say that nothing's broken, just a deep bruise, but it could put Sampson out for a day or two. (We don't need a replay of Valverde's heroics - and stint on the DL!)
The Astros got one more run in the ninth inning, when Pudge led off with a double and scored on Bourn's triple. Other notable offense: Pence went 3 for 4 with a trio of singles. I watched this game late Saturday night, when it became available on the mlb.tv archive
I went to DeBaggio's Herbs with my friend Ev this morning. We shopped for basil and chiles and tomato plants in the same pouring rain that caused today's Nat's home game to be cancelled. I've bought my herbs and salsa vegetables seedlings at DeBaggio's for about 20 years - their selection of heirloom varieties is truly amazing. (No, it is not true that I favor them because of the blending of Bagwell and Biggio's names.) In the spirit of SABR I am obligated to report that I scored 16 chile plants, 4 sweet peppers, 8 tomatoes, 2 tomatillos, 4 eggplants, 6 basils, and 3 perennial flower plants. I dragged my haul of seedlings into the house, and fired up the laptop just in time for the first pitch of Game 3.
Given the wear and tear on the bullpen over the past few days (see the numbers below), this would have been a good time for Wandy to pitch a complete game - or at least 7 or 8 innings. After 3 innings, he was off to a pretty good start; he'd only thrown 40 pitches and had not let anyone score. But in the fourth, he started to unravel a bit. Francour led off with a single, then Prado doubled. Lee fielded the ball very quickly, zipping it to Tejada, who threw to Pudge, who tagged out Francour at the plate. (This play caused Alyson to tweet: "this proves it -- Carlos Lee CAN move quickly when he wants to.") But Wandy hit the next batter with a pitch, then gave up a RBI single that tied the game 1-1. He got out of the fourth inning without further damage, but the fifth was more of the same. A leadoff walk and bunt single put two runners on; both moved up into scoring position on a sac bunt. Wandy intentionally walked Chipper Jones to load the bases and set up a double play. But instead he balked in a run, then gave up a sac fly that scored another.
Despite not being at his best, Wandy only had 86 pitches after five innings and the pen was stressed. So I expected to see him back for the sixth inning. Instead Cooper replaced him with Fulchino - but not for long, as Coop seemed determine to give everyone in the pen a say in the outcome of this game. By the end of the sixth, Coop had used Fulchino, Wright, and Geary. Geary came back for the seventh. Brocail, who'd pitched an inning on Saturday, started the eighth. But fielding a ground ball, he stumbled over first base, went down face-first and didn't get back up right away. He had to be taken off the field in a cart. In the replays, it looked like he had started to fall before he even got to the base, and later reports said that it was a hamstring problem. (Another reliever to the DL?) With the bullpen almost empty, Coop brought in Ortiz - normally a starter. Poor Ortiz - half of his game appearances this year have been in relief. He didn't stay long, though: Before the inning was over, Hawkins was on the mound. Happily, the Astros held on to a slim lead, and Hawkins finished off the game without extra innings, earning his third save. Geary got the win.
In between all of the pitching changes, the Astros somehow managed to score seven runs on 10 hits (one double and all the rest singles), 5 walks, and quite a combination of sacrifice moves. In fact, nearly everyone in the lineup (except for pitchers, oddly) contributed to the sacrifices: Berkman, Lee, Pudge, and Blum all hit sac flies, and Matsui, Bourn, and Erstad hit sac bunts. It is not really clear to me how Coop's small-ball approach goes with his admonition to the team before yesterday's game: "Our big horses have got to hit. If they don't hit, the wagon don't move! We've got Clydesdales. Our Clydesdales have got to pull the wagon." It's hard to imagine a Clydesdale bunting. Meanwhile, our racehorse Bourn is doing a lot of the pulling - he went 3 for 5 with a triple Friday night, hit another triple on Saturday afternoon, and went 3 for 4 with 2 stolen bases on Sunday. His batting average - .301 - is higher than his on-base percent last year. (So when does he get to hit leadoff?)
One might say that, given the successful outcome (the Astros did win the game and the series), Coop had made the right decisions. But at what cost? The Astros are coming to Washington wet and mildewy with a tired and injured bullpen. Here's how the weekend's work added up for the relief staff:
Geary - Fri 1.2 innings (21 pitches); Sun 1.1 innings (26)
Fulchino - Fri 1 inning (21), Sun .1 (6)
Wright - Fri 1 inning (20), Sun .1 (7)
Paulino - Sat 2 innings (35)
Byrdak - Sat 2.1 innings (43)
Sampson - Sat 1.2 innings (19) - left with deep bruised ankle
Brocail - Sat 1 inning (13), Sun .1 inning (5) - left with hamstring injury
Hawkins - Sat 1inning (17), Sun 1.1 inning (28)
Ortiz - Sun .1 inning (12)
I guess it's too much to hope for two complete games here in Washington? Do we really expect Hawkins - closing in place of Valverde who's on the DL - to pitch again tomorrow?
I'm actually a bit skeptical that there will be a game here tomorrow. The weather report calls for rain all day and into the night, a continuation of the cold wet weather pattern that caused today's Nationals game to be cancelled. If they do postpone Monday's game, I'm hoping for a double-header on Tuesday. As long as I'm taking off of work, might as well make a day of it.
Meanwhile, don't look for me on Twitter for the next couple of days. I'm going to be there in Real Life, snapping pictures instead of tweeting.
May 2: Astros 5, Braves 1
May 3: Astros 7, Braves 5
The Astros followed up their disappointing home stand last week with a good start to the road trip, notching back-to-back series wins in Cincinnati and Atlanta. Granted, the Braves aren't what they used to be - they only have one fewer loss than the Astros. But let's not quibble - a win's a win.
The Atlanta series did not get off to a very promising start - Game 1 was a 7-2 loss as Hampton's former team tagged him for 6 runs (5 earned) in 4 1/3 innings. It was a dreary game that featured a seventh-inning drench - a two-hour rain delay before the last two innings. I was hoping that the arrival of May would herald a big turnaround for Berkman. He went 1 for 5 - of course, given his slump, that hit actually raised his batting average. The Astros' two runs were both scored on non-hit plays: Berkman's RBI groundout in the first and Hampton's fielders' choice in the fourth. All in all, a dreary game. If the Astros could just manage to reserve Friday nights (when I'm offline for Sabbath observance) for their dreary games, that would be great.
By the time the Sabbath was over, Saturday's Game 2 had already ended, rain delay and all. Astros' starter Roy Oswalt had only pitched one inning when rain interrupted the game for over an hour and a half. When it resumed, Oswalt was replaced with Paulino. I am the unlikely beneficiary of this - Oswalt has been rescheduled to start on Tuesday afternoon against the Nationals. Since I did not get to see Roy O at Spring Training, due to his WBC stint, this will be my chance to get some 2009 photos of him.
Berkman got the Astros off to an early lead with a first-inning solo homer. He finished the game with a 1 for 5 line, but it was amended to 2 for 5 on Sunday, when the scorer changed a Braves error to a hit for Berkman. No problem! When the Puma's BA is in the 100's a month into the season, he'll take anything he can get.
Paulino lost the lead in the second inning, when the game resumed from the rain delay. It took him a bit to settle down - a lead off double and a bunt single put runners on the corners with no outs. He struck out the next two batters, before allowing the runner on third to score on a wild pitch, then struck out the third batter to end the inning. It took four additional Astros pitchers - Byrdak, Sampson, Brocail, and Hawkins - to close out this game. They combined for 4 scoreless innings, with only 4 hits among them. Byrdak got the win.
The Astros Big Inning (sadly, a 3 run inning is a Big Inning for them this season) came in the fourth. Lots of players contributed a lot of little pieces, but Braves' third baseman Chipper Jones contributed the most: With Lee on first and no outs, Jones booted Tejada's double-play ground ball, and both runners were safe. Three singles and a sac fly later, the Astros had put three runs on the board. Jones almost got the Astros back though. Batting with two outs in the seventh, he smacked the ball into pitcher Chris Sampson's ankle. Sampson was able to field the play, ending the inning, before limping off the field. Later reports say that nothing's broken, just a deep bruise, but it could put Sampson out for a day or two. (We don't need a replay of Valverde's heroics - and stint on the DL!)
The Astros got one more run in the ninth inning, when Pudge led off with a double and scored on Bourn's triple. Other notable offense: Pence went 3 for 4 with a trio of singles. I watched this game late Saturday night, when it became available on the mlb.tv archive
I went to DeBaggio's Herbs with my friend Ev this morning. We shopped for basil and chiles and tomato plants in the same pouring rain that caused today's Nat's home game to be cancelled. I've bought my herbs and salsa vegetables seedlings at DeBaggio's for about 20 years - their selection of heirloom varieties is truly amazing. (No, it is not true that I favor them because of the blending of Bagwell and Biggio's names.) In the spirit of SABR I am obligated to report that I scored 16 chile plants, 4 sweet peppers, 8 tomatoes, 2 tomatillos, 4 eggplants, 6 basils, and 3 perennial flower plants. I dragged my haul of seedlings into the house, and fired up the laptop just in time for the first pitch of Game 3.
Given the wear and tear on the bullpen over the past few days (see the numbers below), this would have been a good time for Wandy to pitch a complete game - or at least 7 or 8 innings. After 3 innings, he was off to a pretty good start; he'd only thrown 40 pitches and had not let anyone score. But in the fourth, he started to unravel a bit. Francour led off with a single, then Prado doubled. Lee fielded the ball very quickly, zipping it to Tejada, who threw to Pudge, who tagged out Francour at the plate. (This play caused Alyson to tweet: "this proves it -- Carlos Lee CAN move quickly when he wants to.") But Wandy hit the next batter with a pitch, then gave up a RBI single that tied the game 1-1. He got out of the fourth inning without further damage, but the fifth was more of the same. A leadoff walk and bunt single put two runners on; both moved up into scoring position on a sac bunt. Wandy intentionally walked Chipper Jones to load the bases and set up a double play. But instead he balked in a run, then gave up a sac fly that scored another.
Despite not being at his best, Wandy only had 86 pitches after five innings and the pen was stressed. So I expected to see him back for the sixth inning. Instead Cooper replaced him with Fulchino - but not for long, as Coop seemed determine to give everyone in the pen a say in the outcome of this game. By the end of the sixth, Coop had used Fulchino, Wright, and Geary. Geary came back for the seventh. Brocail, who'd pitched an inning on Saturday, started the eighth. But fielding a ground ball, he stumbled over first base, went down face-first and didn't get back up right away. He had to be taken off the field in a cart. In the replays, it looked like he had started to fall before he even got to the base, and later reports said that it was a hamstring problem. (Another reliever to the DL?) With the bullpen almost empty, Coop brought in Ortiz - normally a starter. Poor Ortiz - half of his game appearances this year have been in relief. He didn't stay long, though: Before the inning was over, Hawkins was on the mound. Happily, the Astros held on to a slim lead, and Hawkins finished off the game without extra innings, earning his third save. Geary got the win.
In between all of the pitching changes, the Astros somehow managed to score seven runs on 10 hits (one double and all the rest singles), 5 walks, and quite a combination of sacrifice moves. In fact, nearly everyone in the lineup (except for pitchers, oddly) contributed to the sacrifices: Berkman, Lee, Pudge, and Blum all hit sac flies, and Matsui, Bourn, and Erstad hit sac bunts. It is not really clear to me how Coop's small-ball approach goes with his admonition to the team before yesterday's game: "Our big horses have got to hit. If they don't hit, the wagon don't move! We've got Clydesdales. Our Clydesdales have got to pull the wagon." It's hard to imagine a Clydesdale bunting. Meanwhile, our racehorse Bourn is doing a lot of the pulling - he went 3 for 5 with a triple Friday night, hit another triple on Saturday afternoon, and went 3 for 4 with 2 stolen bases on Sunday. His batting average - .301 - is higher than his on-base percent last year. (So when does he get to hit leadoff?)
One might say that, given the successful outcome (the Astros did win the game and the series), Coop had made the right decisions. But at what cost? The Astros are coming to Washington wet and mildewy with a tired and injured bullpen. Here's how the weekend's work added up for the relief staff:
Geary - Fri 1.2 innings (21 pitches); Sun 1.1 innings (26)
Fulchino - Fri 1 inning (21), Sun .1 (6)
Wright - Fri 1 inning (20), Sun .1 (7)
Paulino - Sat 2 innings (35)
Byrdak - Sat 2.1 innings (43)
Sampson - Sat 1.2 innings (19) - left with deep bruised ankle
Brocail - Sat 1 inning (13), Sun .1 inning (5) - left with hamstring injury
Hawkins - Sat 1inning (17), Sun 1.1 inning (28)
Ortiz - Sun .1 inning (12)
I guess it's too much to hope for two complete games here in Washington? Do we really expect Hawkins - closing in place of Valverde who's on the DL - to pitch again tomorrow?
I'm actually a bit skeptical that there will be a game here tomorrow. The weather report calls for rain all day and into the night, a continuation of the cold wet weather pattern that caused today's Nationals game to be cancelled. If they do postpone Monday's game, I'm hoping for a double-header on Tuesday. As long as I'm taking off of work, might as well make a day of it.
Meanwhile, don't look for me on Twitter for the next couple of days. I'm going to be there in Real Life, snapping pictures instead of tweeting.
Friday, May 1, 2009
GAMES 20-22: Taking on the Red(s) Menace
April 27: Astros 4, Reds 1
April 28: Astros 8, Reds 3
April 29: Reds 3, Astros 0
The Astros' odd love affair with Great American Ball Park continued this week with a series win over the Reds. It would have been nice if the Astros could have squeezed a sweep out of this strange away-team advantage, but they were shut out in the third game of the series - their first loss at GABP since 2007. Houston's total domination of the Reds in their own ballpark makes me wonder: Perhaps they should reconfigure the field at Minute Maid Park to match?
In Game 1, Monday night, Oswalt kept up his domination of Cincinnati batters. While he did not get a decision - Houston didn't really go to bat for him until the ninth inning, it was Roy O's typical-day-at-the-office start: Seven innings (98 pitches), 1 run on 6 hits, 2 walks, and 2 strikeouts. It was a matching performance for his last start against the Reds, last week in Houston, which also resulted in a no-decision for Oswalt. He's pitched pretty well this year but still hasn't managed to notch that elusive first "W."
Berkman (still in a -- shhhh! -- slump) managed to swat yet another home run in this game, his 20th in this ballpark. This homer in the sixth inning was Houston's only run on Oswalt's watch, as the Astros waited until the ninth to break the game open. While they couldn't do much of anything against starter Johnny Cueto, they had some fun against the Reds' closer Francisco Cordero. Lee and Tejada kicked off the last inning with back-to-back singles, setting the table for Pence, who hit them in with a double. Pence then scored on Blum's sac fly, to give the Astros a 4-1 lead.
Byrdak relieved Oswalt in the eighth, with Sampson finishing out that inning and pitching the ninth for the win. Valverde, unavailable due to his fielding mishap last week, is still on the mend. By the end of the series, he ended up on the DL, with Fulchino called up to take his roster spot.
In Game 2, Wandy stymied the Reds. He pitched 7 innings (99 pitches), giving up only 1 run on 5 hits and 2 walks, striking out 5. The performance earned him his second win of the season, and lowered his ERA to 1.69 - third among NL starters. Wandy's been good this year both home and away, and I still predict that this will be the year that he finally gets (earns!) some Respect.
Unlike Oswalt, Wandy had plenty of help from his teammates. The fun started in the first inning with leadoff hitter Matsui - he singled, stole second, and the scored on a throwing error by the Reds' #1 hero Joey Votto. The Reds came back in the bottom of the inning to tie it up, but Pudge Rodriguez's second inning solo homer put the Astros ahead for good. In the fifth, the Astros had a rare Big Inning, scoring 4 runs on Blum's single, Pudge's double, Matsui's single, and then Lee's double. Just for good measure, they scored another pair in the eighth on Tejada's double, Pudge's walk, and consecutive RBI singles by Erstad and Matsui.
Geary and Wright, pitching the last two innings in relief, each gave up leadoff homers to account for the Reds' other two runs in the 8-3 Astros victory. Matsui was the numbers star of the game, going 3 for 5 (all singles), 2 RBIs, scoring twice. He also stole 2 bases, as did Michael Bourn. Pudge was the power star of the game, with a double and a homer, scoring 3 runs. Berkman was 0 for 4, dropping his batting average to a very depressing .164. Everyone knows that it's just a temporary slump, and that he'll be back to his usual greatness at the plate before long (remember last May!). But for now it's a bummer.
It's too bad that the Astros couldn't have saved up a few of those extra runs for Game 3. Instead, they wasted another terrific pitching start - this time by Paulino. The youngster pitched 5 2/3 innings, giving up only 1 ER (see the trend?) on 6 hits, 2 walks, and 3 strikeouts. But he was way outdueled by the Reds' Volquez, who limited the Astros to a single hit, no runs, in his 8 innings on the mound. I hoped for a repeat of closer Cordero's Game 1 meltdown, but no such luck. He threw a perfect ninth.
The Astros only hit was a single by Tejada. Berkman, who had the night off unfortunately, pinch hit with Michaels on first (walked) and two down. He lined out. Sampson pitched 1 1/3 scoreless innings in relief. Brocail threw a messy eighth, loading the bases on an infield single and a pair of walks. One runner scored on a sac fly before Brocail worked out of the mess.
So the Astros 4-game winning streak ended, as did their 11-game streak in GABP.
Thus ends the month of April: The Astros are in last place in their division, 6 1/2 games behind the Cardinals. Houston's 9-13 record is tied with the D-backs for third worst in the league. The Nats, at 5-16, are much worse than everyone, and the Rockies are just a loss behind. The only good news is that the Astros are even for their last 10 games, which represents a significant improvement over their first 10 games. Let's hope the Nats can stay the course, as the Astros are heading this way for two measly games next week. But first, a weekend in Atlanta. The Braves have only one win more than the Astros this season, so we should have a fighting chance. Meanwhile, the Cards are in Washington; the implications are obvious.
April 28: Astros 8, Reds 3
April 29: Reds 3, Astros 0
The Astros' odd love affair with Great American Ball Park continued this week with a series win over the Reds. It would have been nice if the Astros could have squeezed a sweep out of this strange away-team advantage, but they were shut out in the third game of the series - their first loss at GABP since 2007. Houston's total domination of the Reds in their own ballpark makes me wonder: Perhaps they should reconfigure the field at Minute Maid Park to match?
In Game 1, Monday night, Oswalt kept up his domination of Cincinnati batters. While he did not get a decision - Houston didn't really go to bat for him until the ninth inning, it was Roy O's typical-day-at-the-office start: Seven innings (98 pitches), 1 run on 6 hits, 2 walks, and 2 strikeouts. It was a matching performance for his last start against the Reds, last week in Houston, which also resulted in a no-decision for Oswalt. He's pitched pretty well this year but still hasn't managed to notch that elusive first "W."
Berkman (still in a -- shhhh! -- slump) managed to swat yet another home run in this game, his 20th in this ballpark. This homer in the sixth inning was Houston's only run on Oswalt's watch, as the Astros waited until the ninth to break the game open. While they couldn't do much of anything against starter Johnny Cueto, they had some fun against the Reds' closer Francisco Cordero. Lee and Tejada kicked off the last inning with back-to-back singles, setting the table for Pence, who hit them in with a double. Pence then scored on Blum's sac fly, to give the Astros a 4-1 lead.
Byrdak relieved Oswalt in the eighth, with Sampson finishing out that inning and pitching the ninth for the win. Valverde, unavailable due to his fielding mishap last week, is still on the mend. By the end of the series, he ended up on the DL, with Fulchino called up to take his roster spot.
In Game 2, Wandy stymied the Reds. He pitched 7 innings (99 pitches), giving up only 1 run on 5 hits and 2 walks, striking out 5. The performance earned him his second win of the season, and lowered his ERA to 1.69 - third among NL starters. Wandy's been good this year both home and away, and I still predict that this will be the year that he finally gets (earns!) some Respect.
Unlike Oswalt, Wandy had plenty of help from his teammates. The fun started in the first inning with leadoff hitter Matsui - he singled, stole second, and the scored on a throwing error by the Reds' #1 hero Joey Votto. The Reds came back in the bottom of the inning to tie it up, but Pudge Rodriguez's second inning solo homer put the Astros ahead for good. In the fifth, the Astros had a rare Big Inning, scoring 4 runs on Blum's single, Pudge's double, Matsui's single, and then Lee's double. Just for good measure, they scored another pair in the eighth on Tejada's double, Pudge's walk, and consecutive RBI singles by Erstad and Matsui.
Geary and Wright, pitching the last two innings in relief, each gave up leadoff homers to account for the Reds' other two runs in the 8-3 Astros victory. Matsui was the numbers star of the game, going 3 for 5 (all singles), 2 RBIs, scoring twice. He also stole 2 bases, as did Michael Bourn. Pudge was the power star of the game, with a double and a homer, scoring 3 runs. Berkman was 0 for 4, dropping his batting average to a very depressing .164. Everyone knows that it's just a temporary slump, and that he'll be back to his usual greatness at the plate before long (remember last May!). But for now it's a bummer.
It's too bad that the Astros couldn't have saved up a few of those extra runs for Game 3. Instead, they wasted another terrific pitching start - this time by Paulino. The youngster pitched 5 2/3 innings, giving up only 1 ER (see the trend?) on 6 hits, 2 walks, and 3 strikeouts. But he was way outdueled by the Reds' Volquez, who limited the Astros to a single hit, no runs, in his 8 innings on the mound. I hoped for a repeat of closer Cordero's Game 1 meltdown, but no such luck. He threw a perfect ninth.
The Astros only hit was a single by Tejada. Berkman, who had the night off unfortunately, pinch hit with Michaels on first (walked) and two down. He lined out. Sampson pitched 1 1/3 scoreless innings in relief. Brocail threw a messy eighth, loading the bases on an infield single and a pair of walks. One runner scored on a sac fly before Brocail worked out of the mess.
So the Astros 4-game winning streak ended, as did their 11-game streak in GABP.
Thus ends the month of April: The Astros are in last place in their division, 6 1/2 games behind the Cardinals. Houston's 9-13 record is tied with the D-backs for third worst in the league. The Nats, at 5-16, are much worse than everyone, and the Rockies are just a loss behind. The only good news is that the Astros are even for their last 10 games, which represents a significant improvement over their first 10 games. Let's hope the Nats can stay the course, as the Astros are heading this way for two measly games next week. But first, a weekend in Atlanta. The Braves have only one win more than the Astros this season, so we should have a fighting chance. Meanwhile, the Cards are in Washington; the implications are obvious.
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