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.