GAME 51 - May 31: Nationals 14, Astros 4
I got up early today so that I could do some gardening before the temperature hit 90. It was not pleasant; I hate hot weather. But I kept reminding myself that after a few hours of misery, I'd be able to reward myself with a cool shower, a glass of wine, and the pleasure of watching Roy Oswalt on the mound for the Astros.
I should have known that things weren't going to be hunky dory when I logged onto mlb.tv, and it told me that the game was blacked out - for me. The Astros were playing at home, but their opponents were my "local" team (the one I don't cheer for), so I wasn't allowed to watch the game online. I grumbled and clicked on the radio broadcast, which was not blacked out. After a few minutes, it occurred to me that since it was a local game, it was probably on television. What a concept: baseball on television. I never watch TV, but my husband does, so we do have one. Sure enough, the game was on TV, but I was stuck with the MASN broadcast. After an inning or so, I realized that I didn't really need to listen to the Washington broadcasters. I muted the TV, and turned on mlb.tv's Houston radio stream on my laptop. Little problems, easy to solve. I settled in to watch the game.
The Astros had big problems, hard to solve. From the start, Oswalt was clearly unhappy with umpire Bill Hohn's pitch calling. In the third inning, after one particular strike that was called a ball, the camera caught the Wiz turning away with a kind of weird smile. Not a good kind of smile. A couple of minutes later, Oswalt was ejected, the Astros were down 4-1, and the game was on its way to complete and crazy meltdown.
I said in the title that I'm on strike, and I am. Strike 1. I'm not going to tell you how the Nationals ended up beating us by 10 runs today. You can read it on astros.com or in the Chronicle. I'm done for the day.
But you know what Scarlett said: Tomorrow is another day.
Monday, May 31, 2010
Sunday, May 30, 2010
GAMES 46-50: Has the Chronicle Run the Tombstone Yet?
GAME 46 - May 26: Astros 5, Brewers 0
GAME 47 - May 27: Brewers 4, Astros 3
GAME 48 - May 28: Reds 15, Astros 6
GAME 49 - May 29: Reds 12, Astros 2
GAME 50 - May 30: Astros 2, Reds 0
The Astros' run into the Memorial Day Weekend begs for a special kind of memorial: The Tombstone labeled RIP for the Astros season. Like the one that the Houston Chronicle ran in 2005:
I've always kind of thought that that it was that in-your-face loss of faith by the hometown rag that turned the Astros around in 2005. Here's the headline from Jose de Jesus Ortiz's column that day: "It's June 1; Astros season pretty much over." And here's what I said in my game diary that day: "I know I'm a sucker for the Astros. But I'm not giving up yet." Really - you can read my 2005 game diary here.
Last week when the Astros hit 15-30 there was a lot of banter about how that magic number was somehow going to result in another pennant in 2010 -- a lot of it coming from me. And a whole lot more banter about how that was wishful, or even delusional, thinking. Some of the latter came from cranks and bashers, but much of it was from thoughtful and reasonable people, like fellow blogger River Austin and Astros social media director Alyson Footer. I admit that I kind of lean towards their point of view when I'm being thoughtful and reasonable. Or when I'm just plain frustrated, like last night when I checked the scoreboard after the Sabbath ended and saw that the Reds had outscored the Astros 27-8 in the Friday and Saturday games.
But then I go back and read snippets from my game diary in the first third of the 2005 season, and I'm overwhelmed with how awful that team was, and how similar the problems were. Take the June 1 game, which the Astros won 4-1 over the Reds. Quote from then-manager Garner: "As long as it was one more than they had." That was in response being asked what he thought of the Astros scoring FOUR (count 'em, 4!) runs in one game. Sound familiar? Do you remember how the Astros were shut out TEN TIMES in the first two full months of the season? How the Pirates shut out the Astros in both games of a two-game series? In the first two months, the Astros were unbelievably inept at scoring runs, and it was unthinkable that even their 1-2-3 punch of pitchers (Oswalt, Clemens, and Pettitte) could dig them out of the hole they were hiding in. If you want to feel any hope whatsoever for this equally horrible season, go back and read my game diaries from May, 2005 - they're on my Astros Fan in Exile website (or just click here).
More reasonable and less optimistic minds than mine will point out that when they did turn around, the 2005 Astros actually had a lot better raw materials to work with, starting with that Trynamic Trio of starting pitchers. With Oswalt (if he isn't traded) and Wandy (if he can repeat or beat last year), we've got a Dynamic Duo, but the rest is up for grabs. The bullpen, in general, has been performing - I've been impressed by that since Spring Training. And, although the batting has been (FILL IN YOUR OWN CURSE WORD HERE), the power potential of this lineup is tremendous. I cannot explain what would cause players like Berkman, Pence, and Lee to hit as badly as they did in the start of this season. But in case you weren't paying attention, these guys aren't batting under .200 anymore. Pence has made a huge jump - his batting average is up to .278 and he's knocked in 8 homers, most of them in recent games. Berkman hasn't made quite as flamboyant improvement, but the general direction has been up. Lee, well, I don't know what to say about El Caballo. The Astros have also shown a willingness to cut out some of their non-performing starters to give other players a chance - so long Matsui, welcome Keppinger.
Seems to me that, if you go back and look at the roster from 2005, our current team should be churning out a lot more runs than the team that won the Pennant (and then, by the way, failed to produce runs in the World Series). The 2005 Astros ended up ranking pretty low in most of the batting categories except for getting hit by pitches. No one on that lineup hit .300 in 2005. They did have guys who could hit long balls - that was the year Ensberg hit 36 homers, with Lane (26), Biggio (26), and Berkman (24) doing their fair share. But overall, despite the horrible stats to start this season, I think the current Astros team will turn out to be better offensively than the 2005 gang. Defensively, it's a solid team also - except perhaps for Carlos Lee in left. He's just painful to watch.
This is a long rambling excuse for saying that I haven't yet written off the 2010 Astros. In my heart of hearts, I don't really BELIEVE they will make the playoffs (okay, Austin?), but I do think that they are incredibly underperforming, and that they can have a winning season. I don't really think that they are worse than the 2005 team that won the Pennant. But I will admit that the 2005 Astros might have just been an freaky aberration of baseball history - the last chance for Biggio and Bagwell to play in the World Series just kind of magically happened.
I guess I should throw in a few words about the ball games listed at the top of this blog. Game 46, Oswalt's first start since he asked to be traded, looked like his audition for a role on a contending team. He did just about everything right in his tenth quality start of the season: He shut out the Brewers for 8 innings, giving up only 4 hits and 1 walks, and striking out 9. His ERA is down to 2.35, and only the Astros abysmal inability to score on his watch can account for his 3-6 record. This guy should be one of the top winners in the league. If he was annoyed with all of the no-decisions the Astros handed him last year, he's got to be fuming over the losses he's been stuck with so far this year. Hard to blame him for wanting a trade, but of course I'm hoping that he doesn't get it. He must have been just about in shock in last Wednesday's game, with the Astros scoring in 4 of the first 5 innings. This game was a perfect example of what would go right if the middle of our lineup would just get hits: Pence, Lee, and Berkman (batting 3, 4, and 5) went 7 for 12, with a couple of walks also, and batted in 4 of the 5 runs. Sure, they weren't batting against a Cy Young contender (Narveson), but this is how the heart of the order is supposed to bat!
I missed Thursday afternoon's game, while I was keeping my husband company in the hospital as he had a medical procedure done. I did follow it off and on, using my Blackberry, keeping an eye on the Astros' slim lead. Right up until Lindstrom gave up the tying run in the bottom of the ninth and then walked in the winning run in the tenth. And no, I didn't watch the video of that game on the archive when I got home. I was already gloomy enough that my 14-year old Saturn died on the way back home from the hospital (clutch just stopped clutching). We did get home safely, abandoning the car in a bus lane. And the good news is that my husband checked out with excellent results. I'll have to buy a new car, but can keep the same husband.
The Astros moved to Division-leading Cincinnati for the weekend. I don't watch ballgames on the Sabbath, so I missed hours of angst as the Reds clobbered the Astros, 15-6 on Friday night and 12-2 on Saturday. The Reds' Friday starter may be a Cy Young contender - but not until some time in the future. This was his ML debut. The Astros were not able to capitalize on the opportunity, however; they only scored 2 runs off of him in his 6 inning start. They actually put up a crooked number in the 8th, but too little, too late - the Reds were seriously into double digits. Wandy had another poor start, giving up 8 earned runs in less than 4 innings. I only watched one half inning of this debacle: The bottom of the 8th, when the Astros were down 14-6, and Mills had already used Chacin, Fulchino, Byrdak, and Lopez. Not wanting to burn up any more of the bullpen in what appeared to be a sure-thing loss, Mills brought in backup catcher Kevin Cash to pitch. He gave up 1 run on 3 hits - not bad in the context of this game. The other pitchers were worse.
I turned on my computer in the late innings of Saturday night's game, saw that the Astros were behind 11-1, and decided to play TextTwist on my iPod Touch instead. Brian Moehler, moved to the starting rotation to replace Bud Norris (who's on the DL), outdid Wandy, giving up his 8 ER in less than 3 innings. Wesley Wright, recently called back up to the Astros, contributed 3 runs in the last 4 innings. Ultimately, the Astros went on to lose 12-2, after having given up 6 homers to the Reds. My cousin Bill in Dayton can send me a thank you note for our sacrifice.
I started this game report with a shutout performance by Roy Oswalt, with rare run support from his teammates. I end it with a similarly excellent shutout performance by Felipe Paulino. He'll probably get a sympathetic pat on the back from the Wiz. The Astros stranded runners right and left without scoring a single run during Paulino's watch. Paulino was awesome - in 8 innings, he gave up no runs on 4 hits, 4 walks, striking out 5 with that 97 MPH fast ball going. At the plate, he went 2 for 3, to maintain his position as the Astros' highest BA.
Before the game, Alyson Footer tweeted that she was not entertaining suggestions from fans that the Astros should sack Mills because of the team's poor record. I think Mills showed great management in this game, especially in his handling of his starting pitcher in the 8th. Paulino's pitch count was okay, but it was a hot afternoon, very enervating. He led off the inning with a 4 pitch walk, then got the next 2 batters, and walked another. That brought Jay Bruce to the plate - a guy who hit 2 homers in last night's game. Mills let Paulino stay in - it was his shutout to lose, and possibly still to win. Bruce grounded out to end the threat. The message Mills sent to Paulino was pretty clear - he was giving him every chance possible to earn his first W of the season.
Unfortunately his team mates weren't in on the plan. They failed to score in the ninth inning, and Paulino got a no-decision. Lyon pitched a nail-biting ninth, giving up a single and a pair of walks to load up the bases with 2 outs. The count on the next batter was 2-2, and the broadcasters were wondering if the Astros would end a game by walking in a run for the second time this week. I was tweeting that I'd rather lose on a hit than walk in a run, when the batter hit a fly ball to the gap in right center -- looked like a hit for sure. But Pence galloped over and made a running catch to push the game into extra innings. To give credit where it is due, Lyon did make an excellent - and very gutsy - fielding play on a bunt. With runners on first and second and no outs, he threw to third to knock out the lead runner. Just barely. (Or if you believe Alyson Footer, a generous call from the third base ump.)
The broadcasters took time to mention that the last time the Astros took a scoreless game into extra innings was back in 2005. They didn't mention the outcome, but I looked it up in my game diary - it was against the Braves, and the Astros lost 1-0 in 12 innings. That game had started with 7 scoreless innings from Clemens - back in 2005 the Astros did to the Rocket what they are doing this year to the Wiz.
If the Astros had lost today's game, the Big Puma would probably have renamed himself the Big Goat. He came up in the first and third innings with two runners on, and both times hit into double plays, then grounded out to end the 5th with two runners stranded, and lined out in the 8th. All in all, a miserable day. Some folks might think that he was doomed when he came up to bat in the tenth inning with two runners on and two outs. I preferred to think that he was just OVERDUE for a hit. Sure enough, he drove the first pitch he saw into right field for a double, scoring both runners. Goat to Hero in a single swing!!! Carlos Lee apparently thought that with all the great Astros pitching, nothing more was required, and he lined out to complete his 0 for 5 day. Thankfully, Lindstrom did not make things too interesting in the bottom of the tenth, ending the game with a nice swinging strikeout for his 11th save. Despite the fact that he was arguably the worst Astros pitcher of the day, Lyon got the win - his fourth of the season. Sadly (for our starters), he now leads the team in wins.
So, the Astros were outscored 27-10 in Cincinnati, but managed to eke out a win, spoiling the sweep and breaking a nine-game losing streak (dating back to last season) in Great American Ballpark. It was a lousy road trip, and they are still 16 games under .500, and 12.5 games behind in the division. And they are still the worst team in the league and second worst in the majors. But at least they won today and can go home happy with that. I think I'll have another glass of Rioja.
GAME 47 - May 27: Brewers 4, Astros 3
GAME 48 - May 28: Reds 15, Astros 6
GAME 49 - May 29: Reds 12, Astros 2
GAME 50 - May 30: Astros 2, Reds 0
The Astros' run into the Memorial Day Weekend begs for a special kind of memorial: The Tombstone labeled RIP for the Astros season. Like the one that the Houston Chronicle ran in 2005:
I've always kind of thought that that it was that in-your-face loss of faith by the hometown rag that turned the Astros around in 2005. Here's the headline from Jose de Jesus Ortiz's column that day: "It's June 1; Astros season pretty much over." And here's what I said in my game diary that day: "I know I'm a sucker for the Astros. But I'm not giving up yet." Really - you can read my 2005 game diary here.
Last week when the Astros hit 15-30 there was a lot of banter about how that magic number was somehow going to result in another pennant in 2010 -- a lot of it coming from me. And a whole lot more banter about how that was wishful, or even delusional, thinking. Some of the latter came from cranks and bashers, but much of it was from thoughtful and reasonable people, like fellow blogger River Austin and Astros social media director Alyson Footer. I admit that I kind of lean towards their point of view when I'm being thoughtful and reasonable. Or when I'm just plain frustrated, like last night when I checked the scoreboard after the Sabbath ended and saw that the Reds had outscored the Astros 27-8 in the Friday and Saturday games.
But then I go back and read snippets from my game diary in the first third of the 2005 season, and I'm overwhelmed with how awful that team was, and how similar the problems were. Take the June 1 game, which the Astros won 4-1 over the Reds. Quote from then-manager Garner: "As long as it was one more than they had." That was in response being asked what he thought of the Astros scoring FOUR (count 'em, 4!) runs in one game. Sound familiar? Do you remember how the Astros were shut out TEN TIMES in the first two full months of the season? How the Pirates shut out the Astros in both games of a two-game series? In the first two months, the Astros were unbelievably inept at scoring runs, and it was unthinkable that even their 1-2-3 punch of pitchers (Oswalt, Clemens, and Pettitte) could dig them out of the hole they were hiding in. If you want to feel any hope whatsoever for this equally horrible season, go back and read my game diaries from May, 2005 - they're on my Astros Fan in Exile website (or just click here).
More reasonable and less optimistic minds than mine will point out that when they did turn around, the 2005 Astros actually had a lot better raw materials to work with, starting with that Trynamic Trio of starting pitchers. With Oswalt (if he isn't traded) and Wandy (if he can repeat or beat last year), we've got a Dynamic Duo, but the rest is up for grabs. The bullpen, in general, has been performing - I've been impressed by that since Spring Training. And, although the batting has been (FILL IN YOUR OWN CURSE WORD HERE), the power potential of this lineup is tremendous. I cannot explain what would cause players like Berkman, Pence, and Lee to hit as badly as they did in the start of this season. But in case you weren't paying attention, these guys aren't batting under .200 anymore. Pence has made a huge jump - his batting average is up to .278 and he's knocked in 8 homers, most of them in recent games. Berkman hasn't made quite as flamboyant improvement, but the general direction has been up. Lee, well, I don't know what to say about El Caballo. The Astros have also shown a willingness to cut out some of their non-performing starters to give other players a chance - so long Matsui, welcome Keppinger.
Seems to me that, if you go back and look at the roster from 2005, our current team should be churning out a lot more runs than the team that won the Pennant (and then, by the way, failed to produce runs in the World Series). The 2005 Astros ended up ranking pretty low in most of the batting categories except for getting hit by pitches. No one on that lineup hit .300 in 2005. They did have guys who could hit long balls - that was the year Ensberg hit 36 homers, with Lane (26), Biggio (26), and Berkman (24) doing their fair share. But overall, despite the horrible stats to start this season, I think the current Astros team will turn out to be better offensively than the 2005 gang. Defensively, it's a solid team also - except perhaps for Carlos Lee in left. He's just painful to watch.
This is a long rambling excuse for saying that I haven't yet written off the 2010 Astros. In my heart of hearts, I don't really BELIEVE they will make the playoffs (okay, Austin?), but I do think that they are incredibly underperforming, and that they can have a winning season. I don't really think that they are worse than the 2005 team that won the Pennant. But I will admit that the 2005 Astros might have just been an freaky aberration of baseball history - the last chance for Biggio and Bagwell to play in the World Series just kind of magically happened.
I guess I should throw in a few words about the ball games listed at the top of this blog. Game 46, Oswalt's first start since he asked to be traded, looked like his audition for a role on a contending team. He did just about everything right in his tenth quality start of the season: He shut out the Brewers for 8 innings, giving up only 4 hits and 1 walks, and striking out 9. His ERA is down to 2.35, and only the Astros abysmal inability to score on his watch can account for his 3-6 record. This guy should be one of the top winners in the league. If he was annoyed with all of the no-decisions the Astros handed him last year, he's got to be fuming over the losses he's been stuck with so far this year. Hard to blame him for wanting a trade, but of course I'm hoping that he doesn't get it. He must have been just about in shock in last Wednesday's game, with the Astros scoring in 4 of the first 5 innings. This game was a perfect example of what would go right if the middle of our lineup would just get hits: Pence, Lee, and Berkman (batting 3, 4, and 5) went 7 for 12, with a couple of walks also, and batted in 4 of the 5 runs. Sure, they weren't batting against a Cy Young contender (Narveson), but this is how the heart of the order is supposed to bat!
I missed Thursday afternoon's game, while I was keeping my husband company in the hospital as he had a medical procedure done. I did follow it off and on, using my Blackberry, keeping an eye on the Astros' slim lead. Right up until Lindstrom gave up the tying run in the bottom of the ninth and then walked in the winning run in the tenth. And no, I didn't watch the video of that game on the archive when I got home. I was already gloomy enough that my 14-year old Saturn died on the way back home from the hospital (clutch just stopped clutching). We did get home safely, abandoning the car in a bus lane. And the good news is that my husband checked out with excellent results. I'll have to buy a new car, but can keep the same husband.
The Astros moved to Division-leading Cincinnati for the weekend. I don't watch ballgames on the Sabbath, so I missed hours of angst as the Reds clobbered the Astros, 15-6 on Friday night and 12-2 on Saturday. The Reds' Friday starter may be a Cy Young contender - but not until some time in the future. This was his ML debut. The Astros were not able to capitalize on the opportunity, however; they only scored 2 runs off of him in his 6 inning start. They actually put up a crooked number in the 8th, but too little, too late - the Reds were seriously into double digits. Wandy had another poor start, giving up 8 earned runs in less than 4 innings. I only watched one half inning of this debacle: The bottom of the 8th, when the Astros were down 14-6, and Mills had already used Chacin, Fulchino, Byrdak, and Lopez. Not wanting to burn up any more of the bullpen in what appeared to be a sure-thing loss, Mills brought in backup catcher Kevin Cash to pitch. He gave up 1 run on 3 hits - not bad in the context of this game. The other pitchers were worse.
I turned on my computer in the late innings of Saturday night's game, saw that the Astros were behind 11-1, and decided to play TextTwist on my iPod Touch instead. Brian Moehler, moved to the starting rotation to replace Bud Norris (who's on the DL), outdid Wandy, giving up his 8 ER in less than 3 innings. Wesley Wright, recently called back up to the Astros, contributed 3 runs in the last 4 innings. Ultimately, the Astros went on to lose 12-2, after having given up 6 homers to the Reds. My cousin Bill in Dayton can send me a thank you note for our sacrifice.
I started this game report with a shutout performance by Roy Oswalt, with rare run support from his teammates. I end it with a similarly excellent shutout performance by Felipe Paulino. He'll probably get a sympathetic pat on the back from the Wiz. The Astros stranded runners right and left without scoring a single run during Paulino's watch. Paulino was awesome - in 8 innings, he gave up no runs on 4 hits, 4 walks, striking out 5 with that 97 MPH fast ball going. At the plate, he went 2 for 3, to maintain his position as the Astros' highest BA.
Before the game, Alyson Footer tweeted that she was not entertaining suggestions from fans that the Astros should sack Mills because of the team's poor record. I think Mills showed great management in this game, especially in his handling of his starting pitcher in the 8th. Paulino's pitch count was okay, but it was a hot afternoon, very enervating. He led off the inning with a 4 pitch walk, then got the next 2 batters, and walked another. That brought Jay Bruce to the plate - a guy who hit 2 homers in last night's game. Mills let Paulino stay in - it was his shutout to lose, and possibly still to win. Bruce grounded out to end the threat. The message Mills sent to Paulino was pretty clear - he was giving him every chance possible to earn his first W of the season.
Unfortunately his team mates weren't in on the plan. They failed to score in the ninth inning, and Paulino got a no-decision. Lyon pitched a nail-biting ninth, giving up a single and a pair of walks to load up the bases with 2 outs. The count on the next batter was 2-2, and the broadcasters were wondering if the Astros would end a game by walking in a run for the second time this week. I was tweeting that I'd rather lose on a hit than walk in a run, when the batter hit a fly ball to the gap in right center -- looked like a hit for sure. But Pence galloped over and made a running catch to push the game into extra innings. To give credit where it is due, Lyon did make an excellent - and very gutsy - fielding play on a bunt. With runners on first and second and no outs, he threw to third to knock out the lead runner. Just barely. (Or if you believe Alyson Footer, a generous call from the third base ump.)
The broadcasters took time to mention that the last time the Astros took a scoreless game into extra innings was back in 2005. They didn't mention the outcome, but I looked it up in my game diary - it was against the Braves, and the Astros lost 1-0 in 12 innings. That game had started with 7 scoreless innings from Clemens - back in 2005 the Astros did to the Rocket what they are doing this year to the Wiz.
If the Astros had lost today's game, the Big Puma would probably have renamed himself the Big Goat. He came up in the first and third innings with two runners on, and both times hit into double plays, then grounded out to end the 5th with two runners stranded, and lined out in the 8th. All in all, a miserable day. Some folks might think that he was doomed when he came up to bat in the tenth inning with two runners on and two outs. I preferred to think that he was just OVERDUE for a hit. Sure enough, he drove the first pitch he saw into right field for a double, scoring both runners. Goat to Hero in a single swing!!! Carlos Lee apparently thought that with all the great Astros pitching, nothing more was required, and he lined out to complete his 0 for 5 day. Thankfully, Lindstrom did not make things too interesting in the bottom of the tenth, ending the game with a nice swinging strikeout for his 11th save. Despite the fact that he was arguably the worst Astros pitcher of the day, Lyon got the win - his fourth of the season. Sadly (for our starters), he now leads the team in wins.
So, the Astros were outscored 27-10 in Cincinnati, but managed to eke out a win, spoiling the sweep and breaking a nine-game losing streak (dating back to last season) in Great American Ballpark. It was a lousy road trip, and they are still 16 games under .500, and 12.5 games behind in the division. And they are still the worst team in the league and second worst in the majors. But at least they won today and can go home happy with that. I think I'll have another glass of Rioja.
Tuesday, May 25, 2010
GAME 45: To Be or Not To Be... the 2005 Astros?
GAME 45 - May 25: Brewers 6, Astros 0 1
Game 45 of the Astros season starts in a few minutes and I'm wondering: Is it better if the Astros lose tonight, matching the famous 15-30 start of 2005, when they turned it all around and won the pennant? Or is it better to win tonight, indicating that this team is even better than the 2005 team? A hard choice...
This game could really go either way. The Brewers are only 2 games ahead of the totally-last-place Astros, but they don't enjoy a home field advantage, having lost 14 of their 18 home games so far. Familiar pitcher on the mound against us tonight - Randy Wolf is starting for the Brewers. He's not an ace - he's sporting a 5.10 ERA with a 3-4 record. It's a major league catching debut for his battery mate, Jonathan Lucroy. But Houston's starter is our #5, Felipe Paulino with a 5.36 ERA, an 0-6 record, and totally crap run support. So it could really go either way...
I'll update this blog live tonight, in between my Twitter tweets, so that you can share these moments (several hours worth) of indecision with me.
Inning 1: Quick 1-2-3 in the top of the inning. Hope this isn't going to be one of those nights. Losing is one thing; shutouts just suck. Bottom of the inning: Paulino isn't getting a no-hitter tonight. Gave up a single to the leadoff, got the next guy to pop up, but then allowed Ryan Braun to hit the ball over the wall in the deepest part of center field. We're already losing 2-0, 15 minutes into the game.
Inning 2: The Astros got their big chance in the top of the second, as a single and a pair of walks loaded up the bases. With two outs, the guy with the top BA on the team comes to the plate -- Paulino (.385). He clearly wanted to do something to help his own cause, given how lousy his run support is, and he swung mightily. And missed. Struck out to end the inning. Bottom of the inning: What should have been a relatively short inning for Paulino got extended by a 2-out fielding error, allowing the Brewers pitcher to get to first. Astros broadcasters go on about how Wolf should have been an automatic out. Not sure why they say that. With his .292 BA, he's batting better than every player on the Astros lineup tonight, except for Paulino. Next batter gets an infield hit, but the inning ends with a ground out and no more trouble.
Inning 3: Astros go down 1-2-3 to start the inning, with Berkman taking a called strike 3 to end the fun. Bottom of the inning: Paulino's throwing fireballs in the high 90's, but way too many pitches - already over 63 by the end of the third. Allowed another two runners, but wriggled out of it without any runs scoring.
Inning 4: Feliz gets a 2-out walk but Q strikes out looking - that seems to be the most popular way to end Astros innings tonight. Bottom of the inning: Paulino gives up a leadoff single to the rookie Brewer catcher -- looked like it coulda, shoulda been played by Feliz, but wasn't. Gets the next two out, then Q throws out the rookie's attempt to steal second. Still 2-0 with the Astros on the wrong side. Paulino has thrown 82 pitches already.
Inning 5: Manzella lines a single into right for a leadoff hit, but is quickly erased when Paulino hits into a DP. Bourn grounds out and we're still being shut out after 5. Bottom of the inning: Paulino gets out of it with just a walk to Prince Fielder, but he's up to 100 pitches. Would be nice if his spot comes up to bat in the 6th - that would mean that 8 guys came to the plate and maybe we'd have some runs.
Inning 6: No such luck. Kepp, Puma, and the Stallion go down 1-2-3 again. This is not a very inspiring performance by Wolf, and the Astros are being shut out anyway. It's unreal how they make nearly every pitcher look like Cy Young material. Well, at least it gives Paulino another chance to pitch. There's still a chance that the Astros can score on his watch. Bottom of the inning: Paulino has his best inning, downing the Brewers 1-2-3 for the first time all night. With 112 pitches, this is going to be it for him. What's the chance that his teammates will get him a few runs in the 7th?
Inning 7: Pence and Feliz make two quick outs. We're down to Paulino's last chance for redemption. Q and Manzella get back-to-back two-out singles, doubling the Astros hit-count for the game. That brings up JMike to pinchhit for Paulino. Michaels strikes out looking - seems to be the most popular Astros inning killer tonight. Bottom of the inning: Sampson takes over for Paulino, and hits the first batter on the hip. Bad luck. Next batter hits another big homer, doubling the deficit to 4-0. Three singles later it's 5-0, and Sampson's on his way to the showers. Fulchino gives up a ground-rule double, now it's 6-0. Would have been worse if Bourn hadn't made a terrific running play in center field. Jim Deshaies refers to Bourn's glove as being "where triples go to die."
Inning 8: Bourn led off with a big fat K. Kepp got a hit, bringing up the so-called heart of the order -- Berkman, Lee, Pence -- who are a combined 0 for 8 tonight. Puma whiffs for the second out. El Cabrio grounds out to end the fun, another 0 for 4 game for him, helping to keep his BA solidly under .200. Bottom of the inning: Fulchino throws a perfect inning, with a little fielding help from Manzella.
Inning 9: I just updated the score at the top of this blog: Brewers 6, Astros 0. They haven't played the ninth yet, so that may not turn out to be right, but I'm not posting this blog till it's over. I dare the Astros to score a run and make me change it. Hunter Pence is leading off - he hits a 3-1 fast ball into right field for a double. It's only the Astros' sixth hit - and the first extra-base hit -- but hey, we'll take it! Feliz pops up for the first out. Quintero hits a double - Pence scores!!! It's not a shut out!!! I had to change the score after all. Manzella strikes out for the second out. Blummer's pinch-hitting for the Last Chance - and he harmlessly grounds out. Game Over. TILT.
We have attained the Magic Number, Astros Fans: 15-30. Can we go anywhere but up from here??? We shall see.
Tomorrow Oswalt pitches. Will the Astros fail to score a run for him? Who knows? Maybe it will be his last start as an Astro? Will they trade him, like he requested? We shall see...
Game 45 of the Astros season starts in a few minutes and I'm wondering: Is it better if the Astros lose tonight, matching the famous 15-30 start of 2005, when they turned it all around and won the pennant? Or is it better to win tonight, indicating that this team is even better than the 2005 team? A hard choice...
This game could really go either way. The Brewers are only 2 games ahead of the totally-last-place Astros, but they don't enjoy a home field advantage, having lost 14 of their 18 home games so far. Familiar pitcher on the mound against us tonight - Randy Wolf is starting for the Brewers. He's not an ace - he's sporting a 5.10 ERA with a 3-4 record. It's a major league catching debut for his battery mate, Jonathan Lucroy. But Houston's starter is our #5, Felipe Paulino with a 5.36 ERA, an 0-6 record, and totally crap run support. So it could really go either way...
I'll update this blog live tonight, in between my Twitter tweets, so that you can share these moments (several hours worth) of indecision with me.
Inning 1: Quick 1-2-3 in the top of the inning. Hope this isn't going to be one of those nights. Losing is one thing; shutouts just suck. Bottom of the inning: Paulino isn't getting a no-hitter tonight. Gave up a single to the leadoff, got the next guy to pop up, but then allowed Ryan Braun to hit the ball over the wall in the deepest part of center field. We're already losing 2-0, 15 minutes into the game.
Inning 2: The Astros got their big chance in the top of the second, as a single and a pair of walks loaded up the bases. With two outs, the guy with the top BA on the team comes to the plate -- Paulino (.385). He clearly wanted to do something to help his own cause, given how lousy his run support is, and he swung mightily. And missed. Struck out to end the inning. Bottom of the inning: What should have been a relatively short inning for Paulino got extended by a 2-out fielding error, allowing the Brewers pitcher to get to first. Astros broadcasters go on about how Wolf should have been an automatic out. Not sure why they say that. With his .292 BA, he's batting better than every player on the Astros lineup tonight, except for Paulino. Next batter gets an infield hit, but the inning ends with a ground out and no more trouble.
Inning 3: Astros go down 1-2-3 to start the inning, with Berkman taking a called strike 3 to end the fun. Bottom of the inning: Paulino's throwing fireballs in the high 90's, but way too many pitches - already over 63 by the end of the third. Allowed another two runners, but wriggled out of it without any runs scoring.
Inning 4: Feliz gets a 2-out walk but Q strikes out looking - that seems to be the most popular way to end Astros innings tonight. Bottom of the inning: Paulino gives up a leadoff single to the rookie Brewer catcher -- looked like it coulda, shoulda been played by Feliz, but wasn't. Gets the next two out, then Q throws out the rookie's attempt to steal second. Still 2-0 with the Astros on the wrong side. Paulino has thrown 82 pitches already.
Inning 5: Manzella lines a single into right for a leadoff hit, but is quickly erased when Paulino hits into a DP. Bourn grounds out and we're still being shut out after 5. Bottom of the inning: Paulino gets out of it with just a walk to Prince Fielder, but he's up to 100 pitches. Would be nice if his spot comes up to bat in the 6th - that would mean that 8 guys came to the plate and maybe we'd have some runs.
Inning 6: No such luck. Kepp, Puma, and the Stallion go down 1-2-3 again. This is not a very inspiring performance by Wolf, and the Astros are being shut out anyway. It's unreal how they make nearly every pitcher look like Cy Young material. Well, at least it gives Paulino another chance to pitch. There's still a chance that the Astros can score on his watch. Bottom of the inning: Paulino has his best inning, downing the Brewers 1-2-3 for the first time all night. With 112 pitches, this is going to be it for him. What's the chance that his teammates will get him a few runs in the 7th?
Inning 7: Pence and Feliz make two quick outs. We're down to Paulino's last chance for redemption. Q and Manzella get back-to-back two-out singles, doubling the Astros hit-count for the game. That brings up JMike to pinchhit for Paulino. Michaels strikes out looking - seems to be the most popular Astros inning killer tonight. Bottom of the inning: Sampson takes over for Paulino, and hits the first batter on the hip. Bad luck. Next batter hits another big homer, doubling the deficit to 4-0. Three singles later it's 5-0, and Sampson's on his way to the showers. Fulchino gives up a ground-rule double, now it's 6-0. Would have been worse if Bourn hadn't made a terrific running play in center field. Jim Deshaies refers to Bourn's glove as being "where triples go to die."
Inning 8: Bourn led off with a big fat K. Kepp got a hit, bringing up the so-called heart of the order -- Berkman, Lee, Pence -- who are a combined 0 for 8 tonight. Puma whiffs for the second out. El Cabrio grounds out to end the fun, another 0 for 4 game for him, helping to keep his BA solidly under .200. Bottom of the inning: Fulchino throws a perfect inning, with a little fielding help from Manzella.
Inning 9: I just updated the score at the top of this blog: Brewers 6, Astros 0. They haven't played the ninth yet, so that may not turn out to be right, but I'm not posting this blog till it's over. I dare the Astros to score a run and make me change it. Hunter Pence is leading off - he hits a 3-1 fast ball into right field for a double. It's only the Astros' sixth hit - and the first extra-base hit -- but hey, we'll take it! Feliz pops up for the first out. Quintero hits a double - Pence scores!!! It's not a shut out!!! I had to change the score after all. Manzella strikes out for the second out. Blummer's pinch-hitting for the Last Chance - and he harmlessly grounds out. Game Over. TILT.
We have attained the Magic Number, Astros Fans: 15-30. Can we go anywhere but up from here??? We shall see.
Tomorrow Oswalt pitches. Will the Astros fail to score a run for him? Who knows? Maybe it will be his last start as an Astro? Will they trade him, like he requested? We shall see...
Sunday, May 23, 2010
GAMES 38-44: On Our Way to the Pennant, 2005 Style... Or Maybe Not...
GAME 38 - May 17: Dodgers 6, Astros 2
GAME 39 - May 18: Dodgers 7, Astros 3
GAME 40 - May 19: Astros 7, Rockies 3
GAME 41 - May 20: Rockies 4, Astros 0
GAME 42 - May 21: Astros 2, Tampa Bay 1
GAME 43 - May 22: Tampa Bay 4, Astros 2
GAME 44 - May 23: Tampa Bay 10, Astros 6
It's been a lousy week for the Astros since my last blog posting. They've played so badly that our ace has asked for a trade, after his teammates declined to score even one run in his latest quality loss. I've been missing in action for a good cause: I've been out in California for my daughter's wedding. I'd hoped to be at last Monday's Dodgers game, but my flight was cancelled and we arrived 7 hours late and missed the game. Not that we missed much: It was a rainy night and the Astros lost. Today, while the rest of the family is off to the beach and sightseeing, I watched my first live ballgame since last Sunday. For a short time (when the Astros scored 4 runs in the first inning), I thought they might actually win today. They lost 10-6. I'm not going back to watch the rest of the games from the past week - I'm not a complete masochist. And I'm not going to try to write up the week of games that I missed. You can see the scores above and read the gory details on the Astros web site. Enough said.
Today's game was #44 for the Astros, and at 14-29, they are very close to approximating their awful start from the 2005 season. That year, I thought the Astros would win the pennant, despite the gruesome start - and they actually did. However, as my friend Austin keeps reminding me, this is not the 2005 Astros team. That's true, but folks didn't think much of that 2005 team the first couple of months of the season either. Except for me, of course, but I'm crazy for the Astros. I have to admit that (unlike 2005) I did not get that "vision" of the Astros in the World Series at Spring Training this year. I just like to be optimistic.
The Astros may look like kind of a different team after another couple of months. This week while I have been off in California doing family stuff, the team released Matsui, who was batting .141 and not getting much playing time. They brought up Oswaldo Navarro from Round Rock to take the roster spot. Then, after the team was shutout in his last start, Roy Oswalt let them know that he was interested in being traded to a team that might actually win some games this year. I don't know if Oswalt's desire to move to some other team that understands the term "run support" will amount to anything. Now that he's gone beyond saying "I'll do whatever's the best for the team" to "I'd rather play for a winning team," it might be hard NOT to go ahead and trade him. It would be ironic if the Astros did trade Oswalt, and Pence, Lee, and Berkman immediately went into huge hitting streaks -- kind of an O Henry touch to the season. I would not put that past this Astros team. Not sure who they'd bring up to replace Oswalt - or rather, his spot in the roster. No one would replace the Wiz.
For some bizarre reason, I'm still holding on to the fantasy that on June 1, the Chronicle will run another tombstone RIP, and then the Astros will miraculously start to win. Or maybe not.
On a sad note, former Astros pitcher, salsa singer, and clown Jose Lima died today of a massive heart attack. He was only 37. It was a very sad day for the teammates and fans who treasured his wacky sense of humor, not to mention the great pitching he did for the team in the past. Maybe the Chronicle should just save their Rest in Peace for the real thing.
GAME 39 - May 18: Dodgers 7, Astros 3
GAME 40 - May 19: Astros 7, Rockies 3
GAME 41 - May 20: Rockies 4, Astros 0
GAME 42 - May 21: Astros 2, Tampa Bay 1
GAME 43 - May 22: Tampa Bay 4, Astros 2
GAME 44 - May 23: Tampa Bay 10, Astros 6
It's been a lousy week for the Astros since my last blog posting. They've played so badly that our ace has asked for a trade, after his teammates declined to score even one run in his latest quality loss. I've been missing in action for a good cause: I've been out in California for my daughter's wedding. I'd hoped to be at last Monday's Dodgers game, but my flight was cancelled and we arrived 7 hours late and missed the game. Not that we missed much: It was a rainy night and the Astros lost. Today, while the rest of the family is off to the beach and sightseeing, I watched my first live ballgame since last Sunday. For a short time (when the Astros scored 4 runs in the first inning), I thought they might actually win today. They lost 10-6. I'm not going back to watch the rest of the games from the past week - I'm not a complete masochist. And I'm not going to try to write up the week of games that I missed. You can see the scores above and read the gory details on the Astros web site. Enough said.
Today's game was #44 for the Astros, and at 14-29, they are very close to approximating their awful start from the 2005 season. That year, I thought the Astros would win the pennant, despite the gruesome start - and they actually did. However, as my friend Austin keeps reminding me, this is not the 2005 Astros team. That's true, but folks didn't think much of that 2005 team the first couple of months of the season either. Except for me, of course, but I'm crazy for the Astros. I have to admit that (unlike 2005) I did not get that "vision" of the Astros in the World Series at Spring Training this year. I just like to be optimistic.
The Astros may look like kind of a different team after another couple of months. This week while I have been off in California doing family stuff, the team released Matsui, who was batting .141 and not getting much playing time. They brought up Oswaldo Navarro from Round Rock to take the roster spot. Then, after the team was shutout in his last start, Roy Oswalt let them know that he was interested in being traded to a team that might actually win some games this year. I don't know if Oswalt's desire to move to some other team that understands the term "run support" will amount to anything. Now that he's gone beyond saying "I'll do whatever's the best for the team" to "I'd rather play for a winning team," it might be hard NOT to go ahead and trade him. It would be ironic if the Astros did trade Oswalt, and Pence, Lee, and Berkman immediately went into huge hitting streaks -- kind of an O Henry touch to the season. I would not put that past this Astros team. Not sure who they'd bring up to replace Oswalt - or rather, his spot in the roster. No one would replace the Wiz.
For some bizarre reason, I'm still holding on to the fantasy that on June 1, the Chronicle will run another tombstone RIP, and then the Astros will miraculously start to win. Or maybe not.
On a sad note, former Astros pitcher, salsa singer, and clown Jose Lima died today of a massive heart attack. He was only 37. It was a very sad day for the teammates and fans who treasured his wacky sense of humor, not to mention the great pitching he did for the team in the past. Maybe the Chronicle should just save their Rest in Peace for the real thing.
Sunday, May 16, 2010
GAMES 35-37: Do You Think Oswalt Still Ain't Mad???
GAME 35 - May 14: Giants 8, Astros 2
GAME 36 - May 15: Giants 2, Astros 1
GAME 37 - May 16: Giants 4, Astros 3
Carlos Lee got two hits in today's game, including a home run. He's still batting under .200.
I spent about 8 hours working in the garden today, planting the tomatillos and tomatoes and chiles. It was hot dirty work, and I'm pretty trashed out. I think I'll just publish this now and write about the Astros when it's more fun to talk about.
And oh, by the way, guys - try to win tomorrow. I'll be at the game in LA.
GAME 36 - May 15: Giants 2, Astros 1
GAME 37 - May 16: Giants 4, Astros 3
"I feel pretty good. My mechanics wasn't as good as it was last start, but good enough to lose." (Oswalt, on the Astros squandering another terrific start and leaving him stuck with the loss)I've decided not to write much about these games. Too sad - especially the way the Astros let the Wiz get stuck with a loss in Saturday afternoon's game. I didn't watch it. I've made a new rule this season: I only watch the Sabbath games on the mlb.tv archive if the Astros win. I read about it though, and that made me glad that I was not watching it live, when the Astros loaded the bases in the ninth inning and didn't score. Kaz Matsui stayed alive for 15 pitches, but then made the last out. I was watching today's game when Matsui came in to pinch bat in the ninth inning, with runners on the corners and two down. He made the last out again. I don't expect to see Matsui again after this season.
Carlos Lee got two hits in today's game, including a home run. He's still batting under .200.
I spent about 8 hours working in the garden today, planting the tomatillos and tomatoes and chiles. It was hot dirty work, and I'm pretty trashed out. I think I'll just publish this now and write about the Astros when it's more fun to talk about.
And oh, by the way, guys - try to win tomorrow. I'll be at the game in LA.
GAMES 32-34: Rare Bird Sighting
GAME 32 - May 11: Astros 6, Cardinals 3
GAME 33 - May 12: Astros 9, Cardinals 6
GAME 34 - May 13: Astros 4, Cardinals 1
Hey Bird Watchers! Here's something you don't see very often: Swept-Away Cardinals pooping in their own nest!
Yes, the worst team in the National League beat the best one, three games in a row. These weren't even close games - the Astros won each of them by a three run margin (although with Pulols & Co, that's not always helpful). They didn't look at all like losers: For the most part, the batters were hitting, the pitchers were pitching, the infield was double-playing, and Michael Bourn was doing his circus act in center field. The Astros took advantage of clutch situations and gifts (8 of their runs in the first two games were unearned, scored as a result of some of the Cardinal's 5 errors), worked their way out of jams, and (gasp!) hit a few home runs!
One of the most exciting things about this series was seeing Berkman coming back to normal - in these three games, he went 5 for 9, including 2 homers and a double, plus 4 walks (all in Game 2). Over the Astros' current 4-game winning streak, the Puma has raised his batting average from .175 to .239. Obviously, this isn't a batting average he'd be happy with, but a 64 point rise in 4 games is certainly a sign of going in the right direction!
It wasn't obvious at the start that this series would have such a happy ending. Up until the seventh inning, they were chugging along not scoring any runs and making Brad Penny look like another Cy Young candidate. Three up, three down. When they did get a runner, he was erased by a double play or caught stealing. We all know this routine by now. Brett Myers gave up some hits and walks in his 6 inning start, but pitched out of trouble and managed to keep the Cards to only 2 runs.
Then the miracle happened: Down 2-0, with one out in the 7th inning, Carlos Lee managed to get on base, courtesy of a throwing error. At this point El Cabernet will take whatever comes his way. Pence doubled, pushing Lee around to third. Two runners in scoring position with only one out - you gotta score in that scenario! Blum was hit by a pitch to load the bases. Uh-oh. You don't gotta score in that situation - you're just a double play away from a big fat nuthin'... Up comes Tommy Manzella, who's been blowing us away with his nice fielding, but not looking quite big league at the plate. But no problem - he gets the sac fly to make cut the Cards' lead in half. Mills then brought in Corey Sullivan to pinch hit for Cash. Sullivan's a veteran, but hasn't been much of a bat this year -- but he lined to left to bring in Pence, tying it 2-2. Then Quintero came in to pinch hit for the pitcher, and he hit a single to left, scoring Blum to give the Astros a 3-2 lead. An error by the catcher allowed Sullivan to get to third, positioned to score when Bourn bunted his way into an RBI hit. That was all the fun that the Astros had in the seventh, but compared to a lot of recent games, it was a pretty huge accomplishment.
The Cards came back to make some noise in the bottom of the inning. Fulchino allowed the first two batters to get on base on a single and walk, got the next guy to fly out, then gave up a run on a single. That brought Pujols to the plate with 2 runners on and only one out - a recipe for a game changing play. Mills make the swap for ground-ball pitcher Chris Sampson, who did just what he was supposed to do: Two ground balls later the Astros were out of trouble, with the score 4-3. But there was more fun to come in the eighth -- Berkman and Pence hit solo homers to bump the Astros to a 6-3 lead, which Lyon and Lindstrom preserved for the win.
Game 2 was a sloppy slugfest, with the two teams combining for 15 runs, 20 hits, 9 walks, and 3 errors. But the Astros managed to piece together four consecutive scoring innings on Wandy's watch, allowing him to get a rare win. It was about time - in his first 6 starts of the season, his teammates had only come up with 7 runs for Wandy. Wandy knew that pitching well wouldn't necessarily be enough; he'd have to pitch in with his bat to ensure a win. And he did -- he got a single, hit a RBI sac fly, and scored twice.
Most of the runs scored in a the 5-run fourth inning, with an error again playing a big role. Feliz led off with a single. Another fielding error by the shortstop allowed Quintero to reach. Manzella struck out for the first out. Wandy bunted, but the play was made at third. Two outs, runners on first and second... Or should I say, only two outs? Lots of fun still to come! Bourn singled to load the bases and Kepp doubled to clear them. Berkman then hit a 2-run homer, to make the run total 5 for the inning. Lee flied out (his specialty this season) to kill the action. The homer was the Puma's only hit in the game, but that didn't limit his base time -- he walked in all of his other 4 at bats.
Wandy pitched really well in the first 5 innings, holding the Cards to a single unearned run. By the time he came to the mound in the bottom of the sixth, with that 9-1 lead, he might have been a little overwhelmed. He gave back 4 runs, on a 2 singles, 2 doubles, a walk, and an RBI ground ball. He left the game with a four run lead, 9-5, but as I tweeted during the game, you can never trust the Cards not to come back and bit you. All it takes is a walk and a bloop single and an error or hit batter and before you know it you've got Pujols at bat with the bases loaded... But happily, that didn't happen in this game. Sampson pitched a scoreless seventh. Wilton Lopez threw a terrific 10-pitch eighth inning. After inducing a ground out to the first batter, he struck out the next two on six swinging strikes. In the ninth, Lopez came back to the mound and quickly erased the first two batters. But after he gave up a pair of singles, with Pujols coming up to bat, Mills called for his closer. Maybe he could have just left Lopes on the mound; Linstrom gave up a double to Pujols, scoring one run, and chiseling the Astros' lead down to 3 runs. But Holliday lined out to end the threat, and the Astros won 9-6.
With the series win assured, and on a 3-game winning streak, the Astros were pumped up for an afternoon game Thursday. I was at work, taking sneak peeks at the score between meetings, so by the time I made it home Thursday night, I already knew that the Astros had won. It could be a coincidence, or it could be that Bud Norris just has the Cards' number. Either way, the rookie came up against veteran pitching star Chris Carpenter in what should have been a mismatch. Instead, Bud Lite pitched 8 stellar innings to get his fourth win (and no losses) against the Cards. He gave up only 1 run on 6 hits, no walks, and 8 strikeouts. Lindstrom pitched a scoreless ninth for the save (#9).
Meanwhile, as Roy and Wandy can attest, pitching a terrific game doesn't mean you won't get a loss. Your team needs to score you some runs. Once again, the Astros did that with a Big Inning. In this game, they scored all 4 of their runs in that big third inning. Norris led off by grounding out. Bourn walked, then advanced to second on Kepp's single. The Puma singled to score Bourn. Lee popped a ball up, and the umps called the Infield Fly Rule for the second out. Apparently, there was a bit of chatter between El Cab and Chris Carpenter (known to be kind of an edgy prima donna on the mound), which resulted in both benches and both bullpens to empty out in the strangest on-field tussle I've ever seen. All the players just kind of milled about, no pushing or scrapping. Then they all went back. Happily, it was apparently enough to distract Carpenter, who gave up a 3-run homer to Pence. That was all the scoring action the Astros could pull off, but with the terrific pitching by Norris and Lindstrom, nothing more was required to complete the sweep.
Astros swept up the Cardinals' droppings and advanced three games in the division standings. Of course, they are still down in last place. But it sure was good to win big against the Card to start this long road trip. Now out West to SF and LA...
GAME 33 - May 12: Astros 9, Cardinals 6
GAME 34 - May 13: Astros 4, Cardinals 1
Hey Bird Watchers! Here's something you don't see very often: Swept-Away Cardinals pooping in their own nest!
Yes, the worst team in the National League beat the best one, three games in a row. These weren't even close games - the Astros won each of them by a three run margin (although with Pulols & Co, that's not always helpful). They didn't look at all like losers: For the most part, the batters were hitting, the pitchers were pitching, the infield was double-playing, and Michael Bourn was doing his circus act in center field. The Astros took advantage of clutch situations and gifts (8 of their runs in the first two games were unearned, scored as a result of some of the Cardinal's 5 errors), worked their way out of jams, and (gasp!) hit a few home runs!
One of the most exciting things about this series was seeing Berkman coming back to normal - in these three games, he went 5 for 9, including 2 homers and a double, plus 4 walks (all in Game 2). Over the Astros' current 4-game winning streak, the Puma has raised his batting average from .175 to .239. Obviously, this isn't a batting average he'd be happy with, but a 64 point rise in 4 games is certainly a sign of going in the right direction!
It wasn't obvious at the start that this series would have such a happy ending. Up until the seventh inning, they were chugging along not scoring any runs and making Brad Penny look like another Cy Young candidate. Three up, three down. When they did get a runner, he was erased by a double play or caught stealing. We all know this routine by now. Brett Myers gave up some hits and walks in his 6 inning start, but pitched out of trouble and managed to keep the Cards to only 2 runs.
Then the miracle happened: Down 2-0, with one out in the 7th inning, Carlos Lee managed to get on base, courtesy of a throwing error. At this point El Cabernet will take whatever comes his way. Pence doubled, pushing Lee around to third. Two runners in scoring position with only one out - you gotta score in that scenario! Blum was hit by a pitch to load the bases. Uh-oh. You don't gotta score in that situation - you're just a double play away from a big fat nuthin'... Up comes Tommy Manzella, who's been blowing us away with his nice fielding, but not looking quite big league at the plate. But no problem - he gets the sac fly to make cut the Cards' lead in half. Mills then brought in Corey Sullivan to pinch hit for Cash. Sullivan's a veteran, but hasn't been much of a bat this year -- but he lined to left to bring in Pence, tying it 2-2. Then Quintero came in to pinch hit for the pitcher, and he hit a single to left, scoring Blum to give the Astros a 3-2 lead. An error by the catcher allowed Sullivan to get to third, positioned to score when Bourn bunted his way into an RBI hit. That was all the fun that the Astros had in the seventh, but compared to a lot of recent games, it was a pretty huge accomplishment.
The Cards came back to make some noise in the bottom of the inning. Fulchino allowed the first two batters to get on base on a single and walk, got the next guy to fly out, then gave up a run on a single. That brought Pujols to the plate with 2 runners on and only one out - a recipe for a game changing play. Mills make the swap for ground-ball pitcher Chris Sampson, who did just what he was supposed to do: Two ground balls later the Astros were out of trouble, with the score 4-3. But there was more fun to come in the eighth -- Berkman and Pence hit solo homers to bump the Astros to a 6-3 lead, which Lyon and Lindstrom preserved for the win.
Game 2 was a sloppy slugfest, with the two teams combining for 15 runs, 20 hits, 9 walks, and 3 errors. But the Astros managed to piece together four consecutive scoring innings on Wandy's watch, allowing him to get a rare win. It was about time - in his first 6 starts of the season, his teammates had only come up with 7 runs for Wandy. Wandy knew that pitching well wouldn't necessarily be enough; he'd have to pitch in with his bat to ensure a win. And he did -- he got a single, hit a RBI sac fly, and scored twice.
Most of the runs scored in a the 5-run fourth inning, with an error again playing a big role. Feliz led off with a single. Another fielding error by the shortstop allowed Quintero to reach. Manzella struck out for the first out. Wandy bunted, but the play was made at third. Two outs, runners on first and second... Or should I say, only two outs? Lots of fun still to come! Bourn singled to load the bases and Kepp doubled to clear them. Berkman then hit a 2-run homer, to make the run total 5 for the inning. Lee flied out (his specialty this season) to kill the action. The homer was the Puma's only hit in the game, but that didn't limit his base time -- he walked in all of his other 4 at bats.
Wandy pitched really well in the first 5 innings, holding the Cards to a single unearned run. By the time he came to the mound in the bottom of the sixth, with that 9-1 lead, he might have been a little overwhelmed. He gave back 4 runs, on a 2 singles, 2 doubles, a walk, and an RBI ground ball. He left the game with a four run lead, 9-5, but as I tweeted during the game, you can never trust the Cards not to come back and bit you. All it takes is a walk and a bloop single and an error or hit batter and before you know it you've got Pujols at bat with the bases loaded... But happily, that didn't happen in this game. Sampson pitched a scoreless seventh. Wilton Lopez threw a terrific 10-pitch eighth inning. After inducing a ground out to the first batter, he struck out the next two on six swinging strikes. In the ninth, Lopez came back to the mound and quickly erased the first two batters. But after he gave up a pair of singles, with Pujols coming up to bat, Mills called for his closer. Maybe he could have just left Lopes on the mound; Linstrom gave up a double to Pujols, scoring one run, and chiseling the Astros' lead down to 3 runs. But Holliday lined out to end the threat, and the Astros won 9-6.
With the series win assured, and on a 3-game winning streak, the Astros were pumped up for an afternoon game Thursday. I was at work, taking sneak peeks at the score between meetings, so by the time I made it home Thursday night, I already knew that the Astros had won. It could be a coincidence, or it could be that Bud Norris just has the Cards' number. Either way, the rookie came up against veteran pitching star Chris Carpenter in what should have been a mismatch. Instead, Bud Lite pitched 8 stellar innings to get his fourth win (and no losses) against the Cards. He gave up only 1 run on 6 hits, no walks, and 8 strikeouts. Lindstrom pitched a scoreless ninth for the save (#9).
Meanwhile, as Roy and Wandy can attest, pitching a terrific game doesn't mean you won't get a loss. Your team needs to score you some runs. Once again, the Astros did that with a Big Inning. In this game, they scored all 4 of their runs in that big third inning. Norris led off by grounding out. Bourn walked, then advanced to second on Kepp's single. The Puma singled to score Bourn. Lee popped a ball up, and the umps called the Infield Fly Rule for the second out. Apparently, there was a bit of chatter between El Cab and Chris Carpenter (known to be kind of an edgy prima donna on the mound), which resulted in both benches and both bullpens to empty out in the strangest on-field tussle I've ever seen. All the players just kind of milled about, no pushing or scrapping. Then they all went back. Happily, it was apparently enough to distract Carpenter, who gave up a 3-run homer to Pence. That was all the scoring action the Astros could pull off, but with the terrific pitching by Norris and Lindstrom, nothing more was required to complete the sweep.
Astros swept up the Cardinals' droppings and advanced three games in the division standings. Of course, they are still down in last place. But it sure was good to win big against the Card to start this long road trip. Now out West to SF and LA...
Sunday, May 9, 2010
GAMES 28-31: When Do We Start Turning this Ship?
GAME 28 - May 6: Diamondbacks 6, Astros 3
GAME 29 - May 7: Padres 7, Astros 0
GAME 30 - May 8: Padres 2, Astros 1
GAME 31 - May 9: Astros 4, Padres 3
The Astros managed to eke out a happy ending for their pink-bat Mothers Day game with what's starting to be kind of a rare occasion: A win. This one was courtesy of an eleventh inning walk off double by Hunter Pence. It may not have been an ideal win, coming three innings too late to reward Roy Oswalt for his seventh quality start of the season. On the other hand, they didn't stick him with a loss this time. Oswalt pitched eight innings, in hopes that if he stayed around long enough, maybe the guys would score a few runs for him. Lee and Pence hit back-to-back homers in the sixth, but it wasn't quite enough to get a win for the Wiz. In his 8 innings, Oswalt gave up 3 runs on 6 hits and a walk, striking out 9. The three runs he allowed all came in a very contentious fifth inning, resulting in the ejection of Brad Mills by the home plate ump. It was the same umpire who had ejected Michael Bourn last night, over a play at first base. Bourn might really have been out last night, but the strike zone today was pretty erratic.
The really good news in today's win was the unusually hot bats of the very guys on the team that ought to have them -- Berkman, Lee, and Pence. Pence went 3 for 5, with a homer and that game-winning double. Lee hit a solo homer and a single, and Berkman hit a double and a single. The other really good news was excellent relief pitching by Lindstrom (2 scoreless innings), and Lyon (1 perfect 5-pitch inning), who got the win.
Just about the only nice thing I can say about the preceding three games, all losses, was that Paulino pitched a beautiful game (Astros.com said "dazzling") on Saturday, throwing 7 innings, giving up 2 runs (only one earned) on 5 hits, no walks, and 11 strikeouts. Lyon and Lindstrom combined in that game for two scoreless innings to keep the Astros in the running, but the Astros only managed to score once on 3 measly hits. I saw the end of this game after the Sabbath ended last night.
On the other hand, I didn't even bother to watch Friday night's shutout. Norris only lasted 4 innings, throwing 94 pitches, giving up 5 runs on 5 hits (including 2 homers) and 3 walks, and striking out 7. The bullpen was mostly very good. Chacin pitched 2 scoreless innings, and Sampson threw a perfect seventh (his ERA is down to 1.38). Fulchino finished up the game with a scoreless ninth, striking out 2. But Wilton Lopez got tagged for a pair of runs in the eighth. Not that it mattered much - the Astros had lost the game back when Bud Lite gave up the first Padre run in the second inning. Houston batters only managed to get three hits -- a double (Matsui) and a pair of singles (Lee and Feliz). Not even a walk. Not a game I'd go back and watch just for fun.
I did see the final game of the Dback series back on Thursday night. If I'd thought that the happy ending the night before (Lee's walkoff homer) was going to start a trend, that was not the case. I'd like to think today's win will start a trend. But after an off day tomorrow, the Astros are heading for St Louis for the start of an 8-game road trip.
The Astros are dead last in the whole NL in nearly every batting category. With their 10-21 record, they are just about on target to start the season with a 2005-matching 15-30 record. We all know where that led - straight to the pennant. Now all we need is for the Houston Chronicle to run a tombstone with "RIP ASTROS SEASON" to get us on the right track.
GAME 29 - May 7: Padres 7, Astros 0
GAME 30 - May 8: Padres 2, Astros 1
GAME 31 - May 9: Astros 4, Padres 3
The Astros managed to eke out a happy ending for their pink-bat Mothers Day game with what's starting to be kind of a rare occasion: A win. This one was courtesy of an eleventh inning walk off double by Hunter Pence. It may not have been an ideal win, coming three innings too late to reward Roy Oswalt for his seventh quality start of the season. On the other hand, they didn't stick him with a loss this time. Oswalt pitched eight innings, in hopes that if he stayed around long enough, maybe the guys would score a few runs for him. Lee and Pence hit back-to-back homers in the sixth, but it wasn't quite enough to get a win for the Wiz. In his 8 innings, Oswalt gave up 3 runs on 6 hits and a walk, striking out 9. The three runs he allowed all came in a very contentious fifth inning, resulting in the ejection of Brad Mills by the home plate ump. It was the same umpire who had ejected Michael Bourn last night, over a play at first base. Bourn might really have been out last night, but the strike zone today was pretty erratic.
The really good news in today's win was the unusually hot bats of the very guys on the team that ought to have them -- Berkman, Lee, and Pence. Pence went 3 for 5, with a homer and that game-winning double. Lee hit a solo homer and a single, and Berkman hit a double and a single. The other really good news was excellent relief pitching by Lindstrom (2 scoreless innings), and Lyon (1 perfect 5-pitch inning), who got the win.
Just about the only nice thing I can say about the preceding three games, all losses, was that Paulino pitched a beautiful game (Astros.com said "dazzling") on Saturday, throwing 7 innings, giving up 2 runs (only one earned) on 5 hits, no walks, and 11 strikeouts. Lyon and Lindstrom combined in that game for two scoreless innings to keep the Astros in the running, but the Astros only managed to score once on 3 measly hits. I saw the end of this game after the Sabbath ended last night.
On the other hand, I didn't even bother to watch Friday night's shutout. Norris only lasted 4 innings, throwing 94 pitches, giving up 5 runs on 5 hits (including 2 homers) and 3 walks, and striking out 7. The bullpen was mostly very good. Chacin pitched 2 scoreless innings, and Sampson threw a perfect seventh (his ERA is down to 1.38). Fulchino finished up the game with a scoreless ninth, striking out 2. But Wilton Lopez got tagged for a pair of runs in the eighth. Not that it mattered much - the Astros had lost the game back when Bud Lite gave up the first Padre run in the second inning. Houston batters only managed to get three hits -- a double (Matsui) and a pair of singles (Lee and Feliz). Not even a walk. Not a game I'd go back and watch just for fun.
I did see the final game of the Dback series back on Thursday night. If I'd thought that the happy ending the night before (Lee's walkoff homer) was going to start a trend, that was not the case. I'd like to think today's win will start a trend. But after an off day tomorrow, the Astros are heading for St Louis for the start of an 8-game road trip.
The Astros are dead last in the whole NL in nearly every batting category. With their 10-21 record, they are just about on target to start the season with a 2005-matching 15-30 record. We all know where that led - straight to the pennant. Now all we need is for the Houston Chronicle to run a tombstone with "RIP ASTROS SEASON" to get us on the right track.
Thursday, May 6, 2010
GAME 27: El Caballo - Not El Cabrito!
GAME 27 - May 5: Astros 4, Diamondbacks 2
Maybe he was just waiting for Cinco de Mayo? Well, put on a big sombrero and dance! El Caballo finally found his swing and launched a nice fat homer. And he couldn't have found a more dramatic time to do it: With an 8 game losing streak pushing the Astros deeper into the NL cellar, they were tied in the bottom of the ninth when he let loose. Lee had already grounded out 3 times in the game. When he came up to bat with Matsui on first and no outs, I was kind of thinking that maybe they'd have him bunt Matsui over and hope that the Puma could do something. That would have been an interesting surprise - but given how little experience he has bunting in games, he'd probably screw it up. Mills said "swing away," and so he did. It wasn't some cheap shot into the Crawford Boxes either - it was a big blast, nearly 400 feet. (The picture of Lee below is from Spring Training, not this game - just a little mood music.)
Good Astros pitching: Myers pitched 7 innings in a quality start, keeping the Astros in the game against a team that averages more than 5 runs per game. Lyon threw a perfect 5-pitch eighth. Lindstrom gave up a couple of hits, but eked it out, positioning himself for the W when Lee did his thing in the bottom of the ninth.
Other honors in this game: Manzella hit his first homer in the big leagues, with a 2 run blast in the second inning. And Bourn was ridiculous in center field, with a pair of terrific catches in the seventh inning.
So now the big question is: Can Lee remember how to do that again?
Maybe he was just waiting for Cinco de Mayo? Well, put on a big sombrero and dance! El Caballo finally found his swing and launched a nice fat homer. And he couldn't have found a more dramatic time to do it: With an 8 game losing streak pushing the Astros deeper into the NL cellar, they were tied in the bottom of the ninth when he let loose. Lee had already grounded out 3 times in the game. When he came up to bat with Matsui on first and no outs, I was kind of thinking that maybe they'd have him bunt Matsui over and hope that the Puma could do something. That would have been an interesting surprise - but given how little experience he has bunting in games, he'd probably screw it up. Mills said "swing away," and so he did. It wasn't some cheap shot into the Crawford Boxes either - it was a big blast, nearly 400 feet. (The picture of Lee below is from Spring Training, not this game - just a little mood music.)
Good Astros pitching: Myers pitched 7 innings in a quality start, keeping the Astros in the game against a team that averages more than 5 runs per game. Lyon threw a perfect 5-pitch eighth. Lindstrom gave up a couple of hits, but eked it out, positioning himself for the W when Lee did his thing in the bottom of the ninth.
Other honors in this game: Manzella hit his first homer in the big leagues, with a 2 run blast in the second inning. And Bourn was ridiculous in center field, with a pair of terrific catches in the seventh inning.
So now the big question is: Can Lee remember how to do that again?
Wednesday, May 5, 2010
GAMES 25-26: Roy Ain't Mad...?
GAME 25 - May 3: Diamondbacks 9, Astros 1
GAME 26 - May 4: Diamondbacks 1, Astros 0
Take last night's 1-0 loss. Oswalt pitched yet another beautiful game: Seven innings, giving up 1 run (solo homer) on 5 hits, striking out 8. Vintage Wizard. He even got a hit, after a 13 pitch at bat (arguably the Astros best at-bat of the game). And vintage Astros too - squandering both Oswalt's pitching and his hit in another shutout. I guess if Oswalt ain't mad, I ain't either. But it's got to be pissing him off. He's started six games so far this year, all considered quality starts, with a 2.48 ERA to show for it - and a 2-4 record. Something is just not quite right there.
By the way, batting .222, Oswalt's got a higher BA than Lee, Berkman, Pence, Manzella, and Quintero. Okay, I think we might have figured out what that not-quite-right something might be. In yesterday's shutout, the Astros combined for 8 hits plus 2 walks, but left 7 runners stranded in scoring position. The missed opportunities started in the first inning: Carlos Lee came up to bat with Bourn on third and one out. Perfect time for that fly ball that he's perfected (in lieu of homers) this season. But he walked. Berkman struck out. Pence grounded out. Astros added 0 runs to their MLB last-place collection.
Somehow the Astros offense makes every opposing pitcher look like a Cy Young Award contender, even kids just pitching their first major league games. Take Game 1 of the series: The Dbacks put major league newbie Cesar Valdez on the mound. It was his big league debut - what a chance for a big game! But nope, the Astros didn't want to hurt the feelings of a bright young man. In his 5 innings (good for the win), they got only one run on 5 hits, 3 walks, and a hit batter. Plenty of chances. Astros left 8 runners stranded in scoring position. They are just too charitable. Meanwhile, Paulino, Byrdak, Gervacio, and Moehler had a real bad time - enough said. Brydak ended up on the DL and Gervacio was sent down to Round Rock.
A few more team changes: Quintero caught for Oswalt last night, the first time this year that JR Towles wasn't behind the plate for the Wiz. Turns out that JR's not just sitting out a game, after some reported communication issue - he's been sent down to Corpus Christi. He must be really upset at being sent to a Double A team, but if the goal is to give him a chance to play, Round Rock already has a catcher who's going to get most of the starts - Jason Castro. (Heir) apparently, Castro's not yet ready for the bigs -- the Astros brought up veteran Kevin Cash to fill in.
Not sure if any of these changes will have a positive impact on the team. But the Astros aren't exactly in a position to just rest on their laurels, are they?
GAME 26 - May 4: Diamondbacks 1, Astros 0
"I ain't mad. It's part of the game, I guess." (Roy O, after being stuck with another loss)It's really kind of an amazing accomplishment: Only 26 games into the season, the Astros have managed to pull off TWO eight-game losing streaks. But in between those two streaks, they won 8 of their 10 games and looked like winners. (It helped that they played the Pirates during that phase.) To keep that pattern going, the Astros should break into another winning phase, but it beats me how they plan to turn things around. They look so totally complacent about losing.
Take last night's 1-0 loss. Oswalt pitched yet another beautiful game: Seven innings, giving up 1 run (solo homer) on 5 hits, striking out 8. Vintage Wizard. He even got a hit, after a 13 pitch at bat (arguably the Astros best at-bat of the game). And vintage Astros too - squandering both Oswalt's pitching and his hit in another shutout. I guess if Oswalt ain't mad, I ain't either. But it's got to be pissing him off. He's started six games so far this year, all considered quality starts, with a 2.48 ERA to show for it - and a 2-4 record. Something is just not quite right there.
By the way, batting .222, Oswalt's got a higher BA than Lee, Berkman, Pence, Manzella, and Quintero. Okay, I think we might have figured out what that not-quite-right something might be. In yesterday's shutout, the Astros combined for 8 hits plus 2 walks, but left 7 runners stranded in scoring position. The missed opportunities started in the first inning: Carlos Lee came up to bat with Bourn on third and one out. Perfect time for that fly ball that he's perfected (in lieu of homers) this season. But he walked. Berkman struck out. Pence grounded out. Astros added 0 runs to their MLB last-place collection.
Somehow the Astros offense makes every opposing pitcher look like a Cy Young Award contender, even kids just pitching their first major league games. Take Game 1 of the series: The Dbacks put major league newbie Cesar Valdez on the mound. It was his big league debut - what a chance for a big game! But nope, the Astros didn't want to hurt the feelings of a bright young man. In his 5 innings (good for the win), they got only one run on 5 hits, 3 walks, and a hit batter. Plenty of chances. Astros left 8 runners stranded in scoring position. They are just too charitable. Meanwhile, Paulino, Byrdak, Gervacio, and Moehler had a real bad time - enough said. Brydak ended up on the DL and Gervacio was sent down to Round Rock.
A few more team changes: Quintero caught for Oswalt last night, the first time this year that JR Towles wasn't behind the plate for the Wiz. Turns out that JR's not just sitting out a game, after some reported communication issue - he's been sent down to Corpus Christi. He must be really upset at being sent to a Double A team, but if the goal is to give him a chance to play, Round Rock already has a catcher who's going to get most of the starts - Jason Castro. (Heir) apparently, Castro's not yet ready for the bigs -- the Astros brought up veteran Kevin Cash to fill in.
Not sure if any of these changes will have a positive impact on the team. But the Astros aren't exactly in a position to just rest on their laurels, are they?
Sunday, May 2, 2010
GAMES 22-24: ...and When She Was Bad, She was Horrid...
GAME 22 - April 30: Braves 4, Astros 2
GAME 23 - May 1: Braves 10, Astros 1
GAME 24 - May 2: Braves 7, Astros 1
Let's just say that the 2010 Astros are not a team that is blessed with consistency when it comes to wins and losses. They lost the first 8 games of the season, then won 8 out of the next 10, then they were swept in two consecutive series. First it was the Reds, who had been swept by the Pirates, who were then swept by the Astros. (What does that say about the NL Central Division?) And now the Astros have been swept by the Braves, who were just coming off a nine-game losing streak. This is not pretty.
The Astros are actually very consistent when it comes to offense stats - they're at the bottom of the league in just about every batting category. With very few exceptions (namely, Bourn and Kepp) the rest of the lineup is spectacularly underachieving. I'm stretching my imagination to figure out how Carlos Lee could be batting under .200 a month into the season, with only 5 RBIs and no home runs. Our $100M slugger has a slugging stat of under .250. Lee might have a bit of a slacker reputation, but Pence? He's a really hard worker, who had a good Spring Training, yet he's only batting .213. At least he has a couple of homers. Berkman's had a slow start, but he's only been off the DL for less than 2 weeks, so I cut him some slack. I didn't expect anything from either Matsui or Towles, but I'd kind of hoped for someone on the team to bat over .200.
Other than the scores, which are listed at the top, I'm not going to bother to write up this weekend's depressing games. I came home from work on Friday feeling sick, and spent Saturday lying on the couch, hoping that I'd at least have one or even two good ball games to watch after the Sabbath ended. When I saw the results, I went back to the couch. I only watched one play from either of those games - Pence's homer-robbing leaping catch from Friday night's game. By Sunday, the antibiotics were kicking in, but I was still under the weather and feeling too puny to rally much optimism for a big turnaround. So in a strange way, the Astros didn't disappoint me by losing. Let's see, what to like in today's loss...? Lee got a pair of hits - but they were both singles. Bourn and Kepp each hit a single and a double - but that's not a surprise. They're the only consistently good batters in the lineup so far. And, oh yeah, after Norris melted down, the bullpen was totally solid. Fulchino threw two 1-2-3 innings, with 4 Ks.
GAME 23 - May 1: Braves 10, Astros 1
GAME 24 - May 2: Braves 7, Astros 1
Let's just say that the 2010 Astros are not a team that is blessed with consistency when it comes to wins and losses. They lost the first 8 games of the season, then won 8 out of the next 10, then they were swept in two consecutive series. First it was the Reds, who had been swept by the Pirates, who were then swept by the Astros. (What does that say about the NL Central Division?) And now the Astros have been swept by the Braves, who were just coming off a nine-game losing streak. This is not pretty.
The Astros are actually very consistent when it comes to offense stats - they're at the bottom of the league in just about every batting category. With very few exceptions (namely, Bourn and Kepp) the rest of the lineup is spectacularly underachieving. I'm stretching my imagination to figure out how Carlos Lee could be batting under .200 a month into the season, with only 5 RBIs and no home runs. Our $100M slugger has a slugging stat of under .250. Lee might have a bit of a slacker reputation, but Pence? He's a really hard worker, who had a good Spring Training, yet he's only batting .213. At least he has a couple of homers. Berkman's had a slow start, but he's only been off the DL for less than 2 weeks, so I cut him some slack. I didn't expect anything from either Matsui or Towles, but I'd kind of hoped for someone on the team to bat over .200.
Other than the scores, which are listed at the top, I'm not going to bother to write up this weekend's depressing games. I came home from work on Friday feeling sick, and spent Saturday lying on the couch, hoping that I'd at least have one or even two good ball games to watch after the Sabbath ended. When I saw the results, I went back to the couch. I only watched one play from either of those games - Pence's homer-robbing leaping catch from Friday night's game. By Sunday, the antibiotics were kicking in, but I was still under the weather and feeling too puny to rally much optimism for a big turnaround. So in a strange way, the Astros didn't disappoint me by losing. Let's see, what to like in today's loss...? Lee got a pair of hits - but they were both singles. Bourn and Kepp each hit a single and a double - but that's not a surprise. They're the only consistently good batters in the lineup so far. And, oh yeah, after Norris melted down, the bullpen was totally solid. Fulchino threw two 1-2-3 innings, with 4 Ks.
The only optimistic message I can take from the double-sweeps is this: With their record now at 8-16, the Astros are perfectly poised to repeat their historic 2005 15-30 season start. And we all know how that ended - the Astros won the NL Pennant. (Let's just ignore for a minute the fact that the 2005 team featured a rotation with Roger Clemens, Andy Pettitte, and Roy Oswalt.) We might stink, but we are not yet mathematically eliminated.
GAMES 19-21: All the King's Horses and All the King's Men...
GAME 19 - April 27: Reds 6, Astros 2
GAME 20 - April 28: Reds 6, Astros 4
GAME 21 - April 29: Reds 4, Astros 2
It looked so good to start. Bud Lite got a couple of strikeouts in the top of the first. Leading off, Bourn was hit by a pitch, stole second, made it to third on an errant throw, and scored on a sac fly. First run scored without a hit or a walk. Bourn seems to manufacture bases faster than Schutts Sports (official supplier to MLB). I was thinking that this game might be fun.
That was all the fun for a while. Norris had some really good stuff, but ran up a big pitch count early, with strikeouts, full counts, and lots of foul balls. After 5 innings he had given up a pair of runs on 3 hits, 4 walks, and a hit batsman, and his pitch count was in the high 80s. He allowed singles to the first three batters, with one run scoring, in the sixth before Mills yanked him. This wasn't one of those days where the bullpen was lights out. Fulchino's line looks clean - 1 hit, no ER - but Bud's other 2 runners scored on his watch. Byrdak pitched a perfect seventh inning. Gervacio, just back from a stint on the DL, didn't really seem to be his usual self in the eighth. He gave up a 5 pitch walk to the leadoff batter, Orlando Cabrera, who advanced to second on a ground out. Sammy Whiplash seemed to forget about him, and Cabrera took the opportunity to steal third, and then scored when Sammy balked. Meanwhile, the Astros squandered their chances to score against Harang. That's just how it went in the first game of the Reds series.
And in the second game... More of the same. Too little too late.
And in the third game, as the Astros were swept away to end their homestand. They failed to support Roy O, who came back from bulldozing his parents' tornado-destroyed house, just to pitch another quality start for a loss. More of the same. Too little too late. Enough said; it's no fun write about games like these, and it's no fun to read about them either.
So it all went full circle: The Pirates swept the Reds, then the Astros swept the Pirates, then the Reds swept the Astros. What does that say about the NL Central division?
Luckily, the Astros were off next to Atlanta, to play against the hapless Braves who had lost 9 in a row. What good timing to get back on a winning pace. Only (I'm publishing this post on Sunday, so I already know what happened), they didn't....
GAME 20 - April 28: Reds 6, Astros 4
GAME 21 - April 29: Reds 4, Astros 2
It looked so good to start. Bud Lite got a couple of strikeouts in the top of the first. Leading off, Bourn was hit by a pitch, stole second, made it to third on an errant throw, and scored on a sac fly. First run scored without a hit or a walk. Bourn seems to manufacture bases faster than Schutts Sports (official supplier to MLB). I was thinking that this game might be fun.
That was all the fun for a while. Norris had some really good stuff, but ran up a big pitch count early, with strikeouts, full counts, and lots of foul balls. After 5 innings he had given up a pair of runs on 3 hits, 4 walks, and a hit batsman, and his pitch count was in the high 80s. He allowed singles to the first three batters, with one run scoring, in the sixth before Mills yanked him. This wasn't one of those days where the bullpen was lights out. Fulchino's line looks clean - 1 hit, no ER - but Bud's other 2 runners scored on his watch. Byrdak pitched a perfect seventh inning. Gervacio, just back from a stint on the DL, didn't really seem to be his usual self in the eighth. He gave up a 5 pitch walk to the leadoff batter, Orlando Cabrera, who advanced to second on a ground out. Sammy Whiplash seemed to forget about him, and Cabrera took the opportunity to steal third, and then scored when Sammy balked. Meanwhile, the Astros squandered their chances to score against Harang. That's just how it went in the first game of the Reds series.
And in the second game... More of the same. Too little too late.
And in the third game, as the Astros were swept away to end their homestand. They failed to support Roy O, who came back from bulldozing his parents' tornado-destroyed house, just to pitch another quality start for a loss. More of the same. Too little too late. Enough said; it's no fun write about games like these, and it's no fun to read about them either.
So it all went full circle: The Pirates swept the Reds, then the Astros swept the Pirates, then the Reds swept the Astros. What does that say about the NL Central division?
Luckily, the Astros were off next to Atlanta, to play against the hapless Braves who had lost 9 in a row. What good timing to get back on a winning pace. Only (I'm publishing this post on Sunday, so I already know what happened), they didn't....
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
Posts
