GAMES 80-83: Didn't Miss Much (from the Astros) While I Was Away...

GAME 80 - July 1: Astros 6, Padres 3
GAME 81 - July 2: Padres 3, Astros 0
GAME 82 - July 3: Padres 1, Astros 0
GAME 83 - July 4: Padres 3, Astros 2

I escaped the 100 degree heat wave in the Washington DC area by flying out to the other Washington, where the 50-something degree weather was downright refreshing. Four days in Seattle, for a delayed celebration of my mom and dad's May birthdays (with Mothers/Fathers Day thrown in for good measure), was a good opportunity to ignore the Astros. Their Independence Day weekend series was a prolonged demonstration of how not to support their starting pitchers. Here's the stats for our rotation in the series:

Game 1: Moehler - 5.2 innings, 1 run on 4 hits, 2 BB, 2 K

Game 2: Oswalt - 7 innings, 0 run on 3 hits, 2 BB, 7 K 

Game 3: Norris - 7 innings, 0 runs on 3 hits, 3 BB, 5 K

Game 4: Myers - 6 innings, 2 runs on 4 hits, 1 BB, 2 K

That looks to me like pretty solid starting pitching overall -- and was just enough to earn each of them a no-decision. Let's not talk about the Astros hitting. The fun seemed to end in the tenth inning of Thursday night's game. Michael Bourn hit a tie-breaking two-out triple in the top of the tenth, scoring Quintero and Navarro, both of whom had walked. Bourn then came around to score on Kepp's single, leading to the Astros' 6-3 win to start the series. That was about it in the fun department for Astros batters this weekend, as they went on to score only twice in the next three games. Roy O and Bud Lite were positively cheated in the Shabbat shutouts. (And NO, I did NOT watch these games after the Sabbath ended.)

I think I've already worn out the subject of this series, so let's just get on to other interesting news... A couple of days after the Astros claimed that they weren't looking for another option at short, they picked up a shortstop, Angel Sanchez. The need for additional help in the infield became more acute when Blum (covering short for Manzella, who's out for another month with a broken finger) hurt his elbow while putting on his shirt. No joke. Something popped, and now he's on the DL too. The Angel Sanchez that the Astros got in trade from the Red Sox for Kevin Cash is not the fashion designer. He's a 27-year old minor league shortstop who has only appeared in a handful of major league games -- 8 for the Royals in 2006, and 1 this year with Boston.

In other young player news, Chris Johnson has continued to hit well since he's become the Astros' everyday third baseman a couple of weeks ago. He's gone 17 for 40 with 6 doubles. He's had a few glitches in the fielding department, resulting in 5 errors. Jason Castro hasn't been too exciting at the plate (he's only batting .182), but he's thrown out 6 runners in the 11 games he's played. Hopefully, the Astros will stay with their young blood and keep him in the lineup, even if he can't maintain his current offensive pace.

Meanwhile, Bourn has been selected as the lone player to represent the Astros on the All Star roster. It was pretty slim pickings from the team this year, with a good case to be made that none of them should make the trip to Anaheim. But every team gets at least one player, and Bourn is ours. (Probably doesn't hurt that Charlie Manual, this year's NL ASG manager, knows Bourn from his days with the Phillies before the Lidge trade.) It's kind of a shame for Oswalt, who's pitching really well this year. But with all of the great NL pitchers to pick from, why take a guy with a 5-10 record, even if it's not his fault?

Strasburg Watch: Stephen Strasburg had his shortest outing of the year on Saturday, pitching only 5 innings, giving up 2 runs on 4 hits, 3 BBs, and 5 Ks for a no decision. The Nats ultimately won the game 6-5 in the bottom of the ninth. Strasburg wasn't selected for the All Star Game, which (in my opinion) was the right decision. If he's as great as he seems, he'll have plenty of chances in the future. Meanwhile, the NL is full of other deserving pitchers.

Astros are back home now, hosting the Pirates and Cardinals before taking off for the All Star vacation. July is a big month for home games, with a 14-10 split of home to away games.