Starting Out on a Winning Streak!

GAME 2: Astros 3, Yankees 1

Before last night's game, I just had to go back to watch the first two innings of the Astro's Opening Night win -- this time on the Yankees station, so I could hear their broadcasters' reactions to being trounced by the worst team in baseball. They sounded more puzzled than humiliated, but it was enjoyable nonetheless.

The Astros hadn't won their first 2 games of the season for 11 years before last night's second triumph against the not-so-mighty Yankees. Like Game 1, this win featured excellent starting pitching (the Astros starters haven't given up a run yet), home runs (two in each game), and good work by the bullpen to hold the lead. Last year's frequent bullpen meltdowns were a big contribution to the Astros' worst record ever, and the off-season acquisitions of some veteran relievers. In the game last night, we saw five shutout innings from Jarred Cosart, with his blazing fastball and effective curve going great. After a scoreless inning by Jerome Williams, Kevin Chapman got into trouble in the seventh, walking 2 and giving up a hit, and allowing the Yankees what would be their only run.  Matt Albers, who closed the Opening Night game, came to the rescue. He struck out Jeter to end the inning, then after allowing Beltran a leadoff double in the 8th, struck out the side. Josh Fields', the closer du jour, put down the Yankees 1-2-3 in the ninth for the save.

The Astros' offense was not mighty, but was enough for the win. Two of the 3 runs came on home runs -- Dexter Fowler's leadoff homer in the first inning, and a second one from Matt Dominguez in the 7th. Fowler also plated the team's second run in the third inning, hitting a triple and then scoring from third on a fielding error. From a team that didn't have many homers over the past few years, 4 in the first 2 games looks like a sign of better things to come! Fowler now has 4 extra base hits - two doubles in Game 1, then the homer and triple in Game 2. If it keeps up, one might wonder if he could be more effective hitting third or fourth instead of leadoff. But it's early yet...

Fun Fact of the Game: The battery for Game 2 matched up a pitcher and catcher whose names are anagrams: COSART and CASTRO. (And CARTER is pretty close too.) Almost as cool as when Qualls pitched to Quintero, the only "Q" battery in baseball.

Soapbox of the Game: Before the game there was a tribute, with all kinds of Texas themed gifts, for Jeter, who is retiring after this season. Apparently this will be going on in every stadium over the course of the year. I'm not sure that every team will be quite as gracious as the Astros, whose players came out of the dugout to give him a standing O. My perspective: Why do they honor big retiring stars with expensive presents, when these millionaires could easily afford to buy the cars, golf clubs, custom boots, and so on? The big star doesn't need the gifts -- he probably even has to pay taxes on them. Why not name a room in the children's hospital in his honor, or make a donation to the charity of his choice? Just saying'...

Of course, I'm not saying that every team needs to honor Jeter the way that Scott Feldman did on Opening Night - hit him with a pitch on his first at-bat. Here's the tee shirt that Scott Feldman apparently WASN'T wearing under his jersey Monday night:

A second observation: If Jeter hadn't played his career for the Yankees -- if he'd played for Kansas City, or Arizona, or say, HOUSTON -- would they be making all this falderal about his retirement? Oh yeah, he's a star, and a fan favorite (if you like the Yankees), and will be a HOFer someday -- but so was Biggio. I don't remember all the other teams honoring Bidge like this in his retirement season, after 20 years of righteous ball playing? (True, the Pirates retired Biggio's2 number -- but that was his college alma mater, Seton Hall Pirates, and it was #44, not #7.)

On to Game 3 - let's sweep those Mighty Yankees!