Arizona 8, Houston 7
Quote of the Day: "We can't get the stinking pitcher out, we're in trouble." (Cecil Cooper, on the D-back's pitcher's game-tying home run)
Coop was steamed for good reason. This was a really crappy loss. When I checked the scoreboard from my office this afternoon, I saw that the Astros already had six runs in the second inning -- off of Randy Johnson, no less! I was already anticipating coming home tonight and watching the Astros' big blowout series-winning game against the best team in the National League. Instead, Houston managed to give up a run here and a run there, finally losing the lead on a two-run home run hit by -- you guessed it -- the opposing pitcher. To be fair, this pitcher - Micah Owings - is hitting over .400. But it's not like that was a surprise to the Astros. Ausmus went over the plan for how to pitch to him before the game. It just didn't quite work out according to plan - Borkowski's first pitch to him in the sixth inning was a hanging slider that ended up in the stands in right field. Oh yeah, it was an opposite field home run. Geez.
There were, of course, some good things in the game. Ausmus went 3 for 4 with a pair of doubles. Lee hit a 3-run homer (#6). Tejada got two more hits. Pence was back in right field after a short stay on the bench - he had a pair of hits. Hopefully, he'll go back on a batting tear now that he's had a little time to patch up his swing. Qualls pitched a perfect 7th inning, maintaining his 0.00 season ERA. Whoops! Forgot for a moment that he's not one of ours anymore. (Wah!)
Good things notwithstanding, I'm not going to watch this game on the mlb.tv archive. Not even the first two glorious innings, when it looked like the Astros were headed for a big win. It's too much of a bummer. I'm with Coop - this was "by far, by far" the worst loss of the season. The Astros have lost games by much bigger scores, but they just plain shouldn't have lost this one at all.
In other news, Cassel was sent back down to Round Rock to make room for the return of Wiggington and Wandy from DL in the next day or two. And yesterday's D-back rookie sensation, Max Scherzer, is now in the Arizona rotation.
April is over. After the first sixth of the season, the Astros have a 13-16 record, three games under .500. They are in 4th place (better than two other teams!) in the NL Central, 5 games behind the Cards. The Astros spent exactly one day of the first month of the season at .500, before dipping back into a losing record. Oh well, April showers. I am predicting big improvements to come, along with the flowers, in May.
Coming up: A home stand! Milwaukee is coming to Houston for a weekend series.
Wednesday, April 30, 2008
GAME 28 - April 29: Rattlesnake - Tastes Just Like Chicken
Houston 6, Arizona 4
Quote of the Day: "In the bullpen they told me, 'You have to focus on these guys and strike out everybody.' I was just doing my job." (Valverde, on beating his old team by striking out the side)
Happily the Astros did not lose this game by one run. Otherwise, the ump's bad call on JR Towles' home run in the third inning might have hurt more than the young catc
her's stats. The ball hit over the yellow line and then bounced back on the field, where the umpire called it in play; Towles got a double for his efforts.
Even more happily, it didn't matter because the Astros won the game. After getting used to success in their six-game winning streak, the Astros must have found three consecutive losses to be a serious bummer. Beating the D-Backs - the team with the best record in the league - was a nice turn.
So many things to like in this game, starting with timely hitting. The Astros got off to a fast start, scoring their first two runs in the first inning on Tejada's RBI double, followed by Lee's single. Cassel (still subbing for Wandy) gave it back in the bottom of the inning on a two-run homer, to tie the game 2-2. The big inning for the Astros came in the third: With one out, Tejada singled, then Berkman hit a ground ball that was misplayed - everybody safe. Lee walked to load the bases, which Blum cleared with a double to left. Cruz struck out for the second out. And then came Towles' ill-fated home run, which went into the scorecard as an RBI double. Cassel struck out, leaving Towles stranded. Still, it was a four-run inning, giving the Astros a 6-2 lead.
I rarely get excited about anything wonderful that the opposing team does, but this game was an exception. There was something quite notable about Cassel's strikeout in the third: He was the first batter thrown to by a just-hatched rookie pitcher named Max Scherzer. Never heard of him? He just came up from Triple A and this was his Major League debut, in long relief for starting pitcher Edgar Gonzales, who couldn't make it through the third inning. When the announcers said that the new pitcher was a rookie, my first thought was: Oh good, Astros have a chance for a big blowout. That thought didn't last long, as Scherzer stayed in the game another four innings, and did not allow a single Astro to reach base. Thirteen up, thirteen down - seven of them on strikeouts, as Scherzer threw 96-to-99 MPH fastballs right past them. This could turn out to be a fluke, but on the other hand - who knows? - we might have been watching a historic debut of a future star.
Back to more traditional things to like about this game. Has anyone noticed that Valverde has stopped being
a complete loser and is looking more like a closer? He was certainly psyched for this game - against the team that he played for last year, when he led the league in saves. Coming in with a 2-run lead to protect, he actually looked ferocious out on the mound - and his pitching was awesome. It wasn't 1-2-3; he allowed a one-out double just to make it interesting. But the other three batters in the ninth didn't find anything hittable as Valverde followed orders from his fellow relievers - he struck out the side. This was the rare case where I actually enjoyed the opposing team's broadcast of the game: The Arizona broadcast team, who know Valverde so well from previous years, went on and on about what a wonderful kid he is. After the vicious skewering that Valverde received in the Houston Chronicle - from both the writing staff and the so-called fans ranting on the blogs - it was really nice to hear someone talk about what a great guy Valverde is. Meanwhile, after his truly gruesome start to the season, Valverde has an ERA of 0.00 in his last 5 appearances - not lights out but certainly closerly. His ERA has dropped from over 12 to under 7. Still a way to go, but definitely in the right direction.
More good fielding -- Cassel can thank the infielders for saving him from worse than the 5 ERs he gave up. Two more double plays, no errors. Houston still only has 9 errors for the whole season. (Compare that to Pittsburgh's league leading 29!) Meanwhile, the Astros 29 season double plays is third in the league.
What's not to like: Pence, who has returned to struggling at the plate, was benched for this game. Cruz Jr played in his place - but his BA is the worst on the team for a position player - well under .100! Towles and Bourn are both hovering around .200. While the big guys have turned around much of their early-season batting woes, some of the younger players are still struggling at the plate. I am still thinking that with the pitching better than expected, plus the phenomenal fielding, when these guys start to add some hits and runs, this team is going to be good.
Fashion Statement: The Astros wore the rarely-used grey road unis for this game. They had to, since the D-backs wear red jerseys on Tuesday home games. It was very confusing; I kept getting confused about who was batting, seeing those red shirts at the plate. A couple of times I accidentally cheered for the wrong team.
Quote of the Day: "In the bullpen they told me, 'You have to focus on these guys and strike out everybody.' I was just doing my job." (Valverde, on beating his old team by striking out the side)
Happily the Astros did not lose this game by one run. Otherwise, the ump's bad call on JR Towles' home run in the third inning might have hurt more than the young catc
her's stats. The ball hit over the yellow line and then bounced back on the field, where the umpire called it in play; Towles got a double for his efforts.Even more happily, it didn't matter because the Astros won the game. After getting used to success in their six-game winning streak, the Astros must have found three consecutive losses to be a serious bummer. Beating the D-Backs - the team with the best record in the league - was a nice turn.
So many things to like in this game, starting with timely hitting. The Astros got off to a fast start, scoring their first two runs in the first inning on Tejada's RBI double, followed by Lee's single. Cassel (still subbing for Wandy) gave it back in the bottom of the inning on a two-run homer, to tie the game 2-2. The big inning for the Astros came in the third: With one out, Tejada singled, then Berkman hit a ground ball that was misplayed - everybody safe. Lee walked to load the bases, which Blum cleared with a double to left. Cruz struck out for the second out. And then came Towles' ill-fated home run, which went into the scorecard as an RBI double. Cassel struck out, leaving Towles stranded. Still, it was a four-run inning, giving the Astros a 6-2 lead.
I rarely get excited about anything wonderful that the opposing team does, but this game was an exception. There was something quite notable about Cassel's strikeout in the third: He was the first batter thrown to by a just-hatched rookie pitcher named Max Scherzer. Never heard of him? He just came up from Triple A and this was his Major League debut, in long relief for starting pitcher Edgar Gonzales, who couldn't make it through the third inning. When the announcers said that the new pitcher was a rookie, my first thought was: Oh good, Astros have a chance for a big blowout. That thought didn't last long, as Scherzer stayed in the game another four innings, and did not allow a single Astro to reach base. Thirteen up, thirteen down - seven of them on strikeouts, as Scherzer threw 96-to-99 MPH fastballs right past them. This could turn out to be a fluke, but on the other hand - who knows? - we might have been watching a historic debut of a future star.
Back to more traditional things to like about this game. Has anyone noticed that Valverde has stopped being
a complete loser and is looking more like a closer? He was certainly psyched for this game - against the team that he played for last year, when he led the league in saves. Coming in with a 2-run lead to protect, he actually looked ferocious out on the mound - and his pitching was awesome. It wasn't 1-2-3; he allowed a one-out double just to make it interesting. But the other three batters in the ninth didn't find anything hittable as Valverde followed orders from his fellow relievers - he struck out the side. This was the rare case where I actually enjoyed the opposing team's broadcast of the game: The Arizona broadcast team, who know Valverde so well from previous years, went on and on about what a wonderful kid he is. After the vicious skewering that Valverde received in the Houston Chronicle - from both the writing staff and the so-called fans ranting on the blogs - it was really nice to hear someone talk about what a great guy Valverde is. Meanwhile, after his truly gruesome start to the season, Valverde has an ERA of 0.00 in his last 5 appearances - not lights out but certainly closerly. His ERA has dropped from over 12 to under 7. Still a way to go, but definitely in the right direction.More good fielding -- Cassel can thank the infielders for saving him from worse than the 5 ERs he gave up. Two more double plays, no errors. Houston still only has 9 errors for the whole season. (Compare that to Pittsburgh's league leading 29!) Meanwhile, the Astros 29 season double plays is third in the league.
What's not to like: Pence, who has returned to struggling at the plate, was benched for this game. Cruz Jr played in his place - but his BA is the worst on the team for a position player - well under .100! Towles and Bourn are both hovering around .200. While the big guys have turned around much of their early-season batting woes, some of the younger players are still struggling at the plate. I am still thinking that with the pitching better than expected, plus the phenomenal fielding, when these guys start to add some hits and runs, this team is going to be good.
Fashion Statement: The Astros wore the rarely-used grey road unis for this game. They had to, since the D-backs wear red jerseys on Tuesday home games. It was very confusing; I kept getting confused about who was batting, seeing those red shirts at the plate. A couple of times I accidentally cheered for the wrong team.
GAME 27 - April 28: Well, it was nice to see Qualls again...
Arizona 5, Houston 3
Quote of the Day: "I think they have a real good team over there [in Houston]. They've got some good players. Hopefully, they start playing well again after they leave here." (Diamondback player, Chris Burke, on rooting for the Astros)
After a break of three days without baseball, it was good to come home to a ballgame. It would have been better without the D-backs' Dan Haren setting down batter after batter. The Astros didn't even get their first baserunner until the 5th inning, as Haren set down the first 12 batters. Meanwhile, the Snakes put up 4 runs off of Chris Sampson.
It actually looked kind of hopeful in the 5th. Berkman walked, and Lee doubled. Pence grounded out, but Berkman scored on the play. Loretta singled to score Lee, making it 4-2. Then Towles was hit by a pitch and Sampson reached on a bunt single to load the bases with one out and the top of the lineup coming up. But Matsui popped out and Bourn struck out, and the inning was over.
The Astros had another good opportunity for a comeback in the 8th - with 2 outs, back to back doubles by Bourn and Tejada brought in another run, making it 5-3. At that point, the D-Backs went with a very familiar reliever to pitch to Berkman -- Chad Qualls. I always liked Qualls and was sorry that the Astros traded him, but under the circumstances, I was hoping for one of those whoops! moments when Qualls gives up a home run. Who better than Berkman - just names as last week's NL Player of the Week? He struck out. The 'Stros went down 1-2-3 without a peep in the 9th, for their third loss in a row.
I can't claim to have really enjoyed the loss, but like I've said before, there's always something to like. In this game it was the Astros relief pitching. Sampson only lasted 4 1/3 innings, giving up 5 runs on 7 hits, 2 BBs, and no Ks. Borkowski came in with one out and runners on first and second, and quickly finished off the next two batters to end the inning. He then pitched a perfect sixth.In 1 2/3 innings, he faced 5 batters and struck out 4 of them. Villareal pitched a 1-2-3 seventh. Geary got in trouble in the eighth - he walked the first three batters. Cooper pulled him and brought in the Wright Lefty with the bases loaded and no outs. Wright struck out the next batter, then induced a double play to end the threat. Cool. Nervy kid.
It was nice to see Qualls, and Burke was in the dugout too. I guess this will be a recurring theme this year as the Astros face the teams that have their ex-players.
The Arizona FSN broadcasters called Berkman "Fat Elvis," and said he liked being called that.
Quote of the Day: "I think they have a real good team over there [in Houston]. They've got some good players. Hopefully, they start playing well again after they leave here." (Diamondback player, Chris Burke, on rooting for the Astros)
After a break of three days without baseball, it was good to come home to a ballgame. It would have been better without the D-backs' Dan Haren setting down batter after batter. The Astros didn't even get their first baserunner until the 5th inning, as Haren set down the first 12 batters. Meanwhile, the Snakes put up 4 runs off of Chris Sampson.
It actually looked kind of hopeful in the 5th. Berkman walked, and Lee doubled. Pence grounded out, but Berkman scored on the play. Loretta singled to score Lee, making it 4-2. Then Towles was hit by a pitch and Sampson reached on a bunt single to load the bases with one out and the top of the lineup coming up. But Matsui popped out and Bourn struck out, and the inning was over.
The Astros had another good opportunity for a comeback in the 8th - with 2 outs, back to back doubles by Bourn and Tejada brought in another run, making it 5-3. At that point, the D-Backs went with a very familiar reliever to pitch to Berkman -- Chad Qualls. I always liked Qualls and was sorry that the Astros traded him, but under the circumstances, I was hoping for one of those whoops! moments when Qualls gives up a home run. Who better than Berkman - just names as last week's NL Player of the Week? He struck out. The 'Stros went down 1-2-3 without a peep in the 9th, for their third loss in a row.
I can't claim to have really enjoyed the loss, but like I've said before, there's always something to like. In this game it was the Astros relief pitching. Sampson only lasted 4 1/3 innings, giving up 5 runs on 7 hits, 2 BBs, and no Ks. Borkowski came in with one out and runners on first and second, and quickly finished off the next two batters to end the inning. He then pitched a perfect sixth.In 1 2/3 innings, he faced 5 batters and struck out 4 of them. Villareal pitched a 1-2-3 seventh. Geary got in trouble in the eighth - he walked the first three batters. Cooper pulled him and brought in the Wright Lefty with the bases loaded and no outs. Wright struck out the next batter, then induced a double play to end the threat. Cool. Nervy kid.
It was nice to see Qualls, and Burke was in the dugout too. I guess this will be a recurring theme this year as the Astros face the teams that have their ex-players.
The Arizona FSN broadcasters called Berkman "Fat Elvis," and said he liked being called that.
Sunday, April 27, 2008
GAMES 24-26 - April 25-27: Passed Over, Again...
GAME 24: Houston 3, St Louis 2
GAME 25: St Louis 4, Houston 3
GAME 26: St Louis 5, Houston 1
Word for the Day: "WAH!"
After spending the weekend celebrating the end of Passover with even more cooking and eating and drinking and guests, I was really looking forward to going online tonight to find that the Astros had a big juicy win today. Something fun to watch on the mlb.tv archive while packing up all of my Passover stuff for another year. Unfortunately, it was a crummy loss; even after three baseball-free days I wasn't in the mood to watch it.
When I last saw the Astros, they were in the throes of a big scoring bonanza. Meanwhile, in my absence, they have gone back to their low-scoring ways - only managing 7 runs over the weekend. That was good for one win on Friday night - maybe I'll watch that one tonight at midnight.
One odd thing about these games: In previous years there has always been a very strong rivalry between the Astros and the Cards, but it's always been characterized by what appeared to be a respectful sportsmanship. That doesn't seem to be the case this season: Pujols roughed up Towles in the earlier series, and Backe exchanged some loud words with him as a result. Then in this series, there were two pitching incidents that caused the benches to clear, although nothing came to blows. Maybe it's just the new Astros, it's a very different team this year.
The Astros are off to Arizona for their next series. That means games that start at 9:40 PM my time, so I'll have won't have any excuses for not going to the gym on the way home from work. Time to pay the price for all that Passover food and wine.
GAME 25: St Louis 4, Houston 3
GAME 26: St Louis 5, Houston 1
Word for the Day: "WAH!"
After spending the weekend celebrating the end of Passover with even more cooking and eating and drinking and guests, I was really looking forward to going online tonight to find that the Astros had a big juicy win today. Something fun to watch on the mlb.tv archive while packing up all of my Passover stuff for another year. Unfortunately, it was a crummy loss; even after three baseball-free days I wasn't in the mood to watch it.
When I last saw the Astros, they were in the throes of a big scoring bonanza. Meanwhile, in my absence, they have gone back to their low-scoring ways - only managing 7 runs over the weekend. That was good for one win on Friday night - maybe I'll watch that one tonight at midnight.
One odd thing about these games: In previous years there has always been a very strong rivalry between the Astros and the Cards, but it's always been characterized by what appeared to be a respectful sportsmanship. That doesn't seem to be the case this season: Pujols roughed up Towles in the earlier series, and Backe exchanged some loud words with him as a result. Then in this series, there were two pitching incidents that caused the benches to clear, although nothing came to blows. Maybe it's just the new Astros, it's a very different team this year.
The Astros are off to Arizona for their next series. That means games that start at 9:40 PM my time, so I'll have won't have any excuses for not going to the gym on the way home from work. Time to pay the price for all that Passover food and wine.
Thursday, April 24, 2008
GAME 23 - April 24: Another Sweep!
Houston 5, Cincinnati 3
Quote of the Day: "Somebody's got to have the most. It might as well be me." (Berkman, on being the visiting player who has hit the most home runs in Cincinnati's Great American Ball Park - 18)
It wasn't a double-digit blowout, but just half of that was enough to beat the Reds today to sweep the two-game series. That makes two swept series in a row for the Astros, as they logged their 5th consecutive win. With an 11-12 record, Houston is just one game away from .500 - and then on from there!
The star of the show was Lance Berkman, who has a long history of bedeviling the Reds in their own stadium. He went 3 for 3, walked, and stole a base, adding another 3 RBIs to his season total (20, tied for 3rd in the league). The fun began in the first inning, with a two-run homer, and continued with an RBI double in the fifth.
Jack Cassel, who we last saw back in Kissimmee, got his Astros pitching debut. He pitched a pretty nice game, th
rowing 5 innings, giving up 3 runs on 7 hits, no walks, and a strikeout. I always like a pitcher who helps himself: His single in the second inning scored Towles. It was his first career RBI, and the first RBI by an Astros pitcher this season. The Reds runs were all scored in the first two innings, after that Cassel settled down and froze them out. The Astros hitters were kind - they scored 2 runs in the top of the fifth, so Cassel left the game with a 5-3 lead. Then the poor maligned bullpen came in - and rocked! Byrdak pitched a scoreless 7th, picking off the only runner who got aboard. Brocail, coming back from his dreadful relief appearance on Tuesday, pitched a perfect eighth. Valverde - usually a pretty scary proposition with a close game on the line - knocked down the heart of the Reds' order 1-2-3, finishing up the game with a pair of strikeouts.
Pence is coming back from his horrible start in a big way. He was 2 for 4 in this game, with a double (#7). He extended his hitting streak to 7 games, over which he has raised his batting average from .161 to .268.
I watched this day game late Thursday night. It's going to be a baseball-free weekend for me, as I will be shutting down my computer for the Sabbath and the end of the Passover holiday. We don't subscribe to a newspaper, so I won't even find out how the Astros did until I get back online Sunday night, after the holiday ends. I wonder if I can stay up and watch all three missed games Sunday night?
Quote of the Day: "Somebody's got to have the most. It might as well be me." (Berkman, on being the visiting player who has hit the most home runs in Cincinnati's Great American Ball Park - 18)
It wasn't a double-digit blowout, but just half of that was enough to beat the Reds today to sweep the two-game series. That makes two swept series in a row for the Astros, as they logged their 5th consecutive win. With an 11-12 record, Houston is just one game away from .500 - and then on from there!
The star of the show was Lance Berkman, who has a long history of bedeviling the Reds in their own stadium. He went 3 for 3, walked, and stole a base, adding another 3 RBIs to his season total (20, tied for 3rd in the league). The fun began in the first inning, with a two-run homer, and continued with an RBI double in the fifth.
Jack Cassel, who we last saw back in Kissimmee, got his Astros pitching debut. He pitched a pretty nice game, th
rowing 5 innings, giving up 3 runs on 7 hits, no walks, and a strikeout. I always like a pitcher who helps himself: His single in the second inning scored Towles. It was his first career RBI, and the first RBI by an Astros pitcher this season. The Reds runs were all scored in the first two innings, after that Cassel settled down and froze them out. The Astros hitters were kind - they scored 2 runs in the top of the fifth, so Cassel left the game with a 5-3 lead. Then the poor maligned bullpen came in - and rocked! Byrdak pitched a scoreless 7th, picking off the only runner who got aboard. Brocail, coming back from his dreadful relief appearance on Tuesday, pitched a perfect eighth. Valverde - usually a pretty scary proposition with a close game on the line - knocked down the heart of the Reds' order 1-2-3, finishing up the game with a pair of strikeouts.Pence is coming back from his horrible start in a big way. He was 2 for 4 in this game, with a double (#7). He extended his hitting streak to 7 games, over which he has raised his batting average from .161 to .268.
I watched this day game late Thursday night. It's going to be a baseball-free weekend for me, as I will be shutting down my computer for the Sabbath and the end of the Passover holiday. We don't subscribe to a newspaper, so I won't even find out how the Astros did until I get back online Sunday night, after the holiday ends. I wonder if I can stay up and watch all three missed games Sunday night?
Wednesday, April 23, 2008
GAME 22 - April 23: The Slugfest Continues...
Houston 9, Cincinnati 3
Word for the Day: Contagious. Exciting similar emotions or conduct in others.
"Right now, it's contagious," said Cecil Cooper after the the Astros' fourth win in a row, referring to the sudden spate of hitting and scoring. It seems like nearly every guy in the lineup has suddenly gone from batting two-something to three-something, or close. Multi-hit games are the norm for players that were going oh-fer just a week ago. Pence has added about 100 points to his BA, and nobody wants to hear about Tejada's birthday hijinks.
The Reds got off to an early lead on Ken Griffey Jr's first-inning home run. But there they sat for most of the game, while the Astros came back in the top of the second to take a 2-1 lead on back-to-back doubles by Lee and Pence, followed by Loretta's RBI single.
But it was the 4th inning that did in the Reds. Bronson Arroyo - who historically has bad luck against the Astros - got in and out of trouble to start the inning. He walked Pence, then gave up a double to Loretta to put runners on second and third with no outs. Then, he struck out Towles and Sampson, and looked to be getting out of trouble. The Old Astros (last week) would have just folded at that point. But the New Astros came back with a vengeance: six consecutive 2-out hits, scoring 7 runs. Matsui singled, scoring Pence and Loretta. Erstad singled, moving Matsui around. Tejada singled, scoring Matsui; then Berkman singled to score Erstad. That was it for Arroyo, but his replacement gave up a double to Lee and an infield single to Pence, allowing 3 more runs to come in. At 9-1, things were looking good for Sampson to get his first win of the season.
Sampson pitched through seven innings, giving up 2 runs on 8 hits, 1 BB, and 6 Ks. Quite an improvement over the two-thirds of an inning that he lasted in his previous start. Wright pitched a scoreless eighth, and Geary - after a leadoff solo homer to Encarnacion - ended the game without further Reds runs. Final score: 9-3. While not quite double-digits, a very respectable offensive display from a bunch of guys who couldn't seem to score a run in the first couple of weeks of the season.
Every one of the starters, except for Sampson, got at least one hit. Pence went 3 for 4 with a double, two singles, a walk, and a pair of RBIs. Erstad was 3 for 5. Lee got a pair of doubles, scoring twice. On the fielding side, there were two more double plays. Matsui misplayed a grounder for an error - but the Astros still have the fewest in the league.
Hey, take a look at the standings: The Astros moved up a notch. There are now two teams below the Astros in the NL Central. This is not a bad team, no matter what those yahoos (who pretend to be fans) rant and rave on the Chron.com blogs.
Word for the Day: Contagious. Exciting similar emotions or conduct in others.
"Right now, it's contagious," said Cecil Cooper after the the Astros' fourth win in a row, referring to the sudden spate of hitting and scoring. It seems like nearly every guy in the lineup has suddenly gone from batting two-something to three-something, or close. Multi-hit games are the norm for players that were going oh-fer just a week ago. Pence has added about 100 points to his BA, and nobody wants to hear about Tejada's birthday hijinks.
The Reds got off to an early lead on Ken Griffey Jr's first-inning home run. But there they sat for most of the game, while the Astros came back in the top of the second to take a 2-1 lead on back-to-back doubles by Lee and Pence, followed by Loretta's RBI single.
But it was the 4th inning that did in the Reds. Bronson Arroyo - who historically has bad luck against the Astros - got in and out of trouble to start the inning. He walked Pence, then gave up a double to Loretta to put runners on second and third with no outs. Then, he struck out Towles and Sampson, and looked to be getting out of trouble. The Old Astros (last week) would have just folded at that point. But the New Astros came back with a vengeance: six consecutive 2-out hits, scoring 7 runs. Matsui singled, scoring Pence and Loretta. Erstad singled, moving Matsui around. Tejada singled, scoring Matsui; then Berkman singled to score Erstad. That was it for Arroyo, but his replacement gave up a double to Lee and an infield single to Pence, allowing 3 more runs to come in. At 9-1, things were looking good for Sampson to get his first win of the season.
Sampson pitched through seven innings, giving up 2 runs on 8 hits, 1 BB, and 6 Ks. Quite an improvement over the two-thirds of an inning that he lasted in his previous start. Wright pitched a scoreless eighth, and Geary - after a leadoff solo homer to Encarnacion - ended the game without further Reds runs. Final score: 9-3. While not quite double-digits, a very respectable offensive display from a bunch of guys who couldn't seem to score a run in the first couple of weeks of the season.
Every one of the starters, except for Sampson, got at least one hit. Pence went 3 for 4 with a double, two singles, a walk, and a pair of RBIs. Erstad was 3 for 5. Lee got a pair of doubles, scoring twice. On the fielding side, there were two more double plays. Matsui misplayed a grounder for an error - but the Astros still have the fewest in the league.
Hey, take a look at the standings: The Astros moved up a notch. There are now two teams below the Astros in the NL Central. This is not a bad team, no matter what those yahoos (who pretend to be fans) rant and rave on the Chron.com blogs.
Tuesday, April 22, 2008
GAME 21 - April 22: Three in a Row
Houston 11, San Diego 7
Quote of the Day: "Count this one as one of those "ugly" wins." (Alyson Footer, Astros.com)
With all due respect to Alyson - who is probably my favorite non-fiction writer - this was not an "ugly" game. Granted, there were a few minutes of bona fide ugliness, as Brocail threw away Backe's nice start in the 8th. Backe had pitched 5 shutout innings before giving the Padres a 3-2 lead on a 3-run home run in the 6th. But he finished the inning, and went on to knock out the side in the 7th on 10 pitches. Meanwhile, the Astros scored 2 in the bottom of the 6th to regain the lead, and 3 more runs in the 7th to give Backe a comfortable 7-3 lead. With Brocail, who had been nearly lights out in his earlier relief appearances, coming in to pitch, it looked like a likely W for Backe. But Brocail allowed the first 4 Padres to hit for the cycle in the 8th - a single, double, homer, and triple, to make it a 1-run game.
I had to groan when I saw Valverde take the field, given his bad luck so far this season. He gave up a walk and then a sac fly that scored the runner on third to tie the game. Sorry, Backe.
But then the Astros came back in the bottom of the inning to earn all the runs back, and Valverde pitched a perfect ninth to get the win - his third of the season. He actually did look like a closer.
What did I say yesterday - if the big guys could all get hot at the plate at the same time, last night's double-digit game would not be an aberration? Tonight's game was a perfect illustration: Another 4 for 5 game for Tejada, pulling his BA up to .370. Berkman was on base 4 times, with a triple, a single, and two walks, breaking .300. Pence hit his first home run of the season, and Matsui, Erstad, and Blum all had multi-hit games. In all, a season-high 11 runs on a season-high 15 hits. All in all, it's hard to really say that was "ugly," especially when the Astros got their third win in a row.
Fashion Statement: The Astros wore green caps for Earth Day. Not a really great look; they kind of disappeared into the turf.
Quote of the Day: "Count this one as one of those "ugly" wins." (Alyson Footer, Astros.com)
With all due respect to Alyson - who is probably my favorite non-fiction writer - this was not an "ugly" game. Granted, there were a few minutes of bona fide ugliness, as Brocail threw away Backe's nice start in the 8th. Backe had pitched 5 shutout innings before giving the Padres a 3-2 lead on a 3-run home run in the 6th. But he finished the inning, and went on to knock out the side in the 7th on 10 pitches. Meanwhile, the Astros scored 2 in the bottom of the 6th to regain the lead, and 3 more runs in the 7th to give Backe a comfortable 7-3 lead. With Brocail, who had been nearly lights out in his earlier relief appearances, coming in to pitch, it looked like a likely W for Backe. But Brocail allowed the first 4 Padres to hit for the cycle in the 8th - a single, double, homer, and triple, to make it a 1-run game.
I had to groan when I saw Valverde take the field, given his bad luck so far this season. He gave up a walk and then a sac fly that scored the runner on third to tie the game. Sorry, Backe.
But then the Astros came back in the bottom of the inning to earn all the runs back, and Valverde pitched a perfect ninth to get the win - his third of the season. He actually did look like a closer.
What did I say yesterday - if the big guys could all get hot at the plate at the same time, last night's double-digit game would not be an aberration? Tonight's game was a perfect illustration: Another 4 for 5 game for Tejada, pulling his BA up to .370. Berkman was on base 4 times, with a triple, a single, and two walks, breaking .300. Pence hit his first home run of the season, and Matsui, Erstad, and Blum all had multi-hit games. In all, a season-high 11 runs on a season-high 15 hits. All in all, it's hard to really say that was "ugly," especially when the Astros got their third win in a row.
Fashion Statement: The Astros wore green caps for Earth Day. Not a really great look; they kind of disappeared into the turf.
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