April 24: Brewers 5, Astros 2
April 25: Brewers 9, Astros 8 [11 innings]
April 26: Astros 3, Brewers 2
"Slowest. Game. Ever."
That was the tweet from Alyson Footer during the seventh inning of today's game. Her game writeup on Astros.com started out: "This wasn't the quickest game in team history, nor was it the prettiest." She explained that comment on Twitter as well: "'This wasn't the quickest game in history, nor was it the prettiest,' actually means, 'the game was so slow i wanted to gouge my eyes out.'" Wow, that's pretty slow.
But was it really the slowest game ever?
Maybe Alyson just had a hot date, or an appointment to have her hair straightened, or some other good reason to be in a rush to get out of Minute Maid Park? So I took a look at the numbers. At 3:26, today's game was almost a full hour shorter than last night's 11-inning ping-pong game. Just for grins, I compared the game length to the other NL games today:
2:35 : Pittsburgh's 8-3 win over the Padres: 6 pitchers, 282 pitches
2:36 : Atlanta 8-2 win over Reds: 6 pitchers, 258 pitches
2:42 : Rockies 10-4 over the Dodgers: 7 pitchers, 282 pitches
2:52 : Nats 8-1 win over Mets: 8 pitchers, 312 pitches
2:57 : Cubs 10-3 win over Cards: : 9 pitchers, 317 pitches
3:22 : Phillies 13-2 win over Marlins: 8 pitchers, 371 pitches
3:26 : Astros 3-2 win over Brewers: 10 pitchers, 320 pitches
3:45 : Arizona 5-4 win (12 innings) over Giants: 11 pitchers, 358 pitches
Okay, it was a long game, only 19 minutes shorter than the 12 inning game in Arizona. Notably, there were significantly fewer total runs scored in the Astros' game (5) than in all the others - no other NL game today had less than 9 combined runs. Perhaps long games with lower scoring just seem even longer? An exception might be when one of the teams has a starting pitcher with a great game going; who'd get bored during a no-hitter? In this case, the Astros used 5 relievers over 4 innings, which may be less compelling. (The exception, of course, would be the Astros' 7-pitcher no hitter against the Yankees.) On top of the relatively high pitch count in the Astros-Brewers game, there were 13 pickoff attempts (12 by Milwaukee pitchers), including 9 in the bottom of the eigtht just trying to get Pence on first. All of which slow down the game...
So there may be reason to complain that the game went long. However, it was not the "Slowest. Game. Ever." I know that for a fact, because I was at the Astro's Slowest Game Ever: It was April 15, 1968, when the Astros and Mets went at it for 24 innings, with the score tied 0-0. Alyson was not actually at that game, since she wasn't born yet. (Jeff Bagwell wasn't born until a month later.) The game was so slow that after about 16 innings, the lightbulbs that made up the Astrodome's wonder-of-the-world scoreboard started flashing funny messages, like:
THE JUDGE WANTS TO GO TO BED (referring to owner Judge Roy Hofheinz, who had an apartment in the Astrodome)
And my favorite, after the 3rd out of the 17th or so:
I THINK I'M GOING TO THROW UP.
Understand, this was in the tamer days before Wayne and Garth's 100 terms for vomiting, and we kids laughed our heads off to see a reference to spewing on the scoreboard.
Since we were young kids, my dad made us leave at midnight after 18 innings. So we were not actually there to see the biggest event of the evening, when Bob Aspromonte's ground ball went through the Mets' shortstop's legs, scoring Norm Miller from third. My mom was pretty pissed off when we got home so late on a school night. But - even though this was surely the Astros' Slowest. Game. Ever - we didn't want to leave. We were having a great time.
I am not generally impatient for the game to be over, especially on the few occasions that I'm actually there in person. Usually it's just the opposite - the games seem to be over so quickly. Maybe when the Astros are playing on the West Coast, and I'm up till 1 AM Eastern time, falling asleep at the computer. But for normal games, like today's, I don't really mind slow games - at least when the Astros are winning.
For my anniversary present in 2006, I requested that my husband (a Hebrew poet from Lubbock - don't ask) give me a unique gift: A Hebrew translation of Take Me Out to the Ballgame that was true to the rhyme and the rhythm (so I could sing it at games) and the sense of the song. Knowing how much I enjoyed watching games for hour after hour, he translated "I don't care if I never get back" as "Inshallah yiyu sham meah sivuvim" - I hope there will be 100 innings. Okay, it's an exagerration, and a bullpen nightmare. But it rhymed well and the basic idea is there: A long game is a good thing. (One has to assume that the lyracist Jack Norworth did not mean that he'd "never get back" because he'd be mugged on the subway coming home from the game.)
So, sorry Alyson, hope you weren't late for your evening plans, but I enjoyed the s...l...o...w game today, especially because the Astros won.
How they did it: Astros starter Russ Ortiz pitched 5 innings, giving up 2 runs on 4 hits, 4 walks, and striking out 3. Not a long start, but enough to qualify for the win. He was backed up by a terrific quintet from the bullpen: Wright, Sampson, Brocail (welcome back!), Hawkins, and Valverde. One night after blowing a save by giving up a two run homer to Fielder, Valverde was back on the mound, visibly limping from his injury last week. But this time he was on target, and it ended with Fielder making the last out of the game.
The Astros scored all 3 of their runs in the first 4 innings, and that was all they could muster. One run came from a fielding error (we'll take it!), another from Lee's RBI single. The go-ahead run was courtesy of Pudge's fourth inning solo shot. Pudge also looked good behind the plate, throwing out two Brewer runners who had the audacity to attempt base thefts. Blum celebrated his 36th birthday by going 2 for 4. Berkman went 0 for 4 (when do we get to call it a "slump"?).
So the Astros pulled one out of the hat today, avoiding a sweep by the Brewers. Friday night's game, which I missed because of the Sabbath, was one of those gloomy games where the Astros get behind and just can't come back. (But at least it had a quick 2:14 game time - it wasn't slow!) The Astros had a short-lived 2-0 lead, thanks to Lee's 2-run homer in the fourth inning. Astros' starter Paulino got off to a good start for the first 4 innings, then the wheels came off in the fifth when he gave up 4 runs on 6 singles. But his teammates couldn't seem to do much else offensively. The notable play of the game had this innocuous line on the pitch-by-pitch:
J.J. Hardy:Ball, Strike looking, Ball, Hardy singled to right, Cameron out at home.
It looked a whole lot worse on the video: Pence did a great job with an outfield assist from right, shooting the ball to Quintero well upline from the plate. Q was there with the ball in hand to tag Mike Cameron, who came barrelling into him, knocking him flat. Quintero held on to the ball for the out, but it cost him a trip to the DL. (The fair-haired JR Towles was called up from Round Rock to fill in.)
I tuned into Saturday night's game as soon as the Sabbath ended - just in time to see the Astros blow a 4-1 lead on Bill Hall's 3-run homer in the sixth. The Astros had taken the lead in the fourth inning on Lee's 2-run home run, followed by starting pitcher Hampton's RBI single. Bourn added one more in the fifth with a solo homer, his first of the year.
The game stayed in a tie until the bottom of the eighth, when Hawkins gave up a pair of runs on a walk, three singles, and a sac fly. That's when it turned into a ping pong game. The Astros came right back in the bottom of the inning to score 3 - the first of which was JR Towles' (fresh up from the farm) RBI single. Matsui hit a 2-RBI double to retake the lead, 7-6.
But Valverde - who does not really look okay after his injury last week - blew the save opportunity, giving up a 2-run homer to Prince Fielder in the top of the ninth. The Astros came back again in the bottom of the inning, when Berkman (who had gotten on after being hit by a pitch) scored on a throwing error that should have ended the game. All tied up at 8-8 - extra innings.
The Astros loaded the bases in the tenth, but failed to score. Geary, who had pitched a scoreless 10th stayed in for the 11th with less luck. He gave up a leadoff double, followed by a single to put the Brewers ahead 9-8. Geary went on to load up the bases with no outs, but worked his way out of the mess without any additional damage.
That brought the Astros to the bottom of the inning, down by one. Pence led off with a single, Smith failed to advance him attempting unsuccessfully to bunt, and the game ended, as the poet said, not with a bang but a whimper.
The other entertainment in this game was the Astros' annoyance with the way home plate ump Mark DiMuro was calling balls and strikes. After several players (notably Berkman, who's having serious woes at the plate) complained, Pudge got into a spat when he was catching. He was ejected and Cooper, to be supportive, got himself tossed out too.
Coming from behind is a good thing, and the Astros' being able to do it a couple of times in Saturday night's game gives me hope. But a loss is a loss. In the end of the season, it will just be another April loss that contributed to a big hole that the Astros dug. Let's hope they don't wait until August this year to start digging themselves out!
Sunday, April 26, 2009
Friday, April 24, 2009
GAMES 14-16: Raison de Twetre
April 21: Astros 8, Dodgers 3
April 22: Astros 6, Dodgers 5
April 23: Dodgers 2, Astros 0
Last year ago I was doing a little personal research on Web 2.0 technologies that might be useful in building future systems for my company's government customers. In the process, I signed up for a free account on Twitter, got a friend and one of my sons to do the same, and played around with it a bit. It took me about 10 minutes to get bored - basically with no one to talk to, I didn't really get the point. So I abandoned Twitter and went back to IM and Facebook and email and blogs and the myriad other ways that you can interact with people without ever having to actually encounter them.
Last week when I saw a mlblogs comment about all the baseball bloggers who were on Twitter, I decided to give it another try. I resurrected my forgotten password, and logged in during a ballgame - and suddenly I get it. After years of sitting at home watching games by myself, with no one to talk baseball, all of a sudden I'm not alone. Other people are sitting by themselves watching the game with me. I have finally found my raison de twetre.
It's changed my baseball-watching world. I'm so used to my friends and family making a joke about my love of baseball and of the Astros that I'd almost bought in to their marking me as a smart and amiable weirdo. Since Spring Training, I have made three discoveries.
1. Other people go to Astros Spring Training every single year, and are just as crazy about it as I am. Some stay the whole time - still only a dream for me in this working-stiff phase of my life. Spring Training is way more fun when you actually meet some of these people. Even better, you can sit next to them and talk baseball for the whole game, even if your spouse or traveling partner doesn't know what RISP spells. (For that matter, do the Astros?)
2. Writing my game-by-game baseball diary since 2005 has been an entertaining personal activity, but there are also other civilians who write about baseball - some of them quite seriously. After being put off by some of the mean-spirited nonsense that people spew on press-sponsored blogs (like those on chron.com), I wrote a blog of my own entitled "What I Hate About Baseball Blogs." Then I discovered the blogs of RoundRock15 and Austin and other people who love to write about baseball and the Astros. I found out that I don't hate baseball blogs - I just hate stupid commentors.
3. A computer and high-speed Internet and $79 bucks a year for mlb.tv gets you a seat at every Astros game of the season (except for the ones here in Washington, which I will attend in person). Add some good food and a bottle of wine, and it's quite an enjoyable experience. But add some friends on Twitter (including RoundRock and Austin and new ones who are starting to pop up), and it's really sweet. Or should I say, Tweet.
With all this new-found social life, I have actually not had time to do what I normally do during a game - write up notes for what I later fill in to be game-blog entries. So now, despite having watched the Dodgers series live, I'm three games behind on my blog. This entry is probably long enough as it is, and you can just read the pitch-by-pitch and box scores for the details, so I'll just cover some of the high points.
Biggest high point: A series win against a good team! A team that came into the series on an eight-game winning streak. A team that has more wins than the Astros has losses! We're not just talking about the Pirates here.
Second best high point: Continued solid pitching (mostly) by Astros starting pitchers. It wasn't as hot as it was in the previous few games (most of which we lost, by the way). But we got reasonably solid starts from Ortiz, Oswalt, and Wandy. Ortiz threw 5 innin
gs, giving up 3 runs on 3 hits and (uh oh) 5 walks. The Astros scored 6 on his watch, setting Ortiz up for his first win of the season (first since 2007, actually). In Game 2, Oswalt threw 5 excellent shutout innings and 1 inning that reeked. After giving up hits to the first 2 batters, he was terrific until the sixth inning, when he gave up 4 runs on 3 homers. He did a metamorphasis into the Ray Oswalt who kept giving up homers at the start of last season - causing the press bloggers and commenters to speculate that he was injured. Or perhaps, the real Roy O was kidnapped by aliens and replaced by the Kissimmee Beer Guy Evil Twin. In Game 3, Wandy threw a beaut - 6 innings, giving up only 1 run on 5 hits and 2 walks, striking out 4. He lowered his ERA to 1.80, earning the loss for his efforts as his teammates failed to score (see Biggest low point).
Other high points: The Astros hit a season high 8 runs in Game 1. Pudge went 2 for 3 in Game 1, scoring 3 times. Tejada went 2 for 5 with 3 RBI, and Lee went 2 for 4 with a homer. The Astros came from behind in Game 2, with Berkman's eighth inning solo homer and Pudge's RBI single to take the lead. Pence also got a 2-run homer in Game 2. LaTroy Hawkins closed out the game, with Valverde out (see other biggest low point), with a perfect ninth. Wesley Wright has also been doing some very nice work in relief.
Of course, it wasn't a sweep, so all was not all sweetness and light.
Biggest low point: Being shut out in Game 3. Even though it was down to the last pitch (a single would have tied the game), it's still bummer losing a shutout. This wasn't one of those games where the Astros were smacking the ball around but couldn't find home plate - they got as many walks and hit-batters as hits (4).
Other big low point: Valverde got the save in Game 1, after getting himself quite banged up on a heroic attempt to throw out a runner at first base. To add insult to injury, the replay looked like the ump got it wrong when he called the runner safe. Like last year, when he completed the game after being smacked in the head by a hard liner, Valverde limped back to the plate and finished the game. Frankly I can't figure out why Coop let him - he wasn't really throwing strikes on his gimp leg, and could have exacerbated the problem. But Valverde is Valverde - he even managed to strike out the last 2 batters to get the save. On the other hand, he's been out recuperating from the injury for the past two days.
I could nitpick and find other things to whine about, but hey, we won a series against a hot team. If I want to complain about the team's performance, I should go do it on Richard Justice's blog, not mine. Meanwhile, it's Friday. Gotta go cook for the Sabbath (South Indian vegetarian), and shut down before the game. Be back Saturday night, after the Sabbath, sometime in the middle of the game. You can look for me on Twitter. Tweet!
April 22: Astros 6, Dodgers 5
April 23: Dodgers 2, Astros 0
Last year ago I was doing a little personal research on Web 2.0 technologies that might be useful in building future systems for my company's government customers. In the process, I signed up for a free account on Twitter, got a friend and one of my sons to do the same, and played around with it a bit. It took me about 10 minutes to get bored - basically with no one to talk to, I didn't really get the point. So I abandoned Twitter and went back to IM and Facebook and email and blogs and the myriad other ways that you can interact with people without ever having to actually encounter them.
Last week when I saw a mlblogs comment about all the baseball bloggers who were on Twitter, I decided to give it another try. I resurrected my forgotten password, and logged in during a ballgame - and suddenly I get it. After years of sitting at home watching games by myself, with no one to talk baseball, all of a sudden I'm not alone. Other people are sitting by themselves watching the game with me. I have finally found my raison de twetre.
It's changed my baseball-watching world. I'm so used to my friends and family making a joke about my love of baseball and of the Astros that I'd almost bought in to their marking me as a smart and amiable weirdo. Since Spring Training, I have made three discoveries.
1. Other people go to Astros Spring Training every single year, and are just as crazy about it as I am. Some stay the whole time - still only a dream for me in this working-stiff phase of my life. Spring Training is way more fun when you actually meet some of these people. Even better, you can sit next to them and talk baseball for the whole game, even if your spouse or traveling partner doesn't know what RISP spells. (For that matter, do the Astros?)
2. Writing my game-by-game baseball diary since 2005 has been an entertaining personal activity, but there are also other civilians who write about baseball - some of them quite seriously. After being put off by some of the mean-spirited nonsense that people spew on press-sponsored blogs (like those on chron.com), I wrote a blog of my own entitled "What I Hate About Baseball Blogs." Then I discovered the blogs of RoundRock15 and Austin and other people who love to write about baseball and the Astros. I found out that I don't hate baseball blogs - I just hate stupid commentors.
3. A computer and high-speed Internet and $79 bucks a year for mlb.tv gets you a seat at every Astros game of the season (except for the ones here in Washington, which I will attend in person). Add some good food and a bottle of wine, and it's quite an enjoyable experience. But add some friends on Twitter (including RoundRock and Austin and new ones who are starting to pop up), and it's really sweet. Or should I say, Tweet.
With all this new-found social life, I have actually not had time to do what I normally do during a game - write up notes for what I later fill in to be game-blog entries. So now, despite having watched the Dodgers series live, I'm three games behind on my blog. This entry is probably long enough as it is, and you can just read the pitch-by-pitch and box scores for the details, so I'll just cover some of the high points.
Biggest high point: A series win against a good team! A team that came into the series on an eight-game winning streak. A team that has more wins than the Astros has losses! We're not just talking about the Pirates here.
Second best high point: Continued solid pitching (mostly) by Astros starting pitchers. It wasn't as hot as it was in the previous few games (most of which we lost, by the way). But we got reasonably solid starts from Ortiz, Oswalt, and Wandy. Ortiz threw 5 innin
gs, giving up 3 runs on 3 hits and (uh oh) 5 walks. The Astros scored 6 on his watch, setting Ortiz up for his first win of the season (first since 2007, actually). In Game 2, Oswalt threw 5 excellent shutout innings and 1 inning that reeked. After giving up hits to the first 2 batters, he was terrific until the sixth inning, when he gave up 4 runs on 3 homers. He did a metamorphasis into the Ray Oswalt who kept giving up homers at the start of last season - causing the press bloggers and commenters to speculate that he was injured. Or perhaps, the real Roy O was kidnapped by aliens and replaced by the Kissimmee Beer Guy Evil Twin. In Game 3, Wandy threw a beaut - 6 innings, giving up only 1 run on 5 hits and 2 walks, striking out 4. He lowered his ERA to 1.80, earning the loss for his efforts as his teammates failed to score (see Biggest low point).Other high points: The Astros hit a season high 8 runs in Game 1. Pudge went 2 for 3 in Game 1, scoring 3 times. Tejada went 2 for 5 with 3 RBI, and Lee went 2 for 4 with a homer. The Astros came from behind in Game 2, with Berkman's eighth inning solo homer and Pudge's RBI single to take the lead. Pence also got a 2-run homer in Game 2. LaTroy Hawkins closed out the game, with Valverde out (see other biggest low point), with a perfect ninth. Wesley Wright has also been doing some very nice work in relief.
Of course, it wasn't a sweep, so all was not all sweetness and light.
Biggest low point: Being shut out in Game 3. Even though it was down to the last pitch (a single would have tied the game), it's still bummer losing a shutout. This wasn't one of those games where the Astros were smacking the ball around but couldn't find home plate - they got as many walks and hit-batters as hits (4).
Other big low point: Valverde got the save in Game 1, after getting himself quite banged up on a heroic attempt to throw out a runner at first base. To add insult to injury, the replay looked like the ump got it wrong when he called the runner safe. Like last year, when he completed the game after being smacked in the head by a hard liner, Valverde limped back to the plate and finished the game. Frankly I can't figure out why Coop let him - he wasn't really throwing strikes on his gimp leg, and could have exacerbated the problem. But Valverde is Valverde - he even managed to strike out the last 2 batters to get the save. On the other hand, he's been out recuperating from the injury for the past two days.
I could nitpick and find other things to whine about, but hey, we won a series against a hot team. If I want to complain about the team's performance, I should go do it on Richard Justice's blog, not mine. Meanwhile, it's Friday. Gotta go cook for the Sabbath (South Indian vegetarian), and shut down before the game. Be back Saturday night, after the Sabbath, sometime in the middle of the game. You can look for me on Twitter. Tweet!
Tuesday, April 21, 2009
GAME 13: RISP is a Four Letter Word
April 20: Reds 4, Astros 3
Back in my Houston childhood, girls did not play baseball. At the little league field, we ate Frito Pies and fluorescent Sno Cones, got sunburned, and cheered for our brothers. So, having never actually played ball, I generally don't second guess the big league managers. Even so...
I just knew that the Astros, down 4-3, would retake the lead in the eighth when Jason Michaels led off with a double, with the top of the order coming up. But I was stymied when Matsui sac bunted him to third. Why have him bunt? He's not a pitcher, he's a lead-off hitter. Let him hit to right, and at least have a chance to get a base out of it. The SABR guys can duke it out over the real and perceived value of sacrifice bunts, but my gut feeling was that we wasted a precious out.
I won't go through the gory details of how we got all the way to bases loaded, with two outs, and Pence at the plate with a full count. You just know that the kid has "patience, patience" running through his head like a mantra, telling himself no wild swings at balls in the dirt, a RBI walk ties the game... And then he's called out on a borderline pitch at the knees, looking stunned.
As long as I'm breaking with habit and questioning managerial decisions: I wasn't happy to see Hampton replaced in the seventh. A lead-off single followed by a sac bunt put a runner on second with one out. Hampton, at 100 pitches, got the hook. After some problems in the first inning, resulting in the Reds' 2 runs, the bulldog had been pitching well, and I thought that he could get out of it and finish off the seventh. I'll give Cooper the benefit of the doubt - he's out there and knows his guys; maybe Hampton was gassed. Or maybe Coop's just thinking of the long season and wanting to make sure that the elderly Hampton can endure for the long haul.
At any rate, the decision to replace Hampton with Geary and then Byrdak - the same duo that gave us yesterday's blown game - didn't work out well. Willie T hit an infield to put runners on the corners, and Hairston walked to load the bases. Enough fun for Geary. Byrdak came in to face the Votto, who hit a 2-run double to give the Reds a 4-3 lead. Hmmm. (Sound familiar?) Bourn played the ball well in center, getting it quickly to Tejada, who passed it on to Pudge to nail Hairston trying to score. Geary got his second "L" in two days.
Oh, did I mention that Berkman and Lee had back-to-back homers in the sixth? That should have been right up at the top of this game recap, where I should have been reviewing all the great things that helped the Astros win this one. Quality start by Hampton, pair of dingers in the sixth - and a crooked number in the eighth... that didn't happen.
Well, as we keep rationalizing, it's early yet. But Astros history would indicate that we'll be sorry about all these early-season losses when we get to the last week of September and pull up a game or two short. This team should be winning games - good starting pitching, solid bullpen (recent fumbles notwithstanding), enough base runners to sustain them - but zip with RISP.
Tonight: The Dodgers are in town. It will be weird to see Ausmus in opposing duds.
Back in my Houston childhood, girls did not play baseball. At the little league field, we ate Frito Pies and fluorescent Sno Cones, got sunburned, and cheered for our brothers. So, having never actually played ball, I generally don't second guess the big league managers. Even so...
I just knew that the Astros, down 4-3, would retake the lead in the eighth when Jason Michaels led off with a double, with the top of the order coming up. But I was stymied when Matsui sac bunted him to third. Why have him bunt? He's not a pitcher, he's a lead-off hitter. Let him hit to right, and at least have a chance to get a base out of it. The SABR guys can duke it out over the real and perceived value of sacrifice bunts, but my gut feeling was that we wasted a precious out.
I won't go through the gory details of how we got all the way to bases loaded, with two outs, and Pence at the plate with a full count. You just know that the kid has "patience, patience" running through his head like a mantra, telling himself no wild swings at balls in the dirt, a RBI walk ties the game... And then he's called out on a borderline pitch at the knees, looking stunned.
As long as I'm breaking with habit and questioning managerial decisions: I wasn't happy to see Hampton replaced in the seventh. A lead-off single followed by a sac bunt put a runner on second with one out. Hampton, at 100 pitches, got the hook. After some problems in the first inning, resulting in the Reds' 2 runs, the bulldog had been pitching well, and I thought that he could get out of it and finish off the seventh. I'll give Cooper the benefit of the doubt - he's out there and knows his guys; maybe Hampton was gassed. Or maybe Coop's just thinking of the long season and wanting to make sure that the elderly Hampton can endure for the long haul.
At any rate, the decision to replace Hampton with Geary and then Byrdak - the same duo that gave us yesterday's blown game - didn't work out well. Willie T hit an infield to put runners on the corners, and Hairston walked to load the bases. Enough fun for Geary. Byrdak came in to face the Votto, who hit a 2-run double to give the Reds a 4-3 lead. Hmmm. (Sound familiar?) Bourn played the ball well in center, getting it quickly to Tejada, who passed it on to Pudge to nail Hairston trying to score. Geary got his second "L" in two days.
Oh, did I mention that Berkman and Lee had back-to-back homers in the sixth? That should have been right up at the top of this game recap, where I should have been reviewing all the great things that helped the Astros win this one. Quality start by Hampton, pair of dingers in the sixth - and a crooked number in the eighth... that didn't happen.
Well, as we keep rationalizing, it's early yet. But Astros history would indicate that we'll be sorry about all these early-season losses when we get to the last week of September and pull up a game or two short. This team should be winning games - good starting pitching, solid bullpen (recent fumbles notwithstanding), enough base runners to sustain them - but zip with RISP.
Tonight: The Dodgers are in town. It will be weird to see Ausmus in opposing duds.
Sunday, April 19, 2009
GAME 12: Wrong Outcome
April 19: Reds 4, Astros 2
This game just came out upside down. The Astros should have won it. They should have scored at least 6 runs. There's just no way that this came out right. Tilt. Does not compute... With all the holidays and day games, I've gotten so used to watching games after the fact, knowing the outcome, that watching a live game just seems weird. I kept thinking that there was supposed to be a happy ending, but there wasn't.
So let's just recap the good, the bad, and the ugly.
The good: Felipe Paulino. Shunted up to the big leagues straight from Round Rock to fill in for Moehler, Paulino pitched six shutout innings. After a kind of shaky start - a leadoff single to Willie T, followed by a hit batter - he settled in and threw a terrific start. He gave up only 3 hits and 2 walks, striking out 6. And just for good measure, he got his first major league hit, a two-out single in the fourth inning.
The bad: The RISP. The Astros stranded runners right and left, many of them in scoring position. This was not one of those games where the opposing pitchers were lights out: The Reds allowed 7 hits and 8 walks, not to mention 3 errors. Reds starter Volquez may have been an All Star last year, but he gave the Astros plenty of chances today - they just failed to captialize on them. The Astros left runners on the corners in the first inning. They loaded the bases with one out in the third and fifth (see "ugly," below), and didn't score. They left runners on second and third in the eighth, and on first and second in the ninth. And it wasn't the bottom of the lineup (three guys who came into the game with a cumulative 0.00 batting average) - Berkman, Lee, Pence, and Blum all had ample opportunities for heroism, and missed the chance.
The ugly: It wasn't all their fault though. The Astros had a little help from second base ump Joe West, who flat out blew a call, costing the Astros at least one run. With the bases loaded and one out in the fifth inning, the second baseman appeared to "tag" Pence as he ran by, then threw to first to complete the double play, ending the inning. However, in the replays, it wasn't even close; the "tag" didn't come within a couple of feet of Pence, who should have been safe at second, while Berkman scored, with two outs. Nor did Pence appear to have run outside the baseline to avoid the tag. The Astros may or may not have been able to score any additional runs in the inning, but that run was just stolen by a sloppy call. These things happen in baseball, but with a close game like this one, it's a shame that the umpire might have affected the outcome.
A bit more good: Tejada. People love to beat up on Tejada - the drug thing, the cost of the trade to get him, the fact that he's past his prime. But it's not his fault that the Astros gave up five young players to get him. And even if he's past his prime, he's been performing this month. Batting second, he went 3 for 5 today, with his first RBI of the season. He may not be a Golden Glove contender this year, but he's made some pretty slick plays at short, today included.
More not-too-good: After such a nice performance by Paulino, the bullpen looked sloppy. Byrdak walked his one batter in the seventh on a full count, before Geary came in and let things fall apart. He allowed a single, then made a throwing error that scored a runner and left two in scoring position. The Reds then brought in pitcher Micah Owings to pinch hit for their starter. Owings, a very good batter, promptly smacked a double to give the Reds a 3-1 lead. Geary then hit Taveras with a pitch before retiring the side on a strikeout and double play. Fulchino pitched a harmless eighth. Sampson, who apparently is fine following his tumble making a play at first last night, gave up a run on a triple, followed by a sac fly.
Faces in the crowd: Quintero made a rare start behind the plate. Getting so little playing time is not helping him as a batter: He went 0 for 3 in this game to maintain his perfect 0.00 average. Jason Smith started again at second, covering for Matsui. Despite his hot time in Spring Training, he's now 0 for 17 for the season, after going 0 for 3 with a sac bunt today. Matsui, who's been out for several days with a sore back, came in to pinch run and stayed in at second. That put him in the lineup in the ninth, when he ended the game with a fly ball to right, leaving the tying runners stranded. The only guy left on the bench today was Keppinger, who's also got a sore back. It seems to be contagious. The Senior Bushes were in the stands, in their customary spot behind home plate.
This game just came out upside down. The Astros should have won it. They should have scored at least 6 runs. There's just no way that this came out right. Tilt. Does not compute... With all the holidays and day games, I've gotten so used to watching games after the fact, knowing the outcome, that watching a live game just seems weird. I kept thinking that there was supposed to be a happy ending, but there wasn't.
So let's just recap the good, the bad, and the ugly.
The good: Felipe Paulino. Shunted up to the big leagues straight from Round Rock to fill in for Moehler, Paulino pitched six shutout innings. After a kind of shaky start - a leadoff single to Willie T, followed by a hit batter - he settled in and threw a terrific start. He gave up only 3 hits and 2 walks, striking out 6. And just for good measure, he got his first major league hit, a two-out single in the fourth inning.
The bad: The RISP. The Astros stranded runners right and left, many of them in scoring position. This was not one of those games where the opposing pitchers were lights out: The Reds allowed 7 hits and 8 walks, not to mention 3 errors. Reds starter Volquez may have been an All Star last year, but he gave the Astros plenty of chances today - they just failed to captialize on them. The Astros left runners on the corners in the first inning. They loaded the bases with one out in the third and fifth (see "ugly," below), and didn't score. They left runners on second and third in the eighth, and on first and second in the ninth. And it wasn't the bottom of the lineup (three guys who came into the game with a cumulative 0.00 batting average) - Berkman, Lee, Pence, and Blum all had ample opportunities for heroism, and missed the chance.
The ugly: It wasn't all their fault though. The Astros had a little help from second base ump Joe West, who flat out blew a call, costing the Astros at least one run. With the bases loaded and one out in the fifth inning, the second baseman appeared to "tag" Pence as he ran by, then threw to first to complete the double play, ending the inning. However, in the replays, it wasn't even close; the "tag" didn't come within a couple of feet of Pence, who should have been safe at second, while Berkman scored, with two outs. Nor did Pence appear to have run outside the baseline to avoid the tag. The Astros may or may not have been able to score any additional runs in the inning, but that run was just stolen by a sloppy call. These things happen in baseball, but with a close game like this one, it's a shame that the umpire might have affected the outcome.
A bit more good: Tejada. People love to beat up on Tejada - the drug thing, the cost of the trade to get him, the fact that he's past his prime. But it's not his fault that the Astros gave up five young players to get him. And even if he's past his prime, he's been performing this month. Batting second, he went 3 for 5 today, with his first RBI of the season. He may not be a Golden Glove contender this year, but he's made some pretty slick plays at short, today included.
More not-too-good: After such a nice performance by Paulino, the bullpen looked sloppy. Byrdak walked his one batter in the seventh on a full count, before Geary came in and let things fall apart. He allowed a single, then made a throwing error that scored a runner and left two in scoring position. The Reds then brought in pitcher Micah Owings to pinch hit for their starter. Owings, a very good batter, promptly smacked a double to give the Reds a 3-1 lead. Geary then hit Taveras with a pitch before retiring the side on a strikeout and double play. Fulchino pitched a harmless eighth. Sampson, who apparently is fine following his tumble making a play at first last night, gave up a run on a triple, followed by a sac fly.
Faces in the crowd: Quintero made a rare start behind the plate. Getting so little playing time is not helping him as a batter: He went 0 for 3 in this game to maintain his perfect 0.00 average. Jason Smith started again at second, covering for Matsui. Despite his hot time in Spring Training, he's now 0 for 17 for the season, after going 0 for 3 with a sac bunt today. Matsui, who's been out for several days with a sore back, came in to pinch run and stayed in at second. That put him in the lineup in the ninth, when he ended the game with a fly ball to right, leaving the tying runners stranded. The only guy left on the bench today was Keppinger, who's also got a sore back. It seems to be contagious. The Senior Bushes were in the stands, in their customary spot behind home plate.
GAMES 10-11: Roy O and Wandy Deliver
April 17: Reds 2, Astros 1
April 18: Astros 7, Reds 0
Nice work from the starting rotation, as Roy Oswalt and Wandy Rodriguez both delivered quality performances to kick off the series with the Reds. I managed to catch the tail end of Saturday evening's game after the Sabbath, then watched both games on the mlb.tv archive on Sunday morning.
Friday night Roy O finally had a start that should have earned him his first "W" of the season. With his crazy 23-1 record against the Reds, this should have been his night, and he gave it a good battle. It really was a battle - it took him 108 pitches to get through 6 scoreless innings, giving up 5 hits and 3 walks and striking out 4. For the first four innings, Oswalt had base runners in every frame, working his way out of trouble to keep the shutout intact. His easiest innings were the fifth and sixth, nice quick 1-2-3 innings. Geary and Hawkins kept the shutout going in the seventh and eighth innings.
With all the hard work from the pitching staff, the Astros lineup squandered the chance to pull off an easy win. This was not another Cy Young quality performance they were up against: Reds starter Johnny Cueto walked six in less than five innings. But the Astros only managed to get 2 actual hits off of him, eking out only a single run. They had their chances: They had runners on second and third with one out in the fourth inning, but failed to score. Then, with 2 outs in the fifth, Oswalt and Bourn walked, and Tejada singled to load the bases. Berkman, who has terrorized the Reds over the course of his career, walked to score Oswalt. Bases still loaded, El Caballo grounded out to end the opportunity.
The weak offense put the game in the hands of the closers, as the Astros took a 1-0 lead into the ninth. Valverde lost his end of the duel, giving up a walk, followed by a 1-out home run to Ramon Hernandez. With the Reds ahead 2-1, Reds closer Francisco Cordero gave the Astros one last chance, allowing one-out singles by Blum and Pudge. But Jason Smith, starting at second for the still-ailing Matsui, grounded into a double play to end the game in a bitter loss. Hard luck for Oswalt, who battled hard from the mound and even scored the Astros' only run. It was his best start of the season, but his first win still eludes him.
Saturday night, the Astros won their first shutout of the year, behind another excellent start for Wandy. His teammates
provided plenty of the run support that they denied Roy O the night before, starting with a pair of runs on 4 singles in the first inning. But the extra fire power wasn't needed, as Wandy mystified the Reds over 7 innings, holding them to 2 hits and 2 walks, and striking out 10. In his first trip throught the Reds' lineup, Wandy struck out 6 of 9, with 5 Ks in a row in the second/third innings. His only hint of trouble came in a 28-pitch seventh, with a pair of two-out walks, but he managed to strike out the next batter to end the inning. This game is just another example of why I am beating the drum for Wandy this year - if he can just keep off the DL, I am looking to him for a career year. His stuff really looks sharp.
The Astros' have had their share of batting and scoring woes this season - making many opposing pitchers look like CY winners. But against Aaron Harang, who was coming off of a 3-hit shutout in his last outing, they did just fine on Saturday. The fun started in the first inning, when Tejada, Lee, Pence, and Blum combined for a pair of runs on 4 singles. They got the running game going also, with successful steals by Tejada (first) and Pence (third).
In the fifth, Bourn led off with a single and promptly stole second. From there it was an easy trip home on Lee's two-out double, giving the Astros a 3-0 lead. The Astros threatened again in the sixth, getting runners on second and third with no outs, but failed to score. That's where things stood as I tuned in after the Sabbath ended, in the top of the seventh inning with two Reds on base and two outs. Facing the potential tying run at the plate, Wandy struck out Laynce Nix to end the threat, allowing himself an emphatic bilateral pumping of fists as he left the mound.
With Wandy's pitch count over 100, his teammates apparently decided not to leave the outcome of the game to Valverde again. They batted around in the bottom of the inning, plating 4 more runs. The action started when Harang plunked leadoff hitter Tejada in the back. A wild pitch later, Tejada was standing on second. Harang then walked Berkman on 4 pitches, prompting a pitching change. Reliever Jared Burton, noting that El Caballo already had 3 hits in the game, didn't want to take any chances - he loaded the bases on a 4-pitch walk. I was jumping up and down, wanting to see Pence hit a grandslam, but he stuck out on three pitches for the first out. The Reds were hoping to see a double play, but back-to-back 2-run doubles by Blum and Pudge instead gave the Astros a rare Big Inning.
With a 7-run lead, Wandy got the rest of the night off, Chris Sampson pitched a hitless eighth. He made the third out of the inning with an athletic play at first, then rolled to the ground and stayed there for a few moments. Hopefully he didn't twist or turn anything. Fulchino threw a perfect ninth inning for a very nice Astros' debut.
Besides the great pitching, it was great to see some offense in this game. In particular, Carlos Lee had a big game, going 3 for 3, with an RBI and a pair of runs. Lee had a dreadful spring, and had come into this game hitting .189. Blum also had a great game, going 3 for 4 with 3 RBIs. Pence and Pudge each contributed a pair of hits.
Nice to See: The Bushes were in their customary spots behind home plate on Saturday. It was nice to see Barbara looking good after her recent heart surgery, keeping up on her scorecard. It was also nice to see Willie T, who's now playing for the Reds.
Fashion Statements: The Astros wore the home whites for the Saturday game. In an unfortunate equipment failure, Washington's Dunn and Zimmerman appeared for several innings in jerseys with "NATINALS" emblazoned across their chests. Perhaps a comment on the quality of the DC Public Schools?
In Other MLB News: The Astros big 4-run sixth on Saturday night was a big deal for a team who has had little offensive punch this year. But it was puny next to the Indians' 14-run second inning against the Yankees Saturday, on their way to a 22-4 win. The Tribe was one batter short of batting around twice. Chien-Ming Wang was the starting goat, although he had plenty of help from a hapless bullpen. Although I don't normally have time to watch the other teams' games, I had to watch that inning just to enjoy hearing the Yankee's announcers' angst. The NY crowd began booing after the 4th run. Wang is now 0-3 with an ERA over 34. Poor reliever Anthony Claggett, gave up 8 runs (including a grand slam) in his Yankee's debut. The crowds were begging for center fielder Swisher to pitch by the end of the inning. Total damage in the 37- minute half inning: 14 runs on 13 hits (just one shy of the AL record) on 89 pitches. Sorry, Josh (my Yankee-loving son) - your team sucks.
Exile Experiences: I think I finally figured out how to avoid the constant freezes in the streaming on mlb.tv. After consulting the help FAQ and users groups, and trying various options for the Flash settings, I finally considered the possibility that my 5-year-old laptop might be part of the problem. Deciding that continuous action is more important than good video quality, I tried knocking down the video quality a notch. That worked - I now get good streaming of a somewhat less than excellent video.
April 18: Astros 7, Reds 0
Nice work from the starting rotation, as Roy Oswalt and Wandy Rodriguez both delivered quality performances to kick off the series with the Reds. I managed to catch the tail end of Saturday evening's game after the Sabbath, then watched both games on the mlb.tv archive on Sunday morning.
Friday night Roy O finally had a start that should have earned him his first "W" of the season. With his crazy 23-1 record against the Reds, this should have been his night, and he gave it a good battle. It really was a battle - it took him 108 pitches to get through 6 scoreless innings, giving up 5 hits and 3 walks and striking out 4. For the first four innings, Oswalt had base runners in every frame, working his way out of trouble to keep the shutout intact. His easiest innings were the fifth and sixth, nice quick 1-2-3 innings. Geary and Hawkins kept the shutout going in the seventh and eighth innings.
With all the hard work from the pitching staff, the Astros lineup squandered the chance to pull off an easy win. This was not another Cy Young quality performance they were up against: Reds starter Johnny Cueto walked six in less than five innings. But the Astros only managed to get 2 actual hits off of him, eking out only a single run. They had their chances: They had runners on second and third with one out in the fourth inning, but failed to score. Then, with 2 outs in the fifth, Oswalt and Bourn walked, and Tejada singled to load the bases. Berkman, who has terrorized the Reds over the course of his career, walked to score Oswalt. Bases still loaded, El Caballo grounded out to end the opportunity.
The weak offense put the game in the hands of the closers, as the Astros took a 1-0 lead into the ninth. Valverde lost his end of the duel, giving up a walk, followed by a 1-out home run to Ramon Hernandez. With the Reds ahead 2-1, Reds closer Francisco Cordero gave the Astros one last chance, allowing one-out singles by Blum and Pudge. But Jason Smith, starting at second for the still-ailing Matsui, grounded into a double play to end the game in a bitter loss. Hard luck for Oswalt, who battled hard from the mound and even scored the Astros' only run. It was his best start of the season, but his first win still eludes him.
Saturday night, the Astros won their first shutout of the year, behind another excellent start for Wandy. His teammates
provided plenty of the run support that they denied Roy O the night before, starting with a pair of runs on 4 singles in the first inning. But the extra fire power wasn't needed, as Wandy mystified the Reds over 7 innings, holding them to 2 hits and 2 walks, and striking out 10. In his first trip throught the Reds' lineup, Wandy struck out 6 of 9, with 5 Ks in a row in the second/third innings. His only hint of trouble came in a 28-pitch seventh, with a pair of two-out walks, but he managed to strike out the next batter to end the inning. This game is just another example of why I am beating the drum for Wandy this year - if he can just keep off the DL, I am looking to him for a career year. His stuff really looks sharp.The Astros' have had their share of batting and scoring woes this season - making many opposing pitchers look like CY winners. But against Aaron Harang, who was coming off of a 3-hit shutout in his last outing, they did just fine on Saturday. The fun started in the first inning, when Tejada, Lee, Pence, and Blum combined for a pair of runs on 4 singles. They got the running game going also, with successful steals by Tejada (first) and Pence (third).
In the fifth, Bourn led off with a single and promptly stole second. From there it was an easy trip home on Lee's two-out double, giving the Astros a 3-0 lead. The Astros threatened again in the sixth, getting runners on second and third with no outs, but failed to score. That's where things stood as I tuned in after the Sabbath ended, in the top of the seventh inning with two Reds on base and two outs. Facing the potential tying run at the plate, Wandy struck out Laynce Nix to end the threat, allowing himself an emphatic bilateral pumping of fists as he left the mound.
With Wandy's pitch count over 100, his teammates apparently decided not to leave the outcome of the game to Valverde again. They batted around in the bottom of the inning, plating 4 more runs. The action started when Harang plunked leadoff hitter Tejada in the back. A wild pitch later, Tejada was standing on second. Harang then walked Berkman on 4 pitches, prompting a pitching change. Reliever Jared Burton, noting that El Caballo already had 3 hits in the game, didn't want to take any chances - he loaded the bases on a 4-pitch walk. I was jumping up and down, wanting to see Pence hit a grandslam, but he stuck out on three pitches for the first out. The Reds were hoping to see a double play, but back-to-back 2-run doubles by Blum and Pudge instead gave the Astros a rare Big Inning.
With a 7-run lead, Wandy got the rest of the night off, Chris Sampson pitched a hitless eighth. He made the third out of the inning with an athletic play at first, then rolled to the ground and stayed there for a few moments. Hopefully he didn't twist or turn anything. Fulchino threw a perfect ninth inning for a very nice Astros' debut.
Besides the great pitching, it was great to see some offense in this game. In particular, Carlos Lee had a big game, going 3 for 3, with an RBI and a pair of runs. Lee had a dreadful spring, and had come into this game hitting .189. Blum also had a great game, going 3 for 4 with 3 RBIs. Pence and Pudge each contributed a pair of hits.
Nice to See: The Bushes were in their customary spots behind home plate on Saturday. It was nice to see Barbara looking good after her recent heart surgery, keeping up on her scorecard. It was also nice to see Willie T, who's now playing for the Reds.
Fashion Statements: The Astros wore the home whites for the Saturday game. In an unfortunate equipment failure, Washington's Dunn and Zimmerman appeared for several innings in jerseys with "NATINALS" emblazoned across their chests. Perhaps a comment on the quality of the DC Public Schools?
In Other MLB News: The Astros big 4-run sixth on Saturday night was a big deal for a team who has had little offensive punch this year. But it was puny next to the Indians' 14-run second inning against the Yankees Saturday, on their way to a 22-4 win. The Tribe was one batter short of batting around twice. Chien-Ming Wang was the starting goat, although he had plenty of help from a hapless bullpen. Although I don't normally have time to watch the other teams' games, I had to watch that inning just to enjoy hearing the Yankee's announcers' angst. The NY crowd began booing after the 4th run. Wang is now 0-3 with an ERA over 34. Poor reliever Anthony Claggett, gave up 8 runs (including a grand slam) in his Yankee's debut. The crowds were begging for center fielder Swisher to pitch by the end of the inning. Total damage in the 37- minute half inning: 14 runs on 13 hits (just one shy of the AL record) on 89 pitches. Sorry, Josh (my Yankee-loving son) - your team sucks.
Exile Experiences: I think I finally figured out how to avoid the constant freezes in the streaming on mlb.tv. After consulting the help FAQ and users groups, and trying various options for the Flash settings, I finally considered the possibility that my 5-year-old laptop might be part of the problem. Deciding that continuous action is more important than good video quality, I tried knocking down the video quality a notch. That worked - I now get good streaming of a somewhat less than excellent video.
Friday, April 17, 2009
Batting Stance Guy
I was heating up the last of the Passover leftovers for our Sabbath dinner and watching yesterday's archived win over the Pirates, when I got a call from my cousin Bill the Reds Fan. Bill lives in Dayton, and is all decked out head to toe (or so he tells me) so that he can watch the Reds beat the Astros tonight (or so he tells me). He just called to let me know. I actually won't know the outcome of tonight's game until after the Sabbath ends tomorrow night, due to religious observance. (Sigh - I am really getting tired of watching the Astros play in reruns during this extensive holiday season!)
Anyway, in conversation he asked me if I'd ever seen the Batting Stance Guy do the Astros? I never heard of the BSG, but immediately googled him. What a hoot! Am I the last baseball fan in America not to have heard of this guy, who bills himself as having the "least marketable skill in America"? Just in case you have missed this, check it out. NOW!
Shabbat Shalom, Bill - and thanks. Enjoy the game, but not too much!
Anyway, in conversation he asked me if I'd ever seen the Batting Stance Guy do the Astros? I never heard of the BSG, but immediately googled him. What a hoot! Am I the last baseball fan in America not to have heard of this guy, who bills himself as having the "least marketable skill in America"? Just in case you have missed this, check it out. NOW!
Shabbat Shalom, Bill - and thanks. Enjoy the game, but not too much!
GAME 9: First Series Win of the Season
April 16: Astros 6, Pirates 3
Last day of Passover, and the Astros give me reason to celebrate with another win. It took me several days, after the holiday ended, to find time to piece together this game on the mlb.tv archives. But given the bad scheduling - between holiday, day games, and off days - I just can't pass up watching the Astros win. It is hard to get a sense of it as a game, though, since I watched it in 3 segments over 4 days.
In his first regular season start since 2007, Russ Ortiz came within one out of getting his first win, giving up 3 runs on 5 hits and 2 walks, and striking out 2. Ortiz left the game with the score tied 3-3 and two outs in the fifth, after walking Freddy Sanchez. Wesley Wright came in to retire Nate McClouth to end the inning, making him the pitcher of record in the sixth when Berkman hit a three-run homer that put the Astros ahead for good.
If Berkman's at bat was the most momentous in shaping the outcome, the second most interesting at bat had to be Freddy Sanchez's battle against reliever Chris Sampson in the seventh inning. With two runners on and one out, here's how the pitch-by-pitch ran: Ball, Ball, Foul, Foul, Foul, Foul, Ball, Foul, Foul, Foul, Foul, Foul, Foul, Foul, Foul, Foul, Sanchez flied out to center, Morgan to third. Seventeen pitches, but Sampson was victorious.
Other notable events in this game:
In the bottom of the first inning, Miguel Tejada speared a hard line drive for a fabulous play, ending the Pirates' two-run opening.
Hunter Pence hit a homer into the left field stands for the Astros' first run in the second inning.
Michael Bourn easily stole his first base of the season in the third inning, as the catcher's throw to second ended up in center field. Bourn went to third on Tejada's ground out. After Berkman walked, Bourn scored the Astros' second run on Lee's fielders choice.
Keppinger continues to make Ed Wade look good - he hit his first triple of the season in the fourth inning. His .467 batting average down in the 8 spot in the lineup is kind of a shock for opposing pitchers.
I love it when pitchers help themselves at the plate. Ortiz became the first Astros' pitcher to break a 0.00 batting average, when he singled in Kepp from third to tie the game. Ortiz moved up to second on Bourn's walk, then to third when Tejada made a big swing - and hit the ball about 40 feet for an infield single. That brought up Berkman with two outs and the bases loaded - and he flied out harmlessly to center field. Happily, Berkman's homer in the sixth was ample penance for that missed opportunity.
Great work by the bullpen: Wright, Sampson, Byrdak, and Hawkins combined for 4 1/3 innings of scoreless work. Hawkins earned the save.
Valverde was not available to pitch because he's out with what appears to be a contagious case of back soreness. Matsui is also out with this ailment.
Enough of this Passover game! The Passover dishes are already put away for next year! It's time to move on to some real LIVE baseball games!
Last day of Passover, and the Astros give me reason to celebrate with another win. It took me several days, after the holiday ended, to find time to piece together this game on the mlb.tv archives. But given the bad scheduling - between holiday, day games, and off days - I just can't pass up watching the Astros win. It is hard to get a sense of it as a game, though, since I watched it in 3 segments over 4 days.
In his first regular season start since 2007, Russ Ortiz came within one out of getting his first win, giving up 3 runs on 5 hits and 2 walks, and striking out 2. Ortiz left the game with the score tied 3-3 and two outs in the fifth, after walking Freddy Sanchez. Wesley Wright came in to retire Nate McClouth to end the inning, making him the pitcher of record in the sixth when Berkman hit a three-run homer that put the Astros ahead for good.
If Berkman's at bat was the most momentous in shaping the outcome, the second most interesting at bat had to be Freddy Sanchez's battle against reliever Chris Sampson in the seventh inning. With two runners on and one out, here's how the pitch-by-pitch ran: Ball, Ball, Foul, Foul, Foul, Foul, Ball, Foul, Foul, Foul, Foul, Foul, Foul, Foul, Foul, Foul, Sanchez flied out to center, Morgan to third. Seventeen pitches, but Sampson was victorious.
Other notable events in this game:
In the bottom of the first inning, Miguel Tejada speared a hard line drive for a fabulous play, ending the Pirates' two-run opening.
Hunter Pence hit a homer into the left field stands for the Astros' first run in the second inning.
Michael Bourn easily stole his first base of the season in the third inning, as the catcher's throw to second ended up in center field. Bourn went to third on Tejada's ground out. After Berkman walked, Bourn scored the Astros' second run on Lee's fielders choice.
Keppinger continues to make Ed Wade look good - he hit his first triple of the season in the fourth inning. His .467 batting average down in the 8 spot in the lineup is kind of a shock for opposing pitchers.
I love it when pitchers help themselves at the plate. Ortiz became the first Astros' pitcher to break a 0.00 batting average, when he singled in Kepp from third to tie the game. Ortiz moved up to second on Bourn's walk, then to third when Tejada made a big swing - and hit the ball about 40 feet for an infield single. That brought up Berkman with two outs and the bases loaded - and he flied out harmlessly to center field. Happily, Berkman's homer in the sixth was ample penance for that missed opportunity.
Great work by the bullpen: Wright, Sampson, Byrdak, and Hawkins combined for 4 1/3 innings of scoreless work. Hawkins earned the save.
Valverde was not available to pitch because he's out with what appears to be a contagious case of back soreness. Matsui is also out with this ailment.
Enough of this Passover game! The Passover dishes are already put away for next year! It's time to move on to some real LIVE baseball games!
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