GAME 16 - April 23: Astros 4, Pirates 3
GAME 17 - April 24: Astros 5, Pirates 2
GAME 18 - April 25: Astros 10, Pirates 3
You could say "It was just the Pirates," and you'd probably be right to downplay the Astros sweep this weekend. It was just the Pirates. The same Pirates that were just coming off of being swept at home by the Brewers, who had outscored them 36-1, with a 20-0 shutout to make sure that the insult was complete.
On the other hand, the Pirates might have come to Houston hoping to lick their wounds and regain the Pride and Passion that's advertised on their MLB website. After all, they did arrive with a better win-loss record (7-8) than the Astros' (5-10). So which is the better team? Or which is just worse?
With the Pirates' pitching staff exhausted from the drubbing by the Brewers, facing the top of the Astros rotation, you might have guessed (or at least hoped for) the outcome: The Astros swept them away.
In Game 1, the Pirates were up against Ray Oswalt, who is night and day different this April than last year this time. He held Pittsburgh scoreless through six innings, before giving up 3 runs in the seventh on a pair of home runs. Only 2 of the runs were earned, but it was his own fielding error that was responsible for the third one. But don't beat him up too much for that - it was his first error since 2006. Happily, the Astros managed to score their 4 runs on Oswalt's watch, earning him his second win on his fourth quality start of the season. More happy news from the bullpen as Lyon and Lindstrom combined for two perfect innings to save Oswalt's win. What does the Astros' Wiz have in common with the Wizard of Oz? Both of them had to deal with the aftermath of a tornado. In Oswalt's case, he had to run down to Mississippi over the weekend, after his parents' home was damaged by a deadly tornado. Luckily no one in the house was injured. I watched this Friday night game after the Saturday night game ended.
In Game 2, Wandy finally earned a win with an excellent start. He pitched into the eighth, giving up 2 runs (only 1 of them earned on a solo homer) on 5 hits, 1 walk, and 7 strikeouts. Competing with the other Astros starting pitchers for the best BA on the team, Wandy hit a single batting right handed in the sixth. (He's batting .375 so far this season.)
But Wandy wasn't the most notable pitcher in this game. Pirates starter Chris Jakabauskas got the most attention - and I bet he wished that he didn't. In the first inning, with 2 Astros on base and 2 outs, he was beaned by a hard line drive off Berkman's bat, and fell to the ground holding his head and kicking his legs. It was a pretty terrifying sight. After about 10 minutes, he was helped off the field, and was taken to the hospital to be checked out. But to add insult to injury, both the runners scored off the relief pitcher and Jakabauskas was tagged for the loss. The poor guy wasn't even supposed to be there - he was called up from the Pirates Triple A team to fill in their depleted pitching staff. Happily, news reports the next day indicated that his injuries were scary, but not serious - a concussion and contusion, but not a fractured skull. Berkman appeared to be horrified by the whole thing. He ran to the mound and was patting Jakabauskas, and looked like he was nearly in tears. According to reports he went to visit Jakabauskas in the hospital, and the Pirates players were very complementary about what a mentch Berkman is. Well, they didn't actually say "mentch."
Other things to like in Game 2: Pence is starting to hit - he went 2 for 4 with a double and 2 RBIs in this game, pushing his batting average up towards .200. That's puny, but a whole lot better than where it was a week ago. Feliz also went 2 for 4 with a homer (his first) and 2 RBIs. Bourn kept the Pirates' score down with great defense - another outfield assist to throw out a runner at the plate. I also really like hearing Bagwell's voice from the broadcast booth for Saturday games.
Game 3 on Sunday was just what the Astros needed - a big blowout, low stress win to seal the deal for the sweep. By the end of the fourth inning, they were sitting on a 8-1 lead. The Astros earned their 10 runs (season's first double digits) on only 10 hits - 5 singles, 2 doubles, a triple and a homer. But they got a lot of freebies in this game, including 8 walks! The runners were dashing around the base paths with impunity - the Astros had six steals, 3 of them by Bourn. It was hard to keep Bourn off base - he got a single and walked 3 times. Unfortunately, walking Bourn is kind of like giving up a double. He's turning into a dream leadoff man, with his .435 OBP and 8 stolen bases.
Other than Myers (the Astros pitcher who isn't hitting well), all of the starting lineup participated in the double-digit offensive frenzy. Everyone except Kepp got a hit (but Kepp did manage to get an RBI and to score a run). Berkman only had one hit but it was a big one - his first homer of the year. Carlos Lee (AKA El Slackero, El Cabernet, and other less-than-flattering nicknames) was good for a pair of hits, including a triple, scored twice, added 2 RBIs to the other 3 he's collected in the last 3 weeks, and even stole a base. No kidding. The catcher was apparently so shocked he forgot to throw to second. Feliz and Pence had 2 hits and a steal each. Pence finally pushed his batting average over .200. (Next stop .300.)
While the Astros were collecting give-away bases right and left, the Pirates actually were hitting pretty well off starter Myers - and wasting nearly every opportunity. Myers gave up 11 hits (all singles) in 6 innings, but the Pirates only managed to score twice off of him. Reportedly, he was a bit miffed at being taken out of the game with only 91 pitches, but Mills told him that it was all he needed him to do. With a big lead, he gave the bullpen some exercise. Sampson pitched a scoreless seventh - his ERA is only 1.04 after 8 appearances this year. Byrdak gave up a run in the eighth. Fulchino pitched a perfect ninth in a far-from-save situation.
Fine with me. I love an exciting walk-off homer win, or a come from behind surge - as long as the Astros are on the high-fiving, butt-patting end of it. But it sure is nice, once in a while, to just kick back and not worry while the guys are looking like baseball is FUN again. And, hey, by the way, the Astros are just 2 games under .500, have won 8 of their last 10, and are just 3 games behind the division-leading Cards. Not bad for a team that was 0-8 not long ago.
Next stop: A day off before the Reds come to town. The Pirates just swept the Reds before dropping 6 games in row. But that's no reason to relax.
Monday, April 26, 2010
Sunday, April 25, 2010
GAMES 13-15: Astros Catch Some Fish for Second Series Win
GAME 13 - April 20: Astros 7, Marlins 5
GAME 14 - April 21: Astros 5, Marlins 4
GAME 15 - April 22: Marlins 5, Astros 1
It's funny how getting a couple of wins changes your world view: You get greedy. After that dismal 8-loss start, the Astros went on to win 5 of their next 6 games - a series win against the Cubs, and then the first two games of the Marlins series. So was it any surprise that we are all wanting (no, expecting!) to see them sweep the Fish? Maybe even go on and win all the rest of the games of the season?
They didn't sweep, and they won't win all the rest of the games of the season. For the first two games of the series, the Astros played some good, come-from-behind, clutch-hit baseball. They scored some runs at the right moment - especially by our surprisingly good bench. They won a series from a team that hadn't lost a series yet this year. They started to look like winners. And then they finished up by looking sort of helpless in Game 3, kind of like the first 8 games of the season.
But it's totally different. With a few wins behind them, this loss just becomes a case of "you can't win them all." Even the best team loses a third of the time.
The big news for this series was the return of Lance Berkman. In his first game back he hit a double and a pair of RBI ground-outs. Second game he went 0 for 4, but managed to get another RBI. In the third game he hit a pair of singles. With a .250 BA, no homers, it's not like we suddenly have a monster power hitter in the line up -- yet -- but it changes the dynamics of the line up. After running different lineups in every game at the start of the season, Mills may be getting a bit more stability soon.
Most of the Astros starters are getting a slow start at collecting wins this season, and the two wins in this series were no exception. In both games the Astros came from behind, earning wins for the bullpen and more saves for Lindstrom. The starting pitchers for this series weren't bad. It was the bottom end of Houston's rotation - Myers, Norris, and Paulino -- and in general they pitched solid but not newsworthy starts. But the bullpen was terrific - giving up only one run in 9 innings in relief. The bullpen has been a wonderful surprise this year, as I started to point out back in Spring Training. They have been much better than their ERAs might indicate, since a single meltdown this early in the season has devastating effects on the numbers.
Next up: The Pirates are coming to town, fresh off a 20-0 loss against the Brewers. One might think that this would be the time to rack up some wins against the hapless Pirates, but the Astros have had some bad luck against Pittsburgh in the past. Roy's on the mound tonight. I'm greedy - how about a no hitter? I will be hurrying to turn on my computer when the Sabbath ends tomorrow night to find out how it went.
The big news for this series was the return of Lance Berkman. In his first game back he hit a double and a pair of RBI ground-outs. Second game he went 0 for 4, but managed to get another RBI. In the third game he hit a pair of singles. With a .250 BA, no homers, it's not like we suddenly have a monster power hitter in the line up -- yet -- but it changes the dynamics of the line up. After running different lineups in every game at the start of the season, Mills may be getting a bit more stability soon.
Most of the Astros starters are getting a slow start at collecting wins this season, and the two wins in this series were no exception. In both games the Astros came from behind, earning wins for the bullpen and more saves for Lindstrom. The starting pitchers for this series weren't bad. It was the bottom end of Houston's rotation - Myers, Norris, and Paulino -- and in general they pitched solid but not newsworthy starts. But the bullpen was terrific - giving up only one run in 9 innings in relief. The bullpen has been a wonderful surprise this year, as I started to point out back in Spring Training. They have been much better than their ERAs might indicate, since a single meltdown this early in the season has devastating effects on the numbers.
Next up: The Pirates are coming to town, fresh off a 20-0 loss against the Brewers. One might think that this would be the time to rack up some wins against the hapless Pirates, but the Astros have had some bad luck against Pittsburgh in the past. Roy's on the mound tonight. I'm greedy - how about a no hitter? I will be hurrying to turn on my computer when the Sabbath ends tomorrow night to find out how it went.
Sunday, April 18, 2010
GAME 12: Astros Win First Series!
GAME 12 - April 18: Astros 3, Cubs 2
WHAT A GREAT GAME! My heart's still going pitter-pat, I'm juiced on excitement and a bit of excellent Israeli fume blanc. The Astros won the game today, earning their first series win, and extending their winning streak to TWO GAMES! That may sound puny to Yankee fans, but considering where we're coming from, it's HUGE to us.
Between afternoon games while I'm at work and Sabbath games while I'm not online, I hadn't actually seen a winning game live before today. For both of the previous wins, I already knew the outcome when I watched the game. But I watched this one live, and experienced real heart-pounding excitement for the first time this season. The Astros came from behind, tied it up, went into extra innings, took the lead, and didn't screw it up -- all in one game! What more could a Fan in Exile (or any Astros fan) ask for?
Not to be too critical, but we might have wished that they'd done their heroics just a teensy bit earlier, while Wandy was still the pitcher of record. Mind you, I'm not complaining. I'm just kind of sorry for Wandy, who pitched his best game of the season and didn't get the win. Seven innings, two runs on 6 hits and 1 walk, 3 Ks. But the Astros didn't score their first run until the eighth. They even threatened to tie it up or better - there were two runners on base when Feliz struck out looking to end the inning.
But Wandy's probably not complaining either - the Astros were shut out in his first two starts, and he was still on the hook for the loss right up until the ninth inning today. But with Cubs closer Marmol on the mound, Pence singled and stole second. The Blum hit a double to score Pence, tying the game 2-2. That got Wandy out of the running for a loss.
Wandy had terrific support today from the bullpen, which kept the Cubs from adding on to the two runs they had scored back in the third inning. Moehler, who hadn't seen action in more than a week, pitched a perfect eighth, giving the Astros space to catch up. Byrdak got two quick outs in the bottom of the ninth, then walked two batters. Pitter pat, pitter pat, went my heart. That's about when I poured my first glass of wine. The next batter flied out to end the inning still tied, and the game went into extra innings.
Extra innings! To get into extra innings, you have to NOT be losing hideously after nine! We were tied.
Top of the tenth: It was the perfect opportunity to score, with the pitcher's spot leading off and our two most consistent hitters, Bourn and Kepp, to follow. Jason Michaels' pinch hit double started us off perfectly. He advanced to third on Bourn's sac bunt. Thinking that the Astros were going for the squeeze, the Cubs threw a couple of pitchouts, then intentional walked Keppinger to set up for a double play. But Feliz - who had popped out, grounded out twice, and struck out looking in his previous at bats - managed to bop the first pitch into center field. Redemption! JMike scored to give the Astros a 3-2 lead. That brought up Carlos Lee. In a fairy tale ending, El Caballo would finally find his swing and launch a powerful blast into the bleachers, despite the wind blowing in. In the actual game, Lee flied out to right field, this last activity of a 0 for 5 day. Mills did a double swap to bring in Matt Lindstrom in Lee's spot and JMike moved to left field for the bottom of the inning.
Happily, today Lindstrom looked a whole lot like a closer protecting a one-run lead. The first batter, pinch hitter Mike Fontenot, struck out on 3 pitches, just gawking at the curve ball that was called strike 3. Then back to the top of the Cubs lineup. Theriot got 2 strikes, then 3 balls, a foul, and then watched a fastball go by for called strike 3. Two down, with heavy hitter Marlon Byrd at the plate. Byrd, who was credited with the 2 Cubs runs, singled to bring up a very dangerous Derreck Lee - 0 for 4 and hungry. Two balls (no, no, no, don't give him anything good to hit!), then three strikes... and you're out! Striking out the side is such a closerly thing to do. Nice work, Lindstrom!
Nice work, Astros! I don't think that Wandy is actually complaining. At least he didn't get stuck with another loss for his good start this time. The person who was really cheated was Cubs starter Ryan Dempster, who pitched into the 8th inning, giving up only 1 run on 4 hits and striking out 8, then watched his closer blow the save. But hey, tough luck. I'm certainly not complaining.
Day off tomorrow. Tuesday, back in Houston, to continue The Streak against the Fish.
WHAT A GREAT GAME! My heart's still going pitter-pat, I'm juiced on excitement and a bit of excellent Israeli fume blanc. The Astros won the game today, earning their first series win, and extending their winning streak to TWO GAMES! That may sound puny to Yankee fans, but considering where we're coming from, it's HUGE to us.
Between afternoon games while I'm at work and Sabbath games while I'm not online, I hadn't actually seen a winning game live before today. For both of the previous wins, I already knew the outcome when I watched the game. But I watched this one live, and experienced real heart-pounding excitement for the first time this season. The Astros came from behind, tied it up, went into extra innings, took the lead, and didn't screw it up -- all in one game! What more could a Fan in Exile (or any Astros fan) ask for?
Not to be too critical, but we might have wished that they'd done their heroics just a teensy bit earlier, while Wandy was still the pitcher of record. Mind you, I'm not complaining. I'm just kind of sorry for Wandy, who pitched his best game of the season and didn't get the win. Seven innings, two runs on 6 hits and 1 walk, 3 Ks. But the Astros didn't score their first run until the eighth. They even threatened to tie it up or better - there were two runners on base when Feliz struck out looking to end the inning.
But Wandy's probably not complaining either - the Astros were shut out in his first two starts, and he was still on the hook for the loss right up until the ninth inning today. But with Cubs closer Marmol on the mound, Pence singled and stole second. The Blum hit a double to score Pence, tying the game 2-2. That got Wandy out of the running for a loss.
Wandy had terrific support today from the bullpen, which kept the Cubs from adding on to the two runs they had scored back in the third inning. Moehler, who hadn't seen action in more than a week, pitched a perfect eighth, giving the Astros space to catch up. Byrdak got two quick outs in the bottom of the ninth, then walked two batters. Pitter pat, pitter pat, went my heart. That's about when I poured my first glass of wine. The next batter flied out to end the inning still tied, and the game went into extra innings.
Extra innings! To get into extra innings, you have to NOT be losing hideously after nine! We were tied.
Top of the tenth: It was the perfect opportunity to score, with the pitcher's spot leading off and our two most consistent hitters, Bourn and Kepp, to follow. Jason Michaels' pinch hit double started us off perfectly. He advanced to third on Bourn's sac bunt. Thinking that the Astros were going for the squeeze, the Cubs threw a couple of pitchouts, then intentional walked Keppinger to set up for a double play. But Feliz - who had popped out, grounded out twice, and struck out looking in his previous at bats - managed to bop the first pitch into center field. Redemption! JMike scored to give the Astros a 3-2 lead. That brought up Carlos Lee. In a fairy tale ending, El Caballo would finally find his swing and launch a powerful blast into the bleachers, despite the wind blowing in. In the actual game, Lee flied out to right field, this last activity of a 0 for 5 day. Mills did a double swap to bring in Matt Lindstrom in Lee's spot and JMike moved to left field for the bottom of the inning.
Happily, today Lindstrom looked a whole lot like a closer protecting a one-run lead. The first batter, pinch hitter Mike Fontenot, struck out on 3 pitches, just gawking at the curve ball that was called strike 3. Then back to the top of the Cubs lineup. Theriot got 2 strikes, then 3 balls, a foul, and then watched a fastball go by for called strike 3. Two down, with heavy hitter Marlon Byrd at the plate. Byrd, who was credited with the 2 Cubs runs, singled to bring up a very dangerous Derreck Lee - 0 for 4 and hungry. Two balls (no, no, no, don't give him anything good to hit!), then three strikes... and you're out! Striking out the side is such a closerly thing to do. Nice work, Lindstrom!
Nice work, Astros! I don't think that Wandy is actually complaining. At least he didn't get stuck with another loss for his good start this time. The person who was really cheated was Cubs starter Ryan Dempster, who pitched into the 8th inning, giving up only 1 run on 4 hits and striking out 8, then watched his closer blow the save. But hey, tough luck. I'm certainly not complaining.
Day off tomorrow. Tuesday, back in Houston, to continue The Streak against the Fish.
GAME 11: Roy O Gets his W
GAME 11 - April 17: Astros 4, Cubs 3
I read afterwards that Roy Oswalt hid in the bathroom during the ninth inning, he was so nervous that the Cubs would score and he'd lose his change for a win. He had his reasons. Remember his 2009 record-setting 16 no decisions? Remember Oswalt's first win last season - on May 10th? Remember his two solid starts this season - resulting in a pair of losses when his teammates didn't score even a single run on his watch? You can bet that Oswalt remembers. So there he was, according to the media reports, hiding in the bathroom when Matt Lindstrom got the last out of the game and the Wiz got his W.
Oswalt certainly earned the win - he pitched 7 shutout innings, gave up 5 hits (4 singles and a double), not a single walk, and struck out 6. He threw a lot of 92-94 MPH fastballs/sinkers and sliders in the early innings, adding in his wicked curveball (as low as 63 MPH) starting in the third inning. Oswalt's win put him at 138 career, taking over second place from Larry Dierker (137 from '64-'76) on the Astros all-time winningest pitcher list. Joe Niekro's first place position -- 144 ('75-'85) -- is definitely within range for Oswalt this year, assuming he stays healthy and the team backs him up. In this game, the Wiz looked like the classic Roy that we didn't get to see much of this time last year. This is one of the factors that makes me think that, despite the current standings, there's reason to hope for the Astros this season. Before the season started, people said that without a good year for Oswalt and Berkman, the Astros would be in trouble. So far Oswalt's pitched much better than his 1-2 record shows - and much, much better than last April. The jury's still out on Berkman, since he's on the DL.
The other hero of this game was the much-berated starting catcher wannabe, JR Towles. Coming into the game with a batting average in the fifties, he didn't seem to be much of a threat to the Cubs. But he turned into their biggest enemy, after Oswalt, going 3 for 4, to raise his batting average about .130 points. His first hit was a bloop RBI single in the second inning, which might not have even been a hit if Soriano didn't play left field quite so deep. His next hit was completely legit - a leadoff homer to left field in the fifth. His third hit, another soft single to Soriano, got him on base, setting him up to score the Astros fourth and final run of the game.
Not to nitpick, but there were also a few things not to like in this win. The first was Brandon Lyon, who nearly gave away Oswalt's great start, allowing the Cubs to earn back three runs in the eighth inning. I'm still trying to figure out why the Astros signed him to such a nice deal in the offseason - so far he hasn't been really impressive as a setup man, let alone a potential closer. His line for this game: two-thirds of an inning, giving up 3 runs on a single and then 3 doubles, before Sampson came in to rescue him. I know it's early in the season, but so far he's not looking too good - with a ERA over 10 to back up that impression.
The second thing not to like was not seeing Bourn - he's out for a sore groin. With Bourn one of the few Astros who hasn't been in a slump, we can't afford to miss him. Hopefully, he'll be back after the day off.
In his absence, Keppinger got the leadoff spot in the lineup. Hitting over .350, Keppinger is making it hard for Mills to use Matsui (only 2 hits in his 21 at bats).
The third thing not to like were the infield fielding errors - one by Feliz and one by Manzella with 2 outs in the ninth (which probably added to Oswalt's nervousness in his hideout). No one's perfect, but with the offense so miserable, we can't afford to give anything away.
On the subject of our miserable offense... I'm not going to run through a bunch of stats this week. Our place in the standings and win-loss record gives a good indication of how the Astros compare to everyone else. It's just depressing to talk about being worse than the Nationals. But here's one astounding statistic: Four of the six top batting averages on the team are held by pitchers: Paulino (.500), Wandy (.500), then after our one-two stars Kepp and Bourn, Norris (.333) and Myers (.250). I do like a pitcher who can help himself at the plate, but really - this is incredibly bad. Lee and Pence, two would-be offensive star players whose slumps are helping to doom the Astros, both went 1 for 4 in this game, improving their batting averages to .116 and .122 respectively. Maybe when Lee spent an inning sitting with the relievers during Spring Training, he was thinking of trying out for a spot in the bullpen. I just wish he wouldn't get batting average mixed up with ERA.
Hopefully, this situation will start to improve a bit when we get the Puma back in the lineup later this week. He's on a rehab in Round Rock this weekend. He didn't get a hit in Saturday's game (0 for 2), but he did contribute a game-tying RBI sac fly. Unfortunately the Express went on to lose the game. In a worrisome parallel universe, the Astros Triple A team is mirroring the big leaguers, with a 2-8 record to start their season. It would be nice to think that even if the Astros don't have a great season this year (and I'm not giving up yet!), they're rebuilding for the future. But our farm teams are still not highly regarded, to be charitable.
Next up: Wandy's pitching this afternoon, looking for his first win of the season. Can we beat our streak - with two consecutive wins?
I read afterwards that Roy Oswalt hid in the bathroom during the ninth inning, he was so nervous that the Cubs would score and he'd lose his change for a win. He had his reasons. Remember his 2009 record-setting 16 no decisions? Remember Oswalt's first win last season - on May 10th? Remember his two solid starts this season - resulting in a pair of losses when his teammates didn't score even a single run on his watch? You can bet that Oswalt remembers. So there he was, according to the media reports, hiding in the bathroom when Matt Lindstrom got the last out of the game and the Wiz got his W.
Oswalt certainly earned the win - he pitched 7 shutout innings, gave up 5 hits (4 singles and a double), not a single walk, and struck out 6. He threw a lot of 92-94 MPH fastballs/sinkers and sliders in the early innings, adding in his wicked curveball (as low as 63 MPH) starting in the third inning. Oswalt's win put him at 138 career, taking over second place from Larry Dierker (137 from '64-'76) on the Astros all-time winningest pitcher list. Joe Niekro's first place position -- 144 ('75-'85) -- is definitely within range for Oswalt this year, assuming he stays healthy and the team backs him up. In this game, the Wiz looked like the classic Roy that we didn't get to see much of this time last year. This is one of the factors that makes me think that, despite the current standings, there's reason to hope for the Astros this season. Before the season started, people said that without a good year for Oswalt and Berkman, the Astros would be in trouble. So far Oswalt's pitched much better than his 1-2 record shows - and much, much better than last April. The jury's still out on Berkman, since he's on the DL.
The other hero of this game was the much-berated starting catcher wannabe, JR Towles. Coming into the game with a batting average in the fifties, he didn't seem to be much of a threat to the Cubs. But he turned into their biggest enemy, after Oswalt, going 3 for 4, to raise his batting average about .130 points. His first hit was a bloop RBI single in the second inning, which might not have even been a hit if Soriano didn't play left field quite so deep. His next hit was completely legit - a leadoff homer to left field in the fifth. His third hit, another soft single to Soriano, got him on base, setting him up to score the Astros fourth and final run of the game.
Not to nitpick, but there were also a few things not to like in this win. The first was Brandon Lyon, who nearly gave away Oswalt's great start, allowing the Cubs to earn back three runs in the eighth inning. I'm still trying to figure out why the Astros signed him to such a nice deal in the offseason - so far he hasn't been really impressive as a setup man, let alone a potential closer. His line for this game: two-thirds of an inning, giving up 3 runs on a single and then 3 doubles, before Sampson came in to rescue him. I know it's early in the season, but so far he's not looking too good - with a ERA over 10 to back up that impression.
The second thing not to like was not seeing Bourn - he's out for a sore groin. With Bourn one of the few Astros who hasn't been in a slump, we can't afford to miss him. Hopefully, he'll be back after the day off.
In his absence, Keppinger got the leadoff spot in the lineup. Hitting over .350, Keppinger is making it hard for Mills to use Matsui (only 2 hits in his 21 at bats).
The third thing not to like were the infield fielding errors - one by Feliz and one by Manzella with 2 outs in the ninth (which probably added to Oswalt's nervousness in his hideout). No one's perfect, but with the offense so miserable, we can't afford to give anything away.
On the subject of our miserable offense... I'm not going to run through a bunch of stats this week. Our place in the standings and win-loss record gives a good indication of how the Astros compare to everyone else. It's just depressing to talk about being worse than the Nationals. But here's one astounding statistic: Four of the six top batting averages on the team are held by pitchers: Paulino (.500), Wandy (.500), then after our one-two stars Kepp and Bourn, Norris (.333) and Myers (.250). I do like a pitcher who can help himself at the plate, but really - this is incredibly bad. Lee and Pence, two would-be offensive star players whose slumps are helping to doom the Astros, both went 1 for 4 in this game, improving their batting averages to .116 and .122 respectively. Maybe when Lee spent an inning sitting with the relievers during Spring Training, he was thinking of trying out for a spot in the bullpen. I just wish he wouldn't get batting average mixed up with ERA.
Hopefully, this situation will start to improve a bit when we get the Puma back in the lineup later this week. He's on a rehab in Round Rock this weekend. He didn't get a hit in Saturday's game (0 for 2), but he did contribute a game-tying RBI sac fly. Unfortunately the Express went on to lose the game. In a worrisome parallel universe, the Astros Triple A team is mirroring the big leaguers, with a 2-8 record to start their season. It would be nice to think that even if the Astros don't have a great season this year (and I'm not giving up yet!), they're rebuilding for the future. But our farm teams are still not highly regarded, to be charitable.
Next up: Wandy's pitching this afternoon, looking for his first win of the season. Can we beat our streak - with two consecutive wins?
GAME 10: The Winning Streak Ends - at 1 Game
GAME 10 - April 16: Cubs 7, Astros 2
The Astros winning streak didn't last long: Just one game later, they returned to their pattern of losing games on sad offense, and in this case, a pitching meltdown.
The only really good thing about Friday's opener against the Cubs was that they got it over with in the afternoon, so I didn't have to wonder about the outcome over the Sabbath. The game started while I was at work. I took off a little early, and checked the score on my Blackberry as I ran into Giant to pick up a few things for Shabbat: The Astros were leading 2-1 midway through the seventh inning, Paulino throwing a real nice game. A few things ended up being a cartful, and by the time I got out of the grocery, the Astros had already blown the game. Paulino stayed in just a little too long, starting with a pair of leadoff doubles in the bottom of the seventh to tie up the game. A walk, a steal, another walk... The bases were now loaded with no outs, and Mills had enough. Paulino was done.
This was not, unfortunately, one of those days where the bullpen was stellar. It would have been too much to hope that Brydak could get out of this mess without allowing the Cubs to take the lead. A pair of fly balls and a single later, there were two outs, but the Cubs had two more runs to show for it. With Derek Lee coming to the plate, Mills brought in Fulchino, who promptly gave up a home run to clear the bases and leave the Astros behind 7-2. That's where things stayed for the rest of the game. Wilton Lopez allowed a pair of singles, but no runs in the eighth.
The Astros scored their pair of runs in the fourth inning. On what should have been a 2 out fly out by Pence, the Cubs center fielder dropped the ball. Chris Johnson's triple scored Pence, and Manzella lined to left to score Johnson. Quintero struck out to end the inning - one of 8 Astros Ks in the game - but Houston had taken a tenuous, temporary 2-1 lead. Scraping the barrel for other tidbits to like in this sad loss... Paulino hit a single to continue the hitting spree by Astros pitchers. Carlos Lee went 1 for 4 to raise his batting average over .100 - just barely. Unfortunately, Bourn and Keppinger (the Astros one-two punch that has been nearly the only dependable source of offense so far) combined to go 1 for 8, with no runs or RBIs between them.
Ten games into the season, the Astros have a 1-9 start, tied for the Astros' worst-ever start in 1983. However, they went on to have a winning season in '83, and I still think there's no good reason for not doing the same this year. It would be really sweet if they could start turning it around soon.
The Astros winning streak didn't last long: Just one game later, they returned to their pattern of losing games on sad offense, and in this case, a pitching meltdown.
The only really good thing about Friday's opener against the Cubs was that they got it over with in the afternoon, so I didn't have to wonder about the outcome over the Sabbath. The game started while I was at work. I took off a little early, and checked the score on my Blackberry as I ran into Giant to pick up a few things for Shabbat: The Astros were leading 2-1 midway through the seventh inning, Paulino throwing a real nice game. A few things ended up being a cartful, and by the time I got out of the grocery, the Astros had already blown the game. Paulino stayed in just a little too long, starting with a pair of leadoff doubles in the bottom of the seventh to tie up the game. A walk, a steal, another walk... The bases were now loaded with no outs, and Mills had enough. Paulino was done.
This was not, unfortunately, one of those days where the bullpen was stellar. It would have been too much to hope that Brydak could get out of this mess without allowing the Cubs to take the lead. A pair of fly balls and a single later, there were two outs, but the Cubs had two more runs to show for it. With Derek Lee coming to the plate, Mills brought in Fulchino, who promptly gave up a home run to clear the bases and leave the Astros behind 7-2. That's where things stayed for the rest of the game. Wilton Lopez allowed a pair of singles, but no runs in the eighth.
The Astros scored their pair of runs in the fourth inning. On what should have been a 2 out fly out by Pence, the Cubs center fielder dropped the ball. Chris Johnson's triple scored Pence, and Manzella lined to left to score Johnson. Quintero struck out to end the inning - one of 8 Astros Ks in the game - but Houston had taken a tenuous, temporary 2-1 lead. Scraping the barrel for other tidbits to like in this sad loss... Paulino hit a single to continue the hitting spree by Astros pitchers. Carlos Lee went 1 for 4 to raise his batting average over .100 - just barely. Unfortunately, Bourn and Keppinger (the Astros one-two punch that has been nearly the only dependable source of offense so far) combined to go 1 for 8, with no runs or RBIs between them.
Ten games into the season, the Astros have a 1-9 start, tied for the Astros' worst-ever start in 1983. However, they went on to have a winning season in '83, and I still think there's no good reason for not doing the same this year. It would be really sweet if they could start turning it around soon.
Friday, April 16, 2010
GAME 9: Astros on a Winning Streak!
GAME 9 - April 16: Astros 5, Cardinals 1
Okay, I'll admit that it's a streak of one game. But after losing the first 8, Astros fans will take what we can get!
Rookie Bud Norris was the first Astros pitcher to earn his W, with a performance that was short in innings but long on quality. He threw 5 innings, giving up only one unearned run on 4 hits and 3 walks, and striking out nine - including Pujols' first two at bats. He also hit an RBI single for the Astros first run of the game, and did some nice fielding as well. He left the game with the Astros ahead, but just barely - the 2-1 score was not exactly a comfortable lead.
The bullpen really pulled behind Norris to get him the win. Chris Sampson followed with perfect sixth and seventh innings. Lyon and Lindstrom each pitched a one-hit scoreless inning to give the Astros their first win of the season.
Just in case things didn't work out so well for the bullpen, the Astros came through with another 3 runs in the eighth for a bit of insurance. Johnson led off with a ground out. Quintero singled, but was still standing on first when Sullivan lined out for the second out. Happily the Astros had their one-two punch coming up next. Bourn and Keppinger are among the very few Astros players not to be in batting slumps. Bourn doubled, moving Q to third. Then Kepp followed with a 2-RBI single. Feliz followed with a double, scoring Keppinger. That brought up Carlos Lee, who grounded out to short. What a surprise.
Lee is having a miserable season start. He was 0 for 4, ending the game with a .086 batting average. To add insult to injury, he dropped a routine two-out fly ball, setting the stage for the unearned run that was subsequently scored. His huge salary is a bone of contention with lots of folks, even in a good year. This is not a good year, at least so far.
I'm not good at keeping secrets. I'm typing this up the day after, and the Astros have already finished their day game against the Cubs. The winning streak ends at 1.
Catch up with you again after the Sabbath. The Astros are playing in the afternoon. Hopefully I will turn on my computer after dark and find out that there's a great Astros win to watch tomorrow night.
Shabbat Shalom!
Okay, I'll admit that it's a streak of one game. But after losing the first 8, Astros fans will take what we can get!
Rookie Bud Norris was the first Astros pitcher to earn his W, with a performance that was short in innings but long on quality. He threw 5 innings, giving up only one unearned run on 4 hits and 3 walks, and striking out nine - including Pujols' first two at bats. He also hit an RBI single for the Astros first run of the game, and did some nice fielding as well. He left the game with the Astros ahead, but just barely - the 2-1 score was not exactly a comfortable lead.
The bullpen really pulled behind Norris to get him the win. Chris Sampson followed with perfect sixth and seventh innings. Lyon and Lindstrom each pitched a one-hit scoreless inning to give the Astros their first win of the season.
Just in case things didn't work out so well for the bullpen, the Astros came through with another 3 runs in the eighth for a bit of insurance. Johnson led off with a ground out. Quintero singled, but was still standing on first when Sullivan lined out for the second out. Happily the Astros had their one-two punch coming up next. Bourn and Keppinger are among the very few Astros players not to be in batting slumps. Bourn doubled, moving Q to third. Then Kepp followed with a 2-RBI single. Feliz followed with a double, scoring Keppinger. That brought up Carlos Lee, who grounded out to short. What a surprise.
Lee is having a miserable season start. He was 0 for 4, ending the game with a .086 batting average. To add insult to injury, he dropped a routine two-out fly ball, setting the stage for the unearned run that was subsequently scored. His huge salary is a bone of contention with lots of folks, even in a good year. This is not a good year, at least so far.
I'm not good at keeping secrets. I'm typing this up the day after, and the Astros have already finished their day game against the Cubs. The winning streak ends at 1.
Catch up with you again after the Sabbath. The Astros are playing in the afternoon. Hopefully I will turn on my computer after dark and find out that there's a great Astros win to watch tomorrow night.
Shabbat Shalom!
Thursday, April 15, 2010
GAME 8: This One Will be Short
GAME 8 - April 14: Cardinals 2, Astros 1
I'll keep this very short and not so sweet. I'm only bothering to write up loss #8 for the sake of completeness, because I already know that the losing streak is over. The Astros won this afternoon, while I was at work, and I can't wait to watch the game. (Sorry to give away the ending, in case you hadn't heard.) But first, I'm going to conclude this bad chapter with a quick game report, and then I'm going to treat myself to a nice glass of win, and the recorded ball game from this afternoon.
I've been prepared to dislike Brett Myer since I heard that the Astros picked him up in the off season. No need to rehash his domestic issues; I just have kind of a thing against big guys who knock around little women. I thought the Astros had a similar kind of thing, based on the Lugo case a few years back, but apparently they're over it. Anyway, I'll have to hold my nose and cheer for him anyway this year, since he's in the rotation whether I like him or not.
I have to admit that Myers pitched a very solid game yesterday, even if he took home a loss from it. It was similar to Oswalt's last game - a 2-1 loss. After giving up 2 runs in the first inning (only one of them earned), he held the Cards to 6 more scoreless innings - bottom line of 4 hits, 2 walks, and 7 strikeouts. Lyon and Byrdak split the eighth inning, to maintain the close game. So another very nice performance by the pitching staff.
The offense was deadly. The Astros scored early, but not often. Bourn led off with a single, advaned to second on a flubbed pickoff attempt, moved to third on Matsui's ground out, and scored on Feliz' sac fly. So there it was: The Astros only run of the game, scored on exactly one single and a bunch of Bourn base-running. Bourn did his part in this game - he hit a single and a double, and is sitting on a .379 batting average - approximately the same as Matsui, Pence, Lee, and Towles' batting averages all added together. This is really, really sad.
I actually didn't see the Astros score, since I was at an office dinner. I got home in time to see the Astros throw away a chance at a win in the eighth inning. They loaded the bases on a single and a pair of two-out walks. But Matsui (batting .118 and not making a good case for being an Astro after this year) grounded out to end the fun.
One might have hoped with a 2-1 game, and the 3-4-5 batters coming up, the Astros would have had another chance in the ninth. But it only took the Cards pitcher 6 pitches to take out Feliz, Lee, and Pence. Lee (AKA El Slackero per Austin's blog) is now down to a .097 batting average. I'm not sure what they can do with a guy who's getting a huge chunk of their salary budget and not doing diddlysquat. He looks really terrible at the plate, so it's not clear that things are on the verge of turning around. Might be worth sitting him for a day or two, maybe watch a few videos and think happy thoughts. Maybe he has something in his eye?
Well, enough gloom. I've had enough of writing disappointing endings. I'm going to pop the cork on a nice bottle of Rioja and sit back to watch Bud Norris lead the Astros to their first win. A winning streak! But that's my next blog...
I'll keep this very short and not so sweet. I'm only bothering to write up loss #8 for the sake of completeness, because I already know that the losing streak is over. The Astros won this afternoon, while I was at work, and I can't wait to watch the game. (Sorry to give away the ending, in case you hadn't heard.) But first, I'm going to conclude this bad chapter with a quick game report, and then I'm going to treat myself to a nice glass of win, and the recorded ball game from this afternoon.
I've been prepared to dislike Brett Myer since I heard that the Astros picked him up in the off season. No need to rehash his domestic issues; I just have kind of a thing against big guys who knock around little women. I thought the Astros had a similar kind of thing, based on the Lugo case a few years back, but apparently they're over it. Anyway, I'll have to hold my nose and cheer for him anyway this year, since he's in the rotation whether I like him or not.
I have to admit that Myers pitched a very solid game yesterday, even if he took home a loss from it. It was similar to Oswalt's last game - a 2-1 loss. After giving up 2 runs in the first inning (only one of them earned), he held the Cards to 6 more scoreless innings - bottom line of 4 hits, 2 walks, and 7 strikeouts. Lyon and Byrdak split the eighth inning, to maintain the close game. So another very nice performance by the pitching staff.
The offense was deadly. The Astros scored early, but not often. Bourn led off with a single, advaned to second on a flubbed pickoff attempt, moved to third on Matsui's ground out, and scored on Feliz' sac fly. So there it was: The Astros only run of the game, scored on exactly one single and a bunch of Bourn base-running. Bourn did his part in this game - he hit a single and a double, and is sitting on a .379 batting average - approximately the same as Matsui, Pence, Lee, and Towles' batting averages all added together. This is really, really sad.
I actually didn't see the Astros score, since I was at an office dinner. I got home in time to see the Astros throw away a chance at a win in the eighth inning. They loaded the bases on a single and a pair of two-out walks. But Matsui (batting .118 and not making a good case for being an Astro after this year) grounded out to end the fun.
One might have hoped with a 2-1 game, and the 3-4-5 batters coming up, the Astros would have had another chance in the ninth. But it only took the Cards pitcher 6 pitches to take out Feliz, Lee, and Pence. Lee (AKA El Slackero per Austin's blog) is now down to a .097 batting average. I'm not sure what they can do with a guy who's getting a huge chunk of their salary budget and not doing diddlysquat. He looks really terrible at the plate, so it's not clear that things are on the verge of turning around. Might be worth sitting him for a day or two, maybe watch a few videos and think happy thoughts. Maybe he has something in his eye?
Well, enough gloom. I've had enough of writing disappointing endings. I'm going to pop the cork on a nice bottle of Rioja and sit back to watch Bud Norris lead the Astros to their first win. A winning streak! But that's my next blog...
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