GAME 28 - May 6: Diamondbacks 6, Astros 3
GAME 29 - May 7: Padres 7, Astros 0
GAME 30 - May 8: Padres 2, Astros 1
GAME 31 - May 9: Astros 4, Padres 3
The Astros managed to eke out a happy ending for their pink-bat Mothers Day game with what's starting to be kind of a rare occasion: A win. This one was courtesy of an eleventh inning walk off double by Hunter Pence. It may not have been an ideal win, coming three innings too late to reward Roy Oswalt for his seventh quality start of the season. On the other hand, they didn't stick him with a loss this time. Oswalt pitched eight innings, in hopes that if he stayed around long enough, maybe the guys would score a few runs for him. Lee and Pence hit back-to-back homers in the sixth, but it wasn't quite enough to get a win for the Wiz. In his 8 innings, Oswalt gave up 3 runs on 6 hits and a walk, striking out 9. The three runs he allowed all came in a very contentious fifth inning, resulting in the ejection of Brad Mills by the home plate ump. It was the same umpire who had ejected Michael Bourn last night, over a play at first base. Bourn might really have been out last night, but the strike zone today was pretty erratic.
The really good news in today's win was the unusually hot bats of the very guys on the team that ought to have them -- Berkman, Lee, and Pence. Pence went 3 for 5, with a homer and that game-winning double. Lee hit a solo homer and a single, and Berkman hit a double and a single. The other really good news was excellent relief pitching by Lindstrom (2 scoreless innings), and Lyon (1 perfect 5-pitch inning), who got the win.
Just about the only nice thing I can say about the preceding three games, all losses, was that Paulino pitched a beautiful game (Astros.com said "dazzling") on Saturday, throwing 7 innings, giving up 2 runs (only one earned) on 5 hits, no walks, and 11 strikeouts. Lyon and Lindstrom combined in that game for two scoreless innings to keep the Astros in the running, but the Astros only managed to score once on 3 measly hits. I saw the end of this game after the Sabbath ended last night.
On the other hand, I didn't even bother to watch Friday night's shutout. Norris only lasted 4 innings, throwing 94 pitches, giving up 5 runs on 5 hits (including 2 homers) and 3 walks, and striking out 7. The bullpen was mostly very good. Chacin pitched 2 scoreless innings, and Sampson threw a perfect seventh (his ERA is down to 1.38). Fulchino finished up the game with a scoreless ninth, striking out 2. But Wilton Lopez got tagged for a pair of runs in the eighth. Not that it mattered much - the Astros had lost the game back when Bud Lite gave up the first Padre run in the second inning. Houston batters only managed to get three hits -- a double (Matsui) and a pair of singles (Lee and Feliz). Not even a walk. Not a game I'd go back and watch just for fun.
I did see the final game of the Dback series back on Thursday night. If I'd thought that the happy ending the night before (Lee's walkoff homer) was going to start a trend, that was not the case. I'd like to think today's win will start a trend. But after an off day tomorrow, the Astros are heading for St Louis for the start of an 8-game road trip.
The Astros are dead last in the whole NL in nearly every batting category. With their 10-21 record, they are just about on target to start the season with a 2005-matching 15-30 record. We all know where that led - straight to the pennant. Now all we need is for the Houston Chronicle to run a tombstone with "RIP ASTROS SEASON" to get us on the right track.
Sunday, May 9, 2010
Thursday, May 6, 2010
GAME 27: El Caballo - Not El Cabrito!
GAME 27 - May 5: Astros 4, Diamondbacks 2
Maybe he was just waiting for Cinco de Mayo? Well, put on a big sombrero and dance! El Caballo finally found his swing and launched a nice fat homer. And he couldn't have found a more dramatic time to do it: With an 8 game losing streak pushing the Astros deeper into the NL cellar, they were tied in the bottom of the ninth when he let loose. Lee had already grounded out 3 times in the game. When he came up to bat with Matsui on first and no outs, I was kind of thinking that maybe they'd have him bunt Matsui over and hope that the Puma could do something. That would have been an interesting surprise - but given how little experience he has bunting in games, he'd probably screw it up. Mills said "swing away," and so he did. It wasn't some cheap shot into the Crawford Boxes either - it was a big blast, nearly 400 feet. (The picture of Lee below is from Spring Training, not this game - just a little mood music.)
Good Astros pitching: Myers pitched 7 innings in a quality start, keeping the Astros in the game against a team that averages more than 5 runs per game. Lyon threw a perfect 5-pitch eighth. Lindstrom gave up a couple of hits, but eked it out, positioning himself for the W when Lee did his thing in the bottom of the ninth.
Other honors in this game: Manzella hit his first homer in the big leagues, with a 2 run blast in the second inning. And Bourn was ridiculous in center field, with a pair of terrific catches in the seventh inning.
So now the big question is: Can Lee remember how to do that again?
Maybe he was just waiting for Cinco de Mayo? Well, put on a big sombrero and dance! El Caballo finally found his swing and launched a nice fat homer. And he couldn't have found a more dramatic time to do it: With an 8 game losing streak pushing the Astros deeper into the NL cellar, they were tied in the bottom of the ninth when he let loose. Lee had already grounded out 3 times in the game. When he came up to bat with Matsui on first and no outs, I was kind of thinking that maybe they'd have him bunt Matsui over and hope that the Puma could do something. That would have been an interesting surprise - but given how little experience he has bunting in games, he'd probably screw it up. Mills said "swing away," and so he did. It wasn't some cheap shot into the Crawford Boxes either - it was a big blast, nearly 400 feet. (The picture of Lee below is from Spring Training, not this game - just a little mood music.)
Good Astros pitching: Myers pitched 7 innings in a quality start, keeping the Astros in the game against a team that averages more than 5 runs per game. Lyon threw a perfect 5-pitch eighth. Lindstrom gave up a couple of hits, but eked it out, positioning himself for the W when Lee did his thing in the bottom of the ninth.
Other honors in this game: Manzella hit his first homer in the big leagues, with a 2 run blast in the second inning. And Bourn was ridiculous in center field, with a pair of terrific catches in the seventh inning.
So now the big question is: Can Lee remember how to do that again?
Wednesday, May 5, 2010
GAMES 25-26: Roy Ain't Mad...?
GAME 25 - May 3: Diamondbacks 9, Astros 1
GAME 26 - May 4: Diamondbacks 1, Astros 0
Take last night's 1-0 loss. Oswalt pitched yet another beautiful game: Seven innings, giving up 1 run (solo homer) on 5 hits, striking out 8. Vintage Wizard. He even got a hit, after a 13 pitch at bat (arguably the Astros best at-bat of the game). And vintage Astros too - squandering both Oswalt's pitching and his hit in another shutout. I guess if Oswalt ain't mad, I ain't either. But it's got to be pissing him off. He's started six games so far this year, all considered quality starts, with a 2.48 ERA to show for it - and a 2-4 record. Something is just not quite right there.
By the way, batting .222, Oswalt's got a higher BA than Lee, Berkman, Pence, Manzella, and Quintero. Okay, I think we might have figured out what that not-quite-right something might be. In yesterday's shutout, the Astros combined for 8 hits plus 2 walks, but left 7 runners stranded in scoring position. The missed opportunities started in the first inning: Carlos Lee came up to bat with Bourn on third and one out. Perfect time for that fly ball that he's perfected (in lieu of homers) this season. But he walked. Berkman struck out. Pence grounded out. Astros added 0 runs to their MLB last-place collection.
Somehow the Astros offense makes every opposing pitcher look like a Cy Young Award contender, even kids just pitching their first major league games. Take Game 1 of the series: The Dbacks put major league newbie Cesar Valdez on the mound. It was his big league debut - what a chance for a big game! But nope, the Astros didn't want to hurt the feelings of a bright young man. In his 5 innings (good for the win), they got only one run on 5 hits, 3 walks, and a hit batter. Plenty of chances. Astros left 8 runners stranded in scoring position. They are just too charitable. Meanwhile, Paulino, Byrdak, Gervacio, and Moehler had a real bad time - enough said. Brydak ended up on the DL and Gervacio was sent down to Round Rock.
A few more team changes: Quintero caught for Oswalt last night, the first time this year that JR Towles wasn't behind the plate for the Wiz. Turns out that JR's not just sitting out a game, after some reported communication issue - he's been sent down to Corpus Christi. He must be really upset at being sent to a Double A team, but if the goal is to give him a chance to play, Round Rock already has a catcher who's going to get most of the starts - Jason Castro. (Heir) apparently, Castro's not yet ready for the bigs -- the Astros brought up veteran Kevin Cash to fill in.
Not sure if any of these changes will have a positive impact on the team. But the Astros aren't exactly in a position to just rest on their laurels, are they?
GAME 26 - May 4: Diamondbacks 1, Astros 0
"I ain't mad. It's part of the game, I guess." (Roy O, after being stuck with another loss)It's really kind of an amazing accomplishment: Only 26 games into the season, the Astros have managed to pull off TWO eight-game losing streaks. But in between those two streaks, they won 8 of their 10 games and looked like winners. (It helped that they played the Pirates during that phase.) To keep that pattern going, the Astros should break into another winning phase, but it beats me how they plan to turn things around. They look so totally complacent about losing.
Take last night's 1-0 loss. Oswalt pitched yet another beautiful game: Seven innings, giving up 1 run (solo homer) on 5 hits, striking out 8. Vintage Wizard. He even got a hit, after a 13 pitch at bat (arguably the Astros best at-bat of the game). And vintage Astros too - squandering both Oswalt's pitching and his hit in another shutout. I guess if Oswalt ain't mad, I ain't either. But it's got to be pissing him off. He's started six games so far this year, all considered quality starts, with a 2.48 ERA to show for it - and a 2-4 record. Something is just not quite right there.
By the way, batting .222, Oswalt's got a higher BA than Lee, Berkman, Pence, Manzella, and Quintero. Okay, I think we might have figured out what that not-quite-right something might be. In yesterday's shutout, the Astros combined for 8 hits plus 2 walks, but left 7 runners stranded in scoring position. The missed opportunities started in the first inning: Carlos Lee came up to bat with Bourn on third and one out. Perfect time for that fly ball that he's perfected (in lieu of homers) this season. But he walked. Berkman struck out. Pence grounded out. Astros added 0 runs to their MLB last-place collection.
Somehow the Astros offense makes every opposing pitcher look like a Cy Young Award contender, even kids just pitching their first major league games. Take Game 1 of the series: The Dbacks put major league newbie Cesar Valdez on the mound. It was his big league debut - what a chance for a big game! But nope, the Astros didn't want to hurt the feelings of a bright young man. In his 5 innings (good for the win), they got only one run on 5 hits, 3 walks, and a hit batter. Plenty of chances. Astros left 8 runners stranded in scoring position. They are just too charitable. Meanwhile, Paulino, Byrdak, Gervacio, and Moehler had a real bad time - enough said. Brydak ended up on the DL and Gervacio was sent down to Round Rock.
A few more team changes: Quintero caught for Oswalt last night, the first time this year that JR Towles wasn't behind the plate for the Wiz. Turns out that JR's not just sitting out a game, after some reported communication issue - he's been sent down to Corpus Christi. He must be really upset at being sent to a Double A team, but if the goal is to give him a chance to play, Round Rock already has a catcher who's going to get most of the starts - Jason Castro. (Heir) apparently, Castro's not yet ready for the bigs -- the Astros brought up veteran Kevin Cash to fill in.
Not sure if any of these changes will have a positive impact on the team. But the Astros aren't exactly in a position to just rest on their laurels, are they?
Sunday, May 2, 2010
GAMES 22-24: ...and When She Was Bad, She was Horrid...
GAME 22 - April 30: Braves 4, Astros 2
GAME 23 - May 1: Braves 10, Astros 1
GAME 24 - May 2: Braves 7, Astros 1
Let's just say that the 2010 Astros are not a team that is blessed with consistency when it comes to wins and losses. They lost the first 8 games of the season, then won 8 out of the next 10, then they were swept in two consecutive series. First it was the Reds, who had been swept by the Pirates, who were then swept by the Astros. (What does that say about the NL Central Division?) And now the Astros have been swept by the Braves, who were just coming off a nine-game losing streak. This is not pretty.
The Astros are actually very consistent when it comes to offense stats - they're at the bottom of the league in just about every batting category. With very few exceptions (namely, Bourn and Kepp) the rest of the lineup is spectacularly underachieving. I'm stretching my imagination to figure out how Carlos Lee could be batting under .200 a month into the season, with only 5 RBIs and no home runs. Our $100M slugger has a slugging stat of under .250. Lee might have a bit of a slacker reputation, but Pence? He's a really hard worker, who had a good Spring Training, yet he's only batting .213. At least he has a couple of homers. Berkman's had a slow start, but he's only been off the DL for less than 2 weeks, so I cut him some slack. I didn't expect anything from either Matsui or Towles, but I'd kind of hoped for someone on the team to bat over .200.
Other than the scores, which are listed at the top, I'm not going to bother to write up this weekend's depressing games. I came home from work on Friday feeling sick, and spent Saturday lying on the couch, hoping that I'd at least have one or even two good ball games to watch after the Sabbath ended. When I saw the results, I went back to the couch. I only watched one play from either of those games - Pence's homer-robbing leaping catch from Friday night's game. By Sunday, the antibiotics were kicking in, but I was still under the weather and feeling too puny to rally much optimism for a big turnaround. So in a strange way, the Astros didn't disappoint me by losing. Let's see, what to like in today's loss...? Lee got a pair of hits - but they were both singles. Bourn and Kepp each hit a single and a double - but that's not a surprise. They're the only consistently good batters in the lineup so far. And, oh yeah, after Norris melted down, the bullpen was totally solid. Fulchino threw two 1-2-3 innings, with 4 Ks.
GAME 23 - May 1: Braves 10, Astros 1
GAME 24 - May 2: Braves 7, Astros 1
Let's just say that the 2010 Astros are not a team that is blessed with consistency when it comes to wins and losses. They lost the first 8 games of the season, then won 8 out of the next 10, then they were swept in two consecutive series. First it was the Reds, who had been swept by the Pirates, who were then swept by the Astros. (What does that say about the NL Central Division?) And now the Astros have been swept by the Braves, who were just coming off a nine-game losing streak. This is not pretty.
The Astros are actually very consistent when it comes to offense stats - they're at the bottom of the league in just about every batting category. With very few exceptions (namely, Bourn and Kepp) the rest of the lineup is spectacularly underachieving. I'm stretching my imagination to figure out how Carlos Lee could be batting under .200 a month into the season, with only 5 RBIs and no home runs. Our $100M slugger has a slugging stat of under .250. Lee might have a bit of a slacker reputation, but Pence? He's a really hard worker, who had a good Spring Training, yet he's only batting .213. At least he has a couple of homers. Berkman's had a slow start, but he's only been off the DL for less than 2 weeks, so I cut him some slack. I didn't expect anything from either Matsui or Towles, but I'd kind of hoped for someone on the team to bat over .200.
Other than the scores, which are listed at the top, I'm not going to bother to write up this weekend's depressing games. I came home from work on Friday feeling sick, and spent Saturday lying on the couch, hoping that I'd at least have one or even two good ball games to watch after the Sabbath ended. When I saw the results, I went back to the couch. I only watched one play from either of those games - Pence's homer-robbing leaping catch from Friday night's game. By Sunday, the antibiotics were kicking in, but I was still under the weather and feeling too puny to rally much optimism for a big turnaround. So in a strange way, the Astros didn't disappoint me by losing. Let's see, what to like in today's loss...? Lee got a pair of hits - but they were both singles. Bourn and Kepp each hit a single and a double - but that's not a surprise. They're the only consistently good batters in the lineup so far. And, oh yeah, after Norris melted down, the bullpen was totally solid. Fulchino threw two 1-2-3 innings, with 4 Ks.
The only optimistic message I can take from the double-sweeps is this: With their record now at 8-16, the Astros are perfectly poised to repeat their historic 2005 15-30 season start. And we all know how that ended - the Astros won the NL Pennant. (Let's just ignore for a minute the fact that the 2005 team featured a rotation with Roger Clemens, Andy Pettitte, and Roy Oswalt.) We might stink, but we are not yet mathematically eliminated.
GAMES 19-21: All the King's Horses and All the King's Men...
GAME 19 - April 27: Reds 6, Astros 2
GAME 20 - April 28: Reds 6, Astros 4
GAME 21 - April 29: Reds 4, Astros 2
It looked so good to start. Bud Lite got a couple of strikeouts in the top of the first. Leading off, Bourn was hit by a pitch, stole second, made it to third on an errant throw, and scored on a sac fly. First run scored without a hit or a walk. Bourn seems to manufacture bases faster than Schutts Sports (official supplier to MLB). I was thinking that this game might be fun.
That was all the fun for a while. Norris had some really good stuff, but ran up a big pitch count early, with strikeouts, full counts, and lots of foul balls. After 5 innings he had given up a pair of runs on 3 hits, 4 walks, and a hit batsman, and his pitch count was in the high 80s. He allowed singles to the first three batters, with one run scoring, in the sixth before Mills yanked him. This wasn't one of those days where the bullpen was lights out. Fulchino's line looks clean - 1 hit, no ER - but Bud's other 2 runners scored on his watch. Byrdak pitched a perfect seventh inning. Gervacio, just back from a stint on the DL, didn't really seem to be his usual self in the eighth. He gave up a 5 pitch walk to the leadoff batter, Orlando Cabrera, who advanced to second on a ground out. Sammy Whiplash seemed to forget about him, and Cabrera took the opportunity to steal third, and then scored when Sammy balked. Meanwhile, the Astros squandered their chances to score against Harang. That's just how it went in the first game of the Reds series.
And in the second game... More of the same. Too little too late.
And in the third game, as the Astros were swept away to end their homestand. They failed to support Roy O, who came back from bulldozing his parents' tornado-destroyed house, just to pitch another quality start for a loss. More of the same. Too little too late. Enough said; it's no fun write about games like these, and it's no fun to read about them either.
So it all went full circle: The Pirates swept the Reds, then the Astros swept the Pirates, then the Reds swept the Astros. What does that say about the NL Central division?
Luckily, the Astros were off next to Atlanta, to play against the hapless Braves who had lost 9 in a row. What good timing to get back on a winning pace. Only (I'm publishing this post on Sunday, so I already know what happened), they didn't....
GAME 20 - April 28: Reds 6, Astros 4
GAME 21 - April 29: Reds 4, Astros 2
It looked so good to start. Bud Lite got a couple of strikeouts in the top of the first. Leading off, Bourn was hit by a pitch, stole second, made it to third on an errant throw, and scored on a sac fly. First run scored without a hit or a walk. Bourn seems to manufacture bases faster than Schutts Sports (official supplier to MLB). I was thinking that this game might be fun.
That was all the fun for a while. Norris had some really good stuff, but ran up a big pitch count early, with strikeouts, full counts, and lots of foul balls. After 5 innings he had given up a pair of runs on 3 hits, 4 walks, and a hit batsman, and his pitch count was in the high 80s. He allowed singles to the first three batters, with one run scoring, in the sixth before Mills yanked him. This wasn't one of those days where the bullpen was lights out. Fulchino's line looks clean - 1 hit, no ER - but Bud's other 2 runners scored on his watch. Byrdak pitched a perfect seventh inning. Gervacio, just back from a stint on the DL, didn't really seem to be his usual self in the eighth. He gave up a 5 pitch walk to the leadoff batter, Orlando Cabrera, who advanced to second on a ground out. Sammy Whiplash seemed to forget about him, and Cabrera took the opportunity to steal third, and then scored when Sammy balked. Meanwhile, the Astros squandered their chances to score against Harang. That's just how it went in the first game of the Reds series.
And in the second game... More of the same. Too little too late.
And in the third game, as the Astros were swept away to end their homestand. They failed to support Roy O, who came back from bulldozing his parents' tornado-destroyed house, just to pitch another quality start for a loss. More of the same. Too little too late. Enough said; it's no fun write about games like these, and it's no fun to read about them either.
So it all went full circle: The Pirates swept the Reds, then the Astros swept the Pirates, then the Reds swept the Astros. What does that say about the NL Central division?
Luckily, the Astros were off next to Atlanta, to play against the hapless Braves who had lost 9 in a row. What good timing to get back on a winning pace. Only (I'm publishing this post on Sunday, so I already know what happened), they didn't....
Monday, April 26, 2010
GAMES 16-18: SWEEP!
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.
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.
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.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
Posts
