GAME 39 - May 12: Another CFB Win!

Houston 7, San Francisco 3

Quote of the Day: "If Lance had the career he has had so far in a larger market, his name would be all over the place. If he ever hit like this in New York or Boston, he would be the next president." (Roy Oswalt, on Lance Berkman)

Another game, another come-from-behind win for the new fangled Astros. This time they waited until the sixth inning to come back from a three-run deficit. Happily, after giving up a pair of runs in the third on a bunt single and pair of doubles and another in the fourth on a solo homer, Oswalt was untouchable. That gave him the staying power to remain in the game through the eighth inning - long enough for the Astros to put the game winning runs on the scoreboard. It was win number 4 for Roy O - now he's caught up with Valverde for the team's win record.

The game-changing runs were a team effort, of course, but as usual they were fueled by Lance Berkman. Berkman went 3 for 4, with a HR, double, and single, scored twice, and had 2 RBIs. Pence and Loretta opened the sixth inning with back-to-back singles, then Tejada's sac fly scored Pence for the first Houston run. Berkman hit a whopper to center field for two more, tying the game at 3-3. It was Berkman's 13th homer of the season, tying Utley for the NL (and ML) lead.

The pattern was the same, with different batters, to score run #4 in the seventh: This time Cruz and Ausmus led off with singles, and Pence hit the sac fly to score Cruz. Astros lead, 4-3. They put on insurance runs in the eighth, loading the bases with Berkman's double, Lee's IBB, and Wiggington's painful chest-thumping. With 1 out and Cruz Jr at the plate, the best I anticipated was a run-forcing walk - Cruz has many more walks than hits this season. But he came through with his second single of the game, scoring Berkman. Then Lee and Wiggington came in on a very peculiar play - the Giants' reliever threw a pickoff to first base, but no one was there to catch it, and runners made tracks. The second baseman fielded the ball, but made just as bad a throw to the other side of the diamond, allowing both runners to score on the pair of errors.

As it turned out, these SF brain farts didn't affect the outcome. Oswalt continued to knock 'em dead in the bottom of the eighth, and Geary and Valverde finished off the Giants in the ninth to win the game. But not without a little drama: Geary allowed a lead-off single, then got two quick outs. After he walked the next batter, setting up a save situation, Cooper called for Valverde. The next batter hit a little bunt single to load the bases, before a pinch hitter harmlessly flied out. It was save #9 for Valverde - and a nice continuation of his total dominance after that ugly season start. (Meanwhile, Brad Lidge is 10 for 10 in save opportunities, and has a measly 0.50 ERA. Good for him - as long as he's not pitching against the Astros!)

The Astros are now 5 games over .500, and only 1.5 games behind in the NL Central. Take that, all ye nay-sayers and so-called fans who trash the team and the players on the Chronicle blogs! Now who are the LOSERS!?

I am not, by the way, bad-mouthing the Astros sportswriters - Justice, McTaggert, and Ortiz at the Chronicle and of course Alyson Footer at Astros.com - for reporting factually on the team and the players. Or even for writing less-than-optimistic predictions for 2008, especially in the first couple of weeks of the season. They are professional sportswriters, not Astros fans. I'm sure that it's a lot more fun for a sportswriter to be covering a contender than a loser - although Alyson is truly a master at Astros Angst. But when it comes down to it, their reputations depend on sound reporting and dispassionate sports analysis.

I, on the other hand, am a plain old fan with a subscription to mlb.tv, good grammar, and a website. I can publish the most blatantly wishful thinking and outrageously optimistic predictions with no concern for my reputation among readers or colleagues. To the best of my knowledge, I'm the only person who reads my blog entries anyway, so I can say what I want. At the end of the season, when the Astros win the Pennant, and go on to sweep in the World Series, I can laugh and say, I toldja so - just read my 2008 game diaries! And if they don't enjoy such heady success, I can just hide in my comfortable obscurity.

But I am pretty sure about it: This time the Astros are going to WIN the World Series.