GAME 53 - May 27: Another Decisive Win for Chacon

Houston 8, St Louis 2

Understatement of the Day: ""It was one of those nights when everything pretty much went well for us."" (Shawn Chacon)

No doubt about this win for Shawn Chacon. The pitcher formerly known as ND ("No Decision") pitched 7 innings, giving up only 2 runs on 7 hits (2 solo homers), no walks, and striking out 7. It would have been criminal for him not to get a win tonight. But his teammates put 4 runs on the scoreboard in the top of the first and never relinquished the lead.

It was a very big night at the plate for Hunter Pence, who has left his days of embarrassing strikeouts and oh-fer games long behind. The career-best 5 for 5 game put his BA well over .300, where it belongs. He hit 4 singles and a double, with 2 RBIs. He also had an outfield assist, with a perfect throw to Towles to nail a runner at the plate.

Other offensive stars of this game: Matsui went 3 for 5, scoring twice. Tejada had only one hit, but it was a 2-run homer in the fifth inning. Berkman only had one hit, but walked twice - and scored all three times he was on base. The scoring put him at 30 runs so far this month, setting a new club record for May runs; it broke Jimmy Wynn's 27 from back when I was in junior high. Towles was hitless, but got on base three times, once when hit in the butt with a pitch, and twice on walks - including an RBI walk with the bases loaded off of reliever (and ex-Astro) Russ Springer.

On the Other Side, Pujols had a great game: He went 4 for 4 with a homer, a double, and a pair of singles. His .360 BA, 12 homers, and 34 RBIs would seem to qualify him for All Star status this year - but the competition for first basemen is pretty stiff, with Berkman leading him in every category.

This win puts the Astros tied with the Cards for second place in the NL Central, a game and a half behind the Cubbies, who won tonight. Happily, despite the contention for the lead in the standings, there were no bench-clearing brawls or pitches near any of the batters' heads in this game. The good sportsmanship of previous years between these two teams has been absent this season - a sad change, if you ask me. A friendly rivalry is nice, and the Cards have really been the Astros main rival in the division for years. But the bitter relationship this year between some of the players - especially Backe and Pujols - has been ugly, and is probably undeserved by the Cards' first baseman. It's just as well that Backe won't be pitching in this series.

The Rotating Door... Lots of movement in the pitching staff coming up, as the Astros welcome back a couple of Wounded Warriors (or Groaning Groiners) from the DL. Wandy will be back on the mound to start tomorrow night's game, and Geary is expected back in the bullpen next week. Moehler is staying in the rotation, and struggling Sampson is moving to the bullpen. Young Sampson seemed philosophical about the change - mainly he's glad to keep his place in the big leagues. Veteran Moehler is frankly thrilled at the turn of his luck, way up from the start of the season. He came to Spring Training as a nonroster invitee but didn't make the team. To make room for Wandy on the roster, while keeping both Sampson and Moehler, Borkowski has been designated for assignment. It's sad to see him go - he was a real inning-eater last year, and is the only remaining pitcher from that bullpen. But his pitching this year has been frustrating, and Borkowski wasn't surprised at the news: "The moral of the story is pitch better."

In other pitching moves, Nieve has already been sent down to Round Rock after his last terrible performance in Sunday's fiasco, and Cassell was called back up. It's not clear yet how they will make space on the roster for Geary when he comes back. Will they send someone down or perhaps carry an extra pitcher in the roster? Well, if the Astros opt for reducing the bench, they could always use Backe to pinch hit - his .276 BA is far better than some of the bench!