GAME 109 - August 2: Sweet Comeback

Houston 5, New York 4

Similes of the Day: "They looked like bowling pins at home plate." (Astros broadcast announcer, on the three-way crash at home in the ninth) "I felt like a fullback going in there. It was like a car wreck." (Loretta)

When I turned on the computer after the Sabbath ended, it was the seventh inning and Houston was down 4-1. Roy O was already out, but Mets starter Johan Santana was still on the mound. Aside from a bit of fun and games in the fourth inning, the Astros hadn't been able to do anything against him. And Billy Wagner was available to close. Things didn't look too promising.

The score got a bit closer in the eighth inning, with Matsui's leadoff homer, but the BLT sandwich couldn't keep it going. So the Astros went into the bottom of the ninth down by 2 runs, with Billy Wagner taking the mound. Wagner, still an All Star pitcher, had converted 13 of his last 14 save opportunities. But, I reminded myself, Wagner is beatable. In fact, I distinctly remember two consecutive games in September 2005 when the Astros beat Wags in Philly. I nearly fell off my chair screaming when Biggio hit a 2-out 3-run homer for the winning run against his old friend.

This time, Wagner got off to a bad start: Loretta hit a leadoff double, and advanced to third on Pence's single to center. Erstad struck out on a foul tip - one down. Ausmus walked to load the bases. Now it was getting pretty interesting. Then Blum, pinch-hitting for the pitcher, sent the ball into left field. Loretta stayed close to third, waiting to see if the ball would be caught, but Pence on second read it as a hit, and started running. When the ball fell for a single, Loretta stumbled coming off the base, and Pence was already at third. As the left-fielder threw the ball to the plate, Pence was just a step or two behind Loretta all the way down the third base line. The impact of the two of them with poor Mets catcher, Ramon Castro, knocked the ball out of his mitt and both runs scored to tie the game 4-4. Castro left the game with a sprained ankle. Sadly, Matsui and Tejada were unable to do anything else, and the other two runners were stranded as the game went into extra innings.

Valverde threw a scoreless tenth. The Astros got another chance to score in the bottom of the inning against reliever Aaron Heilman - the same pitcher who gave up Loretta's grand slam the night before. Berkman walked, then advanced to third on Lee's single. Runners at the corners, no outs - they just have to score, right? The Mets changed pitchers to change their luck. Bourn, pinch hitting for Valverde, struck out. Pence was intentionally walked to load the bases. I had already convinced myself that Erstad would hit into a double play and the game would go on all night. But I was wrong - he hit a little fly ball into shallow left. The fielder had to dive and roll to catch it, so he couldn't make the quick throw home, and Berkman zipped across the plate for the winning run. Much ritual head-bashing ensued as the Astros celebrated their win.

This was another game with great stuff from the bullpen. Oswalt lasted a little longer than his last start - an even 100 pitches. He tjrew 6 innings, giving up 4 runs on 6 hits, 3 walks, and 7 strikeouts. Byrdak and new teammate LaTroy Hawkins combined for a scoreless seventh, and Geary pitched two perfect innings to keep the Astros in the game. Valverde, after pitching a scoreless tenth, earned the win, as the Astros secured the series.

Anyone care for a sweep?