Houston 8, Cincinnati 6
Quote of the Day: "Some guys have some longer resumes, but over eight years that we've played together, Roy's the best pitcher I've ever caught... Quite frankly, he probably doesn't even need a catcher. He could probably pitch with a pitch-back. He makes me look good." (Ausmus, after catching his last game for Roy O)
As I shut down my computer on Friday for the Sabbath, I know intellectually that by the time I turned it back on Saturday night, the Astros players will very likely chatting about their October vacation plans. But for one more day at least, the Astros held off elimination with another Oswalt beauty. To survive to the playoffs, they will now need to win every game of the season, and both the Mets and the Brewers will need to lose every game of the season. Since the Mets and Brewers are not playing each other, it's mathematically possible for Houston to go to the playoffs. But even I, the most pigheadedly optimistic Astros Fan in Exile, have to admit that the chance of that are pretty slim.
Despite the future, it was great to see Oswalt pitch another game that counts. Pitching on short rest against a team that has only beat him once ever, the Wiz came through again with win number 23 against the Reds. He gave up only one run - a first inning solo homer - on 2 hits, 3 walks, and 3 strikeouts. To help ensure his win, Oswalt also pitched in offensively, with a pair of hits and an RBI. With a 6-1 lead, Cooper replaced him after six innings. In a nice move, though, Oswalt went out to the mound in the top of the seventh. It was not to give the fans the chance to cheer him, he said after the game - it was so that he could shake Ausmus' hand out on the field as he left the game. With Ausmus' plans to leave the Astros for good at the end of the season (at least as a player), this could be Oswalt's last chance to salute his long-time catcher during a game. Sweet moment.
Down 1-0, the Astros took the lead in the second inning and never gave it up. Pence led off with a single. After Wiggington flied out, Ausmus grounded into a fielders choice, with Pence out at second. That should have set up for Oswalt to make the third out to end the inning. But Oswalt hadn't read the script. Ausmus advanced on a passed ball, ending up on third when Oswalt singled to right. Matsui walked to load the bases. His disappointing batting average aside, Bourn came through with a two-out base-clearing double.
The Astros plated more two-out runs in the third. Blum was hit by a pitch. With two outs, Wiggington singled, and Ausmus followed with an infield single to load the bases. Oswalt again ignored the pitcher stereotype, and singled again to right, scoring Blum. Wiggington scored when Matsui walked again. This time Bourn was less lucky: He struck out, leaving the bases loaded. But the Astros had a nice 5-1 lead for Oswalt. Matsui's fifth inning RBI single made it 6-1, which should have been plenty of padding with Oswalt on the mound.
However, Cooper didn't want to let Oswalt overdo it on short rest, in case a miracle occurs and he needs to pitch again on Monday in the makeup game against the Cubs. Wright, Geary, and Byrdak combined to eat up two hitless innings. In the seventh, back-to-back doubles by Abercrombie and Matsui and a single by Bourn added another pair of runs to the Astros lead. That seemed gratuitous at the time, with an 8-1 lead, but it turned out to make the difference in Oswalt's chance for the win.
In the ninth inning, Arias and Nieve made a muddle of things. Arias gave up a double and three singles, allowing two runs to score. Nieve came in with a pair of runners on base, and gave up a 3-run homer. With the score now 8-6, a save situation, Cooper brought in his big gun. Valverde finished off the game with no further damage, striking out two - the last one on three pitches. It was his 43rd save of the season.
The meltdown in the ninth occured just after the results of the Mets game went up on the scoreboard: The Mets had pulled off a walkoff win in the bottom of the ninth. And to make things worse, the Brewers also won in the bottom of the ninth - with a walkoff grandslam. This leaves Houston in pretty a desperate situation going into the weekend - needing to sweep the Braves and then beat the Cubs in a real home game Monday, while both the Mets and Brewers are swept in their respective weekend games. Frankly, I wouldn't blame the Cubs if they just dropped one game of the series against Milwaukee just to avoid having to play on Monday. It wouldn't hurt their standings a bit, and would save them running around just before the playoffs. But who needs a conspiracy - the Astros need a miracle!
Thursday, September 25, 2008
GAME 157 - September 24: Close to the Last Gasp...
Houston 5, Cincinnati 0
Quote of the Day: "We live to dance a few more days. We just have to keep winning and hope for divine intervention." (Cecil Cooper)
The Astros win, the Mets and Brewers lose. Houston lives for another day. To stay alive, they need to win all the rest of their games this season, while the Mets and Brewers lose virtually all of theirs - a long shot, to say the least. But with 5 games left in the 2008 season, a team that was generally written off since the end of May is still mathematically eligible for the postseason. Who woulda thunk it???
Well, actually, I would. I've been saying it all season. By the end of Thursday's game, the run may be over - their magic number for elimination is down to 2. But for now, it's still possible.
Great game as the Astros regained their strong starting pitching and solid bullpen, resulting in their league-leading 13th shutout of the season. A large part of the credit for the win goes to the Astros' two late-season additions to the pitching staff - Randy Wolf and LaTroy Hawkins. Wolf pitched shutout ball into the seventh inning, giving up 8 hits and a pair of walks, and striking out 7. With all those base runners scattered across the innings, the Reds had plenty of chances to score, but Wolf worked his way out of trouble each time. He left the game with two on and two outs, replaced by Geary, who ended the threat on a single pitch. Hawkins pitched a scoreless eighth and Brocail came in to close.
Berkman gave Wolf a quick lead, with a two-out two-run homer in the first inning. It was his 29th homer of a very erratic season, and his 44th against the Reds - a record for a single player against a specific team since 2001. For a while, it looked like a replay of the previous game offensively - homer in the first and that's all, folks. But Houston had some fun in the eighth inning, scoring 3 on singles and walks alternating with outs: With one out Tejada singled, and advanced on Berkman's walk. Blum hit an infield single to load the bases. Pence showed great patience (!) at the plate, drawing the RBI walk on a 3-2 count. After Wiggington struck out for the second out, Quintero came up to the plate. Working on a 22 at-bat slump, one might not expect a good outcome - but he singled to the gap in left, scoring Blum and Berkman.
Meanwhile, scoreboard watching... The Cubs broke a 6-6 tie with a 3-run outburst in the ninth, beating the Mets. But Milwaukee beat the Pirates to pull even with the Mets in the lead for the Wild Card. With 5 games to go, they lead the Astros by 3 1/2 games.
In other news, Chris Sampson's injury seams to be a slight tear in a tendon in his elbow. While he's considering surgery, he claims to be available to pitch for the rest of the season. That doesn't really sound like a good idea.
Quote of the Day: "We live to dance a few more days. We just have to keep winning and hope for divine intervention." (Cecil Cooper)
The Astros win, the Mets and Brewers lose. Houston lives for another day. To stay alive, they need to win all the rest of their games this season, while the Mets and Brewers lose virtually all of theirs - a long shot, to say the least. But with 5 games left in the 2008 season, a team that was generally written off since the end of May is still mathematically eligible for the postseason. Who woulda thunk it???
Well, actually, I would. I've been saying it all season. By the end of Thursday's game, the run may be over - their magic number for elimination is down to 2. But for now, it's still possible.
Great game as the Astros regained their strong starting pitching and solid bullpen, resulting in their league-leading 13th shutout of the season. A large part of the credit for the win goes to the Astros' two late-season additions to the pitching staff - Randy Wolf and LaTroy Hawkins. Wolf pitched shutout ball into the seventh inning, giving up 8 hits and a pair of walks, and striking out 7. With all those base runners scattered across the innings, the Reds had plenty of chances to score, but Wolf worked his way out of trouble each time. He left the game with two on and two outs, replaced by Geary, who ended the threat on a single pitch. Hawkins pitched a scoreless eighth and Brocail came in to close.
Berkman gave Wolf a quick lead, with a two-out two-run homer in the first inning. It was his 29th homer of a very erratic season, and his 44th against the Reds - a record for a single player against a specific team since 2001. For a while, it looked like a replay of the previous game offensively - homer in the first and that's all, folks. But Houston had some fun in the eighth inning, scoring 3 on singles and walks alternating with outs: With one out Tejada singled, and advanced on Berkman's walk. Blum hit an infield single to load the bases. Pence showed great patience (!) at the plate, drawing the RBI walk on a 3-2 count. After Wiggington struck out for the second out, Quintero came up to the plate. Working on a 22 at-bat slump, one might not expect a good outcome - but he singled to the gap in left, scoring Blum and Berkman.
Meanwhile, scoreboard watching... The Cubs broke a 6-6 tie with a 3-run outburst in the ninth, beating the Mets. But Milwaukee beat the Pirates to pull even with the Mets in the lead for the Wild Card. With 5 games to go, they lead the Astros by 3 1/2 games.
In other news, Chris Sampson's injury seams to be a slight tear in a tendon in his elbow. While he's considering surgery, he claims to be available to pitch for the rest of the season. That doesn't really sound like a good idea.
GAME 156 - September 23: This Has Got to be the Last Loss
Cincinnati 2, Houston 1
Understatement of the Day: "We are disappointed that we let a golden opportunity slide tonight." (Cooper)
When Wandy got tagged with a pair of unearned runs in the first inning, the kickoff of the last week of the season was not off to a good start. But Matsui's leadoff homer in the bottom of the inning gave hope that the bad start was just a minor glitch on the way to a big win. Wandy and a quartet of relievers went on to throw 8 shutout innings to hold the Reds to just those two runs. That should have been plenty of help from the mound to get this critical win. But the Astros never scored again after Matsui's leadoff homer.
It's not like they didn't have opportunities, even with the Red's boy wonder Edinson Volquez throwing fire from the mound. The most painful blown chance came in the sixth inning: With one out and Bourn on second, Tejada singled to left. Confused about his signals, Bourn rounded third - and stopped. Tejada got into a rundown between first and second, and Bourn should have been able to score easily to tie the game, but ended up stranded on third at the end of the inning. They got a runner in scoring position in the ninth, but he was doubled off second in a call so close that the other umps overturned the initial safe signal, ending the game as the poet says, "not with a bang but a whimper."
The Astros dug a huge hole in the post-hurricane fiasco. But without stupid losses to the Pirates and to Cincinnati, they would not be quite to the brink of elimination.
Understatement of the Day: "We are disappointed that we let a golden opportunity slide tonight." (Cooper)
When Wandy got tagged with a pair of unearned runs in the first inning, the kickoff of the last week of the season was not off to a good start. But Matsui's leadoff homer in the bottom of the inning gave hope that the bad start was just a minor glitch on the way to a big win. Wandy and a quartet of relievers went on to throw 8 shutout innings to hold the Reds to just those two runs. That should have been plenty of help from the mound to get this critical win. But the Astros never scored again after Matsui's leadoff homer.
It's not like they didn't have opportunities, even with the Red's boy wonder Edinson Volquez throwing fire from the mound. The most painful blown chance came in the sixth inning: With one out and Bourn on second, Tejada singled to left. Confused about his signals, Bourn rounded third - and stopped. Tejada got into a rundown between first and second, and Bourn should have been able to score easily to tie the game, but ended up stranded on third at the end of the inning. They got a runner in scoring position in the ninth, but he was doubled off second in a call so close that the other umps overturned the initial safe signal, ending the game as the poet says, "not with a bang but a whimper."
The Astros dug a huge hole in the post-hurricane fiasco. But without stupid losses to the Pirates and to Cincinnati, they would not be quite to the brink of elimination.
Monday, September 22, 2008
GAMES 153-155 - September 19-21: Mathematically Alive
September 19: Houston 5, Pittsburgh 1
September 20: Pittsburgh 6, Houston 4
September 21: Houston 6, Pittsburgh 2
Quote of the Day: "It's a long shot. But we'll play it one day at a time, as the adage goes, and hopefully, we'll get some help." (Ausmus)
After the post-Ike fiasco, the Astros needed a sweep against a team as weak as the Pirates. At this point in the season, a series win is just not enough. They literally need to win every game left, and even with that, they need some serious slumping from the teams ahead of them in the Wild Card race.
This should have been an easy sweep. For two of the three games, that appeared to be the case, but the loss in the middle was just a case of botched opportunities.
Randy Wolf managed to get a big monkey off the Astros' backs with a great start on Friday night, breaking up the five game plunge towards elimination. Other than a solo homer in the fourth, Wolf pitched a terrific game, making Ed Wade look smarter and smarter for his late season acquisition. It was a very good turnaround from an Astros pitching staff that had been pretty terrible since the hurricane. Wolf pitched 7 innings, giving up only 3 hits and a walk, and striking out 6. Hawkins, Brydak, and Valverde finished up with 3 scoreless innings.
After days of forgetting how to traverse the path that leads to home plate, the Astros actually managed to put some runs on the scoreboard Friday night. They took their time about it, not getting much off the Pirates' starter Ian Snell until the fourth inning. A pair of walks to Berkman and Blum set up Pence for an RBI single. Wiggington's ground out pushed Blum across for the second run. In the eighth, Houston played add on, buffering their 2-1 lead with three more runs. Matsui led off with an infield hit, then appeared to be stranded by two quick outs. But Berkman walked, then Blum hit another infield single to score Matsui. Pence doubled to clear the bases, giving him 3 RBI for the night, and providing the Astros with a bit more breathing room.
All in all, a nice break from the post-Ike losing streak. And with losses for both Milwaukee and Philadelphia, Houston regained a bit of traction in the Wild Card race Friday.
Saturday night was another dumb loss. Moehler got off to a terrible start, giving up 5 runs in the first inning, but five relievers combined for only one run over the next eight innings. There was really no reason for not winning this one: With 11 hits, 3 walks, and a hit batsman, Houston had plenty of baserunners to work with. The Pirates pitchers were just begging the Astros to score some runs, but Houston blew almost all their chances, stranding runners right and left. Berkman - with 5 LOBs of his own - called himself an "albatross." But it was more like a flock of them. Come on, guys, this wasn't Zambrano - it was ex-Astro Jimmy Barthmeier starting this game! The Astros should have been able to run the table. Enough said about this dreary excuse for a game. The only positive part was that Milwaukee and the Mets (who are no longer leading the NL East and have joined the Wild Card race) also lost. But it's too late in the race for any losses; every game counts.
Sunday's game might be too little, too late, a baby step on a hopeless journey, yada yada yada... but it sure was lovely to watch Roy O pitch his way to his 16th win. He only stayed in through six innings, leaving the game with a 4-1 lead in order to preserve his strength to pitch against the Reds on short rest. A very nice short start - one run on 7 hits, no walks, 4 strikeouts. Except for the fifth, when the Pirates scored once, the hits were nicely sprinked one to an inning; all but one were singles, and two were wiped out by double plays. Geary and Hawkins pitched perfect innings in relief. Wright got into a bit of trouble in the ninth, giving up a run on a double, a balk, and an RBI single, but closed the game without any further damage.
Astros hitters gave Oswalt enough padding to let him pitch an aggressive game. They got on the board in the third with back-to-back one out singles by Loretta and Tejada, and a nice big double from Berkman to score Loretta. Tejada scored on Blum's sac fly. The Astros scored two more on Oswalt's watch, when Ausmus hit a bases-loaded two-out single in the fifth inning. The extra two runs scored after Oswalt left, all on small ball plays. In the eighth, Bourn singled, stole second, and scored on Tejada's single. Bourn's two successful steals in this gae puts him at 40 for the season - who knows how many he'd have if he could only get on base more often!? In the ninth, Pence walked, advanced to second on Wiggington's single, got to third on a wild pitch, and then scored on another wild pitch.
Meanwhile, the Wild Card-leading Mets blew their lead, allowing the Braves to score 4 in the eighth. But Milwaukee won its game, so no net gain there.
It's long shot, but the Astros are still alive, going into the final home games of the season.
September 20: Pittsburgh 6, Houston 4
September 21: Houston 6, Pittsburgh 2
Quote of the Day: "It's a long shot. But we'll play it one day at a time, as the adage goes, and hopefully, we'll get some help." (Ausmus)
After the post-Ike fiasco, the Astros needed a sweep against a team as weak as the Pirates. At this point in the season, a series win is just not enough. They literally need to win every game left, and even with that, they need some serious slumping from the teams ahead of them in the Wild Card race.
This should have been an easy sweep. For two of the three games, that appeared to be the case, but the loss in the middle was just a case of botched opportunities.
Randy Wolf managed to get a big monkey off the Astros' backs with a great start on Friday night, breaking up the five game plunge towards elimination. Other than a solo homer in the fourth, Wolf pitched a terrific game, making Ed Wade look smarter and smarter for his late season acquisition. It was a very good turnaround from an Astros pitching staff that had been pretty terrible since the hurricane. Wolf pitched 7 innings, giving up only 3 hits and a walk, and striking out 6. Hawkins, Brydak, and Valverde finished up with 3 scoreless innings.
After days of forgetting how to traverse the path that leads to home plate, the Astros actually managed to put some runs on the scoreboard Friday night. They took their time about it, not getting much off the Pirates' starter Ian Snell until the fourth inning. A pair of walks to Berkman and Blum set up Pence for an RBI single. Wiggington's ground out pushed Blum across for the second run. In the eighth, Houston played add on, buffering their 2-1 lead with three more runs. Matsui led off with an infield hit, then appeared to be stranded by two quick outs. But Berkman walked, then Blum hit another infield single to score Matsui. Pence doubled to clear the bases, giving him 3 RBI for the night, and providing the Astros with a bit more breathing room.
All in all, a nice break from the post-Ike losing streak. And with losses for both Milwaukee and Philadelphia, Houston regained a bit of traction in the Wild Card race Friday.
Saturday night was another dumb loss. Moehler got off to a terrible start, giving up 5 runs in the first inning, but five relievers combined for only one run over the next eight innings. There was really no reason for not winning this one: With 11 hits, 3 walks, and a hit batsman, Houston had plenty of baserunners to work with. The Pirates pitchers were just begging the Astros to score some runs, but Houston blew almost all their chances, stranding runners right and left. Berkman - with 5 LOBs of his own - called himself an "albatross." But it was more like a flock of them. Come on, guys, this wasn't Zambrano - it was ex-Astro Jimmy Barthmeier starting this game! The Astros should have been able to run the table. Enough said about this dreary excuse for a game. The only positive part was that Milwaukee and the Mets (who are no longer leading the NL East and have joined the Wild Card race) also lost. But it's too late in the race for any losses; every game counts.
Sunday's game might be too little, too late, a baby step on a hopeless journey, yada yada yada... but it sure was lovely to watch Roy O pitch his way to his 16th win. He only stayed in through six innings, leaving the game with a 4-1 lead in order to preserve his strength to pitch against the Reds on short rest. A very nice short start - one run on 7 hits, no walks, 4 strikeouts. Except for the fifth, when the Pirates scored once, the hits were nicely sprinked one to an inning; all but one were singles, and two were wiped out by double plays. Geary and Hawkins pitched perfect innings in relief. Wright got into a bit of trouble in the ninth, giving up a run on a double, a balk, and an RBI single, but closed the game without any further damage.
Astros hitters gave Oswalt enough padding to let him pitch an aggressive game. They got on the board in the third with back-to-back one out singles by Loretta and Tejada, and a nice big double from Berkman to score Loretta. Tejada scored on Blum's sac fly. The Astros scored two more on Oswalt's watch, when Ausmus hit a bases-loaded two-out single in the fifth inning. The extra two runs scored after Oswalt left, all on small ball plays. In the eighth, Bourn singled, stole second, and scored on Tejada's single. Bourn's two successful steals in this gae puts him at 40 for the season - who knows how many he'd have if he could only get on base more often!? In the ninth, Pence walked, advanced to second on Wiggington's single, got to third on a wild pitch, and then scored on another wild pitch.
Meanwhile, the Wild Card-leading Mets blew their lead, allowing the Braves to score 4 in the eighth. But Milwaukee won its game, so no net gain there.
It's long shot, but the Astros are still alive, going into the final home games of the season.
Sunday, September 21, 2008
GAME 150-152 - September 16-18: Astros Lose Heart
September 16: Florida 5, Houston 1
September 17: Florida 14, Houston 2
September 18: Florida 6, Houston 1
Quote of the Day: "We survived Ike... Bud killed us." (slogans on the back and front of tee shirts that the Astros wore on Thursday)
Before the hurricane, when the Astros were on their frenetic pace to challenge for the Wild Card slot, every game was fascinating, every run worth comment, every pitcher's line interesting to dissect.
Since the hurricane, it's all just more of the same bad baseball: Ugly pitching, virtually no offense, lackluster fielding, loss after loss. Even the dependable heroes are swept into the mess: Berkman without a hit, game after game - the longest hitless streak in his career. Oswalt, carrying the franchise's longest stretch of shutout innings, beat up in his start.
It's not worth talking about the individual games, only the net effect: The Astros are not yet mathematically eliminated. But as the other teams ahead of them buzz about, this five game losing streak has taken the Astros pretty much out of the race. It's not that they aren't capable of pulling off a last minute miracle, especially with the light competition the rest of the season (all losing teams). It's just that they don't seem to have the heart for it anymore.
But hey - it's not over till it's over, right?
September 17: Florida 14, Houston 2
September 18: Florida 6, Houston 1
Quote of the Day: "We survived Ike... Bud killed us." (slogans on the back and front of tee shirts that the Astros wore on Thursday)
Before the hurricane, when the Astros were on their frenetic pace to challenge for the Wild Card slot, every game was fascinating, every run worth comment, every pitcher's line interesting to dissect.
Since the hurricane, it's all just more of the same bad baseball: Ugly pitching, virtually no offense, lackluster fielding, loss after loss. Even the dependable heroes are swept into the mess: Berkman without a hit, game after game - the longest hitless streak in his career. Oswalt, carrying the franchise's longest stretch of shutout innings, beat up in his start.
It's not worth talking about the individual games, only the net effect: The Astros are not yet mathematically eliminated. But as the other teams ahead of them buzz about, this five game losing streak has taken the Astros pretty much out of the race. It's not that they aren't capable of pulling off a last minute miracle, especially with the light competition the rest of the season (all losing teams). It's just that they don't seem to have the heart for it anymore.
But hey - it's not over till it's over, right?
GAME 149 - September 15: Ill Wind Blows...
Chicago 6, Houston 1
Quote of the Day: "It was a real small moral victory there." (Loretta on the hit that kept the Astros from being no-no'ed two days in a row)
The bad karma continues, as the Cubs nearly no hit the Astros for the second game in a row. The Astros scored their only run in the eighth on a pair of walks, wild pitch, and sac fly. This time it was Ted Lilly (no relation of mine) who kept the Astros off base inning after inning. Loretta broke up the no-hitter in the seventh with a single. The Astros scored their only run in the eighth on a pair of walks, wild pitch, and sac fly. This time it was Brian Moehler who gave up a bunch of runs - 5 runs in his 6 innings on 6 hits and a walk.
One thing was the same: The so-called Astros home game was played in front of thousands of screaming Cubs fans, who made the short trip up from Chicago. Why does this ugly series seem like such a bad omen?
Quote of the Day: "It was a real small moral victory there." (Loretta on the hit that kept the Astros from being no-no'ed two days in a row)
The bad karma continues, as the Cubs nearly no hit the Astros for the second game in a row. The Astros scored their only run in the eighth on a pair of walks, wild pitch, and sac fly. This time it was Ted Lilly (no relation of mine) who kept the Astros off base inning after inning. Loretta broke up the no-hitter in the seventh with a single. The Astros scored their only run in the eighth on a pair of walks, wild pitch, and sac fly. This time it was Brian Moehler who gave up a bunch of runs - 5 runs in his 6 innings on 6 hits and a walk.
One thing was the same: The so-called Astros home game was played in front of thousands of screaming Cubs fans, who made the short trip up from Chicago. Why does this ugly series seem like such a bad omen?
Monday, September 15, 2008
GAME 148 - September 14: No No - With an Asterisk
Chicago 5, Houston 0
Quote of the Day: "I can't believe our home fans would cheer that lustfully for the Cubs," (Berkman, on playing a "home" game in front of 25,000 Cubs fans)
I have open with giving credit where credit is due: Carlos Zambrano pitched a great game. You don't get a no hitter pitching badly, and he was anything but.
Having said that, this game was a farce. The Astros players, having spent the weekend in a hurricane, were yawning. Many had little sleep over the weekend, and had gotten up early in an effort to make it in for the morning flight to Chicago - Berkman at 4 AM for the drive from New Braunfels. And then they were scheduled to play the two opening games of their final series against the Cubs in Milwaukee, a so-called "neutral site" - an hour from Chicago. Supposedly this was because the Brewers' stadium has a retractable roof, so that there would be no chance of a further weather delay. Sure, I believe that. I'm sure that the fact that they would get few ticket sales out of a game in, say, Atlanta had nothing to do with the decision. Turner Field was available.
It was an ugly game from the very start in front of a stadium full of screaming Cubbies fans, who booed the Astros when they took the field. I thought about just not watching the game, I was so positive that the game had bad karma. But I stuck it out.
So kudos to Mr Zambrano. He deserves credit for his no hitter. But in my mind, you can put an asterisk next to it. The Astros got a crappy deal. Home game? Yeah, they got to bat last. But they were wearing their red road uniforms.
In better news, Milwaukee lost both games of its double header, completing a weekend sweep. So Houston ended up advancing in the Wild Card race. However, since all these games were lost to Philadelphia, the surging Phillies are becoming as much of a threat to the Astros than the faltering Brewers. Stay tuned. Meanwhile, an afternoon "home game" in the Cubs' backyard.
Quote of the Day: "I can't believe our home fans would cheer that lustfully for the Cubs," (Berkman, on playing a "home" game in front of 25,000 Cubs fans)
I have open with giving credit where credit is due: Carlos Zambrano pitched a great game. You don't get a no hitter pitching badly, and he was anything but.
Having said that, this game was a farce. The Astros players, having spent the weekend in a hurricane, were yawning. Many had little sleep over the weekend, and had gotten up early in an effort to make it in for the morning flight to Chicago - Berkman at 4 AM for the drive from New Braunfels. And then they were scheduled to play the two opening games of their final series against the Cubs in Milwaukee, a so-called "neutral site" - an hour from Chicago. Supposedly this was because the Brewers' stadium has a retractable roof, so that there would be no chance of a further weather delay. Sure, I believe that. I'm sure that the fact that they would get few ticket sales out of a game in, say, Atlanta had nothing to do with the decision. Turner Field was available.
It was an ugly game from the very start in front of a stadium full of screaming Cubbies fans, who booed the Astros when they took the field. I thought about just not watching the game, I was so positive that the game had bad karma. But I stuck it out.
So kudos to Mr Zambrano. He deserves credit for his no hitter. But in my mind, you can put an asterisk next to it. The Astros got a crappy deal. Home game? Yeah, they got to bat last. But they were wearing their red road uniforms.
In better news, Milwaukee lost both games of its double header, completing a weekend sweep. So Houston ended up advancing in the Wild Card race. However, since all these games were lost to Philadelphia, the surging Phillies are becoming as much of a threat to the Astros than the faltering Brewers. Stay tuned. Meanwhile, an afternoon "home game" in the Cubs' backyard.
Thursday, September 11, 2008
GAME 147 - September 11: Roy O Rocks as Hurricane Ike Approaches
Houston 6, Pittsburgh 0
Quote of the Day: "Somebody said there was a hurricane on the way so I was trying to be as quick as possible." (Oswalt on his 90-pitch complete game shutout)
Roy O is a wizard. I should just leave it at that and skip the rest of this game report, which will largely be an embroidery on that theme. Oswalt is simply fantastic. The
Wizard Rules! Just a few months after the Chronicle bloggers were questioning whether Oswalt was injured, or washed up, he throws back-to-back complete game shutouts. This time it was a three-hitter - all of the hits singles, and all followed immediately by double plays. Net result: Oswalt faced the minimum 27 batters, shutting down the Pirates in only 90 pitches. He has now thrown 32 1/3 consecutive innings without giving up a run, a new Astros franchise record. (The old one was set by J. R. Richard in 1980.) And Oswalt's still got a few starts left in the season. Hmmm, if he were to throw 3 more complete game shutouts, 27 more innings, that would add up to 59 1/3 - one out more than Orel Hershiser's 59 scoreless innings exactly 20 years ago. Okay, let's not get greedy.
In the past month, the Wiz has thrown at least 7 innnings in every game, and has lowered his ERA by a full point - no mean feat this late in the season. He has pitched 8 innings in 2 of the 8 games, 8 1/3 innings in one, and 9 full innings in the most recent two - racking up a 7-1 record in the process. He is not pitching like a guy who's hurt or washed up at all.
Oswalt didn't depend on his teammates to get him runs - he was credited for 2 RBIs himself. The first one came in the third inning, with the score stuck at 0-0, Oswalt and Zach Duke both pitching tight games. Abercrombie had led off the inning with a bunt single, advancing to third on the overanxious pitcher's misthrow to first. After Ausmus grounded out, Oswalt laid down a perfect bunt for the squeeze play, scoring Abercrombie for the Astros' first run. Given the way Roy O pitched, that would have been enough for the win.
But the Astros had another big fifth inning to give the Wizard some insurance. This time it wasn't a grand slam to beef up the score - just lots of little stuff by nearly everyone in the lineup. Pence led off with a single (extending his hitting streak to 13 games), then advanced to third on an errant throw on Castillo's ground ball. Abercrombie singled, scoring Pence and moving Castillo to second. Ausmus singled to load the bases. Oswalt decided to join in the fun, singling to right to earn his second RBI. Erstad grounded out, scoring Abercrombie, and advancing Ausmus and Oswalt. Loretta's sac fly scored Ausmus. With 2 down, Tejada doubled to score Oswalt from third, extending his hitting streak to 12 games. Berkman was intentionally walked - although why anyone would want to pitch to the very hot Pence is not clear. Pence grounded out to end the inning. Five runs had scored on 4 singles, a double, a ground ball, a sac fly, and an error - definitely a team effort!
Meanwhile, in the Wild Card race, the Brewers fell again, in the first game of a 4-game series with the Phillies. That puts the Astros and the Phillies tied at 3 games behind Milwaukee. The Cubs beat the Cardinals, putting St Louis 1 1/2 games behind us. The Wild Card makes for strange bedfellows and alliances that change day by day, series by series. Right now I'm cheering for the Phillies because they're playing the Brewers - a bigger threat. And I'm cheering for the Cubs over the Cards. I'd rather concede the division title to the Cubs, as long as they beat the other teams who threaten Houston's chances for the Wild Card slot. The Astros face the Cubs next (but not sure when - see below), and then there's plenty of action between the Cubs and the Brewers. No matter how well Houston does over the next 2 weeks, the playoff spot is still dependent on other teams losing. But hey - I believe in miracles - and the Astros crazy last minute surge is nothing short.
The Astros surge isn't the only one in town, unfortunately. Hurricane Ike is coming up the Gulf, with an expected landfall at game time Friday night, with Houston a likely direct target. An anticipated 20 foot surge could put Galveston underwater - a possibility that resulted in a mandatory evacuation of Brandon Backe's home town. The storm is huge and strong - possibly a category 3 - and makes no exceptions for baseball teams who are trying to make the playoffs. So the Cubs are going to Chicago instead of coming to Houston for the weekend. If the storm blows through by Saturday night without catastrophe, they may fly in to play on Sunday. There's talk of a Sunday double header and a Monday makeup game, as neither team was scheduled that day. But it's pretty hard to predict with a big, potentially deadly storm about to hit. It's a reminder that there are some things that don't care how famous or rich or talented you are. I'm sure that all the Astros players are hoping the same thing I am -- that all my Houston family will be safe and sound over the next few days.
Quote of the Day: "Somebody said there was a hurricane on the way so I was trying to be as quick as possible." (Oswalt on his 90-pitch complete game shutout)
Roy O is a wizard. I should just leave it at that and skip the rest of this game report, which will largely be an embroidery on that theme. Oswalt is simply fantastic. The
Wizard Rules! Just a few months after the Chronicle bloggers were questioning whether Oswalt was injured, or washed up, he throws back-to-back complete game shutouts. This time it was a three-hitter - all of the hits singles, and all followed immediately by double plays. Net result: Oswalt faced the minimum 27 batters, shutting down the Pirates in only 90 pitches. He has now thrown 32 1/3 consecutive innings without giving up a run, a new Astros franchise record. (The old one was set by J. R. Richard in 1980.) And Oswalt's still got a few starts left in the season. Hmmm, if he were to throw 3 more complete game shutouts, 27 more innings, that would add up to 59 1/3 - one out more than Orel Hershiser's 59 scoreless innings exactly 20 years ago. Okay, let's not get greedy.In the past month, the Wiz has thrown at least 7 innnings in every game, and has lowered his ERA by a full point - no mean feat this late in the season. He has pitched 8 innings in 2 of the 8 games, 8 1/3 innings in one, and 9 full innings in the most recent two - racking up a 7-1 record in the process. He is not pitching like a guy who's hurt or washed up at all.
Oswalt didn't depend on his teammates to get him runs - he was credited for 2 RBIs himself. The first one came in the third inning, with the score stuck at 0-0, Oswalt and Zach Duke both pitching tight games. Abercrombie had led off the inning with a bunt single, advancing to third on the overanxious pitcher's misthrow to first. After Ausmus grounded out, Oswalt laid down a perfect bunt for the squeeze play, scoring Abercrombie for the Astros' first run. Given the way Roy O pitched, that would have been enough for the win.
But the Astros had another big fifth inning to give the Wizard some insurance. This time it wasn't a grand slam to beef up the score - just lots of little stuff by nearly everyone in the lineup. Pence led off with a single (extending his hitting streak to 13 games), then advanced to third on an errant throw on Castillo's ground ball. Abercrombie singled, scoring Pence and moving Castillo to second. Ausmus singled to load the bases. Oswalt decided to join in the fun, singling to right to earn his second RBI. Erstad grounded out, scoring Abercrombie, and advancing Ausmus and Oswalt. Loretta's sac fly scored Ausmus. With 2 down, Tejada doubled to score Oswalt from third, extending his hitting streak to 12 games. Berkman was intentionally walked - although why anyone would want to pitch to the very hot Pence is not clear. Pence grounded out to end the inning. Five runs had scored on 4 singles, a double, a ground ball, a sac fly, and an error - definitely a team effort!
Meanwhile, in the Wild Card race, the Brewers fell again, in the first game of a 4-game series with the Phillies. That puts the Astros and the Phillies tied at 3 games behind Milwaukee. The Cubs beat the Cardinals, putting St Louis 1 1/2 games behind us. The Wild Card makes for strange bedfellows and alliances that change day by day, series by series. Right now I'm cheering for the Phillies because they're playing the Brewers - a bigger threat. And I'm cheering for the Cubs over the Cards. I'd rather concede the division title to the Cubs, as long as they beat the other teams who threaten Houston's chances for the Wild Card slot. The Astros face the Cubs next (but not sure when - see below), and then there's plenty of action between the Cubs and the Brewers. No matter how well Houston does over the next 2 weeks, the playoff spot is still dependent on other teams losing. But hey - I believe in miracles - and the Astros crazy last minute surge is nothing short.
The Astros surge isn't the only one in town, unfortunately. Hurricane Ike is coming up the Gulf, with an expected landfall at game time Friday night, with Houston a likely direct target. An anticipated 20 foot surge could put Galveston underwater - a possibility that resulted in a mandatory evacuation of Brandon Backe's home town. The storm is huge and strong - possibly a category 3 - and makes no exceptions for baseball teams who are trying to make the playoffs. So the Cubs are going to Chicago instead of coming to Houston for the weekend. If the storm blows through by Saturday night without catastrophe, they may fly in to play on Sunday. There's talk of a Sunday double header and a Monday makeup game, as neither team was scheduled that day. But it's pretty hard to predict with a big, potentially deadly storm about to hit. It's a reminder that there are some things that don't care how famous or rich or talented you are. I'm sure that all the Astros players are hoping the same thing I am -- that all my Houston family will be safe and sound over the next few days.
GAME 146 - September 10: Slamming the Pirates
Houston 7, Pittsburgh 4
Quote of the Day: "We have to win every game the rest of the year. That's just a fact." (Berkman, before the game)
Milwaukee had already won its afternoon game when the Astros took the field for the third game of their Pittsburgh series. That put the pressure on, knowing that they couldn't move up in the Wild Card race, but they could certainly move down.
They didn't move down. With a 2-2 tie going into the sixth inning, the Astros were playing small ball trying to eke out a lead. Castillo led off with a single. Abercrombie fouled off his first two attempts to bunt him to second, before just swinging the bat - and hitting a double. After Quintero flied out and Newhan walked, Erstad hit a sac fly to score Castillo. Loretta walked to load the bases. With two outs and a 3-2 lead, Tejada hit a two-out grand slam to put the Astros ahead for good.
Astros pitching did a good job of keeping that lead intact. Moehler opened with a nice start - giving up 2 runs in 6 innings on 5 hits, no walks, and no strikeouts. Sampson threw a scoreless seventh. Wright earned two runs in the eighth, with Byrdak finishing up the inning (he let one of the inherited runners score). With the score 7-4 coming into the ninth, it was a save situation for Valverde. Only an infield single got past him - the rest went down to end the game with another save for Valverde, his league-leading 42nd. That's now 15 saves in a row for Valverde, as he keeps resetting the Astros' franchise record game by game.
Other good news, offensively: Pence hit a 2-run homer (#22) in the second inning. He's got a 12 game hitting streak going. Tejada's hitting streak is now at 11 games. Abercrombie went 3 for 4, with a double and a pair of singles, as well as a stolen base.
While the Astros couldn't make any progress against the Brewers, winning their 5th in a row (and 13th of 14) did help them against the other contenders for the Wild Card spot. Both the Phillies and the Cards lost, putting the Astros tied with Philadelphia at 3 games out, and half a game ahead of St Louis.
Meanwhile, the Astros weekend series with the Cubs is looking doubtful, as Hurricane Ike is heading for landfall Friday night - in Houston. I remember too well what a hurricane is like, from growing up in Houston. Even a fan-in-exile has to admit that baseball is not a priority with a Category 3 (or worse) on the way.
Quote of the Day: "We have to win every game the rest of the year. That's just a fact." (Berkman, before the game)
Milwaukee had already won its afternoon game when the Astros took the field for the third game of their Pittsburgh series. That put the pressure on, knowing that they couldn't move up in the Wild Card race, but they could certainly move down.
They didn't move down. With a 2-2 tie going into the sixth inning, the Astros were playing small ball trying to eke out a lead. Castillo led off with a single. Abercrombie fouled off his first two attempts to bunt him to second, before just swinging the bat - and hitting a double. After Quintero flied out and Newhan walked, Erstad hit a sac fly to score Castillo. Loretta walked to load the bases. With two outs and a 3-2 lead, Tejada hit a two-out grand slam to put the Astros ahead for good.
Astros pitching did a good job of keeping that lead intact. Moehler opened with a nice start - giving up 2 runs in 6 innings on 5 hits, no walks, and no strikeouts. Sampson threw a scoreless seventh. Wright earned two runs in the eighth, with Byrdak finishing up the inning (he let one of the inherited runners score). With the score 7-4 coming into the ninth, it was a save situation for Valverde. Only an infield single got past him - the rest went down to end the game with another save for Valverde, his league-leading 42nd. That's now 15 saves in a row for Valverde, as he keeps resetting the Astros' franchise record game by game.
Other good news, offensively: Pence hit a 2-run homer (#22) in the second inning. He's got a 12 game hitting streak going. Tejada's hitting streak is now at 11 games. Abercrombie went 3 for 4, with a double and a pair of singles, as well as a stolen base.
While the Astros couldn't make any progress against the Brewers, winning their 5th in a row (and 13th of 14) did help them against the other contenders for the Wild Card spot. Both the Phillies and the Cards lost, putting the Astros tied with Philadelphia at 3 games out, and half a game ahead of St Louis.
Meanwhile, the Astros weekend series with the Cubs is looking doubtful, as Hurricane Ike is heading for landfall Friday night - in Houston. I remember too well what a hurricane is like, from growing up in Houston. Even a fan-in-exile has to admit that baseball is not a priority with a Category 3 (or worse) on the way.
Tuesday, September 9, 2008
GAME 145 - September 9: Four Games Out - and Rising
Houston 9, Pittsburgh 3
Quote of the Day: ""The main issue is trying to win each game and if for some reason, there is a spot for us, that'd be great. But it's just fun winning, just keep going out there and playing good baseball." (Winning pitcher, Randy Wolf)
Happy Birthday Marissa!
For a few minutes at the beginning of Tuesday's game, Randy Wolf looked to be in trouble. A leadoff walk, a single, a double and an error had given the Pirates a two-run lead in the first inning. But the Astros' deficit was short-lived, as singles for Erstad and Tejada set the stage for Berkman's 3-run homer in the bottom of the first inning.
After that, Wolf seemed to coast through most of the next six innings, allowing only one other run - a solo homer. Geary, back from the DL, threw a 1-2-3 eighth, and Byrdak tossed a perfect ninth to wrap it up.
Meanwhile, the Astros just kept adding on to their early lead, for a rare relatively relaxing path to the win. They scored two in the third on Berkman's RBI double - his 4th RBI of the game and 100th of the season - and Newhan's bases-loaded ground out. They added another run in the fourth on Erstad's two-out RBI double. Then another pair in the fifth, when Berkman singled and scored on Blum's triple; Blum then scored on Newhan's single. And one more for good measure in the sixth, on Pence's RBI double. The ball hit the top of the wall, sending the umps off to check the instant replay, which confirmed that it wasn't a home run.
Great offensive game. The 2-3-4 spots in the lineup were terrific - Erstad, Tejada, and Berkman each got three hits, and scored 7 of the Astros' 9 runs between them. Berkman scored 3 runs, moving him up past Cesar Cedeno into third place on the Astros' record for career runs. (Only Bagwell and Biggio are ahead of him - way ahead of him!) Fifteen hits, 5 for extra bases, made for a nice relaxing game.
Scoreboard Watching: The Brewers lose! The Phillies lose! The Astros inch their way up, winning 4 in a row, 12 for their last 13, to pull up to 4 games out in the Wild Card race. The Cards won, still half a game ahead of the Astros.
Quote of the Day: ""The main issue is trying to win each game and if for some reason, there is a spot for us, that'd be great. But it's just fun winning, just keep going out there and playing good baseball." (Winning pitcher, Randy Wolf)
Happy Birthday Marissa!
For a few minutes at the beginning of Tuesday's game, Randy Wolf looked to be in trouble. A leadoff walk, a single, a double and an error had given the Pirates a two-run lead in the first inning. But the Astros' deficit was short-lived, as singles for Erstad and Tejada set the stage for Berkman's 3-run homer in the bottom of the first inning.
After that, Wolf seemed to coast through most of the next six innings, allowing only one other run - a solo homer. Geary, back from the DL, threw a 1-2-3 eighth, and Byrdak tossed a perfect ninth to wrap it up.
Meanwhile, the Astros just kept adding on to their early lead, for a rare relatively relaxing path to the win. They scored two in the third on Berkman's RBI double - his 4th RBI of the game and 100th of the season - and Newhan's bases-loaded ground out. They added another run in the fourth on Erstad's two-out RBI double. Then another pair in the fifth, when Berkman singled and scored on Blum's triple; Blum then scored on Newhan's single. And one more for good measure in the sixth, on Pence's RBI double. The ball hit the top of the wall, sending the umps off to check the instant replay, which confirmed that it wasn't a home run.
Great offensive game. The 2-3-4 spots in the lineup were terrific - Erstad, Tejada, and Berkman each got three hits, and scored 7 of the Astros' 9 runs between them. Berkman scored 3 runs, moving him up past Cesar Cedeno into third place on the Astros' record for career runs. (Only Bagwell and Biggio are ahead of him - way ahead of him!) Fifteen hits, 5 for extra bases, made for a nice relaxing game.
Scoreboard Watching: The Brewers lose! The Phillies lose! The Astros inch their way up, winning 4 in a row, 12 for their last 13, to pull up to 4 games out in the Wild Card race. The Cards won, still half a game ahead of the Astros.
Monday, September 8, 2008
GAME 144 - September 8: New Kids on the Block
Houston 3, Pittsburgh 2
Quote of the Day: "I asked him if he knew who I was. You know what he called me? Santa Claus. That tells me he was OK." (Cooper, on Berkman's beaning by Towles' throw)
Alberto Arias? Mark Saccomanno? Not very familiar names to many Astros fans. But these two new guys on the team helped propel Houston to another step towards the playoffs.
Arias got his chance to start in the opening game of the Pirates series, filling in for an ailing Backe. He threw a five shutout innings in his first appearance as an Astro, after working out of the bullpen for the Rockies earlier in the season. He got off to a dynamite start, with three perfect innings to open the game, striking out 5 of the first 6 batters he faced. He got into a bit of trouble in the fourth when the leadoff singled. Arias overthrew a pickoff attempt, allowing the runner to advance to third. But the runner got overly ambitious and tried for home, where Berkman's throw to Towles nailed him at the plate. (Bad baserunning with no outs.) Arias then loaded up the bases before getting out of the inning with no scoreboard damage. He then threw a hitless fifth inning. Final line: Five innings, no runs on 2 hits, 3 walks, 6 strikeouts - all in all a very credible first career start.
Saccomanno, who had just finished an outstanding season at Round Rock, was hanging out in Austin when he got a call Monday afternoon, asking him to head over to Houston to fill in for injured Ty Wiggington. No problem, he packed his bag, caught a flight, and got to Minute Maid Park just in time to suit up and go sit on the bench. Since he missed batting practice, he went down to the batting cage to get a few swings in the second inning. Just enough to loosen up for his big moment: His first Major League at bat. There were two outs in a 0-0 tie game when Saccomanno came in to pinch hit for Arias in the bottom of the fifth. The first pitch was a fast ball, and he took a big swing - and hit the ball over the fence into the bullpen. A first pitch home run - definitely a game to remember.
Berkman will probably remember this game too, but it won't be for his RBI single that scored the third run of the fifth inning. First he tried to make a diving catch in the fourth inning, landing on his face and his left hand. A quick examination pronounced him fit to play, and he stayed in the game. But in the seventh, he had a scarier incident. Towles, fielding a bunt, picked up the ball and threw to first. But the ball defected off the runner, and smacked Berkman in the forehead, knocking him down. After lying on the ground dazed for a few moments, Berkman got up and, with a nice red lump on his forehead, took his place back on first. The batter, who had been running inside the baseline, was called out for interference.
With Arias only pitching 5 innings, the bullpen had a lot of work to do in this game. Wright gave up a pair of runs in two-thirds of an inning in the sixth, before Brocail came in to rescue him, preserving the Astros' 3-2 lead. Sampson pitched a perfect seventh. After two quick outs in the eighth, Hawkins allowed runners to get to second and third, but ended the inning without letting them score. Then Valverde came in to throw a perfect ninth, for his 41st save.
The day's outcome was even better than an Astros' win. They also picked up a game in the Wild Card race, when the Brewers lost 5-4 to the Reds. The Phillies, unfortunately, won their game. St Louis had the day off. This is definitely a time for scoreboard watching. A playoff berth may be unlikely, given the standings and the games remaining - but until the Astros are mathematically eliminated, they're still in the running.
Quote of the Day: "I asked him if he knew who I was. You know what he called me? Santa Claus. That tells me he was OK." (Cooper, on Berkman's beaning by Towles' throw)
Alberto Arias? Mark Saccomanno? Not very familiar names to many Astros fans. But these two new guys on the team helped propel Houston to another step towards the playoffs.
Arias got his chance to start in the opening game of the Pirates series, filling in for an ailing Backe. He threw a five shutout innings in his first appearance as an Astro, after working out of the bullpen for the Rockies earlier in the season. He got off to a dynamite start, with three perfect innings to open the game, striking out 5 of the first 6 batters he faced. He got into a bit of trouble in the fourth when the leadoff singled. Arias overthrew a pickoff attempt, allowing the runner to advance to third. But the runner got overly ambitious and tried for home, where Berkman's throw to Towles nailed him at the plate. (Bad baserunning with no outs.) Arias then loaded up the bases before getting out of the inning with no scoreboard damage. He then threw a hitless fifth inning. Final line: Five innings, no runs on 2 hits, 3 walks, 6 strikeouts - all in all a very credible first career start.
Saccomanno, who had just finished an outstanding season at Round Rock, was hanging out in Austin when he got a call Monday afternoon, asking him to head over to Houston to fill in for injured Ty Wiggington. No problem, he packed his bag, caught a flight, and got to Minute Maid Park just in time to suit up and go sit on the bench. Since he missed batting practice, he went down to the batting cage to get a few swings in the second inning. Just enough to loosen up for his big moment: His first Major League at bat. There were two outs in a 0-0 tie game when Saccomanno came in to pinch hit for Arias in the bottom of the fifth. The first pitch was a fast ball, and he took a big swing - and hit the ball over the fence into the bullpen. A first pitch home run - definitely a game to remember.
Berkman will probably remember this game too, but it won't be for his RBI single that scored the third run of the fifth inning. First he tried to make a diving catch in the fourth inning, landing on his face and his left hand. A quick examination pronounced him fit to play, and he stayed in the game. But in the seventh, he had a scarier incident. Towles, fielding a bunt, picked up the ball and threw to first. But the ball defected off the runner, and smacked Berkman in the forehead, knocking him down. After lying on the ground dazed for a few moments, Berkman got up and, with a nice red lump on his forehead, took his place back on first. The batter, who had been running inside the baseline, was called out for interference.
With Arias only pitching 5 innings, the bullpen had a lot of work to do in this game. Wright gave up a pair of runs in two-thirds of an inning in the sixth, before Brocail came in to rescue him, preserving the Astros' 3-2 lead. Sampson pitched a perfect seventh. After two quick outs in the eighth, Hawkins allowed runners to get to second and third, but ended the inning without letting them score. Then Valverde came in to throw a perfect ninth, for his 41st save.
The day's outcome was even better than an Astros' win. They also picked up a game in the Wild Card race, when the Brewers lost 5-4 to the Reds. The Phillies, unfortunately, won their game. St Louis had the day off. This is definitely a time for scoreboard watching. A playoff berth may be unlikely, given the standings and the games remaining - but until the Astros are mathematically eliminated, they're still in the running.
GAMES 141-143 - September 5-7: Mile High - But Still 6 Games Out
September 4: Colorado 5, Houston 3
September 5: Houston 2, Chicago 0
September 6: Houston 7, Chicago 5
Quote of the Day: "It would have been a good play if I would have made it. I saw it hop when he first hit it. The second bounce just kind of stayed down on the grass and I didn't get the glove down." (Oswalt, of the only hit he gave up in Saturday's game, one that he wished he'd been able to grab.)
I arrived in Chicago Friday for my cousin's daughter's bat mitzvah, just a couple of days after the Astros had completed their sweep of the Cubs. With all of the weekend festivities, I had to play catchup to see the Astros win the mile-high series in Denver, watching the archived games in the middle of the night.
Friday night's loss broke the 8-game winning streak, while Milwaukee logged a win, pushing Houston back to 7 games behind in the Wild Card race. With only three weeks left in the season, every game more than counts now. The Astros not only needed to win every game; they depend on Milwaukee going down in flames. Moehler had a less inspiring start than usual, giving up all 5 of the Rockies' runs in the fourth and fifth innings. It wasn't a bunch of big blasts, just little stuff that all added up: An infield single, a hit batter, a RBI single, a sac fly, a walk, a single... that accounted for the first 3 runs in the fourth. Moehler allowed a leadoff single in the fifth for the fourth run, then he loaded up the bases with two outs on a pair of walks and a single. That was enough for Cooper, and he pulled Moehler after 4 2/3 innings, bringing in September callup Nieve. He walked the first batter he faced on four pitches, for the fifth run. After that, Nieve, Brocail, and Sampson finished up the game with almost lights-out performances - between them they only gave up a single infield hit.
Houston's batters weren't up to the challenge, as the Astros only managed to piece together 3 runs on a motley combination of at bats. They couldn't do much of anything against Rockies' starter Ubaldo Jimenez for the first four innings. They got runners on the corners with one out in the fifth, on Pence's double and Erstad's single, but they were left stranded. In the sixth, Bourn led off with a walk, stole second, and made it to third on the pitchers' throwing error; he scored on Blum's two-out single. Tejada, who had been hit by a pitch got to third and was left stranded. In the seventh, Erstad led off with an infield single, and advanced when Quintero was hit by a pitch. They both moved up a base on Newhan's ground out. Bourn grounded out, scoring Erstad, and Wiggington singled in Q, to make it 5-3. But the fun fizzled out there, and the Astros didn't threaten again in the game.
With the Wizard on the mound Saturday night, I snuck out of cousin Eliza's bar mitvah party as soon as the Sabbath ended to check on the game, hoping that he was continuing his recent brilliant pitching. I was only disappointed in one way: I couldn't stay in the lobby to watch the rest of the game. In the seventh, Oswalt had a one-hit shutout going. I did watch the game late that night, after the party ended, so that I could see Roy O finish up with that one hitter preserved. It only took him 102 pitches for his first complete game shutout since 2005. No Rockie made it past second base; in addition to the lone single, Oswalt walked 2 batters and hit 2 others.
The Rockies' pitchers didn't do a bad job either. Astros' batters couldn't do anything at all against starter Jeff Francis for the first three innings. The game got off to a particularly bad start when Wiggington tried to beat out an infield groundball, and limped off the field injured. It turned out to be a strained groin, and he's day to day. The Astros got a pair of runners on in the fourth, but couldn't score. Worse, they got runners to second and third with no outs in the fifth, and left them stranded. Their only break came in the sixth: After Tejada singled, Pence hit a big blast to left center for a two run homer. That turned out to be all the support that Oswalt would get from his teammates. They had runners on in all the rest of the innings, but didn't manage to score any of them. Loretta and Aberrcrombie each went 3 for 4, and neither scored or earned an RBI for their efforts.
But that Oswalt is just terrific. He's put his weak season start behind him and has become a monster - a good kind of monster if you are an Astros fan. He hasn't allowed a run in 23 1/3 innings. He's pitched 8 or more innings in each of his last three starts, and has won 8 of his last 11 starts. Saturday's one-hitter is even more amazing because of the location: It was only the third time in Coors Field history that a pitcher has thrown a game with less than 2 hits.
Sunday's game started off with another first-inning injury. Wandy got off to a good start, giving up a lead-off single and then striking out the side. But that was it for him; he exited the game with a recurrence of the oblique strain that took him out of his previous start. Jack Cassell got an unexpected opportunity for a virtual start when Wandy couldn't come back for the second inning. (Meanwhile, over in that other fall sport, his brother Matt found himself in a similar situation. The backup quarterback for the Patriots found himself in the game after the main QB injured his knee.) Cassell pitched 4 innings in relief, giving up 2 runs on 4 hits and a couple of walks.
The Rockies' starter, Jorge De La Rosa, didn't fool any of the Astros batters - they hit early and often against him, with runners in scoring position in both the first and second innings. They didn't actually make it around to score until the third inning, when the Astros nearly batted around. Bourn led off with a walk, stole second, and scored on Loretta's RBI single (the second of his three hits in this game). Tejada doubled, advancing Loretta to third. Berkman's sac fly scored Loretta and moved Tejada to third. After Pence walked, Castillo scored Tejada with another sac fly. Abercrombie singled, advancing Pence to second, and they both moved up a base on a steal. Ausmus struck out to strand them both, but the Astros had taken a 3-0 lead.
The lead was cut to 3-2, as Cassel gave up a pair of runs in the bottom of the inning. The Astros added on another run in the sixth, as Castillo walked, advanced to third on Ausmus' single, and scored on yet another sac fly. But this lead didn't last long. Sampson, relieving Cassell, allowed the first two batters to get on with an infield single and a walk, before giving up a 3-run homer to Brad Hawpe.
In the eighth inning, down 5-4, the Astros found themselves facing ex-teammate Taylor Buchholz. The baby-faced young pitcher has done very well in Colorado, after the Rockies converted him from a starter to a reliever; his ERA was just 1.81 coming into this game. However, he didn't do as well in this outing. Castillo led off with a single and advanced to second on Abercrombie's sac bunt. (It was Abercrombie's third attempt of the game to put down a bunt, and the first that did not go straight back to the pitcher, eliminating the lead runner. But this was a good one that rode the first base line long enough for Castillo to get safely into scoring position. With Ausmus and the pitcher's spot coming up, Coop went to his bench. First Erstad, who bloop-singled to score Castillo, tying the game. Then Newhan, who whacked the first ball he saw out into a vast empty space in center field for an RBI triple. (That was a nice way to celebrate his 35th birthday.) Bourn lined out, bringing up Edwin Maysonet for his Major League debut plate appearance. It would be nice to say he hit a homer for a memorable start, but actually, he popped out harmlessly to end the inning. But the Astros went into the end of the game with a 6-5 lead.
The bullpen, which was much maligned earlier in the season (although not by me), continues to impress me. Brocail pitched a scoreless seventh, and as the pitcher of record when the Astros took the lead, ultimately got the win. Hawkins threw fire in the bottom of the eighth, with fast balls in the high 90s, to preserve the lead. In the top of the ninth, the Astros plated an insurance run when Pence beat out an infield single, stole second, and then scored on Castillo's single. Ex-Astro Wily Taveras made a decent throw to the plate, but Pence scored easily. Castillo made it to second, and poor Willy T ended up credited with a throwing error for his troubles.
That brought Valverde to the mound with a two-run lead. The barrage of flaming fast balls continued, this time with pitches routinely hitting 98 and 99; at least one throw hit triple digits. Valverde allowed one hit, but struck out the side to secure the save, his 40th of the season. The last two batters went down on 6 straight strikes. The Rockies' broadcasters, very familiar with Valverde from his Dback days, can gripe all they want about his mound antics, fist pumping, and emotion. It's a lot less annoying when he's your guy who's throwing fire. I actually find Valverde reasonably restrained - he generally turns his back to the last batter before he starts celebrating with fist pumps and air crosses.
As great as Saturday night's game was, it was kind of a two-man show, with Oswalt's amazing pitching and Pence's game winning homer. I really love games like Sunday's, where lots of different players make a big contribution. Loretta was 3 for 4, with a double and pair of singles. Castillo was 3 for 3, all singles, his other 2 at-bats resulted in a walk and a sac fly. Erstad, Newhan, and Blum all had pinch-hit RBIs. There were 4 stolen bases, one each for Pence and Bourn, and two for Abercrombie.
The streak was broken, but the Astros came out with another series win. But the cost was high: Wiggington's injury may have him out 10 days - half of the rest of the season. Wandy's injured, and Backe now is skipping his Monday start due to arm soreness. Matsui is back from the DL but still not up to playing. In a rare bit of good news from the DL, Geary may be back for the next series.
And the end result? Still exactly where they were at the start of the series, since the Brewers are maintaining their 6 run lead in the Wild Card race. The Astros are having a terrific second half - now 32-16 since the All Star break - but there just isn't much time left. Now it's time to go back home to take on the Pirates in a 4-game series. The Bucs may be eliminated, but they've been a constant pain in the butt to the Astros this season. Hopefully, they'll think that the Astros are out of contention and play their September callups. Unfortunately, the Brewers are also playing an eliminated team.
September 5: Houston 2, Chicago 0
September 6: Houston 7, Chicago 5
Quote of the Day: "It would have been a good play if I would have made it. I saw it hop when he first hit it. The second bounce just kind of stayed down on the grass and I didn't get the glove down." (Oswalt, of the only hit he gave up in Saturday's game, one that he wished he'd been able to grab.)
I arrived in Chicago Friday for my cousin's daughter's bat mitzvah, just a couple of days after the Astros had completed their sweep of the Cubs. With all of the weekend festivities, I had to play catchup to see the Astros win the mile-high series in Denver, watching the archived games in the middle of the night.
Friday night's loss broke the 8-game winning streak, while Milwaukee logged a win, pushing Houston back to 7 games behind in the Wild Card race. With only three weeks left in the season, every game more than counts now. The Astros not only needed to win every game; they depend on Milwaukee going down in flames. Moehler had a less inspiring start than usual, giving up all 5 of the Rockies' runs in the fourth and fifth innings. It wasn't a bunch of big blasts, just little stuff that all added up: An infield single, a hit batter, a RBI single, a sac fly, a walk, a single... that accounted for the first 3 runs in the fourth. Moehler allowed a leadoff single in the fifth for the fourth run, then he loaded up the bases with two outs on a pair of walks and a single. That was enough for Cooper, and he pulled Moehler after 4 2/3 innings, bringing in September callup Nieve. He walked the first batter he faced on four pitches, for the fifth run. After that, Nieve, Brocail, and Sampson finished up the game with almost lights-out performances - between them they only gave up a single infield hit.
Houston's batters weren't up to the challenge, as the Astros only managed to piece together 3 runs on a motley combination of at bats. They couldn't do much of anything against Rockies' starter Ubaldo Jimenez for the first four innings. They got runners on the corners with one out in the fifth, on Pence's double and Erstad's single, but they were left stranded. In the sixth, Bourn led off with a walk, stole second, and made it to third on the pitchers' throwing error; he scored on Blum's two-out single. Tejada, who had been hit by a pitch got to third and was left stranded. In the seventh, Erstad led off with an infield single, and advanced when Quintero was hit by a pitch. They both moved up a base on Newhan's ground out. Bourn grounded out, scoring Erstad, and Wiggington singled in Q, to make it 5-3. But the fun fizzled out there, and the Astros didn't threaten again in the game.
With the Wizard on the mound Saturday night, I snuck out of cousin Eliza's bar mitvah party as soon as the Sabbath ended to check on the game, hoping that he was continuing his recent brilliant pitching. I was only disappointed in one way: I couldn't stay in the lobby to watch the rest of the game. In the seventh, Oswalt had a one-hit shutout going. I did watch the game late that night, after the party ended, so that I could see Roy O finish up with that one hitter preserved. It only took him 102 pitches for his first complete game shutout since 2005. No Rockie made it past second base; in addition to the lone single, Oswalt walked 2 batters and hit 2 others.
The Rockies' pitchers didn't do a bad job either. Astros' batters couldn't do anything at all against starter Jeff Francis for the first three innings. The game got off to a particularly bad start when Wiggington tried to beat out an infield groundball, and limped off the field injured. It turned out to be a strained groin, and he's day to day. The Astros got a pair of runners on in the fourth, but couldn't score. Worse, they got runners to second and third with no outs in the fifth, and left them stranded. Their only break came in the sixth: After Tejada singled, Pence hit a big blast to left center for a two run homer. That turned out to be all the support that Oswalt would get from his teammates. They had runners on in all the rest of the innings, but didn't manage to score any of them. Loretta and Aberrcrombie each went 3 for 4, and neither scored or earned an RBI for their efforts.
But that Oswalt is just terrific. He's put his weak season start behind him and has become a monster - a good kind of monster if you are an Astros fan. He hasn't allowed a run in 23 1/3 innings. He's pitched 8 or more innings in each of his last three starts, and has won 8 of his last 11 starts. Saturday's one-hitter is even more amazing because of the location: It was only the third time in Coors Field history that a pitcher has thrown a game with less than 2 hits.
Sunday's game started off with another first-inning injury. Wandy got off to a good start, giving up a lead-off single and then striking out the side. But that was it for him; he exited the game with a recurrence of the oblique strain that took him out of his previous start. Jack Cassell got an unexpected opportunity for a virtual start when Wandy couldn't come back for the second inning. (Meanwhile, over in that other fall sport, his brother Matt found himself in a similar situation. The backup quarterback for the Patriots found himself in the game after the main QB injured his knee.) Cassell pitched 4 innings in relief, giving up 2 runs on 4 hits and a couple of walks.
The Rockies' starter, Jorge De La Rosa, didn't fool any of the Astros batters - they hit early and often against him, with runners in scoring position in both the first and second innings. They didn't actually make it around to score until the third inning, when the Astros nearly batted around. Bourn led off with a walk, stole second, and scored on Loretta's RBI single (the second of his three hits in this game). Tejada doubled, advancing Loretta to third. Berkman's sac fly scored Loretta and moved Tejada to third. After Pence walked, Castillo scored Tejada with another sac fly. Abercrombie singled, advancing Pence to second, and they both moved up a base on a steal. Ausmus struck out to strand them both, but the Astros had taken a 3-0 lead.
The lead was cut to 3-2, as Cassel gave up a pair of runs in the bottom of the inning. The Astros added on another run in the sixth, as Castillo walked, advanced to third on Ausmus' single, and scored on yet another sac fly. But this lead didn't last long. Sampson, relieving Cassell, allowed the first two batters to get on with an infield single and a walk, before giving up a 3-run homer to Brad Hawpe.
In the eighth inning, down 5-4, the Astros found themselves facing ex-teammate Taylor Buchholz. The baby-faced young pitcher has done very well in Colorado, after the Rockies converted him from a starter to a reliever; his ERA was just 1.81 coming into this game. However, he didn't do as well in this outing. Castillo led off with a single and advanced to second on Abercrombie's sac bunt. (It was Abercrombie's third attempt of the game to put down a bunt, and the first that did not go straight back to the pitcher, eliminating the lead runner. But this was a good one that rode the first base line long enough for Castillo to get safely into scoring position. With Ausmus and the pitcher's spot coming up, Coop went to his bench. First Erstad, who bloop-singled to score Castillo, tying the game. Then Newhan, who whacked the first ball he saw out into a vast empty space in center field for an RBI triple. (That was a nice way to celebrate his 35th birthday.) Bourn lined out, bringing up Edwin Maysonet for his Major League debut plate appearance. It would be nice to say he hit a homer for a memorable start, but actually, he popped out harmlessly to end the inning. But the Astros went into the end of the game with a 6-5 lead.
The bullpen, which was much maligned earlier in the season (although not by me), continues to impress me. Brocail pitched a scoreless seventh, and as the pitcher of record when the Astros took the lead, ultimately got the win. Hawkins threw fire in the bottom of the eighth, with fast balls in the high 90s, to preserve the lead. In the top of the ninth, the Astros plated an insurance run when Pence beat out an infield single, stole second, and then scored on Castillo's single. Ex-Astro Wily Taveras made a decent throw to the plate, but Pence scored easily. Castillo made it to second, and poor Willy T ended up credited with a throwing error for his troubles.
That brought Valverde to the mound with a two-run lead. The barrage of flaming fast balls continued, this time with pitches routinely hitting 98 and 99; at least one throw hit triple digits. Valverde allowed one hit, but struck out the side to secure the save, his 40th of the season. The last two batters went down on 6 straight strikes. The Rockies' broadcasters, very familiar with Valverde from his Dback days, can gripe all they want about his mound antics, fist pumping, and emotion. It's a lot less annoying when he's your guy who's throwing fire. I actually find Valverde reasonably restrained - he generally turns his back to the last batter before he starts celebrating with fist pumps and air crosses.
As great as Saturday night's game was, it was kind of a two-man show, with Oswalt's amazing pitching and Pence's game winning homer. I really love games like Sunday's, where lots of different players make a big contribution. Loretta was 3 for 4, with a double and pair of singles. Castillo was 3 for 3, all singles, his other 2 at-bats resulted in a walk and a sac fly. Erstad, Newhan, and Blum all had pinch-hit RBIs. There were 4 stolen bases, one each for Pence and Bourn, and two for Abercrombie.
The streak was broken, but the Astros came out with another series win. But the cost was high: Wiggington's injury may have him out 10 days - half of the rest of the season. Wandy's injured, and Backe now is skipping his Monday start due to arm soreness. Matsui is back from the DL but still not up to playing. In a rare bit of good news from the DL, Geary may be back for the next series.
And the end result? Still exactly where they were at the start of the series, since the Brewers are maintaining their 6 run lead in the Wild Card race. The Astros are having a terrific second half - now 32-16 since the All Star break - but there just isn't much time left. Now it's time to go back home to take on the Pirates in a 4-game series. The Bucs may be eliminated, but they've been a constant pain in the butt to the Astros this season. Hopefully, they'll think that the Astros are out of contention and play their September callups. Unfortunately, the Brewers are also playing an eliminated team.
Wednesday, September 3, 2008
GAMES 138-140 - September 1-3: Striking While it's Hot in September
September 1: Houston 3, Chicago 0
September 2: Houston 9, Chicago 7
September 3: Houston 4, Chicago 0
Quote of the Day: "Valverde got on his knees before the game and did the sign of the cross four times, begging me to go nine." (Randy Wolf, after going nine shutout innings)
I kept telling myself that I should go ahead and write that the Astros are out of the running for the playoffs this year. Although Houston's been dynamite since the All Star Break, up until this week, two other teams have been even better - and those two teams were right ahead of the Astros in the standings. I thought: Maybe August 1, I'll write that it's over. But it just goes against the grain for me to admit that the Astros are out before they are actually mathematically eliminated. This week's outcomes have postponed that occasion: Not only did the Astros sweep the Cubbies decisively, shutting them out for two of the games, they did it at the same time that the Wild Card-leading Brewers were also swept. In three days, the Astros picked up three games on both Chicago and Milwaukee. Since St Louis also had a losing week, the Astros also picked up ground on the Cards, who are now just one game ahead of them. So, with 8 wins in a row, and a 30-15 record since the All Star Break, the Astros are making a run for it. And until the numbers make that impossible, I'm cheering for them all the way.
What a series in Wrigley Field! Not quite as flamboyantly dramatic as the lightning storm that drove them off the field the last time they were in town, the Astros simply outplayed the first-place Cubs game after game. Two shutouts - with starting pitchers still on the mound in the ninth inning. One come-from-behind thriller. Good pitching, good-enough hitting, great fielding all added up to another sweep against a supposedly better team.
Monday's Labor Day afternoon game showcased Roy Oswalt at the absolute top of his game: Pitching into the ninth inning in a shutout, the Wizard only gave up 4 hits, all singles (2 of them in the ninth), and not a single walk. The Cubs were virtually helpless against him. That's two games in a row with 8 or more innings for Oswalt, who looks more and more like his old self as the season goes on. It's a thrill to watch him.
The handful of Astros runs in this game didn't come on the big homers that have fueled their offense recently. Jason Marquis kept them scoreless until the fourth, when Tejada led off with a triple to deep left that took a weird deflection off the ivy-covered wall and rolled almost back into the infield. After Berkman walked, Blum scored Tejada with a sac fly for the first run. Berkman made it to second on the throw to the plate, and then stole third, positioning him to score easily on Pence's RBI single. The same cast of characters figured in the Astros' third run in the eighth: Tejada singled, then moved up to third on Berkman's single. They both moved up a base - Tejada scoring - on a wild pitch with Blum at bat. That inning ended with Berkman stranded on third, when Pence (who had walked) made a poorly executed attempt at a steal. (With all his speed, addressing his lack of success stealing bases might be a good project for next season.) Pence did make a terrific catch in the bottom of the inning to make up for it.
Valverde came in with one out in the ninth after Oswalt had let put two on with a pair of singles. No messing around this time, even though the Astros had a 3-run lead; he shut them down for his 38th save.
Tuesday night's game was a whole different story. Backe gave up a trio of solo homers in his 4 1/3 innings. He was pulled with runners on the corners and one out in the fifth. Nieve - just up from Round Rock in the September expansion - induced a double play to end the threat. Meanwhile, the Astros had pieced together odds and ends of hits, steals, walks, and RBI ground outs to eke out three runs to keep the game tied up at 3-3.
Things got a lot more interesting in the sixth, when Cubs' starter Zambrano was suddenly replaced without explanation. Pence led off with a triple, then scored on Newhan's RBI single. Quintero reached on an infield single and Abercrombie (pinchhitting for Nieve) walked to load the bases with no outs. Bourn singled to score Newhand and Q. Then Wiggington walked to fill them up again. Tejada grounded into a double play, but Abercrombie scored, the fourth run of the inning. Berkman grounded out to end the fun, with the Astros ahead 7-3. Unfortunately, the Cubs ended the fun more decisively in the bottom of the inning when Brydak gave up a walk and then a pair of doubles, scoring two. Sampson, coming in to rescue him, gave up a single to score the third of Byrdak's batters. The inning ended with the Astros only one run ahead, 7-6. The Cubs erased that lead also, as Jim Edmonds hit a solo homer against Brocail in the seventh to tie it up. Brocail got into trouble in the eighth as well, loading the bases with one out before getting the double play to end the threat.
The Astros didn't have any luck in the eighth and ninth agaist Carlos Marmol, so it went to the bottom of the ninth in a tie game. Wesley Wright pitched a scoreless ninth - and then tenth - as the game went into extra innings, tied at 7-7. The Astros didn't have any luck against Cubs closer Kerry Woods in the tenth, but the eleventh was a different story. Berkman walked, and then Blum knocked his first pitch over the fence in right to give the Astros a two-run lead. Valverde insisted that he wanted the ball, so Coop gave it to him - he threw a scoreless inning to notch his 39th save, and to allow the Astros to extend their streak to seven games.
What was nice about this game was how democratic it was: Pence had 4 hits, and Tejada, Newhan, and Quintero each had a pair. Newhan is a fill-in for the injured Matsui. Blum, who's getting a lot of time at third now that Wiggington is covering for Lee in left field, hit the winning homer. Backe didn't have a great start but he didn't blow it either. Aside from Nieve (who was credited for 2/3 of an inning on 2 pitches), none of the six relievers was lights-out, but they kept the Astros in the game, and Wright got the win. The pitchers were helped out by four double plays. A real team effort.
Wednesday night was a rerun of Monday's game. This time it was Randy Wolf who shut down the Cubs, inning after inning. Wolf already had 117 pitches after 8 innings, so it was kind of a surprise to see him come up to bat in the ninth inning. But Valverde had pitched almost every game in the past week, so Cooper let Wolf take it to the end. He only needed another 11 pitches to finish off the Cubs with a shutout win - and a sweep of the Cubs in their den.
The Astros' first run, in the second inning, came from the bottom of the order. Pence hit a two-out single - but stretched it into a double, Newhan walked, and Q singled, scoring Pence from second. That one run stood alone until the fifth inning, when Bourn got a two-out single, and then Wiggington slammed a two-run homer into left center field, giving the Astros a 3-0 lead. That home run was no mean feat, considering that the Cubs' broadcasters spent much of the game talking about how hard the wind was blowing in towards the plate. They were pretty certain, right up until Wiggy hit that blast, that there wouldn't be any home runs in this game. The Astros manufactured a fourth run in the ninth: Newhan led off by beating out a bunt single. Q and Wolf made two quick outs. Bourn's single to center moved Newhan to third. Then came a very odd play: With Wiggington at the plate, Bourn attempted to steal second. The Cubs' infielders were just about to tag him out when Newhan broke for the plate. Newhan beat the throw to score, credited with stealing home. Bourn scrambled safely to second. Wiggington popped out to end the inning, but the Astros got another run - and a 4-0 lead - out of it.
His home run was not Wiggington's only heroic contribution to this game; he also made a terrific outfield assist, nailing a runner attempting to score with more than a little help from Quintero, who made the out with a sweeping tag across the runner's back.
All in all, a fantastic series, as the Astros are sucking in the naysayers into daring to hope for miracles. The miracle won't be the Astros having a great finish though - they have done that before, and could very well do that again. The miracle will be the simultaneous meltdown - with only three weeks left in the season - of the Brewers, the Phillies, and the Cards - all of whom are ahead of Houston in the wild card race. But, hey - I believe in miracles! Don't you?
September 2: Houston 9, Chicago 7
September 3: Houston 4, Chicago 0
Quote of the Day: "Valverde got on his knees before the game and did the sign of the cross four times, begging me to go nine." (Randy Wolf, after going nine shutout innings)
I kept telling myself that I should go ahead and write that the Astros are out of the running for the playoffs this year. Although Houston's been dynamite since the All Star Break, up until this week, two other teams have been even better - and those two teams were right ahead of the Astros in the standings. I thought: Maybe August 1, I'll write that it's over. But it just goes against the grain for me to admit that the Astros are out before they are actually mathematically eliminated. This week's outcomes have postponed that occasion: Not only did the Astros sweep the Cubbies decisively, shutting them out for two of the games, they did it at the same time that the Wild Card-leading Brewers were also swept. In three days, the Astros picked up three games on both Chicago and Milwaukee. Since St Louis also had a losing week, the Astros also picked up ground on the Cards, who are now just one game ahead of them. So, with 8 wins in a row, and a 30-15 record since the All Star Break, the Astros are making a run for it. And until the numbers make that impossible, I'm cheering for them all the way.
What a series in Wrigley Field! Not quite as flamboyantly dramatic as the lightning storm that drove them off the field the last time they were in town, the Astros simply outplayed the first-place Cubs game after game. Two shutouts - with starting pitchers still on the mound in the ninth inning. One come-from-behind thriller. Good pitching, good-enough hitting, great fielding all added up to another sweep against a supposedly better team.
Monday's Labor Day afternoon game showcased Roy Oswalt at the absolute top of his game: Pitching into the ninth inning in a shutout, the Wizard only gave up 4 hits, all singles (2 of them in the ninth), and not a single walk. The Cubs were virtually helpless against him. That's two games in a row with 8 or more innings for Oswalt, who looks more and more like his old self as the season goes on. It's a thrill to watch him.
The handful of Astros runs in this game didn't come on the big homers that have fueled their offense recently. Jason Marquis kept them scoreless until the fourth, when Tejada led off with a triple to deep left that took a weird deflection off the ivy-covered wall and rolled almost back into the infield. After Berkman walked, Blum scored Tejada with a sac fly for the first run. Berkman made it to second on the throw to the plate, and then stole third, positioning him to score easily on Pence's RBI single. The same cast of characters figured in the Astros' third run in the eighth: Tejada singled, then moved up to third on Berkman's single. They both moved up a base - Tejada scoring - on a wild pitch with Blum at bat. That inning ended with Berkman stranded on third, when Pence (who had walked) made a poorly executed attempt at a steal. (With all his speed, addressing his lack of success stealing bases might be a good project for next season.) Pence did make a terrific catch in the bottom of the inning to make up for it.
Valverde came in with one out in the ninth after Oswalt had let put two on with a pair of singles. No messing around this time, even though the Astros had a 3-run lead; he shut them down for his 38th save.
Tuesday night's game was a whole different story. Backe gave up a trio of solo homers in his 4 1/3 innings. He was pulled with runners on the corners and one out in the fifth. Nieve - just up from Round Rock in the September expansion - induced a double play to end the threat. Meanwhile, the Astros had pieced together odds and ends of hits, steals, walks, and RBI ground outs to eke out three runs to keep the game tied up at 3-3.
Things got a lot more interesting in the sixth, when Cubs' starter Zambrano was suddenly replaced without explanation. Pence led off with a triple, then scored on Newhan's RBI single. Quintero reached on an infield single and Abercrombie (pinchhitting for Nieve) walked to load the bases with no outs. Bourn singled to score Newhand and Q. Then Wiggington walked to fill them up again. Tejada grounded into a double play, but Abercrombie scored, the fourth run of the inning. Berkman grounded out to end the fun, with the Astros ahead 7-3. Unfortunately, the Cubs ended the fun more decisively in the bottom of the inning when Brydak gave up a walk and then a pair of doubles, scoring two. Sampson, coming in to rescue him, gave up a single to score the third of Byrdak's batters. The inning ended with the Astros only one run ahead, 7-6. The Cubs erased that lead also, as Jim Edmonds hit a solo homer against Brocail in the seventh to tie it up. Brocail got into trouble in the eighth as well, loading the bases with one out before getting the double play to end the threat.
The Astros didn't have any luck in the eighth and ninth agaist Carlos Marmol, so it went to the bottom of the ninth in a tie game. Wesley Wright pitched a scoreless ninth - and then tenth - as the game went into extra innings, tied at 7-7. The Astros didn't have any luck against Cubs closer Kerry Woods in the tenth, but the eleventh was a different story. Berkman walked, and then Blum knocked his first pitch over the fence in right to give the Astros a two-run lead. Valverde insisted that he wanted the ball, so Coop gave it to him - he threw a scoreless inning to notch his 39th save, and to allow the Astros to extend their streak to seven games.
What was nice about this game was how democratic it was: Pence had 4 hits, and Tejada, Newhan, and Quintero each had a pair. Newhan is a fill-in for the injured Matsui. Blum, who's getting a lot of time at third now that Wiggington is covering for Lee in left field, hit the winning homer. Backe didn't have a great start but he didn't blow it either. Aside from Nieve (who was credited for 2/3 of an inning on 2 pitches), none of the six relievers was lights-out, but they kept the Astros in the game, and Wright got the win. The pitchers were helped out by four double plays. A real team effort.
Wednesday night was a rerun of Monday's game. This time it was Randy Wolf who shut down the Cubs, inning after inning. Wolf already had 117 pitches after 8 innings, so it was kind of a surprise to see him come up to bat in the ninth inning. But Valverde had pitched almost every game in the past week, so Cooper let Wolf take it to the end. He only needed another 11 pitches to finish off the Cubs with a shutout win - and a sweep of the Cubs in their den.
The Astros' first run, in the second inning, came from the bottom of the order. Pence hit a two-out single - but stretched it into a double, Newhan walked, and Q singled, scoring Pence from second. That one run stood alone until the fifth inning, when Bourn got a two-out single, and then Wiggington slammed a two-run homer into left center field, giving the Astros a 3-0 lead. That home run was no mean feat, considering that the Cubs' broadcasters spent much of the game talking about how hard the wind was blowing in towards the plate. They were pretty certain, right up until Wiggy hit that blast, that there wouldn't be any home runs in this game. The Astros manufactured a fourth run in the ninth: Newhan led off by beating out a bunt single. Q and Wolf made two quick outs. Bourn's single to center moved Newhan to third. Then came a very odd play: With Wiggington at the plate, Bourn attempted to steal second. The Cubs' infielders were just about to tag him out when Newhan broke for the plate. Newhan beat the throw to score, credited with stealing home. Bourn scrambled safely to second. Wiggington popped out to end the inning, but the Astros got another run - and a 4-0 lead - out of it.
His home run was not Wiggington's only heroic contribution to this game; he also made a terrific outfield assist, nailing a runner attempting to score with more than a little help from Quintero, who made the out with a sweeping tag across the runner's back.
All in all, a fantastic series, as the Astros are sucking in the naysayers into daring to hope for miracles. The miracle won't be the Astros having a great finish though - they have done that before, and could very well do that again. The miracle will be the simultaneous meltdown - with only three weeks left in the season - of the Brewers, the Phillies, and the Cards - all of whom are ahead of Houston in the wild card race. But, hey - I believe in miracles! Don't you?
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