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.