A frustrating day made infuriating by the groveling of the two slapdicks McCarver and Buck on the FOX broadcast.
These are the types of goons who take special time to pause when one of them uses a fairly typical word, “aplomb” was the word these two infants chose to highlight.
The Astros got two runners on in each of the 1st 3 innings, but couldn’t score a run. The Cardinal pitcher Wainwright couldn’t get the ball over the plate but the Astros couldn’t center the slop when it counted. In the first Matsui, working a lead off walk, got called out stealing 2nd when he beat the tag. Lee missed a hanging curve with 2 on. In the 2nd, Matsui was unable to come through with runners 2nd and 3rd and two outs. Tejada and Blum left 2 runners on with only 1 out in the 3rd.
The Cardinals produced a run in the 3rd with lead off singles, a sac bunt and a roller to short.
Oswalt was pitching pretty good, he had decent command on the fastball and the small curve. Wainwright’s control was awful, and painful to watch, yet in the 5th McCarver pronounced the game, “ a good pitching matchup”. The FOX “anal cyst” listed Oswalt as having a “frail frame”. This after reminding us that Oswalt has the most wins of any starter since 2001. Yet Roy can be counted on to have a “frail frame”, also known as the “Oswalt Inning” once every game.
This game it was the bottom of the 5th. Bases loaded, one out, a run had already scored, and Pujols coming to bat. In the bottom of the 1st with one on, one out, Pujols came to bat. In that ab Roy threw the fastball in the dirt and the tight curve away on the corner. Pujols jumped out and shot a curve down the line to the left field wall just foul. Next pitch fastball knocked him back sharply. Then Roy came back with the curve on the outside. Pujols reached, but not as quickly this time, and lined out to 3rd, starting a double play back to first.
This at bat Roy just threw a thigh high 93 mph fastball right down the middle. Pujols hit it out.
After that the Astros quit and spent the rest of the game yelling at the home plate ump.