tigers 4, astros 5
my apologies in advance. this recap is in no way going to even come close to doing justice to the game that the astros played on saturday against the tigers.
because that game? that game we played? that game right there? was the sparkly little gem that you hope to see at this point in the season. one of those all too rare games, when all the little pieces and fragments come together and fit just as they are supposed to, with the end result being great baseball.
bright and shiny
ladies and gentleman, introducing your 2009 houston astros – now with MORE! winning series, IMPROVED! pitching and BETTER! division standing – the same great team you’ve come to love, with an all NEW! look
that’s taking it too far, sure. and the astros have looked less than superb at times lately. but the suck hasn’t become an epidemic. in fact, it hasn’t even become a trend. there seems to be more of a sense of balance to these games – even the ones that are lost.
for instance, when the team has made some pretty silly mistakes defensively (see berkman, lance) they are doing a much better job of making up for it offensively (see puma, the).
tejada continues to be hotter than your local heat advisory, and michael bourn is burning (and increasing his obp) for you. berkman’s looking more like berkman. pence!!! is a golden god. there seems to be an eye toward fixing the pitching situation (please see a fired-up brandon backe for more details) and more and more, you are seeing the bench is starting to come through for this team in some big situations.
rose colored glasses
could be the heat talking. could be the eternal optimist in me. could be the a-a-a-a-a-alcohol. but i like this team. i do. they aren’t the prettiest looking on paper. they aren’t causing the teams ahead of them in the division to lose any sleep. but they are trying to show some scrap, and dangit, that’s what i expect from this team.
cooper? i’m over it. he’s of no concern to me any longer. i’m also not worried about what does or doesn’t happen with the players that we likely won’t see after this season. a trade? sure – why not? no moves made until the astros are mathematically eliminated? another lovely choice. i’m with you.
only, keep playing the fire-in-the-belly baseball. lose a game. lose a series. but play the remaining ones with heart. with passion. with intensity.
it’s been one dry season. saturday found the astros en fuego. may it spread as far and wide as possible before the all-star break.
actual game info
please see the GameZone