Another fine performance
So let’s get this straight. In the last month, the ‘stros have lost Berkman, Oswalt, Erstad, and now Wandy to injury, Ortiz and Hampton to a black hole of suck so inescapable and so powerful it was probably created by Michael Bay, and the reinforcements are a cadre of rookie pitchers, a guy with a bum heart, and The World’s Angriest 42-Year Old Setup Man, despite the fact that the entire Pirates roster could’ve been had for Eli Iorg’s corpse and a jumbo pack of Fruit By The Foot? Fan-tastic.
At Busch last night, Mr. Cooper’s Little Leaguers managed to injure themselves (Wandy), get ejected (Bourn), and generally screw things up (Michaels) just like a bunch of little kids. When your ray of sunshine is Q getting three hits off of Chris Carpenter, you’re really stretching. Matt Holliday and Julio Lugo delivered clutch hits for the C0-Ards like it was 2004, since you can have great production if you’re a midseason acquisition by the Redbirds even if you’re a hack like Preston Wilson. Holliday in particular was temple-pounding frustration incarnate last night; after spending all season looking like Billy Beane’s worst idea since the whole movie thing, he’s turned into Roy Hobbs. Just grand.
Now firmly under. 500 again, the Good Guys’ annual late season heroics seem especially unlikely now. No word yet on Wandy’s status for his next start, but if he’s out any extended period of time, we’re really going to wish that new homes could’ve been found for Valverde and/or Tejada at the trade deadline.
Well, let’s all drink until the inevitable Cubs collapse in the NLCS. Then we’ll really start drinking.