The last series before THE VOID, well for the Astros at least. It seems like only yesterday it was the first day of Spring Training and visions of 90 win seasons still danced in our heads. A few hits, a few runs, a disgruntled number one pitcher, an overused, oft-injured bullpen, and one manager later, and even 80 wins are already out of reach. The last road trip of the year finds the hometown nine slinking into New York City (get a rope!) with their collective tails between their legs. The Mets must sweep this series to win 70 games this season, not quite fulfilling their Spring Training hopes, either.
Friday, October 2 6:10 p.m.
Wandy Rodriguez, LHP (14-11, 2.97) vs John Maine, RHP (6-6, 4.72)
Wandy has been a pleasant surprise for me this year. He has pitched much better than his 14-11 record would indicate–just look at that 2.97 ERA. Before the season began, if I had been told that he would have an ERA under 3 going into the last series of the season, I would have been estatic. It has been a year of milestones for Wandy with career highs for wins (14), starts (31), innings pitched (199 2/3) and strikeouts (190) leading into his last start of the year. Wandy has had considerable trouble against Beltran, Schneider and Francoeur in his career and he faces them in Citi Park for the first time. Maine missed a good chunk of the season with a gimpy right shoulder, and recently returned to the rotation to post a 1-2 record for the month of September. Current Astros are hitting .317 against him in a total of 67 ABs.
Saturday, October 3, 12:10 p.m.
Yorman Bazardo, RHP (1-2, 8.23) vs Pat Misch, LHP (2-4, 4.71)
Bazardo pitched lights out against the Phillies on Monday, his first major league win since September 2007. He has very little experience against the Metropolitans–the only Stem to face him is David Wright who is 2 for 2 with 2 RBI. Misch pitched only the second complete game of the year for the Mets in his last start on Sunday, when he pitched an 8 hit shoutout. No current Astro has had more than 6 PA vs Misch, and only two have extra base hits against him.
Sunday, October 4, 12:10 p.m.
Wilton Lopez, RHP (0-1, 9.42) vs. The Dreaded TBA
Can’t say much about Wilton Lopez other than this is his second major league start. Wiltonspent most of his season at Double-A Corpus Christi going 4-5 with a 4.73 ERA, including a 3-5 record with a 3.91 ERA as a starter. He started on Tuesday against the Phillies and the only thing I can remember is the grand slam he gave up to Pedro Feliz. Can’t say anything about his opponent, because TBA is such a chameleonic SOB.
Who is hurt?
More like who isn’t hurt. And if you had listed everyone who spent time on the DL between these two teams during the season, this preview wouldn’t be able to hold it.
| Houston Astros | ||||||||
| Updated | Player | Pos | Injury | Expected Return | ||||
| 09/22/09 | Alberto Arias | RP | Hamstring | 15-day DL. Out for the season | ||||
| 10/02/09 | Carlos N. Lee | LF | Hand | Questionable for Oct. 2-4 series at N.Y. Mets | ||||
| 10/01/09 | Chad Paronto | RP | Hamstring | Questionable for Oct. 2-4 series at N.Y. Mets | ||||
| 09/08/09 | Mike Hampton | SP | Shoulder, knees | 60-day DL. Out for the season | ||||
| 09/27/09 | Roy Oswalt | SP | Back | 15-day DL. Out for the season | ||||
| 09/16/09 | Billy Sadler | RP | Undisclosed | 60-day DL. Out for the season | ||||
| New York Mets | ||||||||
| Updated | Player | Pos | Injury | Expected Return | ||||
| 09/01/09 | Ramon E. Martinez | SS | Finger | 60-day DL. Out for the season | ||||
| 08/26/09 | Johan Santana | SP | Elbow | 15-day DL. Out for the season | ||||
| 09/08/09 | Alex Cora | SS | Thumb | 60-day DL. Out for the season | ||||
| 09/21/09 | Carlos Delgado | 1B | Hip, oblique | 60-day DL. Out for the season | ||||
| 09/27/09 | Fernando Martinez | RF | Knee | 60-day DL. Out for the season | ||||
| 09/10/09 | Fernando Nieve | RP | Quadriceps | 60-day DL. Out for the season | ||||
| 09/29/09 | Oliver Perez | SP | Knee | 60-day DL. Out for the season | ||||
| 09/28/09 | Jose B. Reyes | SS | Hamstring | 15-day DL. Out for the season | ||||
| 08/06/09 | Jonathon Niese | SP | Hamstring | 60-day DL. Out for the season | ||||
| 08/25/09 | J.J. Putz | RP | Elbow | 60-day DL. Out for the season | ||||
Giveaways
- Trick or Treat! Smell my feet! Give me something good to eat!
The Mets get into the holiday spirit early, with trick or treat bags that celebrate 60 years for the Peanuts gang. Come to think of it, the Astros have played quite a bit like Charlie Brown’s hapless team this year…….
The “official” roster of Charlie Brown’s team:
Pitcher and Manager: Charlie Brown
Catcher: Schroeder
1st Base: Shermy
2nd Base: Linus or Pig-Pen
3rd Base: Pig-Pen
Shortstop: Snoopy
Left Field: Patty or Rerun
Center Field: Frieda
Right Field: Lucy
*Over the years there were occasional changes to the
lineup, in fact in the early days, Shermy pitched
and Charlie Brown was found catching or in the outfield.
Just a few closing remarks
I hate to see the end of the baseball season. I miss being able to catch a game almost any night of the week, and hearing the announcer “And he goes into the windup, and here’s the pitch……” I will miss the sound of the bat on the ball, and the call of the umpire “SAFE!!” as the runner slides into the plate on a perfectly executed squeeze play. And it is not just the major league game that I miss. I have put three sons through Little League and I am sad to report that the third one just informed us last night that he didn’t think he wanted to play baseball anymore. Next year will be my first year in 11 years not to have a son in Little League. My second son is unsure if he wants to try out for the JV team this coming season. He likes baseball just fine, however basketball is his passion. Hope does spring eternal though, the youngest will be able to start playing in a year if he chooses to, and the circle will begin again.