Sunday, May 17, 2009

Astros 6
FTC 5

W: Moehler (1-2) | L: Harden (4-2) | S: Sampson (1)

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The Astros shook off a shitty Saturday loss, put some runs together and held the FTCs off just enough to get the fuck out of Chicago with a rain-shortened split. There were a few milestones on the day:

► Pudge hit his 300th home run of his career, a 2-run job into the pukebasket in left center. On cue, dumbass FTCfan tossed the ball back instead of holding out for a keg of Old Style.

► Brian Moehler got his first win of the season, tossing a gutty 5 innings. Coop somehow resisted the urge to pull him after giving up 2 runs with no out in the 3rd.

► Chris Sampson got the first save of his career, going 1.2 and taking about 6-8 months off my life in the process.

After giving up 2 in the bottom of the 3rd and with runners on 2nd and 3rd, Moehler got the next 3 FTCs out, helped immensely by PENCE!!! and a diving/sliding catch on a high Soto fly ball.

Prior to Pudge’s bomb in the 4th, doubles by Berkman and Miggy and a single by Blum had already plated 2 to knot things. #300 put the Good Guys up by 2.

In the bottom of the 5th, Derrick Lee got under a meaty Moehler change and hit a high fly to left, just fair and just into the drunk tank. 4-3 Astros.

Top 7 with the top of the order up, sweet Lou pulled Harden in favor of Jose Ascanio. 2 pitches, 2 plunks. 3 pitches later, Twinkie pokes a sharp single to right scoring Kaz. Next pitch, wild, scoring Bourn. 6 pitches, 2 runs, 6-3 Astros.

Byrdak, Arias and Sampson covered 6, 7 and 8 and with Hawk unavailable with a “hip problem”, Sampson entered the 9th to lock it down. After 1 quick out, Sampson challenged Soriano and the fucker blasted one into left to make it 6-4. Theriot lined the next pitch to Miggy’s right and he stabbed it for the 2nd out. 3 straight singles got the Cubs within 1 and left runners on 1st and 2nd for Soto, 4-10 with a HR against Sampson. He worked the count full, sending the runners, then lined a rocket shot right to the glove of Keppinger at 3rd, who came in on a double switch in the 8th. Do yourself a favor and watch the video link of Kepp’s catch on Alyson’s recap page to see the FTC’s TV guys go all limp.

Great game. Enjoyed the heck out of it. Fuck the Cubs!

Off day Monday then 3 vs. the Brewers. Bush @ Hampton on Tuesday.

Thursday, May 14, 2009

Astros 5
Rockies 3

W: Wandy (4-2) | L: Hammel (0-2) | Hawkins (5)

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There’s no more “Home Wandy” and “Road Wandy”, there’s just “Wandy”. He brought his sub-2.00 ERA into thin air today and confounded an offense that had put up 23 runs in the previous 2 games. Meanwhile, Michael Bourn has convinced at least some that he is a legit top-of-the-order threat with an electric performance at the plate, on the bases and in the field. Oh, yeah, the Astros won 5-3.

In a wild top of the 1st, Garett Atkins must have wondered why he got out of bed. 2 straight bunts his direction by Matsui and Bourn led to 1st and 3nd with no outs. Matsui’s was a tough play and Atkins threw wide of 1st to allow Kaz to reach 2nd. Bourn’s was nearly identical to Kaz and he reached easily. Twinkie up and JD suggested he lay down another one towards 3rd. Instead, he hit a sharp grounder to Atkins who bobbled, then threw too late to 1st to get Lance and Kaz scored. E5. Lee served up what looked like a double play ball to Barmes who got it to Stewart to get Lance but his throw to 1st pulled Helton off the bag and there’s 1st and 3rd with 1 out. With a full count on Miggy, he Kd swinging while Lee fired the afterburners towards 2nd. The throw was late and Stewart had no chance to get Bourn racing home on the double steal. 2-0 Astros. PENCE!!! then drilled a sharp single to center and Lee rounded 3rd and chugged home ahead of the throw while Hunter strolled into 2nd. The inning ended on Pudge’s bat-slinging K.

The Good Guys spotted Wandy 3 and he ran with it. He did a great job of spotting his pitches, including his bender and ended up striking out 11, the most in his career as Wandy. Michael Bourn went 4 for 5 with 2 steals and 2 runs scored, including a run on a Tejada sac fly in the 3rd to give the Astros a 4-0 lead. They almost added one more on a double to the wall by Beaker with Lee on 1st. Kabong! chugged and chugged and made it in time but a great job of blocking the plate by Torrealba got him. Tests showed that overall oxygen levels in the immediate area dropped 6.7% as Lee tried to catch his breath.

Wandy had his trouble, though. In the 4th, he fielded a bunt by Barmes and made a good throw to Berkman that skiped off his glove and rolled to the wall along the RF line. 3 base error. Seemingly rattled, Wandy gave up a double(?) to Helton to get the Rox on the board. Then after a visit to the mound by Dewey, Wandy got a K from Murton but then gave up an RBI double to Hawpe over the head of Bourn, 4-2 now with 1 on and 1 out. Next, and RBI single by Atkins scored Hawpe but Atkins got greedy and Pudge gunned him at 2nd. A Torrealba K stopped the bleeding with the score at a tight 4-3 Astros.

Wandy shook that off and cruised another 3 perfect, including a strikeout of the side in the 5th. Coop yanked him after 7 and 113 pitches. Lee gave the boys a bit of a cushion with a solo jack, first pitch crushed to left. 5-3 Astros. Sampson pitched a perfect 8th, then Hawk came in to finish it up. Despite a 2-out walk to bring up the tying run, LaTroy got the game-ending K from Hawpe and the Astros got the road series victory.

The fucking, fuckity-fuck, Fuck-The-Cubs are next with 3 straight day tests in front of the drunks. Fuck ’em!

Craig’s Series Preview
Talk Zone.

Sunday, May 3, 2009

Astros 7
Braves 5

W: Geary (1-3) | L: Moylan (1-2) | S: Hawkins (3)

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It was an exciting game to watch, although I kept being interrupted. See, I was preparing myself for one of those tests men have to get after they turn 50 so my attention span was less than what’s required to watch a baseball game. I did, however, see some gutty performances, real intestinal fortitude by the entire crew today as they took game three 7-5 and a road series win from the Braves.

Wandy continued to pitch well on the road, though Coop wouldn’t let him return for the 6th after giving up 1 run in the 4th and 2 in the 5th. In the 4th, things could have been worse for Wandy were it not for a nifty Lee/Tejada/Pudge relay to nail Francouer at the plate trying to score on a double by Prado. In the 5th, a walk, single, sac bunt and intentional walk loaded the bases. With Francouer up, Wandy turned his foot on the rubber to prepare his delivery then stopped and stepped back, with no apparent deception. “That’s a BALK!!!” bellowed from Phil Cuzzi’s piehole as the runners rotated and the go ahead run scored. JD summed the balk rule up as “institutional stupidity.” A sac fly on the next pitch scored Infante to put the Braves up by 2. Wandy got out of both the 4th and 5th innings with Ks.

Matsui’s lead-off double led to the Astros 1st run on the 1st on a sac bunt by Bourn and a sac fly by Berkman. After the Braves 5th gave then a 3-1 lead, the Astros strung together 4 straight singles from Bourn, Berkman, Lee and Tejada to tie it up, then a sac fly by Pudge put the Astros up again.

The lead was short-lived as a bottom 6 leadoff triple led to another game-tying run for the Braves. But timely hitting and baserunning in the top of 7th netted 2 more for the Astros that put the up for good. The depleted bullpen hung on with Fulchino, Wright and Geary handling the 6th and 7th and giving up a run in each.

Brocail came out for the 8th and made a nice play covering 1st to get the 1st batter of the inning but came down on the bag awkwardly and ended up in a heap. Strained hamstring is the diagnosis and he’s expected to hit the DL again soon. Ortiz stepped up and got the second out but walked 2 and Coop brought in Hawkins to finish the 8th with a K of Francouer. LaTroy got a ground out and 2 Ks to earn his 3rd save of the season.

Up to DC for 2 with the Nats. Moehler expected to start vs. Lannan.

Wednesday, April 29, 2009

Astros 0
Reds 3

W: Volquez (3-2) | L: Paulino (0-2) | S: Cordero (7)
HR: Non

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Even I know you don’t sit Berkman in Cincinnati. For some reason, Coop didn’t know this and the packed seats at Great American got to see their Pedro clone toss 8 scoreless and for a brief moment, forget how bad their team gets punked in their own house. The Good Guys could only scrape out 1 hit on the wily righty Volquez and while he didn’t go the distance, it didn’t matter to the Astros lineup. A perfect 9th by Cordero finished them off and they left Cincinnati with a series win but a 3-0 loss.

It’s a shame the bats couldn’t get it together because Felipe Paulino pitched well himself, holding the Reds to 2 runs until running out of steam with 2 outs in the 6th. He was aided early by some fine defensive play in CF as Bourn made a few stellar plays among his 6 put-outs through the first 4 innings. A triple/single in the 5th got the Dicketies on the board, then a single and sac bunt had Reds on 2nd and 3rd with one out but Paulino got a ground ball to Blum who gunned the runner at home and then a strike out to Hairston to clean up the mess.

More mess in the 6th as a Votto routine fly ball to LCF, tracked and called for by Bourn, bounced off of Carlos Lee’s glove in a classic miscommunication play. The error was given to Bourn after Votto cruised into 2nd. A K then a ground out moved Votto over to 3rd for Laynce Nix whose single on the infield to Tejada brought the unearned run home. A 4-pitch walk to the next batter ended Paulino’s night.

Sampson finished the 6th with a K and shared the scoreless 7th with Byrdak. With 2 out in the top of the 8th, pinch hitter Jason Michaels (2-3 career vs. Volquez) worked a walk and Coop finally decided that maybe this Berkman guy could hit. Lance hit a liner but right at the diving Jay Bruce in RF to end the inning.

Brocail entered the 8th to keep the score in reach and gave up a single and 2 walks to promptly load ’em up. A sac fly scored the Reds 3rd run, effectively ending it.

11-game winning streak at GAB snapped and 3 more on the road at Atlanta after an off-day. Vent your Cooper frustrations in the Talk Zone ya’ll!

Thursday, April 23, 2009

Dodgers 2
Astros NIL

W: Billingsley (4-0) | L: Wandy (1-2) | S: Broxton (5)
HR: NIL

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Wandy pitched another gem. 6 innings, 1 run. The Astros line up was controlled by Billingsley for 7+ innings and wasn’t able to muster a run as the lone Dodgers score in the 1st held up and the Good Guys dropped the series finale 2-0.

Berkman’s struggles at the plate are maddening. 3 times up with men on, 2 Ks and a GIDP. Miggy was tested tonight in the field and had a rough go of it. A grounder off of his glove diving to his right in the 7th turned into the Dodgers insurance run. But his double in the 1st was as far as any Astros got against Billingsley who snuffed all threats with an efficient mix of pitches that induced either a K or ground ball outs.

Torre pulled Billingsley at the 1st hint of trouble. With 1 out in the 8th, Bourn reached on an infield single and Broxton was brought in to close it out. Pence lined to short and Kaz grounded to 1st to end the 8th.

Bottom 9 was wacky. Miggy singled followed by 2 quick Ks of Berkman and Lee. Then Blum was (was not) hit in the foot by a pitch, bringing the winning run to the dish in Erstad. First pitch to him bounced 3 feet in front of the plate, off C Martin and over towards the Astros dugout, moving the tying runners into scoring position. Erstad swung at the next 3 pitches, a nasty curve and 2 filthy sliders, connecting on the second and sending it bouncing lazily to Loney at 1st who ended it unassisted.

Bud’s Bunch roll into town for the weekend on a 2-gamer. Gallardo vs. Paulino tomorrow, first pitch 7:05.

Sunday, April 19, 2009

Reds 4
Astros 2

W: Volquez (2-1) | L: Geary (0-1) | S: Cordero (4)
HR: Nada

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Felipe Paulino’s 4th major league start was a beaut. Too bad the bullpen took a dump and the offense fell back into lethargy. This one was extra frustrating with baserunning gaffes, fucked up calls and GWRBI doubles by pinch-hitting pitchers.

Paulino worked efficiently with heat and breaks, throwing 97 pitches through 6 innings with 6 Ks, 2 walks and 3 hits. Lance Nix was able to tag him twice, although the double to the gap in left center in the second was almost snagged by Bourne.

Volquez walked 5 Astros and twice they had the bases loaded with 1 out. In the 3rd, the Astros first and only run off Volquez came on a Miggy single that score the jackrabbit Bourn from 1st. Another hit by Twinkie and a walk to Lee packed ’em but PENCE!!! whiffed and Blum popped out to 2rd.

In the second 1-out, bases loaded shituation, a ground ball by Blum to 2B Phillips caught Pence in a brain fart. He ran past and successfully avoided the tag as Phillips gunned to 1st for the out. Country Joe saw it a bit differently and called Pence out and the inning was over.

The bullpen was called on to protect a 1-0 lead after Paulino battled for 6. Byrdak walked the 1st Dickety and Coop saw enough of him. Geary came in and gave up a hit and a throwing error to lose the lead. Then mighty Micah Owings – RHP stepped to the plate.

They mounted a few unsuccessful comebacks and dropped the game 4-2. One more against these fuckers tomorrow to salvage a split. Arroyo vs. Hampton.