Thursday, June 10, 2010

Astros 5
Rockies 4

W: Oswalt | L: Chacin (Rockies variety)

Astros.com
Gamezone

This one was pretty exciting. As is usual for a Thursday day game, glimpses are all I can hope for and I only stole a few. As is also usual, I will not attempt to “recap” the game, but provide a few nuggets, factoids, bites, bits and morsels to ponder:

► Roy pitched like Roy, but was pulled after 7 and 96 pitches. Though I haven’t searched thoroughly, I haven’t seen anything that explains why he didn’t go further.

► Bourn showed his mortality in the field with a lapse of sorts. He let Todd Helton go 1st to 3rd with a lacking effort coming in on a Tulowitski single to center. The result of the mess was 2nd and 3rd and both runners eventually scored, Tulo on a sac fly to shallow center that was not one of Michael’s better throws.

► Q is mashing. 3 for 4 with a HR today has upped his season AVG to .268 and for June to .417. He’s slugging .792 for the month.

► Manzella drove in 3 of the 5 Astros runs, 2 on a bases-loaded soft flare to center in the 6th to give the Astros the 3-run lead they needed because…

► In a wild 8th and up by 3, Wilton Lopez face 3 batters and gave up three singles and a run before being pulled. Chacin came in and K’d Hawpe but gave up another single to load ’em up with one out. On comes Daigle to face Oliva who grounded to 3rd but the DP was not to be and another run crossed. Daigle stayed in to face Giambi, the no longer juiced-up feared hitter he was but still a threat, he flied out to center and the lead remained.

► Mills put Lyon in for this save situation. Like pulling Oswalt, not sure why but it worked. 1-2-3.

June has really been good to the Astros. 8 wins in 10 days, with the offense showing signs of promise.

Alright, I’ve already taken up too much of your time because the Astros are going to NYC this weekend and you really, REALLY should be reading this.

Monday, June 8th, 2010

Astros 1
Rox 5

W: Hammel | L: Wandy

Astros.com
Gamezone

Switching between this test and Bud’s fugly mug to check on the draft, it was clear from the start that the air and the sheer expanse of Coors had the Astros a bit on their heels. The most trouble Wandy had was early, topped by a Barmes double off the wall in left (creatively played by Carlos) that led to the 2 runs scored in that frame. After 1 more given up in the 3rd, Wandy kicked back and held the Rox down through the 7th.

The bigger problem is the one this team has had all season, silent bats. Jason Hammel scattered six hits and 3 walks in over 7 scoreless innings but the Astros had their chances. Pence had a 2-out RBI opportunity in the 1st after a single and a walk but grounded weakly to 3rd. Back-to-back singles to lead off the 2nd was snuffed by Manzella’s 6-3 DP and a Wandy K. That’s as close as they came to getting on the board. Blum singled home the Astros lone run with 2-out in the 9th and me snoring on the couch.

3 more in Denver. Mark previewed it perfectly.

Thursday, June 3, 2010

Natinals 4
Astros 6

W: Lindstrom | L: Matt “Mike” Capps
HR: Cash, Berkman, Lee

Astros.com
Gamezone

Despite the critical debate surrounding Moehler’s future on this 19-34 team, he pitched well for 5. Combined with HRs by Cash and Berkman, the Astros had a one-run lead after 8. On we go to the newly-exciting “save situation” for Matt Lindstrom.

Started out great with a K and a certain feeling of confidence. Then, a sharp liner to right that Twinkie leaped and snagged in a sweet, yet scary play. OK, 2 out. Then, a single up the middle by PH Morse. No worries, Willie Harris up. 2nd pitch, a low sinker, Harris golfed a high slicing pop to short left. Flapjack, still in the game for some reason (actually, a reason we’ll find out later), zeroed in on the ball as it headed towards the outcropping of seats along the LF line. Sensing no chance for a catch, he pulled up as the ball bounced past his bare-handed try at fielding it. Running on the pitch, Morse is halfway between 2nd and third by the time the ball hits the ground and easily cruises home as the tying run. Once Flapjack corralled the ball and got it in, Harris was safely at 3rd. In a foreshadowing of the hero/goat theme of this wacky-ass 9th, Cristian Guzman capped Lindstrom’s blown save with a high-pop single to shallow LCF that scored Harris, giving the gNats the lead.

So the Astros have one more shot, down by one with PH Sullivan, then the unchanged top of the order due up against gNats closer Capps. Sully grounded out, then Bourn doubled. Cue the wavy image flashback dissolve to the bottom of the 8th and the down-by-one desperation of gNats manager Riggleman. In a double-switch, he moved starting SS Guzman to RF to get the pitcher out of the due-up-in-the-9th 6th spot with Desmond in at SS. Got it? The line-up change worked but there is still the bottom of the inning to deal with. Flashback over, wavy dissolve back to Berkman batting with 1 out in the 9th. He rips what could be called either a topspin fly or a sinking liner to RF Guzman who seemed to have a beat but the ball sunk just past his glove as he came in on it. The ball bounced away and Bourn strolled home to tie the game.

It was scored an error, but he’s a SS in RF. Hero’s fall complete. Now for that goat. Flapjack sauntered up to the plate with one thing on his mind. KABONG! 2-run, walk-off no-doubter to the Crawfords. Goat’s redemption complete. Astros take 3 of 4 from the Natinals and seem, and I mean seem, to be getting a bit of a groove back with the bats. We’ll see.

3 coming up with the FuckTheCubs at Minute Maid. Check out the always bile-filled FTC Series Preview by Craig. It’ll get you in the right frame of mind…

Thursday, May 27th, 2010

Astros 3
Brewers 4
F10

astros.com
Gamezone

austro – “3-2 lead going to the bottom of the 9th with your rested closer ready to go. Ouch.”
Lurch – “At 16 and 31, how seems to matter much less.

This one ended up a frustrating test of 2 pretty bad teams. I caught glimpses of the game between waves of work but saw really nothing of significance that I can use to do a recap justice. These are the things I saw and know:

►Myers just pitches. Dude may be a reprobate but he’s been solid for the team so far.
►5 of the Astros’ 7 hits came from Pence and Keppinger.
►3 of the Astros’ 3 runs came as a result of 2 errors.
►Berkman = lost
►Lindstrom not only blew his first save of the year in the 9th, he loaded the bases and walked in the winning run in the 10th.
►”Bad news. The fog is getting thicker” “And Prince is getting laaaaaarger!”
►There is only one sun in our solar system.

Lurch kind of summed up my feeling after watching the 9th and 10th inning. It’s just another way to lose for this team.

On to Cincinnati for 3 against the…..wha???…..1st place?? Fuuuuck!

Sunday, May 23, 2010

Rays 10
Astros 6

Astros.com
Gamezone

The fears that came to town with the best team in baseball were somewhat unfounded despite the Rays taking 2 of 3. Myers outpitched Garza on Friday for the lone win and the Rays looked anything but 20 games over .500 during all three games. But the same issues that have plagued the local 9 continue to rear their heads. Lack of offensive punch – Keppinger excluded – miscues in the field and not-so-efficient pitching performances did in the Astros in game 2 and eventually in Sunday’s rubber match.

The Astros got to young lefty Price early in this one. Kepp led off with a single followed by another by Michaels who was in for Bourn. Pence walked and the bases were loaded for Lee, who looped one into right but it was snagged by Zobrist. It was deep enough though, to score Kepp for a 1-0 lead. Next batter Feliz poked a slider up in the zone to the edge of the Crawford Boxes to put the Astros up 4-0.

The comfortable lead for Norris didn’t last too long. In the 3rd, former Astros prospect Zobrist hit a leadoff solo shot. Then Houston boy Crawford reached on a botched throw by Manzella. After 1 of Crawford’s 3 steals got him into scoring position, Carlos Pena’s single got him home and it was 4-2 Astros.

Price settled down and Norris pitched well enough until the 5th. He K’d Zobrist but walked Crawford. Bud then mistaked a high fastball to Jaso who crushed it to right to erase the Astros lead. Then after striking out Pena, the Rays took the lead on freshly revived Hank Blalock’s solo shot into the Crawfords. Pence led off the bottom of the 5th with a solo poke of his own to tie things up again until the 6th.

Moehler came on and gave up 4 straight hits without an out and the Rays grabbed the lead again for good this time. Though the Astros got within 1 in the 7th, the Rays did a number on Alkie’s boy Sampson the tune of 3 more in the 8th.

Not a bad showing against the Rays but this team is still not good.

Off day tomorrow and then a 6-game roadie starts in Milwaukee.

Thursday, May 20, 2010

Rockies 4
Astros Zip, Zilch, Nada

W: Jimenez | L: Oswalt

Astros.com

Someone remarked recently about how many different ways you can write “Astros Lose.” It is tough because they aren’t losing in too many different ways. Pitching performances from “strong” to “good enough” seem to always be accompanied by little to no run support. Oswalt has given up 3 runs or less in no less than 6 innings during every one of his starts this year and only 2 wins. I don’t cry for Roy, he’ll survive, but holy shit this team is about as offensive as a Justin Bieber concert to a 12-year-old Canadian girl.

A shaky 1st by Roy put the Astros in a familiar hole. He dropped a toss from Berkman to allow the lead off hitter to reach. Then he walked Helton before a 3-run shot by the shortstop (WTF!) Tulowitzki. U. Jimenez continued his magic almost effortlessly against this powerless 9. The only “hit” he gave up during his 7 innings was a broken-bat roller to 3rd by Q that Stewart barehanded and booted. His ERA dropped to a crisp 0.99 with the 7 scoreless.

Much more entertaining than the Astros effort was the Gamezone.

It doesn’t look to get any better for the boys with the Rays coming into town. This is tough for me because I would certainly love for the Rays to keep rolling along and bury the Yanquis and Bosox deeper into the muck but I am first and foremost an Astros fan and that will not change. Either way, the Rays are fun to watch so try to enjoy some good baseball this weekend.