Monday, May 16. 2011

Astros 2
Braves 3

W: Hanson | L: Abad | S: Kimbrel

HR: Downs

In my sometimes twisted imagination, I visualize Jim Crane slapping his forehead and asking, “what the hell did I buy?”

For the first game after the official announcement of the sale of the Astros, the Braves welcomed them in to their cavernous park filled with seats but no people. Fresh off a home series loss to the fucking Mets and Brett Myers on the hill, perhaps the idea of the new regime would help spark the team. Perhaps not.

I can’t figure out if Myers pitched well or was just lucky. He did actually pitch well but had to survive bases-loaded situations in each of the first 2 innings and was lucky to come out of them without giving up a run.

Hanson, on the other hand, had the Astros wishing for some luck as his changing speeds and pinpoint (Braves-style) location left them staring agape or swinging wildly.

Despite giving up only 3 hits and fanning 10 through 7, the line-drive solo HR by Downs in the 5th had Hanson behind just as Myers was hitting a groove. The groove didn’t last long though, as the early innings of heavy work seemed to catch up to him in the 6th. 2 singles to start the frame turned into 2 runs when all was said and done and the thin Astros lead was gone.

The boys got one back to tie it again in the 7th after Lee reached on an error and Mighty Matt Downs plated him with a double to the gap in LCF. But as we all are keenly aware of, handing a game to this bullpen is like handing your car keys to your teenage son.

“Dad, I had a little accident. Nothing horrible but I need a ride home.”

Anyway, Abad coughed up the go-ahead run rather quickly in the bottom of the 7th and the Braves bullpen, including their newest redneck closer made the lead stick.

One more on this “excuse me” 2-gamer tomorrow afternoon at 12:05 CDT.

W Capuano (3-4)
L: Rodriguez (0-2)
HR: Barmes and who gives a hell

The Good Guys started out in control, threatening to win a series at home against the hated steM. Leading 2-0 in the fifth, Aneury Rodriguez was throwing a no-hitter and had only walked one. A muffed popup to the mound, muffed out of confusion and poor play, proved to be the first thread in Rodriguez’ undoing. “I lost my concentration. That’s what happened. I lost my concentration, because I tried to do too much,” was the familiar refrain.

Also losing their concentration in the inning were Towles and Bill Hall. With runners on the corners and two out, Towles threw to second in hopes of erasing Jose Reyes on his Little League-like attempted steal. The poor throw was fielded by Hall and Jason Pridie scored from third standing up to make it 4-2. Highly rebarrassin’.

Brad Mills was unable to provide an answer and the chain-whipping continued with a three-run homer in the sixth to make it 7-2.

The Astros doubled New York’s hits – ten to five – but had nothing with runners in scoring position, going 2 for 13. On to Atlanta, where no doubt more hilarity awaits.

Wednesday, May 11, 2011

Reds 3
Astros 4

W: Melancon | L: Thief

HR: 2 Dickities, no Astros.

“Say what you will about Hunter Pence but he always goes hard.”

OK. He catches balls off of his face (NTTAWWT). He hits the cutoff man. He breaks up double plays. He hustles to take an extra base from a lazy OF. He shows patience at the plate. He hits walk-off doubles to win games.

Well, at least he did all of those things today as Hunter put on a show that was every bit as impressive as some of his recent exploits have been embarrassing. As polarizing as he can be, at least among those here, say what you will…he gets the job done. Sometimes.

The boys jumped out to a quick lead on some really bad pitching in the 2nd. With 1 out, Volquez walked 6-7-8 on 13 pitches to load ’em. Wandy popped out on the infield for 2 out but Bourn came through with a 2-run single and the lead. They tacked on another in the 3rd on a Downs sac fly following a Pence walk, Wallace FC and a double to left by Big-Fucking-Johnson.

Wandy looked home-a-licious for most of his start. Despite a triple and an RBI ground out for a run in the 4th, he held the Dickities down until the 7th. A lead-off flare to shallow RF looked to be a hit until FotF launched himself and loosely gloved the ball. As Hunter bounced around on the grass, his face was pressed into service, softly providing a gauntlet – if you will – against the ball’s eager desire to escape it’s confines. When the mass came to a halt, mission accomplished.

Of course, Wandy served up a sweet tater to the next batter so Hunter looked even more epic having saved the lead.

Of course, Wandy served up a sweet tater to the next batter so Hunter had to stuff the heroics in his back pocket for a while.

He almost whupped ’em out in the bottom of the 7th when a stupid/heads-up decision to take 2nd on a single to nonchalant CF Stubbs was successful and ignited a 2-out rally that looked promising but fizzled with the bases loaded when Downs flied out to CF.

Still tied in the 9th after Lopez and Melancon kept the Reds at bay, the Thief took the mound to try and do the same to the Astros. Bourn grounded out to lead off but then the Leake started with a walk to the rodeo clown. Up strolls Gunther to the plate with a look of confidence and determination on his ball-bruised face. He swung mightily at the first pitch without contact but waited and waited for the one he knew would get the job done. He wasn’t going to swing at those balls off the plate. On a 3-1 count, he swung again, just missing contact on a low slider. Now at 3-2 he thought, “what the hell” and reached out for a slider off the plate and slapped the ball down the RF line. Towles crossed the plate to give the Astros the win and Hunter’s 6th walk-off hit of his career.

Say what you will.

Pirates 5, Astros 4

W: McCutchen (1-0)
L: Abad (1-3)
HR BFJ (4), Doumit (3)

Another May day, another starting pitcher treated as though they were the Ghost of Christy Mathewson. James McDonald, who’s gotten the crap kicked out of him in his last three starts, invoked the presence of Master Of Them All today in Steeltown by limiting the Astros to three hits and lots of badly missed pitches in his six shutout innings.

On the other side of the diamond, J.A. Happ pitched in and out of trouble but kept the light-hitting Pirates to two runs through six.

Provided with a 2-0 lead, the previously reliable Buc bullpen flamethrower Chris Resop gave up a blast by Chris Johnson and a single by Hall. Quintero followed by rapping a double, scoring Bill Hall to tie the game. With no outs and Q on second, Angel Sanchez dumped a bunt down the third base line, charged by Brandon Wood. Quintero, running on the play and rounding third by the time the ball was fielded, took advantage of Wood’s wait for the second baseman to cover first and kept running for home. He beat the throw to give the Astros the lead in one of the more spectacular plays we’ll see this season.

Serve it up, rag arm.

Fulchino held the lead in the seventh and turned it over to the bin Laden of the bullpen for the eighth. Allowing Walker and Pearce to reach, Abad gave up the game-winning three-run jack to Ryan Doumit and the Astros lost. Once again, a difficult situation gave way to excitement and the promise of fulfillment, only to be snatched away in favor of dazed head-scratching and disillusion. I think this will help explain.

Read about it in the GameZone or the Astro recap.