July is the month of All-Stars, pennant chasing teams making the start of their push and of course the MLB trading deadline.  July is also the month where you expect some players to step up for a team if any hopes for post season glory is to be realized.  The Houston Astros were no different than any of the other Wild Card and NL Central contenders, all 28 of them, in that they got some very good performances from some players and thus the hunt was on and fans were getting excited. For the July Spike Award, the candidates were Lance Berkman, Alberto Arias, Jeff Keppinger and Aaron Boone. For the July Star Award, the candidates were Michael Bourn, Miguel Tejada, Carlos Lee, Roy Oswalt and Wandy Rodriquez.  This was an interesting vote and the winners are:

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July 2009 Spike Award This month’s Spike Award winner is a pitcher who helped solidify a shaky bullpen beset by injury and inconsistency.  Geoff Geary, Doug Brocail, Chris Sampson were key contributors in Houston’s bullpen along with LaTroy Hawkins and Jose Valverde.  A bullpen considered a strength of the team.  Well the best plans of mice and men can and will go awry and in terms of a bullpen need, this plan of Ed Wade certainly did.

So the search was on for a pitcher that could provide good work to help salvage a season that was going nowhere fast.  In steps Alberto Arias, a pitcher who has a nice arsenal of pitches, all with late movement and just hard enough to keep hitters on notice.  Arias enjoyed a successful month as the setup man pressed into the role because of injuries to Chris Sampson and LaTroy Hawkins.  He did well, posting a .265 ERA in 17 IPs, recording 13 strikeouts and only 5 walks.  Now, with some of the injured returning, Arias is an interesting prospect for more work as a key setup man along with Sampson and Hawkins.  Some even think he may be a good closer candidate if he keeps up the good work.

Honorable mention: Aaron Boone got some love from the SnS because of his desire to return this season from heart surgery.  Wow, coming back from heart surgery all within the same season is hard to ponder, but he’s planning on it and it’s worth following.

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July 2009 Star Award

Hey, a Wandy Rodriquez three-peat?

Yes indeed, it is a Wandy season after all, as the little lefty took home his third Star Award by posting an outstanding performance for the month of July.  He had a .075 ERA in 36 IPs, tossing his first complete game of the season.  He also posted his tenth win for the season in the month of July when he registered four wins total for the month without a loss.

10 wins is his highest win total so far for his career.  In the month of July, he had 34 strikeouts and 7 walks.  He also helped the club make a push upwards from inconsistency to solid winner, becoming a part of a one-two gut punch for opposing teams with Roy Oswalt.

Honorable Mention: Miguel Tejada continues to post good numbers, not succumbing to the late season swoon predicted  by many.  Miggy is the leader on the club now with the injury to Lance Berkman and the happy go lucky attitude of Carlos Lee.  Leadership is a wonderful thing if you post the stats to back up your words and Miggy has.

The votes are in and the winners have been chosen. The month of June has been an interesting one for the Houston Blood and Mud as individual performances led to a continued climb upwards towards the mark of average amongst the many.  The infamous .500 mark, elusive as the team strived earnestly to obtain the goal.  Keep working fellas, you’ll get there eventually.  One can only hope.

For the June Spike Award, the candidates were Geoff Blum, Jeff Fulchino and Darin Erstad. For the June Star Award, the candidates were Michael Bourn, Miguel Tejada and Lance Berkman.  Let’s see who won:

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June 2009 Spike Award

This month’s Spike Award winner is a guy who stepped up for the team in many ways, one of which was in the leadership category. So much so that his influence as a manager-like came shining through when he took charge of a potential volatile situation and provided direction and proper management to a young player in order to keep a first inning mistake from escalating into a full blown mess.

Geoff Blum is his name, leadership is his game.  He’s also involved himself in some memorable Cub-killer situations.  In said situations, Blum delivered the death shot each time in walk-off fashion for the Chicago nine.  Many wait for the Cubbie meltdown in August, but for the month of June, Blum may of provided the percursor of things to come.  That he later mentioned how this sort of treatment against the Cubs was fun for his Chicago southside friends probably earned him extra points in terms of Cub hatedom.  Yeah, I’d say he’s a really good Spike winner, so take a bow Mr. Blum, our June 2009 Spike Award winner.

Honorable mention: Jeff Fulchino, a pickup by GM Ed Wade that has paid off, made a run for the Spike Award with his consistent and bullpen steadying performance for June.  I’m sure many would question a fan site that would give an award to a middle reliever, but that’s just how we roll.

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June 2009 Star Award

Hey, no Wandy Rodriquez three-peat?  Hardly, he wasn’t even in the running.  But in a rare situation (rare because we’ve never seen it before, nevermind our awards have been around for only three months, so there is that) our last month Spike Award winner made the leap from hard nose wall banging spectacular catch making player to all around good performer for June.

Michael Bourn, having to cringe at his manager’s MVP pronouncement, kept a cool head about him and went about his business of being the leadoff man… nay, breakout player his GM put on him early in spring.  A consistent leadoff man doing his job well bodes well for the type of middle of the lineup hitters that the Astros feature.  Michael has managed to keep Cecil Cooper from scratching his name off the leadoff spot in the lineup.  In fact, finally Cooper is trying to manage the young player instead of just react to so-so performances with the bat as a reason to bench him in favor of a veteran.  It is all so much easier for the Astros when Bourn is performing as he has.  Keep it up kid!

Honorable Mention: Lance Berkman has had a steady climb upwards from well below the Mendoza line.  It’s taken some consistent multi-hit games and some monster offensive nights.  The month of June for 2009 will be the month that most will look back on and say “That is when Lance turned it around!”  Bank on it!