It’s a beautiful day
Sky falls, you feel like
It’s a beautiful day
Don’t let it get away

Houston Astros 5, Florida Marlins 0

Molony’s Report, Astros.com
Box Score
AP Report

Read it in the GameZone!

At the beginning of the televised broadcast of the Florida Marlin/Houston Astros game, there was a very picturesque shot of Minute Maid Park in all it’s splendor basked in the sunlight of what can only be termed a beautiful day in Houston, Texas. Of course, this was to be technically a night game between the two clubs, but let’s not quibble. The opening shot gave rise to a tagline in the broadcast graphics that read “Chamber of Commerce Day”, meaning if the Houston CC ever needed a day to point out the wonderful weather in Houston, this would be it. Of course, knowing Houston baseball fans as I do, this was the one or two days of the season that the roof is opened and no one complains about being too hot or too cold or too whatever! Freaks.Read More

Friday, April 11, 2008

Astros 6
Fish 10

W: Nolasco (1-0) | L: Oswalt (0-3)

Jim Molony recap
AP via Yahoo!

GZ

Jogging was the theme of this affair, as the Fish took 6 celebratory laps around the basepaths, including 4 off of Roy. Having been spotted a 3 run lead after an inning, Sparky got torched for 5 runs in the third, and 3 more in the fourth before the hook came. The curve still hasn’t started working the way it needs to, and the fastball was hittable with nothing to keep the hitters off-balance.

The Good Guys made it interesting in the fifth, pulling back to within 2 on a solo cracker from Berkman, and a 2-run blast just inside the right field promotional chicken pole by Blum. That’s as close as they’d get though, never plating another run, while the Marlins tacked on a pair of insurance runs in the ninth, coming via solo smokies off of Villarreal.

Cardinals 6, Astros 4
Box Score
Footer’s report
AP recap
Gamezone

You knew the Astros were going to give up runs tonight. Knowing Chris Sampson was feeling a bit under the weather due to the flu he’s been fighting and because he’s the Astros number five starter you expected him to give up some runs.

And he did, 2 runs in the first and then one every other inning until he was pulled in the fifth for Brian Moehler. And yet, the Astro pitchers weren’t done for the night. They continued the pattern of giving up a run every other inning.

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Cardinals 5, Astros 3

W: Reyes (1-0) | L: Geary (0-1)

HR: none

AP recap

Footer wrap

The reflected glow from last night’s exciting home opener victory faded quickly as the Astros could only dent the Jakes mound staff early, scoring all three of their runs in the third inning and mustered a mere three hits in the final 6 frames as the Coards of St. Louis evened the series at a game apiece.Read More

Jakes at Astros, 4/7/08
Astros 5, Co-ards 3
W: Valverde (2-0), L: McClellan (0-1)
HR: (Deep breath…) Berkman (2), Lee (3), Towles (2), Tejada (2)
AP/ESPN
Footer
Gamezone
Breakdown of Pence’s breakdowns in the TalkZone

Probably not a stretch to say that this was the best game that Wandy Rodriguez has pitched. 7 1/3 innings, no runs, three hits, and perhaps most telling, no walks to go with 6 strikeouts. He was working the fastball-curve combo beautifully, and the Cardinals never really threatened off of him.Read More

3-2 Cubs

W. Zambrano 1-0
L. Villareal 0-2

Other opinions,
Footer
AP

Once again Michael Bourn singled to start the game. Pence followed up with a double on the next pitch and the Astros were set up 2nd and 3rd and no outs. Erstad struck out on a slow curve and Lee swung at a similar pitch around his eyes and lofted a pop to medium left. Bourn challenged Soriano and the one hop throw beat him by 3 steps.

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