Marlins at Astros, 4/17/07
Score: Astros 6, Fish 1
W: Roy Oswalt (3-0) L: Jorge Julio (0-2)
Homeruns: Carlos Lee (5), Hanley Ramirez (2)
March to 3000: 2,944 (2×4, 2B, 1B, Plunk)
Read Alyson’s Recap
AP recap

Seems the only drama late in this game was if Bruce “Backstop” Froemming would remain upright for the entire nine. The veteran home plate ump had regular visits with Astros trainer Rex Jones due to numerous body shots, and even took a deflection off of a Pigpen plunk. The Black and Blue toughed it out as the Astros hooked the Marlins 6-1 and swept the short series at Minute Maid Park.Read More

Astros at Cubs, 4/10/07
Astros 4, Cubs 2
W: Chris Sampson (1-0) L: Jason Marquis (0-1)
Road to 3000: 2,938 (o-fer-5)
Read Alyson Footer’s report
AP report from yahoo

The Good Guys continued to enjoy the friendly confines as they won their second straight day game 4-2 over the Cubbies of Chicago. Today’s game was not as frigid as yesterdays, but there was still a stiff wind that kept the ball in the yard all day. Idiot drunk shirtless unemployed Cub fans remained until the bitter end.Read More

Astros at Cubs, 4/9/07
Score: Good Guys 5, Cubs 3
W: Chad Qualls (1-1) L: Bob Howry (0-2) S: Dan Wheeler (1)
Homeruns: Adam Everett (1)
March to 3000: 2,938 (2×4, 2 2b, SAC)
Read Alyson’s Report Here: Footer
Or ESPN’s report here: ESPN

Officially, the winds were only 9 mph, so it must have been the 39 degree cold keeping the ball in the park. But mark my words – by June, Ted Lilly will be giving up 3-4 dingers a game.
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Marlins at Astros, 4/16/07
Score: Astros 4, Sushi 3
W: Chad Qualls (2-1) L: K. Gregg (0-1)
Homeruns: No, but Hanley Ramirez was SURE he’d get one
March to 3000: 2,942 (2×4, 2 2b, SAC)
Read Alyson’s Report Here: Footer
Or the AP recap here: Yahoo!

It did not take long to figure out that this would not be a pristine game. Two pitches in, Ramirez smacks one off the BMC software sign, but just below the yellow line. Burke, displaying the innate fielding instincts we’ve come so quickly to know and love, goes all the way to the wall, while El Caballo just sort of stands there snorting at it. The ball caroms back towards RCF, with Burke giving chase. At this point, Ramirez is getting greedy, to the point he runs the stop sign at third. And I don’t mean your run of the mill, Houston driver, “it’s not really red until 5 seconds in”, type of run the stop sign; his own 3b coach damn near tackled him to stop him. Burke managed to hit the cutoff man, and Ausmus applied the “ole” tag for the game’s first out.
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April 4, 2007
Pirates 5, Astros 4
W: Tom Gorzelanny | L: Woody Williams | S: Solomon Torres
Yackball: Biggio (1)
Pigpen watch: 2,934 (3-5)
GameZone thread
Piss and moan about it in the TalkZone

Other coverage:
AP story
Astros.com recap and game info

Apropos of Nothing:
Look! Rainbows! Feel better now?

Ugh. Nothing says “cause for optimism” quite like having the Pirates break the brooms out on you in the opening homestand. First road sweep by Pittsburgh against Houston in 16 years. You know what? Forget it, I can’t even bitch about it right now, let’s just get straight to the tape.Read More

April 3, 2007
Pirates 3, Astros 2
W: Johan Bayless | L: Dan Wheeler | S: Solomon Torres
BS: Wheeler
Pigpen watch: still at 2,931 (0-4)
GameZone thread
Fight about it in the TalkZone

Other coverage:
AP story
Alyson Footer

After failing to win a game at Minute Maid Park in 2006, the Pirates mounted a late rally to earn their second straight victory in unfriendly territory after the Astros maligned bullpen failed to hold another late lead. Read More