A brief losing streak notwithstanding, the Astros are playing precisely the kind of baseball hoped for by fans when the club upgraded its rotation to include Andy Pettitte and Roger Clemens. In fact, in losing two of three to the reigning world champions, the Astros played a type of game to which they are well suited — it just so happened that the speedy, defensively airtight Marlins were even better suited to it.
The Astros’ Sunday loss to the Cardinals, combined with Chicago’s defeat of Pittsburgh, leaves the Astros just one-half game ahead of the Cubs for the Central Division lead. With seven games to play, the Astros have no margin for error if they hope to claim their fifth division title in seven seasons.
Last offseason, the Astros made one of their biggest free-agent acquisitions ever with the signing of Jeff Kent. The former Most Valuable Player was expected to give the middle of the Houston batting order a boost.
If Miss Cleo had announced in spring training that, at the All-Star break, the Astros’ No. 1 and No. 2 starters would be 11-14 and the Cardinals’ No. 3 and No. 4 hitters would have 55 home runs, most people would’ve expected Houston to be eating St. Louis’ dust. Instead, at 50-44, the Astros sit precariously atop the Central Division, leading the Cardinals by one game and the Cubs by three games.
For many sabermetric types, the A’s of recent seasons have represented the ideal offense: a slugging (and sluggish) line-up that understands the importance of drawing walks and swinging for the fences. Little ball is not in vogue at the Coliseum. Oakland’s popularity among the stat-geek crowd also derives in no small part from the fact that A’s General Manager Billy Beane knows what on-base percentage and slugging percentage are without having to consult the glossary of Total Baseball.
Owner Drayton McLane and general manager Gerry Hunsicker gave Astros fans an early Christmas gift this offseason. Houston free-agent signings typically feature such hot commodities as Kent Bottenfield, Tripp Cromer, Alex Diaz, Doc Gooden, Jack Howell, Pete Incaviglia, T. J. Mathews, Mike Maddux and the inestimable Dave Clark. These lumps of coal have been pushed aside by the acquisition of 2000 National League Most Valuable Player Jeff Kent.
