The Future Is Now?

Posted on June 8, 2009 by Andyzipp in Columnistas, Off Day

off-day-large The good news…The Astros have won their last three series, including this weekend’s home tilt with the Pirates of Pittsburgh. They’re climbing (ever so slowly) back to .500 and after a pretty bad start to the season are only 5 games back of the wildcard spot in the National League.

The bad news…The Astros played the Pyrites two of those three series and the hapless Rockies the other. Despite the recent good stretch, they’re still dead last in the National League Central. They still have the 7th worst record in Major League Baseball and they’re are still looking up at the business end of 9 other teams for a playoff spot.

It’s all a matter of what you want to see, I suppose. While it’s cool to go 7-3 over the last 10 games, and be the “hottest” team in the division over that span, it’s akin to being the hottest granny in the nursing home. (Please forgive anything you might have just read that lead your mind towards granny-porn. Limey.) In the grand scheme of things, the questions remain: Are the last 3 series representative of a team that is starting to turn things around? Or is this a team that just got one over on two of the only teams playing worse than they are? It’s easy to assume that’s the case, but this is the same team that struggled to split two games with Washington a few weeks ago. More to the point, after 55 games, does anyone know what the Astros are capable of this season? Are the last 117 going to be any different?

Through the first two months, the 2009 season has been an amalgamation of questionable decision making, cancer, piss-poor defense, a face-plant, injuries, and woeful inconsistency at the plate. It hasn’t been pretty, but maybe it looks worse because of the various side-shows that have made it alternatingly fascinating and unbearable, sort of like Rock of Love I, II and Bus. Take away the on-going Cecil Cooper drama, Sean Berry’s cancer, this site’s fascination with Alyson Footer’s career choices and what are we left with? A team with a pair of All-Stars who have played more like Lenny and Squiggy than Berkman and Oswalt. A team with exactly zero off-season acquisitions working out the way the front-office hoped. A team with a bullpen that is almost completely different from the one that ended last season, in terms of personnel as well as role. A team full of aging, high priced veterans heading towards the end of their careers. A team with only 8 players under the age of 30. All of these thing has lead at least one interested observer to state on the record that it may be time to start rebuilding with younger players. That interested observer is one Drayton McLane.

How significant is this apparent change of heart from the man who has as recently as this spring publicly declared, “We don’t rebuild, we reload”? Well, it’s a lot more significant than what account is making direct deposits in Footer’s bank account. For the first time besides fanboy handwringing, there is legitimate reason to believe that unless the Stros make a significant run between now and July 31st, veterans like Ivan Rodriguez, Miguel Tejada, Darrin Erstad, Geoff Blum, Kaz Matsui, Mike Hampton, Jose Valverde are going to be shopped. The franchise may put a real premium on getting pieces for the future for the first time since the early 90’s. The very recent (yesterday) move of Jason Castro to AA Corpus Christi may be the first really transparent move towards getting this franchise “ready” for 2010. Or 2011. For a franchise that usually shows all the foresight and planning of a dog chasing a tennis ball across a linoleum floor, this is a very big deal.

On the other hand, if the Astros were to win 7 of their next 10 (Cubs, Diamondbacks, Rangers, Twins), the Astros would be only a game under .500 and in the thick of another wild card race. Win the 7 of 10 after that (Twins, Royals, Tigers, Padres) and Houston is “allofasuddenlike” 39-36 with 12 of their last 14 at home before the All-Star break. Five of those are against the Nationals. The point is, the season is absolutely still salvageable. Oswalt will eventually get the cortisone shot he needs, Berkman will start hitting the way history suggests he will, the bullpen will start getting some healthy bodies back. If thats the case, the real question becomes, does Ed Wade have the ability, or the inclination to go to McLane and tell him, “What’s going on on the field is an anomally. We still need to move some of these players”?

Either way, the remainder of the season is going to be an interesting one. If the Astros are competitive up until the break, and can come close to the second half of 2008 (which I still have to believe is the real hope at Union Station, despite any lunch-time talk) that will be a lot of fun. This team was a hurricane away from the playoffs last year. If they trip on their collective dicks over the next 30 games, we get to see just how good a general manager Ed Wade really is. It’s also possible that the Astros can deal a Miguel Tejada or a Jose Valverde, get prospects for 2010 (or 2011) and stay in the hunt this season. It’s up to the on-field talent to chart the course from here on out.

And now for something completely different…

In a very short amount of time, Hunter Pence has risen to the forefront of not only the

Astros roster, but the very center of the TalkZone subconscious. He even has been granted the unique and not-at-all-0verdone honor of having a area of seats graced with his name, “Hunter’s Lodge”. As such, he has earned several nicknames…Gunther, Thunderpants, Pane in the Ass, and simply PENCE!!!

I would like to humbly suggest a new addition…

Whitey McSkullshirt.

Castro Coming To Corpus Christi

Posted on June 8, 2009 by Duman in From the Bus Stop

As was noted in the CC thread in The Bus Ride forum, Jason Castro was called up to Corpus Christi after last nights game in Lancaster.

Greg Rajan of Caller.com rehashes a quote from April that reminds us, there is going to be quicker movement through the system.

“We’ve talked about how we’re going to create an express lane in the organization,” Wade said when the Astros played an exhibition game in Corpus Christi in April. “We’ve talked about how if a player shows, one, the ability, but more importantly, the makeup to be able to jump a level, then we’re going to give him the opportunity to do that.

“I really think if somebody really shows they can excel at (Class AA) and has the right makeup, those guys can jump a level and get to the big leagues.”

Casto

boys bested by the beast

Posted on June 7, 2009 by BudGirl in Game Recaps

Contributed by BatGirl
Pirates 6, Astros 4

Box Score
GameZone

This one isn’t on the Astros.
Not Cooper.
Not Oswalt.
Not Drayton
The circumstances were bigger than ALL of them.
Go with me here.

So what happened?
They had a game set on 6-6
with a 6 o’clock start
End of story.

No way (you say). That’s nonsense (you insist). The numbers 666 mean nothing.
I would say to you, pish posh.
And poppycock!

The opposing team scored 6.
Oswalt’s era reached 4.66 after 6 innings pitched and 6 earned runs on 9 hits in front of a crowd of 26,099

The ultimate hard six.
I’m no alphanumericystologist. Sudoku = no. Soup-doku = yes! But add it all up, and that’s like a crapload of sixes (with a couple of upside down 6’s trying to masquerade as 9’s).

Of course breaking a mirror isn’t good. There should be no umbrellas allowed in the house. Walking under a ladder? Now you’re just asking for it. sSill some salt? Right hand, pinch, throw over left shoulder. Done.

So what is it exactly about multiples of six? What can be so bad about a particular numeric sequence? How do we know that the origins are, in fact, evil?

Without getting into a debate over all of the historical/religious over/undertones, take a second and look up zip code 60606
’nuff said

Has anyone actually checked his forehead? right hand? just sayin’.
Roy admitted to having what sounds like an out of body experience during part of the game, and said it was, “the most out of place that he had ever felt on the mound”. He added that when he was out there during the second and third innings, he “couldn’t throw the fastball where he wanted,” and he was scared to throw a breaking ball.

As Oswalt’s command became virtually nonexistent for two innings (after needing only 9 pitches to retire the side at the start of the game) the Pirates had Roy’s number, and took advantage of every mistake he made, scoring all 6 of their runs in the second and third innings.

Roy finally got rid of his demons in the fourth and managed to retire 10 of the next 11. But despite logging 10 hits and threatening to come from behind in both the eight and ninth innings, the Astros were unable to get themselves back in the game offensively, and they went 1-7 with risp.

Miguel Tejada, who sat out Friday’s game as his first ‘off-day’ of the season, went 3-5, and Hunter Pence is now hitting .347 and went 2-4, with a hr and a triple.

The series is now even at one game a piece.
Final game Sunday at 1:05.

Who’s coming with me?
Let’s give the hometown 9 a pass this time.
We’ll just 86 this game and any mention of it.
Gget ready for the next 118.
Play them 1 day at a time.

and FUCK the team that’s coming on 6/9.

Glass Half Full

Posted on June 6, 2009 by GreatBagwellsBeard in Game Recaps

Box Score

Tag’s recap

When the Astros win like this, it’s hard not to get excited about the team. The starting pitching was cask-aged Mike Hampton, 1998 vintage, the offense was potent with a broad range of contributors, and even the game management was solid, saving us from another hilariously profane meltdown by Mr. Zipp. Everything was perfect. Too perfect.

You see, I’m still having trouble figuring this team out. The whole “just when you count them out, they rebound” thing has become so predictable that it’s starting to feel like an episode of Two and a Half Men (oh, Charlie, you insufferable cad! When will you learn?) Some days, it feels like all the team needs is another piece to make the puzzle complete, and on others, you pray for flesh eating bacteria to devour the entire bullpen and coaching staff (except Clark, of course). Inevitably, I get sucked back in to the optimist’s view. Where’s Jake Peavy’s agent’s number, anyway?

Friday’s game saw Hampton making the Pyroots his bitch (again), throwing seven strong innings that looked like a more wily version of the old bulldog we knew and loved before the Intervening Unpleasantness. Even Fulchino got in on the act, providing two solid innings, saving the marquee (-ish) arms of the bullpen to fight another day. On the other side, Jeff Karsten’s day started pretty well, until his irrestistable suckiness met the immovable object (Q, who took advantage of a rare start to rope an even more rare triple, plating two runs in the sixth). After that, all hell broke loose, with eleven batter in the inning, capped by El Kabong’s grand slam off newly arrived reliever Evan Meek (who will inherit only a trip back to AAA instead of the earth).

When the dust settled, the eleven hitters had scored 7 runs, giving Hampton the foundation for his fourth win of the season, bringing his record to an even 4-4. Fulchino didn’t earn a hold, because that’s a bullshit stat, which even Bill James will tell you.

The Mud and Blood have two more games ahead against the Bucs, one of which is already underway, because I’m a lazy ass and I blacked out last night after reading OregonStrosFan’s brutal Carradine joke in the Game Zone last night. Turns out fits of laughter are another, more productive way to pass out by yourself.

Series Preview by Craig

Talk it up in the regularly scheduled Game Zone (already in progress)

astros, david carradine, mike hampton, pirates, win

Headhunter VII: Roxy

Posted on June 5, 2009 by Andyzipp in Headhunter, Media, Videos

Lather, Rinse, Repeat

Posted on June 5, 2009 by BudGirl in Game Recaps

Rockies 10, Astros 3

W: Hammels, L: Rodriguez

Astros Recap and Box Score
Yahoo Recap

Game highlights of the Astros.
Russ Ortiz pitched 2 scoreless innings.
Edwin Maysonet went 2 for 4, with 1 rbi and 1 run scored.

Game Highlights of the Rockies.
Please see the Boxscore.

This team has gone 5 for 5 out for the last 10 games, I still feel this way. I don’t know what is missing, but looking up at the Pirates hurts, but not as much as the team ahead of them in the standings. I think the Astros will win the series against the Pirates just to give some of us a little itty bit of confidence that they can beat the Cubs. Then they won’t.

Bench Tidbits

Geoff Blum does not know where he’d go if he could travel back in time.

Congratulations to my niece for graduating form high school. Her plan is to attend SFA. Good Luck Jessica.

Check out Craig’s Series Preview for the weekend visiting Pirates.

The GameZone has some in-game reactions.

And a special thank you to JackAstro and gleach for making me smile with the JimR avatar.

Have a great weekend.

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