Oswalt had to leave in the sixth inning of Tuesday’s game because of a bone bruise on his right index finger. Link
No shit, yah think?
“The last couple of days, [the bullpen] did a terrific job,” Cooper said. “Tonight we just didn’t get it done. Pretty simple. To get them out, you’ve got to be able to throw it over the plate, and we didn’t do a very good job tonight of that.”
Link
Maybe this had something to do with it,
The bullpen had to throw 12 innings in two days and 15 2/3 during the series in Atlanta,
Link
Bullpen overtaxed in Washington
Astros at Nationals, 5/4/09
Nats 9, Astros 4
W: Lannan (1-3) L: Wright (1-1)
Box Score
Seidel (not the Footer)
This is where you recognize that managers cannot play for the single game in the regular season; you’re trying to win as many of 162 games as you can. And when your bullpen is short one injured pitcher (Sampson), has two guys who were starting last week, and has its top two guys on the DL, then pitching 12 innings over 2 games leaves you somewhat exposed for the next game.
So it really came as no surprise when the bullpen inherited a 4-2 lead and quickly turned it into a 9-4 loss. The only surprise was that the offense couldn’t mount anything further after the four early runs.
The good – Moehler looked pretty good, the first of the two runs in the fifth scoring when he absolutely sawed off Elijah Dukes. Some times, the ball doesn’t fall your way. Also, Kaz Matsui reaching base 3 times.
The bad – I believe two posts from the GZ will sum it up:
HH: 5 runs on three fucking singles.
Jim R: Wright caused that. Paulino is being screwed by all concerned, including the Astros brain trust. That arm is too good to waste.
The ugly:
Remember that time we gave up 9 unanswered runs to the worst team in baseball? That was awesome.
The Houston Astros have issued a reward for anyone who can locate Wesley Wright. Please call 1-800-4ASTROS.
Also, playing a game in 55 degree drizzle in front of “official” attendance of 14,115, when the actual crowd appeared to be 2 or 3 SnS’ers and a small student group.
Roy tries to make it a winning road trip, bright and early today at 11:35.
Lexington Leading League
Much has been made about the Lexington Legend’s pitching staff this year. However, they have made a run at the lead thanks to the awakening of their offense. The Legends now tote a 15-9 record which is the best in the South Atlantic League and gives them a 1 game lead over Savannah in the Sally Southern Division. Over the last 8 games, the Legends have scored an average of over 7 1/2 runs per game. They haven’t scored less than 4 runs in a game over that stretch. So who has been behind this outburst of offense?
Ebert Rosario is hitting .441 over the last 10 games with 3 home runs, and 11 RBI. He has hit in 8 straight games. His defense is not his strong suit as he has made 3 of the teams 10 errors during this stretch.
Albert Cartwright has hit in each of his last 8 games (.406). He has hit 3 home runs and 10 RBI during that span. Brian McTaggart is reporting that he was hit by a pitch last night and has been placed on the DL with a broken hand. He will be out 4-6 weeks.
Frederico Hernandez is hitting .333 over the last 8 games which brings his season total up to .250 on the season.
Jay Austin is hitting .303 over the last 8 games. The 18 year old in the lead off spot has had 3 straight multi-hit games and has had 2 hits in 5 of his last 10. He started this steak under .200 and has raised his average to .232 on the season.
Brandon Barnes has hit in 5 of the last 8 and his hitting just .269 during that period. But has hit in each of his last 4 games (.375) and has first two homers and 5 of his 9 RBI’s during that stretch. Unfortunately, along with the power returning, the strike outs have come back as well.
Back on the mound, Lexington has gotten some fill in help with Brad Dydalewicz on the DL with a mild oblique strain. Henry Villar has come out of the bullpen and put together 2 starts that resulted in no earned runs and 14 strike outs in 7 combined innings. Combined with his starts and his bullpen work, Villar has fanned 26 batters in 15 1/3 innings pitched.
The pitching continues to be strong as they have only given up more than 2 runs 3 times during the last 8 games and are averaging allowing 3.37 runs allowed per game.
Fake Empire
Coming off series wins against the Braves and Reds, the Astros head to the City of Bailouts for a two game layover with the Nationals. God’s hatred for the Tomahawk Chop was shown this weekend in Atlanta, drenching the hillbillies with righteous rain, so the rotation is kinda mixed up from its normal order for this series; instead of the devastating 1-2 (or is that 4-5?) punch of Moehler and Ortiz, Roy O will take Russ O’s spot on Tuesday and face a Nationals team that vacillates between bring horrifically awful and just simply bad.
The Nationals offense is strong, with five starters hitting at or within a hundredth or two of .300, including Adam Dunn, who is somehow not leading the team in strike outs. Dunn and Ryan Zimmerman are both mashing the ball pretty well, too. So why are the Nats so bad? It ain’t the vaunted NL East competition; the Mets were last seen consulting the Treasury Department Chart of Judgment, and the Phillies are back to getting booed, while everyone eats the Marlins dust. (On the upside, we’re two more years away from another Marlins post-WS fire sale!) The Nats are awful because they’re the East Coast version of the Rangers, with a ridiculous offense, but pitching so bad that they actually had Tim Redding start 33 games for them last year. 33! Their best starter this year is rookie Jordan Zimmerman, who sports a startlingly mediocre 4.24 ERA to go with his 2-1 record. Alert Tom Hicks! This man deserves a $60 million contract!
The Nationals also remind me of one of my favorite bands. Lest you think that such a reminders stems from one of my favorite bands being one that favors bluster over fundamentals (sorry, Animal Collective!), rest assured that I’m talking about The National. This Brooklyn band puts together darkly beautiful odes to domesticity and urban angst that are the perfect soundtracks for both brooding nights at home, and raucous forays into the streets in search of brown liquor and companionship. Two of my favorite tracks below:
“The Geese of Beverly Road” with some lame montage crap.
Projected Matchups from Astros.com
Monday
Brian Moehler (0-2, 27.00) v. John Lannan (0-3, 4.61)
The man who is holding Felipe Paulino back from the starting rotation gets to take the mound for the first time since coming off the DL. Moehler obviously needed some time to get into shape, as he was starting to look more and more like the second coming of Chan Ho Park than the 2008 Moehler who anchored the back of the rotation. The knee is supposedly better now, though, so let’s hope for the best. Against the Nats, he’s 2-4 lifetime, and has had success against Adam Dunn (.176, 2 K’s) and Nick Johnson (.231, 3 K’s). Unfortunately, the rest of the Nationals hit him pretty damned well: Cristian Guzman (.462), Austin Kearns (.500, 1 homer), and Ryan Zimmerman (.500) among them. This could get ugly, but at least the bullpen is well rest…fuck me, Coop. Would one more inning from Wandy killed you?
Big lefty Lannan was the Nats opening day starter this year, which is pretty awesome because you’ve never heard his name until now. He tends to give up one big inning in each of his starts, which actually makes him sound like another Opening Day starter we know. He has been hit well by the Puma (.500) and Caballo (.333 and a homer) and PENCE!!! (.400); the top of the lineup has not fared well against him, with Bourn and Kaz still looking for their first career hits against him.
The Ski Club of Washington sponsors John Lannan’s Baseball-Reference.com page. Just thought I’d throw that out there.
Tuesday
Roy Oswalt (0-2, 3.82) v. Scott Olsen (1-3, 6.08)
Roy only threw 13 pitches in his previous start in Atlanta, so he’s get a chance to throw at least 14 this time out. He’s still looking for his first win, which sounds about as strange as Limey being unable to find a pint. A combination of Oswalt Innings and bullpen explosions have left him winless, and I’m sure he’d like to get that monkey off his back. Questions are lingering about whether or not he’s really the Wizard anymore in the first place, and whether he’ll have to become more crafty to get outs instead of blowing guys away. Picking on the Nats would be a great place to start, since he’s made them his double bitch on numerous occasions. He’s 3-1 with a 2.59 ERA against the Washingtonians, and has been particularly effective against Nick Johnson (.111) and Austin Kearns (.171). Meanwhile, Adam Dunn is Adam Dunn against Roy-O (4 homers, 19 K’s, .250), and Ryan Zimmerman stands as the most successful player against Roy at .375 and 2 HR. From the looks of it, if Dunn and Zimmerman do connect against Roy, at least the bases will be empty.
Scott Olsen, smoker and taser victim, was acquired from the Marlins this offseason, and has already made himself at home in DC by stinking up the joint. He’s a fireballer, so hopefully the big boppers can all turn some of that velocity around and keep his ERA high. He did have success in his most recent outing against the Phillies, but his numbers against the Good Guys suggest that it’ll either be feast or famine. Kaz and Carlos (sounds like a morning drive-time radio show, huh?) both hit .333 against him, and Puma goes one better with a .444 BA; everyone else who has faced young Mr. Olsen (including Miggy, Pence, and Towles) are all 0-fer against him. I think it’s pretty safe to say that Olsen’s kind of an asshole, so here’s hoping he gets his smoke break early.
Notable Promotions
Tuesday: T-shirt Tuesdays continues with a t-shirt featuring Teddy Roosevelt wearing a sombrero. Seriously. I think some of the crack rocks from Baltimore may have made their way inside the Beltway.
Astros
Aaron Boone: Gone to see the Wizard, see if he can get a heart before that Tin Man motherfucker does.
Brandon Backe: Still rehabbing. Rehabbing his intercostal muscle, mind you, not “oh my god, I think I just snorted coke at the table during Easter dinner” rehab.
Doug Brocail: day-to-day, last seen yelling at his hamstring to whip it into shape.
Humberto Qunitero: The Thing is still on the 15-day DL, but could be back next week.
Jose Valverde: Papa Grande is still leaking fluid like a Pontiac Grand Am, and won’t be back this month.
Nationals
Roger Bernadina: Mismatched first and last name, 60 day DL.
Matt Chico: Running a bail bond company, 60 day DL.
Dmitri Young: Choking the hell out of a Lady Cop, 15 day DL
Terrell Young: Late for Buffalo Bills training camp, is a locker room cancer, 15 day DL
What To Look For:
Roy
Revitalized Puma
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