This was not the game I expected.
The Dodgers, with 15 players on the DL sent out a lineup that had Bill Brown complaining the entire night about the lack of names on their jerseys. No names or not, they put up a fight.
The game got off to an inauspicious start with Biggio backing up on a grounder that got under his glove. Jeff Kent came to the plate with a runner on; receiving an appreciative and warm welcome from the crowd and a palpable feeling of dread from the Astros. However, Clemens got him to pop up and ended the inning without damage.
The Astros first three batters all singled and set up the bases loaded for Ensberg. Ensberg, in the first of 4 failed opportunities to drive in a run, popped up. Lane, who had a similarly frustrating night, leaving runners in scoring position in 3 subsequent opportunities, knocked in the only run in the first with a sac fly, Everett bounced into a 6-4 fc and the Astros wasted an opportunity to put down the young Dodgers early.
Clemens, who went 7 innings, striking out 4, was unable to get a win in his All Star tune up. Who cares.
One of the highlights of the game was his lesson to the rest of the team on how to execute a run down. In the 3rd with a runner on second, come backer to the mound, Clemens turned to second. The runner froze off the base and Clemens ran at him, the runner Edwards, hoping to delay the inevitable and give the trailer time to take 2nd crabbed to third. However Clemens ran him quickly towards Ensberg and made the throw when he was about 3 feet from Morgan, he made the tag and checked the runner on first who had not had time to advance.
Another important play happened in the 4th. With one out, Jeff Kent had made his way to second. Hee Seop Choi hit a looper that looked to drop in center. Kent, realizing his team might not have too many chances to score and thinking with his hamstring problem that he wouldn?t be able to score on a single if he played it safe, took off. Taveras closed on the ball quickly, made the catch and completed the easy double play.
In the 5th the Dodgers got to Clemens and Kent drove in the go ahead run. The no name Dodgers + Kent, were up 2-1 on Clemens. In the 6th Burke made a good hustle play backing up Taveras on his failed diving attempt at a liner by Choi. The ball got under him but Burke was right there to keep the runner from advancing past first.
Finally, in the 7th, a couple of deep flyballs and a walk convinced the Dodgers to remove Houlton. Houlton did ok. I couldn?t decide if he was pitching that well or the Astros were just missing his collection of hanging curves and belt high fastballs. In any case Berkman greeted his replacement Sanchez, a hard flinging rec specs wearer, with a triple. The triple was almost a ground rule double, but the idiot fan in the restaurant section in center had even less coordination than sense and missed the bouncer off the wall. So Biggio was able to score from first and the game was tied.
Wheeler came in for the 8th and displayed his wicked slider. Lidge, in his All Star tune up in the 9th, got a couple ground balls and a K.
The game was decided in the bottom of the 9th. With Taveras on 2nd, Ensberg finally came through with a double in the right field gap, raising his arms in elation, and possibly no small amount of relief as he rounded first.
Oswalt goes against Jeff Weaver at 12:15 tomorrow.
