*WARNING* My usual "I don't know shit but here goes me showing off my bad typing skills" post. Boo-yah!
Anyway, tonight it's Sparky and overly excited to be at the dance young pups named the 2005 Houston Astros trying to even up a series with the veteran and proven St. Loogie Jakes. Time for Scraps to hit some of them over the nose with a newspaper. Ouch. Here are some keys to look for tonight in order for adjustments to be made and boys to grow into men right before our very eyeballs.
1. Pitching: Sparky's curve and changeball made a reappearance his last outing, against the Bravos. And he was brilliant. He needs to do it again because he's not facing off with Jorge Sosa this time, but Mark "The Thin Man" Mulder. What you can usually expect from Mulder is brilliance or injury, nothing in-between. Roy-oh needs to avoid the desire to outduel anyone or be extra perfect, he just needs to throw the same game as last week and he will have done well by his teammates.
2. Defense: CLANK! Where did you get the new leather?!?! The Astros played well last night, but really they weren't really tested to make some defensive stops. Clank excepted and boy did that come out of nowhere or what!?!? Simply put, they have to make the plays, almost all of them to keep the Jakes from going on a rally binge they been prone to doing this post-season.
3. Offense: No surprise, but here is the adjustment area that is frankly necessary. Radical changes? No, not really. Approach? Yes, definitely. Why the Astros decided being over-excited to proved they belonged on the same field as the Jakes (as hitters, everyone talks about the Astros as only a four headed pitching monster of Oswalt-Pettitte-Clemens-Lidge) This "swing at pitches before you're even out of the on-deck circle" is not going work. Dump it, move on. In fact, adopt the 9th inning approach they displayed last night, Tim "Blind Man Working" McClennan aside. Another minor change that I would advocate but make no claims of brilliance as much as a bad taco for lunch giving me inspiration to think about it whilest hugging the procelin throne at work today. Hey, inspiration is inspiration, so read it and definitely weep.. or laugh... or whatever:
1. Bidge
2. Burke
3. Berkman
4. Ensberg
5. Lane
6. Ausmus
7. Everett
8. Taveras
9. Oswalt
I'd move Franchise to the two spot because lately there have been run producing opportunities for Groundskeeper Willy and he's just seems lost and he more than anyone one else not named Lane needs that rolled up newspaper over the snozz-ola (thank you MIlo, I hate you for that!). Burke has been driving the ball lately and that can make a difference in a tight game like tonight. "But wait" you say... "what about the bunting that Willy provides?". Well, Burke knows how to bunt too and is fast and has been a leadoff and an #2 hitter his entire pro career so he can handle all the needs of a 2 hitter *PLUS* add the drive on the ball he's producing right now that frankly Willy lacks.
The other move was obviously moving Ausmus up... two slots. Yeah, I'd do it. It can help Lane and Ensberg to have a hot hitting Ausmus behind them. Most especially Lane who has to be the guy in the lineup that LaGenius has decided can't hurt his team. I'm almost sure Drinkin' Dave drew a stick figure picture of Lane with his crayons and made 8x10 copies for all his pitchers with the caption "Pitsh to dis guy *burp*". For the rest of the series, the real chances for Houston on offense will hinge on how well Lane responds to this semi-challenge. Unfortunately, like Willy, Lane is a notorious free-swinger and streaky hitter. Two ingredients for swings at balls out of the strike zone most of the time... ugly swings too. Add Adam Everett hitting behind him and you have the trifecta of reason to fear Lane's productivity prowess.
But maybe, just maybe giving him a littlee protection with Ausmus and taking the last newspaper in his arsenal to whack Berkman and Ensberg about first pitch swinging will get Lane some good AB opportunities. What he has to do is the same darn thing he did in the ninth. That was a great approach, and of course it was a key strikeout, but it wasn't without some questionable judgement on blues part.
4. Breaks: Clearly, you make your own breaks by putting the ball in play. The Jakes don't usually beat themselves, but as evidenced last night when Eckstein made a piss poor throw to second to put two men in scoring position, juneberno... so keep looking to get those Jake pitchers into a hitters count and hit the damn ball and see what could happen.
