By Craig the Bastard
Oh well, we gotta shake off the crappy game and put it behind us like yesterday?s Mets. What?s done is done. With a win today we can even things up before the series moves to Minute Maid.
But man oh man, it?s going to be a long, brutal series ? and I?m just talking about the Fox broadcast team. Those guys couldn?t count their own balls, much less strikes.
When:
Thursday, October 13, 7:00 p.m. CDT ? Fox
Where: Busch Stadium
I?m don?t know who will throw out the ceremonial first pitch today, but I?m pretty sure Lance Berkman will take a swing at it and ground weakly to second. Or maybe they?ll just roll the first pitch up there and let Tim McClelland call it a strike.
Matchup
Roy Oswalt (20-12, 2.94) v. Mark Mulder (16-8, 3.64)
Roy is 1-2 against the Jakes this year. Current Co-Ards are 57-for-223 against him, for a .256 average. That includes two homers from Cat Piss Walker, and one each from Reggie Sanders, PooHoles, and Los Angeles Jimmy at Anaheim.
PooHoles is their best hitter against Roy, going 14-for-41 (.341). Walker is 7-for-21, Eckstein is 4-for-9 (.444), and Sanders is 4-for-14 (.286). Edmonds is 10-for-35 (.286), but he also has 15 strikeouts. Molina and Nunez are a combined 5-for-31 against Roy.
Mulder is 1-1 against the Astros this year with two no-decisions. Lane and Ensberg each have a homer off him. Our hitters are either red-hot or ice-cold against Mulder. Ausmus is 6-for-17 (.353), Willy is 5-for-14 (.357), Ensberg is 4-for-12 (.333), and Lane and Lamb are each 4-for-13 (.308).
On the other hand, Biggio is 0-for-14, Berkman is 1-for-9, and Bagwell is 0-for-3. So this should be interesting.
Players to Watch:
? David Eckstein is going to be a pain in our ass this whole series. He?s 4-for-9 against Roy, so he may be trouble today also. Fucking tip-toe-hitting runt.
? Damn, we have to find a spot in the lineup for Burke while his bat still has homers left in it. His moonshot in Game One reminded me of a monster homer Craig Biggio hit off Darryl Kile a few years ago.
Key injuries:
Houston ? None
St. Louis ? Reyes, Rolen, and Lincoln.
Other shit
? Man, did the Angels ever get fucked last night. What?s up with all the free rides this postseason? Pierzynski gets called out but still ends up on first; La Roach got to first on a balk. I wish it had been this easy to get to first base when I was in high school.
? Tim McClelland needs to get a support bra or something, because his strike zone is sagging way below his knees. By the 9th inning it?s practically touching the ground.
? After looking at the Busch crowd shots in Game One, I think the nursing homes must empty out on game night. I haven?t seen that much grey hair since the last time I went to a Jimmy Buffett concert.
