Roy Oswalt and Dontrelle Willis got together for a reprise of Opening Day before an invitation only crowd in Miami to kick off the start of the Second Half.
Phil Garner said before the game that there is no second half, there is only this game. They must play well and they must win.
Defensively things started well. Ausmus barehanded a popped up bunt and Aubrey Huff back handed a hot one hopper heading for the line, holding a runner on 2nd , to help Sparky get out of the first.
In the second, the Marlins once again had a runner on 2nd with one out. Oswalt got the strikeout and Huff ended the inning corralling a skimmer that crawled up his glove and bounced off his chest. He recovered and got the runner at first. Decent arm.
In the bottom of the 2nd the homeplate ump, Rick Reed, suddenly left the field. Speculation mounted, JD, thankfully back from his vacation, thought maybe he swallowed his gum. Then he thought he maybe asked to go potty. Then the thought occurred that play was stopped because a fan, trying to get through the turnstiles, had got stuck. And the management was interrupting play so that the 35,000 behind the backup could get in the ballpark. Turns out Reed had popped a blood vessel in his nose and play resumed minus one ump.
There were a couple 3-1 plays and it was obvious Oswalt was chiding Berkman for not making the plays unassisted. He seemed to be saying that Pujols didn?t make him run all the way over.
Huff almost made his first offensive contribution in the 4th. With Berkman on first and one out, he grounded just to the right of the 1b. Berkman may have shielded the play with a stutter step, the ball went through, and there were runners 1st and 3rd, one out. But Wilson grounded into a double play.
But in the 6th, the scoring started. Burke worked a hbp by moving back a hair slower on one of Willis? sweeping inside fastball. Berkman singled to right and there were runners 1st and 3rd, one out, Huff to bat. He strikes out. But Wilson picked him up with a grounder up the middle scoring Burke.
Roy, breezing to this point, gave the run back in the bottom with an ill advised hanging curve ball that Jacobs snuck past the right field foul pole.
Sizing up Willis and the Astros chances of scoring another run against him, Oswalt put his plan into action in the bottom of the 7th. With one out he carefully gave up 2 singles and was lifted for Wheeler. Dot continued working the plan, inducing a just slow enough grounder to short so that the batter Abercrombie beat the backside of the dp. So now, with runners 1st and 3rd, 2 outs, the Marlins were forced to pinch hit for Willis. Wheeler got a harmless pop to center.
Now the Astros had the Marlins where they wanted them. Taveras greeted the reliever Messenger with a single. With Burke to bat, Taveras broke for second while Burke grounded just to the right of the moving to cover Handley Ramirez. He fell backward trying to make the play, caught the ball and threw low to first. The first baseman Jacobs couldn?t make the scoop.
With runners 1st and 3rd no outs, Berkman singled a doubled up curve right by the diving 2b, scoring Taveras. Up comes Huff. He hits the 3 run homer. Aubrey Huff?s Astros debut may rival that of the stylish Mexi Mullet Vinnie Castilla (3-5 3 runs 2 rbi, played 3d and ss
The Link )
Qualls worked smartly through the 7th and 8th to get the win. Lidge came in for the 9th to mess around with his control and air out his fastball, recording 2 Ks and no base runners.
Clemens faces Anibal S?nchez tomorrow, note the time, 6:35.
