July 25, 2007
Astros 2, Dojers 1
W: Vulture Qualls (6-3) | L: Houlton (0-2) | S: Lidge (5)
Astros.com Recap (DuBose)
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Game Zone thread
Last night was the Fat Albers and Flapjack Show, with a special guest appearance by the totally resurgent Brad Lidge (as himself), as the Good Guys took the rubber match and the series in a 2-1 affair. All of the scoring came on 3 solo shibbies, which should keep the offensive write-up nice and succinct this morning.
Albers answered the bell for Roy O last night, filling in while Sparky hooked himself up to the dozer for some internal electrical adjustments. The matchup versus Lowe looked for shit on paper, but such is the joy of baseball, where paper matchups are so very frequently wrong. The puffy youngster acquitted himself magnificently, tossing five innings of scoreless ball on just 3 hits and a walk, striking out 5 and inducing 7 grounders.
One of the hits was erased quickly in the second when Kent knocked one off the scoreboard in left. The Caballo played it perfectly, bare-handing the carom and firing a strike to Bidge right on the bag to nail Bluebonnet. In the top of the third, Loney tripled to the right side of the hill leading off, but Albers bore down and got two swinging Ks and a Furcal groundout to escape unscathed. Tip of the cap to him.
Muson got the ‘Stros on the board in the bottom of the frame, putting one just over the wall in right for a 1-0 lead. AE had just settled into the booth with Brownie and JD, and had apparently brought some extra karma with him. In the next inning, Flapjack the Hummingbird teleported himself effortlessly to 2nd base for another steal, one of those truly rare and marvelous sights that you only expect to see on a Planet Earth episode (with Sigourney Weaver noting that it took a cameraman eight weeks in complete isolation to capture the feat, never before recorded with such high-speed film.)
The fifth inning turned it over to the bully for both teams, with Albers pulled for a MoBerg pinch DP, and Lowe leaving with vaginal dryness, or something to that effect. Bork picked up the slack in the 6th, with Qualls coming on in the 7th to promptly give up a Bluebonnet yack to deep left leaving it knotted at 1-1. The tie was short-lived, though, as El Kabong smacked a prodigious clout off the facade in left center for what would eventually prove to be the game winner. Flapjack made another nice running play in left in the 8th to hold Nomar to a noisy single, and was clearly frisky and feeling his oats.
Lidge was on again in the 9th, protecting that 1-run lead like a precious, fragile gift. Pierre – who either has a small head or a giant helmet – grounded out tamely to Loretta, who had moved over to 2nd when Garner deployed the defensive unit to start the inning. Lidge then flat-out abused Martin, finishing him off with an absolutely unhittable slider that started low in the zone and snapped off at the end like someone shot it. He threw the same filth at Kent to start the next AB, only on the outside edge this time, with the same flailing results. I mean, those two pitches were pur-dee. I’d like to frame them and hang them in my living room, but I’m afraid visitors would break down in tears, overwhelmed by the beauty and magnificence on display. I could see this being potentially awkward, so I will refrain. The at-bat ended with a short flyout to a charging Lee (clear a path!), sending the fans home happy. I guess Puddy was happy, too, though I’m really not sure what exactly was going on here.
San Diego comes in next for a 4-game set beginning tonight, with the monstrous Boomer Wells taking the hill against the similarly-statisticked Eny Cabreja, who has been a force at home this season. I’m feeling cautiously optimistic, with a side of guarded enthusiasm. Let’s go get ’em.