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Five in a row
The Associated Press
This is five wins in a row, and all have been exciting comeback wins. It seems the team has full confidence in getting a win, no matter what the score. They’ve overcome 4-0 deficits and a two-run deficit in the ninth inning with Eric Gagne on the hill. Tonight, they overcame a 2-0 deficit and won it again in the bottom of the ninth.
Three random thoughts
- Kaz Matsui used some heads-up baserunning in the ninth. A ball got away from the catcher when he was on second base and he made a great jump and got to third. That forced the outfield to play in with just one out and Carlos Lee popped it over the centerfielder’s glove for the win.
- A day after he went 5-for-5, Lance Berkman tied a club record with eight straight hits. His eighth hit was a monstrous home run over the railroad tracks.
- After a horrible season start, Jose Valverde has taken a 180. I don’t know if he’s given up a run in the last two weeks. His ERA is now below that of Roy Oswalt.
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The drama continues
AP photo
The Astros pulled off another exciting win, this time a 6-5 win over the Nationals that was won in the eighth inning. Prior to that, the lead changed hands three times. The Nats scored runs in the second, fifth, seventh and eighth innings but the Astros answered with their own runs in the bottom halves of those same innings, in addition to the run they scored in the third.
Three random thoughts
- Carlos Lee was 3-for-4 with three RBI, including the go-ahead double in the eighth inning, which came when Austin Kearns dove and missed a line drive in right field.
- Lance Berkman continued his monster season with a 5-for-5 performance with two doubles and an RBI. He even stole two bases.
- Shawn Chacon has yet to get a decision in seven starts. Before tonight, it was fortunate because he deserved wins. But tonight he gave up four runs through seven innings and the offense bailed him out.
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Game eventually over
The Associated Press
It took a blown save by Eric Gagne and some 12th-inning heroics, but the Astros did pull off the sweep of Milwaukee with an 8-6 win.
- Chris Sampson got rocked early on, and the bullpen stepped up huge, allowing just one run through 8.2 innings. Geoff Geary, Wesley Wright, Doug Brocail, Jose Valverde and Tim Byrdak didn’t allow any runs.
- The box score shows that Hunter Pence was only 1-for-6, but he was one of the heroes of the day as his two-run homer in the 12th was the game-winner. That’s three homers in as many days for Pence.
- Lance Berkman was 4-for-5 today with four RBI and a homer of his own. He’s been hot since the start and has 10 home runs through the first 32 games. That puts him on a 51-homer pace.
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Long ball gives Astros exciting win
The Associated Press
For four innings, it looked like the Astros didn’t have a clue how to hit. They didn’t have a baserunner until the fourth inning and were down 4-0. But they made their big comeback in the sixth inning, scoring four runs after scoring two in the fifth. One more run in the eighth made the final score 7-4 for the Astros’ win.
Three random thoughts
- The fourth inning saw back-to-back-to-back home runs by Miguel Tejada, Lance Berkman and Carlos Lee that tied, gave them the lead and extended the lead for the Astros. This trio is going to one of the most feared in baseball, especially with …
- … Hunter Pence behind them. Pence, who before today had been struggling, hit two home runs. His big game raised his batting average to a respectable .260.
- Roy Oswalt struggled off and on and gave up four runs (three earned) but hung in the game and ate up some innings before handing the game over to the bullpen. Oswalt’s ability to hang around gave him his fourth win of the season.
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Double digits again
The Associated Press
What a great back-and-forth game. The Astros went up 2-0, but the Padres got the lead with a three-run homer by Adrian Gonzalez in the sixth inning. The Astros scored five more runs in the sixth and seventh innings. The Padres scored four of their own in the eighth before the Astros answered back with four for the 11-7 win in the eighth. That’s two games in a row where the Astros scored in the double digits.
Three random thoughts
- Jose Valverde got a blown save, but actually played the role of hero. The blown save came when he entered the game with one out in the eighth inning and a runner on third. Khalil Greene hit a sac fly to drive in the runner. But Valverde got out of the inning and the Astros scored four more runs to give Valverde the win.
- I’d like for E60 to come up with some report that Miguel Tejada is 35 tomorrow. Ever since the report came out that he’s actually 33, he has been red-hot. Tonight, he went 4-for-5 with a double and two RBI.
- Kaz Matsui had another multi-hit game since he’s come back from anal fissures. Tonight, he was 2-for-5 with two RBI and a double.
- Like I said, starting pitching was one of the main factors. Roy Oswalt has put together two great starts after starting the season with three bad ones. Tonight he lasted seven innings and gave up three runs off of six hits and two walks while striking out six. Two of the runs came on homers. It shows to me that once he got the big lead, he needed to make the Padres hitters earn their runs and he limited the walks.
- Miguel Tejada went 4-for-5 with a home run and three RBI. He’s batting .342 and has 16 RBI. All this talk of steroids and aging hasn’t gotten to him.
- Newcomer Tim Byrdak and Oscar Villarreal pitched the last two innings and shut down the Padres’ bats to close out the win.
- I was pretty confident that if the Astros could get to the bullpen early they would have a really good shot at winning since the Rockies went 22 innings last night. But the Rockies offense gave the team a 6-0 cushion and once the Rockies bullpen did enter the game, they only gave up one run. But the bullpen is just as spent now as it was before the game so maybe the Astros can still squeeze a win out of it.
- Speaking of bullpens, the Astros’ is almost in just as bad of shape having pitched five innings yesterday and 8 1-3 tonight. Here’s hoping Wandy Rodriguez can go about seven innings tomorrow.
- It’s good to see Hunter Pence go 3-for-4 tonight after getting off to a rough start.
- Shawn Chacon pitched eight innings of shutout ball, giving up four hits and two walks. But he threw 109 pitches so I can’t blame Cecil Cooper for pulling him in the ninth. Chacon has a 2.25 ERA and no decisions.
- The “Big Three,” Lance Berkman, Carlos Lee and Miguel Tejada, went a combined 5-for-9 with one RBI.
- Former Astros fan favorite Eric Bruntlett got the start in Philly and went 1-for-2 with a stolen base.
- Shawn Chacon gave up just four hits through six innings, but the walks did him in as he handed out four free passes. That forced Cecil Cooper to hand it to the bullpen in the seventh inning.
- The third inning was the only inning of offense for the Astros as a Miguel Tejada double scored Carlos Lee and Lance Berkman. Tejada then scored on a wild pitch to give the Astros the lead. I’m having a hard time believing that the Pence-Berkman-Lee-Tejada group will keep the Astros from winning. Especially if the pitching stays solid.
- Geoff Geary gave up a two-run double with two outs in the eighth inning to Troy Glaus which gave the Cardinals the lead for good. Geary was tagged with the loss.
- Jose Valverde came into the ninth inning with a 3-0 lead. By the time he left, the score was 3-3. Valverde gave up a leadoff single to Aaron Miles, but did the unacceptable by walking Cesar Izturis. A couple hits later and the score was tied. Valverde is off to a bad start but did earn the win for his efforts.
- Valverde’s blown save ruined a stellar performance by Wandy Rodriguez. We’re talking 7.1 innings, NO runs, NO walks and just three hits allowed. He was pulled after giving up a base hit but Doug Brocall closed out the inning by inducing a double play.
- The game was scoreless in the seventh inning until Lance Berkman crushed a homer to center field. Then Carlos Lee crushed one to the train tracks. It’s a sight Astros fans could get used to this year.
- The first inning was a killer. The Astros had men on second and third and nobody out. But Darin Erstad struck out and Michael Bourn was thrown out trying to score on a fly out by Carlos Lee.
- Oscar Villarreal was tagged with the loss after giving up a seventh-inning home run to Derek Lee. That broke the 2-2 tie and the Cubs held it.
- A Miguel Tejada home run in the seventh inning tied the game. It was Tejada’s first homer of the season and he improved his batting average to .231.
- Dave Borkowski pitched a scoreless eighth inning to keep the game within a run. he’s been dependable for three years now.
- Jimy Williams. Phil Garner. Cecil Cooper. What do these three have in common? They all like to sit starters. Tomas Perez, Geoff Blum and Erstad got the starts. I understand that Lance Berkman and Ty Wiggington are still hurting from yesterday, but that should mean that guys like Mark Loretta are just going to have to miss a day off for the greater good of the team.
- With one out in the eighth inning and down by a run, Lance Berkman stole third. This put him in position to score on a sacrifice fly by Carlos Lee, who is the king of the sac fly. I really love that the Astros are trying to take the extra base in appropriate situations. This was something I think they missed out on last year and the new philosophy will win some games for the Astros this year. Berkman finished the game 3-for-5 with three RBI, which came on his home run in the ninth inning.
- Wandy Rodriguez only lasted five innings, giving up four runs. He usually gets off to a good start before hitting a wall, so this performance really concerns me.
- Geoff Geary, whoever the heck he is, and Jose Valverde pitched the final three innings. Valverde gave up the lead but ultimately picked up the win with a scoreless ninth. Geary was the only pitcher to not give up a run.
- Geoff Blum, that crazy third baseman that beat the Astros in Game 3 of the ‘05 World Series, got his first start of the season and went 2-for-4 with an RBI.
- Hunter Pence was 2-for-5 and drove in Jose Cruz Jr. to tie the game. That was with two outs, so it was obviously key in keeping the game going to give Berkman a chance for the win.
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Bats silent again
AP photo
Two games, one run. I thought this was a new offense?
Five random thoughts
- The Astros had their first run of the season in the sixth inning when Michael Bourn walked with the bases loaded.
- Brandon Backe pitched five innings and didn’t give up any runs until the fourth inning off a two run homer by Scott Hairston. It’s good seeing Backe pitch well on the road, something he normally doesn’t do. He was pulled for pinch hitter Jose Cruz, Jr. I don’t think Backe should ever be pulled for a pinch hitter. He bats as good as anyone and it wastes a player.
- Michael Bourn is having an exciting run this early in the season. He’s stolen three this season and has covered center field very well. Anyone who can push Hunter Pence out of center has to be good.
- Oscar Villereal and Doug Brocail shut down the Padres in the last two innings. Seems like the pitching we have worried about is doing fine so far.
- The story of the game was Trevor Hoffman closing the game after blowing a couple saves down the stretch last season. I’m sure Padres fans are breathing easier after seeing him shut down the Astros. But maybe that’s not such a large feat.
- A couple months agao, I had tried to get tickets to Craig Biggio’s last game of his career, which will be Sunday. I wanted to see him play at catcher, which was the plan. But the game had sold out so I settled for his next-to-last game, which was tonight. Then I found out he decided to catch tonight so I was very pleased.
- Biggio did alright behind the plate. Nothing got by him. It was really weird to see him with the equipment on again but I’m glad he got to do it. The Braves had a couple runners on in the first two innings but didn’t try to run on him, probably more out of respect than fear for his arm.
- Brandon Backe was pumped for this game, and when he’s pumped it usually means trouble for the opposing team. He lasted six innings and gave up just one run. Here’s hoping he has more to get pumped for next season.
- Backe wasn’t too shabby at the plate either. He fouled off several pitches in the fifth inning before connecting on a right-center shot to for a home run. That run ended up being the winning one.
- Lost in everything else was that Brad Ausmus got the start at second base, his first start at a position besides catcher in his career. I wonder where Ausmus will be next year. I’m pretty sure he won’t be the starting catcher for Houston. I can see him maybe signing with San Diego in a back-up role.
- This was like a spring-training game. When Matt Albers is one of the more familiar faces on the team, you know something weird is going on. Problem is I’m spoiled because these call-ups never have a major role on the team unless the team is out of contention. This is the first year in about five years that that’s the case.
- Cecil Cooper is basically playing for a full-time job, yet he’s asked to put these youngsters in the lineup. It’s a tough predicament for him for sure. I don’t know how this season can be a good barometer for him on whether he can lose the “interim” tag.
- Some guy named Cody Ransom started at shortstop for the Astros. He was 0-for-4 but made a tremendous jumping catch in the second inning.
- Luke Scott broke up the shutout in the ninth inning with a two-run blast. He had another hit and was robbed of another hit by an unnecessarily great play by Gabe Gross. I say it was unnecessary because the score was only about 11-0 at the time.
- I don’t know how Hunter Pence isn’t hitting at least .500. Every time I check his line, he goes 2-for-4.
- Brandon Backe made his first start of the season and didn’t do so bad. He lasted 5.2 innings and allowed three earned runs, eight hits and three walks and didn’t strike out anyone. But he was on the road and he’s known for not pitching well on the road so if this is the worst he’ll do then that’s not bad.
- Chris Burke had a great game going 3-for-5 with a homer. He really stepped up in the ninth inning with Hunter Pence on first base and got a hit to give Lance Berkman a chance to give the Astros the lead.
- But Berkman struck out on three pitches and Carlos Lee was retired to give Milwaukee the tough win. The Brewers had a 4-1 lead and almost blew their 16th three-run lead of the year.
- Congratulations to Jason Lane, who was called up from Round Rock today. Did anyone know he was ever gone?
- Mark McLemore pitched a scoreless eighth to keep the Brewers close. His ERA is now 3.38.
- I wonder how much of a chance Houston would have had if Hunter Pence was healthy all season. He was already 2-for-3 when he came up to bat in the eighth inning with two outs. The Astros were down by two and Pence hit a triple to tie the game and later scored on a passed ball. An outfield with Carlos Lee, Pence and Luke Scott should be more than enough offense next year. Any manager would be stupid to mess with it.
- Cecil Cooper did some thinking outside the box today with his relief staff. Brad Lidge came in for the eighth inning, where he had to face the tougher part of the order then Chad Qualls got the save in the ninth inning. It seems Cooper’s not so concerned with the numbers and more concerned with getting the win. It’s an interesting concept and it will be even more interesting to see how it plays out the rest of the season.
- Roy Oswalt got the start and looked good for a few innings but gave up five runs in less than six innings. It was his first bad start in over a six starts.
- The Brewers blew a three-run lead, and have lost a major-league worst 15 games when holding that large of a lead. That’s really going to weigh on them in the off-season knowing that’s what cost them a playoff spot.
- One good thing about the rest of the year is we have September call-ups to watch. Guys like Josh Anderson. I was able to get his T-shirt for five bucks in Corpus Christi. And now Brandon Backe is with the squad and will be fighting for a spot in the rotation next season.
- Woody Williams improved to 8-12 on the year as he allowed just two runs off of a home run in the sixth inning.
- Chad Qualls pitched 1 2/3 innings of scoreless baseball and struck out the side in order in the eight inning. His ERA is down to 3.14. It makes the Astros look good for keeping him.
- Brad Lidge didn’t have a save until after the All-Star break and suddenly has 12 after a perfect ninth.
- Lance Berkman had two RBI to bring the total to 80 for the season. He should reach the century mark after the slow start.
- The Texas Rangers scored 30 runs, the most runs scored in 110 years, tonight. I’m watching the second game of their doubleheader where they’ve only scored nine.
- Injuries all over the place! Carlos Lee couldn’t start today. It looks like Roy Oswalt will miss a start. Hopefully Brandon Backe will be ready to come back soon.
- The Astros were 4-3 on this road trip but they could’ve easily have gone 6-1 had they held leads in two of those games.
- Houston is only eight games out of first place, but with the injury bug hitting them like it has and the fact that they have to leapfrog the Cardinals, Brewers and Cubs to get there makes it a nearly impossible task. It would mean they would have to get hot while hoping three other teams stumble.
- The Nationals and the Pirates are coming to town next — two teams that are actually worse than the Astros. Then we have series against the Cardinals and Cubs. So if there’s a time to strike, this is it.
- Starter Jason Lane’s batting average stands at .177.
- Not to sound cliche, (ever notice how the next phrase after that phrase IS a cliche?) but the next two games are must-wins for the Astros. They’ve put themselves in a position where, although they have a chance, they have to win every series from now on.
- Our hot free-agent acquisition, Jason Jennings, made it 5 1/3 innings while giving up four earned runs. His ERA is now 6.15.
- Jason Lane went 2-for-5 to raise his batting average to .170.
- I thought Matt Albers was the fifth starter? He pitched for the second game in a row. One IP, no runs allowed.
- Brad Lidge pitched a scoreless ninth, lowering his ERA to 2.61.
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Saying bye to Bidge
AP photoFive random thoughts from Astros’ 3-2 win over Braves
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Brewers beat up on no-names
AP photoFive random thoughts from Astros 14-2 loss to Brewers
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Backe loses in return
AP photoFive random thoughts from Astros’ 5-3 loss to the Brewers
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Astros take back-and-forth encounter
AP photoFive random thoughts from Astros’ 9-7 win over the Brewers
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Astros make their moves
AP photo
Phil Garner took over halfway through 2004 for Jimy Williams, who took an underachieving ballclub to a .500 record at the All-Star break. I was excited because Jimy drove me crazy with the moves he would make in a game. Well, Garner pretty much did the same thing, giving stars days off, overanalyzing matchups by putting in a lesser talented lefthander against a righty and going to the bullpen too soon.
But Garner did something right, maybe by lighting a fire under some players and took the team to the Wild Card title and a game away from the World Series. In 2005, the Astros were 15 games under .500 and later made it to the World Series. Last year, the team almost made a miraculous comeback and came within a game and a half of winning the Central Division.
So this was Garner’s first “bad year” and now he’s fired. It just seems to me that he had no room for error and I think he deserved another shot. He’s not the one that injured half the starting pitching staff or the one who let Willy Taveras, Jason Hirsh, Taylor Buccholz, Andy Pettitte, Roger Clemens, Carlos Beltran, Jeff Kent or Russ Springer go. And besides that, he’s the one known for the miracle comebacks yet he didn’t get a shot to do it this year. (sarcastic tone)
As for Tim Purpura, I don’t know what to blame him for because I don’t know what moves he made on his own or had Drayton McLane’s orders to make.
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Woody impressive in win over Nats
AP photoFive random thoughts from Astros 3-2 win over Nationals
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Astros end successful road trip with loss
AP photoFive random thoughts from a week of late-night baseball
Astros lose first in crucial series
AP photoFive random thoughts from Astros 5-4, 11-inning loss to Brewers
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Astros all-around effort gives them a win
The Associated Press
A solid effort by the offense (10 runs), starting pitching (three runs allowed through seven) and the bullpen (no runs allowed through two innings) gave the Astros an easy 10-3 win Monday night over the Padres.
Three random thoughts
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Sampson rocked in first and Rockies run away with win
AP photo
Chris Sampson tried his Jason Jennings impersonation and almost pulled it off by lasting two-thirds of an inning and giving up six runs. But Sampson is pretty resilient and I have confidence that he’ll bounce back. But for now his ERA has shot up to 8.74.
Three random thoughts
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Valverde avoids another save
AP photo
Another excellent start by an Astros starter was ruined by the bullpen “ace,” Jose Valverde. Valverde has blown two saves and his ERA has climbed to 11.37. Tonight, he had a 3-0 lead and promptly gave up a homer, hit a batter, struck out a hitter, gave up a homer, struck out a hitter who got to first on a passed ball and gave up a double to give the Phillies a 4-3 win.
Three random thoughts
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Cardinals take back-and-forth battle
Shawn Chacon pitched well enough to carry the Astros, but the bullpen couldn’t hold the game and the offense couldn’t provide anymore help as the Cardiinals won, 5-3.
Three random thoughts
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Tejada saves the day
AP photo
Miguel Tejada made his Minute Maid debut a good one with a game-winning homer in the bottom of the ninth inning to give the Astros an exciting 5-3 win.
Three random thoughts
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Bats fail Backe again
AP photo
Brandon Backe again pulled off a quality road start, giving up just two runs through six innings but the Astros could only muster two runs themselves and lost, 3-2.
Five random thoughts
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Astros come out on top in back-and-forth affair
AP photo
The Astros played last night like most expected them to coming into the season. The pitching wasn’t good enough, but the offense earned their pay by sixth and eighth innings before putting the Padres away in the ninth inning. With two outs and nobody on, the Astros hitters managed to score four runs in a total team effort to win the game, 9-6.
Five random thoughts
Latest comments
Is this a daily blog? The newspaper is a daily, why not the blog? Is it only a blog when the Astros are doing well or just when Jeff puts on his Astros cap, Astros Jersey, sunglasses (so he tries to look like a ballplayer) and his Astros underroos.
... read the full comment by James | Comment on Astros end successful road trip with loss Read Astros end successful road trip with loss
That was clearly Bork’s fault. He threw wide and Munson was pulled off base. He may have gotten one but lost handle trying to get into position off balance. Pitcher’s error. Oh well. They scored a heck of alot of runs.
... read the full comment by skip | Comment on Astros outscore Padres 11-7 in final eight innings Read Astros outscore Padres 11-7 in final eight innings
Berkman didn’t start b/c his lifetime stats against Glavine are horrible.
... read the full comment by saulpanzer | Comment on Beltran makes fans pay for boos Read Beltran makes fans pay for boos
That was freakin’ Awesome!!! Way to highlight Craig Biggio’s 3000 Hits….or shall I say 3002!?
... read the full comment by jballini | Comment on Lee slam caps off Biggio's grand day Read Lee slam caps off Biggio's grand day