Another series win, but it could have been a sweep had Jose Valverde held the Detroit Tigers in the ninth. With the NL Central struggling, the Astros would have climbed into fourth place and just three games back of first with that win that got away. Instead, the Astros are holding steady in fifth place after Valverde allowed a walk and a two-run bomb to steal the victory. Call me impetuous, but it might be time to dump Valverde and his 8 mil salary. LaTroy Hawkins can, and has gotten the job done for less this year. Valverde has blown two saves in six tries since coming off the DL earlier this month. For the year, he has blown four saves to just six saves while Hawkins' numbers aren't great, but are better at 10 SV with 3 BS. With Hawkins making less than half of Valverde's money, I say we give him the job and get a young pitcher or two out of Jose before the deadline.
After belting his 300th home run earlier this month, Lance Berkman reached another milestone. Berkman became the third Astro to drive in 1,000 RBIs during his career with the team. He made them count, too. Berkman plated four on Thursday to help the Astros to a 5-4 win over the Royals, avoiding a three-game sweep. Now with 1,003 for his career, he's in the company of Killer B's Craig Biggio (1,175) and Jeff Bagwell (1,529).
The Astros showed veteran-starter Brandon Backe the door, designating him for assignment. He has no minor league options left with the team, so they must either trade or release him. Apparently, Backe had bad apples about having to work out of the bullpen. So did I, but baseball is about maximizing your opportunities. Nerves and rythem are not good excuses for running up a 10.00 ERA in relief. Just look what Russ Ortiz did with his relief load. Now 'ol Russ is in the rotation. Backe went 30-28 with a 5.23 ERA over six seasons with Houston. We'll always have your nice '04 and '05 post-seasons, kid!
(Jeff Chiu/AP) Speaking of former popular 'Stros, have you set your watch to Lima Time lately? Phil Taylor hasa nice Point After in the newest Sports Illustrated. Revealed are the whereabouts of Houston's former 21-game-winner and Casa Ole singing pitchman.Lima sings! -video found on YouTube-
Despite allowing a mess of hits, Roy Oswalt had surrendered just one run and Houston's struggling offense had given him just enough run support to earn his fourth win of the year.
That was before a ninth-inning debacle that one might associate with Chicago Cubs' and Boston Red Sox curse phenomena struck Minute Maid Park.
Only this is just a mid season contest for a losing team.
With one out and the bases empty and Jose Valverde on the mound, Lance Berkman, playing close to the line at first, let a routine grounder go through his legs. Score an error. The next batter then hit a fly ball to right field that was caught by Jason Michaels. Or was it? Replay showed that the ball glanced off the outfield wall prior to it's arrival in Michaels' glove. Now runners at first and third. A subsequent base hit would tie it and send the game into extra innings where the Astros would ultimately lose.
Tonight, Brian Moehler will face Brian Bannister and hopefully the Astros can avoid a spirit killing sweep. To the Royals. At Home. Let's get the bats out guys! Pitching can only get you so far, and based on Moehler's output this year, we'll need to plate four or five to get the win tonight.
So Greinke was back on for the Royals. He gave up 8 hits and no walks in 8 IP to hold the Astros' bats in check. Despite four straight losses and 15 ER's, Greinke's sub-2.00 ERA coming in was proof enough that the Astros might need to muster more than a solitary first inning run. But despite the Astros' tepid offense, cagey old Russ Ortiz looked sharp, allowing just 5 hits and two walks in 7 IP, his longest outing of the season. Gotta love the fight.
Lineup notes: Cecil Cooper sat Lance Berkman yesterday, moving Miguel Tejada to fifth in the order, while Hunter Pence moved back to the three hole, from where he scored Houston's only run. Pence's improved patience at the plate has been evident this year. His OBP is over .400 behind 33 walks. He's just seven free passes off his previous season high of 40 from last year. That coupled with his ability to hit .300 and his 20-plus home run power makes him a legitimate No. 3 hitter. Ah, to see the young hitter's bloom. It might just be that Berkman will be settled in a five for the rest of the year - and perhaps the rest of his career. Berkman's .245 BA is the by far the lowest it's been since his rookie year, but he's still walking at a good clip, on pace to break 100 for the fourth time in his career. It's likely that age has slowed his swing, but Berkman still has his pop leading the team with 14 homers. Plus, having a five-holer who gets on base, gives the lower lineup more RBI opportunities going forward.
This just in: Tejada isn't getting any younger. Mier just might be the heir apparent at short for the Astros, or, sadly, trade bait for Drayton McLain to acquire an aging veteran. *Sigh*
Climbing the division stairs. Destination Attic. And a better metaphor.
Not that overtaking Pittsburgh is a feat. They just traded away their best hitter (Nate McLouth) to Atlanta for prospects, which signals the start of their annual packing-it-in plunge to irrelevance. Too bad their ownership neither buys reliable (but expensive) free agents or is savvy enough with the saber metrics to assemble a cheap young talent to contend at least in spurts.
But it's not so much the slipping Pirates as it is the Astros' ascendancy that has them thinking second-half run - only five games back of the Cardinals, today.
Finishing their road trip 5-4, Houston took two of three at the Metrodome for their sixth series win of their last seven.
Hunter Pence has hit 10/22 since being moved to the sixth spot last week. His success should help Berkman see better pitches ahead of him.
With the reeling Royals coming to Houston tonight, I'm betting the 'Stros will give fading Cy Young contender Zack Greinke a punch to the gut. If they pull out this first one, a three-game sweep might just be in order. When it comes to playing losing teams, you have to beat 'um not to be 'um.
The ever-evolving Astros rotation will feature 31-year-old righty Brandon Backe in for tonight's series finale at the Texas Rangers.
Backe's opportunity presented itself because of Mike Hampton's trip to the DL, not because of anything Cecil Cooper or his coaches are seeing in Brandon's shoddy 12.00 ERA in just nine innings of work since coming off the DL last month.
Chris Sampson, who has 33 major league starts under his belt, should have earned the start with his shiney 2.31 ERA in 39 innings of relief this year. But the Houston Chronicle reported that the 31-year-old is experiencing dead-arm and will be unavailable for a few days. Lucky for Backe.
Backe is still running on the fumes of 2005 where he was 10-8 with a mediocre back-of-the-rotation ERA of 4.76, but had a nice post season as the Astros advanced to the World Series. This may be Backe's last chance to become a consistently decent pitcher. Even Drayton McClaine cuts ties with local boy fan favs after so much.
On a side note, Houston may have the oldest pitching staff in the bigs. Oh, wait I mean the oldest team in general. Just keep 'em healthy, doc!
With two straight losses to Texas, the Astros will lose their first series in the past six. Hopefully just a bump on the road to playoff contention. The rest of the division is languishing in .500 ball, so the Astros are missing a chance to gain ground. Sigh. Grimace. On the road to Minneapolis to finish the trip.
In last night's loss, Cooper shuffled the lineup again, putting Hunter Pence behind Berkman at sixth and shifting Miguel Tejada to third while inserting third baseman Jeff Keppinger in the two-hole. Pence had been batting third since late May when he and Berkman were switched due to Hunter's higher rate of contact and overall OBP. Me thinks this just an inter-league shuffle by Cooper and that we'll continue to see Pence back in the three spot behind Tejada. The emergence of Pence in the top of the order has given Houston a deeper lineup with slugger Berkman in the middle of the bats. After Michael Bourne leading-off, you have to respect a two through five made up of Tejada, Pence, Carlos Lee and Berkman. That's no pitcher's picnic.
Also, Ivan "Pudge" Rodriguez celebrated passing Carlton "Pudge" Fisk in games caught by commiting a pair of throwing errors. That's what squating for 2,227 games will get you. Just jokes Pudge, just jokes.
Following-up back-to-back 2-1 wins over the Cubs last week, the Astros pitching staff disappointed last Friday as they dropped the opener of a three game set to the Diamondbacks in Arizona 8-1, as starter Mike Hampton was shakey walking five in 5.0 IP giving up three runs while Brandon Backe imploded, giving up five runs in 3.0 IP. While Hampton has been serviceable, Backe may be out of a job soon, given his 12.00 ERA over 9.0 IP since coming off of the DL in late May.
But why focus on the negative when Astros bats made a positive out of the weekend series?
Victories Saturday and Sunday proved the Astros are better than their current NL Central-basement address might suggest. Just four and a half games behind the first place Brewers, the Astros extended their series win-streak to five.
Sweetening the opening leg of the road trip were the achievement of milestones by Miguel Tejada who knocked hit 2,000 and Lance Berkman who went yard for the 300th time in his career. Look out Bags, with continued health Berkman might yet supplant you as the franchise's greatest power hitter.
