At this particular second, it’s still a rumor – Berkman has supposedly OKd a trade to the Yanks if they DON’T pick up his option.
No idea what we’re gonna get back, but I’d bet it’s nothing good.
I hear tell that apparently, when he was trying to trade Roy-O, Fast Eddie told teams that they would have to pick up ALL of Roy’s contract – and he maneuvered it so that the Phils would be able to snag Roy. The other teams are NOT real too happy.
GEE, what a surprise.
Well glory be!!!
This is the hardest I saw Lance hit a baseball all year – he turned on a Andrew Cashner 95 MPH FB and absolutely rocketed that ball out of the park. I almost fell over. He had struck out earlier with men on first and 3rd with 2 out and I wasn’t expecting miracles with bases loaded, 2 out – not that there had to be any miracles, as Angel Sanchez had driven in a run to break up the 0-0 tie and Pence added a security run immediately after.
Every time I think that Lance is going to start hitting again, I’ve been wrong. I hope this is the beginning of something good, instead of one of those dying gasps. I’ve been most unhappy about Lance not being able to hit a ball much further than the Crawford Boxes and had decided that he was simply played out. Man, I HOPE I’m wrong…
EDIT: looked at the replay again and I originally thought the ball went into the Restaurant just in front of the rightmost edge of the Budweiser sign, but I was wrong. And the 7 career grannys include the 2 he’s hit in the playoffs.
After not getting a W last week after pitching 7 innings of 3 hit shutout ball against the NL leading Padres, guess Roy was bound and determined to make absolutely freaking sure that he didn’t get clemenssed or francoed or lyonsed this afternoon. There’s a WHOLE lotta fight and not one ounce of quit in that boy.
Today was – Take A Ton Of Kidz To The Ballpark Day – and at least 1/3 to 1/2 of the people in the Box were kids. Which, by the way, was how I ended up going with 2 other females and a total of 10 kidz. You are right, I NEVAH learn. First lesson – no matter HOW much food you stuff into a kid, no matter HOW close they are to the complete FILL line on their little stomachs, somehow, 5 minutes later, they are empty enough to want popcorn/soda/hotdog/cotton candy (like I am stupid enough to have FOUR kidz wired to the eyeballs on that stuff)/ice cream/snowcones. And my kidz KNOW that if they come to the ballpark, they jes AIN’T gettin nothin except for the free soda you get for being a designated driver (best promo EVAH). But
Kid Day is a good idea for getting butts in seats – seats might could be cheap/free, but the kids most spend more on stuff than an adult paying full price for the seat does.
And you KNOW it was kids day because they turned up the volume and had a lot more stuff.
And believe it or not, it was actually COLD in the upper decks. Yes, really. It was. As in thank goodness I had a rain poncho because i needed it. Husband woulda loved it.
They now make this announcement after the 2nd inning about how it is “criminal trespass” to run onto the field and if you do, you get up to 1 year in jail and you get up to $2000 fine and Yew Will Be Persecutid To The FUUUULL Extent Of The Lauwwww!!! So naturally, with 1 out in the bottom of the 8th, some ultra maroon (a guy in shorts and a white shirt) jumps ovah the railing at the bottom of the stands at 3B/LF and runs across the field and up the Hill partway, but he got all tard out and lay down lahk a good lil boy when the cops got near. No tasing. Some of the guys near us were chanting _ Don’t Tase Me Bro, Don’t Tase Me Bro – but cops usually don’t tase unarmed drunk maroons who are already lying down with hands behind head, even for extra bonus points from the crowd. I was a little disappointed in the guy – guess he was too drunk to run well or maneuver much. I would appreciate it if someone with a Y chromosome would please explain to me the point of running on the field and getting arrested cuz I’m missing a lil understanding here…
I actually expected the Astros to kick some Ohlendorf Ass, but truth is that he was very good – he just got no run support (Paulino feels your pain, dude) and Roy was ice. He only gave up 7 hits (2 HR) and a walk, got 6 K. But unfortunately for him, even 1 run was 1 run too many – and there were only 2 really hard hit balls. He only got into trouble once – men on first and second, no out, but then got Castro, CJ and Sanchez out.
Bourn singled, stole a base (but got stranded) and stranded a man on 3rd with 2 out.
Keppinger didn’t get on base and had his 9 game hitting streak snapped. He didn’t get good wood on any ball. But he DID make a great play on a ball hit just to the right of second – dived, stopped, threw from his knees. And Lance made a stupendous scoop of that throw to get the out. It’s the little things and yes, fielding DOES matter.
Berkman got the Astros on the board in the first with one of his 320′ popups into the Crawford Boxes – first row, 5th seat from the foul pole. He hit a gen-u-wine homer to left OVER the Crawford Boxes in the 4th – and THAT one would gone out anywhere. He singled and popped out. He said on the pre-game show that he thinks his back leg (the one his knee was oeprated on) is getting stronger. I’ll believe it makes a difference if he starts driving the ball to the bullpens again and stops swinging through good pitches he used to kill. He also flashed some awesome leather – not just those scoops, but he also reached up to get a bad throw from Sanchez and didn’t lose contact with the bag. And he made a great diving stab of Jose Tabata’s liner in the 9th.
Clank hit 2 singles, NO GIDPs and no stupid Ks.
Pence went to 3-2 counts 3 of 4 ABs, walked, singled and stole a base (Clank could run on Doumit – heck, Quintero could run on Doumit) and stranded one.
Castro popped out twice and Kd twice and stranded 5. He hit a lot of fouls, seemed to always be just a little behind. The boy is lucky cuz if he was JR Towles with his going 1 fer Pittsburgh, he’d be on his way down.
CJ Kd twice, flew out to deep left and got robbed on a hard liner which almost went over the 3B. He went ofer Pittsburgh – interesting how he didn’t do nothin vs lousy pitchers, but hit the heck out of the Padres VERy good pitchers. He didn’t make any mistakes or misplays with the glove, although he almost made a bad throw, which Lance stretched and scooped up.
Sanchez is OK with the glove (CERTAINLY better than Blum) and did his usual groundout to short thingy except for his last AB – Ohlendorf threw him a changeup down the middle and he hit it WAAAAAAYYYY out in left center – and naturally, the CF was playing shallow and had to run a LOOOOOONG way to get it and Sanchez chugged into 3rd with a triple. He isn’t a fast runner, for a SS – about the speed of Keppinger/Berkman, surprisingly enough.
And Roy got a single, too – gots to keep that BA around your weight when you’re a pitcher, you know.
Roy pitched even better than he did 5 days ago – went to 3 ball counts only 3 times, walked 2, Kd 8, gave up 1 hit (in the first) and a HBP. He had one hiccup when he thought that McCutchen had been caught stealing to end the 6th, but I guess he had balked on that pitch. The ump came and talked to him, Mills was out for a second, then trotted back. Why on earth they never put what the ump’s decision was on the scoreboard, I do NOT know, but they won’t.
sigh
He had a pitch count of 92 at the end of the 7th and came up in the bottom of the inning with a man on 3rd – and I was surprised there was no squeeze, but ah well, he just flew out to shallow center, so Sanchez, no Bourn, couldn’t tag and score. So anyhow, I was pretty sure he’d be pitching the 8th – especially as no one was warming up. First hitter hits the ball back up the middle for a 6-3, and Roy looked as if he might have grabbed at the ball as it went by because the trainer and Arnesberg were out there in like 3 seconds, but Roy told them to go away, and they did. Next hitter was HBP on an 0-2 curve, but Roy came back and Kd the last 2 guys.
He was at 106 pitches, and the heart of the order was coming up for the 9th, and I couldn’t believe I didn’t see Lindstrom warming up, let alone coming out. Guess Roy and Mills had, um, a little, uh, chat – I can picture Roy remembering Cecil Cooper sending in Valverde to lose Chacon’s 4 hit shutout because “you pay closers to pitch the 9th, shutout or no shutout” and Lindstrom, uh, likes, uh drama – ahem – in the 9th. And Roy doesn’t…
So out trotted Roy, got the first out on a screaming liner which Berkman somehow stabbed, then 2 swinging Ks on 0-2.
It’s funny because I didn’t realize until I went to write this up that Roy had actually pitched a 1 hitter – probably because there were a total of 4 MOB and the hit was in the 1st inning. But this is teh kewl and no I do NOT care that it was against the worst team in the majors. You notice that they have not been no-hit and the Rays, one of the 5 best teams in baseball over the past 3 years have been NO hit like 4 or 5 times since then.
Tomorrow night, the Cards are comin to town – the second place Cards, that is, (behind the Reds – still) and it is Cards-killah Bud Norris, coming off 7 shutout innings vs the Pads, who has less than a 1 ERA in 4 GAMES vs the Cards. So be it and shall it remain…
Well, Casey Daigle, the very definition of a AAA pitcher, got his first ML win since 2004 against what is basically a AAA team.
Keppinger hit a solo homer in the first, Clank hit a 2 run homer in the 3rd, Lance Berkman hit an opposite field line drive 360 or so feet into the Crawford Boxes and then Pence smashed a solo homer waaaaay up the left centerfield wall – hit the support pillar (the one more toward CF) under the Citgo sign, not quite all the way to the tracks. Fortunately, it was all the runs (except for one which was scored on a passed ball) that the Astros would need.
Moehler only lasted 3 innings because he pulled his groin with 1 out in the 3rd. He gave up 2 singles in the second, and a double off the LF bullpen wall in the 3rd, and no runs.
Chacin came in to relieve in the 4th and basically had nothing. He gave up a double down the RF line, then a walk (both of these to leftys), then a RBI single, then a RBI double off the LF bullpen to Ryan Freaking Church, then a stupendous drive to the RF bullpen by Ronny Cedeno, ex C*b, but Michael Bourn made yet another absolutely incredible, unbelieveable running catch on what SHOULD have been a triple. The pitcher, who looks as if he’s never held a baseball bat in his hands before tonight, Kd, then the next hitter flew out to Bourn, who made another nice catch, but nothing near as stupendous as the first.
Casey Daigle then came in to pitch the 5th with the score tied , gave up an IF single, a FO, a K, then 2 walks, but then got Church to K with bases loaded on the 26th pitch. I remember when Church was a good player. He had a smoother 6th, giving up only a single and getting a GO to short, a popup to LF (yeah, Clank go it, but he stood under it waiting for it to come ddown for like 6 seconds) and a flyout to left. Berkman had already hit the go ahead homer in the 5th, so Daigle owes him a steak dinner, or at least a photo of his very photographed wife or something.
Byrdak came in and pitched a 1,2,3 nice easy 7th. Lyon gave up a double to Doumit off the RF bullpen – 6″ higher and the ball woulda gone over the wall, but then he got Church, Cedeno and Delwyn Young out.
Lindstrom, as usual, made it, uh, interesting. Why is the guy so allergic to 1,2,3 innings? He gave up a leadoff drive to the LF bullpen, but Bourn made a nice catch. He got a groundout, but then gave up a double off the scoreboard, then a single to right which couldn’t score because it was shallow enough that Pence’s throw could have easily nailed the runner. And then he got a blessed K.
These guys aren’t quiiiite as bad as the 03 Tigers, but they aren’t ahead by real too much.
Bourn singled, walked, stole a base, scored a run. Kepp hit a homer. Lance had 2 walks and a homer and scored 2 runs. Clank walked (???!!!) and hit a homer. Pence had 2 walks and a homer. CJ had a groundout, a K and hit 2 balls very hard to the OF – but unfortunately, they were caught. Quintero had a single and 2 Ks. Sanchez hit a bunt single and walked. Pinch hitters Feliz, Bourgeois and Michaels went ofer. 11 guys left on base, but fortunately, tonight it didn’t matter.
This afternoon, it’s Roy vs Ross Ohlendorf. Hopefully, the guys will give Roy some run support and Roy will give us a series sweep before Uncle and gang invade the place on the weekend.
Don’t get me wrong – I seriously LUUUUVVVVV beating the C*bs. But the trouble with winning a little is that Drayton McLane is like Kevin Bacon in the riot scene from “Animal House” screaming ALL IS WELL while getting run over.
Justice reports that the Astros are not looking to trade anyone at the deadline (Roy???) because (don’t ask me why) they still think they can win. Win like WHAT?
Winning would be the worst possible thing to happen to this franchise because it would convince McLane that he is right and rookies/minor leaguers are worthless except as trade bait. And the draft is tomorrow. There sure nuff is a WHOLE lot of talk about how we have all these picks in the first round, but if Drayton is bound and determined to get warm bodies who will sign for slot (translation – NO Boras, NO Hendricks Brothers) then there really isn’t real too much reason to talk much about it. Looks right now as if the only really good pick they’ve had since 08 is Jordan Lyles. Not that they would bring anyone up who is doing great (see Chris Johnson) unless there were injuries and then they would sign some Old Guy who is no good offn waivers…
Yeah, I know, Jason Castro. Whose SLG is lower than his OBP. But we’ve gotten used to Kevin Cash, so like, whatever.
Anyway, about the game:
Geoff Blum at short again – crucial to play those vets at positions they aren’t any good at so that young players won’t develop and Drayton can point out how youngsters aren’t any good.
Michael Bourn led off the game with a bunt single and scored. It is amazing how many times he’s gotten on base and scored the first run and it is almost always a good sign.
What is teh kewl is that the Astros FINALLY got to Randy Wells – 8 singles, a homer, a IBB and a walk and SIX runs. He started the game giving up 3 straight singles and a home run by Carlos, who appears to have remembered how to hit – maybe he’s you know, getting in shape???
And bad news for Chris Johnson – Pedro Feliz, for ONCE, managed to hit with men on base, drove in 2 runs. I’m getting tired of hearing bout his *(%&#$%@! hitting streak. He doesn’t hit worth spit WITH MEN ON BASE and his batting average is still .210 or something.
Carlos hit HR #8 – a line drive about 340′ into the CBoxes, and he is swinging at fewer and fewer bad pitches. Up his trade value…
Tomorrow, Wandy and the Stros are off to Coors to face the Rox and Jason Hummell, RHP, who has thrown 2 games, 12.1 IP vs the Astros – 11 H, 2 BB, 8 K. He had a BAD start to the year, sucking badly in 5 of his first 6 starts, but has done better in the last 2 vs the Giants, giving up 3 ER over 12 IP, 14 H, 2 BB and 13 K (and yes, I know that he’s faced 2 lousy hitting teams…)
Wandy has actually pitched very well at Coors – 3-1 in 5 GS with a 3.55 ERA and 1.26 ERA over 25.1 IP. Let’s hope he keeps it up. I mean keeps it down…
And the Stros are gonna miss Uvaldo Jiminez this go-round. Gee, what a SHAME…
YES, you read that right!!! The Astros managed THREE, yes, THREE runs (woulda been 4 if Berkman hadn’t gotten hisself thrown out on yet another baserunning booboo) and Paulino went 8 innings giving up only 1 run. He threw 120 pitches, but he really cruised through the 6th, 7th and 8th, needing only 41 pitches – only 1 really well hit ball and that was Fontenot’s drive to the LF bullpen that Bourn ran down all the way from deep center beating Clank to the ball (naturally) and making a superlative catch.
Paulino struck out 7, 6 swinging, and ended up giving up 3 doubles, 2 singles, a walk and an IBB to DLee to load the bases to face Aramis, who popped up to the Astros bullpen – Lance leaned over the railing to catch it.
And speaking of Lance, he’s remembered how to hit – went 3 fer 4 including a double hitting righty off the scoreboard (and yeah, Sori didn’t play it very well) and drove in 2 and FINALLY managed to steal a base – still looks as if he’s not exactly running well.
Bourn went 3 fer 5 with 2 singles, 1 double, stole a base, scored 2 runs and made catches all OVAH the place.
And it really was great to beat Zambrano for the first time in, like forEVAH. He had a lot of trouble with his location, but suddenly he remembered where he was and which team he was facing and he sharpened up. He looks like he’s lost his energy, looks like this is a job, not a game. Don’t know what’s happened to him, but I hardly recognised the guy.
He couldn’t find the plate in the first – gave up a leadoff single to Bourn, got Kepp out on a hitnrun, gave up a RBI single to Lance (who thought he’d go to second on the non-existant throw home to get Bourn – and he thought wrong – let’s put it like that…) then a double to Clank (who would have had another RBI if Berkman had stayed at first) then he walked Sullivan on a 3-1, then Blum on a 3-1 and then with bases loaded, Feliz popped out to shallow right to end it – only 1 lousy run.
Z was on a pitch count, I think, and Lou pulled him in the 5th after Felipe Kd, then Bourn singled and stole second, then Kepp drove him home with a single to center. The Cubs tried to get Michael out, but he was just too darn fast and he slid headfirst across home with a swipe tag, and just barely avoided getting his hand stepped on.
Then Tom Gorzellany came in to relieve. Lance doubled in Kepp, then Carlos was IBB – shows that he MUST be lookin like he’s hitting again, even if he is still batting .216, and then Mills smartly pulled Sullivan, who can barely hit RIGHTYS, and sent in Pence to PH – yeah, I forgot – Sullivan started the night in right – we need them lefty bats. Anyhow, Pence walked on 4 straight, then Blum, batting righty, struck out leaving bases loaded. Then Sweet Lou sent in a rookie reliever named Stevens, and he got Feliz out, leaving bases loaded AGAIN. Feliz DID actually manage to get a hit – but it was off Bobby Howry who is, uh, hittable (ahem – 8.75 ERA, .340 BAA) so Lou brought in Marmol who got Q and Michaels without any difficulty.
Andrew Cashner, RHP, local boy (who Justice says offered to sign with teh Astros for like 175 K – a big hometown discount -the year before he was drafted by the Cubs in the first round for almost 2 mill and was sneered at by Timmy P, Drayton or both) pitched the 7th, and except for giving up a single to Lance, looked VERY good. The boy made it to the ML after spending a little over 1 year in the minors. He has a crisp 97 MPH FB and a very nice breaker. The Cubs I guess are keeping him in the bullpen for a little to break him into the majors – I hope he doesn’t get Joba’d.
Anyhow, Matt Lindstrom was brought in to close, even though Byrdak and Lopez had been warming up, and I held my breath, seeing as how he’d had such poor control his last 4 outings, but he got 3 outs with 8 pitches and only threw 2 balls.
The only problem with winning is there is no real incentive for Drayton/Fast Eddie to get rid of Feliz/Sullivan and bring up minor leaguers.
Tomorrow, it’s Roy-O vs Ryan Dempster
Dempster is 4-10 in 19 GS and 26 in relief vs the Astros with a 4.57 ERA, 1.41 WHIP.
This year, he too has been the victim of lousy run support, so he has a 3-5 record, but he has a 3.72 ERA, 1.14 WHIP and a .213 BAA. We faced him back in April, he gave up 4 hits, 2 BB, 1 R over 7.2 IP and didn’t get a W because his bullpen blew it.
Watching Astros baseball games is not real too good for my blood pressure.
Either the starter gives up a run or 2 in the first inning and I know the game is already lost, especially after the opposing pitcher gets 1,2,3 out on 5 pitches, because I want to yell and scream and call Drayton and gang the kind of names that I don’t want my kidz hearing me say because I have spent all these zillions of hours trying to teach them good manners. So there goes my blood pressure.
Or Michael Bourn manages to score a run in the first to put the Astros ahead, but then no one else can either get on base or drive someone home and we lose and there goes my blood pressure.
And tonight was 3 hours and 25 minutes of pressure packed game. Well, actually, blood pressure was fine the first couple of innings. Bourn led off with a walk (he’s up to 25 already – not bad – projects to about 85 walks for the year), then Kepp singled him to 3rd, then Lance had an RBI double off the wall just past the RF bullpen. So far, so good. The usual, Michael gets on and one of Kepp, Lance, Clank or Pence manages to get him home so we don’t get shut out.
But then shock deluxe – Clank does NOT GIDP, as I figured he would, he singles to left and it’s bases loaded. Hunter goes to 3-2, then walks in a run (he’s quit swinging at pitches out of the strike zone and is lookin GOOD) and then it is Geoff Blum, PLAYING SHORTSTOP!!! how absolutely ABSURD to take Tommy Manzella out to play Blum when it makes infinitely more sense to take out Pedro Suckage Feliz and have Blum play 3rd.
So Blum grounds out and Lance scores and unfortuinately, the runners move up. So even though Feliz is thevery definition of suckage, the Nats understand that Cash is an even greater mass of suckage (yes it IS possible) and they IBB Feliz, then Cash Ks and the pitcher is out.
But the Astros are up 3 runs. But I know better than to relax. And even though the Nats go down 1,2,3 on 12 pitches in the second, the Astros go down 1,2,3,4 on SIX freaking pitches in the bottom of the inning. 37 pitches in the first, and SIX in the second. At least Lance hit the ball to the wall and the LF had to leap to get it.
3rd inning, it’s blood pressure time again. With Guzman on first, Nyjer Morgan hits a single to left and Clank doesn’t even TRY to get Guzman at 3rd, but casually tosses it in to second. It’s what he always does. I know he’s terrible and has got an arm like a noodle, but the ball wasn’t hit THAT deep – in fact, it was a grounder that Blum didn’t get near. But Clank never ever TRIES to get the out, just casually tosses the ball in. You’d think that after 3 years of that crap I’d just shrug, but noooooooooo.
Anyhow, it’s bases loaded 2 outs, Adam Dunn out, but he strikes out swinging. Whew. In the bottom of the 3rd, Pence gets an IF single, then Blum, who has swung and misses ball 2 and 4, hits the next pitch to right and Pence goes to 3rd, then scores on a Feliz sac-fly – hey, he actually hit it to somewheres besides third, can you believe it???
4th is 3 up 3 down for both teams.
5th is blood pressure time again. Wil Nieves leading off the inning, again gets a hit – this time, a double juuuuuuuust inside the line to the LF corner. Pitcher Ks, Guzman singles to center and Nieves goes to 3rd. Then bad stuff happens. Morgan hits a nice GIDP ball to short and Blum bobbles it, a run scores, and everyone is safe. Peachy. Then Zimmerman walks and bases are loaded for Adam Dunn again.
Then stuff happens. He hits a nice grounder to Berkman, but somehow, he makes a bad throw home, Cash can’t corral it and 2 runs score and Dunn ends up on 3rd, then scores when Willingham hits a sac-fly.
Tie game on 2 BIG time errors. Blum has NO business at short and Berkman has to throw very carefully to Cash because he is just not a good defensive catcher (can’t block balls neither…) Yeah, 3 runs are unearned, but they count just as much.
AUUUUUUGGGGGGHHHHHHH
But then Hunter Pence hits one into the Crawford Boxes to take the lead back and it’s 5-4. Feliz and Cash BOTH single with 2 outs (shock deluxe) but they are stranded.
Nats go down 1,2,3 in the 6th. Then Drew Storen comes out to pitch. He’s the reliever who the Nats drafted as their supplemental pick in the first round – no one really noticed because Strasburg was getting all the ink. But he blew through the minors and was called up a couple weeks ago and was pretty sharp with a 1.59 ERA. But Michael hit a double off the scoreboard, Kepp sac-bunted, even though they were all bunched in the IF, expecting it, and then Lance drove him home with a single to left thru the 5.5 hole. Clank swung just over a hanger and grounded out, then Pence went to ANOTHER 3-2 count before flying out. I likey him going to all those 3-2 counts!!!!!
So we’re ahead 6-4.
7th is 1,2,3 for the Nats and 1,2, then ANOTHER Cash single (????!!!! 2 in ONE game?????) but Jason Michaels grounds out on the first pitch he sees to strand him.
So then it should be a no-problem finish, right? I mean, we have our 15 mill setup guy and our closer fresh and ready, right?
rong
Lyons comes out and can’t find the (swear words) strike zone. Walks Dunn, Willingham pops up, Desmond singles, then Lyons walks Roger Bernardina, in the middle of a 1-20 slump, who has 4, that is FOUR walks over 88 PA and all I can say is oh noooooooooo, this is baaaaaaaaaaad, and sure enough, he hits Willie Harris with the very next pitch to walk in a run. Don’t ask me how he got the next out – the hitter swinging at ball 2 which almost hit him, then somehow, Lyons suddenly managed to find control and threw 3 pitches which hit the inside corner for the last out.
Astros 6 – Nats 5
So bottom of the 8th, it’s a lefty pitcher and Bourn grounds out, Kepp singles, Lance walks. Then in comes a righty and Clank pops up, Pence walks on a 3-1 (he’s not swinging at balls !!!!!) and Manzella, who has come in as a (ahem) defensive replacement, hits a ball into the hole on the left, but Desmond makes a great play to get the force at second (barely).
A 1 run lead. Can Lindstrom hold it? I almost can’t watch, I’m so nervous – don’t ask me why, it’s not as if this game counts or anything.
So Morgan leads off with one of those singles that goes in between the pitchers mound and first and Lindstrom can’t get it in time to feed it to Berkman and actually, the toss is no good and rolls to the dugout, but fortunately, Morgan hadn’t turned the corner or he woulda been on third. Zimmerman is up and Lindstrom throw 3 FB – NONE of which are anywheres NEAR the plate – up near the shoulder, nose, 1 foot inside – ball 4 is actually strike 1, but Zim takes his 4th walk of the night. Arnesberg runs out – and I notice that someone is getting up in the bullpen WITH THE CLOSER ON THE MOUND. Peachy. I’m going back to Brad Lidge 06 time with that uneasy feeling.
Adam Dunn is up, fouls off the 2 pitches which are borderline strikes, then takes his second walk in a row.
Bases loaded, no outs, 2 walks in a row. This is not good. This is not good. This is not good.
Somehow, Lindstrom manages to find the inside corner at the knees and strike out Willingham. Now, all we need is a GIDP PLEEEEAAAASE.
But no. Desmond singles to shallow left, Morgan trots home. Tie game. Second Blown Save in 3 games for Lindstrom. Bernadina – remember him? the guy who was 1 fer 20 who almost never walks who Lyons just walked last inning – well, Mr. Slump singles in Zimmerman, the go-ahead run.
Mills has seen QUITE enough and he pulls the closer. Yes, you read that right. He sends in Wilton Lopez who gets the next 2 outs.
Nats 7 – Astros 6
And Matt Capps, who always shuts the Astros DOWN is in to close. I don’t know why I bother to watch. A glutton for misery, I suppose. Husband sits down to watch it with me. I’m sitting on the floor holding Jana Brattain Dog, who was a bit surprised that I went in the kitchen and picked her up, but she figures, hey, enjoy it while it lasts, and Dog Pappas trots in to make sure he gets his fair share of patting – he’s WAAAAYYYY too big to pick up, although he doesn’t like to admit it.
So it’s Feliz NaviDUD up and sure enough, he grounds to third and sure handed Ryan Zimmerman kicks the ball and Feliz is safe. No matter – it’s Cash who is up and he sure as HECK ain’t gonna go 3fer, and he gets the sac-bunt down. So it’s Cash on second and Cory Sure-out Sullivan up. And Sullivan hits the ball off the deep LF wall for a double and Feliz stops at third!!
FELIZ STOPS AT THIRD – FELIZ STOPS AT THIRD WHAT THE (expletives deleted) IS HE DOING STOPPING AT THIRD???!!! (I’m so busy screaming YEW IDIOT!!!) that I hardlt heard anything – and Mama, who was at the Box, texted me and told me that Dave Clark had, for some unknown reason, held him up. SERIOUS, SERIOUS effup. I mean, SERIOUS effup.
But then I realized that I scared the living heck out of my poor Dogsss and I just had to shrug and let the ol blood pressure go back down and figure that Clark would be the Designated Goat to replace Blum/Lyons/Lindstrom in my little writeup and I could spend the next 2 outs thinking up Clever Titles. So I watched them IBB Michael Bourn so hopefully Kepp would GIDP – and he did groundout to second, but they could only get the force at home.
So then Lance was up. And yeah, he had driven in 3 and given up 2, but he HAD been the one to drive home the winning runs on Sunday, so I watched him swing through a slider, then foul one off, then take a high pitch, then foul off another, then lay off a pitch juuuuust outside, then hit its duplicate down into left and wasn’t nobody could possibly throw out Bourn goin home and Lance made a winner out of Wilton Lopez and the Astros.
So I looked at Husband and he looked at me and he sez – well Baby, it’s baseball and the one thing you know is youneverknow.
Oh myyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy
But I’m getting ahead of myself…
Poor Paulino – even when he gives up NO runs he still can’t get that elusive W. Dude now has THE lowest run support/start in the MAJORS! He’s gone under Roy O. But Roy gonna get his own entry…
And the day before, Tommy Manzella drove in both runs.
Maybe he should get his own headline, too…
Last night’s game wasn’t televised because Fox decided to have their SaturDAY game at night. Therefore, I had to rely on my mama’s various comments (all of which are edited for non-G rated words, you feelin me here…) which she texted/called me with during the game…
1st inning – the (swear word) ump is squeezing Wandy and he’s nibbling like he used to back in 06. He should just throw freaking STRIKES!!! He’s walked TWO guys. Got lucky because Longoria’s smash was a ground rule double or Zobrist would scored. Can’t believe CARL got his fool self picked off – first really GREAT throw to first I’ve seen from Q – he likes those snap throws, but this time, he timed it right.
AAAAAUUUUUUGHHHHHH – Benny Zobrist just jumped like 5′ to grab a hit away from Michael Bourn. Every time I look at Zobrist, I remember that McLane traded him away for absolutely NOTHING (swear words here). Hahahaha – Clank dribbles a “hit” 50′ down the 3B line. Good thing he didn’t hit it a lil firther like he usually does for his daily GIDP… Speaking of GIDP, Pence just beat a sure one out and we won’t get shut out. Supposed “clutch god” Blum grounds out, stranding men on first and third. Feliz is sitting. Hopefully this means he’s leaving and Chris Johnson is coming up. Yeah, and the sun will rise in the waste (hahahaha)…
2nd inning: Good quick inning for Wandy – 10 pitches, 3 outs. Of course, it’s the 7,8,9 guys, but still…
Quintero swings through 2 pitches around his shoulders, takes one down the middle. Manz lines out to center. Wandy hits a dribbler in front of the mound, Niemann manages to field it, but not in time to get Wandy – and the maroon (tsktsk – BAD words here) scorer calls it an ERROR? Bourn FO.
3rd inning: 3 up 3 down for Wandy, although it takes him 10 pitches to get Carl out – still only 13 pitches. He’s not getting ANY borderline calls.
Lance walks, Clank GIDP. He’s got, what, TEN of em already? He fer SHER gonna take the title from Miggy.
4th inning: In which my mama’s blood pressure medicine works overtime…
Today, a certain well paid columnist made some comments about how Roy is this Bad Guy and the other 24 guys are proud to be an Astro and Roy is letting his emotion show on the mound because in so many of his starts, his teammates have not exactly, uh, been stellar fielders.
Well, guess Wandy is gonna want a trade too, because he most certainly got Roy’d by the fielders. He gets 2 outs, then walks Upton. With Kaplan up, he picks Upton off!!! But Berkman throws so high that Manzella almost misses the ball and Upton is safe, instead of dead meat, as he should have been. Kaplan pretends the curve hits his foot and he’s on. Navarro, hitting like Manzella, pops one up to the RF foul line, Pence breaks late, runs ove,r dives, catches the ball AND DROPS IT!!! 2 runs score. Niemann out on 3 pitches. Wandy SHOULD have been out of the inning at 16. But he has to throw an additional 13 because Lance couldn’t throw the (swear word) ball to second and because Pence broke late then dropped the ball, 2 runs are in. Shouldn’t have been ANY runs in.
Niemann gets Pence, Blum and Q out on FIVE FREAKING PITCHES!!! Way to help out your pitcher. Good thing there are 2 minutes of commercial break because it didn’t take but 2 minutes for Niemann to get 3 outs. FIVE (lots of swear words) PITCHES FOR 3 (swear words) OUTS!!!!!
And that about sums up a HECK of a lot of the Astros problems this year – fewest pitches/PA in the MAJOR LEAGUES, fewest walks, fewest hits, fewest hits for power, worst with RISP, etcetcetc.
5th inning: The fielders, uh, um, don’t do Wandy any favors again.
Wandy’s had, what, like maybe 6 minutes at MOST since he threw the last pitch of the 4th?!
He goes out there, grim. Gets Bartlett swinging. Carl doubles down the LF line. Benny Zobrist lays down a bunt that goes between the mound and home and Q barely moves. Wandy can’t field it in time. Men on first and third, no out. Longoria hits into a perfect DP, only Manzella doesn’t get the ball out of his glove fast enough to get the second out and a run scores. NO run should have scored. Of course, the ballgame is lost now, but Wandy is MAD and gets Pena on 3 swinging strikes.
3 hitters lie down – but at least it takes Niemann 14 pitches.
6th inning: Wandy is back out there. Cooper wouldn’t have let him go out, but would have pinch hit for him in the bottom of the 5th. And Sully woulda been out, of course. And Wandy is tired. He walks Upton on 5 pitches (and yes, this is his FOURTH walk – it’s like it’s 05 all ovah again), then Kapler singles to right and Upton runs like Bourn, so he’s on third. Then, a stroke of luck. Navarro is batting, Wandy throws a pickoff throw to first to try to get Kapler, Upton breaks for home and Lance throws to Q who tags him easily. This is the SECOND day in a row that Upton has foolishly gotten himself out. Add in Benny Zobrist from yesterday, too. Upton can run fast, but sometimes his legs start off before his brain has a chance to work, you know what I’m sayin. And he sure nuff woulda scored on what would have been a sac-fly to right, but was only out #2. Niemann grounds out.
Niemann has a 2 run cushion, thanks to the lousy fielding of the opposition. He only makes one more mistake – hangs a curve to Lance, who sends it to the Conoco Pump. Well, a 1-run cushion, but he shrugs it off.
(I wish I could have been there tonight. I haven’t seen Niemann pitch since the Rice days – and that team was SOMEthing. I remember their catcher was about THE best defensive college catcher I ever saw. Fabulous hands – actually called pitches, Wayne Graham let him – but he couldn’t hit much, so he didn’t make it past AA. Back to Mama…)
7th and 8th – shrug. Sampson gives up a single and a walk, no runs. Wilton Lopez gets 1,2,3 out. Astros do nothing. Well, Bourn singles, but then it is 1,2,3 out.
9th inning: bad fielding again. Wilton Lopez gives up a clean leadoff single to Blalock, then Bartlett bunts, and he bobbles it for an error. His own darn fault. Then Carl Crawford hits one of those dribblers betwen the mound and first – Lance goes to field it, but Lopez isn’t covering first and NOBODY IS AT SECOND!!! Everyone is safe. Lopez is really rattled and immediately walks Benny Z. Then Evan Longoria hits a line drive straight at Berkman, who catches it and immediately tags Zobrist, who is right there. That’s 2 really good, really heads up fielding plays by Berkman – too bad he couldn’t throw the ball to second earlier to get an easy out (and those runs would have meant the ballgame…) Mills decides to have Lopez walk Pena, hitting below Mendoza, and pitch to Upton – and fortunately, it works. Not that Upton can’t hit rightys…
And Rafael Soriano shuts down Cory Suckivan, Q and Manzella. There isn’t any decent bench for Mills to use, yes I know.
Wandy didn’t really display real too much emotion out there, says Mama. Guess he and Roy have swapped the “emotional” tag. Incredible how many fans are angry with Roy for wanting out. I’m sure they are gonna be mad at Berkman, if HE manages to get out, too.
sigh
This afternoon, it’s Bud Norris vs David Price. David Price was one of those 1st round draft picks you have to pay GOOD money for. Drayton really ought to be doing a whole lot of looking, not trying to turn Roy into some kind of villain/A-Rod jerk.
Many years from now when Uncle trots into the Hall and someone askes him about who were the pitchers he hated most to face and his first reply is “Bud Norris” and the reporter gets this – ????WHO???? look on his face, you can remember this year.
I can understand Mike Hampton always beating the suckulous Pirates, but how on earth does Bud Norris, who has seriously terrible control problems with every OTHER team, beat the Cards – and I mean THRASH the best team in the NL?
I have absolutely NO idea.
I’m looking at video from Atlanta and video from today. Delivery looks the same, arm angle looks the same, same percent of fastballs vs sliders – just a LOT fewer of them are out of the strike zone. None of the 25 pitches/inning stuff. And it is not as if the Cards are an Astros style hack-tastic team with zero plate discipline.
Bud faced 28 batters and went to a 3 ball count exactly twice. He threw 8 innings, didn’t walk ONE guy and his pitch count was 15 or fewer in every inning except the 7th – and then it was 21. Don’t ask me why on earth he can’t pitch like this against any other team…
Looks as if Berkman is starting to heat up (I hope, I HOPE) and Pence jumped on one of Carpenter’s few mistakes to beat him.
Tomorrow, it’s Felipe Paulino vs Todd Wellemeyer at Pac Bell. Yes, that is Wellemeyer, the ex-Card. So hopefully, that will be good news for Paulino, who certainly pitched well enough to win last time – going 7 innings and giving up 2 runs on 5 hits, NO walks and 11 K – and the guy that beat him last time just 1-hit the Giants tonight.
Man, I hate those late night starts. I like the game to be ENDING around 9:15 – 9:30….
