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J.R. Towles Must Have Made Someone REALLY Angry

Wednesday, May 5th, 2010

J.R..Towles and his .191 BA just got sent down to Double A. This way, we can keep Quintero and his .201 BA up here where he belongs. Oh yeah – and we called up Kevin Cash – he’s 4 fer 23 at Triple A – 1 walk and a lot of Ks.

Well THIS will sure nuff help the offense.

And The Vaunted Jason Castro?

He’s hitting .221 – 15 fer 68 with 16 walks for a nice .619 OPS.

Big Deal.

I don’t know what Towles did, but he must have SERIOUSLY pissed someone off. Probably Roy – don’t ask me how, I don’t know yet. (Either that, or Drayton must have come up to him and said something about champion and JR said something like – go look in the mirror, fool…) He better go and try his darndest to get traded to some other organization because his time here is OVAH.

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Posted in J.R. Towles | 13 Comments »

Berkman Returns, Miracles Happen, Astros Beat Marlins With SECOND Comeback Win Of 2010

Tuesday, April 20th, 2010

Astros FANS didn’t think there was gonna be no miracles, that is fer sher, because the stands were pretty empty – maybe 1/3 full. Maybe.

But the guys sure nuff didn’t care because they looked overjoyed and relieved to see Lance. I know all yall wanna know who was removed for Lance and the answer is that Chris Johnson went on the DL with a muscle strain which happened I don’t know when. Maybe it is a leftover from ST – but he didn’t get sent down. You KNOW Drayton doesn’t want to release Kaz only to see some other team pick him up and he suddenly hits like Barry Lamar (Himself, not Dog…)

Anyway, it sure didn’t look real too good for the motley crew (not crue) in the first when the first 4 Marlins singled and they led 2-0 at the end of their half. But Bourn took the first of his 2 walks and stole second, then stole 3rd, then scored on a Berkman groundout to first (yeah, first AB and Lance already has more RBIs than Clank) to cut the score in half.

In the second, Chris Coughlin drove in Wes Helms to make it 3-1 (Chris Coughlin always looks like a MVP with the bat when he faces the Astros) but the Astros got lucky when Pence got a checked swing single on a dribbler just inside the fair line. Then Feliz grounded into what should have been an easy 6-3 with Pence already taking off for second, but Hanley Ramirez made a foolish mistake when he tossed the ball to Uggla, trying to force Pence and Uggla, who wasn’t really expecting the ball, turned and airmailed it over the 1B head, so Pence went to third on the error and Feliz was safe. JR Towles singled home Pence

Miracle #1 – JR Towles gets his BA over his weight

to make it 3-2, Manzella had a 9 pitch AB before Bourn field out to left – Coughlin making an excellent catch to deprive Bourn of a RBI double.

In the 3rd, Berkman made an excellent diving stab of a hard hit ball for a lineout (forget Blum/Feliz making THAT play – gloves DO matter at first base, believe it or not. Well, after watching Feliz for a couple of weeks, all yall believe it more than you used to…) then hit a ball to the RF bullpen for a double – would have been a triple if his legs were 100% as they were in 08.

In the 4th and 5th, both pitchers got 1,2,3 outs. Then, in the 6th

Miracle #2 – Clank hits his FIRST really well hit ball, not a flyout, but a smashed liner to the RF bullpen for his FIRST EXTRA BASE HIT OF THE YEAR!!!!! (no RBIs yet, cain’t be askin for too many miracles at a time)

and then,

MIRACLE # 3 – Pence doesn’t swing at pitches out of the strike zone and TAKES HIS FIRST WALK – and yes, I know that only the 4th ball was anywheres near the strike zone, but hey like I said, patience is a virtue – not just for Pence you know what I’m sayin here…

Feliz flies out, then JR singles home Pence for his second RBI of the day. (JR’s heating up – he tore the cover offn the baseball in AAA last year, and so far, Castro isn’t doing real too much – 8 fer 34 with 7 BB and no XBH, so maybe he’s relaxed a little.)

Then, Mills, and I am NOT kidding you, pinch hits for Manzella with Cory Sullivan – yeah, with his OPS less than MY weight. I understand why you might could want to pinch hit for Manzella – he’s not exactly Hanley Ramirez with the bat, but with a WORSE hitter? Just because the hitter is a lefty? Please. What IS it with these managers who think that a terrible lefty is ALWAYS better than a good righty vs a righty pitcher??? And if you insist on a lefty, why the WORST lefty on the bench?

grrrrrrrrr

So after the 7th inning stretch, Fredi Gonzlez pulls Volstad, who had been pinch hit for by Mike Lamb, who returned to the ML after spending 08 sucking for Minnesota/Milwaukee and last year sucking at AAA (mostly hurt) and Blum, who is NOW pinch hitting for the pitcher, immediately greets Wood, the reliever, with a single. Then Bourn walks again. The boy he has got the right idea – getting on base is always better than getting out (unless it is an out that drives in a run – but I’m getting ahead of myself here.)Kepp has moved to short and Kaz is in at second. Mills has Kepp, at this point, the best hitting guy on the team, sac-bunt???!!! but the strategy works as Berkman is NOT walked with 1B open (???why?????) and he ties up the game with a groundout to first. More RBIs than hits. Clank pops out stranding Bourn on 3rd.

Lyon comes in – I was a little surprised, as Sampson had been warming up, but

Miracle #4 – Lyon managed to get 3 straight outs this time and then

Miracle #5 – Fredi Gonzalez sent his ineffective pitcher back out and

Miracle #6 – Hunter Pence hit his first extra base hit of the year AND on a 2-0 count!!!!! Feliz singles him to 3rd, JR Ks (a leeeetle too eager this time) and then Kaz, 0fer his last 18, squeeze bunts Pence home with a perfect bunt down the 1st base line. I think you can call it a squeeze even if it IS down the 1st base line, and I THINK that Pence was breaking for home, but it’s hard to tell. Then Jason Michaels hits a pinch hit homer over the Crawford Boxes into the Hall and

Miracle #7 – the Astros have their second come from behind hitting in a week!!!!!

to lead 7-4. I thought Bourn was gonna get walk #3, but he flied out to center on a 3-2 pitch that would most definitely have been strike 3.

Lindstrom gives up a run with a single, groundout, wild pitch and a 10 pitch single, then after Mills goes out to the mound and threatens to play “Sugar Plum Fairy” as his entrance music, he gets the last guy on a groundout to preserve the Astros First Home Win of 2010!!!

I can’t call THAT a miracle because it was bound to happen SOMEtime before the end of September.

Interesting thing – Lindstrom is reminding me of Brad Lidge (when he’s not hurt) with his motion and use of fast fastball and wild slider. The hits he has given up so far have been groundball singles that are hit hard through the holes and his slider is, uh, crazy. He’s not as incredible as Brad was at his best, and he sure doesn’t get near the number of swings and misses, but youneverknow…

Tomorrow, it’s Bud Norris vs Josh Johnson, LHP, who hasn’t done very well vs Houston – 0-3 in 2 GS and 1 in relief with a 7.36 ERA over 11 IP with THREE homers.

homers

hmmmmmm

Maybe we can get some MORE miracles tomorrow…

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Posted in Astros baseball, Berkman, Hunter Pence, J.R. Towles, Kaz Matsui | 15 Comments »

In Which JR Towles Goes 3 for 4 To Help Roy Oswalt Beat The Cubs For Win #1

Saturday, April 17th, 2010

Yeah, I know the last post was short – but I had to go off with Husband and kids the second the ballgame ended and therefore I am kind of continuing things here.

Roy pitched an awesome ballgame, especially considering that the HP ump didn’t give him the corners or the low strike. The wind blowing in sure nuff helped, too. Roy went 7 IP – and he didn’t go longer because he had to throw a lot of extra pitches when Feliz didn’t get to a bloop popup that Berkman would have gotten in his sleep – looks as if 1B is tougher to play than people give the fielder credit for, when the ump didn’t give him strike 3 on DLee in the 4th – was RIGHT down the middle and when Feliz let an easy grounder clank off his glove in the 7th. It adds up to 16 pitches…

Let’s talk about hitting:

Clank went the other way with an outside pitch in the 2nd, hitting a clean single to right. He hit a ball very hard and very squarely to left in the 3rd, but the wind knocked it down – the wind giveth and the wind taketh away. He actually went to a 3-2 count (???!!!) in the 6th, but popped it up and then had a routine FO in the 8th. This is actually good, because he didn’t flail helplessly at whatever and at pitches out of the zone. He also wasn’t swinging at the first pitch, no matter where it is (like not a strike) and hopefully, this means he just might could be coming out of his slump.

Pence also went the other way with an outside pitch for a single to right – not trying to hit a homer every time up. He also slid to break up the DP, so Chris Johnson’s FC grounder drove in a run. Good job. Unfortunately, he didn’t show any patience at his other ABs and hit 2 routine grounders and an easy FB. Doesn’t look real too good right now.

Keppinger had 3 groundouts and an RBI single.

JR Towles had a great night though – 2 solid singles to right and a homer high off the foul pole in left – amazing considering the strength of that wind – so he drove in 2, scored 2 and went 3 fer 4. He is now outhitting both Pence and Clank, but is trailing Tommy Manzella and Chris Johnson.

Only 1 walk, and that was ROY OSWALT, the freaking PITCHER. This team has SEVEN walks for the entire YEAR. You’d think that with the horrible hitting, that they would value getting on base SOMEhow, but noooooooo…

The best hitter, Michael Bourn, was kept out of the lineup because it was a lefty starting and like, so what if he can hit leftys as well as rightys?

So far, Mills looks just like Coop to me – except the players like him. Same lack of imagination, same inability to judge when to pull a pitcher, same obsession with platooning when it isn’t necessary, too. BAH

And tomorrow, it’s the Wand Man (who had better get his youknowwhat together) vs Ryan Dempster, who the Astros have done fairly well against over the years. The current Astros have hit him well, even Keppinger.

Wandy has done pretty well against the Cubs: 4-4 in 13 GS over 79.2 IP – but has given up 12!!! homers. Even so, he has a 3.84 ERA, 1.36 WHIP, .264 BAA. Trouble is that he gets hit HARD at Wrigley – let’s hope he can go out there and get that filthy curve working again.

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Posted in Carlos Lee, Hunter Pence, J.R. Towles, Roy Oswalt | 8 Comments »

I’m Happy To Be Wrong: Chris Johnson Makes The 25 Man Roster And Kata Doesn’t

Wednesday, March 31st, 2010

Well, Johnson gets 5 days to “watch the Old Guys go about their business” that is. Berkman is going to start the year on the DL and is eligible to come back off on the 10th. His knee is still swollen and giving him problems and I hope it is not like the problem Barry Lamar had back in 05 with a bad infection. But then again, I know like nothing about knees and how they get infections inside them…

Chris Johnson hit his 6th homer this afternoon after Wandy gave up NINE earnies. Good grief. I see that Keppinger was playing short and I don’t know if fielding had anything to do with it. But I see he only struck out 1 and walked 2. Maybe Wandy’s mind is on his pregnant wife, who is supposed to give birth tomorrow, and he can’t concentrate. Because he can’t afford to return to the old days of, uh, um, trying to cut it fine. On the other hand, he was pitching to Quintero and he has not historically done well pitching to him – and unless he has changed his feelings, he doesn’t LIKE pitching to Q.

But youneverknow.

And Sampson is looking great aned Moehler is looking better, so if Paulino’s back spasms are bad, Moehler will get spot starts, not Sampson.

And Arias’s shoulder is bad enough that he’ll have to start the year on the DL. Don’t know if he will need surgery or not. Yorman Bazardo is also starting the year on the DL – smart move – this way, Fast Eddie might could slip him through waivers on the 10th.

Cory Sullivan has indeed made the 25 man – as Fast Eddie told the media the first day of ST and Jason Bourgeois will go to AAA.  Some “competition…”

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Posted in Astros baseball, Chris Johnson, Cory Sullivan, J.R. Towles, Wandy Rodriguez, spring training | 14 Comments »

From Austin To Houston; From Houston To Austin

Tuesday, March 30th, 2010

My old friend Austin, who has commented on my blog for years, is back in journalism school at UT and is writing a blog, which will be part of Rob Neyer’s blog links.

Check it out.

And speaking of Austin and Houston, Ed Maysonet got sent down. And Matt Kata didn’t. Gee, what a surprise. I wish some reporter would come right out and ask Ed Wade why he thinks Kata is better than Maysonet.

Also, Chris Shelton got sent down, which makes me think that there is a very VERY good probability that Lance Berkman will not start the season on the DL and even if he misses the Opening Day series with the Giants, he won’t miss more than a few games. The Astros don’t want to have to pay Shelton any Major League pay, if they can help it. So Blum will most likely start at first, and if not him, then some great player like Kata.

J.R. Towles made the ML roster and Castro, as I thought, was sent down. Much better to keep him down for a few weeks, screw him out of a year of FA. Besides, he has got to show he can hit even AAA pitching, as he wasn’t all that against AA. Towles is going to have to come out showing something good, and he’s gonna start the year facing Lincecum and Cain, no easy task. And if he looks good, then at least he can hope to be traded to a team that wants him.

Looks as if the rotation is gonna be the 5 we thought – Oswalt, Wandy, Wifebeater, Norris (who FINALLY had a decent game - NO walks, 6 hits, 7 K, 2 R/5 IP today) and Paulino. Lindstrom is going to close, unless he fails and Lyon takes the job. However, we DO know that Lyon has been an excellent 8th innin guy, like La Troy was for us, so maybe this will work out.

Oh yeah. Remember Benny Zobrist? Yeah, the almost MVP for the Rays who was traded a couple years back for 2 worthless months of Aubrey Huff. Well, a RH pitcher named Mitch Talbot was traded with him, and this year, Mitch, age 26, who was traded again in December for Kelly Shoppach, is starting for the Indians – beat out Aaron Laffey, a much more highly touted guy, for the rotation. If he turns out to be a good starter, well, whoever told poor ol Timmy Poo-pura to do that crappy trade (go and get Huff) should have a thorough butt kicking.

Am hoping to take Lil Miss (my niece) to the Friday game vs the Jays – should be pretty easy to pick up some cheap tix from scalpers and will take the kids to fan fest/”Opening Day” on Saturday. Then my Mama and I will do our annual pilgrimage on Monday. She always gets, uh, “sick” with, uh, baseball fever. Yeah, we know the team won’t be good. But the ballpark always looks like a cathedran and that green green grass always holds its lure for us. A thrill that never grows old, even though we do…

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Posted in Astros baseball, J.R. Towles, Matt Lindstrom | 10 Comments »

Alex Romero And Yordany Ramirez Never Had A Chance

Thursday, March 18th, 2010

They never had a chance. It isn’t that they didn’t hit – Romero was 4 fer 11 and Ramirez was 5 fer 11 with a homer. It isn’t that they didn’t do well in the field. It is that Ed Wade had ALREADY decided that Cory Sullivan, hit or no hit (3 fer 21 with 5 K), is going to replace Grit Erstad as the 5th OF before Spring Training started. The only reason that Jason Bourgeois is still with the team is that they need some warm body for the split squad games – he’s 1 fer 13 so far. I’m not fooled here.

I had a bad feeling about it because all the prediction people were using his stats. One of the many reasons that even Vegas doubts that the Astros will improve upon their last year’s mark of 74-88. Especially because Vegas has figured out that Mills, unlike Phil Garner, will not have any say in the roster and it will be up to Ed Wade, whose judgment is, well, there is a reason he is evaluated as a GM as – well, at least he’s better than Dayton Moore. (I can’t say fer sher, but perhaps it was Ed Wade and NOT Cooper who insisted on playing the absolutely useless Jason Smith while sitting Edwin Maysonet last year…)

At this point, Towles is hitting like Barry Lamar, 11 fer 20, so sending him down will be tough. I can’t tell whether or not he will be put on the ML team while Golden Boy Castro spends enough time in the minors to miss the super 2 deadline and thus be cheated out of an extra year of free agency – the temptation must be overwhelming. The real question is – if Towles continues to hit really well in the regular season AND Castro tears it up at AAA, what to do. I would think that the right answer is to trade him for some middle reliever and keep Sammy Gervacio at AAA.

After 2 weeks and 14-29 AB (yes, I know – small sample size) let’s see how the regulars are doing:

Matsui: 6 fer 24 with 1 2B, 1 HR, 5 BB, 2 K: .250/.379/.420
Manzella: 8 fer 27 with 2 2B, 0 BB, 6 K: .296/.296/.370
Maysonet (yes, I know he has no chance) 8 fer 19, 2 2B, 0 BB, 3K: .400/.421/.500
Feliz: 11 fer 23 with 2 2B, 1 HR, 1 BB, 3 K: .478/.500/.696
Pence: 12 fer 24 with 3 2B, 1 3B, 3 HR, 4 BB, 2 K: .500/.571/1.083
Bourn: 6 fer 29, 1 BB, 5 K, 3 SB: .207/.233/.207 (good thing he ain’t tryin to get a job, hunh?)
Clank: 6 fer 20 with 4 2B, 1 HR, 2 BB, 1 K: .300/.364/.650
Blum: 10 fer 23 with 3 2B, no BB, 1 K: .435/.435/.565
Keppinger: 4 fer 14 with 2 2B, 5 BB, 2 K: .286/.474/.429
Michaels: 7 fer 20 with 3 2B, 2 HR, 2 BB, 2K: .350/.375/.800
Sullivan: 3 fer 21 with 1 BB, 5 K: .143/.217/.143
Quintero: 6 fer 22 with 1 @B, 1 BB, 1 K: .273/.304/.218

WOW – it’s FUN to hit minor leaguers and unprepared major leaguers working on stuff, isn’t it?

As for pitchers, um, well, Roy O is cruising with 3 hits, 4 BB, 3 K over 6 IP (and he shut the Red Sox DOWN). Sammy Gervacio is looking awesome – 1 hit (HR) 1 ER, 2 BB, 5 K in 6 IP over 5 games. Matt Lindstrom has given up 2 H, 1 BB, 4 K in 4.2 IP over 4 games and no runs. Casey Daigle has given up NO hits, 1 BB, 5 K over 4 IP in 3 games. Arias is hurt and everyone else is, uh, um, er, uh, working with his pitches, yeah, that’s the ticket. Wandy (working on his changeup) and Moehler (working on his control)and Wesley Wright (working, period) and Bud Norris (sigh) and other starting candidates are giving up homers, hits, walks left and Wright (hahahaha) and I bet right now that Fast Eddie is trying to trade Towles for some juicy Veteran Goodness in the middle relief department, seeing as how 4-9 IP is statistically significant.

Interesting that it takes pitchers so much longer to get ready for the season than hitters.

18 days left to Opening Day.

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Posted in Astros baseball, J.R. Towles, Jason Castro, spring training | 3 Comments »

2010 Astros After First Week Of ST – Stats, News, Rumors

Monday, March 8th, 2010

Well Hitter Pence and JR Towles are hitting up a storm – at least so far, small sample size, I know. I know that Richard Justice has taken some, um, stuff, for being so open about the players’ um, unhappiness (ahem) with Cecil Cooper these past few years, but anyone who actually watched the team even outside the clubhouse could see it. And anyone could see that the pitchers were NOT happy with Dewey. From the clips I have seen (and from communications sent by my friends Ann Onnamuss, Bea Tzme and Ida No-Hu) the guys look incredibly happier and more relaxed than they did last year.

I’m actually not surprised that Towles is hitting like crazy – he hit like crazy in AAA, and has good strike zone judgement and he now has a manager who, at least, doesn’t, uh, not like him – yeah, let’s put it like that – as Cooper obviously did not. This year, he actually has a good shot at playing on the ML club. I hear tell that Fast Eddie wants Quintero as the backup, regardless of whether Castro or Towles wins the starting job, don’t ask me why. Supposedly, it is because he NOW is crediting Q with Wandy’s development last year??? Development last year? LAST YEAR??? O RLY??? Here and I thought it was Pudge’s doing – at least Wandy told Jose Ortiz something like that before Jose was banished to soccer. Catchers who can hit are pretty rare and catchers who can hit AND run well are usually moved to a different position ala Saint Biggio back in 92.

However, Edwin Maysonet SHOULD have the backup 2B/IF job sewn up, as he is OBVIOUSLY head and shoulders better than Keppinger. It will be interesting to see if Brad Mills is going to be allowed to actually decide whether or not Maysonet will make the team instead of Keppinger. It will be interesting to see if Brad Mills will be allowed to sit veterans (Kaz Matsui) and play Maysonet. And it will be interesting to see if Brad Mills will be allowed to put Chris Johnson on the ML roster or play him, if he hits up a storm. I hear tell that Fast Eddie and Mills have some different opinions about who should or should not be on the 25 man AND who should be playing. The Organization has been dictating to the manager who will/will not play where since the 2007 Saint Biggio farewell tour. Bout time for the manager to manage.

So far, Mills has been playing Bogusevic in right, and a little bit in center, and he has done well as a fielder, per my friend Ann. Alex Romero has been playing only in left, as a DR. Not sure why that division of labor, and not sure whether or not Yordany Ramirez stands a chance of making the cut as the 5th OF.

Ann and Ida have told me that both Lance and Clank look great with the bat, ready to start the season today. Not surprised. Lance, I guess, will have to wait until the swelling in his knee goes down before he starts seriously fielding. And speaking of fielding, I hear that Manzella has a fabulous glove and is everything we’ve heard. With the glove. He’s Adam Everett all ovah again with the bat. But run prevention really IS a good thing, as I’ve said for umpty ump years. And it will be great to see a good glove at short again. I’m tired of the Loretta/Miggy slop.

As for the pitchers, well, all the starting candidates have pitched 2 innings, none of them have looked exactly in top form, which is to be expected. Only Brandon Lyon hasn’t pitched yet (still recovering from surgery, but he should go sometime next week) and Polin Trinidad had the outing from, uh, heck – on the few times he DID find the plate, he got smashed to heck. The rest of the guys are getting their rhythm, as expected, and Arnsberg and Mills, unlike their predecessors, are making sure that everyone is getting work, even at “B” games. And the minor leaguers are getting fed good quality food, so no matter what, their time spent at ST is time well spent.

I thought there wouldn’t really BE any ST questions, but, I just might could be wrong and it just might could be that Brad Mills will take the players HE considers best for winning, not just the best PAID ones.

Last but not least, Morgan Ensberg is blogging – he is answering and replying to every single question posted AND he hasn’t gone all Bull Durham. He even said – yes, he really did – that he met and he LIKES The Hated Milton Bradley. And that he LOVED Jimy Williams as a manager – that he would run through a wall for him. That sure as heck doesn’t sound like the usual crap lies/PR stuff I’ve come to despise having to hear.

And speaking of Milton Bradley, he’s a guy who needs to go meet Jeff Francoeur and tell him – dude, like, I’ll pay you to tell me how to talk to make the media absolutely LOVE you, no matter HOW you play. Because I’ve never seen anything like the Francoeur Phenomena – in which a ballplayer who really isn’t that good makes total groupies of every media person, who thinks Francoeur really REALLY is God’s Gift to MLB. When Francoeur retires from baseball, the guy will make the worlds biggest fortune if he can figure out how to teach people the secret of his success…

Stros have an off day, and meanwhile, I’m going to investigate the preposterous claim that somehow, Quintero is the secret of Wandy’s success last year…

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Posted in Astros baseball, J.R. Towles, spring training | 3 Comments »

Astros Spring Training 2010 – Catchers Report

Sunday, February 14th, 2010

I figured I’d get started a little early – not much else to write about and besides, the Olympics is starting and the GOOD part will be on in the next few days – meaning luscious, incredibly perfect males with absolutely perfectly proportioned bodies in skin tight tights, moving elegantly and gracefully on ice at 20 – 30 MPH while spinning and jumping. Yes, in direct competition with Bradley Awesomeness in the male hotness division, it’s the male figure skaters!!!!! (And don’t be startin with me telling me that if it is a male human and he figure skates, is a dancer, acrobat or gymnast then he MUST be, uh, um, er, not my, um, type (ahem)…

Yeh, I can hear all yall males out there grumbling. I got various men of the male persuasion in this very house doing that self same grumbling – wanting to watch hoops and they know that a certain small female gonna be REAL unhappy they mess with her TV and real unhappy females go in the bedroom with a “headache” and SOMEbody gots to fix their own damm food and sleep on the couch to boot. And yeah, certain males gots to put up with this when there’s male figure skaters and male gymnasts on;  I just tell them – well I don’t make you watch all that girlie stuff like dancing with the stars/various “reality” crap/Idol type stuff so DEAL WITH IT!!!

So while I gaze in awe at the male perfection that is Stephane Lambiel (and he most certainly IS an athlete – you just picture Carlos Lee or Jeff Fulchino in clinging tights trying to even BALANCE on ice skates, you disbelieve me) I’ll leave all yall with a lil preview of the catchers who will report pitchers to follow in a few days:

NRI- Kevin Cash, RH, 32 yo: the very definition of backup catcher. I’m impressed with this guy, for it’s tough to do so much with so little. He went undrafted in the 99 draft and was signed by the Blue Jays as a FA. He had a .782 OPS in A ball in 2000, had his first cup of coffee in 02, then made it onto the ML roster in 03, and in spite of a .377 OPS (yes, not BA or even OBP) over 106 AB, he was the full time backup guy in 04 and had a .558 OPS over 181 AB. Then the Jays traded him to the Rays for Chad Gaudin in 12/04 (they didn’t have Gerry H yet.) He spent almost all of 05 and all of 06 at AAA – had an .898 OPS in 05 but a .598 OPS in 06. He was not re-signed, but the Red Sox picked him up and he had a .611 OPS over 186 AB. They re-signed him in 08 and he had a ML high .647 OPS. They didn’t re-sign him last year because they made Captain Tushy-doo the backup with Victor Martinez the main guy, and their rivals at the Evil Empire grabbed him (no I am not kidding – what happened to Jose Molina????) He only had 10 games for the Yanks – had a .558 OPS, and he had 68 games at AAA with bout the same OPS. I suppose the brain trust figured he’d hit .250 vs NL pitching or something. Not sure what they plan to do with him as Castro is certainly gonna start the year as the main catcher at AAA – guess he’s going to be the backup there???

NRI – Jason Castro, age 22, LH: finished the year at AA, had 239 AB and a .747 OPS. I am sure he’s going to start the year at AAA in spite of the fact that Astros fans think he can come up and face ML pitching and hit .300. Besides, the Organization is going to make sure he comes up late enough to screw him out of a year of FA, so IF he hits well, he won’t be up until June.

NRI – Brian Esposito, age 31, RH: a career minor leaguer, he was drafted by the Red Sox in the 5th round of the 2000 draft. He had a .481 OPS at A+ in 02, then in early 03, was either traded to the Angels or released and picked up. He only had 32 AB – don’t know if he was hurt or released, but he spent 04 and 05 in the Rangers Organization, mostly at AA with a couple of ABs at AAA each year. He was either traded or released and picked up by the Cardinals Organization and spent 06 and 07 at AAA in which he had a .584 and a .469 OPS. He did get called up in 07 and he did get to appear in a ML game, but had no PA. He was picked up bu Colorado in 08, spent the year at AA and had his usual horrible OPS. He was picked up by Houston last year, spent most of the year at AA, posted a .551 OPS, and was called up to AA, had 88 AB with a .790 OPS. And you think Towles is bad…

Humberto Quintero, age 30, RH: and all yall thought that Brad Ausmus was lousy with the bat? He managed 7 walks in 168 PA and a career high .286 OBP, but he did manage to raise his OPS+ from 51 to 74. He’s not a good defensive catcher either and he still hasn’t figured out that major leaguers don’t get picked off by snap throws to first. He’ll split time with Towles barring unforseen developments such as injury or Ed Wade managing to sign a better catcher or the Astros deciding to have Jason Castro skip AAA and then only get 6 instead of 6 3/4 ML years out of him.

NRI – Lou Santangelo, age 27, RH: Astros 4th round pick in the 04 draft, he spent a full year at AAA in 09, hitting .212/.270/.349/.619. I don’t know whether or not he’s a good defensive guy, last year his CS was 19% (down from 34% in 08) and he had 5 errors and 6 PB. I wonder why good hitting catchers are so rare, besides teams usually moving any of them who can hit…

JR Towles, age 26, RH: Well, this year, the manager who hated him is gone, so he has no excuse for not performing. He was injured a good deal of last year, but had 178 PA over 56 games, and put up a line of .276/.386/.455/.842. He’s one of the very few Astros prospects who has decent strike zone judgement and will take a walk. He seems to be a decent defensive catcher – has soft hands and frames pitches well – had 3 errors and 3 PB at AAA. In the majors, he had 53 PA over 16 games, hit .188/.250/.354/.604 – and 2 homers off Pedro Martinez.

I wonder who Roy and Wandy WANT to throw to…

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Posted in Astros baseball, J.R. Towles, Quintero, spring training | 10 Comments »

J.R.Towles Smashes TWO Homers Off Pedro Martinez

Thursday, October 1st, 2009

The other day, I wrote an entry which said “man bites dog.”

Today’s entry should be subtitled “newborn baby bites killer pit bull.”

No matter what happens to Towles in the future, he will alsays be able to relish the day he hit TWO homeruns off one of the greatest righthanded pitchers of all times.

Interesting because the first homer was originally ruled a double by the ump, even though you could clearly see on the TV that the ball went over the fence. Unlike his homer at the BOB in April 08 which was incorrectly ruled a double by the umps, this time there was HR replay and he correctly was awarded the homer he actually DID hit. After that disasterous game at the BOB, in which Cooper loudly and publically derided more than a few players to the media, Towles turned into a nervous wreck and couldn’t really do much with the bat and ended up back in Round Rock, where he regained his stroke and his confindence.

Hopefully, this time, that call being correctly reversed will do the opposite and spur a great hitting streak.

Posted in J.R. Towles | 4 Comments »

Goodbye Pudge, Hello Minor Leaguers

Wednesday, August 19th, 2009

Well whaddaya know? Pudge Rodriguez was traded to the Rangers, not sure exactly WHY they wanted him back, seeing as how they have a surplus of good young catchers and Pudge has already reached his marketable milestones.

I most certainly was NOT impressed with Pudge’s game calling skills, blocking skills (check the number of WP allowed) or his bat – he led the Astros with most negative RCAA at -19 (Brad Ausmus levels, that is.)

But I AM impressed that somehow Ed Wade talked Drayton/Tal into letting him trade a washed up guy who wouldn’t be offered arbitration for SOME warm minor leaguer bodies (last time that happened it was Mo Ensberg to the Padres for some live body – or maybe it was Jason Lane.)

So anyway, we’re getting back a 22 year old A-ball guy (and 2 PTBNL) who was the Ranger’s 10th rounder out of HS in 05. Matt Nevarez, RHP, is a reliever who, this year, has thrown 35 innings over 34 games with a 2.83 ERA/1.06 WHIP and a 4 BB/9 and a 12.9 K/9.

According to minorleaguesplits.com, he has a FIP of 2.47, BAA .184 overall; curiously enough, rightys hit him much better than leftys (don’t tell Coop – he’d have, like, you know, heart failure) with a 0.85 WHIP vs 1.13 WHIP.

This is really only his 3rd year in pro ball – he missed virtually all of 06 and 07, don’t know why, which is why he’s a little old for A ball. But youneverknow, AND we all know how the Astros prefer to leave players in the minors to overcook.

And speaking of overcook, of COURSE JR Towles isn’t coming up to the majors to take Pudge’s spot. Not unless Coop is no longer manager. Which, with any luck, will be very VERY soon.

 

Posted in Ivan Rodriguez, J.R. Towles | 6 Comments »

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