Wolf pitched well, giving up 8 hits, 2 BB and 7 K – he stranded every runner, partly getting lucky because he got the pitcher for the 3rd out twice. But he had at least 1 MOB in every inning he pitched and he got out of a men on second and third, 1 out, without giving up a run.
Their pitcher, Ramon Ramirez gave up 4 hits and 3 BB, but unfortunately for him, one of those hits was a fat changeup to Lance Berkman who hit it 400′ to the left center wall by the second arch. And that was all the Astros needed. He got pulled after 5 for a PH, even though he probably could have thrown another inning. He was sharp, had a nice change and a decent FB, and after the first inning, he only gave up 2 singles and a walk.
The play of the game, though (besides Berkman’s first homer in 2 weeks) was Jay Bruce robbing poor Wiggy of a 2 run homer. Wiggy is slumping as badly as Berkman and Erstad.
Tomorrow, it’s Roy vs Johnny Cueto, against whom the Astros have won all 3 games.
And you know how Roy does vs the Reds…
Tags: Cincinnati Reds, Houston Astros
I admit it — the Work and Hawkins pickups worked out far better than I could have ever imagined. They have played far above what they should, but it’s baseball and sometimes that happens. I don’t know why, but I’m enjoying it. Without that massive baserunning double-gaffe by Bourn (shouldn’t have stopped, shouldn’t have put his head down and gone to third while Miggy was in a rundown), we’d be only 2 out. I know the team isn’t good enough to get to the playoffs, but they almost did anyway and once a team gets to the playoffs, anything can happen. Too bad all these career year performances won’t quite get us there.
sorry, that’s Wolf.
One more thing: it’s entertaining to note that had the ‘stros merely gone 6-4 over the past ten games, they’d be tied for the Wild Card lead. It could have happened. But it didn’t.
This is fun, and stranger things have happened than two teams losing three of four games. But consider this: imagine on Sunday that the ‘stros have crept to within 1 1/2 games of the Brewers. The Cubs, who are playing the Brewers, know that if they beat Milwaukee and the ‘stros win, the Cubs will have to travel to Houston for a game Monday instead of having that day off to rest for the playoffs. If they lose, they get Monday off and their pitching is lined up for the playoffs. Now, exactly how hard do you think the Cubs will try to win that game? I’m thinking not much. Not much at all.
well steve
it’s baseball and youneverknow
i’m glad the guys have made it interesting and if they hadn’t tanked for 5 games, well, the mets and brewers and phils are looking like icky dog poopoo.
but then again so did the 2006 cards in september…
and the Mets and Brewers both choked big time last year. It’s tough to play baseball with your hands firmly around your throat.
yep
I was absolutely STUNNED that both teams brought their managers back. both had been mismanaged from the getgo.
ah well
i’m shouldn’t be one to throw stones about mismanagement, hunh?
I’ve been laughing at the Mets ever since they signed Pedro and talked about how they were going to the World Series. Their starting pitching is inconsistent at best, and at worst a strange smattering of young men who seem to have already hit their ceilings in terms of talent. Their lineup is carried by young guys and hindered by “veterans” (read – old men signed because of their name who constantly underperform their contract). Carlos Delgado for MVP? Tell me – do MVPs typically have a .726 OPS at the end of June? Do MVPs typically hit below .250 all the way up until the All-Star break? It’s been a tale of two halves for the aged Delgado, who would have lost his starting job if he wasn’t Carlos Delgado with the $13 mil a year contract.
I don’t know why people ever thought this was a World Series team or how they even managed to look like they might be one for as long as they did. But they’ve shelled out this money for a team that will not win in the post season, and will ultimately cost them a lot of years to rebuild.
carlos delgado (and ryan howard) are mvp candidates because too many writers really REALLY think that the player’s season before september is irrelevant.
and they have decided that the mvp pretty much HAS to come from a team in the playoffs.
they don’t give a flip WHO the no argument about it best player to his team has been all freaking year long
probably because they like the idea of writing about the come from behind guy because there are more stories. on the other hand, think how much time they’d save if they just wrote a column saying
albert pujols, again, is the NL MVP
as for the mets,
well, what can i say. ever listen to milo talk about how important it is to have a “veteran team” – and it ain’t just because he is close to senile neither. teams STILL happily trade away the jeff bagwells for larry andersons and the writers give GMs who don’t a lot of, um, grief (see the LA writers)
any young player HAS to come to the bigs and IMMEDIATELY hit like pujols or pitch like verlander (at least his 1st year) or joba
it is ridiculous, but i guess too many people really REALLY think that all player development ends the second the guy leaves the minors.
and in NY, the GM is supposed to sign Name Veterans to show that he Is Serious About Winning
and of course, some of those name veterans, even though they are the best at their position (the Jackal) are hated by the media because they aren’t joe d/willie mays
“and of course, some of those name veterans, even though they are the best at their position (the Jackal) are hated by the media because they aren
I agree with Matt that what they say about Beltran is despicable, but I disagree that Beltran deserves every bit of it. He took the most money he could get, as pretty much all of us would.
The fact he’s being grotesquely overpaid isn’t his fault.
The fact that people saw him in the playoffs and started expecting a 30/30 player to be a 50/50 player isn’t his fault.
The fact that people expected a .270 hitter to turn into a .340 hitter isn’t his fault.
The media pumped him up because of his playoff performance, and as is typical of a player in a contract year, they made a very good player out to be a prolific, once-in-a-lifetime player. Beltran’s good, he’s just not $120 million good. And that is not his fault.
it isn’t the actual sum that beltran got paid that bothers me, it is the lying about it, especially the part about saying the reason he wouldn’t sigh was a no trade, whoch was news to the astros AFTER he signed with the mets.
the funny thing is that between offense AND defense at a premium position, actually carlos IS worth is salary.
but seem to me like the mets media was down on him from the getgo