Well, why not start off with what little good news there was from this embarassing game:
1 – Michael Bourn hit 2 changeups and, in fact, hit the second off the RF wall. 5′ higher and it would have been out. He almost managed to catch another ball on the Hill, but it fell for a triple and I was disappointed that Oquendo didn’t allow Ankiel to keep running to earn himself an inside-the parker.
That, at least, would have been something worth watching.
2 – Miggy Tejada went 3/4 and hit 2 doubles. He made 3 bad throws, but Berkman saved him every time.
3 – Pence and Keppinger grounded into double plays, increasing the Astros league-leading total to 144. The rest of the guys had better get with the program because it is going to be tough to make up lost ground and we need another 20 in the next 12 days. I try to have confidence, really I do, but Berkman failed in the first, Blum, then Pence failed in the 4th and Miggy failed in the 8th.
Just imagine the headlines had the Astros managed SIX GIDPs in one game. Why BBTN might could forget all about the Yecchs/Red Sux for the 10 seconds it would take to tell about this incredible accomplishment.
But I shouldn’t complain because the untimely removal of Cooper has gotten the Astros a few seconds of pub. Why remove Cooper NOW? ask all the pundits, who are tsk-tsking and calling Cooper a “scapegoat” instead of properly pointing out his endless mismanagement.
I hear tell that Dave Clark is supposed to be well liked and well respected and is Going To Bring A Winning Attitude And Turn Things Around.
fascinating
He’s still not playing the youngsters (except for having Towles catch Bazardo, as he did all year at AAA) and the vets are still playing like (looking for polite word) um, er, uh, let’s say, lousy. We can lose just as well playing Manzella, Johnson, Maysonet and Towles.
The hitters? Nothing has changed. Lots of hacking away, swinging at first pitches, refusal to take pitches or foul them off. The Astros load the bases with no outs and manage only 1 run – on a sac-fly. They can’t even manage to score any runs off Todd Wellemeyer, the Cards’ worst pitcher this year.
I suppose I had better discuss the pitchers. Not that I’m looking forward to this…
First, props to Doug Brocail because he is the ONLY pitcher of the 6 pitchers Clark used who managed to both get 1,2,3 out AND give up no runs.
Next, Yorman Bazardo: he started off just great – the first 2 innings, he got 1,2,3 out and 2 swinging Ks. I thought – well, seems the guy has remembered how to pitch. He WAS the second best pitcher in the PCL this year, next to Bud Norris.
Then, something happened, not really sure what. He got Yadier Molina out easily to start the 3rd inning. But then he just lost control of the strike zone and walked Lugo on 4 pitches – and Lugo isn’t exactly a guy to avoid throwing strikes to. Then he gave up a sac-bunt, an RBI single up the middle, another walk (and those pitches weren’t even close), then an RBI single to Uncle and then the Cards tried a double steal – Uncle to second and Rasmus to home (at least I THINK it was supposed to be a double steal) and JR threw to second, Uncle managed to avoid the tag until Rasmus scored as Miggy didn’t throw home as he had done last night.
So there we were, losing 3-0 already and with this team, playing as horribly as they are right now, the ball game was OVAH. It’s really depressing to know that if your baseball team gets behind 3-0 in the 3rd inning that you have LONG since lost the ballgame.
JD noted that Bazardo was NOT throwing the baseball to the inner half of the plate (well, he sure did with Holliday) and I don’t know if that was by accident or design, but he came back in the 4th, gave up 3 straight singles, an RBI groundout, another groundout, then another single and then was pulled, having surrendered 6 runs over 3.2 IP. The sad part was that he didn’t give up one hard hit ball and with 1 exception, did keep the ball down.
He didn’t really have enough movement on the slider and he wasn’t able to effectively throw the FB to all 4 corners and that is what most likely did him in. He’s just not looking like ML material.
Wesley Wright came in at the end of the 4th and rescued him and for some unknown reason, Clark left him in for the entire 5th inning even though he would be facing some right handed pitchers!!! Imagine that!!!! He loaded the bases with 2 singles and a walk, then gave up a run scoring GIDP and got DeRosa to ground out.
(Speaking of DeRosa, if we are going to pay someone to play third, I would MUCH rather have him than Miggy Tejada, and he’ll be cheaper and more versatile.
But I digress…)
Byrdak pitched an inning, giving up a homer to Rasmus on a hanging slider. He’s getting tired out too. He’s pitched in 11 of 19 games this month and has warmed up in 5 more.
Chad Paronto gave up 3 singles and a 2 run homer on an inside sinker which looked like a good pitch that was golfed into the Crawford Boxes. Amazing the difference between AAA and ML hitters, isn’t it?
Valverde came in for the 9th and was NOT sharp. He threw 7 pitches to Ankiel, 4 of which were fouls, and then he threw a FB right down the middle, which Ankiel promptly hit 420′ onto the Hill, where Bourn juuuuuuust missed it. DeRosa drove him in with a groundout (yeah, him again), Yadi doubled then Lugo popped out.
What can you do besides shake your head in disgust?
I wonder if Clark will use ANY reliever for, say, 2 or 3 innings, especially if he’s sharp and only needs a few pitches to get 3 outs.
Tomorrow, it’s Bud Norris vs our old foe John Smoltz.
I checked Smoltzie’s stats vs the Astros and was stunned to find that he’d lost 13 regular season games. I thought he was like 50-0 or something. Curiously enough, he’s never started a game here at the Box – he closed 5 games and saved them all. 5 innings of work doesn’t tell much and you don’t want to know his lifetime ERA vs the Astros, trust me on this. Yes, I know he’s 42 and he’s supposed to be on his last legs (so to speak) but when it comes to this particular guy, his career has, shall we say, legs…
Well, for the dozen or so of us who really watched, this was a pretty boring game. I will give a lot of credit to JD and Brownie for coming up with some interesting stuff to talk about.
I have to admit, I’ve been an Astros fan since 1965, but I like the Cards. I like Pujols, Carpenter, Wainwright, Rasmus, Ludwick, et al.
They have a good team over there.
And Lisa, the reason Oquendo didn’t send Ankiel for the inside the parker was because the Cards have enough class not run up the score when they’re beating the brains out of a team like the hapless Astros. Ankiel could have scored, and everyone who was watching knows it. A tip of the cap to the Cards.
Watching this game tonight, I started thinking that there’s really no reason to keep Berkman or Oswalt, considering that their contracts will be up and they’ll be gone before the Astros are good again. I would strongly encourage Wade to get a list of teams that they’d be willing to be traded to during the off season.
mark
yeh, i figured it was one of those stupid no running up the score things. it’s too bad. we don’t get to see an inside the parker and the guys don’t get the kick in the pants they need
JD and brownie are just great
as for trading berkman and roy
well, berkman has 1 year left on his contract – seriously, do you think he will agree to go and do you think that some other team is gonna pick up that bill?
cmon, the teixiera trade days are gone AND he had 2 years left and cost a LOT less than 15 mill. i SERIOUSLY doubt that drayton is gonna trade his big star for a bunch of nobodies at his own expense.
now we all know that roy would agree to be traded, but other teams can look at his past 3 years as well as we can. we’re gonna get WHAT?
and suppose drayton DOES trade those 2 guys for a bunch of minor leaguers AND gets rid of that salary. you don’t think he’s not just gonna go out and get some OTHER just as expensive FA?
or even worse, go out and get a bunch of worn out crappy Veteran Presences like aaron boone
as we found out from going from phil garner to cecil cooper, things CAN get worse
Last I checked Berkman wants to play until 2013 or 2014, and he wants to do it here in Houston. Sure, he’s had a bad year (for him), but he always seems to bounce back from them the next year. We’re talking about a guy who has given us multiple 1.000+ OPS seasons who even on a bad year is posting .900. I think they should decline his option after next year and sign him to a 3-year extension for less money.
I think our best chance to move Oswalt would be at the trade deadline if he has a good first half. And he’s probably the only piece we should trade.
I don’t really know that Lance would agree to be traded, but there wouldn’t be anything wrong with testing the waters. If he doesn’t want to go, you have to respect that and let him stay. There’s also nothing that says that you have to trade him if you don’t get an offer that will actually help your team.
As far as Drayton running out and spending a bunch of money on an over priced FA, I hope those days are over. He has said that he’s going to let the baseball people run the team, and I hope he really means it.
well i hear tell that drayton is talking about re-signing expensive FA valverde and hawkins
same stuff different day
as for lance, well, justice SEZ that he and roy are talking about retirement…