Well my friends, things don’t look real too good at this point.
Roy was the only pitcher who had been doing well, but he pulled his hammy after 4 innings and is ending his ST time with a grand total of TEN innings pitched. He’s going to get his leg examined by the team doctors. Wonderful.
Wandy, who pitches this afternoon, has been, um, “working on” stuff. The best thing I can say is that he’s hardly walking anybody – just 4 walks over 13 IP. Fewer than the number of homers he has given up, unfortunately.
Norris – well, he “won” today with 4 innings of relief, giving up 3 R; He’s now pitched a total of 10.2 innings and given up 4 homers, 7 BB, 6 K and 11 ER (you don’t wanna see this ERA neither.)
Paulino has pitched 11 innings, but given up NO homers. Which is cause for celebration right there. His ERA is 4.09, but half of those innings came against the dreadful Pirates, in which he gave up only 1 run, but walked 4.
Wesley Wright got sent down to work on starting.
Chris Sampson, throwing a new changeup, is pitching lights out, but naturally, he can’t be considered for the rotation because, uh, well, you see, there are all these guys who could pitch in the bullpen and there is a real competition, so we can’t have Sampson starting because, um, he hasn’t done it this ST. YEAH, that’s the ticket.
Among other starting candidates, Brian Moehler, uh, um, hasn’t looked sharp – 9 IP, 17 H, 6 ER. Shane Loux got sent down and Casey Daigle is seriously being considered, in spite of the fact that that he’s been a reliever since 2004, and not a great one at that. But hey, he’s got that Veteran Presence oozing out all ovah and Fast Eddie’s nostrils are twitching.
But, I keep reminding myself that Roger Clemens had like a 8 something ERA in ST in 2005 and he darn near won another Cy Young. Maybe the guys will step it up. Maybe, if Roy and/or others are too hurt to pitch, Chris Sampson will get a start. And they’ll call me too – I’m a VERY crafy lefty…
Good news is that most of the guys still at ST are hitting VERY well, especially Chris Johnson, outhomering Pence, Feliz and Clank, who naturally has zero chance of making the ML roster because of Feliz, Who Knows How To Win (just not How To Get On Base.) Should I note that minor leaguers TJ Steele and Andrew Locke are hitting decently (don’t get on my butt about small sample size) and hopefully going to AA instead of A+ this year. Maysonet is outhitting and outslugging Keppinger (and we all know what kind of chance May has of making the ML roster.)
Actually, I am hearing rumors that it is possible that with Berkman on the DL, that Chris Shelton will make the ML roster instead of Keppinger. Hard to believe. But I have also been hearing that OTHER teams are VERY interested (so the Astros aren’t, like WHY????) in Chris Johnson, Maysonet and Towles – wanna bet that Fast Eddie trades em for a nice middle reliever?
And speaking of Towles and Castro and the catching job, I want to point out that Castro is not hitting for any power – only 1 double in 30 AB, whereas Towles has 6 doubles and a triple in 29 AB. But Astros fans really only care about BA, so I don’t guess it will matter.
Tags: Houston Astros, MLB
Astros’ hitters small sample sizes don’t matter…yet the pitcher’s small sample size do matter?
grinning
you gots a good point there because 10+ innings is just not enough. it isn’t. especially with guys trying out new this and that and getting used to new catchers.
but actually, i am also going on reports from my dear friends Ann Onnamuss and Ida No-Hu reporting from ST as to how the guys look AND how the pitching coach is dealing with them – i mean, how he feels about their performance – stuff that the astros beat people are not reporting, you feelin me here. coach ain’t real too happy.
you know – sometimes a guy seems to be throwing well and has bad luck. sometimes he’s throwing lousy and has good luck. but we’ll hafta see how things go.
and fast eddie can always trade towles/johnson/maysonet for some Veteran Goodness like this year’s russ ortiz or mike hampton to put in the rotation
Wandy had better get his sh$t together, and SOON….or this pitching staff is history. Wandy and Roy, are going to have to carry this rotation again this year, and Roy is ALREADY hurt.
I am sorry Lisa, but i am a real astro fan and i care for more than just BA. I like to see OBP, Baseon Balls extra base hits, Runs scored , and particularly RBIs and clutch hitting . You always seem to put all of us Astro fans in the same catagory and seem to infer that we are all stupid and don’t know anything about BB, which personnally i resent. it seems like you and little group of followers know all there is to know about the game.
and on towles i think he should be our openning day starter and that they should send castro to AAA RR; but i warn that towles better show he can finnally hit ML pitching and not just minor league or ST pitching. a .188 career avg just doesen’t cut it and don’t say he hasn’t had enough ABs or enough opportunities, cause he has had much more than many other young prospects.
jimbo,
i SHOULD say astros “fans” because i am referring to all the people who really DO think that the only stat that matters is BA. i know you know that a hitter who hits .240 but drives in 40 homers and walks 100 times and scores 100 runs is more valuable than a hitter who hits .300, walks 15 times, hits 2 homers and scores 50 runs. i know you know better than to say – well, joe ballplayer would hit .300 too if he would just stop walking and swing at those pitches out of the strike zone that he takes for balls.
agree with towles.
but
they had better give him more than 2 weeks.
so how long do you think they should give castro if he can’t hit even as well as Q?
lisa
ok i accept that and yes on towles i agree he should definitely get way more than 2 weeks at least maybe 2 months or so, and let castro get some AAA experiance and catch on a regular basis rather than be a backup. But seriously i don’t believe castro will have any problem hitting much better than quintero when and if the time comes.
and lisa i apologize for taking alot with what you say so seriously when you are just maybe being a little sarcastic or teasing. I am so passionate about the game and i know i take myself too serious many times, but i do recognize that you have a very vast knowledge of the game of BB and do your homework.
You know also i have been thinking that if both towles and castro over the next year or two both become very good hitters and we haven’t trader either one that we might possibly convert one to play lst base in the future,cause i think that berkman might only play another year or two with all the reacurring injuries he has been having. we need lance so much and i just hope that he is going to be allright and be able to play alot more
well so much for all my blabbing
i do NOT get why they are so dead set on quintero being a backup, especially if both towles and castro hit better. towles is a HECK of a lot better receiver. he walks, and doesn’t hit into so ()^*($@! double plays, too. ESPECIALLY if they just want towles to rot as a AAA all-star, too
as far as moving towles – well, he doesn’t hit well enough (ahem) to play 1B, but 2B could be a possibility, especially if they are still refusing to consider drew locke as major league material. remember how disGUSted i am with this Organization’s bizarre refusal to (apparently) TRY to grow their own major leaguers? locke is yet another example.
True Story
Changing the subject slightly to the unappreciated importance of defense and how pitchers react, here’s a quote from Seattle pitcher Felix Hernandez, one of their young studs. “It’s a lot of fun pitching with those guys behind you,” says Hernandez, who went 8-1 after July 31. “Bills hit in the gap, I see Guti and Ichi running everything down. Jack is turning hits into double plays. Oh man, my confidence went through the ceiling. What a feeling.”
Franklin Gutierrez is Guti, and his 2009 Ultimate Zone Rating of 29.1 is off the charts — the best in baseball by a wide margin. Seattle may very well win the West this year even though they have no one hitting 20 HRs. Hitting is expensive and over-rated, defense is cheaper and undervalued. If you think that having crappy defense behind Roy, Wandy, Chris Sampson and our other pitchers doesn’t matter, think again.
Sorry, that’s “balls” hit into the gap. It’s tough to hit “bills” into the gap.
i agree with you on this steve, but i think we will see the astros defense well improved this year with the additions of manzella at short and feliz at third both very good with the glove. only weak spot on the defense will of course be carlos lee as usual.
defense?
you can’t POSSIBLY think that pitchers might could fell more, like, COMfortable if they have good fielders and don’t think they have to strike out every single guy. yeah, i remember roy-o saying about adam everett that if there was a ball hit from the 5.5 hole to the right of up the middle and there were 2 outs, or they needed a DP, he didn’t have to look back, just walked off the mound because he didn’t wonder IF the play would be made.
all that confidence stuff – BAH. you see a stat for confidence?????
here and i thought that all the pitchers wanted everett replaced with a guy who could get 200 hits and 30 GIDPs and no walks and a lousy glove and wanted brad ausmus and his limp bat replaced.
ooopsie
guess that was the “fans”
amazing that the players look at other players somewhat differently than people who watch. or watch the 5 stat categories for fantasy ball
jimbo
manzella has to live up to being the next adam everett with glove. i hear tell he’s VERY good, but that is like bobby bonds trying to be the next willie mays. feliz is supposed to be good with glove. but truth is that blum himself was pretty good at third – surprisingly better than i expected. it is keppinger who is the lead glove – and, unfortunately, he is best at second, which isn’t saying much…
So see lisa, you worried for nothing. Towles will be the starting catcher. Now its his job to lose or keep. Lets hope he gets off to good fast start at the plate.