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.
Tags: Houston Astros, MLB, Rays, Tampa Bay Rays
Thanks, Mama.
lisa
ALWAYS blaming everyone else , for wandy’s incompentence , but wandy. If after 2 are out and no one on wandy haves to walk a batter and hits another there would not have been a problem. I call that LOUSY PITCHING. wandy has never been able to pitch around and error or adversity unlike that other pitcher on the Astros. I wish they would trade the cry baby. SMILE.
well there jimbo,
you just might could get your wish. mclane might could pull a pirates and trade everyone besides bourn and the rookies. and clank, who won’t go