It was a pitching duel for 11 innings with the score tied 1-1.
Berkman/Clank/Pence all went ofer – as in didn’t even reach base, didn’t score any runs, didn’t drive in any. A sorry performance. And Clank did his usual lollygagging after a ball to left and did such a terrible job of getting it and throwing it back that Ted Lilly, the PITCHER, scored from 1B. Clank’s gone from 2 tool to no-tool, as someone said.
Bourn didn’t start (lefty), and Bourgeois went 1 fer 3 with a SB. Angel Sanchez stayed in the 2-hole and again went 3 fer 6 – and it can’t be because Berkman is exactly “protecting” him. Sanchez is now hitting over .300 and Tommy Manzella just might not get his job back – except that Sanchez isn’t really much of a glove man and I’m tired of guys playing short who are crappy fielders. Yeah, I know, everyone else is sick of anyone playing SS who doesn’t hit .300.
Quintero had a lousy day – ofer and a passed ball.
Kepp went 2 fer 5 (still in the 6-hole) and CJ went 1 fer 4 with a run scored.
Lindstrom came in to relieve in the 8th inning – gave up a single, but got 3 outs. He came back for the 9th (stunned shock – imagine a reliever, especially a CLOSER pitching more than 1 inning!!!!! Chaos!!! Cats and dogs living together!!!!!) So naturally, he made it, uh, interesting in the 9th. Gave up a single, got a K, then another single, then a flyout. And then, with men on second and third, Mills pulled him – no I am not kidding, brought in Byrdak, who got the lefty out.
Mills pulls his CLOSER because he doesn’t think he can get a lefty out as well as a lefty reliever.
Should I mention, at this point, that Lindstrom, Lyon and Byrdak ALL have WHIPs over 1.50?
Anyway, Lyon comes in for the 10th and immediately makes things, uh, Interesting (ahem) – gives up a double, a FO, an IBB, a walk, a K, then a FO. In the 11th, a single, a sac-bunt, an IBB and 2 FO.
After the Stros score 3 in the top of the 12th (Jason Michaels drives in the go-ahead 2 runs with a double, then Angel Sanchez drives him with what turns out to be the winning single) Chacin comes in to try to nail down a 3 run save (Majewski already being returned to AAA after his 4 run inning last night) and immediately makes things, uh, INteresting. Yes, this IS a recurring pattern…
He gets 2 quick outs, then gives up a walk, then a homer. He gots 1 run left to go and an empty bullpen. So naturally, he can’t just get the last out – nooooooo. He gives up a single (and out trots Arnesberg, reminding him that he can join his bud Majewski ANYtime he wants, or he can get this last out here. So he gives up a 6 pitch walk, then the last blessed flyout.
Man, the C*bs are as bad as we are this year.
Tomorrow, a blessed day off.
Oh yeah – Fast Eddie picked up 2 guys off the scrap heap – Nelson Figueroa, a righty pitcher who pitched some for the Phils this year, pitched for the Mets last year, and has been around a LONG time. He’s 36, was drafted by the Mets in the 30th round of the 95 draft. Somehow, he’s only pitched 403 ML innings – and for 5 different teams. He threw 36 innings for the Phils this year – 1 start, 12 games in relief, with a 3.46 ERA, 1.12 WHIP, .220 BAA – which is considerably better than his career numbers of 4.47/1.43/.269. He’ll be taking the Moehler swingman/long reliever role, I’d guess.
sigh
This year’s bullpen is really missing Alberto Arias and Sammy Gervacio (both hurt) and the 2009 version of Jeff Fulchino. Along with the pre-ASB/pre-injury Sampson.
Also, we now have a new utility infielder, Anderson Hernandez. Oswaldo Navarro was sent back down, which is just as well, seeing as how it was more than obvious that someone didn’t want to play him, for whatever reason. He’s a 27 year old switch-hitting SS, claimed off waivers from Cleveland, where he was hitting .246/.270/.295/.565. He was originally signed by the Tigers out of the DR (and he’s a lil guy, too – they SAY he’s 5-9 which means he’s prolly David Eckstein size) and traded to the Mets in 05 for Vance Wilson.
The Mets gave him 18 AB in 05, 66 AB in 06 and 3 AB in 07, and let’s say he wasn’t really up to ML pitching. He was in AAA in 08 when the Mets traded him to the Nats for Luis Ayala and he hit VERY well in the Nats’ lineup – 81 AB – 10 BB – .333/.407/.383 (I mean very well for HIM, don’t be picky here) and returned to earth in 09 – 281 AB, .252/.310/.322 – and in August, was traded back to the Mets for a minor leaguer. He posted virtually the same numbers in 135 AB.
He was picked up on waivers by Cleveland in March 2010, and this year, had only 61 AB.
He has a .711 OPS vs rightys and a .586 OPS vs leftys. What is very interesting is that he always hit worst at any home stadium – .386 OPS at Shea, .454 in Cleveland and .565 at Nationals Park.
His career away OPS is .759 over 275 AB.
Tags: Cubs, Houston Astros, MLB
lisa
I couldn’t dissagree with you more on sanchez, i have been very impressed with his glove and think he is is just about as good as manzella defensively. I do think tommy will and should get his job back on his return thou , and it will be up to him to keep it.
sceptor,
well, it seems to me, anyways, that sanchez has a weaker arm – not more innacurate – and is slower to his right. but it IS a small sample size, so youneverknow
and if sanchez is hitting over 300, i bet that manzella doesn’t get his job back unless sanchez has a few ofers…
I know you didn’t forget, but chose not to mention that feliz hit a pinch hit HR that tied the game and enabled the astros to get to extra innings, and once again we got another strong performance from our starting pitcher who along with oswalt has been the backbone of our pitching staff this season.
Hey Lisa,
Just noticed something. Remember that international prospect we talked about the other day, Ariel Ovando? The one the Astros spent almost $3 million bucks on?
Apparently it was the fifth largest international signing bonus in baseball history.
So much for the idea that Drayton won’t pony up… apparently Eddie convinced him.
About Angel Sanchez… he looks better to me than Miguel Tejada, and A LOT better than Jeff Keppinger. I would say he’s about the same as Manzella. Not as much range, but less sloppy. Neither of them are any Adam Everett but both of them are good enough defenders to play shortstop every day, as long as they are hitting enough (which is the big question).
sceptor,
i didn’t forget about feliz. trouble is that it is like cory sullivan’s triple – it is keeping a person on the 25 man roster who isn’t good. every time he does anything besides strike out, it just persuades fast eddie to keep him. wouldn’t you rather give those ABs to Bourgeois or Bogusevic?
as for the starting pitcher, you know very well that i am not going to mention him again until the day he gets off this club – hopefully traded for some young players. it isn’t his performance on the field – it is personal. i don’t want someone like him on my baseball team, no matter HOW he performs
christian,
i am still wondering how on earth fast eddie talked drayton into forking out that much $$$ for an unproven player – at ANY level, when he absolutely refuses to fork out half that for guys who have at least had to do SOMEthing in college/hs
as for SS – well, tejada was awful, keppinger is worse. i know better than to expect anyone to field like everett. i think that unlike manzella, sanchez had the great advantage of not having to be nervous. we’ll see how long he can keep hitting over .300…
Tejada was truly awful last year. But I watched him a lot the first year and his defense was pretty darn good. Blah range, but a strong arm and he played smooth. ya gotta admit he played way better than expected in ‘08.
steve
I completely agree with you on that, i also thought tejada played pretty darn good defense in 2008.
As for shortstop i don’t expect sanchez to hit .300, but all i would like to see us have is a ss that can play very solid defense and maybe hit around .265 or .270 instead of having one that only hits .215 and contributes very little to the offense.
steve and sceptor,
agree that tejada was incredibly better with the glove in 08 than 09. unfortunately, his bat was much worse in 08 than in 09.
NL shortstops average BA is .249
(i really should recheck it without hanley ramirez, who kind of knocks the numbers waaaaayyy up)
so i would like OUR SS to not GIDP and to be able to walk
i think that it is very difficult to hit in the 8-hole in a NL lineup…
lisa
if you remove hanley you would also have to remove bendon ryan who really brings the number waaayyy down, batting only .186 in 261 Abs.
Smile