Henry Sosa gave up 4 runs over 5 IP = your standard 5th starter. Only 4 hits and a walk, but unfortunately for him, one of the hits was a 3 run homer.
Wesley Wright, called up a few days ago when Fulchino was sent down, threw a 1,2,3 6th. Then Wilton Lopez started the 7th, gave up a HBP, a single, a K – so it’s first and 3rd, 1 out (the usual Wilton story this year), then the next guy hits a ball to Paredes and the man on 3rd gets called out in a rundown. Next batter is lefty, so naturally it’s goo-bah Wilton, hello Escalona – who gets the lefty out.
So he starts the 8th, gets one out, makes an error, screwing up an easy comebacker, then a single. Then it’s a righty, Miggy Tejada, who can’t hit wet paper, so naturally you have to call in a righty.
Which is Froddy who gives up a single to load the bases. 1 out. The next guy flies out to JD, about 20′ in front of the scoreboard, about the middle of it. Nate Schierholz, a GOOD runner, is on third, and he tags up and sprints for home. Brownie says something about well, this is gonna break the tie, but JD Martinez rockets a perfect throw to Corporan, who blocks the plate and Schierholz is OUT. Clank woulda lobbed it in casually to third.
He pitches the 9th and isn’t exactly much better – starts off by giving up a single and gets lucky when the guy is thrown by Altuve after being caught off first. Which is lucky for Froddy because he gets a K, then gives up 2 straight singles and a walk before getting Schierholz to fly out leaving bases loaded. Poor guy – it wasn’t his night.
Melancon comes in to pitch the 10th – I figure he’s good for 2 innings, then it’s Aneury – I guess, to finish out however many more innings are left because there ain’t nobody else left seeing as how Millsie-poo runs thru relievers. So he gives up a single, Miggy Tejada GIDP (remember, he’s good at that) and gets a FO to Shuck.
Did I mention that Jason frigging Michaels started in right again – him and his .219 OBP – because Millsie-poo doesn’t trust Bogusevic or Shuck to face a lousy AAA lefty reliever trying to start. Either Ed Wade has ordered him to do this or he’s just an idiot.
So in the 11th, Maalox gives up a walk then throws a nice fat FB belt high outer third to Sandoval who sends it over the LF fence.
Stros go 1,2,3 against some AAA callup guy.
As for the Houston offense, it was all done against the lefty reliever, who was pulled with 2 outs in the second after 4 runs had scored.
Stros didn’t manage much more against a parade of relievers – Barmes K with 2 on 2 out in the 5th. They had a chance in the 9th – Corporan, who had earlier GIDP with bases loaded, was HBP, then Sanchez walked. Altuve, hitting .322, who has singled and driven in 2 runs already, is asked to sac bunt, giving up a precious out.
I’m not against sac-bunts. In fact, I’d like to see a few more squeezes, and I’d like to see Corporan sac-bunting or anyone else who can’t hit. But NOT a guy hitting over .300!!! And Bourgeois and JD don’t do the job and that was all she wrote as nobody did nothin in the 10th and 11th.
Should I mention that Clank left SEVEN men on base? He is sporting a 104 OPS+ which is better than last year’s 92, but he really shouldn’t be hitting cleanup. Yeah, I know – money.
So far, all the callups and Bogu are doing a bangup job. Really, it’s too bad we can’t bench Clank and call up Cody Hinze. Or let Bogu play first. Wallace is hitting at AAA, LOTS of singles. Chris Wallace, in case you’re curious, hasn’t played in 6 games because he got hit on the wrist with a pitch, but his OPS is 901.
Tomorrow, we’re off to Coors to face righty Jhoulys Chacin. Yes, righty, which means that we won’t hafta sudffer through Michaels clomping around in right and flailing, I mean failing at the plate. Jordan Schafer is getting called up and so naturally, he’s gonna play center because Ed Wade traded for him, never minid how well our own guys are going. The guy hasn’t hit well since “everyone” thought he was gonna be the next Mickey Mantle (or maybe jim Edmonds) or something because of his hitting at A ball. One of the many reasons I don’t really pay no never mind to A ball.
Anyway, he started on the ML team in 08, had a dismal 600 OPS over 167 AB, got sent down, then got hurt.
He was in the minors all of 09, posting a robust 500 OPS at AAA over 189 AB – he had a few others at A and AA – didn’t exactly stand out there neither.
This year at AAA Atlanta, he had a .633 OPS over 164 AB and at the ML level (they were desperate for SOME CF besides Nate McLouth before they got a REAL CF from us) he had a .623 OPS over 196 AB.
The guy hasn’t hit worth spit since he was at A ball, yet, he’s the centerpiece of a trade. Well, I could be wrong and he could re-create his A ball stats – youneverknow. But I think that he’s one of those guys who the scouts/baseball people LUUUUVVVV (kind of like Jeff Francoeur) because he looks like ballplayer or he has a swing like Mickey or he’s got a magic sort of personality like Francoeur – he’s the Justin Bieber to the screaming hordes of moaning sportswriters.
Youneverknow…
And Jordan Lyles has been kind of shut down – he’s been sent to AAA to pitch an inning every 3rd to 4th day so he doesn’t get overstressed even though he SEZ he feels fine. Which he might could but I know better than to believe ballplayers talking about how they feel fine… Guess Aneury will be starting – either that or one of Ed Wade’s new trade guys gonna start.
I figured they were gonna lose today, but this group of kids made for some DANG GOOD baseball in the last eight days!! Just don’t tell THEM they don’t belong!!
Tow many outfielders is good problem to have…….but I SWEAR I’m gonna
put a contract on Mills life if he plays Michaels instead of Bogu again!!!!!!
The fellas ain’t gonna get that lucky again, when they go to San Fran. They WILL
see Crain and “the freak”!!! That outta give them a glimpse of how BIG league
pitchers throw!! Becky:)
Wesley put ‘em down 1-2-3 — that is, after giving up his traditional base on balls.
This game seemed like nobody wanted to win it. We had chances, they had chances…runs certain to score didn’t, although we made some pretty nice plays. We were all set up in the bottom of the 9th, but J.D. is still figuring it out, and La Gazella is a shell of his former self.
It was as if Sandoval said, “Geez you guys, if none of you are gonna do it, I’ll hafta do it.” Maalox just got caught in the fateful crossfire.
Was a bit surprised that Wesley hit for himself. Guess Mills was saving Bogey for his important pinch running assignment.
becky
no cain, no freak, no sanchez = pretty good chance of at least getting some runs. although for some reason, freak hasn’t beaten the astros near as often as he should have.
schafer is now gonna be the regular CF – will be interesting to see if millsie-poo platoons HIM too
wags i was surprised wesley hit for himself and then someone else started the inning – you talk about bizarre
mills has sunk down to cooper-suckhood in my book.
The sac-bunt by Altuve was definitely the most frustrating mismanagement in the game, though watching Wright hit for himself was also depressing, especially after having Shuck hit for Michaels.
Even though teh Astros won 2 of 3, i think we showed that its luck, not skill. You look at the last game, the astros went down 1-2-3 FIVE times in 11 innings. The Giants got the leadoff man on base in 8 of their 11 innings.
And are you sure about what you wrote there about the top of the 9th? You said it was a singel trying to be stretched into a double, but I thought it was a solid single, and the guy was thrown out after a botched pick-off. Clank couldn’t catch the pick-off throw, but Altuve backed it up and threw out the runner at second. Am I thinking of a different inning?
Yeah! What he said!
>http://blog.chron.com/ultimateastros/2011/08/21/excuse-me-jason-michaels-in-the-lineup-again-seriously/
peabo,
no you are right and i was thinking of a different inning – this is what happens when you are trying to write about the game you saw hours earlier while trying to get your kidz to go to bed when they don’t want to go to skool in the morning
i have given up trying to understand why millsie-poo does stuff like wesley wright batting for himself or having a good hitter sac bunt
and the jason michaels obsession is beyond understanding. it is not like we are talking about the best fielder who ever lived or some young guy desperately needing playing time – and no contending team is gonna want HIM. it’s either marching orders from Fast Eddie or millsie-poo has a man crush or believes that lefty hitters should never face lefty pitchers if physically possible – although it is a ridiculous claim if your only available righty option is flat out terrible