Roy didn’t exactly look good – I guess the pitches didn’t have enough movement because he sure didn’t get very many swings and misses. Gave up 11 hits, 2 homers, 1 BB, 1 K. And he gave up moren a few very long fly ball outs too. He just hasn’t looked like the old Roy all year. Maybe it’s just my suspiscions, but somehow, I think the hitters are guessing what he is going to throw on each pitch. He had only two 1,2,3 innings and the second was because a runner forgot to touch a base and was tagged out for a LODP. And he went to a 0-2 count 4 times and couldn’t put the batter away.
And he left 2 on and Byrdak, then Nieve, Francoed him and let his runners score.
And he strained his groin on his 111th pitch – he landed awkwardly, looks like. No news, just “day to day.”
sigh
And this lineup is BAD juju. You shouldn’t never mess with what is working and working well and the team was doing nothing but winning with Bourn at leadoff. Pence isn’t doing diddly, we’ve got the 3 automatic outs for 7,8,9 again, so the pitcher is pitching them extra tough. Since the lineup was messed with, Matsui and Berkman got picked off, and Bourn got caught stealing by a catcher who is a lousy defensive catcher.
Lance, of course, is doing more than diddly – he singled, solo homered and walked. But Miggy had only a RBI single and Lee did nothing. This lineup managed only SIX hits and 3 walks off Vicente Freaking Padilla. Like I said, this lineup was a BAD idea.
sigh
Of course the screams for Bourn’s head are getting louder. So we send him down/bench him/DFA him or something and put WHO in center? Erstad is too fragile to play every day, no matter what his BA is right now, and he really isn’t fast enough to play center, so Pence would have to go back and Erstad would have to go to right. Sorry, but Erstad is doing this well BECAUSE he isn’t playing every day. He’s a very VERY old 33 who has been banged up a LOT during his 8 year career.
Pence is a lousy leadoff guy because he basically is a hacker who doesn’t walk or take pitches. Apparently Matsui doesn’t WANT to lead off, so we would play Erstad, who doesn’t have much power 6th, then Wiggy 7th and Towles at 8th. We’re going to have the problem with the weak 7,8,9 again.
And anyone who thinks there is someone in the minors who is ready, let’s hear who it is. Oh yeah – and WHO is it that is supposed to take Erstad’s spot on the bench when Bourn is DFA’d/sent down? And no, we can NOT keep the Bourn on the ML bench because he obviously isn’t going to be much use as a PH and the other bench guy is Jose Cruz with his buck40 average and all he’s good for is sometimes taking a walk and DR. We don’t need two guys to DR in the OF on the bench when neither one of them can hit, right? So exactly WHERE are the Astros gonna get this bat?
And once more, I don’t get the interest in replacing Towles with Quintero, who is doing simply awful in AAA – and Josh Paul is doing worse. And the guys in AAA have OPS under 700 – there are no Saltalamacchias in waiting. I hope this isn’t gonna be one of those – oh, since Quintero did great in spring training, he’ll do great all year. Yall forgetting that Cheito Cruz did great in ST as well?† As did Bourn and Towles? ST stats mean zero.
Tomorrow, it’s Brandon Backe vs Kason Gabbard
Brandon hasn’t been particularly good this year – 2-5 in 9 GS (3 QS): 48.2 IP (5.1 IP/GS) – 53 H, 8 HR, 29 BB, 37 K: 4.62 ERA, 1.67 WHIP and a .267 BAA
He has pitched 10 innings at Arlington – 7 ER – 11 H, 2 HR, 4 BB, 7 K (not good)
Kason Gabbard, LHP, age 26 is the pitcher the Rangers got from Boston (along with David Murphy) in the Eric Gagne swindle last year. He’s been up and down the past few years and now has a career 8-4 in 25 GS and 3 in relief with a 3.89 ERA, 1.40 WHIP and a .241 BAA.
This year, he’s 1-0 in 6 GS (2 QS) – 29.2 IP – he seems to have had some injury problems as he had one start with 2 IP, after which he missed 1 start, and he had to leave after 3.2 IP at Seattle (the game where that idiot Richie Sexson threw a helmet at him for throwing a pitch down the middle, then charged the mound.) His last start, he gave up 2 runs over 5.1 IP.
28 H, 1 HR, 14 BB, 11 K: 2.12 ERA, 1.42 WHIP, .257 BAA
He has pitched 23 innings in Arlington – 22 H, 4 HR, 9 BB, 12 K – 4.30 ERA, 1.35 WHIP, .247 BAA
Tags: Houston Astros, Texas Rangers
The club’s attitude, as widely documented, is “if it ain’t broke, don’t change the lineup.” Coop took the opportunity of interleague DH lineups to hide Bourn down in the 8 position, where he may feel less pressure to do it all, seeing as how he has recently been expressing more frustration at his lack of hits (or contact). As an 8-hole hitter for the past couple of games, he’s hitting .250. So far, so good. (Although, since they’ve now lost 2 in a row, some of the fans are ready to declare them broke, and will insist on Coop’s immediate correction.)
These guys are tired, away from home, and playing in parks where their normal deep fly balls are being caught, instead of dropping into the Crawford boxes.
Plus they have the extra added pressure of winning the elusive Holy Silver Boot Grail.
Hey Brandon, pitch bullets tomorrow, pick your fights carefully, and watch that groin.
i don’t think the lineup had anything to do with not scoring. 789 automatic outs is the same as 891.
Pence did well, taking his walks last year in the leadoff so you can’t just write him off because you say he is a hacker. he is a smart batter, i think he has proven that in his short time in the majors. give him a shot.
I think Bourn is starting to look better but i don’t mind him being moved down.
i mean they can’t keep scoring 8 runs every game. the pitching is going to have to come threw. If Roy doesn’t return to form the team stands no chance. Even if the rest of the starting pitching squad pitches to a mid 4 era like i think they can you have to have some dominate starts. there just hasn’t been that.
If Roy fixes himself before they fall below .500 I think the rest of the staff will pitch just well enough were their potent bats well come through enough times to be comptetive.
i don’t think you have to worry about Bourn and Towles, like you said who would replace them? There is no way they just bench them.
charles,
i am not calling pence a lousy leadoff hitter because of performance in 2 games – i don’t think like that. i think that unless you are dealing with a guy like soriano who is so convinced that he can’t hit anywhere BUT leadoff that he actually CAN’T hit anywhere but leadoff, that it is foolish to waste a power hitter in the leadoff spot when you have other options.
besides, pence is a good ballplayer, but part of what a leadoff guy’s job is – is taking pitches, working the count AND getting on base. and he just isn’t that kind of guy. never was. he’s impatient, always was. it is unusual that guys like him learn any sort of patience because they feel uncomfortable taking pitches and most guys do lousy with 2 strike counts. which is one of the qualities that makes guys like eckstein the Pest such a great leadoff guy…
If we are going to give up on Bourn, then it would be more sensible to bat Matsui leadoff and Pence second.
i don’t know if bourn will hit either. and, by the way, i’m NOT flip flopping – if you remember rightly, i was worried about his being able to continue to hit as a full time player BEFORE the season started.
but one thing i DO know is that i don’t want to give up on him just yet. it is ONLY 42 games into the year. and remember that we just DON’T have anyone to replace him with because josh anderson is gone. and like i said, you can look for yourself in the minor leagues and see.
erstad – well, i look at many many years of stats. sure he could have another career year like 2000 at age 33, but he was made into a first baseman 4 years ago because he was too fragile to stay in the OF.
- and by the way, i agree completely with your assessment of erstad as a fierce competitor and a good example/teacher to bourn/pence. no question.
but honestly, i don’t think that at THIS point of his career, it is prudent to over use him until he breaks for the simple reason that we just do not HAVE a replacement. anywhere i can see, that is, unless you have a different idea….
and even IF you rotate pence and erstad, who is going to be the other OF? cheito?
and yeah, i know wiggy sux – but unfortunately loretta and blum aren’t doing any better and loretta is just as bad a fielder as wiggy.
i don’t want to have 4 automatic outs at the bottom of the lineup neither, which is one reason i didn’t want to put bourn down there too.
- i’ve heard all the talk about let’s get kenny lofton, but the guy has GOT to be on a do not touch list along with bonds and sosa because players who are a lot worse than him didn’t have any trouble getting work.
and we both know that drayton mclane will dance in a g-string at a strip bar before he would EVER go against bud selig…
i BET they tired. fortunately dallas isn’t far from home.
and it sure nuff is true that the LF fences are a bit farther off – i know it is an extreme hitters park – must have to do with left and right center.
joel,
891 is 100 more outs – BUT, actually, i wasn’t talkin about numbers, i was talking about about increased fan pressure
and i know they can’t keep scoring 8 runs a game – i mean, sooner or later lance IS gonna come off the hitting mountain and go back to his normal level of excellence and when that happens, the team will quit the 8 run comebacks.
it is just i don’t want to throw bourn and towles on the trash heap, as too many fans want to do.
the ballplayers ALWAYS talk about “confidence” and even though us non-ballplayers can’t either define it or number-ize it, there HAS to be something about how a hitter thinks of himself that has to do with his hitting the baseball. and i don’t want these guys to throw themselves away neither, you see what i’m sayin…
i don’t want the fans to start hatin on them like they did with burkie-poo or any of the other guys they hated from the past few years.
I think wags and joel b made some very good points and a whole lot of sense. I do not think changing the line-up some had nothing to do about about us not hitting. and we have been scoring and winning in spite of bourn and because of him.
and to call pence a lousy leadoff hitter after only 2 games is ridiculos. bourn is the lousy leadoff cause he can!t hit crap and i am not sure he will ever be much of a hitter, thou i hope i am dead wrong.
and you have never liked erstad from the very beginning, but the man has been very good and productive for us so far. i think moving pence back to center and playing erstad in right with a couple of days off a week is worth the try. pence is a decent enough of a cf with very good speed and will only get better with time and experiance.
i think erstad is a fierce competitor and he really hustles and is a real good example to the younger players. I am for going with him as long as possible or till he runs out of gas like you suggest he will.
i also would like to see loretta in at 3b a good part of the time cause wiggy really suks. the stros cannot continue to have 4 automatic outs at the bottom of the order; wiggy , bourn, towles, and the pitcher.