Maybe Dallas Keuchel has started a tradition in the name of “Astros pitcher least likely to pitch a shutout.” Which, seeing how tired out/lousy the bullpen is, sounds like a good idea to me. It has been announced that the Astros are going to stay with the 6 man rotation, not a bad idea, seeing as how seems to me that having 6 guys throwing 6-7 innings/game and limiting innings thrown by pitchers who sukc is a good idea.
It’s nice to be on the winning side of one of those 1-0 games, seeing as how the Astros managed exactly 2 hits and no walks over 8 innings. The one run came from a Matt Downs homer on a FB down the middle and he hit it to the second window over the LF bullpen. Only other hit was a Julio Daniel Martinez single and CJ immediately GIDP. That was it – no ROE, no HBP. Nada.
Lucas sailed through 8 innings:
K, GO, GO
FO, single, 4-6-3
GO, K, K
GO, BB, PO, SB then BB, GO – 2 LOB
Single, K, PO, IF single, GO – 60 pitches at the end of the 5th.
K, PO, FO
Single, FO, K, GO
GO -3, lineout, bunt out. 5 pitches, 84 pitches through 8 innings.
Then it got interesting – first really kewl play was that first grounder in the 8th – Carlos knocked down a grounder, fumbled it all over the place, but managed to get the ball on the dugout side of first whiile stretching out to touch his toe to the bag just before Denorfia got there. He’s another guy I didn’t know still had a major league job – I remember him with the Reds like over 5 years ago – checked – yeah, in 06, then OOB for a year, then in the Oakland AAA club for a couple years with 64 ML AB, then with the Padres since 2010.
Where was I? Oh yeah – so of course, question was, would Millsie-poo let Harrell pitch the 9th, especially seeing as how hadn’t nobody in the pen actually pitched lights out in, like, forever. Myers got the save last night AFTER letting 2 runs score.
So yeah, Lucas is out to try to nail down the job. And first pitch, Headley leads off with a single to center. Then Carlos Quentin hits a grounder to short, but no DP, just a forceout at second – it’s Downsie-doo there and fielding isn’t his thing. Pinch runner Alexi Amarista goes in. 5-7 my ass. He looks smaller than Jose Altuve. Yonder Alonso walks on 4 pitches, ALL really WAAAAY out of the strike zone.
sigh
Like, pitch to the guy – he’s got a .334 slugging and more walks than extra base hits. And 38 year old pitcher Jason Marquis comes in to pinch run for 24 year old Alonso. Honestly, when a pitcher old enough to be your daddy can outrun you…
Next pitch is hit into left, Julio Daniel scoops up the groundball, fires it to Chris Snyder – hits the ground for a very short hop, a little up the line, but Snyder reaches around to sweep tag Amarista, running as fast as his little legs can carry him (but I’m kidding – he runs faster than Snyder and JD and, I guess, lots of guys on the Padres, too.)
Two outs, men on first and second. Lucas walks the bases full.
STILL no sign of anyone warming up – how interesting. Lucas is gonna have to get em out his own self. And he does, getting a swinging strike on ball 3.
Game time, first pitch to last, 1 hr 55 minutes. Now THAT’S a ball game.
Tomorrow night, it’s Dallas Keuchel, NOT Bud Norris, vs ex-Cub Andrew Cashner, RHP. Andrew is a homie from Conroe, was the Cubs first rounder in 08 and was traded for Anthony Rizzo, who the Pads got from the Red Sox for Adrian Gonzalez – and let’s say it wasn’t a good trade for the Pads.
This is Cashner’s first ML start for the Padres – he started in the minors and relieved in the majors. He pitched 54 innings for the Cubs in 2010 with a 4.58 ERA, and only 10 innings in 2011. In the minors, he had 8 hits/9, gave up only 3 home runs in 196 innings, but had 3.8 walks/9 with his 8.4 K/9. His problem in the majors has been walks, over 5 walks/9 IP – and the significnat increase in homers – 12 HR/96 IP, not insignificant.
He just might do fine because the Astros aren’t very good at walking. Youneverknow. Then again, Keuchel just might throw a no-hitter….
Tags: Houston Astros, San Diego Padres
I don’t think Adam Everett himself could have gotten a double play on that grounder in the 9th.
Harrell sure was nervous and sweating in the 9th. He got a couple gift strikes during the Quentin AB, and I thought he had completely lost it at a couple points during the inning. Also, F. Rodriguez and Wright were warming up in the 9th at some point, don’t recall exactly when they got up, but it was obviously too late for them to do anything in terms of protecting the lead, or they would have come in when the bases were loaded or before.
I think Harrell’s CG shutout will do wonders for his confidence down the stretch.
I can’t wait for Keuchel to pitch tonight to see how he does in his second start..fortunately for him the Padres are awful.
neil.
agreee that harrell was nervous – i missed wright and froddy warming up – froddy needs to not be pitching/warming up for a couple of days and REST. If harrell had given up any sort of ball hit into the gap to either Kotsay or Hundley, it would have been game ovah.
i guess it’s Keuchel tonite instead of Bud so Keuchel can be comfortable at home for one last start, instead of dealing with the Winds of Wrigley
I’m sure they’ll find Froddy’s arm somewhere in the bullpen.
It’s just not currently attached to Froddy though.