Well, the good was Brett Wallace hitting 2 LONG homers, to CF and opposite field. Good was a nice DP at the end of the second. Good was Xavier Cedeno pitching a scoreless inning. Good was we didn’t get shut out. Good is we are inching closer and closer to that Sacred All Time Loss Record. Maybe we can go ofer August, wouldn’t THAT be kewl – they’d HAVE to say something on BBTN.
Right now, having lost this game, we are now one win behind the 2011 team, which had 36 wins on Aug 1. Trouble was that last year, we won 10 games in August in spite of a nice 10 game losing streak, a shameful showing, but fortunately, no one could keep down with us in spite of an inexcusable NINE wins in September, so we triumphed at the end of the year to win the Worst Team Award.
Now, if we can keep the damage limited to just 3 wins per month, we will win that highly coveted Worst Team Of All Time with 121 losses and we’ll be FAMOUS.
Don’t ask me why I watch. I tell my friends and kids that it is because it’s the last year and as #1 son says, but why stare at garbage? I tell him, because I’m in awe of the vast amount and the indescribable stench.
Bad was fielding and hitting with RISP – went 1 fer 12. Bad was having to leave Jordan Lyles in after he clearly had absolutely nothing left after the end of the 4th. Who you gonna call?
Jordan Lyles has enough trouble pitching well, but he started off great. First inning, he gives up an unearned run. Reach on error with Scott Moore screwing up a simple routine play. Stolen base – Astros catchers can’t throw out my granma in a wheelchair. Go to third on groundout. Score on ANOTHER Scott Moore error – boots it, picks it up, bad throw to first. Yall missing CJ yet (who went 3 fer 4 with a walk and drove in 2 last night and is 2 fer 3 with a run scored, a walk and an RBI today.) Blessed GIDP
Crew 1 Stros nope
Astros, by the way, go 1,2,3 first 2 innings.
Second inning, Weeks hits a routine single to right and Bogusevic makes a rare Bill Buckner error and Rickie is on third, then a groundout to first and Rickie can’t score, then a bunt – Wallace fields, throws to Altuve at first to get the runner, then a bullet to home to get out Rickie, who foolishly decided to come home at the last minute. Corporan had the plate blocked well. Inning ends with a DP again.
Third, Marwin singles, Lyles sac bunts. Schafer hits one right to the pitcher, who catches Marwin between second and third. Marwin prolonges the rundown long enough that Schafer manages to get to second. THAT was heads up baserunning by both guys. Then Jose Altuve singles a bloop to right, Nyjer Morgan takes it, misses the cutouff man completely and Jose goes to second as Schafer scores – BAD, inaccurate throw. But Moore lines out.
Tie game, 1 all
Brewers go 1,2,3 – no fielding effups. Whaddaya know?!
Fourth – Brett Wallace hits a 3-2 FB bout fo hunnert fitty feet for the first homer offn Fiers since the day he came up in June. WOW – but you know it won’t make BBTN because they don’t nevah show Astros homers (except for Justin Maxwell’s 475 footer in Colorado). Then Fiers gets 2 swinging Ks and a flyout.
Astros 2 Brewers 1
Wonder how many games the Astros have played this year that they had a lead they couldn’t hold. Probably most of em.
Leadoff walk to Braun. (swear word) Aramis Ramirez Ks swinging – whoa – a guy who is not the pitcher. 8 pitch single to right, men on first and third 1 out. CMon kid. Corporan out, Brocail out. No help, he hits Rickie. Peachy. Blessed infield popup. Then ANOTHER *((%*! error – ball up the middle, Altuve makes a bad throw to second, 2 runs score. JEEZUS. Another groundout and THIS one, Altuve handles. Poor Lyles – he got 2 earned runs on the error because scorer says error is letting Hart get to second. Then folks say – hey look at that ERA – he can’t pitch. He’s really doing well though, lots of groundouts, lots of unbelieveable crappy fielding.
Brewers 3 Astros 2
Fifth: 1,2,3, out
Lyles back – single, single, double steal (blown call at third – tag DID beat him), 2 RBI single up the middle. The one time catcher makes a good throw, gets a bad call. Poor Lyles – he has to throw tons more pitches to make up for bad calls, bad fielding and then it will be – oh, he can’t last more than 5 innings. Flyout, Wild pitch (catchers GOT to be able to block – I’m so damm tired of this crap. We must lead the league in WP allowed as well as stolen bases allowed). RBI double to LF corner. Brocail out.
Very next pitch, Weeks hits out. Second time that Brocail has come out to talk to Lyles and bad stuff happens. This time instead of plunking Weeks, Lyles hung a slider and out it goes. The players all look defeated. Well, thing is, they all looked defeated by the end of the 4th. Lyles is gonna be left out there until he can’t move his arm.
Only 1 out still. Flyout. Two outs. Another hanging slider and it is barely a homer – just above the fence, right next to the foul pole. 30 pitch inning. 28 pitch 4th inning. He’s done for. He looked a lot worse than he was.
Brewers 9 Astros 2
Sixth: K, single, single, WP men to second and third, K, groundout.
Froddy out: K, groundout, homer to Braun after 7 fouls – you do know the Crew is leading the NL with homers? Too bad their pitching hasn’t been real too good, except against us) double, groundout.
Crew 10 Stros 2
7th: single, single, and Fiers is out. Change pitchers to RHP Jose Veras, 5.02 ERA. Maxwell in to pinch hit. But it’s flyout, swinging K on a high outside pitch to Schafer (why they throw him a pitch anywhere else on a 2 strike count I don’t know) and popout.
In comes Francisco Cordero to throw gas. On the flames, that is. Single, Lucroy homers. Yet another unmoving slider. Double, groundout runner to third, RBI groundout, flyout, Braun HBP (it isn’t deliberate, he just sucks) on his arm, then a swinging K. Three runs in 1 inning. He’s just cooked. I suppose we’re gonna keep running him out there so we don’t call up any guys we haven’t already called up and start their service clock running. Much better to have these demoralizing blowouts.
8th: Mike McClendon, RHP up. 6.75 ERA, just back up from Nashville. 0-2 pitch hits Moore (I supposed because idiots think that Cordero threw behind Izturis and hit Braun on purpose. People, please) – warning from ump. Millsie poo out but doesn’t get tossed. Brett Wallace hits his second homer, this one opposite field to the LF bullpen. He’s trying to stay up this time, looks like. Popout, groundout, flyout – nice diving catch to rob Corporan.
Crew 13 Stros 4
Xavier Cedeno out – he starts out with a 4.26 ERA. The reliever McClendon is left in to take an AB – that doesn’t happen real too much. He pops out, then PH Ransom Ks looking and Lucroy Ks swinging. The stuff actually looked pretty good. Maybe we should have him close. Nah, would give him leverage in arbitration. Don’t wanna pay more than minimum now, do we?
PH Downs gets HBP, but strangely enough, no one gets tossed. Whatever. Nobody cares. PH Steve Pearce hits into 5-4 FC. Schafer up – WP, Pearce on second. Groundout, then Altuve grounds out.
I hear tell that Nyjer Morgan and Rickie Weeks sent roses and chocolates over to our clubhouse to say thank you for all the lovely pitches and helping keep their averages barely over the Mendoza line.
Day off, then on to Atlanta to face Tim Hudson, who is pitching great. And he’s thrown 6 games over 44 IP with a 1.44 ERA vs the Astros. Braves just swept the remnants of the Phillies, who are looking to me like the 08 Astros after Ike. It’s really hard to decide who to root for – Bourn and the Braves, Wandy and the Pirates, Pence and the Giants or CJ and the Dbax (well, so far they don’t look like any sort of pennant winning team).
Tags: Houston Astros, Milwaukee Brewers
At this point why bother. The front office WANTS this team to lose every game they play, only THEN will they satisfy the automatic first round pick for 2013- and for 2014………….’cause you and I KNOW they will be WORSE next year. That’s what a $16 million payroll will get you. Nothing to see here, move along.
and also, crane has a lot of debt he has to pay so he is gonna keep the payroll as low as possible for as long as possible and rake in all the extra $$$ from the cable deal. i’m not fooled here.
the astros have lost incredible numbers of fans, too. i used to get at least 300-400 non-spam hits a day as late as 09. I lost some when mvn shut down so quick in the middle of winter, but the traffic never picked back up and it has slowly sunk. i’d say maybe it’s that I Just Don’t Know How To Write anymore, but the traffic at the Chron has plummeted and so has traffic (best I can tell) at the other astros websites. it sure looks as if the number of commenters is waaaaay down.
it really is too bad that MLB is set up so that teams that don’t try and don’t spend on good players or payroll make tons of money from splitting up MLBAM/national TV games and hi payroll teams. this team is going to be opposing the high payroll angels/rangers. i suppose crane is thinking that his bottom dollar team is gonna repeat the Rays success with a small payroll, but of course, they took gerry hunsicker (that is when they started winning) and good players from the astros and gave us crap in return.
our farm has no STARS!!! no longoria, no BJ upton, no scott kazmir, no james shields, no david price. good steady major leaguers are nice but it’s not gonna take us anywhere – and that is assuming that somewhere we can find some minor leaguers who can pitch. even freaking tim purpura somehow managed to draft guys who came to the majors and pitched – starting AND relief, and now, look. we’re using freaking francisco cordero and chuckie Ick. the minor league pitching pimpees uck-say. they won’t promote anyone not already on the 40 man.
shrug
it’s not like i don’t have anything else to do with my time
I appreciate you doing this blog, Lisa. I’m just sad damned sad about the way this team has been left to die on the vine. IT HURTS. I’m sad that NO ONE CARES
about doing ANYTHING to give us hope for next year. PLUS……..oh never mind,
it’s just that my personal life is not much better. Keep writing, and I’ll keep reading. At least I know TWO people who still care. Thanks, Becky
it’s sad to me too becky. it’s like watching someone get alzheimers. the reason bud and gang let a (swear word) like crane have this team is that they correctly figured that there wouldn’t be many fans left and the ones who cared didn’t matter. Bud doesn’t care about anything except more money for the owners and less money for the players. and that’s why this interleague thing every day next year. he’s gonna force the DH and the players, although they pretty much all HATE the DH aren’t going to fight because a DH usually makes more $$$ than the 25th man.
i’m real sorry about bad stuff in your personal life. i hope it gets better.
“to throw gas…on the flames”. LOL!
I gotta say, there’s not much point in naming a closer on a team that a) rarely needs one b) needs all relievers on deck all the time because the starters throw so few innings and c) doesn’t have any viable candidates anyway.
In October 2022, we’ll all look back on this and laugh, laugh, laugh!
Neil, I’m surprised they haven’t used Downs or Bogusevic at least in mopup situations.
neil,
i’m betting they are gonna try to get wilton lopez to coast to the end of the year, then not offer him arb so they don’t have to pay for his tommy john surgery that i bet he needs.
and part of the reason the starters throw so few innings is because the fielders are doing a rotten job
wags,
i seriously doubt i’ll be laughing about the last sad gasp of what used to be a major league franchise. and they have used bogu once and they were getting ready to use downsie-doo the other night
I don’t know what’s going on, but Austin’s Astros blog is kaput. Maybe it’s a sign of the Astros’ bad times, I dunno.
Sucks to watch a team that dominated the Central Division in the late 90′s and early 2000′s get this bad.,
It wouldn’t shock me if Crane tried to move the team to another city to make more $$$$…Houston’s never really been a baseball town.
Now had this been a Texas high school football program, the supporters would’ve lynched Crane by now.
there is no place to move the team to and the stadium lease is airtight. it would cost him a FORTUNE. houston turned into a baseball town when roger clemens came here. it ALL just vanished after crane threw in the towel after hurricane IKE.
sigh
unfortunately it’s not a HS team but a multi zillion dollar corporation that gots the government in its hands and part of the corporation is to have teams that are the astros washington generals that the big and popular teams, and any given year’s surprising mystery team, to stomp on.
Lisa -
Thanks for keeping up with the Astros. I check the box scores and read game accounts and listen when I can on the radio, but my knowledge is almost purely secondhand.
Your disgust for the management comes through loud & clear, and I’m guessing that most of that comes from the forced move to the AL, but I’m wondering if you have other reasons. It was sad to see Wandy go, but from a baseball POV it made sense to me. In your view, what point would have been served–aside from fielding a better team this year, of course, and loyalty to longtime players–by keeping the guys they dealt? Is your complaint that that they got so little in return? My guess is that Luhnow got as much as he was able. Do you believe he could have gotten more?
The team is world-class awful right now, and I dislike the move to the AL & the DH that comes with it. But unlike the last four years, I can imagine a better future–not with 90% of the current roster, perhaps not even with most of the mid-level prospects they’re stockpiling, but with a management that is planning for the future and not lying to fans and/or themselves about how close the team is to contending.
I do wonder if Crane will actually try to improve the team in the short-term with more money for the MLB roster. I’m guessing he’ll have to. If they low-ball draft picks, I’ll be very surprised. That’s when I would check out. I also wonder, seeing the four errors in the box score from last night, if some of the team has checked out.
Lisa – awesome job for the recaps of the games and your thoughts about the team. Since everyone knew that this would be a bad year (i mean rebuilding year) what did the fans expect. I think Lunhow has done a pretty good job of unloading veterans that would not be part of the future. The only complaint I have is that I wish he would have gotten better prospects in the deals. it seems that he took on the salary that should of netted the team at least some Triple A players that might be ready. But then again time will tell. I am hoping that some of them will get called up and we can see what they can do. Hopefully Wallace will pan out as a DH or 1B. I still would like Paredes to get a shot somewhere – i was impressed with his bat last year. Bogusevic is just not cutting it. he is a bench player. Martinez, not sure how he hits with that swing – but since he has hit at every level – i know they are giving him a shot, but i think he needs to change it a little. Do you have any more insight on the players acquired in the trades and who might be looking at a promotion soon? Would like to hear your thoughts on that – thanks again!
madison and robert,
part if the disgust is indeed the move to the AL. However, a lot more of the disgust is related to the fact that, unless he was lying, crane intends to run this franchise like a combo loria/beane – on the cheap.
i don’t have a problem with him trading off the major leaguers, but what he got in return wasn’t very good, best i can tell and from what i’ve heard from most of my prospect friends, it wasn’t much of a return – they should have gotten more guys close to ML ready. they GAVE carlos lee away – paid his salary and got ???mat dominguez???
they certainly aren’t going anaywhere next year – i can’t even figure out where they are going to get actual ML quality pitchers and guys like armando galarraga are gonna have 6+ ERAs next year. guys like scott moore and matt downs are not major leaguers. and they look it. and we are gonna have a teamful.
and some of the guys actually DO look as if they’ve packed it in already, not that i blame them. it’s very discouraging to have no chance night after night. even when they do put up runs, the bullpen is so bad they give em all back
jimmy paredes is an awful fielding infielder. he was terrible at third – i watched the guy – he had NO range – and he was terrible at second at AAA. They’ve put him in the OF and i got no idea how he’s doing there. he may be a born DH – and then again, they may have given up on julio daniel. with this crew i don’t know.
best i can tell, they aren’t gonna promote anyone not on the 40 man until september – otherwise they wouldn’t be sticking with crap like downs.
as for lowballing picks, the new rules don’t really give much room for that – unless you mean picking mostly 4th year college players. they don’t get to use the money for unsigned picks on any other prospect – but they DO get to keep it. the way the draft and compensation for FA is set up now, it’s tough to rebuild a horrid team through the draft. i wouldn’t be surprised if they did the billy beane thing and traded any young player who is good for more prospects. meaning i wouldn’t be surprised if altuve isn’t with this team past next year.