Posts Tagged ‘Milwaukee Brewers’

« Older Entries

9/30/12: Jordan Lyles Hits An Upper Deck Homer To Back His Shutout

Sunday, September 30th, 2012

What a way to end the year. Against the best hitting team in the NL, playing ALL their regulars. Yes. Gomez, Weeks, Braun, Aram, Corey Hart, Lucroy. Didn’t none of em do NOTHIN. Un-freaking believeable.

Just got home, didn’t see the game, spent you don’t want to know how many hours in the ER with a certain really stupid son getting him Xrays, stitches and a BIG shot that hurt (tetanus.) Man I hate ERs.

And this is why I am just now watching the replay. Had to eat first, kid and I were starving. I had seen the 7-0 score and naturally thought it was the Crew who shut US out instead of us knocking them out of their last second playoff run. Never thought of Lyles as John Smoltz, but that was most positively a Smoltz game. He only needed 103 pitches for the 9 innings, 64 strikes. He gave up 4 singles and 1 walk and got FOUR double plays. Country Joe West was the HP ump, had his usual inconsistent strike zone. Of note – Corporan was catching Lyles this time.

First inning, Fiers came out looking like the guy who shut us DOWN last time, 2 Ks and a GO. Jordan came out, got a GO, then walked Weeks (yes they WERE out of the zone) and then Braun hit a popup to short and for some reason, Weeks was halfway to second, don’t think he was stealing because he wasn’t running fast, but he sure nuff was napping and he got doubled off first 6-3. SERIOUS mental error, really inexcusable in a 9 year ML vet.

Second inning, Fiers looks great, 2 Ks and a groundout. Jordan is back. Aramis Ramirez reaches out for ball 4, taps it dribblingly toward 3rd and has himself an IF single. Corey Hart swings on an inside low pitch for a nice 6-4-3. Lucroy Ks on a called strike and he knew it.

Third inning, Justin Maxwell Ks staring. Corporan walks – 2 of the balls are in the strike zone. Joe West is consistently inconsistent and is equal opportunity – at least in THIS game. Lyles sac-bunts, but Corey Hart makes a bad throw and so it’s men on first and third, no outs. Tyler Greene drives a ball into the LF gap and it’s men on second and third, one run in. Moore and Lowrie strand them. Jordan Gets 3 outs on 8 pitches.

Astros 1 Crew 0

Fourth inning: Dominguez and Wallace K, then Fernando Martinez, swinging at everything in site, connects on a pitch that, for some reason, Fiers throws in the zone and it goes 400+ feet to the CF backstop for a homer. He’s a crappy fielder and swings at everything in sight, but when he connecets, he connects – like Jordan Maxwell, who, at least, can field and field WELL. And run bases well. And speaking of Maxwell and swinging at everything in sight, he gets just under a curve and pops it up. Jordan back out. Aoki ROE when Wallace bobbles a ball (that boy better work on his fielding. It’s bad news when you don’t field as well as Carlos Freaking Lee or even Matt Freaking Downs.) Weeks grounds out weakly to Lyles, who gets a 1-6. Braun obligingly GIDP 5-4-3, Dominguez making a nice play.

Astros 2 Crew 0

5th inning: Corporan flies out. Lyles takes a mighty hack at the first pitch, which happens to be a fat one belt high down the middle and it lands in the upper deck in left field. Really. Truly. The only thing more awesome than a pitcher hitting a home run is the pitcher driving in the game winning runs. Greene flies out, Moore Ks. Apparently, Jordan’s hands weren’t bothering him real too much because he gets 3 outs on 7 pitches.

Astros 3 Crew 0

6th inning: Jed Lowrie up. Pitch one is a perfect strike, low, inside, called Ball 1. Welcome to Joe Westworld. Next pitch is mid plate belt high and is POW gone into the RF seats. Youda thought the pitcher woulda have learned not to do that after the opposing pitcher took him out. Matt Dominguez is up, takes a curve, then gets a FB in THE EXACT SAME SPOT that Lowrie hit out and guess what? POW, gone to LF. The boys sound like Kit Keller – I like em high. Yes I AM comparing them to a grrrl and yes they SHOULD be flattered. Fiers grits his teeth, quits leaving em high (although he did throw one right down the middle to Maxwell, who only singled) got a K and 2 groundouts.

You wouldn’t have thought Fiers did so bad – 10 Ks, 6 hits and 1 walk over 6 innings. Unfortunately for him, 4 of those hits were homers. Although I most certainly DO remember the time the Stros hit five solo homers vs Ted Lilly and the Cubs and they STILL lost.

Jordan back out – gives up a single to Gomez. He goes on the first pitch, and Segura hits a comebacker to the pitcher and only gets the out at first. Jordan gets 2 easy fly outs. 11 pitch inning.

Stros 5 Crew 0

7th inning: Brandon Kintzler, RHP, is in. He throws a lot faster than Fiers’ 86-88 FB and he throws sliders instead of curves. He gets Lyles to ground out, Green looking and Moore swinging for the sombrero. I would have thought it would have been Maxwell or Fernando Martinez, as usual, but nope.

Jordan back out – Braun singles, but gets nowhere. 3 flyouts to Barnes – he’s REALLY good. I mean, he’s looking like Michael Bourn out there. Seriously. I thought Bogu was really good, but Barnes, that boy is definitely an elite fielder. Absolutely no excuse for playing him at any other OF position.

8th inning: Kintzler back out. Lowries immediately groundsout 6-4. Dominguez singles up the middle on a FB right down the middle. Wallace fouls off 5 pitches and walks. Fernando Martinez beats out an infield single to Weeks that he barely keeps from going onto RF. Don’t ask me how he beats it out because he runs like a Molina. Bogu comes in to pinch run. So it’s bases loaded, 1 out, and this being Astros, we expect a double play or a K or a popup. Sure enough, Maxwell flies out to shallow left and Braun has a GOOD arm and Dominguez has to hold. But then, miracle of miracles, Carlos Corporan shoots a grounder up the middle and it’s 2 runs in.

Brewers’ skipper doesn’t trust the pitcher to get the PITCHER out, so Manny Parra comes in a does the job.

Stros 7 Crew 0

Bout this time, I figure someone’s gonna come in, just because it’s what usually happens, but no, Jordan goes back out. Good for Francie-poo. The boy is throwing a shutout, his pitches are great, he’s getting outs easily, doesn’t look even a little tired. And there’s nothing to save him FOR.

I’m not sure why Crane wanted to get rid of Francie-poo for Bo Porter, it’s not like there would be this big salary difference or anything. Francie-poo seems to be doing really outlandish stuff like sending his closer in if it’s the 8th inning and he HAS to get outs because it’s the middle of the lineup, or there are men on. And like letting Lyles finish a game in which he’s cruising. And like making sure he has the best defenders on the field after the 7th. And the defensive OF of Maxwell, Branes and Bogu is really great.

Lyles goes back out – 3 outs, 7 pitches. Awesome. Crew look like they’ve packed it in and they are playing for their playoff lives, too.

9th inning: Manny Parra back out. Greene walks, Barnes Ks swinging at crap, Lowrie walks, Parra walks out. Josh Stinson, RHP, in. Dominguez and Wallace fly out.

Jordan back out to finish up. Pinch Hitter Tony Plush-less hits a blooper off the end of the bat that Justin Maxwell makes a nice catch near the seats on the first base line. Aoki groundsout. Weeks singles up the middle. Francie-poo DOES NOT PULL JORDAN or go out to the mound to ask him how he is. He also doesn’t get anyone warming up. And Ryan Braun goes down swinging at 3 pitches waay out of the zone.

Game ovah.

So KEWL!!! I mean, we’d already lost The Sacred Road Loss Record, so Jordan finishing the year like this is teh AWESOME. At least, unlike Dallas Keuchel, he won’t have the coaches telling him “to get bigger and stronger” if he wants to be in the rotation next year. Someone needs to tell the coaches that steroids are no longer OK to use.

Off to Wrigley – 15 guys who are rookies – yes, we have 15 guys on the active roster who are technically rookies – got hazed – they had to wear Speedos and swim caps on the bus trip to Wrigley. Check it out. No Grady Sizemores. No Gabe Kaplers. There can’t be more than like a dozen guys who actually look HOTTTTTTT in a Speedo.

Last Astros series. Yes, I’m depressed. Cards are 2 games ahead of the Dodgers with 3 games to play for the second WC. I’m surprised the Cards have done as well as they have. Good thing they had Lance Lynn and Kyle Lohse.

And in the DH league, I wouldn’t NEVAH have guessed Baltimore and the Oakland Beanes would have made the playoffs. First time in, what, 6 years, that his gambles/trades have worked out. Would like to see Baltimore will win the next 3 games (and the Yankees lose) to win the AL East, which they haven’t done since I was a teenager. And Boston will finish dead last, like us. Anyone besides me notice that the fortunes of this team have (mostly) mirrored Boston?

 

 

Tags: ,
Posted in Jordan Lyles | 4 Comments »

9/29/12: In Which Dallas Keuchel Goes From Good To Bad Just Like THAT

Saturday, September 29th, 2012

Dallas had had a pretty good September – 2 R/ER over 3 games/17.1 IP and even won 2 of 3. Well, tonight, he started out fine – a quick 1,2,3 out.

Next inning – oh my. Leaving fat pitches in the middle of the plate is not a good idea for pitchers, but it’s a great one for hitters and Aramis and Corey Hart both blasted out 400+ footers to dead CF. Then it was a single, walk, sac-bunt and one of those stupid popup bloops that none of the fielders can quite get (and if they do they get a web gem) for 2 more runs.

3rd inning – it didn’t get better. Single, single, another homer to Corey Hart on ANOTHER pitch RIGHT down the middle. Youda thought he’d a learnt not to do that from the previous inning.

So it’s already Crew 7 Stros nada. Then it’s a flyout and another one of those stupid bloop doubles that neither Brett Wallace nor Scott Moore, playing RF (grrrrrr) could get. And that is the end of the line for Dallas. Mercy killing, you might could say.

Then Chuckie Fick comes in and Segura hits a sure double to the gap, only Brandon Barnes goes all Michael Bourn on that ball with a superlative diving catch (the boy is making Web Gem points) and he stands up and throws out Carlos Gomez by 10 ‘ as Carlos was pretty much at home plate when the ball was caught. That was absolutely AWESOME and really made the game slightly less painful.

Kind of made up for him getting doubled off second the top half of the inning when Altuve hit a screamer to the second baseman.

4th inning, Astros get singles by Scott Moore, then Brett Wallace, but Scott Moore gets his little self picked off second – and he was NOT paying attention neither. Really lousy baserunning. Of course, Wallace gets stranded. Chuckie Fick gives up a run on a double, a WP, then an RBI single that he tried to field, which made Tyler Greene get it to late to do anything with it.

I miss a couple innings – to summarize – Mickey Storey pitches 2 scoreless, allowing 2 baserunners in both innings. Enerio Del Rosario allows a run on 2 singles, a throwing error and a sac fly. Marco Estrada mows down Astros like a hot knife cutting through butter.

I turn the game back on at 9 in time for the 9th inning. Livan Hernandez is in to mopup in a 9-0 game. Why? Masochism must be the answer. Curiously enough, we’ve only been shut out 11 times this year, don’t ask me how that’s possible. We were shut out 17 times in 05 when we won the pennant.

Anyway, Livan gets 2 flyouts and a seeing eye single. Then it’s Fernando Martinez and I figure it’s gonna be a game ending K. But no, he hits a ball over the CF fence to bust up the shutout. Castro singles, then Bogusevic hits a ball to deep center – must have gone 440′ if it went an inch.

Crew 9 Stros 4. I don’t believe this. Tyler Greene is up, and Livan throws HIM a meatball and he hits it into the upper deck in left.

Crew manager has seen enough. In comes Jose Veras to face Brandon Barnes, who grounds out.

Crew 9 Stros 5.

Livan is on his last legs all right, but it’s true that even in this day and age, you still need mopup men. And old as he is, he’s never gone on the DL. Amazing.

Bad news is that I think we’ve lost the chance to grab The Sacred All Time Road Loss Season Record. But I DID get to see Bogu hit one out. When he gets hold of one, he gets hold of it GOOD. Now, all he needs is a good hitting coach to fix that swing…

Tags: ,
Posted in Bogusevic, Dallas Keuchel | 2 Comments »

9/28/12: Jason Castro Hits TWO Homers And Jose Altuve Hits The Game Winning Homer

Friday, September 28th, 2012

Well, it did turn out to be the game winner, although it seemed to be just some icing on the cake at the time.

But I’m getting ahead of myself.

Yo Gallardo looked like some Astros pitcher. Really.

1st inning – Yo has piss poor control – takes him 22 pitches to get through 4 batters, has 3 ball counts to 3 of the 4 guys. Not like him.

2nd: Yo STILL doesn’t look like Yo, although he gets Brett Wallace on a good slider – the first good one he’s thrown all night. He walks Castro, who goes to secondon a Fernando Martinez groundout, then scores on a single to center by Dominguez, who is dead meat at second when Gomez smartly throws to Hart, the cutoff man, who knows darn well he can’t get Castro, who took off with the crack of the bat, and DOminguez is out by 10 feet. Good thing for Yo, because he hasn’t had much of anything. Bad thing for Astros, but it was a reasonable gamble because Gomez often overthrows the cutoff man to get gundown glory at home. Edgar Gonzalez gets 1,2,3,out.

Astros 1 Crew 0

3rd: Yo gives up 2 singles, has men on first and third, 2 out, and Jason Maxwell Ks, swinging. He got himself the Golden Sombrero tonight. He’s reminding me of Preston Wilson lately. Edgar gives up a solo homer to Carlos Gomez on a slider that didn’t, then gets 1,2,3 out.

Tie game

4th: Wallace singles, Castro flies out to left. And by the way, Braun has most positively made himself into a 5 tool player. Really excellent glove, VERY good baserunning – smart, good basestealer – too bad he’s gonna get all that hating from last year’s tossed test, because he should be second in MVP voting behind Andrew McCutchen, who won’t win because the rest of his team sucked MUCHO from Aug 1 on – looks as if they are headed for their 20th straight losing season again – and they just got no-hit tonight by Homer Bailey and the Reds, 1-0.

Where was I? Oh yeah – Fernando Martinez hits a double just inside the LF foul line which bounces into the stands and it’s men on first and third. Then Yo runs into bad luck. SS Jean Segura screws up an easy grounder by Dominguez, makes a crappy throw to Maldonado, then misses the return throw, so Martinez is on third. So instead of runners don’t move, 2 outs, another run is in. Then Edgar bunts the ball on the left side of the mound. Hart slips going to get it, Yo forgets to cover first, so everyone is safe and Martinez scores.

Crew are lookin like Astros, not a good thing for their desperate last minute playoff run. Yo gets Altuve and Moore, but the damage is done. Edgar gets 1,2,3 in 11 pitches

Stros 3 Crew 1

5th: Yo gets 2 outs, then gives up a massive upper deck homer to Brett Wallace, then an opposite field homer to Jason Castro – no, I am NOT kidding. Fernando Martinez grounds out, then Edgar comes back on and gets 1,2,3 out.

Stros 5 Crew 1

6th: Yo’s first 1,2,3 inning – groundout, walk GIDP. Edgar is at 60 pitches, but his luck has run out. He gives up a single, WP, single, so it’s men on first and third, no out. He then gets a popup, and a 5-2 FC – nice to get the out at home. Good play, too. But then Ryan Braun is up and he golfs a slider into the LF gap, splitting the outfielders and 2 runs are in and Edgar is out.

Hector Ambriz comes in, gives up a stolen base to Braun, who just made the 30-30 club again, with his 30th SB. He walks Aramis, then gets Corey Hart swinging.

Stros 5 Crew 3

Without looking it up – too tired to go through every I)&*%! year game log – I think this is one of Yovani’s worst outings vs the Astros, if not THE worst. Not a real too good sign for the Crew’s faint playoff hopes with only 5 games left.

7th: New pitcher Jim Henderson gets 1,2,3. Ambriz gets 1,2, single, SB, 3.

8th: In comes the remnants of Francisco K-Rod Rodriguez who gets an out, gives up Jason Castro’s second homer – STILL can’t believe I’m writing that, gets an out, gives up a single to DOminguez, then Aramis makes a really good play on Bogusevic’s grounder and it’s 3 out.

Astros 6 Crew 3.

Wesley Wright comes in and it’s our best fielding OF with Maxwell in left, Barnes in center and Bogu in right. Or it SHOULD be. Aoki walks. Wesley is left in to face rightys!!! imagine that, and Weeks Ks, then Braun grounds to third, but they can’t turn a double play.

Then for some reason I do NOT get, Wesley is yanked and replaced with – get this – Rhiner Cruz!!! to face Aramis Ramirez. Wesley can pitch to Braun but not Aramis? WHY????? So Cruz gives up a fly ball to right and Bogu slides a little late, the ball goes by him, Braun scores and Aramis is on third with a “triple” – and why those are not scored as errors, I never have understood, except that MLB wants scoring high and errors low.

Cruz is immediately yanked, in comes The Closah, Wilton Lopez, and he gets the third out.

Astros 6 Crew 4

9th: Righty Kameron Loe in. Jose Altuve homers into what would be the Crawford Boxes – second game in a row he homers. Second wind. Also his 52nd multi-hit game. But Loe gets the next 3 and Wilton-ie is back in to Seal The Deal and he’s got a 3 run lead – no prob, right?

Lefty Logan Schafer (their 3rd round pick of the 08 draft) in to pinch hit, and he singles to left. Carlos Gomez flies out, but then Segura sends a rope into the LF corner and Schafer scores while Segura trots into second. Lucroy and his .330 BA in to PH – he grounds to Dominguez, who makes a rare error, boots the ball, Segura scores, and it’s 2 runs in already, man on first. Then Aoki obliges by grounding into a rare (for him) DP to end it.

So you see, Altuve DID hit the game winner, he just didn’t know it at the time.

Oh – gossip tidbit – I hear tell that Bo Porter was Crane’s pick, NOT Luhnow’s pick. Shades of Drayton McLane. And just to save relocation expenses? Not surprised. Especially after even Maury Brown wrote about Crane spending the money from next year’s increased income on, coughcough, “the debt.”

Count me not surprised even a teensy weensy bit. It’s almost fer SHER a lot of the reason so many guys turned down offers to interview for manager…

Tags: ,
Posted in Edgar Gonzalez, Jason Castro, Jose Altuve | 9 Comments »

8/12/12: Astros Can’t Pull Off Another Walkoff And Lose To The Brewers

Sunday, August 12th, 2012

Marwin Gonzalez drove in 2 of the 4 Astros runs, but with men on second and third, the tying runs on, 2 out, he couldn’t come through against Kameron Loe, closing this afternoon. Looks like he might get another chance to close, seeing as how the Brewers’ bullpen doesn’t actually HAVE a decent reliever. Funny – they were so good last year. Just goes to show that youneverknow.

Yo Gallardo beating the Astros is news like the Globetrotters beating the Generals. Poor Jordan Lyles, who actually pitched pretty well. He got a lot of groundballs, didn’t give up any walks, got 5 K – gave up 2 runs and 2 UER thanks to an error by Marwin Gonzalez. Mickey Storey pitched 2 innings of 1 run ball.

The guys got 10 hits, but, as usual couldn’t hit for spit with RISP. I really wish they’d quit platooning Brett Wallace and quit playing him at 3rd, just stick him at first where he belongs.

I’m reading about how a whole LOT of fans, well, of the few remaining fans, want Millsie-poo fired. Like, what for? They aren’t gonna come up with a new, GOOD manager in August and they are gonna have a massive do-over after the season ends. I always said – how tough can it be to manage a bullpen? but is sure must be tough seeing as how so many managers are bad at it.

Truth is that Billy Martin couldn’t win with this group. Major League/Bad News Bears is a fun movie, but you don’t build a winning ballclub with has beens and neverweres.

In the loss column, we’re still ahead of the Rox, who just REFUSE to win, and 6 ahead of the Cubs, whose owner, I guess, is determined to have a small market payroll, seeing as how he doesn’t need anything resembling a major league team to pack that park and keep fans. They are the very definition of a large market team and I would gues the players union is not gonna be real too happy seeing the Cubs with a 40-50 mill payroll, like the Astros. Actually, I can’t see how the Astros payroll is gonna be much over 30 mill, can’t see any GOOD (expensive) FA signing with THIS team.

The AAA club is having difficulty winning – they’ve lost at least 10 in a row now, tough to win when all your starting pitchers have an ERA over 6 and your good hitters are mostly now with the ML club.

We’re off to Wrigley, where Armando Galarraga will face Jeff Samardizja, who has pitched really well since the beginning of June and has only 2 W to show for his trouble. Cubs have dumped both of their good pitchers and now have a whole lot of nobody – just like us. Cub fans are dying to dump Alfonso Soriano. Not sure why, they aren’t gonna get much of anything for him in trade and it’s not like ownership is gonna spend the money on someone else who is any better. Cubs got more major leaguers than we do though – Sori, Rizzo, David DeJesus and Starlin Castro. Also, Darwin Barney is decent.

Tuesday, it’s Lucas Harrell vs Chris Volstead and his 7 ERA – he hasn’t won a ML game in over a year.

Wednesday afternoon, it’s Bud Norris (and Wrigley has not been kind to him) vs Justin Germano, RHP. He’s 30 year old, drafted by the Pads in the 13th round of the 2000 draft. He’s one of those guys who has a familiar name, you don’t know why – he was a starter for the Pads in 07, pitched mostly in relief in 04 and 08, signed as a FA with Cleveland for 2010, did decently, spent most of 2011 in the minors, has been in the Red Sox minors this year, was released and picked up by the Cubs in July and put into the rotation. He’s kept his head above water, managing a 4.26 ERA/1.21 WHIP over 19.1 IP.

Jason Castro is back with the team. Naturally, Corporan gets sent down – he can hit, catch and throw, but noooooo, we gotta keep the guy who can’t hit even the Mendoza line. He got 2 hits today and that brought his average UP to .177.

In Extros news, J Happ beat the Yankees today – see what happens when you get run support? CJ had the weekend from hell. Hunter Pence has had a terrible August so far, following a lousy July, but he hit a homer today and let’s hope that gets him going. Michael Bourn has an .811 OPS for August, went 3 fer 5 against the Mets.

Tags: ,
Posted in Jordan Lyles | 2 Comments »

8/10/12: Bogusevic Hits The Astros First Walkoff Hit This YEAR To Beat Brewers

Friday, August 10th, 2012

Yes, you read that right!! Bogu is the HE ro!!!!!

Sorry, I have an irrational like of this guy who should have been a regular major league center fielder  - he made a GREAT catch at the base of the Hill to rob Aramis Ramirez. Bogu has had a terrible August, just like everyone else, made 2 stupid errors, failed to come through in the clutch. Until tonight. This is almost as good as the granny he hit offn Carlos Marmol last year.

Bud Norris was pretty darn good tonight – gave up 3 doubles down the LF line to Rickie Weeks. Fernando Martinez moves like glue. Yes, Fernando. Julio Daniel got sent down, remember? Anyway, one run scored on a ROE, then a double. Second on a double, single, then a WP – What IS it with Astros catchers not being able to block pitches???!!! Third run on another single, then RBI double in the LF corner. 8 hits, no walks, 7 K.

It’s just too bad that Bud didn’t get a W on a night he pitched well. Of course, that happens to Astros starters a LOT. No run support, no bullpen. You know the story.

What on earth happened to Jon Axford? Did he lose his stuff or did the league just catch up with him?

Tomorrow is the rematch of Dallas Keuchel and Marco Estrada. Dallas better hope he gets good infield defense THIS time, seeing as how he is an inferior version of Chris Sampson.

 

Tags: ,
Posted in Bogusevic, Bud Norris | 3 Comments »

8/1/12: Brewers Hit 4 Homers, Astros Make 4 Errors And Astros Get Swept

Wednesday, August 1st, 2012

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: ,
Posted in Brett Wallace, Jordan Lyles | 14 Comments »

7/31/12: Jose Altuve Has His 37th Multi Hit Game And The Astros Go 3 Fer July

Tuesday, July 31st, 2012

All Yovani Gallardo needs to do to regain his stride is face the Astr0s.

Chris Snyder provided the only run with a solo homer.

This team is just sorry.

Dallas Keuchel had a lot of trouble finding the strike zone – 7 walks in 4+ innings, no K. And he was pulled with 2 on no out in the 5th, Fick came in and promptly gave up a 3 run homer. Earl Weaver’s kind of game.

Should I mention another wild pitch and another stolen base against Snyder?

sigh

Cordero really stinks (he’s officially been removed from the closer’s role) Fick stinks and Rhiner Cruz, who gave up 2 runs in the 9th, stinks. And the Brewers are complaining about THEIR pen?

Tomorrow it’s Jordan Lyles vs Mike Fiers, RHP, age 27, who was drafted in the 22nd round in 09. You don’t wanna see this guy’s numbers because he makes Yo Gallardo look like a minor leaguer. He’s a rookie at age 27, and if he had been called up before the Super 2 deadline, more people whold be hearing about this guy – but it wouldn’t make no nevah mind with all the attention on Bryce Harper.

Oh what the heck, I’ll post his numbers: 10 GS over 65 IP with 54 H, 2 HR (his first start, none since) 16 BB and 65 K.

Husby has even stopped teasing me about the team being so bad – we just have bets about how many hits we we get vs give up. How many SB allowed. How many homers allowed. How many plays not made/errors. Fun stuff like that.

Forbes is estimating that the Astros will have a 39 mill payroll next year. I can’t figure out where the extra 10 mill is coming from.

 

Tags: ,
Posted in Dallas Keuchel, Jose Altuve | 1 Comment »

7/30/12: Can We End The Coco Cordero Experience NOW, Please!!!

Monday, July 30th, 2012

Chris Johnson hit a grand slam, first of his ML career and

oops, wrong team.

Where was I?

Oh yeah. Bud Norris was nails for 4 innings. Had trouble in the 5th – had to work around a 12 pitch walk to Nyjer Morgan for a grand total of 29 pitches, had a brief time out, came back for the 6th, got a flyout, a HBP, a FC leaving a man on second, eighty zillion pickoff throws to second, finally a flyout, then a blessed K. He looked exhausted and Bud hardly ever looks exhausted.

He hit for himself, bottom of the 6th, leading 3-0, which surprised me, then, to my shock, he was back out for the 7th. I guess I can’t really throw stones at Millsie-poo seeing as how our bullpen is not only awful, but really abused with his leftyrighty matchup obsession thingy.He walks Lucroy on a 3-2. Takes him like 5 minutes for the entire AB. But Millsie-poo leavies him in and Nyjer Eff Morgan hits a hanging slider into the RF bullpen. You give up a homer to Nyjer Morgan, honey it is time to GO.

I see Coco Cordero is the only one warming up. I feel sick. I don’t know whether or not Mills WANTS to use him or whether he was ORDERED to use him. But Bud is left in, gives up a double to the RF bullpen and then is yanked.

Cordero comes in. FB barely reaches 91 and he can’t control it well. He gets lucky with a bunt pop. Then a chop single that Scott Moore can’t get, then run comes in and Bud Norris doesn’t win again. BS number 3 for Cordero in 5 games. Another single. Another single. Then a double steal. Millsie-poo out. Then an IBB. Then a blessed GIDP – just as well because it’s Rhiner Cruz in the pen.

Crew 4 Stros 3

Only good thing is that the Crew bullpen is as bad as ours and for some reason, Jonathan Axford has fallen to pieces somehow.

8th inning is a giant fustercluck. Livan Hernandez, who the Braves DFAd a few weeks back, is out. I had heard that since Frankie Rodriguez was sucking as badly as Loe and Axford, that he’s in line to close. Oh man, how the mighty have fallen. Altuve singles, Marwin sac-bunts him over. Way to go, give up the out. Pearce, hitting third (no I am not kidding) doubles him in. Brett Wallace Ks, Julio Daniel walks and Scott Moore flies out.

Tie game Stros 4 Crew 4

Coco back out. OH NOOOOOOOOOO. Sure enough, Lucroy immediately doubles. Millsie-poo pulls Coco to send in Xavier Cedeno, the lefty to face Nyjer Morgan. Who sac bunts right back to Xavier who throws it to third and Lucroy has LONG since beaten the throw. Oh no. Next batter hits one of those infield rollers, Cedeno gets it but not in tim to get Lucroy at home or anyone else. Oh jeez. Next batter is ex-Stro Cody Ransom and Cedeno throws him a FB right down the middle and there’s a 3 run upper deck 450′ homer.

Crew 8 Stros 4

Yeah, it woulda been 7-4 if Cedeno had gotten the out at first.

Stros get back 3 in the 9th, but with men on first and third, 2 out, Julio Daniel hits a ball into the 5.5 hole and SS Cesar Izturis makes the web gem of the week to get it and get Julio Daniel out by a hair at first. He really was out – watched the replay. Too bad he runs so slow.

This team is so BAD.

Tomorrow, Dallas Keuchel tries to pitch a complete game to beat Yovani Gallardo, who is haveing a very un-Yo like year. But I’m sure he’s really looking forward to facing us because he always kills the Astros.

The Brewers are leading the NL in homers, so Dallas better watch out.

I see that the Cubs have ditched Maholm and Reed – sent them to the Braves – wonder if they got a better haul from them than we did for Michael Bourn. Best I can tell, they’re getting rid of anyone on the team they can except for Anthony Rizzo and Jeff Samardizjia. Big market Cubs are going bargain basement?

Speaking of Ex-Stros, Roy Oswalt got absolutely KILLT today by Albert Pujols and the Angels. Roy’s career ERA is taking a serious beating this year. His back must be really bad.

Things are getting interesting. The Nolan Ryans are really short on pitchers because Colby Lewis is out for the year, Feliz and Ogando are out and Roy-O appears to be on his last legs – so to speak. They haven’t gone after any of the pitchers who have been traded and they don’t appear to have anyone anywheres near ready in the minors. Wonder if they are gonna try for Josh Johnson, seeing as how the Marlins, unsurprisingly, are quite openly reducing payroll already.

Crane supposedly said that the payroll next year will be 50+ million. 11 mill of that, of course, will be for Wandy. Next year, we will have exactly 3 players who are arb eligible – Lowrie, who won’t get much seeing as how he was out most of the season, Wesley Wright, who is a LOOGY, and Wilton Lopez. That’s IT. One of the reasons they got rid of CJ is that he’s arb eligible and probably would cost them a cool mill and a half next year. EVERY player will be getting ML minimum or slightly more. That’s not much more than 20 mill. Say 25 mill. Crane will be pocketing the rest or maybe pretending to pay off debt like billionaires do. The other 30 mill is gonna be spent on who? Free agents? You mean like some retread reliever who might cost a couple mill? Nobody who is any good is coming to Houston, that’s fer SHER.

Ah well, not that there will be all these fans protesting…

 

Tags: ,
Posted in Bud Norris | 4 Comments »

7/8/12: Jordan Lyles Outpitches Zach Greinke But Bullpen Blows His Win

Sunday, July 8th, 2012

It was kind of funny – the re-do, I mean. Greinke pitched today because, having thrown 4 pitches yesterday (besides warmup) he wasn’t exactly tired. But the game started out the same with Jordan Schafer getting on base, this time with a clean single, and Altuve driving him in with a double. 1 run scored, no outs.

Lyles pitched 7 really good innings, giving up a solo homer to Rickie Weeks for 1 run, then a double to the LF bullpen to Braun and an RBI single to Aramis Ramirez in the 6th. He threw 7 pitches, was steady at 99 pitches with the Astros leading 3-2. Greinke is gonna be the first starting pitcher to lose games in which he started 2 days in a row since like 40 something years ago and for ONCE, the Astros are gonna be in the news for something besides suckage.

Anyway,

we’re talking about a 1 run lead here folks, and you KNOW this team’s bullpen is not exactly steady.  Bottom of the lineup coming up and Millsie poo is gonna play matchups again because Lyles isn’t veteran enough to demand the ball.

So you can guess the rest. Wesley Wright comes in, walks Aoki (he’s good at that – both Wesley and Aoki, actually) and Nyjer Morgan sac-bunts. Ryan Braun up, can’t let him face a lefty. So in comes ex-setup man Lyon, who has been teh sukc lately, and naturally, he immediately gives up the game tying hit to Ryan EFF Braun. Sorry Jordan – you pitch great for once, you got nothin to show for it. Braun steals second and third while Aramis is at bat, but both he and Corey Hart K.

Tie game. Oh jeez. And while the ol WB allows a single, then a walk, he doesn’t give up the tying run and if the guys don’t win in the bottom of the 9th, well, the Astros have not won ONE single extra inning game this YEAR.

Froddy comes in – oh jeez NOOOOOO. He’s been flogged near to death and you KNOW it is OVAH. He walks Nyjer Morgan – not a good idea – and sure enough, he’s on second with the very next pitch. So Braun is IBBd. I really can’t fault that no matter HOW much I hate the whole idea of free passes. Aramis Ramirez walks after a strike and a foul. Bases loaded, no outs. And Corey Hart then hits this little nubber just past the mound toward the middle, no one can really get it right and the run scores. Game ovah, but there are 3 more outs. Weeks singles to right, one run in, no outs – no one is gonna run on Bogu. Froddy Ks the next 3 batters, but it’s a lil too late to do the right thing now. Walks kill.

Jon Axford, the closer, comes in and gives up a single to Snyder and another single to 8-Mill, then Schafer sac-bunts (my GOD I hate giving up outs when the team only has 3 of em left) and Altuve Ks staring and Scott Moore Ks swinging at a curve in the dirt.

And the Astros have the worst record in the major leagues firmly in hand going into the break.

Oh yeah – our Futures game star last year was Jose Altuve. This year, Jonathan Singleton represents, and he went 3 (singles) fer 4 with a walk, a CS, an RBI and 2 runs scored. I did watch a couple of innings and I’ll say this – the difference between AA (which most of the guys are) pitchers and fielders – and ML pitchers and fielders is like the difference between a 12 year old an an adult. One of the reasons I don’t like minor league ball, the other being the (swear words) DH.

Last Futures Game I watched from start to finish was the 2004 game we went to – and the place wasn’t even 1/3 full – times change. That  year, we sent Willy Taveras and Chris Burke – ain’t even 10 years, they’re both out of baseball. I was really impressed by pitchers Jose Capellan (who ended his very unremarkable career as a reliever with the Astros AAA club in 09) and Felix Hernandez (right on that one) and was completely unimpressed by Matt Cain (VERY wrong) and by David Wright’s glove (he got better). I see that Prince Fielder was there, but he didn’t grab my attention, and I thought Robinson Cano and Dioner Navarro were the complete and total sukc. Right on one, wrong on the other. Some guys became huge stars, others like Kyle Sleeth didn’t make their way out of AA – although Sleeth had his 3+ mill signing bonus to keep him warm at night.

You really, REALLY just don’t never know…

Tags: ,
Posted in Jordan Lyles | 6 Comments »

7/7/11: Astros Get Lucky And Break 9 Game Losing Streak

Saturday, July 7th, 2012

First pitch of the game, Schafer hits an easy fly ball to center, CF Carlos Gomez lets it go under his glove as he slides, for some reason, it’s not an error and he ends up on third – and for ONCE, it’s a good thing that Clark threw up the stop sign because Schafer really would have been dead at the plate.

Jose Altuve watches a ball, takes a strike, then hits a dribbler to Hart, Playing first instead of lefty Travis Ishikawa. Hart underhands it to Grienke, who tags first at the exact same second as Altuve who is safe, tie goes to the runner. Greinke has given up 1 pitch on what should have been an error, and if he had been lucky, a 3-1. So he, with his back to first, spikes the ball AWAY from the ump and is instantly tossed. Either Greinke said The Magic Word(s) or the ump really acted like a complete and total ass. Even JD said so. I mean, I could understand if the ball was spiked in the direction of first, but it wasn’t.

You talk about LUCK. A pitcher who absolutely KILLZ the Astros gets tossed after 4 pitches/1 run for expression of frustration. Unbelieveable. In comes Livan Hernandez, mopup man and the guys must have taken it not just like a reprieve from death row, but release from prison,  period.

Stros 1 Crew zip

So Livan kept em from scoring for 2 innings while Wandy lay down the zeroes and then Scott Moore led off the 3rd with another homer, not near as long as the one last night, to the right of the RF bullpen of some sort of 80 MPH “fast”ball – Livan throws a change offn his change offn his change and curves of all speeds. Which was a good thing because he made 2 really REALLY bad fielding errors (and you thought CJ had a problem?). But I’m getting ahead of myself.

So Julio Daniel Martinez singles. (By the way, I’ve noticed that the original JD, Jim Deshaeis, has recently started calling Mr. Martinez “Julio Daniel” – coincidence? I think not.) Jed Lowrie FINALLY sends a fly ball to right that Aoki, the RF can’t catch, Julio Daniel scoresall the way from first, Lowrie is standing on second, no outs. You’ll be sayin – yeah, but we’ve seen this before and there he’ll stay like a sack of cement. But THIS time, CJ hits a fly ball all the way to the RF warning track and Aoki doesn’t have the arm to nail Lowrie at third – accurate, but not hard enough. Jason Castro hits another fly ball all the way to the warning track and Lowrie scores easily – Aoki can’t throw hard enough to throw home, neither. Bout time Astros caught the breaks.

Stros 3 Crew zip

4th inning, Livan is out (guess he can’t go more than 3 – either that or the Brewers manager figures this is still a winnable game and all, seeing as how Wandy has already thrown 58 pitches and he’ll get to get into the lousy bullpen. So Wandy Ks looking, Mary Jane Schafer singles to center, then steals second. Altuve walks – number 17 on the year!!! Talk about luck!!! Moore flies out to the RF wall and Aoki, although he is in good position when he makes the catch, can’t throw hard enough to get Schafer out at third. (I’d better shut up or he’s gonna throw out 3 guys tomorrow.) Jose breaks for second with Julio Daniel up, the Brewers catcher Maldonado (hey, LuCroy has to have SOME off days) throws the ball into center and Schafer scores. Julio Daniel grounds out

Stros 4 Crew 0

Bottom of the 5th, in comes Randy Wolf to relieve – it’s his throwing day, I guess. First relief appearance since 2001 (yes, I looked it up.) Jed Lowrie hits a ball which bounced off the SS’s glove and was, for some reason, NOT called an error. Remember what I said about luck? Then CJ hits a blooper which falls just inside the RF line and it’s men on second and third. Jason Castro hits another flyball to the RF track and Lowrie trots home.

Stros 5 Crew 0

Top of the 6th – Astros make THREE errors. Aoki Ks swinging. Moore pulls a Buckner with Braun’s grounder. Aramis Ramirez singles to left. Castro lets a ball clank off his glove (even JD is now saying this a LOT – it’s not just me) and runners move up. Wandy is trying not to look pissed and Castro goes out to chat. Hart walks, bases loaded. Broakie-poo goes out to the moung, as Froddy is warming up (oh no.) Rickie Weeks hits a PERFECT double play ball bouncer right to Moore at third. He juggles it, can’t step on third, let alone throw to first, and Braun scores. Bases loaded 1 out. And you thought CJ is bad? Jeezus, even he would made THAT one.

Stros 5 Crew 1

Wandy is yanked and Froddy comes in. He gets batter #1, then he throws a pitch in the dirt that Castro doesn’t block (JD agrees with me that he should be able to block a pitch like that) and another run scores. Yeah, unearned, but runs are runs, earned or not. But Froddy manages to get that out too when Scott Moore actually manages to catch an easy popup and Astros had better pray the bullpen can hold on to a 4 run lead.

Stros 5 Crew 2

7th inning – Wesley Wright comes in, gives up a single, gets 2 outs, then Brandon Lyon comes in (Moore comes out and 8-Mill comes in for DR) for righty Braun, but gives up a single to him but gets Aramis. He stays in for the 8th, and Corey Hart leads off with a nice bunt single to third that 8-mill can’t get. Weeks get HBP, then Lyon gets the next 2 outs without letting runners advance.

Fernando Abad comes in to face PH Ex-Stro Cody Ransom, who hits a ball down the LF line inside the bag that 8-Mill doesn’t get (not, mind, that I’m faulting him, just pointing out that he sure as heck isn’t making any Brooks Robinson plays, let alone out-fielded CJ.) and Hart trots home.

Stros 6 Crew 3

So naturally Fernando is pulled and naturally Millsie-poo plays musical manager because he can’t trust Abad to pitch to Carlos Freaking Gomez, so he calls in Enerio Del Rosario, RHP, and naturally, Gomez is pulled back and lefty Travis Ishikawa goes in to PH, but pops up to Lowrie.

Hey Millsie-poo, you see that??? A righty got a lefty out!!!! Can you believe it??? Shocked, I’m sure.

The ol WB comes in and gets 1,2,3 out. Guess he DOES want to get traded all right.

What a game – 2 errors by the Brewers called hits for the Astros hitters. 4 errors in one inning for the Astros only lead to 2 runs. And best of all, Greinke tossed before he could kill us as usual. Kind of deflated the Crew.

I’d guess the scouts who came in to check out Greinke – naturally, he’s a big time trade candidate, or at least there sure is a whole lot of talktalktalk about it – are all KINDS of furious. I wonder if he even wants to go to one of the NY teams, or Boston. He’s supposed to be mental, you know, or something, and the media there is not, um, nice.

Then again, they DID get to watch Wandy. I was very pleased that JD pointed out that over the past 3 years, Wandy has the THIRD best ERA in the NL for a lefty, right behind Kershaw and Hamels. I would bet that if he went back 4 years, he’s be in the top 10, if not top 5.

Tomorrow, Jordan Lyles will face RHP Marco Estrada. Marco has had 5 relief appearances but no starts against Houston. He started this year as a reliever, but was moved into the starting rotation mid April, mist most of June, and has now started 8 games and has lasted 5 innings in each, except for the one in which he was hurt. He has a 4.32 ERA and a 1.06 WHIP (homeriffic, not walks.)

Tags: ,
Posted in Wandy Rodriguez | 9 Comments »

« Older Entries