2005 SEASON
APRIL 20-21: MILWAUKEE @ HOUSTON
WEDNESDAY, APRIL 20, 2005 (Game 14) - Milwaukee @ Houston
Houston 6, Milwaukee 1
Ohhhh-KAYYY! Now that was a great game. I didn’t even have to hyperventilate: The Astros were ahead from the first batter on, dealing a 6th straight loss to the Brewers.
Roy Oswalt was awesome, pitching a complete game for his 3rd win, with 1 ER, 4 hits, and 8 Ks on just 96 pitches. His curve was right on target tonight, plopping in at 69 MPH, sandwiched in between mid-90s fastballs. Aside from the grotesque grimaces during his pitch, he looked amazing tonight. The only thing he didn’t do was get a hit – but he did manage to get on base on a bad throw, and then scored. As in his previous wins, he got nice run support from the Astros. (Clemens should be green with envy.) Lidge and his friends out in the bullpen got a nice night off.
More aggressive running tonight – 4 SBs (Everett, Bidge, Lane, and –of course – Willie T).
The Astros wore stripes, but they had that Get Out of Jail Free card out again.
High points:
- Leadoff HR by Adam Everett, after fouling off the first 5 pitches. Really got the game started with a bang! He followed up with another couple of singles and another RBI.
- Back-to-back HR by Craig Biggio on the very next pitch after Everett’s homer -- career RBI #1000 for Bidge. He got another hit also (ruled a single, but should have been a double) with a second RBI. And he stole 3rd too, for the third time this year. SB #399. This is definitely going to be his year for milestone numbers.
- Lane was 2 for 3, plus an IBB, a stolen base, and an RBI. Finished the game with a .368 batting average. He was batting 5th again tonight, with Lamb in the cleanup spot. (Evidently Ensberg has a poor record against Ben Sheets, the Milwaukee starter.) He’s really cementing his place in the starting lineup this year.
- Taveras speedy as usual. Wow, that kid can run! Beat out a bunt single by a mile, beat out a double play throw, and got his 5th stolen base after walking. I’ll really be surprised that Garner doesn’t put Taveras in the leadoff spot. If he gets on first, he’s moving. Everett’s a good bunter, and would be a good #2. Or Biggio.
- Second night in a row with a 3 runs inning (the 7th) – they made the best of a combination of couple of hits, a two walks, three stolen bases, and exploiting a couple of Brewers errors.
Disappointments:
- Bagwell was 0 for 3, but got an RBI on a nice sac fly in the 3-run 7th.
- Luke Skywalker is looking like a year in Round Rock is in his future – 0 for 4 tonight. His batting average is .162. I’m surprised that Garner isn’t giving Burke a little more playing time in left field – if Burke can try to keep from colliding with the other fielders!
Notes on the Other Good Guys:
- The Nats shut out Atlanta, 2-0. Zach Day pitched 7 shutout innings, with just 3 hits.
Notes on the Other Bad Guys:
- The Reds won again – but hey! it’s just Pittsburgh!
- Cubbies beat the Cards 3-1. Zambrano was on track for a complete game, but got pulled with 2 outs in the bottom of the 9th because of blistered finger. Bummer! It’s hard to root for the Cubs, but at the moment, playing St. Louis, they are the lesser of the evils.
- After the Mets blow out last night, they got trashed by the Marlins, 9-2. More great Marlins pitching (Josh Beckett’s 3rd win). The other NY team won – enough said.
Final123456789RHEMilwaukee 001000000142Houston « 20000130x691W: R. Oswalt (3-1) L: B. Sheets (1-3==============================================================================
THURSDAY, APRIL 21, 2005 (Game 15) - Milwaukee @ Houston
Houston 8, Milwaukee 7
I thought – when the Astros entered the 9th inning ahead by 5 – that maybe I could learn how to enjoy a baseball game without having to endure episodes of tachycardia and rapid breathing. Sit back and relax and watch the Good Guys win. Even when John Franco hit the first batter, and then Chad Harville gave up a double and let a run score on a grounder, and then walked the next batter, I was still thinking it was a wrap. And especially when Brad Lidge came in, with runners on first and third and two outs… it was a sure thing. Lidge hadn’t allowed an inherited runner to score yet this year, and his ERA was zip-dot-zip. And then, with a full count, Lidge had a less than Lights-Out moment, and gave up a home run to Brady Clark. Eight-to-seven: It’s hard to really kick back and relax when a bit lead turns into yet another one-run game. Then he did the usual Lidge thing, and struck out the last batter. Good Guys win. And Lidge did save Andy Pettitte’s first win of the season (messy or not, it’s save #5). Lidge wasn’t pumping his fist tonight: "I'm happy we still won the game, but I feel terrible about giving up Harville's runs. That's the last thing you want to do to your fellow bullpen guys in that situation, and I feel terrible about it."
Next stop: St. Louis. With Shabbat and Pesach, no baseball for me for the next 4 days. (So I won’t get to see Ducky pitch against the Cards, oh shoot.)
The Astros wore stripes, and once again, they got out of jail free!
High points:
- Pettitte won. After several good but winless starts, with little run support (6 runs in 3 games), Pettitte finally got his first win of the season – his first win since July 21! He threw 91 pitches, completing 7 innings, with 5 scattered hits, 3 ER, 5 K’s and a BB.
- Hitting! Scoring! Okay, they scored a few runs by capitalizing on the Brewers 3 errors. But they managed to string together some hits in the 6th, and scored 4 runs: Ensberg walked, Burke got a double (his first), Ausmus singled (he’s got a 4-game streak going), and Taveras got a triple, then scored on Pettitte’s sac fly. Nice work for the bottom of the order. And just the kind of crooked-number inning that warms Mr. Garner’s heart.
- Chris Burke, playing left field in place of Luke Skywalker (whose slump is up to 18 at bats now) had a great night, 2 for 4, with a run and his first RBI. Garner plays Burke when there’s a left-handed pitcher.
- Jason Lane continues to hit – went 2 for 5 with two doubles. He’s leading the Astros in nearly every hitting category now.
- Excellent fielding by Ensberg, including some real hit/run-saving plays. He had at least 9 plays tonight. Mike Lamb might look like Stallone (I didn’t make that up), but he can’t field like that.
- Biggio was 0 for 3, but managed to pick up an RBI when he was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded (two walks and a fielding error). The Brewers literally just gave that run away.
Disappointments:
- Bagwell was 0 for 4, and left 4 runners on base. He’s now 2 for 23 against starter Doug Davis.
Notes on the Other Good Guys:
- The Nats lost to Atlanta, 2-1, on two unearned runs that scored in the 9th on a throwing error (muddy ball), ruining a beautiful start by Patterson.
Notes on the Other Bad Guys:
- The Cards blanked the Cublets 4-0, and Pittsburgh beat the Reds 4-2.
Final123456789RHEMilwaukee 000010204793Houston 00020411x880W: A. Pettitte (1-1) L: D. Davis (2-2) S: B. Lidge (5) 
