2005 SEASON
AUGUST 12-14: PITTSBURGH @ HOUSTON
FRIDAY, AUGUST 12, 2005 (Game 115) – PITTSBURGH @ HOUSTON
Houston 6, Pittsburgh 5
They Came From Behind.
Roy Oswalt got off to a scary start, when Pittsburgh loaded the bases with no outs on Willie T’s fielding error and two singles. But he managed to get out of it with a strikeout and a double play. He pitched very well though the 5th inning, only giving up a solo homer in the 4th. But he gave up another run in the 6th on a couple of singles and a wild pitch, and two more in the 7th. He left the game after 7 innings, with the score tied 4-4, having given up 4 ERs on 10 hits, 2 BBs, and only 2 Ks. Not his finest start. (But he did great at the plate – he was 2 for 3.)
Then Wheeler gave up a lead-off homer in the top of the 8th, leaving the Astros in that dread situation: Behind after the 7th inning, the Astros record this year is 0-42. But they did the miraculous – they scored 2 runs in the bottom of the 8th – to win their first honest-to-goodness-come-from-behind game of the season. The runs scored on Ensberg’s solo homer and a Pirates’ throwing error that allowed Adam Everett to come home.
The Pirates’ starter, 22-year old wunderkind Zack Duke, didn’t have a good night. Coming into this game with 7 starts and a 5-0 record, he gave up 4 runs in his 4 innings of this game, leaving without a decision. He didn’t have even one easy inning – the Astros scored against him in the 1st and 4th innings, and put multiple runners on base in the 2nd and 3rd.
The Astros wore home stripes.
High points:
- Jason Lane has really gotten hot since the All Star break. He continued to bat well tonight, going 3 for 5 with 3 RBIs, including a RBI single in the first inning, and a 2-out 2-RBI double in the 4th.
- Ensberg hit his 32nd home run, to tie the game in the bottom of the 8th.
- Everett, in a deep slump (1 for 27 in his last 7 games, going into the 8th inning) got a hit when it mattered tonight – and then he managed to score the winning run. He got on base with 2 outs, on a single in the 8th. He moved up on Burke’s single – and then scored on a Pirates’ throwing error.
- Lidge struck out 3 in the 9th for his 29th save.
Disappointments:
- Oswalt didn’t lose the game, but he missed another opportunity to get his 15th win.
Notes on the Other Good Guys:
- The Nats (only semi-good guys, now that they’ve left Houston) beat an easier foe out in Colorado, 4-2.
Notes on the Other Bad Guys:
- The Cubs beat the Cards, 4-1.
- Cincinnati beat Milwaukee, 5-3.
- In other Wild Card competition… The Phillies, nipping at the Astros’ heels in the NL Wild Card race, beat San Diego, 4-3. The Giants beat the Marlins, 1-0. Dontrelle Willis pitched a great game – 8 innings, 1 ER – but got the loss for Florida. The F-ing Mets lost to the Dodgers, 7-6. Atlanta lost to Arizona, 8-0.
Final123456789RHEPittsburgh0001012105112Houston «20020002x6131W: D. Wheeler (2-3) L: R. White (3-5) S: B. Lidge (29)==============================================================================
SATURDAY, AUGUST 13, 2005 (Game 116) – PITTSBURGH @ HOUSTON
Pittsburgh 1, Houston 0
It had to be one of the best games that Roger Clemens ever pitched – certainly his best game this year: Eight shutout innings, only 2 hits, no walks, and 9 strikeouts. His ERA fell again, to an unbelievable 1.32. And, oh yeah, he went 2 for 2 at the plate. It just doesn’t get a whole lot better than that – except maybe when you get a WIN out of it…!
For the umpteenth time this year, the Astros let Clemens walk away from an incredible start without a win. They just couldn’t get a run across. It wasn’t like Pirates starter Kip Wells was invinceable – the Astros got 6 hits and 4 walks. They had runners on base in 7 of the 9 innings, runners in scoring position in 5 innings, runners on 3rd base in 3 innings– and they stranded them all without ever crossing home plate.
I came in after Shabbat ended, at the bottom of the 8th, with the score tied 0-0. Brad Lidge was warmed up for the Astros, but I couldn’t stick around to watch – I had to go over to the shul for the Tishe B’av reading of Eicha. Just as well that I didn’t stick around to watch the 9th. One night after Lidge struck out the side for his 29th save, he couldn’t do anything right. He gave up a leadoff home run to Jack Wilson. He gave up another single and walked a batter before Garner pulled him and brought in Qualls to finish off the inning. How often does that happen? Qualls ended the inning with no further damage.
But that was the game. The Astros continued not scoring any runs in the bottom of the 9th, and Roger Clemens earned yet another no-decision on a brilliant start. Lidge got the loss.
The Astros wore home whites.
High points:
- Clemens is a monster. If he had any run support at all, he’d already have 20 wins, and he’d be a no brainer for this year’s Cy Young. I hope that he’s enjoying his low ERA, $18M salary, and the free time to see his kids when the Astros travel without him.
Disappointments:
- The loss. All those opportunities. Don’t those guys like Roger? Is this their secret way of showing their feelings about his not having to travel with the team when he isn’t pitching?
- Taveras was 0 for 5 – and worse, he ended all three of the innings with runners on third without scoring the runner.
- Notes on the Other Good Guys:
- The Nats continue to find Colorado a more hospitable opponent, winning their second game in a row, 8-0.
Notes on the Other Bad Guys:
- The Cards beat the Cubs, 5-2. Chris Carpenter pitched a complete game, with only 2 ERs, to get his 17th win and to lower his ERA to 2.25. Unless he starts to melt down, he’s looking like a hard guy to beat for this year’s Cy Young.
- Cincinnati beat Milwaukee again, 4-1.
- In other Wild Card competition… The Phillies beat San Diego again, 5-2, to move up a game in the NL Wild Card race, just 1½ games behind the Astros. The NL West is so bad that San Diego with a .500 record leads the rest of the teams by 3 games. The Marlins beat the Giants, 2-1. The F-ing Mets beat the Dodgers, 5-1. Atlanta beat Arizona, 9-5
Final123456789RHEPittsburgh « 000000001140Houston 000000000060W: S. Torres (3-4) L: B. Lidge (3-3) S: J. Mesa (27) ==============================================================================
SUNDAY, AUGUST 14, 2005 (Game 117) – PITTSBURGH @ HOUSTON
Pittsburgh 8, Houston 0
With Zeke Astacio, it seems to be all or nothing: When he’s good, he keeps the ball low and strikes out batters; when he’s bad, he pitches up and over the plate and gives up home runs. He ran hot and cold in today’s game, with 7 strikeouts and 3 homers in his 6 innings on the mound. All 4 of the runs that the Pirates scored against him were on home runs. Mike Burns relieved him, and didn’t want to be outdone – he gave up a grand slam in the 8th, for another 4 runs scored on home runs.
Meanwhile, the Astros scored all their runs on … wait, never mind, they didn’t get any runs today. Again. That’s two shutouts in a row to the worst team in the NL Central. Shades of April…The Astros only got 5 scattered runs off Pirates’ starter Dave Williams, who pitched the first complete game of his career.
Garner played a different roster today: He gave Biggio and Taveras the day off, starting Vizcaino and Bruntlett in their places in the field. Burke hit leadoff.
The Astros wore home Sunday reds.
In other news, Clemens’ back pain continues, despite his willingness to just pitch through it. He may have to go in for an MRI this week, against his will. He’s played the past 4 games with back pain, but keeps plugging along anyway. With Backe now out until September, Clemens doesn’t feel that he should slack off, despite the pain. If he does hurt himself, pitching injured, I don’t know who will be the 5th starter in the Astros rotation… a 3rd minor leaguer? Harville? Sigh.
High points:
- Garner likes to have fun with his roster, and that was about the only fun in today’s game. The highlight of his roster moves came in the top of the 9th inning. Garner had brought up Quintero as a pinch hitter with 2 outs in the 8th. In the 9th, Quintero stayed in to catch – and Ausmus moved to short stop for the first time in his long career. With one out, the Pirates batter hit a grounder to second. Viz flipped the ball to Ausmus, who shot it to Berkman to complete a perfect 4-6-3 double play. Ausmus ran grinning back to the dugout, where he was greeted with high-fives. That had to be about the only smiling moment for the Astros in this dreary game. That just might be the reason Garner did it.
Weirdest Box Score Line of the SeasonHitters AB R H RBI BB SO AVGBrad Ausmus, SS 2 0 1 0 1 0 .246Disappointments:
- What isn’t disappointing about back-to-back shutouts to the Pirates – for the second time this season?
Notes on the Other Good Guys:
- The Nats love Colorado – they won again, 9-2.
Notes on the Other Bad Guys:
- The Cubs beat the Cards again, 5-4. I’m not sure if this is good news or bad news. While I’m always happy when the Cardinals lose, I want the Cubbies to be 99 pound weaklings as they roll into Houston for the series that starts tomorrow.
- Milwaukee beat the Reds, 8-3.
- In other Wild Card competition…The Phillies beat San Diego again, 8-3. The Marlins beat the Giants, 4-1. The F-ing Mets lost the Dodgers, 2-1. Atlanta beat Arizona, 13-8.
Final123456789RHEPittsburgh 0101020408100Houston 0000000000 5 0W: D. Williams (10-8) L: E. Astacio (2-6)
