2005 SEASON
AUGUST 15-17: CHICAGO @ HOUSTON
MONDAY, AUGUST 15, 2005 (Game 118) – CHICAGO @ HOUSTON
Houston 12, Chicago 4
That Wandy is one seriously lucky dude. He may have the highest home ERA of any Astros starter (over 8!), but he’s also got the best run support of all of them. For some crazy reason, the guys score for him. (Sorry, Roger!) He started off tonight’s game in fine form, giving up a home run to the second batter, two runs in the top of the first. But the Astros came right back, scoring 2 in the bottom on 5 singles – matching their total hit count of yesterday’s whole game. Wandy came back in the second, only to give up another home run – this time a first-in-career homer to Murton. It was looking like one of those nights…
But then Burke came up in the 3rd: With 2 outs, on a 3-2 count, he saw a curve ball with his name on it, and hit it out for a 3-run homer – his second of the season -- to put the score at 5-3. The Cubs scored another run in the 4th, off a triple that ended up crossing home on a throwing error. But the Astros never lost the lead: Six more runs in the 5th inning, and another in the 7th put the total damage at 12 runs. Meanwhile, Wandy settled down for three more innings, finishing 7 with 4 ERs on 7 hits, 4 BBs, and 2 Ks, to earn (somewhat dubiously) his 8th win.
After being shutout for 18 2/3 innings, the Astros really blew out tonight: 12 runs on 16 hits, including 4 home runs. Three of the homers came from the bottom of the lineup: Burke (his second), Everett (his ninth), and a monster one from Quintero (his first!). The fourth was from Ensberg (#33).
The Astros wore home stripes.
In other news, Clemens says he’ll make his next start, and “no MRI.” Meanwhile, the victims of last week’s head-on collision in center field both have facial fractures, as well as concussions. Cameron underwent surgery, and Beltran is still thinking about it.
High points:
- WOO HOO! BLOWOUT at the plate in the 5th inning! The Astros scored 6 runs on 4 hits (2 HRs), 5 walks, and a sac fly. Twelve batters came to the plate, 8 of them before the first out was made (a sac fly that scored a run). Cubs reliever Wellmeyer, fresh up from the farm, was brought in with 2 out and the bases loaded in the 4th inning; he struck out Lane to end the inning. But in the 5th, he was charged with all 6 ERs before ever making an out – probably the worst 1/3 of an inning he’ll pitch this year.
- Ensberg had an amazing night; he was 4 for 4, including a homer, with 3 runs, 3 RBIs, and a walk. His home run wasn’t a cheap pop into the Crawford Boxes either; it landed on the train track over left field. He finished the night with a batting average of .300. His 91 RBIs tie him for 2nd in the NL.
- After going 0 for 5 on Saturday, and sitting out yesterday, Taveras had a great night at the plate – he went 4 for 6, scoring twice, to end the night with his average at .301.
- Quintero’s 2-run home run in the 5th inning, his first of the year, landed on top of the train track.
- Hopefully Everett’s slump is over now. He was 2 for 5 with a homer. And he turned some beautiful fielding plays too. That guy is great to watch at short. (No offense, Ausmus!)
- Chris Burke had a lot to smile about. His 3-run homer in the third inning put the Astros ahead for good, and set the mood for winning the game. It was his first home run in a home game, and he had family in the stands to see it. I love the way Burke looks at bat; his batting average may be kind of low, but he looks like a great hitter.
- Not that perfection was required tonight, but the relief pitching did a good job in the last two innings. Springer pitched a 1-2-3 8th, and Harville pitched a scoreless 9th.
Disappointments:
- Mike Lamb, brought in in the 8th inning to take over first base, just can’t field. Maybe he just doesn’t get enough practice -- or maybe he’s just not much of a fielder? His throwing error in the ninth inning looked really bad.
- Wandy could use a fielding lesson too. The 4th Cubs run scored on a triple by Patterson, when Biggio’s throw to third hit the runner. Bidge got the throwing error, but the ball could have been fielded – if the pitcher were backing up 3rd base. Instead, Wandy was still in the infield, and didn’t seem to be in any hurry to help with the play. (The runner would have scored two batters later, on a single, so Wandy earned the run after all.)
Notes on the Other Good Guys:
- The Nats beat the Phillies, 6-3, with win #14 for Livan Hernandez. Washington is back in semi-Good Guy status for one game. As long as Philadelphia is the closest chaser behind Houston (1/2 game going into tonight’s game), I might as well cheer for the Nats. But not too enthusiastically – the Nats are right behind them. I’m hoping for a split in this 4-game series.
Notes on the (Other) Bad Guys:
- Cincinnati lost to San Francisco, 7-3.
- The Brewers lost to the Rockies, 11-2. The Rockies obviously needed to regain their pride after being swept by the Nats this weekend.
- No other NL games on this quiet Monday…
Final123456789RHEChicago 21010000047 1Houston 20306010x 12 162W: W. Rodriguez (8-5) L: G. Rusch (6-5==============================================================================
TUESDAY, AUGUST 16, 2005 (Game 119) – CHICAGO @ HOUSTON
Chicago 4, Houston 1
The Astros got off to a promising start tonight: A leadoff triple by Willie T, who then scored on Biggio’s ground ball. But then the promise wasn’t kept, as the Astros did their magic run disappearing act for the rest of the game. They scattered only 3 more hits, and no runs, through the next 8 2/3 innings. Greg Maddux pitched a nice game – but not that nice.
Pettitte had another quality start – he gave up three singleton runs over 7 innings, on 8 hits, 2 BBs, and 8 Ks. But without run support, it turned into a loss instead. Most of the Cubs trouble was caused by one player – third baseman Aramis Ramirez, who had two doubles and a home run, and made some nice defensive plays too. Astros third baseman Ensberg made some fine defensive plays tonight, but after going 4 for 4 last night, he wasn’t able to get a hit tonight.
The Astros wore home stripes.
In other news, Bagwell’s doing great on batting practice, and it’s more likely he’ll pinch-hit in September.
High points:
- Taveras was 2 for 4, with a double and (surprise!) an infield single, raising his batting average to .303. He is 6 for 10 in the series so far. He also got a stolen base (#28).
- Everett got a double (but was caught stealing third). He seems to have recuperated a bit from his recent hitting slump.
- Good relief pitching by Qualls and Springer in the last two innings. Qualls gave up an unearned run, due to a fielding error; otherwise, both did fine.
Disappointments:
- The usual. They forgot to score. The Astros are .500 in this long home stand. There was a time this year when .500 ball sounded good, but not now. They need a huge winning streak to stay ahead of the pack of Wild Card hyenas from the NL East.
- Biggio had a fielding error for the second game in a row – this time a double-play grounder that went between his legs, allowing the runners to get to the corners in the 8th. In the grand scheme of things, it didn’t matter, since the game wasn’t close, but he looked pretty disgruntled.
- Berkman was 1 for 2, with a single and two walks. It’s good that he got on base, but the Astros really need power hitting from him. I keep expecting him to take off in the big hit department – last year he was a monster in August and September. Something like that would come in really handy right now.
Notes on the Other Good Guys:
- The Nats and the Phillies game was postponed, due to rain.
Notes on the (Other) Bad Guys:
- The Cards beat the Diamondbacks, 8-2. With only six weeks left in the season, and the Cards still 10 games ahead of the Astros, I need to just ignore them and just concentrate on the Wild Card race teams. The chance that they’ll screw up now is just too remote.
- Cincinnati lost to San Francisco, 10-8.
- The Brewers beat the Rockies, 6-4.
- In other Wild Card race games… The Marlins lost to the Padres, 4-2. The F-ing Mets beat the Pirates, 6-2. Atlanta lost to the Dodgers, 6-4.
Final123456789RHEChicago 011001010490Houston 100000000141W: G. Maddux (10-9) L: A. Pettitte (10-9) S: R. Dempster (17) ==============================================================================
WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 17, 2005 (Game 120) – CHICAGO @ HOUSTON
Chicago 4, Houston 2
The Astros fell flat on their faces tonight, losing the final game of their three-game home series against the Cubs – and the second series in a row. Chicago seems to be stuck on the number “4,” as they scored 4 runs for the third third time the series. That should have given Houston a chance to win this home-town series – but tonight they didn’t manage to hit or score. It was like a replay of yesterday’s game: The Astros sent out one of their ace starters, but they only got 3 hits! Both of the Houston runs were scored on an errant throw, so none of the Astros hitters got an RBI in the game. It might as well have been another shutout.
Oswalt was frustrated in yet another missed opportunity to get his 15th win. He seems stuck at 14, as Carpenter and Willis have moved on. Oswalt’s last win was his complete game on July 26! Tonight was nowhere near his best outing of the season; he gave up 4 ERs on 8 hits, no BBs, and 6 Ks. But it was as good or better than the last two games Wandy pitched – both for wins. Go figure. Oswalt’s worst throw was his second pitch to Cubs starter Carlos Zambrano in the second – Zambrano knocked it over the right-field wall.
The Astros wore home stripes. I think they should switch to the solid whites. Or maybe, as Larry Dierker would suggest, Hawaiian shirts.
In other news, Clemens is a go for tomorrow night’s opener against the Brewers, despite his ongoing back pain.
High points:
- Biggio’s double in the 4th was his 900th career extra-base hits. He’s second only to Bagwell in this record category for the Astros.
- I don’t know if this really counts as a “high point,” but in a game like this, it’s hard to find many: Mike Lamb came up twice with runners on base and 1 out – in the 4th and in the 9th – and both times hit perfect double-play grounders to second. And both times there were errors. In the 4th, the bases were loaded, and the throwing error to first allowed the only two Astros runs to score.
- Most of the game was an exercise in frustration, with the Astros going down without a peep, inning after inning. However, it did get exciting in the 9th when Dusty Baker took out Zambrano and brought in the closer, with one out and Ensberg on 1st (BB). After an error (one of Lamb’s lucky breaks) got the runners to first and second, Palmeiro grounded into what looked like a sure double play, but the Cubs only got the runner at second. With two out and runners on the corners, Everett walked. So the bases were loaded with 2 outs, and the Astros two runs down, and Ausmus at bat. I was thinking about that great game on July 28 when the Astros beat the Mets in the bottom of the 9th on Ausmus’ walkoff double. It’s not over till it’s over… But then Ausmus grounded a 2-2 pitch to short. This time the Cubs didn’t make a fielding error, and it really was over.
- Good relief pitching again – it kept the Astros in the game up to the end. Wheeler pitched a scoreless 8th. And Gallo pitched a beautiful 9th inning to a trio of lefties – he took them down 1-2-3 on 8 pitches. Since he came back, he’s been much better than his previous stint in an Astros uniform – kind of looks like a lefty specialist…
Disappointments:
- This loss gave the Astros their second lost series in a row, and a losing record so far on this homestand. Not at all what they were hoping for, with their great home record, and a two-week homestand to increase their lead in the Wild Card race. The Astros have lost 4 of their last 5 games, with Monday’s 12-4 blowout in the middle; in the four games that Houston lost, they scored a total of 3 runs. Three of those 4 losses were started by the Astros’ ace pitchers – Clemens, Pettitte, and Oswalt. Of course, I’m really disappointed that the Astros lost a game, a series, two series… especially at home. But when I was predicting the rest of the season right after the All Star break, I wrote: “The Astros will have one bad spell –10 or 12 days – in August. Other than that, they will be a kick-ass team in the second half.” Bottom Line: Don’t panic. Relax and let them do their thing. They’re gonna go all the way. This is The Year.
- Mike Lamb was certainly lucky to avoid being the goat due to Cubs fielding errors. But my question is: Why is he batting at all? He was 0 for 4 tonight, with a strikeout and three ground balls – 2 of which would have been double plays but for errors. He’s hitting .211. It’s been a really long time since he’d done anything heroic – meanwhile, he’s 5 for 28 in August. Maybe it’s not fair to single out Lamb, since Berkman, Palmeiro, and Taveras all went hitless tonight. But it’s not like he’s in a slump this month; he’s been hitting like this all season.
Notes on the Other Good Guys:
- The Nats lost to the Phillies, 4-3, to keep Houston tied for the NL Wild Card lead.
Notes on the Other Bad Guys:
- The Cards blanked the Diamondbacks, 5-0.
- Cincinnati lost to San Francisco, 3-2.
- The Brewers beat the Rockies, 2-0.
- In other Wild Card race games… The Marlins beat the Padres, 6-0. Dontrelle pitched a complete shutout game, giving up only 5 hits, for his 16th win, and lowering his ERA to 2.64.
- The F-ing Mets beat the Pirates, 5-1. Atlanta beat to the Dodgers, 10-2.
Final123456789RHEChicago 101100100492Houston 000200000230W: C. Zambrano (10-5) L: R. Oswalt (14-10) S: R. Dempster (18)
