2005 SEASON
AUGUST 5-7: HOUSTON @ SAN FRANCISCO
FRIDAY, AUGUST 5, 2005 (Game 109) – HOUSTON @ SF
San Francisco 4, Houston 0
It should have been a cinch for the Astros to win against the Giants, especially with hot-hot-hot Andy Pettitte on the mound. After all, Pettitte was the NL pitcher of the month in July. He was 6-0 with a 0.80 ERA over his previous eight outings, and hadn’t lost a game in 7 weeks. The Astros have been winning like crazy, zooming up the standings from loser status to Wild Card leaders. So it should have been no contest.
Except the Astros left their bats at home. Or maybe they got lost in Arizona. Whatever… it was a bummer of a game, the first time the Astros have dropped two in a row since the sweep in St. Louis after the All Star game.
While it wasn’t Pettitte’s best game lately, he pitched well enough to qualify for a “quality” start – 3 ERs in 7 innings, with 7 hits, 1 BB, and 8 Ks. He gave up a 2-run homer on a “horrible pitch” in the first inning, and another run in the third. But he got stronger in subsequent innings – with 1-2-3 innings in the 5th, 6th, and 7th. However, SF’s Jason Schmidt pitched better, and the Astros only managed to get 3 hits off of him in 8 innings.
The Astros wore road greys.
In other news, San Francisco was abuzz about baseball… and not in a good way. The buzz was about talk-show host Larry Kreuger, who ranted about the woes of the struggling Giants, referring to its "brain-dead Caribbean hitters hacking at slop nightly." Giants manager Felipe Alou was also singled out for his invective: "You have a manager in Felipe whose mind has turned to Cream of Wheat.” The comments caused outrage in San Francisco, and put radio station KNBR in a tough spot – it’s the flagship station of the Giants, and part owner (1.5%) of the team. Kreuger apologized afterwards for his ethnic slurs, and he was suspended for a week without pay. Alou responded with an impassioned rejection of racism and ethnic hatred.
High points:
- Not much to cheer about.
Disappointments:
- Willie T led off the game with a hit, but was caught stealing, and it was mostly downhill from there.
- Brad Ausmus was the only Astros batter to make it past first base. He got to first on an infield single, to second on a sac bunt, and to third on a grounder before the third out left him stranded.
- •Mike Burns, who has been scoreless in relief for his last 10 appearances, finally gave up a run in the 8th, on a hit batter, a walk, and a throwing error.
Notes on the Other Good Guys:
- Washington lost yet another one-run game, this time to San Diego, 6-5.
Notes on the Other Bad Guys:
- The Cards thrashed Atlanta, 11-3. I’m hoping for more from the Braves.
- The Cubs lost to the F-ing Mets, 9-5.
- Milwaukee beat the Phillies, 3-1, in 10 innings.
- The Pirates lost to the Dodgers, 12-6.
- Florida beat the Reds, 5-1. The Marlins are on the Nats’ tail in the Wild Card race, and bear close watching.
Final123456789RHEHouston 000000000031SF « 20100001x480W: J. Schmidt (8-6) L: A. Pettitte (9-8==============================================================================
SATURDAY, AUGUST 6, 2005 (Game 110) – HOUSTON @ SF
San Francisco 5, Houston 2
Roy Oswalt failed to get his 15th win for the second time in a game that looked more like the April Astros than the more recent surging heroes. In a game that qualifies for a “quality start,” Oswalt wasn’t his usual dominating self. He gave up 4 runs (3 earned) on 9 hits, 1 BB, and 4 Ks in 7 innings, raising his ERA to 2.46.
But Houston batters didn’t help him at all: The Astros’ offense went nearly completely cold for the second night in a row. Starting Giants pitcher Noah Landry gave up only one hit in the first 7 innings. The Astros couldn’t get a runner as far as second base until the 9th inning. After an otherwise miserable night, offensively, the Astros at least avoided another shutout when Ensberg hit one out (homer #29) in the 9th inning.
Chilling stat: The Astros haven’t scored more than 3 runs in 8 of their last 11 games. This does not bode well for the run to the finish. It looks more like the run from the start.
The Astros wore road greys.
In other news, Bagwell’s hit live batting practice for the third straight day. Hopes are high that he’ll be able to pinch hit by next month. Doubtful that he’ll be able to throw and field until next year, but it would be awesome to see him at the plate – especially if he can really hit.
High points:
- Ensberg’s home run in the 9th inning was his 29th of the year. It was just about the only really nice moment of this game for the good guys.
Disappointments:
- Another painful loss. How can the Good Guys drop two games – with two of the NL’s hottest pitchers on the mound -- to the Giants?
- This 3-game losing streak is the first one since the Astros got swept in St. Louis after the All Star break.
Notes on the Other Good Guys:
- The Nats lost to San Diego in another sad one-run game, 3-2. That makes 13 consecutive one-run games that the Nats have come out on the wrong side of – luckily for the Astros, who have capitalized on Washington’s bad luck to grab the Wild Card lead.
Notes on the Other Bad Guys:
- WOO HOO! Atlanta beat the Cards, 8-1. Why can’t the Cards lose on a day that the Astros win?
- The F-ing Mets beat the Cubbies, 2-0.
- The Phillies beat Milwaukee, 8-2.
- The Pirates beat the Dodgers, 9-4.
- The Reds beat Florida, 4-3.
Final123456789RHEHouston 0000000022 41SF « 03100001x5 100: N. Lowry (7-11) L: R. Oswalt (14-9) ==============================================================================
SUNDAY, AUGUST 7, 2005 (Game 111) – HOUSTON @ SF
Houston 8, San Francisco 1
Jason Lane was philosophical after two losses to the Giants: "We lost a couple of close games here where we haven't scored any runs. It's happened before. It's not like we're going to panic. We just need to get more guys on base and we need to start driving them in." Nice thoughts, but frankly action is better than words: Today Lane hit an RBI double in the first and a 3-run home run in the eighth, his contribution to an 8-1 rout of the Giants.
That first inning run was the only one Houston scored in the first 7 innings. Roger Clemens left the game for a pinch hitter in the top of the 8th, with the score tied, 1-1. It looked like his 7 innings, 1 run (no earned runs) on 6 hits, 2 BBs, and 4 Ks, would result in yet another no-decision outcome.
But with 2 outs in the top of the 8th, the Good Guys broke the offensive ice, knocking out two doubles, a walk, and a homer for 4 runs. Just for good measure, they threw in 3 more runs in the 9th, in case Brad Lidge was having a bad hair day. All that last minute hitting was more than enough for the “W” – it gave the guys a big success to take back to Houston to start their 13-game home stand.
The Astros wore red Sunday road uniforms.
High points:
- Clemens was amazing as usual, as he won his 4th straight game, his 11th of the season (and it probably should be 21). The only time that the Giants scored off of him was an unearned run in the first inning; after that he was unflappable and mostly unhittable. His ERA is down to 1.38, and his road ERA is a ridiculous 0.36.
- Good relief pitching was icing on the cake. Wheeler and Lidge had matching appearances: Each pitched one inning, with 1 BB and 2 Ks. Happily it was not a save opportunity for Lidge, due to the scoring barrage, but he needed the exercise – it was only his second appearance on this road trip.
- Another great day for the young guys. Burke, hitting second in place of Biggio (who had the day off), was 2 for 3 with 2 doubles, and scored twice. Lane was 2 for 5, with a double and a home run (#17), and 4 RBIs. Bruntlett got a pinch-hit double and scored in the 9th.
- Although he did not get a decision, surprise Giants pitcher, Brian Cooper was probably happy with his game. Just up from his Triple A team for his first major league start in 2 years, he pitched 7 very effective innings. And he also got his first major league hit – a single off of Roger Clemens, something to brag about. They saved the ball for him; I wonder if he has the nerve to ask the Rocket to autograph it for him?
- What does gender mean in San Francisco anyhow? They’ve got a bat-girl on the third base line.
Disappointments:
- Ensberg hit three very long fly balls to the warning track, but didn’t manage to get any of them out of the park today. Close but no cigar. But he did get an RBI single in the 9th for the last run of the day.
- Everett and Burke collided in left field, chasing down a fly ball. Everett ran over Burke, and they were both knocked down, and seemed a bit beat up. The trainer went out and patted them a few times, and the game went on. The good news was that Everett was able to hold onto the ball.
Notes on the Other Good Guys:
- The Nationals were shut out by San Diego at home, 3-0. Disappointing for the home-town fans, but good for the Astros in the Wild Card race. Good too for the NL West-leading Padres, who capitalized on Washington’s poor performance to raise their win record over .500!
Notes on the Other Bad Guys:
- The Cards are so annoying. They went into the bottom of the 9th inning, behind Atlanta 3-1. And then they loaded the bases, and Eckstein hit a grand slam to win it 5-3. Cardinals manager Tony La Russa’s comment: “Once in a while, you get a miracle." Chris Carpenter pitched the first 8 innings, but left the game with the Cards behind, so he did not get what would have been his 17th win. Atlanta’s Chris Reitsma was the goat.
- The Marlins beat the Reds, 2-0. Dontrelle pitched 8 shutout innings, for his 15th win.
- The Brewers beat the Phillies, 2-0.
- Pittsburgh lost to the Dodgers, 6-4.
- The Cubs lost again to the Mets, 6-1
Final123456789RHEHouston « 1000000438111SF 1000000001 61W: R. Clemens (11-4) L: S. Eyre (2-2) 
