2005 SEASON

JULY 4-7: SAN DIEGO @ HOUSTON

MONDAY, JULY 4, 2005 (Game 81) – San Diego @ Houston

Houston 4, San Diego 1

Roy Oswalt was not to be outdone by Roger Clemens: Welcome to the Independence Day Roy Oswalt Show. Oswalt pitched his third complete game of the season, for win #11, giving up only one run on 5 hits, 2 BBs, and 6 Ks. His resulting ERA, 2.44, is still #3 in the NL, after Clemens and Dontrelle.

In addition to the incredible hurling, Oswalt batted 1 for 3. He also executed a perfect pickoff of a runner – on third base! It was in the top of the 6th with the score tied 1-1, one out, and a Padres’ runner (Giles) on 3rd. The Astros TV announcer: “Here’s the big challenge for Roy: How to get Giles out without plating the run.” The count was 2-0. Ausmus walked to the mound. Oswalt then turned and threw out the runner on third. “We haven’t seen that in many years,” gushed the Astros TV announcer.

At the half-way point of the season, the Astros are 3 games under .500, and on the upswing.

The Astros wore home reds for the holiday.

High points:

• After 3 very disappointing at-bats (a grounder, a caught foul, and a strikeout), Biggio came up in the 7th and hit a 2-out 3-run homer (#11). This hit (#2722) put him past Lou Gehrig for 51st in the all-time hits list.
  

• Ensberg went 2 for 4 with an RBI single and a double. He’s now hit in 11 consecutive games. He also made a brilliant diving catch in the 1st inning.
  

• Taveras went 2 for 4 with an infield single and a double, and stole two bases. Almost 40% of Willie T’s hits are infield singles or bunts.
  

Disappointments:

• Nothing to complain about, except not getting to see this game until Tuesday night. When it took place, I was in a plane flying home from Atlanta.
  

Notes on the Other Good Guys:

• The F-ing Mets beat the Nats, 5-2, in a rare home loss for Washington.
  

Notes on the Other Bad Guys:

• The Cards beat Arizona, 10-3. The Cards are getting boring, all that winning.
  

• The Pirates got trounced by the Phillies, 12-1.
  

• The Reds eked out a win over the Giants, 11-10.
  

• The Brewers beat the Marlins, 3-2.
  

• The Braves shut out the Cubs, 4-0. Cubbies are only one game ahead of Houston now.
  

Final123456789RHE

San Diego       0001000001  51

Houston «       10000030x4100

W: R. Oswalt (11-7) L: B. Lawrence (5-7)

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TUESDAY, JULY 5, 2005 (Game 82) – San Diego @ Houston

Houston 6, San Diego 2

Two games under .500, and counting…

The Astros beat the NL West first-place Padres again tonight, with a nice outing by Backe, good relief pitching, and homers by Biggio and Lane. I actually saw this game online live.

The Astros wore home stripes. 

High points:

• It was a good night for the “Bees” (and Jason Lane too)
  

• Backe got his 7th win after pitching 5 2/3 innings, giving up 1 run on 4 hits, 4 BBs, and 2 Ks. He also came up to bat in the bottom of the second, with two outs and the bases loaded, and beat out an infield single for the first RBI of the game. He’s not pitching like Clemens or Oswalt, but hey, a win’s a win.
  

• Biggio was 2 for 5 with a homer (#12). The second hit tied him with Roberto Alomar for 50th place on the all-time hit list.
  

• Berkman followed Biggio’s homer in the 5th inning with a double, and Ensberg was intentionally walked. The Padres pulled the starting pitcher, and then Jason Lane hit the reliever’s first pitch over the wall for a 3-run homer (#14).
  

• Burke got a hit in the 10th to extend his hitting streak to 10 games. He also stole 2 bases tonight.
  

• Ensberg didn’t get a hit tonight, breaking his 11 game hitting streak. But he did get named NL “Player of the Week,” after leading the league in home runs, RBIs, doubles, and total bases. In the first half of the season, Ensberg started 78 of the first 81 games.
  

• Good relief pitching: Harville, Lidge, and Qualls did not have even a single hit or walk between them in their combined 3 innings. Lidge pitched a perfect 1-2-3 7th  inning, taking down the side in 10 pitches. It was his first appearance since June 24, when his arm discomfort began.
  

Disappointments:

• The only flaw in the relief pitching tonight came from Gallo, who has been called up from Triple A to replace John Franco as the lefty specialist. Gallo pitched 1/3 of an inning and gave up 1 ER on a triple and a single. I don’t think that I will like Gallo any better this year than last year.
  

Notes on the Other Good Guys:

• The Nats beat the F-ing Mets, 3-2. Loaiza got the win, and Chad Cordero got his 30th save.
  

Notes on the Other Bad Guys:

• The Cards beat Arizona again, 7-1.
  

• The Pirates beat the Phillies, 3-0.
  

• Milwaukee beat Florida, 6-4.
  

• Atlanta beat the Cubs, 5-1, in Chicago’s 6th loss in a row. Houston is now tied with Chicago for second place in the NL Central!
  

• The Reds were leading the Giants, 7-3, in the 9th when I went to bed.
  

Final123456789RHE

San Diego       1000000102 61

Houston  01004100x6      110

W: B. Backe (7-6) L: D. Reyes (3-2)

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WEDNESDAY, JULY 6, 2005 (Game 83) – San Diego @ Houston

Houston 5, San Diego 4

One game under…

The Astros pulled this rabbit out of the hat, with a good start by Pettitte and early runs -- then letting the Padres nibble it down to a one-run lead. But they managed to hold on through the ninth to take their fourth win in a row, and taking sole ownership of second place in NL Central. The Astros have now won 12 of their last 13 home games.

The unfortunate Jake Peavy, the Padres’ 24-year old starter, had a tiring outing: He gave up 3 runs in the first inning, but then settled down for several quiet innings. However, he had guys on base in nearly every inning. But he had a good excuse: According to the announcers, he was pitching with a strep throat.

The Astros wore home stripes. 

In other awesome news, Roy Oswalt won the last spot in the NL All Star Team in a web-based vote. (I voted for him numerous times – there was no limit.) The Astros will be sending three pitchers to the All Star Game – Clemens, Lidge, and Oswalt. It’s the first time that Houston has had three pitchers representing the team since 1999, since 1999, the year they sent Mike Hampton, Jose Lima and Billy Wagner.

High points:

• Taveras went 3 for 5, with two more infield hits and his 22nd stolen base. His batting average is now up to .294. He’s sure my rookie of the year, even if he’s not the league’s.
  

• All of the Astros starters, except for Pettitte, got hits in this game. Bidge was 1 for 3 with an RBI double and a walk. Berkman was 1 for 4 with an RBI hit. Ensberg was 1 for 3 with an RBI double and an IBB. The three of them are all batting in the high .280s now. Lane was 2 for 4. Everett was 2 for 4 with a triple. And Burke’s 6th inning RBI single extended his hitting streak to 11 games.
  

• The Astros continue an aggressive running game – Taveras (#22), Lane (#6), and Everett (#9) all successfully stole second tonight.
  

• In addition to good hitting, Ensberg made another couple of amazing fielding plays tonight. Really, really a shame about that All Star Game. The guy is having the season of his life (so far)…
  

• Lidge was apparently unavailable to pitch tonight, but Wheeler came in to close with a one-run lead, and was perfectly Lidgerly. One-two-three, all fall down. He got his third save, and his ERA is just 1.73. Wheeler and Lidge as the setup-closer combo after the All Star Break – that looks like a winning combination.
  

Disappointments:

• Pettitte had to come out of the game after 5 innings, with “tightness in his elbow.”  He’s listed day-to-day. With the All Star Break next week, Pettitte isn’t scheduled to pitch again for over a week. Tonight he threw only 60 pitches, with 1 run on 3 hits, 1 BB, and 4 Ks. Despite some messy relief pitching, the Padres ran out of innings before they caught up, and Pettitte got his 6th win.
  

• Pettitte left the game with a sturdy 5-1 lead. Springer pitched a scoreless 6th. But the next three relievers almost gave it away. Gallo, as usual, disappointed. What good is a lefty pitcher who can’t get out left-handed batters? In his three appearances since his return to the Astros, he has an ERA of 10.80. Okay, it’s a small sample, but he wasn’t any good before. Harville wasn’t any better. By the end of the 7th, the lead was down to 5-3. Qualls gave up an unearned (but deserved) run in the 8th; after a double and a wild pitch, the runner scored on an error. He then loaded the bases with two outs, and I have to admit that I was sure he’d give up a homer – but he wiggled out of it without any more damage, with the score 5-4. There it stayed in the ninth – but that goes under High Points.
  

Notes on the Other Good Guys:

• The Nats lost to the F-ing Mets, 5-3.
  

Notes on the Other Bad Guys:

• The Pirates lost to the Phillies, 5-0.
  

• Milwaukee fell to Florida, 5-4, in the bottom of the 12th.
  

• he Cubs were rained out in Atlanta, leaving the Astros in sole ownership of 2nd place in NL Central. Okay, they’re still 12 games out, and behind 5 other teams (all NL East) for the wildcard, but they are on the right path.
  

• Cincinnati and St Louis are both playing West Coast teams – no results before I went to bed.
  

Final123456789R HE

San Diego       0001002104  91

Houston  30000200x5123

W: A. Pettitte (6-7) L: J. Peavy (7-3) S: D. Wheeler (3)

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THURSDAY, JULY 7, 2005 (Game 84) – San Diego @ Houston

San Diego 7, Houston 5

The Astros needed a win tonight to sweep the Padres and to get to .500, but alas, it was not to be. The fifth starter in the rotation, Wandy Rodriguez, didn’t show his best stuff tonight. He gave up a run in the first and 3 more in the fifth before Garner pulled him for Springer, with the bases loaded and 1 out. Good time for a double play, Russ… But it was not to be. Springer threw a wild pitch to score the first runner, and a hit to score the rest, and the Astros were down 7-1 by the end of the fifth inning.

They made an attempt at a comeback. With 2 out in the 6th and the bases loaded, Palmeiro came in to pinch hit, and walked on 4 pitches. Then Taveras walked on 4 pitches. Two runs in, the bases loaded, and Biggio was up… but he flied out to end the inning.

Goofy game – all the Astros runs came on solo homers and walks.

The Astros wore home stripes. 

High points:

• Three of the Astros 5 runs came on solo homers – by Biggio (#14), Chavez (#2), and Ensberg (#23, thumbing his nose at the All Star voters).
  

• Once Springer finished letting all 3 of his inherited runners score, the Astros relievers did a reputable job. Burns, Gallo, Wheeler, and Qualls each pitched one scoreless inning – between them they only gave up a single hit, and they struck out 4. Between Wandy’s short stint, and Pettitte coming out early last night, the relievers have been hopping – especially with Lidge still apparently unavailable. Hopefully, with Clemens pitching tomorrow, some of them will get a night off.
  

Disappointments:

• Wandy is really too inconsistent to be part of the Astros starting rotation. He has some really great pitching – he got 5 Ks in the first 3 innings. But he looks like he needs to finish cooking in Triple A this year.
  

• Only Biggio and Chavez had more than one hit tonight. Taveras, getting so close to .300, was 0 for 4, and only got on base with his RBI-walk. Burke was 0 for 4, breaking his 11 game hitting streak.
  

Notes on the Other Good Guys:

• The Nats lost to the F-ing Mets again, 3-2. Although Washington still leads the NL East, they have scored fewer runs than their opponents have this year. Could be trouble ahead. While I wish them well, I’d just as soon that they get into a losing mode before the Astros come to town this month. I want to see the Astros beat them!
  

Notes on the Other Bad Guys:

• The Cubs lost both games of a double header to Atlanta, 6-0 and 9-4. While that’s good for Houston’s relative standing in the NL Central (Houston’s still second), Atlanta is first in the wild card race. With the Astros unlikely to overtake St. Louis (but one can hope!), the wild card is their best ticket to the playoff. After the All Star break, I’m going to have to start tracking those other Bad Guys more diligently.
  

• Florida creamed Milwaukee, 11-3.
  

• The Pirates beat the Phillies, 2-1.
  

• Cincinnati and St Louis are both playing West Coast teams – they were only about halfway though when I went to bed.
  

Final123456789RHE

San Diego «     100060000770

Houston          000112100580

W: W. Williams (5-5) L: W. Rodriguez (4-4) S: T. Hoffman (24)

The Numbers Game

One month ago, the Astros trailed their opponents in runs scored by 48. Today the Astros have outscored their opponents by 10 runs. That’s progress. While the Astros are still last in the league in many hitting categories, the numbers do not at all reflect the reality of the past month, when Houston’s been hot hot hot. And with August coming, it’s bound to get hotter!  

Quote of the Day

Why the Astros mobbed Oswalt when his election to the All Star Team was announced during the game:

Oswalt: "They told me they were going to stand behind me so they can get on TV."

Bagwell (who was sitting next to Oswalt):  "We were all huddled up down there by Roy. I said, 'Well, I don't want anyone to forget about me.' Everyone was laughing at me, saying, 'Look at you, you loser.’ But that was our plan. You never know. They could forget about me, so I wanted to make sure to get on TV."

Quote of the Day

Garner on how the Astros won: “That one would come under the classification of winning ugly tonight. But a win's a win. Our pitching held when it had to hold up and they've done a good job of doing that. It would please me to no end to not have to be quite so nervous toward the end of the game.”

You sure got that right!