2005 SEASON
JUNE 27-29: HOUSTON @ COLORADO
MONDAY, JUNE 27, 2005 (Game 74) – Houston @ Colorado
Houston 11, Colorado 5
Wandy Rodriguez got a quality start in Denver tonight, as the Astros went on a hitting binge. Every single player on the Astros starting lineup – including Wandy – got a hit. In fact, except for the pitcher and catcher, every player on the starting lineup got at least two hits. Eighteen hits in all. Eleven runs.
Rodriguez got his 3rd win pitching 6 1/3 innings, giving up 2 ER on 8 hits, 3 BBs, and 3 Ks. It was his strongest start of the season, and keeps him in the rotation for now. On the other hand, the Rockies pitcher, Jamey Wright, had a very bad night: He is now 0-12 against the Astros.
Six games under. Tied for 4th in NL Central. Bit by bit…
The Astros wore grey road uniforms.
High points:
- Raul Chavez got his first homer in more than two years
- Berkman was 2 for 4, with a homer (#6). His batting average is now up to .270.
- Lane got his first homer wearing jersey number 16 – his 12th for the year.
- Taveras was 3 for 6, raising his batting average to .284.
Disappointments:
- Taveras was caught stealing in the third inning. He has not had a successful steal since before his hamstring injury.
Notes on the Other Good Guys:
- •The Nationals had the day off.
Notes on the Other Bad Guys:
- Very quiet Monday – none of the other NL Central teams were playing.
- Baltimore lost its 6th consecutive game, to NYY 6-4. I don’t really have a gripe with Baltimore the team, just with its greedy owner Peter Angelos.
Final123456789RHEHouston « 202300130 11 181Colorado 0100001305 112W: W. Rodriguez (3-3) L: J. Wright (4-8) ==============================================================================
TUESDAY, JUNE 28, 2005 (Game 75) – Houston @ Colorado
Colorado 6, Houston 5
In their quest to find creative ways to keep Roger Clemens from getting the wins he has so brilliantly earned, the Astros totally outdid themselves tonight. Clemens was just being himself. He pitched “the usual” – 7 innings, 1 ER, 4 hits, 2 BBs, and 7 Ks. The usual excellent game, lowering his ERA another point, to 1.50. (The ER was the first one that Clemens has given up since last September – 49 1/3 innings ago.) The Astros even helped him for a change. In a glorious 5th inning, Ensberg hit a grand slam, pumping up the score, and Clemens left the game with a hefty 5-1 lead.
Then the Astros relievers combined to trash it all in the 8th: Qualls put two on and got one out. Franco got the second out, then gave up a single to score a run. Two out, two on, Astros up by 5-2. Garner pulls Franco and brings in… (Please please please say Lidge!) … Russ Springer. Hmmm. Springer walked the next batter to load the bases. I had to leave the room, suffering from a foreboding of disaster. I could hear the screams and cheers of the Denver fans from downstairs when the next batter hit a grandslam off Springer.
And that was the end of Roger Clemen’s win. The Astros have 5 days to think of a creative way to rob him next time.
The Astros wore grey road uniforms.
High points:
- There probably just isn’t anything wonderful left to say about how well Clemens pitches. Clemens was a good sport about it – again: "You can't let that stuff bother you because I've been beat every which way you can think of."
- Ensberg was only 1 for 4, but it was a Big One, a grand slam in the 5th inning. He also hit a sac fly in the first inning, giving him all 5 of Houston’s RBIs tonight. It was his 19th homer of the season.
- Biggio was 3 for 4, with a double and two singles. And he was hit by a pitch in the 5th inning; he took his base with no fanfare as he tied Don Baylor’s HBP record at 267.
- Berkman was 1 for 3 and got 2 BBs, moving his batting average up to .272.
- Taveras and Burke each had a pair of hits.
Disappointments:
- Springer defended the pitch that Atkins turned into a grand slam: "It was a sinker down and in, and I still think that was the right pitch to throw. I threw it right where I wanted to throw it. I asked Brad if that was where he wanted it and he said, 'Yeah, that's exactly where I wanted it.' And he hit it.” Whoops. Well, it’s not the home run ball that lost the game – it was putting the other 3 guys on base before the homer.
- Found out afterwards that the reason that Lidge didn’t pitch is that he has a soreness in his lower bicep near his elbow. He is sitting out a few games to be on the safe side.
Notes on the Other Good Guys:
- The Nats took a close one against the Pirates, 2-1, for another home win.
Notes on the Other Bad Guys:
- St. Louis squeaked out a win against Cincinnati, 2-1. The Cubs beat the Brewers, 2-0.
- Dontrelle had a bad night tonight too – he gave up 5 ER in 6 innings, getting a rare loss and raising his ERA over 2. A consolation prize for Clemens.
Final123456789RHEHouston 100040000590Colorado « 00010005x680W: D. Cortes (1-0) L: R. Springer (1-3) S: B. Fuentes (9) ==============================================================================
WEDNESDAY, JUNE 29, 2005 (Game 76) – Houston @ Colorado
Houston 7, Colorado 1
Whomp.
It’s official: Craig Biggio is the most beat-up guy to play major league baseball in the past century. His plunking today at the hands of the Colorado Rockies -- #268 – put him ahead of Don Baylor on the career HBP list for the modern game of baseball. His arm pad is going to the Baseball Hall of Fame.
Biggio took his base, and asked the Batboy to save the ball for his kids. His comment on the record: “Anybody that's been hit that many times, you have no understanding about how many times that is and how painful it is over the years.”
Biggio celebrated the event by going 2 for 4 with a homer and a stolen base. His teammates joined in the celebration by thumping Colorado, in support of Roy Oswalt’s usual awesome pitching. The thumping included 12 hits, three of them good Colorado homers. No grand slams today (whew!) and only minor turmoil from the relief pitching.
Roy Oswalt pitched 7 shutout innings, with 6 hits, 1 BB, and 6 Ks to get his 10th win. Even with Houston’s lousy start this season, Oswalt is on track for better than 20 wins again. He has given up 2 or fewer ERs in 9 out of his last 10 games. His ERA is down to to 2.54 – third best in the NL, after Clemens and Dontrelle. And he’s leading the NL in innings pitched. All in all, a real class act.
The Astros wore red roadies. I went to work early this morning, so that I could get home in time to see the end of this afternoon game.
Houston is still 13 games out, but is now in 3rd place in the NL Central. Bit by bit. As the Monkees sang: I’m a believer…
High points:
- Lane hit a homer in the top of the 2nd, his 13th this season, to give the Astros an early lead. Playing every day is definitely making Lane a better player (well, except for the error today).
- Biggio’s (#10) home run in the 6th was a long ball to left center, up about 10 rows over the 390 mark.
- Ensberg also hit a homerun in the 6th, with Berkman on base. Not a cheap shot at all – he really whacked it up into the upper concourse. Twenty homers: That’s double Ensberg’s total homer production from last year, and we’re still a couple of weeks away from mid-season. He’s not slowing down either; he’s hot hot hot this month.
- Burke was 1 for 3, with 2 BBs, and 3 (wow!) steals. Between Willy the Road Runner, Burke, and Everett, the Astros have a lot of young speed on the team. This is going to really affect the running game in the next few years.
- Berkman was on base 4 times – two doubles, plus a walk and was hit by a pitch. His batting average is .279, continuing on its way up to where it ought to be -- .300!
- Willie T went 2 for 5 – pushing his batting average up close to .290. He also got his first successful steal since his hamstring injury -- #18 for the season.
- Cheap Thrills: In the 4th inning, Burke got on base, then stole second, and stole third. By that time there were two outs, and Taveras was up to bat. Willy T put down a perfect squeeze bunt, scoring Burke and beating out the throw too. He then stole second. Biggio and Berkman were back-to-back HBPs to load the bases, but Ensberg flied out to end the inning. That was a lot of base movement – on only one bunt hit.
- Qualls pitched a harmless 8th (much better than last night!).
Disappointments:
- Given the 7-run lead going into the bottom of the 9th inning, Garner brought in Mike Burns. The rookie has to get some practice sometime, and better with a big lead than in a tight game. But he gave up a run to spoil the shutout. On the other hand, he just gave up one run, not 5 like the relievers last night.
Notes on the Other Good Guys:
- Washington beat the Pirates, 3-2, after a rain delay, in another late-game go-ahead.
Notes on the Other Bad Guys:
- St. Louis crushed Cincinnati, 11-3. Good that Cincinnati is in a losing mood, since Houston is going there next.
- The Cubs beat the Brewers, 3-2.
Final123456789RHEHouston « 0201030107 121Colorado 000000001181W: R. Oswalt (10-7) L: B. Kim (2-7)
