2005 SEASON
SEPTEMBER 16-18: MILWAUKEE @ HOUSTON
FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 16, 2005 (Game 147) – MILWAUKEE @ HOUSTON
Houston 2, Milwaukee 1
It was the best sight of the season: Jeff Bagwell crouching at the plate, with the score tied and two outs in the bottom of the ninth and runners on first and second.
First pitch: Swing, foul ball. Second pitch: Low and inside, one and one. The Houston TV announcer is saying, “This place would erupt if he got a game-winning hit…”
And then WHACK! Bagwell hit it hard into right field, scoring Taveras from second. The Houston TV announcer is screaming: “And Jeff Bagwell wins the ball game for the Astros in the 9th inning!!!”
I, of course, am crying at this point -- even the 4th time I watch the replay. Even the first time I saw it, I already knew the outcome, since it was a Friday night game and I wasn’t watching it until after Shabbat. Yet I was still swept away by the excitement and the drama, the crowd on its feet in a standing ovation when Bagwell came to the plate, and then totally hysterical after his game-winning hit. The other Astros performed the obligatory ritual helmet thumping; I even saw some shaking him by the shoulders. But when he was interviewed by the on-field TV guy, Bagwell did not seem to have lost more than a few IQ points from the pummeling. He even smiled a few times.
It’s hard to say what kind of contribution Jeff Bagwell will be able to make for the rest of the season, or even next season. He can’t throw, so he’s limited to batting, and who knows whether he’ll really get his swing back before the season ends? He’s got to have wondered many times whether the surgery and the grueling rehab have been worthwhile. To have this kind of great moment, being the hero of the game in a tight pennant race, has got to have been a huge validation. And Bagwell had to have noticed that the fans were on their feet cheering for him before he got the hit; they were cheering for the man himself. For fans like me, it’s the very best thing in the game.
The Astros wore home stripes.
In other news, Adam Everett is not playing in this series. He had to go home to Georgia to be with his wife while their 8-month old baby is having surgery.
High points:
- Despite the drama of the game’s ending, there were other heroes of this game. The odd-man out was Roy Oswalt, who pitched a beautiful game: Seven plus innings, just 1 ER (on a solo homer), 5 scattered hits, 1 BB, 5 Ks. He left the game with the score tied with one out in the 8th, so he did not figure in the decision. But he pitched wonderfully, and it’s too bad that he did not get the win. He also got a hit in the 6th inning, and then hoofed it all the way to third on Biggio’s subsequent single. His slide into third, not his great pitching, was the only photo to make it onto the AP collection for the game.
- Lidge was completely electrifying. Totally unhittable. Garner brought him in early, with 1 out in the 8th, and Brewers runners on 2nd and 3rd base. Game tied, 1-1, so letting the run score was not an option. At bat: Carlos Lee, the Brewers cleanup man with 32 HRs. Lidge struck him out on 4 pitches. Next up: Geoff Jenkins. Garner came out to the mound, and there was apparently a discussion of whether to walk him. Lidge said he’d be careful. And he struck him out swinging to end the inning. Lidge stayed in the game to pitch the 9th, getting the first batter to ground out, then striking out the next two. Between this game and the previous night’s, when he relieved Pettitte in the 9th, Lidge has struck out 7 of the last 8 batters he has faced. Carlos Lee commented on batting against Lidge: “He has better stuff than [the Yankees' Mariano] Rivera. With Rivera, you can put the ball in play. With this guy ... that's one of the few guys that when I'm looking for a slider, I can't hit it. That's the best pitch in the league."
- The Astros one run, going into the 9th inning, scored on Lane’s solo homer in the 5th.
- Taveras scored the winning run, pinch-running for Mike Lamb, who had singled to lead off the 9th. Taveras still cannot bat or field, due to his lacerated finger, but it doesn’t keep him from blazing around the bases.
- Mike Lamb went 2 for 4, having another great night at the plate. His batting average has picked up to .233, up about 30 points in the past couple of weeks.
Disappointments:
- If I have any real disappointment in this game it would only be that Oswalt didn’t get the win. It would have been his 18th, positioning him to break the magic “20” mark again this year. Lidge got the win, but closers count saves, not wins; he would probably have rather had another save. The Brewers Rick Helling also pitched a great game, with numbers similar to Oswalt’s, for a no-decision.
Notes on the Other Good Guys:
- Boston won, but so did the Yankees, who are staying right on the Red Sox’s tail.
Notes on the Other Bad Guys:
- With the closest two Wild Card contenders playing each other this weekend, I have to hope that they’ll just cancel each other out. The Phillies took the first one, trashing the Marlins 13-3. It was close for the first 5 innings, then the Phillies scored 5 in the 6th, and another 3 in each of the last 2 innings. Between the two teams, 14 different pitchers took the mound.
- The Nationals haven’t conceded the race yet. In a late night game, they beat the Padres, 5-1. Patterson got the win for the Nats.
- Now that they’re playing Atlanta, the F-ing Mets finally win a game, 4-0. Pedro Martinez pitched a complete game shutout for the Mets.
- The Cubbies beat the Cards, 5-3, delaying their division-clinching party one more day.
- The Reds and the Pirates split a double header.
Final123456789RHEMilwaukee 000001000180Houston « 000010001270W: B. Lidge (4-3) L: D. Eveland (1-1)
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SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 17, 2005 (Game 148) – MILWAUKEE @ HOUSTON
Houston 7, Milwaukee 0
After last night’s pitchers’ duel, the Astros came out tonight hungry for runs. They scored a pair in the first inning, another in the second, a couple more in the third, and two more in the sixth for good measure. A total of 7 runs on 10 hits, 6 walks, and a pair of Brewers’ errors. All of the Astros’ starters except for Lamb and Backe got hits, and the runs and RBIs were spread around. Truly a team effort.
At the center of the team, Brandon Backe pitched very well in third start since he came off of the DL. He threw 98 pitches in 6 2/3 shutout innings, giving up 6 hits and just 1 BB, with 5 Ks, to get his 9th win.
The Astros wore home stripes.
High points:
- Biggio isn’t really a home-run hitter, so it’s kind of funny that he holds a home run record: the one for the most lead off homers. He hit another one tonight (#22 for the season, and his 43rd career leadoff HR) to kick off the Astros’ scoring spree.
- Backe obviously was tiring out in the 7th inning. Garner pulled him with 2 outs and the bases loaded, after he had hit two consecutive batters with pitches. Gallo came in to get the out on 2 pitches, to save the shutout. Springer and Astacio combined to finish off the game.
- Vizcaino got RBI singles in the 1st and 3rd innings.
- It was great to see Ensberg back at the plate – he came in as a pinch hitter in the 8th. While he probably would have like to have put the ball in the Crawford Boxes, he actually hit what looked more like a swinging bunt – but he beat it out for an infield single. His hand must be better; he didn’t seem to be wincing or hesitating on his swing.
Disappointments:
- Nada. Great game.
Notes on the Other Good Guys:
- Boston won, but so did the Yankees, who are still staying right on the Red Sox’s tail.
Notes on the Other Bad Guys:
- I was cheering for the Marlins tonight, since the Phillies won last night, and the Astros need them to split the series. It looked like a good bet, with Dontrelle on the mound, taking a 2-0 lead into the 9th. And then came the bizarre dream sequence where the Phillies came back to score 10 runs in the top of the 9th. The first 10 Philadelphia batters got to base without making an out, on a combination of 7 singles, a walk, and 3 (!) Florida fielding errors. The Phillies won 10-2, to stay right on the Astros’ tail in the NL Wild Card race.
- The Nationals went into the 9th inning leading San Diego 5-0 tonight. Robinson had already used 3 pitchers in the bottom of the 9th, getting 2 outs, but giving up a run. So he brought in the big gun – closer Chad Cordero – to finish it off. Cordero walked the first batter, to load the bases, then gave up a grand slam to tie it up. The Padres went on to win, 8-5, in 12 innings, on a 3-run home run.
- Atlanta beat the F-ing Mets, 7-4.
- The Cards beat the Cubs, 5-1, and celebrated their division win. Okay, I admit that I was wrong about the Astros taking the Central Division from St. Louis this year. But they will next year.
- The Pirates beat the Reds, 4-0. Pittsburgh is next on Houston’s schedule..
Final123456789RHEMilwaukee 000000000072Houston « 21200200x7 101W: B. Backe (9-8) L: W. Obermueller (1-4)
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SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 18, 2005 (Game 149) – MILWAUKEE @ HOUSTON
Houston 6, Milwaukee 1
The Astros scored their average – 6 runs – for Wandy today, giving him his 10th win. But he only needed the 2 runs that scored in the first inning to pull off this win, as Houston swept the Brewers in their final season matchup. Astros pitchers – with starters Oswalt, Backe, and Rodriguez – held the Brewers to only 2 runs in the 3-game series. Today Wandy did his part, with his best outing of the season: Seven plus innings, one ER, on 4 hits, 2 BBs, and 1 K.
The Astros pulled off 6 runs (the average runs scored when Wandy starts, about double what they score for the Rocket) on only 6 hits, but they were helped out by the 10 BBs that Milwaukee pitchers gave them, not to mention a HBP and a couple of stolen bases. The 6 runs were spread out over 5 of Houston’s 8 innings of batting; the Astros constantly chipped away at the Brewers, while not giving them much opportunity to chip back.
But it’s clearly the Houston pitching that has fueled the Astros’ 5-game winning streak. In the last rotation of the 5 Astros starting pitchers – Clemens, Pettitte, Oswalt, Backe, and now Rodriguez --Houston has given up a total of 5 runs. Astros hitters have knocked in a respectable 29 runs during that same period. You gotta love that!
Ensberg, Taveras, and Burke are still out of the starting lineup, recuperating from their injuries, and Everett is at home in Georgia for his baby’s surgery. Garner put in some of the other kids today – besides Wandy on the mound -- with Bruntlett starting in CF and Gipson in LF.
In other news, Biggio and Bagwell are hoping to be able to attend the funeral of ex-team owner John McMullen, who died this weekend. McMullen was famous (or infamous) for the deal that traded Nolan Ryan to the Rangers.
High points:
- The Astros got on the scoreboard early, and kept it up throughout the game. In the first inning, after Biggio led off with a strikeout, Bruntlett walked, Lamb was hit by a pitch, and then Berkman hit a double to score them both.
- The offensive star of the game was Eric Bruntlett, who got on base in all 5 of his at bats, and scored 4 of the Astros’ 6 runs. He went 3 for 3, with a homer, a double, a single, 2 walks, and 2 stolen bases.
- Berkman was 1 for 3 today, with a 2-RBI double. But he’s on base much more than his batting average shows: He has 10 walks in the past 5 games.
- Good relief pitching: Wheeler came in to relieve Wandy in the 8th, with 1 out and runners on 1st and 2nd base. After getting the second out on a fly ball, he gave up an infield hit to the next batter, scoring a run. But alert fielding by the Astros infield tagged out the Brewer runner attempting to take 3rd to end the inning. Gallo pitched one pitch to lefty Overbay in the 9th, getting him out on a fly ball. Then Qualls came in to finish off the game.
- Mike Lamb had a great home stand, raising his batting average by about 25 points. He didn’t get a hit today, but got on base twice (a HBP and a walk), scored once, and got an RBI on a sac fly in the 8th. He seems to have thrived on playing daily during Ensberg’s absence. For a guy with a low batting average, who didn’t play that much this year, he seems to have a surprising number of RBIs (46).
- With all of the player absences, Garner can thank heavens for Jose Vizcaino, who has started in 6 of the past 9 games in three different positions: 3 times at 3rd, once at 2nd, and twice at SS. In those games he was 6-for-23 with four RBIs. His value as a fielder can’t be overlooked either.Today, playing SS for Everett, he got a real workout in the early innings – 6 of the 9 outs in the first 3 innings were groundballs to short.
- Ensberg was hoping to start, but Garner held him to pinch hitting again today. He walked in the 8th, and was replaced by pinch runner Willie Tee, who went on to score.
Disappointments:
- Looking forward to seeing Bagwell at the plate again… but I’m not complaining!
Notes on the Other Good Guys:
- The Red Sox and Yankees both lost. The battle continues…
Notes on the Other Bad Guys:
- Due to a national broadcast, the Marlins-Phillies game was blacked out on mlb.tv, but I kept an eye on the pitch-by-pitch gamecast all evening. Of course, I was cheering for Florida, and just wanted to ensure that they didn’t pull a dumb stunt like last night (giving up 10 runs in the 9th) and lose again. So… The Marlins must have been pretty pissed at the Phillies (although they should only have been pissed at themselves!). At any rate, they went into the 9th inning leading 14-6. A total slugfest, hits galore, with a lot of walks and a few errors thrown in. Amazingly, there was only one 2-run homer in those 20 runs. So… top of the 9th. The Phillies got a lead-off single. But after that they fizzled and went down without a peep, not to mention 10 runs. Final: Marlins win, 14-6. And the Phillies get off the Astros’ butts in the NL Wild Card Race, at least for a day.
- The Nationals scored early, 1 run in the 2nd inning, and held onto the lead through 7 innings. But they couldn’t put any more runs on the board, and gave up a run to the Padres in the 8th to tie the game 1-1. Then they let the Padres score the winning run on a fielding error in the 9th.
- Atlanta lost again to the F-ing Mets, 4-1. I hope the Braves are planning to get their act together when they play the real NL Wild Card contenders – starting with the Phillies tomorrow.
- The Cards lost to the Cubs, 7-4. Chris Carpenter only made it through 4 innings today, giving up 4 runs and raising his ERA to 2.42. In the 2nd inning he got in a yelling match with Cubs manager Dusty Baker, but it’s not clear why.
- The Pirates beat the Reds, 9-7. The Astros play the next 4 games in Pittsburgh.
Final123456789RHEMilwaukee 000000010150Houston « 20101011x660W: W. Rodriguez (10-8) L: C. Capuano (17-10)
