Jastro thinks that you can just refresh this page every-so-oft=
en.
Astros Eighth: Coutlangus pitching. Biggio triples on a misplayed fly =
ball
to Hopper in right-center. La=
mb
walks. Berkman lines an RBI s=
ingle
to center. Lee hits a soft li=
ner
that is one-hopped by shortstop Gonzales, who tags Lamb and steps on second=
for
an unassisted DP. =
Reds Eighth: Lidge pitching. Phillips grounds out to Slick. Hatteberg is plunked. Hopper replaces Griffey and collec=
ts his
first MLB hit, a line single to right, Hatteberg takes second. Gonzalez whiffs. Dunn walks, loading the bases and
bringing in Borkowski. Borkowski promptly pokes Ross for an RBI hit batsman=
and
then whiffs Ross.
Reds Sixth: Miller pitching. After a walk and groundball double=
-play,
Reds score four on two doubles, a single and a three-run homer by Dunn.
Astros Fourth: Biggio walks, takes second on a La=
mb
single. Berkman is safe on a
fielder’s choice groundout, first to second; Lamb out at second, Bigg=
io
takes third. Lee walks on a f=
ull
count. Biggio scores on
Scott’s sacrifice fly out to left.&n=
bsp;
Spencer whiffs.
Arroyo retires first nine
‘Stros in order.
Griffey shows off the easy=
swing
with a majestic, no-doubter to right.
Gonzalez follows with a shot off the backboard to the Crawford
boxes. Dunn reaches on a Berk=
man boot
and steals second off Albers. Ross
scores Dunn on a line single to right.&nbs=
p;
Arroyo fails to execute the sacrifice again and singles on the groun=
d by
Lamb. <=
st1:place
w:st=3D"on">Hamilton picks up an RBI on a liner to =
right
to bring in Moehler from the bullpen.
Second: Arroyo helps Albers as he fails to
execute sacrifice with Reds on the corners, and Lamb lets two score on a ba=
dly
misplayed chopper by Phillips.
April 29, 2007; Series 9.3; Game 24: Brewers (14-9) vs. Astros (10-13):
Brewers win game 3-1, series 2-3.
Ninth: Cordero on to face Berky. Berky gets the four-pitch walk, se=
tting
up the 4-6-3 DP grounded on the first pitch, 3 and 2 are branded on the Horsey=
. Number 1 Scott grounds out to seco=
nd
proving once again that the happy fans are scoring at home.
Wheeler and Ausmus are the=
new
battery as Miller singles to left.
Counsell sacrifices out on the bunt to Wheeler, Miller to second. Pinch-batter Gross grounds out to =
Wheeler
on a check swing, Miller to third.
Hall is walked on six.
Graffanino whiffs on a
called strike three.
Eighth: P bats for Q and flies out to
Jenkins in the shadow of the Crawford boxes; the area Milo calls the triang=
le, 6. Lamb feeds the hungry fans with a =
dinger
to deep right, pinch-hitting for Qualls.&n=
bsp;
Turnbow comes on to pitch. I
think I saw Nuri Diab, the local High School racquetball phenom, on the
dugout. Biggio is called out =
on
strikes on a pitch chunked right down the middle; 5. Ensberg, on a full count, fouls of=
f a
couple more, and grounds out to short off the nappy-chinned Turnbow; taking=
the
4 down. <=
/span>
Fielder is walked by
Qualls. Jenkins, looking pret=
ty fit
for a veteran (remember third base a couple of years ago), whiffs. Mench watches as Q throws to Biggi=
o and
catches the fleet-footed Fielder stealing, then grounds out to Qualls.=
Seventh: I’m not much for patriotic m=
usic;
give me some sex, drugs and rock-n-roll all day long. Lee hoofs one to third, he gets th=
e 9. Scott is called out on strikes, takes the 8. Spencer lays o=
ff of
a nice bender in the dirt, and then beats out an infield single to Hardy. Slick glares down the third baseli=
ne as
if he is being given the bunt sign, shakes it off and is called out on stri=
kes,
tagging the 7.
Qualls takes the mound. Gwynn grounds out Berky to Qualls =
on a
close race. Graffanino whiffs=
. Hardy flies out to right.
Sixth: Villanueva takes the hill and Quin=
tero
pops out to second for 12. Burke pinch-ba=
ts for
Williams and lines a standing double to left. Biggio whiffs and takes 11 to the dugout with him. Ensberg walks the line to first. Berky pops out to right-center, an=
other
heavy tag, 10.
Mench flies out to Spencer
behind the Horse in left-center.
Miller and Hall follow suit, both flying out in center; Morgan’=
;s
flying at third, too.
Fifth: There is a party brewing at the po=
ol, so
I might take my radio for a walk; in my cooler, maybe. Ensberg walks on four. Berkman pops out foul to third, 15. Lee lines a ball to right, advanci=
ng
Ensberg to second. Scott, who=
has
not hit a Brewer this season, loads the bases on a DP ball that Vargas chun=
ks
wide to second. Ok Spencer,
froggies burping all around the pond – whiff after fouling off a coup=
le, 14. Slick brings his big stick to the
launch-pad. Fly out to left c=
enter,
Slick gets a heavy 13. Third
inning in a row that the pads were loaded for the ‘Stros.=
Vargas grounds out to
slick. Gwynn singles on a bun=
t to
Ensberg. Graffanino takes fir=
st on
a pitch brushing his jersey. =
Hardy
works a full count and walks to load the bases for Fielder and he whiffs on=
a
full count. The bullpen is
awake. Jenkins strands the ru=
nners
on a great play by Williams, 1-3.
Fourth: Dave Raymond (740 AM) says the Ast=
ros
need to score some runs, sounds like his first baseball game! Scott chops out to Fielder, tag 18. Pence lines a
single to left-center and takes third on Slicks hit-and-run single to
left. Quintero has the corner=
pads
burping for more and Everett
jumps to the center pad. On a=
full
count, with Williams on deck, Quintero walks. Williams whiffs on three pitches, =
17. Biggio grounds into the 6-4
fielder’s choice for the 16.
Jenkins pops out foul to
Ensberg. Mench reaches when E=
nsberg
boots the grounder – he looks stoned. Miller flies out to Luke again. Counsell flies out to Pence.<=
/o:p>
Third: Quintero singles on an error by Je=
nkins,
who dropped the liner. Willia=
ms out
on a foul bunt after taking two strikes, 21. Biggio walks.<=
span
style=3D'mso-spacerun:yes'> Ensberg takes the 20 on a check-swing,
fielder’s choice grounder, 1-4. Corner pads are burping for =
Berky,
who loads them with a walk on four straight. Lee whiffs and takes a big =
19.=
Counsell singles to right.=
Vargas grounds out to Biggio, Coun=
sell
takes second. Gwynn grounds o=
ut to
Biggio, Counsell takes second.
Graffanino gets an RBI single to right. Graffanino scores an RBI on a driv=
e off
of the left-center wall. Fiel=
der
flies out to Scott.
Second: Scott pops out to the catcher in f=
oul
territory for 24. Pence pops out=
to
center, 23. Everett flies out to left-center, 22.=
Fielder pops out to
Ensberg. Jenkins deposits one
temporarily into the Crawford boxes.
Mench grounds out to Quintero.
Miller flies out to Pence.
First: Biggio pops out to Fielder on the =
first
pitch by Vargas, earning tag 27. Ensberg, with =
his
left ankle wrapped with the whole towel rack, whiffs on a ball, 26. Berkman becomes the first baserunn=
er of
the game on a full-count walk. Lee
grounds out to second on the first pitch to end the first with the <=
/span>25 tag.
Gwynn grounds out to slick=
at
short. Graffanino flies out t=
o Luke
in right. Hardy grounds out o=
n a
tough play at third.
April 28, 2007; Series 9.2; Game 23: Brewers (14-8) vs. Astros (9-13): =
Astros
Win, 10-1
Ninth: Miller pitching, Ensberg stays at =
third
and Loretta goes to first. Ha=
rt
flies out to Pence. Counsell
whiffs. Pinch-batter Graffani=
no is
walked on four and takes second on the indifference. Weeks grounds a soft single to sho=
rt
that dies in the grass, Graffanino takes third. Weeks walks to second. Hardy ends the game with a pop to =
right!
Eighth: Ausmus grounds out to second and t=
akes 6. Ensberg pinch-bats for Lidge and w=
hiffs
on a full count pitch, taking the 5. Biggio is call=
ed out
on strikes for the 4, most likely the Astros final out.
Lane spells Scott and Lamb=
takes
over first as Lidge pitches to Fielder.&nb=
sp;
Fielder whiffs on the catcher unassisted. Hall whiffs. Estrada doubles to right. Jenkins whiffs. Lidge whiffs the side! =
Seventh: Scott takes 9 on a fly out to right. Pence grounds out to Counsell on a=
close
play and is tagged with 8. Everett, on a =
full
count after fouling another one to the right field corner, takes 7 on a grounder to Counsell=
.
Hart grounds out to Slick.=
Counsell walks, bringing Skipper t=
o take
the ball and pass it to Lidge.
Gwynn Jr. Bats for the pitcher-spot and grounds out to Berkman. Weeks singles off of the rosin bag,
Counsell takes third. Hardy f=
lies
out to Pence.
Sixth: Lee pops to right on the first pit=
ch
from Bush (due to bat third in the seventh) and takes 12. Scott is walks on five pitches. Pence takes a major-league bender =
for a
strike, swings badly on another bender, lines a foul double in the right fi=
eld
corner, then singles on a bloop single for his first MLB hit, sending Scott=
to
third and Everett to the plate.
Pence scores from first standing up on Everett’s 2-RBI double to the lef=
tfield
corner. Ausmus faces the new
pitcher, Spurling with Everett on second, and fouls one two the leftfield
corner. Ausmus whiffs, taking=
11 to the dugout. Sampson, who got his first MLB hit=
last
inning, singles on an error by Spurling (ruled error, tough play). Biggio triples home Everett and Sa=
mpson
on a liner to right. Loretta =
bloops
an RBI single, scoring Biggio.
Berkman bloops a hit to center, Loretta takes second. Lee grounds out to short, taking <=
/span>10.=
Fielder sends Pence to deep
right-center, unfamiliar territory for Pence, and Pence is right there for =
the
catch against the evening sky. Hall
is the eighth strikeout victim for Sampson, first one called. Estrada bloops a single to shallow=
right
behind third that slick can’t get to. Jenkins flies out to Scott.
Fifth: Pence is plunked on the left elbow=
area
and hustles to first. Everett=
shows
bunt, fouls off the 1-1 and Pence topples Weeks to avoid the 5-4-3 DP as Everett is safe at=
first;
tagged with 15. Ausmus singles=
to
right and Everett
takes second. Samson singles a
liner to right-center and Hall tags Everett with
14 on a great throw to Estra=
da as Everett slides und=
er
him. Biggio, with first and s=
econd
busy, walks on a full count pitch to load the pads with Bud Wei and Ser for
Loretta. Loretta sends Ausmus=
home
on a swinging bunt to Bush, who threw wildly to Estrada. Berkman clears the pond of froggie=
s,
scoring Sampson and Biggio on a line drive to the right field corner, and
Loretta scores on the rundown of Berkman, tagged with 3 RBIs and 13.
Bush grounds out to Lorett=
a on
an easy play. Weeks swings and
misses for the third time tonight.
Hardy ends the inning with a sparkling diving catch on the liner to
slick.
Fourth: Berkman lines a hit to the right-c=
enter
alley on a 3-2 pitch. Lee (I =
just
saw David Carr in the stands, thought he left town) continues filling up
Bush’s pitch-count bucket, to 64.&nb=
sp;
Lee grounds sharply into the 5-4-3 DP, and takes 18 and 17 to his locker. Scott takes the 16 on a warning track fly to
right.
Fielder and Hall both sing=
le
over Sampson to center. Estra=
da
grounds into a 4-6 fielder’s choice, Fielder goes to third. Jenkins lines an RBI single to rig=
ht,
Estrada takes second. Hart and
Counsell strikeout swinging, numbers 5 and six for Sampson.
Third: Everett
is due (0-last seven) and hustles a double on a liner to right-center. Ausmus is up looking RBI. Bush has one wicked curve, but Aus=
mus
laid off the 1-2 offering, fouls off a couple more pitches, works the count
full and drops a pop fly into shallow center. Corner pads heavy for Sampson with=
21
outs remaining. Sampson takes=
21 to the dugout after a gre=
at
sacrifice bunt to Bush, but only Ausmus moves up? Everett
scores on Biggio’s fly out to left and Biggio is tagged with an RBI a=
nd 20. Loretta grounds out to short, taki=
ng 19 to the dugout.=
Bush whiffs, number three =
for
Sampson. Weeks whiffs. Hardy pops out to Loretta at third=
.
Second: Lee lines a single to right, and o=
n a
0-1 pitch to Scott is tagged with 24 on a caught stealing.
Scott pops out to shallow left, number 23. Pence fouls off several 3-2 pitche=
s and
Bush earns the called strikeout, tagging Pence with 22.=
Sampson puts out Jenkins
unassisted on a grounder. Hart
grounds out to slick. Counsell
whiffs.
First: Biggio looks good at the plate ton=
ight, and
then is called out on a pitch that was down the middle a little on the low
side; taking the <=
span
style=3D'font-family:"Book Antiqua";color:red'>27 tag to the bench.
Loretta takes 26 to the bench on a swinging strikeout. Berkman is tagged with 25 on a called strike three p=
itch
right down the middle of the plate.
Weeks whiffs to start the
game. Hardy lines softly over
Everett, setting up the DP. F=
ielder
pops out to Everett=
behind second. Hall works a f=
ull
count and draws the walk. Est=
rada,
with two outs and two on, pops out to slick.
April 27, 2007; Series9.1; Game 22: Brewers (13-8) vs. Astros (9-12): Game =
Over;
Brewers win, 4-1
Borkowski walks pinch-batt=
er
Cory Hart on a full count. I =
think
I heard Clemens has a book coming out this summer, and Milo
is the author -- probably Dierker.
Weeks singles on a line drive to Lee, who makes a play on Hart, 7-5-=
4. Hardy whiffs. Fielder lines a hit off of a
slowly-leaping Biggio’s glove.
Hall is called out on a high strike.
Eighth: Berkman leads off against Turnbow =
and
whiffs, 2-3. Lee follows with=
a
whiff, tagged by Estrada. Ens=
berg
fouls off a few 97 mph pitches and works the count full after falling back
0-2. Ensberg’s drive to
center is tracked down by Hall; the Skipper has 3 outs to show his ability =
to
manage with Lane, Everett and Ausmus due up.
Lidge comes to the mound a=
s the
‘Stros have just six outs remaining.=
Hall whiffs on a nasty 89 mph slider. Now that Lidge is confident, Skipp=
er
pulls him for Randolph
to face Estrada. Homer. Jenkins whiffs. Gross faces the lefty and patientl=
y and
walks on a full count. Counse=
ll
whiffs.
Seventh: Ausmus singles to center off of
Spurling, confusing the Skipper.
Shouse comes in to face Lamb, who flies out to Jenkins in deep(?)
leftfield. Biggio faces the B=
rewers
third pitcher this inning, Wise, and pops to Gross in shallow right. Burky, looking for homer number on=
e this
season, grounds into a fielder’s choice, third to second.
Jenkins flies a hit to sha=
llow
left. Gross flies a double of=
f the
bottom of the left field wall, looked playable. I’m not Milo’s
age, so he must really think this is dejavu all over again! Counsell whiffs for the 5th
time this year, removing Capuano for the pinch-batter, Gwynn, Jr. GJ wal=
ks to
juice the bags with Brewers. =
Weeks
gets Jenkins home on a slow groundout to Everett. Hardy picks up the remaining Brewer
baserunners with a double to the left field corner. Fielder grounds out to a tired-loo=
king
Biggio.
Sixth: Ensberg grounds out to short on a =
good
play by the converted outfielder (no wonder Loretta can’t get a full-=
time
gig). Lane looks the part at =
the
plate and pops out to short. =
Everett grounds ou=
t to
Capuano to end the 6th.
Oswalt retires the side on=
two
fly balls and a groundout to Biggio.
Fifth: Biggio is retired on a fly ball to
center. Burky walks on all fi=
ve,
bringing up Berky. Burke adva=
nces
to second on Capuano’s wild pitch.&n=
bsp;
Damn it is good to hear Milo. Berky grounds out to Weeks on a
bobble. Lee grounds out to Ha=
rdy,
leaving Burky hanging on third.
Oswalt retires Capuano swi=
nging
at a good slider. Slick throw=
s out
Weeks on a tough grounder up the middle made to look easy. Hardy grounds out to Biggio, who m=
akes
the easy play look hard.
Sixteenth: Of co=
urse,
Jastro recorded the Criminal Minds.
McLouth grounds out Berky to Moehler. Duffy singles to left on a
groundball. Duffy takes third=
on a
bad throw on his steal of second, but is hung-up and tagged by Everett
off of third on a single by Wi=
lson. Bautista sends Wilson to third on a single to center.<=
span
style=3D'mso-spacerun:yes'> Bay is walked intentionally to loa=
d the
bases. LaRoche singles thru s=
hort
to win it for the Buccos.
Berky, batting lefty against Wasdin flies out to right. Lee grounds out to Wilson at short. Ensberg walks on fours, bringing L=
ane to
the plate, who pops out to second.
Fifteenth: Pauli=
no
grounds out to Everett. Wasdin hits for Wasdin and finds <=
st1:place
w:st=3D"on">Everett on yet ano=
ther
great play made easily. Casti=
llo
grounds out to Moehler on a 1-2 pitch.
Scott grounds out to second.&=
nbsp;
Loretta lines a single to right, bringing up the Q. Bay fields Quintero’s hard h=
it
liner golfed to left. Moehler,
doubling for Moehler, who is thrown out at first after striking out.
Fourteenth: Moeh=
ler
pitches to Bautista, who showed bunt on the first pitch. Poor Moehler, go get them. Scott catches Bautista’s fly
out. The usually dangerous Ba=
y is
retired on a grounder to a bare-handed Ensberg. LaRoche flies out to
Lane…….15th anybody?
Lee lines one past Biggio’s bedtime (with the morning ga=
me
tomorrow) and doubles to right. The
Whors holds his back right calf, but stays on base as Ensberg comes to
bat. Ensberg grounds out to t=
hird,
unproductively, bringing up Lane.
Lane flies out to a well-positioned right fielder, stranding Lee for=
Everett. Everett
(hitting .429 with froggies poised) fouls a pitch hard for a 3-2 count, and
then pops out to LaRoche at first.
Thirteenth: Chac=
on
grounds out unassisted by Borkowski.
Castillo singles to center.
McLouth makes Skipper bring in Miller; leaving White and starters? McLouth (.000 vs. lefties) out on a
third strike, foul-tip. Duffy=
to
the plate and shows bunt! Duf=
fy is
walked and Skipper brings in Moehler (I’m bad). Wilson
grounds into Everett’s
choice at third.
One pitch retires Quintero on a grounder to short. Borkowski (I’m bad) grounds =
out to
third. Berky whiffs.
Twelfth:
Borkowski induces Bay to fly out to Luke. LaRoche grounds out on a broken-ba=
t shot
to Everett. Paulino is the fourteenth Bucco re=
tired
in order by the ‘Stros bullpen with his groundout to Ensberg.
Lane flies deep to left, again. Everett
fouls off a few of Chacon’s offerings and earns a walk. Scott brings his lumber to the pla=
te and
reaches on a groundout fielder’s choice at second. Quintero pops to Castillo to end t=
he
inning.
Eleventh: Borkow=
ski
comes in to face the top of the Bucco order. Duffy pops to Everett in medium left. Wilson
flies to Luke out in right.
Bautista pops to Loretta.
Loretta rolls out to short.&n=
bsp;
Quintero singles to right, so a sacrifice will help. Sampson performs a 3-4 sacrifice b=
unt on
the first pitch, then the Buccos promptly walks Berky to bring up the
Whors. Lee walks on four to b=
ring up
Ensberg with the pads slimed.
Ensberg scorches a foul, scopes a couple, fouls one straight back, c=
alls
time, fouls off another and leaves the froggies loaded with a fly to left.<=
span
style=3D'mso-spacerun:yes'>
Tenth: Pinch-bat=
ter
Don Kelly works a full-count but is called out on strikes after Wheeler com=
es
back from a 3-0 count. Castil=
lo
pops out to Loretta at second.
McLouth flies out to Lane in center.
Lee leads off with a swinging strikeout. Ensberg pops to shallow center. Lane looks to launch one with two =
away
and hits a line drive to center.
Everett singles on a liner to left, Lane to second. Pitching change for the Buccos; to=
o bad
the ‘Stros ain’t got a pinchy-baserunner ‘bout now! Scott whiffs.
Ninth: Berkman r=
obs
Bay on a foul pop. LaRoche fl=
ies
out to Scott. Paulino is robb=
ed by
a DIVING catch by Lee.
Astros need to add to the 9 runs they have scored in five game=
s so
far against the Bucs. Lane le=
ads
off against the Bucs closer, Torres, with an infield hit over Torres and
fielded badly by Wilson. Everett
safe on a throwing error after forcing Lane out at second and replaces him =
at
second. Scott bats for Ausmus=
and
hits an RBI single, scoring Ev=
erett. Loretta bats for Qualls and is saf=
e on a
grounder stabbed in left by Wilson, bringing up Biggio. Biggio drives in Scott to tie the =
game
with a grounder up the middle, bringing Grabow to pitch to Palmeiro with one
out and Astros on first and second.
Palmeiro works a full count after Bautista muffs a foul, then flies =
out
to right and Berkman pops to right.
Eighth: Duffy singles to right and is prom=
ptly
caught attempting to steal on a pitch-out and good throw by Ausmus. Wilson
grounds out to third. Bautista
grounds out to second.
Biggio faces=
Matt
Capps and is called out swinging.
Burke is lifted for lefty-hitting Palmeiro, who walks on five
pitches. Berkman hits left-ha=
nded
and represents the tying run.
Berkman singles to right.
Lee faces Capps with runners at first and second. Lee gets a second chance on a call=
ed
ball and flies out to center.
Ensberg grounds into a force out at second, leaving the ‘Stros
with three outs to play.
Seventh: Paulino pops out to second. Eldred strikes out and is thrown o=
ut at
first by Ausmus. Castillo lin=
es a
single to center, taking Duke out of the game for pinch-batter McLouth, the=
guy
that homered off Lidge at Juicy Fruit; and he lines out to Everett.
Lane flies o=
ut on
a ball pounded to the left-center warning track. Everett
grounds out to short on a close play at first. Ausmus beats out a roller to third=
, so
there will go Albers for pinch-batter Lamb, who lines out to left; six outs=
to
score more. Criminal Minds co=
mes on
CBS in 13 minutes.
Sixth: Bautista flies out to center. Bay grounds out to Everett up the middle. LaRoche grounds out Berkman to Alb=
ers.
Berkman line=
s out
to Duke. Lee flies out right.=
Ensberg strikes out swinging, nine=
outs
left.
Fifth: Eldred leads off with an 0 for 17 =
homer
to left, Pirates up 3-1. Cast=
illo
grounds out to Albers. Duke g=
rounds
out to third. Duffy singles o=
n a
ground ball off the mound to center.
Duffy takes second on a wild pitch.=
Wilson
flies out to Burke.
Albers leads=
off
with a groundout to Berkman. =
Biggio
gets the ‘Stros first triple of the year when Eldred let the ball go
under his glove in right.
(That’s Chris Hoover in the stands) Biggio is caught off third on a
fielder’s choice grounder to third and Burke takes over first base ---
Yeah. Berkman follows with a =
two
–out caught stealing by Burke, so Berkman will now leadoff the sixth =
with
a homer.
Fourth: Wilson
leads off with an infield single as Albers was too slow to first. Bautista doubles to right and Wilson stops at
third. Bay takes a couple of
strikes and a ball, then grounds out to Biggio, Wilson scores and Bautista takes over
second. LaRoche faces a drawn=
in
infield and takes two strikes before pop to shallow center and Burke makes =
the
catch while Bautista tags, scores.
Paulino ends the inning grounding out to Albers.
Lane works a=
full
count and grounds out to third. Everett pops out to
LaRoche. Ausmus grounds out to
second on the first pitch.
Third Inning=
: Castillo grounds out to Biggio, Du=
ke
whiffs and Duffy grounds out to Biggio.
Albers singl=
es and
Biggio grounds to third, reaching on the Bautista error (ruled hit) on a fu=
ll
count; Albers goes to second. Burky
takes the count to 2-2 and flies out to center, advancing out-clicker to 19=
left. Berkman flies to center and Mr. RBI
takes a strike before lining a single to right to load the lily-pads with
froggies for Ensberg. Ensberg=
takes
a few pitches and grounds out, 5-4.
Second
Inning: Lane reaches on Wilson’s
first error throwing to first and is doubled off on =
Everett’s grounder. Ausmus grounds to third. Bay grounds out to third and LaRoc=
he
walks. Paulino strikes out sw=
inging
and Eldred grounds out to third.
Seven up, six down for Albers.
First Inning=
: Biggio needs to wait on his =
pitch
and drill a leadoff homer, except that Burke’s following out would be
wasted; so a leadoff double and see if Burky can execute a sacrifice. Biggio pops out to third on the fi=
rst
pitch. On a full count, Burke
walks. Berkman, batting .206 =
and
hitting from the right side with Duke on the mound, hits a line single to
right, Burke takes third and scores on Lee’s sacrifice fly. Ensberg lines out sharply to third,
‘Stros lead 1-0.
Duffy pops to Everett, Wilson flies out to right and Bautista grounds out on
another Everett
beauty.
Our
2007 Houston
Astros
I sprung forward the clock in the truck weeks ago and finally
Opening Day for the Astros is here!
Like changing the 9-volt battery in my smoke detectors each Fall you
could set your clock by Opening Day for the Astros baseball season. Finally the ‘Stros can begin
curing that icky-empty feeling left from watching the Cardinals win the Wor=
ld
Series last fall. As I have g=
rown
accustomed to, the ‘Stros were at the top of the National League in
pitching and fielding in the 2006 season, finishing strong while sporting t=
he
worst batting average in the league; only to fall a game short to the event=
ual
baseball champions. I donR=
17;t
know how you feel, but this maid of honor finish is a habit we need to repl=
ace
– starting today.
Many questions about the offense were addressed with the signi=
ng
of Carlos Lee in the off season.
Watching him swing the bat spring, courtesy of AM radio and a supply=
of
batteries, Jastro is impressed; this ballplayer doesn’t just make con=
tact
with the ball when he swings the bat, he crushes the ball without regard for
the off-balance pitcher less than 60 feet away. He hits for average as a plus. The Astros open the 2007 Quest to =
be
Best championship season with the best third and fourth batter combination =
in
baseball.
Offensively, our lineup still struggles at the bottom of the
order, where opposing teams have increasingly attacked for three years
now. Those woes appear to be
spreading to the top of the batting order and we need to seriously consider
shaking things up in the starting lineup; a task skipper Phil Garner must h=
ave
lost more nights of sleep than Jastro these last few seasons. Our starting pitching, team speed =
and
fielding have all suffered losses from last season. Our bullpen and bench are better t=
han
the last few seasons with the additions of Rick White and Mark Loretta. We have all been exposed to the
prospects of Hunter Pence and the many other fine ballplayers developing in=
our
minor leagues, so it is no secret that this team has depth.
Jastro will share the thoughts and ideas that he can locate or
remember about your 2007 Astros as follows.
The staff is anchored by Roy Oswalt, and we need to reward his
sacrifices over the seasons with the ring, this year – th=
e Cy
Young Award will follow. Jast=
ro has
never worried about our pitching because the talent has always been there, =
in
development, just waiting for the spotlight; evidenced by the packaging of
Hirsh and Buckholz for trade last winter to bring Jason Jennings aboard. Our 2007 Astros, with the good wor=
k of
the unheralded scientists busting their test-tubes in the player development
lab, are capable of cloning the next Roy O. It is much more exciting to watch
statistics being made than monitoring a veteran verses historical statistic=
s,
and the dugout air is much more invigorating without the lingering scent of=
Ben
Gay.
The bullpen is solid and another area where our guys are the b=
est
in baseball. Brad Lidge is fi=
ne,
just look back to the time when Billy Wagner was the closer, and now as he
continues excelling at his trade with the Mets. Wagner blew five saves last season=
, but
that isn’t why the Mets failed and the Mets are committed to Wagner as
they intend to heal their own disappointment from last season. Lidge, perhaps over-simply stated,=
is
forced to chunk more strikes and the heavy hitters are sitting on their pit=
ch
– a discipline Jastro would like to see more of by Biggio, Everett and
Ausmus this season, as discussed later.
Astros pitching will continue to be strong, and its success wi=
ll
be determined in large part by the team fielding behind it and the
offense. The pitching goals a=
re to
induce the opposing hitter to hit the pitchers pitches, and our defense mus=
t be
ready to field the results. T=
he
play of the other eight ballplayers will make or break our young pitching
talent.
Catching=
&nb=
sp; =
&nb=
sp;
Brad Ausmus is solid behind the plate and threw out four of ten
stolen base attempts this spring.
Humberto Quintero was very impressive, also throwing out four of ten
potential advancers this spring.
Considering the possibility of working with many young Astro pitchers
again this season, we are in good hands behind the plate. The well educated Ausmus will like=
ly
manage in the big leagues when he hangs up the kneepads in the near
future. We must reward him wi=
th the
ring this season.
The first and third base corners will be solid with Lance Berk=
man and
a healthy Morgan Ensberg this season.
Berkman will be the full time first bagger this season and fans will=
be
treated to his defensive style for many years to come. Ensberg has the opportunity to anc=
hor
the hot corner, busting out of the platoonism
collar that has plagued this position since Ken Caminiti left to become=
the
league MVP as a member of the Padres.
Adam Everett starts his fifth full season at shortstop and cou=
ld
be working on the hat trick for a third gold glove, though the ease in whic=
h he
plays the position and marginal hitting statistics seem to shelter his
accomplishments from the bright lights.&nb=
sp;
Hitting and gold glove don’t belong in the same sentence. Jastro sees All-Star, gold glove a=
nd the
ring in Everett’s
near future.
Jastro remembers thinking that our coaches were nuts attemptin=
g to
convert our young All-Star catcher into an everyday second basemen to ̶=
0;allow
him to remain in the game longer without the wear and tear on his body
resulting from a career at the catcher position” back in 1992. This season Craig Biggio will prov=
ide at
least average defense at second base this season as he prepares to pass his=
glove
to the curator of the Baseball Hall of Fame in Coope=
rstown. Biggio is yet another ballplayer o=
n our
team that we must reward with the ring this season.
Jastro can’t remember ever being concerned about the
fielding of our Astros. The s=
tarting
outfield will be slowest in an Astros history founded on speed and defense,=
and
zero championships. Those rec=
urring
nightmare where Jastro wakes up glimpsing down into the stadium full of fans
and outfielders running around in circles like chickens with their little h=
eads
chopped off were not caused by drinking Bud from cans with expired born-on
dates because I checked the empties this morning when tossing the pyramid of
empties from the kitchen counter to the trashcan – well, most of them=
were
two-pointers.
Chris Burke has his work cut out for him as he gets intimate w=
ith
the huge center field of our ballpark, and Tal’s Hill. Burke appears to be very versatile=
and a
gamer, though; and he will not only succeed at the challenge, he will become
King of the hill in the months to come!&nb=
sp;
Baseballs that are playable in that area of the ballpark are not the
homers they would be in many ballparks – playable is good, unless you=
are
Rich Saxon (Jastro says he can still see that spot up the flagpole, but thi=
nks
it is painted onto the pole).
Luke Scott was very impressive in right field this spring and I
believe he has earned the opportunity to make it his home. Scott plays baseball with respect =
and
he, like Burke, has mine with full support. That platooning crap is indecisive=
and
expects the failure it accepts by platooning – sort of self-fulfillin=
g.
Carlos Lee will play defense in left field at a level above wh=
at
fans will be willing to tolerate in trade for the coveted lumber he will br=
ing
to the plate; besides, playable balls bouncing off the scoreboard fence may
often be found by Everett
from deep shortstop. It can&#=
8217;t
be understated; playable hits are challenges in the game we all love.<=
/o:p>
If our team can limit the errors to fewer than 100 this season=
and
the outfield produces at the plate, we will all be dancing in the streets o=
f Houston in October=
while
the players, coaches and support personnel get fitted for the ring.
The surprising addition of Mark Loretta, an All-Star infielder
last season, gives Garner the most versatile and functional bench in
baseball. While skippers of t=
he
other teams in the National League Central may be envious of our bench, Gar=
ner
may be troubled by a concern for getting the ballplayers playing time. Garner has a history with Loretta =
from
association in other team dugouts where Garner skippered that may be
misinterpreted if Loretta draws more playing time.
Jastro would not want ballplayers content with being reserves =
on
his team. Sometimes last seas=
on it
seemed that either Everett or Ausmus would be lifted in game situations in
favor of a better hitting pinch-hitter.&nb=
sp;
The best hitters fail two-thirds of the time, which should mean the =
move
will often produce the desired result, but the player we count on every day=
had
been hitless in three appearances that game and should be due for a hit. To come from behind and continue a
ballgame, only to lose in extra innings because of poor fielding or an empty
bench, is the dog chasing his tail.
During the middle third of last season there were so many
revolving players I had trouble keeping up with the lineup, and the losing
continued; likely the result of a lack of identity and loss of confidence
spawned by a perceived indecisiveness.&nbs=
p;
Garner always played the game to win, was very successful as a player
and is a player’s manager so our team is in capable hands; that’=
;s
why he gets the big bucks.
Problems, like playable hits, provide the opportunities that make ch=
ampions
from a group of ballplayers.
Our guys hit a league worst batting average of .255 and still
remained in competition for the playoffs until the last game of the
season. Everyone following ou=
r team
spent the winter knowing of a half-dozen games during which we snatched def=
eat
from the jaws of victory. Hor=
rible
hitting statistics remain forever online to remind Everett, Ausmus, Ensberg,
Lane, Biggio, Burke and others teammates of the poor performances with the
lumber last season. I know we=
can
hit better, and you do, too. =
On to
the present season…
The batting order provides the biggest challenge for a skipper=
of
a good ballclub. It should co=
me as
no surprise that JastroWorld has a long line of baseball addicts waiting to=
sit
in its baseball armchair, a chair rumored to have been transported on a sil=
ver
platform pulled by a team of Clydesdale’s and given to Jastro by the
Baseball Gods themselves. Jas=
tro is
still in that armchair, promising the solution to the Everett-Ausmus-Pitcher
weakness at the bottom of our lineup that opposing skippers have loved to
exploit season after season.
Jastro says that the whole theory surrounding a good batting i=
s as
bogus as Botox, based on negativity, and yet another example supporting his
claim about self-fulfilling prophecies.&nb=
sp;
He also admits to pondering over the best Astros batting order each
season more often than he buys new Astros caps, even counting his annual tr=
ip
to Academy each February, when he always leaves the store cussing because w=
hen
he asks the nice attendant where to find the fitted Astros caps and she alw=
ays
says that the truck hasn’t arrived yet, but if he leaves his phone nu=
mber
she will call when they come in; except this February, when the nice
pimply-faced assistant manager quickly told him simply that it wasn’t=
baseball
season yet.
Jastro claims to have lineups for the current roster of your 2=
007
Astros in four flavors: Vanil=
la for
the everyday home game, Vanilla sprinkled with nuts for the nine stupid
interleague games using the even stupider DH, Vanilla loaded with nuts for =
the
road games that Biggio rests, and Neapolitan, reserved for Tony LaRussaR=
17;s
Cardinals. Jastro will analyz=
e the
batting order and statistics in a special coming to JastroWorld soon. The everyday lineup is, batting in=
the
1-9 spots, respectively: Burk=
e, Everett (will firs=
t of all
end the 7-8-9 curse), Berkman, Lee, Scott, Ensberg, Biggio, Ausmus and pitc=
her.
The NLC will be forever famous as the baseball division that s=
ent its
winner to the playoffs with a regular season record that barely finished the
season with more wins than losses, and won the World Series. The NLC is still considered the we=
akest
in baseball and the expectations for this season generally predict the winn=
er
will need only about 85 wins. The
experts say this division can forget about the wildcard berth. Jastro says this season the NL Cen=
tral
will, for the fourth consecutive year, represent the NL in the Fall Classic;
and the NL will win the series for the second straight year – not too
shabby for such a bad division!
The same NL Central team will also take home the Cy Young Awar=
d,
MVP, Rookie of the Year and Manager of the Year hardware; but Albert Pujols,
Chris Carpenter and Tony LaRussa will not be the recipients. Our ‘Stros should have ended=
the
2006 season with 85 wins, even with half of the lineup swinging baseball ba=
ts
that might as well have been
toothpicks. A little fine tun=
ing of
the lineup by the skipper and a winter to think about what could have been,
coupled with the spring showing by the kids of baseball’s future will
improve the averages this year from the career lows of last season; and, th=
ere
is no place to go but up.
In the 2007 season our Astros will show us some consistency,
finishing each month with a winning record. Jastro predicts monthly records fr=
om
April through October as follows:
16-9, 15-14, 15-12, 14-11, 16-13 and 14-13 to finish the regular sea=
son
as NLC champions with 90 wins and 72 losses. Everett
will end the season hitting .266, driving in 60 runs and hitting 15 home
runs. Ausmus and Biggio will =
hit
for averages over .250 and both should hit more Crawford Box dingers, combi=
ning
for 30. Ensberg will hit at a=
.285
clip and belt over 30 homers if he plays the full season. Berkman and Lee will produce
consistently as usual. The su=
rprise
will be Scott giving Berkman a run for the team triple crown, which he may =
end
up winning. Scott will prove =
that
he is a legitimate threat at the plate and should hit in the 3-4-5 spots of=
the
batting order. Jastro has fol=
lowed
every statistic and spring at-bat for Burke (as described by Milo
or Dave on the radio) and all I know is that he loves to play baseball. His style of playing hard may lead=
to
nagging injuries that could prove more troublesome than finding a place for=
him
in the lineup.
The Pirates may be the surprise from the division this season =
and
Jastro picks them to finish third behind the Reds this season. The Cardinals will have bullpen pr=
oblems
as they shuffle their relievers into the starting rotation to replace Jason
Marquis, Jeff Suppan and Jeff Weaver.
Edmonds
and Rolen will struggle to protect Pujols in the middle of the lineup during
the last half of the season. =
The
Brewers will improve on their 75-87 record from 2006. The Cubs still have pitching
problems. The addition of Alf=
onso
Soriano will not be enough to make new Cubs manager Lou Piniella a winner in
his first year back from a year in the broadcast booth. Comments in the press attributed to
Michael Barrett and Derek Lee, who is again coming back from injury, indica=
te
some of the problems Piniella may face this year as the Cubs seek to climb =
from
the basement of the NLC and a 65 win season. Six good ball clubs will battle ha=
lf of
their seasons against each other, and each club knows that winning the divi=
sion
is their ticket to center stage at the 2007 World Series. Too bad the hotels will be booked =
solid
in Houston this
October.
The Mets have the best all around lineup in baseball and will =
have
no trouble defending their division championship. The wildcard should come from this
division and Jastro takes the Phillies to beat out the Braves to join the p=
ost
season. The Marlins and Natio=
nals
will compete with the Diamondbacks and Rockies
of the NL West for the NL worst records this season.
The Dodgers and Padres will
battle for the division with the Padres winning the division. The Dodgers will rely on Kent,
Garciaparra and Luis Gonzalez in the middle of their lineup, which may prove
too much for the aging trio.
The Yankees and Red Sox wi=
ll
both join the post season from the AL East, with the Tigers representing th=
e AL
Central and the Angels winning the AL West. All but the Tigers will be disappo=
inted,
and the Tigers will get their dose of disappointment when they come to Houston.