ClutchFans - [Astros] Are They For Real?

EddieWasSnubbed

04-23-2006, 09:39 PM

Are the Astros, the team with the best record in baseball, for real this season?

I haven't got to see any of the games, because I live out of town, and I'm just wanting to get some opinions. From the looks of it, they've got the offense they didn't have last year, the pitching (for the most part), and some depth. Is this the year they put it all together?

Is it too early to tell?

Do you think we need Clemens to be serious?

Or do you simply think we've just played some awful teams and had some lucky pitching from our young guns?

MadMax

04-23-2006, 09:42 PM

Of course they're for real. They're the defending NL Champs. They played killer baseball last season when they got Berkman back healthy. I'm not sure why all of this is so surprising to so many of you.

rocketlaunch

04-23-2006, 09:42 PM

I believe we need clemens in the long run. He would just solidify this team.

arkoe

04-23-2006, 09:46 PM

The Astros have been "for real" since about 1997 or so. In terms of record, they're are in the top few teams over the last ten to twelve years. It's a lot harder to consistently (or at all) win championships in baseball than it is in basketball.

Uprising

04-23-2006, 09:51 PM

The offense has been amazing.

The 2006 Houston Astros stats for the entire league...

3rd in the league in HR's at 28
Tied for 5th in the MLB in AVG at .286
Tied for 5th in slugging percentage at .481
Tied for 4th in OBP at .365
10th in walks
10th in total bases at 291
7th in RBI's at 99

7th in Runs scored

MOrgan is no longer #1 in batting average. he is now 4th, but he is 2nd in HR"s behind Pooholes.

You should have made this a public poll (so that we can see who voted what).

The Real Shady

04-23-2006, 09:59 PM

I still want to see if our pitching can hold up. I personally think Wandy and Taylor have been pitching over their heads. We need one of these guys to really come on this year so we can have a solid 3 pitcher rotation in the playoffs.

DaDakota

04-23-2006, 10:02 PM

The difference is in their confidence, you can just SEE that they know they belong.

And that is a wonderful thing.

Ensberg, Berkman, etc.......

And for crying out loud....Burke should be starting over Wilson.

DD

texanskan

04-23-2006, 10:08 PM

Well other than two games with the Giants we have not really played anyone yet.

With that being said the Astros should be for real.

Best home team in baseball, best pitcher (roy o), top five hitter (big puma) and a top flight closer in Lidge.

Add a whole lot of other very good parts!

bigtexxx

04-23-2006, 10:08 PM

And for crying out loud....Burke should be starting over Wilson.

Yeah I agree. As much as I like watching Wilson strike out and hit .212, I say we give Burke more of a shot.

KingCheetah

04-23-2006, 10:14 PM

What the hell!? Um, we went to the series last season.

We are so for real. :cool:

Uprising

04-23-2006, 10:17 PM

And for crying out loud....Burke should be starting over Wilson.

DD

Garner has announced that WIlson will be back in the starting line up for monday's game.

MadMax

04-23-2006, 10:19 PM

What the hell!? Um, we went to the series last season.

We are so for real. :cool:

i know. seriously. this team has been very competitive for about a decade now. two years ago they were one game away from the world series. last season they were the NL Champs. yeah...i'd say they're probably "for real." does that mean they should be crowned champs in april? of course not. but they're very much for real. as they were last year. and the year before that.

arkoe

04-23-2006, 10:20 PM

Best home team in baseball, best pitcher (roy o), top five hitter (big puma) and a top flight closer in Lidge.

And the amazing thing is Ensberg's been outperforming Berkman.

DaDakota

04-23-2006, 10:20 PM

Garner has announced that WIlson will be back in the starting line up for monday's game.

Yeah, I saw that, but if he continues to struggle, my guess is Burke will be in there more often.

Remember when Lamb and Ensberg rotated? I see that about to start in LF with Burke....(at least in my crystal ball)

DD

arkoe

04-23-2006, 10:47 PM

Yeah, I saw that, but if he continues to struggle, my guess is Burke will be in there more often.

Wilson's numbers so far...

<table cellpadding="1" border="0">
<tr class="ysptblthbody1" align="center">
<td > Year </td>
<td >Team</td>

<td class="yspdetailttl">G</td>
<td class="yspdetailttl">AB</td>

<td class="yspdetailttl">R</td>
<td class="yspdetailttl">H</td>
<td class="yspdetailttl">2B</td>
<td class="yspdetailttl">3B</td>
<td class="yspdetailttl">HR</td>
<td class="yspdetailttl">RBI</td>
<td class="yspdetailttl">BB</td>
<td class="yspdetailttl">K</td>
<td class="yspdetailttl">SB</td>

<td class="yspdetailttl">CS</td>
<td class="yspdetailttl">AVG</td>
<td class="yspdetailttl">OBP</td>
<td class="yspdetailttl">SLG</td>
<td class="yspdetailttl">OPS</td>

<td> </td>
</tr>

<tr class="ysprow1" align="center">
<td align="left" class="yspscores" height="16"> 2006</td>
<td align="left" class="yspscores" height="16">HOU</td>
<td class="yspscores" height="16">16</td>
<td class="yspscores" height="16">66</td>
<td class="yspscores" height="16">10</td>

<td class="yspscores" height="16">14</td>
<td class="yspscores" height="16">1</td>
<td class="yspscores" height="16">0</td>
<td class="yspscores" height="16">4</td>
<td class="yspscores" height="16">8</td>
<td class="yspscores" height="16">2</td>
<td class="yspscores" height="16">22</td>
<td class="yspscores" height="16">0</td>
<td class="yspscores" height="16">2</td>

<td class="yspscores" height="16">.212</td>
<td class="yspscores" height="16">.257</td>
<td class="yspscores" height="16">.409</td>
<td class="yspscores" height="16">.666</td>
<td class="yspscores" height="16"> </td></tr></table>

Pretty craptastic. I particularly like the BB/K ratio.

Vengeance

04-23-2006, 10:50 PM

Is it just me, or is one of the best things to ever happen to Houston sports the firing of Jimy Williams and the hiring of Phil Garner?

IMO, Jimy was one of Drayton's biggest mistakes.

arkoe

04-23-2006, 10:53 PM

Is it just me, or is one of the best things to ever happen to Houston sports the firing of Jimy Williams and the hiring of Phil Garner?

IMO, Jimy was one of Drayton's biggest mistakes.

No, it's not just you. Garner's personality seems to fit the team much better. Granted, at the time, I liked Williams hiring. The assistant coaches also seem to be doing a great job.

xiki

04-23-2006, 10:58 PM

Is it just me, or is one of the best things to ever happen to Houston sports the firing of Jimy Williams and the hiring of Phil Garner?

IMO, Jimy was one of Drayton's biggest mistakes.

Yes he was. But, Jimy could manage a game far better than Phil. Phil can manage a team successfully which Jimy was incapable of.

Give me Scraps instead of crap.

HaYnBoi

04-23-2006, 10:59 PM

I agree. Garner's personality seems to fit the team much better. Granted, at the time, I liked Williams hiring. The assistant coaches also seem to be doing a great job.

I would concur. Historically, if we start at Terry Collins, he was so demanding and abbrassive that he got tuned out. So Drayton then brought in Dieker who was very much the anti-Collins, he was so loose and laid back that it got us into the playoffs many times but sometimes he was so loose that he lost accountability and that hurt us. Jimy Williams was just the worst of both worlds, period. Aristotle had the golden mean and Garner almost seems to be that. He laid back and cool like Dierker but at the same time he has Terry in him in that he'll get into you if he has too. Never too low, never too high.

geeimsobored

04-23-2006, 11:03 PM

Yes he was. But, Jimy could manage a game far better than Phil. Phil can manage a team successfully which Jimy was incapable of.

Give me Scraps instead of crap.

I disagree. Jimy's management of pitchers was horrendous. He was running pitchers out there non-stop and many of his moves in-game left me clueless. He was a terrible clubhouse manager and his decisions weren't very good either.

Garner's great at managing the clubhouse. His in-game moves have been iffy at times but you can't argue with results. He takes over the team and turns everything around and we get to the NLCS and then the World Series.

solid

04-23-2006, 11:04 PM

arkoe

04-23-2006, 11:05 PM

They've gone 148-104 since Garner's been here for a winning percentage of .5873.

Williams was 215-197, which comes out to .5218.

That's pretty substantial. Not to mention what Garner did with a bunch of unknowns last year. Williams' teams were pretty stacked.

SWTsig

04-24-2006, 12:35 AM

RocketFire

04-24-2006, 01:06 AM

ima_drummer2k

04-24-2006, 01:33 AM

They have a swagger about them, like they are supposed to win. I like it. It is the mind frame of a winner, and that is what they are doing. I have been real impressed with their fielding/defense. Wilson has been one of the few diappointments. They are fun to watch.
Burke said in the post game interview that they go into every single game expecting to win.

When is the last time a Houston team got off to a fast start? I honestly can't remember. We struggled out of the gate the last 2 years. When is the last time the Rockets started a season this hot? Obviously the Texans haven't.

This is (finally) a fun time to be a Houston sports fan.

texanskan

04-24-2006, 02:09 AM

Burke said in the post game interview that they go into every single game expecting to win.

When is the last time a Houston team got off to a fast start? I honestly can't remember. We struggled out of the gate the last 2 years. When is the last time the Rockets started a season this hot? Obviously the Texans haven't.

This is (finally) a fun time to be a Houston sports fan.

Well the Texans were 4-3 in 2004 that was just as good or better than the 2004 Astros and better than the 2005 Astros or even the 51 win Rockets who started 6-11 and of course this years Rockets.

Well as far as Burke goes we have been on fire ever since that 15-30 record last year (best record in baseball) so I am glad to hear those comments about expecting to win every game.

BTW the Rockets started hot in both the 2002-2003 and 2003-2004 seasons.

London'sBurning

04-24-2006, 02:44 AM

It's a long season. With or without Clemens it's still too early to tell. That said, I'm pleased with the results so far.

loadedAballer

04-24-2006, 03:19 AM

Astros are the best team right now, but im still not convince that we will win with Bucholez,Wandy, and Nieve. Backe is very injury prone. Remember Wandy, Nieve, and Bucholez have pitched against not so great teams. The real competition to them will come against Cards, Cubies, Mets, and Braves. If they can continue to pitch great games against the top teams then Fo Sure we will win the championship.
Or just bring back Roger and we will win the championship. :D

I agree with you on this...let's wait and see how they fare against the Cards and the Braves.

Clemens coming back next month would just set it off assuming we get last year's edition with some decent run support this year.

It's nice that we have something to cheer about.

arkoe

04-24-2006, 05:58 AM

Since we're talking about the teams mentality, here's an article where Berkman talks about it.

ASTROS NOTES: Team adjusts to life without Clemens (http://www.shreveporttimes.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?Date=20060423&Category=SPORTS&ArtNo=604230331&Template=printart)
April 23, 2006
By Larry Wade
shreveportsports@gannett.com

Lance Berkman was recently asked what he thought former teammate Roger Clemens would do this season.

"Who's that?" replied Berkman, Astros first baseman and resident comedian. "Oh, yeah. I remember that guy. I don't know (what Clemens is going to do)."

But Berkman and his teammates know what they have to do -- move on without the seven-time Cy Young award winner. And so far, they're doing quite well.

Entering Saturday's game, the Astros were perched atop the National League Central Division with an 11-5 record. After 16 games last season, they were 8-8. They've got a team batting average of .280, third-best in the National League. And their pitching staff has the NL's fifth-best ERA (4.41).

"Guys are confident," said Berkman, who's batting .344 with six home runs and 18 RBIs. "We won the National League last year. The last couple of years we've had some success in the postseason, and so the nucleus of those two teams is still largely intact and you've got guys that now instead of thinking we might win know we should win. And it's a completely different mind-set and it enables us to play with a lot more confidence."

"When you get in those close games in the regular season, it's not quite like the close games in the playoff environment. And once you've competed at that level, it's a lot easier to get the job done in a regular-season game."

The Astros have won six one-run games this season.

But no matter success the Astros enjoy this season, speculation about the 43-year-old Clemens' future will continue until he formally announces his intentions.

What would Berkman do if he were in Clemens' shoes?

"There's really nothing left in the game for him to accomplish," said Berkman. "And yes, he still can compete and can still pitch. But for me personally, I want to go out on my own terms and I want to go off on a high note. And I think he's done that by pitching well and helping us get to the World Series last year. So if I was him, I would probably stay retired."

The week ahead

The Astros will host the Los Angeles Dodgers Monday-Wednesday (7:05 each night) before a scheduled off day on Thursday. They'll play the Reds in Cincinnati at 6:10 p.m. Friday, and 12:15 p.m. Saturday and Sunday.

One-two punch

Roy Oswalt and Wandy Rodriguez are among the league leaders in victories and earned-run average. Both pitchers are 3-0. Rodriguez' ERA is 2.52 (No. 7 in the NL) and Oswalt's is 2.76 (No. 8).

©The Times
April 23, 2006

MadMax

04-24-2006, 08:16 AM

because this is tha astros we're talking about.

right...the same astros who've been competitive for a decade and are the current reigning NL Champs.

xiki

04-24-2006, 08:21 AM

At least the Cards have not run off and hid out of the gate this year.

MadMax

04-24-2006, 08:25 AM

At least the Cards have not run off and hid out of the gate this year.

would be hard for them to do given that their best competition is already 8 games over.

Raven Lunatic

04-24-2006, 08:29 AM

I hate that the Cubs are having such terrible injury problems this season...I just know that the myopic Cubs fans will use that as reason why they don't win the division. It must suck to root for the Cubs.

studogg

04-24-2006, 08:45 AM

"There's really nothing left in the game for him to accomplish," said Berkman. "And yes, he still can compete and can still pitch. But for me personally, I want to go out on my own terms and I want to go off on a high note. And I think he's done that by pitching well and helping us get to the World Series last year. So if I was him, I would probably stay retired."

©The Times
April 23, 2006

Is it just me, or does it sound like Berkman is a bit irked with the Clemens situation and maybe even Roger and his ego?

macalu

04-24-2006, 09:15 AM

Is it just me, or does it sound like Berkman is a bit irked with the Clemens situation and maybe even Roger and his ego?

nice observation. i got the same feeling. it seems Berkmans is saying, if you're gonna retire or play Roger, just come right out and say it. It doesn't matter to me either way, i'm just tired of your shenanigans.

arkoe

04-24-2006, 09:22 AM

It doesn't matter to me either way, i'm just tired of your shenanigans.

But Berkman likes shenanigans.

codell

04-24-2006, 09:22 AM

they're real and they're spectacular!

DaDakota

04-24-2006, 09:25 AM

Is it just me, or does it sound like Berkman is a bit irked with the Clemens situation and maybe even Roger and his ego?

Or he knows how competitive Roger is, and is goading him into coming back.

DD

jtotheb

04-24-2006, 10:05 AM

Personally, I'd almost rather Roger not come back at this point...maybe then Drayton will be more inclined to make more substantial trade deadline deals if they are necessary.

IMHO, while we are all deservedly excited about the fast start, I still think that it's a little bit early to gauge how the rest of the season will go.

Having said that...there is something noticeably different about this team. It's as though the swagger is already in place.

No Worries

04-24-2006, 10:09 AM

Is it too early to tell?

Yes. Anyone care to remember the Astros record last year after15 games or so.

Groogrux

04-24-2006, 10:26 AM

Yes. Anyone care to remember the Astros record last year after15 games or so.

As posted in another thread, 8-10

ima_drummer2k

04-24-2006, 10:29 AM

Is it too early to tell?

Yes. Anyone care to remember the Astros record last year after15 games or so.
But there's no indication that we're somehow playing over our heads (ala the Reds or Tigers). We're the defending NL champs and we're playing like it. This really shouldn't be a surprise. We're just picking up where we left off last year.

Yes, they are for real. I know as Houston fans we've been pre-conditioned to high expectations and low results over the last year because of the Rockets and Texans, but we should stop trying to over analyze everything and just enjoy it.

The Houston Astros are very good. Let's just leave it at that. :)

rrj_gamz

04-24-2006, 10:32 AM

Well hell yeah...Go Stros!!!

solid

04-24-2006, 11:23 AM

they're real and they're spectacular!

Perfect! :D I'm a Seinfeld nut too. Terry Hatcher looked better back then with a bit more weight, don't you think? She looked even better on the TV Superman series.

qwerty

04-24-2006, 12:30 PM

Oswalt will be the Cy Young winner this year.
Pettitte has been less than spectacular and is due for some sort of decline from last year.
The back end of our rotation features Wandy Rodriguez, Fernando Nieve, and Taylor Buchholz (who looks good, but hasn't even been in the majors for a month yet, so I reserve judgment on whether we found the next Darryl Kile).
Our bullpen has been unequivocally bad. It will improve, but it is by no means dominant.
Lidge has been producing, but he hasn't exactly been inspiring confidence.
Our offense is not elite, and it is streaky, but we have the firepower to compete. Still, its hard to say whether our offense should improve or not over the course of the year, because Ensberg's and Ausmus/Everett's production is mitigated by Preston's Lane's struggles.
Our defense has been shaky, but we should be fine in that area.
We have a solid bench with players who know how to fill myriad roles.
We are undefeated in one-run games - a stat that has some element of luck and should tend to even out over the course of a long season.
We have played relatively weak competition (nothing wrong with that. It means we are beating the teams we should beat).

So, yes we are a good team, but I choose to remain cautiously optimistic and I'm not ready to declare us elite yet. The pieces are there, but relying on three kids in the back of the rotation (hell, even if Backe comes back, question marks are still there) tells me that we really need Clemens before I go about regarding this team as for real.

FranchiseBlade

04-24-2006, 12:32 PM

I think the Astros are for real. It seems like after getting to the World Series last year, and losing they have learned what it takes.

They playing like they are on a mission. It kind of reminds me of the great start the '94 Rockets had.

There will undoubtedly be slumps here and there along the way, but I honestly believe this team learned what it takes to play at the next level. They are developing a winning culture so that everyone who becomes a part of the club, knows what is expected from them.

Baqui99

04-24-2006, 12:34 PM

I'll go ahead and say we're for real, but we haven't faced a team with a winning record yet. The true test will come when we play the likes of the Cards, Cubs, Mets, and Reds.

Buck Turgidson

04-24-2006, 12:36 PM

I'll go ahead and say we're for real, but we haven't faced a team with a winning record yet.
San Fran.

bobrek

04-24-2006, 12:54 PM

...Our defense has been shaky, but we should be fine in that area..

What makes you say this? Aside from a few errant throws from Ensberg the defense has been extremely good. They lead the major leagues in double plays. Whatever struggles Wilson has had at the plate, he has been very good in left field. Lane continues to play solid defense. Berkman has played remarkably well at first. Biggio has range problems but he makes the plays he gets to.

Nice Rollin

04-24-2006, 12:59 PM

do you think the offense will stay red hot??? they still need another bat...if clemens came back, that would be nice too

Nice Rollin

04-24-2006, 01:00 PM

San Fran.
san fran wont come out of the mets series with a winning record though

EddieWasSnubbed

04-24-2006, 01:07 PM

There's a chat with Buster Olney over at ESPN right now. He seems to be a decent mind, so I submitted this exact question to him. We'll see if he answers it....

Nick

04-24-2006, 01:11 PM

There's a chat with Buster Olney over at ESPN right now. He seems to be a decent mind, so I submitted this exact question to him. We'll see if he answers it....

He's a Yankee fan in disguise of a national media credit.

John Kruk = Phillies fan
Peter Gammons = Red Sox fan
Steve Phillips = fan of only big-money/big-market teams
Joe Morgan = Barry Bonds fan

The only guys who I can stand at ESPN are the true baseball fans... who love everything and anything about the game, and thus they end up liking every story that comes out (not just the Red Sox/Yankees, Cubs, or Barry Bonds drivel). The short list of that is: Rob Neyer, Jayson Stark, and Harold Reynolds.

EddieWasSnubbed

04-24-2006, 01:11 PM

There's a chat with Buster Olney over at ESPN right now. He seems to be a decent mind, so I submitted this exact question to him. We'll see if he answers it....
This is not me, by the way:

Frank Houston,TX: How come you idiot writers never talk about the 'Stros having the best record in Baseball? without Clemens? All I hear is Cubs,Sox,Mets,Yankees...and these clubs all have worse records, with better talent.....you writers are so biased...its disgusting!!!!!

Buster Olney: (2:10 PM ET ) Frank: Because we're really stupid.

Wondering if it's anyone from here...? :D

Vengeance

04-24-2006, 01:12 PM

I'll go ahead and say we're for real, but we haven't faced a team with a winning record yet. The true test will come when we play the likes of the Cards, Cubs, Mets, and Reds.

Milwaukee had a winning record when we met them -- IMO, they are much improved this season, and will be one of the tougher opponents in the NL Central.

No Worries

04-24-2006, 01:13 PM

do you think the offense will stay red hot???
The Astros are now on a clip to win 117 games. Some would believe that this is their mission and destiny. I say low 90s w/o Roger and high 90s with.

EddieWasSnubbed

04-24-2006, 01:31 PM

Finally got my question through....it didn't really get answered though. Chalk another vote up for the "Not sure yet" category, via Buster Olney.

Sean (Jamestown, NY): Buster, what do you think about the Astros and their great start this year? As an Astros fan, I'm always telling myself they're for real. What do you think? Can they win it all this year, or do they need Roger Clemens to do so?

Buster Olney: (2:29 PM ET ) Sean: Talked to Tim Purpura the other day and he mentioned how much of a difference he feels it has made to have A) Berkman in the lineup from the start of the year, and B) Have Ensberg off to a better start; last year, Ensberg had a really rough April. Roger Clemens was at the park the other night, and you know he must notice the difference in the offense. Still think they'll need another hitter to step up sometime this year, maybe the way Lane did at times last year. Maybe Everett will keep hitting.

MadMax

04-24-2006, 01:49 PM

do you think the offense will stay red hot??? they still need another bat...if clemens came back, that would be nice too

where are they gonna put another bat? this isn't the AL.

Nick

04-24-2006, 01:52 PM

where are they gonna put another bat? this isn't the AL.

Exactly. Not one offense in the NL comes close to a middle-of the road team in the AL... that's how big the discrepancy is.

Thus, you might as well stock up on arms... it will be the easiest way to win the NL, and will likely give you a better chance in the World Series, given that you'll need tremendous pitching to keep those lineups down.

MadMax

04-24-2006, 02:07 PM

Exactly. Not one offense in the NL comes close to a middle-of the road team in the AL... that's how big the discrepancy is.

Thus, you might as well stock up on arms... it will be the easiest way to win the NL, and will likely give you a better chance in the World Series, given that you'll need tremendous pitching to keep those lineups down.

you just added Preston Wilson...you're not gonna put him on the bench to bring in another bat. Lane is in RF and he's not going anywhere because he's young and needs the AB's. Burke is a nice bat off the bench. CF is taken. Every other position on the field is taken....and the defense is really good. It's easy to say you want to add another bat...but more difficult when you consider where you'd put that bat in the lineup.

Nick

04-24-2006, 02:08 PM

you just added Preston Wilson...you're not gonna put him on the bench to bring in another bat. Lane is in RF and he's not going anywhere because he's young and needs the AB's. Burke is a nice bat off the bench. CF is taken. Every other position on the field is taken....and the defense is really good. It's easy to say you want to add another bat...but more difficult when you consider where you'd put that bat in the lineup.

I guess you responded to the wrong post... I agreed with you and said they needed more pitching.

gwayneco

04-24-2006, 02:49 PM

Their pitching is still an issue for me. I'll stick to my 83-79 prediction, assuming no intervention by the Carlyle Group.

MadMax

04-24-2006, 02:51 PM

I guess you responded to the wrong post... I agreed with you and said they needed more pitching.

no, i was agreeing with what you were saying...sorta supplementing it! :)

ima_drummer2k

04-24-2006, 03:12 PM

The reason why all but one of the teams we've played have losing records is because we beat them.

Nick

04-24-2006, 03:34 PM

The reason why all but one of the teams we've played have losing records is because we beat them.

haha... just like "our bats look terrible against good pitching" (that's why its called good pitching).

The only thing about the schedule so far is not who we've played... but that we've played so many games at home (where several players are clearly more comfortable hitting at... namely Craig Biggio).

This was a terrible road team last year... but if they can just improve on that a little, they'll most definitely win 90 games.

deepellumrocket

04-24-2006, 03:41 PM

[Astros] Are They For Real?

Oh, they're for real... and they're spectacular!

Supermac34

04-24-2006, 03:49 PM

I look for the hitting to cool off a little, but the bullpen pitching to improve, so we should have a good year.

Getting off to a good start is so important. It lets you weather the slumps in the middle of the year so much better. It also creates fan buzz that you get to ride into the middle of the summer.

When you start 13-5, you could go through a stretch of .500 ball for a month and still be in decent position to put on a run.

When you start horribly like last year, you have to play to near perfection for the rest of the year just to get a chance.

Starting hot also allows for looser play and more confidence even when things are not so great for stretches. It just takes a lot of the pressure off.

bobrek

04-24-2006, 04:20 PM

...This was a terrible road team last year... but if they can just improve on that a little, they'll most definitely win 90 games.

After starting 2-20 on the road, they finished up 34-25 which is a very good road record.

Uprising

04-24-2006, 06:11 PM

Anyone see what PTI had to say about the Astros? They had a segment titled ASTROS/SOX.

I missed it...>REACAP PLEASE<

Nick

04-24-2006, 06:22 PM

After starting 2-20 on the road, they finished up 34-25 which is a very good road record.

Actually, I think that's reversed... they were still 11 under .500 on the road (36-45)... which is still pretty good considering the 2-21 start, but not where you want to be if you can help it.

Playing at or above .500 on the road could be huge, given the fact that they play so well at home.

codell

04-24-2006, 06:33 PM

Oh, they're for real... and they're spectacular!

quit stealing my material

:mad:

qwerty

04-24-2006, 06:56 PM

What makes you say this? Aside from a few errant throws from Ensberg the defense has been extremely good. They lead the major leagues in double plays. Whatever struggles Wilson has had at the plate, he has been very good in left field. Lane continues to play solid defense. Berkman has played remarkably well at first. Biggio has range problems but he makes the plays he gets to.

I agree with you. I guess my words actually came out more negatively toward our defense than I actually believe. Otherwise, I agree with everything you just said.