[Official] Astros @ Cardinals

[Castor27]

Remember, no PBP in these threads and keep the chatter on topic (if it is about something other than this series, talk about it in another thread).

4-25 Shawn Chacon, RHP (0-0, 2.77) vs. Braden Looper, RHP (3-1, 5.49) 7:15 on FSN

4-26 Roy Oswalt, RHP (2-3, 6.00) vs. Adam Wainwright, RHP (2-1, 2.73) 12:15 on FSN

4-27 Brandon Backe, RHP (1-2, 4.15) vs. Kyle Lohse, RHP (2-0, 2.54) 1:15 on My20

[MadMax]

I freaking hate the Cardinals.

Someone needs to throw at Albert this series. Mr. Backe??

[Buck Turgidson]

Someone needs to throw at Albert this series. Mr. Backe??
I'll be disappointed if the Stros give him anything to hit in a close game. Apparently, I'm not alone:

a scout who had been following the Cardinals observed one day: "It's beyond me why anybody ever pitches to that first baseman."

http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/columns/story?columnist=stark_jayson&page=rumblings

[H-Town Info]

WWL

Thank goodness the saturday game is in the afternoon since i want to watch nfl draft the rest of the day.

[JunkyardDwg]

WWL

Thank goodness the saturday game is in the afternoon since i want to watch nfl draft the rest of the day.


And then there's the whole business of Rockets/Jazz Game 4 that night.

[MadMax]

I'll be disappointed if the Stros give him anything to hit in a close game. Apparently, I'm not alone:

a scout who had been following the Cardinals observed one day: "It's beyond me why anybody ever pitches to that first baseman."

http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/columns/story?columnist=stark_jayson&page=rumblings

fortunately he never makes us pay for pitching to him.

oh, wait....

[SWTsig]

walk the bastard every-damn-time.

end of story... case closed.

[H-townhero]

I'll be disappointed if the Stros give him anything to hit in a close game. Apparently, I'm not alone:

a scout who had been following the Cardinals observed one day: "It's beyond me why anybody ever pitches to that first baseman."

http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/columns/story?columnist=stark_jayson&page=rumblings

A lot of scouts say the same thing about Berkman though. :D

[WoodlandsBoy]

This is the biggest series we have played since the last series of 06 v Atlanta, where we gaged up the Central Division to the Cards.

I think if we get a sweep, this could be a huge year. We have lost alot of 1 & 2 run games so far when we had only good starting pitching. Now that the offense seems to have shown up, let us see if they can beat the Cards when Looper/Wainright are pitiching. Since those guys have owned us in the recent past.

Can't wait to see these games.

BTW. Why isn't Pence hitting 6 and Towles batting 7. I just hate blondy hitting 6th,

[ruddy]

LLL

Go Stros!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[stobbartjohn]

Rain delay?

[ruddy]

Rain delay?
how bad is it right now?

[H-townhero]

According to MLB.com they're in the top of the 1st, Matsui out

[CometsWin]

Game is on! Good thing since I just got home. heheh

[VesceySux]

Chacon in trouble. Yikes.

[Nick]

Terrible defense... but that's why you don't make the mistake of walking everybody.

[BMoney]

Yikes...that one hurt.

[Cannonball]

I hope Chacon's struggles through the first 2 are just a result of the rain delay. 60 pitches already.

[ruddy]

It look to me that they are back to they old self with the bat, getting killed by any other average pitcher. :confused:

[Nick]

Hell of an AB by Berkman.

AND CARLOS LEE!!!

[Cannonball]

Tejada is the man. RBI triple w/1 out and Lance gets him home on the sac fly after falling down 0-2.

Oh, El Caballo is the man too. 3-2 Good Guys!

[DOMINATOR]

HELL YEAH TEJADA, BERKMAN, EL CABALLO!!!!!!!!!!!!!

3-2 ALL IN THE 9TH

[LongTimeFan]

MVP LEE!!

[Kerfeld]

Tejada, Berkman, and Lee !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

That is what talking about.

[Baseballa]

It is awesome to see some clutch hitting from the Astros. Something I am not used to at all. Come on Valverde!

[H-townhero]

HAHAHA LEE

[CHAD444]

PAPA GRANDE GET IT DONE!!!

[cmpatel]

lets go!!! first la wawa...then caballo now lets finish it papa grande!!!

[Hmm]

Valverde...

[CHAD444]

the drama sucks!

[CHAD444]

thank you!!!!!!!!!!!!! :D

[Cannonball]

Hell Yeah! Way to go 'Stros!

[H-townhero]

mwhaha OWNT

[cmpatel]

i love it!!!!

[CaseyH]

6

NEXT!

[DOMINATOR]

awesome win :D :D

[T Rex]

GREAT WIN (Valverde gonna give us a heartattack this year)

We've got Big Mo on our side now

[Kerfeld]

6

NEXT!

only 16 more to go.

[TMac640]

What a badass win. A respectable outing from Chacon and another save for Valverde to keep him on track . I nearly fell out of my seat when we had clutch hits like those. :D

[ruddy]

YESSS!!!! I went to bed last night hopeless with the way they were batting and I wake up today and see they just won!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! woooooooophooooojooo :D :D :D :D Way to go Astros!!!!!!!!!! Finally we are .500 :D Let's get the streak alive for 16 more games!! :D :D :D

LLLLLLLLLLLLLLLL :D :D

[Nick]

Darrin Erstad has been a very solid addition to this club. Here's a guy who can play a competent CF, bats from the left side, is a veteran, and has more of a stern/fiery personality that this team sometimes needs compared to the easy-going, joking Tejada-Lance-Lee combo.

Last night's rally doesn't get going without him. Bourn should be back today, but I won't have many worries if any of our other OF'ers go down with a solid guy like Erstad as a replacement.

[MadMax]

Darrin Erstad has been a very solid addition to this club. Here's a guy who can play a competent CF, bats from the left side, is a veteran, and has more of a stern/fiery personality that this team sometimes needs compared to the easy-going, joking Tejada-Lance-Lee combo.

Last night's rally doesn't get going without him. Bourn should be back today, but I won't have many worries if any of our other OF'ers go down with a solid guy like Erstad as a replacement.

The "Ed Wade sucks" crowd looks foolish. The bench looks really good so far. The additions in the lineup look good, and the offense is SUPER improved. I can't credit him with the starting pitching...but there was no starting pitching to be had on the market. I love the Wright and Brocail additions to the bullpen. Jury is still out on Valverde, but I hope he's getting some confidence back now.

If Blum just could field a position (or Wigginton would come back) we'd be golden! :)

The Astros are going to compete with the Cubs for the NL Central. Yeah, I said it.

And they're not going to lose 100 games. :D

[No Worries]

The Astros are going to compete with the Cubs for the NL Central. Yeah, I said it.
You are such the bandwagoner!!!

If the Astro pitching can keep this up, they even win 100 ngames ;) The delusions of April are upon us :D

[MadMax]

You are such the bandwagoner!!!


yeah, i'm just getting on board the Astros train now. everyone knows how i really don't follow the 'stros much at all unless they're winning. i didn't even like them until 2004. i don't mourn the close of every season and celebrate the start of every spring or anything like that. my favorite possession isn't a st. patty's day astros hat.


:rolleyes: ;) :D

dude, i DEFINE astros fan. i may not be much else at all...but i'm definitely an astros fan. put it on my tombstone. (on the day after the astros won their first pennant, i put an NL Champs pennant on my grandparents' -- who LOVED LOVED the 'stros -- tombstone.)

[Uprising]

Great win. Love the fact that it was finally us blowing up a closer and stealing a game.

Go Stros!

[weslinder]

(on the day after the astros won their first pennant, i put an NL Champs pennant on my grandparents' -- who LOVED LOVED the 'stros -- tombstone.)

Really, weird. I put an Astros' pennant on my grandfather's grave as well. He was a big Braves fan. (There's no way I was going to let a little thing like death get in the way of some good-natured ribbing.)


Seriously, though, the man was the greatest baseball fan ever. According to my father, back when every weekend they'd have an NL game on one network and an AL game on another, my grandfather would have his two televisions in his bedroom set to each game, and he'd have the Astros on the radio. He'd be fast asleep, and the uninitiated would think he wasn't paying attention. But if you asked the score, he'd wake up and tell you everything you wanted to know about what had happened all three games.

[JunkyardDwg]

The "Ed Wade sucks" crowd looks foolish. The bench looks really good so far. The additions in the lineup look good, and the offense is SUPER improved. I can't credit him with the starting pitching...but there was no starting pitching to be had on the market. I love the Wright and Brocail additions to the bullpen. Jury is still out on Valverde, but I hope he's getting some confidence back now.

The guy inherited a pretty bad situation, but made the best of what he could. Anybody expecting him to find a top tier pitcher to fill a slot in the rotation (this season) must have been delusional. Before the season started, I thought he made solid moves and definite upgrades to the bench and to the lineup and some much needed tweaks to the bullpen.

It's nice to see the offense finally coming around (after a few weeks of nothingness). You go back to last year, would this team have ever won a game like last night's? And even if the starting pitching doesn't hold up, if the offense continues to do what it is supposed to do, the team we'll remain completive and could be in great position to either trade for a pitcher, or better yet, just wait till the offseason and sign a fa (since we wouldn't have to give up anybody in an already thin organization).

[bobrek]

So far the Chacon signing looks great. He leads the league in quality starts (5 for 5). This is the signing that Keith Law referred to as "ugly" when given a choice of "good", "bad", or "ugly".

Thus far, outstanding value for 2 million.

As solid as there bench is, they have been atrocious at pinch hitting. 2 for 30 for a .067 average and a .200 OBP.

[BrooksBall]

More credit to Wade: Not going overboard to sign the likes of Jennings or Colon.

You can't make something out of nothing.

[cardpire]

More credit to Wade: Not going overboard to sign the likes of Jennings or Colon.

You can't make something out of nothing.


well, he essentially did with chacon. the guy was pretty much left for dead and he pulled him off of the scrap heap at the end of spring.

all those crappy pitchers to choose from to fill out the rotation, and he seemingly picked the right one. pretty impressive.

[shawn786]

The "BIG 3" all came through w/ RBI's yesterday.

Just the way it should be.

Lets keep the streak ALIVE!

Go 'Stros!!!

[cardpire]

KazMat Suit!

[WhoMikeJames]

I'm loving this Offense.

[BrooksBall]

Is another pitcher gonna give Oswalt trouble at the plate today?

[SWTsig]

oswalt's bringing it right now.

[Nick]

benches clear!

Obviously Wainwright was trying to stick up for his caddy.... but Ausmus is no idiot, and he's pissed about almost getting drilled in the hip intentionally in a situation where "retaliation" really wasn't neccessary.

Hopefully Wainwright will lose a little composure.

[H-Town Info]

DAMN U PUJOLS!!!

[ruddy]

DAMN U PUJOLS!!!

Well that's part of the game. :mad:

[Roxfan73]

Pence with the INT!

[SWTsig]

Pence with the INT!

pence botched that one... let bourn take it (who had position and was clearly calling pence off) and you potentially get pujols at the plate and at the least prevent duncan from moving to 2nd.

[ruddy]

pence botched that one... let bourn take it (who had position and was clearly calling pence off) and you potentially get pujols at the plate and at the least prevent duncan from moving to 2nd.

INT = Interference? :confused:


Thank ya

[BrooksBall]

INT = Interference? :confused:


Thank ya

Interception

but interference makes equal sense.

[BrooksBall]

They've got Pujols.

Eh, who cares? We've got Puma.

[Landlord Landry]

They've got Pujols.

Eh, who cares? We've got Puma.


yeah......pujols is just about the only other guy playing better than berkman right now in the NL. Pujols.....the guy I love to hate.

[Nick]

Berkman looking MVP-ish again...

[ruddy]

BOOOOOOMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM Way to go Lance!

[No Worries]

Berkman is such a tool.

[BrooksBall]

Berkman is such a tool.

Please explain.

[Nick]

Please explain.

Probably referring to the consensous backlash against Lance after he made some comments in the off-season about how he didn't like Valverde's antics on the mound, and then how he didn't like how the club handled the Woody Williams situation.

Included in the driving force behind the argument was the fact that Lance was coming off his worse season... even though he still had the best OPS on the team last year.

Obviously, nobody will care what Lance says if he's playing like this... it will just be chalked up to "Lance being Lance" once again.

[BrooksBall]

Way to handle Ankiel, Byrdak.

4 pitch walk... sigh.

[Nick]

WTF was that? Pujols with a baseball version of a flop.

Floppping sucks (and he GIDP's because of it).

[BrooksBall]

I think it's officially time to start worrying about Bourn's batting.

He looks pretty bad.

[ruddy]

I think it's officially time to start worrying about Bourn's batting.

He looks pretty bad.


Yeah, it doesn't matter that he has the skillsto steal 60-70 bases if he doesn't get on base.

[ruddy]

Wainwright is still on the mound, I like it. Let's see if Berkman make him pay again. :D

[Nick]

I really don't like Borkowski in this situation... Coop's first major questionable managerial decision this year.

[BrooksBall]

Crap, Borkowski.

[Uprising]

Great....4 pitch walk to start off the 9th?! :(

[Nick]

I think it's officially time to start worrying about Bourn's batting.

He looks pretty bad.

Uhh... he just came back from injury, and prior to the break he was putting together some decent AB's.

I'd give him more than 1 game to get himself back on track... especially when the one game is against a team's ace.

[Nick]

This really should be Villareal's spot... but I guess he's in Coop's doghouse.

[BrooksBall]

Uhh... he just came back from injury, and prior to the break he was putting together some decent AB's.

I'd give him more than 1 game to get himself back on track... especially when the one game is against a team's ace.

I did consider it was his first game back. By no means am I saying I've given up on him. I just don't think he is seeing the ball well. Hopefully, he'll come around. We need him to play well.

[Uprising]

That was fun. :o :mad:

[Surfguy]

Thanks for the laugh there, Carlos Lee.

[BrooksBall]

Don't forget to thank Bumkowski.

[Nick]

I'm glad we brought in Borkowski to walk a guy and give up a single on an 0-2 pitch.

Awesomeness.

[ruddy]

crap just crap.

[stobbartjohn]

Carlos is a defensive ace

[CaseyH]

Don't forget to thank Bumkowski.
dude don't down the Borker. what do you expect from him?

[DaDakota]

Roy continues to struggle.

DD

[T Rex]

Stros have to win the close games on a consistent basis if they want to move up to the next level. 3-6 in one-run games is not going to get it done.

Bork was put in the game because the Cards had the bottom of the lineup up and Coop wanted someone who would throw strikes......oops!

[Nick]

Roy continues to struggle.

DD

It was one bad inning, and still a quality start. His last two starts were also quality.

Yes, he's not putting up the sub 3 ERA yet... but he's not "struggling" either.

[Smacktle]

The Astros are fine. Hovering around .500 is good this early right?! We have a team that is fun to watch and in the end have a good chance to make the playoffs. If you don't like this team and what they have done so far, then your just a cynical bastard like me.

[Smacktle]

Would ya rather be the Rockets?

[BrooksBall]

Wasn't Lohse one of the guys we were looking at in the offseason?

[BrooksBall]

If Backe hits Pujols, all hell will break loose.

[BrooksBall]

Berkman is a baserunning machine. Who would've thunk?

Meanwhile, Lohse is looking good. The Astros should've nabbed him.

[ruddy]

Berkman is a baserunning machine. Who would've thunk?

Meanwhile, Lohse is looking good. The Astros should've nabbed him.

Chacon is doing very well too. ;)

[BrooksBall]

Chacon is doing very well too. ;)

I agree, but it looks like Lohse has better stuff.

[bobrek]

I agree, but it looks like Lohse has better stuff.

Lohse is getting paid 4+ million, over twice what Chacon is getting.

[BrooksBall]

After 80 at-bats, Bourn is right at the Mendoza line. He really isn't seeing the ball well. At least, he's been taking some pitches but he is struggling to make good contact.

[BrooksBall]

Lohse is getting paid 4+ million, over twice what Chacon is getting.

And?

If Drayton didn't want to rebuild he should've dropped them dollars. Lohse looks really good and you can't win in this league without pitching.

[bobrek]

And?

If Drayton didn't want to rebuild he should've dropped them dollars. Lohse looks really good and you can't win in this league without pitching.

As of right now, Chacon and Lohse have similar pitching stats with respect to ERA and WHIP. The Astros seemed to have chosen wisely by getting the guy that cost 2+ million a year less.

[arkoe]

Backe has a lot of movement today.

[DaDakota]

Finally an Astros pitcher who gets it and will not let Pujols beat him.

Well done Backe.

DD

[BrooksBall]

As of right now, Chacon and Lohse have similar pitching stats with respect to ERA and WHIP. The Astros seemed to have chosen wisely by getting the guy that cost 2+ million a year less.

Way too early to be comparing pitching stats. I just look at Lohse's stuff and it looks much better than Chacon's.

All I'm saying is that I think Lohse looks good and I wish we got him.

[bobrek]

Way too early to be comparing pitching stats. I just look at Lohse's stuff and it looks much better than Chacon's.

All I'm saying is that I think Lohse looks good and I wish we got him.

All I'm saying is you can't get everyone and as of today, it looks like the Astros' chose well.

You say it's way too early to compare stats, yet you are basing your opinion on a few innings of work.

Also, the Phillies reportedly offered him 3 years 21 million but his agent (our favorite, Scott Boras) advised him to turn it down, so during the offseason he probably wasn't even a consideration, due to his price tag and his mediocre lifetime stats.

[BrooksBall]

All I'm saying is you can't get everyone and as of today, it looks like the Astros' chose well.

You say it's way too early to compare stats, yet you are basing your opinion on a few innings of work.

Also, the Phillies reportedly offered him 3 years 21 million but his agent (our favorite, Scott Boras) advised him to turn it down, so during the offseason he probably wasn't even a consideration, due to his price tag and his mediocre lifetime stats.

You're right, we probably figured he was too expensive. I just like his stuff. Let's hope Chacon keeps pitching well.

[BrooksBall]

Way to get out of that inning, Backe. You know he would love to pitch well and get a win against these guys.

[BrooksBall]

Big inning for Backe here.

[BrooksBall]

Air Matsui

[BrooksBall]

Bad time for a BB.

[arkoe]

How many times are they going to walk Ankiel this series...

[Nick]

Considering the crap that Ludwick was swinging at... that may have been the worst 0-2 pitch in the history of baseball.

He also compounded the mistake with the brain-fart of walking Ankiel.

[BrooksBall]

When Backe comes undone, he really comes undone.

[Nick]

Backe is gassed... apparently he's only good for 4-5 innings now.

Possibly the start of his future career in the bullpen.

[ruddy]

Well, here we go.. :mad:

[BrooksBall]

When Backe is on, he's an average pitcher.

When he's off, well...

[JunkyardDwg]

When Backe is on, he's an average pitcher.

When he's off, well...


When Backe is on, he can be pretty unhittable.

[arkoe]

Molina is a clown.

[ruddy]

When Backe is on, he can be pretty unhittable.
:confused: :rolleyes:

[ruddy]

OMG Villarreal is out there.. :eek:

[BrooksBall]

When Backe is on, he can be pretty unhittable.

He has a career 4.60 ERA. The one season where he pitched over 100 innings, he had a 4.76 ERA.

Those unhittable games must be pretty rare.

He's had a few successful games in the postseason. I guess that is what you are basing your opinion on.

Backe is an average pitcher, at best, yet he is 2nd in our rotation.

[DOMINATOR]

i wanted to see a fight dammit... if molina is goin to throw a hissy fit like that just go punch the guy.

[BrooksBall]

These are the types of games where you use Moehler and Borkowski as opposed to when a game is close.

[MadMax]

He has a career 4.60 ERA. The one season where he pitched over 100 innings, he had a 4.76 ERA.

Those unhittable games must be pretty rare.

He's had a few successful games in the postseason. I guess that is what you are basing your opinion on.

Backe is an average pitcher, at best, yet he is 2nd in our rotation.

He could have been freaking Cy Young today, and it wouldn't have mattered with the 'stros only giving him a run to work with.

[SamCassell]

He's had a few successful games in the postseason. I guess that is what you are basing your opinion on.
You can call it "a few successful games" if you want, but the Astros are 4 - 2 in Backe's 6 postseason starts. He's got a postseason ERA of 2.95, better than Roy Oswalt, in a similar number of games. I'd say he's a fairly proven postseason pitcher (but a very mediocre pitcher in the regular season). I don't think postseason stats are the be all, end all, but I don't think you can discount them as meaningless either.

[BrooksBall]

You can call it "a few successful games" if you want, but the Astros are 4 - 2 in Backe's 6 postseason starts. He's got a postseason ERA of 2.95, better than Roy Oswalt, in a similar number of games. I'd say he's a fairly proven postseason pitcher (but a very mediocre pitcher in the regular season). I don't think postseason stats are the be all, end all, but I don't think you can discount them as meaningless either.

I like Backe. He is competitive as hell and has found a way to be somewhat successful at this level. It's not his fault that we are expecting him to be a number 2 caliber starter, especially considering how long he was battling injury. In fact, I think it's pretty safe to say that he welcomes the challenge. That says a lot about his character.

Backe has a tough as nails mentality, which is great. I think that probably helps him out a lot in big games. Unfortunately, he doesn't have the pitching talent to match his guts. On an average MLB pitching staff, he should be the 4th or 5th guy in the rotation, yet he is our number 2. That says something about how weak Astros pitching is, regardless of how they have started the season.

Our 2-5 have done better than expected through 26 games while our ace has struggled. There are still 136 games left for reality to set in. Roy will be Roy eventually and the rest of the guys will probably slide toward their career numbers. It's hard to imagine us staying in contention with this pitching staff, starters and bullpen.

[JunkyardDwg]

He has a career 4.60 ERA. The one season where he pitched over 100 innings, he had a 4.76 ERA.

Those unhittable games must be pretty rare.

He's had a few successful games in the postseason. I guess that is what you are basing your opinion on.

Backe is an average pitcher, at best, yet he is 2nd in our rotation.


I never said he wasn't an average pitcher. I'm just saying when he's at his best, he's much more than just mediocre. But he's not always at his best.

[H-townhero]

Backe gets annoyed too easily, and throws strikes down the middle on 0-2 much too often.. :(

[rrj_gamz]

Was able to catch all three games...Was so stoked about Friday's win, but Sat. & Sun. sucked...