Will the Astros win the wild card

[Mac#5]

who here thinks the astros will win the wild card.

personaly i dont wanna say just because i dont wanna jinx them

[BrooksBall]

I don't think they will but I want them to. The Brewers comeback today was a real buzzkill.

[kaleidosky]

I say no.. I've said no for a while now, unless they were to go with 1-2 losses down the stretch. They're on their way to doing that...so if it holds up, then I guess there's a shot

[AGBee]

Astros are getting everybody's hopes up but will fall a bit short.

[SuperBeeKay]

Astros remaining schedule is relatively easier than St Louis's or Milwaukees

[Win]

I've been following the Astros since as a teenager I met 3rd basemen Enos Cabell wattering his lawn my parents new suburban home in SE Houston, 'Sagemont'. He was really cool (way before photgraphy was invented, so no pics - HA HA)!

Not sure how it ties in, but I know the Astros and their fickle ways - this has turned into a playoff season.

~ Secret weapon ~ Erstadt....... Oswalt is chewing and spitting out nails!!! Lee and Tejada decide this is a prime opportunity. The Brocails and Wolfs keep surprising - Berkman and Pence guide us in.

[Poloshirtbandit]

Probably not, but I'm just glad the Astros are fun to watch again.

[SWTsig]

i dont want to jinx 'em, but it's pretty annoying to be the hottest team in baseball, pull to a tie for 2nd place in the wildcard, and not have a single blurb about them on the MLB frontpage at espn.com.

f'ing joke.

[Buck Turgidson]

it's pretty annoying to be the hottest team in baseball, pull to a tie for 2nd place in the wildcard, and not have a single blurb about them on the MLB frontpage at espn.com.

f'ing joke.
Exactly as it should be. They have zero chance of making the playoffs.

[DOMINATOR]

i dont want to jinx 'em, but it's pretty annoying to be the hottest team in baseball, pull to a tie for 2nd place in the wildcard, and not have a single blurb about them on the MLB frontpage at espn.com.

f'ing joke.
their on the mlb page now... pic of tejada with some other stuff.

[meh]

Should the Astros actually come close to the wild card or even win it, do people think we should change our approach to the offseason? And try to contend next season rather than rebuild?

Personally, I think the Astros have very little chance. But certainly not impossible. They've certainly play much better than what I expected before the season.

[Astro101]

i dont want to jinx 'em, but it's pretty annoying to be the hottest team in baseball, pull to a tie for 2nd place in the wildcard, and not have a single blurb about them on the MLB frontpage at espn.com.

f'ing joke.

I'd rather not have them on front pages. Just like you said, don't want the jinx! Let's just come out from nowhere.

[BetterThanI]

My heart says "yes", but realistically, I have to say "no". They've been on an amazing run recently, but I'm not sure they can sustain it.

[bobrek]

Exactly as it should be. They have zero chance of making the playoffs.

Does that mean the playoffs are set with the Cubs, Mets, Brewers and Dodgers (once the get another game in the loss column)?

[Nick]

Regardless of what happens, I'm a little bit more optimistic about the near future of this team, and their ability to compete in 2009 and 2010 thanks to the end of this season:

1. Berkman and Oswalt showed they can still be elite over extended stretches. I know many wanted to sell them while the team was struggling, but the fact remains is that they are BARGAINS while still currently in the primes of their careers. They're also Astro-lifers, huge fan favorites, and will soon be just as synonymous as Biggio-Bagwell were. Those things are fundamental to continuing to develop a fan base that is still relatively "young" when compared to other historic team's followers.

2. Hunter Pence rebounded from an awful start, made some adjustments to weaknesses that everybody knew pitchers would start targeting, and has put together a pretty respectable season. He's still going to get stronger, he will improve his OBP as he continues to make those adjustments, and we can still likely forsee him making a move to be an everyday middle-of-the-lineup run producer.

3. The bullpen stabalized thanks to the acuqisition of Latroy Hawkins, and Valverde rebounding from some bad early season outings. Combined with Geary, that's a very reliable 7-8-9 combo. Wesley Wright will continue to improve, Sampson is very valuable as a long-releif guy/spot starter guy. Overall, their bullpen may be the strongest part of the team.

4. Erstad, Wiggington, and Matsui all showed the necessary productivity to be reliable "role players" to flank the stars on offense/defense. I don't see them needing to improve much there.

5. STARTING PITCHING will be the ultimate goal of this team in the off-season. Wolf was a pleasant suprise, and he should be retained as a back of the rotation pitcher. Wandy was again inconsistent, but he did show occasions of command that he hadn't in the past. The problem is, you don't know when he's going to lose it. He probably earned one more year, but as a #4 or #5 guy... no more. The club should cut the cord with Backe... too inconsistent, and unlike Wandy, his "good" still appeared shaky at times. Moehler was suprisingly consistent... but better options should be explored if available.

Basically, that leaves Oswalt, Wandy, Wolf, and possibly Moheler as contenders for rotation spots as of now. They need at least one free agent, and possibly one young "unknown" (Arias? Wright?) to step up to the starting hill.

[Buck Turgidson]

Does that mean the playoffs are set with the Cubs, Mets, Brewers and Dodgers (once the get another game in the loss column)?
Keith Law told me that the Astros are merely a bad team on a hot streak. They have no shot. That's enough for me.

[bobrek]

Keith Law told me that the Astros are merely a bad team on a hot streak. They have no shot. That's enough for me.

I see. Sorry, I should have understood your sarcasm. I liked how on Wednesday there were too many teams between them and the Brewers, yet it took all of one more game to rectify that.

[superden]

Lee and Tejada decide this is a prime opportunity. .

Carlos Lee thought it was a prime opportunity to get hurt and not play for the rest of the season? hahaha

[Mad-Mac]

WE"RE GOING TO MILWAUKEE AND ST. LUIS AND CHICAGO AND PHILADELPHIA AND WE"RE TAKING BACK THE WILD CARD YEAHHHHAA

In a way, this has been an incredible roller coaster of a season. I personally can't remember a regular season with this many highs and lows.

BTW Cubs suck!

[WhoMikeJames]

WTF? I haven't looked at the standings for months now, but what happened?

Last time I checked, the Astros were doing TERRIBLE...

[bobrek]

WE"RE GOING TO MILWAUKEE AND ST. LUIS AND CHICAGO AND PHILADELPHIA AND WE"RE TAKING BACK THE WILD CARD YEAHHHHAA

In a way, this has been an incredible roller coaster of a season. I personally can't remember a regular season with this many highs and lows.

BTW Cubs suck!

You can't remember, 2004, 2005 and 2006?

[RedRaiderRocket]

Phillies and Brewers game postponed today as well.

[Mad-Mac]

You can't remember, 2004, 2005 and 2006?
Oh I do, but my point is that this season the Astros started bad, got good, went very bad again, and are now on an incredible hot streak. Usually they start bad and then hit a switch.

Besides, what's happening today is always better, ESPN told me so.

[DaDakota]

I voted no...come on...be wrong..be wrong..be wrong...

DD