My fault, that initials thing confused me. I thought CB LF meant Burke. I like your lineup, except I'd move Everett down to #2, or even #7 switched with Taveras. Biggio is a more proven leadoff guy at this point.
Let's hope our pitching holds up and allows all these youngsters a chance to build their confidence. DD™
While I don't know what the batting lineup will be, I sure hope Garner puts Everett as the leadoff guy and not Biggio. I like Adam's bunting ability, but I like it much better as a means for him to get on base rather than sacrificing an out to move a runner over. Plus, he is speedier, Biggio's power (even if just gap power) would work much better with Everett tearing ass around the bases. Now that could all be blown to hell if AE comes out struggling, but I've been pleasantly surprised with Everett's progression as a batter so far in his major league career. I think he would be more than adequate in the leadoff spot.
On astros.com projected line up: Pos. Name 1. SS Adam Everett 2. 2B Craig Biggio 3. 1B Jeff Bagwell 4. 3B Morgan Ensberg 5. RF Jason Lane 6. LF Luke Scott 7. C Brad Ausmus 8. CF Willy Taveras 9. RHP Roy Oswalt http://houston.astros.mlb.com/NASAp...nt_id=981252&vkey=news_hou&fext=.jsp&c_id=hou
Duckworth had another great outing today ... 4 IP, 8 ER. Zeke .. Don't unpack your things down in Round Rock
That is lovely news. Only because that means Astacio is one step closer to putting on that Uni and stepping into the rotation. Lets go Duck...keep up the good work!
Unfortunately, we're on the road on April 17th (the first time we'd need a 5th starter), and I don't know if the club would be willing to make an extra move to get Astacio up here for that game... unless Duckworth is just flat-out awful in his relief appearences before that game. But, I agree with you... I don't want Duckworth in there. We already know what he can do... he's got an ok fastball, but he has no location whatsoever on his off-speed stuff... and when he leaves it up, it gets hammered hard (as was seen today). I don't like the fact that Phil and co. have taken a "we'll see when we get there" approach for naming the 5th starter. I know in the long run, the 5th starter doesn't mean a whole lot... but it would be nice to weed out the Duckworths of the world, so they may terrorize somebody else's club.
Everett has over 900 plate appearnces and a career OBP of .315. He shouldn't be anywhere near the top the order until he starts to reverse that trend.
If they already optioned Astacio down, their not gonna bring him up for at least a short while. You don't want to run out of options on your best minor legue pitcher.
Aggreed, i'd rather see Biggio leading off, that way if he got on base, Everett is our best bunter and could move him over to 3rd base alot since Biggio hits alot of doubles. I heard Garner say he won't be playing small ball and will go for the big inning. However, Everett is a ground ball hitter, which could lead to extra double plays if Biggio is on 1st.
i'm pretty sure an option accounts for a whole year of being able to move up and down as you please. each time you send him down he doesn't actually lose an option. for instance duckworth is out of options so he can't be sent down at all, but had he just one, we could move him back and forth over the entire season.
I think it could be argued that the last half of last season when Everett really turned it on, just before he hurt his hand, was him starting to reverse the trend. Everett's performance at the plate changed noticably when Gary Gaetti was hired as the hitting coach. I suppose if there was anyone else on the Astros roster that I thought would make a better # 2 hitter, then I would worry about Adam's career OBP...but Taveras, Luke Scott? None of them have proven anything at the big league level. The only other alternative would be to put a guy like Lane or Ensberg in the #2 spot in the hitting order...but I doubt Garner does that.
Personally, I absolutely hate the sacrifice bunt after a lead-off double in an inning, unless it's the 8th or 9th in a tie game. Why give up an out to move a guy up a base (unless it's the pitcher up to bat - and even then, I'd let the pitcher have a swing or two)?
I disagreed with you in the past on this, but I always knew in the back of my head that I was probably wrong. However, I think this year we're going to have to rely on that kind of baseball a lot more. It's one thing to bunt someone over after a lead off double when you have Bagwell, Berkman, Kent, and Beltran behind you. You have to really consider it when it's Bagwell, Lane, Ensberg, and Scott behind you.
I can't wait until tomorrow...I'll have to go to a bar and watch it as i'm not sure if it'll be televised in Dallas... Go Stros'!!!
I remember seeing the stat that teams score more often with a runner on first and 0 outs than they do with a runner on 2nd and 1 out. I do not know what the stats are for a runner on 2nd and 0 outs vs. a runner on 3rd with 1 out. I just hate seeing the potential for a bigger inning go by the board by having someone (other than a pitcher) giving teams an out. Outs are so important. I just remembered where I found those stats; they are in Dierker's book (page 127 if you have it). These numbers are based on 1999, but I assume they are relatively consistent. With a runner on first and 0 outs, a team scored 42% of the time while a runner on 2nd and 1 out scored 40% of the time. With a runner on 3rd and 1 out, teams scored 66% of the time. That being said, teams that had a runner on first and 0 outs scored .89 runs per inning while a team with a runner on 2nd and 1 out scored .67 runs. Teams with a runner on 2nd and 0 outs scored 1.14 runs while teams with a runner on 3rd and 1 out scored .99 runs. In essence, while you increase your chance of scoring 1 run by bunting that leadoff double to third, you decrease your chance of a bigger inning. Obviously there are times to play for that single run, but when a guy leads off a game with a double, I would never give that pitcher an out by having the 2nd hitter bunt. For one thing, you never know what kind of stuff the starting pitcher has and you want to give him as little help as possible,
You've got to get MLB Extra Innings on Digital Cable or MLB.TV from MLB.com if you don't live in Houston. Either would definitely be worth your while. MLB.TV is only $80 for the year and you can watch more games than people in Houston even.
The pitching looks great, from 1-3, other than that... jeez, thats horrible. I cant see us going to the playoffs with that lineup.
