This after he gave up 7 earned runs in .1 innings pitched day before yesterday. White is really stinking the place up.
This team is playing with no heart, no passion, and no energy. These losses are bad losses as well. It seems like once they get down, they give up. To me, it looks like Garner has lost the team. Changes need to be made. What these changes are I dont know, but something needs to be done to mix it up. This current losing streak is not just a blip on the radar over the course of a long season. This is the result of an inherently flawed team. I never thought that the Astros were this bad. My hope that they would turn this around and come on strong again at the end of the season is looking bleaker with every loss.
Is Ensberg finding his way? Man, I hope so. Even if we lose, i'm glad to see our guys go out fighting...
4 hits in his last 10 ABs, 3 of which are homers. Tied with Berkman now for 2nd on the club with 5 homers.
That's actually kind of sad when we're 30% through the season and Lance has only 5 homers. Last year he had 14 at the end of May.
What's scary is he only has 1 double on top of that. Lance is 11th on the Astros in extra base hits. There's only 3 position players behind him - Mike Lamb(?!?!?!), Quintero, and Palmeiro. Accordingly, Lance is 10th in slugging...ahead of only Ausmus, Everett, and Palmeiro. Frankly, his stats resemble closer to a 1 or 2 hitter right now.
Remember this...the team was going in the sewer and Jimy Williams was fired....Phil Garner took over and they went on an incredible run to win the Wild Card and go to the NLCS where they would lose to the Cards. They made a mid-season change and it helped. I think the time may be right to do the same. Otherwise this is a wasted season. I wouldn't want Phil back next season anyway...so might as well make a change now.
I wouldn't say sewer. We were a 44-44 when Jimy was fired. We were probably a better team at that point than we are now. Jimy got fired in his 3rd year after averaging 85.5 wins the previous 2. Phil is in his 3rd full year and has averaged 85.5 wins the last 2 years. But he did lead the team to the World Series. I don't know if that buys him more time than Jim had.
You have to build on something and at least the Astros showed a bit of life during the last two games. I'm afraid their pitching is coming back to earth after the great start, while the hitting remains feeble. I think I agree with Charlie Palilo that the roster management leaves a lot to be desired.
The 2004 team never lost 8 in a row. Also, they never looked so over matched like the 2007 team. The 2004 team was built strong and they under achieved. This team, while they are under achieving, they are not as talented as the 2004 team.
I'm a few games late but man what is hell is up with this TEAM? Every guy on the team is getting out-talented by the other team's counterpart in their same positions it seems (except for a couple). Every opposing player coming up its "Man that looks pretty good, wish WE had a guy like that on our team....." I think thats when you know you're at your lowest. When you look into it and see that other guy's actually some journeyman roster filler or some retread still in the bigs cuz he's out of farm options or something... And we have players that are supposed to be borderline All-Stars or are actually former All-Stars?
Yeah, and thatteam ended up winning 93 games and clinching the divison title at Busch Stadium on the last day of the season. I was there, one of my best baseball memories ever. Sitting in the bleachers of old Busch Stadium surrounded by Cardinals fans.
