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). 5-29 Brian Moehler, RHP (1-3, 8.31) vs Brian Moehler, RHP (1-3, 8.31) 6:05 on FSN 5-30 Wandy Rodriguez, LHP (5-3, 1.71) vs. Jeff Karstens, RHP (1-2, 5.19) 6:05 on FSN 5-31 Mike Hampton, LHP (2-4, 5.63) vs. Paul Maholm, LHP (3-1, 4.11) 12:35 on FSN
nice 20 minute, no-run half inning for the stros. dont even know how that's possible without a pitching change or other stoppage of play. only our stros...
tonight's is probably our best possible lineup. here's what amazes me: 5 of 8 position players batting over .300, with the other 3 being: bourn at .291, lance berkman, and a catcher hitting probably 100 points higher than the travesty that was brad ausmus. so, we our 9 games under .500 with one of the best lineups that the franchise has ever had. if that isn't a testament to the importance of great (heck, i'd take good) pitching, i don't know what is.
the amazing thing is, with a lineup hitting as well as this one is, they still are at the bottom of the league in runs scored. the team hasn't had good situational hitting nor has it been consistent(i know that's weird to say with so many .300 hitters but its the truth). also, the team has a below avg on base percentage b/c tejada/lee/ivan rodriguez almost never walk, so their OBP is only 30-40 pts above their batting avg.
also all true. seems like our situational hitting has sucked for almost a decade now. fortunately, this year the pitchers have given us a reprieve on b****ing about it.
for some stupid reason, I decided to pay homage to my ties to Cleveland, Ohio and watch the Indians this season. sans the epic Rays comeback win, I feel like I have been watching the AL version of the Astros. who the eff is Cliff Lee?
Nothing to complain about tonight. Moehler pitches a complete game, giving the pen a much needed extra night off. Edwin Maysonet goes 4-4 with a double and a hr, starting for Matsui. Couldn't ask for much more. With Wandy going tomorrow, a series win is a nice way for the team to feel positive about things again.
Big Bad Brian Moehler. Great job tonight as he displayed control over his pitches. It was also good for the bullpen to get a night off especially piggybacked on the day off. I just hope Moehler will be able to gain some momentum with this start. The Astros just need to get some of these pitchers going and ease up on the bullpen. If they can just start winning some series, I think they may be able to salvage the season or at least make a run. Please note that I say this because I know that the Astros will not go into a rebuild mode. For the record, I do not think that the Astros have the pieces to make a run into October. And, in my opinion, if you are not going to make it to the postseason, and especially with this roster, I think they should try and restock our farm system.
Texans: 3rd in yards 17th in scoring Astros: 15th in hits 14th in batting average 20th in on base % 19th in slugging % 19th in OPS 26th in runs scored Not quite the same, but the output isn't at the level you'd expect for the stats they put up.
Another 2 BBs for Hunter with no SOs. His plate discipline has been terrific this season. Tiger Woods was awesome, too. Oops, I mean Edwin Maysonet.
Yup. That is the single biggest problem with this offense as currently constructed. Last season, the only position where we walked above average was 1st base because of Berkman. We were below average or near the bottom at every other position. This season, we are second to last in the NL in walks, which is almost exactly where we ended up last season. I'd say that is a bigger problem than situational hitting and there really isn't much we can do about it. If Pence maintains his current walk rate, that will help. Bourn has bumped his walk rate up signficantly this season as well but he still isn't walking nearly enough and is striking out too much if he wants to be a legit leadoff hitter. I know his average is solid and his OBP is pretty good but his walk rate has been slowly and consistently dropping down over the past few weeks while his SO rate has gone up. He has been terrific defensively and has shown real improvement at the plate but the fact is he has had quite a few poor ABs since getting promoted to the leadoff spot. I also see some of the traits that plagued him last season in terms of plate discipline. I am interested to see if he can get back to where he was early in the year. I believe he can and will once he adjusts to hitting leadoff.
Just a little evidence of Bourn's recent struggles. Coming into today, he was hitting 8-for-42 with 15 Ks and 4 BBs over the last 10 games. He was promoted to the leadoff spot about halfway through that stretch. Beyond the stats, it was obvious that he was struggling at the plate if you watched the games. As I said in the previous post, I believe he will be fine once he gets comfortable leading off. He showed real improvement over the first month of the season and I don't think it was fluke. I expect a lot less SOs and a few more walks over the next few weeks.
