How do you think the Astros will do? Will there be more mediocrity, or will they finally put a big run together? I was very optimistic about this team at the beginning of the year, and I still am. They have a lot of the major pieces- a very solid middle of the lineup, 2 strong starters, a great bullpen, and some good D at some important positions- catcher, SS, and right field. With Oswalt and Kent back, I predict a lot more consistency. These guys are slump- breakers because they never go cold for a long period of time. So...I'm going to say 40-28 for the rest of the way, giving us a solid 90 wins for the year.
i really think the astros could go at the same pace as the cards if they acquire a quality starter like lidle, suppan, and ponson.(and if nobody slumps badly). then our main focus is try to win the season series from the cards. i think the astros will end up with the same record as st.louis but will have the tiebreaker because of the season series. just like 2001.
the astros are a 2nd half team in 98 they had 53 wins at the break in 99 they had 51 wins at the break last year they had 44 wins i believe so i'm expecting 90 to 95 wins and usually in the 2nd half everything comes to together, it's hard to explain but it does. The astros will win the central and who knows, maybe, just maybe advance out of the first round?
The tiebreaker ONLY applies if both teams make the playoffs (One as a division winner, the other as wildcard). For instance, if Atlanta and SF win their divisions and Arizona is the wild card, then Houston and St. Louis would have a one game playoff to determine the division winner regardless of their record against each other.
The NL is stacked this year, so don't expect to get out of the 1st round after we win the division. Atlanta has been on fire all year long, and San Francisco has been damn solid. I don't expect Bagwell, Biggio, or Hidalgo to do much against quality pitching in the playoffs.
yeah, but who knows...first of all, anything can happen in the playoffs. second, who knows those teams will be equally as dominant in the second half as they were in the first...a couple of key injuries for either team, and it's a totally different landscape.
