Speaking of Dotel, he blew another one last night. He now has 3 blown saves on the year. As for Linebrink he did not have the kind of stuff he has now when he was here. All of a sudden the guy is throwing 95 with good movement. If he had that here we wouldn't have let him go so easily.
Exactly. Remember Ricky Stone? Someone mentioned Qualls--superb last year, lost this year. Brandon Puffer finally made it to the show, held his own, but then couldn't keep it up. But, man, I thought the Astros had found something special in Stone after those first two seasons.
Some guys excel in the bullpen, year after year. Yea, it's rare, but you can't dismiss the success some of these guys have. Most of the really good, consistant relievers are closers or setup men, or lefty specialists. Dotel is a poor closer, but a really good setup guy. We've known that for years. Not sure why Oakland hasn't realized it.
The most depressing thing (other than losing) in watching these games is the scarce crowd that shows up to watch a good baseball team. These guys have a top rotation and a loaded lineup and no one goes to the damn games....what a waste.
Correct. What team can afford to load its pen with such pitchers, and also pay a good starting rotation and good run producers/defenders? If you have two of these guys, you're lucky. Beyond that, it is a craps shoot.
Most teams try to get 2. There's value in having more than one go-to reliever, as we saw in the playoffs. With the Astros not paying for one (Lidge on rookie deal) I would have liked to see them pick up a proven setup type guy. That said, the bullpen this season doesn't rank in the top 10 of the Astros' liabilities, so far. They've performed well for the most part.
To be fair, they do play in one of the worst baseball stadiums in the big leagues right now. I liken it to the Astrodome, except that it rains. If you remember, there were very sparce early-season crowds in the dome for some very good teams in the mid-late 90's.... If they do get the new retractable roof stadium on the bay, besides the american airlines arena, expect miamians (sp?) to turn out.
Man, on, 3-0 count. Palmiero should start! Atleast he has shown he can hit! EDIT: This is interesting! 2 on, 2 outs. Come on Stros! WHOOP! RICJETS! smstr fnuk hoof!
Don't forget...tomorrow's a fresh start! Tomorrow...tomorrow...we'll win one...tomorrow...it's barely a day away! Astros have driven me senile.
I can't even sit there and watch an entire game anymore. You just know there is no chance when it's a 1 run game.
I joked with my mom that after we got a 1-0 lead that Roy would have to be perfect tonight. It's so predictable on the road: score early, then take the rest of the game off and pray the pitching can get it done. You can't win like that consistently. They hit decently at home, and I can't figure out why the road is such a big deal to most of these guys. It's just another ballpark really.
Jason Lane had some interesting comments on the radio today concerning this--he said the young guys, including himself, grew accustomed to their own park more quickly and are having a hard time adjusting to other parks--"seeing" the ball, etc. To me, it's a lineup with a past-his-prime Biggio, Berkman, and not much else.
If you thought the Astros playing on the road couldn't any worse, try watching them in person. My god I can't remember the last time I saw an offense so pathetic; granted the D-Train pitched a phenomenal game, but where was the fight from Houston's end??? The two 2-out rallies they managed were encouraging, but no one can win (outside of St. Louis) with runners on and 2-out. Aggravating, but fun to be able to see them in person; I hate "ProPlayer" (now Dolphins Stadium). Quite possibly the worst location of any ballpark in the history of mankind. The Marlins even have cheerleaders. * * - I only complain because they were only on the third base side while I was on the first base line. Bastards But yay, no more finals! I would be intoxicated at the moment, but a lot of people already went home or are studying while the alcohol is in their locked rooms. ****
