On a positive note, Self looks like he could become a nice hitter. Maybe an Olerud type 1st baseman. Yeah, ok I'm dreaming, but what else is there to do?
Man, is Oswalt a stud... to pitch a near-complete game on a 100 degree day in Arlington. Of course, the rest of the team is in the dugout sitting in front of the fan and not worrying about hitting. Also, I think they should outlaw day-games in that stadium... the players hate it, the fans hate it... really, what's the point?
How would you rate our players at this point in the season? Pitchers Astacio - D-minus (not suited as a starter; too many mistakes) Backe - C-plus (looked better as of late) Roger Clemens - A (way too good for this team) Oswalt - B (second best on team) Franco - D-minus (over the hill; what was Tim/Drayton thinking?) Pettitte - B-minus (third best pitcher on team) Harville - F (9 earned runs in 12 innings) Lidge - A-minus (shown signs of being human this season) Qualls - C (third lowest ERA besides Lidge and Wheeler out of the bullpen) Springer - D-plus (11 earned runs in 13 innings; two bad outings count for 8 runs) Wheeler - B (3 earned runs in 16 innings) Burns - D-minus (10+ ERA) Ausmus - D-plus(pitchers like throwing to him; batting has improved after terrible start) Chavez - D(usually steady bat has been worse than Ausmus at .220s) Biggio - A (still brings it...especially offensively) Ensberg - A-minus (tied at 8 homeruns with Biggio; not as clutch as Biggio) Bruntlett - C-minus (1 hit in 19 ABs; doesn't play enough) Everett - D-minus (rarely gets a clutch hit; offensive production has been horrible) Berkman - C-minus (hasn't exactly been tearing it up since he came back; waiting on that bat to awaken from a coma; will his form come back...I wonder?) Lamb - C-minus (bat went from hot to not in midst of terrible slump) Vizcaino - C-plus (not much of an impact this season) Self - Incomplete (like what he brings so far) Lane - C (in a huge slump at .230; supposed to step up...not back) Palmerio - B (hasn't played a whole lot; good hitter; doesn't appear to participate in the team slump when things go bad; does not play a lot) Taveras - B+ (leads league in SBs and in-field hits; great when he's on base; swings at bad pitches consistently; great quickness) Team ratings Defensively - C-minus Offensively - D-minus Notes: - Breaking all the bad records - May set a team record for being shut-out if haven't already - Road play is as bad as it gets - A sure loser if they don't lead after 6th inning - comeback win...what the hell is that? - Some good starting pitching isn't near good enough when your team bats like a high school team against every pitcher they face - Get absolutely zero breaks on anything; worst luck in all of baseball - Have re-invented the meaning of team slumps; chemistry of this team is as suspect as it gets - Every pitcher they face on the road is "on a roll" regardless - Team seems highly unmotivated; lacks control of own destiny; trying only makes things worse
Easily Astros shutouts. We've now been shutout 6 times on the road this year in 22 games. Pitiful. This team simply cannot hit. The issue was not addressed during the offseason and the fans are paying for the incompetence of the front office.
Yeah thats true. Except for 2000 the Astros have been in the playoff hunt every season since 1995 and the Astros are one of the most respected franchises in the baseball and to see them go out like this is just terrible. This team might lose 100 games this year.
