nice read http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/front/4757197.html i doubt burke sits too long, bidge is only 48 hits away.
I guess the question now is who bats second? Do they use Everett like they did in the season opener? Ensberg has batted 2nd a couple of times? Luke Scott? Do you put the rook that high in the order? My guess is that we'll see Morgan batting 2nd tomorrow night.
Ya'll see something good came out of losing 7 in a Row For Hunter Pence, that is!!! I hope he comes and rescues the Astros. With Berkman, Lee, and Ensberg struggling; the Astros are toast without reinforcement.
Sweet !! Ive been waiting to see what this kid can do . My niece went to school with him at UTA , and said hes a great person . I hope he comes up and does decent . I'm not expecting a ton out of him at first , I just hope he doesnt fall flat on his face . Either way , it definitely cant hurt us .
If Biggio gets 48 sooner than later wouldn't that mean he's hitting well? Why would they take him out of the lineup if he's still hitting?
Why would you sit Bidge after he gets #3000 for an inferior player (Burke)? The Astros need to make use of Biggio as long as they can. I really wish there was a way we could convince him to play in 2008. When Burke takes over for Bidge it will be a slight downgrade and at best a wash. Not a noticeable upgrade like so many of the Bidge haters think.
Next on the to-do list: bench Ensberg for Loretta and sit Lane as well. Biggio Loretta Berkman Lee Pence Scott Ausmus Everett Git 'r done! Is there anyone out there who needs to see more from Ensberg or Lane? As a fan, I just don't find them entertaining.
Replace Lorretta with Lamb and I really like that lineup. All Lamb ever does is hit around .300 with very nice power. It's a travesty that he only has a handful of AB's this deep into the season. He deserves a serious shot as starter. He was doing most of the starting in the latter halves of 2004 and 2005 when we were really tearing it up and making our runs. And for those of you that say his fielding is too bad for him to be a starter, Ensberg's glove really isn't much better.
I have season tickets to the RR Express and I was talking with Hunter as he left the field the other day..... I told him we would see him in Houston by August and he just smiled.....man.....I didn't expect to see him this soon. The guy just MASHES the ball, he is long and lanky....but muscular.......he has a weird kind of gait.....hard to describe, but he is a player. DD
fair enough that bidge is a slightly better hitter, and compared to burke's slump looks like an all-star, but you gotta like what burke can do running the bases and how much quicker he can get to the ball.
Yes. They won't, but you know his annual tank job is just a matter of time. The Astros can only hope Bidge gets to 3000 early, before he becomes a major drag on the team.
You are discounting Burke's much better range over Biggio's diminished range at 2nd base. I think that is enough to put Burke slightly over Biggio right now. That is until Burke gets out of his slump then it won't be close.
Thoughts: They are rushing Pence. As mentioned earlier, he came out of the gate hotter 'n hell last year, and then disappeared for about 2 months. The main thing separating the boys from the men is consistency, and he hasn't shown that in his career so far. His bat is ridiculously quick, and he shouldn't have trouble with big league fastballs. Breaking ball low & away (think Biggio) have been his kryptonite, but he's been better with those on his recent tear. If he can recognize & lay off that, he'll probably be fine. If he can't, that's all he'll see from the big leaguers, and he'll be for ****. Reports about his defense are not glowing. Very much a work in progress in CF. Very, very athletic, but shaky fundamentals. If Chris Burke had played even a minimally acceptable CF and hit just a little, Pence would probably be starting in RF tomorrow. Scott has been lost at the plate for awhile, and he means a hell of a lot more to the O than Burke. But Burke has been complete dogsh!t in the field and at the plate. He was in a tough position going into this season (and for a couple of seasons, really), he'd have settled in as the starting 2B on a lot of teams, but there are externalities here.... This kinda reeks of a desperation move, but the Astros - mainly Berkman, Scott, Ensberg, Burke, and more recently Lee - have sucked so much the past 2 weeks that a little desperation may be the cure. One thing Purp was right on about was that this move is not going to cure what ails the Stros. There's about 4 other players/positions that are much more critical to the Stros offense than CF/Burke. Berkman is the elephant in the corner. I really liked what I saw out of Stephen Randolph. Woulda been nice having him in the pen for a bit.
i'm with you, buck. it does look like a desperation move. though there's a part of me that is really excited to see pence play up here. i won't be able to catch the game tonight, though.
