Worked pretty good for Josh Beckett last year... and Randy and Curt in 2001... and Kevin Brown in 1998. Frankly, if the Astros had other options in those situations, we'd use them... but this team doesn't. If you're down and facing elimination, I don't see any choice but to have one of the big 2 pitching on short rest.
http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/playoffs2004/columns/story?columnist=rogers_phil&id=1894465 Clemens, Oswalt a formidable pair By Phil Rogers Special to ESPN.com The last team to claim a spot in the National League playoffs is also the most dangerous, thanks to Roger Clemens and Roy Oswalt. The Houston Astros have the best starting pitching on their side of the eight-team tournament. That's an amazing statement given the casualties they have suffered along the way. Left-hander Andy Pettitte (elbow surgery) and right-hander Wade Miller (rotator cuff injury) are lost for the season. Tim Redding, who also opened the season in the rotation, has pitched so poorly he probably won't get a spot on the playoff roster. Instead manager Phil Garner will fill out his playoff rotation with Brandon Backe and, if he sticks with four starters, Peter Munro. Roy Oswalt Roy Oswalt led the National League with 20 wins this season. But in Clemens and Oswalt, Garner is holding a two-man trump card that has the potential to be almost as dominant as the one Bob Brenly parlayed into a World Series championship with Arizona in 2001. Randy Johnson and Curt Schilling were 43-12 with a combined 2.74 ERA that season. Clemens and Oswalt, who could finish 1-2 in the NL Cy Young race, are 38-14 with a 3.25 ERA combined this season. They provide Houston with the star quality that the other NL playoff rotations lack. With Cardinals manager Tony La Russa announcing that Chris Carpenter will be skipped in the first round, there's not a true ace on any of the other three playoff teams. The Astros have two. And things are breaking right for Houston. Garner had announced on Saturday night that he would use Clemens on three days' rest Sunday in the potential playoff clincher against Colorado. He refused to get greedy and hold out his for the playoff opener. Then the Astros got lucky. Clemens caught a touch of the flu from Redding. He was running a fever when he arrived at Minute Maid Park, so Garner switched to Backe. The 26-year-old Houston acquired from Tampa Bay for Geoff Blum -- what a deal that was -- took a shutout into the sixth inning against the Rockies while also contributing a two-run single. The 5-3 victory meant no fear of a one-game wild-card playoff in San Francisco, putting Clemens and Oswalt on track for Games 1 and 2 against Atlanta. They are positioned to work three times in a five-game series -- four if Garner is willing to use both of them on three days' rest. "Roger gets his regular rest and a chance to be healthy,'' Jeff Bagwell said. "Then he can start Game 1 for us. It worked out well for us.'' If the Astros can do something no Texas team has ever done, winning a postseason series, Clemens and Oswalt could combine to start 11-13 of a possible 19 playoff games for Houston. Backe and Munro are going to be given trials by fire in October. But the reality is that all of the NL's playoff rotations have major questions. Here's a look at the other playoff rotations, in the order of their strength: 2. Braves John Thomson, who had been scheduled to be manager Bobby Cox's No. 2 starter, said he felt something "grab'' in his side when he worked at chilly Wrigley Field on Saturday. He left the game after three innings, and might not be available for the Division Series. That leaves the tentative Atlanta rotation as Jaret Wright, Mike Hampton and the suspect Russ Ortiz (4.85 ERA in the second half, including a 5.57 mark in September). Paul Byrd, who gave up nine runs in four innings to the Cubs on Sunday, will probably move into the bullpen as a long man. Hampton, who started only twice in September because of a torn meniscus in his left knee, is another question mark. He did, however, look strong in his last outing, allowing one run in six innings against the Cubs on Friday. Depth has been the key for the Braves' rotation all season, as none of the starters have more than 15 wins. The late-season injuries and poor performance of Ortiz hint at potential troubles against Houston hitters but these starters have actually been a lot better in September than those with St. Louis and Los Angeles.
I didn't realize Minnesota was higher than St Louis. That would have been a good trivia question. Atl higher than Houston sort of surprised me too.
Media markets are largely determined by surrounding area, thus Minneapolis gets the St. Paul market (and pretty much everything else... I can't name any other Minnesota cities). St. Louis and Houston are both similiar in the fact that there are no big surburban areas within a great distance of them... thus, they're sort of limited in their media market sizes (although Houston is a MUCH bigger city than St. Louis is).
That ESPN article makes me feel that much better. Man, those two guys have been great this season. It's amazing to think what this team has accomplished with out our other two starters, Wade Miller and Andy Pettitte. WW. The Tides Turn. Whats "the best of" needed to win the series? Is it best of 5?
Yea... and if the Yankees get knocked out by amazing peformances from Santana and the Twins... look for MLB to try to make it a 7 game series in the upcoming years. I have no idea why, but whenever a sport adds a playoff round, they alway make it shorter... they did it in the NBA and the NHL... and only now have they finally made those first round series best out of 7. Expect the same in MLB... especially since the wild card team every year looks to be just about as good, if not better, than most of the division winners.
Some nice love for the Stros on Page 2: http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/page2/story?page=predictions/041004
LET'S GO BRAVES!!!!! Hey, come on, baseball doesn't even exist in Salt Lake City... But seriously, I've been a Braves fan all my life, and while this series scares me, I think anybody would have scared me. The Braves are the perfect example of the team that keeps playing well even when their roster doesn't look that impressive. But I LOVE the matchup--Atlanta, the team that wasn't supposed to even make the playoffs, against Houston, who is playing UNREAL baseball lately, especially at home. Go Atlanta--beat those damn 'Stros.
All the teams in the playoffs are good. The fans will all be scared once the game starts. People like Lemke and Cabrera and Puhl come out of nowhere and light it up too. There will be tension. So I think the Braves or whoever will be formidable. All the teams are good now. It will be a tough series. I can't believe Redding almost got in there.
Hey there really is some great stuff about the Astros in there. ALL of the writers picked the Astros to beat the Braves. Also, they're real high on Brad Lidge and that's awesome. I say the Stros sweep this series. I believe Roger will be able to keep working his magic and Roy will dominate. Backe has been pitching well lately and with the way the Astros are playing at home, they should definitely beat the Braves in game 3. At the very worst, in game 4 at home with Roger back on the mound. If the Astros don't win this series then I will consider them the biggest choke franchise in all of sports, EVER!
Yes, but at least the Oilers managed to get to the next round at some point in their history. 97,98,99,01,04 - The Astros HAVE to advance in one of those years with all the talent they had.
How about the Mariners team that won 116 games and lost in the first round? The 92-93 Oilers are still the biggest choke job of all time. Why did you have to bring that up, Behad? I'm going home to cry.
