Clemens is 8-6, with a 3.47 ERA in the postseason. He gets better as the postseason goes on, in his seven WS games, he's allowed only ten earned runs - total.
Looks like Everett will be on the roster: http://houston.astros.mlb.com/NASAp...005&content_id=884300&vkey=news_hou&fext=.jsp
since all of you are jinxing the astros by predicting a win tonight, i'll try to even it out a little: i predict the astros will lose
I had a dream last night that the Astros lost this game, 2-0. I really hope my super psychic skills fail me this time.
Don't worry, this is what will really happen... Astros win 7-4. Bullpen gives up 3 of the runs - Lidge comes in a gets the save, 3 up 3 down.
i hope the ROCKET is on today (even though most of the time he allreadyis) becuase we need this win! Im gona go off the top and say we win 8 to 2. Beltran and Berkman each hit 2 run homers.
http://sports.yahoo.com/mlb/news?slug=dw-theskysthelimit&prov=yhoo&type=lgns The sky's the limit by Dan Wetzel, Yahoo! Sports It was February and the Florida sun was shining in Kissimmee for the first day of spring training – a time when everyone is kiss-me optimistic. So you couldn't blame the Houston Astros. The franchise hasn't had much to crow about recently but with the offseason additions of Roger Clemens and Andy Pettitte, people around the team were saying some rather bold things about its potential for the 2004 season. "It's not often you're on a team, unless you are on the New York Yankees, that you go into the season thinking you can win it all," catcher Brad Ausmus said that day. Win it all? In Houston? "Our expectations are so high now," Clemens said then. "We want to get to the playoffs and win 11 games. We are accustomed to that and we expect that." ADVERTISEMENT Clemens and Pettitte were accustomed to it. Houston, which has never won a playoff series in its history, was not. But the Astros now had the two former Yankees stars. Hope sprung eternal. You didn't question it. If everyone wanted to make a feel-good story – two friends, two hometown heroes, two All-Stars returning to make baseball relevant deep in the heart of Texas – into a great tale, hey, why not? It was, after all, possible. But, then again, you weren't exactly shocked when the 'Stros were 56-60 on Aug. 14. Or when manager Jimy Williams was sacked in favor of Phil Garner, who didn't exactly have Bobby Cox's track record. Or even when Pettitte was lost for the season due to elbow surgery, which may explain why the Yankees hardly lifted a finger in an effort to re-sign him last winter. Houston was a fun story regardless of its mediocre record; a roll of the dice, a great career-capping season for Clemens. Attention and attendance were up. But win it all? Try winning as many as you lose. Yet here we are. Houston not only is the National League wild-card entrant – the Astros are the wild card of these entire playoffs. Is there a scarier team to face in a short, five-game division series? Wednesday in Atlanta, the Astros will trot out Clemens (18-4, 2.98 ERA). Thursday it will be Roy Oswalt (20-10, 3.49). Then they go back to Minute Maid Park where they have merely won 18 consecutive games. And Clemens would be available for Game Five, if necessary. The Braves, who had a remarkable year themselves, have to be wondering what they did to deserve this draw. "People thought we were dead in the water and we worked all the way back and changed that," said Garner, who will push for NL manager of the year even though he wasn't the manager for even half the season. "This is just a great ending to what became an improbable year for us." Really though, this all started with those heady days in spring training. The arrival of Clemens and Pettitte didn't just energize the pitching rotation; it changed the mentality of the entire organization. Clemens, a candidate for his seventh Cy Young Award, has a contagious work ethic and is a fiery leader. Pettitte is quieter, but no less determined. You listen to those guys – especially The Rocket, who is a larger-than-life presence in the Houston locker room – and you start believing anything is possible. In this case it was. Not just someone such as Oswalt having a career year. But the belief that an incredible late-season charge was possible. If Clemens kept saying it could happen, if he didn't stop working hard, then how could anyone else? Since Aug. 14, Houston owns the best record in baseball (36-10). To win this wild, wild-card chase, the Astros finished the season winners of seven consecutive games and nine of their last 10. Even the clincher Sunday took some faith. Clemens was slated to start on three days' rest, giving the Astros a battle-tested ace in the biggest game of the season. Instead, The Rocket came down with stomach flu and, just hours before the game, Garner handed the ball to Brandon Backe, a former outfielder whose five career wins (all this season) put him 323 behind Clemens on the all-time list. Backe not only pitched well enough for the win, he clubbed a two-run single. In the locker room after he tried to make sense of this entire, crazy season. But mostly he just got sprayed with champagne while wearing a "Rocket Man 22" jersey. A most suitable fashion choice. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Theres also a vedio insert for thoughs who have yahoo dsl its on the home page called, "Why the astros will win the world series"
Oh believe me, I love Brad Lidge, but I was just saying it's nice to see he's being recognized around the nation by people who know baseball. I like to see how a non totally blind homer fan views my teams and their players.
I dont think I saw this posted yet. Espn has a stat sheet pdf for today's game you can download if anyone is interested. ESPN "Stat Pack" PDF
Scouting the Astros By Buck Martinez ESPN Insider There is no other way to put this: The Houston Astros have the most momentum of any team heading into the postseason. It all begin when Phil Garner took over for Jimmy Williams as manager in July. It took Garner about a month before he had any effect, whatsoever, on the ballclub, but after that the players relaxed, they began having fun again and they allowed their abilities to take over. Of course, it didn't hurt that Roger Clemens and Roy Oswalt caught fire in the second half and pitched great down the stretch, or that Brad Lidge became one of the most dominant closers in the game. That combination of Clemens, Oswalt and Lidge can lead them to the World Series. Position players Craig Biggio: Fastball hitter early in the count ... Very strong on the inside half of the plate and up ... With the count in his favor, he'll look for the fastball ... Short, quick strokes always allow him to catch up to anybody's fastball .. He dropped his leg kick, and that has quickened up his stroke ... Down-and-away breaking balls on the outer half can be effective against Biggio ... He has had a difficult time adjusting to play left field. Carlos Beltran: A switch-hitter who has a good stroke from both sides of the plate ... An aggressive fastball hitter early in the count, low-to-middle inner-half from the left side ... Great swing looking early to do damage ... Sink the ball down-and-away as a left-handed hitter, but when you get strikes, you have the option of elevating the fastball or coming down and in with a hard slider and a curveball ... He's a very good hitter from the left side, left field gap to the right field line -- he uses the whole field ... As a right-handed hitter, he's a down hitter, but still has some pop ... He doesn't try to pull the ball; again, he uses the whole field ... Strike-to-ball breaking balls in fastball counts can be good ... He's very aggressive out of the box on base hits and will force the outfielders to get the ball back to the infield quickly ... An excellent first-to-third baserunner who will challenge outfielders, and a very high-percentage base-stealer .. Guess with him and pitch out, though, and you might get him. Jeff Bagwell: A low-ball hitter with an uppercut swing that works ... Early pull-hitter across the plate and down ... Forcing fastballs belt-high and inside might be effective, but the margin of error is very small ... If you get two strikes, he will look out over the plate and handle the slider over the plate well ... This is the time to take a shot inside, belt-high and above ... On defense, make him field the bunt as he no longer throws because of a shoulder problem ... Great hands, and great at digging the ball out of the dirt at first base. Lance Berkman: A switch-hitter who bounced back from an off-year ... Hot finishing up the season ... Left-handed he's strong inside, up and down ... A good fastball hitter and pull-hitter from the left ... Right-handed, he's a high-ball hitter out over the plate ... Play him opposite, as he rarely pulls the ball ... He drives everything, thinking right-center gap from the get-go ... Opposite-field, inside-out swing ... Pitch him down and away with fastballs and sinkers ... It's tough to throw breaking ball strikes that come into him, as his quick bat will catch up to them and he will inflict some damage ... A good baserunner, but not a base stealer. Jeff Kent: A first-ball fastball hitter, out over the plate, low to middle ... He has power to the pull side early in the count ... He will look out over the plate when he's behind in the count ... He came hammer slider strikes or anything breaking down over the plate ... With two strikes, you can pitch him tight with two-seam fastballs that run back to the inside corner ... He can be affected after you show him slider strikes to the outside ... Big breaking curveballs, strike-to-ball, with two strikes, can also work well ... Not a threat to run. Morgan Ensberg: Strong on the inside part of the plate ... Keep fastball and breaking ball away ... If you can command the fastball inside, sink the ball off the plate below the knees ... Setup a breaking ball to the outside to finish off the at-bat. Brad Ausmus: A great defensive catcher who throws well, blocks well and leads from behind the plate ... He is as hit best defending balls in the dirt ... Ausmus doesn't give up many rebounds and doesn't give runners a chance to move up 90 feet ... A low-ball hitter who you can bust upstairs with a cut fastball ... Curveballs and change-ups away could result in easy groundball outs to the left side on the infield... The Astros will hit-and-run with Ausmus in certain situations. Jose Vizcaino: A switch-hitter who did a great job filling in for the injured Adam Everett at shortstop ... Has had postseason success and has a professional approach to every aspect of the game ... As a left-handed batter, a better low-ball hitter and will hook the ball through the right side with a runner at first base ... Stay upstairs hard with the fastball ... They will hit-and-run with him and he advances runners from second very effectively ... He doesn't have an outstanding arm at shortstop, but makes all of the plays ... Right-handed, he's a good low-ball hitter who covers the plate well and can drive the ball to the opposite power alley ... They will do a lot of things with Vizcaino at the plate -- hit-and-run, bunt, steal ... He hits the ball to all fields. Mike Lamb: A low fastball hitter ... To pitch him, start with breaking balls and run the fastball away ... Change-up can also be effective ... Played a good third base while filling in for the Astros in August and September ... He's got good power, is a fastball hitter and very aggressive. Starting pitchers Roger Clemens: Fastball, slider, split, occasional curveball ... Powerful, aggressive, four-seam and two-seam fastballs ... Uses any of his pitches to get ahead ... He's never concerned about pitching in -- he's always confident he can bust anybody inside ... He can drive the fastball down and away to both right-handed and left-handed hitters ... His slider is hard and he will throw it to both sides of the plate, backdoor to left-handers ... Splits can be devastating, with big, hard breaks and late-starting action ... If he sees a good swing or an approach that looks too good, he will bust the hitter off the plate to buy more of the outside corner ... A good fielder who is very adept at the 1-6-3 double play ... A tremendous competitor who is anxious to finish on a high-note in this postseason. Roy Oswalt: Fastball, curveball, sinker and change ... Great, live fastball, 94-95 mph with good sink and late movement ... Curveball with break that can be a devastating pitch ... Works the zone with both the fastball and sinking fastball, and runs the slider down and in and backdoor to left-handers ... A great competitor who is hot and had a great finish to the season. Brandon Backe: Great athlete with a tremendous arm ... Stepped up big-time in the final game of the season ... Two-seam and four-seam fastball ... Big, get-over kind of curveball and short, quick, late-break curveball ... Handles the bat very well, and can have an impact at the plate as well as on the mound. Bullpen Brad Lidge: Fastball and slider ... Can throw 97 or 98 mph with the fastball ... He evolved into one of the game's premier closers down the stretch ... Great fastball with late, two-seam movement ... The four-seamer rises upstairs and is tough to get on top of for hitters ... Will throw the slider anytime to any hitter, backdoor, front door, down the middle ... He throws it 88 mph, with a hard late break, and it's tough to identify. Chad Qualls: Fastball, slider ... Had a great second half and pitched with confidence ... High, three-quarter delivery with good movement on his fastball and great confidence in his slider ... Works the outer half of the plate very effectively to right-handed hitters. Mike Gallo: Fastball, curveball ... Handles left-handers well as he's able to get the breaking ball down and away for strikes. Dan Miceli: Fastball, curveball, slider ... Works down in the zone with fastballs and sliders very effectively ... Tough to hit the ball in the air against Miceli as he pounds the bottom of the strike zone.
