Yeah, it could have been worse.....They could have gotten swept in Chicago, and in st louis and be 6 or 7 back
Speaks volumes about how our offense remains the biggest problem. I say play more keppinger and get him more at bats.
We were also playing two of the best starters in the league in Carpenter and Wainwright. The Cardinals, on the other hand, were facing a rookie, Wandy for 4 innings, and Moehler, and scored a total of 3 runs off them... I would say the bigger problem recently is the bullpen. With Arias and Sampson faltering, and Hawkins out, there are a lot of holes in the late innings.
WOW...just got back from the movies but heard the last few innings were pretty impressive! Norris looks like the real deal lets hope he does pretty good the rest of the year to get him a spot in the rotation next year! I thought we were out of it but after seeing Norris pitch lights out and Wandy sounding like he might be back for his next start along with Roy sounding like he might start Sat if we can go 4-2 on the next homestand we could withstand the easy schedule for St Louis! Stay within 4 games this month and you never know! Its amazing how good pitching can turn around a crummy stretch!
HOUSTON ip h r er bb so hr era C Hernandez 7 2 0 0 1 7 0 0.00 C Sampson 7 3 0 0 1 0 0 0.00 R Oswalt 6 2 1 1 0 4 1 1.80 Could go in many different directions!
Just saw that the Cubbies lost on back-to-back homers in the ninth. Hopefully this is a loss that will stick with them for a little while...
The difference between Norris and Sampson is stuff. When it comes to pure stuff, it is like day and night. Norris throws a 93-96 mph fastball with a serious slider. Sampson doesn't have nearly the same stuff, he depends on location and movement, so when he isn't on, he can get battered. Norris will be able to get by much better when he doesn't have his best stuff/location.
From my fantasy league: Berkman (strained left calf) has not progressed as he had hoped in the eight days since landing on the DL, the Houston Chronicle reports. "It's really something that has lingered even though I haven't been playing," Berkman said. "Running [is] going to be the main hurdle." Recommendation: Berkman took batting practice before Friday's game, but has not yet tested the calf. Barring a setback, Berkman hopes to start running on Monday when the team returns to Houston. This is exactly why listening to Berkman on whether or not he should be on the DL or allowed to play would have been a bad idea.
