[Official] Astros @ Diamondbacks

Valverde looking beastly striking out the side to finish off another series win.

Bring on the Rangers!

 

National League Central
Team             W       L       Pct       GB       Diff
Milwaukee       34      29      .540        -        +16
St. Louis       34      29      .540        -        +13
Cincinnati      31      31      .500       2½         -4
Chicago         30      30      .500       2½         +8
Pittsburgh      30      33      .476        4         +8
Houston         29      32      .475        4        -33

 

4.5 if the Cardinals win. But this team is kicking butt!

 

Best team is Chicago so I just look at where we are to them

 

Hey Brooksball what is the "diff" category in the standings you posted. Is that run differential?

 

Correct, and it's generally highly correlated with wins.

Last season, we outperformed what our run differential indicated we should do but more often than not, by the end of the season, you'll see the top teams with significantly positive run differentials and the bottom teams with significantly negative run differentials.

In fact, I believe only 6 teams have ever made the postseason with a negative run differential.

 

Still worried about Moehler?

When healthy, Moehler is a league average starting pitcher.

6 IP
6 H
3 ER
2 BB
2 K

Box.

 

He pulled it together nicely today but did get lucky to finish with that line. Did you watch the early innings? He was getting hit hard with balls getting driven right into people's gloves. And Pence/Kata saved him one run when he gave up a double to their pitcher in a critical situation.

I agree that he was a league average pitcher when healthy... 10 years ago. He's 38 now and has lost a lot of his stuff. If he's not locating on a dime and mixing up his pitches effectively, he has nothing to bail him out.

Last season, he got thrust into a starting role and did very well but that was his first average performance as a starter in several years. If you are basing your argument on what he accomplished as a starter for part of last season, what about all the other years in between that and his last league average season?

Basically, I am not as confident as you that he's a league average SP even when healthy at this point in his career but I hope you're right. Regardless, we may not have a better option. We'll see how it plays out.

 

It is so nice to see the Astros winning games in June. Last year after their start they went 3-19 during a 22 game stretch.

I hope the Astros brass (McLane) can do something and get this team some starting pitching at the deadline. The lineup is there, the starting pitching is short.

 

If they can acquire pitching without giving up any good prospects, then I'm all for it, but they cannot continue to keep trading away the the little prospects they have in exchange for a # 5 pitcher.

 

I agree. I would rather see this team all the way through. If they get in contention as is...fantastic. At this point, it's not worth gutting the farm system any more than it is.

 

AstrosDaily.com has it nailed on their front page...

 

It's funny. The season seems like doom and gloom and yet we're just 3 games back in the loss column to the NL Central leader. Every division in baseball outside of the AL east is hardly intimidating. It's one of those years I guess.

 

Also, we're the only team in our division that has a winning record in their last 10 games. That's only going to help prevent a fire sale. I just don't see us selling off our assets. Tejada and Pudge have been too valuable for us. Oswalt and Berkman are considered untouchable imo to Drayton. Only Val might get shopped around if we're offered talent in return.

 

Valverde is back? How many games has he been back and how does he look?

I've missed the past few Astros games.

 

Yea, he's back. He pitched in game 2 of the series (6-4 W) in the 8th inning for an out and closed today's game 3. He looks good/fresh, ranges between 84-96 mph. Dominant/Good pitchers are fun to watch, couldn't wait til he came back especially now that both the Rockets/NBA are done.

 

you can be the best team all you want, but if you never play like it it hardly matters.

their lineup sucks right now. they can't score runs at all.

 

They could trade Tejada, if it meant cash savings that would allow them to pursue another starter. That is assuming Drayton is seriously not going to allow much more in the way of payroll.

 

Is anybody else watching this travesty of a baseball game on ESPN? It hurts double fold since I'm an Indians and Astros fan... the pitching is atrocious on both sides but the Indians' bullpen takes the cake.

 

FWIW Astros triple A prospect Bud Norris put up 8in 0er 2h 2bb 6K line tonight. For the season he was a 2.37 era in 73 innings averaging about a strikeout an inning and has a little better than a 2:1 K:bb ratio. He is one of the few (maybe the only one besides Castro) upper level prospects that profiles as a potential impact major league player. How long before he gets a shot?