You don't. We do not have the trade pieces that teams will want for good pitching without giving up a piece of our lineup puzzle.
If the Astros were losing Bournout, Wigout & Towlesout would be burning at the stake. But they aren't losing so hopefully these guys can turn it around. The pitching has been beyond extraordinary so far. That being said, we still need one more starter. Does Drayton spend the money? Will wade make another deal? Who in the minors will come up and have a Charlie Kerfeld/ Mike Scott kind of year??? I've got my fingers crossed that some guy (pitcher) down in the minors comes up and plays beyond all expectations near the middle of the year! Lance Berkman should be an all star this year. GO ASTROS!
All Star? -1st in the majors in runs scored -1st in the majors in doubles -1st in the majors in slugging -1st in the majors in OPS -2nd in the majors in OBP -2nd in the majors in home runs -2nd in the majors in RBIs (1st in the NL) -2nd in the majors in batting average -tied for 11th in the NL in stolen bases The guy is the early favorite for MVP.
Good luck, he gets no BSPN attention. I saw baseball tonight and they didn't even mention Berkman in the top 2 hitters and he's obviously 2nd behind Chipper Jones at this point in time. They picked Chase Utley over Berkman behind Jones.
Who cares about the national media? This team is clicking in all areas right now and is a ton of fun to watch. We probably have as many late come-from-behind wins this season than we did all of last year. And did you see all the guys on the top step in the dugout in the 8th and 9th innings? LOVE the intensity and the chemistry of this team. And considering this is our 1st sweep since 92 of the Dodgers (where we usually play like crap) you know our guys have got to be sky high now.
Great come from behind win. Amazing that there was a no hitter going on against us so late in the game, yet we score so many runs. lol. Love the stros.
I saw that, too. It was only two guys giving their opinions. They aren't trying to overlook Berkman or hate on the Astros. Picking Chipper Jones made perfect sense. I believe the other guy picked Utley because of the fact that Rollins has been out and Howard has been struggling. ESPN is well aware of what Berkman is doing and they will give him his due props. I wouldn't put too much stock in those 30 seconds of commentary.
IIRC most writers are idiots and don't watch the majority of games. They just rehash ESPN highlights most of the time.
I don't recall saying they ever 'hated' on Berkman or the Astros, I just thought that he wasn't getting his probs when he's on a HISTORIC (as in a period of hitting not seen in 20+ years???) tear. He deserves at least an honorable mention!
Valverde hasnt allowed a single run earned or unearned his last 10 outings. No walks in his last 7 http://sports.yahoo.com/mlb/players/7151
kruk said last night, "how about those 2nd basemen utley and uggla? running 1 and 2 in the NL home run race!" berkman - 12 uggla - 11
Yeah, if only the Astros had kept Willy Taveras and his .244 average, .303 slugging percentage and .621 OPS! That's all this team needs! Albers is a long reliever on one of the worst teams in the league. That should tell you all you need to know.
Albers was also part of the Tejada trade. I am surprised that the Rockies haven't traded Taveras yet considering they could move Spilborghs into the starting CF slot and have Podsenik as backup.
Willy is one of the better centerfielders in (top 15) baseball right now. Take the small sample size this year with a grain of salt. He has improved offensively every single year, first annually dropping his strike rate and now improving his walk rate. Whereas his rookie year he had a over 1/4 K/BB rate, now he has a ~1/1.8 K/BB rate (walking in over 8% of his PA). Defensively he has improved from raw cfer we remember his rookie year to become a near-elite fielder. That's is especially important in the huge colorado outfield. He's better than spilborghs.
The Baseball Tonight crew hates the Astros. People who aren't Astros fans know that. There is zero respect for the Houston Astros amongst the guys on that show. It's been that way for the past 3 years without a doubt.
