with virtually the exact same team as the one that just finished the last half of the prior season with the best record in the league???
Yes, that's what happens when you sign guys based on the "Hey, he was good on my fantasy team in 1999" thinking method. Wade is like the anti-Morey.
I was saying that in jest, but I think Wiggy and Wolf were big losses. Not that they were great, but they were solid, and their replacements are really bad.
We need to put Keppinger in the lineup everyday. He's about the only hitter on this team with discipline at the plate.
Should have brought Pudge in in Q's spot, with 2 guys in scoring position. Too late now ffs, what's the point
That's it? I don't think so. The way he's pitching and giving up runs I don't think it's just a sprained right knee.
I don't think it's particularly close to the same team that finished last year. Wigginton to Blum is an enormous drop. Anyone to Bourn (Erstad was spending a lot of time in CF down the stretch) is an enormous drop. Wolf to Hampton is an enormous drop. Hawkins pitched far above his head in a limited sample size, and like a fool, Wade bought into it and paid him big-time money as far as relievers go. I don't think it's virtually the exact same team. Plus, that's where the Pythagorean and all the other metrics that indicated last year's Astros' group was incredibly, absurdly lucky come into play. Even if you bring the exact same group back, you're looking at a 77-win bunch, most likely, and that's with Oswalt near his best. From there, turn a very good 3B into an awful one, turn a decent No. 3 starter into a bad one, get worse in CF, become older at every position (an underrated factor with this group) and have Oswalt not quite at ace form, and that's a recipe for a 65-70 win team.
Berkman 0-4, 3 K's Lee 0-4 2 days in a row like that...that's how they lost a lot of the games they lost last season...when the meat of the order decided it was ok to stop hitting.
