YES! That lasted forever. Great battle to end the game. Still, completely unnecessary drama on Valverde's part.
You can't F around with this Marlins lineup. We got lucky tonight and I mean that in all seriousness. It's amazing we held them to 3 runs.
Absolutely. There were things well within his control that he didn't do. 3 run lead, 2 outs, no men on and something like a 1 and 2 count on the batter. You can't walk that guy and the next one. I think he had a 1-2 count on the next guy, too. He's trying to be too cute or something. It makes no sense. His control isn't that bad.
Valverde has a better career WHIP, ERA and Save % than Lidge. For all his awkwardness and drama, he gets the job done. Given the makeup and needs of this team though, we should offer him arbitration and hope he signs elsewhere.
Plus an error. How the Astros only gave up 3 runs is amazing. I would have thought they were playing Astros ball by hitting into DPs, but only hit into one, while the Astros desperate to keep their MLB lead in GIDP got 3 more tonight. I wonder what the record is for in a season by a team.
That Gervacio interview was hilarious. First of all, he was dressed like Vanilla Ice... all colorful and shiz. Secondly, he had little clue what was being said to him or what to say in response. I can't believe they carried on as long as they did. I was barely able to decipher a few of his responses and most of them certainly had nothing to do with what was asked.
Cool, so would I. I was just looking at their career numbers and was surprised to see Valverde ahead in all 3 of those categories.
I would take an injury-free Lidge any day over any closer not named Mariano Rivera. As far as "pre-Pujols" goes, it seems Lidge closed out a World Series "post-Pujols". Get over it, Pujols-bomb-jock-riders. You were wrong. Categorically wrong.
Dig Yahoo's pic from the game recap: Florida Marlins' Chris Coghlan(notes) walks off the field after striking out swinging to end the game with the bases loaded against the Houston Astros a baseball game Wednesday, Aug. 19, 2009 in Houston. Astros close Jose Valverde(notes) walks off behind him. The Astros won 6-3.
This doesn't really belong in this thread but there isn't anywhere else to put this. The source came via mlbtraderumors. [rquoter] Source: Astros closer Valverde won't be traded Astros closer Jose Valverde won't be traded this season because he was claimed on waivers and pulled back earlier this month, one major league source told FOXSports.com. Valverde's status became the subject of some intrigue earlier this week, after Houston traded catcher Ivan Rodriguez to the Rangers. It seemed possible that Valverde, a free agent after this season, could be dealt, too. But the fact that he was blocked on trade waivers eliminates that possibility. Technically, it's possible that Valverde could switch teams before the regular season is over, if the team were to place him on irrevocable waivers next month. But that is highly unlikely. The only benefit to Houston in doing so would be if the team wanted to free itself from the remaining financ ial obligations on Valverde's contract. And doing so would prevent the Astros from receiving draft-pick compensation if Valverde departs as a free agent this winter. Valverde is earning $8 million this season, of which roughly $1.5 million has yet to be paid. The right-hander has converted 17 of 21 save opportunities this season and has a 2.43 ERA in 36 games. He has an ERA near 1.00 since the All-Star break. [/rquoter]
I really hope we offer him arbitration, otherwise we would have been better of letting the team that claimed him pay the final $2 million or so. Here's to hoping.
I still believe the Pujols HR messed with his head. And people who thought so thought he would pitch better with a change of scenery, and he did. Extrapolating what may or may not have happened is nonsense.
Ignoring the injuries that coincided with his performance downturns is what is nonsense. You believe a fairy tale.
I hate to go back into this, but Lidge was hurt from the get-go this year, and his performance has gone back to 2006 Astros levels, change of scenery and all. Unfortunately, it always seems to be the knee, which makes you wonder if there's a chronic situation. If it were an issue of pressure, his downturn would've occurred in the playoffs and World Series -- not the subsequent April when he was on top of the world, confidence-wise, and the games meant little. It's about the mechanics, which are in turn about the health.
