Did anybody see this in Jayson Stark's latest column on ESPN.com? Kinda cool because the national media really hasn't said much about the way the 'Stros are playing, even though there have been numerous articles written about the success of players like Berkman and Oswalt. Another early trend we've detected is the quick impulse to write off the Astros. Well, let's rethink that. They were 14-18, and 5½ games out, through Wednesday. Last year, they were below .500 as late as May 29 -- and eight games out of first as late as June 17 -- and still won the division. "I don't get the sense that anybody in here is even worried," says Brad Ausmus, "because of the way we started last year." Wade Miller should be back by the end of the month. Carlos Hernandez is coming on. And their bullpen -- which is last in the league in bullpen ERA (5.66) -- can't and won't be this bad. "(Octavio) Dotel has struggled early," Ausmus says. "But you've gotta remember he's been a starter his whole life, getting 30 innings a year in spring training. Last year, he got 40 innings during the season as a starter. This year, he got eight innings in spring training, so he came out throwing 91-93 (mph). Now he's starting to get his arm strength back, and he's 94-96. "Same with Nelson Cruz. He pitched two innings in spring training, and his arm strength wasn't there. And neither of them played winter ball." The Astros remain a team with a lot of ingredients and a lot of prospects on the horizon. They should get better as the year goes on.
I hope he's right, but one thing he doesn't consider is that last year's team came alive because we added an army of new players - Oswalt, Redding, Hernandez, Williams, and Castilla. That let us make moves like making Dotel a reliever. We don't have those kinds of options in the minor leagues this year.
I hope they are worried. I'm not writing them off, but as pro athletes, they should be concerned when they are seriously underachieving.
