honestly...if they don't win the division this year, it won't be a choke in my book. of the three contenders...on paper....they should be in 3rd. the cubs pitching staff...and the cardinals everyday lineup make them superior "on-paper" teams.
Uh, what are you talking about? They "stepped up to the plate" last night and jumped back into first place.
choking? No, choking is when you have a huge lead and give it up... underachieve? maybe. choking? nah...
Whaddya mean *will* they choke? They've already choked...hell they started choking somewhere around the 2nd week of spring training. This season's over, and all you glass-half-full-rose-colored-glasses-wearing homers out there need to wake up & smell what yer shoveling. Myopia running rampant I tells ya. Drayton sucks, he should sell the team to Craig Biggio. I'm personally making a roadie up to Temple to piss on his front door, slash his tires & kick his dog. It's all Jim[m]y's fault too. How's Biggio as owner-gm-manager-batboy sound? Shoot, bat him cleanup too. Guaranteed champeenship then.
Yes, and tomorrow, they're going to be out of 1st place. And the next day, their back in. Just inconsistent. We'll see, RM95, where they end up. If they go to the playoffs, let's see how they do. I hope I'm wrong, but I'm guessing we will have to play the Braves again.....as usual.
That's what is called a tight pennant race, dude. If you haven't noticed, the Astros have been playing fairly consistent ball that past couple of weeks. But so have the Cubs, who are neck and neck with the Astros. When teams are in a race like that, they often fall in and out of first place.
Talentwise the Astros are probably 3rd best in the division (and they still may end up 3rd), but they continue to battle for both the division title and wild card. If they win neither it is not due to choking, it is simply a matter of not being as good as the other teams. If anyone had known that the Astros 4th-5th starters the majority of the 2nd half would be Robertson (ERA over 5), Villone (via AAA), Redding (8-14, despite some solid pitching) and Fernandez, no one would have expected them to contend. In addition, Miller has been very average this year. Hidalgo and Ensberg are the only players hitting above or at their expectations (perhaps Everett as well). Merced has been abysmal this year as a pinch hitter. Vizcaino and Kent missed a month. Their original starting SS was dumped. It is a credit to their determination (as well as a balanced league outside of SF and ATL), that they continue to hang near the top.
Even if we do win the Central, do we have a chance in the playoffs with the way we are playing? Playing against the Braves, Giants, and the Phillies, do we have a chance? Like to see the answers to those questions....
Did you think the Anaheim Angels would have have gotten by the Yankees or that the Giants would have gotten past the braves last year? 2 wild card teams went to 7 games in the world series. Please, spare me the "If we get in the playoffs, 1 round and were out" Anything can happen, the astros have a lot of weapons, it's all about getting hot at the right time
i must say, there is no team in the NL that strikes signficant fear...none that appear invincible. they all have their problems...i think i'd rather play the braves than have to face the giants in the playoffs... what's funny is how many on this board will talk about what an achievement it would be for the rockets to make the playoffs in a league where more teams are included in the playoffs than left out...and can't appreciate the fact that the astros have been one of 8 teams in a 30 team league to make the playoffs for 4 of the last 6 seasons. making it to the postseason is a far more significant accomplishment...the regular season still means something in baseball.
Anticipating nWo34Life's next question: Is there any point in the Astros even bothering to field a team next year?
JPM, we have had many weapons in the years before. Our best years in 1997, 1998 and 1999 should of been World Series contenders. Instead, they couldn't step up against San Diego and Atlanta. We had Darryl Kile and Mike Hampton in 1997 to face up against the Braves. Didn't show up in the playoffs. We had Randy Johnson, Shane Reynolds, Jose Lima in 1998 as starters who had awesome seasons and couldn't hold back the San Diego Padres. And in 1999, we had Jose Lima and Mike Hampton, back-to-back as the top pitchers in the NL. And they still couldn't beat the Braves. Are they ready for playoff material? How does this team come in comparison to get over the hurdle compared to the other All-Star teams?
I agree with A-Train, there was/is no choke. The should be in 3rd place right now, but they are actually in first! Underachieving is probably what the problem was for the majority of the season, but now they appear to be putting it into gear.
Pitching has never been the Astros problem in the playoffs. It's the hitting. As i said, it's all about the bats getting hot at the right time. No previous astros team since 97 has had this many offensive threats in one lineup.
The Astros were a surprising division winner in 1997. They only won 84 games. It was far from one of their 'best' years. Of their 7 playoff teams (1980, 1981, 1986, 1997-1999, 2001) it was clearly the 7th best.
