Viva Valverde

I was afraid that the emotions of being back in Arizona and facing his old team mates might make trouble for Jose Valverde, and for his new team, the Houston Astros. But last night put those concerns to rest. Valverde came in in the ninth with a 6-4 lead. He struck out the side, including Ed Byrnes to finish the game. It was an impressive performance, and it ended a three game skid for the "Stros." That means they will do no worse than split the games on the road trip!

Lost Weekend

The weekend was not kind to the Houston Astros. They lost two of three in St. Louis. They did not hit much and spent two days being angry at the Cardinals for a pitch thrown behind Brad Ausmus. It was not a good series.

Bats Alive!

The Astros have won the past five games in a row, and the biggest reason is that the bats have come to life. The thought going into the season was that the new line up was potent enough to make Houston competitive every game. The first two weeks of the season, there was little to cheer about offensively. Now the hitters are all contributing and the 'Stros are in the win column much more frequently. I hope it is not sporadic, but I have my fears, as there are so many young players in the mix!

First Win!

I went to see the Astros again last night. It was my fifth visit this season, if you include an exhibition against the Tigers prior to the regular season beginning. It was the fourth of five games in which one of the teams scored at least ten runs. And it was the first I had seen the Astros win. The final was 11-7, despite having blown a 4 run lead in the eighth inning. For the second night in a row Miguel Tejada had four hits and for the second time in three games, Kaz Matsui drove in the go ahead runs in the bottom of the eighth!

Kaz Makes Himself A New Home!

Kaz Matsui missed the first couple of weeks with his new team, the Houston Astros, because of some medical problems. He returned on Friday night, but did not really make himself a new home until Sunday afternoon. That is when he got a two out, two run single that produced a Houston win over the Colorado Rockies.

Welcome to Houston, Kaz!

Bad Games and a Bad Call

I went to the game at Minute Maid on Friday night, taking my oldest grandson. It was a nice night with him, but the game was a real stinker. The Rockies got six runs off starter Chris Sampson, who left the game in the first inning. The 'Stros put up four runs in the bottom of the frame, but the Astros' bull pen could not contain the Rockies. The final score was 11-5. That means in consectutive Friday games, I have witnessed the Astros lose twice by a combined 21-9!

Then last night I went to see the second game of the Rockies' series in Houston. It was a better contest, the Astros eventually lost 3-2. But we saw one of the worst calls by an umpire at a critical moment that we have seen in a while.

Geoff Blum was leading off the bottom of the seventh inning. He hit a line drive into deep right center. Ryan Spilborghs of Colorado made a valiant effort, and when he landed on the ground and rolled over, he held the ball aloft as though he caught it. The umpire ruled it a catch, though the ball had ricocheted off his glove and under his body where he gathered it in his grasp. Blum was standing on second, but was ordered off the field by the umpire. So was manager Cecil Cooper, after a lengthy and animated argument that did nothing to change the ruling. It may not have cost the Astros the victory, but it surely contributed.

Chacon Shines--Valverde Stinks!

This year's acquisitions by the Houston Astros were supposed to solidify the closer and improve the offense. Tonight indicates that at least the first of those did not work. Shawn Chacon pitched eight innings of shutout ball for the 'Stros. The Phillies had no extra base hits. In the ninth, Jose Valverde came in to close the game. He gave up a lead off homer, hit a batter and gave up a two run homer, tying things up. Brad Ausmus missed a pitch on a strike out, allowing the batter to reach first. The next batter doubled down the third base line. As has been his habit for as long as I have been watching, Ausmus did not block the plate and his swipe tag allowed the runner to score the game winner.

All those Brad Lidge haters may be wishing we could trade Valverde for him soon!

Rockets in Utah

The Houston Rockets lost to the Utah Jazz, quite badly, last night. That probably means a return trip to Utah to open the playoffs this weekend. That probably means another brief stay in the playoffs, especially since starting point guard Rafer Alston is out with an injury. Sigh!

Backe To Back Wins!

Brandon Backe was the winning pitcher for the Houston Astros yesterday. Today the 'Stros won their second game in a row for the first time this season. Wandy Rodriguez was got the win, with a save for Jose Valverde. J. R. Towles hit a two run homer and Michael Bourn hit a solo homer. Both are Houston area boys so we had two Houston connnections today! The record now stands at 5 and 8, with a trip to Philadelphia next on the schedule!

Backe Wins!!

Brandon Backe became the first Astros starting pitcher to record a win this season. The other three wins had all belonged to relievers. Tonight Backe pitched a tough five innings, leaving the game with a five to nothing lead. The bull pen came through with four scorless innings to maintain the shutout of the Marlins.

Lance Berkman hit another homer tonight. A much better start for the 08 season than last night.

Oswalt Struggling

I went to see my first regular season game of 2008 at Minute Maid Park in Houston. The Astros have gotten off to a troubling start and tonight was indicative of the kind of games they have been playing. Roy Oswalt, the best pitcher on the staff is now 0-3. In the third inning, leading 3-0, Handley Ramirez hit a ground ball to second baseman Mark Loretta. It should have been a double play to end the inning. Instead Loretta bobbled the ball and only got one. Then the Marlins erupted for 5 runs. They got three more in the 4th, knocking out Oswalt. He gave up four home runs in those two innings. The season is beginning to feel like the 2000 season.

3-6

The slow start to the season for the Houston Astros is a bit worrisome to those of us who are more than casual fans. The changes made to the team over the off season were supposed to have made a significant difference to the offense. But the team, at least early in the season, is looking a lot like last year. It has explosions, but then goes quiet for long stretches. Last night they scored three in the third to take th lead, but then only had 2 more hits the rest of the game!

FlashBack to Twenty Five Years Ago

I was sitting with a group so guys, including a former coach from the University of Houston, watching the Cougars basketball game in the finals of the NCAA tournament. The team known as Phi Slamma Jamma was the superior team on the floor, and they had a nice lead on North Carolina State. But they could not hit free throws down the stretch in that game and a freak shot cost them the game and the humiliation of having lost in such a monumental way.

That is what I thought of as I watched the championship game last night, seeing the Memphis Tigers play the role of the Cougars and Kansas in the place of NC State!

Home Opener!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

The Houston Astros finally got to play a game at home tonight, after opening the season on the road for the first week. The opponent was the Central Division rival St. Louis Cardinals. The game was scoreless going into the bottom of the seventh inning, with both pitchers giving up only two hits on the evening.

But in the home half of the inning, Lance Berkman and Carlos Lee hit back to back homers. In the bottom of the eighth, J. R. Towles added a home run, making the score 3-0. The Astros' closer, Jose Valverde, came in to save the game, but gave up three runs. So when Miguel Tejada hit a two run homer, Valverde got the win instead of the save. Wandy Rodriquez deserved the win, but did not get it!

Redeeming My Bracket!

When the brackets came out for the March Madness NCAA basketball tournament, I filled one out for fun. I did not get through unscathed, but my Final Four had three of the teams that actually made it to San Antonio. I picked Memphis to win in the semi-final against UCLA. And I picked North Carolina to be defeated in the semis, only I had projected Vanderbilt to be the team Memphis would beat for the Championship. Memphis can redeem my mistake on Monday by beating Kansas. Of course, Kansas can ruin it all by being the only team I did not pick to win its regional coming through with a win over the Tigers!

Lee In Left!

I did not get to see the Houston Astros' game this afternoon against the Chicago Cubs. But I heard a bit of commentary on the radio and it sounds like Carlos Lee gave up as many runs on defense as he produced on offense. No one can fault El Caballo for his production with the bat. But he is a FAR cry from a decent outfielder!

In The Central Division

The Houston Astros had a rough season last year when playing Central Division opponents. Today they played their first game against a division foe when they met the Cubs in Chicago. Chris Sampson pitched well, into the seventh inning allowing only six hits and two runs. The Astros won the game by a 4-3 score. J.R. Towles, the rookie catcher who grew up in the Houston area, hit his first home run and Michael Bourn made his thrid great defensive play in the four games he has played this season.

Encouraging!

One & Three!!!!!!!!!!!!

The Houston Astros started the new baseball season in San Diego with four games against the Padres. The bats were silent in the first two games, but broke out in the ninth inning of game three. They scored four in the ninth inning and won 9-6. But then this afternoon they dropped another game to the Padres, 5-4. The season has gotten off to a 1-3 start, with three games in Chicago against the Cubs over the weekend!

Anemic Bats

Game 2 of the new baseball season was not much different from the first for the Houston Astros. Brandon Backe pitched well enough to win if they had scored a few runs, but the two run homer by Scott Hairston off Backe was enough for the Padres to win. The Astros did not score until the sixth inning and then it was on a bases loaded walk. Through two games, no one has driven in a run by hitting the ball!