A Misplaced Astros Fan

A Quick Glance at the Playoffs

2009-10-08T16:14:18Z

The MLB postseason is underway. For the third straight season, there has been a 163rd game. For the second straight season, it has involved the Minnesota Twins. Unlike last year, however, the Twins prevailed over the Tigers to earn a spot in the playoffs.

To those not paying attention, this puts the Twins with the New York Yankees, Boston Red Sox, Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim, Los Angeles Dodgers, Colorado Rockies, St. Louis Cardinals, and Philadelphia Phillies.

So let's take a very quick glance and see what pops up at us, shall we?

Now, I don't know about you, but the first thing to leap off of the page at me is the New York Yankees, who were probably the only heavy investors in the free agent market this offseason. It seems to have paid off, as they cruised to 103 wins, the best record in baseball.

However, their Pythagorean W-L% is just .588, and they out-performed it by eight wins. Ordinarily, this kind of discrepancy might lead someone to think that they were headed for an embarrassing first-round loss. I'm not so sure. Pythagoras still ranks them the second-best team in baseball, and they benefit by playing the Twins, easily the worst statistical team in the entire postseason.

The Red Sox and Angels, meanwhile, are much more evenly-matched. Like all but two playoff teams (the Dodgers and Cardinals), the Angels out-performed Pythagoras - in their case, by 5 wins. However, they are only one win off from the Red Sox, who out-performed by just two. This leads me to believe that Boston is more or less exactly what they are. Steady, with relatively few surprises.

Looking ahead, I do think that it will be Yankees-Sox in the playoffs. Great for ESPN, bad for baseball fans. Who has the edge in that series could be a coin toss, but as much as I hate to say it, the Red Sox have the edge in my eyes.

The National League is a different beast altogether. With one exception, every team is a win or two off from their "true value." But the Los Angeles Dodgers are the outlier. Not only did they have the best record in the NL, they actually under-performed - the only playoff team to do so. Their Pythagorean W-L would have them out-pacing the NL by an even wider margin. Not surprisingly, they also have the fewest runs allowed of any team in baseball (tied with the San Francisco Giants.)

At the moment, they are easily my favorite team to win the pennant, despite their belly-flop into the playoffs. The Cardinals certainly shouldn't pose too great a challenge. In fact, if it's not the Phillies and Dodgers in the NLCS, I will be shocked and amazed.

Right now, I'm calling the series: New York, Boston, Los Angeles, Philadelphia.

Right now, I'm tentatively calling the World Series: Los Angeles and Boston.

Right now, I'm very very hesitantly calling the World Champions: The Los Angeles Dodgers.

It's Not a Sprint, It's a Marathon

2009-09-28T04:26:31Z

Two things happened tonight in Houston, Texas: The Astros won their final home game of the season, and the Cincinnati Reds lost their 82nd game of the year.

The loss ensures that the Reds will finish below .500 for the ninth straight year, and they accomplished that by taking one huge step backwards. Many sources had the Reds putting together a breakout campaign this season, finishing in the top half of the division. Some writers (myself included) thought that they would challenge Chicago for the division title.

Boy, were we wrong. Among Cincinnati players who appeared in at least 80 games with the team, only one - 1B Joey Votto - has batted over .300 this season. Batting average may be a much-overrated statistic, but in this case it's indicative of their overall offensive performance. The team runner-up in batting average, 2B Brandon Phillips, is hitting just .279. Not bad, but not exactly what you look for from someone they depended on being a marquee player this season.

Only three Reds in the 80+ games group had OBPs over .350 - Votto, catcher Ryan Hanigan, and OF Chris Dickerson.

The HAVOC pitching staff (Harang, Arroyo, Volquez, Owings, and Cueto) floundered, as well. Arroyo has been the only one to toss at least 200 innings, and so far is also the only one with an ERA under 4.00 or a WHIP under 1.300.

And yet these Reds lead our Astros in the standings. If only all of our games were at Minute Maid Park, where we posted a 44-37 (.543) record.

The news isn't all bad for the Astros. First, Cecil Cooper is gone and the search for his replacement must be on, if only unofficially. Props to Alyson Footer for mentioning Tim Bogar as a potential replacement - Tim Bogar - who I first mentioned as a candidate back on April 20th.

Second, we got surprisingly good years out of Michael Bourn and Miguel Tejada. Bourn has improved his OBP this season by about eighty points, which is incredible. He's also stolen 59 bases, easily the most in the National League. Tejada lived up to billing by grounding into twenty-nine double plays, leading the NL so far in that category.

But he also proved amazingly durable - particularly since Cecil Cooper was so convinced that he'd give Miguel extra time off that he completely dismissed Matt Kata in Spring Training because Kata had never played shortstop before. Well, Kata's still on the team and Cooper isn't.

Tejada is currently in the NL's top ten in AB/SO (12.563), batting average (.308), at-bats (603), hits (186), doubles (leads the league with 44), singles (128), and HBP (11).

I'm going to be blogging a bit through the remainder of the season, discussing things I've learned and mistakes I've made in my first season as an MLBlogger. I was reminded of the grind that the season truly is - there were moments when I was posting 2 or 3 times a day, down to the very end, where I've been lucky to get in one or two posts a month. I entered the mass of unemployment, got another job, moved across town, and began working on a very big documentary project that, while fulfilling a lifetime dream, is also more or less a second job.

There will be an in-depth, position-by-position look at the Astros and their prospects. There will be an evaluation of what I predicted correctly - and what I predicted incorrectly - as well as a look at how I can improve.

When the 2010 season starts, I'll be preparing to head out on old Route 66, and I won't have a lot of time to write, but I've met some fantastic people doing this blog, and I intend to continue it, if only part-time, because I value the conversations and friendships that I've developed with many of my readers.

It's hard to believe it's only been eight months since I decided to start blogging because I was tired of having to explain the Rule 4 draft over and over. I've been tested, and sometimes I succeeded. More often, I've failed. And that is what baseball is all about. Learning from failure. I've loved every minute of it so far, and I'd like to thank you all for coming along on the ride.

Ding! Dong! The Witch is Dead!

2009-09-22T14:05:15Z

Sure, the Astros' entire organization - from Rookie Ball to the Major Leagues - has been eliminated from the playoffs. Sure, the big league team is in the middle of an eight-game skid that not only has buried them behind the Cardinals, Cubs, and Brewers, but may in fact allow the Cincinnati Reds to catch up.

Sure, we're lousy, but there's reason to be optimistic for next year, Astros fans: Cecil Cooper has been fired.

Now, everyone knows I was never Cecil Cooper's biggest fan. In fact, I thought he was laughably bad as a manager, and proved that he could handle neither young nor veteran players. Decisions he made hurt the Astros in nearly every single game - whether it was wasting outs on maddening sacrifice hits, burning through the bullpen, or refusing to give a player a chance to play.

It may be too much to hope that I'll get my way entirely, with Tim Bogar returning to Houston as a manager, but my fingers will remain firmly crossed. No matter what happens, it's great to have Cecil gone. And long, long overdue.

Here We Go Again...

2009-08-24T16:46:12Z

Two straight series wins against the Marlins and the Diamondbacks, and the Astros are still hanging around in the standings - 10 games behind the Cardinals in the NL Central; 9 games behind the Rockies for the NL Wild Card.

38 games left to play, beginning tomorrow with a 9-game roadtrip against the Cardinals, Cubs, and Diamondbacks. Two series left against the Phillies. It could be shaping up to be the exact worst-case scenario: The Astros playing hard until the final out of the season, getting within sniffing distance but missing the playoffs entirely.

Without a playoff berth, a good season will continue to hurt this team in subsequent drafts. The longer they stay competitive, the louder the cries for high-priced free agents. If this team is going to blow itself up and rebuild, it shouldn't ideally come after a season where they compete until the very end.

And, as much as I hate to side with Richard Justice, let's say the Astros miss the playoffs by six games: Is it unfair to say that manager Cecil Cooper has cost the Astros at least that many games?

A Few Moves That Won't Get Us Over The Hump

The Houston Astros signed Armando Benitez to a minor league contract. Benitez had been pitching with the Newark Bears of the independent Atlantic League. Since 1994, he's pitched for the Orioles, Mets, Mariners, Marlins, Yankees, Giants, and Blue Jays. He last pitched in Toronto in 8 games during the 2008 season, during which time he was 0-1 with a 5.68 ERA, but a 0.947 WHIP.

Benitez is a two-time All-Star with a career 3.13 ERA and 1.217 WHIP. It's doubtful that he'll get the Astros over the hump, but it's very possible he's still got something left in the tank, even at "thirty-six" Dominican years old.

You probably don't know, but the film Open Road is set to release this weekend, with Justin Timberlake as a baseball player for none other than our Double-A Texas League affiliate, the Corpus Christi Hooks.

He won't help the Hooks much, as it turns out, as they now stand dangerously close to elimination from the playoffs. The Round Rock Express, Greeneville Astros, and DSL Astros have already been eliminated.

Former Astros pitcher Russ Ortiz was inked to a deal by the Colorado Rockies. Turns out he may make the playoffs, after all - and have something to say about the Astros getting there in the process. The Rockies also picked up Jason Giambi.

Will Lancaster Make The Playoffs?

The California League Lancaster Jethawks are trying like mad to get into the playoffs in their first year as an Astros affiliate, but could use a little help from their friends. Four games behind the High Desert Mavericks (SEA), the Jethawks won yesterday - but so did High Desert, who has won four in a row. Hot on the Jethawks' back is the Rancho Cucamonga Quakes - winners of three straight, and just a game behind Lancaster in the standings.

Lancaster is the only Astros affiliate with any realistic shot of making the playoffs.

The Lexington Legends snapped their 11-game losing streak, but it's likely a case of too little, too late, as they now stand at the very bottom of the South Atlantic League, 13.5 games out of first place.

Eric Bruntlett

No doubt you've heard by now, but former Astros shortstop Eric Bruntlett made history yesterday, becoming just the second player in Major League Baseball to get the last three outs of a game with an unassisted triple play. Bruntlett - along with Brad Lidge - was traded to the Phillies late in 2007 for Michael Bourn, Geoff Geary, and minor leaguer Mike Costanzo, who was turned around and sent to the Orioles as one of the five players traded for Miguel Tejada.

Congratulations, Eric.

What Happened Was...

Round Rock Express (AAA) - Polin Trinidad is having a little trouble adjusting to the Pacific Coast League, and his struggles were front and center during yesterday's 6-1 loss to the Memphis Redbirds (STL). 2B Jose Vallejo - one of the players acquired in the Ivan Rodriguez trade - was 2-for-4 with 2 doubles, and scored the only Express run of the game. A tip of the cap to OF Yordany Ramirez, with an outfield assist at home from center field.

Corpus Christi Hooks (AA) - It's not a good omen with the big leaguers going into a series against the Cardinals when their minor league teams keep beating ours. The Hooks dropped a 3-1 decision to the Springfield Cardinals (AA) yesterday, with OF Andrew Locke collecting two of the Hooks' only 3 hits. The third was a solo home run by 2B/3B Felix "No Relation" Molina.

Lancaster Jethawks (A+) - Five runs in the first inning helped the Jethawks put away the Visalia ~~Oaks~~ Rawhide (ARI), 6-4. LF/C Koby Clemens was 2-for-4 to raise his season line to .339/.415/.607 between Corpus Christi and Lancaster. SS Marcos Cabral went 2-for-3 with a walk, a home run, and 3 RBI. Leandro Cespedes struck out 6 in 5.2 innings; Fernando Abad did him one better, striking out 5 in 3.1 innings, walking just one, and allowing only two hits and no runs to help keep the Jethawks in the playoff race.

Lexington Legends (A) - It wasn't always such a surprise when Lexington won a game, but after eleven straight losses, a 5-2 victory over the Greensboro Grasshoppers (FLA), who were no doubt looking ahead to tonight's game, where they will be hosting Waffle Appreciation Night. That's right. Waffles. No word on whether or not Richard Justice will be the guest of honor. Kyle Greenwalt earned the win, allowing 2 earned runs on 5 hits and no walks through 6 innings. Brian Pellegrini and Brandon Wikoff each had two hits - unspurprisingly, as they've been about the only offensive highlights for Lexington all season.

Tri-City ValleyCats (A-) - It was a tight game for four innings, but runs by the Vermont Lake Monsters (WSN) in the fifth, sixth, and seventh innings did the ValleyCats in as they fell, 3-0, in Game 1 of the doubleheader. Losses don't get a lot harder-luck than the one Wander Alvino suffered, giving up just one hit, one earned run, and three hits with 5 strikeouts in as many innings.

Game two ended with a postponement. The Monsters led in the middle of the third, 3-0.

Greeneville Astros (R) - Tied at 1-1 entering the sixth inning, the Astros' game against the Elizabethton Twins (MIN) looked like it might be a classic pitchers' duel. Carlos Quevedo was looking very good on the mound, as was his counterpart, Edgar Ibarra. By the end of the sixth, though, things had changed drastically. Quevedo gave up a total of five runs, two of them earned, while Ibarra struck out ten in seven innings of work to earn the win in the 9-1 game. Astros manager Rodney Linares was ejected by the home plate umpire; one wonders if we wouldn't have been better off getting 3B Jonathan Meyer, C Carlos Mojica, and 2B Miguel Arrendall ejected instead. It would have saved us the three errors they combined to make, at least.

GCL Astros (R) - The GCL Astros had a scheduled day off, in sharp contrast to all of the unscheduled days off they've been having lately.

DSL Astros (R) - The DSL Astros' season is over. They will not make the playoffs. Steroids all around.

Nevarez Pitches

2009-08-21T14:14:12Z

It was only a third of an inning, but 6'5" 220 lb. reliever Matthew Nevarez threw in his first game within the Astros organization yesterday, allowing a hit and recording a strikeout - the last out the Lexington Legends would record in their 7-5 loss to the Kannapolis Intimidators (CWS).

Along with Round Rock second baseman Jose Vallejo, Nevarez was a part of the trade that sent Ivan Rodriguez to Texas.

The most puzzling part of this trade to me, quite honestly, is watching the reactions of Houston fans. I really and truly don't understand how anyone can think that this trade was a bad move. Pudge had a .280 on-base percentage. That means that when he went to the plate, there was a 28% chance that he'd get on base via either a hit, a walk, or by getting hit by a pitch.

That's not bad; that's terrible. Last season, Michael Bourn was heavily maligned for his failures at the plate. He had a .288 on-base percentage. Jose Cruz, Jr. was ridden out of town on a rail after posting a .283. The Pirates' Jason Jaramillo had the next-lowest OBP for a starting NL Central catcher this season, and that was 37 points higher - .317.

The fact that we were able to get anything for Rodriguez is a testament to our front office. We got two young players, at least one of whom has some upside; and potentially a third.

That, dear friends, is a win.

Houston's Dallas

"There are three rules that I live by: never get less than twelve hours sleep; never play cards with a guy who has the same first name as a city; and never get involved with a woman with a tattoo of a dagger on her body. Now you stick to that, and everything else is cream cheese."
--Coach Bobby Finstock, Teen Wolf

It might not be wise to play cards with Dallas Keuchel, the Astros' 7th-round pick in this year's draft, but it's not a bad idea to play baseball with him. Keuchel is a 6'3" left-hander out of the University of Arkansas - Fayetteville, and so far he's been a very pleasant surprise in his tenure for the Tri-City ValleyCats.

1-2 in his first 8 games (all but one of them starts), he boasts a 1.94 ERA and a striking 0.935 WHIP. He 's allowed just 3 walks and struck out 30 batters in 41.2 innings, and opposing hitters are .228 against him. If he can keep this up, he's going to be very exciting to watch.

Back in the Sadler Again
On August 18, the Astros signed Billy Sadler, a free agent pitcher released by the San Francisco Giants on August 10. Sadler has been with Triple-A Fresno for all of 2009, but has spent parts of two seasons in the big leagues. In 2007, he broke camp with the Giants, but struggled with his control and earned a demotion. In 2008, he was called up late to replace Brad Hennessey.

With a fastball in the low nineties and a curveball he throws to keep hitters off-balance, Sadler has looked very good at times. He seems to have added a slider and a split-finger, and still throws his changeup for strikes.

He'll be 28 soon, so don't expect him to get heaps better, but this is a very nice low-risk signing by the Astros, and he could provide depth late into the season. See below for details of his first start for the GCL Astros.

What Happened Was...

Round Rock Express (AAA) - An 8-2 loss to the Las Vegas 51s (TOR) was the 4th loss by the Express in their last 5 games. It stands to reason that their season made a downturn when pitchers Bud Norris and Yorman Bazardo were called up, but this team has gone from bad to worse. Their Elimination # now stands at 3, and the only way that can feel good is if they win tonight, effectively knocking the 51s out of the playoffs first. 1B Mark Saccomanno continued his hot second half with a home run, but also showed himself to be the butcher in the field he's always been with an error. SS Tommy Manzella was 1-for-2 with 2 walks and 2 stolen bases. Josh Muecke earned a hard-luck loss, giving up 5 runs in 5.2 innings - none of them earned. Chris Sampson gave up three runs of his own in an inning of work. His ERA since being demoted to Round Rock now stands at 22.50.

Corpus Christi Hooks (AA) - It took 12 innings for the Arkansas Travelers (LAA) to score their second run of the night to beat the Corpus Christi Hooks 2-1. Kenny Baugh pitched well, though not dominantly, earning no strikeouts in 6 innings of work, allowing a single run on 3 hits. Daniel Meszaros was brilliant, allowing no runs and two hits in three innings of work, with 6 strikeouts. 3B Aaron Boone was 0-for-3 with 2 strikeouts. Several Hooks had decent nights at the plate, despite the lack of runs. SS Wladimir Sutil was 2-for-4; DH/OF Andrew Locke and C Jason Castro were 2-for-5.

Lancaster Jethawks (A+) - The Jethawks put together 4 runs in the top of the second, cruising to a 5-2 victory over the Lake Elsinore Storm (SDP). The win keeps them three games behind the High Desert Mavericks (SEA) for the California League South Division. The victory came in complete-game fashion for Christopher Salamida, who struck out 5 and allowed 4 hits. Both runs came on a James Darnell home run in the first inning. C Koby Clemens was 3-for-4, a home run away from a cycle; OF T.J. Steele was 2-for-3 to bring his season line up to .353/.393/.578.

Lexington Legends (A) - Despite stellar pitching from Ross Seaton, Jordan Lyles, and Brad Dydalewicz this season, the Legends' offense simply hasn't been able to make anything happen. A 7-5 loss to the Kannapolis Intimidators (CWS) yesterday keeps them squarely in the basement of the Sally North Division. Kyle Godfrey, who's been fairly outstanding since being promoted from Tri-City, earned the loss with a rare bad outing, striking out 2 and giving up 2 runs on 2 hits in 1.2 innings. His ERA for the season "balloons" to 2.02. 8 of Lexington's 9 starters combined for 10 hits, with only OF Steve Brown going hitless.

Tri-City ValleyCats (A-) - Dallas Keuchel earned his first win yesterday, giving up 2 runs in 5 innings against the Staten Island Yankees (NYY). He picked up a little help from his friends, including 2B Jose Altuve, who was 1-for-3 at the plate with a walk, three stolen bases, and three runs scored. The ValleyCats eked out 7 runs on 8 hits, only two of them for extra bases: Doubles by 3B Erik Castro and DH/3B Jhonny Medrano. At 20-37, the ValleyCats are dead last not just in the Stedler Division, but in the entire New York-Penn League. But they're getting a couple of nice individual performances that are certainly encouraging.

Greeneville Astros (R) - There's very little in baseball more exciting than the "Battle of the 'villes." I just made that up, but Greeneville and the Danville Braves (ATL) do seem to have their share of very good games against one another, and yesterday's 3-2 Danville win was no exception. The Astros' hitters were absolutely shut down by the Braves' staff (when have I heard that before?), scoring two unearned runs on just two hits. Murillo Gouvea earned the loss, striking out 4 in 3 relief innings, giving up just one hit and one unearned loss. First-round pick Jiovanni Mier was 0-for-2 with 2 walks earned.

GCL Astros (R) - While the Astros' Wandy Rodriguez was helping the big leaguers over the Marlins for a big series win, the teams' Gulf Coast League affiliates battled it out in decidedly-different fashion, as the Marlins downed the Astros, 8-1. The Astros, already eliminated from the postseason, had as many errors as hits (2). Only DH/C Jose Lopez managed to get on base more than once, going 1-for-2 with a walk, as a quartet of Marlins farmhands combined for the two-hit victory. Astros starter Billy Sadler, who the Astros signed as a free agent two days ago, struck out the side in the first inning and left the game.

DSL Astros (R) - The DSL playoff picture is very nearly set, with the DSL Yankees2 and Twins vying for one remaining spot; the Mariners and Cardinals for the other. The Giants and Rangers2 have already locked up their spots; so no one really cared all that much when the Astros and Rangers1 were rained out and didn't play.

Well, You KNEW I was gonna comment on this...

2009-08-19T04:33:09Z

August marches on, and it seems like we've been playing the Marlins for the last three and a half years. And as the Houston Astros drop a few series to fall behind the Milwaukee Brewers, possibly for good, I was desperate for good news.

Bud Norris earned his first loss. Nope, not good news.

Wandy Rodriguez threw quite possibly his worst outing of the season. Nope.

Yorman Bazardo is set to make his debut as an Astros starter. Maaaaybeee....

Wait. Nope. Here it is. The Houston Astros have agreed to a trade with the Texas Rangers, sending Ivan "Pudge" Rodriguez to Arlington for 6'5" right-hander Matthew Nevarez and second baseman Jose Vallejo, provided he clears waivers (and at .245/.290/.316 between Double- and Triple-A, it's hard to imagine he won't). The word is that there may be a third player coming to Houston in the deal if the Rangers make the playoffs, so... er... go Rangers!

I wasn't shy about how I felt regarding Rodriguez's tenure with the Astros. Even at the discount price of a million dollars, I felt it was a silly move - sideways at best. I thought J.R. Towles deserved a chance to show that 2008 was a fluke, and he had simply been rushed into the job. Rodriguez came through with a pathetic .251/.280/.382 line, and will serve as a backup to the Rangers' Taylor Teagarden moving forward into the season.

For the Rangers, who entered the season with Teagarden, Jarrod Saltalamacchia, and Max Ramirez making up a logjam at catcher, it makes for a very interesting move. But I don't care about them; what does it mean for the Astros?

Well, with the free agent acquisition of Chris Coste (.222/.288/.296 as an Astro), another light-hitting backstop, it could mean a battery involving him and Humberto Quintero (.238/.292/.324). Or it could signal a possible call-up for either Towles (.287/.400/.457 in Triple-A Round Rock) or for last year's #10-overall draft pick, Jason Castro (.299/.363/.387 in Double-A Corpus Christi.)

Without knowing the Astros' plans for the battery, it's hard to evaluate what this does to the organization - a Towles promotion seems likely, and in my opinion the most prudent move possible... one that should have been made before the season began.

Using Minor League Splits, I was able to determine the MLEs of Castro and Towles, compared to the trio of catchers the Astros have employed on the active roster this season:

I. Rodriguez: .251/.280/.382
C. Coste: .222/.288/.296
H. Quintero: .238/.292/.324
J. Towles: .232/.325/.359
J. Castro: .216/.272/.309

In other words, if there's any justice in this world at all, we may see Big Red emerge from Round Rock to his rightful place: As the starting catcher of the Houston Astros.

So how does this look in terms of the prospects we received? Well, it's nearly impossible to judge a prospect-for-veteran deal immediately; but right away, it's easy to see that a farm system in desperate need of rebuilding will benefit from having two 22-year-olds - and possibly a third guy.

Vallejo doesn't exactly set off any fire alarms, but Nevarez has looked awfully good in Single-A Hickory this season: 1-4, with a 2.83 ERA, a 1.057 WHIP, and 50 strikeouts to 15 walks in 35 innings pitched. He's twenty-two, which fits into the South Atlantic League, and makes a marked difference in an already-formidable Lexington Legends pitching staff.

Early results all look positive for Mr. Wade & Co.

Catching Up On Boone

Twelve plate appearances into his post-heart surgery career, and Aaron Boone appears to be Superman. Only two hits in nine at-bats (a single and a double), but three walks gives him a weighty .222/.417/.333 line in five games at Corpus Christi. He's played some games at each corner infield spot, and doesn't appear to have missed a beat in the field, according to local sources.

The fact that he's even playing baseball right now is more than enough. The idea that he may still prove to be a valuable asset to the 2009 Houston Astros defies the imagination.

Quick Entry

2009-08-07T16:09:43Z

Today, the Astros begin a weekend series against the Milwaukee Prince Fielders.

Last night, however, was the Black Ties and Baseball Caps Astros Wives Gala. Alyson Footer did a nice write-up on it, complete with pictures, some highlights of which are below.

Geoff and Kory Blum.

Hunter Pence and his "date," Heidi.

Morgan Keppinger. And... some other people.

That's nice, but it got me to thinking.

There are many things that are unfortunate about Aaron Boone having to undergo open-heart surgery during Spring Training. The least - the very least - is that we were robbed of pictures of Laura Cover, Boone's wife, dressed up for the Wives Gala.

Finding a non-risque picture of Mrs. Boone, the former Playmate, is difficult. So I will leave that to the Internets.

But I have a story about Laura.

I was born on April 15, 1977, in Bucyrus General Hospital in Bucyrus, Ohio. I was a bit premature, so they made me stay at the hospital for several weeks before releasing me. During that time, in the same hospital, Laura Cover was born.

We were in the same nursery together, at the same time, without any clothes. Therefore, Mr. Boone, I have to tell you that I have in fact been naked in the same room as your wife.

Speaking of Boone...

He begins his rehab assignment on Monday in Corpus Christi. The fact that he will even play baseball this year is crazy. Congratulations to him for his speedy recovery, and whether or not he plays an inning for the Astros this season, my hat is off to him.

Watch Out For Prince

2009-08-06T05:46:39Z

The Houston Astros are not primed to make any sort of a serious run at the playoffs. Alright, fine. The only thing I ask is that the Milwaukee Brewers stay firmly out of the picture, too. For years, the rest of the National League Central has been able to hinge their fortune and pride on being better than both Milwaukee and Pittsburgh.

Those of us who frequented the Astros.com boards saw the results of a few paltry years of success by the Brew Crew. They showed themselves to be every bit as insufferable as Chicago Cubs fans, with far less reason.

If the late mid-season has been frustrating for Astros fans, who have seen their team weave in and out of the playoff picture for the past 12 seasons, imagine how it has been for the Brewers and their fans. Their quick four-game playoff appearance in 2008 was the team's first since 1982 - when current Astros manager Cecil Cooper teamed with Robin Yount and Paul Molitor to carry the Brewers to a World Series Game 7.

The real Cecil Cooper only nods his head when asked if a
sacrifice hit is in order.

Back then, of course, the Brewers were in the American League. Then, after five losing seasons behind the stewardship of former Astros manager Phil Garner, the Brewers' owner (who just so happened to also be the commissioner of baseball) moved them into the National League Central.

The move created the only six-team division in baseball. And between 1998 and 2006, only twice did those Brewers finish out of the bottom half of those six teams. Not once did they finish in first or second.

Until 2007, when they surprised the rest of the division by coming in second, just two games behind their hated Chicago Cubs. Of course, they were still 6.5 games out of the playoffs. Then, in 2008, they secured the NL Wild Card, and promptly lost their first playoff series in 26 years in 4 games.

The point I'm trying to make is that they've been bad for a while now, and a taste of success has given them expectation. With expectation, as folks in Milwaukee are starting to learn, comes frustration from not meeting that expectation.

And I'm convinced that that, my friends, is exactly what went on with Prince Fielder, who lost his freaking mind last night in Dodger Stadium. After Dodgers slugger Manny Ramirez was hit by a pitch earlier in the game, former Brewer pitcher Guillermo Mota, who cashes checks with the Dodgers logo on them these days, retaliated by placing 97mph worth of gas on ~~Cecil~~ Prince's thigh.

His thigh.

Apparently incensed, surprised, and thinking he's above the unwritten rules of baseball that dictate how ever other human being in the major leagues is treated, Prince took his fight to the streets. Or, to be more precise, to the Dodgers clubhouse, where he was restrained by security and by Brewers teammates from tearing into the locker room and... well, I'm not really sure what he would have done once he got there. Eaten their snacks, I suppose.

"Hey, Guillermo! I drink your milkshake. No, literally."

Milwaukee fans, welcome to August. It's a long, draining month.

Plenty of Moves

The Astros were quiet at the trading deadline, but that hasn't prevented movement within the organization entirely. Recently, they went out and signed Kirk Clark to a free-agent deal. Clark, who had been with the Glacier Pilots of the Alaska Baseball League, has been assigned to the Tri-City ValleyCats. He made his debut tonight (see "What Happened Was..." below.)

Jordan Parraz, who was traded to the Kansas City Royals for Tyler Lumsden, was feeling a bit saucy during an interview with the Omaha World-Herald.

"I didn't think Houston ever really gave me the benefit of the doubt," he said. "I played every day, but I never got a chance to really move up or get a confidence boost. It's a good organization, but I think this one is a little better -- especially for me fitting in."

If this is your idea of fitting in, hitting a catcher who is giving you the plate during a play in the infield, then by all means, Jordan. Go fit in there.

There is a very real chance that Parraz will spend some time in the major leagues for Kansas City this year, while Lumsden is working on inconsistency issues. But I, for one, am happy to be rid of him.

When the Seattle Mariners optioned Roy Corcoran to Triple-A Tacoma, he thought better of it and refused the assignment, making him a free agent. Today, the Astros signed him to a free agent deal. He will probably make an appearance or two for Round Rock, and then be asked to fill in for the depleted big league bullpen.

Corcoran has pitched in parts of five seasons in the major leagues, with the Mariners and the Nationals/Expos. He had a very good 2008 for the Mariners, posting a 6-2 record with a 1.390 WHIP, a 3.22 ERA, and a 3.81 FIP. His 2009 has been a real disappointment thus far, but he could still be a key ingredient to the depleted Astros bullpen.

In another bizarre news story, recently-released Astros pitcher Russ Ortiz has been given new life - by the New York Yankees, who signed him to a minor league deal. Look, I think Russ was misused by Cecil Cooper, and was fired prematurely after a shaky July that led many to overlook the fantastic June he'd had. Mike Hampton would have been a better cut, in my opinion.

Ortiz will be lacing up now for the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Yankees. It remains to be seen what's left in his tank.

No Justice At All

I like to poke fun at Houston Chronicle reporter Richard Justice. He seems to change his mind hourly, get all of his Astros news by reading every third paragraph Alyson Footer writes, regurgitate Stats, Inc. stories, and generally just brood like the overpaid curmudgeon that he is.

I wouldn't be surprised to find out that he had never, in his life, seen the Astros play a game of baseball.

Proving that even a broken clock is right two times a day, he wrote this week something that I've been saying since November: J.R. Towles should be playing catcher every day in Houston.

I take very little satisfaction from a blowhard hack agreeing with me, but I recognize the weight his voice often carries with the Astros fanbase in Houston, and I'm hoping this leads to a much bigger push to get Towles back into an Astros uniform once he's off the Disabled List in Round Rock.

Towles, a twenty-five year old catcher, is hitting .287/.400/.457 in Round Rock this season. Since his demotion after a disappointing 2008 in the majors, all he's done is respond by going .292/.373/.471 between Round Rock and Houston.

What Happened Was...

Round Rock Express (AAA) - Yorman Bazardo's campaign to make the big league roster is not going particularly well at the moment. Bazardo took the mound for the first time since his July 31st loss, and somehow managed to look even worse on the mound. 5.0 IP, 5 H, 5 ER, 3 BB, 4 K. He was particularly owned by Matt Tuiasosopo (yes, the brother to that Tuiasosopo). Worse than that, however, was the dominance that Andrew Baldwin showed against the Express. Baldwin threw a complete game shutout, lifting the Tacoma Rainiers (SEA) over the Express, 8-0. One of the few bright spots was the campaign by OFs Reggie Abercrombie and Brian Bogusevic to replace Jason Michaels on the big league 25-man roster. Each was 2-for-4, Abercrombie with a double. And yes, okay, he had an error. Shut up.

Corpus Christi Hooks (AA) - The Hooks offense showed up today, putting together 16 hits in their 5-2 win over the San Antonio Missions (SDP). Andy Van Hekken did exactly what a man of his age should do in the Texas League: Dominate hitters. Well, okay, he didn't exactly dominate them, but he did limit them to a single run in 7.0 innings. Chia-Jen Lo had a rare bad outing, giving up a run in his sole relief inning. OF Darin Erstad, in the second game of his rehab assignment, was 2-for-5 with a double. But the story of the night was OF Drew Locke, who was 4-for-5 with a double.

Lancaster Jethawks (A+) - 3B Ebert Rosario logged his first home run of the season, but pardon the Lancaster fans if the moment got lost in the excitement of a 25-hit outpouring of offense, leading the Jethawks to an 18-5 pounding of the High Desert Mavericks (SEA). C/OF Koby Clemens, Rosario, and 1B Matt Weston all had three hits. OF Brandon Barnes was 4-for-4 with a triple and 3 RBI. And OF Jack Shuck was an impressive 5-for-6 with a double. Everyone was piling on, beginning with a 5-run first inning and an 8-run second. High Desert starter Mauricio Robles recorded only one out and gave up 5 earned runs before being pulled from the game, in favor Juan Zapata, who pitched only an inning himself, giving up 8 runs (7 earned).

Lexington Legends (A) - It was a familiar refrain for starter Jordan Lyles. He went seven innings, gave up 7 hits, no walks, and struck out 6. He allowed three earned runs, but the offense couldn't back him up, and he earned the loss in the 3-1 decision to the Greenville Drive (BOS). Greenville's pitching duo of Fabian Williamson (a silent talent, now at 8-3 with a 2.10 ERA) and Jeremy Kehrt, didn't strike a single Legend batter out, but still managed to keep them off the board. SS Brandon Wikoff had a rare 0-for-2 performance, but also drew 2 walks.

Tri-City ValleyCats (A-) - So far, so good for Kirk Clark, one of the newest members of the Astros family. He pitched 2 innings in his debut, giving up a hit and striking out 2. Recent GCL Astros callup Michael Schurz matched him, pitching 2 innings of his own, giving up a hit and a walk and striking out 3. Mike Modica pitched an inning in relief, giving up one hit, striking out one, and keeping the offense off the boards, to lower his ERA to 0.93 on the season. But none of it was enough to remedy the performance put in by Colton Pitkin, who earned the loss, 5-3, to the Mahoning Valley Scrappers (CLE). 3B Jhonny Medrano hit his first home run of the season in the losing effort.

Greeneville Astros (R) - The only good thing about the 7 errors in this game was that three of them weren't by the Astros. Still, 2B Jose Altuve continues to struggle in the field, and C Bobby Williams didn't inspire a lot of confidence with his two errors. Still, it took until 5 runs between the seventh and eighth innings for the Bluefield Orioles (BAL) to down the Astros, 10-7. 1B Aaron Bray was 2-for-4 with a double, and drew a walk.

GCL Astros (R) - A night off in baseball, especially minor league baseball, is a godsend. The everyday grind really wears a lot of guys down, which is why it was wonderful that the GCL Astros got a night off tonight. Less fortunate for them, however, is that their opponents - the GCL Marlins (FLA) - decided not to join suit. 5-0 Marlins, largely on the strength of a 4-run first inning. Lefty Ricardo Batista steadied after his shaky start, but by then it was too late, as Marlins starter Saul Gonzalez was only a warmup to Ricardo Hernandez, who pitched four no-hit innings in relief, walking one and striking out 7. Two solitary base hits by the Astros in this one: OF Geber Suniaga and 2B Pedro Feliz.

DSL Astros (R) - The 8-2 final score isn't really quite fair. The DSL Astros and DSL Braves (ATL) were locked in a 2-2 score from the top of the third inning all the way to the top of the 11th, when the Braves tacked on 6 runs. OF Jose Lopez was 3-for-3, and give SS Raymer Lopez credit. At 2-for-5 with a double, he had the Astros' only extra-base hit.

The Entry In Which I Quote A Lot of Other People

2009-08-04T14:11:08Z

An interesting article over at Hooks Insider. Greg Rajan, of the Corpus Christi Caller-Times, is almost always informative. He's a great resource for anyone who wants to try and follow the Houston minor leagues. This article is called "Astros' New Farm-System Philosophy."

Once I got over my initial, cynical, response ("The Astros have a farm system philosophy?"), I gave it a read. It's something of a much-deserved love letter to Bobby Heck. Heck, one of the Astros' biggest acquisitions of the last five years, is the team's director of scouting. He used to cash paychecks written by the Milwaukee Brewers, whose system has pushed out guys like Ricky Weeks, Prince Fielder, Ryan Braun, and Yovani Gallardo - all drafted by Heck.

The new philosophy, created by Heck, is essentially two-fold. First, the scouting process itself is much more in-depth, so that on Draft Day, the Houston front office is exceptionally well-informed on the available players. Second, and this is the interesting part:

"What we're trying to put in place is guys who determine their own pace to the big leagues. We let the player tell us when he's ready to move up to the next level. The two guys who've embraced that are (Jason) Castro and (Daniel) Meszaros. Those guys have seized their opportunity."

In previous years, the Astros' farm system was a kind of paint-by-numbers. Player A begins in Rookie Ball, moves to low A or A ball the following year. If he was particularly well-regardeed, he might play on the A-Advanced team, which experienced a lot of liquidity. The following year, it was either more of the same, or on to AA ball. After that, three things could happen: a player could move up to AAA, down to A-Advanced, or linger at AA.

The A-Advanced team (which was the Salem Avalanche from 2003-2008) generally felt like a bunch of guys who hadn't made it in Double-A (which has been Corpus Christi since 2005. Before that, it was the Round Rock Express. The Express, of course, are now our Triple-A affiliate; but while that team was in New Orleans, Round Rock was in the Texas League.)

Bud Norris, who recently made his debut as a starter by blanking out the Cardinals, is the first - and, possibly, only - player from the 2005-2007 drafts to make the Major Leagues for the Astros.

Nice Seeing You, Send Us A Postcard

In last night's Twitter feed, Alyson Footer made this Tweet:

Astros option gervacio to Round Rock. Call up Paulino.

Samuel Gervacio came up as part of an effort to bolster the fatigued bullpen. He didn't throw a single inning. While Bobby Heck might think that the organization now embraces younger players, no one has mentioned it to Cecil Cooper.

Felipe Paulino will start tonight against the San Francisco Giants and Jonathan Sanchez.

Paulino has struggled at the Major League level, going 2-5 with a 7.04 ERA and a 5.54 FIP this season. Of course, a terribly-unlucky .377 BABIP doesn't help much, but even with a .274 BABIP in Round Rock, he's posted a FIP of 4.43. He's an organizational player who should never really amount to much - outside of 2005, which he split between the SAL Lexington Legends and the NYPL Tri-City ValleyCats - he's never had a WHIP lower than 1.357. That mark was set in 2007 with the Corpus Christi Hooks.

Like His Life Depended On It

Watching Mike Hampton on the mound last night made me wonder if releasing Russ Ortiz wasn't the best decision Ed Wade has made since coming to the Astros. Ortiz had a monster June, but when things looked like business as usual in July, Wade released him - hours after a poor start against the Cubs.

Hampton hasn't had a monster anything, and seemed equally as likely - if not more likely - to lose his job if he continued to pitch the way he had been. There's very little doubt in my mind that last night, he was playing for his job.

Not only have the Astros already gotten 105 innings out of Hampton - the most he's pitched in a season since 2004 - but releasing Ortiz seems as if it might have shaken the rest of the staff, particularly Hampton, into getting into line. Sometimes, you need to send a message. If last night is any indication, message received.

Still, reading Gene Duffey's gamer, I couldn't help but be startled by one quote from Hampton:

"So many times I've been one pitch away from a quality start," said Hampton, who returned to the Astros this season after pitching for them from 1994-99. "I made that pitch tonight and all that emotion came out, to see all that hard work pay off."

Mr. Hampton, on what planet have you been one pitch away from a quality start "so many times" this season? The way I see it, you've often been fifteen or sixteen pitches from a quality start. More frequently, 40-55 pitches away.

I was also a little startled to read this quote from Cecil Cooper:

"You've got to hope he makes a mistake," Astros manager Cecil Cooper said of facing Cain.

Now, I don't want to diminish anything about Matt Cain. He's a terrific starter. But that isn't Walter Johnson up there. It isn't Pedro Martinez in his prime. There are a handful of pitchers that you have to "hope he makes a mistake," and Matt Cain isn't one of them.

The fact that the Astros hitters got 8 hits off of Cain, 5 of them for extra bases, and two for home runs, should speak for itself. Did Matt Cain make 8 mistakes? If so, was it a result of extra hoping by the Astros hitters?

Delusion - Not Just a River in Delusionville

Ever wonder why "baseball people" tend to ignore fans' suggestions and questions? Wonder no more:

Catch The Fever

Here's how the Astros' catchers are looking this season:

Today's Slice of Cheesecake

So as to protect my readers who access the blog while at work, I'm burying today's cheesecake behind a link.

Jennifer Love Hewitt, playing tennis in a bikini and freaking wedge sandals. Jennifer has long been crazy, but God bless her for being so completely and utterly hopeless. This is a girl who reeks of desperation to be in the press, at any cost.

What Happened Was...

Round Rock Express (AAA) - T.J. Burton has managed to make the leap to Triple-A look every bit as awkward and as painful as it could possibly be. Following a rare good outing by Jose Capellan (5.0 IP, 7 H, 2 ER, 2 BB, 5 K), Burton wandered out to the mound. He promptly gave up 3 runs in as many innings, on 4 hits and 3 walks, with 2 strikeouts. He threw in a balk, too, in case no one was paying attention. The Express connected for 11 hits in the 5-2 loss to the Oklahoma City Redhawks (TEX), but not one of them was for extra bases. And not one of them walked. OF Yordany Ramirez led the singles parade, gathering three of them in five tries. OKC DH/1B Justin Smoak, who should have been an Astro, homered in the game.

Corpus Christi Hooks (AA) - The Hooks were tired of being smacked around by the Midland Rockhounds (OAK), and decided to do a little smacking themselves, to the tune of a 12-5 win. 17 Hooks hits, combined with 3 Midland errors, helped the runners keep moving around the basepaths. Another solid relief performance by Chia-Jen Lo, who struck out two and allowed just a hit in 1.2 innings, and another home run by OF Drew Locke, who added an outfield assist. Seven different Hooks had doubles, including two by SS Wladimir Sutil, who was 4-for-6 on the night.

Lancaster Jethawks (A+) - The entire California League had a scheduled day off yesterday. The Jethawks are home against the High Desert Mavericks tonight.

Lexington Legends (A) - Ross Seaton pitched another Sally League gem, going 6 innings, striking out 5, walking none, and giving up 5 hits but no runs. Daniel Urckfitz earned his 11th save in the Legends' 3-1 defeat of the Charleston RiverDogs (NYY). 2B Albert Cartwright had an uncharacteristically-good day at the plate, going 2-for-4 with a double.

Lexington Legends (A) - The Legends fought back hard in the second game of the double-header, but a five-run 4th inning proved to be too much to overcome, as they fell 6-5 to the Charleston RiverDogs (NYY). Albert Cartwright continued his hot day, going 2-for-4 again, matching the numbers of OF Steve Brown.

Tri-City ValleyCats (A-) - The resumption of the previously-suspended game against the Oneonta Tigers (DET) ended with Tri-City on top, 4-1. Nathan Pettus bended - walking 3 and giving up a hit in 2.2 innings - but didn't break, as he earned the win without letting a run score. OF J.D. Martinez stayed hot, going 1-for-2 with a double and an RBI.

Tri-City ValleyCats (A-) - The nightcap of the double-header was a different story. The Tri-City offense went home early, and the pitching wasn't far behind, as they fell to the Oneonta Tigers (DET) 10-0. 3B Erik Castro flashed the leather on two errors, and OF Jacob Goebbert was 1-for-2 at the plate, with a double and one of Tri-City's two walks. Oneonta's Clemente Mendoza handled the ValleyCats in the complete-game shutout, and my least-favorite Astro, Scott Migl, even made an appearance. Whenever he's on the mound, you know you're in trouble, and last night was no different, as he allowed 3 hits and 2 walks in a single inning of work, leading to 4 earned runs, inflating his ERA to 14.54.

Greeneville Astros (R) - The Appalachian League had the day off. Greeneville is at home tonight against the Bluefield Orioles (BAL).

GCL Astros (R) - A scheduled day off for the Astros, who are back in action tonight against the the GCL Nationals (WSN).

DSL Astros (R) - A scheduled day off for these Astros, too. Back in action tonight against the DSL Rangers2 (TEX).

I've Got Some Questions To Ask Scott Migl

Namely, why is he so terrible?

Still, this article was probably a little more fair to the hometown kid out of Texas A&M drafted in the 34th round this June.

Q: How did your experience at St. Pius High School influence your career?
A: I was a member of two state championship teams at St. Pius. Also, we made the state semifinals my sophomore and senior years. I really began developing as a senior. This opened the door for options in my baseball career.

I'd be willing to go out on a limb and say that Migl could not pitch St. Pius to a state championship anymore. Yes, folks, he's really that bad.

Gotta Have Faith

2009-08-03T15:05:12Z

There was something metaphysical in the air yesterday at the Great American Ball Park in Cincinnati, Ohio. The hometown Reds, who had recently pulled the trigger on one of the worst deals of the new millennium, were squaring off against the Colorado Rockies, current frontrunners for the NL Wild Card.

And it was Faith Night at the old ballpark.

The 31,142 fans in attendance were treated to "testimonails" from Reds players and coaches, and Pastors competed in a potato sack race on the field to earn the right to throw out the first pitch at a later game. One of the sponsors on the night was the Creation Museum.

You read that correctly.

Now, I'm no stranger to Creation Museums. I attended one in Santee, California a few years ago. The only downside to them is knowing that not only is everyone not in on the joke, but that many of them are very much not in on the joke. While there, I learned many interesting and valuable things, like that there were dinosaurs on the Ark:

And that Evolutionists are responsible for Slavery and Genocide:

The Reds fans in attendance wished and prayed their way through two Cincinnati comebacks, only to fall in the 11th inning, as the much-fitter Rockies survived with a 6-4 victory.

It's hard to have faith when your starting shortstop is hitting .191/.239/.268. Former Astros farmhand Drew Sutton - who the Astros sent to Cincinnati as the PTBN in the deal for Jeff Keppinger - was out in left field, and leading off for the home team. So far, in his first 24 major league plate appearances, Sutton is .174/.208/.261 - obviously leadoff material. I suppose that's what happens when you call up a guy who's hitting .261/.381/.471 in the International League.

In addition, he has played in left field, right field, shortstop, third base, and second base. It was his fourth game in the outfield - somewhere he has never played in the minors. The Reds have put him at second base, his natural position, for just two of his 41 defensive innings.

Talk about putting a guy in a position to fail.

Like many Americans, I love a good road trip. One lifelong dream has been a trip around the country, seeing one home game in every Major League Baseball stadium, with minor league games peppered in, on off days and travel days. I wonder, if I had rolled into Cincinnati to see a matchup with the Rockies, and had inadvertently found myself at Faith Night (which, let's be honest, means Christian Faith Night), how I would have felt about that.

And on the Sabbath, no less.

Bud Norris

I don't have to tell you about Bud Norris's debut as an Astros starter. 7.0 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 4 BB, 5 K. Others have already written the hell out of the rookie, so I won't add too much to the catalogue.

He struck out the first batter he faced, Skip Schumaker, and kept chugging along. He carried a no-hitter into the sixth inning, when the opposing pitcher broke it up. And he got his first big league decision, a win, in the 2-0 gem. Adam Wainwright didn't deserve a loss, but we've all seen that happen before.

It's a long season, and I don't want to get too high on Norris's performance and what it says or doesn't say about the Astros' chances this year. I'll just say congratulations, kid, and here's hoping for a few more of those beauties.

How Was Your Day?

I didn't watch Norris's debut, sadly. I was out on the old road - U.S. Hwy 66 - gathering information for my documentary. Though I only went as far as Upland (had I gone just a little farther to San Bernardino, I could have watched the Jethawks-66ers game, I suppose), but it was a very relaxing drive. Of course, it couldn't have been hotter out in the Inland Empire, but that's nothing new.

What Happened Was...

Round Rock Express (AAA) - Polin Trinidad still doesn't seem to have his strikeout pitch working, but the Round Rock hitters showed up to bail him out when he needed it - with a little help from three errors by the Oklahoma City RedHawks (TEX) - to give him the victory in the 5-3 decision. OF/DH John Gall was 3-for-4 to lead the Express, whose ten hits were all singles (though Yordany Ramirez, Brian Bogusevic, and Jason Smith all created doubles by stealing bases). Of some note: The starting pitcher for the Redhawks was Kris Benson. Benson's name was bandied about quite a bit as a potential free agent option for the Astros in the offseason. He is also still married to one Anna Benson:

No word on whether or not all Express hits were singles because Mrs. Benson was playing first base, and the runners didn't want to advance.

Corpus Christi Hooks (AA) - I don't know what we ever did to the Midland Rockhounds, but I really wish they'd stop beating up the poor Hooks. Yesterday, it was a 13-5 debacle that saw them score 5 runs in the first inning, 2 in the second, and 6 in the third. Those came at the expense of Brad James and Tyler Lumsden, who seemed to have turned a corner and had been pitching well recently. Only Ryan McKeller, who allowed just one hit in three relief innings, pitched well in this one. OF Mitch Einertson was 3-for-4 from the plate, with a double, and OF Drew Locke continued his torrid summer, 2-for-5 with a double.

Lancaster Jethawks (A+) - Christopher Hicks looked incredible through his first five innings against the Inland Empire 66ers (LAD), but fell into a bit of trouble in the sixth. After giving up two runs, he got out of the frame, and was replaced by Fernando Abad. Abad pitched 3 innings in relief, earning his fourth save of the season in the 5-2 decision. C/LF Koby Clemens (is it safe to call him a utilityman yet?) hit his 14th homer of the campaign, and added a double and 3 RBI in his 3-for-4 night. OF Jonathan Gaston left the game in the third inning. No news yet on the reason.

Lexington Legends (A) - Lexington's game with the Charleston River Dogs (NYY) was postponed due to rain.

Tri-City ValleyCats (A-) - The ValleyCats and Oneonta Tigers (DET) were able to complete the game suspended back on July 11, with Tri-City fighting back to win it 7-6. OF Jacob Goebbert was 4-for-5 with a triple to lead the offense.

Tri-City ValleyCats (A-) - After making one game up, the ValleyCats and Oneonta Tigers (DET) set up to play a second game... which promptly got postponed due to fog. Fog.

A Whole Lotta Nothin' Goin' On

2009-08-01T18:28:35Z

There's not much to report. The Astros lost to the Cardinals, 4-3, with Brian Moehler on the mound.

Moehler pitched well, but once again it was the oft-used bullpen earning the loss - this time, Alberto Arias was on the mound when the Cardinals finally got their acts together to push ahead and stay there. There was to be no magic against Ryan Franklin this time around.

Is it just me, or does it suddenly feel like the Astros have just rolled over on the season? The only good news is that Albert Pujols was held hitless, reaching base only on an intentional walk. But these are not your father's Cards: They actually have a cleanup hitter now. His name is Matt Holliday, and he was 4-for-4 with a double and two RBI.

Tonight, we should see a nice pitchers' duel between Wandy Rodriguez and Chris Carpenter, both of whom were solid in July. And since Julio Lugo is now a Cardinal, it gives me an opportunity to post a completely-unrelated picture that I've been dying to post since I first saw it:

Yes, that's Michael Bourn running from Lugo like they were married.

Non-Waiver Non-Trade Deadline

Last night was the deadline to make trades, and the Astros weren't having any of it. It's actually encouraging to see GM Ed Wade stand pat, refusing to leverage what little future the Astros have for a run at another division title. It might have been nice to see a deal involving Miguel Tejada or Jose Valverde for some prospects, but it was not to be.

I Waited Too Long

Ever since I heard that former Astros 20-game-winner and mental case Jose Lima was pitching for the Long Beach Armada, I've been trying to find a time to go to a game. Unfortunately, the Golden League doesn't seem to play much on weekends, and it's been hard to find a time to get down to Long Beach to see Lima Time.

Well, it turns out I waited too long, as Lima has now been traded to the Edmonton ~~CrackerCats~~ Capitals for former White Sox first-round pick Kris Honel. Honel's minor league career was an interesting one. He pitched very well for a few years, then not as well. He was rarely downright bad, but fell into the injury bug in 2004 and never fully recovered. In 2008, he pitched just 3 innings for the Texas League's Springfield Cardinals (STL).

Even then, though, he recorded 6 strikeouts and just 2 walks. He ended up winning 30 minor league games in his career before signing into the independent Golden League. Lima won 21 major league games in a single season. Plus, he leads the league in crazy and has a hot wife (see above). The man was designed to sell tickets.

With no games scheduled for the remainder of the season between Long Beach and Edmonton, it looks like I missed my chance.

Prospects On The Move

Since we, as Astros fans, have grown unaccustomed to hearing the word, I turned to Dictionary.com to define what exactly a "prospect" is:

pros⋅pect
[pros-pekt] Show IPA -noun
1. Usually, prospects.

a. an apparent probability of advancement, success, profit, etc.

b. the outlook for the future: good business prospects.

So, basically, in baseball terms, a prospect is a player with a good probability of enhancing a Major League team in the future. And in Baseball America's most recent Prospect Hot Sheet, a surprising number of Astros farmhands' names were mentioned.

Simon Castro. Oops, Castro isn't an Astros prospect. I'm not quite sure why what looks to be Jordan Lyles is pictured in Castro's entry, but I'll take it for now.

Polin Trinidad. Unfortunately, Trinidad is listed in the "Not-So-Hot Sheet." Trinidad pitched in the Futures Game in 2008, spent some time on the Spring Training roster, and generally felt like he might become an overpowering arm sometime pretty soon. But this time around, he got cited for this amazing gem:

It's nearly impossible for a team to win when the starting pitcher gives up six home runs. Tim Wakefield gave up six home runs for the Red Sox on Aug. 8, 2004 in an 11-9 victory over the Tigers, but that's the only time in the last 50 years that a major league pitcher has given up six home runs or more and still been on the winning team. In Tuesday's start for Triple-A Round Rock, Trinidad surrendered six home runs in five innings, allowing nine runs total. Unfortunately Trinidad, 24, wasn't quite as lucky as Wakefield, as Memphis crushed the Express 14-5.

Now, to be completely fair, Trinidad has looked pretty darned good for most of his Texas League appearances this year, but hasn't fared quite as well in just five games with Round Rock. In Corpus Christi, though, he's thrown 82.2 innings this year, striking out 53, walking 10, and accumulating a 7-5 record with a save, a 2.91 ERA, and a 1.17 WHIP.

A Tale of Woe

It's hard to imagine, but I actually feel bad for Mark Prior. Prior was a stud coming out of high school, and was drafted in the first round by the New York Yankees. He opted to go to USC, though, and it paid off. He made an immediate impact as the #2 overall draft choice for the Chicago Cubs in 2001. Two years later, he made 30 starts and earned a win in 18 of them. With 245 strikeouts at the tender age of 22, the future was bright for Prior, but he ran into major injury issues.

He struggled on until 2006, when he went 1-6 in 9 starts, with a 7.21 ERA. Then he was out of baseball. Before the 2008 season, his hometown San Diego Padres signed him to a contract worth just $1m, and again before this season, they signed him to contracts that would have been worth another $1m had he made it to the big leagues. But he hasn't pitched with April, and all indications now are that he will be released soon.

Prior serves as something of a cautionary tale. A dominating pitcher who was unable to overcome flawed mechanics, and found himself out of baseball before the age of 30. Names like Stephen Strasburg and Tim Lincecum may well be compared to Mark Prior for years to come.

Speaking of Strasburg

The #1-overall draft pick remains unsigned by the Washington Nationals. The Nats, despite being on pace to finish with 100 losses or more, held firm at the trade deadline. Adam Dunn, Josh Willingham, and Austin Kearns could have made attractive trade bait, but the Nationals - even in the post-Jim Bowden era - don't seem to have any sort of organizational plan.

Signing Strasburg would likely provide an immediate boon at the Major League level. They're hurting for pitching in Washington, and if they could get Strasburg and a solid #2 guy, they might be able to win some games next year. Failing to sign him in the next two weeks is not really an option.

Of course, there's one guy who knows all of this: Scott Boras.

Peavy to Chicago

The rumor mill had Jake Peavy going to Chicago all through Spring Training. Cubs fans were extolling the virtues of the golden-armed righty, and rightfully so. Despite home-road splits that weren't exceptional, Peavy would still have made an excellent ace for the Cubs, and would likely have virtually assured that they would run away with the NL Central.

Even rumors of a trade to the Cubs will make you start drinking.
Heavily.

Well, it happened. Peavy went to Chicago. But not to the Cubs. Instead, he was traded to the White Sox for Dexter Carter, Aaron Poreda, Clayton Richard and Adam Russell... and the White Sox will absorb the majority of Peavy's remaining salary.

Now, for those of you who don't follow prospects that much, let me break it down:

Aaron Poreda. #63 in Baseball America's preseason Top 100 prospects list, Poreda is a Major League-ready left-hander, and the second-rated pick in the White Sox organization, which is a loaded one. He stands 6'6", with a plus fastball, and has pitched most of the season with the Southern League's Birmingham Barons - where he struck out 69 batters in 64.1 innings, with a 2.38 ERA and a 1.275 WHIP.

Clayton Richard. Richard, another lefty, was the third-ranked prospect in the White Sox organization, behind Poreda. Casual fans might remember the 6'5" pitcher best from the 2008 playoffs, when as a rookie, he pitched in 2 games against the Tampa Bay Rays, striking out 6 in 6.1 innings, with a 1.263 WHIP and a 1.42 ERA. This season, he's progressed nicely in the majors: 4-3, with 66 strikeouts to just 37 walks in 89 innings. A 4.65 ERA and a 1.472 WHIP.

Dexter Carter. A 6'6" righty, Carter has already pitched 118 innings for the Kannapolis Intimidators of the South Atlantic League, where he has struck out an impressive 143 batters and walked just 32. He's 6-2 with a 3.13 ERA and a 1.144 WHIP. In the month of July, he was 3-0 with 37 strikeouts and 6 walks in 36 innings, a 1.75 ERA, and a 0.861 WHIP.

Adam Russell. And you thought the other guys were tall. Russell is 6'8", 255 pounds out of North Olmsted, Ohio. In 56.1 innings for the Charlotte Knights of the Triple-A International League, he's struck out 51 batters and issued just 18 walks. He's 2-2 with a 3.20 ERA and a 1.012 WHIP.

This should make it clear to those few Astros fans who thought the team should have made a move for Peavy that we simply didn't have the arsenal to compete in these kinds of trade talks.

The Padres clearly won this trade, but the White Sox do end up with a Cy Young-caliber arm for the remainder of the season, once he recovers from the torn tendon in his ankle. And, more importantly, the Cubs lose out to the South Siders. And that's always nice.

What Happened Was...

Round Rock Express (AAA) - A breezy seven-inning affair against the Memphis Redbirds (STL) may have ended in a 5-2 loss for both the Express and for Yorman Bazardo (who allowed 5 earned runs in 6 innings), but it did provide a rare baseball moment: Neither team made a single substitution in the entire game. The eighteen players who began the game also finished the game, including the starting pitchers. The Express mustered just 4 hits off of Memphis starter P.J. Walters, who struck out thirteen batters in seven innings of work. OF Reggie Abercrombie reached twice, once on a single and another on a walk, and stole two bases. Minor victories. 3B Chris Johnson fell victim to the K three times, which is very impressive in a seven-inning game.

Round Rock Express (AAA) - In the second game of the double-header, it was more of the same. The Express got three runs on a Brian Esposito home run in the top of the 7th to make the score look a little better, 5-3, but were otherwise completely dominated by the Memphis Redbirds (STL). Oneli Perez handled the Express batters almost as effectively as Walters had in the earlier game, striking out 7 in 6 innings. Chad Paronto struck out two in a perfect inning of relief work.

Corpus Christi Hooks (AA) - Old Man Andy Van Hekken is getting too old for this sh*t. He gave up four runs over the first two innings against the Midland Rockhounds (OAK), who really just aren't very nice to the Hooks, en route to a 4-1 loss. Kyle Middleton, a former Hook who was sold to the Athletics a little over a week ago by the Pensacola Pelicans of the independent American Association, handled his old team, allowing a single run in 8 innings, striking out 6, walking 2, and allowing 4 hits. His ERA in his first 15 innings back in the Texas League is 0.60. Chia-Jen Lo continued to pitch well, allowing just a hit and striking out 2 in 2 innings of work. Tyler Lumsden continues to improve, as well, allowing 2 hits but no runs or walks in a single relief inning.

Lancaster Jethawks (A+) - I'm not sure you even need to look at a box score to understand a 14-0 loss, and that's exactly what the Jethawks suffered Friday night at the hands of the Inland Empire 66ers (LAD). The offense did manage five hits, two of them off of the bat of OF Brandon Barnes. 66ers starter Mario Alvarez earned the win in the complete-game shutout. He struck out 12 batters, including every single person who batted for the Jethawks at least once. Leandro Cespedes didn't fare quite as well, allowing 8 runs in just 3 innings before getting pulled, though he did find time to strike out 6 batters in that stretch (the same number he walked).

Lexington Legends (A) - Sometimes, though, the shoe is on the other foot. The Legends' pitching staff has been great this season, so it's nice when the offense decides to show up. Yesterday, the combination resulted in a 11-0 win for Lexington over the Charleston River Dogs (NYY). Jordan Lyles struck out 8 batters in 6 innings, allowing all three River Dogs' hits and two walks. Henry Villar struck out 2 in a perfect 7th and 8th, and Patrick Urckfitz struck out another in a perfect ninth. 1B Brian Pellegrini hit his 18th home run of the season - the only one of the Legends' 14 hits that went for extra bases - and he also stole a base. SS Brandon Wikoff was 4-for-5 at the plate, but just 1-for-2 on the basepaths. In 4 games since his callup from Tri-City, he's now .563/.588/.563. OF Jay Austin didn't have as much trouble on the bases, swiping two bags to raise his team-leading season total to 22.

Tri-City ValleyCats (A-) - Another day, another postponement due to rain between the ValleyCats and the Oneonta Tigers (DET).

Greeneville Astros (R) - Angel Gonzalez is not very good. After giving up 3 runs (2 earned) in 5 innings of work yesterday, allowing 6 hits, and walking one with 3 strikeouts, his ERA fell to 10.08. The Astros were on the wrong end of a 10-2 score against the Kingsport Mets (NYM) yesterday, earning more errors (5) than hits (3). Just to make his point, Gonzalez himself committed one of those errors, on a pickoff attempt. OF Grant Hogue chimed in with two of them. OF/DH Frank Almonte had one of the Astros' three hits - a solo home run in the fourth inning. He also had one of only two walks.

GCL Astros (R) - The Astros score 8 runs in the 4th inning against the GCL Marlins (FLA), but watched their lead get chipped away steadily, finally relinquishing it by allowing 3 runs in the top of the 8th. In the bottom of the frame, though, they fought back for 3 runs of their own and held on to win, 12-11. Once again, the story of the game for the Astros was the errors: 4 of them this time, including SS Luis Bryan's 9th and 10th; 2B Enrique Hernandez's 9th; and 3B "The Other" Pedro Feliz's 11th of the season. Hernandez at least compensated at the plate, going 3-for-5 with 2 triples and 3 RBI.

DSL Astros (R) - An 8-4 loss to the mighty DSL Rangers2 (TEX). 3B Raymer Lopez, who has been terrible this season but for an ability to draw some walks (.229/.365/.343), provided some highlights, going 3-for-5 with 2 doubles. Then, to throw off the media pressure, he committed an error before anyone thought he might be any good. Quick thinking, Raymer. Back to the "trainer" for you. C-1B Cristiand Hirland earned 2 of the Astros' 3 walks.

Stranded In The Dugout... Branded A Fool

2009-07-31T14:48:56Z

Hours after yesterday's 12-3 debacle of a loss to the Cubs - when veteran starter Russ Ortiz couldn't pitch adequately enough to give the bullpen any much-needed rest - both starting pitchers were no longer with their respective teams.

And to think: Braves fans were actually upset about this.

The Astros had released Russ Ortiz, and the Cubs had traded Kevin Hart, along with RHP Jose Ascaino and IF Josh Harrison, to the Pirates for Tom Gorzelanny and John Grabow. Grabow is an immediate improvement to the Cubs' bullpen, and Gorzelanny provides a very interesting starting option for the Cubs, who seem laced with very interesting starting options.

It has to be the fastest turnaround for two starting pitchers from the same game to get removed from their teams. But for Ortiz, it was time. It was beyond time.

It had reached a point where, when he or Mike Hampton was on the mound, I expected the Astros to lose. Both were nice, cheap pickups in the offseason for a team with limited cash. Both had the potential to be very good starters for the Astros. Neither panned out. I'm guessing Hampton is on a short leash - if he is ineffective in his next start, it will become Yorman Bazardo time. The Astros are eager to see Bazardo pitch at the major league level (which he has done before, but not terribly effectively.)

Bazardo is 9-4 in Round Rock, with a 2.76 ERA, and has only allowed two earned runs over 15 innings in his last two starts. He's not a strikeout pitcher like Bud Norris, and might be a nice change-of-pace in the rotation behind his former Round Rock rotation-mate.

Replacing Ortiz on the big league roster is Samuel Gervacio, who hasn't been particularly effective of late. In July, he had an ERA of 6.21 and a WHIP of 1.494.

Then again, Ortiz and Hampton have combined to go 2-6 in July, with a 9.89 ERA and a WHIP of 2.093.

If anything, I'm surprised to see Ortiz go sooner than Hampton. Because, though he's struggled in July, Russ Ortiz looked awfully good as recently as June, a month during which he pitched 33 innings, struck out 24, walked 7, and went 1-1 with an ERA of 1.91 and a WHIP of 1.030. It was the pleasant surprise of Russ Ortiz's June that made one of the biggest differences in ending at .500 at the All-Star break.

But I'm not sad to see him go. No sir. Not even a little bit.

Speaking of Ortiz

You've no doubt heard by now that David "Big Papi" Ortiz tested positived for PEDs in 2003. At this point, the only reason I even care is to see how Red Sox fans will react toward this news the way they reacted to Alex Rodriguez's and Manny Ramirez's suspensions. My favorite Red Sox fan doesn't disappoint - sparing no sympathy for Ortiz.

To say I don't care about PEDs would be taking it too far; but I realize that the game was tainted, and was being played on a level playing field. No one gets the benefit of the doubt. The Astros clubhouse has been riddled with steroid users, both confirmed - Ken Caminiti - mostly confirmed - Roger Clemens, Miguel Tejada - and suspected - Jeff Bagwell, Ivan Rodriguez.

If not every star player took steroids over the past twenty-five years, then I'm convinced that every star player from the Dominican Republic did. Excuse me for that, but it's just gotten ridiculous. I know no one reads my "What Happened Was..." down to the bottom, but my disdain for the players from that particular island should surprise no one who ever has.

The only thing I hate seeing is a double standard. Homerism. And Julie is speaking well for Red Sox Nation, who have a tendency to be awfully forgiving of their own players' transgressions.

Of course, if you're a Minnesota Twins fan, no doubt your reaction to the Ortiz news is: "Yeah, no s**t, eh?"

Cecil Cooper is Amazing

It was easy to miss, but in the top of the second inning in yesterday's game, with the game still scoreless and Russ Ortiz having just recorded three straight strikeouts, Cecil Cooper flexed his awesome managerial might.

Cecil Cooper has forgotten more about baseball than I'll
ever know. Unfortunately, he's forgotten more about
baseball than he ever knew, also.

With no outs, Hunter Pence on first, and Geoff Blum on second, Cooper asked Jeff Keppinger to lay down a sacrifice bunt to get runners into scoring position. Cooper is bizarrely in love with the sacrifice bunt, and uses it in virtually any situation, but this one in particular was a thing of beauty, because it would give the Astros two runners in scoring position, one out, and Humberto Quintero and Russ Ortiz up to bat.

Yes, that's correct. Cooper was willing to sacrifice Keppinger's bat for the awe-inducing power and performance of Humberto Quintero and Russ Ortiz. Quintero was hit by a pitch during his at-bat, loading the bases for Cooper's favorite power hitter, Ortiz, who shockingly - I mean shockingly - grounded into a double play to end the inning. When you can't sacrifice a guy to get ducks on the pond for your backup catcher and pitcher, what kind of real team are you?

In the following inning, Michael Bourn laced a leadoff double, and I'm pretty sure Jose Cruz had to forcibly restrain Cooper to prevent him from calling for Kazuo Matsui to sacrifice him to third. Instead, Matsui hit a two-run home run.

Warm Body Needed in Corpus Christi

Since Erick Abreu was promoted to Round Rock, the Hooks have just 23 players on their roster. In other words, they're short a pitcher. With an over-extended staff, it's vital that they get someone soon - particularly with a doubleheader scheduled in Midland tomorrow. An unnamed reliever is expected to get the start in the nightcap, but they need to get someone soon. The most likely candidate, from my point of view, is Chia-Jen Lo.

Lo isn't starter material (the Jethawks are dangerously low on those), but he's been dominant as a reliever. The potential closer-in-waiting and offseason signee from Taiwan holds a 0.91 WHIP, a 1.78 ERA, and 36 K over just 25.1 innings at Lancaster. He has thrown 18 times in Corpus Christi already, so he knows the league.

I Guess I Missed It

So apparently, I missed it, but Thomas "Tip" Fairchild was re-signed by the Astros. He's cooling his heels in Lancaster these days. He pitched 6.1 innings on July 27, striking out 5 and allowing 5 earned runs on 9 hits. Fairchild had Tommy John surgery a few years ago, and if he can show he's recovered, I think he's still got tremendous upside.

What Happened Was...

Round Rock Express (AAA) - The Round Rock Express were set to take on the Memphis Redbirds (STL), but Mother Nature had other plans. Postponed due to rain.

Corpus Christi Hooks (AA) - No one is running away with the Texas League South in the second half of the season, and the Hooks seem determined to stay in the picture, defeating the San Antonio Missions (SDP), 5-3. Once again, it was OF Drew Locke going yard and collecting 2 RBI to put him just one shy of Hunter Pence's record pace; it was 2B Drew Meyer hitting in his thirteenth straight game, the longest streak by any Hook this season; it was C Jason Castro going 3-for-5 with two doubles to improve his line to .309/.358/.417; and it was Tyler Lumsden earning the win, allowing just one hit in 1.2 innings of work. Lumsden has started to look really good at times, and might just be turning into a nice pickup by Wade.

Lancaster Jethawks (A+) - It was all Lancaster, all the time, en route to a 9-0 rout of the High Desert Mavericks (SEA). OF Jonathan Gaston went without a home run (or a hit, for that matter), but Koby Clemens was back in left field, and hit his 11th home run of the season. For good measure, he added a triple. But it was starter Shane Wolf who drew the headlines on this one, striking out 9 Mavericks in 6 innings of work, walking just one and scattering 4 hits, just one of them for extra-bases. High Desert's power hitter, Joe Dunigan, was 0-for-3 with 3 strikeouts.

Lexington Legends (A) - The Legends had a scheduled day off before beginning an eight-game road trip at the Charleston RiverDogs (with red-hot Corban Joseph) and the Greenville Drive.

Tri-City ValleyCats (A-) - I guess I'll have to settle for a split against the Lowell Spinners (BOS), who won 8-4 against some woeful pitching. I'm unclear on what exactly happened to knock Spinners starter Alex Wilson out of the game. He cruised through three innings, facing the minimum nine hitters, allowing no hits,walks, or runs; and striking out one, lowering his ERA to 0.50. But then, in the fourth inning, he was gone. OF Russell Dixon provided the only real fireworks for Tri-City, going 2-for-4 with a home run and 3 RBI.

Greeneville Astros (R) - The Greeneville Astros' game against the Bristol Sox (CWS) was postponed due to rain.

DSL Astros (R) - The DSL Astros' game against the DSL Braves (ATL) was postponed due to rain.

GCL Astros (R) - Despite giving up 5 runs in the final 2 innings, the GCL Astros defeated the GCL Nationals (WSN) 8-5. 18 hits for the Astros, so plenty of offensive production, but the nod goes to SS Luis Bryan, who was 3-for-5 with a home run.

What The NL Central Can Learn From The Pirates

2009-07-30T06:58:37Z

The Pirates are in full-sale rebuilding mode, and it's a bit painful to watch. As division rivals go, the Pirates have been so bad for so long that it's hard to hate them. It's hard to watch them dismantle like this, and not feel kind of bad for their long-suffering fans.

Even up in Milwaukee, where the briefest amount of success seems to have gone to their heads, the lessons being taught in Pittsburgh are important ones for the NL Central. A lot of fuss is made about the Cubs' World Series drought. The truth is, that with the exception of the St. Louis Cardinals, who won it all in 2006, no current NL Central team has won the World Series since the Cincinnati Reds in 1990.

And all across the division, in varying degrees, are teams that can learn a lesson from the Pirates, who in the last month have traded away Freddy Sanchez, Jack Wilson, Ian Snell, Adam LaRoche, Nyjer Morgan, Eric Hinske, and Nate McLouth. It seems that virtually any recognizable player from the organization is gone.

It's not hard to see why. Pittsburgh is a small-market team, playing by small-market rules. They don't have the money to attract top free agents, or to sign the best prospects in the Rule 4 draft. They have to make up for their lack of revenue with a lot of guile - and guile has been missing in Pittsburgh for quite some time.

The Reds and Brewers have found success in recent years by re-tooling their farm system. The Cubs and Astros have been able to add key free agents. The Cardinals have been able to add a mix of both - a good farm system and a reasonable amount of free agents - along with a healthy dose of luck and Dave Duncan. The Pirates, in addition to a weak revenue stream, don't have a very good farm system, either. And they certainly don't have much luck.

There but for the grace of the baseball gods go the NL Central.

In a way, I admire their commitment to re-building. Though I'd think McLouth would be exactly the sort of player you could rebuild around, they seem to want to start fresh.

In today's 12-0 disaster of a game with the Cubs, it was not hard to view the Astros as the old, tired men that they are. Mike Hampton certainly showed his age. So did Doug Brocail. But for a small handful of players - Hunter Pence, Michael Bourn, Wesley Wright, and now Bud Norris - the Astros look to be reaching the end of their rope. Maybe when Lance Berkman returns from the DL, he will breathe new life into the Chris Costes and Geoff Blums of the world, but it seems unlikely.

And as someone asked me today, rather poignantly, "When will Miguel Tejada's trade value ever be higher?"

When indeed? One wonders if a back end rotation of Norris, Yorman Bazardo, and Jeff Fulchino could do much worse than one of Hampton, Brian Moehler, and Russ Ortiz.

Bud Time

The Bud Norris Era has officially begun.

Whatever happened to the single-color glove rule, anyway?

In what quickly became a laugher, the one thing that held Astros fans' interest was Norris's much-anticipated debut. And it was a good one. He came out of the gate throwing with good velocity and nice placement. Perhaps a bit tentative coming inside, but overall a very strong outing for Norris, who threw three innings of relief ball, with 4 strikeouts, a four-pitch walk to the opposing pitcher, 3 hits, and a single run allowed.

If Roy Oswalt is not ready to pitch on Sunday, Norris may get the nod.

Locke Up

Someone recently suggested to me that it would be wonderful if the Astros could carry two General Managers: Ed Wade to revitalize the farm system, and someone else to handle the big league stuff. It doesn't seem like a terrible idea, as Wade has done wonders already with the Astros minor leagues.

One move in particular came this offseason, when he paid $12,000 in the Rule 5 Draft to acquire outfielder Drew Locke, now with the Corpus Christi Hooks. Locke is having the season of his life in the Texas League: A pair of home runs in tonight's game put him at 15 - tying a career high. He also surpassed his previous-best RBI total, with 92.

Hunter Pence currently holds the franchise record with 95 RBI in a single minor league season. Locke is on pace to shatter that number.

Notes From The Farm

A few notes: RP Erick Abreu was called up to Round Rock to replace the roster spot left by Norris' departure. Abreu has now served time on three teams: Lancaster, Corpus Christi, and Round Rock. In 39.0 innings at Corpus Christi, he was 3-0 with a 2.54 ERA and a 1.128 WHIP. He struck out one batter per inning. In his last three outings, he has thrown 10 shutout innings with just 2 hits.

Former Astros top prospect Jason Hirsh, who was dealt along with Willy Taveras to the Rockies for Jason Jennings in one of the most painful trades in Houston's history, was traded by Colorado to the New York Yankees for a player to be named later.

Corpus Christi 2B Drew Meyer reached base safely today, extending his hitting streak to twelve games. This ties C Jason Castro for the longest such streaks in Corpus Christi this season.

What Happened Was...

Round Rock Express (AAA) - Memphis Redbirds' (STL) SS Tyler Greene went deep in the first inning, and it looked like the Express might be in for another dogfight, but the Express pitching somehow managed to hold Memphis for the rest of the game, en route to a 3-1 victory. In an odd managerial twist, Greene was at shortstop with Khalil Greene filling in at third for the Redbirds. Jose Capellan won just his second decision of the year, striking out 5 in 6 innings, walking just one, and giving up just 3 hits, including the home run, to "lower" his ERA to 7.94. Geoff Geary, Samuel Gervacio, and Casey Daigle each struck out one, and each pitched one perfect inning in relief. 1B Mark Saccomanno continued his hot streak, going 3-for-4 with a 2-run home run.

Corpus Christi Hooks (AA) - Behind Locke's two home runs and the continuation of Meyer and 1B Mark Ori's hitting streaks, the Hooks cruised to an 8-1 win over the San Antonio Missions (SDP). Jason Castro was 3-for-4, as was Ori, who had a double. But the story may have been 30-year-old Kenny Baugh, who struck out 5 kids half his age in six innings. He allowed just 3 hits, one walk, and an unearned run. Daniel Meszaros threw three perfect relief innings, striking out two to earn his first Texas League save.

Lancaster Jethawks (A+) - The Jethawks overcame some very shaky pitching from Casey Hudspeth and Ashton Mowdy to derail the High Desert Mavericks (SEA) 10-7, and guess who got a home run. If you said OF Jonathan Gaston, you'd be correct. C/OF Koby Clemens chimed in with his twelfth tater of the year, as well, in a 4-for-5 night that also saw him hit a double. Fernando Abad struck out 3 of the 5 batters he faced to earn the save.

Lexington Legends (A) - 1B Brian Pellegrini hit a 3-run home run in the bottom of the fifth to put the Legends up 3-1, but they couldn't hold on, as they lost a 5-3 decision to the Hagerstown Suns (WSN), thanks in large part to three critical fielding errors - 2 of them by 3B Eric Simunic. Simunic was 0-for-3 at the plate, but did manage to draw a walk, at which point he was caught stealing. It was not a banner night for him.

Tri-City ValleyCats (A-) - There goes the sweep. Tri-City lost to the Lowell Spinners (BOS) 8-2. Which is fairly tame, really, when you consider that ValleyCats starter Brandt Walker lived up to his name - walking six Spinners in just 4.1 innings, and tossing in a pair of wild pitches for extra measure. At less of a disadvantage was Spinners starter Ryan Pressly, who struck out 7 in 4.2 innings. Lowell's catcher, Daniel Butler, was beaned twice, by two different relief pitchers. No word on whether or not that's a record. He reached base three times without the benefit of a hit, also, which is impressive. DH/OF J.D. Martinez once again led the Tri-City offense, going 2-for-4 with an RBI.

Greeneville Astros (R) - The Astros' game against the Bristol Sox (CWS) was postponed due to rain. Whatever that is.

GCL Astros (R) - The GCL Astros had the night off. You're welcome.

DSL Astros (R) - The DSL Astros also had the night off. No rookie league games today at all. What a bummer.

Astros Win - Or Do They?

2009-07-29T15:12:12Z

It was a game full of ups and downs. The Astros seemingly couldn't shake the Cubs, who rallied to tie the game at 6-6 in the bottom of the fifth inning. The Astros' Roy Oswalt was cruising when he left the game with a strained lower back, prompting a bizarre announcement less than a full inning later: That Bud Norris will be joining the big league team.

Houston finally pulled away in the final frames to win 11-6, but it didn't come without a price. Oswalt's back injury could result in significant lost time. It was announced that Wesley Wright, who came on in relief, had been taken to the hospital after the game due to dehydration. It then was announced that he may miss some time with appendicitis. The hits keep coming, even with the younger guys.

Fulchino gives up a hard-luck hit. By losing the ball in his shirt.

There were highs, as well. Wright and Jeff Fulchino, another reliever, each recorded their first Major League hits. Jeff Keppinger got 4 hits in a game for just the third time in his career. Fulchino looked very good despite giving up 3 runs in as many relief innings. Jose Valverde looked good.

But the post-game news is all ominous.

Bud Norris

It's not often that Astros fans are universally thrilled to see a minor leaguer get called up, but Twitter was abuzz with excitement over the Bud Norris era. David "Bud" Norris was the second-rated prospect in the Astros' system, and left an indelible impression during Spring Training.

At Triple-A Round Rock, despite his 4-9 record, he's looked very good. He carries a 2.63 ERA and a 1.308 WHIP, and has struck out 112 PCL batters and walked just 53 in 120.0 innings. Batters are just .237 against him. In the power-heavy PCL, he has allowed 0.4 home runs per 9 innings. The biggest question seems to be how Cecil Cooper plans to use him: In the rotation, or out of the bullpen.

Norris hasn't pitched a single inning of relief since 2006, when he was with the New York-Penn League's Tri-City ValleyCats. Of the pitchers currently on the roster, Chris Sampson and Fulchino seem the likeliest competitors for a starting spot.

It seems unlikely that Cooper - who seems to have a hatred for any player under the age of 30 (Norris is 24) - will give him a shot at the rotation immediately. But so little has worked there so far this year, it seems like it's easily the best place for him right now.

Chris Coste

Still doesn't belong here.

Meanwhile, Around The Division...

The St. Louis Cardinals took advantage of Houston's big win by pounding the Los Angeles Dodgers, 10-0, to take control of the division by a half of a game. Houston and St. Louis were the only NL Central teams to win yesterday, affording the Astros a few games over Milwaukee for third place.

What Happened Was...

Round Rock Express (AAA) - Bud Norris was in the stands, tracking pitches, when he was told that he would be called up to the Major Leagues. He probably couldn't have been more excited - but I'm a bit worried about the fatigue on his arm. Not from pitching, but rather from tracking the 178 pitches it took the Express pitching staff to get out of this hideous 14-5 loss to the Memphis Redbirds (STL). Polin Trinidad managed to give up more home runs (6) than innings pitched (5), which is some kind of feat. Jared Burton struck out zero batters in 1.2 relief innings, gave up 8 hits, 3 walks, a home run, and 5 earned runs to watch his ERA climb to 13.50 in his only 3 Triple-A games. Khalil and Tyler Greene each had two home runs for the Redbirds, as did Allen Craig. It doesn't really help matters that Trinidad had a home run of his own, but it does give a glimmer of hope that 1B Mark Saccomanno did, as did OF Yordany Ramirez.

Corpus Christi Hooks (AA) - Brad James couldn't shake a bad start, earning the loss in a 5-4 decision to the San Antonio Missions (SDP). The first four runs he gave up were made up for by the offense, but when he gave up a fifth run in the seventh inning, the offense went silent. Strong innings by Chia-Jen Lo and Charles Weatherby III didn't help, as the bats stopped working. OF Collin DeLome belted his 17th home run of the season, and OF Nicholas Moresi was 2-for-4 with a triple. 2B Drew Meyer was also 2-for-4, with a double. C Jason Castro had a night to forget, going 0-for-4 from the cleanup spot, with two strikeouts and a passed ball behind the plate to boot.

Lancaster Jethawks (A+) - Down 8-3, the Lancaster Jethawks rallied to put 4 runs on the board in the bottom of the sixth inning. Down just a run with three innings to go, things looked very good - but this is baseball. Specifically, this is Astros baseball, and they were unable to score a run for the remainder of the game, losing to the High Desert Mavericks (SEA) 8-7. High Desert 1B/OF Joseph Dunigan belted a home run to edge closer to Jonathan Gaston's league lead, but still trails the Lancaster outfielder, 28-24. OF T.J. Steele was the highlight of the Jethawks' evening, going 3-for-4, a home run short of the cycle, to raise his average to .354. His line now stands at .354/.395/.586. If he can learn to draw some walks, he could become a major leaguer within 2 years.

Lexington Legends (A) - The Legends could just never get it going, losing 6-2 to the Hagerstown Suns (WSN). SS Brandon Wikoff was 2-for-4, as was OF Steve Brown. Not a whole lot of good to speak of from the Lexington pitching staff, which is rare, but Hagerstown's Marcos Frias looked quite sharp at times, striking out 6 batters in as many innings.

Tri-City ValleyCats (A-) - I still hate the Lowell Spinners (BOS), and a 9-3 win by the ValleyCats to ensure at least a series split was just what the doctor ordered. Wander Alvino never dominated in his 6 innings of one-run ball, but pitched well enough to earn the win. Robert Donovan struck out 4 in 2.1 innings, and allowed a single walk and no hits or runs for his fourth save of the year. OF J.D. Martinez continued to impress, going 5-for-5 with a double and 2 RBI, raising his season line to .345/.375/.586 since his callup from Greeneville, where he was .403/.446/.740.

Greeneville Astros (R) - Greeneville had fallen 1-0 to the Bristol Sox (CWS) in the 4th inning when the game was suspended due to rain. Gabriel Garcia looked characteristically bad in his 3.0 innings of work, striking out none and allowing one run on 4 hits and a walk. My favorite part of this box score is the attendance, which I'm hoping is a mistake:

GCL Astros (R) - Mark Jones reminds me of a young Randy Johnson without all that "ability." He did strike out 2 batters in the 1.2 innings he managed to get through in his start, but also gave up 5 hits, 5 runs (albeit only 2 earned), a walk, and two wild pitches. The GCL Mets' (NYM) starter, Lachland Hodge, looked like Sandy Koufax in comparison, despite striking out 4, walking 1, allowing 5 hits and 4 runs (2 earned) in 5 innings, hitting a batter, and balking - and earning the win in the 10-4 decision. Finding positives about this game is hard, but that's what I don't get paid to do, so OF Emilio King can get his due. King was 3-for-3, a home run shy of the cycle, and he stole a base and drew a walk.

DSL Astros (R) - The Astros downed the DSL Angels (LAA) 5-4 with a dramatic eighth inning run. Or so I'm guessing. I don't really care much more than you do. Dieudone Paul struck out 5 Los Angeles Angels of the Dominican Republic in 6 innings, allowing just 2 runs on 4 hits and 2 walks, but walked away with a No Decision after the bullpen first blew the save, then earned the win. SS Hector Rodriguez had a full night, going 2-for-3, scoring 2 runs, drawing a walk, stealing a base, turning two double plays, and recording his 14th fielding error in 39 games. If he can learn to field or hit for power, his .307/.378/.388 may just earn him every young man's dream: A callup to Tri-City.

Cecil, Fonzy, and Sampson, Oh My

2009-07-28T19:28:30Z

I work with a Cubs fan. Ninety-nine percent of the time, he's the "good kind." Not the typical Cubs fan; more indicative of a Cubs fan out here on the West Coast. He doesn't brag. We both curse our teams and talk about how loathsome they are.

Then the Cubs moved into first place in the NL Central. Then they beat the Astros 5-1 with an Alfonso Soriano grand slam in the bottom of the 13^th inning. Welcome back from the DL, Chris Sampson. Apparently Cecil Cooper thought you were the perfect man for the extra innings, despite the fact that you hadn't pitched since July 10.

It all started with the text message. He acknowledged that it was his "one typical Cubs fan moment" of the day. Then came today. It's been non-stop Soriano this, Cubs that.

Man, I hate Cubs fans.

The images on Sampson's Yahoo

Sports page are all of Soriano. Ouch.

Wandy Rodriguez looked masterful on the mound, striking out 7 batters in 7 innings, allowing a single run on a Derrek Lee home run. Six hits and two walks. He looked fantastic. The bullpen - LaTroy Hawkins, Jose Valverde, and Alberto Arias - all looked very good. Valverde issued 3 walks in his 1.1 inning, but no hits and no runs. He danced out of a bases-loaded jam with a lot of help from a botched squeeze play.

But the Astros pitching was matched step-for-step by the Cubs pitching, until we danced into the 13^th inning and Sampson walked out for his second inning of work. He promptly loaded the bases, and Alfonso Soriano delivered the game to the Cubs in walk-off fashion.

It's nice to see our boys able to hang with what everyone agreed was going to be a tough Cubs team, even without Lance Berkman in the lineup. Sampson looked good in his first inning of work, but his stamina is not where it was. He should never have been asked to take the mound for a second inning.

Tonight, it's Roy Oswalt against Ryan Dempster. Roy's looked mighty strong lately - as strong as he's ever looked. If only we can get the hitters to step up to the challenge.

The Next Flight Departing Corpus Christi

Doug Brocail will cut his rehab stint short and join the team for tomorrow's game against the Chicago Cubs. He will replace LaTroy Hawkins, who is going onto the Disabled List with shingles. If, like me, you don't know what shingles are, this is what Wikipedia tells us:

Herpes zoster (or simply zoster), commonly known as shingles, is a viral disease characterized by a painful skin rash with blisters in a limited area on one side of the body, often in a stripe. The initial infection with varicella zoster virus (VZV) causes the acute (short-lived) illness chickenpox, and generally occurs in children and young people. Once an episode of chickenpox has resolved, the virus is not eliminated from the body but can go on to cause shingles--an illness with very different symptoms--often many years after the initial infection.

Well, that sounds horrifying. Best of luck to him. Speaking of Hawkins, he was ejected from last night's game for arguing balls and strikes. Now, I'm not one to advocate players questioning umpires' calls, but honestly:

I'm not sure where you pitch Derrek Lee that's better than that, without laying a juicy fastball over the middle of the plate.

What Happened Was...

Round Rock Express (AAA) - Three runs in each the first and ninth inning were all it took for the Express to down the Omaha Royals (KCR) 6-5. Felipe Paulino did not look good on the mound. It took 74 pitches to struggle through 3.0 innings, allowing 5 walks, 5 hits, 3 earned runs, and just 2 strikeouts. Josh Meucke was slightly more effective - allowing 5 walks, 3 hits, and 2 earned runs in 5.0 relief innings and earning the win. 1B Mark Saccomanno is trying his hardest to turn his season around - albeit a month too late - going 3-for-4 in the effort, a double shy of the cycle, with 5 RBI.

Corpus Christi Hooks (AA) - The Frisco RoughRiders (TEX) rode roughshod over the Hooks last night en route to their 7-2 win. The Hooks hitters were bad, but the pitching was even worse. There were no multi-hit games by Corpus Christi, but 4 of their 6 hits were for extra bases: 2B Drew Meyer's sole hit was a home run; OF Collin DeLome's was a triple; and C Jason Castro and 1B/DH Mark Van Ostrand chipped in with a double each.

Lancaster Jethawks (A+) - Two runs allowed in the bottom of the eighth sealed the Jethawks' fate, as they fell 7-6 to the High Desert Mavericks (SEA). Lancaster hitters were able to get 12 hits, including yet another home run by OF Jonathan Gaston, three hits by OF Jack Shuck including a double, and C/DH Koby Clemens' 11th home run and 2nd stolen base of the season. Also, there's this fun note:

EJECTIONS: High Desert Mavericks Manager Jim Horner ejected by HP umpire Tom Honec. (6th); Lancaster JetHawks pitcher Christopher Salamida ejected by HP umpire Tom Honec. (8th); Lancaster JetHawks Manager Wes Clements ejected by HP umpire Tom Honec. (8th); High Desert Mavericks pitcher Nathan Adcock ejected by HP umpire Tom Honec. (6th).

Lexington Legends (A) - Late-inning rallies are always fun, and three runs in the final two frames cemented the win for Lexington, 6-5, over the Hagerstown Suns (WSN). Ross Seaton struck out 6 batters in 5 innings, but allowed 5 runs on 6 hits and 3 walks; Henry Villar came on to pitch 4 scoreless innings in relief, giving up a single hit and striking out 4 to earn the win. 2B Michael Diaz was 2-for-3 with 3 RBI, and drew a walk to lead the offense.

Tri-City ValleyCats (A-) - I have a confession to make: I hate the Lowell Spinners (BOS). It's complicated, and involves an ex-girlfriend from Lowell, MA. You don't want the details. All you need to know is that I hate them. So last night's 4-2 victory by the ValleyCats was awfully nice, despite the fact that 3 of the 4 runs were unearned, and Lowell's pitchers - Jose Alvarez and Anatanaer Batista - looked incredible. Tri-City's pitchers didn't look half-bad, either, especially Mike Modica, who pitched a perfect inning in relief; and Brenden Stines, who allowed just 2 hits and struck out 2 in 3.2 innings of work to earn the win. OF Renzo Tello collected his first home run of the season.

Greeneville Astros (R) - The Greeneville pitchers did their absolute best to lose last night's game against the Kingsport Mets (NYM), but the hitters refused to stay quiet, pulling out a 10-9 victory. First-round pick SS Jiovanni Mier was particularly vexing for Kingsport, going 3-for-3 with 2 doubles and 3 RBI, and drew 2 walks.

GCL Astros (R) - In the always-exciting Gulf Coast League, the Astros downed the Cardinals (STL) 4-2. And they did it without an extra-base hit. Euris Quezeda improved to 1-5 on the season, striking out 5 batters in as many innings, giving up a single run on 3 hits and a walk. OF Nestor Santana was 2-for-3. 1B Ronald Sanchez drew the only Astros' walk of the day, and was promptly picked off at first base. Following his sole hit, he was then caught trying to steal second base.

DSL Astros (R) - Because we all care about the Dominican Summer League (seriously, does anyone even read this far?), the DSL Astros scored a run in the top of the 10^th to down the DSL Rangers1, 5-4. A no-decision for Jose Perdomo, who struck out 6 batters in 5 scoreless innings of work, issuing 2 walks and a single hit. Julio Torres allowed a single walk and no hits in two relief innings to get the win. 1B/OF Eudy Ramos was 2-for-2 with a double and 2 walks to pace the offense.