1) Chris Carter has struck out just 4 times in his last 7 games after striking out 49 times in his first 28. During this recent stretch, Carter is 6 for 18 with 5 runs batted in.
2) Philip Humber pitched 1 1/3 innings out of the bullpen on Thursday night and didn't allow a hit while fanning 3 and walking one. Maybe a move to the pen is just what he needs to turn things around.
3) Trevor Crowe, not known for his power, hit his first home run as an Astro last night off of Alexi Ogando.
4) When Houston faced Ogando in April he fanned 10 hitters in 6 1/3 shutout innings. Last night he didn't make it through six innings and fanned only 3. That, my friends, is progress.
5) Dallas Keuchel turned in a quality start in his first appearance in the Astros rotation this year allowing just 2 runs on 5 hits in 6 innings. Yeah, we didn't get a win, but if you're a realist, you recognize this year isn't about wins, it's about evaluating talent. Keuchel has been a pleasant surprise this year in whatever role he's been asked to fill and could help bolster a shaky rotation if he continues to pitch well.
6) Losing close games is frustrating, but having close games is a step in the right direction. If you think about it, the Astros could have very easily gone 6-2 over the last 8 games. Yeah, we're only 2-6 during that stretch, but that's about learning how to win more than it is learning to play good baseball. We're getting there, and that's reason to be excited.
7) We're two weeks into May and Brandon Barnes is still hitting .327 with an on base percentage of .413. What's more, he's been able to sustain his hot bat despite not playing every day.
8) A day after making an uncharacteristic 3 errors at third, Matty Dominguez was back to his old self again last night. Always nice to see young players with a bad short term memory and able to shake things like that off.
9) Marwin Gonzalez has put together back-to-back multi-hit games after enduring a 1 for 24 slide raising his average back up to .264. Put that together with Ronny Cedeno's .314 clip and suddenly the shortstop position has become fairly productive offensively for us.
10) Lucas Harrell struggled with his control walking 6 in 5 innings on Thursday night, but allowed just 1 earned run. I'd still like to see him work through his control issues, but it was nice to see him battle through a tough lineup despite not having his best stuff.
Showing posts with label Ronny Cedeno. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Ronny Cedeno. Show all posts
Saturday, May 11, 2013
Monday, April 29, 2013
Final Thoughts on the Boston Series
No matter how you slice it, the Astros simply got outplayed in every facet of the game these past four contests with the Sox. Pitching, offense, defense... Boston got it done, and we did not. Their long at bats ended with hits, ours generally ended with strikeouts. They got runners into scoring position and scored them, we had the tying run on base or at the plate late in each of the last three games and we failed to get a run across. In most cases, we ended up striking out. Their starting pitching battled, ours with exception of Bud Norris, got beaten down. Pick a reason, but that's why the Sox are at the top, and we're at the bottom. Hopefully our kids grew just watching a team like that play, because otherwise that was just a painful series to watch. Some final thoughts on Game 4:
1) Bud Norris got us six innings, which was huge for the bullpen given the way our starters had been pitching, but it wasn't enough. Bud still allowed 11 baserunners via hit or walk, and then there was Marwin's double-error which led to two more unearned runs. I don't want to say Bud pitched badly, but he's still got a ways to go before he goes from being "our ace" to a "true ace". The flip side of that is, if our guys are logging quality starts, our offense needs to be giving them more of a chance to win.
2) Ronny Cedeno, our DH the past two games, was the only Astro to get a hit with runners in scoring position on Sunday and he did it twice. Cedeno, who is hitting .333 on the year, now has 8 rbis in his last 4 games. By comparison, Matt Dominguez has 8 rbis this season, Carlos Pena has 6, Jason Castro has 4, J.D. Martinez has 7, Justin Maxwell has 6, Brandon Laird, Robbie Grossman and Fernando Martinez have 8 between the three of them, and Marwin Gonzalez has 7. And that is why, much to everyone's amazement, Ronny Cedeno has been our unlikely designated hitter.
3) Jose Cisnero finally got scored on, but his response to that was particularly impressive as he struck out 3 hitters in a row after yielding the run. I like this kid, I think he's going to stick around. But again, like Paul Clemens, I'd like to see him get some more meaningful innings under his belt.
4) The series ended as you would expect, with Robbie Grossman absolutely smoking a ball into right field only to have Daniel Nava make a full extension diving catch robbing him of extra bases. This was just that kind of series. Jonny Gomes making silly defensive plays in left, Nava in right... We could not buy a break the entire series. Hey, if that's the kind of year it's going to be, go ahead and just pencil us in for 110 losses.
5) Don't look now, but Rick Ankiel put the ball in play in all four of his plate appearances. Could he be on the verge of turning things around? Perhaps not, but it's still a step in the right direction.
6) Jason Castro went 1 for 3 with a walk raising his average to .266 as he continues to grow into the role of 3-hitter. It'd be nice if we could get him some more rbi opportunities, but at least he's getting hits, and getting on base. Castro has now hit in 6 straight, and if you forget the Rangers series ever happened, he'd be hitting .309. He's also drawn a walk in 4 of his last 5 starts.
Thursday, April 25, 2013
If Only We Played the Mariners All the Time
Houston routed the Mariners yesterday 10-3 to improve to 4-2 against Seattle on the season. Unfortunately, against everyone else we're just 3-12. But hey, I'll take it. For just the second time this season, the Astros won a series and they did so in convincing fashion smashing three home runs and never trailing in an easy win over their division rivals. Some thoughts on yesterday's game:
1) Lucas Harrell pitched his best game of the year going 7 innings and allowing just 1 run that came across on a double play ball. After going over a week without a starter getting an out in the 6th inning, Harrell came up huge bailing out a worn out bullpen and finally giving them a break. Harrell, who has battled control issues all season allowed just two walks, and needed only 105 pitches to make it through 7, compared to his last outing when he threw 98 and didn't get through 6. Harrell has now won 2 straight starts.
2) Welcome to the show, Robbie Grossman. The hometown hero with a cult following debuted as the Astros leadoff hitter and starting centerfielder and did not disappoint going 2 for 5 and ripping a pair of doubles. I read yesterday that he became the first Astro to hit two doubles since... James Mouton... Yeah... Well, hopefully his career tracks a little bit differently. The 23 year old switch hitter brings a lot to the table, and has a huge opportunity to make a name for himself with Maxwell out for an extended period of time. And if he keeps hitting, we may have found our leadoff hitter. And just think, all we had to do was give up Wandy Rodriguez to get him.
3) Trogdor the Bombinator hit an absolute monster home run off of Joe Saunders to open the scoring in the second inning yesterday. Carter now has 5 homers and 11 rbis, tying Rick Ankiel for the team lead in both categories. 4 of his home runs have come against the Mariners, and he's hitting .423 (11/26) against them. Against everyone else he's just 6 for 51 (.118).
4) Brandon Laird broke out yesterday going 3 for 4 with 2 doubles, a homer and 4 runs batted in. Sucks to be Brett Wallace right now, because if Laird keeps hitting, and Matty D keeps playing gold glove caliber defense, it'll take a Carlos Pena trade to get him back to the show. And don't forget, Jonathan Singleton is almost halfway through his suspension which means his arrival isn't that far away either. Unless Wallace starts absolutely raking in AAA, his window may be closing pretty quick.
5) Ronny Cedeno, not one of the more popular Astros for whatever reason, had his best game in an Astros uniform yesterday going 3 for 4, driving in 3, and missing the cycle by a triple. Cedeno is now hitting .333 on the year and he's in the midst of a 6 game hitting streak. The streak is that much more impressive since Cedeno doesn't play every day, and the streak actually dates back to April 8th.
6) Brandon Barnes got two more hits yesterday to raise his average up to .367. Primarily used against lefties, Barnes' splits are actually pretty solid right now: .375 vs lefties and .357 vs righties. It's actually creating quite a logjam in the outfield because who draws the short straw when J.D. Martinez and Maxwell come back? Don't get me wrong, it's a good problem to have, but I don't envy the man who has to make those decisions.
7) With Josh Fields getting closer to his return from the DL, Rhiner Cruz did little to help his case to not be the guy to get sent down last night. Entering the game with a 10-1 lead, Cruz walked 2 hitters in his inning of work. Yeah, he didn't give up any runs, but you've got to be able to throw strikes if you're going to be a back of the bullpen guy. And there's absolutely no reason to walk guys when you're up by 9. As I said yesterday, Cruz has all the physical gifts in the world, but he's got to do better with them.
1) Lucas Harrell pitched his best game of the year going 7 innings and allowing just 1 run that came across on a double play ball. After going over a week without a starter getting an out in the 6th inning, Harrell came up huge bailing out a worn out bullpen and finally giving them a break. Harrell, who has battled control issues all season allowed just two walks, and needed only 105 pitches to make it through 7, compared to his last outing when he threw 98 and didn't get through 6. Harrell has now won 2 straight starts.
2) Welcome to the show, Robbie Grossman. The hometown hero with a cult following debuted as the Astros leadoff hitter and starting centerfielder and did not disappoint going 2 for 5 and ripping a pair of doubles. I read yesterday that he became the first Astro to hit two doubles since... James Mouton... Yeah... Well, hopefully his career tracks a little bit differently. The 23 year old switch hitter brings a lot to the table, and has a huge opportunity to make a name for himself with Maxwell out for an extended period of time. And if he keeps hitting, we may have found our leadoff hitter. And just think, all we had to do was give up Wandy Rodriguez to get him.
3) Trogdor the Bombinator hit an absolute monster home run off of Joe Saunders to open the scoring in the second inning yesterday. Carter now has 5 homers and 11 rbis, tying Rick Ankiel for the team lead in both categories. 4 of his home runs have come against the Mariners, and he's hitting .423 (11/26) against them. Against everyone else he's just 6 for 51 (.118).
4) Brandon Laird broke out yesterday going 3 for 4 with 2 doubles, a homer and 4 runs batted in. Sucks to be Brett Wallace right now, because if Laird keeps hitting, and Matty D keeps playing gold glove caliber defense, it'll take a Carlos Pena trade to get him back to the show. And don't forget, Jonathan Singleton is almost halfway through his suspension which means his arrival isn't that far away either. Unless Wallace starts absolutely raking in AAA, his window may be closing pretty quick.
5) Ronny Cedeno, not one of the more popular Astros for whatever reason, had his best game in an Astros uniform yesterday going 3 for 4, driving in 3, and missing the cycle by a triple. Cedeno is now hitting .333 on the year and he's in the midst of a 6 game hitting streak. The streak is that much more impressive since Cedeno doesn't play every day, and the streak actually dates back to April 8th.
6) Brandon Barnes got two more hits yesterday to raise his average up to .367. Primarily used against lefties, Barnes' splits are actually pretty solid right now: .375 vs lefties and .357 vs righties. It's actually creating quite a logjam in the outfield because who draws the short straw when J.D. Martinez and Maxwell come back? Don't get me wrong, it's a good problem to have, but I don't envy the man who has to make those decisions.
7) With Josh Fields getting closer to his return from the DL, Rhiner Cruz did little to help his case to not be the guy to get sent down last night. Entering the game with a 10-1 lead, Cruz walked 2 hitters in his inning of work. Yeah, he didn't give up any runs, but you've got to be able to throw strikes if you're going to be a back of the bullpen guy. And there's absolutely no reason to walk guys when you're up by 9. As I said yesterday, Cruz has all the physical gifts in the world, but he's got to do better with them.
Wednesday, April 10, 2013
Holy Hits, Batman!
After scoring just 9 runs in their previous 6 games, the Astros offense erupted matching that total in the first two innings of their game with Seattle last night. When the dust had finally settled, Houston had scored 16 runs, banged out 22 hits, homered 5 times and walked away with a 16-9 win that wasn't as close as the score would suggest. Some notes on last night's contest:
1) Chris Carter finally started to look like the player Houston thought they were trading for last night. Carter crushed a pair of home runs and finished with 4 hits. He's now gotten a hit in 3 straight games and his average is now above .200 after starting the season 1 for 19. If he hits like this I won't even really mind that fact that he's still striking out at a ridiculous rate (15 times in 8 starts).
2) I'm a believer in Brett Wallace, but with that being said, I think he's gotta get sent down to figure things out. He's all up in his head right now and even last night, when every other Astros starter had at least one hit, Wallace struck out in all 4 of his plate appearances. He's not even hitting hard foul balls, he's just got a horrible approach at the plate right now. I'd almost say send him all the way back to A-Ball just to get his confidence back. I mean the guy's 1 for 21 with 17 strikeouts. He hasn't struck out fewer than two times in any one game that he's played in this year. He's basically turned into the offensive equivalent of Chuck Knoblauch. Brandon Laird is still crushing the ball in AAA, BUT he's not on the 40-man roster so it's not as simple as just brining him up. Jake Elmore is certainly an option though. The utility infielder is 9 for his last 13 in AAA and hitting .478 through 6 games. Pena could always shift over to first and split time there with Chris Carter. And then Elmore or Marwin could spell Dominguez at third. I dunno, I just don't see Wallace snapping out of this funk he's in any time soon so something's got to be done.
3) Speaking of Marwin Gonzalez, I'd like to see Bo Porter hand him the starting shortstop gig. Marwin's solid defensively whereas Cedeno has had some issues, and Marwin's swinging the hot bat right now. He's also tied for the team-lead in walks which is something we could use more of. When you consider that Ronny Cedeno doesn't factor into the team's long term plans, whereas Marwin might, I think he should be getting a longer look instead of alternating starts with the veteran Cedeno. At the very least, let him keep playing until he cools off.
4) Erik Bedard turned in another solid, if abbreviated, outing tossing 4 scoreless innings and allowing just 1 hit. Bedard retired the first 10 Seattle hitters he faced and looked sharp once again. Granted, it's a lot easier to pitch when you're up six runs before you ever toe the rubber, but it's good to see him doing well and staying healthy.
5) Paul Clemens made his major league debut last night and was credited with the win since starter Erik Bedard didn't come out for the 5th inning. Clemens wasn't GREAT, allowing 5 runs in 4 innings - including three home runs (Jason Bay, Raul Ibanez, Michael Morse), but you can chalk some of that up to jitters given that it was his debut. We'll see how he does his next time out.
6) Who had J.D. Martinez in the pool for which Astro is going to steal a base first in 2013? Anybody? Bueller?
7) Some fun numbers stuff comparing last night's game with the previous seven:
Games 1-7 Game 8
Runs 17 16
Hits 46 22
XBH 10 8
Home Runs 2 5
Stolen Bases 0 1
Walks 10 6
Average .201 .468
Sunday, April 7, 2013
Errors Will Kill You Every Time...
The Astros took a 3-1 lead into the 6th, but an error by shortstop Ronny Cedeno led to three unearned runs and Houston dropped a fourth straight, this one by a final score of 6-3, to the Athletics. Some notes on last night's game:
1) Houston hitters struck out only four times after fanning an average of 14 times a game through their first 4 contests. They still didn't manage to draw any walks and have just 5 on the season, but at least they're putting more balls in play. The absence of Rick Ankiel and Brett Wallace from the lineup may have contributed to the reduced strikeout numbers, but across the board, at bats were better.
2) Jason Castro clubbed an opposite-field 3-run home run in the fourth to give Houston a short-lived 3-1 lead. This was what I was envisioning when I said that he's going to have a big year this year. His ability to drive the ball to all fields gives him 20-homer potential in my opinion which is almost unprecedented for an Astro catcher.
3) Jose Altuve extended his hitting streak to 5 games when he "beat out" an infield single to former teammate Jed Lowrie. Replays show that Altuve was out by half a step, but his hustle got him the benefit of the doubt. Now, if somehow Altuve breaks DiMaggio's record, does it come with an asterisk? These are the things you think about when you love a team like the Astros.
4) I know hindsight's 20/20, but I really think Bo Porter should've pulled Bud Norris in the 6th rather than let him tally 122 pitches. I know he's the ace, but this is April, and it's not like we're playoff bound or anything. Was our bullpen really that spent that we didn't have anyone we could throw out there? What about Josh Fields?
5) Is Brandon Barnes in the doghouse? The guy got the start on Opening Night, but hasn't gotten into a game since. Instead, we've seen a steady diet of J.D. Martinez who wasn't even supposed to make the team out of camp (he's here because of the Fernando Martinez injury).
6) Dallas Keuchel looked decent out of the bullpen last night after getting the call to replace newly injured Travis Blackley. Nothing like trading for a guy and having get hurt throwing a bullpen session...
7) Astro starters are now just 1-4 on the year, but boast a 2.63 ERA. Only one Astros starter has made it through 6 innings which will have to improve to save the bullpen, but at least the starters are keeping us in games.
1) Houston hitters struck out only four times after fanning an average of 14 times a game through their first 4 contests. They still didn't manage to draw any walks and have just 5 on the season, but at least they're putting more balls in play. The absence of Rick Ankiel and Brett Wallace from the lineup may have contributed to the reduced strikeout numbers, but across the board, at bats were better.
2) Jason Castro clubbed an opposite-field 3-run home run in the fourth to give Houston a short-lived 3-1 lead. This was what I was envisioning when I said that he's going to have a big year this year. His ability to drive the ball to all fields gives him 20-homer potential in my opinion which is almost unprecedented for an Astro catcher.
3) Jose Altuve extended his hitting streak to 5 games when he "beat out" an infield single to former teammate Jed Lowrie. Replays show that Altuve was out by half a step, but his hustle got him the benefit of the doubt. Now, if somehow Altuve breaks DiMaggio's record, does it come with an asterisk? These are the things you think about when you love a team like the Astros.
4) I know hindsight's 20/20, but I really think Bo Porter should've pulled Bud Norris in the 6th rather than let him tally 122 pitches. I know he's the ace, but this is April, and it's not like we're playoff bound or anything. Was our bullpen really that spent that we didn't have anyone we could throw out there? What about Josh Fields?
5) Is Brandon Barnes in the doghouse? The guy got the start on Opening Night, but hasn't gotten into a game since. Instead, we've seen a steady diet of J.D. Martinez who wasn't even supposed to make the team out of camp (he's here because of the Fernando Martinez injury).
6) Dallas Keuchel looked decent out of the bullpen last night after getting the call to replace newly injured Travis Blackley. Nothing like trading for a guy and having get hurt throwing a bullpen session...
7) Astro starters are now just 1-4 on the year, but boast a 2.63 ERA. Only one Astros starter has made it through 6 innings which will have to improve to save the bullpen, but at least the starters are keeping us in games.
Saturday, April 6, 2013
We Scored!
Another loss for the Astros as a missed opportunity on a potential double play ball turned what could've been a scoreless inning into a 7-run 5th. The 8 run deficit was too much to overcome, but at least the Astros managed to score this time. Some observations from Game 4:
1) Houston middle infielders are pulling their weight, but that's about it. Jose Altuve and the shortstop platoon of Marwin Gonzalez and Ronny Cedeno are a combined 13 for 29 (.448) while all other Astros are 12 for 100 (.120).
2) Astro hitters struck out 13 more times last night giving them 56 through 4 games (an average of 14 per night). Brett Wallace notched his third hat trick of the season giving him a team high 11 strikeouts through the first four games. He wasn't even the worst offender last night though as Rick Ankiel managed to strike out in all four of his appearances. After slugging a pinch hit three-run homer in his first at-bat as an Astro, Ankiel is 0 for 10 with 9 strikeouts. If you play fantasy baseball, you may want to consider starting whatever pitcher is throwing against the Astros. Even Bartolo Colon.
3) Chris Carter and Jason Castro finally notched their first hits of the season. Houston now has only three players still looking for their first hit of 2013: Carlos Corporan (0/3), Brandon Barnes (0/1) and J.D. Martinez (0/3).
4) Brad Peacock has good stuff, but he needs to be more efficient. Peacock threw 89 pitches in 4 1/3 innings of work causing the bullpen to be forced into action early once again. And considering Houston's bullpen has an ERA of 7.53 (and that's including 3 1/3 scoreless innings from Erik Bedard), that's not a good thing. On a brighter note, the Astros starting 5 have a collective ERA of 2.16 through 4 games.
5) Having to get extra outs will kill a bad team. Marwin Gonzalez's misplay of a groundball in the 5th led to 7 runs, 3 of them unearned. If Houston gets out of that inning without yielding a run, maybe it's a different ballgame. You can come back from 1-0 down. 8-0? Not so much.
6) Brandon Laird went 3 for 5 with a home run and 4 runs batted in during a AAA double header yesterday. Keep an eye on his production in Oklahoma City, especially if Brett Wallace continues to struggle.
1) Houston middle infielders are pulling their weight, but that's about it. Jose Altuve and the shortstop platoon of Marwin Gonzalez and Ronny Cedeno are a combined 13 for 29 (.448) while all other Astros are 12 for 100 (.120).
2) Astro hitters struck out 13 more times last night giving them 56 through 4 games (an average of 14 per night). Brett Wallace notched his third hat trick of the season giving him a team high 11 strikeouts through the first four games. He wasn't even the worst offender last night though as Rick Ankiel managed to strike out in all four of his appearances. After slugging a pinch hit three-run homer in his first at-bat as an Astro, Ankiel is 0 for 10 with 9 strikeouts. If you play fantasy baseball, you may want to consider starting whatever pitcher is throwing against the Astros. Even Bartolo Colon.
3) Chris Carter and Jason Castro finally notched their first hits of the season. Houston now has only three players still looking for their first hit of 2013: Carlos Corporan (0/3), Brandon Barnes (0/1) and J.D. Martinez (0/3).
4) Brad Peacock has good stuff, but he needs to be more efficient. Peacock threw 89 pitches in 4 1/3 innings of work causing the bullpen to be forced into action early once again. And considering Houston's bullpen has an ERA of 7.53 (and that's including 3 1/3 scoreless innings from Erik Bedard), that's not a good thing. On a brighter note, the Astros starting 5 have a collective ERA of 2.16 through 4 games.
5) Having to get extra outs will kill a bad team. Marwin Gonzalez's misplay of a groundball in the 5th led to 7 runs, 3 of them unearned. If Houston gets out of that inning without yielding a run, maybe it's a different ballgame. You can come back from 1-0 down. 8-0? Not so much.
6) Brandon Laird went 3 for 5 with a home run and 4 runs batted in during a AAA double header yesterday. Keep an eye on his production in Oklahoma City, especially if Brett Wallace continues to struggle.
Wednesday, April 3, 2013
Hard to Win if You Can't Score
The bats were lifeless for a second straight game as the Astros fell to the Rangers 4-0. The Astros racked up double digit strike-outs for a third straight game to start the year and wasted another strong pitching performance, this time from newcomer Philip Humber. Some more observations from Game 3:
1) The inability to put balls in play is killing the Astros right now. They have ten times as many strikeouts (43) as walks (4), and hit just .172 in the series while fanning in 46% of their at bats. You can point your finger in any number of directions too as every Astro with the exception of Carlos Corporan struck out at least once in the three game series. Top offenders: Brett Wallace (8), Chris Carter (7), Carlos Pena (6), Justin Maxwell (5), and Rick Ankiel (5). Even pitchers don't strike out at that rate, so you have to figure things will get better and average out, but still...
2) Jason Castro and Chris Carter both went 0 for 11 in the Rangers series. Have faith, both will break out of their mini slumps. Hopefully sooner rather than later.
3) Lance Berkman is not welcome in Houston any more. The Big Puma reached base in 9 of his 13 at bats and drove in 3. His "replacement" Carlos Pena was just 2 for 11 and as previously noted struck out six times. I say the word replacement loosely because Pena didn't really "replace" Berkman, we just opted to sign him instead. Any regrets yet?
1) The inability to put balls in play is killing the Astros right now. They have ten times as many strikeouts (43) as walks (4), and hit just .172 in the series while fanning in 46% of their at bats. You can point your finger in any number of directions too as every Astro with the exception of Carlos Corporan struck out at least once in the three game series. Top offenders: Brett Wallace (8), Chris Carter (7), Carlos Pena (6), Justin Maxwell (5), and Rick Ankiel (5). Even pitchers don't strike out at that rate, so you have to figure things will get better and average out, but still...
2) Jason Castro and Chris Carter both went 0 for 11 in the Rangers series. Have faith, both will break out of their mini slumps. Hopefully sooner rather than later.
3) Lance Berkman is not welcome in Houston any more. The Big Puma reached base in 9 of his 13 at bats and drove in 3. His "replacement" Carlos Pena was just 2 for 11 and as previously noted struck out six times. I say the word replacement loosely because Pena didn't really "replace" Berkman, we just opted to sign him instead. Any regrets yet?
Monday, April 1, 2013
Bang, Bang, Maxwell's Silver Hammer
"The road to being a champion is always under construction." - Bo Porter
For one night, the Astros looked like a contender. Houston outplayed the Rangers in every facet of the game and cruised to an 8-2 victory giving them the best record in all of baseball, and the distinction of being the only undefeated franchise in the American League. I know it's short lived, but I'm going to enjoy this moment, because that's what baseball's about. Some observations from last night's game: And yes, I know this is only one game into the season.
1) For me this game turned on two plays, both of them in the sixth inning. The first came with 2 on and 2 out in the top half, and the Rangers rallying having cut the Astros lead in half. Erik Bedard entered the game to face catcher A.J. Pierzynski and induced a weak fly ball to centerfield to end the threat. A hit by Pierzynski and the momentum swings in favor of the Rangers, and then who knows what happens. Then in the bottom half of the inning, in the same situation, two on, two out, pinch hitter Rick Ankiel crushed Derek Lowe's 3-2 offering into the right field bleachers for a 3-run home run putting the game all but out of reach. GM Jeff Luhnow's offseason moves are looking pretty smart after one game.
2) Speaking of Bedard, the Canadian lefty looked brilliant last night. He faced 11 hitters and surrendered just a broken bat single to Nelson Cruz on his way to his first Major League save. If Bedard pitches like he did when he was with Baltimore a few years ago and stays healthy, he's going to look like a steal.
For one night, the Astros looked like a contender. Houston outplayed the Rangers in every facet of the game and cruised to an 8-2 victory giving them the best record in all of baseball, and the distinction of being the only undefeated franchise in the American League. I know it's short lived, but I'm going to enjoy this moment, because that's what baseball's about. Some observations from last night's game: And yes, I know this is only one game into the season.
1) For me this game turned on two plays, both of them in the sixth inning. The first came with 2 on and 2 out in the top half, and the Rangers rallying having cut the Astros lead in half. Erik Bedard entered the game to face catcher A.J. Pierzynski and induced a weak fly ball to centerfield to end the threat. A hit by Pierzynski and the momentum swings in favor of the Rangers, and then who knows what happens. Then in the bottom half of the inning, in the same situation, two on, two out, pinch hitter Rick Ankiel crushed Derek Lowe's 3-2 offering into the right field bleachers for a 3-run home run putting the game all but out of reach. GM Jeff Luhnow's offseason moves are looking pretty smart after one game.
2) Speaking of Bedard, the Canadian lefty looked brilliant last night. He faced 11 hitters and surrendered just a broken bat single to Nelson Cruz on his way to his first Major League save. If Bedard pitches like he did when he was with Baltimore a few years ago and stays healthy, he's going to look like a steal.
Sunday, March 31, 2013
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)