Berserker
Footballguy
It doesn't look like anyone else is going blog the Astros, so I guess I will. The Astros usually don't even really play the first month of the season, so why did we need a thread yet?
5 weeks in and it's a typical slow start...3 games under .500. Take away the 0-6 record vs. the insanely talented Pirates (what, they're not?) and it's not that bad....considering.
The pitching staff has been surprisingly better than expected. There's really only one true major league starter in Oswalt and he's been his normal, splendid self.
-Jennings has been on the DL after making 2 solid starts
-Woody Williams, expected to be horrible in 2 out of every 3 starts, has only been horrible in 2 out of every 4 starts. But while he hasn't been horrible, he hasn't been good either. He's 0-5 with a 5.49 ERA, about what you'd expect.
-Wandy Rodriguez is in the rotation for one reason...he can throw with his left hand. He's actually been good so far, only getting shelled one time. That should change
-Chris Sampson has been a nice surprise, with an ERA under 4.00. We'll see how it goes as teams form a scouting report on him
-Same with Matt Albers. Except for one start when he only lasted 2.1, he's been OK
-The bullpen has been good since the Lidge demotion. Wheeler doesn't have the ability to blow batters away like Lidge, but gets the job done, ala Todd Jones and some of the other older closers. Lidge has been good in middle relief, as has Qualls, Miller and the rest of the pen.
The problem has been scoring runs. When part-timer Jason Lane is 2nd in HR, something terrible is happening. Carlos Lee is among MLB leaders in RBI and is hitting .300, but it could/should be better. He only has 5 HR with that short LF porch in Minute Maid. Lance Berkman and Luke Scott look like they are coming out of season-long slumps, so there is hope for the middle of the order. Everyone knows why Biggio still starts, so I won't even touch that.
Many fans think otherwise, but I think Garner was a little too patient with Chris Burke, who not only hit just .234, but also butchered center-field. Pence will have some rookie struggles at the plate, but he's an immediate upgrade defensively. Hopefully, Burke will start hitting better with his return the utility role.
There's no help at the bottom of the lineup with Everett and Ausmus, quite possibly the worst two hitters in baseball who have starting jobs. I seriously think Garner should let Jennings and Williams hit in the 7 hole when it's their turn in the rotation. (Yes, I know Ausmus is currently hitting near .300, but I guarantee he'll be near his '06 average of .230 before season's end.)
Right now, my most-loathed player is Morgan Ensberg. The guy hit 35 bombs two years ago. Now, he thinks he is Paul Lo Duca and that his job is to take pitches move runners over. He's taking up space that would be better-used by Mike Lamb or even Mark Loretta. Hell, maybe Burke can play 3rd.
I still have a little hope, but not much. The offense should perk up with Berkman and Scott warming up, plus the spark of Pence. But (outside of Oswalt) the pitching figures to get worse as teams get better data on the young guys and Wandy returns to form. The Astros are average to below average, but in this division, it might be enough.
OK, now that we're caught up, future posts won't have to be so long.
5 weeks in and it's a typical slow start...3 games under .500. Take away the 0-6 record vs. the insanely talented Pirates (what, they're not?) and it's not that bad....considering.
The pitching staff has been surprisingly better than expected. There's really only one true major league starter in Oswalt and he's been his normal, splendid self.
-Jennings has been on the DL after making 2 solid starts
-Woody Williams, expected to be horrible in 2 out of every 3 starts, has only been horrible in 2 out of every 4 starts. But while he hasn't been horrible, he hasn't been good either. He's 0-5 with a 5.49 ERA, about what you'd expect.
-Wandy Rodriguez is in the rotation for one reason...he can throw with his left hand. He's actually been good so far, only getting shelled one time. That should change
-Chris Sampson has been a nice surprise, with an ERA under 4.00. We'll see how it goes as teams form a scouting report on him
-Same with Matt Albers. Except for one start when he only lasted 2.1, he's been OK
-The bullpen has been good since the Lidge demotion. Wheeler doesn't have the ability to blow batters away like Lidge, but gets the job done, ala Todd Jones and some of the other older closers. Lidge has been good in middle relief, as has Qualls, Miller and the rest of the pen.
The problem has been scoring runs. When part-timer Jason Lane is 2nd in HR, something terrible is happening. Carlos Lee is among MLB leaders in RBI and is hitting .300, but it could/should be better. He only has 5 HR with that short LF porch in Minute Maid. Lance Berkman and Luke Scott look like they are coming out of season-long slumps, so there is hope for the middle of the order. Everyone knows why Biggio still starts, so I won't even touch that.
Many fans think otherwise, but I think Garner was a little too patient with Chris Burke, who not only hit just .234, but also butchered center-field. Pence will have some rookie struggles at the plate, but he's an immediate upgrade defensively. Hopefully, Burke will start hitting better with his return the utility role.
There's no help at the bottom of the lineup with Everett and Ausmus, quite possibly the worst two hitters in baseball who have starting jobs. I seriously think Garner should let Jennings and Williams hit in the 7 hole when it's their turn in the rotation. (Yes, I know Ausmus is currently hitting near .300, but I guarantee he'll be near his '06 average of .230 before season's end.)
Right now, my most-loathed player is Morgan Ensberg. The guy hit 35 bombs two years ago. Now, he thinks he is Paul Lo Duca and that his job is to take pitches move runners over. He's taking up space that would be better-used by Mike Lamb or even Mark Loretta. Hell, maybe Burke can play 3rd.
I still have a little hope, but not much. The offense should perk up with Berkman and Scott warming up, plus the spark of Pence. But (outside of Oswalt) the pitching figures to get worse as teams get better data on the young guys and Wandy returns to form. The Astros are average to below average, but in this division, it might be enough.
OK, now that we're caught up, future posts won't have to be so long.
Colt 45's thread would be good though. 
What's the thought on Roger Clemens? Heard Phil Garner say Clemens kind of took advantage of his situation there by being spotted in celebrity golf events on his off days.
It's true. You can never get too many tips from Kruk.Maybe he watched because he's raised his average 50 points the last 10 games. Homered last night, so maybe the pop is coming too.
Woody goes deep!! 
El Caballo and Pence had 7 of the 9 Astros hits and the other 3 HR. Lee's walk-off HR in the 10th made a winner of Chad Qualls (4-1, wow). Pence has 14 RBI in his 15 games played...nice. Lee is hitting over .500 since May 2...very nice.
times 8. I'm pretty sure the Astros are not ever going to win another game.
