Stros Baseball

Middle Infielders

2007-01-25T18:56:00.000-08:00

Now we are in part two of the lookat the 2007 Astros. Today we take a closer look at the middle infielders.
Lets start with second base and Biggio's quest for 3,000. As Biggio gets into his fortys he has declined some and needs more rest at this stage in his career. Biggio will likely play alot in the beginning of the season. He should get to 3,000 sometime in late June or early July. With the signing of Mark Loretta, Biggio should get more rest and be more productive towards the end of the season. This will probally be Biggios last season as he wraps up his HOF career.
Now we get to shortstop manned by Adam Everett. Everett is one the best fielding shortstops in the league but still struggles with the bat. His glove work will keep himn in the lineup but I wouldn't be surprised if the offense starts to struggle Phill Garner shouldn't hesitate to jumpstart the offense by putting Loretta in there. Now they usally bat Everett down at the bottom of the order but I believe they should put him in the two hole. He has had the most success batting there.
Batting 2nd 94 86 394 348 63 101 14 2 7 29 16 0 52 6 22 2 5 4 14 1 .290 .331 .402 .733
Here are his career numbers batting second which are by far the most production the Astros have gotten out of him.
So that concludes the Look at the middle infielders keep loking for the next installment where I take a look at the catchers.

Corner Infielders

2007-01-24T18:25:00.000-08:00

Today I will start a series of post looking at the Astros team for 2007. Today is the corner infielders.

Lets start with First base. Here we have Lance Berkman absolutley no questions or controversy just another MVP caliber season from him and yes I am predicting him to win the MVP this year. Now should he get injured or be out for any time his position would be filled by a combination of Mike Lamb and Mark Loretta. Lamb would likely get most of the time but lets hope we don't have to think about that situation.

Then there's third base which comes with many question marks. Here we have Morgan Ensberg who is a mystery in himself. I just can't figure out why he can't find any consistency. The only thing he does consitenty is walk. Now he did have a bad year last season so he should be due to have good season. There is also a lot of trade talk around Ensberg and I think if a good trade comes along I'd do it because he probally just needs a change of scenery. Now should Ensberg struggle or be injured again Mike Lamb and Mark Loretta would se a lot of playing time. That would make a decent platoon and should get about average production out of them. I'm just hoping Ensberg turns it around and regains his form from 2005 and sticks around for a long time.

So there's my breakdown of the coner infielders. Keep loking in the next day or so I will take a look at the middle infield.

New Blog

2007-01-23T19:40:00.000-08:00

Hey everyone I have recently been asked to write an Astros Blog for a new site. The blog can be found at www.baseballbiosphere.com/astros There are also blogs for other teams with more to come. Don't worry though this blog will live on but I would also like you to read the other as well. Thank you.

Former Astro Pitcher and Coach Vern Ruhle Dies

2007-01-22T20:04:00.000-08:00

Sad news over the weekend about Vern Ruhle. On Saturday night at a hospital in Houston He died of complications from a transplant while being treated for cancer. He was currently a pitching coach for the Cinncinatti Reds. He will surley be missed by the baseball world.

Summary of Offseason moves

2007-01-19T21:35:00.000-08:00

Well this off season the Houston Astros have been much busier than lately. It all started off with the Carlos Lee signing. I'm still on the fence about this move it brings a nice addition to the offense that was desparetly needed but for a little to much money and to long luckily he only has a partial no trade clause at the end of it allowing us to move that contract.
Then the rumors were swirling about of the Astros acquiring a starting pitcher. Jennings was rumored as was Garland. All the while Pettitte was still unsigned then he made his decision which was to return to New York. Well this left a big hole in the rotation so the Astros went out and got the Jennings trade done. Many believe the Rockies made out like bandits in this deal but as you know I think otherwise.
Then the Astros made a suprise signing when they inked Mark Loretta to a one year deal. This was a excellent move. It gives us so much depth on the team. We have a guy who can play all the infield positions and bring offense. He will help spell Biggio at 2nd as well as likely seeing time at 3rd and short. I expect if the offense is strugling and everett continues to not hit as he has his entire career Loretta will see plenty of time there.
They have also signed a handful of people to minor league contracts and invited them to spring training. Of them three will have a good shot at making the club. Munson will once agian be battling for the backup catcher position during spring training and of the choice between Munson, Quintero and Gimenez I would choose Munson again. He didn't have a good year last year hitting but its better than what either of the other two would give plus with more playing time which will likely happen as Ausmus can't continue to play as much as he has and shouldn't because his defensive skills have diminished and can't hit at all.
Another person with ashot at making the clubis former Astro Richard Hidalgo. Hidalgo has lost wieght and been playing very well in winter ball which is haow he got the Astros attention. If he proves he can still be a decent hitter with his defense he'd be perfect for the club. Luke Scott is not that good in right Hidalgo would be a good defensive replacement in close games. Also if he still hits lefties good he'd be a perfect platoon partner for Scott in right field.
Today the astros signed another former astro to a minor league contract in the form of Brian Moehler. He pitched in three games last time with the stros and not to good in those before he went down with an injury
But its a low risk signing so i guess it can't hurt to try again.
All in all it has been a busy offseason and spring traing is sure to be interesting with many things still undecided. So lets get this thing started becuase I'm ready for the season to start.

Astros sign Hidalgo

2007-01-15T21:31:00.000-08:00

Well a few days ago the Astros as expected signed former Astro Richard Hidalgo to a minor league contract and invited him to spring training. I personally love this move there's no risk involved in it and he is able to recapture some of that magic from 2000 this could really help the stros offense. He is said to be in much better shape than last time he was here back in 2004 before the trade to the Mets. This most likely means the end of the line for jason lane who has likely seen his last days as an Astro. With the somewhat shaky defense in the outfield this upcoming season Hidalgo's defense will be essential. Also if he can still hit he'd be a perfect platoon partner for Luke Scott.

Astros close to signing Loretta

2007-01-04T18:35:00.000-08:00

Well the Astros are close to signing 2nd baseman Mark Loretta to a one year deal worth 2.5 million. As you may recall Loretta was briefly an Astro in 2002 after a trade on august 31 with the Brewers. Finally Loretta is back in houston. This signing is probally the best move Purpura's made since taking overas GM. This strenghtens the bench. Loretta will lkely see alot of time at a number of positions. He plays all 4 infield positions. He will also bring some much needed leadership to the club that was lacking last year. Many people speculate that this move will mean a trade is coming but i nessciarily don't see it that way although it does give you more options and can be more open to trades.

Jason Jennings an Astro

2006-12-12T19:44:00.000-08:00

Well today Purpura pulled the trigger on a big trade today. The initial reaction is that the stros got ripped off well at first it seems like that but not when take a longer look at it. First let start by me telling you what the trade was just in case you haven't heard already. The Rockies traded Jason Jennings and Miguel Asencio to houston in exchange for Willy Tavares, Taylor Buchholz and Jason Hirsh. The latter is the one most are upset about or excited depending on who's point of view your looking at this from.
In this trade the Astros get a solid pitcher who has been improving and is coming off a good season while pitching his home games at Coors Field he will continue to be solid and probally get better now that he's out of Colorado. Ascencio is essentially a through in to this deal. Admittedly I don't know much about this pitcher I had to do a little research. He used to be with the Royals before going to the Rockies. He had Tommy John surgery but struggled even before the surgey so he won't much of a factor.
Now the Astros did have to give up some players to get Jennings. First there's Willy, in my opinion he was very likely to be dealt this offseason because he'll be arbitration elegible after the '07 season and the stros are not very fond of his agent a name I refuse to say but you probally know who I'm talking about.coughscottborascough. Then there is taylor buchholz who was the main piece of the Wagner trade a few years ago. Well after a few seasons of Buchholz having numerous arm injuries he has still yet to reach his potential and probally never will. Now we get to Jason Hirsh He is the one who hurts the most but he's unproven and could very well be an all star a couple years from now or he could be the next Tim Redding or Scott Elarton two ther can't miss prospects with lots of talent who never reached thier potential.
The Astros now have a chance to sign Jennings to an extension who will be a free agent after the season. He's from Texas so there is agood chance of getting a hometown discount and saving a lot of money with the amounts pitchers are getting nowadays on the open market.

Astros Offseason Moves

2006-11-25T17:26:00.000-08:00

Hey everyone sorry I haven't written any post in a while just been busy. Well The Astros have been busy especially this week. They earlier resigned Biggio which was a no brainer. Then The day after Thanksgiving aka Black Friday came and the stros did some Christmas shopping of thier own. Unfortunately they weren't able to find any good deals. they signed Woody Williams to a 2 year deal worth 12 million. Then they signed Carlos Lee to a six year deal worth $100 million. No that was not a typo they really gave him that much. Now the big questions remaining are will pettitte and Clemens return but they shouldn't wait around for the awnser.

Astros climbing back into the race

2006-09-11T17:28:00.001-07:00

The Astros have over the weekend pulledc to within 5 games of the Cards for the division. They start thier series with them tonight in St. Louis. Pettitte was scheduled to make the start tonight but has been pushed back until tomorrow. Taylor Buchholz was called up to start the game.

Astros climbing back into the race

2006-09-11T17:28:00.000-07:00

Astros give Oswalt an extension

2006-08-29T20:31:00.000-07:00

With the Astros coming home after winning their last three games and getting back to within 3.5 games of the wild card they took on the Brewers with Oswalt on the hill. With Roy pitching on his 29th birthday the Astros defeated the Brewers 10 - 3 and after the game they rewarded Oswalt with a new contract. His contract is for 5 years and $73m with an option for a sixth year. I love that the Astros went ahead and locked him up longterm and they got a very good deal. Willy's hitting streak ended tonight at 30 games and he was hit by pitches a couple of times tonight. Lane came off the bench to deliver the huge grand slam to put the game away.

Munson DFA'ed and House called up

2006-08-20T16:50:00.000-07:00

In a somewhat shocking move today the Astros have designated Eric Munson for assignment. He had started the first three games of the series against the Brewers coming into today and even hit a homerun during the series. But he did only have a .204 batting average so its not to shocking. Well they have called up J.R. House from Round Rock who had just continued his great hitting since being promoted from AA. House had previously been in the majors with Pittsburgh in 2003 and 2004. He quit baseball for a year to play football and had a shoulder injury which required surgery. In AA he had been catching a lot but when he was moved to AAA he mainly played First base due to Round Rock already having enough catchers. If you remember earlier in the year when Clemens was pitching at Corpus Christie House was his catcher during that game.

Astros lose the game and another pitcher

2006-08-19T21:51:00.000-07:00

The Astros lost tonight to the Brewers in the game started by Wandy Rodriguez wh was sarting in place of Oswalt. Backe had earlier in the day been placed on the DL. Well during the game Fernando Nieve came in and pitched in relief. He left the game after 1 inning with a strained right elbow. He will likely be placed on the DL now as well. If he does go on the DL The Astros will probally call up Sampson or Albers to replace him. Oswalt will start on Wednesday if his wrist is better if not the Astros are in serious trouble. Thats not to say they aren't already in trouble. The Astros are only 4 games back of the Wild card but just can't seem to put any wins together every time they win a game they lose two or three in a row. Byseptember the Astros will be looking at the future and callup a lot of young players and let them play. Pence and House should come up September 1st and start until the end of the season.

Backe placed on DL, Wandy called up

2006-08-19T14:47:00.000-07:00

Brandon Backe was placed on the DL today with a strained ligament in his right elbow. This is the same injury he had at the beginning of the season which kept him out for over 3 months. Wandy Rodriguez was called up to replace him on the roster. Roy Oswalt who had a bruised wrist in his last start was scheduled to pitch tonight but was likely to miss this start will not start tonight and it will be Wandy instead. The Astros lost last night after winning the first game of the series to the Brewers on Thursday.

Astros get swept by Cubs

2006-08-16T16:14:00.000-07:00

The Astros concluded a three game series with the cubs today and lost 1-0. They also lost last nights game in the 18th inning. Brad Lidge came into the game in the ninth with a one run lead but once again blew the save. Finnally Garner has decided to take Lidge out of the closers role. He has decided to go with a closer by committee. Hopefully Nieve will get some opportunitys to close games. The Astros are now on a 5 game losing streak and now will be heading out on the road. First up is the Brewers. Hirsh will be making his second start and will be opposed by Ben Sheets. This will be another tough game and could extend the losing streak. Willy Taveras extended his hitting streak to 18 games today which is the longest hitting streak by an Astros this season.

Astros lose Padres series, Start new one with Cubs

2006-08-14T16:55:00.000-07:00

On Sunday afternoon the Astros lost to the Padres for the second game in a row and lost the series. But its not all bad because they are still only 5 games behind the Cards for the division and 3 1/2 back of the Reds for the Wild Card. The Astros now start a three game series with the Cubs tonight. Carlos Zambrano goes for the Cubs while Oswalt takes the hill for the stros. Zambrano has been really good against us this year so it will be a tough game to win.
Preston wilson who had been DFA Saturday will likely be released tomorrow if they can't reach a deal with some team before then. The Astros have until the 21st but will grant him his release so he can find a team to play for. The Rockies have shown some interest but according to reports the talks have cooled off. I for one would like to wish Wilson good luck and please don't sign with NL team.

Preston Wilson DFA, Hirsch called up

2006-08-12T15:44:00.000-07:00

Well we finnally got the answer to question about who would be gone to make room for Hirsch and earlier today Tim Purpura announced that Wilson was DFA. Now the club has 10 days to trade him or he can choose to become a free agent after 10 days. Hopefully the Astros will be able to pick up at least a minor league player in a trade. The move makes some sense he has recently lost his playing time to Luke Scott who has been on fire since being called up. But what some people don't realize is Peston was 2nd on the club in rbis and despite his homeruns not being up as much as his career numbers he was hitting consitently.
The Astros completed the sweep of the Pirates and last night against San Diego they defeated the Padres with the help of a homerun from ANDY PETTITTE!! Yes Andy Pettitte hit his first career homerun and is the second Astro pitcher to hit one this week. Tonight Jason Hirsch will make his major league debut as the Astros try to beat the Padres agian.

Astros going for sweep

2006-08-10T18:20:00.000-07:00

The Astros have really cuaght fire recently wining 6 of their last 8 games and are trying to sweep the Pirates tonight with Clemens on the mound. In last nights game the Astros had a huge blow out win. Aubrey Huff hit 2 homers and Roy Oswalt hit a homerun of his own. The Reds and Cardinals played a series against each othe this week and the Astros have been able to gain ground in the Wild card race. With a win tonight the Astros will only be 2 1/2 games back. the Astros are currently leadin 2-0 after four innings.
this weekend the Padres will be coming into town for thee games. On saturday Jason Hirsch will make his major league debut. After dominating all year at AAA the Astros are finally calling him up. It is still unknown who will be sent down to make room for him on the roster.

2006-08-05T11:37:00.000-07:00

Alright a lot has happened since i last updated the blog. Its been a while because my computer was broken so sorry i haven't made any new post latley. Since i last updayed the Astros resigned Clemens in june and at the all star break made a trade to get Aubrey Huff from Tampa Bay. I like the trade to get Huff but I still don't like giving up Zobrist to do it. By the way since Tampa Bay trade julio Lugo to the Dodgers Zobrist was called up this past week to start at shortstop. The month of July was not good to the Astros as they almost fell out of the race. But in the past week with the Astros winning the series at San Diego and the Cards an d reds struggling the Astros have managed to stay in the race. They are six games out of the division and four out of the wild card.
Luke Scott was called up recently and is really hitting good and even hit for the cycle. with Berkman now back in the lineup Scott has been starting in place of Wilson. Matt Albers who was recently called up from AA was sent back down after his bad outing in SD and Nieve was called back up. Nieve will prbally continue to work in relief roles as he had been doing in Round Rock since he was sent down. The Astros have an off day on Monday an will probally skip the fifth starter untill the next time one is needed. When they do need a fifth starter the should call up Hirsch who has been dominating at AAA all year and needs to be called up.

Astros get swept and Burke placed on DL

2006-05-07T16:42:00.000-07:00

This weekend in colorado the Astros were swept by the Rockies. In game onew Buchholz pitched a very good game but Lidge blew the save in the ninth. The Astros lost the game. Saturday they agian lost and also lost Chris Burke. While playing right field he went back to the wall running full speed and hit the wall injuring his shoulder. It is the same shoulder he injured last September while diving for a catch in centerfield. The Astros placed him on the DL and have called up Joe McEwing from Round Rock to take his place on the roster. The Astros then got beat again today as the Rockies cvompleted the sweep.
Tomorrow the Astros travel to San Fransico to play a make up game from a few weeks ago then will be playing in Los Angeles Tuesday-Thursday. Oswalt will be pitching on Monday. Also trever Miller is currently on a rehab assignment and could be activated this weekend.

Astros lose to Reds

2006-04-28T20:27:00.000-07:00

Tonight as the Astros went to Cincinnati and had Roy Oswalt who was 15-0 against the Reds in his career and Lance Berkman who always hits very good in Cincy the game looked like it was going to be an easy win but the game just didn't work out as planned. The game had a lot of runners on base for both teams but a lot of them were left on base. Roy gave up 3 runs during his time in the game then the bullpen came in and gave up a couple more making the lead 5-2 for cincy going to the ninth. Wilson hit a homerun to right in the game. In the top of the ninth former Astro David Weathers gave up a two run homer to Lance to make it a 5-4 game but got the final outs to give the Reds the win. The homer was the 30th forLance in his career against the Reds. Pettitte will go to hill tomorrow for the Astros aginst HarangR

Astros win 2 of 3 from Dodgers

2006-04-26T22:50:00.000-07:00

Last night in an exciting game preston Wilson broke out of his slump as he drove in two runs and scored another. The game went to 14 innings and was the longest regular season game in MMp history. The game ended when Wilson hit a sac fly to drive in the winning run. Early in the game Adam Everett was hit by a pitch on his hand and he left the game. X-rays showed that there was no broken bones and he is day to day. Brad Ausmus was ejected from the game in the ninth inning.
Tonight the Astros took the field trying to win the series with Wandy on the hill. Wandy had another really good game once agian. He pitched seven innings and only gave up 2 runs as he earned his 4th win of the year. Lance Berkman went deep as the astros scored 8 runs off the Dodgers in an 8-5 win.The Astros record is now 15-6.
The Astros will now head out on the road going first to Cincinnati for a series starting on Friday. In game one of the series Oswalt will face Claussen, game two will be Pettitte and Harang, and the third game will be Buchholz and Elizardo Ramirez. The reds are currently only a half game behind thwee Astros for first place. But they likely will be much further behind the Astros after the weekend is over. Oswalt has a=had a lot of success against the Reds and Berkman loves to hit off the Reds pitchers in Cincinnati so look for those two to have really good games this weekend.

Astros lose as Lidge blows a save

2006-04-24T22:32:00.000-07:00

The Astros began thier series tonight with the Dodgers, Pettitte pitched a good game going 7 innings and gave up only one run. The Astros scored a run early on a Asmus rbi double. They game was very close the whole time. The Dodgers tied up the game at 1 in the seventh. Lance Berkman broke the tie in the eight with a homerun to left center. Lidge came in in the ninth with a one run lead and gave up a leadoff triple to Lofton and followed that with two walks. Nomar came to the plate with the bases loaded and only one out and took Lidge deep for a grand slam giving the Dodgers a 5-2 lead. The Astros record now stands at 13-6.

Astros sweep Pirates

2006-04-23T17:07:00.000-07:00

The Astros completed a sweep of the Pirates today as Roy Oswalt got his fourth win of the season. Biggio leadoff the game by hitting a leadoff homer and finished the day with 4 hits and was a triple shy of the cycle. Ensberg hit his 9th homer, he has now hit a homerun in 7 of his last 8 games. Roy pitched 7 innings giving up 1 run on six hits and struck out seven. The Astros now improve thier record to 13-5.
In the next series the Los Angeles Dodgers will be coming into MMP. Pettitte will go against Lowe, Nieve agaist Penny, and Wandy will be facing Perez.

Buchholz gets his first win

2006-04-22T21:03:00.000-07:00

Last night the Astros won the first game of the series against the Pirates. Phil Garner was ejected in the first inning after the umpire did not like that Wandy looked in at him after a borderline pitch was called a ball. The umpire then ran out at the pitcher and said something to him, Phil came out to protect his pitcher but got ejected. The Astros went on to win the game as Morgan Ensberg homered in his 6th consecutive game.
In second game of the series against the pirates tonight Taylor Buchholz Picked up his first career win. He retired the first nine batters before hitting a player but on the next batter got a double play and faced the minimum through four innings. He gave up the first hit of the game in the fourth to Burnitz but shut down the pirates and went on to pitch 8 2/3 innings giving up only 2 hits and striking out 5. Lidge came in with two outs in the ninth to pick up his 7th save of the year as the Astros won the game 3-0. The Astros record now stands at 12-5.

Trever Miller placed on DL

2006-04-20T18:54:00.000-07:00

Today the Houston Astros have placed left handed reliever Trever Miller on the 15 day DL with a mild sprain of the ulnar collateral ligament in his left elbow. This injury is the same as Brandon Backe went down with a week ago although team officials are saying it is not as serious as Backes injury. To replace him on the 25 man roster the Astros have called up Dave Borkowski from Round Rock. Borkowski was signed to a minor league contract in the offseason. He last appeared in a major league game in 2004 with Baltimore when he went 3-4 with a 5.14 ERA and in his career he is 5-13 with a 6.33 ERA in 51 appearances 21 of them being starts.

Astros finish series with Brewers

2006-04-19T22:12:00.000-07:00

Last night with Roy Oswalt on the mound the Astros were up on the Brewers 9-2 after three innings. But late in the game the Brewers offense battled back to make the game close after being down early. They rallied to make the final score 13-12 with the Astros winning the game just narrowly holding off the Brewers.
Tonight with Andy Pettitte taking the hill the offenses slowed down from last night with Chris Capuano really pitching good against the Astros. Morgan Ensberg hit a homerun in the eighth inning to make the score 5-2 Brewers leading.Preston Wilson struck out four times tonight after striking out five times on Monday. The Brewers scored again in the ninth pushing thier lead to 7-2. The Astros failed to score in the ninth losing the game 7-2. Their record now stands at 10-5.

The next series for the Astros will start on Friday when the Pirates come to MMP. Zach Duke will go for the Pirates on friday with Snell going on Saturday and Maholm on Sunday. they will be opposed by Wandy on Friday. Taylor Buccholz Saturday and Oswalt Sunday. Nieve will be skipped this time through the rotation with the off day.

Astros defeat Brewers

2006-04-17T20:13:00.001-07:00

After defeating the Diamondbacks yesterday the Astros came home to play the Brewers tonight. Taylor Buchholz made his first career start and went 6 innings giving up 3 runs. The Brewers were up when Buchholz left the game after Qualls gave up a couple runs. But the Astros battled back to retake the lead with a 3 run homerun from Lane and a 5 run 7th inning. Lidge came into the game in the 9th for the save as the Astros won 8-7. They are now 9-4 on the season and the offense is still producing much better than last year. Tomorrow Roy Oswalt will be on the mound for the Astros as they face the Brewers again.

Wandy and the bats come through

2006-04-15T21:35:00.000-07:00

After suffering a loss yesterday to Arizona with Pettitte on the mound, Wandy took the hill and he really pitched good. He pitched 7 innings giving up no runs and two hits. The offense had a huge game scoring 10 runs on 15 hits off the Diamondbacks. Vargas started for Arizona and did not have a good game. Everett hit a homerun as well as having another big rbi double to left field. Wandy had a no hitter going for a while but eventually gave up a hit. The Astros now stand at 7-4 with Fernando Nieve making is first ML start tomorrow with "El Duque" Orlando Hernandez going for Arizona. Happy Easter everyone!!!!!

Backe placed on DL

2006-04-14T16:15:00.000-07:00

Today the Astros have placed Brandon Backe on the 15 day DL with an elbow injury. They have called up Zeke Astacio from Round Rock. Astacio will likely take his spot in the rotation and start on Sunday. The Astros will be facing the Diamondbacks this weekend starting tonight with Pettitte on the mound.

UPDATE: Backe will be out for a minimum 6 weeks. He will then be re-evaulated and if he is better he will then start rehabbing.

Astros split double header

2006-04-13T22:46:00.000-07:00

The Astros finally took the feild today and played a double header against the Giants. In game 1 Brandon Backe started but injured his arm during the second inning and left after finishing the inning. It is not known yet whether or not he will miss any starts but it looks to me like he mightend up going on the DL. If he does ethier Nieve will get to stay in the rotation or Zeke will be called up. the offense didn't perform as well as it has recently and they lost the first game.
In the second game Roy Oswalt took the mound and he pitched into the ninth inning which was a good thing since the bullpen had been used alot in the first game. Lance went deep again but Wilson didn't keep up with him in the homerun department. Nieve came in to finish the game in the ninth as the astros won the game.
The Astros now head to Arizona, Pettitte will start on Friday. Saturday will be Wandy with Sunday still to be decided. If Backe's injury is not serious enough to miss a start he will probally start if not it will likely be Nieve. Monday will be Buchholz with Roy going on Tuesday.

The Rain just won't go away

2006-04-12T17:15:00.000-07:00

After yesterdays game being rained out in San Francisco it is still raining and todays game has been postponed. The double header that was scheduled yesterday to make up the first game is still going to happen hopefully. light rain is still in the fore cast but the entire series could possibly be rained out. With todays game being postponed its already going to create a problem trying to make up the games but if the entire series gets rained out we just might get to play the games in Houston. Oswalt is stilled scheduled to start tomorrow but how the rest of the rotation works out I'm not sure.

Rain postpones game

2006-04-11T21:24:00.000-07:00

After the Astros won an extra inning game yesterday against Washington they now start their road trip in San Fransico where todays game was rained out. The game will be made up as part of a double header on thursday. Though with rain still in the forecast for San Fransico it might be difficult to get all the games in during this series. Taylor Buchholz was to make his first start of his career today but will now start game 2 of the double header. Roy Oswalt will pitch the first game of the double header. Brandon Backe will pitch tomorrow for Houston.

Week 1 review

2006-04-09T15:33:00.000-07:00

An exciting first week of the season is coming to an end and so far on the homestand the Astros stand at 4-2. They got the week started off with Oswalt having a good game against the Marlins. The next night Pettitte had a very rough outing in a loss but today bounced back and pitched good in a win against the Nationals. Brandon Backe was due to start the third game of the year but he had problems with his back so the club pushed his start to Friday when he had a great game against the Nats. Wandy filled in for him on Wednesday as the Astros won the game. Saturday night against he Nats Roy got hit around a bit as the Nats took the win.

Friday night Taylor Buchholz made his major league debut in relief pitching 2 1/3 innings. He was really good only giving up a hit or two and not allowing any runs. It looks like we might have something really special in this pitcher. The Astros offense has also benn beter the last few games with better hitting with runners on bsae. Surprisingly Lane has taken 7 walks already this season. The Astros wrap up the homestand tomorrow against Washington then they will head out on the road to the west coast. They will be facing the San Francisco Giants. Buchholz will make his first start of the year.

News from the minors, Carlos Hernandez who was hoping to make it back from injuries to pitch for the stros had to miss his first start of the year for Round Rock with a shoulder injury. He will be examined by doctors because they believe it might be a torn labrum. If it is torn it will be another setback for this young man who had a very promising carrer ahead of him before he made that slide into second base.

Opening Day!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

2006-04-02T21:19:00.000-07:00

Can you feel the excitement? Opening Day is finally here after a long and at times boring offseason. Monday night when the Astros take the field they will begin thier quest to defend the National League championship. But if you were to listen to any of the so called experts you would have a hard time knowing that considering they all seem to be picking the Astros to lose and miss the playoffs. This is essentially the same team as lst year just minus Roger Clemens who will be back in May.
This season will definitley be another exciting season just hopefully we don't have to pull off a third straight miracle comeback in the second half. We are in for a long season so get ready, sit back and enjoy the next six months as we get ready for the playoffs.

25 man roster and Predictions

2006-04-01T00:39:00.000-08:00

With Spring training ending and the back up catcher spot be finalized today here is how the Astros Opening Day roster will look.
Pitchers
Roy Oswalt
Andy Pettitte
Brandon Backe
Wandy Rodriguez
Taylor Buchholz
Fernando Nieve
Russ Springer
Trever Miller
Mike Gallo
Dan Wheeler
Chad Qualls
Brad Lidge
Catchers
Brad Ausmus
Eric Munson
Infielders
Lance Berkman
Craig Biggio
Morgan Ensberg
Adam Everett
Mike Lamb
Chris Burke
Eric Bruntlett
Outfielders
Preston Wilson
Willy Taveras
Jason Lane
Orlando Palmiero

Chavez was released and claimed on waivers by Baltamore giving the backup catcher job to Munson bringing the total of former USC Trojans on this team to 3.( the other two being Ensberg and Lane)
Now for my predictions for the season. Lets start with the AL
AL East- Yankees
Al Central- Cleveland
AL West- Oakland
AL Wild Card- White Sox
ALDS Oakland over Cleveland
White sox over Yankees
Alcs White Sox over Oakland

NL East- Braves(never bet against them they will always win this division)
NL Central- Houston
NL Worst uh I mean West- Dodgers
NL Wild Card- St. Louis
NLDS Astros over Dodgers
Cards over Braves
NLCS Astros over Cards
World series Astros over White Sox 4-0

AL Cy Young- Johan Santana
AL MVP- AROD
AL Rookie of Year- ????
NL Cy Young- Roy Oswalt
NL MVP- Albert Pujols
NL Rookie of the year- Jermey Hermidia or one of the other Marlins players thier all rookies aren't they?

Jeff Bagwell Done for Season

2006-03-25T16:05:00.000-08:00

Today the Astros and Jeff Bagwell announced that Jeff willl begin the season on the 15 day DL. He will have a procedure to remove bone spurs from his shoulder in a last ditch effort to make a comeback. He had an experimental surgery to reduce the pain last season and his odds at returning were very low. He came back to be a pinch hitter in September and the playoffs as well as DH in the World Series.
We have likely seen the end of Bagwell's playing days and this is a sad day for all Astros fans. The former rookie of the year and 1994 MVP will go into the Hall Of Fame someday as an Astro. He has been the face of the organization for years but hopefully he can remain with the club in some capacity after his career is offically done . I have always thought he would make a great third base coach. He was the smartest baserunner I ever saw.
I for one am hoping he can make a comeback. He was the greatest first baseman in the game and will always be my favorite baseball player.

Spring Training and WBC

2006-03-21T19:16:00.000-08:00

The WBC is over and Japan won last night over Cuba. Despite the USA getting eleminated in the second round I enjoyed this and I can't wait untill they do it again in 2009. I just hope they put it in the middle of the season during the All Star break.
With spring training half way over and only a couple of weeks until opening day the Astros still have to figure out who their fourth and fifth starters will be. So far no one has distanced them selves from the pack. I believe that we will see Taylor Buccholz and either Wandy or Zeke will be in the rotation with the other going to the pen. If any of them struggle we still have many options at AAA to choose from Hernandez, Nieve and Hirsch.
they also still have to figure out who will be the back up catcher. Raul Chavez and Humberto Quintero are the most likely candidates but recently the idea of having Munson as the back up have been talked about. The main question is whether they want a defensive catcher or someone who will provide offense. Since Ausmus usually catches 4 out of every 5 days Munson's defensive liability would be minimized so its very possible he could be the catcher. The only problem is he has only played a couple of games there this spring so he hasn't gotten to know the pitching staff. That is my main concern but other than that I would like to have him as the backup.

2006-03-14T22:41:00.000-08:00

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WBC

2006-03-13T18:54:00.000-08:00

The first round of the World Baseball Classic has ended and the second round has begun. I will admit I was skeptical about this thing. I didn't think we would see good baseball at this time of the year but so far the games have been good. The USA, Mexico, Japan, Korea, Venezuela, Dominican Republic, Peurto Rico, and Cuba all advanced to the second round. There have been no injuries yet so that is great news. It has been very fun to see players we never get to see like the ones from Japan, Korea and Cuba. They each have some very talented players that have been exciting to watch.

There has been some controversy and confusion so far. The confusion came in the first round with the tiebreakers that allowed the USA advance over Canada which I am still trying to figure out but I'm not complaining because we advanced. There was also some controversy in yesterdays second round game between Japan and the USA when on a sac fly a runner from Japan scored but the umpire said he left the bag early. I have seen the replay many times and that runner did not leave early. Calls like that might make the other countries paticipating in this think its rigged for the USA to win.

Overall I so far am enjoying this tournament. I hope that we continue to see great play from all these teams.

Prospects to watch

2006-03-03T19:39:00.000-08:00

Today I will give yall some players to look out for in the Astros system. First is my personal favorite Ben Zobrist. You might be unfamiliar with him because he is very underrated in the astros minor league system. He's a switch hitting shortstop that was drafted in 2004 in the 6th round. He's not a big homerun hitter but gets on base a lot. In his 2 seasons He has an OBP of .437, a slugging percentage of .451 and an OPS of .888. He also rarely strikes out. He has speed but doesn't steal a lot of bases. He hasn't played above A ball yet but he will start the season at Double A. I predict that he will do very well there and make an easy transition. With the Astros lack of good position players in the upper levels he'll probally see plenty of time at AAA. With a good season he will force the Astros to make a decision this upcoming winter about Adam Everett cause Zobrist will be putting some pressure on him this season.

Another to watch for is Felipe Paulino Del Guidice. He has a great name and a better fastball. He is routinely clocked at 100 mph and occasionally 102-103mph. His curve ball is about 80-85mph with great break on it. He'll likely start the year at Salem but could move up to AA later in the year. This guys future in the majors is as a reliever. He has the stuff to become a dominating closer. You will be hearing a lot about him in the future and seeing him in Houston in about a year and a half or two years.

These guys are just a couple of the many great prospects the Astros have so the future sure does look bright.

Players leave for WBC

2006-02-28T18:33:00.000-08:00

As the World Baseball Classic draws closer some Astros players will be leaving Kissimee to go play in the tournament. Pitchers Brad Lidge, Dan Wheeler and Roger Clemens( who has been working out at the astros spring training facilities) will go to Arizona where they will join team USA. Gallo will be playing for Italy. Willy Taveras is playing on the Dominican team while Carlos Hernandez plays for Venezuela. Those teams will be playing in FLorida so they won't have far to go.
The games will start in March about the same time as the GRapefruit leage begins. I like the idea of this WBC in theory but I just don't know how it will work. even thuogh pitchers will be on strict pitch counts my biggest worry is that one of the Astros pitchers will try a little to hard because of pessure to perform for thier country and get injured and miss significant time this season. That is the reason many people have been against this thing from the begining and probally if some does get injured MLB will probally not do this tournament again next year. So lets just hope that nothing happens and team USA wins it all.

Bagwell reports to camp

2006-02-23T22:17:00.000-08:00

On Friday morning Jeff Bagwell will report to spring training as he has done his entire career but this year he will have everyone watching every move he makes as he makes his comeback from shoulder surgery last season and the battle over the insurance issue with the Astros front office. It has been well publicized that Drayton Mclane would love to get back $15.6m of the $17.5 they owe to Jeff this year, but Bagwell has insisted that he will be able to play when the season starts despite the doctors opinions that he can't play anymore. I still believe that Jeff will play this season and put up productive numbers. I'm thinking about .285 20-25hr 70-80rbis. But if during spring training Bagwell decides he can't play he will just let them continue with the insurance claim then retire after the season. I would love to see Jeff play at least one more year but if he doesn't play again I am looking forward to his Hall of Fame induction.

Contraction possibly happening after the season

2006-02-20T22:08:00.000-08:00

Well once agian we are talking about contraction. If you remember a few years ago when the CBA was expiring the owners wanted to contract two of the clubs. At the time it was the Twins and the Expos and those two clubs are still possibilities as well as others such as the Marlins, Devil Rays, Rockies, Royals, and Pirates. Among those I can't imagine a senario where either the Royals or Pirates are contracted since they have long historys. The Twins still have stadium issues since they can't get funding for a new one. The Marlins spent the offseason having another firesale just acouple years after winning thier second world series and still can't draw any fansregardless of how good a team they field. The Nationals are still a team without an owner but a stadium is still very possible for them in D.C. The Devil Rays play in what is possibly the worst stadium in all of sports plus thier the Devil Rays.

Under the CBA that was agreed upon a few years ago the owners have from April 1st until July 1st til they are required to inform the MLBPA that they plan to contract two teams. To contract the teams the remaining owners would have to buy out the teams for about $200m or about $15m per owner. Now if they contract the Nats its alittle bit diferent because MLB owns the team so it would end up costing the owners less to contract them. Then there is the question about what happens to the players on the teams that get contracted.

Here is how i would do it. First I would contract the Marlins and Nats. Then i would do some realignment to the divisions so heres how it would be:
NLE- Atlanta, NY mets, Philly, Pittsburg, and the TWINS
NLC- Houston, ST. Louis, Cubs, Cinci., and Milwaukee
NLW- LA Dodgers, S.F., S.D., Colorado
ALE- Yankees, Boston, Toronto, T.B., Baltamore
ALC- White Sox, Cleveland, K.C., Detriot, TEXAS
ALW- Oakland, Seattle, Angels, ARIZONA

Now the one that really stands out is the Twins, well under my changes the team moves to Washington D.C. and go back to being the Senators. The other teams that changed divisins or leagues were to put teams from the same timezones in divisions with each other. Also it balances the leagues.

Now what to do with the players, well the logical thing to do is have a draft so the talent can be distributied evenly to keep all teams competitive. The problem is they already have contracts so it might make a team not take a player just because of his salary and length of the contract. Heres what i would do but the players assosciation would not allow it. You let the teams draft the players then after one year the team can release any players they want from thier contracts without having to pay the rest of the contract. But that would never be allowed.

Also I believe if the owners do contract a couple of teams I think they would do it with the intentions of creating two new expansion teams at some point in the future when suitable cities that would be able to support an MLB team are found that would also build a stadium fir the team. One place would likely be Las Vegas but thier is the gambling thing but the NBA might be able to prove that wouldn't be a big problem since they will likely get a team there soon. Another place we might see a new team put would be Portland but i'm getting to far ahead. So look for contraction to become a hot topic once again and dominate the headlines through much of the season.

Finally Winter Ends and Baseball Begins!!!

2006-02-16T17:18:00.000-08:00

Tomorrow the long cold boring winter months that baseball fans dread come to an end as pitchers and catchers report for spring training. If Opening Day is Christmas to baseball fans then today has to be like Thanksgiving. Because with a month and a half until the first real game is played the teams will be getting thier teams ready and if any body forgot to do thier shopping they might not be able to find that one thing they had to get. But come opening day all fans will be full of excitment and joy they had as kids on Christmas morning, waiting to see what they got this year. They all go into this time with the hopes that thier team can win it all this year. So let's PLAY BALL!!!!!

2006 Season Preview

2006-02-10T21:35:00.000-08:00

As the Astros begin 2006 after making thier first World Series apperance in thier history they still have a few question marks as they defend thier NL championship. Lets start with the rotation. Oswalt and Pettitte return after great seasons trying to duplicate those performances. Brandon Backe will be trying to have a breakout season and be more consistent. The four and five spots are going to be up for grabs during spring training. Wandy Rodriguez, Zeke Astacio, Fernando Nieve, Taylor Bucholz, Jason Hirsh and Carlos Hernandez will be competing for those spots. Hirsh will most likely start the year at AAA. Wandy would best best suited being in the bullpen but will probally start the year in the rotation. I believe Zeke will settle down this year and earn one of the spots in the rotation. Nieve will likely make the club out of spring training whether he will be in the rotation or in the bullpen I don't know. Then of course there is Roger Clemens we still don't know if will be returning and it won't happen until May 1st at the earliest. If he does come back the rotation will be in great shape.

The bullpen is very solid with Lidge, Wheeler and Qualls still here and Russ Springer to provide leadership to the young guys. The addition of Trever Miller makes you wonder if Gallo will make the club.

The offense is improved with the signing of Preston Wilson although it does give the Astros a crowded outfield if Bagwell is capable of making throws at first base on a regular basis because it would relagate Berkman back to the outfield and possibly making Taveras the odd man out. If Willy is the odd man out he'll probally go back to AAA and work on switch hitting or be traded to team needing a centerfielder. Burke will be playing shortstop during Spring training but he won't start the year as the everyday SS. If he shows he can play that postion at the major league level and Everett continues to struggle with the bat as he has his entire career Burke will likely take over a majority of the starts there.

Overall this team is much better than last years and will win the NL central unless they suffer alot of injuries like the Rockets have this season. They will probally make it back to th World Series but hopefully win it this time.

Offseason Review

2006-01-28T19:54:00.000-08:00

The Astros offseason has been a relatively inactive one but not a quiet one. From the Roger Clemens decision to the Jeff Bagwell saga fans have had a lot to talk about . The Astros had a few free agents to make decisions about first. They re-signed Russ Springer to a 1 yr. deal for $750,000. They the inked Orlando Palmiero to a 2yr deal worth $1.9m and Brad Ausmus to a 2yr. deal worth $7.5m. The other two free agents, Roger Clemens and Jose Vizcaino, were not offered arbitration and thus not able to sign with the team until May 1st. Vizcaino went on to sign with the Giants. Roger Clemens remains unsigned as he prepares to pitch in the World Baseball Classic in March.

The Astros also signed a few players to minor league contracts: RHP's Dave Borkowski, Steve Sparks, Brandon Puffer, INF's Danny Klassen, Eric Munson, Kevin Orie, C's Alan Zinter, J.R. House, and LHP Carlos Hernandez. Of these people Hernandez has the best chance of being on the Astros team in '06. House is the most interesting one though he was a former Pirates top prospect but injuries slowed his development and he quit baseball to return to college and play football before deciding to return to baseball this year. If he plays well he might earn himself a September call up.

Then on January 3rd they addressed their bigesst need more offense when they signed Preston Wilson to a one year deal worth $4m plus an option for 3yrs worth $24m. This was a great deal for the Astros because they didn't overpay for a player when it seemed like everyone was getting outrageous contracts. The option is very interesting and if Preston Wilson puts up numbers anywhere close to what he did in 2003 when he led th NL in RBI's the option will surely be picked up. The Astros made another signing on the 9th by getting Trever Miller and giving him $1.3m for one year. I was not a fan of this move because it gives way to much money to a pitcher just because he's lefthanded. This guy is not good at all and we could get much better performance from Mike Gallo who is making a lot less money, but teams seem to think they need LHP's in the bull pen to get lefties out but it doesn't make sense if the guy can't get anyone out and theres Rhp's who could do a better job but managers just don't get that.

Overall I think the Astros had a decent offseason considering they managed to address their biggest need. They still have a few question marks on this team like the rotation but that will probally be solved on May 1st when Clemens returns to the team as they make their way back to the World Series for a second year in a row and hopefully win it this time.

The end of Bagwell's career???

2006-01-23T18:57:00.000-08:00

With there only being 8 more days until the deadline for the Astros' to file their insurance claim on Bagwell to get $15.6m of the $17.5m that he is due in 2006, we still do not know what the future holds for this hall of fame first baseman. From the astros standpoint its a no brainer decision, you file the claim and try to get the money. From a fan's view you would love to see Jeff get a chance to prove he can still play. And yes the team OWES him that opportunity because he has always done what he could to help the team including restructuring his contract so the Astros would have more money to sign players to win now. He didn't have to do that but he did and Drayton knew that it was going to catch up with him and he would end up paying him a lot at the end of the contract.

Jeff has been playing with this injury for a few years now and he hasn't been able to make many throws all this time yet he still hit very good until last year when in May the pain became to much for Jeff to play through and it affected his hitting so he took himself out of the lineup. then in June he had a capsular release performed to reduce the pain and increase the range of motion in his right shoulder. Now that the pain is reduced and he can still throw a baseball he should be given a chance to go to spring training to play and see how his shoulder feels and if it affects his hitting.

The astros however cannot give him this chance because draytons lawyers have said that if Jeff steps on to a field in spring training that they can't collect the insurance policy. So the question is why a January 31st deadline? Well apparently when some one bought the policy they set the deadline at Jan. 31st and somehow forgot that spring training starts in March and the season doesn't start until April.

Now lets say that the claim is filed and the astros get that $15.6m, what would drayton do with the money he saves? There are no free agents left that would be worth spending that money on the could be an upgrade for this team. So that money will end up in Draytons pocket and its not like he doesn't have enough already. The thing is drayton got himself into this situation when he backloaded this contract because if Jeff wasn't due as much money this year this would not even be an issue and he would just let Bagwell make his comeback and if it didn't work out he would just pay it and we wouldn't be talking about this. But we are talking about this and I for one would love to see Jeff make it back be the starting 1st baseman and hope he could hit like he always had in the past.

Astros avoid arbitration with three players

2006-01-17T19:25:00.000-08:00

Today the Houston Astros were able to aviod arbitration with three of ther four players who were eligible. Let's start with Dan Wheeler, he will recieve $930,000. This is a good deal for the astros becuase with his performance last year he could get more but he probably won't duplicate his numbers from '05. Next is Adam Everett, he will get $1.9m. This contract is okay considering the astros didn't overpay to much for a shortstop that can't hit and is only above average defensivley. Then there is Brad Lidge who will recieve $3.975m. This is alot for a guy who was eligible for arbitration for the first time. This is the reason the Astros will have to trade him after the '06 season. Although if the astros find themselves out of the race or needing another player to make a run come July I would not be shocked to see him get traded then.

The only player they have yet to sign is Morgan Ensberg. Ensberg is asking for $4.2m and the Astros have countered that offer With $3.4m. If this goes to a hearing the arbitrator will probally give Ensberg $4.2m. I would like to see him singned to a three year deal for about $12.5m-$13.5m.

Thank you for reading my blog and I will try to update the blog later this week but I am having surgery on Friday so I might not get around to it until next week.