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Astros finish 1st 100-loss season |
Published: Thursday, Sept. 29, 2011 3:40 p.m. MDT
By Kristie Rieken, Associated Press HOUSTON — The Houston Astros finished the year with the worst record in baseball at 56-106 — the first 100-loss season in franchise history. Still, this team filled mostly with rookies believes there are some positives to take from this dreadful season. “Our young guys learned a lot and that’s sure good to see,” Houston manager Brad Mills said. Houston got off to a terrible start and was soon at the bottom of the standings. As the trade deadline approached, the Astros dealt their two biggest remaining stars in Michael Bourn and Hunter Pence in an effort to restock their depleted farm system. Houston brought up several top prospects from Double-A Corpus Christi and sent struggling first baseman Brett Wallace and third baseman Chris Johnson to Triple-A Oklahoma City. The shake-up didn’t change the end result, but the encouraging part for Houston is that the youngsters got valuable experience and a chance to improve. The Astros brought up a trio of players from Corpus Christi who started regularly after the trade deadline. Third baseman Jimmy Paredes, Jose Altuve at second base and left fielder J.D. Martinez all made strides as they adjusted to the majors. For shortstop Clint Barmes, who at 32 was one of the few veterans in the clubhouse for most of the season, it was a unique experience. “I think it’s been a learning experience for all of us,” Barmes said. “A lot of guys have come up and gotten their feet wet and gotten a taste of the big leagues. There’s been a lot of good that has gone on (but) it’s been hard. It’s never to fun to lose.” Martinez hit .274 with six home runs and 35 RBIs in 53 games, Altuve drove in 12 runs and hit .276 in 57 games and Paredes hit .286 with 18 RBIs and five stolen bases in 46 games. Paredes showed such promise on defense that he could be the long-term answer for the Astros at third base. “I think it’s definitely been a lot of fun and a big learning experience for us,” Martinez said. “We got to come out here. They called us up early and it was definitely nice to come up here and have the opportunity to learn at the big league level. It’s completely different from the minor leagues, you can’t even compare it.” Houston’s starting pitchers struggled just as the hitters did, with no player in the rotation finishing with a winning record. Lefty Wandy Rodriguez had the best season of the underachieving group with an 11-11 mark and 3.49 ERA. A big disappointment was the 7-14 record of ace Brett Myers and J.A. Happ accumulated the most losses on the staff with a 6-15 record and 5.35 ERA. One bright spot was the development of Mark Melancon, who took over as closer with Brandon Lyon appearing in just 15 games because of injuries. Melancon had an 8-4 record with 20 saves and a 2.78 ERA. Thanks for reading! . Posted in Uncategorized | Comments Off
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Arbitration Eligibles: Houston Astros |
« Marco Scutaro’s 2012 Option |
By Tim Dierkes [September 29, 2011 at 10:30am CST] The Astros are next in our arbitration eligibles series. Having traded Hunter Pence, Michael Bourn, and Jeff Keppinger in July, the Astros are left with few arbitration concerns. Arias has missed the last two seasons due to shoulder issues, and is likely to be cut loose. Happ will be tendered a contract, and should land around $2.3MM. Quintero has at least been a consistent backup catcher, and it’d cost $1.2MM to retain him. Add $3.5MM for Happ and Quintero to the team’s $47.25MM in 2012 commitments, and the Astros are around $51MM before accounting for minimum salary players. They entered this season with a $77MM payroll, so there’s room to tinker on the free agent market and perhaps add some veteran placeholders. If anybody needs tickets to games, remember to click the tickets link at the top. Posted in Uncategorized | Comments Off
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Astros end dismal season with loss |
[ [ [['Conrad Murray', 15]], [ [['she-devil', 12]], [ [['diana nyad', 13]], [ [['Joshua Komisarjevsky', 10]], [ [['CASCO Signal', 13], ['Yu Yuan station', 13]], [ [['It is difficult to assess how many birds are affected', 7]], [ [['Andy Rooney', 9]], [ [['villages where people are trapped under collapsed houses', 8]], [ [['The absence of Borders is going to be felt across the industry', 6]], [ [['Anders Behring Breivik', 8]], [ [['like there is no way out', 9]], [ [['including snipers picking off protesters from rooftops', 5], ['Violence has flared anew in Yemen in frustration', 6]], [ [['Dolores Hope', 7]], That’s all for today guys, i’ll be back to blog you tomorrow. Posted in Uncategorized | Comments Off
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St. Louis Cardinals shut out Houston Astros,… |
HOUSTON — Chris Carpenter and the St. Louis Cardinals completed one of baseball’s greatest comebacks, clinching the NL wild card Wednesday night with an 8-0 win over Houston and a later loss by Atlanta. The Cardinals got their playoff spot when the Braves fell to Philadelphia, 4-3, in 13 innings. St. Louis trailed Atlanta by 10 1/2 games on Aug. 25. The Cardinals won 23 of their last 31 games. The Cardinals will open the postseason on Saturday at NL East champion Philadelphia. In the other NL playoff matchup, Arizona visits Milwaukee. Carpenter (11-9) struck out 11 and allowed two hits in his 15th career complete-game shutout as St. Louis kept up its improbable September charge. “We had nothing to lose. We were already out of it,” Carpenter said. “People were telling us we were done. We decided to go out and play and not embarrass ourselves and do what we can. We played ourselves back into it.” The Cardinals poured onto the field after Carpenter fielded J.D. Martinez’s weak grounder for the final out. The celebration was brief and muted, as the team raced into the clubhouse to watch the end of the game in Atlanta. “It was exciting, there’s no doubt about it,” Carpenter said. “The way these guys have played the past month and a half has been amazing, every single night grinding, playing their butts off, not giving up. “We continued to give ourselves an opportunity and now we are here.” The teams entered Wednesday’s regular-season finales with 89-72 records. Atlanta’s game started an hour earlier, but the Cardinals virtually took away any hope for a Houston victory in the first inning of their contest, jumping to a 5-0 lead against Brett Myers (7-14). Albert Pujols and Lance Berkman drove in runs with singles, and David Freese doubled to left-center before Myers even recorded an out. Berkman scored when Skip Schumaker’s hard grounder ricocheted off Myers’ glove for an infield hit, and Freese came home on Nick Punto’s single to right. Carpenter handled the rest. He had struggled at Minute Maid Park lately, going 0-3 with a 4.62 ERA in his last five starts here, but he was in total command from the start on Wednesday, striking out five of the first nine hitters he faced. He also had an RBI single in the third to drive in Freese, who reached base when right fielder Brian Bogusevic dropped his fly ball for an error. Freese led off the fifth with a double to right center, the Cardinals’ 10th hit of the game. Myers, 4-0 with a 1.24 ERA in his last five starts, hadn’t allowed more than nine hits in a start since Aug. 6. Freese later scored on Schumaker’s groundout to shortstop Clint Barmes for a 7-0 lead, equaling the most runs given up by Myers in 33 starts this season. Wilton Lopez replaced Myers for the start of the sixth. As the Astros batted in the seventh, the left-field scoreboard posted a 3-3 tie in the Phillies-Braves game, prompting a roar from the large contingent of Cardinals’ fans in the stands behind the St. Louis dugout. Carpenter then struck out Bogusevic and Jimmy Paredes to wrap up another easy inning. Allen Craig hit a solo homer in the ninth off Lance Pendleton. The Cardinals huddled around a television in the clubhouse cafeteria after their victory. Only three weeks ago, the Cardinals had virtually lost all hope. “There was absolute doubt from us,” Punto said. “I remember early on in September, we were like, ‘Let’s just finish up strong for the fans. Let’s give them something to come out and watch.’ “When you’re 10 1/2 games out, that’s a hole you can’t climb out of,” he said, “unless you get a lot of help.” The Cardinals were loose and relaxed — and confident — before the game. Champagne was ordered for a potential postgame celebration and someone wrote, “Happy Flight! After Game” on a marker board in the clubhouse. If you like reading our blog, remember to bookmark it. Posted in Uncategorized | Comments Off
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Houston blows 5-run lead in loss to Cardinals |
[ [ [['Conrad Murray', 15]], [ [['she-devil', 12]], [ [['diana nyad', 13]], [ [['Joshua Komisarjevsky', 10]], [ [['CASCO Signal', 13], ['Yu Yuan station', 13]], [ [['It is difficult to assess how many birds are affected', 7]], [ [['Andy Rooney', 9]], [ [['villages where people are trapped under collapsed houses', 8]], [ [['The absence of Borders is going to be felt across the industry', 6]], [ [['Anders Behring Breivik', 8]], [ [['like there is no way out', 9]], [ [['including snipers picking off protesters from rooftops', 5], ['Violence has flared anew in Yemen in frustration', 6]], [ [['Dolores Hope', 7]], Running low on time today, i’ll be back tomorrow hopefully with some more news. Posted in Uncategorized | Comments Off
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Cards tied for wild card with 1 game left |
Updated Sep 28, 2011 1:55 AM ET HOUSTON (AP)The St. Louis Cardinals are tied with Atlanta for the NL wild-card lead, getting a clutch two-run triple from Ryan Theriot in the seventh inning of a 13-6 victory over the Houston Astros on Tuesday night. The sliding Braves lost 7-1 to Philadelphia, sending the race for the NL’s final playoff spot to the final day of the regular season. If the teams are tied after Wednesday’s game, St. Louis will host a one-game playoff on Thursday night. The Cardinals trailed 5-0 early and appeared to be headed for a second straight loss to the Astros. But St. Louis scored five times in the fourth and erased a 6-5 deficit with a four-run seventh. Lance Berkman hit a two-out single and scored on Allen Craig’s tying double. Yadier Molina walked before Theriot’s triple made it 8-6. Yadier Molina walked before pinch-hitter Theriot delivered his clutch triple to make it 8-6. Nick Punto, who had four hits, doubled in Theriot in the seventh and had a solo homer in the ninth. Craig padded the lead with a three-run homer to the Crawford Boxes in left field in the eighth.
Ringolsby: Can Alice Cooper make fans care about the D-backs? Whitlock: How the stats nerds are ruining sports for the rest of us. Couch: Mariano’s record is just a number, and a deceptive one.
Eduardo Sanchez (3-1) struck out two in 1 1/3 innings for the win in a game that included seven Cardinals relievers following an early exit by Jake Westbrook. Skip Schumaker drove in three runs in the fourth, and Berkman had three hits and scored three times. The crowd booed loudly when Berkman, the longtime Astros star, scored the tying run in the seventh. The Astros jumped on Westbrook for seven hits and five runs in 2 1/3 innings to take the early lead. Enerio Del Rosario (0-3) yielded two hits and three runs for the loss.
Brian Bogusevic singled to start the Astros’ fifth before consecutive walks loaded the bases. David Freese walked to start the big fourth inning by St. Louis. Berkman singled with one out, and the runners advanced on a wild pitch by Henry Sosa. Craig then walked before Molina singled in a run and Schumaker cleared the bases with a double to center, chasing Sosa. David Carpenter came in and allowed Jon Jay’s tying sacrifice fly later in the inning. The Astros scored four times in the third. Brett Wallace had a two-run single and Jimmy Paredes added a two-run triple that rolled up on the corner of Tal’s Hill in center field. Cardinals star Albert Pujols got hit on the right elbow by a ball that glanced off his bat for a foul in the seventh. He writhed in pain for a minute before trainers came and checked on him. He continued his at-bat after a short delay, flew out to left field and played the rest of the game.
Notes: Holliday returned to the Cardinals on Saturday after missing nine games with a tendon injury on his right middle finger. He is listed as day to day. … Cardinals SS Rafael Furcal, who left Monday’s game in the fifth inning with tightness in his left hamstring, was held out. Manger Tony La Russa said Furcal would not return for Wednesday’s game, but he wasn’t sure about his availability if the Cardinals play past that game. … Houston closer Mark Melancon and his wife Mary Catherine had a girl named Brooklyn Marie on Tuesday. … Chris Carpenter pitches for the Cardinals against Brett Myers in the regular-season finale on Wednesday. Myers has won four straight games and has a 1.24 ERA in his last five starts. Carpenter is 7-5 in his career against the Astros, but hasn’t won in Houston since 2005. Not much else going on in the NBA world today. Posted in Uncategorized | Comments Off
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Cardinals miss chance to move into wild-card tie |
St. Louis missed out on a chance to join Atlanta atop the wild-card standings when Brian Bogusevic scored on Angel Sanchez’s bunt in the 10th inning Monday night, giving the Houston Astros a 5-4 victory over the Cardinals. The slumping Braves lost to Philadelphia, but the Cardinals weren’t able to take advantage of the opening. St. Louis rallied from three runs down to force extra innings, but Bogusevic doubled off Octavio Dotel (3-3) in the 10th and advanced on Jason Bourgeois’ bunt. Sanchez then dropped a bunt in front of the plate, and Bogusevic charged home as Dotel mishandled his attempt to flip the ball to catcher Yadier Molina with his glove. Astros closer Mark Melancon (8-4) pitched two scoreless innings. St. Louis had won 15 of 20 to close the gap on the Braves, who have dropped 16 of 25 games in September. Former Astros star Lance Berkman hit a tying two-run double off Wesley Wright in the eighth. Matt Holliday had an RBI single for St. Louis. Matt Downs hit a two-run homer for the Astros. Houston led 2-1 in the fourth when Jaime Garcia walked Carlos Lee. Downs then drove a 1-0 pitch into the left-field porch for his 10th home run of the season. Houston starter Wandy Rodriguez pitched out of a no-out, bases-loaded jam in the fifth, getting David Freese to roll into a double play before fanning Albert Pujols. The Astros escaped more trouble in the seventh. Ryan Theriot and Jon Jay led off with singles, and Nick Punto moved up the runners with a sacrifice. Astros manager Brad Mills brought in Wilton Lopez to relieve Rodriguez, who threw 102 pitches. Lopez then retired pinch-hitters Allen Craig and Daniel Descalso on groundouts. By then, the left-field scoreboard had posted the Phillies’ 4-2 win over Atlanta, and the Cardinals didn’t waste their next scoring opportunity. Pujols singled and Holliday walked leading off the eighth against Fernando Rodriguez. Mills brought in the left-handed Wright to force the switch-hitting Berkman to bat right-handed. Holliday and Pujols pulled off a double steal, and Berkman doubled off the scoreboard, only his sixth double hitting right-handed this season. NOTES: Holliday led off the second inning with his team-leading 36th double. … Cardinals SS Rafael Furcal left the game in the fifth inning with tightness in his left hamstring. Punto replaced him. … Astros LF J.D. Martinez left in the fifth with a bruised left foot. … Wright had not allowed a run in 17th consecutive appearances before Berkman’s double. … Berkman has 14 RBIs against Houston this season. What do you guys think about this. Posted in Uncategorized | Comments Off
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Cards miss opportunity to move into wild-card tie |
St. Louis missed out on a chance to join Atlanta atop the The slumping Braves lost to Philadelphia, but the Cardinals St. Louis rallied from three runs down to force extra innings, Astros closer Mark Melancon (8-4) pitched two scoreless St. Louis had won 15 of 20 to close the gap on the Braves, who Former Astros star Lance Berkman hit a tying two-run double off Matt Downs hit a two-run homer for the Astros. Houston led 2-1 in the fourth when Jaime Garcia walked Carlos Houston starter Wandy Rodriguez pitched out of a no-out, The Astros escaped more trouble in the seventh. Ryan Theriot and Astros manager Brad Mills brought in Wilton Lopez to relieve By then, the left-field scoreboard had posted the Phillies’ 4-2 Pujols singled and Holliday walked leading off the eighth NOTES: Holliday led off the second inning with his team-leading Feel free to leave your comments below. Posted in Uncategorized | Comments Off
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Cardinals can’t capitalize in wild-card chase |
The Associated Press Posted:Sep 27, 2011 12:11 AM ET Last Updated:Sep 27, 2011 1:40 AM ET
The St. Louis Cardinals have done just about everything right in September to make their charge at Atlanta in the NL wild-card race. They wasted an opportunity to finally draw even by losing exactly the kind of game they’ve been winning lately. Brian Bogusevic scored on Angel Sanchez’s bunt in the 10th inning, giving the Astros a 5-4 victory over the Cardinals on Monday night. St. Louis had won 15 of 20 to close the gap on the Braves, who have dropped 16 of 25 games in September following Monday’s loss to Philadelphia. But the Cardinals squandered several scoring chances in Houston, uncharacteristic during their surge. St. Louis has seven one-run victories this month. “If you’ve watched us over the last two weeks, everything’s been perfect,” St. Louis manager Tony La Russa said. “We’ve had some really hard games that most of the time, we win. We’ve only had a couple get away.” “I kept liking the way we went after it and created situations,” he said. “You just tip your cap when they made pitches and got us out.” Former Astros star Lance Berkman hit a tying two-run double off Wesley Wright in the eighth, capping a Cardinals rally from three runs down. But Bogusevic doubled off Octavio Dotel (3-3) in the 10th and advanced on Jason Bourgeois’ bunt. Sanchez then dropped a bunt in front of the plate, and Bogusevic charged home as Dotel mishandled his attempt to flip the ball to catcher Yadier Molina with his glove. “This is baseball,” Molina said. “Sometimes, you’re going to do the job. Today, it was bad that we didn’t do the job.” Closer Mark Melancon (8-4) pitched two scoreless innings and Matt Downs hit a two-run homer for the last-place Astros, who drew motivation from playing the spoiler role. “To have the game be meaningful is fun for us,” Bogusevic said. “We have to play for something, and we’re not just going to play it out and let the season end without trying hard. You owe it to the game in general to play hard.” Houston led 2-1 in the fourth when Jaime Garcia walked Carlos Lee. Downs then drove a 1-0 pitch into the left-field porch for his 10th home run of the season. Houston starter Wandy Rodriguez pitched out of a no-out, bases-loaded jam in the fifth, getting David Freese to roll into a double play before fanning Albert Pujols. The Astros escaped more trouble in the seventh. Ryan Theriot and Jon Jay led off with singles, and Nick Punto moved up the runners with a sacrifice. Astros manager Brad Mills brought in Wilton Lopez to relieve Rodriguez, who threw 102 pitches. Lopez then retired pinch-hitters Allen Craig and Daniel Descalso on groundouts. The Cardinals stranded nine runners in the game. “We had a good chance to win that game,” Molina said, “and we didn’t execute.” Pujols singled and Holliday walked leading off the eighth against Fernando Rodriguez. Mills brought in the left-handed Wright to force the switch-hitting Berkman to bat right-handed. Holliday and Pujols pulled off a double steal, and Berkman doubled off the scoreboard, only his sixth double hitting right-handed this season. If the Cardinals and Braves finish with the same record, they’ll play a tiebreaking game in St. Louis on Thursday. In the quiet clubhouse after Monday’s game, the Cardinals lamented their missed opportunity. “It’s part of the game,” Pujols said. “It’s not like we didn’t want to take advantage of those opportunities. We fought back, we still have two games left. We’ll see what happens these next couple of games. “It would be a little tough with Atlanta winning and us losing [Monday]. But now, the worst thing that can happen is hopefully we can push this to a Thursday playoff game. Anything can happen in the next couple of days. This game is crazy.” Thanks for visiting my blog =). Posted in Uncategorized | Comments Off
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Braves Lose To Phillies; Cardinals Can’t Take… |
By Grant Brisbee – Editor
Follow , and Like Baseball Nation on Facebook. Sep 27, 2011 – The Braves had to face Cliff Lee. The Cardinals had to face the Houston Astros. If the Astros still played in the Astrodome, they’d incite the crowd to chant, “Stop them from playing! Stop them from playing!” Cliff Lee pitched like Cliff Lee, and the Braves couldn’t keep up. The perennial Cy Young candidate threw six strong innings, striking out six without walking a batter. The Braves lost to the Philadelphia Phillies 4-2, and they were in danger of slipping into a tie for the Wild Card lead. The Cardinals couldn’t take advantage, though, squandering big chances in the late innings after coming from behind in the eighth inning. The Astros held on, and then broke through with a bloop and two misplayed bunts in the tenth inning, winning 5-4 to crush the Cardinals’ hopes of catching the Braves on Monday night. In the Braves/Phillies game at Turner Field, Atlanta scored first on a Chipper Jones solo shot to left-center in the first inning. The homer reminded the world that Jones still has some juice left in the ol’ bat, and getting on the board first against the normally untouchable Lee gave the Braves a lift. Back-to-back doubles from Matt Diaz and Alex Gonzalez in the second inning gave the Braves a 2-0 lead. Braves rookie starter Randall Delgado pitched well enough, allowing two runs. The first was on a Placido Polanco RBI single in the fourth, and the second was on a Jimmy Rollins solo home run in the fifth. After just 82 pitches in five innings, though, Delgado was pulled, and the once-untouchable Braves bullpen faltered again. Cristhian Martinez came in to pitch the sixth inning, and allowed a one-out triple to Shane Victorino. Manager Fredi Gonzalez played match-up games early, bringing in Eric O’Flaherty to face Raul Ibanez, who chopped a ball through the right side of the infield to give the Phillies a 3-2 lead they wouldn’t relinquish. Ibanez had another RBI single in the eighth. The Braves had a threat in the bottom of the eighth, with runners at first and second with one out against Brad Lidge, but Chipper Jones grounded into a double play to end the threat. The double play reminded the world that Jones isn’t as quick as he used to be with the ol’ bat, and the swift end to the rally deflated the Braves. Ryan Madson pitched a scoreless ninth for the save. In Houston, the Cardinals got on the board first, with Matt Holliday singling home David Freese in the top of the third, though the score remained 1-0 when J.D. Martinez cut down Albert Pujols at the plate by approximately 89 feet on the play. The Astros got their first run on a safety squeeze from Wandy Rodriguez in the third inning which was promptly followed by an RBI double from Jason Bourgeois, giving Houston a 2-1 lead. In the fourth, Matt Downs — who somehow couldn’t find regular playing time on the Astros despite a .277/.349/.508 line in 195 at-bats this year — hit a two run home run off starter Jaime Garcia to put the Astros up 4-1. St. Louis chipped away with a run in the fifth, and came back to tie the game in the eighth with an Albert Pujols single, a Matt Holliday walk, and a two-run double from Lance Berkman. After a walk to Molina, and still no outs, the Cardinals were well-positioned to go ahead, but both runners were left on base, and the score remained tied until the 10th. In the 10th, Brian Bogusevic led off with a bloop double down the line for the Astros. Bourgeois followed with a bunt down the third-base line that Octavio Dotel flubbed, putting runners at first and third with no outs. Angel Sanchez then laid down the second safety squeeze for the Astros on the night, with this one winning the game for the Astros. That’s the downside to waiting so long to make a move in a race: a team has to play perfect baseball, and they also have to avoid baseball weirdness. The Cardinals lost on Monday because of a bloop and two bunts. Now they have two games left to make up a one-game deficit, when they could have been tied with a well-timed single in the late innings. On June 19th, the Atlanta Braves were tied for the Wild Card with both the St. Louis Cardinals and the Milwaukee Brewers. For over three months after that, they had sole possession of the Wild Card lead. On September 1st, they had a 9½-game lead on the Cardinals in the Wild Card. Tonight, the lead was almost squandered. But there was a reprieve, and the Braves cling to their lead now with two games left in the season. Read More: Cliff Lee (P – PHI), Chipper Jones (3B – ATL), Philadelphia Phillies, Houston Astros, St. Louis Cardinals, Atlanta Braves Follow , and Like Baseball Nation on Facebook. Do you like this story?
Grant BrisbeeEditor Grant Brisbee has been the lead writer for McCovey Chronicles since 2005, when the San Francisco Giants-themed site became the second blog on the SB Nation network. He graduated from San Jose State… Read full bio
SB Nation Profile Other features by Grant BrisbeeThere is the quick update of the day. Posted in Uncategorized | Comments Off
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Cards miss opportunity to tie |
St. Louis missed out on a chance to join Atlanta atop the wild-card standings when Brian Bogusevic scored on Angel Sanchez’s bunt in the 10th inning Monday night, giving the Houston Astros a 5-4 victory over the Cardinals. The slumping Braves lost to Philadelphia, but the Cardinals weren’t able to take advantage of the opening. St. Louis rallied from three runs down to force extra innings, but Bogusevic doubled off Octavio Dotel (3-3) in the 10th and advanced on Jason Bourgeois’ bunt. Sanchez then dropped a bunt in front of the plate, and Bogusevic charged home as Dotel mishandled his attempt to flip the ball to catcher Yadier Molina with his glove. Astros closer Mark Melancon (8-4) pitched two scoreless innings. St. Louis had won 15 of 20 to close the gap on the Braves, who have dropped 16 of 25 games in September. Former Astros star Lance Berkman hit a tying two-run double off Wesley Wright in the eighth. Matt Holliday had an RBI single for St. Louis. Matt Downs hit a two-run homer for the Astros. Houston led 2-1 in the fourth when Jaime Garcia walked Carlos Lee. Downs then drove a 1-0 pitch into the left-field porch for his 10th home run of the season. Houston starter Wandy Rodriguez pitched out of a no-out, bases-loaded jam in the fifth, getting David Freese to roll into a double play before fanning Albert Pujols. The Astros escaped more trouble in the seventh. Ryan Theriot and Jon Jay led off with singles, and Nick Punto moved up the runners with a sacrifice. Astros manager Brad Mills brought in Wilton Lopez to relieve Rodriguez, who threw 102 pitches. Lopez then retired pinch-hitters Allen Craig and Daniel Descalso on groundouts. By then, the left-field scoreboard had posted the Phillies’ 4-2 win over Atlanta, and the Cardinals didn’t waste their next scoring opportunity. Pujols singled and Holliday walked leading off the eighth against Fernando Rodriguez. Mills brought in the left-handed Wright to force the switch-hitting Berkman to bat right-handed. Holliday and Pujols pulled off a double steal, and Berkman doubled off the scoreboard, only his sixth double hitting right-handed this season. NOTES: Holliday led off the second inning with his team-leading 36th double. … Cardinals SS Rafael Furcal left the game in the fifth inning with tightness in his left hamstring. Punto replaced him. … Astros LF J.D. Martinez left in the fifth with a bruised left foot. … Wright had not allowed a run in 17th consecutive appearances before Berkman’s double. … Berkman has 14 RBIs against Houston this season.
What do you guys think about this. Posted in Uncategorized | Comments Off
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Astros beat Cardinals in 10th |
Updated Sep 27, 2011 1:32 AM ET HOUSTON (AP)The St. Louis Cardinals have done just about everything right in September to make their charge at Atlanta in the NL wild-card race. They wasted an opportunity to finally draw even by losing exactly the kind of game they’ve been winning lately. Brian Bogusevic scored on Angel Sanchez’s bunt in the 10th inning, giving the Astros a 5-4 victory over the Cardinals on Monday night. St. Louis had won 15 of 20 to close the gap on the Braves, who have dropped 16 of 25 games in September following Monday’s loss to Philadelphia. But the Cardinals squandered several scoring chances in Houston, uncharacteristic during their surge. St. Louis has seven one-run victories this month. ”If you’ve watched us over the last two weeks, everything’s been perfect,” St. Louis manager Tony La Russa said. ”We’ve had some really hard games that most of the time, we win. We’ve only had a couple get away.” ”I kept liking the way we went after it and created situations,” he said. ”You just tip your cap when they made pitches and got us out.” Former Astros star Lance Berkman hit a tying two-run double off Wesley Wright in the eighth, capping a Cardinals rally from three runs down. But Bogusevic doubled off Octavio Dotel (3-3) in the 10th and advanced on Jason Bourgeois’ bunt. Sanchez then dropped a bunt in front of the plate, and Bogusevic charged home as Dotel mishandled his attempt to flip the ball to catcher Yadier Molina with his glove. ”This is baseball,” Molina said. ”Sometimes, you’re going to do the job. Today, it was bad that we didn’t do the job.” Closer Mark Melancon (8-4) pitched two scoreless innings and Matt Downs hit a two-run homer for the last-place Astros, who drew motivation from playing the spoiler role. ”To have the game be meaningful is fun for us,” Bogusevic said. ”We have to play for something, and we’re not just going to play it out and let the season end without trying hard. You owe it to the game in general to play hard.” Houston led 2-1 in the fourth when Jaime Garcia walked Carlos Lee. Downs then drove a 1-0 pitch into the left-field porch for his 10th home run of the season. Houston starter Wandy Rodriguez pitched out of a no-out, bases-loaded jam in the fifth, getting David Freese to roll into a double play before fanning Albert Pujols. The Astros escaped more trouble in the seventh. Ryan Theriot and Jon Jay led off with singles, and Nick Punto moved up the runners with a sacrifice. Astros manager Brad Mills brought in Wilton Lopez to relieve Rodriguez, who threw 102 pitches. Lopez then retired pinch-hitters Allen Craig and Daniel Descalso on groundouts.
Ringolsby: Can Alice Cooper make fans care about the D-backs? Whitlock: How the stats nerds are ruining sports for the rest of us. Couch: Mariano’s record is just a number, and a deceptive one.
The Cardinals stranded nine runners in the game. ”We had a good chance to win that game,” Molina said, ”and we didn’t execute.” Pujols singled and Holliday walked leading off the eighth against Fernando Rodriguez. Mills brought in the left-handed Wright to force the switch-hitting Berkman to bat right-handed. Holliday and Pujols pulled off a double steal, and Berkman doubled off the scoreboard, only his sixth double hitting right-handed this season. If the Cardinals and Braves finish with the same record, they’ll play a tiebreaking game in St. Louis on Thursday. In the quiet clubhouse after Monday’s game, the Cardinals lamented their missed opportunity. ”It’s part of the game,” Pujols said. ”It’s not like we didn’t want to take advantage of those opportunities. We fought back, we still have two games left. We’ll see what happens these next couple of games. ”It would be a little tough with Atlanta winning and us losing (Monday). But now, the worst thing that can happen is hopefully we can push this to a Thursday playoff game. Anything can happen in the next couple of days. This game is crazy.” NOTES: Holliday led off the second inning with his team-leading 36th double. … Cardinals SS Rafael Furcal left the game in the fifth inning with tightness in his left hamstring. La Russa said Furcal would probably sit out the final two regular-season games. … Astros LF J.D. Martinez left in the fifth with a bruised left foot. … Wright had not allowed a run in 17th consecutive appearances before Berkman’s double. … Berkman is hitting .406 with 14 RBIs against Houston this season. Leave your comments on the news below. Posted in Uncategorized | Comments Off
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Another low in dismal season for Astros |
[ [ [['near the city of Hamamatsu', 10]], [ [['she-devil', 12]], [ [['diana nyad', 13]], [ [['Republican Guards have bigger ones in the capital and elsewhere in Yemen', 5], ['opposition forces loyal to defected General Ali Mohsen ', 8]], [ [['Bold farmers in Indonesia routinely', 5]], [ [['It is difficult to assess how many birds are affected', 7]], [ [['But after we launch this hamburger', 6]], [ [['villages where people are trapped under collapsed houses', 8]], [ [['The absence of Borders is going to be felt across the industry', 6]], [ [['Anders Behring Breivik', 8]], [ [['like there is no way out', 9]], [ [['including snipers picking off protesters from rooftops', 5], ['Violence has flared anew in Yemen in frustration', 6]], [ [['Dolores Hope', 7]], Not much else going on in the NBA world today. Posted in Uncategorized | Comments Off
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Colorado Rockies Pick Up 25 Hits In 19-3 Victory… |
Read More: Kevin Millwood (P – COL), Kevin Kouzmanoff (3B – COL), Chris Iannetta (C – COL), Greg Reynolds (P – COL), Thomas Field (SS – COL), Jose Altuve (2B – HOU), Colorado Rockies, Houston Astros The Colorado Rockies are a frustrating team to follow in 2011. They can drop two straight games to the worst team in the league, the Houston Astros, and then win two in a row against the same team. That’s what happened over the weekend for the Rockies. After Saturday’s 13-inning victory, the Rockies broke out the bats on Sunday for a 19-3 victory. The 19 runs were a season high and the 25 hits were a new franchise record. Kevin Kouzmanoff and Chris Iannetta paced the offense with five RBI each, Kouzmanoff (3) hit two home runs, both two-run home runs. Iannetta (14) hit a three-run home run in the eighth inning. Kevin Millwood, the starting pitcher, hit his second home run of the season, a two-run shot in the sixth. Thomas Field had a career day with four hits and three RBI. Millwood (4-3, 3.98 ERA) allowed a run on a Jose Altuve single to center field in the third inning. Other than that, it was smooth sailing for the veteran. He went seven innings and allowed that one run on three hits. He struck out six. Greg Reynolds pitched the final two innings and allowed two runs in the bottom of the ninth. The Rockies (72-87, 34-44 away) travel to San Francisco for a three-game series that ends the regular season. For more on the Rockies, check out Purple Row. Visit Crawfish Boxes and SB Nation Houston for more on the Astros. Leave your comments on the news below. Posted in Uncategorized | Comments Off
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Astros lament missed opportunities in loss |
[ [ [['near the city of Hamamatsu', 10]], [ [['Mark MacPhail', 11]], [ [['was the 20th pilot to die at the races since it began 47 years ago', 8], ['Such cooperation helped save Ed Larson', 8]], [ [['Republican Guards have bigger ones in the capital and elsewhere in Yemen', 5], ['opposition forces loyal to defected General Ali Mohsen ', 8]], [ [['Bold farmers in Indonesia routinely', 5]], [ [['It is difficult to assess how many birds are affected', 7]], [ [['But after we launch this hamburger', 6]], [ [['villages where people are trapped under collapsed houses', 8]], [ [['The absence of Borders is going to be felt across the industry', 6]], [ [['Anders Behring Breivik', 8]], [ [['like there is no way out', 9]], [ [['including snipers picking off protesters from rooftops', 5], ['Violence has flared anew in Yemen in frustration', 6]], [ [['Dolores Hope', 7]], Leave your comments on the news below. Posted in Uncategorized | Comments Off
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Rockies defeat Houston Astros to end nine-game… |
Humberto Qunitero of the Houston Astros tags out Eric Young, Jr. of the Colorado Rockies as home plate umpire Dan Bellino looks on in the 11th inning at Minute Maid Park on Sept. 24, 2011, in Houston, Texas. (Eric Christian Smith, Getty Images) HOUSTON — The Rockies’ problem is that they feel like they’ve been routinely behind the eight-ball during their nine-game losing streak. Already running out arguably the worst lineup in franchise history – Friday’s certainly featured a compelling argument for that distinction – Colorado has found itself trailing early and often because of ineffective starting pitching. Jason Hammel reversed the trend Saturday, and a mismatched lineup with Chris Nelson hitting cleanup, mercifully ended the losing skid with a 4-2 win in 13 innings at Minute Maid Park. With one out and bases loaded, Nelson, playing for injured shortstop Troy Tulowitzki, walked on five pitches from erratic reliever Jordan Lyles. Pinch-hitter 
Jason Hammell # delivers a pitch to the Houston Astros at Minute Maid Park on Sept. 24, 2011, in Houston, Texas. (Eric Christian Smith, Getty Images) Wilin Rosario added the final run with a sacrifice fly. When Tommy Field, inserted in right field after Ty Wigginton’s ejection, crossed the plate on Nelson’s walk it marked the first time the Rockies had led since last Saturday. Hammel did his part, ending the streak of dreadful starts. The rotation’s ERA was 9.28 over the last nine games. Hammel worked seven strong innings. The Rockies needed everyone given the cast in charge of scoring runs. By the 11th inning, seven of the nine players on defense had played in the minor leagues this season either because of poor performance or normal development. Tempers flared in an entertaining game not befitting the standings. With runners at second and third in the 11th, Eric Young Jr. ran into an out at home plate on Chris Nelson’s slow roller to the pitcher. Young exchanged words with catcher Humberto Quintero, unhappy with his hard tag to the chest. Quintero screamed back, apparently upset that Young celebrated too much when stealing third base. Wigginton was tossed moments later after striking out looking. He fell to 19-for-119 with runners in scoring position. He had a case as strike three was inside. Wigginton fired his helmet in disgust and was run by plate umpire Dan Bellino, joining Chris Iannetta, Troy Tulowitzki and Carlos Gonzalez as players who have been ejected this season. Field took over in right field for Wigginton. Field is a second baseman who’s been playing shortstop. This was his first, and presumably last, appearance in the outfield. He naturally played a key role in the rally, walking to lead off the 13th. Young Jr. reached on an infield single and Dexter Fowler walked, setting up Nelson’s at-bat. The Rockies’ two early runs came on a single by Jordan Pacheco. Hammel has allowed just four earned runs over his last 20 innings. The Rockies are considering keeping Hammel, banished to the bullpen in August, to compete for a rotation spot next spring. Given the injuries and poor performances, the Rockies were staring at a potential season-ending 14-game losing streak. That indignity is no longer possible after a victory. Troy E. Renck: 303-954-1301 or trenck@denverpost.com Looking aheadTODAY: Rockies at Astros, 12:05 p.m., Root The idea of re-signing Kevin Millwood (3-3, 4.56 ERA) has become more appealing, given the youth in the rotation. Millwood wants to continue pitching but isn’t interested in toiling in the minor leagues again (he spent much of this season in Triple-A). Will the Rockies guarantee him a contract? That decision won’t crystallize until much later in the winter. Millwood suffered through his worst outing as a Rockie in his last start. The Rockies are 4-4 in his starts. Lucas Harrell (0-1, 2.00) gets a spot start with Bud Norris sidelined by biceps tendinitis. Harrell, 26, last pitched Tuesday, hit hard in a relief appearance. Troy E. Renck, The Denver Post Upcoming pitching matchupsMonday: Rockies’ Jhoulys Chacin (11-13, 3.66) at Giants’ Ryan Vogelsong (12-7, 2.81), 8:15 p.m., Root Tuesday: Rockies’ Alex White (2-3, 8.63) at Giants’ Madison Bumgarner (12-13, 3.32), 8:15 p.m., Root Wednesday: Rockies’ Drew Pomeranz (1-1, 5.68) at Giants’ Matt Cain (12-11, 2.88), 1:45 p.m., Root Thanks for visiting my blog =). Posted in Uncategorized | Comments Off
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Lee’s 4 RBIs lead Astros over Rockies, 11-2 |
[ [ [['near the city of Hamamatsu', 10]], [ [['Mark MacPhail', 11]], [ [['was the 20th pilot to die at the races since it began 47 years ago', 8], ['Such cooperation helped save Ed Larson', 8]], [ [['Republican Guards have bigger ones in the capital and elsewhere in Yemen', 5], ['opposition forces loyal to defected General Ali Mohsen ', 8]], [ [['Bold farmers in Indonesia routinely', 5]], [ [['It is difficult to assess how many birds are affected', 7]], [ [['But after we launch this hamburger', 6]], [ [['villages where people are trapped under collapsed houses', 8]], [ [['The absence of Borders is going to be felt across the industry', 6]], [ [['Anders Behring Breivik', 8]], [ [['like there is no way out', 9]], [ [['including snipers picking off protesters from rooftops', 5], ['Violence has flared anew in Yemen in frustration', 6]], [ [['Dolores Hope', 7]], What do you guys think about this. Posted in Uncategorized | Comments Off
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Pomeranz Shelled In Rockies 9th Straight Loss |
Pitcher Drew Pomeranz of the Colorado Rockies throws against the Houston Astros at Minute Maid Park on September 23, 2011 in Houston, Texas. (Photo by Bob Levey/Getty Images) HOUSTON (AP) — Carlos Lee drove in four runs for the second straight game, Brett Myers won his fourth consecutive decision and the Houston Astros beat the Colorado Rockies 11-2 on Friday night. Lee’s big night started with a two-run double that was part of a franchise-record six consecutive hits to start the first inning. The Astros took a 5-1 lead off rookie Drew Pomeranz (1-1), who was making his third major league start. Lee became the first Astro to have consecutive four-RBI games since Lance Berkman on May 30-31, 2000, against Colorado. Myers (7-13) struck out six, walked one and retired the last 11 batters he faced. Before starting his winning streak, Myers had lost seven straight decisions. He is 8-1 lifetime against Colorado. Lee had an RBI single in the fourth and an RBI groundout in the fifth. Clint Barmes added a solo homer, his 12th, in the sixth. Pomeranz lasted two innings, allowing seven hits and six earned runs. Pomeranz had allowed two earned runs in 10 2-3 innings in his first two starts. J.B. Shuck led off the game for Houston with a single and scored on a double by Angel Sanchez to tie it 1-1. Lee’s double scored both runners and a double by Matt Downs and single by Chris Johnson made it 5-1. Finally, Barmes flied out and Humberto Quintero and Myers struck out the end the inning. Eric Young singled off Myers’ glove to open the game and scored on Dexter Fowler’s double. Pinch-hitter Tim Nelson hit a solo homer for the Rockies in the seventh off Lance Pendleton. The Astros have had numerous games with five hits to start the first inning, most recently June 6, 2010, against the Cubs. Notes: Colorado’s Matt Downs has 15 pinch-hit RBIs and needs three more to set a franchise record set in 2001 by Orlando Merced. Jordan Pacheco has nine RBIs in his first 14 major league starts for the Rockies. Carlos Gonzalez is the first player in Rockies history with consecutive seasons with at least 20 home runs and 20 stolen bases. Henry Sosa doubled for his first career hit on Thursday. He was the sixth Astro to get his first major league hit this season. (Copyright 2011 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.) Running low on time today, i’ll be back tomorrow hopefully with some more news. Posted in Uncategorized | Comments Off
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NL Central Division Champions |
National League Central Division champions since the three-divisional system began in 1994: 2011 -- Milwaukee Brewers 2010 -- Cincinnati Reds 2009 -- St. Louis Cardinals 2008 -- Chicago Cubs 2007 -- Chicago Cubs 2006 -- St. Louis Cardinals 2005 -- St. Louis Cardinals 2004 -- St. Louis Cardinals 2003 -- Chicago Cubs 2002 -- St. Louis Cardinals 2001 -- Houston Astros 2000 -- St. Louis Cardinals 1999 -- Houston Astros 1998 -- Houston Astros 1997 -- Houston Astros 1996 -- St. Louis Cardinals 1995 -- Cincinnati Reds 1994 -- Strike There is the quick update of the day. Posted in Uncategorized | Comments Off
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Lee, Downs power Astros past Rockies |
Read more: Colorado Rockies, Carlos Lee, Houston Astros, Astros Beat Rockies, Matt Downs, Pro, MLB
HOUSTON (AP) — Carlos Lee doubled and drove in four runs, pinch-hitter Matt Downs knocked in three more and the Houston Astros beat Colorado 9-6 Thursday night, extending the Rockies’ losing streak to a season-high eight games. Houston starter Henry Sosa (3-5) yielded a season-high nine hits but allowed just three runs in 6 1-3 innings to end a three-game losing streak. Wilin Rosario doubled and hit a three-run homer in the eighth to cut Houston’s lead to 8-6 and Kevin Kouzmanoff had a solo shot in the seventh. Rockies starter Alex White (2-3), acquired in the Ubaldo Jimenez trade with Cleveland, allowed six hits and five runs with six strikeouts in 4 2-3 innings. He hit two batters and threw two wild pitches. (Copyright ©2011 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.) If you like reading our blog, remember to bookmark it. Posted in Uncategorized | Comments Off
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Angel Sanchez (No. 36) of the Houston Astros celebrates with Jimmy Paredes (No. 38) and Matt Downs (No. 16) after laying down a bunt in the bottom of the tenth scoring Brian Bogusevic from third base with the winning run against the St. Louis Cardinals Monday. (Bob Levey/Getty Images)
