The Houston Astros are BLAZING!!! (But can they keep it up?)

[GrandeDavid]

The Astros are so hot in so many aspects of the game (and organization), it seems a bizarre anomaly that they got swept by the Cards recently. Whether they are pounding out 14 runs in Washington or sweeping a four game road series in Pittsburgh, including a double header, they are suddenly reminiscent of last year.

Roy Oswalt and Roger Clemens are proving to be the best starting pitching duo in Astros history, and Brad Lidge is already one of the best closers in baseball. The young guys are getting timely hits and suddenly the averages are rising. Willy Taveras is a freaking blaze of light, a true speed demon, and even Brad Ausmus seems capable of cranking out the occasional timely hit.

Lance Berkman's ACL? He injured it playing in a charity flag football game last year? Hard to tell now, isn't it? True, you don't swing a bat with your leg, but his dominant performance of late at the plate signifies the heat this team has attained.

Even on a PR front, Astros management and players scored huge in recent visits to the Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Maryland. Suddenly the baseball nation knows Morgan Ensberg's story and admire is steely resilience and positive outlook on life and the game. Suddenly radio talking heads like Jim Rome are glorifying the Astros' team chemistry and just all around feel-goodness.

Yes, the Astros are hot and they appear to be back. We Astros fans are riding the high tide right now, but it is still early. Anything can happen, for better or worse.

Can the bats stay at least warm until October? Will Pettite's elbow hold up? Will the middle relief corp be able to avoid crucial breakdowns down the September stretch? Will the younger guys like Taveras, Lane and Burke be able to deliver some offensive production under pressure as the season winds down and the stakes continue to rise?

Or does this team need a veteran bat to all but ensure the thieving of the NL Wild Card berth?

Tough calls all around, but you gotta be enjoying baseball right about now if you are an Astros fan.

[Spurminator]

I still think the Astros need another slugger, but I'd hate for them to give up promising prospects for one, because it still probably isn't enough.

Talk is that the Astros and Reds have been trying to work out a deal for Adam Dunn, but the Reds want Jason Lane, Brandon Backe and 2 minor leaguers. I'm hesitant about giving up Lane in the deal.

[Horry For 3!]

Astros will require another bat. There are rumors that they are going for Adam Dunn, which who is from Houston, TX.

[Horry For 3!]

I still think the Astros need another slugger, but I'd hate for them to give up promising prospects for one, because it still probably isn't enough.

Talk is that the Astros and Reds have been trying to work out a deal for Adam Dunn, but the Reds want Jason Lane, Brandon Backe and 2 minor leaguers. I'm hesitant about giving up Lane in the deal.
That is a shit load a players for just Dunn. Lane is one of our good hitters.

[3rdCoast]

Dunn to Houston is a DONE deal I think

[2pac]

Dunn is from 45 miles outside Houston. About the same as San Marcos and SA.

[saspursfan4life]

astros do need another bat if they wanna make a good post season run

[Mr. Dictionary]

Astros:

Artillery Saturation Rocket System

[SWC Bonfire]

Dunn is from 45 miles outside Houston. About the same as San Marcos and SA.

San Marcos & SA are 45 miles from Houston??? I knew Houston was growing like a MF'er, but damn! It's all the way to Flatonia!

[T Park]

If Houston gets Adam Dunn, itll be St Louis and Houston game 7 NLCS all over again.

Only thing, Dunn is not as versatile a player as Beltran was, BUT, he adds that much needed bat.


I would not give up Lane and Backe though.

A good pitcher and a good outfielder are tough to come by.

Ask the Cardinals.

Their outfield is decimated with injuries, and it took them luck to get the starting rotation they have.

[Spurminator]

I'm so glad the Astros didn't break the bank for Beltran. I would never begrudge him, because he carried them in the 2004 Playoffs, but he was overachieving, and was not worth near what the Mets paid for him.

Dunn, despite his BA, is actually a very good hitter when you factor in walks and slugging.

[TheTruth]

Go get 'em big Red. Cincinnati Reds '05 MLB CHAMPS!!! :drunk :smokin :spin

[Horry For 3!]

Dunn has a ton of power. He can easily hit the ball out at Minute Maid.

[T Park]

Dunn, despite his BA, is actually a very good hitter when you factor in walks and slugging

Better not want him to get you a sacrafice fly, he had one in June VS the Cards, and it was his first sacrafice fly since like July of 2003.

So, not exactly a guy you can depend on to do whatever it takes to bring that run home.

[Sense]

They will continue to cruise, however... it's all about the playoffs.

[Spurminator]

I'm willing to "sacrifice" the 4-5 sac flies per half season a slugger would usually get...

[Hook Dem]

Whatever......they just keep on winning! I guess they don't know they're not supposed to. :lol GO ASTROS!!!!!!!!!!

[Hook Dem]

Astros win again 3-2 wednesday. Don't mess with the chemistry. Now that steroids are exposed, the Astros ain't so bad. :lol

[SWC Bonfire]

Now that steroids are exposed, the Astros ain't so bad.

Obviously not referring to HGH for the pitchers, though. :lol

It would be outstanding if the 'strohs would get another reliable hitter in the lineup, though. Berkman isn't 100% yet, I don't think.

Good luck to the Astros.:tu

[Jimcs50]

They are now only 1 game out of a playoff berth.

That is awesome, I gave up on them in early June.

[Horry For 3!]

Holy shit! Astacio actually pitched good! Sweet! Astros win again!

[Horry For 3!]

They are now only 1 game out of a playoff berth.

That is awesome, I gave up on them in early June.
Your not a true fan if you gave up on them. Also not very smart. They're pitching was amazing but the offense wasn't there. I knew we would be find once our offense came around.

[Hook Dem]

Astros are now tied for first in the wild card hunt and are pursuing the Cardinals.

[T Park]

pursuing the Cardinals.

PPFFFTTTT

BWAA HAHAHAHAHAA


Go ahead and pursue.

How did that series after the all star break go?

[Spurminator]

I cannot believe Beltran got booed.

Houston is a great city, and I'm proud to have grown up there... But it's an awful baseball town.

Beltran had 8 memorable hits and several memorable plays in the greatest postseason in Astros history, and Houston fans think he owes them something.

A better baseball town would have understood the situation in the offseason and not allowed itself to be strung along by Scott Boras and by Carlos Beltran's TEXTBOOK non-commital responses to questions about staying in Houston.

Carlos Beltran should have gotten a standing ovation last night, and he should tonight and the next two nights. I'm embarrassed for my hometown today.

[weebo]

I agree. Houston fans should be cheering Beltran's return as a Met. It was the best move the Astros didn't make last offseason. Willie T. > Beltran.

[Horry For 3!]

I cannot believe Beltran got booed.

Houston is a great city, and I'm proud to have grown up there... But it's an awful baseball town.

Beltran had 8 memorable hits and several memorable plays in the greatest postseason in Astros history, and Houston fans think he owes them something.

A better baseball town would have understood the situation in the offseason and not allowed itself to be strung along by Scott Boras and by Carlos Beltran's TEXTBOOK non-commital responses to questions about staying in Houston.

Carlos Beltran should have gotten a standing ovation last night, and he should tonight and the next two nights. I'm embarrassed for my hometown today.
Fans should be booing Boras, not Beltran but I knew they would.

[Spurminator]

Well, Boras should be driving to work on slashed tires every day, but that's a different story.

[Hook Dem]

PPFFFTTTT

BWAA HAHAHAHAHAA


Go ahead and pursue.

How did that series after the all star break go?
I knew I could get a rise out of you on that one. You've just been hiding in the shadows getting ready to leap. We will see! How are the Cardinals injuries going? :lol

[T Park]

How are the Cardinals injuries going?

Same as always.

Still winning with em.

Still have the best starting 4 rotation in the NL.

whats your point?

[Horry For 3!]

Same as always.

Still winning with em.

Still have the best starting 4 rotation in the NL.

whats your point?
:lmao @ best starting 4 rotation in the NL.

[Horry For 3!]

Oswalt, Clemens, Pettitte = owns any of the Cardinals

[Horry For 3!]

Cardinals starting 4

Carpenter: 2.33 ERA 1.02 WHIP
Mulder: 3.94 ERA 1.40 WHIP
Marquis: 3.77 ERA 1.34 WHIP
Suppan: 4.16 ERA 1.45 WHIP

Astros starting 4

Oswalt: 2.33 ERA 1.07 WHIP
Clemens: 1.46 ERA 0.96 WHIP
Pettitte: 2.73 ERA 1.15 WHIP
Backe: 4.93 ERA 1.51 WHIP


Do you still think the Cardinals have the best 4 rotation in the NL? :lol

[Horry For 3!]

Clemens and Oswalt are better than the Cardinals 1 starter, Carpenter. Well Oswalt is the same but Clemens is by far better.

[Horry For 3!]

Astros are a game up for the NL Wildcard now.

[T Park]

Oswalt, Clemens, Pettitte = owns any of the Cardinals

wanna check that series after the all star break, when the cardinals were 98% healthy, and what pitchers they faced/?

Oh yeah, Pettitte, Oswalt, Clemens


3 game sweep.


suuuurreee are owned :rolleyes


Clemens and Oswalt are better than the Cardinals 1 starter, Carpenter.

If Oswalt is so much better how much his ERA, strikeouts, and record isnt as good?



Carpenter = Cy Young Champ 05

[T Park]

but Clemens is by far better

Another thing.

They faced mano y mano on the sunday after the all star break.

Who won the game?? Oh yeah, Carpenter, complete game shutout..........

[Hook Dem]

Nobody is dissing your CardinalsTPark. The record speaks for itself. Just saying that the Astros are in the thick of it. After the Cardinals dominated last year, they were pressed to make it to the World Series. What happened then?????? As much as you would like to predict the future, you just can't!

[Horry For 3!]

Another thing.

They faced mano y mano on the sunday after the all star break.

Who won the game?? Oh yeah, Carpenter, complete game shutout..........
Uhh all you talk about is that series. LAME. I'm talking about the whole year idiot. That one series doesn't mean shit.

[Horry For 3!]

Also the Astros batting is alive now and the pitching is at its best. If the Cardinals played the Astros right now, they wouldn't stand a chance.

[Horry For 3!]

Cardinals starting 4

Carpenter: 2.33 ERA 1.02 WHIP
Mulder: 3.94 ERA 1.40 WHIP
Marquis: 3.77 ERA 1.34 WHIP
Suppan: 4.16 ERA 1.45 WHIP

Astros starting 4

Oswalt: 2.33 ERA 1.07 WHIP
Clemens: 1.46 ERA 0.96 WHIP
Pettitte: 2.73 ERA 1.15 WHIP
Backe: 4.93 ERA 1.51 WHIP


Do you still think the Cardinals have the best 4 rotation in the NL? :lol

You need to learn how to read too. That shows the stats for the WHOLE YEAR not just a 3 game series which is lame like you.

[Horry For 3!]

T Park = OWNED like always :lmao

[GrandeDavid]

Me oh my!!! Do the Astros remember how to lose!? Man, they are SCORCHING. If they can win today and four game broom the Mets and piss on Carlos Beltran, I'll be one happy fan.

Go Astros!

[GrandeDavid]

take it easy this is per usual for the 'stros. kick ass all season then fizzle at the end. maybe this year with a healthy petitte they can get over the hump......I sure hope so. they have all the players they need............they just need to KEEP WINNING.

I'm assuming you followed the Astros last season. The deeper the season ran, the more dominant (and lucky) they became. Remember, they started this year 15-30. 15-30!!! Even if they get nipped for the Wild Card, it'll have been a great season in terms of developing a solid youth base of players. But I think they'll at least get the Wild Card...as long as they stay healthy!

[2pac]

• The Astros are 40-17 since that 15-30 start. That’s the best record in the majors over that stretch.



• They’ve got an amazing 2.94 ERA over this stretch, also the best in the big leagues.



• The 1914 Boston Braves are the only team in history to be 15 or more games under .500 at one point and then make the postseason, according to the Elias Sports Bureau.



• At 34-14, the Astros have the best home record in the majors. They’ve won 19 of 21.



• Since August 23, the Astros are 52-14 at home for a .788 winning percentage. The Atlanta Braves are the last club with a 52-14 record in a 66 home-game stretch (1999-00).



• Did you say Minute Maid Park was a band box? The Astros home ERA of 3.01 is the best in ball.



• Houston leads the NL in runs this month with 139.



• The Astros rotation and bullpen lead the majors in July ERA. The Astros rotation owns a 2.34 ERA (44ER/169.1IP) in 26 July games with a 16-5 record in decisions by starters (club is 20-6 overall).



• Astros relievers have a 2.35 ERA (18ER/69IP) during the month.



• Astros starters have allowed two or fewer earned runs in 16 of the last 18 games dating back to July 8.



• The Astros bullpen has allowed only four earned runs in the last nine games, a span of 25.0 innings (1.44 ERA).



• Astros SS Adam Everett has made only two errors in his last 61 games.



• During Thursday’s $1 Hot Dog night, 51,288 hot dogs were sold. And that was just to sportswriters. Hah-hah-hah.



• Thursday’s crowd of 43,552 was the fourth-largest crowd in Minute Maid Park history. It was the seventh sellout of the season

[2pac]

I cannot believe Beltran got booed.

Houston is a great city, and I'm proud to have grown up there... But it's an awful baseball town.

Beltran had 8 memorable hits and several memorable plays in the greatest postseason in Astros history, and Houston fans think he owes them something.

A better baseball town would have understood the situation in the offseason and not allowed itself to be strung along by Scott Boras and by Carlos Beltran's TEXTBOOK non-commital responses to questions about staying in Houston.

Carlos Beltran should have gotten a standing ovation last night, and he should tonight and the next two nights. I'm embarrassed for my hometown today.

I remember when Mychael Thompson got booed everytime he touched the floor in SA when I was a kid.

Same story with Derek Anderson until we realized what a mistake it would have been to resign him.

SA must be a horrible basketball town.

[Spurminator]

I'm not against booing, I just find this particular example to be silly.

The Beltran situation doesn't even scratch the surface in terms of how lousy a baseball town Houston is. There's a reason that young Free Agents never want to play in Houston, and old free agents want to. Nobody cares about baseball there, except in rare cases like a Playoff appearance or a series with a former player to boo. The old guys know they can come to Houston and be left alone (it helps, also, that a lot of them have been from the Houston area... Clemens, Pettitte, Kent, etc).

In any decent baseball town, Jeff Bagwell and Craig Biggio would be gods. In Houston they can go to any restaurant and only a handful of people will have a clue who they are. Roger Clemens has helped to breathe some life into the city's enthusiasm for baseball, but it's still got a long way to go.

[Horry For 3!]

Craig Biggio is bad ass. That is my boy, he has been my favorite Astros player.

[T Park]

BTW I completely support the booing of sellout turncoat Beltran.


BTW2

9 innings 3 hits 1 run, 1 walk, 6 strikeouts

7-0 in last 8 games .81 ERA

CC = CY YOUNG

[spursfor]

Did anyone think Roger Clemens would be not only a Canidate for Cy Young but still playing at 43? We should send a Petition to MLB to rename the Cy Young the Roger Clemens award. This is unheard of and plus with the bats starting to swing he has a chance to win at least 15 if not 20. He's my Cy winner for NL no disrespect to Dontrelle, Carp, or anyone else having a big year but c'mon this is far more than impressive.

[Horry For 3!]

Did anyone think Roger Clemens would be not only a Canidate for Cy Young but still playing at 43? We should send a Petition to MLB to rename the Cy Young the Roger Clemens award. This is unheard of and plus with the bats starting to swing he has a chance to win at least 15 if not 20. He's my Cy winner for NL no disrespect to Dontrelle, Carp, or anyone else having a big year but c'mon this is far more than impressive.
Fo sho.

[T Park]

better than Carpenter at 16-4 almost a 2.00 ERA
and second in the NL in strikeouts???

Uh, ok....

[Spurminator]

I'll take Clemens' one less run allowed per game over Carpenter's one more strikeout per game.

Clemens has a 1.45 era and pitches at Minute Maid Park.

Case closed.

[spursfor]

better than Carpenter at 16-4 almost a 2.00 ERA
and second in the NL in strikeouts???

Uh, ok....
Carpenter may have better numbers than Clemens but if Roger had the run support that CC has Roger would have better stats than Carp. If Carp had Houstons run support he'd just be an average pitcher.

[T Park]

If Carp had Houstons run support he'd just be an average pitcher.


61 innings pitched 87 strikeouts 11 walks .81 ERA


Yup just average.

Goodbye.

[T Park]

Clemens has a 1.45 era and pitches at Minute Maid Park.




The whole Minute Maid Park thing is such BS.

Should Woody Williams won MVP of the NLCS cause he threw a 8 inning shutout at Minute Maid Park???

PLease.

[spursfor]

61 innings pitched 87 strikeouts 11 walks .81 ERA


Yup just average.

Goodbye.
Retard did you read the quote if he had Houston's run support. Not to mention the gold gloves on STL and Houstons Fairly decent player. Carp would't be as good as he is also no to mention STL's bullpen is stacked and all the Astro's have is Brad Lidge. So Asshole look at the whole picture instead of being a dick and thinking just because you have a stat that your good, because that doesn't mean shit.

[spursfor]

The whole Minute Maid Park thing is such BS.

Should Woody Williams won MVP of the NLCS cause he threw a 8 inning shutout at Minute Maid Park???

PLease.
Minute maid is an obvious hitter ballpark. The fact that Rocket can go out there and dominat there is astronomical (no pun intended). It's not like he's a Petco where jeez San Diego should be dominating or any other pitcher. Don't get pissed because someone disagrees with you and has better information.

[Horry For 3!]

better than Carpenter at 16-4 almost a 2.00 ERA
and second in the NL in strikeouts???

Uh, ok....
T Park sucks off Carpenter

[Spurminator]

Minute Maid is a hitter's park. There's no way around it.

All you have to do is look at Houston's Home vs. Away batting stats...

At Home: .791 OPS (9th in MLB)
Away: .685 OPS (29th in MLB)

[Jimcs50]

Does St Louis want to face an Astros team in Oct with a staff that includes Roger, Roy and Andy?

Yes St Louis has a great offensive team, but pitching wins in Oct.


St Louis scored a grand total of 3 runs, countem, 3 runs in the last 3 games in the World Series.

They barely beat Houston last year, and this year the Astros have Andy Pettitte and a Clemens that is even better than last year.

We will just have to wait and see...but I am thinking that Houston is going to the WS this year.

[Jimcs50]

BTW, Andy Pettette just won pitcher of the month award for July. :smokin

[Spurminator]

I just hope Bagwell can return by then... Even as a pinch hitter.

[Jimcs50]

Here TPark:


By Rob Neyer
ESPN Insider

In 1984, his rookie season, Roger Clemens debuted in mid-May and finished with nine wins and a 4.32 ERA (slightly higher than the American League as a whole). In his second season, an elbow injury limited him to 15 starts. But in 1986, Clemens turned in his first great season, easily leading the American League in ERA (2.48) and wins (24) and finishing just seven strikeouts behind AL leader Mark Langston.
Clemens was obviously the best pitcher in the American League from 1986 through 1992 … and then again in 1997 and 1998. He was brilliant in 1994 and 1996, too. So it's not easy to pick Clemens' greatest season; after all, he's won seven Cy Young Awards, and while he didn't deserve all seven of them, there were a couple of times he didn't win but probably should have.

The competition, I think, comes down to two seasons: 1990 and 1997. In 1990, Clemens went 21-6 with a 1.93 ERA (league average: 4.07). In 1997, he went 21-7 with a 2.45 ERA (league average: 4.62). These are the only two seasons in Clemens' career in which his ERA was less than half the league average. His next best season in that regard was 1994, when the players' strike limited him to 24 starts (and his ERA was 56 percent of the league average).

Could Clemens, who turns 43 today, really be putting together the best season of his career? And what does this season, whether or not it's his greatest, tell us about his future? Let's try to answer the first question first, because it's the easier of the two.

Here are some key numbers for 1990 and 1997, along with projections for this season:

Year W-L ERA IP BB/K QS Ratio
1990 21-6 1.93 228 54/209 27 0.47
1997 21-7 2.05 264 68/292 26 0.44
2005 15-6 1.45 224 63/203 30 0.34


Before we go any further, a few words about those last two columns. "QS" is quality starts; a starter is credited with a QS when he pitches at least six innings and allows three or fewer earned runs. Essentially, it's a measure of how often he's given his team a pretty good chance to win. And "Ratio," in this case at least, is the pitcher's ERA divided by the league ERA; obviously, the lower the number the better.

How significant are those (projected) 30 quality starts? Here are the best qualty start percentages since 1960, among pitchers with at least 20 starts in a season:

Pitcher Year GS QS Pct.
Greg Maddux 1994 25 24 96.0
Dwight Gooden 1985 35 33 94.3
Bob Gibson 1968 34 32 94.1
Rick Reuschel 1985 26 24 92.3
Chris Carpenter 2005 22 20 90.9
Roger Clemens 2005 21 19 90.5

From 1960 through July 30, 2005, there were 4,572 pitcher-seasons that included at least 20 starts. Only five of those pitcher-seasons included a QS percentage higher than 90, and two of them have been this season. Of course, that's a bit misleading. There have probably been other pitchers with similarly high QS percentages in early August. If you start 33 games, it takes only four non-quality starts to drop your percentage below 90, which means Clemens and Carpenter can afford only one more. And two months is a long time.

Similarly, Maddux's percentage almost certainly benefits from a strike-shortened season (though he was truly amazing that season; in 23 of his 25 starts, he pitched at least seven innings … and in the other two, he pitched 6.2). Reuschel, too, benefited from a short season (he missed the first seven weeks). So the champs on this list are Gibson in his famous '68 season, and Gooden in '85. In addition to Gibson's 1.12 ERA (the best since 1920), he's also got the distinction of never being relieved for cause; he completed 28 of his 34 starts, and in the other six, was removed in favor of a pinch-hitter. Gooden gave up more than three runs, earned or unearned, just twice all season.

But we were talking about Clemens, weren't we? He's not going to win as many games as he did in his greatest seasons -- in fact, he's won more than 15 games in a dozen different seasons. He's not going to strike out as many hitters -- he's topped 203 K's in a dozen different seasons. And he's certainly not going to pitch as many innings as he has -- in six seasons, Clemens has pitched more than 250 innings, and in both 1990 and 1997, he tossed nine complete games.

And that's the only real knock against Clemens' 2005 campaign: He's not a finisher. He hasn't completed a game this season (he has just one this century), and has pitched more than seven innings only twice (which might help explain his success, though that's fodder for another column).

So where does this season rank among Clemens' greatest? Assuming that he continues to pitch like he has, he'll finish with roughly the same number of innings, walks and strikeouts as in 1990, but with a substantially lower ERA. The comparison with 1997 isn't nearly as favorable, though. That 40-inning difference -- six starts, basically -- and all those strikeouts simply aren't quite balanced by Clemens' sublime ERA and quality start percentage to this point in the season. If he continues as he has, this will rank as one of Clemens' three greatest seasons among many great seasons, and it might rank among the top two. But the greatest? That will always be 1997.

So what does 2005 tell us about Clemens' future? It tells us that all we can do is wait and see. Because there's never been a pitcher remotely like Roger Clemens -- still able to dominate with his fastball, at 43 -- we simply don't know what his limits might be. If he's healthy and wants to pitch, should we assume he can't keep winning until he's 45? Or older? Hardly. Are Pete Alexander and Christy Mathewson, tied for No. 3 on the all-time list with 373 wins apiece, out of reach for the Rocket?

Probably. But I don't think I'd want to bet against him.

Senior writer Rob Neyer writes for Insider two or three times per week during the season. To offer criticism, praise or anything in between, send an e-mail to [email protected].