Reply With Quote
Good win tonight. I'm liking what I'm seeing so far.
LOL I hope so, nothing is a guarantee.
Good win tonight. I'm liking what I'm seeing so far.
Player of the Week
In his past six games, Houston's Lance Berkman is hitting .681. As in six, eight, one. His week started with a five-for-five effort against the Nationals last Tuesday (part of a string of eight straight hits) and didn't let up through a three-game series with the Dodgers over the weekend. In that stretch, he has a pair of homers and five RBIs (giving him 36 in the Astros' 38 games this season). Berkman's also on a 10-game hitting streak in which he's hitting .590. The surprising Astros, not coincidentally, are 8-2 during Berkman's tear and are now just 1 ½ games behind the Cubs in the National League Central.
http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/200...dup0512/1.html
Last 10 9-1, with a 4 game win streak.......hottest team in baseball right now!!
that would be an 11 game hitting streak.
yeah that article was a day old.
That post was a few days ago when they were 3 games back.
It was tougher than anticipated and Zito actually did decent, not counting the Berkman blast. Berkman would have done that to any pitcher right now.
Yeah I know I was being facetious since we had won 2 more since then.
9-1 in May hottest team in baseball flying way under the radar just like Berkman.
Another game, another Lance Berkman home run. Hope he saves some of this for September.
10 of 12 in May and 5 of 6 on out trip out west. Afternoon game today at 2:45. Still 1.5 behind the cards though, hopefully after today it will be .5
Im glad he is doing it now because if we can get enough wins now, sept might be too late.
Pitchers appreciate defensive support
Lance Berkman's eye-popping offensive numbers and the overall dominance of the middle of the Astros order have generated the majority of the attention in the last few weeks, but inside the clubhouse, the team's defensive efforts have generated significant appreciation as well.
The Astros entered Wednesday's game with the second-highest fielding percentage in the league at .988 and the second-fewest errors committed with 18. They're behind only the Rockies, who have a .990 fielding percentage and 15 errors.
The Astros also have allowed eight unearned runs, fewer than any team in the NL, and they've turned 39 double plays, good for third-highest in the league, behind the Pirates (50) and the Rockies (43).
Astros pitchers appreciate support behind them and have found this year's defense to be a huge upgrade from last year. The biggest difference is probably second base, where Kazuo Matsui has better range and speed than Craig Biggio did in the final stages of his career.
Pitchers are also grateful for defensive contributions from Miguel Tejada, who replaced the slick-fielding but light-hitting Adam Everett.
"[Matsui] has a lot more range than I thought he had," Roy Oswalt said. "To me, Tejada's doing a great job at shortstop. The word was coming from Baltimore that he had lost a few steps. But he's playing a great shortstop for us. The whole infield's done a great job. Can't complain there."
Chris Sampson, who will pitch the final game at AT&T Park on Thursday, is especially grateful for the team's defense. As a contact pitcher, he keeps the fielders busy.
"I have to have good defense if I'm going to be at all successful," he said. "I rely on my defense and they come up huge for me. The three games I've pitched well in, the defense has come up big for me."
The accolades aren't limited to the infielders. Sampson recalled a conversation he had with center fielder Michael Bourn prior to his start at Wrigley Field on April 4, after noticing the wind was blowing in.
"I said, 'Look, especially if the wind's blowing in, I'm going to throw it down the middle and let you get it,'" Sampson said. "He did just that. He's made some tremendous plays out there. And then in L.A. on Sunday, he left his body imprint on the wall [running down a fly ball]. That was a great play."
Pitching matchup
HOU: RHP Chris Sampson (2-3, 6.27 ERA)
Sampson bounced back from two poor outings to shut out the Dodgers through seven innings on Saturday, coasting to his second win of the season. The right-hander induced nine ground-ball outs over a 103-pitch outing, walking one and striking out three. He's faced the Giants twice in his career, with good results. He allowed two runs over a combined 12 innings for a 1.50 ERA, logging one win and one no-decision.
SF: RHP Tim Lince (5-1, 1.61 ERA)
Lince is having a terrific sop re season but his last start may have been his most impressive. Facing the Phillies for the second time in six days, he made his longest outing of the year, going eight innings. He allowed only four hits, walked only one and struck out eight. So he gave up two runs (for only the third time in eight starts). No need to quibble: The Giants won, 8-2.
Tidbits
Tejada will likely receive his first day off of the season during the finale with the Giants on Thursday. "It might be a go for [Thursday]," manager Cecil Cooper said. "He's kind of relented, so to speak. It took a little arm-twisting." Cooper is in the process of deciding who his designated hitters will be this weekend during the Astros' Interleague Series with the Rangers. Tentatively, he's leaning toward DHing Berkman on Friday and Sunday, with Carlos Lee taking that role Saturday. ... Matsui met Masanori Murakami, the first Japanese player in Major League history, during batting practice Wednesday.
http://houston.astros.mlb.com/news/a...=.jsp&c_id=hou
lance berkman is straight mashin the ball.
Another late inning big score comeback win in the works?
Yeah we own the 8th inning!!!
Done.
6-1 road trip so far.
11 our of 13 in may still the hottest team in baseball right now. of a rally its good to be a stros fan right now. Next up the Rangers, another hot team. Should be a good series.
Berkman is the man right now
.399
Chacon getting his first decision of the year yesterday. Still continuing with a good month of may, 14 out of 19 but still 1.5 back from the Cubs.
4 game series against the Phils starts tonight. Time to get revenge from losing that series against them 2-1 last month.
My wife and I are going to Friday and Sunday's games. Got Crawford Box seats for the first time for tomorrow's game. I'm pumped to see Berkman (even though he's cooled off the last few games) she's excited to see the Phils and Utley (she's from South Jersey).
Damn how did you manage to get those seats, I have been sitting in the club level the last few years and have tried for Crawford boxes. Without paying a crapload from stubhub I have yet to come across Crawford box seats. I will be jealous of you tomm and sunday, but have a great time. I hope Berkman, Lee, and Tejada go back to back to back to the boxes so you can get a home run ball.
There are currently 1 users browsing this thread. (0 members and 1 guests)
Posting Permissions