Colt 45s Blog

Now that we have the final spring training game under our collective belts, we can officially get ready to play some meaningful ball. Houston ends spring with a less then impressive record at 13-17 but as we all know, the games mean nothing. The 13-17 record leaves the Astros behind the likes of the surprising Tampa Bay Rays and the Florida Marlins who were #1 and 2 record wise in the grape fruit league going 18-8 and 19-10 respectively.

The Astros played their final game of spring training with a 9-4 win vs. the Detroit Tigers. Houston recorded 10 hits for the game and put together a 5 run 6th inning which was sparked by a 3 run homer from Ty Wigginton. Shawn Chacon started the final game for Houston and went 5 innings deep allowing 5 hits, 3 runs, and two homers. He was given the win bringing his final spring record to 2-1. This is a good win to finish the exhibition season and helps Houston prepare for the long haul ahead.

Most importantly the 25 man roster is officially set and the team has decided to hold 12 pitchers and 13 position players according to MLB.com. The four guys that were on the bubble that eventually made the final roster were OF Jose Cruz Jr., IF Tomas Perez, RHP Brian Moelher, and LHP Wesley Wright. The final two players that missed the cut were IF David Newhan, who will be sent to the minors, and C Humberto Quintero, who is currently waiting for his new assignment.

The final 12 pitchers include the following: (S)Brandon Backe, Dave Borkowski, Doug Brocail, (S)Shawn Chacon, Geoff Geary, (S)Roy Oswalt, (S)Wandy Rodriguez, (S)Chris Sampson, (CL)Jose Valverde, Oscar Villarreal, Brian Moehler and Wesley Wright. *You may have noticed that Woody Williams is not listed on the final roster, this is because team officials decided to cut him this weekend after Chris Sampson beat him out for the 5th spot in the rotation. The move has upset some of the players, Here is a article released today with the reaction from the team.

The final 13 positional players include the following: Catchers Brad Ausmus and J.R. Towles, infielders Lance Berkman, Geoff Blum, Mark Loretta, Miguel Tejada, Ty Wigginton and Tomas Perez, and outfielders Michael Bourn, Darin Erstad, Carlos Lee, Hunter Pence and Jose Cruz Jr.

The first regular season game will take place on Monday at PETCO Park as the Astros take on Jake Peavy and the Padres. Look for the game on ESPN2 at 10:05 pm eastern, Roy Oswalt will get his team record 6th straight opening day start for the Astros.

Just wanted to give a quick run through of different roster moves the Astros have made this week. For starters they cut OF Reggie Abercrombie and reliever Chad Paronto from the 25 man roster. Abercrombie, who has been hitting .217 with 5 RBI this spring, cleared waivers and was sent to AAA Round Rock. Paronto, 0-3 with a 12.38 ERA this spring, has 72 hours to accept his new assignment or he’ll be made a free agent.

Roy Oswalt has been named the opening day starter for the Astros and will get set to face San Diego Padre ace Jake Peavy. The game will be played in PETCO Park and is scheduled to be shown on ESPN2 at 10:05pm eastern. This will be Oswalts team record 6th straight opening day start for the Houston Astros.

Kaz Matsui has been placed on the 15 day DL as of March 25th because of an anal fissure, which he had surgery to repair on Monday last week. Expect Geoff Blum and Mark Loretta to fill in Matsui’s shoes for the time being. Team doctors plan on seeing him back on the diamond in mid-April.

Finally, Opening day is just around the corner and as the records stand Houston is in 13th place in the Grapefruit league with a 12-17 record. There is only one more game to go in the exhibition season after todays game. The Astro’s will get Sunday off and will begin the regular season on Monday.

THERES NO TYING IN BASEBALL… except of course in spring training. Such was the case today where the Astro’s faced the Florida Marlins in Jupiter, Florida which ended in a 10-10 tie.

Houston came out swinging in this one and built themselves a very promising lead going up 7-3 before the 3rd inning. They punished Marlin starter Chris Volstad forcing Florida skipper Fredi Gonzalez to yank him before he could get to the 3rd. Volstad went 2 innings giving up 8 hits, 7 runs (all of which were earned), and he walked 2. The lead was sparked by a strong showing from short-stop Geoff Blum going 2-for-2 with 3 RBI and a run scored. Unfortunately Blum left the game in the 2nd inning because of discomfort in his left heel. Ty Wigginton also had a very good start to the game hitting a two-bagger and a single for 2 RBI in his first couple of AB’s. He finished the game going 2-for-4 with 2 RBI and 2 runs scored. The effort didn’t stop there, both Darrin Erstad and Jose Cruz had themselves great games with Erstad going 3-for-5 with 2 runs scored, and Cruz going 2-for-5 with 2 RBI and a run scored.

The problem for the Astros was pitching… again. Starter Shawn Chacon gave Houston 5 innings of work giving up 7 hits, 6 runs (4 of which were earned), and he walked 2. Brian Moehler came in to stop the bleeding but also had a sub-par game working 2 innings allowing 2 hits and 2 runs. Young gun Wesley Wright came on in the 9th and gave up the final 2 runs to complete the tie. He pitched 1 inning giving up 4 hits, 2 runs (all of which were earned), walked 1, and received a blown save for his effort.

It would have been nice to get the win but the solid hitting (16 total) helps take away some of the sting. Unfortunately the sting that is left over is pretty painful. That of course being the awful mound effort giving by Houston pitchers. As any casual baseball fan knows, you must have pitching if you plan on getting anywhere in a season, at least to get to .500. If efforts like this keep up the Astro’s are going to have one heck of a time staying afloat this season. It is something that must be corrected immediately, if not, prepare for the worst… Any suggestions…?

It looks as though Houston is putting the final touches on their 25 man roster and getting ready for the regular season, which is only 9 days away. They already know what their regular season batting order is going to be, and are beginning to realize who will be in the pitching rotation and bullpen.

They’ve won 5 out of their last 8 games, bringing their spring training record to 11-13, and are finally looking like the team we hope they’ll be. In the Astro’s last 5 wins they have won by an average of 2.8 runs and have nearly brought their record to .500. Also in Houston’s last 5 wins they have hit 10 homers total, something they were really struggling with at the beginning of spring training.

Pitching has had some peaks and valleys this spring training especially near the beginning but it seems they are starting get serious behind the lead of Houston ace Roy Oswalt and closer Jose Valverde. Oswalt has appeared 5 times, going 20 innings, striking out a team high 16 batters, a 3.60 ERA and he’s given up only 1 homer. Valverde has appeared 6 times, going 6 innings, striking out 7, giving up only 4 hits, 3 runs, and has given up no homers. Veteran leadership is going to be very important this season if Houston looks to make a run at the NL Central.

As spring training comes closer to an end, and roster spots start becoming obvious, hope that Manager Cecil Cooper and his staff make the right moves to have this team at its best this season.

It looks as though Houston 2nd basemen Kaz Matsui will miss 2 to 3 weeks, which will include opening day, after getting a surgical procedure to repair an anal fissure on Monday according to MLB.com. Astro veterans Geoff Blum and Mark Loretta will most likely be the guys to fill in for the injured infielder.

Team officials said the surgery went successful and Matsui was originally slated to be out only 2 weeks but after reconsideration team doctors decided to tack on an extra week just to be safe. “We won’t put him on [the DL] right away, but from the report from the doctors, it’s a foregone conclusion he’ll start the year on the DL,” general manager Ed Wade said.

I don’t think the missed time will hurt the ‘Stros too much as long as Loretta and Blum fill in like veteran utility guys should.

Houston put together another 1-2 record over thier weekend stanza with a split-squad game on Saturday against Atlanta and Cleveland, and a Sunday game vs. the Mets. The weekend play brings the Astros overall record to 8-12 and putting them in 14th place in the Grapefruit league.

Saturdays first game took place in Kissimmee and had Houston going against the Braves. The ‘Stros showed a little bit of everything in this one with an offensive explosion and a very strong showing from starter Roy Oswalt. To be exact he went 6 innings deep, giving up no hits, walking none, striking out 7, and dropping his ERA to 2.40. On the offensive side they had their best game of spring training scoring 15 runs with a 5 run 5th inning and a 6 run 8th. Several players came through with productive games including Ty Wiggington, Brad Ausmus, and Jose Cruz. Wiggington went 2-for-4 with 2 RBI, Ausmus went 3-for-4 with 2 RBI, and Cruz went 1-for-2 with 1 RBI, 3 runs, and was walked 3 times. The only home run of the game came from 1st basemen Lance Berkman in the 5th inning off reliever Ryan Drese. The only sour note for Houston came from reliever Doug Brocail who went only 1 inning but gave up 5 hits, 5 runs, all of which were earned which made his ERA skyrocket to 19.50. Even with his poor performance the ‘Stros managed to win by 9 runs, final score 15-6, tallying 16 hits in the process.

The second game on Saturday took place in Wood Haven, Florida with the Astros facing the Cleveland Indians. Unfortunately Houston ended up on the wrong side of this one getting blown out 14-6. Giving up two 4 run innings and a 5 run 5th in the process. It was actually a pretty solid showing from the bats getting 15 hits, but the pitching was awful giving up 18 hits of their own. So bad in fact that relievers Hernandez and McLemore gave up 10 runs, all of which were earned in just 3.2 innings. Hernandez went 3 innings giving up 8 hits, 6 runs and he gave up 2 homers to Marte and Gonzalez in the 5th. McLemore continued his struggles this spring training going just .2 innings giving up 4 hits, 4 runs, all of which were earned, and 2 walks pushing his ERA to 12.91. If not for the bad pitching Houston might have had a chance in this one but, it wasn’t the case, Final score 14-6.

In the final game of the weekend Houston was matched up against the Mets and put together a very even match. Both teams put together 8 hits, the difference being the 5 run inning the ‘Stros gave up in the 5th. Starter Chris Sampson gave up the bulk of the runs going 4.1 innings deep, giving up 5 hits, 5 runs, all of which were earned, bringing his ERA all the way up to 10.61. The most positive performances came from Lance Berkman and Jose Cruz. Berkman went 1-for-3 with 1 RBI and a homer, and Cruz went 1-for-2 with 2 RBI and a run scored. Good showing for the home team, if not for the 5 run 5th, Final score 6-4.

Right-handed pitcher Felipe Paulino is expecting to miss significant time because of the pinched nerve in his upper arm according to MLB.com. Paulino says he isn’t feeling any discomfort in his arm or elbow, but his triceps seem to be where he finds the problem.

This could end up being a big problem because the Astros were expecting him to round out the pitching rotation and now have to stick Chris Sampson into the 5th and final spot. Hopefully this doesn’t hurt the rotation too much, but one thing it does for sure is get rid of some depth in the Houston bullpen.

It seems like Houston is having a hard time staying consistent in this year’s spring training. Pitching has been up and down, and hitting seems to disappear for long periods of time. The good part is that we are still playing games that don’t count, but that doesn’t mean the team shouldn’t be evaluated thus far into the season. I’m going to go though different statistics that have been posted so far in this years spring training to try and get an idea of what needs to be improved on.

For example the home run production seems to be lower then expected. Just for comparative purposes the Astros have hit only 8 homers in 15 games, whereas the Detroit Tigers, arguably the best offense in baseball, have hit 22 in an equal amount of games. Actually, Houston is behind 24 other teams when it comes to home runs. Maybe the Astros have taken a more ’small ball’ approach this season because the Tigers have 80 RBI to go with their 22 homers but Houston has 76 RBI to go with their 8 homers. To drive the ’small ball’ point home we look at stolen bases where the Astros have more then tripled the amount the Tigers have produced. To be exact, Houston has 24 to Detroit’s 7. Reggie Abercrombie and Michael Bourn have 5 a piece to go with David Newhan’s 4. We will also look at the averages these two teams have produced so far this spring training. Detroit is ranked 11th in the league with a .287 avg and Houston is ranked 12th with a .283 avg. Houston also has Detroit beat in doubles and triples. Besides homers, its hard to tell the difference between these two teams so why is Detroit’s record 10-5 and Houston’s 6-9?

This would be where pitching comes into play, the most important position in baseball. Let’s compare these teams once again, but this time we will look at team ERA. Houston’s team ERA is 6.18 to Detroit’s 3.69. This is a huge difference; Houston is giving up 6 runs a game! It is very difficult to win any baseball game when you are giving up nearly 6 runs per game. Still don’t think pitching is a problem? Well let’s look at strike outs, the most basic statistic you can look at. Detroit has K’d 91 to Houston’s 81. How about runs, another simple statistic. Detroit has only given up 65 runs to Houston’s 100. And lastly, the average against. Houston pitchers are allowing a .316 avg to opponent batters whereas Detroit is only allowing .263. Houston’s pitching could become this seasons Achilles heal because hitting shouldn’t be much of a problem.

Let me end by saying none of these statistic matter, and the wins and losses have no meaning either. Also, as annoying as it might be I only compared to Detroit because they are this season perennial power house and should have one of the most balanced attacks we’ve seen in a while. BUT and this is a big but, as much as these numbers mean nothing, they can sometimes be a look into the future. Pitching is not something that is easily put together and you must have some veteran leadership in your bullpen. It seems Houston might be lacking in that department and it can and will hurt them if not improved.

The Astros played 3 games this weekend having a split squad game on Saturday against the Braves and Nationals and also having a game on Sunday afternoon against the Mets. They posted a 1-2 record over these three games making their total spring training record 5-8.

Saturday’s first game showcased the ‘Stros vs. the Atlanta Braves. Wandy Rodriguz was given the start for Houston and had a very impressive game going 4 strong innings giving up only 3 hits, 1 run and striking out 5. He earned the win for the Astros with a final score of 7 - 5. Right fielder Hunter Pence also had a very good game going 2-for-4 with 3 RBI and a triple in the 5th. Houston had 4 different players with doubles which constantly kept players in scoring position. This was a strong game for the Astros but it was the only win they had over the weekend.

The second game of the Saturday split squad games produced a lot of offense for both teams combining for 28 hits total. Felipe Paulino got the start for Houston and had a shaky outing going 3 innings deep giving up 4 hits, 5 runs, walked 4, and gave up 2 homers. Carlos Lee hit his second home run of spring training in the 3rd inning off Washington starter Tim Redding. Lee went 1-for-3 with 1 RBI and a run scored. Kaz Matsui had the most impressive game for Houston going 3-for-3 with 2 RBI and 3 runs scored. Catcher Brad Ausmus also had a good game going 3-for-5 with 3 runs scored. The offense was strong for Houston but the Nationals was a little bit better finishing the game with 12 runs. Final score 12 - 10.

The final game of the weekend featured Houston facing the New York Mets. The Astros couldn’t get the bats going in this one against Mets starter John Maine only putting together 3 hits for the game. The only bright spot of the game for Houston was the solid showing of starter Jack Cassel pitching 3 innings with 4 hits, 2 runs, and he K’d 3. He was given the loss for the game bringing his spring training record to 1-1. The lack of hitting showed in the final score which was 3 - 0.

Next up: Houston’s at home and will give ace Roy Oswalt the start against equally impressive Roy Halladay and the Blue Jays on Monday at 1:05.

The Astros brought their spring training record to 4-6 on Friday with a win over the Yankees. Houston came to the ball park ready to swing with 12 hits, 5 of which were extra base hits including a 2 run shot from Victor Diaz off of Andy Pettitte in the 2nd. The game was tied through 6 innings 5-5 until Houston put together a couple of 2 run innings in the 7th and 9th. The Yanks had 13 hits of their own but left 9 runners on base. Lance Niekro had the most impressive game offensively for Houston going 2-for-5 with 2 RBI and a run scored. Victor Diaz also had a solid game going 1-for-4 with a homer, 2 RBI and a run scored.

Shawn Chacon was given the start for Houston and had a solid showing in 3 innings giving up 4 hits and 2 runs. Chris Sampson earned the win for the ‘Stros in 3 innings of work he gave up 5 hits, 3 runs, 1 homer, and K’d 2. It was a solid showing for the Houston bullpen but they is still much more to work on going into the regular season. Andy Pettitte was given the start for the Yankees and had himself a solid showing as well. He went 2.2 innings gving up 3 hits, 2 runs, a homer, and K’d 2. Mariano Rivera also pitched a solid inning going hitless and striking out 2. The Astros had an overall solid showing vs. the Yanks, final score 9-5, getting payback for the game they lost on Monday.

Next Up: Houston has a split squad game on Saturday with Felipe Paulino facing Washington at Home with a 12:05 start. Wandy Rodriguez will be on the road with the rest of the ‘Stros to play the Braves, also a 12:05 start.