Colt 45s Blog

Houston lost their 3rd game in a row on Friday in game 1 against the Milwaukee Brewers, 5-1. The Brew crew victory helps Milwaukee climb back into the NL Central race as they now sit just 2.5 games back from taking 3rd place from Houston. The loss gives the Astros a 30-26 record and keeps them in the middle of the pack of their division.

The offense once again went cold in this one putting together enough hits to get just 1 run. The solo RBI came off the bat of catcher J.R. Towles who went 1-for-2 hitting a double with 1 RBI and 1 walk. The RBI is his 14th of the season and his batting average is at an ugly .149. There wasn’t much more production from the other hitters but Hunter Pence went 1-for-4 with the lone run scored. His batting average now sits at a strong .303 on the season. Lance Berkman went 2-for-4 in the game but failed to get any runners across. As a team Houston left 10 runners on base and 6 were left in scoring position with 2 outs.

Brandon Backe took the mound for the Astros and had a rough outing. He worked 5 innings giving up 6 hits, 5 runs, all earned, 1 walk and 3 homers. He was given the loss for the team bringing his record to 4-6 this season with a 4.54 ERA. Oscar Villarreal, Chris Sampson and Wesley Wright pitched the final 3 innings giving up a combined 3 hits and getting a total of 3 Ks. If Houston could have got this kind of production from the starter they may have squeaked out of Milwaukee with a win.

Not a good way to start a series especially since the Brewers are still fighting to get in the NL Central race. Game 2 will take place on Saturday, look for Houston to get the bats going as they have been silent for the last 3 losses.

The Astros had another game where they couldn’t get the bats going which eventually led to the 3-2 loss against the St. Louis Cardinals. The loss gives the Cards the series against the Astros and also gives them stronger control of 2nd place in the NL Central. Houston now looks at a 30-25 record as they sit in 3rd place just 3.5 games back from the division leading Cubs.

The offense really had their struggles but got a productive game from Lance Berkman who went 2-for-4 getting his 17th homer of the year including 1 RBI and a run scored. The RBI give him 47 for the season and his batting average now sits at a strong .384. Carlos Lee also had a homer for the ball club going 1-for-4 with 1 RBI and a run scored. The homer is his 12th of the year and his RBI now sit at 46. These 2 hitters were the only ones who recorded RBI for Houston. Nobody else really had any kind of game worth talking about except for maybe Michael Bourn who stole his 24th base of the season.

Houston ace Roy Oswalt took the mound and pitched a solid 7 innings. In that time he allowed 5 hits, 3 runs, 2 walks and 2 Ks. If not for the lack of hitting he might have escaped with a win but because the bats were cold Oswalt received the loss. His record now stands at 4-5 this season and his ERA still sits at 5.45. Doug Brocail came in for the 8th and threw a solid inning striking out 1 in that time. His ERA now sits at a strong 2.79.

2 games in a row where the ‘Stros couldn’t get anything going offensively. They will need to improve the bats because they are still chasing the Cardinals and Cubs for the top of the Nl Central. Houston will now open up a series with the Brewers on Friday night.

The Astros had a hard time getting it together in game 2 against the St. Louis Cardinal on Wednesday and were hit with a 6-1 loss. The St. Louis victory evens the series at a game a piece and the teams will play the final game on Thursday night. The loss gives the Astros a 30-24 record and drops them a game behind the Cards for control of 2nd place.

As the title states, the offense had a very rough time getting anything going as they could only put together enough hits to collect 1 run. They only totaled 4 hits in the game and got the best game from Ty Wigginton who went 1-for-3 getting his 2nd homer of the season. He also got his 8th RBI of the year and brought his batting average up to .270. The other 3 hits came off the bats of Michael Bourn, hitting his 3rd triple of the season, Miguel Tejada and Lance Berkman but none of them could put any runs across. As a team they left 4 runners on base and 2 were left stranded with 2 outs and runners in scoring position.

Wandy Rodriguez was given the start for Houston and never made his way through the 5th inning. In that time he was tagged for 6 hits, 6 runs, 3 earned and 4 walks. He was given the loss for the game bringing his record to 1-1 this season and his ERA to 2.89. Jose Valverde came in just to get some work and pitched 1 inning giving up a hit and getting a strike out.

Both hitters and pitchers had their fair share of troubles in this one as they both hurt the team evenly. They will need collect more hits in the deciding game 3 on Thursday which will give the winning team control of 2nd place in the NL Central.

Houston took game 1 against the St. Louis Cardinals on Tuesday with a balanced attack that led to the 8-2 victory. The win brings the ‘Stros record to 30-23 and bumps them into 2nd place just 1.5 games behind the division leading Chicago Cubs.

Hunter Pence had the best game by far for the Astros going 5-for-5 with 2 RBI. The RBI bring his total to 31 this season and the flawless hitting have him at a .311 clip. Miguel Tejada also had a nice game going 1-for-5 with 2 RBI and a run scored. The solo hit was a 2 run homer in the 5th inning giving him a total of 6 for the season. Carlos Lee had another good game for the Astros going 1-for-4 with 2 RBI and a run scored. His RBI total stands at 45 and his batting average sits at .275. Ty Wiggington also hit for a RBI giving him his 7th of the season along with J.R. Towles who got his 13 RBI of the year.

Shawn Chacon took the mound for the Astros and pitched a very solid game. He work 7 innings giving up 7 hits but only 2 runs off 2 homers and he struck out 7. Tim Byrdak and Oscar Villarreal came in to finish the game they only allowed 1 hit combined in their 2 innings of work. Chacon was given the win for his ball club bringing his record to 2-0 and his ERA stands at 3.95.

A good way to open up a series against a division for like the Cardinals. Even better is that it given the ‘Stros a edge over the Cards in the division race. They will look to take another game on Wednesday night as they match up for game 2.

Houston lost the final game of the 4 game series against the Philadelphia Phillies on Sunday in a late inning blowout 15-6. The loss evens the series with the Phils at 2 games a piece. The Astros now look at a 29-23 record and still sit in 3rd place of the NL Central.

Carlos Lee had another productive game for the ‘Stros as he went 1-for-3 including a 1st inning homer with 4 RBI and a run scored. The homer is his 11th of the season and his RBI now stand at 43. Lance Berkman also had a solid game hitting 2-of-5 with 1 RBI and a run scored. Berkman had his RBI total to 46 and his batting average is now at a very strong .385. The final RBI came off the bat of Michael Bourn who went 0-for-4 with 1 RBI and a run scored. The RBI bring his total to 10 on the season and his BA sits at .216.

Chris Sampson took the mound for Houston and had a rough outing. He worked just 5 innings allowing 5 hits, 4 runs, all earned, 2 walks and 1 homer. He didn’t receive the loss because he left the game before the Phils made their way back. Young gun Fernando Nieve came in to give Sampson some relief and had a terrible night. He never made is way through 1 out and gave up 4 hits, 4 runs, all earned and 1 homer. He was given the loss for the game bringing his record to 0-1 this season and he also received a blown save for his efforts giving him 1 for the year.

A bad way to end a good series between these 2 teams. The Astros had a chance to take the set but gave up too many runs in the late innings in this one. They will get a day off on Monday and will open up a 3 game series against the Cardinals on Tuesday.

The Astros took a 2 games to 1 lead on Saturday against the Phillies in a 4-3 victory. The win gives Houston control of 3rd place in the Central division as they now lead the Brewers by 5 games, and leaves them just 1 game behind the leading Cubs. Houston is now 29-22 this season and will look to improve on Sunday in the final game of the series.

Carlos Lee had a huge came for the ‘Stros going 2-for-4 including a double and 3 RBI. The RBI bring his total for the season to 39 and his batting average is now at a respectable .275. The only other RBI for Houston came off the bat of pinch hitter Mark Loretta who went 1-for-1 with a RBI. The lone RBI from Loretta brings his season total to 12 and his batting average sits at .247. Ty Wigginton also played a nice game going 2-for-3 with a run scored.

Brian Moehler took the mound for his ball club pitching a solid 6 innings giving up just 4 hits, 3 runs, 1 walk and 3 strike outs. He earned the win for Houston bringing his record to 2-1 this season and his ERA is now at 4.40. Doug Brocail came into the game in the 9th inning and got the save for the Astros getting his 2nd of the year.

Another solid win for the good guys giving them a 1 game lead in the series. They will look to finish off the Phils and take series on Sunday night.

The Astros evened up the series with the Philadelphia Phillies on Friday with a 4-3 victory. The win ties the series at 2 games a piece and both teams will look forward to game 3 on Saturday. Houston is now 28-22 keeping them in the hunt for the NL Central.

Hunter Pence had a great game for Houston going 2-for-4 with 2 homers, 2 RBI and 2 runs scored. The homers bring his total to 7 for the season and his RBI now stand at 29. He also bumped his BA up a bit making it a strong .294. Michael Bourn also had a solid game for the ‘Stros going 1-for-4 with 1 RBI. The RBI is his 9th of the season and his batting average is now at a weak .215.

Brandon Backe was given the start for his ball club and had a solid afternoon. Backe worked 7 1/3rd innings allowing 6 hits, 1 run, 1 walk and 6 Ks. He earned the win for Houston bringing his record to 4-5 this season and his ERA is at 4.19. Doug Brocail picked up his 9th hold of the season going 2/3rd inning striking out 1 in the process. Jose Valverde came in to close out the game and did just that getting his 15th save of the season striking out a batter in his 1 inning of work.

A strong win for the ‘Stros as they continue to climb to the top of the NL Central. They will try to take game 3 against the Phils on Saturday night.

Houston lost game 1 of a scheduled 4 game series against the Philadelphia Phillies on Thursday with a final score of 7-5. The loss brings the Astros record to 27-22 and keeps them in 3rd place in the NL Central leaving them just 2 games back from 1st place.

Both offenses had solid games as they collected a combined 26 hits. The ‘Stros hit 11 of them, 4 of which were for extra bases. Lance Berkman had the best game for Houston as he went 3-for-5 with1 RBI. The hits bring his average up to .388 and the RBI has his total at 45. Ty Wigginton also had a good game going 3-for-4 with 2 RBI and a run scored. The hits have his average up to .247 and the RBI have him up to 6 this season.

Roy Oswalt took the mound for the ‘Stros going 6 inning deep allowing 11 hits, 5 runs, 2 walks and 4 Ks. He wasn’t given the loss for the game but the showing wasn’t very good. Wesley Wright did receive the loss bring his record to 3-2 this season. He pitched 1 inning giving up 1 hit, 1 run and 1 homer.

A solid game for the Astros as they did attempt a comeback in the later innings. They did fall short but they have been playing a lot better as of late. They will now finish up the series over the weekend as there are still 3 more games left in the set.

Houston opened up interleague play with a 3 game series against their in-state rival Texas Rangers in the Battle for the Silver Boot. The Rangers won 2 out of the 3 games and take the battle for the Boot in what became a game of homers. The 1-2 record over the weekend brings the ‘Stros to a solid 25-20 leaving them in 3rd place in the NL East.

Game 1 was just a trade of rallies as the Astro’s were down early 8-2 but put together a sting of runs in the 5th inning to make the score 8-7. Houston added another run in the 6th evening the score at 8′s and making it a whole new ball game. Unfortunately Texas went on a rally of their own in the 7th and 8th innings getting 8 more runs and making the score 16-8 which ended up being the final. There were 6 homers from the Rangers and a total of 29 hits between the two teams. Darin Erstad had the best game for the Astros going 2-for-4 with 2 RBI and a run scored. Carlos Lee also had a nice game hitting 2-of-4 with 1 RBI and a run scored. The best news of all is that Lance Berkman continued his hot streak going 2-for-4 with 1 run scored and he now has his batting average up to .394. The pitchers had one of their ugliest games of the season as they put Shawn Chacon on the mound and only got 3 1/3rd innings from him. In that time he allowed 6 hits, 8 runs, 5 earned, 4 walks and 3 homers. He didn’t receive the loss because Houston made their comeback. Wesley Wright did get the loss though pitching 1 1/3rd innings giving up 3 hits, 2 runs, all earned and 2 walks. The loss brings his record to 3-1 on the season and increases his ERA to 4.11.

Game 2 had Roy Oswalt taking the mound looking to split the series with the Rangers through 2 games. Oswalt gave up a lot of hits though which ended up being the reason why the Astros fell 6-2. The loss gives Texas 2 wins out of 3 games and crowns them the champions of the Battle for the Silver Boot. Once again the bats were alive for the Rangers and between the two teams they totaled 21 hits. Lance Berkman had another great game and continued his hot streak. He hit 2-of-3 with 1 RBI and a run scored. His batting average is now up to .399 which is the Major Leagues 2nd best behind Chipper Jones who is hitting .410. Miguel Tejada also had a nice game going 1-for-4 with 1 RBI. His batting average is up to .337 and his RBI total is at 33. As I said Roy Oswalt took the mound and had one of his weaker performances of the season. He worked 6 inning allowing 11 hits, 6 runs, all earned, 1 walk and 2 homers. He was given the loss for the game which brought his record to 4-4.

Game 3 was more of a small ball approach for the Astros and they actually walked away with a 5-4 victory. Brandon Backe got the start for Houston and helped the team get the win in the final game of the 3 game series. This was the first game of the 3 that the Astros led in hits as they totaled 13. Miguel Tejada had a good game going 3-for-5 with 1 RBI and a run scored. Lance Berkman once again continued his hot streak going 2-for-5 with 1 run scored, stole his 8th base of the season and kept his batting average at .399. Backe took the mound and gave the ‘Stros the performance they needed to get out of Texas with a win going 6 1/3rd innings allowing 5 hits, 3 runs, all earned and struck out 5. He earned the win for the ball club bringing his record to 3-5 this season. Jose Valverde came in to close out the game and did just that getting his 12th save of the season striking out 3 in the process.

Overall the weekend wasn’t exactly what Houston was looking for but if you look at the offensive statistics it looked good. Too bad for us is that pitching is very important and it wasn’t very strong this weekend. The Astros will now look forward to a 3 game home stand with the NL Central leading Cubs on Monday.

The Astro’s took game 4 to take the series against the San Francisco Giants in a 9th inning nail bitter that ended with a Lance Berkman homer into McCovey Cove. The win puts Houston on a 2 game winning streak and they have now won 11 of their last 13 games. Their record now stands at 24-18 and the victory puts them in 2nd place in the NL Central just 1.5 games back from the division leading Cubs.

The offense really carried the Astro’s to the 8-7 win because they collected 13 hits as a team, 5 of which were for extra bases. They also got back on the home run track getting 3 homers from 3 different players. Carlos Lee started it off by getting a solo-homer in the 8th inning making the score 7-4 in favor of the Giants. Darin Erstad came in to pinch hit for catcher J.R. Towles and had a great at-bat. He delivered his first career pinch hit homer and to be exact it was a 3-run jack tying the score at 7′s. Lance Berkman once again came up huge for his club hitting a game winning homer into McCovey Cove in the top of the 9th making the score 8-7. Berkman had a huge night going 2-for-4 including the homer with 3 RBI and 2 runs scored. He now has his batting average up to .391 and his home run total is now at 15. Carlos Lee went 3-for-5 with 1 RBI and a run scored. His batting average has grown to .289 and his homer run total now stands at 9. Darin Erstad went 1-for-1, the hit being his 3 run jack, giving him 1 homer for the year and his batting average is now at .304.

Chris Sampson took the mound for Houston and had a very shaky night. He worked 6 innings giving up 10 hits, 7 runs, 5 earned, 3 Ks and his ERA now stands at 6.46. Tim Byrdak did get the win for the ball club because he was the last pitcher to throw before Berkman hit his game winning jack. Byrdak’s record is now 2-0 and his ERA still stands at 0.00. Jose Valverde came in to close out the game and did just that getting his 11th save of the season as he continues to drop his ERA which is now at 4.15.

Another solid win for the Astro’s as they continue to make their way towards 1st place in the NL Central. The Cubbies need to look out because Houston is one of the hottest teams in baseball right now and show no signs of cooling down.