Colt 45s Blog

The Astros have been gutted as far as minor league talent is concerned.  Trades and some spotty drafting have done them in, but the Astros picked up a stud in the draft and there’s some light at the end of the tunnell. 

Drew Sutton was the organizations top hitter.  He hit .317 and he scored 24 first inning runs as the leadoff hitter for Corpus Christi.  Throw in 102 total runs and 20 steals and you have a guy who could be hitting leadoff for the big league club here in a couple of years.

Polin Trinidad was the top hurler.  He finished with 10 wins, 109 strikeouts and a 3.14 ERA.  He’s still a ways away, but this is a guy who could make some noise in a couple of years. 

Koby Clemens looks like he got a double whammy.  He laid somewhat of an egg in his first year at catcher and to make things worse, the Astros top prospect going forward, Jason Castro, probably figures to be the teams catcher of the future.

Speaking of Castro, he made his mark in the New York Penn League and now he’s doing his thing over in Hawaii.  Just what you’d expect from the number 10 pick.

I know it’s football season but I still like to get out and toss the ball around with the boys.  I got a new baseball bat from Baseball Rampage, a fantastic online resource.  I now know that whenever I need baseball gear, Baseball Rampage is the place I’m going to fill my need.

Houston finished off the 4 game series with the LA Dodgers dropping the last 3 games of the set. The lost the last game 5-2 bringing ending the series 1 games to 3 in the Dodgers favor. The ‘Stros now look at a 40-46 record this season and now share the bottom spot in the NL Central.

The hit counts were even throughout the game at 8 but the difference was the amount of timely hits each team recorded. The only set of RBI came off the bat of J.R. Towles who went 1-for-4 including a double with 2 RBI. He now has his RBI total up to 16 with a batting average of .153. There really wasn’t much more production from the offensive side. Lance Berkman and Carlos Lee both went 2-for-4. Geof Blum and Hunter Pence each scored runs in the game.

Brandon Backe took the mound for the Astros and had a rough outing. He worked 6.2 innings allowing 7 hits, 5 runs, all earned, with 2 walks and 2 homers. He was given the loss for the game bringing his record to 5-9 with a 5.22 ERA. Geof Geary, Doug Brocail and Tim Byrdak all entered the game to get some relief work and played much better then Backe did. They worked a combined 2 innings only giving up 1 hit. Too bad for us is that the starter couldn’t match the effort of the bullpen.

The Stros are just 6 games away from getting back to .500 which doesn’t seem like that much to me. In baseball that could be 1 week of winning and they are right back in the race. Houston will now open up a series against the Atlanta Braves on Friday.

Houston won the 2nd game of the scheduled 3 game series against the Boston Red Sox on Saturday, 11-10. The series is now tied at 1 game a piece with the final game on Sunday to be played. The Astros now look at a record of 37-41 as they continue to work their way back up the Central ladder.

The offense was once again carried by the play of Lance Berkman who came up clutch in the late innings to carry his team to victory. Berkman went 2-for-5 with 3 RBI in the game. His batting average now sits at .366 with a total of 66 RBI. Carlos Lee also played well going 3-for-5, including a homer, with 3 RBI and 2 runs scored. His home run total now stands at 18 with a total of 63 RBI. Mark Loretta also chipped in with 3 RBI hitting his 3rd home run of the season. Ty Wiggington also went deep hitting his 5th RBI of the year with a batting average of .277.

Brandon Backe took the mound for the Astros and had a shaky outing. He worked 5.1 innings allowing 9 hits, 6 runs, all earned, 3 walks and 5 Ks. He was relieved by Geoff Geary who also had a very rough night. He pitched just 2/3rds innings giving up 3 hits, 3 runs, and 1 walk. As bad as the pitching was early it was picked up by the showing of Doug Brocail who came in for the 8th inning allowing no hits, and no runs. He earned the win for the ‘Stros bringing his record to 3-3 with 3.18 ERA. Jose Valverde came in to close out the game and did just that getting his 20th save of the season, strking out all 3 in the inning.

A very good game for the Astros especially since it was against the BoSox in the late innings. The pitching was ugly but because the offense was so strong Houston now has a chance to win 3 straight series in interleague play. They will get that chance on Sunday in game 3.

The Astors opened up the first game of the scheduled 3 game series against the Boston Red Sox with a 6-1 loss. Houston now sits with a 36-41 record, just 1.5 games away from the last place Cincinnati Reds.

The offense only collected 4 hits for the game, only 2 of which were allowed by Daisuke Matsuzaka. The only run for the Astros came off the bat of pinch hitter Reggie Abercrombie getting his 1st home run of the season. Other then the effort from Abercrombie there isn’t much more offense to speak of. Miguel Tejada and Lance Berkman both went 1-for-4 but neither were able to capitalize once they got on base.

Runelvys Hernandez took the mound for the Astros and had a tough time getting Red Sox batters out. He worked just 5 innings allowing 5 hits, 3 runs, all earned, 3 walks and a homer to J.D. Drew in the 3rd. He was given the loss for the game bringing his record to 0-1 with a 5.40 ERA. The next 5 reliever that came in to work really had a hard time staying consistent with balls and strikes. As a total they allowed 6 hits, 3 runs, and 3 walks. This type of effort from the bullpen will never carry a team to victory especially when you are facing the defending champs.

An ugly game for Houston as they continue to play inconsistent ball. They will play game 2 on Saturday looking to even the series at a game a piece.

The Houston Astros have decided to release pitcher Shawn Chacon, Just days after he and General Manager Ed Wade got into an altercation. He was suspended just 1 day ago for insubordination and will not pay the remaining $2 million dollars left on Chacon’s contract.

If you haven’t heard what went down between Wade and Chacon let me bring you up to speed. Chacon had been upset for a little while now that he had been demoted to the bullpen after beginning the season as a full-time starter. His performance and effort have dropped and the demotion made complete sense. With Chaocn upset, General manager Ed Wade wanted to setup a closed door meeting between the two. Chacon refused and told Wade that if he had something to say he could say it in the clubhouse in front of everyone. This is how the altercation went down from the point-of-view of Wade.  “Chacon responded with profane and threatening remarks and got up from his seat. He moved in front of me until we were chest to chest, and then he shoved me to the ground. When I attempted to get to my feet he shoved me a second time, at which point players and coaches intervened. After order was restored, I told him he was suspended and he eventually left the clubhouse. I then held a short meeting with the players.”

The meeting must have led to the demise of Chacon as a Houston Astro player and he now becomes a free agent. Hopefully the ordeal will not effect that play of the Astros and inside the clubhouse. The last thing they need is a split between the team and more problems to erupt.

Houston won the final game of the scheduled 3 game series against the Texas Rangers, 7-2. The Astros won the set 2 games to 1 and have now won 2 series in a row during interleague play. They now look at a 37-42 record but continue to duke it out with the Reds for the bottom of the NL Central.

The Houston offense was on its game from the get go starting the game with a 4 run 1st inning and a 3 run 2nd. The team was ancored by the strong play of both Lance Berkman and Hunter Pence. Berkman went 3-for-3 with 1 RBI and 2 runs scored. He now has his batting average at an impressive .367 and his RBI count now totals 63. Pence hit 1-of-4 which was a triple that drove in 3 runs. His batting average now stands at .269 and his RBI total is 40. David Newhan also had a solid game for the ‘Stros going 3-for-5, including a double with 2 RBI and a run scored. The 2 RBI were his first of the season as was the double.

Wandy Rodriguez took the mound for the Astros and pitched lights out. He worked 8 innings giving up 5 hits, 1 run, no walks and 9 K’s. He earned the win for his ball club bringing his record to an even 3-3 with a 2.58 ERA. Oscar Villarreal came in for relief duty and pitched solid as well working just 1 inning and striking out 2.

A strong way to close out a series for the Astros as they continue to dig their way out of the hole they put themselves into. They will now open up the final series of interleague play against baseballs best team, the Boston Red Sox.

Houston won the final game of the 3 game set against the Tampa Bay Rays, 3-2. The series victory is the first the ‘Stros can claim since the one over the Cubs on May 19-21. They now look at a record of 35-41 but still sit near the cellar of the NL Central.

Houston was down until the 6th inning when they took the 3-2 lead, which ended up being the final. Carlos Lee once again played well for the Astros going 1-for-4 including a homer with 2 RBI and a run scored. He now has his batting average up to .276 with 17 homers for the year. Hunter Pence also went deep going 1-for-4 with 1 RBI and a run scored. His RBI total now sits at 37 with 10 homers.

Brandon Backe was given the start for the Astros and pitched a solid game. He worked 6.2 inning allowing 6 hits, 2 runs, 4 walks and 5 K’s. He earned the win for his club bringing his record to 5-8 with an ERA of 4.82. The next 3 relievers that entered the game all recorded holds for their effort as none of them allowed a hit or a run. Jose Valverde came in to close out the game and did just that bringing his save total to 18.

A solid win for the Astros getting a series victory for the first time in nearly a month. They will get a day off on Monday and open up a 3 game series with the Texas Rangers on Tuesday.

The Astros lost game 2 of a scheduled 3 game series against the Tampa Bay Rays on Saturday. The Tampa win evens the series at a game a piece. Houston now looks at a 34-41 record as they have now gone 1-9 through their last 10 games.

Houston had the game in hand up until the 9th inning where the Rays produced 2 runs to take a 4-3 victory. Carlos Lee once again produced for his ball club going 2-for-3 including a homer with 1 RBI and 2 runs scored. He now has his home run total at 16 this season with a batting average of .276. Geoff Blum also chipped in with a RBI going 2-for-4 with 1 RBI. His batting average sits at .234 this season with a total of 16 RBI. Lance Berkman had a solid game for the ‘Stros as well going 0-for-3 with a walk, a run scored and a stolen base.

Wandy Rodriguez took the mound for the Astros and pitched a solid game. He worked 5 and 2/3rds innings allowing 5 hits, 2 runs, 2 walks and 6 K’s. When he left the game the Astros were only down by 1 run. When Geoff Geary came in for some relief Houston had taken the lead by 1 run. He pitched 2.1 innings allowing just 1 hits, 1 walk and he struck out 1. His effort was very strong but the showing by Doug Brocail overshadowed any solid play that the ‘Stros put up. Brocial didn’t even make it through 1 inning but he gave up 3 hits and 2 runs. For his poor outing he was given his 1st blown save of the season and his record now stands at 2-3.

This was a very inconsistent game for the Astros as they really couldn’t get strong play from the pitchers. Hopefully in game 3 the ‘Stros can get solid production and keep the lead that they develope.

Houston ended the 8 game losing streak that they were stuck on with a 4-3 victory over the surprising Tampa Bay Rays in game 1 of a scheduled 3 game set. The Astros now look at a 34-40 record but still sit in 5th place in the NL central.

The Astros had control of the entire game but the Rays made it interesting when they got a run in the 8th and 9th innings bringing the game closer then it was. Carlos Lee took the DH role in this one and was very effective. Lee went 2-for-4, both hits were doubles, with 2 RBI. He now has his batting average up to .278 with a total of 55 RBI. Lance Berkman recorded his 60th RBI of the year as he went 0-for-2 with 1 RBI and a run scored. The RBI was recorded as Berkman hit a sac fly. The final RBI came from Kaz Matsui who went 1-for-4 including a double with 1 RBI and a run scored. His batting average sits at .271 with 18 RBI.

Roy Oswalt was given the start and pitched a very effective game stopping the losing streak in its tracks. Oswalt went 7 and 2/3rds innings giving up 7 hits, 2 runs, all earned and 5 strike outs. He earned the win bringing his record to 6-7 with a 4.84 ERA. Doug Brocail came in for a hold and was given his 12 of the year pitching just 1/3rd inning. Jose Valverde came in to close out the game and did just that getting his 17th save of the season.

Houston looked good in this one and actually got production from both the hitters and pitchers. Both teams will meet again tomorrow for game 2.

Houston was swept again in back-to-back series but this time it was against the Baltimore Orioles. The 8th straight loss brings the ‘Stros record to a weak 33-40 as they continue to sit in 5th place and now are just .5 games away from being in dead last in the NL Central.

The offense actually came to play in this one but the game was once again fumbled by the poor game by the pitchers. Miguel Tejada had the best game for the ‘Stros going 2-for-5 including a homer with 2 RBI and a run scored. He now has his home run total up to 10 this season with a batting average of .294. Lance Berkman also pitched in with an RBI going 3-for-5 with 1 RBI. With the 3 hits he has his batting average at .366 with a total of 59 RBI. Kaz Matsui and Hunter Pence also contributed in the RBI stat as they both went 1-for-4 with the RBI.

Shawn Chacon took the mound for the Astros and had a very hard time getting any outs. He worked 5 innings allowing 8 hits, 6 runs, all earned and 4 walks. He was given the loss for the game bringing his record to 2-3 this season with a 5.04 ERA. Tim Byrdak came in for some relief work and pitched a solid 2 innings. He only gave up 2 hits and 1 run in that time.

Houston needs to figure something out, and fast. They have quickly gone from one of the hottest teams in the NL to one of the coldest in what seems like overnight. Cecil Cooper needs to get things together so he can get his guys out of this funk for the series they beging with the Rays on Friday.