Astros Insight: What's going on?

The Astros are sadly on the heels of a seven game losing streak after being swept in Cincinnati by the Reds. Their record now stand at 18-27, last in the NL Central and 9 games out of the first place Cardinals. Normally the Astros are slow first half starters and this year is no different. I remember 2005, the last and only World Series appearance by my Houston Astros. That year, the sport columnist of the Houston Chronicle, Dave Justice, posted an article with a tombstone and gave the Astros up for dead. Their record then stood at 15-30, worst than this year. The rest is history of course, as the Astros rallied and won the Wild Card and a wild ride to the World Series. I know, they lost, actually swept by the White Sox, but I will always remember that team, that even though they were given up for dead by most (me included), they still came back and shocked the world by advancing that far.

So, what do they need to do now to accomplish that same goal? Well, for starters, how about some pitching? Both starting and relief. This year corp has really been unsettling wth pitchers seemingly pitching on thin ice. The rotation, apart from Roy Oswalt and Wandy Rodriguez on occassions, has been disastrous. Mike Hampton, Russ Ortiz, Felipe Paulino and Brian Moehler are not exactly names that spell fear to the opposition. And as a fan, I'm always praying more than usual when any of those guys take the mound. Hopefully Brandon Backe comes back and delivers this group from its misery. Whatever happened to the times when the Astros were known for their pitching and their talents? The bullpen is in disarray as well. Having lost Jose Valverde and Doug Brocail to injuries the Astros had to plug in Latroy Hawkins as their closer, leaving the other guys (what are their names anyways?) to figure the rest out.

On the offense side, I see a lot of progress, namely Michael Bourn. This Houston native is leading the league in stolen bases and he's getting on base more regularly as his .286 batting average attests. Lance Berkman also needs to hurry up and find his groove because he is the weakest and missing link. At .229 average, Berkman is batting 70 points below is career average. If he starts to get hot and the pitching figures out a way out of its mess, I see the Astros shocking the world once again with another berth in the grand finale. The World Series.

Astros Insight: I told you so.

This is something that I wrote on a previous post regarding the Astros' Spring struggle:

"Amongst the Astros hitters, they ALL seem to be in a funk at the same time. Theoretically, that's good since then all should come out of their slumps at the same time, preferably by opening night."

Well, if you had already gave up on the Astros as early as last week, you might want to look again. They are now winners of six straight game (and we passed the Padres in the standings) and they are looking like a team that can get something done. The hits are finding holes, the pitchers are holding down the opponents, and all of the sudden everything is good in Astros town.

Now, let me remind you once again that this is Spring Training still and players are still getting their mechanic down, but surely the mood in the clubhouse took a sharp turn for the better and the remaining players in camp can ride this momentum and the positive attitude into the regular season.

This is still no indication that the Astros all of the sudden are not going to lose any more games, or that we are World Series bound, but is a positive step into the right direction, and as fan that is what I want to see. You don't want to hear excuses but you want to see results. This Spring has definitely tested Cecil Cooper patience and he responded by filling out the lineup card everyday and tinkering with the club until he got the results that he was looking for. Six wins in a row. Only 10 days until the season starts. Go Astros!

Astros Insights: Former MVP Ivan Rodriguez expected to sign; Boone out.

In good news compared to the Astros' dismal showing this Spring Training, general manager Ed Wade announce that the team has re-engaged in negotiations with Ivan Rodriguez's agent Scott Boras (and I thought Drayton McClane had vowed not to deal with Boras again after the Carlos Beltran's fiasco a few years back) and the parameters seems to be set for the free agent catcher to join the Astros pending a mandatory physical. It looks like it's going to be be a one-year contract for $1.5 million dollars. With all of the catchers in camp at this moment hitting a combine .100 this spring the Astros had to make a move. Ivan Rodriguez fills that void. He is certainly past his prime but he brings credentials that none of the other candidates have: an MVP award, 14-time All-Star, 13-time Gold Glove winner, 7-time Silver Slugger Award to go along a .301 career average with 2605 hits and 295 home runs. He has also played in two World Series, winning one with the Florida Marlins in 2003 and losing with the Detroit Tigers in 2006. He is an upgrade, both defensively and offensively for this club, not to mention the leadership abilities he'll bring as well. Kudos to Wade.

Now it's a matter of finding a third basemen after Aaron Boone announced that he is having open heart surgery, effectively ending his season with the Astros and perhaps his career. Boone describes his condition as "non-emergency". The grandson of former Major League infielder Ray Boone, son of former catcher Bob Boone and brother of former infielder Bret Boone, Aaron has played in 1,142 career games, batting .264 with 126 home runs and 555 RBIs (a friend of mine joked that next season will be the first ever that a Boone was not in any team!). With his spot on the club now open, maybe it's time to consider some of the rookies that had made an impression so far this Spring, namely Chris Johnson. Manager Cecil Cooper will definitely take a long look at him at third with two weeks still left to play in Spring Training games.

And last, the Astros fell again today to the N.Y. Yankees 4-1, running their record to 1-15-3. I have never seen an Astros team do so poorly in Spring training games. The only team that comes close to the Astros in futility this Spring are the San Diego Padres who are 4-11-3.

Astros Insight: No time to panic.....yet.

If you are an Atros fan like me, you will probably cringe when I tell you that they have the worst record of ANY team in Spring Training games. They won their first game of the spring but have yet to crack the win column again since then. At 1-11, they are the only team under the .100 winning percentage. Ay!

But to their defense, this is only Spring Training. All this numbers will soon be forgotten. It still has potential to mess with their psyche if their losing ways continue. Losing is no fun regardless of setting. Pitching coach Dewey Robinson still sees light at the end of the tunnel. He has been most impressed with the work of the starting pitching, namely Russ Ortiz, Mike Hampton and former Braves farmhand Jose Capellan. The other pitchers such as Brandon Backe and Brian Moehler are only showing glimpses of what they can really do but needs to step up their cases. And Wandy Rodriguez needs to get healthy again. And of course, Roy Oswalt is just Roy Oswalt, enough said. The bullpen has also been a positive case with closer Jose Valverde anchoring what is arguably one of the best bullpens in the league.

Amongst the hitters, they ALL seem to be in a funk at the same time. Theoretically, that's good since then all should come out of their slumps at the same time, preferably by opening night. Among the regulars in the lineup Michael Bourn is hitting .219, Hunter Pence .233, Kaz Matsui .045, Geoff Blum .105, Aaron Boone .111. Only Lance Berkman amongst our regular is hitting good at .308. And what about the competition for the catcher starting job? Well Humberto Quintero is at .125, J.R.Towles is at .083 and Lou Palmisano is at .091...who has the upper hand there? Did you really wanted to be a Dodger Ausmus? But enough sad stories. The rookies are the one that has impressed me the most. Drew Sutton, Chris Johnson, Brian Bogusevic and John Gall are all batting higher than .300 and have been tearing the cover off the ball.

But then again, it's only Spring Training. No time to panic yet. Let us wait for the regular season to start and only then we can get a better feel of what this year awaits us. GO ASTROS!

Astros Insights: Hampton, Ortiz pass first test.

Well, well, well. The moment that I have been waiting for since Brad Lidge closed out the Rays in last year World Series is here... baseball games!! I know the regular season is about a month away but Spring Training games gets my blood pumping. Not only that, we have the World Baseball Classic coming up as well (GO VENEZUELA!!)
But first, the Astros' first game of the Grapefruit league is finally in the book. A 6-3 win over the Nationals. Now, I know that this games are more of a tune-up for the real thing since both pitchers and batters are tinkering with their machanics and what not, but it is still fun to talk about it. Of note, I want to bring up Mike Hampton and Russ Ortiz, two pitchers the Astros are hoping to round out their rotation behind Roy Oswalt, Wandy Rodriguez and Brian Moehler.
Both pitched two innings to start out the game and neither allowed a run. Hampton started the game a little shaky, hitting the first batter he faced and walking the next two to load the bases with no out (ay!) but then struck out the next batter and induced a double play to get out of the inning unscathed and proceeded with a 1-2-3 second inning. Not a bad Houidini impression there. Ortiz followed suit and got the next nine outs with little problem other than a harmless hit and a walk. He struck out three.
Although it's only the first game, it is a good sign that both pitchers, who have lost significant time due to injuries the last few years, are on the right track. If both can regain the form that made them former all-stars and are able to avoid the injury bug, the Astros will contend in the NL Central. Simple as that. They are the wild card of this Astros team. Those who have counted the Astros out in each of the last 5 years have learned that we are always the sleepers of the NL Central.
In other front, a couple of rookies made good impressions on manager Cecil Cooper. Infielder Drew Sutton took over second base halfway through the game and went 2-2 with 2 runs scored. And third baseman Chris Johnson launched a solo home run in his only hit of the day. Both Sutton and Johnson are trying to make the case to be in the 25-man roster on opening night and they didn't dissapoint. There are still many Spring games left but it is an encouraging beginning. Go Astros.

The end of the Steroid Era?

With recent news about Barry Bond's perjury case and his steroid scandal, I couldn't help but be taken back to the time when the home runs where flying out the ballpark in record numbers. I remember vividly the summer of 1998 when Sammy Sosa and Mark Mcwire were going back and forth trying to break Roger Maris record of most home runs in a season. For the record, Mcgwire finished with 70 to Sosa's 66. I remember in 2001 when Bonds hit 73 o f them! (Number 70 was against my beloved Astros in their ballpark, then Enron Field) Nobody seemed to question where those guys where getting their power from. Fans were loving it. Owners, I'm sure, were loving it. Heck, even I was amazed. At the time I was sure I was witnessing something of historic proportions. Something I could brag about to my kids when they get older. Since then, names of iconic baseball players have been falling out of a hat, one after the other, accused of using steroids: Bonds, Mcgwire, Sosa, Rafael Palmeiro, Miguel Tejada, Jason Giambi, Andy Pettite, Roger Clemens. To a lesser extent but still damaging to the psyche were the likes of Eric Gagne, Chuck Knoublauch, Paul LoDuca, David Justice, Kevin Brown, David Segui, Mo Vaughn. All of them and more listed in the Mitchell's report will now be known as the poster child of the Steroid Era.

A lot of memories are now marred by this report, and with a former teammate of Bonds, catcher Bobby Estallela, now posed to testify against Bonds with damaging evidence, who knows? Maybe we can finally find some closure to all this. Wouldn't it be nice NOT to hear about steroids on sports radio for a change? But baseball will always survive. I get excited seeing the next wave of steroid-free superstars that are developing into future hall of famers. Albert Pujols, Derek Jeter, Ryan Howard, Dustin Pedroia, Miguel Cabrera. These are the kind of guys that we need to root for. Players who represent the true grit and spirit of the game of baseball. The new generation of baseball players. The New Era.