Looking at the Astros it is still a bit hard to see what went wrong. The Tampa Bay series is a start. The Rays hadn't lost a series at Tropicana since April so score that one for the 'Stros.
The bullpen was responsible for two of the losses in Baltimore and one in Tampa, but it really was due for a few blown saves after being stellar in May. Simply, the Astros were not scoring enough runs, and they still aren't. If you ignore the 18 runs the Astros scored in the Milwaukee series (beaten in two of three), since they headed on the road at the end of May, after beating St. Louis on the 27th they've scored 53 runs in 20 games. That is awful. Oswalt has been better, but Chacon and Backe's pitching both went South and the offense could not pick them up. Tejada, Pence and Berkman have all visibly cooled off and no-one is picking them up.
The Astros 2-1 loss to the Orioles in extras was a great example of the offensive ineptitude, scoring just one run on a Berkman solo home run off Jeremy Guthrie.
Shawn Chacon is unhappy about being moved to the bullpen but its obvious Cooper has had enough, and he has to do something to shake up the team. Runelvys Hernandez , who got shelved early in spring training after showing erratic control has shown good numbers at AAA (6-3, 3.72 ERA in 15 starts). He'll get his shot at starting, while a disgruntled Chacon will work out of the pen as he did in Pittsburgh last year.
If this really is the beginning of the end for the Astros season, and I don't think it is right to hammer shut their coffin just yet, it is hard to see what else Ed Wade could have done. The Astros have had a tough stretch, and the team is visibly tiring. If they can get back to .500 by the all-star break they will be in an ok position to refuel and mount a challenge to the NL Wildcard (forget about those Cubs they're long gone). I would have gone after Rich Harden and Troy Percival as I said all off-season. Could Josh Anderson have done what Michael Bourn have done this season? Bourn will have time to develop and within a few years he could be an all-star player. If Wade would have done what I'd suggested he probably would not have got Geary, who has been a cog in our bullpen, and wouldn't have got Valverde, and would still have Lidge and Qualls. The Astros would not have got Tejada, unless they could have flipped Lidge for prospects to deal for Tejada. It isn't an exact science GMing, as Bill Bavassi found out last week.
Their current record is 35-41 and they could get back to .500 with a couple of good series and perhaps one or two sweeps somewhere. They host the rangers next, then Boston and Los Angeles. Then on the road they face Atlanta, Pittsburgh and Washington (they could easily win two of those three).
I can't belive how well the Twins are doing, but their pitching has been a lot better than people predicted. They like Oakland have got surprising performances from people you'd never heard of before. Whoever heard of Nick Blackburn and Glen Perkins? I hadn't. Still in Chicago, will see hopefully the Cubs play the Orioles before heading east to Cleveland then Pittsburgh.
Posted by astrobrit
at 2:32 AM BST
