Tag Archives: Houston Astros

Weekly Hit Ground Ball: A 2013 return

After a one-year hiatus, my ‘Weekly’ Hit Ground Ball column returns today.

Every Monday, I’ll be writing about the key stories that caught my eye in MLB over the past week.

Lonestar State MLB season opener

Our progression through the long baseball-free winter months reached a significant moment this past week as ESPN announced which game would be the 2013 MLB regular season opener.

Baseball fans in the U.K. will be putting sleep to one side in the early hours of Monday 1 April as the Houston Astros make their American League debut against the Texas Rangers. The game will begin shortly after 8 p.m. Eastern Time on Sunday 31 March, making for a 1 a.m. Bank Holiday Monday start for us.

The game choice is a slight surprise. The obvious choice for the marquee season opener was the game between the free-spending Los Angeles Dodgers hosting the reigning World Series champions the San Francisco Giants.

Over the past ten seasons, the reigning World Series champions have featured in the opening game on seven occasions (taking the three Japan series in 2004, 2008 and 2012 out of the equation).

On the other three occasions, the Orioles celebrated 50 years in Baltimore to start the 2004 season against the Boston Red Sox, Ryan Zimmerman memorably launched the new Nationals Ballpark by launching a walk-off home run against the Atlanta Braves in 2008, and there was no single opening game in 2011 when the action started on a Thursday.

The Astros’ move into the American League is certainly a notable moment. It marks the end of the organization’s 51-season spell in the Senior Circuit and is the first time a team has switched leagues since the Milwaukee Brewers moved from the AL to the NL in 1998.  Combine that with this being the first game in a new American League local rivalry against the Rangers and it should be the sort of memorable occasion that the marquee opener deserves.

The only problem from a neutral’s perspective is that the Astros aren’t very good. And that’s putting it kindly.

Houston lost 107 games in 2012, after losing 106 in the previous year, and their offseason inactivity coupled with the move to a more competitive division doesn’t bode well for their prospects in 2013.  Their number one starting pitcher right now is Bud Norris and whilst he’s a decent enough starter who can rack up some strikeouts for your fantasy team, he isn’t anyone’s definition of an ace.

It’s a shame that the Astros are starting this new era whilst being in the early stages of a rebuilding phase. The Major League team and farm system had needed an overhaul since 2009, but stubbornness alongside the protracted sale of the organization delayed the process for a couple of years and it’s probable that Astros fans will be waiting until 2015 or 2016 before they start to see real progress at the Major League level.

But let’s not be too negative. Every baseball fan knows that however mediocre a team may look on paper, and however poorly they may perform over the course of a season, they are capable of pulling out a win on any given day or night.

The Astros played six Interleague games against the Rangers last season. They lost five of them, but they did gain a 6-5 victory over their rivals on 19 May at Minute Maid Park.

One solitary win doesn’t count for much in the general scheme of things; however wouldn’t it be great if the unfancied Astros shocked the Rangers with an Opening Night victory, sending their fans home happy, decked out in clothing adorned with their new logo and colour scheme, toasting the joy of being able to claim that they have the best record in the Majors, for one night at least.

It could come true, or they could be put to the sword by a Texas team intent on showing the locals how tough life will be in the AL West.

The 2013 regular season opener will not just be a great occasion for the Astros, it will be an instant reminder, as another season gets underway, of one of the great wonders of baseball: you never know what’s going to happen.

Berkman joins the Rangers

Saturday’s news that Lance Berkman has agreed a one-year,$10m contract with the Texas Rangers will bring an extra storyline to the opening game.

Berkman is of course an Astros hero having been a star on the team from 1999 to 2010. Injury wrecked his 2012 season with the St. Louis Cardinals, restricting him to only 32 games; however, that followed a memorable 2011 campaign in which he helped the Cards to a World Series win.

Moving to the AL, where his knees can be rested as a Designated Hitter, increases the odds that Berkman will be able to contribute throughout the season. If he does, the Rangers’ offence is really starting to shape up again. This is their projected batting lineup against right-handed pitchers, as proposed by the brilliant MLBDepthCharts website:

1 2B Ian Kinsler
2 SS Elvis Andrus
3 LF David Murphy*
4 3B Adrian Beltre
5 DH Lance Berkman**
6 RF Nelson Cruz
7 C A.J. Pierzynski*
8 1B Mitch Moreland*
9 CF Leonys Martin*

Projected Bench
C Geovany Soto
IF/OF Leury Garcia
IF/OF Mike Olt
OF Craig Gentry

(* = left-handed hitter, ** = switch-hitter).

The one criticism you could level at the line-up is that David Murphy is not an ideal Number Three hitter, but if they could add another quality bat to the outfield mix – and they continue to be linked with a trade for Arizona’s Justin Upton – then it would become a very well-balanced offence.

The Rangers have lost several key players this offseason, not least Josh Hamilton and Mike Napoli, whilst missing out on pitching targets such as Zack Greinke and James Shields.  However one look at their roster tells you that it would be a grave mistake to underestimate how good a team they remain.

Optimism in Cleveland

Positivity and optimism was overflowing this week in Cleveland as the Indians formally announced the signing of free agent outfielder Nick Swisher.

The former Yankee is one of the most gregarious players in MLB so the level of excitement coming from the player was no surprise. However, there seemed to be a wider sense at the press conference that Cleveland, with Terry Francona at the helm, are on their way up.

Moving from a 68-94 record in 2012 to challenging the formidable Detroit Tigers in 2013 may be beyond them, but there are genuine reasons for fans of the Tribe to look forward to the coming season with optimism that their team is heading in the right direction once again.

 

Wild Card races going down to the wire

MlbHlSq160 games played, 2 more to go. Fans of the Braves, Cardinals, Rays and Red Sox are being put through the wringer by their teams and the tension could be at its height on Tuesday night in the States.

The results from Monday’s games have left the Red Sox and Rays locked together in the American League Wild Card race, while the Braves hold a one-game lead in the National League over the Cardinals.

Atlanta could clinch the NL Wild Card tonight with a victory accompanied by a St. Louis loss, distilling the excitement down to one league on Wednesday. 

However, it’s just as likely that the NL Wild Card will still be up for grabs, so we might yet have another full day of nervous excitement.

The MLB schedulers have inadvertently produced a fascinating climax to the season.  In both Wild Card races, we have a team ending the regular season with a series against the best team in their league, accompanied by a team playing one of the weaker sides.

In the case of the National League, the race-leading Braves are the team with potentially the toughest task. 

Atlanta are hosting the Phillies, holders of the best win-loss record in baseball this season and fuelled by a desire to enter the postseason on the back of some good performances following a recent eight-game losing streak. Their rivals in the Wild Card race, the Cardinals, are matched-up with the team with the worst record in baseball: the Washington Nationals.

Put the two cases together and logically you would expect the Cardinals to take full advantage; however we all know that sport and logic often sit at odds with one another.  Continue reading

2011 MLB Preview: National League Central

MlbHlSqFor the first time since they topped the National League Central in 1995, the Cincinnati Reds enter a season looking to defend their division.  And their rivals are determined to make it a difficult year.

2010 Standings (Team, win-loss record)

1. Cincinnati Reds (91-71)
2. St. Louis Cardinals (86-76)
3. Milwaukee Brewers (77-85)
4. Houston Astros (76-86)
5. Chicago Cubs (75-87)
6. Pittsburgh Pirates (57-105)

The 2010/11 Offseason

It has been an interesting offseason in the NL Central.

The reigning champion Reds went down a course of consolidation.  They brought back starter Bronson Arroyo and signed extensions with Joey Votto, Jay Bruce and Johnny Cueto, whilst avoiding the loss of any significant contributors.  All of which means they remain a very solid team, but they haven’t pushed on with the help of acquiring new players and other teams in the division have taken that as a sign to chance their arm. Continue reading

2010 Season Review: NL Central Part Two

MlbHlSqWe continue our look back at the 2010 MLB season with part two of our NL Central review.  Part One can be found here.

Houston Astros (76-86)

The penny finally dropped in Houston.   The Astros had been treading water for several years in the hope that their veterans and a few hardy souls could somehow spring a surprise and stumble into the postseason.

It didn’t happen and, Astros owner Drayton McLane aside, no one thought it would.  Rebuilding is not a pleasant process but if you haven’t got the financial resources to restock with a few top free agents every year, at some point you have to cut your losses and accept that you have to start again. 

The Astros finally reached that point in 2010 and parted ways with Roy Oswalt and Lance Berkman midway through the season.  The first half of the season had been terrible with them as Houston went 8-14 in April and 9-20 in May, leaving them 12.5 games out as the calendar turned to June.

From 1 August onwards, the Astros went 32-27 to at least provide some enjoyment for the fans at Minute Maid Park.  However, many a team has fallen into the trap of mistaking a nice end to an already-lost season as being a sign of genuine progress.   It’s the sort of thing the Astros have done in the past, but the recent announcement that the team is up for sale suggests that they really will be heading into a new era now and making a break from the past.

Just to end on a positive note, credit should go to Ed Wade for his decision to take a flyer on Brett Myers over the 09/10 offseason.   Wade is no stranger to signing ex-Phillies, but in this case it worked out brilliantly.  Myers pitched very well for the Astros in 2010 and deserved his contract extension, giving the team a decent veteran to lead the pitching staff over the next few years.  Continue reading

Weekly Hit Ground Ball: Oswalt a left field choice

WhgbHlSqEveryone was smiling on Tuesday night when the Philadelphia Phillies’ starting pitcher Roy Oswalt ran out to play left field against the Houston Astros. 

Well, perhaps not Ryan Howard.  The Phillies’ first baseman was still seething after being ejected from the game in the bottom of the fourteenth inning: the very act that left manager Charlie Manuel in the unenviable position of choosing between Oswalt and Joe Blanton as the only two available options to replace the slugger.

And Manuel himself probably wasn’t grinning much either.  Having dealt with injuries to several key players in recent months, the last thing he wanted to do was send his number two starter into the outfield and risk him getting injured.  However, Blanton has a classic pitcher’s build (‘built for comfort, not for speed’) and really wasn’t an option to start chasing down flyballs, even if he does have a World Series home run to boost his hitting credentials.

So it was Oswalt who had to pick up a glove and man left field, smiling broadly with the Citizens Bank Park crowd cheering his name.  It was a surreal scene, made all the more so by the strange coincidence of it happening against Oswalt’s former team.

It’s the way in most sports that many players relish the chance of taking on the role of one of their colleagues.  Maybe it’s a way to relieve stress from the daily grind?  Maybe it’s because they believe the opposite role to their own is easier than their teammates make it look?  Maybe it’s a case of the same feeling of wonder that us fans all go through: ‘what does it feel like to hit a game-winning home run, or a last minute winner?’

Whatever the cause, go to a football training ground and more often than not you’ll find goalkeepers playing as strikers in the five-a-side games, while Wayne Rooney is far from the only attacker known for being a demon goalkeeper (in his own mind at least).  And it’s the same in baseball.  Position players will try out their knuckleballs in the outfield, pitchers convince themselves that they could easily hit long balls if only given a proper chance.

Every now and then, the player gets a chance to live up to their own billing and those moments are always treasured by fans.  We burst into cheers as a goalkeeper heads for the opposition’s penalty box for a late corner, or offer a standing ovation for every routine save made by a position player suddenly left wearing the goalkeeper’s gloves after the normal Number One gets sent off with no substitutes remaining.  We laugh along as batters hit harmless flyballs off a position player’s tame offerings near the end of a blow-out loss (Bill Hall and Nick Swisher being two of the most recent to take the mound temporarily).

What is it that makes these moments so special?

It’s because we’re no longer watching a professional who has dedicated years to honing his skills, we’re watching a talented athlete trying his best in an unfamiliar position.  This typically comes in a state of emergency, and a gung-ho spirit consumes everybody as we enjoy the moment and try to encourage the player into a miraculous performance. 

It’s a little different when it comes to a National League pitcher being a substitute position player.  They have to field their position and also take their hacks at the plate in their normal line of duty, so the skills are far from alien to them.  Oswalt himself was quick to point this out after the game. 

Phildelphia Phillies starter Roy Oswalt (C) leaves the dugout after completing his night against the Washington Nationals in the seventh inning of their MLB National League baseball game in Washington, July 30, 2010. REUTERS/Jonathan Ernst (UNITED STATES - Tags: SPORT BASEBALL)

The Astros’ first batter in the fifteenth inning, Jason Castro, hit a flyball to left field (you would expect no less from the baseball gods) and while a commentator on the Phillies’ TV broadcast could be heard to gasp “oh no!” as soon as he saw it heading in Oswalt’s direction, the pitcher turned left fielder made the catch with ease.  The crowd went wild and Oswalt was seen smiling at it all, but he played the moment down later on.  “Everybody made a big deal about a fly ball. We catch 50, 60 of them a day during BP [batting practice], maybe every day for 162 games. For 10 years that’s a lot of fly balls”, said Oswalt.

His comments were accurate, but perhaps he was deliberately trying to play down his excitement.  In fact, he let slip his true feelings when explaining to reporters what he said when centre fielder Shane Victorino asked if he wanted him to take any plays involving a throw to the plate.  “I said, ‘No.’ That’s what I’ve been wanting to do forever is throw somebody out at the plate’”.

He might have 146 Major League wins and 1,628 strikeouts to his name, yet gunning down a runner still remains an unfulfilled dream.

As does hitting a game-winning home run.  He had the chance, with the Phillies down 4-2 in the sixteenth inning, two runners on and two out.  ‘Let’s go Oswalt’ chants filled the air, but he could only ground out to the third baseman to end the game.

Still, we all had something to smile about along the way.

Web pick of the week: Behind the scenes at Wrigley Field

Web-PickThis week’s web pick provides a behind-the-scenes look at one of Major League Baseball’s most cherished Green Cathedrals: Wrigley Field.

The footage is courtesy of Alyson Footer, previously the beat writer for the Houston Astros on MLB.com and now the Senior Director of Social Media for the Houston Astros.  Alyson will be well known to Astros fans as she does an enormous amount, from blogs to tweets to videos, to bridge what often seems to be an ever-widening chasm between the media-trained, PR conscious players and the ordinary fan.

An occasional part of her video ‘Footnotes’ series is a tour of the visitor clubhouses in various ballparks and the recent one on Wrigley Field gives you a good insight into the somewhat aged facilities at this classic venue.  My favourite part of the video is the long, distinctly unglamorous walk from the clubhouse to the visitors’ dugout, replete with hand-written signs urging the intrepid explorers to ‘Keep Going’!

Those wanting a good comparison between Wrigley and a more modern ballpark should also check out Alyson’s footage from the Milwaukee Brewers’ Miller Park, a set-up that former Astro (and it still seems very strange to write that) Lance Berkman describes as “probably the best clubhouse in the National League”.

MLB on BBC 5 Live Sports Extra: Reds at Astros

Mlb5XtraHlWe’re off to Minute Maid Park this evening as the Houston Astros host the Cincinnati Reds on BBC 5 Live Sports Extra. 

The MLB on 5 Live show is scheduled to begin at 19.00, with first pitch set for five minutes later.  Jonny Gould should be back in the presenting chair after missing last week’s show (UPDATE: in fact, former NFL on 5 presenter Nat Coombs will be in the hot seat), Mike Carlson proving an able deputy, but Josh Chetwynd is taking a break for the delightful reason that his wife is expecting their second child any time soon.  You can listen to the game via DAB radio or Digital TV.

After a fairly uninspiring start, last week’s 5 Live game between the Los Angeles Dodgers and St. Louis Cardinals turned into an enthralling contest and this week’s game from the Senior circuit promises to be just as good.  Continue reading

Saturday’s early MLB games: Johan Santana faces the Twins

Ho hum, another no-hitter.  Maybe it’s a freak occurrence, maybe there’s an underlying reason why pitchers are racking up historical feats at an unprecedented pace this season?  I’ll leave such research to people better positioned to delve into the topic and get on with enjoying the games.

And thankfully there’s a decent selection of early games to enjoy live in the British evening today. 

The opener is the highlight of the day from a storyline perspective.  Johan Santana will face his former team for the first time since being traded to the Mets during the 2007/08 offseason.  That would be a notable story in itself, but it’s all the more so coming in a difficult week for the former Cy Young winner, both in admitting that he’s still recovering from offseason elbow surgery and the off-the-field revelation that he was accused of sexual battery last October, a case that was closed due to lack of evidence.  I’m sure he’ll be glad to get back out on the field and it should be a good match-up against Carl Pavano, who pitched a complete game against the Phillies last time out and is quietly having a very accomplished season.  In fact, his moustache seems to be getting more attention than his pitching.

Elsewhere, Cole Hamels takes on the Blue Jays a day after Roy Halladay returned to his former team and got the win, Ian Kennedy has the task of following up Edwin Jackson’s no-no as he matches up against David Price and the Rays, and the impressive Doug Fister makes a very welcome return for the Mariners after a stint on the Disabled List.  All times are in BST.

18.10. Minnesota at NY Mets (Carl Pavano – Johan Santana) * ESPN America
19.10. St. Louis at Kansas City (Blake Hawksworth – Kyle Davies)
20.05. Houston at Texas (Josh Banks – C.J. Wilson)
21.00. Detroit at Atlanta (Max Scherzer – Kenshin Kawakami)
21.05. Washington at Baltimore (Livan Hernandez – Brad Bergesen) * ESPN America
21.05. Philadelphia at Toronto (Cole Hamels – Shaun Marcum)
21.05. Arizona at Tampa Bay (Ian Kennedy – David Price)
21.10. Seattle at Milwaukee (Doug Fister – Randy Wolf)

All the above games can be followed via various resources on MLB.com (Gameday, At Bat with Gameday Audio and MLB.tv).  It’s wall-to-wall MLB on ESPN America tonight, as the two noted games above are followed by Yankees-Dodgers from midnight. A complete schedule of MLB games can be found on MLB.com

Weekly Hit Ground Ball: Searching for starters

WhgbHlSqWe’re not quite halfway through the season, but teams are already taking stock of how 2010 is shaping up for them.

Some teams are on the right course for a playoff place, many others can paint scenarios that will see them breaking into the October club, while several teams already have one eye on 2011.

Whichever group a team is in, they will be looking at their roster of players, looking at the other twenty-nine teams and giving serious thought to making a deal or two.  The initial trade deadline is six weeks away and a lot can happen in that period.  A good or bad run of form can turn a team from being a buyer to a seller and back again, while the ever-present shadow of injuries can force a team’s hand into going out and replacing a key player. 

Acquiring a new starting pitcher in particular can make all the difference, either by acquiring an ace, such as the Phillies did with Cliff Lee last year, or getting a guy off the scrap heap as the Dodgers did with Vicente Padilla. 

You can never be certain how a deal is going to work out.  Jarrod Washburn went 8-6 with a 2.64 ERA for the Mariners during the first four months of the 2009 season and was much sought after on trade deadline day.  Detroit won the battle to acquire Washburn, but he was hampered by a knee injury and ended with a 7.33 ERA in his eight starts with his new team and is now a free agent and contemplating retirement.

Still, that uncertainty is part of the fun as a fan (not so much for the General Managers).  Here are a few starting pitchers that could be joining contenders over the next six weeks.  Continue reading

Out of Left Field: Spring training – it’s all about the livestock

MlbHlSqPeople! Enough of the speculating, the postulating and the ruminating. Enough of the rumour-mongering and number-crunching. Finally, finally, you good, good people – we have some baseball to watch. Yes, my friends, spring training has begun! And ain’t it grand?

Spring training is the one time of year where you can watch your team play without worrying that they might ruin their playoff hopes, or dip beneath .500. This is baseball, but without the emotional commitment. Sure, you might get excited, or disappointed, or annoyed, but then that little light-bulb flashes above your head – ping! – It doesn’t matter at all!

This beautiful time of year allows us to ease our way back in to watching baseball. We can let it drift over us, we can dip in and out, or we can bail in the fifth inning when we don’t recognise anybody. Alternatively, we can keep watching, to see the stars of tomorrow and the stars that never will be. Ah, the freedom and the hope of spring training.

But enough of my jaw-jawing, I’m guessing you’re chomping at the bit for some wacky baseball news, right? How did I guess?

First off, not everybody is so excited about baseball starting again. Take the Houston Astros’ Carlos Lee, who has skipped training to go to the rodeo. Lee is a cattle rancher in his spare time (we all need hobbies, right?) and so headed off to the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo. As you do, at the beginning of a new season. Manager Brad Mills doesn’t seem to mind, though: “It’s not something that just came up. We had discussed it when he first got here and it’s fine; there’s no problem.” Cool. I wonder what other excuses players can use to get out of work? State fair? Comic book convention? Garage sale? Suggestions welcome!

This week’s crazy injury time. Toronto Blue Jays’ Brett Cecil cut himself in a, and I quote, “kitchen-type accident”. Luckily, there’s no indication that the injury is serious, so we’re free to make fun. “Kitchen-type accident”? I don’t quite understand. Does that mean it was the type of accident that could take place in a kitchen, but took place elsewhere? Was he somewhere that was just masquerading as a kitchen, but all along wasn’t one? Answers on a postcard, please.

This column is all about the equal opportunities, so how about this? A female knuckleballer from Japan, Eri Yoshida, met Tim Wakefield, after she had spent the winter pitching in the independent Arizona Winter League. Yoshida had taught herself the pitch by watching Wakefield on television, and is doing her best to cross the gender lines in professional baseball. A berth in the MLB may be a way off yet, but it’s still a pretty cool story. I’m especially pleased she learned the knuckleball, the funkiest of all pitches, don’t you know.

Another pitcher is in this week’s fashion corner, with this bizarre little video of Tim Lincecum modelling a San Francisco Giants Snuggie. I’m really not sure what to make of it, but I do know this, Lincecum is far, far removed from your bog-standard ballplayer. In fact, on the evidence of the video, he may be some sort of slacker wizard. It’s always a breath of fresh air to come across an awesome sportsman who isn’t as dull as dishwater. And it makes writing this column a whole lot easier too. Thanks Tim, you crazy guy!

Well, that’s me done for another week, I’m off, to do my homework.

Have a good week, until next week.