The Astros loss to the Braves last night put them in a tough position once again.  After pulling within a half a game with the Cardinals, the Cardinals put up 10 against the Brewers for the win while the Astros lost 4-1 to the Braves.  The Cardinals magic number is now 2.  Two more wins for the Cardinals or 2 losses for the Astros and 1 for the Reds, and the Cardinals clinch the central.  If the Astros win out their last two games, the Cardinals can only win one game or they clinch.  So the Cardinals must go 1-2 at best for the Astros to win the division... and that would be after a 1 game playoff. 

So it's dire times again for the 'Stros... not as bad as a week ago, but bad nonetheless.  That win last night for the Cardinals was huge and showed that they can still put up runs. 

The West is now tied between the Padres and Dodgers.  Hopefully the Padres win out their last two games.  Sorry Dodgers, but what's best for the Astros is that the Padres win out.  Maybe the Dodgers and Padres can both win out.  My sister-n laws father and brother are both huge Dodger fans so I root for the Dodgers to an extent after the Astros.  I also like Jeff Kent, so that's another reason to root for the Dodgers. 

In the Wild Card the Phillies still have a chance... not much of one, but it's a chance.  If either the Dodgers or Padres win another game, the Phillies will be eliminated. 

NL Central
Team	W	L	PCT	GB	Games Left
Cardinals	82	77	0.516	-	3
Astros	81	79	0.506	1.5	2
Reds	80	80	0.5	2.5	2
NL West
Team	W	L	PCT	GB	Games Left
Dodgers	86	74	0.538	-	2
Padres	86	74	0.538	-	2
NL Wild Card
Team	W	L	PCT	GB
Dodgers	86	74	0.538	-	2
Padres	86	74	0.538	-	2
Phillies	84	76	0.525	2	2

Roger Clemens is pulled after pitching in the 6th inning for a pinch hitter and the Braves fans all give him a standing ovation.  Roger eventually comes back out for the curtain call.  Awesome.  Gave me chills.  Nice job Braves fans.  Very nice job. 

The Astros won again last night for their 9th straight victory!  So did the Dodgers who now officially eliminated the Astros from the Wild Card with their 85th win of the year.  The Cardinals lost again which puts them just a half game ahead of the Astros in the Central.  The NL West and Wild Card are now both two team races with the Dodgers leading the Phillies by two games in the Wild Card and the Padres leading the Dodgers by a game in the West(all with 3 games left each).

The Brewers last night strummed the Cardinals 9-4 with Marquis only lasting 2 innings while giving up 6 runs.  The only real motivation the Brewers have is to be spoilers for the Cardinals... that's the same motivation the Braves have (against the Astros) who are eliminated from the playoffs for the first time in 78 years...   ok, not really 78.. but it seems like it.  The Astros still need to win the next 3 which would put their winning streak up to 12 games!  The Astros can't think of it as needing to win 12 straight... we need to think of it as needing to win 3 straight.  Winning 12 straight is much harder than winning 3 straight... duh Captain Obvious!  The Cardinals still control their fate and are still the favorites in the division, but do to their recent troubles and the Astros catching on fire... the tide is turning against the Cardinals.  The Cards have 4 games left where the Astros only have 3, and the Cardinals also have one less loss than the Astros.  If the Cardinals win out, then the Astros can't possibly catch them.  One more win by the Cardinals or 1 more loss by the Reds and the Reds will be eliminated from the post season, thus making the Central a 2 horse race like the West and Wild Card.

Boy it's nice to still be watching meaningful baseball in September!  Here's a nice article by Tom Singer(MLB.com) about the entire NL and AL playoff situations.  The AL playoff race is no where near as exciting as the NL playoff race. 

Wild Card
Team	W	L	PCT	GB	Games left
Dodgers	85	74	0.535	-	3
Phillies	83	76	0.522	2.0	3

NL Central
Team	W	L	PCT	GB	Games left	Record for Astros to make playoffs
Cardinals	81	77	0.513	-	4	2-2
Astros	81	78	0.509	0.5	3	3-0
Reds	79	80	0.497	2.5	3	3-0

NL West
Team	W	L	PCT	GB	Games left
Padres	86	73	0.541	-	3
Dodgers	85	74	0.535	1.0	3

Cardinals just lost to the Brewers 9-4!  The Astros won earlier today 3-0 against the Pirates and now just sit one game back in the loss column of the Cardinals who now hold only a 1/2 game lead.  Crazy stuff... 

Roy Oswalt was dominate like normal tonight shutting out the Pirates through 7 innings before he was pulled to give away to the bullpen(I can only assume Garner is trying to save him for the possibility of the playoffs... ).  Roy lowered his ERA to 2.98 to put him in 2nd place in the National League ERA race behind Webb(2.89).  Roy is really making a run for the Cy Young going 9-1 through his last 13 starts...  The Astros only had 3 hits today but cashed in on some bases loaded walks.  If the Astros do pull of this amazing run and make the playoffs, I'd like to think they will be feared... at least in the National League.  Who wants to face the Astros big 3 in Roy-O, Rocket or Pettitte?  Probably not a better big 3 in baseball.

On another note, the Mets lost Martinez for the rest of the season which really hurts their chances. 

After about a 4 hour rain delay, the Astros finally start against the Pirates in hopes of winning their 9th straight.  This means I'll get to at least catch part of the game on the radio... might catch some on the tube as well.

The Reds have been mathematically eliminated from the Wild Card and are on the brink of being eliminated period.  One more win for the Dodgers and the Astros will be eliminated from the Wild Card race as well.

NL Wrap up

Wild Card
Team	W	L	PCT	GB	Games left	Record for Astros to make playoffs
Dodgers	84	74	0.532	-	4	0-4
Phillies	83	75	0.525	1.0	4	0-4
Astros	80	78	0.506	4.0	4	4-0
NL Central
Team	W	L	PCT	GB	Games left	Record for Astros to make playoffs
Cardinals	81	76	0.516	-	5	2-3
Astros	80	78	0.506	1.5	4	4-0
Reds	78	80	0.494	3.5	4	4-0

NL West
Team	W	L	PCT	GB	Games left
Padres	85	73	0.538	-	4
Dodgers	84	74	0.532	1.0	4

And so God has delayed the Astros vs Pirates game...  Hopefully the rain delay won't mess with Roy. 

Last night was... long... and go figure that after a 15 inning game we have an early game.  At least the Pirates are in the same situation.

The Cardinals and Astros both won last night so the Cardinals still lead by 1.5 games.  The Reds lost which puts them 3.5 back in the division.. also basically eliminates them from the playoffs.  Cardinals magic number is now 4.

The Astros finally got back above .500 for first time since early summer.  They also pulled within 1.5 games of the NL Central leading St. Louis Cardinals.  I have to say I'm not real happy about the way some Astros "fans" are acting towards the Astros right now.  I was listening to the local sports radio station this morning and some of the calls they were getting concerning the Astros really bothered me.  One caller actually called in and claimed to be an Astros fan, then followed that with saying he hopes the Astros lose and don't make the playoffs.  His reasoning was that if the Astros make the playoffs he thinks they will keep the exact team we have now and not add to it.  How can you possibly root against your team now, who has a legitimate(albeit tough) chance to make the playoffs?  If the Astros make the playoffs, they then have a chance to win the World Series!  If they make the playoffs they won't be the favorites...  but what team wants to face Roy-O, Rocket and Pettitte in a 5 game series, probably seeing Roy twice?  The Astros are an average regular season team, but in the playoffs, they are at the advantage(in my opinion). 

Another fan said that he was upset that the Astros are now playing well when they've played poorly all season.  How can you be upset now?  They are playing good.  Yes I've been disappointed with the way the season has gone through the first 150 games.  But not upset now that we've won 7 in a row.  7 games ago I had basically realized(not given up.. but realized) that the Astros chances of making the playoffs were slim to none, and I was ok with that.  Now anything they do good is basically a bonus.  I didn't expect it, but now that I have it.. I'm happy.  One of the radio guys(ESPN 790) said it's like putting on a suit that you haven't worn in forever and finding a $20 bill in the pocket.  That's a great way to put it!  You find the $20 and you are happy that you got an extra $20...  you don't get upset that you didn't have the $20 earlier. 

Come on 'Stros fans... win or lose you need to back the team and root for them.  If we don't make the playoffs, be happy that you still had something to cheer for at the end of the season.  We could be the Royals who haven't had anything to be happy for or cheer for for basically the entire season.  We're lucky as Astros fans to have a competitive team and a team that will put out the $ to field a good team. 

With the win last night, the Dodgers mathematically eliminated the Marlins from the playoffs.  With another win the Dodgers will eliminate the Reds, and 2 wins to eliminate the Astros from the Wild Card. 

Last night was a great night for us Astros fans!  The Padres came back from trailing 5-2 and beat the Cardinals 7-5!  The Astros won again, this time against the Pittsburgh Pirates.  The Astros now sit just 1.5 games behind the slumping Cardinals and 1 game ahead of the Reds(who also won last night).  The Cardinals sure are giving us Astros fans something to cheer for!  The Astros are actually playing good ball scoring almost 7 runs a game(avg) over this 7 game winning streak.  Everyone's done their part from the starters, to the middle relief, closers, pinch hitters, fielding and and at the plate.  The Astros have hit as a team over .300 for the last 7 games as compared to around the .250 mark for the season. 

The West is still between the Padres and Dodgers.  The Dodgers sit 2 games behind the Padres.  I'm hoping for the Padres to win out the rest of the season and eliminate the Dodgers(from the West).  No I'm not a Padres fan nor do I dislike the Dodgers(any more than any other team).  But the Padres winning out would mean the Cardinals get beat at least 2 more times this season which gives the Astros control of their own destiny. 

Here's how the 3 races now look.

Wild Card
Team	W	L	PCT	GB	Games left	Record for Astros to make playoffs
Dodgers	83	74	0.529	-	5	0-5
Phillies	82	75	0.522	-	5	1-4
Astros	79	78	0.503	4.0	5	5-0
Reds	78	79	0.497	5.0	5	5-0
NL Central
Team	W	L	PCT	GB	Games left	Record for Astros to make playoffs
Cardinals	80	76	0.513	-	6	3-3
Astros	79	78	0.503	1.5	5	5-0
Reds	78	79	0.497	2.5	5	5-0

NL West
Team	W	L	PCT	GB	Games left
Padres	85	72	0.541	-	5
Dodgers	83	74	0.529	2.0	5

The National League Wrap up...  Astros-centric.

National League Wild Card
The National League Wild Card still has the most teams in contention... but they are falling off fast.  Just a few days ago there were 7 teams in contention, it's now down to 5 teams..  with the Marlins leaving that list with the next win by either the Dodgers or the Phillies.  The Dodgers and Phillies are tied at the top with 82-74 records each.  Unless somehow both of those teams lose more than 2 games out of their last 6, whoever has the best record (of the 2) will win the Wild Card(unless the Padres fall and take the Wild Card).  The Astros still have a chance to win the Wild Card, but it's going to take at least 4 losses by both teams to give the Astros a chance.  The Phillies are HOT right now.. it's highly unlikely that both the Dodgers and the Phillies will lose 4 of the next 6. 

National League Central
Up until 5 days ago, the Cardinals had all but ran away with the division.  They were 7.5 games above the Astros and 6.5 games above the Reds.  5 days later, they sit just 2.5 games above the surging Astros and 3.5 games above the Reds.  Times are bad for the Cardinals, but they still control their own future.  With 7 games left, they can clinch the division with 5 wins.  If they lose 3 or more of the last 7 and the Astros win out, then the Astros would either win the division, or force a 1 game elimination game to see who makes the playoffs between the Astros and Cards.  The Reds could still take the Central if the Astros lose at least 1 game and the Cardinals don't win more than 3. 

National League West
The NL West is down to 2 teams in the division.  The Padres at 84-72 lead the Dodgers at 82-74.  The Padres magic number is 5; 5 more Padre wins(or losses by the Dodgers) and they clinch the division. 

National League East
The Mets have already clinched the East and have been sipping on champagne since.  The Mets are definitely going to be the team to beat in the playoffs. 

Listed below is the remaining 3 races in the National League. 

Wild Card
Team	W	L	PCT	GB	Games left	Record for Astros to make playoffs
Dodgers	82	74	0.526	-	6	1-5
Phillies	82	74	0.526	-	6	1-5
Astros	78	78	0.500	4	6	6-0
Reds	77	79	0.494	5	6	6-0
Marlins	76	80	0.487	6	6	6-0
NL Central
Team	W	L	PCT	GB	Games left	Record for Astros to make playoffs
Cardinals	80	75	0.520	-	7	3-4
Astros	78	78	0.500	3	6	6-0
Reds	77	79	0.490	4	6	6-0

NL West
Team	W	L	PCT	GB	Games left
Padres	84	72	5.380	-	6
Dodgers	82	74	0.526	2	6

Astros beat the Phillies with yet another clutch hit by Orlando Palmeiro!  Cardinals down 6-5 to in the 8th to the Padres.  GO PADRES!  Astros currently sit 3 games behind the Cardinals, could be more or less(by .5 games) depending on the outcome of the Padres/Cardinals game.  Astros head to Pittsburgh for a 3 games series against the Pirates(who have been hot the 2nd half). 

Astros used 25 different players in the game... Wonder if that's a record for a 9 inning game.  If it's not, it has to be close.  Borkowski got the win giving up 2 hits and 2 runs(shouldn't count as a win.. ) and Wheeler got the save by shutting down the 9th. 

Great win for the Astros! 

Currently watching the Padres/Cardinals on game day...  Going into the 9th, Padres still up 6-5...    Hopefully "Trevor Time" will get to increase the record for most saves!

Strike 3!  Cardinals lose!  GO PADRES!

On another note.. The Saints are destroying the Falcons 20-3...  Saints, say it with me... Thank you Houston for Reggie Bush...

That's why we kept Palmeiro and got rid of Wilson!  2 outs, bases loaded down by 2 in the 7th inning against the Phillies, Palmeiro knocks in two with a single.  That's 2 games in a row he's saved us with clutch pinch hitting.

4-4 in the 7th.  Go 'Stros!

*Update*
Astros up 5-4 after a base hit by Mike Lamb, scoring Chris Burke.  Still 2 outs in the 7th.

Padres/Cardinals tied at 5 through 5.  Go Padres!

Got a call right as I was leaving work from my Sister-n Law telling me that Albers wasn't going tonight, that Albers was replaced with Sampson.  Seems like a no-brainer to me!  Who would you pitch, the guy who is 0-2 with a 6 ERA(in limited appearances) or the guy who is 1-0 with a 2.66 ERA(in limited appearances).  Finally Sampson is getting another well deserved start which I(and others.. namely my sister-n law Mandy) have been calling for since Sampson was first called up.  Tonight is a must win(like every game for the rest of the season) and Garner seems to be taking some chances.  The lineup was posted and was without Craig Biggio and Aubrey Huff.  From what I remember it was like this.

Taveras  - CF
Ensberg  - 3B
Berkman - 1B
Scott  - LF
Lane - RF
Burke - 2B
Bruntlett - SS
Quintero - C
Sampson - P

Not the normal lineup and not really sure if I agree with changing up everything right after a 5 game win streak... but it's worth a shot I guess.. I'm sure Aubrey(Star of last game) and Biggio aren't very happy to see it.

Gonna be quick, it's late, I'm tired and just finished playing a hockey game.. but The Astros swept the Cardinals in a 4 game series to put themselves 3.5 games out of the playoffs...  Crazy stuff man.. crazy stuff...  I'm sure the Cardinals fans will be blaming the umps for the call on Biggio by Belliard who tried to tag him.  Honestly I can't say I seen it(I caught the 1st-3rd innings and 9th inning on the radio), but from what the announcers said(Astros announcers albeit), Biggio was clearly still in the baseline.  So let biased eyes call it how they want. 

Clemens pitched 5 innings giving up 1 run with 6 k's and 4 hits.  Hmmm this is odd.. while looking at the box score, Miller got a blown save with out giving up a run...  can't say I've seen that before.  Anyways, Qualls got the win after going 1 1/3rd innings.  Huff gets the star of the game going 2 for 3 with 3 RBI's and the go ahead home run in the 7th.  Lamb went 2-3 with a triple. 

3.5 games back!  Go 'Stros!

Since my last posting there has been a big change in the standings.  The Dodgers have went from leading the Wild Card to being 1.5 games behind the Phillies.  The Astros passed up the Braves, Reds, Marlins and Giants to take 3rd place in the Wild Card compared to 7th place just 3 games ago.  The Astros chances of winning the Wild Card are still all but gone though. 

In the Central, the Astros moved ahead of the Reds into sole possession of 2nd place and now sit just 4.5 games behind the Cardinals(as compared to 7.5 just 3 games ago).  In order for the Astros to take the NL Central they need to win out and the Cardinals need to go 3-6.  Not likely, but there's at least a glimmer of hope!  Albeit a small glimmer.

The complete listings are shown below. 

Wild Card
Team	W	L	PCT	GB	Games left	Record for Astros to make playoffs
Phillies	81	73	0.526	-	8	2-6
Dodgers	81	74	0.523	0.5	7	2-5
Astros	76	78	0.494	5	8	8-0
Marlins	76	79	0.49	5.5	7	7-0
Reds	75	79	0.487	6	8	8-0
Giants	75	79	0.487	6	8	8-0
NL Central
Team	W	L	PCT	GB	Games left	Record for Astros to make playoffs
Cardinals	80	73	0.523	-	9	3-6
Astros	76	78	0.494	4.5	8	8-0
Reds	75	79	0.487	5.5	8	8-0

Luke Scott, game winning, walk off 3 run home run in the 9th inning for the Astros third straight win against the NL Central leading St. Louis Cardinals!  Oh that was awesome! Berkman went 4 for 5 scoring two runs and driving in one.  Luke Scott went 2 for 5 with two long balls and 5 RBI's! 

After leading 4 to 3 going into the 9th, the Astros gave up a run (ex-Astro Jose Vizcaino tieing the game at 4.  After a walk to Ensberg and then a bloop single by Berkman, Luke Scott(who failed to make a catch in left field in the 9th that led to the run) made up for it by drilling a line drive home run over the wall in right field.  The Astros 2nd walk off hit in the season and second in as many nights.  The Astros are playing some really good ball...  If they played this good all season it could have been them clinching earlier in the season. 

Oswalt was typical Oswalt tonight going 7 innings, giving up 3 runs and should have gotten the win, but Wheeler got a blown save and the win.  It's great for the Astros to get the win, but I still hate that a pitcher can get a blown save and a win in the same game... they should still give the win to the pitcher that was in line for the win before the save... but that's an argument for another day.  Today we're just happy to get another win.  Astros trail the Cardinals by 4.5 games in the Central and Dodgers by 5 games in the Wild Card.  Astros now have sole possesion of 2nd place in the Central and 3rd in the Wild Card.

Tomorrow night, Roger Clemens takes the hill at 7:05 pm against Jeff Weaver.  If you have tickets make sure to get there for a 7:05 game time...  They changed the time of the game because it's going to be broadcast on ********* YOU ESPN!)  Go 'Stros!

The Astros went into the 8th inning 5-2 against the NL Central leading Cardinals.  Things didn't look well being three runs down against the best team in the division.  The Astros put 2 on the board with some clutch hitting by pinch hitters Orlando Palmeiro and Eric Bruntlett but ended the inning down 5-4 after Luke Scott struck out and Mike Lamb grounded out with runners on the corners.  Into the 9th we go where Qualls gave up two hits, but held the Cardinals off the board.  On the Astros side, Adam Everett reached on a 1 out single and in walks Orlando Palmeiro.  DOUBLE!  After getting two strikes on the count, Palmeiro rips an opposite field double just barely fair inside the 3rd base line scoring Everett to even the score at 5 all.  Me and my bro are on the edge of our seats(watching the game on ESPN HD.. the one good thing about watching a game on ESPN).  And here comes Biggio... B-G-O!  B-G-O! All we need is a hit! Line drive to left field, for the Astros first game winning hit of the season! High fives all around! Well.. just me and my bro.. but still... Awesome. It was a great game (for us Astros fans) and it was nice to see us coming back and winning a heart breaker against the Cardinals who have done the same to us multiple times before. This was a great win, but it's not like our road to the playoffs is paved now... our road is still being blocked off by an overturned bus(with rubber-neckers), a sink hole the size of Rhode Island, crashed alien space craft and a pallet full of nuclear waste dropped from a plane. We still have a season to play for.. but it's going to be tough. Don't give up hope!

Link

Clemens is going to come back on short rest and pitch the finale against the Cardinals on Sunday at Minute Maid Park.  Not really sure if this is because the Astros need to pitch their best pitchers as much as possible to try and make the playoffs, or if it's so there will be a bigger crowd to see Roger pitch his(possible) last game at MMP.  Who cares either way? 

The Cardinals Magic Number is sitting at 5.  The Astros now sit 6.5 games behind the Cardinals, tied with the Reds at 74-78.  They are 5.5 games behind the Dodgers in the Wild Card.  10 games left in the season..

Not really how I would have wrote it up... but hey, a win is a win.  Andy Pettitte was less than stellar tonight going 5 innings, giving up 5 runs(1 earned) with 2 strike outs and a walk.  He left the game after the 5th down 5 to 2 in line to get his 14th loss of the season.  The Astros were also less than stellar in the field making 2 errors.  But Andy can think Orlando Palmeiro and Lance Berkman.  Palmeiro batted for Pettitte in the 5th, and while down 0-2 in the count, drove a weak liner over the 2nd basemen to score two.  Berkman went 3 for 4 on the night with 2 home runs(42, 43) and 4 RBI's to knock Carpenter out of the game and give Dave Borkowski(who came in, in relief in the 6th and pitched 3 perfect innings) to save the game.  Wheeler earned his 7th save of the season with a perfect 9th. 

I know I’ve already predicted that the Astros aren’t going to make the playoffs due to their inability to go 15-5 through the last 20 games of the season. But there’s always at least a little bit of hope until you are mathematically eliminated. In the Astros case, that’s very little hope; microscopic hope at most. In order for the Astros to make the playoffs, a lot of far fetched things must happen which more than likely won’t happen… I’d put the Astros chances of making the playoffs at about a thousand to 1… maybe. Here’s how things have to play out in order for the Astros to make the playoffs.

The National League Central
I’m not sure which is more unlikely… winning the Central or the Wild Card this year for the Astros. Winning the Central would mean the Astros would have to win out the season and go 11-0 while the Cardinals would have to lose 9 of their remaining 12 games and the Reds would have to lose at least 1 more game of their last 10. The Astros sort of control their own fate… sort of.  They play the Cardinals 4 more times this year. If they sweep that series then the Cardinals would only have to lose 5 of their last 8 games. Still really unlikely that either of those things will happen; but stranger things have happened… haven’t they?

The Wild Card
The Wild Card is another monster in itself. The team leading the Wild Card has 79 wins and could only win 4 more games this season in order for the Astros to have any chance. The Wild Card lead is currently in a three way tie (going by wins) between the Padres, Dodgers and Phillies. The Padres are technically not in the wild card race because they have one less loss in the West and lead that division, but depending on how they do the rest of the season, they could be in the Wild Card race as well, so I’m including them. Multiple things must happen in order for the Astros to win the Wild Card; basically it boils down to a lot of teams playing really bad baseball... basically every team except the 'Stros. I’ve included a table below to show the current standings, games played, and record needed for the Astros to take the Wild Card and/or NL Central

These statistics are based on the Astros going 11-0.  Of course (for example) the Cardinals lose out the season then the Astros would only have to go 8-3 and they would still win the division. 

I can’t say I’m even mildly optimistic about the rest of the season. I know what it’s going to take to win and I don’t think it’s going to happen... I probably just wasted my time writing this because it’s highly unlikely that the Astros will even do their part and win out the rest of the year. Even if they do win out the rest of the year it’s still extremely unlikely that the other teams will do their part and lose like they’ve never lost before! I still have hope! Well... It’s tongue in cheek hope... but that’s still hope… right? I still love the ‘Stros and have passion for them and will do everything I can to watch every one of their games for the rest of the season… even if they do become mathematically eliminated in the future.

Wild Card
Team	W	L	PCT	GB	Games left	Record for Astros to make playoffs
Padres	79	72	0.523	-	11	4-7
Dodgers	79	73	0.52	-	10	4-6
Phillies	79	73	0.52	-	10	4-6
Marlins	75	77	0.493	4	10	8-2
Giants	75	76	0.497	3.5	11	8-3
Braves	74	78	0.487	5	10	9-1
Reds	74	78	0.487	7	10	9-1
Astros	73	78	0.483	7.5	11	11-0
NL Central
Team	W	L	PCT	GB	Games left	Record for Astros to make playoffs
Cardinals	80	70	0.533	-	12	3-9
Reds	74	78	0.487	7	10	9-1
Astros	73	78	0.483	7.5	11	11-0

Nobody knows if Roger will ever pitch a home game as a Houston Astro again... not even Roger knows...  The chances of the Astros making the post season are all but over...  most people would say they are over but they aren't mathematically eliminated yet... I guess you could say there is at least a shred of hope...

If this is Roger's last game to pitch as an Astro at home, he finished with an impressive win against the Reds...  Clemens in typical "Rocket" fashion breezed through the Reds today going 6 innings giving up 3 hits, 3 walk with 6 strike outs of shut out baseball lowering his ERA to 2.37 and record to 7-5.  The Astros offense sort of gave Roger a possible going away present putting up 7 runs in Roger's 6 innings pitched, giving Roger an unusual amount or run support that he's not used to.  The Astros offense slugged out 9 hits with home runs from Craig Biggio(20) and Luke Scott(8) off of Reds starter Bronson Arroyo earning him the loss.  Scott who went 2 for 4 with 4 RBI's also hit another triple today giving him 6 on the season.  Clemens also banged out a double for his first of the season.

	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	R	H	E
Reds	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	2	0	2	6	0
Astros	0	1	0	0	3	3	0	0	X	7	9	0

Well the Astros lost tonight against the Reds.. which officially makes them unable to make the playoffs if my earlier prediction was correct..  They played pretty well tonight scoring 4 runs against the reds, but unfortunately Matt Albers gave up 5 runs in his 4.2 innings pitched.  Not much else to say.. it's a pretty sad night, but I can't say I'm surprised.. the Astros have been a sub-par team all season.. not like I could really expect them to go 13-0 for the rest of the season.

Pettitte's father is having health issues so the lefty is going to push his start back from today until Thursday.  Matt Albers is taking Andy's spot today.  Please pray for Andy's father and hope he gets well soon. 

The Astros beat the Reds 5-3 behind great pitching by Roy-O, some great defense overall and a 2nd inning where the Astros batted around and scored 4 runs.  Roy went 6.2 innings giving up 2 runs with 8 k's earning his 14th win of the season.  Unfortunately he left in the 7th inning with neck spasms.  It doesn't sound like a big deal, more of a minor set back that shouldn't keep him from making his next start.

Tomorrow the Astros take on the Reds again at 7:05 where Andy Pettitte (13-13, 4.37) takes on Aaron Harang(13-11, 3.88) at the juice box. 

If my prediction is correct, the Astros need to go 13-0 through the last 13 games to make the post season.  Go 'Stros!

I didn't know it was coming on, but there was a special on the Astros 2005 season...  My lovely wife recorded it on the DVR for me and told me about it today...  So I started watching it...  It was like constant chills during the entire thing... Got me pumped up again for this season... but unfortuntately the odds are really stacked against us...  They should make the team watch that video... man it'll get you going. 

Well, if my prediction is correct like we all know it is(being that I'm a super genious and know everything), then the Astros can't lose another game for the rest of the season if they want to make the playoffs.  Astros lost today against the Phillies for the 3rd time in their three game series; which is also known as a sweep.

Berkman hit his 41st home run of the season.  Berkman's having a wonderful year; probably his best ever, but unfortunately the team has been pathetic the entire year and that is overshadowing his success. 

Today was just a bad day overall.. The Astros lost, the Texans lost, and most importantly.. the hockey team I play on lost.  Oh, and about the whole me being a genius and all.. that was sarcasm... or was it?  =)  (and yes I spelled genius wrong on purpose.. it adds effect.)

I was really hoping the first number would lower more than the 2nd number.. but after stating that we needed to go 15-5 to make the playoffs..  we've went 1 and 4.  5 games down, 15 to go and the goal of making the post season has all but became unobtainable.  All I have to say about yesterday's game is..  Nice job Hirsh. 

Astros try to take at least one from the Phillies today behind Wandy Rodriguez at 1:05 pm.  Pray for us.  We need it. 

The Phillies got a grand slam off the rocket in the first inning.. not exactly something that happens.. ever..  or at least not very often.  Anyways.. if my guestimation is correct, the Astros need to go 14-2 for the rest of the season to make the playoffs.  If I had a gut to wrench or a heart to break after this season it would have been wrenched or broken.  I just knew we were going to come back with bases loaded in the bottom of the 9th with just one out.. but **** no.. of course we'd hit into a double play..  Astros lose 4-3.

I'm predicting that in order to make the playoffs the Astros still need to win 14 of the next 17.  That would put them at 85 wins with 77 losses.  Any other season that wouldn't be a play off record(unless you're in the NL West).. but this season it should be enough.  Going 14-3 over the next 17 games is going to be hard.. next to impossible..  especially since the Astros haven't had a win streak over 6 games(I think it's 6.. could be 7) all season.  In order to win 14 games they pretty much have to win at least 5 in a row..  3 times.. well 5 in a row twice and 4 once...  Anyways...

I was pretty hard on Garner in my last post...  I don't want to take anything I posted back.. but I do still like Garner and think he's a pretty good coach for the most part.  I don't really like the way he's handled the bullpen this season though overall.  But he's a major league vet and I'm not, so what do I know?

Last but not least.  Lance Berkman hit his 40th home run today in the 5-1 win over the Cardinals.  Two more home runs and he ties his career high of 42 from 2002.  I know it's a long shot.. , but I think Lance has a punchers chance of getting 50 this season.  17 games left : 10 more home runs.  Think he can do it?  He sits at 121 RBI's right now and should pass up his career high of 128 (also from 2002).  He could possibly get his career high in hits as well of 191..  Right...  He's at 147 hits right now.. I highly doubt he'll get another 44 in 17 games.  That's just over 2.58 hits per game.. It's possible I guess.. but highly unlikely.  Probably more unlikely than the Astros making the playoffs.  Still have hope though!

What was Garner thinking last night?  With two out and two on last night in the Astros game versus the Cardinals, Albert Pujols struts up to the plate after Brad Lidge hit the potential 3rd out in Spiezio on the first pitch.  After the hit batter I was pleading with Phil Garner to put up the 4 fingers and put Pujols on base.  Bases loaded with anyone at the plate is better than 2 on with Pujols at the plate.  Pujols steps to the plate and I'm now pleading with Ausmus to please put out the hand and signal for the free pass.  First pitch strike one.. NO!  WHY!  What the heck are y'all thinking!  Put him on!  So now I'm pretty much positive we're going to lose.. We're up 5-4 with 2 outs and I'm still pretty sure we're going to lose.. I mean look at the history.. Pujols basically ruined Brad Lidge's career with walk off after walk off..  Lidge was an ace, a stud, a lights out closer until Pujols ruined him.. so why give Pujols another chance?  Are you calling it a season?  You know if Pujols drives in the winning run that the chances of gaining enough momentum to win the division or the wild card are all but gone...  People always question if Pujols really got into the head of Lidge and I've always denied it.  But when a guy owns you like Pujols does over and over and over again, how can I keep denying it?  So history repeats itself.. the only thing that really surprised me about the way the Pujols at bat wrapped up was that he only hit a double and not a home run.  That was a surprise.  Garner you really screwed this game up tonight...  After coming back multiple times with clutch hit after clutch hit you still found a way to blow it.  The Astros bats did everything you could ask from them tonight and you still found some way to blow it.  I just don't understand.  I'm pretty sure that every other manager in the league would have with out thinking walked Pujols.. and every one of them would have been right.  It's a no-brainer.  You think in the same situation that Tony wouldn't have walked Lance to load the bases?  You bet  your tail he would... and no offense to Lance, but Lance isn't as good a hitter as Pujols is.. 

I said a few days ago that in order to make the post season that the Astros needed to go 15-5 in the last 20 games..  Well, now we need to go 15-3 in the last 18. 

Just basically him complaining about his chances of winning the MVP going down the drain.  Not like he doesn't still have a chance, but he seems to think he doesn't. 

Link

My favorite line is...

"Don't get me wrong -- he's[Derek Jeter] a great player, having a great season, but he's got a lot of guys in that lineup," Ortiz continued. "Top to bottom, you've got a guy who can hurt you. Come hit in this lineup, see how good you can be."

Yea.. you don't have Manny (who is arguably a better hitter than you) batting right behind you.  Pretty dumb comments if you ask me.

The Houston Astros start a 3 game series against the St. Louis Cardinals today. Yes the same Cardinals who picked up Preston Wilson(P-Dub) after the Astros released him. I'm sure there will be some extra media coverage on Wilson since this is the first meeting between the clubs since he was released... It would be nice if the Astros could shut him down. If he comes out and bats 300+ with a few long balls, the media will eat it up.

The Astros have 7 games left this season with the Cardinals. This series (and the four game series next week) could be make or break for the Astros chances at making a post season appearance. The Astros are 4 games back from the Wild Card leading Padres but are also in 6th place in that run behind the Marlins, Phillies, Giants and Reds. The Astros will have to rely on a lot of cards falling right to jump over that many teams to take the Wild Card, but have control of their own destiny in the Central. It's going to take a run of wins to take the Wild Card or the Central which the Astros haven't done this season. With only 20 games left in the season I'm thinking the Astros need to win at least 15 to make the post season... Sub-500 ball like they've played so far this season isn't going to cut it.

Go 'Stros!

Sorry it took so long to get this up, but like I mentioned before, I was having technical difficulties with MLBLogs that was keeping me from logging in.  I'm not real happy with the photos I took, but they are up if you want to see them.  Click here for the photo album.

I'm starting a streak..  I have now gotten film of Willy-T stealing a base at 2 straight games with my digital camera.  Check it out!

Download PICT0055.MOV

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9/3/06 Astros VS Mets After losing the first 2 of a 3 game series, the Astros behind outstanding pitching by Roy Oswalt, the Astros beat the Mets 2-1. Roy pitched no-hit baseball until the 6th inning.

Finally got my account fixed today.  I've been locked out for 4 or 5 days which was the reasoning for me not posting lately!

I'm going to the game today.. hopefully I'll get to go early.  I was hoping I would get to make batting practice since I've never been before, but unfortunately one of the bad things about having a kid is you can't really make a 11 month old sit through a 3+ hour baseball game and 2 hours of batting practice.. so more than likely I'll be there 10 minutes before the game starts. 

Anyways, hopefully I'll have pictures up tonight from the game and more importantly, hopefully the Astros will get a win!  The Mets are tough but we've been in the game both games so far.  Either one could have been an Astros win with a break or two.  We've played the best National League team well the last two games.. but they've also shown why they are the best National League team.  But they also haven't went up against any of our big 3(Pettitte, Roy-O or Rocket) which will change today when Roy-O starts his first game after inking a 5 year 73 million dollar contract.