Astros Vs Cards, Round Three..... FIGHT!

A Win Today

means six of our last seven over the Cards, two straight series over them, 11 of 19 going back to OD 2006, and 17 of 27 dating back to September '05 and including <ahem> our NLCS victory over them in '05.

Jennings is 3 - 2 lifetime against the Cards with a no decision and a 3.52 ERA. Since 2005 he is 1 - 1 with a 1.63.

Sympathy for Ken Johnson

by rastronomicals on Apr 8, 2007 12:54 PM CDT 0 recs

i'm predicting right now..

that the astros win 100 games this season. We're on a roll!!!! 1 game counts as a streak right?

by TimStros on Apr 8, 2007 12:54 PM CDT 0 recs

Lineups

Eckstein, SS
Duncan, LF
Pujols, 1B
Rolen, 3B
Edmonds, CF
Wilson, RF
Molina, C
Kennedy, 2B
Wells, P .
Totals

Biggio, 2B
Ensberg, 3B
Berkman, 1B
Lee, LF
Scott, RF
Loretta, SS
Burke, CF
Ausmus, C
Jennings, P

Sympathy for Ken Johnson

by rastronomicals on Apr 8, 2007 1:05 PM CDT 0 recs

The Spastic Little Freak

flies to Lee to get it going, whoo-hoo, this game is ours! I can feel it.

Sympathy for Ken Johnson

by rastronomicals on Apr 8, 2007 1:06 PM CDT 0 recs

Duncan

has fucked us up, and is the only Cardinal to have hit worth a hill of beans so far.

Can you believe Pujols is OPS ing .315 or something like that?

Goes 3-2 to Dave's little boy.

Walk on home, boy, that's strike three called

Sympathy for Ken Johnson

by rastronomicals on Apr 8, 2007 1:08 PM CDT up 0 recs

Pujols

Anemic lightweight.

Quickly 0 - 2.

Ho-ho! Three pitch swinging strikeout.

Sympathy for Ken Johnson

by rastronomicals on Apr 8, 2007 1:09 PM CDT up 0 recs

What's with...

the college softball shit on FSN?

by entropic soul on Apr 8, 2007 1:09 PM CDT 0 recs

Bottom One

Bigiio looks at three straight balls to start, then looks as well at a called strike fastball.

Well hit down the third base line, but gobbled by Rolen. "Nice at bat" says JD

Sympathy for Ken Johnson

by rastronomicals on Apr 8, 2007 1:13 PM CDT 0 recs

Ensberg

another patient at bat as he goes 3 - 2. Looked high and inside and Morgan thought so too.

The ball pops out of Molina's glove so he runs down cause he has to.

Anyway, punchado.

Sympathy for Ken Johnson

by rastronomicals on Apr 8, 2007 1:16 PM CDT up 0 recs

Berkman

Quickly 0 - 2, then one of his patented inside out swings is just foul and bounces into the stands down the third base line. Nearly a double.

Wells then misses inside twice, then away, Wells to three balls on each of the first three Astro hitters, that's good, anyway.

But Lance goes fishing on a nsaty slide-something and misses to end the inning

Sympathy for Ken Johnson

by rastronomicals on Apr 8, 2007 1:20 PM CDT up 0 recs

Top Two

Rolen--not doing a whole lot better than Pujols-- lines sharply to Ensberg who picks it out of the air.

Sympathy for Ken Johnson

by rastronomicals on Apr 8, 2007 1:22 PM CDT 0 recs

Edmunds

singles softly in front of Scott

Sympathy for Ken Johnson

by rastronomicals on Apr 8, 2007 1:23 PM CDT up 0 recs

Wilson

takes an undiscipline hack at a first pitch curveball, where have I seen that before?

Oh yeah. :-(

Goes 1 - 2. Ground ball through the hole, where was Loretta?

Edmunds pulls up at second.

Sympathy for Ken Johnson

by rastronomicals on Apr 8, 2007 1:25 PM CDT up 0 recs

Molina

Nubber as Brownie says, fielded by Berkman on the infield, Jennings not exactly streaking, but he got over in time.

Edmunds and Wilson advance, setting up the intentional walk to the number eight hitter Kennedy with two out.

Sympathy for Ken Johnson

by rastronomicals on Apr 8, 2007 1:26 PM CDT up 0 recs

Kennedy

Sure enough

Sympathy for Ken Johnson

by rastronomicals on Apr 8, 2007 1:29 PM CDT up 0 recs

Wells

Yikes, passed ball on Ausmus, should have been handled.

Edmunds trots home, beats the throw rom Brad to Jason by a step, Wilson and Kennedy advance

1 - 0 Cards, shit.

Wells then bounces to Bidge to end the inning.

Sympathy for Ken Johnson

by rastronomicals on Apr 8, 2007 1:30 PM CDT up 0 recs

Bottom Two

Lee will continue to push Wells into a high pitch count, I hope.

Either that or hit a first pitch home run . . .

First one is called a strike, next one is away, next one is high. Good work Carlos

Breaking pitch changeup whatever drops in to even itat 2 - 2. Away to keep the three ball thing going.

Low walks him.

Sympathy for Ken Johnson

by rastronomicals on Apr 8, 2007 1:33 PM CDT 0 recs

Cool Hand Luke

First pitch is a called strike, and Molina uncorks a snap throw that fails to nab Lee.

Brownie talking about the couple stolen bases we've seen from 'Los during the Spring and so far during the regular season.

If Bagwell was "sneaky" in his basestealing pursuits, what would that make a guy like Lee?

Well here he goes, and not a good throw at all as it soared on Molina, but Ecstein snagged it and tags Lee.

And by the way, Scott struck out.

Whoops.

Sympathy for Ken Johnson

by rastronomicals on Apr 8, 2007 1:37 PM CDT up 0 recs

Loretta

bloops it in front of Wilson, a single.

the starting shortstop hitting streak goes to six.

Sympathy for Ken Johnson

by rastronomicals on Apr 8, 2007 1:39 PM CDT up 0 recs

Burke

Baby Biggio, you can't deny it, HBP, his second of the year.

Loretta walks slowly toward second.

Sympathy for Ken Johnson

by rastronomicals on Apr 8, 2007 1:40 PM CDT up 0 recs

Ausmus

grounds it to Wells to end the inning.

Wells at 37 pitches through two anyway

Sympathy for Ken Johnson

by rastronomicals on Apr 8, 2007 1:42 PM CDT up 0 recs

Top Three

Eckshit lines it hard. . . right into Jennings' glove.

Jason a nice little hop into the air to snag it.

Sympathy for Ken Johnson

by rastronomicals on Apr 8, 2007 1:44 PM CDT 0 recs

Duncan

quickly 3 - 0. A strike called, then a walk.

Second walk for JJ, but the first unintentional.

Sympathy for Ken Johnson

by rastronomicals on Apr 8, 2007 1:45 PM CDT up 0 recs

Pujols

looks at a strike, then looks at a ball.

And there ends the Albert Pujols mini-slump, with a wo-run monster shot to left center

Pitch right over the plate, belt high.

3 - 0 Cards.

Sympathy for Ken Johnson

by rastronomicals on Apr 8, 2007 1:47 PM CDT up 0 recs

Edmunds

pops it to the right side.

Sympathy for Ken Johnson

by rastronomicals on Apr 8, 2007 1:48 PM CDT up 0 recs

Rolen

goes 3 - 1, then swings through a fastball down the pipe.

Changeup scrpaes the bottom of the zone but is called a ball.

Second walk of the inning, but fortunately, PW is up next, not Pujols.

Sympathy for Ken Johnson

by rastronomicals on Apr 8, 2007 1:50 PM CDT up 0 recs

PW

Jennings hits the corner on an 0 - 1 pitch, then goes away again, but misses ,1 - 2.

Edmunds (it was he who walked not Rolen, sorry) is picked off and gets into a rundown that is convereted into an out by the Astros.

Sympathy for Ken Johnson

by rastronomicals on Apr 8, 2007 1:53 PM CDT up 0 recs

Bottom Three

Jennings grounds out to the right side.

Sympathy for Ken Johnson

by rastronomicals on Apr 8, 2007 1:55 PM CDT 0 recs

Biggio

whiffs

Sympathy for Ken Johnson

by rastronomicals on Apr 8, 2007 1:57 PM CDT up 0 recs

Ensberg

flies out to left

Sympathy for Ken Johnson

by rastronomicals on Apr 8, 2007 1:59 PM CDT up 0 recs

Top Four

Wilson gets to try again.

Shot up the middle that takes a crazy carom off the mound.

Sympathy for Ken Johnson

by rastronomicals on Apr 8, 2007 2:01 PM CDT 0 recs

Molina

Wilson is running and Molina hits a skimer up the middle.

Could have been a double play, but instead it gets past Biggio into center. Not an easy play, but definitely a makeable one.

First and third no outs.

Sympathy for Ken Johnson

by rastronomicals on Apr 8, 2007 2:03 PM CDT up 0 recs

Kennedy

Flyball to short right, too shallow for PW to tag, and Scott makes the catch and throws in.

Sympathy for Ken Johnson

by rastronomicals on Apr 8, 2007 2:04 PM CDT up 0 recs

Wells

Hey! Fifth anniversary of Craig's cycle! Cool.

Squeeze is on, but we have the pitchout on, nice. Another rundown ensues, a long one, and Jennings makes the putout

Sympathy for Ken Johnson

by rastronomicals on Apr 8, 2007 2:06 PM CDT up 0 recs

Still Wells

with Molina on second, he'd taken the bag on the rundown.

Count gets to 2 - 2.

bounced to Ensberg who comes in, it's trouble but he looks positively Rolenesque throwing across his body and getting the ball to Berkman and beating Wells by a step.

Keep that one in mind when talking about his two errors so far.

Fourth run would have been a backbreaker.

Sympathy for Ken Johnson

by rastronomicals on Apr 8, 2007 2:10 PM CDT up 0 recs

Bottom Four

Berkman and Lee need to get it done here.

Here's Lance, hitting .222 even after the pulled shot last night.

Underneath a 2 - 2 pitch, popped to Rolen, shit.

I'm just about sick of hearing about Jimmy Buffet, everywhere I go, if it's not during Astros telecasts, it's when I hear those stupid Landshark commericals with the karaoke versions of his fucking songs.

Certainly a media whore, Buffet is a disgrace to all self-respecting laidback, sandalwearing potsmoking Conchs everywhere.

Sympathy for Ken Johnson

by rastronomicals on Apr 8, 2007 2:17 PM CDT 0 recs

Lee

grounds to short

Sympathy for Ken Johnson

by rastronomicals on Apr 8, 2007 2:18 PM CDT up 0 recs

Scott

makes an out, I'm not sure how, because I was bitching about Jimmy Buffet.

But one hit so far, we need to turn this around, and it wioll have to be the bottom part of the order that does it.

Sympathy for Ken Johnson

by rastronomicals on Apr 8, 2007 2:19 PM CDT up 0 recs

Top Five

Eckstein lines solidly into Luke Scott's glove.

Sympathy for Ken Johnson

by rastronomicals on Apr 8, 2007 2:19 PM CDT 0 recs

Duncan

strikes out looking

Sympathy for Ken Johnson

by rastronomicals on Apr 8, 2007 2:21 PM CDT up 0 recs

Pujols

I called his shot "monster," OK maybe not.

But over the wall, anyway.

This time, he grounds to Ensberg who gloves and grabs and throws and walks off the diamond 'cause the inning is over.

Nice work by JJ there; he'll need to give us an inning more like that one.

He's at 77 pitches, so two more may be asking for a bit much, but we'll see, no?

Sympathy for Ken Johnson

by rastronomicals on Apr 8, 2007 2:23 PM CDT up 0 recs

Bottom Five

Loretta has our only hit. , but he strikes out here.

After a promising start, we have definitely fallen into this gloomy pattern of walking up to the plate, then walking back.

Sympathy for Ken Johnson

by rastronomicals on Apr 8, 2007 2:26 PM CDT 0 recs

Burke

flies to center.

March up, march back.

Sympathy for Ken Johnson

by rastronomicals on Apr 8, 2007 2:27 PM CDT up 0 recs

Ausmus

grounds to Pu7jols, who is well behind the bag when he fields, then takes it unassisted.

Tenth straight retired by Wells.

Sympathy for Ken Johnson

by rastronomicals on Apr 8, 2007 2:28 PM CDT up 0 recs

Top Six

Rolen strike three called.

Sympathy for Ken Johnson

by rastronomicals on Apr 8, 2007 2:31 PM CDT 0 recs

Edmunds

as my MLB.TV goes out yet again, and hear comes the freaking Right Guard commercial.

The frequent interruptions in service are starting to bug me, if you couldn't tell.

I miss Edmunds flying to Lee, but it comes back as Wilson does his best broken shutter routine, his bat pointlessly flapping in the wind.

Sympathy for Ken Johnson

by rastronomicals on Apr 8, 2007 2:35 PM CDT up 0 recs

Bottom Six

Game's not out of reach, but it sure FEELS as if it is.

Jennings is lifted for Palmeiro

6 IP, 5H, 3 ER, 5 K's, 3BB, one walk particaularly--the one to Duncan before Pujols' shot--got him into particular trouble.

Palmeiro flies to Edmunds, Wells still in as you can tell.

Sympathy for Ken Johnson

by rastronomicals on Apr 8, 2007 2:38 PM CDT 0 recs

Biggio

How about double number 639 right here, Craig? Or homer 283, for that matter?

Nope, it's strikeout number 1646.

Sympathy for Ken Johnson

by rastronomicals on Apr 8, 2007 2:40 PM CDT up 0 recs

Ensberg

hitting .167, nice.

Is it possible I was wrong on him? Even after the good spring?

I was about to write that he's still showing good discipline, just as he flails at a slider in the dirt away. Looked like Biggio.

How many in a row is that for Wells? I've lost track.

Sympathy for Ken Johnson

by rastronomicals on Apr 8, 2007 2:42 PM CDT up 0 recs

13

13 in a row.

I had such a positiv outlook when this game began.

Last night felt like a breakout.

Looks like it was a fluke.

Sympathy for Ken Johnson

by rastronomicals on Apr 8, 2007 2:44 PM CDT up 0 recs

Top Seven

Brian Moehler makes his 2007 debut, anyway, for Houston. First game for Houston since April 16, 2003.

Molina is the lucky fellow to face him.

No, no, no, I didn't mean that. I'm sorry. Now that he's on the club, I must do nothing but root for the man.

And my newfound positive outlook helps Moehler, obviously: Molina strikes out looking on a call that was appealed to first.

Sympathy for Ken Johnson

by rastronomicals on Apr 8, 2007 2:48 PM CDT 0 recs

Kennedy

grounds out

Sympathy for Ken Johnson

by rastronomicals on Apr 8, 2007 2:50 PM CDT up 0 recs

Wells

carom shot off Biggio off Berkman, a single.

Sympathy for Ken Johnson

by rastronomicals on Apr 8, 2007 2:51 PM CDT up 0 recs

The Ecksteiniest

grounds to Biggio who forces Wells unassisted.

Sympathy for Ken Johnson

by rastronomicals on Apr 8, 2007 2:52 PM CDT up 0 recs

Bottom Seven

Running out of time people.

Berkman now and he immediately pops to Molina, one away.

Take a pitch, Lance, if you're having some problems. Wrst thing that could happen is he throws three pitches instead of one.

Sympathy for Ken Johnson

by rastronomicals on Apr 8, 2007 2:56 PM CDT 0 recs

Lee

hits it off the end of the bat, and PW grabs it in deep right, thre or four steps from the wall.

15 straight Astros retired.

Sympathy for Ken Johnson

by rastronomicals on Apr 8, 2007 2:57 PM CDT up 0 recs

Scott

grounds out, number 16.

Sympathy for Ken Johnson

by rastronomicals on Apr 8, 2007 2:58 PM CDT up 0 recs

Top Eight

Moehler still out there.

Duncan starts off. He lines hard down the first base line, thought it would be a double, but an efficient play by Scott kept Duncan from even thinking about it.

Sympathy for Ken Johnson

by rastronomicals on Apr 8, 2007 3:01 PM CDT 0 recs

Pujols

singles through the right side hole, Duncan first to third.

Sympathy for Ken Johnson

by rastronomicals on Apr 8, 2007 3:02 PM CDT up 0 recs

Rolen

Garner and Ausmus come out, they talk some but Moehler stays in, and throws a first pitch called strike.

Trever up in the pen.

Rolen singles little looping liner in front of Lee.

4 - 0 Cardinals, Pujols to second.

First inning for Moehler = good. Second one, not so much.

Sympathy for Ken Johnson

by rastronomicals on Apr 8, 2007 3:05 PM CDT up 0 recs

Edmonds

Miller in to face him. Edmonds may be Public Enemy Number One to Astros fans, but Trever has handled him: he's 0 for 4 Miller

Terrible strikeout for Edmunds, throws the bat at the ball, just gave up.

Make that 0 for 5.

Sympathy for Ken Johnson

by rastronomicals on Apr 8, 2007 3:12 PM CDT up 0 recs

Wilson

little infield pop that Wheeler attempts to pick up, but he has all sorts of problems with it.

Eventually he is able to get off a throw to Loretta, who forces Rolen. Pujols into third, PW a little confused about it but he's safe at first.

Sympathy for Ken Johnson

by rastronomicals on Apr 8, 2007 3:15 PM CDT up 0 recs

Molina

as Molina stands in, Lucas suggests that Wheeler's fumblehandedness was on purpose to try and get a DP, but I don't think so.
Or maybe that was originally the plan, but the last case of the dropsies was I think definitely an accident. His throw to Loretta was sincerely rushed and got Rolen with not much to spare.

Molinaa Texas leaguer that drives in Pujols, and allows PW to go first to third.

5 - 0 Cardinals, first and third.

Sympathy for Ken Johnson

by rastronomicals on Apr 8, 2007 3:18 PM CDT up 0 recs

Kennedy

have I pointed out what it means to bat behind Yadier Molina?

That's a statement about your prowess with the bat perhaps even stronger than the one you make about Ausmus when you bat him behind Everett.

Anyway, Kennedy grounds to first.

Sympathy for Ken Johnson

by rastronomicals on Apr 8, 2007 3:20 PM CDT up 0 recs

Actually the umps agreed with Lucas...

Rolen stayed at 1st. Infield fly rule invoked. At least that is what JD said.

by clack on Apr 8, 2007 5:14 PM CDT up 0 recs

i was SO confused in the stands

if the infield fly rule was in effect, why was Pujols allowed to advance to 3rd? not that it made that much of a difference in the end, but i just didn't understand what the hell had just happened. either the batter should have been standing at 1st or Pujols should have been standing at 2nd.

by littlevisigoth on Apr 9, 2007 9:27 AM CDT up 0 recs