The Meek Inherit An Astros Win
by David Coleman on Apr 16, 2011 10:33 PM CDT
in Houston Astros News
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PrintThere haven't been four more disappointing members of this roster than Carlos Lee, Nelson Figueroa, Chris Johnson and Brandon Lyon. That's what made Saturday night that much sweeter as all four were key to the Astros 5-3 comeback victory over the San Diego Padres.
Figueroa should have gotten the victory, pitching 6 2/3 innings while allowing six hits, three runs (two earned), two walks and striking out five. He left in the seventh inning and Mark The Shark Melancon got the final out to pick up his first victory of the season.
If Melancon picked up a slightly undeserved victory, Brandon Lyon definitely picked up an undeserved save. Lyon still did what he was supposed to do, not allowing a run to earn his third save of the season. He did give up two hits, however, and made things tough on Astros fans. Luckily, two of his buddies helped out in the outfield, as both Hunter Pence and Carlos Lee made great plays to keep the Padres off the board.
As for Lee, he may not have done much at the plate (1 for 4, run, strikeout), but his defense was excellent for a second straight night. I'm as befuddled by that sentence as you are, believe me. It's too early to know any thing substantial about his defense compared to last season, but he's definitely had some big plays for the Astros out there in left field.
The final piece to this puzzle is Chris Johnson, who returned from missing some time after he was plunked in the elbow by a pitch to hit his first home run of the season. Johnson's two-run home run with two outs in the fourth tied the game at 3. It also gave the Astros a little bit of momentum that saw them score the final four runs of the contest.
Was this a perfect game? Probably not, but it was at least a redemptive one for some members of this Houston team.
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Just a small aside: Lance Pendleton pitched 3 scoreless, hitless innings of relief with 2 strikeouts for the Yankees last night.
Who would have thought that Lance would have seen time in the majors with the Yankees before the Astros.
Good job by Figueroa tonight. I am going to make a prediction an say that by the All Star break Melancon will be closing. I know tonight he got lucky picking up the win on a hard hit ball Carlos Lee caught, but he has already had some success in high leverage situations this season.
It also looks like Angel Sanchez might be starting to regress at the plate. He did get a single but it didn’t leave the infield. He has been lucky on a couple of his hits this season.
Wallace had a rough day at the plate, but hopefully Johnson took a step in the right direction and will break out of his slump. Im hoping he’s a slow starter.
by conroestro on Apr 17, 2011 2:11 AM CDT via mobile up reply actions
J.D. Martinez
Martinez hit his second homerun of the season tonight. It was a nice shot to straight away center at Whataburger field. He also has 15 RBIs on the season which tie him for the league lead and has hit safely in each game.
If Carlos Lee continues to struggle then he’s not really hurting the club to much this year since the Astros are probably not going to be playoff contenders, but he is hurting the future of the club by occupying left field. The RedHawks have a crowded outfield, but if Shuck or Bogusevic got their shot for the Astros then Martinez could begin getting adjusted to the highest level of pitching before the majors. He proved he could hit in Corpus last year.
by conroestro on Apr 17, 2011 2:32 AM CDT via mobile reply actions
May have been off just a hair David
I don’t think Lyon has been up there with the most disappointing, even though his big falter may have stopped the young Astros momentum before it ever began, I think Joe Inglett has been THE biggest (well I can’t say let down now can I? To be a let down we would have had to believe in him in the first place right?) pain so far.
Really wish I could have seen the Carlos catch but honestly I was excited just watching the play by play on my phone. I hope Sanchez picks it back up soon but all good things must come to an end. Thanks for the post David and gentlemen, Ill see you tomorrow.
by Its Gonna Happen on Apr 17, 2011 2:45 AM CDT via mobile reply actions
yes, David could have included Inglett among the players who had some redemption in this game, since he got a key hit.
by clack on Apr 17, 2011 7:06 AM CDT up reply actions 1 recs
During that first series against the Phils...
I tweeted that Carlos lee was a defensive liability, but we’ve seen some great plays from him during this home stand.
GO TEXANS!!!!
Our time will come...
Now THAT'S what I'm talking about.
I don’t expect the Astros to win a pennant. I DO expect them to give 100%….and last night, they did just that. I can see Pence laying out for balls….but Carlos Lee??? Now granted, you’re not always going to get a W when you put forth that kind of effort….but last night, we did!!
Music City Miracles Hall Of Fame, Class of 2010
If you had to be perfect to do what we do, then nobody would be doing it. On the other hand, if everyone could do what we do.....then everyone would be doing it.
Got to like
The performance from Figgy (why does every nickname in baseball have to end in a Y?) That error in the first was rough. It caused him to change the way he pitched to O-dog (okay there’s one that doesn’t), and after the stolen base, they just pitch right around him. That takes you from bases empty and going after Hudson to two on, one out. He did well to limit the damage and stay stingy through almost six more innings. He’s not going to be a to flight starter, and this is just the Padres we’re talking about, but hopefully he can have more of these types of performances and not force Wade to make a personnel decision.
by littlevisigoth on Apr 17, 2011 9:54 AM CDT via mobile reply actions
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Current Series
Astros lead the series 1-0
| Fri 05/25 |
WP: Lucas Harrell (4 - 3)
SV: Brett Myers LP: Clayton Kershaw (4 - 2) |
3 - 1 win |
|
Houston Astros
Saturday, May 26, 2012, 9:10 PM CDT Bud Norris vs Chad Billingsley Mostly clear. Winds blowing out to right field at 5-15 m.p.h. Game time temperature around 65. |
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| Sun 05/27 | 3:10 PM CDT | |
NL Central Standings
| W | L | PCT | GB | STRK | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Cincinnati
|
25 | 20 | .555 | 0 | Lost 1 |
|
St. Louis
|
25 | 21 | .543 | 0.5 | Lost 2 |
|
Houston
|
22 | 23 | .488 | 3 | Won 4 |
|
Pittsburgh
|
21 | 24 | .466 | 4 | Won 1 |
|
Milwaukee
|
19 | 26 | .422 | 6 | Won 2 |
|
Chicago
|
15 | 30 | .333 | 10 | Lost 10 |
(updated 5.26.2012 at 6:14 PM CDT)
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