*A special day-after game recap, because I'm a terrible, terrible TCB writer.
For all the worry I've had over these crazy call-ups made in the past two weeks, none have out-and-out failed. J.D. Martinez, Jose Altuve and Jimmy Paredes have not looked overmatched at the plate and have showed signs of succeeding in the big leagues.
The lastest rookie to debut, Henry Sosa, was a little like Paredes in that he didn't have a great track record in the minor leagues. He was better than some of the other options in the Triple-A rotation, but his 4.50 ERA wasn't overwhelming. After the Astros tabbed him for the start Wednesday, the snarky out there just said it was Ed Wade's last move in trying to save his job.
And then, it turned out Sosa was pretty good. He gave up a few too many runs, including a bad three-run first inning. But, after that, Sosa settled down and pitched pretty well. He also lasted through six innings, which is great for a fifth starter, since that just saves the bullpen. Of course, the bullpen didn't do any favors for Sosa after he left, as Wilton Lopez and Aneury Rodriguez each gave up a run.
No, the problem in this game wasn't Sosa, it was an offense that took its sweet time scoring runs against the soft-tossing Josh Collmenter. Where the Big Three Rookies have been very good to this point in the series, last night was not their finest hour, as Paredes, Martinez and Altuve went 2 for 11. All three got on base as Martinez also walked. Paredes' hit came from the left side and was a line drive shot into right field. I'm sure that caused timmy to giggle with glee.
As good as the rookies have done so far, this was the kind of game that's most critical to their development. How they respond to adversity and failure will go a long way to determining how well they'll do in the next few years.