Astros Report - June 29, 2003

Houston Astros 42-39 3rd in N.L. Central - 1.5 games behind St. Louis Cardinals

ASTROS NOT SO HOT IN THE SOUTHWEST

The Houston Astros left the Northeast on a disappointing note and headed home to face the Arizona Diamondbacks. After winning the first game of the series the team lost the last two in close games. The Astros rebounded to sweep the Texas Rangers in Arlington. Next the team went to Arizona to face a red-hot D-back team and was swept in 3 games. The Stros finished the past week at home with their final interleague games against the Rangers. The Astros dropped 2 of 3 but win the season series 4-2. Houston’s remaining games before the all-star break are against weaker teams so the coming weeks will be the ideal time for the Astros to go on a run and regain the top spot in the central division.

LACK OF LUCK

In recent games it seems that good luck has been scarce. The bullpen has not been lights out like earlier in the season and the bats have been cold at the wrong times. The offensive production has been a case of feast or famine. Sometimes the Stros come out slugging and other times the bats are shut down by the unlikeliest of pitchers. Part of the decline of the bullpen can be traced to Brad Lidge coming back down to earth. Lidge gave up 5 runs against Arizona on June 23 and the his next time out he gave up 3 runs against the Rangers 4 days later. Hopefully he can get back on track and the All-star break should supply him with some much-needed rest.

MORE BAD BREAKS

The offensive struggles are due to lack of production from Craig Biggio, Jeff Bagwell, and Richard Hidalgo. Lance Berkman has come out of his slump somewhat but still is not putting up all-star numbers. In addition to the struggling veterans, Morgan Ensberg has cooled down from his red-hot eruption earlier this month. As if this wasn’t bad enough, the Astros’ 2nd basemen have been struck by the injury bug. Jeff Kent, the Astros most consistent hitter thus far, had been battling wrist tendonitis for a while and was finally placed on the DL retroactive to June 19. Jose Vizcaino had been occupying Kent’s spot at 2B but was hit in the wrist by a pitch on June 25 against the Diamondbacks. The pitch broke his wrist and he will be out for about 8 weeks.

MINOR HELP

With the recent injuries the Astros have had to dip into the minors yet again. To replace Kent and Vizcaino the Astros called up Eric Bruntlett and Dave Matranga two light hitting infielders from AAA. Matranga homered in his first major league at-bat but neither player is much of an offensive threat.

On the pitching side Jonathan Johnson was sent down and left-hander Ron Villone was brought up. Rodrigo Rosario was also brought up to replace the injured Roy Oswalt. Rosario pitched well in his debut against the Rangers but left his second start after the 2nd inning with tightness in his throwing shoulder. If Oswalt is able to come back for his next start then Rosario may be sent down without starting any more games. Oswalt will make a rehabilitation start at AAA on Tuesday and then hopefully rejoin the rotation. More recently Mike Gallo was called up to replace Nate Bland in the bullpen. Bland was sent down due to his recent struggles.

ENSBERG GETS HIS CHANCE

Morgan Ensberg is quite possibly the starting 3rd baseman while Kent is out. With both Kent and Vizcaino injured, Geoff Blum will start at 2nd against right-handers and Matranga or Bruntlett with start at 2nd against left-handers. With this arrangement Ensberg would start at 3rd most of the time since Blum sits against southpaws. Hopefully Ensberg will make the most of this opportunity and cement himself in the starting lineup.

F.I.C LOCAL SPIN

With Vizcaino suffering a broken wrist from being hit by a pitch fans are looking for retribution. Fans are citing the abundance of Houston batters who are hit by pitches and the fact that the young pitching staff doesn’t seem to stand up for their hitters. Many are questioning the toughness and desire of a team that has been scuffling and blowing opportunities to run away with the division. Most of this venting is just frustration with a team that struggled all season. What may be overlooked however is the fact that despite the Astros’ struggles they are still in the midst of the division race. Hopefully the Astros’ bats can get their act together and the pitching staff can solidify by the All-star break to give the team momentum going into the second half of the season.

ADD

Jeriome Robertson - If you are desperate for pitching in a deep or NL only league you may want to look at Robertson. Since being sent down and then called back up earlier this season Robertson has been pretty solid. He has also won his last 5 decisions. He will give you decent secondary numbers as well.

Ron Villone - Ron Villone is another Houston lefty that has pitched well since called up. He has been unlucky in terms of getting a win but his secondary numbers have been great. Don’t look for this to continue too long however, Villone’s career numbers aren’t that great.

HOLD

Jeff Bagwell - Bagwell continues to slump but he has shown a few signs of coming out of it. Look for him to turn it up after the All-star break.

Richard Hidalgo - Hidalgo has been in a bit of a funk lately but that could be said about the entire Astros’ offense. The schedule from here to the break is pretty easy for the Stros so look for Hidalgo to heat up a little.

Brad Lidge - After Lidge’s recent blowups some people may be questioning his value as a middle reliever. It would be wise to keep an eye on the situation as he may be tiring but hold on to him for now if you have him.

DROP

Ricky Stone - If you added Stone for his vulture wins and decent ERA/WHIP its time to bail ship. Stone has struggled mightily the past few weeks and could continue to do so. He isn’t a part of the big three (Lidge/Dotel/Wagner) so he won’t be in line for many wins or saves.