Astros Report July 27, 2003

Houston Astros 57-48
1st in N.L. Central 2.5 games ahead of the St. Louis Cardinals

TRYING TIMES

The Astros started off on a good note after the break by sweeping the Reds in 4 games in Cincinnati. The road trip continued with 2 games against the Pirates, which they split. Then the Stros split another 2 game series with the Brewers to conclude the trip. The team was back home briefly against Cubs this weekend and dropped 2 of 3 the 3 games. The schedule gets tougher in the coming week as the Astros travel to Atlanta and Florida.

OFFENSIVE WOES

Houston’s offense has been great against the Reds the past few weeks. Unfortunately they can’t play the Reds everyday and the offense has sputtered since leaving Cincinnati. In the past 7 games the Astros have scored 3 or fewer runs. Part of the struggles is due to Morgan Ensberg coming back down to earth. Another factor is Jeff Kent’s ineffectiveness lately. It has been reported that he is still feeling pain in his wrist. It’s likely he will have to play through some discomfort the rest of the season but hopefully he won’t end up back on the DL.

STRENGTH OF THE STARTERS

Surprisingly, the strong point during the past month has been the starting rotation. Roy Oswalt has pitched well since returning from the DL and is back to being the ace of the staff Jeriome Robertson had won 9 straight decisions before his bad outing this Sunday against the Cubs. Hopefully he will bounce back and continue his strong pitching. Ron Villone has been a blessing but hasn’t gotten the run support he deserves. Tim Redding has continued to pitch well besides his bad start following the All-star break. Wade Miller hasn’t been brilliant but he is getting the job done.

MOVES

The Astros have placed outfielder Brian Hunter on waivers and called up Colin Porter from AAA New Orleans. Hunter had been complaining of lack of at-bats using that excuse for his poor perfromance so far this season. This news has no impact on fantasy teams but many Astros fans are happy to see him go.

F.I.C LOCAL SPIN

With the move to release Hunter, and the trade deadline fast approaching, many Astros fans are wondering if Gerry Hunsicker will be able to make a trade to help the team. The Stros could use another top of the rotation starter to go with Roy Oswalt and Wade Miller, especially if they make the playoffs. Despite the rotation's recent success it is doubtful Ron Villone and Jeriome Robertson will continue to pitch at such a high level. Another quality arm would be a valuable addition.

SPLITS

Lefty/Righty Matchups (Due to the discrepancy in the number of at-bats, only Batting Average and On-base Plus Slugging are listed)

Get these guys in the lineup against left-handers, but you should probably start them anyway

Morgan Ensberg

	ABs	AVG	OPS
Versus Left-handers	49	.327	1.145
Versus Right-handers	175	.286	.941

Jeff Kent

	ABs	AVG	OPS
Versus Left-handers	50	.420	1.074
Versus Right-handers	250	.276	.820

Jeff Bagwell

	ABs	AVG	OPS
Versus Left-handers	59	.288	.831
Versus Right-handers	330	.273	.869

Richard Hidalgo

	ABs	AVG	OPS
Versus Left-handers	47	.340	.950
Versus Right-handers	268	.317	.962

Consider benching these guys against left-handers

Geoff Blum

	ABs	AVG	OPS
Versus Left-handers	27	.111	.311
Versus Right-handers	276	.279	.746

Lance Berkman

	ABs	AVG	OPS
Versus Left-handers	66	.212	.669
Versus Right-handers	281	.306	1.014

Craig Biggio

	ABs	AVG	OPS
Versus Left-handers	74	.243	.698
Versus Right-handers	337	.279	.782