Astros Report August 10, 2003

Houston Astros 63-54
1st in N.L. Central 2 games ahead of the St. Louis Cardinals

AGAINST THE EAST

The Astros last week of July was a tough one with a road trip against the Atlanta Braves and red-hot Florida Marlins. Atlanta took 2 of 3 from the Astros and it was made even worse by the loss of Roy Oswalt in the opening game of the series. However Houston turned it around and took 2 of 3 from the Marlins in Florida as Jared Fernandez pitched well in replacing Oswalt in the rotation. Splitting the road trip 3-3 kept the Astros ahead in the central and they headed home to for 6 more games against Eastern division opponents.

The home stand began with a 3 game series against the New York Mets. Unfortunately the offense failed to show up in the first game and fell short in the third game as well. The Stros did manage to avoid a sweep with great offensive production and a good outing by Wade Miller in the middle game of the series. Next the Montreal Expos came to town and the Astros pitching managed to hold them to 3 or fewer runs all 3 games. However Livian Hernandez pitched a gem for the Expos in the 2nd game of the series and the Astros were only able to take 2 of 3 ending their short home stand with a 3-3 mark.

Despite only playing .500 ball the past 2 weeks the Astros have only lost half a game to the 2nd place St. Louis Cardinals although the Chicago Cubs have managed to pull a bit closer. The 4 game series in Chicago to start this next week will be a good test for the division leading Astros.

JEFF “2nd Half” BAGWELL

As usual Jeff Bagwell has caught fire in the second half of the season. After struggling through an awful slump in May and June, Bagwell has really turned it on in the past month. In his past 25 games he has 12 homeruns and 26 rbi, averaging more than 1 rbi per game. He also has a .290 avg and 18 runs. At times he seems to be the only offensive threat for what has been a struggling offense of late. Hopefully his hot hitting will be contagious and the rest of team can hit better down the stretch. Look for Bagwell to continue his great production the rest of the season.

BRILLIANCE OF THE BULLPEN

The bullpen continues to be a major strength for the team. Although leading up to the All-star break Houston’s Big Three (Brad Lidge, Octavio Dotel, and Billy Wagner) were not as dominant as they had been earlier in the season and there were talks of them being overworked. However these concerns are probably unfounded, as it appears the bullpen is back to its dominant self. A look at their recent numbers tells the story:
Wagner - 12.1 IP, 10 SV, 18 K, 0.00 ERA, 0 .57 WHIP in the past month
Lidge - 15.2 IP, 15 K, 2.30 ERA, 0.77 WHIP in the past month
Dotel - no runs allowed in last 6 outings and his Batting Average Against is down to .170
The rest of the pen continues to get the job done as well. If the starters continue to pitch well and the offense gets back on track then the team should be strong down the stretch.

MOVES

On July 29 the Astros traded a player to be named later for veteran reliever Dan Miceli. Houston hopes he can be another piece of their vaunted bullpen and he has performed quite well so far. However this is the only move the organization made before the deadline as they failed to add another starter. Even with Oswalt going down the team apparently couldn’t find a good enough deal and chose to pass on the pitchers available. There is still a chance that a waiver trade could be made but the Astros may be content to stay with the patched up rotation they have. Since the deadline the Astros did try to add reliever Rick White of the Chicago White Sox. However it turns out he wasn’t a free agent as they thought. He was designated for assignment by the White Sox on August 1st so they have until the 11th to trade him. If he is not traded then other teams can claim him. It remains to be seen whether the Astros will get him after that time. For the time being Kirk Saarloos, who was to be sent down to the minors, will remain in the bullpen.

NEWS AND NOTES
Including Fantasy Tips

Roy Oswalt’s injured his groin for the 3rd time this season leaving the rotation weakened once again. The groin problem is not career threatening but it will most likely take surgery to correct it. It is unclear whether Oswalt will be back this season but even if he does come back there is a good chance the pain could flare up again. Fantasy owners are probably better off looking elsewhere for a starter and only keeping Oswalt if a DL spot is available.

Richard Hidalgo had been bothered by hip problems in the past week and there were worries that it was the same injury that ended his 2002 season. However the situation has taken a positive turn, as he was able to start Wednesday and has put up good numbers since. Fantasy owners should be happy with this news but should also keep an eye out in case it begins to bother him again.

Jeff Kent served his 2 game suspension (For pushing Jimy Williams into an umpire) on Wednesday and Thursday. Kent should play consistently from here on out and Fantasy owners should expect for him to find his grove from earlier this season.

F.I.C LOCAL SPIN

Most of the talks about the Astros revolve around the division race in the central. Although many Houston fans seem to dismiss the Cubs because of their past failure perhaps it is time to take them seriously. The Cubs’ rotation is easily the best in the division. However it remains to be seen whether the Chicago offense will be strong enough, even with the additions of Aramis Ramirez and Kenny Lofton. Houston fans should take heart in the Cubs’ failure to get Rafael Palmeiro. The Cardinals appear to be the opposite of the Cubs as they have a very strong offense but very suspect starting pitching. Neither teams bullpen is as good as the Astros’. Astros followers have high hopes for the team down the stretch but it remains to be seen how well the starting rotation can hold up. As long as the starters pitch well the team’s decision not to trade for a starter won’t face as much criticism. However if the rotation struggles down the stretch look for some outcries and questioning of the reasons for not making a trade.