I wrote yesterday that I thought Bud Norris would pitch well but that the Astros would not be able to muster the offense or the bullpen to win. I should have included defense. I was almost right, but the Astros managed to pull out a thrilling win in the bottom of the ninth for the unlikely victory.
They had struggles all game, particularly on defense. Hunter Pence misplayed a couple of fly balls in left field, Jason Bourgeois had a critical misplay late in the game in left field, and an error by Angel Sanchez led to three unearned runs that shortened Bud Norris’s night.
The bullpen struggled again as Jeff Fulchino and Brandon Lyon blew Norris’s lead, giving up two runs on four hits and a walk over the last 2.1 innings.
And the offense almost let too many opportunities slip through their fingers. Like the seventh, when they got the bases loaded with one out and Bill Hall ended it by grounding into a double play.
Or the eighth, when Brett Wallace led off with a single, only to have Chris Johnson strike out, pinch-runner Bourgeois picked off first on what looked a lot like a pitchout on a hit-and-run, followed by a Humberto Quintero strikeout.
But they came back in the ninth inning and took advantage of some miscues on the other side. Brian Bogusevic reached on a single and advanced to second on a rare passed ball by Yadier Molina. Michael Bourn put down a sacrifice bunt (or perhaps a really bad attempted bunt for a hit). Bogusevic tied the game up on a wild pitch. And then, a couple of singles later, after Carlos Lee had failed to drive the winning run in with bases loaded and no outs (he popped out weakly), Hall came to the plate again.
It looked like another opportunity might slip away from the Astros and it almost did. Hall hit what looked like it should have been another inning-ending double play, but the hard-hit ball just got under the glove of the drawn-in shortstop and the Astros took the opening game of the series.
I’m still trying to figure out why master strategist Tony LaRussa had his infield drawn in with one out and strikeout machine Hall at the plate, but it worked out in the Astros’ favor, and you get just as much credit in the win column for taking advantage of the other team’s mistakes as you do for generating your own victories.
It put them in a much better position to come away with a very improbable series victory with J.A. Happ going tonight. His numbers are ugly and it’s hard to forget what the Cardinals did in his first start against them last year, but Minute Maid Park numbers are stellar.
And the Astros’ two hottest hitters, Bourn and Wallace, don’t have to go against a lefty again tonight. Expect big things from those two in a game that might actually be a good one.
Even with Albert Pujols returning to the lineup.
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Talk about a gift…Bases loaded no outs and you almost blow it…That would have been an absolute deathblow to the team’s confidence. Did the Astro’s bullpen forget how to pitch and who stole Carlos Lee’s bat? He is really out of gas and the Astros need to put him out to pasture, cut bait, and move on. And even the Astros defensive replacements can’t seem to play defense. Ouch. But a win makes all of those crappy moments mildly less crappy.
Twice Hunter Pence singles with Michael Bourn on 2nd base and he does not score either time. Whats wrong with that picture? At least Hunter gets us on the board with a mammoth HR in the fourth to cut the deficit. He at least moved Bourn to third so the next batters could bring him in. All we hear is that pence misplayed a couple of balls , but nothing of his good contribution with his bat.
I don’t know…why is it that I can write an entire 500-word article and the ONLY thing you seem to read is one sentence about Hunter Pence? There were a LOT of good offensive contributions I didn’t talk about. I’m not picking on Pence. Don’t take it so personally.
But, since you asked what’s wrong with that picture, it’s two things. One is the third base coach, who held Bourn BOTH times. Did you see Bourn in the 9th? He was asking Clark why he held him. What — are you going to call Bourn out for obeying his coach?
Also, they were both line drives. It’s hard to score from second on a line drive to right field. Honestly — holding Bourn accountable for not scoring on those is absurd.
Yes — Pence’s homerun was great. His strikeout with Sanchez on first and no outs was terrible. Wallace and CJ’s back-to-back RBI singles were great, and so was Sanchez’s clutch single in the ninth. There was a lot of good and bad I didn’t cover. I’m not singling out Pence. Don’t take it so personally.
You and lisa gray have always singled out Pence and thats the damm truth and you both know it. To here you talk he misplays every other ball hit out in is direction. And bourn did not get a jump on that first single and misread it and thats why Clarke held him up., and why was Bourn not on second base on the pitch that got away from molina and Bogusivic scored. You would have chastised Pence had he done that and you damm well know it.
both you and lisa know alot of baseball but you are both very bious. and thats a fact.
Like I said, there were plenty of other bad plays and good plays that I could have talked about. I didn’t single out Pence any worse than I singled out Bourgeois, Sanchez, Hall or Lee.