Aggies Join Horns on Sidelines at B12 TourneyMay 26, 2012, 8:03 am Aggies Bow Out of Big 12 with 2nd Loss at Tourney
The Texas A&M Aggies will still have some games in the NCAA baseball tournament, but the era of being a member of the Big 12 ended Friday night in Oklahoma City. The upstart Kansas Jayhawks with only a 24-33 record ousted the Aggies from the Big 12 tournament with a 5-3 victory.
While the Aggies will live to play another day in the NCAA regionals, KU had its back to the wall the day this tournament opened. There will be bid to the NCAA for a sub .500 team unless it wins the title. Now, they still have a chance.
Ironically, to get into the NCAA event the Jayhawks will now have to beat long time rival Missouri two straight just to have a chance to meet either Baylor or Oklahoma in the championship game.
The Missouri-Kansas rivalry started way before sports were a big deal. It, too, will end for the foreseeable future after this weekend. Missouri, like Texas A&M, is heading to the SEC. And for Missouri this will certainly be the end of their season as it will be for Kansas if they don’t win the championship. Missouri only has a 30-26 record while is not likely good enough for a bid without the title first.
The Texas A&M loss on Friday was a tough one. With their second best starter on the mound, Ross Stripling, they fell behind early on and could never catch up even though the had chances in both the 8th and 9th innings.
One thing both innings had in common was the inability of Aggie hitters to get bunts down with two on and no out and ultimately some well hit balls right at fielders. That included a game ending 4-6-3 double play well smoked off the bat of top hitter Tyler Naquin.
If there is a silver lining for A&M it is that their pitching staff will be fully rested before they begin regional play next week. By losing early, however, they may have lost a shot at a top eight seed. It would appear that Baylor is the only Big 12 team still alive with a shot at that honor. But to lock one of them up they need to at least get to the finals.
Baylor has to beat Oklahoma twice. The Sooners are unbeaten thanks to two game winning walk off hits. They also swept the Bears late in the season after Baylor had won the first 18 conference games and handled Baylor is only loss in this tournament thanks to one of those last play victories.
Two to four games are on the Big 12 slate Saturday. If Oklahoma beats Baylor in the 9am game and Missouri disposes of Kansas in the game set for 12:30, OU would meet Missouri for the title.
However, if Baylor and/or Kansas take early wins there would have to be up to two more games later Saturday to determine who goes for the crown. Whoever finally does get there will be featured on many FSN affiliates starting at 1pm central time Sunday. |
Astros pitching staff leading surprise surgeMay 23, 2012, 11:20 am The pitching staff was headed by an underachiever with a great arm and a veteran lefty who had only been a .500 pitcher during his career. But so far, led by those two pitchers, things have changed. Bud Norris has been living up to all that has been hoped from him and more. Things were rocky in April, but since May began he has won four games with an earned run average of 0.35. Fellow starter Wandy Rodriguez has won four games overall with an earned run average for the season in the low 2.00 range. It may be contagious. J.A. Happ has been superb in his last two starts. With one inning exception, Jordan Lyles has been impressive when he has been able to work. And Lucas Harrell has been a solid "hang with 'em" type starter. He has not been as impressive as the big two, but with any offensive help at all has shown he can certainly compete. The bullpen has been "shut down" in close games. And the Astros are 20-23. Yes, that is still under .500, but it is a long shot better after 43 games than Houston has been since 2008. If you remember 2008 was the last season the Astros were relevant in a pennant race. They were not eliminated until Sept. 26 -- after the 159th game. That team included several players that are still around in baseball, although not Astros, with Michael Bourn, Lance Berkman, Hunter Pence, Ty Wigginton, Edwin Maysonet, Humberto Quintero, Jose Valverde and Randy Wolf being the most prominent. Wandy Rodriguez is still an Astro. He is the only one. Funny thing in doing my research, I was reminded that Kaz Matsui was the regular second baseman on the last winning Astros team. It has been fashionable to kick him as a player the club should have never acquired. Yet, in that last winning season he hit .about .295 with 20 stolen bases. He was good when the club last was. After 43 games that year the Astros were 24-19. They were two and a half games off the National League Central lead. This season they may be under .500, but only four games off the top spot. They finished the season 86-75 After 2008 and prior to this season the 43 game point has not shown the Astros in a good spot. In 2009 they were 18-23 en route to a 74-88 record. In 2010 they were 15-28 and finished at 76-86. Last year they had an identical 15-28 and ended at 56-106. After losing a team-record 106 games in 2011, a finishing mark of 74 to 76 wins would be a tremendous improvement. Before the season began, most fans and front office types would have been happy for a finish like that... an improvement of 18 to 20 games. Now, however, that may not be the case. Baseball has a long season and a team's current pace and improvement doesn't always hold. The same obviously holds for clubs that are talented but get off to slow starts. Things tend to even up. However, if the Astros pitchers can continue to show that they can keep games within range, even the offensive holes in the current lineup can be hidden somewhat. No team can be a big winner with the lack of offensive production coming from the Houston corner outfielders so far unless it is picked up at positions that are not usually expected to provide it. Jed Lowrie at shortstop has picked up some of the missing power, but not enough to cover the lack of help from others. At some point, the Astros pitching may not be quite as strong as it has been. The hitting needs to come around. In the mean time fans can at least be happy knowing this club is on pace through 43 games to be the best Astro team in the last four years. That would be something to build on.
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Difference between winning and losing is smallMay 21, 2012, 11:28 am But Lyles was not on his game in that opening frame and the Rangers scored five runs, enabling them to put the game away early. After the game Lyles, who would shortly be informed he was heading back to AAA Oklahoma City, offered no excuses. He simply said he could not get a good feel for anything and struggled. The worst hit he surrendered was the last one in the inning when pitcher Colby Lewis smacked a pitch high and over the middle of the plate for a two run single. Remember that was from an American League pitcher who rarely bats. The two runs made it 5-0 and that was the ballgame. As it turned out Lewis was on his game as a pitcher as well as a hitter. He allowed only a solo home run to Jed Lowrie leading off the ninth. At that point his day was done, but he had already done in the Astros. Even with a 6-1 final score, the first inning was the story. A lot of things could have been different had Lyles escaped allowing only two or three runs in that frame. It just was not to be. As for Lyles, he is being sent down since the spot in the rotation he holds won't be needed again until next Monday when the Astros play a double-header in Colorado. Under baseball rules he could be recalled to pitch in that game even though it is fewer than 10 days off. Normally, unless there is an injury a player cannot be recalled to the majors after a demotion until at least 10 days have passed. That does not apply when double-headers appear on the schedule. In fact, an extra 26th player may be added to a roster for a twin bill. The Astros need either an extra bullpen arm or able bodied player in the mean time. Outfielder Jordan Schafer is banged up and not likely to play until at least Wednesday and the bullpen could always use another arm for a few days. It is not inconceivable that GM Jeff Luhnow could bring up an outfielder for Monday, Tuesday and possibly Wednesday then switch to a pitcher for the three-game series in Los Angeles with Lyles or another starter coming in for next Monday. While all these moves make for interesting speculation they don't answer the questions that keep the Astros from being a contender. How can more offense be generated and how can pitchers limit their mistakes? Every single player of the Astros is a major-league player. They have all proven they can either get major-league players out or can hit major-league pitching. The difference between being a winning team and one that loses more often is so very slight. The teams that win get the outs when they need them or drive in the runs that count the most. The others are less successful in both areas. Had Jordan Lyles been able to start his game on Sunday in the second inning instead of the first the whole outcome could have been different. The margin between winning and losing in the major leagues is that small.
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Lee a valuable member of the AstrosMay 18, 2012, 11:18 am But make no mistake about it. Carlos Lee has been a valuable Astro even if some feel he is not worth the dollars his contract calls for. And he is also a good person. As a ballplayer Lee has driven in 100 or more runs in three of his five Astro seasons so far. He has averaged about 26 homers and hit over .300 three times. He has been productive. Certainly as he has aged his numbers have declined. He will be 36 years old next month. Yet in some ways he may be more valuable now that at any point in his Houston career. For one thing his move from left field to first base has worked out wonderfully. Lee is an above average defender at the initial sack. He was never that as a left fielder. Because he is in closer to the action he is far more a part of the game and game plan. Just watch him closely. He is offering suggestions and comments to his less experienced teammates. He is having fun and his performance on short hopped throws or hard liners down the line has been superb. As a hitter he has lost some of his power, but not much of his ability to put his bat on the ball. After a strong road trip to Pittsburgh and Philadelphia and a three hit game against the Brewers back in Minute Maid Park on Wednesday he was back over .300 for the year. The Astros have a number of players trying to establish themselves in the major leagues this year. Lee is already established and it shows. He also is more than willing to talk baseball with the youngsters, passing on whatever he can about being successful in the major leagues. As a person Lee prefers to be out of the media spotlight. Whenever he has a great game, as he did Wednesday, I know what I have in store for myself to get him in front of the FSHouston postgame camera. I will have to find him in the Astro congratulations line and while telling him we want to talk with him hear him complain about it. At the same time I have my chest pushing him in the direction of our set up. All along he is urging us to get going... quicker, quicker. It is all part of the Carlos Lee act. Since I have been around as long as I have I find it challenging and fun. My radio counterparts, Dave Raymond and Brett Myers have more problems. Carlos hates to hang around and to get him to stick around long enough to also do a postgame radio interview is often a real trick. The rest of the media sometimes has to wait past deadlines to hear from Carlos in the clubhouse after games. Admittedly it can get quite frustrating, but it is Carlos Lee. If he makes himself available he is a good interview. The thing is we all know that is Carlos. He is not a bad guy at all. Many times I will go days and days between even saying hello to the big guy. He keeps a schedule different from what those of us involved in pregame and postgame shows. He is far more likely to appear on an Astros Live pregame show as an interview from the road than at home. He is more accessible away from home. It is quite likely Carlos Lee will at best only play the rest of the season in Houston. His contract will be up by then. If he does not agree to a trade before the deadline to a contender fans will probably say good-bye to Carlos then. Some will say, "Good Riddance." Those people will be wrong. Lee has been a good Astro and a good guy, too.
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Astros wait until last minute to announce moveMay 15, 2012, 7:25 pm While it was not really a secret that the Astros were
calling Jordan Lyles back from Oklahoma City to make the Tuesday afternoon
start against the Phillies it sure seemed like the Astros were trying to make
it so. After striking out the first two hitters he faced, Carpenter
yielded a Carlos Ruiz single, which was followed by a two-run homer from
Placido Polanco. Then Carpenter served up two more singles, to John Mayberry
and Freddy Galvis, before inducing pinch hitter Mike Fontenot on a fly out to
center to end the inning. If the Astros had not decided who would go to
Oklahoma City before then, Carpenter likely sealed his fate in the eighth
inning. Lyles pitched well, working six innings and yielded three
runs (one earned) on six hits and one walk. When he left the game, the Astros trailed
3-1 thanks to two unearned runs in the second. An error by Jose Altuve wiped
out what would have been the inning's second out, and after Galvis flied out to
center for what should have been the third out, Brian Schneider hit a two-run
homer. |
Following "The Book" burns Mills, AstrosMay 13, 2012, 7:50 pm He followed "The Book," or the recognized strategic move used in modern baseball. Then he got the pages slammed on his fingers. Myers was not as automatic as he had been for the first nine save opportunities he had worked, and a one-run lead was lost. The question that many Astros fans had even before the Pirates scored a run off Myers to tie the game that Houston would ultimately lose in 12 innings was why was Mills so determined to lift his starting pitcher who was showing no signs of fatigue or decline and had only thrown 94 pitches? Mills made a mistake in blindly following "The Book." Rodriguez should have at least been given a hitter-by-hitter chance to work the ninth inning. If he had allowed the first hitter he faced to reach base, then summoning Myers would have made more sense. The way Rodriguez had been pitching, odds were not so great that any hitters would have reached base against him. Going into the ninth, he had retired 14 straight batters and 21 of the last 22 he had faced. He had not been under stress. The problem is that most managers these days want their relievers to start with clean innings, if at all possible. They don’t want to have to bring them in after a hitter has reached base unless a matchup is being sought. But a matchup situation in the 12th inning finally ended the contest. Mills removed lefty reliever Wesley Wright with two out in the bottom of the inning after he struck out all three hitters he faced. But "The Book" says he must be relieved in order to get a proper matchup with right-handed hitting Clint Barmes. Barmes led the ultimate Pirate win when he hit a pitch from right-hander Fernando Rodriguez into left field despite being jammed. It was a lucky hit, but wound up getting Barmes — the winning run — into scoring position. An ensuing single by Harrison brought home Barmes and the game was over. Two right-handed hitters getting hits against a right-handed pitcher. Brad Mills followed "The Book," but Barmes and Harrison didn’t bother to read it. Had Wandy Rodriguez been spent going into the ninth and Myers failed, there would be no room for criticism. But Wandy was not weakening. As Jim Deshaies put it on television, "If Wandy can’t get a complete game out of his effort today, there won’t be any on the Astros this year." As any baseball fans knows "The Book" has reasons for its existence. Years and years of baseball have proven what are the best percentages. Yet, it is not infallible. Some of the best managers of all time knew when to ignore some of the adages, because no percentage is 100 percent in baseball. Sometimes, managers are better off trusting their gut instinct. Sunday afternoon would have been a good time for Brad Mills to consider that. The Astros may very well have won 2-1 in nine instead of losing 3-2 in 12 innings.
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Oddball trivia is a part of Astros baseballMay 10, 2012, 6:24 pm When I was doing MLB play by play many of these items would find their way into the actual telecast when they fit but now they are limited to their own special places. Admittedly it takes a while to compile new questions and stories, but it is also a lot of fun. I never know for sure what I am going to find. The philosophy is to make the questions hard enough that Bill Brown and Jim Deshaies will have to think, but not so trivial they are closer to minutia. Sometimes that line is at best straddled. I want the fans to actually learn something. Whether it is worth retaining or not in up to them. When possible I try to tie them in to the teams involved in that day's game. For example when the Astros played the Brewers earlier this year one of the questions was: "What two Hall of Fame pitchers share (with three others) the major league record for most blown saves in a season?" The answer was Rollie Fingers, who played part of his career with the Brewers, and Bruce Sutter. In a Cubs or Pirates game I used the question: "Who won the batting championship the most times in either the NL or AL who is eligible but not in the Hall of Fame?" The answer to that is Bill Madlock who won four of them. Like in any good test prepared for a school class I always have some questions I know Bill and Jim will know right off like "Who was the last active player who played for both the Brooklyn and Los Angeles Dodgers?" That has not been used yet, but they will know the answer immediately since it is Bob Aspromonte who was one of the original Houston Colt 45s. Many of our viewers won't know, however, and they will learn something. When I am not with the telecasts I strive to make the questions easier since I won't be on hand to help give clues. I have submitted the questions for the Pittsburgh and Philadelphia games coming up. My college baseball schedule and travel situation does not allow me to join the Astros till they return home next week. Of the five questions I have sent in I would guess three of them will be easy. In years past we would often let the fans give the trivia a shot by answering via email. In recent years we have cut back on the use of direct email and have had to cut down the amount of time devoted to asking and answering the questions. I may be able to start posting the question on Twitter BEFORE we do in on the air and still have time to get some fan involvement. Look for that innovation once I get through the college season and am on site for all the games the rest of the season. On occasion a current event or note in a media package will cause us to skip one of my prepared questions for something else. That is good because it gives us a few more timely notes. When we do that, however, I always have the producer be sure to let me know the answer. Remember I research and write them. I don't always remember them!
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Astros find impromptu closer in Brett MyersMay 9, 2012, 12:01 pm So general manager Jeff Luhnow, manager Brad Mills, pitching coach Doug Brocail and others considered asking Brett Myers to move from the starting rotation to the back end of the bullpen. He had done it before with the Phillies in 2007. In 51 games, he was successful in saving 21 in 24 chances. He wasn't a real shut-down guy, with 27 walks and 61 hits allowed in 68-2/3 innings pitched, but he was what the Phillies needed at the time. Before and after that one season, Myers was always a starter. In his two most recent seasons, he started 33 and 34 games for the Astros. He totaled 439-2/3 innings in those two years. He also was on the bubble as a highly paid veteran who might have a salary the young and building Astros might want to trade away at some point during the year. Would his moving to the bullpen work? Would it lower his value on the trade market? Would Myers even agree with the idea? The answers to all three of the above questions were positive. After the reasoning was explained to Myers — that Lyon would not be ready, the Astros needed a closer and he had once been one, and the the club felt he could do it — Myers agreed. Myers has been perfect in the role. On a team still running a couple games under .500 with 14 wins, Myers has closed out and saved eight of them. He has not blown a save or really even come close. His control of multiple pitches makes him a different closer. Most are hard throwers who might have problems finding the strike zone. Astros fans remember Billy Wagner, Brad Lidge and Jose Valverde. They could blow away the opposition or stuggle before getting the job done. Myers wastes little time. He throws a 92-mph fastball and a very good curve, along with a change. He throws them all for strikes. He has been every bit as deadly in the ninth inning as any "blow 'em away" guy. What's more, Myers has been a leader among the mostly young pitchers in the Astros' pen. Reliever Fernando Rodriguez says that both Lyon, who now looks fully recovered, and Myers have taken the younger guys under their wings and have helped them learn the proper mindset for entering a game. Myers is a teacher and closer. Myers might be doing too well to stick around in Houston all season. Because the Astros are not likely a contender this season and in a building mode, that might not be a bad thing. The better he pitches, the more value he builds on the trade market. Experienced as a starter, but now one of the most effective closers in the game, it is not hard to imagine some pennant-bound clubs will have Luhnow's number on speed dial. He will be able to pick the very best option if he is faced with multiple offers for the veteran right-hander. And if Myers departs, there is no reason to fret about this season. It appears Lyon's arm is fully healed, based on his past three outings. The closer role would still be filled by a vet, and the Astros' system may be able to add some more young talent at the same time.
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It Was Only One LossMay 7, 2012, 5:01 pm Sunday Was Only an Astro Loss Don’t Make Too Much of It After winning five games in a row the Astros 8-1 loss to St. Louis on Sunday was a downer for many fans. It was one-sided, never in doubt and had few positive moments. But it was only one game. It is far more important to look at the bigger most recent picture with the Astros. Their five game winning streak included some power hitting, good pitching and heads up play. They got to within one game of .500 before losing on Sunday, but are within range to get over the hump in the next week if they continue to play as well as they have in the last dozen games. With Wandy Rodriguez on the mound for Houston Monday night, arguably one of the top pitchers in the National League so far this year, chances are pretty good they can get back within a game of that goal by the end of the game. Of course, Wandy will have to be on his game and the hitters will have to come around. Even in Saturday’s easy romp over the Cards they were held to just six hits. Several regulars have been in slumps or erratic. That number includes J.D. Martinez who got Sunday off after seeing his batting average fall to .247 and right fielder Brian Bogusevic who has started to fall off again after getting himself nearly to .240 a few games back. There is no reason to be anything but pleased with the Astros first 30 games. No pre season prognosticator I ever read or heard from has this team finishing with fewer than 90 losses and most think at least 100 losses is more likely. Some of that was based on past performance and experienced players who were no longer on the team. Some of it was purely speculation with no way to really analyze what this team can do. There is simply no track record. While it is part of every game to mention how this pitcher or team has done against the other team it is almost irrelevant when talking of the Astros. This is almost a whole new team that has only the uniform they wear in common with the players who have faced Monday’s Miami starter Carlos Zambrano or the Cards Sunday starter Adam Wainwright. All we found out Sunday was that Wainwright still has the number of the Astros even if Carlos Lee was the ONLY Astro he had any track record against. His past against Houston meant nothing. He was just good, period. J.A. Happ was not. But that happens and it happens more often to pitchers like J.A. who must put the ball in specific spots to succeed because they cannot rely on over powering stuff. To coin a much overused phrase uttered by Craig Biggio, “That’s baseball.” As was the case with two Astros wins against the Mets and two Astro wins over the Cards it was St.Louis who used the well placed home run ball to win on Sunday. They were beaten essentially by two players who drove in seven of the eight St.Louis runs. Both homered at least once. Tyler Green hit two homers and drove in four. Allen Craig homered and doubled and drove in three. If that sounds somewhat familiar to the Astro winning formula in their five game winning streak it should. Matt Downs had a two run homer in the first game win over the Mets. Then Jed Lowrie hit a two run homer and Chris Snyder a three run shot in game two of the series. In game three Chris Johnson hit two homers and drove in six runs. In the first win over the Cards the hero honors went to Jose Altuve who banged a three run homer. In the second win over St. Louis Johnson clubbed a grand slam homer and Lowrie hit a two run shot. Sunday was simply St. Louis’ turn to use the long ball. Winning five of six as the Astros did was great. They can do it again, but… The “but” refers to being able to slug the ball for multi run homers. How often can they do that? Up until this home stand the home run ball had been rare and the Astros had to scratch for runs by collecting strings of singles mixed with a few walks. It is so much easier to score runs by hitting some balls over the wall. Astro fans hope their heroes can do it like they showed the potential to do in the first five games of the homestand. |
Rice-UH pitching could key Astros' futureMay 3, 2012, 5:16 pm Rice hosts Houston in a C-USA game at Reckling Park. Based on team comparisons, the Owls have a solid edge. Not only are they ranked in the top 10 and a candidate to be a top seed in the NCAA postseason, but the Cougars are having a tough year and playing less than .500 ball. Even so, there is a pitcher scheduled to start for Rice who could be a first-round draft pick. As Texas A&M's Michael Wacha, another likely first rounder, was shown on FOX College Sports' telecast last week, Matt Reckling will be on the hill Friday. Former major league hurler Jack Lazorko will again be joining me in the FOX booth as we check out this talented star. Since the Astros have the first overall pick in the June draft, fans might want to see what Reckling looks like. So, I have a simple suggestion. If you plan on attending the Astros game or watching on FS Houston, set aside the FCS channel and record the Rice-Houston game for later viewing. If you caught the game last Friday and the strong showing by Wacha, the work of Reckling can be added to your video library. Neither Wacha nor Reckling will likely rank ahead of Stanford's Mark Appel as the most highly touted college pitcher in this year's draft, but nothing is written in stone yet. College statistics can only be used as backup sources when scouting players, since different levels of competition can skew them one way or the other. For instance, Appel is not necessarily better than either Wacha or Reckling numerically. The Stanford star is 6-1 in 10 starts with three complete games and a 2.73 ERA. He's pitched 79 innings with 81 strikeouts and 20 walks, having given up 63 hits, two homers and a .218 batting average. Reckling of Rice is 7-0 in 10 starts with two shutouts. His ERA is only 1.44, and he has allowed just 35 hits in 68 1/3 innings, along with 80 strikeouts and 25 walks. No one has homered off him, and foes only hit .151. Wacha of Texas A&M is 6-0 in 11 starts with two complete games and a shutout. He's pitched 77 innings, allowing 63 hits, 78 strikeouts and 14 walks. Opponents have hit two homers with a .227 average. All three certainly seem worthy of first round selections, but the comparisons don't stop there. Appel has faced both Rice and Texas and has gone head-to-head with Reckling. The matchup was an early season outing that lasted 10 innings. Both Appel and Reckling allowed two runs and weren't part of the final 4-2 Stanford decision. Appel went nine innings against the Owls, allowing just four hits and two earned runs. He struck out 14 and walked only two. Reckling pitched six innings, allowing just three hits and two runs, fanning seven and walking four. Appel also faced Texas, as has Wacha. Appel pitched seven innings against the Longhorns, allowing three hits and an earned run. He struck out 10 and walked three. Wacha also faced Texas and pitched eight scoreless innings, allowing just four hits while striking out nine and walking two. The bottom line on this is that all three are very good college pitchers. Whether that translates into developing into better pros and ultimately major league starting pitchers is yet to be determined. If the Astros are considering all three of them as a possible No. 1 choice, you may be able to recognize the quandary they're in if you see what Reckling brings to the party on the Friday FCS telecast. The draft is in June. The Astros and every other club have a lot of scouting and decision making ahead. While it is great to have the first pick in the draft as the Astros do, it also makes it more noticeable if the wrong player is selected.
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Astros solve Kershaw, take win over Dodgers
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