18-inning Loss to Cubs Proves Astros Don't Have The Stuff
Brad Lidge owes the rest of his dishevelled team a gigantic thank you card. After blowing a 6-5 lead in the 9th inning with an 0-2 count on a below .300 hitter, it seemed Tuesday's home outing against the Cubs was destined to be Lidge's failure alone.But as the extra innings piled on, the Astros hitters found creative ways to outdo the closer's inexcusable mistake to allow the tying run. Just when you thought blowing a hard-earned lead was the worst tha could happen, Clemens could only watch in the dugout as his teamates threw his chance at victory down a long and slimy garbage disposal.
The Astros loaded the bases in the bottom of the 10th with the top of their batting order due up.
Chris Burke, who had managed a dramatic double earlier in the game and had made base several times, set up the inning perfectly.
Ensberg grounded out, allowing Burke to advance to third base. It was time to cue slugger Lance Berkman. Robert Novoa of the Cubs took the cheap route and intentionally walked the .411 hitter. He did the same with the on-fire Luke Scott. With 1 out, the bases loaded and Aubrey Huff at bat, it seemed the Stros' had this victory in the bag.
Facing the third worst ballclub in the majors and one of the league's worst bullpens, squeezing at least one runner home would be a sinch, wouldn't it?
Huff grounded out and shortstop Adam Everett swung on a terrible pitch grounding out to Cubs' second basemen Rodney Cedeno.
But as if the excruciating 10th inning's end didn't further cut at the fans' already gushing wounds, there was more pain in store.
The Astros reloaded the bases in the 12th with virtually the same stellar hitting lineup due to bat. And like that reliable good neighbor in State Farm, they were there to botch a golden win opportunity again. They faced a pitcher with an over 7 ERA!
Lance Berkman would strike out swinging in the 14th inning, leaving the Astros one out from stranding Chris Burke who subsequently stole second base.
And just as they've done all season, Burke could only wince and kick the dirt as his teamates failed to bring him home.
The Astros ebb-and-flow offense is making two of the Astros finest in Clemens and Oswalt look like baffoons. You can throw Clemens under 2 ERA out the window. Nothing these pitchers do will matter, if the hitters can't make contact with the ball.
If baseball is a game of physics, strategy and probability, then every hitter has to get out at least 60 percent of the time.
If Houston's wild card hope want to even taste a playoff berth again, they'd damn well better start making those strikeouts happen when the game isn't on the line and when the bases aren't loaded.
It was not a good night for Clemens, who gave up 5 earned runs in 6 innings and needed 95 pitches to get there. However, The Rocket had a few good innings and the offense retaliated with a sixth inning rally to take the lead.
It was then, that the Astros turned from a playoff-worthy team, to a painful joke, unable to win at home against a sorry excuse for a near-last place baseball teams in the Cubs.
The Astros have spent all of their new beginnings. Now it's time to think about how to make Berkman and Oswalt not look like their playing with amateurs.
posted by Robert Kleeman @ 10:55 PM
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