So I’m guessing this season marks the low point in Astros history. It certainly does for me anyway. Of course all bets are off for next year too, but we can talk about that all winter. For now, this season is the ass-end of Astro history, and it comes six years after the high point.
And there’s only been one player here for the entire fall from the top to the bottom. Wandy. Not that I’m blaming him, mind you, I’m just saying Wandy is the only guy who was there for the World Series and somehow stuck around for the entire downhill run. And hell, even Wandy might be gone by the time you read this.
It’s hard to believe we’ve been watching Wandy’s stone-like babyface for that long – so long that now Old Man Wandy sort of looks like a cross between a cherub and Frankenstein, but with less expression.
When he first came up, the Astros had a rotation that included Oswalt, Clemens, Pettitte … and a rookie named Wandy? What the fuck? And even though we quickly learned how he’d get flustered and have a shitty inning, after a while seeing Wandy’s name in the rotation was sort of comforting. At least he had a familiar face, though thankfully not as familiar as Ezequiel Astacio’s.
Of course Wandy will never be mentioned among the great pitching names of the franchise – Scott, Neikro, Dierker, Richard, Oswalt … no, Wandy doesn’t quite fit there. But, he did pitch more innings for the Astros in the World Series (as a rookie) than Roger Clemens did. And right now Wandy is tied with Darryl Kile at #12 on the Astros’ all-time wins list. He’s #10 on the strikeouts list and #10 in the number of games started.
He’s certainly not one of the greatest Astros pitchers ever, but he’s been a loyal workhorse for a number of years now, and I’m hoping he’s still around next year. So this one’s for Eny, however fucking old he is.
AT&T Park
Thursday, August 25, 9:15 p.m. CDT
Friday, August 26, 9:15 p.m. CDT
Saturday, August 27, 8:05 p.m. CDT
Sunday, August 28, 3:05 p.m. CDT
Well here we go with another round of late-ass West Coast games, and it’s a four-game series at that. But who am I kidding, it’s not like I was going to be staying up for these anyway. Like most of the games this season, the game will be on in the background for a while, and then I’ll probably turn it off at some point … probably when the bullpen gives up the lead.
Notable giveaways
Saturday – Tim Lincecum bobblehead. Hairnet optional.
Projected Matchups from Astros.com
Thursday
Henry Sosa (0-2, 6.35) v. Ryan Vogelsong (10-3, 2.47)
The Astros sent Jordan Lyles down to protect his arm, which meant the rotation had to be reshuffled. Sosa drew the short stick and will have to go on three days’ rest. He just pitched against the Giants on Sunday, for fuck’s sake, and gave up four runs in five innings. Brandon Belt went 2-for-2 with a homer off him.
Vogelsong is second in the league in ERA. He’s tough at home, going 6-2 with an ERA of 1.82, and he’s only allowed three homers at AT&T this season. He has a 2-1 career record against the Astros, but lost to the good guys a week ago. The Astros only bat .226 against him, though Corporan is 2-for-2.
Friday
J.A. Happ (4-14, 6.26) v. Madison Bumgarner (7-12, 3.68)
Happ got recalled from Oklahoma City to take Lyles’s spot in the rotation. (Now there’s a sentence you wouldn’t have expected before the season started.) No one on the Giants has seen much of Happ, though Beltran has two homers off him. Rowand and Ross each have one.
Bumgarner has only faced the Astros once, and that was last Saturday when he gave up four runs in one inning. He’s been especially susceptible to the big inning this year. Jose Altuve had the inside-the-park homer against him, and J.D. Martinez knocked one out. Carlos Lee is 2-for-3 against him.
Saturday
Brett Myers (3-13, 4.95) v. TBA
Pretty much everyone on the Giants has hit Myers well, especially DeRosa (7-for-16), Beltran (12-for-38, four doubles and a homer), and Tejada (6-for-12, two doubles and a homer). Kepp has two homers off him, and Ross, Rowand, and Torres each have one.
The Astros’ website lists the Giants’ starter as TBA, but ESPN says it will be Dan Runzler. He’s mainly pitched out of the bullpen but made his first start Sunday against Houston. He lasted less than two innings and gave up four earned runs.
Sunday
Bud Norris (6-8, 3.73) v. Matt Cain (10-9, 2.90)
Norris has never faced the Giants, though four of their players have seen him. Beltran is 4-for-9 with three doubles, Cabrera is 3-for-6 (but you already knew that), and Ross is 3-for-7. DeRosa is 0-for-5.
Cain is 1-3 against the Astros with an ERA north of 5. However, those stats are pretty suspect because only four current Astros have batted against Cain, and two of them are Castro and Towles. The good news is that Carlos Lee is 6-for-13 with two doubles and a homer off Cain. The bad news is that Barmes is 1-for-18.
Injury Report
Houston – All the usual suspects. Enerio Del Rosario is beginning a rehab assignment.
San Francisco – Damn, the Jints are pretty banged up. Posey is busted and out for the season, as is Dirty Freddy Sanchez. The Giants picked up Carlos Beltran at the trading deadline but of course he’s already hurt too. Pat Burrell is on a rehab assignment, and Andres Torres is finishing a rehab stint and should be back for this series. Eli Whiteside should also be back for this series, whoever he is. Sergio Romo has an elbow thing but should be quarterbacking for the Cowboys by the start of the regular season. Johnathon Sanchez is also on the DL, as is Barry Zito. Brian Wilson and his ridiculous soup-strainer are also on the DL.
Discuss tonight’s late-ass game in the Gamezone.