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Stros 2009 Season Review, Part Three
Given the inexplicable popularity of NFL football practice in these parts, who cares about Major League Baseball anymore, anyway? As expected, the Stros (59-62) faded into obscurity during the third quarter of the 2009 season, going 19-21 during that...
Stros 2009 Season Review, Part Two
The Stros (41-41) reached the halfway point of the 2009 season in an incongruous position. Although they are performing only slightly better than predicted before the season and are in fifth place in the six team National League Central...
Stros 2009 Season Review, Part One
While waiting in line to pick up a bottle of water at a Stros game earlier in the week, an old friend of mine and fellow longtime Stros season-ticket holder stopped by to say hello and chat. Eventually, the...
Batter up! Stros 2009 Season Preview
Today is Opening Day for the Major League Baseball season and Houston, so it's time for HCT's annual preview of the Stros' upcoming season (previous annual previews since 2004 are here). The Stros opening day roster is here over...
Stros 2008 Season Review, Part Five: Season Recap and Report Card
The Stros 2008 season has been over for over a week now, so it's time for my final review of the 2008 season (prior 2008 season reviews are here) and my grading of the Stros players for the 2008...
Stros 2008 Season Review, Part Four
After falling apart during the third fifth of the 2008 season, the Stros (64-64) made an unexpected rebound during the fourth fifth of the season, going 20-13 over that stretch. Although the Stros' recent play was more fulfilling to...
Checking in on the battle for last place
I'm not making this up. During the early stages of the last night's first game of the series between the Stros (46-53) and the Pirates (45-54) to determine last place in the National League Central, the following advertisement appeared...
Stros 2008 Season Review, Part Three
Inasmuch as Major League Baseball is taking a break for the All-Star break, I decided to post the third part of five periodic reviews of the Stros' 2008 season a game or so early (previous parts for the 2008...
The stress of selling snake oil
In my annual preview of the Stros' season, I made the following observation about the then newly-acquired Stros pitcher, Shawn Chacon: "Chacon was an inconsistent starter for six seasons before washing out with the Yankees and Pirates in 2006...
Stros 2008 Season Review, Part Two
Through 40% of the season, the Stros' record is precisely what you would expect from a club that struggles to maintain National League average performance -- 32-32, including 15-16 in the second fifth of the season. That's about the...
Stros 2008 Season Review, Part One
Despite a weekend sweep of the division-rival Brewers (16-16) and another stirring comeback victory over the Nationals (14-19), the Stros' record (17-16) reflects their performance through the first fifth of the 2008 season -- an average National League ballclub. Collectively,...
Stros 2007 Review, Part Ten: Season Recap and Report Card
It’s been a week now since the Craig Biggio Farewell Tour drew to a close during the final eighth of the Stros’ disappointing 2007 season. With the end of the season, the tremendously successful Biggio-Bagwell era in the history of...
Stros 2007 Season Review, Part Seven
Gosh, it's amazing how fast 20 games go by for the Stros (62-79) when the club's General Manager and manager are fired in the interim (previous periodic reviews are here). The reactions to the firing were varied (see here and...
Drayton cleans house
Stros owner Drayton McLane finally pulled the plug and fired General Manager Tim Purpura and Manager Phil Garner on Monday as the Stros continue their spiral downward into last place in the National League Central. Although the timing of the...
Stros 2007 Season Review, Part Five
At the quarter pole of this season, I observed the following: Stros management, for all their declarations of trying to field a playoff contender, is really biding its time this season as Biggio trudges toward his 3,000th hit. There is...
Stros 2007 Season Review, Part Four
So, now that the Stros are done with that, where does the club go from here? As the Stros (34-47) reached the halfway point of the 2007 season, that's the question confronting the owner Drayton McLane and General Manager Tim...
Subjective baseball perceptions
In driving back to the office today, I was listening to Charlie Pallilo -- who, like me, analyzes baseball using mostly objective criteria -- and reminded me of a point that I meant to make in my most recent periodic...
Stros 2007 Season Review, Part Three
Back when the Stros were close to a .500 ball club, I concluded the previous periodic Stros season review (all previous 2007 reviews are here) as follows: Thus, my sense is that Stros management, for all their declarations of trying...
Stros 2007 Season Review, Part Two
As the Stros reach the quarter pole of the 2007 season, the club's prospects on the surface seem to be somewhat improved over the dreary first eighth of the season (prior season reviews here). The Stros (20-21) stabilized a bit...
The Ensberg exit
I took in the first game of the Stros-Giants series last night, and it was probably the best game of the season to date. The Stros took a 3-0 lead, only to blow as the Giants went up 5-3, then...
A big problem with the Stros
Okay, so Stros skipper Phil Garner -- who we already know is not a very good manager -- pulls yet another bonehead move and allows besieged reliever Brad Lidge to blow a fine Roy O Opening Day performance by giving...
Batter up! Stros 2007 Season Preview
Today is Opening Day for Major League Baseball, so it's time for my fourth annual Stros season preview (previous season reviews are here, here and here). Thankfully, it's not been as tumultuous an off-season as the previous one, but there...
Who are the top all-time Stros hitters and pitchers?
The Chronicle's Brian McTaggert gets it right in naming the four best hitters in Stros history: Jeff Bagwell: The club's most prolific power hitter is the Astros' all-time leader in homers (449), RBIs (1,529) and walks (1,401). He won the...
The Lee and Williams deals
The Stros jumped into the super-charged 2006 free agent market in a big way yesterday by signing former Brewers slugger Carlos Lee and, in a lesser deal, former Padres starter Woody Williams. Although there is always a certain amount of...
The super-heated free agent market
Dodgers rightfielder J.D. Drew opted out of the final three years of his $11 million per year contract last week, passing up the remaining three years and $33 million on his deal to test what he could draw on the...
Checking in down at the Stros farm
The all-consuming football season in Texas tends to blot out news on virtually any other sporting front, but the fall is also an important period for development purposes in professional baseball. And with the Stros currently trolling the expensive free...
Stros buyout Bags' contract
The Stros made official yesterday what had been expected for the past couple years -- the club did not pick up the option year on injured slugger Jeff Bagwell's contract. As noted earlier here, Bags is easily the best player...
Richard Justice goes batty again
As noted here and here earlier, Chronicle sports columnist Richard Justice comes uncorked at the darndest times. Take Justice's recent blog post on why the Stros should not make a play for disgruntled New York Yankees star, Alex Rodriguez. Rodriguez...
Stros 2006 Review, Part Ten: Season Recap and Report Card
With the League Championship Series matchups now set, it's time to put the Stros 2006 season to rest. At least the Stros' late season surge was fun while it lasted, but it ended in the same manner as too many...
Stros 2006 Review, Part Nine
As I've noted before, it's funny how our expectations for the Stros color the way in which we view the team at a particular stage of the season. After essentially playing themselves out of the National League playoff race in...
The best and worst of the Stros
As the Stros play out the string of the 2006 season amidst the beginning of the football season, the Stros' lone slugger -- Lance Berkman -- quietly reached another milestone in his quest to become the best hitter in Stros...
Stros lock up Roy O
In my most recent periodic review of the Stros 2006 season, I observed that the personnel moves that Stros General Manager Tim Purpura made this past off-season do not inspire much confidence that he knows what to do in turning...
Stros 2006 Review, Part Eight
When we last checked in on the Stros at the 7/10's pole, the club had shown signs that it was going to climb back into legitimate contender status in the National League playoff race. Unfortunately, those signs of a playoff...
Stros 2006 Review, Part Seven
As the Stros pass the 7/10's pole and turn on to the stretch run of the 2006 National League regular season (previous 10% segment summaries are here), there is good news and bad news. First, the good news. For the...
What might have been
This NY Times article checks in on Mets centerfielder, Carlos Beltran, who the Stros rented during their incredible second half drive to win a 2004 post-season berth and come within a game of their first World Series. Beltran had a...
Another Stros problem
The Stros won at San Diego last night, but a situation during the game highlighted another among the many problems with this particular Stros team -- manager Phil Garner. Now, don't get me wrong. Garner's less-than-average ability as a Major...
Lance Berkman is a funny guy
Amidst the Stros disappointing season, slugger Lance Berkman (42 RCAA/28 HR's/.403 OBA/.617 SLG/1.020 OPS) is having another outstanding season, slugging his way to production that is second only to the Cardinals' Albert Pujols in the National League. In last night's...
Stros 2006 Review, Part Six
After the Stros were blown out by the Mets on Friday night and fell to a season-worst 46-51 record, it's looking clearer by the day that the magic of the Stros' past two second-half playoff runs has worn off completely....
Stros 2006 Review, Part Five
Well, the Stros (39-42) are halfway through their 2006 season and the first half of the season reminds us again of just how much expectations shape our perception of how likely it is for the club to contend for another...
The talented Mr. Graham
As noted earlier here, Houston has become the amateur baseball hotbed of America over the past decade, and no person is more responsible for that development than the coach of Rice University's fine baseball program, the remarkable Wayne Graham. Coach...
Stros 2006 Review, Part One
This is my first periodic review or the Stros' season in my third straight year of blogging the club, and the first 10% of the season has has initially justified my generally rosy pre-season outlook. The club has burst out...
Batter up! Stros 2006 Season Preview
It's Opening Day today in Houston as the Stros take on the Marlins this afternoon at Minute Maid Park, so it's time for my annual preview of the Stros upcoming team and season (last season's preview is here). Let's first...
Bags to start season on DL
As predicted by this earlier post, first baseman Jeff Bagwell -- the greatest player in the 46-year history of the Houston Astros franchise -- announced today that he would begin the 2007 season the disabled list and that his arthritic...
"Slugger"?
As the Stros continue to troll the used car lot of free agent hitters during this off-season, Chronicle Stros beat writer Jose de Jesus Ortiz reminds us that he relies on Stros press releases rather than objective research in this...
The Stros' top ten minor league prospects
Major League Baseball's winter meetings take place in Dallas this week, and that's the time that the major league clubs really get serious about proposing and making free agent acquisitions and trades of players. Inasmuch as the Stros are definitely...
Willy Taveras should not be the NL ROY
I understand that the Stros' public relations department wants centerfielder Willy Taveras to be the National League Rookie of the Year, but why does the Chronicle lap up such nonsense with unqualified support? As noted in this previous post, Taveras...
The Stros' ride to the World Series
As you prepare to watch for Game 1 of the 2005 World Series tonight, take a few minutes to review the previous posts set forth below that chronicle the Stros' improbable and highly enjoyable run to the club's first World...
Stros 2005 Review: World Series Preview
"2005 World Series Preview." Sounds pretty good, doesn't it? Well, the 2005 edition of the Fall Classic is shaping up be an interesting one. The Stros and the White Sox are two good, but certainly not great, clubs that are...
Stros 2005 Review: 2005 NLCS Preview
So, after vanquishing the Braves for the second straight season in the National League Divisional Series, the Stros (89-73) face a 2005 rematch of the thrilling 2004 National League Championship Series against their arch-rival -- the St. Louis Cardinals (100-62)....
A baseball weekend in Houston for the ages
Until this weekend, I really never thought that anything would top this game. But I was wrong. What can one say about a game in which the following occurred?: The Stros came back from a 6-1 deficit with only four...
Stros 2005 Review: National League Division Series Preview
Didn't we just preview a series between these two teams? For the fifth time in less than a decade, the Stros and the Braves -- two of the most successful National League clubs during that era (see this timely Wall...
Stros close in on another playoff berth
After a 6-3 road trip that included a two-game sweep of the Cardinals, the Stros (87-71) come home for four games with the Cubs (77-81) needing any combination of wins or Phillies (85-74) losses equaling two to achieve the club's...
Stros 2005 Review: Stros enter the stretch run
After almost writing off the Stros' playoff chances a couple of weeks ago, a couple of future Hall of Famers turned in the type of remarkable performances that might just make the difference in pushing the Stros into the National...
Stros 2005 Review: It's not looking good for the Stros
Despite the best pitching season in the club's history, the Stros' (72-64) chronic lack of hitting is making it increasingly unlikely that the team will be able to win enough of their final 26 games to secure the National League...
Berkman and Oswalt
From time to time, I am going to pass along detailed statistics on the Stros' players. In last night's win, two of the players around whom the Stros will build over the next several years -- Lance Berkman (whose...
Berkman and Oswalt statistics
Lance Berkman YEAR AGE RCAA OBA SLG OPS AVG HR RBI SB G 2003 27 40 .412 .515 .927 .288 25 93 5 153 2004 28 69 .450 .566 1.016 .316 30 106 9 160 2005 29 21 .408...
Stros 2005 Review: Player myths and the Stros' playoff chances
The bloom is officially off the Stros' (63-54) streak after the lowly Pirates (51-67) took two out of three from the Stros over the weekend, including the last two in which the Stros could not manage a run. Ouch! Thus,...
Stros 2005 Review: Checking in on the Stros
Since last checking in on the Stros (60-51), the club has cooled off a bit, losing four of their last seven games. However, the Stros come home for their longest homestand of the season on the uptick, as Jason Lane's...
Bidg and Berkman
In the Stros romp over the Phillies last night, Craig Biggio and Lance Berkman hit back-to-back home runs twice, once in the first inning and then again in the third. By the way, in case you hadn't noticed, the Stros...
Stros 2005 Review: Checking in on the Stros
When journeyman Eric Bruntlett (-5 RCAA/.262 OBP/.333 SLG./.595 OPS) jacks a three run yak in the 14th inning to pull out a Sunday afternoon win and finish off a 7-4 roadie, you know it's time to check in on the...
Stros 2005 Review: Checking in with the Stros at the halfway point
What a difference a year makes. Last year at this time, this post about the Stros reflected the overwhelming pessimism that surrounded the team -- the hitting was lousy and the pitching staff was reeling from the loss of Wade...
Checking in on the Stros
My son Cody and I attended the Stros' (33-40) Sunday afternoon game against the Rangers (38-35) and enjoyed the 10-inning 3-2 win behind the solid pitching of Andy Pettitte and the game-winning single of 3B Morgan Ensberg. The Stros have...
The Stros are finally streaking
With a quintessential Roy O quickie-shutout (1 hr., 50 min.) on Sunday afternoon, the Stros (26-35) continue to show signs of life by winning their fifth straight game and seventh out of their least ten. The streak has allowed the...
Break'em up!
When a 3-3 road trip and a two-game road winning streak are two of your baseball club's season highlights to date, you know you're in the middle of a tough season. Nevertheless, there are glimmers of hope as the last...
Stros activate Berkman
The reeling Stros (11-16) get a nice boost today as the club's best hitter -- Lance Berkman -- is expected to play tonight in the Stros' game against the Braves (17-11) in Atlanta. Berkman has been rehabilitating his right ACL...
Stros limp home
After starting the season with a promising 4-1 homestand, the Stros (5-6) stumbled on their their first road trip of the season over the past week. The Stros lost five of six games on the trip, with the Mets (6-6)...
Good news from Kissimmee
The Stros have scheduled a news conference for this afternoon in which they will announce that the club and All-Star Lance Berkman have agreed to a six year, $85 million contract. Berkman is one of the best hitters in Major...
What a way to start spring training
This week started well yesterday when the mailman delivered the always eagerly awaited copy of the Baseball Prospectus, which is flat out the best annual baseball book on the market. So, in anticipation of reviewing this year's edition, I cruised...
Is it time for Drayton to sell the Stros?
Drayton McLane has done a pretty darn good job of running the Stros. During his tenure, the club has been in the top tier of performance among Major League teams and a consistent playoff participant or contender. Under his tutelage,...
Tim Purpura's first big challenge
Now that the Stros' dance with Carlos Beltran is over, new Stros General Manager Tim Purpura can finally get on with showing us what he can do in the job. The Stros did not handle the Beltran negotiations particularly well,...
Lance Berkman suffers ACL injury
Lance Berkman -- the Stros' best hitter over the past four seasons -- has torn the anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee and will undergo surgery at Methodist Hospital in Houston within the next ten days. Although the Stros'...
Gerry Hunsicker resigns as the Stros' GM
Gerry Hunsicker -- the most successful general manager in the history of the Houston Astros -- resigned Monday after nine years as the club's general manager. Hunsicker's tenure as Stros GM coincided with the most successful decade in Stros' history....
Stros pull even in NLCS
Carlos Beltran and Lance Berkman continued their incredible post-season hitting, and Brad Lidge and Dan Weaver provided clutch relief pitching as the Stros came back to edge the Cardinals 6-5 in a heart-pounding National League Championship Series thriller at a...
Stros beat Cards in Game 3 of NLCS
JK, Carlos Beltran, and Lance Berkman cranked key yaks and Roger Clemens pitched seven strong innings to hand the ball to closer Brad Lidge as the Stros beat the Cardinals 5-2 in Game 3 of the National League Championship Series...
Stros 2004 Review: NLCS Series Preview
The Stros and the Cards tee it up tonight in Game 1 of the NLCS in St. Louis, and it you go by the statistics from the season to date, the Cards should win in a cakewalk. However, statistics are...
Stros close to within one game of NLCS
Brandon Backe pitched the best six innings of his life and the Stros plated five runs with two outs as they pulled to within one game of advancing to the National League Championship Series with an 8-5 win over the...
Stros cruise by Braves
The Stros glided into Atlanta and easily took the first game of their National League Divisional Series with the Braves 9-3 behind Lance Berkman, Carlos Beltran, Jason Lane, and Brad Ausmus' yaks and the gutty pitching performance of Roger Clemens....
Stros 2004 Review: Stros-Braves Playoff Preview
The media is all aflutter with the fact that the Stros have never beaten the Braves in three previous playoffs (in 1997, 1999, and 2001), but that fact is irrelevant to the current series. Only five of the Stros' 25...
Stros continue to tease
Raul Chavez improbably drove in a career-high five runs, Jason Lane went 3-for-4 with and scored twice, and Morgan Ensberg went 4-for-5 with two runs scored as the Stros hung on to their slim playoff hopes with an 11-7 win...
Stros hang by a thread
After scoring five runs in the first 26 innings of their key series with the Giants, the Stros imporbably rallied for five runs in the ninth around Lance Berkman's three run yak to pull out a dramatic 7-3 win over...
Stros hang tough
Roy O aggravated his sore ribcage but pitched seven strong innings, Mike Lamb hit a seventh inning go-ahead yak off of Stros-killer Ben Sheets, and Brad Lidge pitched two innings of brilliant relief to lead the Stros to a dramatic...
Stros keep pace
Roger Clemens shut down the Cardinals' potent hitters and then Brad Lidge came in to get the final out of the game after Darren Oliver and Dan Miceli almost screwed the pooch in the bottom the ninth as the Stros...
Stros are officially unconscious
After creating the go ahead run in Saturday night's game, Mike Lamb went nuclear on the Pirates on Sunday afternoon at the Juice Box in leading the Stros to their ninth straight win, 10-5. The Stros have now won 11...
Stros continue rampage
JK hit a grand salami today as the Stros won their 14th game of the last 17 in obliterating the Reds for the third straight time at the Great American Ballpark in Cincy, 9-3. In sweeping the three-game series against...
Red hot Stros dust off Reds
Lance Berkman cranked two yaks and a double and knocked in four RBI's as the red hot Stros crushed the reeling Reds on Monday night in Cincy, 11-3. The Stros have now won four straight and 12 out of their...
Thank you, Michael Barrett
What a difference a week makes. Last Sunday, Roy O nailed Michael Barrett and the Cubs pounded the Stros so badly that I wrote off the Stros playoff chances completely. Just to make sure, the Cubs pounded a listless Stros...
Stros continue mastery over Phils
The Stros continued their somewhat baffling dominance of the Phillies this season as they beat the Phils for the fifth straight time 4-2 on Tuesday night at the Juice Box. Carlos Hernandez gave his most encouraging performance since returning from...
Cubs crush Stros
The much anticipated pitching matchup between the Stros' Roy O and the Cubs' Kerry Wood deteriorated into an old-fashioned beanball contest as the Cubs pounded the Stros 11-6 on Sunday afternoon at the Juice Box. The shenanigans began in the...
Break'em up
The Stros and the Phillies picked up this afternoon where they left off last night as the Stros came back from a 7-2 deficit with a seven run seventh inning to sweep the Phils and win their fourth straight, 12-10....
Everett hurt in Stros win
Stros shortstop Adam Everett suffered a broken bone in his left wrist as the Stros beat the Expos 4-0 Friday night behind Roy O's nifty five-hitter. Everett was hit by a pitch from Claudio Vargas in the fourth inning that...
Stros down Reds
Adam Everett's eighth-inning suicide squeeze drove in the go-ahead run and Roy O beat the Reds again as the Stros came from behind to win 7-5 in Cincy on Sunday afternoon. Morgan Ensberg had three RBIs for the Stros, including...
Stros pummel Brew Crew
Pete Munro pitched seven shutout innings and Mike Lamb drove in three runs with a pair of doubles to lead the Stros over the Brewers 9-1 on Sunday in the rubber game of their weekend series at the Juice Box....
Stros are getting monotonous
The Stros losing campaign continued Saturday afternoon as the Padres beat them at the Juice Box for the second game in a row, 7-4. The Stros are now 44-46 and have dropped four straight and eight of 10, falling two...
Stros sink to new low
The Stros officially hit oblivion on Sunday afternoon as they they hacked away with futility at Jose Lima's change up and lost the third of their four game series with the Dodgers, 7-4. Roy O started on three days rest...
Stros break latest three game skid
Roy O had his game face on and Jose Vizcaino did his best imitation of Lance Berkman as the Stros salvaged the final game of their series against the Padres, 5-1. Oswalt was steady and unyielding, giving up six hits,...
Stros back to reality
The best thing that can be said about Sunday afternoon's Stros-Rangers game is that I decided to go to Saturday night's game instead. The Rangers used Sunday's game for extra batting practice and pounded the Stros, 18-3. The Stros tried...
Roy O and Beltran step up
Roy O pitched eight innings of shut out ball and Carlos Beltran scored the only run and made a spectacular catch to take away another as the Stros salvaged the third game of their weekend series with the Rangers, 1-0....
Going, going, almost gone
The Cubs scored three runs in the top of the ninth on Lance Berkman's two base error and Octavio Dotel's dubious pitching as the Cubs downed the fading Stros for the second straight night on Tuesday, 4-2. The Stros wasted...
Cubs down Stros
Mark Prior -- the best young pitcher in baseball today -- beat the one of the best pitchers of all-time on Monday night as the Cubs easily beat the Stros at the Juice Box, 7-2. Still rehabbing from an injury,...
You just never know
In their most improbable win of the season, the Stros scored a run in five different innings to beat the Brew Crew in the final game of the Stros marathon two week, 12 game road trip, 5-4. Playing without Lance...
Stros sinking fast
Roy O chose a bad time to have his worst outing in two years as the Brewers jumped on him for six hits and five runs in the fifth inning in coming back to beat the Stros on Saturday night...
Stros salvage one in St. Louis; updated statistical analysis of season to date
Roy O pitched six strong innings and Miceli, Lidge and Dotel shut the Cards down in the final three innings as the Stros escaped St. Louis with a 3-2 victory. The Stros are now off to Seattle for a three...
Cards rake Stros
The Redbirds teed off on Tim Redding, Mike Gallo, Chad Harville, and Ricky Stone as they rolled to a 10-4 victory at Busch Stadium on Saturday night. Lance Berkman -- whose Bondsian hitting over the past month has been largely...
Stros beat Cubs again
The Rocket dominated the Cubs for seven innings in running his record to 8-0 as the Stros beat the Cubs on Wednesday afternoon at Wrigley Field, 5-1. Clemens struck out five and gave up only five hits, a run, and...
Stros go down meekly to Cubs to start long road trip
Aging superstar Greg Maddux made it seem like old times today as he handcuffed the Stros over seven innnings and led the Cubs to a 3-1 victory at Wrigley. The Stros have now lost eight of their last 11 games...
Stros beat Cards; season evaluation to date
Bags, Lance Berkman and Mike Lamb all cranked two-run dingers Sunday afternoon and Tim Redding pitched seven and a third shutout innings as the Stros won the final game of their weekend series with the Cardinals, 7-1. Redding (3-3) allowed...
Pettitte injured as Stros sweep Cubs
Andy Pettitte strained his left forearm after pitching four innings, but the Stros' recently maligned bullpen pitched well as the Stros beat the Cubs for the second straight night at the Juice Box, 7-3. Pettitte gave up a run on...
Stros break losing streak
Roy O had his game face on tonight and gave up only three singles in seven innings as the Stros broke their five game losing streak in beating the Cubbies, 5-0. Lance Berkman cranked his sixth dinger in eight games,...
Reds outlast Stros
Sean Casey and Ken Griffey hit run scoring doubles off of normally reliable Brad Lidge in the bottom of the eighth on Saturday night in Cincy as the hard-hitting Reds sent the Stros to their third straight defeat, 8-7. The...
Stros go Fish
Josh Beckett pitched seven and two thirds strong innings and the Marlins roughed up Roy O for eleven hits over six innings as the Fish downed the Stros in the final game of their series at Pro Player Stadium, 6-2....
Stros are road warriors
For the second straight night, the Stros hammered a pitcher who had dominated them a week earlier and improved their road record to 12-4 as they beat the Marlins at Pro Player Stadium, 10-2. Tim Redding continued his improved pitching...
Stros pound Fish
Baseball is a bewildering game. Last Wednesday night at the hitter friendly Juice Box, Dontrelle Willis threw 91 pitches in hurling a complete game 5-2 victory for the Marlins over the Stros. The Stros' Wade Miller left that game in...
The Rocket continues to roll
Roger Clemens continued his dreamlike hometown season as he hurled the Stros to their 10th victory in their last 12 games, 6-1 over the Marlins. The Rocket won his 7th straight game of the season, giving up only 3 hits,...
Stros comeback nips Reds
The Astros continued to roll Sunday afternoon as they scored 3 runs in the bottom of the eighth -- spiced by a Brad Ausmus squeeze bunt that plated Lance Berkman with the go ahead run -- to beat the Cincinnati...
Stros beat Brew Crew again; 1st "down on the farm" report
The Rocket picked up his third win of the young season as the 'Stros cruised by the Milwaukee Brewers for the third straight day, 6-1. Clemens spaced four hits over seven innings, walked one, struck out seven, and even knocked...
Stros beat Brew Crew; move on to St. Louis
Roy O gave the 'Stros six strong innings and Lance Berkman hit his third career grand salami today as the Stros beat the Milwaukee Brewers 7-4 to take two of three in the series. Berkman's grand slam was unusual for...
This is not looking good
The 'Stros dropped the second game of the opening series of the season to the Giants on Tuesday night, 7-5. Frankly, the warning signs for this team are already glaring after only two games. Andy Pettitte was cruising through 3...
Batter up! Stros 2004 Review: Season Preview
The Astros (or "the Stros" as they're known locally) open the 2004 Major League Baseball season this evening at 6 p.m. in Minute Maid Park against the San Francisco Giants. Ace Roy Oswalt will pitch for the 'Stros and Kirk...
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