Damn Astros

[Ulysses]

Man, this is the second game they let the Braves take away from them. Horrible. Hopefuly Roy O comes through in Game 5.

[GuyOnTilt]

Oswalt's the freaking man. Gotta get PUMPED for Tuesday!

Go 'Stros!!!

GoT

[Beerfund]

[ QUOTE ]
Oswalt's the freaking man. Gotta get PUMPED for Tuesday!

Go 'Stros!!!

GoT

[/ QUOTE ]

oswalts hurt, coming off 3 days rest on the road. buh bye astros
(the games monday BTW)

[Dynasty]

[ QUOTE ]
Gotta get PUMPED for Tuesday!

[/ QUOTE ]

I wouldn't want you to miss the game. So, I'll let you in on the big secret. Game 5 is tomorrow- Monday.

[GuyOnTilt]

I wouldn't want you to miss the game. So, I'll let you in on the big secret. Game 5 is tomorrow- Monday.

Ha! Yes, I'm an idiot.

GoT

[The Dude]

I second that notion. GoT is an idiot.

[Zeno]

I knew that loss would be painful for all the Astro fans. Buck up - they won in Atlanta before and can do it again. You have to hope that they limit their mistakes - each one is more costly the higher up the rung you go.

-Zeno

[Clarkmeister]

Bwahahahahahaha. You guys are so done. That was a meltdown of Cub-esque proportions.

Maybe next year you'll win a playoff series.

Or not.

[GuyOnTilt]

This coming from the man who values the money line above all else...

GoT

[Clarkmeister]

[ QUOTE ]
This coming from the man who values the money line above all else...

GoT

[/ QUOTE ]

No, it's coming from a man who's team has won one (1) more postseason series *this year* than the Astros have won in their entire franchise history.

The best is that even if by some miracle you don't bet blown out by Atlanta, you guys are so totally hosed against us. Clemens would have to pitch on 3 days rest *again* just to make game 2, Oswalt will only get to pitch once in the series. Thanks for coming out.

[GuyOnTilt]

No, it's coming from a man who's team has won one (1) more postseason series *this year* than the Astros have won in their entire franchise history.

The best is that even if by some miracle you don't bet blown out by Atlanta, you guys are so totally hosed against us. Clemens would have to pitch on 3 days rest *again* just to make game 2, Oswalt will only get to pitch once in the series. Thanks for coming out.

Yes yes yes, that's all good and well, but you forget one thing: WE'RE GONNA KICK YOUR TEAMS' ASSES!!!

GoT

[Clarkmeister]

Remind me of this the next time we play. Should be sometime in May.

[GuyOnTilt]

Remind me of this the next time we play. Should be sometime in May.

Can I quote you on that? And don't say, "You just did."

GoT

[Clarkmeister]

Don't ask my permission. I'm quite certain I'll be mocking you and El Diablo tomorrow when things go bad for your boys. I fully expect you two to do the same should a miracle arise. But, seriously, how long is this one going to hurt given that it looked like it was in the bag? Wow. It was so close, I bet you could taste it. That had to just rip your heart out today, no?

[GuyOnTilt]

That had to just rip your heart out today, no?

Ummmmm, so this one time there was this pathetic, crappy fan who slept through one of his team's biggest games of the year 'cause he got a call from this girl at like 2 o'clock the night before and went out with her to the point at the canyon and didn't get back till the really wee hours of the morning. Yeah, he was a pretty crappy fan. /images/graemlins/frown.gif

GoT

[cjromero]

Although the Cards rested Pujols, Edmonds, and Walker in the final game between the two teams, the Astros were the only team in baseball to take a season series from the Cards, winning 10 of the 18 games, including 5 of the last 6.

If the Astros make it to the NLCS, they definitely have a shot. The main reason being that, like the Braves, the Cards don't have any dominant starting pitchers, which is what has given the Astros the most problems in postseasons past (see Glavine, Maddux, Smoltz, and K Brown).

The problem will be that Backe and Munro will likely have to start games 1 and 2, with Clemens and Oswalt pitching games 3 and 4 at Minute Maid Park. The Astros were 6-3 in Munro's last 9 starts, however.

[nolanfan34]

[ QUOTE ]
The problem will be that Backe and Munro will likely have to start games 1 and 2, with Clemens and Oswalt pitching games 3 and 4 at Minute Maid Park. The Astros were 6-3 in Munro's last 9 starts, however.

[/ QUOTE ]

You just summed up why the Cards are big favorites. If the Astros had any confidence in Munro, they would have pitched him in game 4, at home. What a horrible move by Garner. You have a chance to lock it up at home, and if Munro has a bad start, you save Clemens for game 5, on more rest. That in turn sets up Oswalt to pitch at least twice, maybe 3 times if necessary in the NLCS.

Instead, as you and Clark mentioned, now they're going to be lucky to pitch Clemens twice in the NLCS, and Oswalt won't be able to go until game 3 at the earliest, more likely game 4. IF they can even get past the Braves tonight.

Sorry Houston fans, but that was a meltdown, plain and simple.

[cjromero]

I agree that sending Clemens out on 3 days rest may have been a mistake, but it sure wasn't looking like a mistake when the Astros were up 5-2 after 5 innings. At that point, the Astros looked good, with Oswalt and Backe set for Games 1 and 2 of the NLCS, with Clemens likely coming back in Game 3. Backe shut down the Cards' regular lineup in a late September start, and the Astros have shown that they can hit the Cardinal pitchers.

If the bullpen doesn't fail yesterday, everyone would have been saying what a great decision it was to use Clemens in the clincher. If Palmeiro had legged out that infielder grounder in the bottom of the 8th to put the Astros up, we probably wouldn't be talking about any of this. Or if the umpire hadn't given Springer a friendly call to run the count to Drew to 3-2 and give him another pitch to hit, who knows.

[nolanfan34]

[ QUOTE ]
If the bullpen doesn't fail yesterday, everyone would have been saying what a great decision it was to use Clemens in the clincher.

[/ QUOTE ]

I'll give you that. Tough part about being a manager, you are going to get second guessed by schlups like me no matter what you do.

Regardless, it will be a very interesting game tonight.