Guess they don't want to win tonight with that lineup.

C. Biggio 2B 0-1
M. Ensberg 3B 0-1
M. Loretta 1B 0-1
C. Lee LF 0-0
H. Pence CF 0-0
J. Lane RF 0-0
A. Everett SS 0-0
H. Quintero C 0-0
M. Albers P 0-0

Amazing, sit Berkman but play Biggio and Ensberg. I know Lance is playing like a 98 lb weakling but come on! The guy gets on base more than any other Astro, let him lead off for goodness sakes. Sad sad sad

Definitely not a scary lineup:
Biggio 2B
Ensberg 3B
Loretta 1B
Lee LF
Pence CF
Lane RF
Everett SS
Quintero C
Albers P
Edit: Leave it to me to be 2 mins late.

[This message has been edited by TakeTheMoney&Run (edited 5/23/2007 9:26p).]

Any lineup at this time is not a scary lineup.

Albers shakes off the sign and...
a 2 run single by Molina. Off to a great start.

This game could already be over.

Zito has given up 13 ER his last two starts, I'm sure he'll "return to form" tonight.

Everyone "returns to form" against the 'stros potent lineup.

Looks like he is going to no-hit us

[jinx]

albers could pitch against the astros with his 6+ ERA and shutout the astros.

just be thankful the astros didnt have to face cain...

Jake Peavy will no-no the Stros at some point this year.

What does it say when your pitcher gets your teams first hit of the game?

We really should start auditioning our pitchers to play a position, they are better hitters.

the damn pitcher gets a hit before the rest of the team...two guys below the mendoza line and one at .212 does not say much for this offense.

is lane in the lineup only because he was zito's teammate in college, thus giving the announcers something to talk about...?

Any idiot knows you play the lefty-righty matchup.

zito a lefty, lane plays.

lax, that's worked so well this year with Lane

heh. numbers, yes, of course...
numbers...like batting averages...

ATTA BOY MORGAN!!!!

nice shot by Ensberg. hopefully that can get him rolling.

I'll say this much about the Astros offense right now (and I'm usually the first to criticize)...they are absolutely just out of luck at the moment.

They have been stinging the ball all series long and have had more good plays/just right defensive placements to rob them of hits.

But that's part of the game, but the encouraging thing is that as anemic as they've been...they're not doing it in a "wimpering" fashion for the most part.

WoMD, you can't always go by straight batting average numbers. One guy could have a very high BA against righties and a very low BA against lefties. But the average of them both would give you a good BA. Baseball numbers aren't always black and white.

Take Ensberg for instance. Coming into tonights game, he was batting .313 vs. lefties and only .175 vs. righties. You would want him in the lineup against left handed pitchers with that kind of average.

Here's the question...if someone told you that Lane and Ensberg would end the season at .275, Everett at .240 and Berkman would end it at .300, what would you think?

That question exemplifies why this team is so frustrating, those numbers aren't only doable, they're feasible based on past performances. It just seems like this is a team capable of just going on an offensive tear...and it's amazing that they are where they are with a lot of the guys they were counting on (Ensberg, Lane, Scott, Berkman, Burke, Everett) completely underperforming...factor in Woody on the pitching angle too.

If these guys get onto pace with their career numbers, this is actually a pretty dangerous offense. Now the flipside is that...

Does Pence keep it up?
Is this who Chris Sampson is...or is he slightly less?
Can Wandy be this steady all season?

Beef, I agree. Ensberg especially. He has always hit left-handers better than right-handers. This season, his BA against lefties is higher than it usually is, but against righties, it is atrocious. If he could hit about .250 or so against righties, I wouldn't mind him getting his everyday starting job back. I can live with him hitting in the .260's or .270s.

[This message has been edited by dcaggie04 (edited 5/23/2007 10:32p).]

What on earth is phil doing. We have an automatic 4 outs at the bottom of the lineup. How can he possible justify Lane starting.

Backe needs to stop doing commercials and start pinch hitting.

Carlos probably wants to kill someone right about now...in 3 of his last 4 ABs, he has hit the ball as hard as he possibly could and he has come just short of a HR to the deepest part of the park, had the second baseman make a reaching stab on a hard line drive that would've been a double had he not stabbed it and nailed one but Klesko was playing just deep enough that it went right to him on a line short of the warning track.

For the most part, I have been impressed with Albers tonight. He does have 5 walks, but he has done a pretty good job of getting out of too much harm. If he didn't throw the WP (that one was a filthy looking pitch) in the 1st, this is only a one rule game.

The Beef:

I appreciate your optimism, and there is a great chance that the Astros offense will be better later in the season (how can it get much worse??), but your points regarding Lane in particular are unfounded. Lane is a sub-.250 career hitter. And, don't forget that the man hit 1 point above the Mendoza line last year. Ensberg is closer to being a .275 career hitter but he isn't even that. And, if you look at how uncomfortable he's looked at the plate in the last year and one-half, I'd say he will be lucky to clear .250 this season.

The bigger question is...where do the Astros go from here? They aren't getting younger, they have very little offensive prospects in the minors. The best hope for the 'Stros is that the team loads up on outstanding pitching through player development, free agency (too much cost) and dumb luck (i.e. Jennings becoming more of a player than we think, Backe becoming the bionic man, etc.).

2 out hits...other teams get them, the Astros don't.

That's probably public enemy #1 for the Astros offense...if it didn't happen with 0 or 1 outs, it's not going to happen.

I know it's only May, and we've had worse seasons...but I'm about as frustrated as I've ever been with the 'stros right now. I feel like I almost have to force myself to watch them play.

It's so frustrating because we've watched the Astros waste hundreds of great pitching performances over the last few years by giving them little or no run support. I'm a little tired of watching a terrible hitting team year after year.

Agree with you 100% Money.

I have always been a stros fan through thick and thin but this is just difficult to watch. The problem isn't that they are fielding a bad team, its just that they aren't performing like they should. They have the talent but just can't get it together.

I will always stick with them though. I am actually going to some of the out of town games this year to watch them play.

About the only good thing from tonight is that it looks like we won't lose any games to the Brewers. they are losign to LA 5-1 in the bottom of the 8th.