The 8-1 Win

August 3, 2006

Well, the first comment I have today is that the Astros’ throwback jerseys look awesome and they need to ditch their regular uniforms for these.

Lidle won his debut and the starter he replaced got the last 4 outs in relief. That would be Ponson who also allowed 2 hits and seemed to be getting into a lot of hitters’ counts, but in the end he got the job done, which is all that matters. Not long after recording the second out in the eighth Farnsworth was removed because his throwing hand was hit by a comebacking chopper. If it’s just his hand I think he’ll probably be ok. I hope he is because the Proctor-Farnsworth-Rivera unit have become very reliable and nearly unhittable. Losing him would be another staggering loss.

The lineup did it’s thing today. Take pitches. Get on base. Get hits. Set the table: Jeter and A-Rod. Clear the table: Giambi. In a flash we have 3 runs on the board. Set the table: A-Rod and Giambi. Clear the table: Craig Wilson. And before you know it, the floodgates have opened and we have 8 runs. Melky also chipped in an RBI single. So a successful day at the plate overall with the exception of Nick Green who went oh-for-4 and took some truly horrible swings at pitches no where near the strike zone. Fasano didn’t look so swift either, with 3 Ks, including a strike ’em out, throw ’em out double play. But he did make a nice play on a pop up near the on-deck circle. The Blue Jays hitter standing there didn’t move out of the way, so luckily he wasn’t decked by Sal who’s a pretty big guy. And I’m sure Sal would’ve caught the ball regardless of who was standing there. Hitting wise he doesn’t look so great, but I trust his defense. Earlier in the year he was on Web Gems with one of the greatest plays I’ve ever seen a catcher make. It was like a Jim Edmond’s over-the-shoulder catch, but Sal was sliding when he made it. Check it out here and scroll down to May 23. Rewatching it I’m thinking, "man, I love this guy. That’s some crazy effort". In my mind, that’s one of the plays of the year.

I think Abreu likes hitting third. That guy has wheels. I’ve never paid much attention to his baserunning, but he flies around the bases like Jeter. Two nights ago in his debut in pinstripes he grounded out to the second baseman and the ball was fielded cleanly, but Bobby was still only a step away from beating the throw. It reminded me of that ninth inning against the Mets when Damon legged out an infield single for an RBI against Wagner. A game we ultimately won. Well, that’s the type of thing Abreu will be doing.

Have I mentioned Lidle yet? He was spectacular. Maybe I’m exaggerating, but I think 6 innings of 1-run ball from a #5 starter is hard to come by and a coveted commodity in both leagues. Hopefully this becomes a trend for him.  Statistically he’s a much better pitcher in the second half.

13 games left till the 5 game bout at Fenway. Needless to say, a pivotal series. While there’s still a full month of games left after that, I think winning 4 or even all 5 of those could be enough to cement the division leader in place. Of course, an extended losing streak would then reverse that, but there’s a chance it could have a big impact on who ends up winning the East. If the Yankees are able to finish the next 13 games with a 10-3 or better record, then losing the Fenway series wouldn’t be that bad. It just depends. And if the Yanks and Sox stay neck and neck, then the pennant race doesn’t really start until the season’s last two series. That’s probably when it will be decided. I’m not putting any stock in Varitek and Nixon being on the DL. To me that means nothing and I don’t see how it could translate into losses. But if they lose Papi, they can kiss the division goodbye.

Written by mlblogs11runcomeback Posted in Dailies