The Stros looked like a team that needed to catch a flight as they could muster just two singles against four Mets pitchers and lost on Thursday afternoon at Shea Stadium, 2-1.
Andy Pettitte looked uncomfortable as he struggled with his control, giving up four hits and four walks in 5 2-3rd’s innings against a Mets’ lineup that has been eviscerated by injuries. The Stros were pathetic offensively, as Berkman singled in the only one and Manager Garner inexplicably benched two of his club’s only five above average hitters — Bags and Bidg.
I realize Garner is trying to shake the Stros up and get something started, but sometimes he appears to be trying too hard. This club struggles to hit generally and to hit with power particularly. Thus, there is simply no good reason not to be playing his five above-average hitters — Berkman, Beltran, Bidg, Bags and Lamb — almost every game. Beyond those five, it doesn’t make much difference who hits for the Stros. Except for Kent, who represents exactly an average National League hitter this season, the rest of the Stros are either below average or well below average. Playing more of those guys than is necessary simply increases the risk of loss.
The Rocket gives the folks in Montreal one last opportunity to see one of the best pitchers of the past generation on Friday. Let’s hope the Stros do some hitting rather than simply watching, too.

Light-hitting Brad Ausmus‘ RBI single in the 10th inning was the difference as the Stros went on to a 5-4 win over the Mets on a strange and sloppy Wednesday evening at Shea Stadium in Queens, New York.
The teams played through a steady rain until an hour long delay in the sixth. Lightning flashes throughout the early innings added to the eerie backdrop to the game.
Morgan Ensberg had three hits and scored twice for the Stros, who won for only the second time in seven games. Ensberg led off the 10th with an infield single, stole second and went to third on a groundout. With the infield drawn in, Ausmus hit a grounder past the diving Met third bagger down the left-field line to plate Ensberg with the game winner.
Brad Lidge struck out three in two scoreless innings for the win. Kirk Bullinger got three outs for his first career save, retiring a pinch-hitter with a runner on third to end this mess of a game.
Playing without injured starting pitcher Tom Glavine, slugger Mike Piazza, and shortstop Kaz Matsui, the injury-depleted Mets lost for the fourth time in five games. The Mets also lost left fielder Cliff Floyd during the game after he was nailed in the back by Stros starter Roy Oswalt‘s 95 mph fastball.
During the game, Oswalt slipped on the slick mound for a balk and matched a career high with five walks. In a particularly bizarre point in the game, Oswalt threw a pitch to the backstop on the fly in the third and, on the next pitch, the Mets’ Danny Garcia‘s bat slipped out of his hands and sailed over the Stros’ dugout into the stands.
What on earth were the umps thinking in continuing the game under these conditions?
Andy Pettitte attempts to throw his weekly five innings today against the Mets’ Victor Zambrano before the Stros take off for Montreal and their last series in that city before the Expos’ inevitable move after this season.

In a matchup of fading teams that are dropping like rocks from wild-card contention, the Mets ended a three-game losing streak and handed the Stros their fifth loss in six games, 7-3 at Shea Stadium on Monday night.
Other than Berkman‘s solo yak, there is nothing for the Stros to talk about from this one. Several of the Stros — particularly Kent and Ausmus — appear to be going through the motions at this point. Munro and Redding were particularly bad as a weak hitting Mets club without Piazza lit the Stros’ pitchers up for 10 hits and 17 total bases. In the most merciful move of the year to date, the Stros optioned Redding to New Orleans after the game and recalled long-awaited Carlos Hernandez.
At least it was nice to see former Stro Richard Hidalgo double in a run. I suspect most of the Stros enjoyed seeing him do well, too.
The Stros have a chance tomorrow night as Roy O is pitching. But the way the Stros hit, Oswalt better be thinking shut out.

The Expos won their first series on the road this season by taking advantage of the Stros’ feckless offense in winning Sunday’s matinee at the Juice Box against Roger Clemens, 5-2.
There will be much knashing of the teeth in the media over this latest Stros debacle, but it’s really not much of a surprise. Since May 11th, when the Stros had their best record after 32 games in club history (21-11), the moribund Expos actually have a better record than the Stros (Expos: 34-44/Stros: 34-45). That’s how sorry the Stros have been this season.
Clemens was solid again today, giving up only one earned run on eight hits over seven innings. But the Stros’ hitters continue to scruff away at the plate. Today, they were only able to manage six singles and Ensberg‘s solo tater against mediocre Expos pitching. The three Expos starters in this series had a combined negative 32 runs saved against average this season, meaning that they have given up 32 more runs than an average National Leage pitcher has this season. The Stros were only able to manage seven runs in three games off of those well below average pitchers. Ouch!
The Stros players’ runs created against average (“RCAA”) and runs saved against average (“RSAA” and RCAA explained here) have not changed much from last week, so I will hold off on publishing them again until next week. Suffice to say for now that the Stros continue to tread water.
Berkman continues to be one of the ten best hitters in baseball, while Beltran also is quite solid if his numbers with the Royals are included — his numbers with the Stros only are decent, but not as good as I hoped they would be. Bidg is starting to fade a bit, which is to be expected, and Bags has had a modest resurgance, although he is still only generating about half of the production this season than he did last season. Lamb is the only other Stro who is an above-average hitter this season. Every single other player is either below average or well below average, which means that the fact that the Stros’ are 10th among the 16 N.L. teams in hitting is not surprising.
The Stros pitchers’ RSAA is better (third in the N.L.), but that is somewhat deceptive. Miller has contributed a +11 RSAA, but is unlikely to pitch again this season. Clemens, Oswalt, and Lidge are all solid, but the remainder of the pitchers are either just above average or just below average, with the exception of Harville and Redding, who are pitching poorly and probably should be shipped to AAA to regain confidence.
The Stros’ power drain this season has been deep and pervasive. Bidg is the only Stros’ hitter who is hitting better this season than last season, although Berkman continues to hit at a very high level. As noted above, Bags is half the hitter he was last season, and last season was his fifth straight season of declining numbers. Ensberg has produced 32 fewer runs this season than last season, and Hidalgo‘s numbers were even worse than that before he left. Kent has gone from being a +13 RCAA last season to a 0 RCAA this season. Interestingly, Kent is an example of precisely an average National League hitter so far this season with his batting average/on base average/slugging percentage of .288/.342/.484.
The Stros get an off day tomorrow to think about all this, and then they begin a nine game road trip in New York on Tuesday against the Mets. At least Richard Hidalgo has cooled off so the Stros probably won’t have to deal with the humiliation of Hidalgo going nuclear on them. On the other hand, the way this season has gone, the Stros will probably ignite Hidalgo into one of his legendary hitting streaks.

The Expos scored six runs on six hits against a trio of the Stros’ middle relievers as they embarrassed the home town club, 8-3 on Saturday night at the Juice Box.
Andy Pettitte went five innings and threw 57 pitches, gave up two runs on two hits, and left the game with a 3-2 lead. But Weathers (bad), Harville (awful), and Gallo (bad again) stunk up the place and, by the top of the eighth, the Expos had an 8-3 lead. Given the Stros’ feeble hitting, that’s tantamount to an insurmountable lead.
The Stros trotted out their typical popgun attack, flaring ten hits but producing only 13 total bases in the process. At least Phil Garner had the good sense finally to play Mike Lamb, who proceeded to produce a couple of the Stros’ runs. Garner apparently knew what was coming on this evening and elected to take an early shower while arguing a dubious second inning out call on Vizcaino, who appeared simply to avoid the Expos pitcher on a close play at first, but was tagged out after the ump contended that he had evinced an intent to go to second. It’s been that kind of season for the Stros.
The Rocket strides to the hill in the Sunday matinee as the Stros attempt to avoid the ignominy of losing a series to the lowly Expos. The Stros then leave for their last long roadie of the season to play the Mets, Expos, and Phillies before returning to the Juice Box on August 20 to play the Cubbies.

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 broke the ulnar bone. He will be sidelined for at least a month and, if he needs surgery, will be lost for the rest of season.
After having -13 RCAA/.700 OPS in 2003 (RCAA explained here), his first year as a starter, Everett is off to a .385 SLG, .317 OBA, .703 OPS, -13 RCAA start in his first 102 games. He has a .681 career OPS, compared to his league average of .774, and -34 RCAA in 279 games.
Consequently, although you will hear wailing from the Stros management and the mainstream media about what a huge loss Everett is to the club, the reality is much less dramatic. Everett is an above-average fielder and a below average fielder whose production can be replaced rather easily. Indeed, even though Viz does not field as well as Everett, he has hit much better than Everett this season, so playing him instead of Everett is about a wash in the big scheme of things.
Oswalt (12-8) struck out eight and walked one in hurling his second shutout of the season and the third of his career. Oswalt has now won four straight decisions overall and improved to a rather incredible 9-0 against the Expos in 13 career starts. Oswalt’s complete game was a timely tonic for the Stros’ bullpen, which sorely needed some rest after virtually every relief pitcher in sight was used during yesterday’s game against the Braves.
Bags and JK drove in two runs each for Houston, and Bags hit a solo homer in the second inning that tied him with Frank Thomas for 30th on the career home run list at 436. Lance Berkman made it a short night for Expos starter Rocky Biddle by nailing him with a vicious line drive that careened all the way back across the first-base line. Biddle left the game with a bruised ankle and relatively good fortune that his injury was not much worse. In other statistical news, Bidg was hit by a pitch for the 13th time this season and raised his career total to 255, the most by far among active National League players.
Andy Pettitte tries to coax a few innings out of his sore left elbow in the Saturday game of the series, and the Stros are preparing for a big crowd on Sunday as the Rocket goes for win number 13.

The Stros ran out of relief pitchers as the Braves came back from a four run deficit to win the rubber game of the clubs? series, 6-5 at the Juice Box on Thursday evening.
Stros’ starter Darren Oliver was the latest Stro pitcher to get a hitch in this giddyup as he left after an inning with the seemingly ubiquitous ?stiff shoulder.? That prompted a parade of Stro relief pitchers, who actually pitched reasonably well with the exception of Gallo, who looked like he was throwing grapefruit to the appreciative Braves hitters. After Gallo gave up two runs and put another runner aboard, Weathers relieved him, Marrero cranked the longest yak he will ever hit on the first pitch, and Presto! The Braves had comeback from a 5-1 deficit and all Stros? fans had that old ?Uh, oh, here come the Braves? feeling again. The Braves pushed a run across in the top of the ninth against Miceli to nab the win.
Although the Stros scored five runs ? a monstrous total for them against the Braves ? most of the production was courtesy of the Braves ? they walked nine Stros? hitters. The Stros had just two extra base hits, including Beltran?s solo yak, and after the fifth inning when the Stros staked their 5-1 lead, the Stros managed just one hit off of four Braves relievers.
On a club that struggles to score runs as much as the Stros, it is inexplicable how management allowed Jimy Williams and now allows Phil Garner for the past two games to continue not to play Mike Lamb, the club?s fourth best hitter this season behind only Berkman, Beltran, and Bidg. Simply astounding.
Roy O takes his turn tonight in the first game of the weekend series against the Expos? Rocky Biddle, who has almost a 7.00 ERA. The Stros embark on a nine game roadie after the Expos series against the Mets, Expos, and Phillies.

The Braves’ John Thomson dominated the Stros’ hitters in leading the Braves to a 5-4 victory Wednesday night at the Juice Box.
Thomson threw just 79 pitches in seven innings and gave up two runs on only four singles. Meanwhile, the Stros’ Pete Munro got raked for eight hits and four runs in four and a third innings by a Braves team that is not exactly a hitting juggernaut, either.
Actually, this was one of those games that was not as close as the final score indicates. The Braves were leading comfortably 5-2 with two outs and a runner on in the bottom of the ninth with Smoltz closing when Bags whacked a completely unexpected two run tater to make the score 5-4. Poor Ensberg had to follow Bags to the plate and face a very irritated Smoltz, who proceeded to strike Ensberg out on three quite fast pitches. Game, set, match.
It’s a duel of lefties in the rubber game on Thursday night as Darren Oliver goes for the Stros against ex-Stro Mike Hampton. The Virginia Expos come to town on Friday for the weekend series.

Following on this earlier post about allegedly being thrown out of a youth league game involving one of his sons, Roger Clemens gives his side of the story in this Chronicle article:

Clemens said he didn’t even witness the call in question, one in which Kacy Clemens, who plays for the 10-and-under Katy Cowboys, was called out attempting to steal second base despite an admission from a Bakersfield, Calif., player who said he failed to make the tag.
Clemens said he was standing behind a fence, well away from the action, where he videotaped his son’s base hit and then resumed signing autographs, something he had been doing for most of the afternoon and for the balance of the weekend.
He retreated to his car, per his routine, for a respite from the autograph-seekers.
“They did not ask me to leave,” Clemens said, which conflicts with the account of field supervisor Jim Carpenter, who told the AP he supported the decision to eject Clemens. “I did not even know I was supposedly thrown out. I didn’t see the play my son happened to be involved in. I videoed (taped) his at-bat and when he got a hit and got on first, I put the video camera up and started dealing with the public like I always do.”
Clemens said he was upset no one contacted him or his agent Randy Hendricks to get his version of what happened. Instead, he said, the national media ran with an unsubstantiated story.
Some local media outlets picked up the story, and Clemens said what angered him was the same group of reporters who heralded his return home after he came out of retirement and signed with the Astros on Jan. 12 were quick, in his opinion, to assume the story was correct as reported.
“I’m disappointed in a lot of media because I was only a phone call away, and my agent said anybody could have called up on the story,” Clemens said. “It was reckless the guy that ran the story because I was at the ballpark for at least an hour (after the game ended) signing autographs, and if he had any questions he could have come over and asked me.
“It was reckless by some of the national media that I was able to see comments like I was toe to toe, nose to nose arguing (with the umpire).
“And it’s the same thing here that went on in my hometown. I’m really disappointed because once you guys set these cameras and those pens down, I would think that you would know me a little better than that.”

The Rocket bounced back from being thrown out of his kid’s youth league game and pitched the Stros to a 3-2 win over the Braves straight win in the first game of their three game set at the Juice Box. It was the Stros’ third straight win.
Clemens was magnificent, giving up one earned run on four hits in seven innings while walking three. The Braves’ Russ Ortiz was almost as good, giving up two runs in seven innings while torturing the Stros’ hitters with his array of drop balls and change-ups. The Stros finally pushed across runs in the sixth, seventh and eighth to take the lead, including Bidg‘s solo yak and a key pinch hit by Lamb to set up the go ahead run in the eighth. Lidge was overpowering in saving the win as he K’Oed the side in the top of the ninth.
Inexplicably, the Stros trot Tim Redding out again on Wednesday to provide the Braves with some extended batting practice in between walks. The Stros’ hitters better gut up because they will likely need to score a bunch of runs to have a chance to win this one.