The Stros once promising season sank to the bottom on Thursday night as the Cubs completed a four game sweep of the Stros at the Juice Box, 5-4.
The Stros are now 33-32 and in fifth place in the NL Central. Since peaking at a season-high 10 games over .500 at 21-11 and leading the NL Central by three games on May 11, the fifth-place Astros have gone 12-21 and are now four and a half games behind the Cards. They have lost four in a row, six of their last seven, and 17 of their last 26 games.
For the first part of this hideous past month, the Stros hitting was decent and the pitching generally — with the exception of Clemens — was below average. The pitching has turned around over the past two weeks, but the hitting has gone south as the Stros scored a total of eight runs in the four games with the Cubs.
Roy O battled gamely tonight, giving up 4 runs on 11 hits through seven tough innings. However, journeyman Glendon Rusch handcuffed the Stros, and a mini-uprising in the ninth spiced by Jason Lane‘s first homer of the season petered out.
The Angels come to town tomorrow for a weekend series at the Juice Box as the Stros search for that elusive winning formula. Pete Munro will likely start for the Stros, so expect some hard-hitting in this one, at least from the Angels.

The Chronicle reports today that the other player in the Stros’ probable trade of Richard Hidalgo is Mets’ right-handed relief pitcher, David Weathers. Here is what Baseball Prospectus says about Weathers:

Weathers can be a cheap, serviceable back-end piece of almost every team’s bullpen, fill 70 something innings, and not embarrass himself. There’s some value in that, but he’d be well-served to try and sneak onto a team with a bullpen in flux, steal 15-20 saves and then get someone to bite on him as a closer. Billy Beane would probably be willing to sign on for a cut of the proceeds from the subsequent free agent deal.

Weathers, who is 35 and a 14 year veteran, is earning $3,93 million this season. Hidalgo has been on the trading block for two years since he took a nosedive from a production standpoint after signing an absurdly overpriced contract on the heels of an outstanding 2000 season. Hidalgo is currently “earning” $12 million this season, and will be owed a $2 million buyout after the season because no team in their right mind would pick up his $15 million option for next season.
So, this proposed trade is a salary dump for the Stros for their mistake of grossly overpaying for Hidalgo. I think it is a mistake for the Stros to give up on Hidalgo, but there is no question that they badly overpaid him over the term of his current contract. Sometimes it’s easier for team management to trade a player rather than face their own mistakes.
UPDATE: The Stros and Mets pulled the string, as Hidalgo goes to the Mets for Weathers and minor leaguer Jeremy Griffiths, a 26 year old righthander who will begin in the Stros’ organization at AAA New Orleans. Griffiths is 5-2 with a 3.47 ERA in 13 starts for AAA Norfolk this season, allowing 63 hits while walking 29 and striking out 31. Here is Baseball Prospectus’ analysis of him coming into this season:

Griffiths managed to drop his walk and home runs allowed rate some last year, but NL hitters lit him up with a .328 batting average against. A pedestrian pitcher with a fastball that’s neither fast nor big on movement, the Mets’ 2004 season’s in big trouble if Griffiths gets those projected 15 starts.

Well, certainly not a great trade for the Stros by any stretch. However, a good trade for Hidalgo was a dream once the Stros overpaid for him after his great 2000 season.