The Stros nipped the Pirates 3-2 at the Juice Box on Thursday night as the Rocket picked up his 10th win of the season and the struggling Stros won for the fourth time in five games.
However, the bigger news out of the Juice Box on Thursday night was that the Stros consummated a trade that will bring star Kansas City centerfielder Carlos Beltran to Houston for reliever Octavio Dotel and AAA catcher John Buck (the Royals then shipped Dotel to Oakland for a couple of minor league prospects).
First, the game. The Rocket was his usual dependable self, scattering four hits and two runs over seven innings. Miceli and new closer Brad Lidge closed out the victory as Morgan Ensberg had the game winning hit for the second time in three games.
Now, the trade. Beltran is one of the best young players in baseball, with a .368 on base average, a slugging percentage of .527, and an RCAA (explained here) of 17 this season. Dotel has been one of the best relievers in baseball over the past three seasons, but he was having a down season so far and Lidge is ready to handle the closer’s role. Buck was once the Stros’ best minor league prospect before his development was derailed a couple of years ago by injuries and the club’s failure to field a high A farm team until last year. However, Buck has rebounded nicely this season at AAA New Orleans and is likely ready for an opportunity to play in the bigs.
So, although far from a great deal (at least as of yet), the trade is a reasonable gamble for the Stros, who were probably going to finish third (at best) in the NL Central if they played a pat hand the rest of the season. Beltran is clearly the type of player who can elevate the Stros’ performance level to equal that of the Cubs and Cards. Of course, the downside is that Beltran is probably a three month rental for the Stros, as his uber-agent Scott Boras has already announced that he is going to auction Beltran’s talents to the highest bidder on the free agent market after this season. Don’t look for the Stros to win that horse race.
Hopefully, Beltran will be in the Stros’ lineup on Friday night as they send Wade Miller to the hill in the first game of the Lone Star Series with the hard-hitting Rangers at Arlington. Redding and Roy O will pitch the next two games of the series.