There was much ado about pitching last night; conversations on twitter and message boards, fan reaction at the ballpark. For years I’ve said, it’s about the pitching. Good defensive pitching can make a mediocre offense a little less important. But if a team has subpar pitching, it takes a whole heck of a lot of amazingly impressive offense to make up for the sins of the guys on the bump.

The Astros starters have been reliable, not outstanding, but definitely reliable. The first 5+ innings of baseball haven’t been the site of anything tragic. In fact, they’ve been pretty darn good. Even when they’ve struggled and seen inflated pitch counts, Astros starters have battled their way through. If you look at the ERA of starters, throwing as starters, you can’t complain – Lucas Harrell (1.50), Philip Humber (1.59), Bud Norris (3.18), Brad Peacock (4.15) – as a group, the starters have a 2.63 ERA. It’s a stat where the Astros are not, in fact, the worst in baseball. They rank 8/30 clubs in starting pitching ERAs so far. Not bad.

If any real criticism can be made after ONLY FIVE games – and let’s all remember it’s only been 5 measly games – it’s more about the fact that a starter should come in throw six innings, but the starting rotation in Houston has only Lucas Harrell as a member of the 6 inning club. Last night, Bud Norris got pretty darn close, but still didn’t clear that hurdle. Bear in mind this is after FIVE games…there are 157 more to go and we need those shoulders and elbows to remain intact, so SPs only going 5 1/3, 5 2/3 isn’t a “real” concern, but something to ponder.

The biggest problem with the starters unable to go a full six is the the Houston bullpen has been terrible. Several people commented via social media last night that the team’s bullpen was stretched and that’s why Porter left Bud Norris in during the sixth after a homer, an error by Ronny Cedeno, two fly ball outs, a walk and a hit. That’s not why Porter left him in.

“Bud did a tremendous job. To me, tonight, he grew up,” were manager Bo Porter‘s words. “He did what a number one starter should do.” Porter told Norris he had earned the right to earn the win, resulting in Norris throwing 122 pitches in 5 2/3. Perhaps not his most efficient start, but not devastating by a long run.

The problem? The bullpen. Their ERA so far this season? 6.62 Yep, folks, that’s the problem. So you can go on twitter and whine about how long the starters are lasting. You can moan and groan about whether Brett Wallace is getting hits or Chris Carter is striking out again (although I admit I have fun with that last one), but when the umpire yells, “Play ball!” it’s going to come down to the guys on the mound. If they can’t their job done, then no amount of offense will save your team.

Jason Castro hit a three run homer last night in the Astros 6-3 loss to Oakland. Not even close to being enough to make up for pitching that wasn’t defensive. Justin Maxwell and J.D. Martinez were both 2/4 last night. No matter how productive that offense is on any given day, poor pitching can give a game away. And the Astros’ bullpen has been giving a lot away. Where do they land in baseball? 26 /30, so not the bottom of the barrel, but not anywhere they’d want to be.

One more comment of note from Bo Porter since the strikeout count has been so high and noted both in historic and sarcastic context by everyone under the sun. Last night the Astros struck out only four times – that’s the lowest in a game so far (again ONLY  FIVE games). When asked his thoughts on the matter, Porter, being the guy we’ve all come to expect him to be, said, ”I couldn’t tell you how many it was yesterday or how many it was today. What I do know is that we lost the game.”

Terri Schlather (AGirlintheSouth) is the tortured Senior Houston Astros Writer for Aerys Sports. You can email her at agirlinthesouth@gmail.com, or follow her ridiculous ramblings on sports, vodka and the weeone on twitter @agirlinthesouth.

I woke up this morning wondering if it was all a dream. I mean, no one expected the Houston Astros to win against the Texas Rangers on Opening Night in baseball. I’d hoped for it though.

In case you hadn’t been paying attention to those morons, they’ve been whining about the Astros damaging “the integrity of the game” by slashing payroll, not to mention their repeated posts about Alex Rodriguez making more while injured and sitting on his rear than the entire Houston Astros payroll.  I think they can all shut it now.

The Astros strutted into the AL West last night. They did it with home runs, triples, impressive pitching and the attitude that no matter what the media says about them, they can beat anyone. And beat anyone, they did, as they took down the Texas Rangers 8-2.

The win was the franchise’s 4,000th. I was disappointed when that win didn’t come against the Cardinals at the end of last season, but I see now that the 4,000th win had bigger and brighter things to accomplish – it needed a National spotlight. That win needed to show that no matter what league Bud Selig decided to put the Astros into, they could still produce hits, runs and wins.

In the first at bat by a Houston Astros in the American League, Jose Altuve started things off right with a first-pitch single to left field. but Justin Maxwell owned the  night in many ways, making some great catches in center (one that probably wasn’t  catch at all), but coupled with his 2 triples – one driving the first 2 runs of the night home-, and his two runs secured his place as a leader on this young team. Interestingly, the other guy who stood out? Rick Ankiel who came off the bench to blast a pinch-hit, 3 run homer in his very first at bat as an Astro. The last guy to homer in his first club at bat? Yep, Justin Maxwell.

The offense was outstanding, but without good defensive pitching it means nothing. Hats off to Bud Norris who pitched 5 2/3 innings – 5H, 2R, 2ER, 3BB, 5K – 3.18. He struggled in the 6th inning, collecting  3 hits, 2 runs and a walk in that 2/3 of an inning alone. Before the 6th, Norris looked solid and used his slider to his advantage.

But behind Norris, Erik Bedard was ready close out the game. Since Bedard isn’t scheduled to start a game until Saturday, the Astros chose to use him in relief. It was a masterful decision as he pitched 3 1/3 innings, allowing only 1 hit and striking out 2. Bedard earned the save and Norris the win. A nice night of pitching from the Astros.

It would be easy to remind everyone that currently, the Astros lead the American League, but there are still 161 games of baseball to play. Last night showed, however, that anything is possible with this young club. These guys are walking – no running since Bo won’t let them walk – with a fire in their bellies. Bo Porter has ingrained in them that being a champion is a construction project, and that each day you’ve got to show up, put in the work on the project or the champion never gets built.

I don’t expect the Houston Astros to be champions this year…but it’s nice to see the progress on that construction site.

Terri Schlather (AGirlintheSouth) is the tortured Senior Houston Astros Writer for Aerys Sports. You can email her at agirlinthesouth@gmail.com, or follow her ridiculous ramblings on sports, vodka and the weeone on twitter @agirlinthesouth.

There’s nothing like Spring Training to make you believe that the Houston Astros have hope for a good 2013 season. To the untrained eye, this month has proven that the little engine actually can win ball games. After all, if you take a look at how the Astros are doing in the standings, you’ll be led astray – they’re playing .467 ball right now.

For the recent past, that’s an impressive number. But let’s not get ahead of ourselves, sports fans…it’s Spring Training. Don’t get me wrong – I adore spring camp as much as any other baseball fan. In fact, I’m in Kissimmee right now just to spend time taking in a few games. But you can’t let the excitement of Spring take over. There are too many factors at play.

During the regular season, a team has a fairly consistent 25 man active roster and each team knows what it’s up against. Everyone knows what Bud Norris is capable of on the mound and although he could have an extreme day one way or another, there is some level of consistency with major league level players.

That isn’t always the case with the other guys…you know, the minor leaguers that get an invite to Spring Training with the big club? There are a lot of factors that can effect their play. For one, they’re nervous and trying like hell to impress, so depending on how they respond to pressure their play can improve or fall apart. Plus, some guys just aren’t quite ready to play at this level yet. They may be some day, but may need more time. Then there’s the minor leaguers on the other team – if your best hitters are up against a AA pitcher from the opposition…yep, they’re going to light him up.

So I can sit back and say what an amazing 5 homers the Astros hit yesterday and expect to see it again today, or I can take it for what it is…Spring Training.

Now I still stand by my previous comments about what this season holds. I don’t think this team is going to be as tragic as some national sportswriters keep saying. I think the little engine that could will prove, to some extent, that they can play ball. I’m not expecting a winning season or even a .500 season, but I think they’ll win more games than expected. I think they’ll surprise some people along the way, but I won’t be holding my breath for 5 homers a game. But if it happens, I’ll be happy to eat crow.

So take Spring Training for what it is – all the guys vying for a chance to play big league baseball, all of the players getting the creaks out and taking some risks, all of the players meshing as a team and getting to know each other, and all of the front office staff eyeing the abilities of each and every player trying to determine which pieces of the puzzle are the best fit for the coming season. I can tell you this, I have the utmost faith in new managerBo Porter right now, but I’m not envious of the hard decisions he and Jeff Luhnow have ahead.

Terri Schlather (AGirlintheSouth) is the tortured Senior Houston Astros Writer for Aerys Sports. You can email her at agirlinthesouth@gmail.com, or follow her ridiculous ramblings on sports, vodka and the weeone on twitter @agirlinthesouth.

Ladies and Gentlemen – Your 2012 Houston Astros

I am cursed. I will adore and cheer on the Houston Astros even in a season like this one. Even in a season like the one they’re sure to have in 2013, I cannot turn away. I don’t know if it’s a masochistic tendency or some bizarre sense of loyalty that my Italian heritage has instilled in me, but it’s annoying as hell this year.

Since I can’t just cheer for another team, I’ve taken to trying to find the upside. DO NOT GET ME WRONG, I am not enjoying the world’s most ridiculous losing streaks. I am not enjoying watching guys who just aren’t cooked enough to be in the majors play against men who truly belong at this level. I am not enjoying any of that.

But, like the players have got to be feeling, I can’t wallow in the horror, shame and misery every single day. It’s not good for my sleep patterns, if nothing else.

So what’s the upside of the 2012? I have a few…here you go:

• The Astros are almost assured a #1 draft pick for 2013.
• Odds are good that the train is leaving Minute Maid Park (I’m guessing based on the giant dumb ass sign blocking it).
• A true rebuilding, well, deconstruction so far, is underway.
• The minor league teams have been kicking ass and taking names. To follow along, make sure you’re reading What the Heck, Bobby.
• Kevin Goldstein. Yes, he gets his own bullet – ask the people who were with me when I found out about this hiring. I was a teensy bit excited.
• The new previous at bat graphic on El Grande.
• Lucas Harrell. Certainly you don’t need an explanation for that, right?
• Bud Norris. Again, please refer to his best-in-the-NL home ERA of 1.90.
• Brett Wallace it seems, really CAN hit against lefties. Mystery solved. #BrettWallaceIsFree
• Zachary Levine’s twitter account. If you haven’t been paying attention, this painful season has brought out his funny.
• There will be baseball during the offseason, well, baseball stuff. The Astros need a new Manager after all. Look for any announcement of a new hiring to take place in the middle of the night. The front office is made up of Vampires, I swear.
• Every now and then, when the Astros do win? It’s like they just won the World Series!

So there you have it. The straws I am grasping in order to maintain my fandom sanity. What’s keeping your chin up and your blood alcohol level from getting too high?

Terri Schlather (AGirlintheSouth) is the tortured Senior Houston Astros Writer for Aerys Sports. You can email her at agirlinthesouth@gmail.com, or follow her ridiculous ramblings on sports, vodka and the weeone on twitter @agirlinthesouth.

Last night when new Astro Francisco “Coco” Cordero blew his first save opportunity with the Astros against the Reds, I thought to myself, “Self, he’s adjusting to a new team, cut him some slack.” Tonight when he blew his SECOND save opportunity, I was not so nice. In fact, I’m pretty sure I dropped a multitude of f-bombs while shaking certain fingers in his general direction.

After an impressive start by Studly Cuddly Budly Norris (7 IP, 5 H, 1 R, 1ER, 1 BB and 7 SO) I was optimistic that the Astros bats could maybe eek out a win.

Optimism in Houston is for fools.

There were other jewels in the night – Jose Altuve went 3-4 and scored a run, Scott Moore was 1-3 with a run and an RBI, J.D. Martinez’s shoulder seems better as he was 2-4 with a run and an RBI – so it wasn’t all depressing….just the ending.

In the top of the ninth, leading 3-2 all the Astros needed was for Coco to get three guys out. But in what seemed like a replay of last night, Drew Stubbs put the kibosh on the win when he doubled on a fly ball to center to send  Xavier Paul and Brandon Phillips home. Jay Bruce would then single off Fernando Abad when Coco got benched and that would be the ballgame….because the Astros didn’t quite have the firepower in the bottom of the ninth.

Blown Save. Again. Shit.

I don’t have high expectations for this ball club. I haven’t since the start of the season. I know what’s going on and the focus isn’t and shouldn’t be the major league club. It’s rebuilding time and that HAS to happen from the bottom up. BUT COME ON! The mistakes these “major league players” are making are little league.

I wish Lou Brown was the GM…he’d make these guys drop and give him 10 every time they screwed up. The games would be like 7 hours long, but perhaps the players would learn a lesson.

Hey Coco…drop and give me 20…you owe us for two nights. And Brad Mills, the next save opportunity that the Astros have, if we see Coco come out to the bump…you can blow me.

Terri Schlather (AGirlintheSouth) is the tortured Senior Houston Astros Writer for Aerys Sports. You can email her at agirlinthesouth@gmail.com, or follow her ridiculous ramblings on sports, vodka and the weeone on twitter @agirlinthesouth.

How could I not come talk to you about that ridiculousness of a baseball game last night? I mean, really. It started off like any normal game and then J.A. struggled big time from the third inning on. I kept glancing over at the bullpen thinking certainly they’d kick him to the curb soon, but, nope…he stayed put a lot longer than I expected.

As the game spiraled out of control a few notable things happened that are worth mentioning and commenting on.

#1 – David Carpenter got his first major league hit of his career. It was a single hit with one of Bud Norris’ bat. We had a good time with the whole “Carpenter is batting 1.000″ in my group last night. It’s the little things that keep me smiling in a blow out like that one!

#2 – Carlos Correa was introduced to the crowd at Minute Maid Park after signing on the dotted line to come play in the Astros organization earlier in the day. He walked by me a couple of times and from what I could tell, he was joined by his parents, brother, sister (who is cute as a button!), grandparents and all the pomp and circumstance of the Astros front office. He was greeted with a standing ovation by the crowd at MMP, Astros and Cards fans alike. You can’t help but cheer for a 17 year old kid that worked his ass off to make a dream come true. It’s the stuff Disney films are made of. Welcome, Carlos….and best of luck to you.

#3 – In the top of the ninth there were some…um…changes to the positions being played. Jason Castro was brought in to catch because Chris Snyder was moved to first because Brett Wallace was moved to third because Chris Johnson was moved to right field because….well, because Brian Bogusevic was going to pitch.

Yep, you read it right. Makes sense – why should Mills burn a reliever’s arm when the game’s a blow out? He has a great right fielder who happened to be drafted out of Tulane as….a pitcher. And frankly, Bogie didn’t do too shabby. His first fastball? 88mph. For a guy who hasn’t been throwing bullpens, I was impressed. Of course, so were the Cards batters who knocked in a couple more including a homer off of him. Meh…at that point – who cared? It was a novelty little league game being played at a big league park.

So, the Astros lost this series to the Cards, but that just evened the season series up since the Astros took the last one. There are a couple more meetings of these two teams while they’re in the same division….should be fun. I doubt we’ll see Bogie pitch in any of those games though!

Terri Schlather (AGirlintheSouth) is the tortured Senior Houston Astros Writer for Aerys Sports. You can email her at agirlinthesouth@gmail.com, or follow her ridiculous ramblings on sports, vodka and the weeone on twitter @agirlinthesouth.

I called it. Okay, all of baseball called it, but the Houston Astros beat the Chicago Cubs last night 5-1. You know what I liked the best about it? In each of the three games in this series the Astros were out hit by the Cubs…and they still won.

In fact, in the series, the Cubs had a total of 27 hits to the Astros 21 and the run count? Cubs scored 6 and the Astros scored 15. Doing more with less? Perhaps, or perhaps it’s just improving plate discipline for the Astros. In total Houston drew 11 walks during this series while Chicago only drew 5. Was that the difference? Maybe.

Regardless, the Astros did, in general, play pretty good baseball through this series. JD Martinez hopefully got his mojo back between he game winning RBI on Tuesday and the triple and three RBIs last night. I hope he’s turned the corner because when he’s on, he’s a lot of fun to watch swing a bat.

The pitching was outstanding, both starting and bullpen. Let’s hope that trend continues as they head out on the road tomorrow to face the NL West leading Los Angeles Dodgers. Root! Root! Root!

Terri Schlather (AGirlintheSouth) is the tortured Senior Houston Astros Writer for Aerys Sports. You can email her at agirlinthesouth@gmail.com, or follow her ridiculous ramblings on sports, vodka and the weeone on twitter @agirlinthesouth.

As Bud Norris pitched seven shutout innings last night and the Houston Astros put on a little home run hit parade to beat the Cubs 8-4,  there was one thing I couldn’t get out of my head. This Houston Astros team isn’t afraid to get dirty.

This idea started festering in my head a couple of weeks ago when my mother commented during a game that Jordan Schafer’s nickname should be “Pigpen” because his uniform is always a mess. You know, that orange-brown streak of dirt you find covering the front of a uniform of any player who regularly steals bases? Yep, that’s what I’m talking about.

It’s not just that this team is stealing some bases, although collectively they’ve stolen 33 bags so far this year putting them a respectable 7th in steals in the majors and 5th in the National League. This team is a never-say-die group of guys who always think about how to get it back when the lead is stolen. And when they’re winning? Well, widening that lead is front of mind.

So as I watched the game last night, I was drawn to how many of those uniforms were dirty and it was a lot. Let’s not crazy, Carlos Lee’s uniform was clean as a whistle, but even with players we love to harass like Lee, there’s something in the air in the Astros clubhouse this season. It’s not something we can add up on a stat sheet or really quantify, but it’s just as real and still there.

If you haven’t been to a game in person this season, I encourage you to do it – not just because ticket sales expand the budget that GM Jeff Luhnow has to work with, but also because you’ll feel it. It’s palpable in the air during a game. (I should mention I get no benefit from you going to a game and I’m a horrible fan for saying this, but I prefer the stadium a little empty as it gives me more room.)

I was chatting with a friend the other day – she’s a Red Sox fan- when she mentioned that the Astros weren’t the worst team in baseball this year. I nodded and said, “That’s a reputation that will go away….with just a little more dirt.”

Terri Schlather (AGirlintheSouth) is the tortured Senior Houston Astros Writer for Aerys Sports. You can email her at agirlinthesouth@gmail.com, or follow her ridiculous ramblings on sports, vodka and the weeone on twitter @agirlinthesouth.

Jed Lowrie's been spending a nice amount of time on base for the Astros.

I love when the Cubs come to Minute Maid Park. There’s a few things that I adore about it. First, the Cubs fans come out in droves. Generally that annoys me at a game, but this year in particular, the opportunity to watch Cubs fans cry at MMP is more than I can resist smiling at. Yep, I know, I’m a bit evil.

But the Cubs are the “Astros of last season” sitting in the bottom of the NL Central standings and that’s just a whole lot of fun for an Astros fan, right? Admit it…you love it too.

The match-ups for this series aren’t too shabby either. The timing in the starting rotations means we’ll see some fun baseball. But when push comes to shove, I expect the Astros to take 2 of these 3 games and really in my heart of hearts I think they should sweep this team of baby bears.

JA Happ’s coming in with momentum after his last start, the same for Cudly Studly Budly Norris and Wandy Rodriguez has to want to come out and prove that the hit parade by the Rangers last Friday was a fluke and he’s still the pitcher we all know he is. After all, at home, Wandy’s ERA is a very impressive 1.52. Come on, Wandy, we know you want to kick some ass this week.

Jordan Schafer will still be sitting out and isn’t expected to play on Monday thanks to that lower leg strain, but Jose Altuve once again proved Sunday he can hit in any spot you stick him and did a fine job as the leadoff hitter. If Schafer was missed anywhere it was in centerfield where Justin Maxwell isn’t quite as quick (or used to Tal’s hill) defensively. That should only affect Monday and possibly Tuesday.

But on the other hand….let me tell ya’ story ’bout a man named Jed…yep, that SS is finding a nice groove at the plate (.273/.354/.461) and I look for him to continue to hit well and make the plays down the middle.

In the meantime, I’ll be waiting on JD Martinez to lose the “lost” look he’s been sporting at the plate and find his swing again. And I’ll be waiting for Brian Bogusevic to fix the little things that seem to be keeping him off-balance from time to time at the plate as well. If the Astros can get those two kicking it old school, I think the Astros will continue to be the scrappy little brother who just won’t give up.

Terri Schlather (AGirlintheSouth) is the tortured Senior Houston Astros Writer for Aerys Sports. You can email her at agirlinthesouth@gmail.com, or follow her ridiculous ramblings on sports, vodka and the weeone on twitter @agirlinthesouth.

A new face for many fans, Kyle Weiland will be a part of the starting rotation.

During tonight’s game between the Houston Astros and their AA affiliate Corpus Christi Hooks some pitching information was released. By the way, the Astros won, 6-2.

Jordan Lyles has been optioned to AAA Oklahoma City. I think this is for the best. He needs some time to marinate, work on that curveball and just mature in his talent. Fear not, Astros fans, it won’t be long before we see Jordan in an Astros jersey on a regular basis. With the use of another option, the Astros have one remaining on Lyles.

On the side of who’s staying? The Astros announced some guys who will make their first MLB Opening Day roster – David Carpenter, Rhiner Cruz, Lucas Harrell, Fernando (Fernie – I swear it’s what his wife calls him) Rodriguez & Kyle Weiland. Congratulations all around. I’m pleased to see several of those names on the list.

So if everyone keeps their current pitching schedule the starting rotation would be Wandy Rodriguez, Harrell, Bud Norris, JA Happ, and Weiland.

So there we have it, folks. Houston has a starting rotation. Play ball!

Terri Schlather (AGirlintheSouth) is the tortured Senior Houston Astros Writer for Aerys Sports. You can email her at agirlinthesouth@gmail.com, or follow her ridiculous ramblings on sports, vodka and the weeone on twitter @agirlinthesouth.