I want THIS logo back!

This week there was an awful lot going on in the world of Houston Astros Baseball. Here’s the wrap:

The CAREavan continued around the state (and even into Oklahoma). Former and current players as well as owner, Jim Crane, and GM, Jeff Luhnow, participated in bringing some Astros joy to many fans this past week.

Over on Footnotes, Alyson Footer’s blog, you can find tips for Spring Training attendees, so check that out if you’re planning to attend!

Jessica, the caption contest winner, and me at the reception before the Baseball Dinner.

The Astros in Action Foundation hosted the Annual Baseball dinner benefitting Grand Slam For Youth Baseball last night. I was there along with Jessica (@mamu30) who won my caption contest. It was a who’s who of baseball history for Houston celebrating the 49 years of baseball in this great city and looking forward to the 50th season.

Jayne Hansen, who writes What the Heck, Bobby, a blog about the Astros minor league system, had an entertaining run in with JR Richards last night. Head over to her blog and give it a read.

Lance Berkman was there and stole the show, on his birthday no less. After taking the stage to be honored as the Houston Chapter of the BBWAA’s MLB Player of the Year he solemnly stated how touched he was to be onstage with a host of historical Astros baseball figures. He leaned over, head in hand as if to collect himself then popped up smiling and said, “Just kidding!” And then went on to tease the audience about how that probably felt as awkward for us as walking into Minute Maid Park in a Cardinals uniform was for him!

Lance was his ever-charming self when he thanked the “Houston Lonestars” for the award and then looked over his shoulder at players and front office peeps to confirm, “Wait, it wasn’t approved? We’re still the Astros?”  And yes, Lance said we.

That wouldn’t be the only reference to Lance as an Astro as stated he would always consider himself one. Later, when Jeff Luhnow took the stage he reminded Lance that in 2013 the team would need a DH and Berkman’s services may be needed. Oh, how I wish that would happen. If Luhnow could bring Lance back to HTX for one more season to end his career as an Astro, he would forever be my baseball hero.

Brad Mills even made a good funny at Lance’s expense when he wished Berkman a happy birthday and then stated, “I hope you play your age next year.”

Yes, Mr. Berkman stole the show. The other current players also honored: JD Martinez, Wandy Rodriguez, Jason Bourgeois.

With that, it’s time for me to get ready to head to Minute Maid Park. In case you’re not aware, today is FanFest! The event itself is free, and autographs are $10/ticket with 3-4 players per session. There are “Talkin’ Baseball” sessions and batting practices you can do, activities for kids and anything else you can imagine to get you ready for Spring Training. You can find the schedule of events for the day on the Astros website.

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.

Friday, February 10th, Minute Maid and the Astros in Action Foundation will host the 27th Annual Baseball Dinner benefitting the Grand Slam for Youth Baseball Scholarship program. In the past six years this fun evening of baseball recognition and memories has funded 20 scholarships.

Not only is the baseball dinner a great cause, but it’s a fun night of baseball awards and remembrance. This year’s dinner will include past Astros like J.R. Richard, Jimmy Wynn, Larry Dierker, Bob Watson, and Jose Cruz, among others. It won’t just be a blast from the past as many 2011 roster members will be there as well – Jason Bourgeois, JD Martinez, Wandy Rodriguez and Manager, Brad Mills. You can check out the official web page for all the details.

I have an extra seat for this lovely event and I figure who better to bring as a “date” than one of you! All you have to do to enter your name into the hat is comment below and give the best caption to this lovely photo of Carlos Lee. I’ll pick the three best captions and then let all of you vote to pick the winner. Be creative….

What should this caption be? You decide and win a seat at the Houston Baseball Dinner.

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.

The rivalry between the Astros and the Cardinals runs deep. For many years these two teams dominated the NL Central. This season, there’s been no doubt which team has taken the lead as the Astros have struggled. But tonight the ‘Stros seemed to find steam in that old rivalry and pulled off a 10th inning 5-4 win to keep the Cardinals chasing the Braves in the hunt to see postseason play.

Matt Downs, who had another outstanding night at the plate, contributing a 2 run homer in the 4th, said after the game, “There’s more Cardinals fans here than Astro’s fans. It’s good to shut them up.”

Indeed it was good to stun the numbers Cardinals fans. But it was a night of back and forth with St. Louis getting on the board first in the third inning when Matt Holliday singled to send David Freese across the plate.

The Astros countered quickly when Barmes scored on Wandy Rodriguez sacrifice bunt. And then the Astros followed that with Jason Bourgeois doubling to left to send JR Towles home to put them up 2-1 at the end of 3.

The bottom of the fourth would see Downs 2 run homer putting it at 4-2 until in the 5th John Jay scored on a GIDP by Freese. Astros still led 4-2. The scoring went quiet until the top of the eighth when Albert Pujols singled, Matt Holliday walked then stole 2nd base and Lance Berkman came to the plate. He was set to bat left, so onto the mound came Wesley Wright, forcing Berkman to bat right. The switch hitter proved his dominance in Minute Maid Park by doubling to shortstop sending both Pujols and Holliday home. The game was tied at 4.

The next inning was scoreless and sent the game into extras. The top of the 10th saw Adron Chambers line out, Yadier Molina double on a fly to center, Theriot singling, but with Molina being thrown out at 3rd and finally, Theriot was caught stealing second to send the Astros to the plate.

Brian Bogusevic hit a well placed fly to left giving the Astros a lead-off double to start their 10th. Jason Bourgeois with the sac bunt was able to get on base thanks to an error by pitcher, Octavio Dotel, as Bogie advanced to third. The Angel Sanchez gave a walk-off bunt to seal the game 5-4.

Oh what a night! The excitement off a walk-off (the Astros’ 8th of the season), the ability to make the postseason a bit further away for an old rival, and a win to guarantee no sweep in their last home stand were all highlights.

On a pitching note: Mark Melancon pitched two amazing innings in the 8th and 9th despite knowing his wife was being induced at 10:30pm local time. He headed off to the hospital as soon as his 9th was over. We wish him and his wife, Mary Catherine all the best for a healthy and happy baby.

What a great night of baseball. Does anyone remember a last week of the regular season that was quite this exciting???

One final note – If you go back one post, you’ll see that Drayton McLane thinks Astros fans have no objection to moving the team to the AL and how you can contact him and let him know what you think about taking the Astros out of the NL.

Holding off the countdown to 100 losses, the Astros won big tonight against the Washington Nationals. Led by Wandy Rodriguez who is 3-1 in his last four starts, Houston was firing on all cylinders at National Park. They did everything right. It was a sight to see. They were the team we’ve been waiting to see all season.

The commanding win was born of an early lead when eight straight Astros found their way on base to plate six runs in one inning. That’s only the second time this season the Astros have gotten as many as seven hits and six runs in one inning. The rally was kicked off by a Jordan Schafer double, that saw him reach third on an error. Schafer was then knocked home by Jason Bourgeois’ RBI single.

The momentum would continue as JD Martinez singled and Carlos Lee and Chris Johnson both hit RBI singles to ratchet up the score. So when Jose Altuve hit one up the third base line which should have been an easy throw to first by Lannan, the tear was already in full force. That would only be fueled by a bad throw that allowed Altuve to reach and sent two more runners home.

That alone would have made for an incredibly exciting inning for Astros fans, but it didn’t stop there. Add to all of that a suicide squeeze bunt from Carlos Corporan that put the ‘Stros up 6-0 only halfway through the 3rd inning. That would be the end of Lannan’s night on the mound. His game was a mere 2 1/2 innings. For all intents and purposes, the game was pretty much a done deal at that point.

Wandy enjoyed the cushion the offense provided and managed to give up only 3 runs on the 7 hits by the Nats in the 6 innings he was on the mound. He also delivered 7 strikeouts. He was once again the rock solid pitcher that he’s been of late, showing great command and hitting the strike zone with almost 70% of his pitches.

It was the bottom of the fourth before the Nats would get on the board with Chris Marrero singling to send Ryan Zimmerman and Michael Morse both home. Houston answered that in the fifth when Sanchez and Altuve each singled to get on base and Corporan hit a sac fly to send Sanchez home. Wandy, yes, Wandy doubled to put Altuve across the plate. It was an 8-2 lead.

The Nationals’ Michael Morse would ding one to right center for a solo homer to put the Nats at 3 in the bottom of the sixth. The Astros would add one more to their run count when Corporan singled and CJ went home. Final score 9-3.

What a feeling! I know this season is done. It’s been over for the Astros for a long ywhile, but there is something so invigorating about seeing these guys still fight to the bitter end. Even with a commanding lead, the offense was still getting hits and the defense was making plays.

Perhaps that is the lesson learned in a season where big leads have been blown and games seemingly already won have been snatched away by the opposing team in the late innings. Perhaps there is a silver lining of sorts in this Horrible, Terrible, No Good, Very Bad Season. Perhaps the lesson and lining are the fight.

Some will say they battle each day for selfish reasons: to earn a spot for next season, to raise their off season trade value, to stick it to a little league coach who told them they weren’t very good. Frankly, I don’t much care what the reason is as long as there’s still some good baseball to watch with the boys from Houston.

Once again, they held off the countdown to 100 losses as the Astros’ record now stands at 49-96 with 17 games left in the season.

Terri Schlather (AGirlintheSouth) is the Senior Houston Astros Writer for Aerys Sports. You can read her Astros blog at www.talesfromthejuicebox.com, email her at agirlinthesouth@gmail.com, or follow her on twitter @agirlinthesouth.

JD Martinez, Jordan Lyles and Jose Altuve pose for a Rookie Photo shoot earlier this week. Photo from Alyson Footer via Twitter

Last night in Arizona the Astros five starting rookies definitely showed their stuff as they lead the team to a 9-1 victory over a stunned Arizona Diamondbacks team. The  Astos combined for a season tying 16 hits in total, 10 of those coming from the rookies (Jose Altuve, Jimmey Paredes, JB Shuck, JD Martinez and Carlos Coporan).

In the first inning, the Dbacks Daniel Hudson struggled as the Astros were hitting everything he threw. The inning was nothing short of exciting as Altuve doubled and Jason Bourgeois reached first on a fielding error by Cody Ransom. The energy level was already off the charts when JD Martinez went long over the right field wall to send all three runners home.

The fun didn’t end there as Paredes and Clint Barmes both followed up with singles, setting up the Coporan RBI double that sent them both home. By the end of the first inning the Astros were already ahead 5-0.

The Astros would continue to add to that hit count and run total. In the 4th we saw hits from Altuve, Downs and Barmes to put the Astos up 7-0. And they didn’t stop there. In the 6th Altuve singled, Martinez drew a walk and Matt Downs singled. That brought up Paredes with bases loaded who singled to send both Altuve and Martinez home bringing the run total to 9.

Although the hitting ran away with the night, I would be remiss not to mention the great start by Wandy Rodriguez who grabbed his 8th win of the season. Wandy threw six scoreless innings allowing only 2 hits and walking 4 batters.  His pitch count went a bit high (105 pitches, only 59 for strikes), but he was able to get himself out of several possible scoring situations to keep the Dbacks in check.

In fact the Dbacks would struggle at the plate all night, only getting 4 hits. Their one run of the night was a one run homer off the bat of Henry Blanco on a Jeff Fulchino pitch.

So yes, the kids are definitely alright. Arizona fans were surprised by what they saw. I received a text message from my good friend, Sally Coleman (a Houston native living in San Diego, who was at the game, conveying just that. When a Diamondback fan sitting next to her commented that the Astros are the worst team in baseball, how could they possibly be up 7-0? Sally replied, “We got rid of that team. These are the new kids.”

She was absolutely right. This is a new team. And with 11 rookies on the 25 man roster there are going to be nights like this. Give a AA or AAA ballplayer a chance to rise up to the bigs and show you what they’ve got and you’ll see some spectacular stuff. I’m not saying every night will be like this. In time, pitchers will learn how to throw to these kids and things will get tougher, not to mention that with the young ages comes inexperience and silly mistakes. But for now, I’m enjoying the sights of their successes.

When the Astros have talked about rebuilding over the past couple of years they’ve made small and somewhat safe moves that didn’t get the job done. The overhaul that’s happened in the past 12 months and promises to continue over the next twelve is like starting from scratch. Did you feel that? It’s the breath of fresh air these kids are providing.

So take note, the Astros are fielding a team of kids, bu the kids are alright. Astros 2013!

Terri Schlather (AGirlintheSouth) is the Senior Houston Astros Writer for Aerys Sports. You can read her Astros blog at www.talesfromthejuicebox.com, email her at agirlinthesouth@gmail.com, or follow her on twitter @agirlinthesouth.

With all the roster changes in the past week, it’s hard to keep up with who is who in the dugout. They’ve traded, promoted, optioned. etc all over the place. So, would you like to meet the latest 25 man roster? Let’s start with the Outfielders, shall we?

Outfield -

#19 – Brian Bogusevic: Bogie’s been up and down this year, meaning between AAA OKC and Houston. The left-handed, right fielder is hitting .214 in the 42 at bats he’s had this season. At 27 years old he’s someone that the Astros can keep around for a while if he continues to develop. I think if he had some consistency at one level we could see a decent amount of progress with him.

#11 – Jason Bourgeois: J-Lightening isn’t a new face in Houston, although he’s been out on the DL a couple of times this season. The right-handed, center fielder is fast, hence the nickname. He’s hitting .346 this season his 136 at bats and leads the club in stolen bases with 22 in just 56 games played. He’s the Astros current Speedy Gonzalez! I don’t see J-Lightening going anywhere except from first to second anytime soon!

#45 – Carlos Lee: Believe it or not, Lee is NOT the oldest Astro. The 35 year old is one month younger than fellow OF, Jason Michaels. El Caballo is spending most of his time these days not in the OF, but at 1B. His hitting was slow to start this season, picked up and now he’s on a dry spell with no hits in his last 6 games – that’s the most of his career. Are all the young kids in the dugout messing with his mojo? Let’s hope not since they’re likely to be around a while!

#14 – JD Martinez: The not-quite 24 year old Left Fielder made a big jump from AA Corpus to Houston only 5 games ago and already he’s making his mark.  He lifted his batting average from .167 to .313 in the August 3rd game vs. the Reds with a stellar outing that included his 1 home run. His stats only include his 16 at bats to date, but if he keeps this pace we’ll see more than 5 RBIs from this guy. He is a favorite of those who follow the farm and could potentially be a star in Houston.

#4 Jason Michaels: The right-handed, left fielder is the current “old man” of the Astros at 35 and 1 month older than Lee. He’s spent the season mostly on the bench but is seeing more playing time since the trade deadline. In 66 games this year he’s hitting only .208 with 2 home runs and 9 RBIs. Many wonder how long the club will keep him in Houston with rebuilding being the obvious focus from here on out. It’s not hard to guess that J-Mike will not be the face of the new Astros.

#8 JB Shuck:  I have no big league stats on JB Shuck because as we speak he’s on his way from AAA OKC to Minute Maid Park to take his place as the latest Rookie Astro. But if you look as his minor league numbers since the AAA All-Star Game – he’s on fire. He’s gone 31-71 (.437) in that time. He’ll be an Astro to watch during this rebuilding and I’m excited to watch tonight to see what he can do against a MLB pitcher. It’s a FUN time to be an Astros fan!

So there you have it. The active official outfielders. Keep in mind there’s one on the DL who is due back in about a week. So we’ll have to wait and see who gets moved next.

Stay tuned – This afternoon we’ll take a look at the New Astros – The Infield!

Terri Schlather (AGirlintheSouth) is the Senior Houston Astros Writer for Aerys Sports. You can read her Astros blog at www.talesfromthejuicebox.com, email her at agirlinthesouth@gmail.com, or follow her on twitter @agirlinthesouth.

We’ve all been waiting for it since his first major league start. “When will Jordan Lyles get his first win?” It’s a question many have tossed around. Well, after tying an Astros record with 11 winless starts as a rookie, Mr. Lyles, you can put that question behind you. Last night the Astros, led by Lyles on the mound, beat the Reds 5-4 giving Jordan that much desired W and the Astros a series win.

It was a night in which the Js took initiative to put the Astros over the top. Jordan Lyles, JD Martinez, Jose Altuve, Jimmy Paredes – all rookies – showed that they want to be in Houston more than anyone. The veterans contributed, for sure, but it was rookie night at Minute Maid Park!

JD Martinez made good on a prediction he’d made to Lyles days ago when Lyles lamented that he needed a win.

Martinez said, “He was like, ‘Man, I need to get a win. I need to get a win.’ I’m like, ‘You’re going to get your win, and I’m going to hit my first home run that day. Watch.’”

Any more predictions you’d like to make JD? When Martinez hit his first major league homer in his first at-bat of the night – you have to wonder what Lyles was thinking. JD followed that up in the 7th with a 2 run RBI double to put the Astros ahead. It was a lead they would not lose again.

As for the other Js – Altuve went 2-3 with a sacrifice bunt, and Paredes was 2-4 (Have you seen that kid run? He’s faaaaaast!). There was a serious change in how productive the hits were for Houston. With runners in scoring position, they were 4-9 and 12 hits gave them 5 runs. That’s a ratio we haven’t seen out of Houston this season.

The veterans definitely had an impact in this game as well as Quintero gave the team an insurance run with a home run in 8th, only his second of the year. Bourgeois was 2-5 with 2 runs and Jason Michaels was 2-4. The win was definitely a team effort, but with so many rookies eager to show their abilities, they became the highlight of the night.

What’s next for the Astros? After last night’s game they optioned Luis Durango to AAA OKC and will make a corresponding roster change on Friday. The rumors are that they could call up AA Corpus Christi’s Chris Wallace who was pulled out of his game in the 5th inning last night. That would provide some serious excitement among those who have been watching his meteroic development. Only time will tell what the move will be. In the meantime, we should bask in the glow radiating off of Lyles and the other Js.

I hear that Jordan Lyles gave the ball from last night to his mother who, along with his father were at MMP last night and got to witness their son’s first win. I’m pretty sure after the night that JD Martinez had, that Mrs. Lyles is probably his biggest fan!

Terri Schlather (AGirlintheSouth) is the Senior Houston Astros Writer for Aerys Sports. You can read her Astros blog at www.talesfromthejuicebox.com, email her at agirlinthesouth@gmail.com, or follow her on twitter @agirlinthesouth.

In a year where we’re used to losing streaks, Astros fans are getting a taste of how the other half cheer. For the second night in a row, the Astros found a way to take down the NL Central leading St. Louis Cardinals, splitting the four game series. I’m as shocked as you are.

With the trade deadline looming and rumors of trade talks for Hunter Pence sending fans into a nervous frenzy, the boys from Houston still found a way to pull it out. Twice.

Wandy Rodriguez had a strong start on the mound allowing only 5 hits and 3 runs while striking out 6 batters in his 7 innings pitched. The bullpen was in good shape last night as well as Sergio Escalona held the Cardinals to no hits or runs in the 8th and Mark Melancon did they same in the 9th getting the save.

Carlos Lee found that elevation he’s been missing again with a single homerun in the 6th while Bourn, Pence and Bourgeois all doubled. The hit parade was out in force with 9 hits that they were able to turn into 5 runs – enough to take the Cards 5-3. And with Michael Bourn and Jason Bourgeois both adding to their stolen base count, the offense was as solid as we’ve seen it this season. Will it carryover into Milwaukee? That remains to be seen, but a litte success can go a long way to instilling confidence.

Brad Mills opted to sit Brett Wallace again last night, making many question what the heck he’s doing. When the club acquired Wallace last season as their everyday first baseman, we all thought he’d play everyday. Um, apparently not. HoustonCounterplot has a great take on Brett Wallace’s Day Off, so take a minute to read his thoughts. I agree with him 110%.

Meanwhile, the trade rumors abound. Each time there’s a slight new piece of information or anyone thinks there might be some movement my twitter feed explodes. The latest rumors? The Astros are still shopping Brett Myers, Wandy Rodriguez and Michael Bourn. The one everyone wonders about – Hunter Pence is being pursued hard by the Phillies and the Braves. Astros GM Ed Wade has a history of sending Houston talent to Philadelphia, so the scuttle tends to lean that way, but nothing’s final until there’s a deal, so hold tight Astros fans…the next 72 hours might be bumpy!

Terri Schlather (AGirlintheSouth) is the Senior Houston Astros Writer for Aerys Sports. You can read her Astros blog at www.talesfromthejuicebox.com, email her at agirlinthesouth@gmail.com, or follow her on twitter @agirlinthesouth.

Homestands are usually the shining moment for a team, right? Not this particular homestand. The Astros, who are struggling no matter where they play, had a particularly difficult run at Minute Maid Park in recent days. Yesterday afternoon’s loss to the Pirates left the ‘Stros 2-8 on the homestand with one of those series being a sweep by the Pirates who hadn’t swept Houston in Houston since like 2008 or something crazy.

The facts from this 10 game home stretch are plain and simple. With runners in scoring position the Astros hit .149 (15-101) and they left 89 guys on bags. Wow. That’s an average of almost 9 guys left on base per game. That statistic really speaks for itself. And there were PH decisions that made NO sense to me. » Continue reading “Home Has NOT Been Where The ‘Stros Heart Is”

When you’re the team at the bottom of the NL Central and you’re playing the team that leads the NL Central you don’t expect miracles. You go out and just play the best ball that you can. Tonight at Minute Maid Park, the Houston Astros did just that.

Bud Norris had fans and announcers whispering the word “no-no” as he threw 6 2/3 innings of no hit baseball with the well played defense of his teammates. Studly Budly is known for being a strike out guy, but not tonight. He had 3 straight lead off walks (all followed by double plays) and only 2 Ks on the night, but by keeping his pitches low he was able to get lots of ground balls in play and economize his pitches.

Brad Mills was impressed with his starter tonight. “You can’t say enough about Bud. I mean, he was absolutely outstanding. The big thing there, I think, tonight is that he really kept the ball down on his own. Eleven groundball outs was really huge for him.” It was huge for the team as a whole as well.

The hit that ruined the possible no-hitter? A solo homerun by Lance Berkman that went just out of the reach of Hunter Pence and over the right field wall. The Cards would get only one other hit the whole night – a double by Pujols in the ninth, but the Redbirds never could get any momentum going and the Astros were able to keep them at bay. » Continue reading “Did the Astros Just Beat the Cardinals? Yep, They Sure Did!”