Its HOT Out Here!

Stepping off the plane in Phoenix Tuesday evening was like entering the proverbial blast furnace! It was 7pm local time and the temperature was still about 105! Man, its a good thing the Diamondbacks play in an air conditioned retractable roof stadium. A viewing reminder on Fox Sports Houston... Friday's Astros Live Pregame begins at 8pm Houston time with the first pitch set for 8:40. Game times are different for Saturday and Sunday.

I know some of your probably tire of me saying it. I'm not really trying to sell baseball, but I appreciate the game so much because it can be so unpredictable in a given game. Consider the Astros won the game in the Cardinal series that Brian Moehler started, but lost the games that had Wandy Rodriguez and Roy Oswalt on the mound. And the Astros also won he game that had Cy Young Award candidate Chris Carpenter starting for St. Louis. You just can't get that sort of thing in any other sport. Occasionally a backup quarterback might lead an NFL team to victory, but not ordinarily if his team is facing one of the best in the league on the other side. In baseball it happens all the time.

Now to the matters at hand. As I indicated yesterday there WAS something afoot with Geoff Blum. Wednesday I didn't know what it was. Thursday we all found out. Geoff was flown back to Houston to confer with Dr. David Lintner about some muscle spasms (pain) between his shoulder and neck. Hopefully it is only a minor and temporary pinched nerve. The club will still be without him for several games.

That, however, was not a bad thing on Thursday. It was none other than his replacement in the lineup--Jeff Keppinger--that hit the game winning homer in the top of the ninth inning. Just another case of why baseball is a great game. Or how about Darin Erstad driving in a tying run in his first start in right field since July 1?

What I liked best about Thursdays win was the way manager Cecil Cooper used Jose Valverde. Instead of saving him for the ninth or a possible closing role, Coop brought him in an inning earlier in a tie game. Why? He wanted his big man to deal with Pujols, Holliday and Ludwick when the game might very well be on the line. With a double switch he was able to keep Valverde in to pitch the last of the ninth as well after Keppinger's homer had given the Astros the lead.

It was the"old school" use of the closer. And it was the right use of the closer. Not only was Valverde fully fresh since had not worked in several days the game WAS on the line in the 8th and not the 9th.

If the Astros were a "dead" team as Roy Oswalt had indicated after Wednesdays game they were not after Thursday's. Roy may have over-stated his case since every team I have ever been around seems "dead" when they are not hitting and losing more than their share. Oswalt's real complaint is not necesarily from lack of effort, but sometimes from lack of skill or concentraton by his defense when he is on the mound. It is no secret most pitchers do not have great confidence in Carlos Lee as a leftfielder or Miguel Tejada as a shortstop. Both have good enough hands, but neither has the range to get to balls that others in their spots can. A lot of hits occur that might not with others on the field. Both can hit and that is why they play.

The Astros are a flawed team. That is why they are not a contender. But the can still play the game. The pitching was quite strong in all three games in St. Louis against what may right now be the best team in the National League. If Yorman Bazardo can show something on Friday and Bud Norris can bounce back on Saturday there may be hope yet. Not really for this season, but for what Ed Wade has to start with when he puts together the 2010 Astros.