AstroWatch Live II: Astros vs. Tigers
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AstroWatch Live: The Sequel!
Well, seeing as it’s a Roger Clemens start, I’ve decided to wheel out the word processor one more time to do a follow up to the last live AstroWatch that the peeps (that’s you, folks) seemed to enjoy so much. Hopefully, this one will be a happier ending, but the Tigers are having a storming season, so I don’t hold out much hope, to be honest.
Again, remember I'm in the UK, so all these times are UK times!
I have my snacks and beverages sorted out already, but my neck is painful. Much like Morgan GOD Ensberg, I’ve got a shoulder slash neck injury, and like him, I’m trying to work through it. Sadly, not like him, I’m not getting paid a small fortune for it. So with no further ado, and hopefully some more AFLAC duck sightings, let’s get on with it!
23:56; Waiting for the game to start. I’m already wondering how my fantasy teams are gonna do tonight; I have four pitchers working in one of my teams. I’ll have to try and keep an eye on this.
23:58; Just checking the line-ups and Craig Biggio is DHing tonight, with Chris Burke in at 2nd base. Nice idea to give Biggio’s legs a rest. I do believe he’s not as young as he used to be, y’know.
00:03; We have pictures – and COMMERCIAL BREAKS!!! There’s AFLAC possibilities here, folks!
00:06; Tigers pitch first, Biggio grounds out to the shortstop. The TV scouting report for Tigers pitcher Nate Robertson has one of his points as “Back home finally”. What, does he get lost a lot?
00:08; In a totally unrelated point, there’s a cat fight outside my window. Not as in two women fighting, but two actual ‘meow’ cats. I don’t know who won, but if one was called Houston, I’d out money on him losing.
00:10; Jason Lane strikes out, closely followed by Morgan GOD Ensberg grounding out with the very first pitch of his at-bat. He’s obviously saving himself for later in the game. We’re at 0-0 and Big Rog is up next.
00:12; Roger’s scouting report: Fastball; Location; and Amazing. Can’t argue with that! First pitch: Strike!
00:13; Granderson grounds out to Clemens on 1-2 count. Marcus Thames up next – grounds out to shortstop from the 2-2 pitch, including a 93mph high fastball strike. I love this guy, in a manly GRRR way, natch. Pudge Rodriguez grounds out to Morgan GOD Ensberg off 0-1 count, and that’s all she wrote for Roger’s first innings. His first innings total is 13 pitches thrown, and the Tigers up and down 1-2-3. Awesome!
00:19; Berky the RBI king is up first. The count is taken to 3-2, and Berky makes base with a walk. The Astros have a man on base! PARTY! Chris Burke up next, in the midst of an 8 game hitting streak (thanks, commentators!) but it’s not to be continued with this at bat as he grounds into a double play. It’s all vaguely familiar…
00:23; Preston Wilson takes the plate, with a great record against Nate Robertson – 2 at bats against him, and 2 homers; He keeps the record going with a base hit. Alright! Sadly, again, it’s over all too soon as Ausmus grounds to shortstop and Preston is out at 2nd base. Still all square and its Clemens time!
00:26; Steven Seagal movie “Marked for Death” on three times in a row on the local movie channel – count me in!
00:27; Ordonez is up and out on 2nd pitch, groundout to 2nd base. Smooth work from Rog so far; Guillen lines out to Berky at 1st on his 2nd pitch too. Rog ain’t holding back tonight, he’s in a hurry alright. Monroe is out at centre field on HIS second pitch, and Rog is done with this inning in just SIX pitches.
00:31; 0-0 and Adam Everett is up for the top of the first. Still no AFLAC duck, but I’m not worried, as Everett grounds out to first base on his first pitch. So far from the ads on this broadcast, I’ve learned that pizza, sandwiches and beer are all high on a Detroit fan’s needs. How accurate that is, I have no idea.
00:33; Willy Taveras gets a base hit, and the Astros are off and running again. Biggio comes back to the plate for his second appearance. No commentary at the moment, as Zach Miner is being interviewed from the Tigers dugout. He says “uh…” a whole bunch of times.
00:35; Tigers pitcher Robertson is repeatedly throwing to first. After repeated throws to first, Willy loses interest and runs to second, getting picked off in the process. Straight after that action, Biggio grounds out to shortstop. D’oh! Still 0-0, so at least we’re not losing. Yet.
00:36; Chris Shelton is leading off. He had a great start in my fantasy teams, but tailed off after about a month or so. Here’s hoping it continues. Sure enough, he flies out to right field, and here’s Brandon Inge up to face The Rocket next… and he’s the Tigers’ first man on base with a single up the middle. Clemens looks to be OK with this, not as angry as he was against the twins.
00:41; Santiago is next in the firing line... and we have a double play! Clemens is really in the mood tonight, by my count that’s just 28 pitches for three innings work.
00:43; YES! In one of those surreal moments, we have country singer Kenny Rogers singing the praises of Tigers pitcher Kenny Rogers. That’s just awesome… it really is.
00:44; While I’m enjoying the moment… Jason Lane grounds out… and it’s AFLAC TRIVIA TIME! It’s the duck! Woohoo! Kenny Rogers… then the duck? This game is awesome already, no matter who wins!
00:45; Morgan GOD Ensberg is up, and we get to 3-0 on the count… and then it goes 3-1. Come on Morgan, I’m working with an injured shoulder, I’m sure you can.
00:46; My pleas worked in a manner, as Morgan GOD Ensberg is walked.
00:47; Berky next. Base hit! Morgy moves to 2nd, and Berky is on first. It’s a start… now, with one out, will we get the run, or is a double play in the offing? It’s Chris Burke, so anything is possible.
00:50; We’re up to a 3-2 count… here we go. Hey, whaddya know? Burke strikes out, and Morgy is thrown out at 3rd trying to steal. We’re still 0-0, but something should have happened there. Robertson is too good a pitcher to cheaply give away good position like that without getting at least one on the board.
00:51; AFLAC ad! Duck! YEAH!
00:53; Granderson is Roger’s first victim, but Willy Taveras has to make a superb diving catch to make the out in centre field, or it was a base hit, maybe more for sure. Great play, Willy! Rog tips his cap in agreement.
00:54; Thames grounds out to 3rd base as Rog keeps the hectic pace up – and the AFLAC trivia question is answered. I don’t care about the answer, but it means the duck is on screen! Pudge Rodriguez grounds out to shortstop and it’s another 6 pitch up and down inning for The Rocket.
00:56; I’m loving the Clemens performance so far, but it’s all too familiar to last year’s pattern – Rog pitches well, keeps a shutout but the offence fail to back it up with some run support, and the bullpen falls apart. I hope its different tonight…
00:57; Preston Wilson is up, hoping to keep up his great record against Robertson; and he does – base hit to right field. Preston is just absolutely on fire with this pitcher! Good going, sir!
00:59; Robertson is worried about Preston’s speed on first, and is throwing constantly to him. Ausmus hits to shortstop, and it looks like a double play, but Preston slides into 2nd aggressively, and Santiago can’t get off the relay throw, allowing Ausmus to get onto 1st base. Great play from Wilson there, saving the out for sure.
01:02; Adam Everett pops up in the infield; Guillen taking the catch despite interference from Santiago, who doesn’t notice Guillen waving him off, and the bump into each other slightly. Not enough to miss the catch, but hey, you can but hope, eh?
01:03; Taveras flies out to Ordonez, and that’s the inning over. Yet again, Astros put a man on base and nothing comes of it. This is a worrying pattern if you’re The Rocket right now. Has to be said, Preston Wilson is our batting MVP of the night so far.
01:06; Rog is on the mound. Shortstop Adam Everett catches Ordonez in foul ground after a long sprint; Ordonez is gone in 2 pitches. Guillen gets a single through the middle, and the Tigers get their second man on base of the night. Again, Clemens doesn’t seem too concerned as the pitch as was a good one, just a great piece of hitting to keep it in play. No Ks for Rog yet though.
01:09; Guillen steals 2nd; Commentators say Roger’s way of dealing with runners on first is just to get the batter out, so no big surprise that a base is stolen. In the meantime, Monroe becomes the first strikeout of the night for Rog. Chris Shelton is up now for the Tigers.
01:13; Clemens takes the count to 3-2 on Shelton; Roger’s first 3 ball count of the evening – and it ends in a strikeout. This innings was an awesome display of control from Clemens as he doesn’t buckle under pressure, and strikes out the side, leaving a man on 2nd.
01:15; We have a Jack Daniels ad during the break. This displeases me, as I could just go a quick shot, but I’ve taken some painkillers for my shoulder, and they don’t mix well. Dammit!
01:16; Biggio is up with the scores still even at 0-0; Biggio hits a foul behind the plate as the commentators discuss the new haircut of Pudge Rodriguez. It’s a fade, apparently. Biggio gets a base hit while the styling is talked over.
01:18; I’m thinking of phoning a friend to talk about the colour of the uniforms to see if that results in a homer. I realise it’s nearly 1.20am, and think better of it.
01:19; Jason Lane at the plate; and he flies out to right field. This means… it’s ENSBERG TIME!
01:22; Ensberg time is over with a strikeout. It’s Berky time with a man on first now!
01:24; Craig Biggio is still alive at 1st base, by the way; he even gets to 2nd base on a wild pitch from Robertson – his first bad pitch of the night – signs of fatigue? Berkman recovers form being 0-2 down to take the walk onto the now open 1st base. Here comes Chris Burke to bring up the double play, probably.
01:26; Of course the double play isn’t needed – Berky is forced out at 2nd as Burke grounds into a fielder’s choice. middle of the 6th inning, still 0-0 and time for Roger again – he’s currently on 50 pitches, compared to Robertson’s 85.
01:28; It’s the Kenny Rogers on Kenny Rogers ad again! Genius!
01:30; Brandon Inge is at the plate; Roger looks like he may be in some difficulty after the 2-2 pitch – but comes back to strike Inge out on the very next pitch. Santiago bunts for 1st base – sprinting for first isn’t Roger’s strength these days it seems!
01:33; Rog is busy holding Santiago on 1st base, and I sneak a look at my fantasy pitchers stats – Liriano has 4 Ks in 2 innings so far! Clemens finally pitches to Granderson, and takes the count to 3-2, despite Clemens glaring at the home plate ump constantly.
01:37; Granderson eventually grounds out to 2nd and Santiago gets to 2nd base as a result. Rog wanders towards the home plate ump, growling menacingly. Brad Ausmus calls off the Rocket in a hurry, and they Astros have a mini meeting on the mound.
01:39; I hear the J Geils Band “Angel is a Centerfold” played as a rally song for Thames on a 1-2 pitch. I really like this ground! Thames pops up to the catcher in the infield, and the innings is over. Still 0-0 and Roger is still pitching well, although his pitch count jumped to 66 on that inning.
01:41; Just read that Peter Gammons has suffered a brain aneurysm – that’s a shame, Gammons is a great analyst on Sunday Night Baseball from what I’ve seen, and every article of his I’ve read has been superb. Really hope he gets well soon.
01:42; Ad during the break for The Best Damn Sports Show Period showing an hour of the 50 best damn beatdowns ever… I wanna see that! Although, I could just go outside any pub at closing time on a Saturday night round here, that would probably do just as well.
01:43; Preston is leading off, and sure enough – base hit to right field. Preston is rocking tonight! Now, come on Astros – you have a man on base – make some use of him! Brad Ausmus at the plate next, surely its bunt time to get Wilson to 2nd base?
01:44; He doesn’t have to now – Robertson tries to pick off Wilson at first and it’s long gone down the foul line – Wilson has scampered off to third base with no outs… the Astros best chance of the night for a run now. C’mon Brad!
01:48; It’s a 3-2 count… strikeout. Good pitching from Robertson after a very wobbly start to that at bat. Tigers coach Jim Leland visits the mound, but Robertson stays in the game. I think this could be his last inning of the game here. As if by magic, we go to the bullpen, and Joel Zumiya is warming up.
01:50; Adam Everett facing Robertson; Robertson just hit the 100 pitch mark. Everett just needs to put the ball in play, but he pops it up to 1st base – 2 outs and we’re in last chance saloon for this inning. Willy Taveras up next and the Tigers are wary of the bunt.
01:53 0-2 count on Taveras, and the ballpark is going mad. Robertson pitches takes the count to 2-2 and the noise is still deafening. C’mon Willy – just a single… but he grounds out to 2nd base, and Robertson pulls a minor miracle out of the bag to leave the scores STILL tied at 0-0. Yet again, another case of bad offensive play from the Astros again, with the exception of Preston Wilson. That should have been a run scored easily from that inning. Roger has to be thinking it’s like last season all over again. I hope this doesn’t come back to bite us.
01:57; Roger is still pitching in the 7th inning – surely a good omen in only his second start back. He’s facing Pudge Rodriguez first; and we get a 3-2 count, but Pudge grounds out to 3rd base.
02:00; Rog is throwing a few more balls than the early innings; only to be expected in the 7th inning I guess. Unless this inning goes quickly, I think Rog might sit out the 8th and 9th innings. Rog gives up his first walk of the game to Ordonez and Phil garner comes out to the mound.
02:05; Rog is angry as Guillen walks and Rog thinks that the checked swing should have been a strike. That will be Roger’s last action of the match, as he’s pulled out – perhaps for his own good as he’s about to go ballistic with the umpire. The umpire is glared at as Roger walks to the dugout. You tell him!
02:08; Dan Wheeler is on the mound with 2 men on base and one out. I think this was a huge step forward for Roger in his big comeback; he showed some great control, used his experience well on the 3-2 counts and looked a lot sharper than he did against the twins last week. His presence alone is intimidating, as the umpire will attest too.
02:11; It’s Astros comedy time again, as my prediction of the poor run support coming back to haunt us come true. Monroe hits a shot off the wall for a double that was unlucky not to go for a homer – one run scored by Ordonez. Meanwhile, the ball comes back to Adam Everett, and for some reason he throws it wildly at 2nd base – Guillen scores a 2nd Tigers run off the error.
02:13; Ensberg stops what would have been another run with some nice fielding to groundout Chris Shelton; However, Ensberg errors on the next at bat, as he bobbles an easy pickup to let Monroe score a 3rd run this inning. This is just like last season all over again.
02:15; Not even “Angel is a Centerfold” being played again can cheer me up. It might take another sighting of the AFLAC duck to rescue this one for me. Santiago grounds out to 3rd base, and we’re out of the inning down 3 runs. Typical. Clemens finishes the night with 84 pitches, 50 of them strikes, but thanks to our bonehead offence, he’ll no doubt pick up the loss as well.
02:18; Another Jack Daniels ad airs. Damn, I really need one now after that hellish inning. Not just the collapse of the bullpen (AGAIN) or the dumb errors, but the fact that we had a man on third with no outs and we couldn’t bat him in. Meanwhile, Zumiya is in to relieve Nate Robertson who got out of the hole he dug himself in that last inning beautifully – it has to be said.
02:20; Biggio gets a base hit to left field to start the big comeback! Lane walks next on a 3-2 count, and we have 2 men on base – and Morgan GOD Ensberg can tie the game up with a homer here! Sadly, he doesn’t – he pops up in foul territory for the out. It’s really not Ensberg’s night tonight.
02:28; It’s Berky! He can do it surely! The count’s at 3-2… and Berky strikes out on a 99mph fastball. Chris Burke up next… time for some heroics, Chris – redeem yourself! He gets some payback for Roger as he fouls a ball straight into the ump’s face mask. Of course, he strikes out in the end. More wasted opportunities…
02:38; Fernando Nieve comes in to relieve Dan Wheeler in the bottom of the 8th. Granderson grounds out to second to start the inning. I’ve lost the will to live as Alexis Gomez homers from the next at bat… It’s 4-0 now. Pudge grounds out to 2nd, but to be honest, it’s all over bar the shouting now.
02:44; Something finally goes right as Ordonez strikes out, and we go back in to the dugouts 4-0 down. You have to wonder how long this is gonna go on before a change of manager is made…
02:46; Top of the 9th – it’s Preston, but Robertson is long gone. Sure enough, he grounds out to the shortstop this time. Ausmus up next and he repeats the trick. Last man at the plate and it’s Willy Taveras – can he start the miracle rally? Taveras grounds out, and that’s the game done.
02:51; I think I’m jinxed… either that or the Astros are terrible right now. Hmmm, actually, I know what my money would be on. After last season, you think there would have been some work done on capitalising on good position on the bases and making the most of any opportunities that may come about… apparently not.
Preston Wilson aside, the offence just didn’t fire tonight – both he and Roger Clemens will feel aggrieved that their efforts came to nothing in the end.
Source
Date
Wed 06/28/06, 6:10 am EST
