astrosfan34

I still think that the Cardinals will win the division this year. I don't think the Reds will hold, and unless the Astros find a bat their only chance will be wild card, and they'd be lucky to get that.

The way the Astros have been playing lately, they probably are the perfect opponent for the Cubs to start their winning against. I would not be shocked at all if the Astros got swept. They're looking absolutely awful lately. If they can't hit Elizardo Ramirez, I shudder to think what Zambrano will do to them.

Count me as another Astros fan that thinks booing Lidge is ridiculous. Even though he's getting it done ugly sometimes, he's getting it done. As Mike Scott said, the addition of Clemens and the NL Championship has brought people out to the park that normally would not be there (as it would for any fanbase) and each team has its fair share of bandwagon idiots. And as for your experiences with Astros fans, I'm sorry if some of them have been idiots. Please don't judge all of us by them. Yes, we have plenty of stupid and ignorant fans, but so does everyone else.

As an Astros fan at the game last night, I was extremely impressed with Sergio Mitre's dominance (although the Astros offense isn't exactly the murderers' row) As much as I hate having Juan Pierre on an NL Central rival, I am glad that Mitre isn't. He has lots of potential.

I'll take a stab at these questions. 1. What will the Astros get out of the 3-4-5 spots of the rotation? First off, I think Roger Clemens is going to come back. But if he doesn't: Brandon Backe is a guy who has shown tremendous big game ability, but has yet to develop into a consistent starter. Personally, I think this is the year he does it. He has tremendous heart, that is for sure. Wandy Rodriguez settled in in terms of wins near the end of last year, but he was also in the league leaders in terms of run support. Wandy has shown the ability to be dominant, and I think he will make a decent number 4 starter with 12-15 wins and a 3.20-3.50 ERA. As for the fifth starter, I don't think it will be Ezequiel Astacio. It'll have to be Buchholz, Nieve, or Hirsh, because I have no confidence in Astacio. 2. Is Preston Wilson healthy and will he be able to produce? I don't know. My hunch is yes, but the Astros have other outfield options should he fail. 3. Will Berkman's knee stay healthy? Yes. He hasn't shown a history of major injuries, and it's safe to say he won't play flag football again anytime soon. I think he will be a candidate for NL MVP this year. 4. How much does Biggio have left? Craig Biggio has been getting better every year since 2002. He's learned to take advantage of the cheap home runs to left field (and yes, they are very cheap) and poke the ball into the Crawford Boxes. He's not solid defensively, but I think he will be a good run producer. I think he's got 2-3 years left. 5. Which Morgan Ensberg will show up? Does he have Hidalgo every-other-year disease? I think he'll be solid. Not as crazy as last year, but I think he's one of the top third basemen in the National League. If he would just pick a frigging stance. 6. Can Everett and Ausmus hit at all? No, they can't. I think Everett will be a little better this year (he was dealing with a lot personally last year that he won't be dealing with this year), but Ausmus will fall back to earth. Any offense from those two, however, is pure bonus. They make up for it with their tremendous defense. Everett is the best defensive SS in baseball, and Ausmus is one of the league's top game-callers. Roger Clemens says that Ausmus is a huge reason for his success in Houston. As for the pen-it's one of the best. I think Qualls, Wheeler and Lidge could very easily make Astros games last only 6 innings on most nights. Springer is unreliable, I have no idea about Miller, and I have no faith in Mike Gallo. But none of them will have a game on their shoulders usually. I think the Astros will be much better than they were last year.

Astros fan here. For me, this is really complex. On the one hand, I don't blame McLane for wanting that insurance policy. I actually think the Astros would be better off competitively if Bagwell retired. On the other hand, Bagwell is my favorite all-time player, and this money does not seem like an unreasonable price for Drayton to pay for Bagwell's services over his career. I believe that Bagwell has earned the right to be given a shot for next year. Either way, I don't see this being too huge of a distraction for the Astros. Bagwell will not be a dividing force like Sammy was. I think this will end in Drayton just giving and letting Bagwell stick around.

Oooh, the old inside scoop from a newbie (at least, i dont remember ever seeing him before). Sweet. I honestly didn't consider that insider information. It's pretty well known throughout the league. Watch any video of him pitching, and it's pretty obvious that his mechanics can easily lead to injury.

I have had conversations with Astros medical staff (friends of mine) that say because of his mechanics, he is a walking shoulder injury. Instead of following through with his whole body, he just snaps his arm through, and pretty much stands upright. Putting a lot of money in him, IMO, would be unwise, although he has proven his ability to be effective.

Which brings to bear another question, are the Astros criminally underrated? Seems they're like the Braves the last few years, always counted out despite recent success, but finding a way to get it done. I really don't think the Astros are underrated. Their offense wasn't anything special last year, and they have done nothing to improve it. They won with pitching which has taken a major hit without Clemens. If he returns in May, I wouldn't underate them, but without him, they are very beatable. The only reason I think the Astros will be fine without Clemens is the fact that they gave him ridiculously low run support, and lost a great deal of the games he pitched anyways. I think the division will go: Cards Astros (WC) Cubs Brewers Pirates Reds The top 3, and maybe 4, could go any way, though. Should be an interesting season. If Clemens comes back, I pick the Astros to win the division.

they arn't at home, so Ensberg cant hit popups into that box in left. did you see his 450 foot homer at the BOB to dead center the other night?

they can't win every series. Oswalt's had 2 bad starts in a row, but he's fine. The Astros are fine. Just because they've cooled off a little doesn't mean they're falling fast.

I wouldn't call Pettitte unexpected, and I do think that he will keep his success up. I think that due to the injuries with the Cubs and the fact that the Astros and Cubs IMO are the 2 best teams in this WC hunt, it will come down to the very end of the schedule. I will say that I would like the Astros chances a lot better if they had Adam Dunn or some other big bat....

Congrats to Lee-that was definitely deserved, and I'm glad that he was voted in. Now as for 3rd base, as much as I like Rolen, the 3rd basemen for the all star game should be Morgan Ensberg (starter) and Aramis Ramirez (backup)

I think the Astros are alive and well. While they probably won't win the WC, I think they will make a serious push. Now, with a big trade (which I think is very likely), they will be in a position to win it. With the great pitching that the Astros have (well, except for middle relief) and the offense (Berkman, Ensberg, Lane) waking up, this could be a .500 team by the break.

Now that you mention it, it really is a shame that Santo isn't in. I really think he deserves it.