Astros showing they have staying power in NL Central
Posted: Fri May 16 11:42 AM
By Mike Castiglione, Contributing MLB Editor
Houston Astros Team Report
(Sports Network) - The 40-game mark is usually a decent barometer in terms of gauging which teams are for real, and which teams genuinely have some problems.
And after six weeks of play -- or the first quarter of the season -- the Houston Astros are proving that they are, indeed, for real. Who would've thought a team that started out 6-12 could climb to such status so quickly?
Houston has really hit its stride in May, posting an 11-2 record in the month. In doing so, the Astros (24-18) have pulled themselves from the bottom of the standings to second place in the National League Central, just 1 1/2 games back of the Chicago Cubs.
The Astros just wrapped up their seven-game road trip with a convincing 6-1 record. But how, exactly, has this team that was given so little of a chance at the outset of the season pulling it off?
"It's pretty special," infielder Mark Loretta said. "I've always been asked about team chemistry and what it is. A lot of people say team chemistry is as good as the next starting pitcher. But that's usually from people that don't have team chemistry.
"I really feel this team chemistry is as good as I've ever seen. You just feel everybody pulling for each other, mixing young guys, older guys. It's just a real cohesive unit."
Houston kicked off its road swing in Los Angeles last weekend in high fashion, with Lance Berkman and company supplying the offense for a 7-1 win. Brian Moehler was the beneficiary of the run support, though he pitched five shutout innings to notch his first win.
Chris Sampson followed that with another strong pitching performance in Saturday's 5-0 win, tossing seven innings of shutout ball, while scattering just three hits. The next day, the Astros used a six-run eighth inning to rally back for an 8-5 win and complete the sweep of the Dodgers.
And there was plenty more offense to go around during the four-game set against the Giants that just wrapped up Thursday. Berkman singled, doubled and homered to ignite his teammates in a 7-3 win to open the series on Monday.
The only setback came during Tuesday's 4-2 loss, as the Astros could only manage seven hits in the game after falling behind, 3-0, in the first inning. But they responded in triumphant fashion for the final two games of the set.
Houston pulled out a 6-3 win on Wednesday, thanks to a tie-breaking single by Miguel Tejada in the seventh, and another two-run homer by Berkman. On Thursday, Houston overcame a six-run deficit to notch an 8-7 win. Darin Erstad tied it with a pinch-hit, three-run homer in the eighth, while Berkman (who else?) ended it by putting one into McCovey Cove in the ninth.
"This is amazing," manager Cecil Cooper said. "I'm just hanging along for the ride. It's amazing. They just keep doing it, keep playing at the end, they don't quit. They get down and keep going. I don't know how to explain it."
Thursday's comeback victory was the team's 13th this season, and it was the largest comeback in eight years. There is definitely something special going on in Houston right now, and more and more people are starting to notice with each victory.
BERKMAN, TEJADA CARRYING THE OFFENSE
Without Tejada and Berkman, it would be tough to say where they Astros would be right now. Tejada is hitting .343 on the season, while Berkman totes a .391 batting average.
During the seven-game road trip, Tejada hit .385 (10-for-26) with six RBI. Berkman was just as ridiculous, hitting .500 (13-for-26) with three doubles, four homers, 10 RBI and nine runs scored. He had a slugging average of 1.077 and an on-base percentage of .581. Again, just ridiculous.
In addition to belting the go-ahead homer on Thursday, Berkman extended his hit streak to 14 games. He ranks among the league leaders in virtually all of the significant offensive categories, as he is second in batting average, first in home runs (15) and second in RBI (43). With each passing day, the MVP whispers are increasing in volume.
"I'd love to win the MVP," he said on the team's website. "There's so many guys; as long as Albert Pujols is in the league, you're behind the eight-ball. To me, he's the best in the game.
"You'd have to do something really, really special and catch him kind of like a year he had last year. He's not likely to do it again and even last year he could have won the MVP. I'd love to win it but I don't know if it's possible."
WHO'S HOT
Berkman and Tejada will remain on this list until further notice.
WHO'S NOT
Michael Bourn is just not getting it done at the top of the order. Sure, he has speed and each time he gets on base it's essentially as good as a double. But he rarely gets on base, and has just three hits in his last 27 at-bats. His on-base percentage during that span is just .138.
A LOOK AHEAD
Shawn Chacon (0-0, 3.53) takes the hill tonight against Sidney Ponson (2-0, 3.16) and the Rangers. On Saturday it will be Roy Oswalt (4-3, 5.05) squaring off with Vicente Padilla (5-2, 3.23). Sunday's contest will feature Houston's Brandon Backe (2-5, 4.62) against Rangers starter Kason Gabbard (1-0, 2.12).
The Astros then return to Houston for a homestand against Chicago starting Monday.
