By the home plate umpire were he walked three batters (one
intentionally) in the first inning. Burrell promptly hit a grand slam.
It is not looking good and why is Ensberg in the lineup especially
against a RHP. Sounds like Garner is on the edge.

David233 wrote:


The zone was consistent all night. Maybe a bit higher than normal, but
it was consistent.


Promptly? It was a full count, wasn't it?


The team is. Those losses in May and June that players caused a hurdle
the Astros in all likelihood can't clear -- not with so many teams in
the mix right now.

BTW, Brandi back in early July wrote that the Astros' only concerns were
the Reds, Brewers, and Cardinals. I replied that the Astros needed to
also be concerned about the teams in the West because that's where the
Wild Card was most likely to come from. I didn't see the Marlins or
Phillies going on a run like they have (much less the Giants), but I
still think it looks like the West will have two teams in the playoffs.

Brandi: Given that the NL West will be beating up on itself most of the
rest of the season,

chico: I don't consider that a given. I don't think the West will be won
by a ~.500 team again this season; I think one or two teams in the West
will pull ahead of the pack. FWIW, the West has only one team (Colorado)
with a losing record against NL Central teams this season; last season,
only the Dodgers had a winning record against the Central (20-19). The
NL West are 19 games OVER .500 against teams from the Central so far
this season and they were 19 games UNDER .500 in 2005. When we get to
the end of the season and everyone is hoping the Astros can just win
five or six in a row to clinch the Wild Card again, remember their
record against the West -- 8-13 -- is why they're so fucking desperate
for those late season wins.

Brandi: the Astros main concerns are the Cards, Reds and Brewers.

chico: And the Padres, Rockies, Dodgers...

http://tinyurl.com/nxjp4

Brandi later replied to the point about it being a given that the
teams in the West would be deadlocked, "Looking at the records of the NL
West teams against each other, I think it is highly likely." He also
called the teams in the West "Minor concerns."

The Astros were 1-5 against SF and 2-4 against the Rockies -- hardly
minor concerns.