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Liftoff, at last: a switch in managers, a clubhouse coming-together and big contributions from Carlos Beltran and Brad Lidge launched the Astros back into postseason contention
Sporting News, The, Sept 27, 2004 by Stan McNeal
MINUSES
1 Their closer is Dustin Hermanson. Sure, he has converted 14 of 16 save opportunities since taking over for Matt Herges. But give him time. The lack of an overpowering pitch will cost him.
2 The rest of the bullpen isn't going to scare anyone, either. As a group, Giants relievers rank 13th in the N.L. with a 4.52 ERA:
3 Fielding is not their forte. Only the Diamondbacks and Mets have allowed more unearned runs in the N.L.
BOTTOM LINE
The Giants' best chance to make the postseason is to knock off the Dodgers for the West Division title. The teams play six more times, and the Dodgers' rotation is falling apart.
PADRES
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PLUSES
1 The top four in their rotation--David Wells, Jake Peavy, Brian Lawrence and Adam Eaton--haven't been hyped like others, but they've been just about as good. The Padres' quartet has combined for a 49-38 record and a 3.66 ERA, compared with the 41-29 and 3.54 figures of the Cubs' top four.
2 Since slugger Phil Nevin was told to stop whining about Petco Park's pitcher-friendly dimensions, he has been on a tear. He hit 10 homers and drove in 37 runs in the first 35 games after G.M. Kevin Towers told him to chill out.
3 At the start of the week, they were 19-9 against their last two regular-season opponents, the Giants and Diamondbacks.
MINUSES
1 The left side of their infield is hurting, literally. Rookie shortstop Khalil Greene, a leading contender for N.L. Rookie of the Year, broke his right index finger, and third baseman Sean Burroughs, who was hitting .298, suffered a season-ending knee injury.
2 No one figured the Padres would miss inconsistent Ismael Valdez, but since trading him to the Marlins, they have not had a win from their No. 5 starter.
3 There's a real power shortage. Only the Brewers have fewer homers than the Padres in the N.L.
BOTTOM LINE
They have too big of a hill to climb.
ASTROS
PLUSES
1 The big guys Ore cranking. Carlos Beltran has a 40-homer, 40-steal season (overall totals with Kansas City, Houston) in his sights. Since the break, Jeff Bagwell has shown his old run production. Only Bonds and Jim Edmonds have better on-base percentages in the second half than Lance Berkman, who also ranks among the N.L. leaders in batting average. And after falling short last season, Jeff Kent is on his way to his seventh 100-RBI season.
2 Mike Lamb has been so hot offensively since taking over for injured Morgan Ensberg that manager Phil Garner won't take him out of the lineup even though Ensberg is healthy.
3 With Roger Clemens and Roy Oswalt, they're the only club with two Cy Young Award candidates in the rotation. And Garner plans to make the most of them in the late going.
MINUSES
1 The rotation after Oswalt and Clemens hasn't held up its end. The Astros have 60 wins from their starters--Oswalt and Clemens have accounted for 35 of them.
2 The bridge to closer Brad Lidge is shaky. Besides Lidge, the only reliever who has been with the club all season is Dan Miceli. The rest either are castoffs or minor leaguers who haven't been effective enough to stick in the big leagues.
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