Please tell me what's wrong with Oswalt? He is not pitching as well lately. Is he injured or has everyone figured him out? Maybe he is just too aggressive, but in his last outing his location was really off. What do you think?

GrizzlyBear:

 

Please tell me what's wrong with Oswalt? He is not pitching as well lately. Is he injured or has everyone figured him out? Maybe he is just too aggressive, but in his last outing his location was really off. What do you think?

Man alive, did you just hit on one of my sore spots.  For some reason, the Astros coaches refuse to see the obvious and overruse Oswalt.  Oswalt is a #1 starter, hands down.  Having said that, I will add that he is 6-8 inning starter.  He is just not this huge guy(like Clements) who can pitch all the time.  The Astros made a huge mistake in the first game of the season.  Roy got through 6 innings w/ a 5-2 or 5-3 lead.  In the 6th inning he struggled mightily, and anyone w/ half a brain could see he was done.  The outs he got were hard hit, but right at somebody. 

I was so happy he got through the 6th, but was in total shock when they trotted him out for the 7th.  After his struggles in the 6th, anyone could see he was done.  My dumb butt sitting here in Luckenbach, TX could see it.  It is still beyond belief that there wasn't one coach that day who didn't open his eyes.  And yes, Roy got the tar knocked out of him and lost the game. 

You ever play sports, Griz?  Have you ever totally overextended yourself?  Remember how long it took to recover?  Roy is still suffering from that extreme overextension.  He just doesn't have his stuff, and right now is getting by on guts and heart, both of which he has plenty.  Roy needs a rest to recover.  I'm shocked that someone hasn't figured this out.  I've written to Footer, the gal that does the mailbag, but she's the type that only deals w/ the easy questions. 

Last year Roy was kicking butt.  And then he had a down slide for a while.  Why the downslide?  I saw it coming, because for about 5 games in a row Roy threw well over 100 pitches.  He sucked for a pretty good while after that.

Roy still needs a rest from overextending himself the 1st game of the season.  And, yes, I'm still extremely angry about this.

KsKBoys:

GrizzlyBear:

 

Please tell me what's wrong with Oswalt? He is not pitching as well lately. Is he injured or has everyone figured him out? Maybe he is just too aggressive, but in his last outing his location was really off. What do you think?

Man alive, did you just hit on one of my sore spots.  For some reason, the Astros coaches refuse to see the obvious and overruse Oswalt.  Oswalt is a #1 starter, hands down.  Having said that, I will add that he is 6-8 inning starter.  He is just not this huge guy(like Clements) who can pitch all the time.  The Astros made a huge mistake in the first game of the season.  Roy got through 6 innings w/ a 5-2 or 5-3 lead.  In the 6th inning he struggled mightily, and anyone w/ half a brain could see he was done.  The outs he got were hard hit, but right at somebody. 

I was so happy he got through the 6th, but was in total shock when they trotted him out for the 7th.  After his struggles in the 6th, anyone could see he was done.  My dumb butt sitting here in Luckenbach, TX could see it.  It is still beyond belief that there wasn't one coach that day who didn't open his eyes.  And yes, Roy got the tar knocked out of him and lost the game. 

You ever play sports, Griz?  Have you ever totally overextended yourself?  Remember how long it took to recover?  Roy is still suffering from that extreme overextension.  He just doesn't have his stuff, and right now is getting by on guts and heart, both of which he has plenty.  Roy needs a rest to recover.  I'm shocked that someone hasn't figured this out.  I've written to Footer, the gal that does the mailbag, but she's the type that only deals w/ the easy questions. 

Last year Roy was kicking butt.  And then he had a down slide for a while.  Why the downslide?  I saw it coming, because for about 5 games in a row Roy threw well over 100 pitches.  He sucked for a pretty good while after that.

Roy still needs a rest from overextending himself the 1st game of the season.  And, yes, I'm still extremely angry about this.

Wow, that really got you going! Yeah, I was a pitcher/shortstop in high school and I know what you are talking about and I agree that could be his problem. I love Oswalt and hate to see him struggle, no matter what the reason is. I just keep thinking he is playing hurt and not being totally honest with his trainers. I guess the only reason I think that-is his heart and his desire to play. I remember last year he asked Garner to use him as a relief pitcher for an inning or two when he had been off longer than he wanted to be.......I think it had to do with the All Star game. It sure wouldn't hurt to give him a rest and I hope they get it figured out soon because this guy is really good! You have a good point there, that could be it.

GrizzlyBear:

KsKBoys:

GrizzlyBear:

 

Please tell me what's wrong with Oswalt? He is not pitching as well lately. Is he injured or has everyone figured him out? Maybe he is just too aggressive, but in his last outing his location was really off. What do you think?

Man alive, did you just hit on one of my sore spots.  For some reason, the Astros coaches refuse to see the obvious and overruse Oswalt.  Oswalt is a #1 starter, hands down.  Having said that, I will add that he is 6-8 inning starter.  He is just not this huge guy(like Clements) who can pitch all the time.  The Astros made a huge mistake in the first game of the season.  Roy got through 6 innings w/ a 5-2 or 5-3 lead.  In the 6th inning he struggled mightily, and anyone w/ half a brain could see he was done.  The outs he got were hard hit, but right at somebody. 

I was so happy he got through the 6th, but was in total shock when they trotted him out for the 7th.  After his struggles in the 6th, anyone could see he was done.  My dumb butt sitting here in Luckenbach, TX could see it.  It is still beyond belief that there wasn't one coach that day who didn't open his eyes.  And yes, Roy got the tar knocked out of him and lost the game. 

You ever play sports, Griz?  Have you ever totally overextended yourself?  Remember how long it took to recover?  Roy is still suffering from that extreme overextension.  He just doesn't have his stuff, and right now is getting by on guts and heart, both of which he has plenty.  Roy needs a rest to recover.  I'm shocked that someone hasn't figured this out.  I've written to Footer, the gal that does the mailbag, but she's the type that only deals w/ the easy questions. 

Last year Roy was kicking butt.  And then he had a down slide for a while.  Why the downslide?  I saw it coming, because for about 5 games in a row Roy threw well over 100 pitches.  He sucked for a pretty good while after that.

Roy still needs a rest from overextending himself the 1st game of the season.  And, yes, I'm still extremely angry about this.

Wow, that really got you going! Yeah, I was a pitcher/shortstop in high school and I know what you are talking about and I agree that could be his problem. I love Oswalt and hate to see him struggle, no matter what the reason is. I just keep thinking he is playing hurt and not being totally honest with his trainers. I guess the only reason I think that-is his heart and his desire to play. I remember last year he asked Garner to use him as a relief pitcher for an inning or two when he had been off longer than he wanted to be.......I think it had to do with the All Star game. It sure wouldn't hurt to give him a rest and I hope they get it figured out soon because this guy is really good! You have a good point there, that could be it.

Yessir.  Up until two years ago, I had been a softball coach for about 20 years prior.  One of the main objectives is to know your players and what they can and can't do.  Oswalt is a wonderful pitcher.    Yes, he might have tweaked something.  Oswalt is the type to try and play through injuries.  But, as a coach, it is not up to the player.  Any player w/ any heart is going to say he can go. 

Go back and look at his pitch count the last few games.  Got up to 111 twice, which is way too much for him.  Could be another reason why he's struggling. 

Bourn is starting to hit.  Manalive, if he can just bat around 280, Our O will go from badass to superbadass.

It does look like Bourne is coming on and also Wigginton........Pence has gotten back on track and the "back-end" of the line-up is much stronger now that they have stepped it up. I am looking forward to seeing the results at the end of the season. If Oswalt can overcome whatever is holding him back I smell a post-season!

Uh oh.  The Astros have just won 3 series in a row and are starting to win those 1 run games again.

Gotta talk now, cuz it may not last.

KsKBoys:

Uh oh.  The Astros have just won 3 series in a row and are starting to win those 1 run games again.

Gotta talk now, cuz it may not last.

Yeah, you're right. Also, I noticed the other night Oswalt leaving the game just before the 7th inning began and thought about the things you said. I hope he is ok, but it may have been good for him to leave at that time anyway. Do you think they have a chance at making a run after the break?

KsKBoys:

Uh oh.  The Astros have just won 3 series in a row and are starting to win those 1 run games again.

Gotta talk now, cuz it may not last.

 

I don't see the Astros making the playoffs. Cubs will win that division and Cards or an NL east team will take the wildcard or even brewers. Berkmen is carrying that team on his back right now, and soon as he goes into a slump...so will the team 

tnewmen41:

I don't see the Astros making the playoffs. Cubs will win that division and Cards or an NL east team will take the wildcard or even brewers. Berkmen is carrying that team on his back right now, and soon as he goes into a slump...so will the team 

 

Yeah, you are probably right, but I have seen stranger things happen. If they could keep getting better pitching and better hitting...........ya never know.

GrizzlyBear:

KsKBoys:

Uh oh.  The Astros have just won 3 series in a row and are starting to win those 1 run games again.

Gotta talk now, cuz it may not last.

Yeah, you're right. Also, I noticed the other night Oswalt leaving the game just before the 7th inning began and thought about the things you said. I hope he is ok, but it may have been good for him to leave at that time anyway. Do you think they have a chance at making a run after the break?

Now that right there is a good question.  It all comes down to pitching.  I don't know it you know it, but we lead the league in HR's given up by a pitching staff.  For us to make a run, I would think we would need for some youngsters to come up.  A kid named Muecke is doing pretty well down on the farm.  Have no idea if he's ready.

Meanwhile, keep an eye on this Runysvels Hernandez.(I have no idea how to spell his first name.)  We got him in one of our trades,  He was very highly regarded, and had never panned out.  He's not that old, maybe 24-26 or so, and maybe he's figured it out.  His first start for us w/ the Atros he pitched 5 innings and gave up 3 runs.  Not too bad for the first start.  He's pitching tonight.

There are several good arms in the minors, here's a couple I can remember:  Samuel Gervacio, Ryan McKeller, Christopher Blazek in AA, and Kyle Middleton and Jorge Sosa in AAA. 

In my opinion, some of these guys will have to come up and produce for us to make the playoffs. 

I hope Roy wasn't seriously injured, as he is the only #1 we have.  He's been pitching much better lately, seems as if he's recovering from the early season overuse.  Fingerscrossed.

KsKBoys:

keep an eye on this Runysvels Hernandez

 

I watched him the other night. He did look good.......I thought they said he was 30 years old, but maybe not. I agree, we do need some pitchers to contribute if we get anywhere this year. It is funny how they look so good for 2 to 3 weeks, then look bad for 2 or 3.

tnewmen41:

KsKBoys:

Uh oh.  The Astros have just won 3 series in a row and are starting to win those 1 run games again.

Gotta talk now, cuz it may not last.

 

I don't see the Astros making the playoffs. Cubs will win that division and Cards or an NL east team will take the wildcard or even brewers. Berkmen is carrying that team on his back right now, and soon as he goes into a slump...so will the team 

The Cubs easily have the most talent in the division, but Zambrano is a head case(even though he is one of the top 10 starters) and the Cubs have way too many free swingers which usually doesn't work against quality pitching.  As a matter of fact, that is one of the Astros problems.  Too many free swingers.  I also don't see the Astros making the playoffs, but as a long-suffering Astros fan, I will retain some shred of hope.  The Astros do not have the pitching, and would have to have a couple of youngsters step up to even have a chance.

I wouldn't be too hasty saying the Cubs will win that division.  No, I don't think it will be the Astros, but the Cards are tough and the Brewers have a great team if they could ever lose the losing attitude.

tnewmen41:

KsKBoys:

Uh oh.  The Astros have just won 3 series in a row and are starting to win those 1 run games again.

Gotta talk now, cuz it may not last.

 

I don't see the Astros making the playoffs. Cubs will win that division and Cards or an NL east team will take the wildcard or even brewers. Berkmen is carrying that team on his back right now, and soon as he goes into a slump...so will the team 

The Cubs easily have the most talent in the division, but Zambrano is a head case(even though he is one of the top 10 starters) and the Cubs have way too many free swingers which usually doesn't work against quality pitching.  As a matter of fact, that is one of the Astros problems.  Too many free swingers.  I also don't see the Astros making the playoffs, but as a long-suffering Astros fan, I will retain some shred of hope.  The Astros do not have the pitching, and would have to have a couple of youngsters step up to even have a chance.

I wouldn't be too hasty saying the Cubs will win that division.  No, I don't think it will be the Astros, but the Cards are tough and the Brewers have a great team if they could ever lose the losing attitude.

Well, this is neat...........finally found the Astros-Braves' game on tv, Astros thread is up, and Wigginton hits a grand slam all at the same time. Imagine that

GrizzlyBear:

Well, this is neat...........finally found the Astros-Braves' game on tv, Astros thread is up, and Wigginton hits a grand slam all at the same time. Imagine that

I know.  Wasn't it beautiful?  Wiggy caught all of that one.