Houston Astros Season Update - Part I

Houston Astros Season: Off-Season

The Houston Astros baseball team started their 47th season looking to replace Craig Biggio and to find a star to complement heavy hitters Carlos Lee and Lance Berkman. A blockbuster trade with the Baltimore Orioles brought in shortstop Miguel Tejada in exchange for several minor league players. Kazuo Matsui was brought in to be the lead-off hitter and pitcher Shawn Chacon was brought into the starting rotation.

Houston Astros Season: Road Start

The 2008 Houston Astros schedule opened on March 31 against the San Diego Padres. The Houston Astros dropped the first two games to the San Diego Padres. The first win of the season game schedule was highlighted by a three-run homer by Lance Berkman to seal the win 9-6 over the San Diego Padres. The Houston Astros baseball team came up short again in a close contest the next day.

The next series on the Houston Astros game schedule was against Central Division foe Chicago Cubs. A strong showing by Miguel Tejada and a home run by J.R. Towles gave the Houston Astros the victory. The Houston Astros ended the series with two losses to the Chicago Cubs by slim margins. Carlos Lee and Miguel Tejada both had strong games in the series.

Houston Astros Season: Back Home

The Houston Astros home opener on April 7, 2008, at Minute Maid Park was against budding rival St. Louis Cardinals. Lance Berkman rocked pitcher Todd Wellmeyer with a 7th-inning home run to seal the home victory. The Houston Astros baseball club would struggle after that in the next two games in spite of valiant efforts from Miguel Tejada and Lance Berkman and dropped the two games.

Lance Berkman and Miguel Tejada continued their batting dominance against the Florida Marlins. After an opening loss in the first game, the Houston Astros hammered the Florida Marlins with two blowouts. Lance Berkman had two homeruns and J.R. Towels joined in the hot streak of Houston Astros batters.

Houston Astros Season: Phillies

Houston Astros pitcher Shawn Chacon put in a spectacular pitching effort against the Philadelphia Phillies with a 2.25 ERA but the effort was erased by a pair of home runs against relief pitcher Jose Valverde to give the Philadelphia Phillies the win. Roy Oswalt allowed only one run and the bats of Michael Bourn and Carlos Lee sealed the Houston Astros’ victory. Thanks to a freakish game at bat for catcher Chris Coste, the Houston Astros dropped the final game to the Philadelphia Phillies. Miguel Tejada again played strong in the series and kept his personal hot streak alive.

Houston Astros Season: Rockies

A series against the Colorado Rockies was up next for the Houston Astros baseball team. The Houston Astros came back from an early deficit but it was too much to overcome. Kazuo Matsui made his debut after recovering from surgery. The next game was a close contest with J.R. Towles once again hitting a key homer but again the Houston Astros were on the short end. The Houston Astros’ fate changed in the following game on the Astros schedule thanks to the batting of Kazuo Matsui and Miguel Tejada and the pitching of Shawn Chacon. The Houston Astros’ 6-4 victory would spark a winning streak.

Houston Astros Season: Win Streak

In a rematch with the San Diego Padres, the Houston Astros baseball team came alive and smacked their opponents for a 10-3 victory. Roy Oswalt’s fine pitching was augmented by the bats of Miguel Tejada and Lance Berkman, each with 3 RBIs. Berkman also drove in a homer. The next game saw more Houston Astros dominance as Kazuo Matsui, Lance Berkman, and Miguel Tejada racked up the hits and RBIs with Geoff Blum adding a homer. Brandon Backe and Jose Valverde pitched solid games.

The streak continued as the Houston Astros victimized the Cincinnati Reds 9-3 thanks to Kazuo Matsui and Carlos Lee. Lance Berkman ruled the following game against the Cincinnati Reds with a homerun and 3 RBIs. Pitcher Jack Cassel did a superb job and the Houston Astros extended their winning streak.

The Houston Astros met the St. Louis Cardinals once again for a series. After trailing for the entire game, Carlos Lee hit a 9th-inning home run to cut the lead in half. Miguel Tejada sealed the deal with two key RBIs to keep the Houston Astros win streak alive. Two homeruns by Lance Berkman and one homer by Kazuo Matsui were not enough to overcome the St. Louis Cardinals, and the streak was ended in a 4-3 contest. The series turned into a grudge match between the two teams with the benches clearing in the final game, though no fights resulted. The Houston Astros baseball team closed the series with a loss.

Houston Astros Season Update: Outlook

Though the current record is just south of .500, the Houston Astros have much to build on throughout the upcoming Astros schedule. The foursome of Miguel Tejada, Lance Berkman, Kazuo Matsui, and Carlos Lee has turned into an offensive force. Kazuo Matsui is falling into the leadoff roll well and Miguel Tejada is playing beyond even the lofty expectations that were placed upon him after the trade. Geoff Blum and J.R. Towles have also brought the long ball to the Houston Astros lineup. Pitcher Shawn Chacon has all the makings of a star and currently has an ERA of 2.45.

With an impressive offense and a solid pitching rotation, the Houston Astros have a chance to be one of the teams on the rise. The long spell of poor hitting in recent Houston Astros history is over, and it is up to the pitching staff to catch up. If both aspects of the game come together, the playoffs are in the Houston Astros future. Fans with Houston Astros tickets will see a barrage of bats and a collection of colorful personalities up and down the Houston Astros lineup.