Post by joshsbix on Oct 24, 2023 6:25:22 GMT -5
It is the 16th of September and the Astros find themselves 16 back of the Central leading Cubs. The Astros are in money saving mode and it is showing as they stagger towards the finish line, 1 game over .500. Here is how things went down during the last sim:
The Astros tried to bounce back from the 10-0 shellacking with a 2 run rally in the 9th but Octavio Dotel was able to close the game down for this 23 save and the 2-1 series win. It is worth noting that Nieves has come alive and continues to hit with power, hitting his 25th HR of the year. Ted Lilly got knocked around giving up 7 ER over 4. If anyone is wondering why he didn't get an extension, you don't have to look any further than this.
Friday 9/9 was a much needed rest day for the Astros 4 man rotation.
9/10 The Red birds arrived in town and the Astros once again woke up from a long nap the day after an off day and put up no offense. Wuertz picked up the win for the Cards with 2.1 innings of relief of Pauley and Balfour picked up save #29. The Astros managed 3 hits. Derek Lowe gave up 2 Runs over 6.2 innings but couldn't get any run support. The Cardinals win game 1 2-1 to take a 1-0 series lead.
9/11 After 13 straight innings of not scoring a run against the Cardinals the Astros scored 2 runs in the bottom of the 9th but the rally came up just short and the Cardinals win game 2 3-2. Like Lowe the day before, Arroyo pitched well enough to give the Astros a chance to win but the run that CJ Wilson gave up during his 3 innings of relieve put the game just out of reach and the Cardinals take a 2-0 series lead.
9/12 The Redbirds complete the sweep with a 6-1 win. Dontrelle Willis is tagged with the loss after giving up 6 runs over 2.1 innings. The bullpen held the Cardinals scoreless the rest of the way but the damage was done. Childers picked up his 17th win of the season while Willis falls to 6-9 in his rookie campaign.
9/13 Riding an 0-4 sim and a 5 game losing streak the Astros had another one of the tough NL West matchups we have been seeing at the most inopportune times this year. We considered running into one of the West contenders during a winning streak a bad thing, we never took the time to consider what would happen if we ran into them during a losing streak. The universe showed us. Santana went the distance for the Giants, giving up 5 hits, 0 runs, and striking out 5 while walking only 1. The Giants scored 3 on Lilly in 4 innings and that was enough for them to cruise to an easy 3-0 win. Astros losing streak stands at 6 games and sim record is 0-5. The Giants take a 1-0 series lead.
9/14 The Astros finally woke up from their sim long nightmare behind a solid start by Derek Lowe and a reassuring performance from the bullpen. Burrell hit his 21st homerun,a 2 run shot, in the 8th to seal the come from behind victory for the Astros. Houston wins game two to tie the series 1-1. Have I mentioned that I hate 2 game series in this article?
9/15 All of the frustration, all of the runs they forgot to score during the first part of the sim, burst out in game 1 against the Brewers. The Astros scored multiple runs in the 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th, and 6th to cruise to an early 15-3 win. Bronson Arroyo picks up win #17 (and a talent boost). As well as Arroyo pitched, the highlight of the game was the Astro's 7 run 5th inning. Nieves and Guillen led the 5th inning charge. Nieves hit a solo shot and Guillen followed soon after with a 2 run blast. The Astros lead the series 1-0.
The Astros finish the sim on a 2 game winning streak but all it does is make the 2-5 sim record slightly less embarrassing. Please, can someone just call and wake us up when September ends?
The Astros tried to bounce back from the 10-0 shellacking with a 2 run rally in the 9th but Octavio Dotel was able to close the game down for this 23 save and the 2-1 series win. It is worth noting that Nieves has come alive and continues to hit with power, hitting his 25th HR of the year. Ted Lilly got knocked around giving up 7 ER over 4. If anyone is wondering why he didn't get an extension, you don't have to look any further than this.
Friday 9/9 was a much needed rest day for the Astros 4 man rotation.
9/10 The Red birds arrived in town and the Astros once again woke up from a long nap the day after an off day and put up no offense. Wuertz picked up the win for the Cards with 2.1 innings of relief of Pauley and Balfour picked up save #29. The Astros managed 3 hits. Derek Lowe gave up 2 Runs over 6.2 innings but couldn't get any run support. The Cardinals win game 1 2-1 to take a 1-0 series lead.
9/11 After 13 straight innings of not scoring a run against the Cardinals the Astros scored 2 runs in the bottom of the 9th but the rally came up just short and the Cardinals win game 2 3-2. Like Lowe the day before, Arroyo pitched well enough to give the Astros a chance to win but the run that CJ Wilson gave up during his 3 innings of relieve put the game just out of reach and the Cardinals take a 2-0 series lead.
9/12 The Redbirds complete the sweep with a 6-1 win. Dontrelle Willis is tagged with the loss after giving up 6 runs over 2.1 innings. The bullpen held the Cardinals scoreless the rest of the way but the damage was done. Childers picked up his 17th win of the season while Willis falls to 6-9 in his rookie campaign.
9/13 Riding an 0-4 sim and a 5 game losing streak the Astros had another one of the tough NL West matchups we have been seeing at the most inopportune times this year. We considered running into one of the West contenders during a winning streak a bad thing, we never took the time to consider what would happen if we ran into them during a losing streak. The universe showed us. Santana went the distance for the Giants, giving up 5 hits, 0 runs, and striking out 5 while walking only 1. The Giants scored 3 on Lilly in 4 innings and that was enough for them to cruise to an easy 3-0 win. Astros losing streak stands at 6 games and sim record is 0-5. The Giants take a 1-0 series lead.
9/14 The Astros finally woke up from their sim long nightmare behind a solid start by Derek Lowe and a reassuring performance from the bullpen. Burrell hit his 21st homerun,a 2 run shot, in the 8th to seal the come from behind victory for the Astros. Houston wins game two to tie the series 1-1. Have I mentioned that I hate 2 game series in this article?
9/15 All of the frustration, all of the runs they forgot to score during the first part of the sim, burst out in game 1 against the Brewers. The Astros scored multiple runs in the 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th, and 6th to cruise to an early 15-3 win. Bronson Arroyo picks up win #17 (and a talent boost). As well as Arroyo pitched, the highlight of the game was the Astro's 7 run 5th inning. Nieves and Guillen led the 5th inning charge. Nieves hit a solo shot and Guillen followed soon after with a 2 run blast. The Astros lead the series 1-0.
The Astros finish the sim on a 2 game winning streak but all it does is make the 2-5 sim record slightly less embarrassing. Please, can someone just call and wake us up when September ends?
