Thursday, April 15, 2010

Whose fault is this?

So we all know the agony and despair. And it's now officially time to start pointing fingers. So let's break down whose fault this is:

Not at fault

-Brad Mills
These are the same players who hit well, and won almost half their Spring Training games. Mills has to keep running Lee and Pence out there, because they're .280-.300 hitters who will eventually hit. This is in no way his fault (except for maybe continuing to play Blum at 1B). I will ask this, though (and it's building on a comment from yesterday): Why the hell isn't Chris Johnson playing more? Feliz can handle 1B, and if Johnson isn't getting any ABs in Houston, why isn't he down at Round Rock, learning some plate discipline and seeing game action?

-Brad Arnsberg
The pitching has been solid. The Astros have had four quality starts, and nothing to show for it. Myers threw his best game since 2008 last night, and got a loss. Oswalt is 0-2 with two quality starts. The pitching isn't the problem.

-Michael Bourn
Yes, Bourn has only drawn one walk, but he's hitting .379 (OBP = .400). Bourn has been on base 12 times this season, and has crossed home twice.

We're Looking At You

-Lee/Pence/Towles
It is inexcusable for three players to be at, or under, the .100 mark. It's almost harder to hit .100 than it is to hit .230.

-Sean Berry
I haven't seen a single quote or article about Sean Berry. Yes, I'm glad he's back. Yes, I'm glad he's doing well. I don't know how much impact a hitting coach can have, but it's obviously a team-wide issue. It's not as though everyone's hitting .300, and Pence just can't figure it out.

-Ed Wade
If Johnson isn't going to get any playing time, how's about bringing up Shelton to play 1B while Blum does what he was supposed to do, and plays every now and then for Pedro Feliz. Shelton is hitting .346/.419/.346 at Round Rock.