Lessons to be learned from the 2005 Astros

Now that we are past Memorial Day, and the Astros are once again (tied for) last place, it's easy to go back to the well of 2005 and try to get a bucket of hope and inspiration.

There are some similarities between the 2016 Astros and the 2005 Astros - both were coming off a playoff run. Both had fairly high expectations for that season. Both started off in a piss-poor way and had a pretty giant hole out of which to climb. And...um...well that might just about do it, but let's see what the 2016 Astros can learn from the 2005 Astros.

The 2005 Astros lost a 9-0 game to the Reds on Memorial Day, getting held to five hits by the legendary Reds battery of Aaron Harang, David Weathers, and Todd Coffey. The 9-0 score was run up in the 9th after Roger Clemens allowed 4H/2ER, 7K:1BB in 8IP. So, down 2-0 in the top of the 9th, John Franco allowed hits to all three batters he saw (7.36 ERA), then Russ Springer allowed 3H/4ER, 1K:1BB in 0.1IP (8.62 ERA), then Chad Qualls had to come in to clean it up and get the final two outs to lower his ERA to 5.55. The loss dropped the 2005 Astros to 18-32, last in the NL Central, 15 games behind the Cardinals. Only the Rockies - at 14-35 - had a worse record in the National League. 

So what happened? After that 9-0 loss, the Astros finished the season with a 71-41 record - best in the NL by four games, and a game better than the A's to post the best record in all of baseball. How did they do it?

1. They needed all the help they could get from the offense. 

The Astros averaged 3.56 runs/game over the first 50 games of the season. Their 178 runs scored was 18 runs fewer than the NL's next-worst, the Pittsburgh Pirates, and was the lowest run total in baseball. Over the final 112 games the Astros improved by over a run per game, scoring 4.59 runs/game until the end of the season. 

As a team following that 9-0 Cincinnati loss they were hitting .239/.306/.377. They had only hit 37 home runs as a team, and were striking out almost seven times a game.

Outside of Craig Biggio and Morgan Ensberg the offense was a black hole over the first 50 games. Check it:

Ensberg: .281/.386/.525 (.911 OPS)

Biggio: .291/.349/.525 (.874 OPS)

then

Bagwell: .250/.361/.398 (.759 OPS)

Vizcaino: .239/.301/.358 (.659 OPS)

Lane: .218/.268/.391 (.659 OPS)

Everett: .222/.281/.377 (.658 OPS)

Lamb: .200/.257/.384 (.641 OPS)

Taveras: .250/.300/.335 (.635 OPS)

Ausmus: .248/.325/.295 (.620 OPS)

Berkman: .216/.318/.297 (.615 OPS)

And then someone flipped a switch. From May 31 through the end of the season they hit .264/.330/.421. They went from averaging 0.74 home runs per game to hitting 1.1 homers/game. 

Berkman: .307/.427/.566 (.993 OPS)

Ensberg: .284/.389/.571 (.960 OPS)

Lane: .288/.336/.546 (.882 OPS)

Palmeiro: .272/.327/.435 (.762 OPS)

Biggio: .253/.314/.443 (.757 OPS)

Lamb: .259/.300/.442 (.742 OPS)

Ausmus: .262/.361/.344 (.705 OPS)

Burke: .253/.316/.388 (.704 OPS)

Taveras: .308/.336/.344 (.680 OPS)

Everett: .258/.293/.359 (.652 OPS)

Bagwell's shoulder forced him out of the lineup and he was replaced at 1B primarily by Lance Berkman. That, combined with Mike Lamb's improved play and versatility allowed Phil Garner to field a more potent lineup. You had two guys with an OPS over .760 over the first 50 games, and then as a team they posted a .751 OPS, which is an improvement of almost 70 points...as a team.

2. Stop me if you've heard this one before, but the pitching staff tightened up.

The Astros allowed 226 runs over their first 50 games, or 4.52 runs/game. This was middle-of-the-road as far as the NL went in 2005, but the offense was so poor that the pitching staff had almost no room for error, and they made more errors than they had room. 

The pitching staff posted a 4.37 ERA/1.30 WHIP over the first 50 games of the season, but the problem wasn't the top of the rotation:

Clemens: 3-3, 76IP, 1.30 ERA/0.86 WHIP

Oswalt: 5-6, 75.1IP, 3.23 ERA/1.17 WHIP

Pettitte: 3-5, 63IP, 3.71 ERA/1.25 WHIP

So just to be clear, the Astros lost 20 of the first 32 games in which Clemens/Pettitte/Oswalt started. Combined they threw 214.1IP, 187H/64ER, 176K:55BB for a 2.69 ERA/1.13 WHIP. Clemens was on the wrong end of a 1-0 loss in three of his first four starts. 

And the bullpen was an early disaster, as well:

Springer: 15.2IP, 8.62 ERA/1.66 WHIP

Harville: 13IP, 6.23 ERA/2.08 WHIP

Qualls: 24.1IP, 5.55 ERA/1.56 WHIP

Lidge: 22IP, 3.27 ERA/1.36 WHIP

Wheeler: 21.2IP, 1.66 ERA/1.06 WHIP

Lidge was okay. Wheeler was fantastic. Then you had a whole bunch of bullcrap trying to close out games. 

Over the final 112 games of the season, the Astros allowed 383 runs - the fewest runs allowed in baseball, and 45 runs fewer than the NL's 2nd-lowest total by the Cardinals. This was thanks to a 3.14 ERA/1.20 WHIP. 

The rotation was unbelievable, or at least the top of the rotation was. Over the final 112 games:

Pettitte: 14-4, 1.86 ERA/0.94 WHIP

Oswalt: 15-6, 2.81 ERA/1.22 WHIP

Clemens: 10-5, 2.19 ERA/1.09 WHIP

Backe: 6-5, 4.78 ERA/1.58 WHIP

Wandy: 9-9, 5.46 ERA/1.47 WHIP

Clemens had notoriously bad luck, despite throwing 211.1IP with a 1.87 ERA, the Astros went 15-17 in his starts because he apparently pitched so well that he made the Astros' bats go silent, as well as their opponents' bats. Clemens lost five 1-0 decisions over the course of the season, and didn't give up a run in all five. The Astros scored two or fewer runs in 15 of his 32 starts. No wonder he went back to the Yankees.

But the bullpen's performance was where real improvements were made:

Qualls: 55.1IP, 2.28 ERA/1.05 WHIP

Wheeler: 51.2IP, 2.44 ERA/0.95 WHIP, 9.06 K/9

Lidge: 48.2IP, 1.85 ERA/1.05 WHIP, 12.95 K/9

Springer: 43.1IP, 3.32 ERA/1.02 WHIP

Gallo: 20.1IP, 2.66 ERA/1.38 WHIP

3. They took advantage of bad teams.

The 2005 Astros and the 2005 Cardinals were so good (30 games over .500 and 22 games over .500 down the stretch, respectively) that the Brewers were the only other NL Central team to end the season over .500, and their 57-55 record gave them an 81-81 record. The Cubs went 54-59, the Reds went 52-59, and the Pirates were 45-68. 

The 2005 Astros went 30-22 against NL opponents. They went 8-1 against Cincinnati, 8-3 against Pittsburgh, 6-5 against Milwaukee. This helped the fact that they went 8-13 against the Cubs and Cardinals combined. 

The 2005 NL West was God-awful. The Padres won the division with an 82-80 record, for crying out loud. The Nationals finished last in the NL East and were one game worse than the Padres. and the Astros went 16-9 against NL West teams down the stretch. But if we talk about playing the worst teams in the National League in 2005, the Astros finished the season 32-13 against sub-.500 National League teams down the stretch.

4. They started to win close games.

Again, perhaps this sounds familiar. The 2005 Astros were 5-10 in 1-run games; 7-16 in games decided by 1-2 runs up until Memorial Day. For the last 112 games the Astros went 18-11 in 1-run games and 33-20 in games decided by 1-2 runs.

So the formula set by the 2005 Astros:

1. Hit better

2. Pitch better

3. Take advantage of playing soft teams

4. Win close games

It's an over-simplistic formula, and it's worth remembering that the 2005 Astros dug themselves such a hole that, even with the best record in baseball after Memorial Day, they still finished eleven games back of the Cardinals and didn't win 90 games. It took going 6-0 against the Phillies - five of those games were decided by one run - to take the Wild Card over Philadelphia by one run. The 2016 Astros are not as far back in the division as were the 2005 Astros. Maybe the 2016 offense is better than the 2005 offense (we'll just go ahead and say that Keuchel/McHugh/Fister isn't Clemens/Oswalt/Pettitte). Maybe the 2016 Astros can recreate the magic of 2005, but they're going to need a lot of help along the way. 

2005 vs 2015

A note before you begin: this was written during the Astros/Orioles game. All 2015 stats are valid as of the end of play, May 24. All 2005 stats ave been valid for nine years now. 

Hey whaddayaknow the Astros are good again! It's debatable the last time the Astros were actually good. 2006 wasn't a bad year. 2008 was going really well until Hurricane Ike hit and at least made an endpoint not so arbitrary. So we're back to 2005 when the Astros - of course - were in the World Series for about six days. Comparisons have been made between the 2015 Astros and the 2005 Astros, presumably because it's the last time anyone really had fun watching them, besides being interrupted by a terrible natural disaster. How alike are the two teams? Let's take a look.

Well you can immediately rule out Hot Start, which the 2015 Astros are enjoying. Ten years ago today (May 25, 2005) the Astros started the day 15-30 - bringing out the famous Tombstone edition - but would finish the season 74-43 and make the World Series. These Astros are 29-16 while I watch them play the Orioles.

How about roster construction? The average age of the 2005 Houston Astros was 30.4 years old. Craig Biggio was 39 years old, Jeff Bagwell was 37, Brad Ausmus was 36. The 2005 Astros got 436 plate appearances from 37-year old Jose Vizcaino and 36-year old Orlando Palmeiro. The youngest player on the team was 23-year old Willy Taveras. Chris Burke was 25. Everyone position player who received a plate appearance was 27 or over. The rotation featured a 26-year old Wandy Rodriguez, 27-year olds Roy Oswalt and Brandon Backe, 33-year old Andy Pettitte, and 42-year old Roger Clemens. The youngest relievers were Chad Qualls and Mike Burns (26) giving the Astros' pitchers an average age of 30.5 (Clemens and 44-year old John Franco didn't help the old average).

The 2015 Astros are obviously not veteran-heavy, at least not that veteran heavy. The average age on the team is 26.8 years old. Jed Lowrie is the only position player over 30. Luis Valbuena is the Old Man on the field, in his Age 29 season; Castro, Carter, Rasmus, and Gattis are all in their Age 28 seasons. Marwin is 26, Altuve and Springer are 25, and Marisnick is 24. There are a couple of veterans in the rotation, with Fausto (34) and Feldman (32), but McHugh is 28, Keuchel is 26 and for now McCullers is 21. All of the bullpen is over 30, with Qualls as the reigning sage of the group. So we immediately see that the 2015 Astros team is much younger than the 2005 Astros.

When judging offense, it's important to take into account that pitchers were hitting every 9th plate appearance. That said...

	2005		2015
Slash	.256/.322/.408		.231/.303/.415
K:BB (bat)	2.16		2.76
HR/G	0.99		1.42
Run Diff/Gm	+0.51		+0.60
OPS+	90		99
WAR (Bat)	18.1		5.3
K:BB (pitch)	2.65		3.15
ERA/FIP	3.52/3.84		3.56/3.53
GB%	46.4%		50.9%
ERA+	121		115
WAR (Pitch)	22.6		5.9

Of course we already have a full season's worth of stats for the 2005 Astros, and the 2015 team is currently playing their 46th game as I write this. What do we see? Nothing new or groundbreaking: the 2015 Astros have sacrificed average for power, and their pitching and defense is solid. So what, right? If we compare the 2015 Astros to the 2005 Astros, though, we see that the offense - including Gattis, Carter, and Springer - is keeping up with, and in some ways exceeding, that of the World Series team.

And the pitching. Well, then. I wasn't expecting this part. While the ERA+ is lower/worse for the 2015 team, the ERA/FIP is right there with the Pettitte/Clemens/Oswalt rotation. The 2015 groundball rate is the best in baseball, much better than in 2005, and the K:BB ratio is half a strikeout better than the 2005 one.

In other words - and maybe this isn't a surprise - but the 2015 Astros have a pitching staff at least in whispering distance of 2005, while the 2015 version has more power (the 2015 Astros' ISO is .184, 32 points better than 2005.

The roster is constructed completely differently - 2005 had what I would consider a more traditional offense - an offense built to win in the waning years of Biggio and Bagwell's careers and getting production from a few key players and positions. Chris Burke and Willy Taveras had an OPS+ of 76 and 75, respectively. Berkman and Ensberg, on the other hand, each had an OPS+ over 140.

2015 is pretty unconventional - built around young, controllable players presumably in their prime (or reaching it in the next couple of years) who are 29-16 despite four starters hitting .210 or under, valuing different aspects of the game entirely - getting groundballs hit into a defense that looks like the end of an electronic football game, with an offense that will swing for the fences and connect just often enough to win most games. Six of the starters have an OPS+ of at least 90, while four sit above 100 (Altuve, Marisnick, Rasmus, Springer). There is production - or at least the promise of production - up and down the lineup. It's not always pretty, but - for now - it's working.

MLB Network to show us the greatest moment in Chris Burke's life

Just as a heads-up, MLB Network will be re-airing Game 4 of the 2005 NLDS against the Braves. Perhaps you remember Chris Burke's 18th Inning homer? Or perhaps you remember that Luke Scott came about 15" from being the hero in the 11th (or was it the 12th) inning? Or perhaps you remember that Brad Ausmus was given a homer to tie it up in the 9th that shouldn't have counted?

Regardless, tune in to the MLB Network tomorrow (Wednesday) night at 9pm Eastern to watch a (hopefully) abbreviated re-airing of this classic game in their "MLB Network Countdown: Games of the Decade, 2000-2009" series.

Remembering Game 5

It was five years ago today that one of the most remarkable games in Astros history was played. Let's remember it.

Going into the final two games of the season, the Astros had lost two games to the Cubs - including the September 30 game when Brad Lidge came in to preserve a 3-2 lead, and allowed three straight hits, a fielder's choice, and a single to pinch-hitter Todd Walker, scoring Michael Barrett for the go-ahead run and the Cubs win. A Philly win at Washington cut the Astros' Wild Card lead to one game.

Again, Philly won on October 1 at Washington, but Roger Clemens threw 7IP, 6H/1ER, 5K:3BB, and Craig Biggio led off the game with a first-pitch homer off the Cubs' Jerome Williams, eventually winning the game 3-1. On the last day of the season, Philly again beat the piss out of Washington, and an Astros loss would send it to a tie for the Wild Card. Sending Roy Oswalt to the mound to face Greg Maddux, Oswalt wasn't perfect, but Maddux got roughed up for ten hits and six runs (four of them earned), and the Astros were playoff-bound for the second straight year.

The 82-80 Padres, meanwhile were bound for a First Round matchup with the 100-62 Cardinals (despite having the 7th-best record in the NL). The Astros would face the 90-72 Braves, setting up a rematch of the 2004 NLDS that saw the Astros win their first post-season series in franchise history.

Of course, the Astros won the 2005 NLDS, featuring the incredible 18-inning game which featured the series-clinching Greatest Chris Burke AB Of All Time (or the GCBABOAT, as it's known in my house) in Game 4. The Cardinals swept the Padres to set up the second 2004 rematch of the postseason.

Chris Carpenter beat Andy Pettitte in Game 1, while Roy outdueled Mark Mulder in Game 2, with Lidge getting the save. Clemens beat Matt Morris in Game 3 to take a 2-1 series lead, with Brandon Backe getting the ball in Game 4. Backe got the no-decision, but did enough in 5.2IP to earn the win (2H/1ER, 7K:3BB) as the Astros were one game away from their first trip to the World Series.

Game 5 saw a starting pitcher rematch, with Chris Carpenter getting the start for St. Louis and Andy Pettitte taking the mound for the Astros at Minute Maid Park in front of 43,470 fans, who were all about the Astros (as the Texans had been defeated the day before at home to Seattle, 42-10, to drop to 0-5).

Pettitte hit (insert some adjective for "gritty" here) David Eckstein on a 1-2 count to start the game, and walked Jim Edmonds on five pitches. With runners on 1st and 2nd, Pujols popped up to third on the first pitch, and Reggie Sanders flied out to left - also on the first pitch. Larry Walker grounded out in front of the plate, and Pettitte was out of the inning, having thrown just 13 pitches.

Craig Biggio took a 1-2 pitch back up the middle for a single in the bottom of the 1st, Chris Burke laid down a sac bunt to move Biggio to second, and Lance Berkman fouled off three straight pitches after working Carpenter to a 3-1 count before laying off the eighth pitch of the at-bat, and drawing the walk. With one out, Biggio on 2nd and Berkman on 1st, Morgan Ensberg and Mike Lamb didn't get the ball out of the infield, and the inning was over.

Pettitte took over for the top of the 2nd, allowing a double to Yadier Molina, but getting Hector Luna and Chris Carpenter to end the inning - with runners in scoring position for the second time in two innings.

Jason Lane led off the bottom of the 2nd with a single to left, and Brad Ausmus doubling through the hole to put Lane on 3rd base with nobody out. Adam Everett struck out swinging on three pitches. Pettitte put one on the ground, and Pujols threw home to get a breaking Jason Lane, Molina tagging him to preserve the scoreless-tie. Biggio, in his 2nd AB of the game, sent a liner to left field, scoring Brad Ausmus for the first lead of the game. Burke struck out swinging to end the inning, but the Astros were ahead.

With Eckstein leading off the top of the 3rd, he sent Pettitte's first-pitch to center field, dropping in front of Chris Burke. On the 1-1 pitch to Jim Edmonds, Eckstein stole second, and an Edmonds liner to right was hit too hard for Eckstein to score from 2nd. Pujols and Sanders both struck out swinging, but Pettitte then walked Larry Walker to load the bases. Mark Grudzielanek then sent a 1-1 pitch to right field, scoring both Eckstein and Edmonds and putting Walker on third base. Pettitte struck out Molina to end the inning, and while he struck out the side, the Cardinals had a 2-1 lead.

Carpenter and Pettitte both retired the side in order next time around, and Jason Lane was hit on a 1-2 pitch to lead off the 4th. Ausmus grounded out, and the Cardinals could only get Lane at second base. Adam Everett singled on an 0-2 pitch, putting Ausmus at second base with one out. A Pettitte sac bunt moved the runners up, and Biggio lined Carpenter's first pitch to left, ending the threat.

The Cardinals and Astros traded singles in the 5th, but nothing came of it, and the game headed to the 6th inning, with the Cardinals still leading 2-1. Grudzielanek singled to left, but was thrown out by Berkman (playing left) trying to stretch it into a double. Yadier Molina then singled to left, but Luna and Carpenter didn't do anything with their ABs - Pettitte needed three pitches to get those two outs.

Lane and Ausmus flied out to left and right, respectively, and Everett stood in, worked the count full, and grounded out to Carpenter on the 8th pitch of the game. After six innings, Pettitte had allowed 7H/2ER, 4K:2BB, HBP and thrown 102 pitches. Carpenter had allowed 6H/1ER, 6K:1BB, HBP, and had thrown 98 pitches.

In the top of the 7th, Eckstein again led off, and sent a groundball to Everett, who committed the error to allow Eckstein to reach. He was picked off two pitches later, to erase him on the basepaths. Edmonds resumed his AB, and reached first - this time thanks to Mike Lamb's catching error. With 110 pitches thrown, Pettitte's day was done, and Phil Garner called on Chad Qualls to relieve him. Qualls had thrown the previous day, ultimately getting the win in Brandon Backe's gem, needing nine pitches to get his three outs - two by groundball, and one flyout.

Qualls got Pujols and Sanders both to groundout to third base, and the inning was over. In the bottom of the 7th, with Qualls due to leadoff the inning, Garner send Orlando Palmeiro to pinch-hit, and he grounded out on an 0-1 pitch. Biggio hit a sharp grounder to third baseman Hector Luna, who nutted it, allowing Biggio to reach base for the third time of the game. Chris Burke singled through the right side, and Biggio took the extra base, setting up Lance Berkman with runners on 1st and 3rd, with one out. Berkman took Carpenter's first pitch deep, and the Astros regained the lead, 4-2. Morgan Ensberg singled to left to keep the inning going, but Mike Lamb flied out to center to end the inning.

A slew of defensive changes followed to start the 8th. Mike Gallo came in to pitch, Willy Taveras came in to play center, Burke moved from center to left, Berkman moved from left field to first base, Eric Bruntlett came in for Biggio, and Mike Lamb's day was over. Gallo ultimately just threw one pitch, getting a grounder right back at him off the bat of Larry Walker. Grudzielanek flied out to center and Molina grounded out to end the Cardinals' side of the 8th. Lane, Ausmus, and Everett went down in order (though getting Isringhausen to throw 21 pitches to do it), and the game headed to the 9th.

Brad Lidge entered the game. He had thrown 4IP in the NLCS entering Game 5, and had allowed 4H/1ER and a walk. This is after he had thrown 4IP in the NLDS against the Braves, allowing 2H/0ER, with 5K:4BB. And that's after Lidge had posted 42 saves in the regular season, with a 2.29 ERA/1.15 WHIP, walking 23 batters all season long. So he had thrown 78.2IP entering Game 5, and with 23 walks in the first 70.2IP, he had walked five batters in his last 8IP. Still, he was the Best Closer In The Game.

Albert Pujols said of Lidge: He's probably the best closer in the game besides Mariano right now. He has probably the best slider in the game. The Astros had lost one game all season with the lead to start the 9th inning.

Tony LaRussa: "I was thinking, If one guy gets on base, then Jim Edmonds, he's got legitimate game-tying power. And if we got a little something going, and you've got Albert and you've got Reggie, I think that's the strategy you want to have."

John Rodriguez was sent in to pinch-hit for Hector Luna. In two plate appearances against Lidge in 2005, he had an RBI sac fly and a strikeout. Rodriguez took a first-pitch ball, swung and missed at the next three pitches. One out.

John Mabry stepped in. He waved at the first pitch, took the second for a ball, waved at the third, fouled off the fourth, and struck out swinging on the 5th. Two outs. Lidge had thrown nine pitches, six of them swings and misses, one foul, and two balls.

Meanwhile, the Astros were starting to celebrate. Larry Walker: "We were looking over to their bench, and guys were high-fiving. A couple of guys were even dancing. But until that fat lady sings, you can't do that."

Jason Isringhausen: "Any time we go into the ninth with the bottom of the lineup coming up, all we're trying to do is get a hit, get a walk, get a couple of guys on -- because we know: We've got to get Albert up there."

David Eckstein hit for what seemed like the 12th time of the game. Eckstein: "The one thing I didn't want to do was get into any type of jumpiness. Any type of anything in my body besides just focus on the baseball. And it's pretty calming to step into at the plate in that situation. I have no idea, no reason why."

He took the first pitch for a ball, took a called first strike, and took a called second strike. The Astros were one strike away from going to the World Series. But he reached out and tagged the fourth pitch for a grounder to left.

On the first pitch to Edmonds, he took off for second, but Ausmus didn't make a throw. That first pitch, though, was a ball. Edmonds swung at the second pitch, and watched the next three go by for balls, and the Cardinals had runners on 1st and 2nd. Still two outs.

Phil Garner: "You have to let Edmonds hit the ball in the next count. You can't walk him and [Ausmus] knows that and that was a mistake."

In all of Pujols' MVP season in 2005, he had 36 starts in which he did not get a hit. At this point in the game, Pujols was 0x4 and had left five Cardinals on base. In only seven instances had Pujols gone 0x5 in a game.

Chris Carpenter: "I'm sitting there thinking that we've got the best closer in the game on the mound -- but we also have the best hitter in the game at the plate...It was an unbelievable feeling."

Pujols stood in for the first pitch, with Eckstein on 2nd and Edmonds on 1st. Pujols was taken off-balance by Lidge's first-pitch slider. Strike one. He hit .330/.430/.609 in 2005. But with an 0-1 count, he "only" hit .281/.281/.484. With runners on 1st and 2nd in 2005, he hit .380/.436/.640. But in the 9th inning, Pujols hit .184/.293/.367 in 58 PAs.

I was nervous. I was in my lucky spot - in the kitchen, but to where I could still see the television. Hands behind my head.

Lidge dug in for the second pitch. Pujols: "I was just thinking, 'Don't swing at the same slider that I swung at the first pitch.'"

You know what happened next, what happened 412 feet later. Brad Lidge's crouching. Andy Pettitte's "Oh. My. Gosh."



Larry Walker: "I've never heard 43,000 people shut up, just like that, in my life. One second, you could barely hear in here. And the next second, all that noise was gone. And the only noise you could hear was on our bench."

Ray King: "When that ball flew over our heads, I turned to Marty Mason, our bullpen coach, and said, 'That's why they pay that guy 100 million bucks.'"

Pujols: "I just couldn't believe that I did it."

Willy Taveras and Jose Vizcaino grounded out to first, and Chris Burke ended the game with a fly ball to right.

Garner: "It's terrible. You're as high as a kite one minute ... We were feeling pretty good, but you have to play every out. We failed to play every out tonight. We just didn't do it."

Lidge: "It stings. (But) we're going to win, and when that happens, it's not going to matter."

Solomon: Yeah...this isn't 2005

Jerome Solomon reinforces our opinion that this is not 2005.

Solomon:
While the record might be almost identical, the circumstances are radically different. The obvious difference in talent and experience and even the overall mood of the team leads one to expect the dog days will arrive sooner than August.

It's nice to have team leaders look around and take on the challenge of making the team better. Not so nice when team leaders look at the challenge ahead and volunteer to be on the first plane out of town.

And a 2005 quote from Roger Clemens who, while a douche, sure could get you excited about the Astros:
“The veterans have to try and do a little more so you don't put that kind of stress on our younger players. You don't want them to feel that side, especially because they have not been in that situation that much. We have and I have, so I take that challenge head on.”

That's about as striking a difference as I've seen between these two teams.

The only thing eerie about the similarities between 2005 and 2010 is that people seem to believe them

McTaggart has an article in which there are apparently some similarities between whatever passes for this team and the 2005 team:

Berkman:
"I think there are some comparisons in that, just like that year, this year's roster is a lot more talented than the record would indicate. At that time, we weren't thinking we were going to make a World Series appearance, but we looked around at who we had and we thought, 'There's no way we're this bad.' This is similar because it's the same thing. I look around and think there's just no way we're this bad. In that way, we're similar."

Proving why I love Brad Mills like a brother, is Mills himself:
"Any time you start comparing to things like that in the past, I think you start getting in trouble a little bit as well. We have to play the best we can with who we have right here and go from there. I think there are a lot of good things. We've talked about the pitching. Any time you have some good pitching you can put it in place. We haven't swung the bats like we have hoped or thought we were capable of, and we think that's going to come around as well. You put those factors together and there's a good opportunity things are going to be getting a lot better."

Berkman, on the current roster and its impending implosion:
"The one thing Drayton has shown in the past is tremendous patience. He's not somebody that's going to make a hasty decision and blow the whole roster up. I'm not saying they're not going to do that at some point, but they're going to give this team every opportunity to be successful before they go in that direction."

Berkman upbeat, realistic

So while I like that Berkman is standing up and being more vocal, his realism is even more impressive:

You know just how quickly it can turn around. As bad as this has been, it's still not as bad as the year we went to the World Series (2005), so we can make a comeback. I'm not saying we are going to go to the World Series, but we can certainly be better than we are, and I think we're going to be.”

And later, on Gerry Hunsicker:
“His track record speaks for itself; he's probably one of the most accomplished general managers in the game of baseball today. You saw what he was able to do here; he built not one but several championship-caliber teams. He's gone over there, has the right people in place and made some great moves. He drafted and signed me, so I think he's the greatest.”

Want to read an incredibly long and in-depth interview and analysis?

Holy Hannah. Here's a long interview with Morgan Ensberg, followed by an analysis of the 2005/2006 Houston Astros. Jeebus.

Where were you?

Big League Stew is counting up the top record-breaking and playoff home runs in the 2000s. Where does the Pujols/Lidge homer stand? Number three...

If you hadn't watched this one live, it'd be hard to believe that a three-run home run in Game 5 of the '05 NLCS could be ranked this high, especially when the Cardinals were eliminated in Game 6. But those who bore witness to Pujols' home run will still be talking about it 50 years from now. The hit was equal parts majesty (it hit near the train tracks atop Minute Maid Park) and devastation (Astros fans were one strike away from getting to celebrate the franchise's first World Series berth at home) and it still causes most fans to curse in amazement upon seeing the replay. The ball traveled so high and far that even the Astros made a joke to Lidge that they could see it outside their plane windows on the flight after the game. Quite simply a Hall of Fame moment for a Hall of Fame player.

Interestingly, the Astros figure in three of the top 10 moments. At #4 is the Podsednik Walk-Off in Game 2 of the 2005 World Series, and Chris Burke rounded out the list at #10 with the 18th-inning home run.

But for me, the most memorable home run in Astros history is the Pujols homer. I was in my lucky stance (in the kitchen, looking at the tv over the sink, hands clasped behind my head, and swaying left-to-right), waiting to celebrate the Astros' first trip to the World Series. Instead, as soon as the ball left Pujols' bat I crumpled to the floor, only to get up and vomit in the sink (true story. Ask La Constabless.) I didn't see the ball land until SportsCenter the next morning, after I had called in sick to work.

So, let's do this. Where were you when Pujols hit The Home Run?

Update: C70 at the Bat is referring to this heartbreaking poem.

Wherefore art thou: Ezequiel Astacio

Everyone's least favorite starter in HD...

Ezequiel Astacio! Remember him? He of the 5-6 career mark with the Astros, including the 14-inning 2005 WS G3 loser, in which he allowed 4H/2ER, with 2BB in .2IP? Let's revisit that 14th inning, with the game tied 5-5 (all five White Sox runs coming in the 5th)...

Dye: Singles to right
Konerko: GIDP
Blum: Home Run
Rowand: Single to third
Crede: Single to third
Uribe: Walk
Widger: Walk (Rowand scores)

That's it. Wandy came in to close out the 14th with a strikeout.

So Ezequiel, wherefore art thou? He's in San Angelo, pitching for the San Angelo Colts of the United League.

After being waived by the Astros following the '06 season, the Rangers picked him up and sent him to Triple-A Oklahoma City, where he pitched in 2007 and 2008. The Rangers released him after he had surgery on a bone spur, and now you can see him pitch about 90 miles south of Abilene.

It's been a rough few days for the 2005 Astros

It's amazing to go back and take a look at the 2005 World Series sweepee Houston Astros roster, and how many of them have had a rough few days. Regard:

C - Brad Ausmus
1B - Lance Berkman
2B - Craig Biggio
3B - Morgan Ensberg
SS - Adam Everett
LF - Chris Burke
CF - Willy Taveras
RF - Jason Lane

SP1 - Roy Oswalt
SP2 - Roger Clemens
SP3 - Andy Pettitte
SP4 - Brandon Backe
SP5 - Wandy Rodriguez
CL - Brad Lidge

Bagwell retired following 2005.
Biggio following 2007.
Ausmus left for LA this past off-season.
Ensberg just got released by the Rays.
Jason Lane just got sent down by the Blue Jays.
Chris Burke just got traded to the Mariners, and is on his third club since the DiamondB's trade.
Adam Everett got hurt last week aftersigning with the Tigers.

You look at who the Astros let go of, or got rid of, following the World Series run and it's hard to criticize them. Let's remember this as we move forward.