With 4 days until Roy Oswalt and the Houston Astros start the 2007 season, we are holding back the “giddy.” While this spring had some highlights (Jason Lane, .260, 5HR’s & newbie Carlos Lee .370), concerns abound in the pitching department. With the loss of Andy Pettitte and presumably Roger Clemens, the Astros are looking for newly acquired veterans Jason Jennings and Woody Williams to shoulder the load.
While its never the perfect indicator of the season, Williams has us a bit nervous. At 40 years old, Williams is having a forgetful spring (0-3, 9.92ERA) that brings on articles about retirement (like this one). Combine those numbers will a still seemingly lost closer in Brad Lidge (ERA over 12 this spring), and you start to hear quotes like, “we gotta play better.”
The good news? The National League feels like a crap shoot again. No one really wants to copy the Cardinals 2006 winning formula, because getting average pitchers to pitch like hall-of-famers in the playoffs is HARD and RARE. Around the league, the Mets have pitching injuries, the Dodgers are old and too young, the Padres are boring, and the Reds are still the Reds.
The one team that seems to be able to make a move this year is the Philadelphia Phillies. Behind MVP runner up Ryan Howard, and some young pitching, they could be poised to make a run. Like all teams, they will need some breaks.
And so will the Astros. We remember winning game 4 of the 2005 NLCS, and thinking how every win seemed impossible. So as we get back out there next week to take another shot at making Houston a baseball town, here’s to the Astros. May fate look our way and smile this year.
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