Astros close in on wild-card lead as Oswalt does it again
Twelve days ago, the Astros trailed the Brewers by 9 1/2 games in the National League wild-card race. They'd been playing terrific baseball for weeks, but it was getting them nowhere in the standings.
The turnaround
Stat First 73 games Last 74 games
W-L 33-40 47-27
ERA 4.54 4.09
Batting average .261 .269
Runs per game 4.41 4.64
When you would ask them about this, they had a simple answer. All they could do is take care of their own business. And that's what they've done.
Something remarkable has happened since then. The Astros have knocked 6 1/2 games off the Milwaukee lead in a span of 10 games. They now trail by just three, tied with the Phillies for second place. The Brewers have escorted the Astros back into the race by losing 8 of 11.
Three games is still a large deficit with 15 games to play. Every game remains critical. The Astros could be in first place this time next week. Or they could be eliminated.
Doesn't it feel like something magical is happening? The Astros came from nowhere to clinch a playoff berth on the final day of the season in 2004 and 2005. They were eliminated on the final day in 2006.
This is what Drayton McLane had in mind when he told his people that he had no idea of rebuilding. He wanted Ed Wade to add players, to make the Astros better, to not give up on 2007.
I'm one of the people that thought this was silly thinking, that Drayton was refusing to see the Astros for what they really were. Now we're down to the final 15 games and they're one of the most interesting teams in baseball. Weeks ago, I wrote about a 36-13 finish that would get them to 90 victories.
I didn't know if 90-72 would get them in the playoffs, but it would make this season a success when you consider how it played out. Now they only have to finish 10-5 to win 90.
I'm guessing 12-3 would get them in the playoffs. The Brewers are in free-fall, but they still have that 3-game cushion. Anyway, the Astros will take at least two days off after winning for the 14th time in 15 games Thursday night. They've also won 33 of 44.
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Roy Oswalt and Lance Berkman have never been appreciated the way great players should be. One reason is they've both been so amazingly consistent that they made it look easy.
When Oswalt was struggling earlier this season, I began an interview by saying, ''I have no idea what to ask. I've never seen you have trouble getting people out.''
I still have no idea why he was having the problems he was having. He didn't have great command of his curveball and couldn't locate his fastball. Those things had never happened before.
Some people talked about him trying to ''pitch to contact'' to save on his pitch count. That stuff was silly talk. PItching to contact was Phil Garner's idea, and a good one at that because it was designed to keep his pitch count down and allow him to go deeper into games.
Anyway, Oswalt is once more as dominant as any pitcher in the game. Amazingly, Berkman got some attention last season when he wasn't as good as he'd been in the past.
He's again one of the three best offensive players in the National League and no one is noticing him. Maybe that's the way it ought to be with greatness. Oswalt kept it going Thursday night by shutting out the Pirates for the first six innings, running his string to 32 1/3 innings, a club record.
He's one of many things that has gone right for the Astros in this remarkable run. Roy Oswalt became Roy Oswalt. He was 4-4 with a 5.61 ERA after 11 starts. In 18 starts since, he's 11-5 with a 2.37 ERA. In his last eight starters, he has been almost unhittable: 63.1 IP, 8 ER, 37 H, 11 BB, 42 Ks.
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From the Oswalt file...
• J.R. Richard's string of 31 consecutive shutout innings had stood for 28 years.
• Oswalt is the first big league pitcher to throw back-to-back complete-game shutouts in 2008. Brandon Webb was the last to do it when he threw three in a row Aug. 5-17, 2007.
• The last Astro to do it was Randy Johnson in August, 1998.
