Astros look for payback time with Rangers

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And if the Road Warrior says it, it must be true..
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By JOSE DE JESUS ORTIZ
Copyright 2005 Houston Chronicle

It would be a tremendous understatement to say Phil Garner and his Astros were embarrassed by the Rangers from May 20-22 in Arlington.
The Rangers essentially planted the Lone Star Series' Silver Boot all over the Astros while sweeping the three-game series by a combined score of 27-6 at Ameriquest Field.

"We need a new blood bath in South Texas, theirs," said Garner, who will get his shot this weekend at Minute Maid Park when the Astros open a three-game series tonight against the Rangers.

It will be a long time before the Astros forget the abuse they suffered in Arlington last month.

After losing the first game of that three-game interleague series, 7-3, the Astros' pitching completely broke down in a historic 18-3 loss in the second game. The Rangers completed the sweep with a 2-0 victory over Roy Oswalt, who settled for the loss because his teammates couldn't score on Chan Ho Park.

"Yeah, it bothers me," Garner said of the sweep. "They beat the snot out of us up there. We need to return the favor."

On May 21, the Rangers set a franchise record with eight home runs, which were the most ever hit by one team in interleague play and the most home runs ever given up in a game by the Astros.

The Astros had never given up more than six home runs in a game, and the Rangers had never hit more than seven.

Even without remembering the exact score, the May 21 rout remains fresh on Garner's mind.

"What sticks in my mind is a bunch of rockets going all over the ballpark," he said. "I mean, they were hitting the ball all over the place. I lost count of the scores, but for three days they were hitting some pretty good balls. That's what sticks in my mind. We need a payback."

The three-game sweep in Arlington was part of a seven-game losing streak, which wasn't snapped until the Astros beat the Cubs 5-1 three days later to avoid their second consecutive sweep.

Since snapping that seven-game losing streak, Garner has led the Astros back toward respectability.

The Astros fell a season-high 15 games under .500 on May 24, with twice as many losses as victories (15-30). Since then, they are 16-9 for their best stretch of the season.

Ezequiel Astacio, who started the 18-3 debacle, landed back at Class AAA Round Rock on June 1. The anemic offense is starting to gel with Morgan Ensberg and Lance Berkman beginning to carry the middle of the order and Jason Lane starting to live up to his expectations.

Shortstop Adam Everett also has been tremendously efficient with his hits, making most of them count.

Since May 25, Berkman is hitting .310 with five doubles, three home runs and 16 RBIs over 25 games. In that same span, Everett is hitting .256 with five doubles, two home runs and 14 RBIs.

Center fielder Willy Taveras, one of the top contenders for the National League Rookie of the Year award, is hitting .326 with 13 runs scored, one home run and two RBIs since May 25. Ensberg is hitting only .247 since May 25, but in that span he leads the team with nine home runs, 23 RBIs and 15 walks.

Lane has five home runs and 12 RBIs while hitting .254 since May 25. Craig Biggio, who started off strong and earned a promotion to the No. 3 spot in the lineup, is hitting .224 with no home runs and seven RBIs since the Astros began turning their season around on May 25.

Biggio recently landed back in the No. 2 spot, where his skills are better suited as Berkman takes over the weight of hitting in the No. 3 spot. Ensberg has moved up to the cleanup spot and Lane is batting fifth.

Suddenly, opposing pitchers don't necessarily catch a break if they pitch around Berkman or Ensberg.

"I think we're definitely a different team than we were a month ago," said Ensberg, who has arguably been the Astros' most valuable player this year with a team-high 17 home runs. "I think what you're seeing is that guys are becoming more comfortable with their roles.

"Of course, we don't want to single out just specifically the Rangers, but we're seeing a month of time. I also know they've been playing well and they've got a tremendous lineup. I think we'll also be facing a tremendous team."

There's no doubt the Rangers are one of the elite teams in the American League West, but Garner and his Astros expect to give a stiffer challenge this time around.
 

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I DON'T KNOW HOW YOU CAN LAY THAT KIND OF JUICE ON A TEAM LIKE HOUSTON. I DON'T CARE WHAT THE REVENGE FACTOR IS. GOOD LUCK TO YOU ANYWAY. ON TO THE BASH.

THE DUDE:)>)~ :party:
 

And if the Road Warrior says it, it must be true..
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richdude57 said:
I DON'T KNOW HOW YOU CAN LAY THAT KIND OF JUICE ON A TEAM LIKE HOUSTON. I DON'T CARE WHAT THE REVENGE FACTOR IS. GOOD LUCK TO YOU ANYWAY. ON TO THE BASH.

THE DUDE:)>)~ :party:

HOU R OSWALT -R -1.53
<TABLE cellSpacing=1 cellPadding=2 width="100%" border=0><TBODY><TR><TD class=matchupSubHeader colSpan=12>Starter Statistics</TD></TR><TR><TD class=matchupSubHeader> </TD><TD class=matchupSubHeader>ERA</TD><TD class=matchupSubHeader>WHIP</TD><TD class=matchupSubHeader>W-L</TD><TD class=matchupSubHeader>G</TD><TD class=matchupSubHeader>IP</TD><TD class=matchupSubHeader>IP/S</TD><TD class=matchupSubHeader>R</TD><TD class=matchupSubHeader>ER</TD><TD class=matchupSubHeader>H</TD><TD class=matchupSubHeader>HR</TD><TD class=matchupSubHeader>BB</TD><TD class=matchupSubHeader>SO</TD></TR><TR><TD class=matchupCells>All Starts</TD><TD class=matchupCells>2.72</TD><TD class=matchupCells>1.094</TD><TD class=matchupCells>8-7</TD><TD class=matchupCells>15</TD><TD class=matchupCells>106</TD><TD class=matchupCells>7.1</TD><TD class=matchupCells>35</TD><TD class=matchupCells>32</TD><TD class=matchupCells>92</TD><TD class=matchupCells>7</TD><TD class=matchupCells>24</TD><TD class=matchupCells>74</TD></TR><TR><TD class=matchupCells>Home Starts</TD><TD class=matchupCells>2.12</TD><TD class=matchupCells>0.922</TD><TD class=matchupCells>6-1</TD><TD class=matchupCells>7</TD><TD class=matchupCells>51</TD><TD class=matchupCells>7.3</TD><TD class=matchupCells>13</TD><TD class=matchupCells>12</TD><TD class=matchupCells>37</TD><TD class=matchupCells>4</TD><TD class=matchupCells>10</TD><TD class=matchupCells>28</TD></TR><TR><TD class=matchupCells>Last 3 Starts</TD><TD class=matchupCells>1.52</TD><TD class=matchupCells>0.972</TD><TD class=matchupCells>2-1</TD><TD class=matchupCells>3</TD><TD class=matchupCells>23.7</TD><TD class=matchupCells>7.9</TD><TD class=matchupCells>4</TD><TD class=matchupCells>4</TD><TD class=matchupCells>21</TD><TD class=matchupCells>0</TD><TD class=matchupCells>2</TD><TD class=matchupCells>14</TD><TD class=matchupCells>2-1</TD><TD class=matchupCells>+1</TD><TD class=matchupCells>1-2</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>

take it every time.....lol
 

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That tag-out at home was probably a good thing for our under. I am very satisfied w/ 2-0 HOU. Watching Max?
 

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HOU & UNDER!! Woohoo!! Parlay hits BIG TIME... THANKS for the article max, it was a great encouragement to pick it!
 

And if the Road Warrior says it, it must be true..
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Leritu said:
HOU & UNDER!! Woohoo!! Parlay hits BIG TIME... THANKS for the article max, it was a great encouragement to pick it!

Congrats on the parlay :toast:
I took Hou -2.5 +2.50, no score 1st inning (parlayed w/ no score pit/stl 1st inning) and hou run line 1st 5 innings.....was watching at a bar last night.
I needed that extra run in the bot 8th w/ 2 outs to get that $$$:103631605
 

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