Astros loaded on the mound going into playoffs ---AP

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And if the Road Warrior says it, it must be true..
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MLB Wed, Oct 5, 2005
Astros loaded on the mound going into playoffs
Associated Press

ATLANTA -- Roy Oswalt has two straight 20-win seasons.

With the Houston Astros, those credentials are good enough to get him a start in Game 3 of the NL division series.

``If I had one other guy to add to this rotation, it would be Cy Young,`` manager Phil Garner said. ``It would be hard to get him here now, I guess. But, nonetheless, I feel pretty good about it.``

Indeed, the Astros are absolutely loaded on the mound. Andy Pettitte (17-9), who will pitch Wednesday`s opener in the best-of-five series against the Atlanta Braves, was second in the league with an ERA of 2.39.

The leader? Teammate Roger Clemens (13-8, 1.87), the future Hall of Famer who will start on Thursday.

Oswalt (20-12, 2.94) won`t go until Saturday, when the series shifts to Texas, despite the NL`s seventh-best ERA and another 20-win season.

``Anytime you have a short series, if you have good pitching, you have got to feel comfortable about it,`` Garner said. ``We`ve had good pitching. There`s absolutely no question about it.``

The Braves have had that sort of pitching going into past postseasons, but they look a little shakier this year. Beyond closer Kyle Farnsworth, the bullpen is a mess. Dan Kolb, a former all-star who started the season as the closer, didn`t even make the 25-man roster.

As for the starting rotation, John Smoltz would have been a logical choice to start Game 1, but he`s been bothered by a stiff shoulder. So, the winningest pitcher in postseason history will be held back until Game 2.

Tim Hudson (14-9) will start the opener against Pettitte.

After Tuesday`s workout, Smoltz slipped out of the Braves` clubhouse through a side door, hoping to avoid reporters camped out by his locker. He walked all the way to the parking lot before finally stopping by his car.

``Everybody`s putting me in a coffin,`` Smoltz said. ``All I`ve got is a stiff shoulder. It`s not that big a deal.``

Manager Bobby Cox waited until the Braves were traveling home from their final regular-season game before revealing his plans to those involved. He called it a precautionary move, giving the team some flexibility in case Smoltz`s shoulder acts up again.

``John is not 100 percent. But if he`s 95 percent, that`s good enough,`` Cox said. ``He is feeling good. He`s thrown a lot in between this time (since his last start). He doesn`t really ache or anything like that. It`s just a matter of locating his fastball a little bit better.``

The wear and tear of pitching a team-high 229 2-3 innings apparently got to Smoltz late in the season. He pushed back one start a couple of days, then sat out the last nine days of the regular season to rest for the playoffs.

Even though Smoltz (14-7) felt better during a bullpen session on Sunday, Cox wanted some assurance that his opening-day pitcher could come back on three days` rest for Game 4, if the Braves faced a must-win situation.

Hudson was a pretty good backup choice, having pitched in four division series for Oakland.

``I`m not exactly chopped liver,`` he said. ``I don`t feel like their settling for me going in the first game. It really doesn`t matter who goes first and who goes second.``

While Hudson`s postseason resume - 1-2 with a 3.44 ERA in six starts - hardly matches up to Smoltz`s numbers, the Braves have plenty of confidence in the 30-year-old right-hander.

``To me, it`s just another bullet in our belt,`` second baseman Marcus Giles said. ``We have just as much confidence in Huddy as we do in John. Huddy has pitched in a lot of big games. I don`t look at this as a bad situation.

``And if we get Game 1 under our belt,`` Giles added, ``look who we`ve got going in Game 2.``

Atlanta captured its 14th straight division title while in the midst of a youth movement. Eight rookies made the postseason roster, led by 21-year-old phenom Jeff Francoeur.

The Braves believe all those kids might help them overcome their history of postseason failure. Since the streak of division crowns began in 1991, they`ve managed only one World Series championship. The last three seasons ended with opening-round losses in Game 5 at Turner Field.

In fact, it was Houston that knocked out the Braves a year ago.

``That youthful ignorance can be a good thing,`` Hudson said. ``These guys don`t know about winning 14 in a row. They`re 1-for-1. This is their first chance to win a World Series.``
 

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If you had a team of all cy young award winners and one armed players as your offense how many games would you win?
 

And if the Road Warrior says it, it must be true..
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89 would be my guess.....:toast:
 

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