The Opposing Viewpoint: Houston Astros (Part 2)
by archivedposts on August 22, 2008
Welcome back to
The Opposing Viewpoint, the place to learn more about the Mets' opponents from the bloggers who write about them. The Mets began this homestand in thoroughly awesome fashion by sweeping the Braves, and now they'll look to get some payback against a team that swept them three weeks ago. The Astros have not gained any ground since the Mets were in Houston - they're still 14 games behind the Cubs and eight and a half back in the wild card race - but that's not to say they haven't been playing better. That sweep three weeks ago kicked off a stretch in which the Astros have won 14 of 20 despite an injury that ended the season for one of their big bats. Today's guest, Lisa Gray of MVN's
The Astros Dugout, discusses one of the unsung heroes of the rotation, the intrigue factor of this weekend's pitching matchups (beyond the obvious one), and one of the main reasons the Astros have kept going without their starting left fielder:
The Astros were on a hot streak when the Mets were in Houston three weeks ago, and they've been able to keep it going despite the recent season-ending injury to Carlos Lee. What has been the biggest factor in the team being able to withstand the loss of one of their best hitters?
the biggest factor was Ty Wigginton going on a hitting streak and hitting successfully with runners on base
[Editor's note: in the 11 games he has played in since Lee's injury, Wiggy has hit .452/.465/.905 with five home runs and 13 runs batted in.]
Generally speaking, a pitcher's performance will suffer when he goes from relieving to starting. That hasn't been the case for Brian Moehler this year, who has been something of a surprise as one of the Astros' more reliable starters. What, if anything, is Moehler doing differently from last year that might explain his success?
In the first half of last year, Moehler received only sporadic work, often waiting as much as 10 days between appearances, and the rustiness showed in a very high WHIP (1.64) and ERA (5.57). However, after the All-Star break, Rick White was released and Moehler took over his job, which led to his receiving steady work, at least every 3 days: this reduced his WHIP to 1.13 and his ERA to 2.30. This year, he made the team as a mopup guy, receiving only a few sporadic appearances, and his ERA suffered. When he was put into the rotation, he again did well with regular work. The real question is - why did he improve so significantly from 2006 in Florida? And I have no answer for that one.
Clearly, the marquee matchup of this series is the Johan Santana/Roy Oswalt showdown on Friday night. Which of the other three pitching matchups in this series is the most interesting to you? [Editor's Note: These questions were asked on Tuesday, and all answers were submitted prior to Wednesday's game.]
from what I can tell, we won't be facing Pedro Martinez, who appears to have found his stuff, so the most interesting pitcher is Oliver Perez, who is simply unpredictable. Maine and Pelfrey appear to be running on fumes.
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