Know Your Foe #52: Really Bad Rockies Head to Houston to Face Really, Really Bad Astros

by Bryan Kilpatrick on Sep 22, 2011 2:01 PM MDT in Know Your Foe

Houston Astros (53-102 / 6th in the NL Central / Eliminated)

2011 Record vs. Colorado: 0-3 (17 runs scored, 24 runs allowed)

Last Series vs. Rockies: August 22-24 (L 0-3 at Coors Field)

The Rockies did not waste any time getting to Houston starter Brett Myers, as they put up six runs in the first inning while cruising out to a 9-1 lead before the Astros made it uncomfortable in the final frame. the Rox used six hits (including four doubles) and a walk in that opening inning while sending ten batters to the plate. Carlos Gonzalez homered and Chris Nelson hit a two run single to get the Rox an eight-run lead, but Houston put up four in the ninth inning to at least make it respectable. Colorado would win 9-5. Not surprisingly, Matt Downs hit a three-run pinch-hit homer.

In game two, Jonathan Herrera hit a go-ahead two-run homer in the seventh inning to take Alex White off the hook in his Rockies debut, and Matt Belisle and Rex Brothers kept the Astros off the board in securing the victory for their club. Seth Smith homered for Colorado as well, while Jimmy Paredes and Carlos Lee went deep off of White for Houston.

The Rockies were able to finish off the sweep by winning 7-6 in ten innings. Troy Tulowtzki scored the winning run on a wild pitch by former Rockies farmhand Aneury Rodriguez. Clint Barmes homered for Houston , while Gonzalez and Tulowitzki went deep for Colorado. This game marked the Rockies' fifth straight victory, and that streak actually convinced more than a few baseball pundits to entertain the idea of the Rox making another crazy late-season run. Silly people.

Latest Series Results: L 1-2 at Chicago (NL), L 1-2 at Cincinnati

Your 2011 Astros' leader in fWAR?

Clint Barmes

#12 / Short Stop / Houston Astros

Height: 6-1

Weight: 205

Bats: R

Throws: R

Born: Mar 06, 1979

	AVG	OBP	SLG
2011 - Clint Barmes	.248	.318	.389

This speaks to not only just how bad the Astros really are (especially post-Michael Bourn and Hunter Pence), but also how downright solid Barmes has been this season.

While Carlos Lee leads the club in most offensive categories as well as rWAR, Barmes has used great defense (12.4 UZR/150) and about average offense (97 wRC+) to compile fWAR and rWAR figures of 3.2. Especially considering how well Felipe Paulino has performed in Kansas City, the Barmes trade is extremely underrated as far as how bad it was for the Rockies.

Speaking of pleasant surprises, utility man Matt Downs has been very good in Houston, as the 27-year-old former Giant has posted a 138 wRC+ in 210 plate appearances. He has been especially awesome as a pinch-hitter, with a .341/.460/.659 line in 50 PA's in that role. At the very worst, Downs has surely earned himself a spot on Houston's 2012 opening day roster.

Houston's best pitcher has been Bud Norris, who the Rockies may or may not see on Sunday. Norris, while just 6-11, has a 3.71 xFIP and impressive strikeout and walk rates. Wandy Rodriguez boasts nearly identical peripherals, but has five more wins to his credit.

The usual stuff after the jump...

Thursday through Sunday: 4-game series at Minute Maid Park

Expected Pitching Matchups

Thursday, September 15, 2011 @ 6:05 PM MT

	W-L	G	GS	CG	SHO	SV	BS	IP	H	R	ER	HR	BB	K	ERA	WHIP
2011 - Alex White	2-2	5	5	0	0	0	0	27.2	36	27	26	11	14	17	8.46	1.81

	W-L	G	GS	CG	SHO	SV	BS	IP	H	R	ER	HR	BB	K	ERA	WHIP
2011 - Henry Sosa	2-5	8	8	0	0	0	0	43.2	40	23	23	6	20	33	4.74	1.37

Friday, September 16, 2011 @ 6:05 PM MT

	W-L	G	GS	CG	SHO	SV	BS	IP	H	R	ER	HR	BB	K	ERA	WHIP
2011 - Drew Pomeranz	1-0	2	2	0	0	0	0	10.2	6	2	2	0	4	7	1.69	.94

	W-L	G	GS	CG	SHO	SV	BS	IP	H	R	ER	HR	BB	K	ERA	WHIP
2011 - Brett Myers	6-13	32	31	2	0	0	0	205.0	212	108	100	31	55	151	4.39	1.30

Saturday, September 17, 2011 @ 5:05 PM MT

	W-L	G	GS	CG	SHO	SV	BS	IP	H	R	ER	HR	BB	K	ERA	WHIP
2011 - Jason Hammel	7-13	32	26	0	0	1	0	163.1	172	98	88	20	67	91	4.85	1.46

	W-L	G	GS	CG	SHO	SV	BS	IP	H	R	ER	HR	BB	K	ERA	WHIP
2011 - J.A. Happ	6-15	28	27	0	0	0	0	149.1	154	101	91	21	79	129	5.48	1.56

Sunday, September 18, 2011 @ 12:05 PM MT

	W-L	G	GS	CG	SHO	SV	BS	IP	H	R	ER	HR	BB	K	ERA	WHIP
2011 - Kevin Millwood	3-3	8	8	0	0	0	0	47.1	55	25	24	9	7	30	4.56	1.31

	W-L	G	GS	CG	SHO	SV	BS	IP	H	R	ER	HR	BB	K	ERA	WHIP
2011 - TBA	0-0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0.00	0.00

Team Stats - Hitting

Name	AVG	OBP	SLG	wRC+	HR	RBI	WAR
Clint Barmes	.248	.318	.389	97	11	37	3.2
Carlos Lee	.276	.338	.450	116	18	86	3.0
Brian Bogusevic	.282	.341	.456	119	4	15	1.8
J.D. Martinez	.281	.328	.443	110	6	33	1.6
Matt Downs	.278	.352	.508	138	9	34	1.3
Jason Bourgeois	.297	.326	.358	104	1	15	1.3
Jimmy Paredes	.299	.331	.403	103	2	16	0.7
Jordan Schafer	.250	.324	.326	93	1	5	0.3
Angel Sanchez	.237	.298	.281	65	1	25	0.3
Jose Altuve	.266	.283	.357	76	2	12	0.2
J.B. Shuck	.246	.347	.277	84	0	2	0.2
Humberto Quintero	.249	.267	.329	60	2	25	0.2
J.R. Towles	.187	.267	.306	58	3	10	0.0
Brett Wallace	.260	.335	.364	94	4	26	-0.3
Jason Michaels	.199	.256	.295	52	2	10	-0.4
Carlos Corporan	.192	.257	.258	36	0	11	-0.5
Chris Johnson	.251	.289	.383	81	7	40	-0.8

Team Stats - Pitching

Name	W	L	K/9	BB/9	ERA	xFIP	WAR
Bud Norris	6	11	8.52	3.39	3.77	3.71	1.7
Wandy Rodriguez	11	11	7.99	3.22	3.51	3.68	1.4
Brett Myers	6	13	6.63	2.41	4.39	3.78	1.1
Mark Melancon	7	4	7.93	3.33	2.94	3.21	0.6
Wilton Lopez	2	6	7.18	2.26	2.93	3.36	0.5
Jordan Lyles	2	7	6.31	2.23	5.24	4.07	0.3
Fernando Rodriguez	2	3	10.22	4.38	2.74	3.68	0.3
J.A. Happ	6	15	7.77	4.76	5.48	4.58	0.1
Lucas Harrell	0	1	7.00	6.00	2.00	4.30	0.1
Wesley Wright	0	0	9.00	4.09	0.82	3.29	0.1
Juan Abreu	0	0	19.64	4.91	2.45	3.09	0.0
Xavier Cedeno	0	0	0.00	0.00	0.00	4.89	0.0
Lance Pendleton	0	0	27.00	0.00	27.00	6.02	0.0
Henry Sosa	2	5	6.80	4.12	4.74	4.46	0.0
David Carpenter	1	3	9.00	4.50	3.38	4.32	-0.2
Aneury Rodriguez	1	6	6.94	3.31	5.07	4.64	-0.3
Enerio Del Rosario	0	2	5.29	5.12	4.24	4.48	-0.3

Closer

	W-L	G	GS	CG	SHO	SV	BS	IP	H	R	ER	HR	BB	K	ERA	WHIP
2011 - Mark Melancon	7-4	68	0	0	0	19	5	70.1	63	28	23	5	26	62	2.94	1.27

Injuries

Houston Astros Injuries

Doubtful

Player	Injury Type	Injury Date
Bud Norris	shoulder	09/21/2011

60 Day DL / Out for the season

Player	Injury Type	Injury Date
Alberto Arias	shoulder	03/22/2011
Brandon Lyon	biceps	06/14/2011
Sergio Escalona	ankle	09/09/2011
Jason Castro	knee	03/22/2011

Tweet Comment 8 comments | 0 recs |

Do you like this story?

Comments

"the Barmes trade has been extremely underrated as far as how bad it was for the Rockies"

Thank You for saying this!. We haven’t upgraded that position.

In all things, it is better to hope than despair.

by butterfly on Sep 22, 2011 4:03 PM MDT reply actions

At the time it did not look bad at all

At the time they traded him, Barmes was perceived by most to be the weakest link in the lineup. It’s good that he made a turnaround since. But at that time it seemed like a very good step. Right?

The Rox have done worse this year on player trades and acquisitions than the Barmes deal.

by Real Perspective on Sep 22, 2011 4:08 PM MDT up reply actions

The Barmes deal wasn't bad at all at the time, I agree

I mean, he was a legitimate non-tender candidate. However, it still looks bad in hindsight. I’m not saying the Rockies made a bad decision, I’m just saying it looks bad.

Just an average guy with exceptional hair. Nothing more, nothing less.
Bear Naked - My thoughts on sports, music, and life.

by Bryan Kilpatrick on Sep 22, 2011 4:18 PM MDT up reply actions

Good point!

by Real Perspective on Sep 22, 2011 5:44 PM MDT up reply actions

There is still some hope

The Rox really aren’t bad. They just haven’t won any baseball games for a while. Fortunately they get to play the Astros next. And they will have some more opportunities in a few days to beat the Gints. All is not lost!

Shucks, we just need to reset our expectations!

by Real Perspective on Sep 22, 2011 4:04 PM MDT reply actions