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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?
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
Friday, September 16, 2011 @ 6:05 PM MT
Saturday, September 17, 2011 @ 5:05 PM MT
Sunday, September 18, 2011 @ 12:05 PM MT
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
Injuries