2009 Astros Newsletter, Issue 3

Month in Review:

Preseason Prediction: In the Chronicle's preseason preview, they made the
following prediction about May:

"Interleague play is considerably kinder than it was last year, when the Astros
faced two eventual playoff teams in Boston and Tampa Bay and also the Yankees,
who swept them. The downside for the ballclub is that you can't raise ticket
prices for Detroit and Kansas City.
Prediction: 15-12"

Actual Performance: Last year, the month of June was the death of the Astros
who, though 3 games above .500 going into the month, never recovered from the
abysmal 10-16 record they posted. This year, the Astros were 8 games below .500
coming into the month of June and responded by having their best month of the
season and elevating themselves back into the midst of the race for the Central
Division.
Record for the Month: 16-11.

Team Stats (season):
Batting: Runs/Game: 4.16 (13th in NL), Avg. .266 (4th in NL) OBP .328 (9th in
NL), SB 49 (6th in NL), HR 63 (11th in NL)
Pitching: ERA 4.45 (7th in NL), HR Allowed 92 (3rd Most in NL), 551 K's (7th in
NL)
Fielding: Errors 37 (3rd Fewest in NL), Fielding % .987 (3rd Best in NL) Double
Plays 80 (3rd in NL), % of Runner Caught Stealing 28% (8th in NL).
Average Attendance: 29,568 (12th in MLB)

Astros Offense: The Astros offense was sporadic throughout the month of June.
The offense was incredible on some days and anemic on other days. Nevertheless,
the offense usually managed to find a way to score just enough runs to get the
job done. Eleven of the Astros 16 wins were by 2 runs or less.
Not many batter enjoyed June. Lance Berkman was certainly happy to see the
month of June arrive. Berkman batted .318 for the month with 7 home runs and
even added 5 stolen bases. And, Bourn maintained his consistency batting .306
with 9 stolen bases to increase his National League lead.
Tejada was not quite as impressive although his .298 average is certainly not
anything of which to be ashamed. Likewise, Carlos Lee watched his average drop
from .349 in May to .287 in June, but saw his RBI's increase from 12 in May to
16 in June. But, the biggest struggles in June were faced by Pence and Pudge.
Pence batted a mere .258 for the month and struck out twice as many times as he
walked. Pudge Rodriguez batted just .219.

Astros Starting Pitching: Although the offense struggled, the Astros saw their
pitching come to life in June with amazing results. After having one of the
worst months of his career in May, Oswalt pulled together for a 3-2 record with
a 3.12 ERA in June, including pitching complete games in 2 of his last 3 starts.
Unfortunately, while Oswalt went up, the other Astros ace went down. Wandy
Rodriguez posted a disappointing 5.90 ERA with a 1-2 record, although he did
manage to post quality starts in 2 of his 5 outings.
Moehler also suffered a disappointing month as his 3 starts in which he gave up
3 or fewer earned runs were marred by the poor start against the Cubs in which
he gave up 5 runs in 3 innings. He still managed to escape the month with a 2-1
record, though.
Despite spending most of the month of the disabled list, Mike Hampton managed to
post impressive numbers for the month of June. In his three starts, Hampton
posted a 2.50 ERA despite a 1-1 record. Paulino also had a revival after coming
back from an injury by posting a 2.45 ERA in 3 starts in the month of June. But,
the winner of the best performance for the month belongs to Russ Ortiz. Russ
Ortiz came back out of the bullpen to post a 1.91 ERA in 4 starts, despite not
getting a win as a starter.

Astros Bullpen: The Astros bullpen was supposed to be the strength of the team
and many of the bullpen pitchers shined in June. Nevertheless, blown saves
still haunted the Astros and many late leads were lost and the bullpen faltered
at critical moments. In fact, all three of the Astros last 3 losses in the month
were blown saves by the bullpen.
Chris Sampson remained durable, pitching in 14 of the Astros 27 games and
giving up runs in only 2 appearances. LaTroy Hawkins continued to star in the
bullpen posting a 2.62 ERA with 4 saves in 5 chances. Even more impressive were
the newbies Fulchino and Arias/ Fulchino posted a 0.79 ERA for 11 innings in 8
appearances, including 3 shutout innings against the Cubs to claim the win in a
13-inning victory against the Cubs. Arias was even better, pitching 11 innings
without giving up a single run and only 5 hits. He did have some problems with
walks, however, giving up 8 walks in 11 innings.

While not as impressive as Fulchino or Arias, Byrdak also posted a good month
with a 3.38 ERA in 12 appearances. Despite two blown saves, Valverde was still
solid after returning from the DL by converting 4 out of 6 save opportunities
and posting a 2.16 ERA. Even Wesley Wright was solid during his brief return
from Triple-A as he pitched 5 shutout innings before being sent back down.
Unfortunately, with so much success among many of the relievers, there has been
little room for those relievers who are struggling, as Brandon Backe experience
when the Astros release him after a disappointing month where he posted an
10.00+ ERA in 8 innings of relief.

Minor League Report:
For those who don't keep up well with what goes on in the Minors, here is a
brief look at how the minor league teams are doing and a brief look at a few
notable players.

Round Rock Express (Triple-A): 36-43 4.0 GB .
Best Hitter: Bogusevic OF, .274, 5 HR, 35 RBI, 38 Runs, .740 OPS.
Best Pitcher: Bud Norris SP, 3-6 2.52 ERA, 93 IP, 92 K.

Corpus Christi Hooks (Double-A): 4-2 0 GB.
Best Hitter: Andrew Locke LF, .325, 11 HR, 72 RBI, 142 Total Bases
Best Pitcher: P. Trinidad SP, 7-5 2.94 ERA, 82.2 IP, 1.17 WHIP, 53 K.

Lancaster JetHawks (Class-A Advanced): 28-49 19 GB.
Best Hitter: Johnathan Gaston, .312, 57 RBI, 18 HR, 1.049 OPS
Best Pitcher: Jordan Powell RP, 4-1 3.64 ERA, 47 IP, 26 K, 2 Sv.

Lexington Legends (Class-A): 24-45 20.5 GB.
Best Hitter: Cusick Matthew 2B, .285 Avg. , .356 OBP, 9 HR, 38 RBI, 8 SB.
Best Pitcher: Sergio Severino SP, 3-3 2.66 ERA, 1.14 WHIP, 50.2 IP, 54 K.

Tri-City ValleyCats (Class-A) 27-42 11 GB
Best Hitter: Phil Disher 1B, .306, 12 HR, 49 RBI, .379 OBP, .911 OPS.
Best Pitcher: Philip Rummel RP, 3-1. 1.91 ERA, 37.2 IP, 31 K, 1.12 WHIP

Greenville Astros (Rookie League): 30-36 11 GB.
Best Hitter: Albert Cartwright 2B, .306 Avg, 52 TB, 13 SB, .840 OPS.
Best Pitcher: Jose Trinidad SP, 3-2, 2.73 ERA, 1.13 WHIP, 56 IP, 40 K.