Oh My Goodness
All I can say is Oh My Goodness. Well, I was quoting Shirley Temple on that.
Here is what Jose De Jesus Ortiz from the Houston Chronicle
A heady move by Lance Berkman proved crucial as the Astros beat the Milwaukee Brewers 1-0 in the bottom of the ninth Wednesday night on Aubrey Huff's walk-off groundout to first.
Mike Lamb got the Astros' winning rally started with a one-out single to right field. Craig Biggio followed with a single through the right side, putting runners at the corners. Righthander Jose Capellan, who took over in the eighth after seven stellar innings from Dave Bush, intentionally walked Berkman to load the bases.
Huff followed with a grounder to first. And once first baseman Jeff Cirillo stepped on the first base bag, the force play was off at home. Berkman reacted quickly and returned to first without being tagged for what would have been the third out. Meanwhile, Lamb sprinted home to give the Astros their first five-game winning streak of the season.
Andy Pettitte will take the mound Thursday night trying to complete the three-game sweep against Milwaukee lefthander Doug Davis in the series finale.
By collecting the victory before a crowd of 35,021 at Minute Maid Park, the Astros remain three games behind behind the National League wild card-leading San Diego Padres, who beat Arizona 4-1.
Roger Clemens held the Brewers to three hits and two walks with nine strikeouts over seven scoreless innings. Bush countered with seven scoreless innings, giving up only two hits with four strikeouts.
Bush, who was lifted for pinch hitter Geoff Jenkins in the eighth, threw 51 of his 82 pitches for strikes. Clemens threw 63 of his 103 pitches for strikes.
Cirillo led off the seventh with a bloop single to center field where Willy Taveras almost made the diving catch. With Cirillo in motion, the Brewers avoided the double play when Tony Graffanino followed with a groundout to short. After Bill Hall struck out, Laynce Nix reached safely on a strikeout-wild pitch. Cirillo reached third when the wild pitch rolled toward the left side of the backstop. Kevin Mench loaded the bases with a walk. After getting ahead of the David Bell 0-2, Clemens sent two fastballs up and out of the strike zone. Bell didn't bite. The next fastball was in the zone, but Bell fouled it to the right side.
Clemens challenged with another 2-2 fastball, and Bell fouled that one back. Bell filled the count when he took a splitter inside, which was similar to the pitch that was called for strike two. At 3-2, Clemens came into the zone with a fastball. Bell ripped it for a sinking line drive into the gap in right-center field.
Taveras sprinted in and to his left before making the diving catch to end the inning, drawing a roar from the crowd and the appreciation of his teammates. When Taveras returned to the dugout, Clemens was waiting to greet him by roughing him up back and forth with delight.
Playing with a sore neck a night after he was drilled twice by Brewers starter Tomo Ohka — once in the left side and another in the neck — Taveras starred defensively. With one out in the fourth, he fielded Cirillo's double off the wall in left-center field. Throwing a one-hopper from near the warning track, Taveras nailed Cirillo at third trying to stretch the double into a triple.
In the sixth, he made a tremendous sprint toward the warning track in left-center to catch Bush's line drive. The stakes were much higher when Taveras made the diving catch to end the seventh.
The Brewers threatened again in the eighth when righthander Dan Wheeler took over for Clemens. After striking out Damian Miller to start the inning, Wheeler walked Jenkins. Corey Hart followed with a single. Wheeler escaped by inducing Cirillo's foul pop out to the catcher and Graffanino's fly out to shallow center.
Brad Lidge pitched in and out of trouble in the ninth. Nix hit a one-out single through the right side. Mench followed with a slow roller toward the mound, reaching safely after Lidge committed an error trying to field the ball. Lidge missed the ball with his glove and then couldn't grab it and turned around to throw to first.
Lidge atoned by inducing Bell's fly out to left and Miller's groundout to short, keeping the game scoreless.
Copyright 2006 Houston Chronicle
Well Spot had a kick ass time. We saw two bats broken and a drunk 2 year old kid.
According to MLB.com:
HOUSTON -- Debate was swirling in the Astros clubhouse Tuesday night minutes after Aubrey Huff plated Mike Lamb in the ninth inning for the game-winning run in a 1-0 victory over the Brewers.
The question Astros players wanted answered: How was Huff's game-winner scored?
"Is it a fielder's choice?" Huff asked.
"It's a fielder's ... something," Lamb replied.
Actually, Huff was credited with a walk-off RBI groundout. No joke. He came to the plate with the bases loaded and one out in the ninth against reliever Jose Capellan and scorched a hard grounder down the first-base line.
Brewers first baseman Jeff Cirillo made the stab, dove toward the bag for the forceout and fired a throw to the plate. Fortunately for the Astros, the out at first eliminated the force at home, where Lamb beat catcher Damian Miller's tag.
Confusing? Just a bit. Let manager Phil Garner, whose club extended its winning streak to a season-high five games, try to explain.
"In case you guys didn't understand that last play, I'll explain it to you," he said. "We've been working on it a lot in Spring Training, and we finally got in a situation to use it tonight."
Funny, Phil. The Astros had to resort to a win in their last at-bat this time because they couldn't get the bats going over the first eight frames against right-hander Dave Bush and Capellan.
The Astros mustered only two hits -- Lance Berkman's second-inning single and Craig Biggio's fourth-inning double -- against Bush. Fortunately, right-hander Roger Clemens was just as good, tossing seven scoreless innings of his own.
Clemens surrendered just three hits, two walks and matched a season high with nine strikeouts. He was also the beneficiary of a few nifty defensive plays, including one by center fielder Willy Taveras in the seventh.
In that inning, the Rocket loaded the bases with two outs and was facing David Bell. Eventually, Clemens forced him to line a pitch to shallow center, where Taveras made a diving catch to keep the game scoreless.
"I really enjoy seeing [Taveras] out there because I know if I get behind the eight ball, I can pretty much challenge somebody," Clemens said. "I know that if they hit it in the air for any period of time, he's going to run it down."
Although Clemens did his part on the mound, the Astros were still left searching for the game's elusive first run. In the ninth, they moved toward it.
Lamb and Biggio singled to right off Capellan with one out, and Berkman was intentionally walked to load the bases for Huff.
And thus, with Berkman, the clubhouse banter continues. On the play, Berkman simply stood around first as Cirillo fielded Huff's liner.
No running, just standing. And that's a no-no for Jeff Bagwell, who visited the club and took part in the debate afterward.
"If he tags your leg and tags the bag, it's a double play," Bagwell told Berkman. "You have to run."
"It's worse if he hits a line drive and I don't get back," Berkman responded.
"He didn't hit a line drive," Bagwell chimed back.
Even Garner poked fun at Berkman with reporters.
"With Berkman standing there confused by the first baseman, you've got to think it's all fun-and-games for Berkman," Garner said. "But he had [Cirillo] confused."
The play was just as confusing for Huff, who only remembers his teammates rushing toward him with high-fives.
"I honestly thought he caught it on a line, touched first and doubled me up," he said. "I didn't know if it bounced, but we'll take it the way we were swinging it tonight."
Lamb didn't know what to think, either, and he can't recall a stranger way to win a game.
"I don't think I've ever seen anything like it," he said. "That was weird."
OK kids, you be safe,
Jack
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