It's early. It's very early. By my estimation, the second Monday of the baseball season is far too early for any extreme emotion; be it panic, joy, or anything in between. There are still more than 150 games to be played in this young season, and even starting to draw conclusions is a dangerous game. That all being said, Zach Duke and the Houston Astros sure seemed to pass each other going in opposite directions this afternoon. On an emotional afternoon in Pittsburgh, where the Pirates opened PNC Park up for 2009 by wearing Pittsburgh Bureau of Police caps to memorialize the three officers killed in a shooting ten days ago, Duke went out and turned in his second straight good start of 2009, shutting out the Astros on just four hits over a complete game. After winning just five games in all of 2008, Duke's won his first two starts of '09 and allowed just one earned run in his first 15 1/3 innings.
The Astros, on the other hand, haven't scored a run since Saturday. In their past two games, they've been shut out by the dynamic duo of Duke and Kyle Lohse, and they're 1-6 this year. And they get to try and dig out of this hole with Mike Hampton on the mound on Wednesday. Monday, they used Russ Ortiz out of the bullpen and started Jason Michaels in center field. This team is a mess right now, but Drayton McLane and Ed Wade seem completely unwilling to admit it.
As for Duke, well, you've got to take his shutout with a Houston-sized grain of salt, but he's actually looked pretty good this year. His fastball has a little more velocity than it has the past few seasons, and his breaking ball seems to resemble the one that almost won him Rookie of the Year in 2005. Two starts does not a comeback make, but after spending three years as one of the most hittable pitchers in the National League, the Pirates must be heartened to see him turn things around a bit in his first two starts of 2009.
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
4-13-2009 @ 11:29PM
wdfisher57 said...
Its time for Drayton to figure out if he is going to be a legit baseball team onwer who actually is trying to field a winner, or just someone who is justwanting to keep the seats filled as another seasons comes a goes down the tubes. He needs to break open the checkbook and get some better talent and scouts or just go on and sell the team to some people who might be ready to try and bring a Chapionship to the city of Houston. The only resaon we aren't mentioned in the same sorry terms as the Cubs is that they have been there done that, we just wish we had. I have been following the team since I was a Colt 45s cub scout and one of the original Astros buddies, so i believe I am pretyy well knowledgeable of the situation I see. I have seen some very good teams in that time and I originally thought very highly of Drayton McClain. But since he fired the guy who asssmebled the Killer Bees teams its been hit or miss at best and it doesn't seem like he is building up or filling the minor league teams with decent prospects that will eventually be sent up to the major league squad and excel. Mediocrity has become the norm in the organization. Thats a shame and Houston deserves far better.
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