Power Pros Forum

HOUSTON ASTROS (0-0) @ SAN DIEGO PADRES (0-0)

POUNDING ON PEAVY: Stros Knock Stud Out In 6th, Win By 6

SAN DIEGO--Hunter Pence's line score writes its own article. 3-for-4, two hits off Padres pitching star Jake Peavy. One home run, off Peavy. Four RBIs, three off Peavy. It's safe to say that Pence had Peavy's number in the 5.1 innings Peavy pitched, as did most everybody else in the Astros lineup. The only starter not to enter the hit column on Monday was none other than Jake's pitching rival for the night, Roy Oswalt. He went 0-3 on the night.

Besides that bad 6th inning, you could argue that Oswalt and Peavy went neck and neck until Peavy was yanked. Oswalt lost an early perfecto bid with one out in the fifth off a home run by Edmonds to dead-center field. Miguel Tejada drove in a run for Houston in the next frame, and as soon as Pence got in the box, the game was essentially over and done with.

Alas, the contest was still young. Kouzmanoff had a ribbie for the Padres in the seventh, but not before Lee, Tejada, and Pence would each add an RBI single to their respective line scores. In the top of the ninth, Carlos Lee would get another RBI, driving in himself with a home run down the right field line that would be the 1500th hit of his career.

As for the pitchers, Oswalt would toss seven innings of two-run ball before being replaced by pinch hitter Blum in the top half of the eighth. Felipe Paulino would then come on and do a superb job of closing the door. Peavy ended up with four runs against him, as did Germano, his replacement.

Houston and San Diego have three more games to play in PETCO Park before the Astros head to Wrigley Field in Chicago.

You sound (sorry, look) like a true sports journalist! I could never do it like this!

Haha, thanks, bro. I've always wanted to be a journalist. Or a game show host. Either way, I'm living the dream

Then congrats!

Oh, that sucks about losing your data.

HOUSTON ASTROS (1-0) @ SAN DIEGO PADRES (0-1)

BACKE TO THE DRAWING BOARD: Pitching Falls Apart In Slugfest As Padres Draw Even

SAN DIEGO--Two pieces of good news came out of Tuesday's game for the Houston Astros. The first is that the offense was on fire again, scoring six runs, five in the last four innings. The second is that somebody had a spectacular outing out of the bullpen. That leads to the first piece of bad news, however: That man was pinch hitter and backup infielder Ty Wigginton.

After delivering a pinch hit RBI single through the left-side gap in the top half of the eighth inning, Wigginton pleaded with manager Cecil Cooper to let him stay in the game as the pitcher. Not wanting to waste another arm in the pen, Cooper obliged, and Ty made his case for overtime pay on the mound, forcing three groundouts on six pitches. Although Ty did get his RBI and a perfect inning on the hill, he couldn't salvage the game completely for Houston.

The battle of the bats began in the bottom of the first, when Khalil Greene drove in a run. Not to be outdone, Hunter Pence tied the score with his second homer in as many games in the very next frame. But, the Padres would strike again just minutes later, as Scott Hairston and Giles drove in runs of their own. With the score still 3-1 in the sixth inning, Miguel Tejada and Ausmus would each drive in a run, Tejada with a double and Ausmus with a single. This, however, would be just before the downfall of the team for the night. Cooper yanked Backe after he loaded the bases and gave up a run. He would finish with 5.1 innings under his belt. Borkowski came on and proceeded to crack under the pressure, allowing all three runs to score and another one on two hits, one from Igichi and the other from Adrian Gonzalez.

Lee would make things somewhat better, driving in two runs and making the score 8 to 5. But a Kouzmanoff home run would put the nail on the coffin for Houston's hopes. The eighth inning was dominated by Wigginton's RBI and perfect inning, but Hensley sent the Stros down quietly in the ninth.

The winning pitcher for the Padres was starter Greg Maddux, despite his giving up all 6 runs in 8 innings. Hensley picked up the save and Backe fell to 0-1. The game's MVP was Giles, who drove in the first of San Diego's 5 runs in the sixth. The Padres and Astros will attempt to settle the score in two more games at PETCO Park. Then, the Astros will head to Chicago to take on the Cubbies in the ivy-covered Wrigley Field.

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As I said, I'm mostly happy about having a working Wii.



Oh, thank you.

Did I say that you guys can be agents? I don't think so. Anyway, you can take two players now.

Dibs on Berkman and Oswalt!

Backe and Byrdak, por favor.

I want El Caballo, or Carlos Lee to you common folk. He's a former Brewer.

Just a little nit-pick; in the game recap, could you put the final score for the game somewhere obvious, like before or after the wrap?

However, great writing!

Absolutely. Before I write my next update, I'll fix 'em.

Thanks for the compliment. I really think I've improved recently. I hope I can get into a journalism course when I move. (Yes, I'm moving, from Long Island to the Wilkes-Barre area in Pennsylvania. I don't think I told you guys that.)

Whoa! That's right near where the Stranglers are set and also where my cousins and grandmother live!

I feel your pain. My Wii died three times befor I had to replace it.... then lost everything.

Lost my article for a game I just played. I still have the scoring summary, however.

Bottom 1: Greene RBI 1B, 1-0 Padres
Bottom 2: Giles RBI 1B, 2-0 Padres
Top 3: Loretta 2R 2B (injured after slide), Berkman 2R HR, 4-2 Astros
Top 4: Perez RBI 1B, 5-2 Astros
Bottom 4: Young RBI 1B, Gonzales 2R 1B, Greene 2R 1B, 7-5 Padres
Top 5: Lee RBI 1B, 7-6 Padres
Top 7: Berkman 3R HR, 9-7 Astros

MVP: Berkman
W: Chacon
L: Bell
S: Valverde
HR: Berkman (1, 2)