Kelley L Cox-USA TODAY Sports
The Houston Astros have just finished off their first road trip as a member of the AL West division. They finished the nine game road trip with three wins and six losses. A tough road trip to say the least, but there were certainly some fine moments to build on.
For the most part, the starting pitching kept the team in the majority of the games. Other than the Oakland Athletics series, the starting pitching was a big bright spot for this team. In the first game of the Astros and Los Angeles Angels series, Bud Norris twirled a gem. He tossed seven innings of shutout ball, while keeping his pitch count down, only needing 93 pitches. His next start, however, was in Oakland and he couldn’t get out of the first inning.
My favorite moment during this road trip was watching Paul Clemens pitch five and a third innings in relief, and just watching his demeanor on the mound. The rookie is a fighter. He looks in charge out there, and he will let you know it. In fact, he dislocated his pinky finger, had the trainer popped it back into place, and proceeded to get the next out. Which in turn, led to the legend of Paul Clemens.
With those fine moments, there were definitely some bad ones. As the Astros return home, they’re looking for some home cooking. They start the home stand against the Cleveland Indians, and really have a good chance to get back on track. Lucas Harrell takes the ball in game one facing Astros’ former closer Brett Myers.
With Chris Carter and Carlos Pena seeing the ball much better, the Astros have a potential to hit some long balls on this home stand. They certainly did that on the road trip. If the Astros can execute, they will be able to grab some wins in this home stand. They certainly need it!
