Marty Lurie Talks San Francisco Giants Baseball
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Sox Can Close by Marty Lurie

I’m down here in Houston and watched game one of the series with Art Howe.

Some conclusions:

Next time Mike Lamb won’t face Neal Cotts with the game on the line.

Most managers will give their players the benefit of the doubt when they have produced in the past.

It is clear that Lamb couldn’t catch up with Cotts so next time Phil Garner will go with a right handed hitter late in the game.

Contreras didn’t have his good stuff but some times its better to be lucky than good because the Astros hit the ball on the nose, but to no avail.

Roger Clemens was hurting, it wouldn’t surprise me not to see Clemens again unless the Astros send this series to a game six.

Click below for more.The Astros had no chance catching up with Sox closer Bobby Jenks.

If the game is on the line and Chicago has the lead late in the game you can forget Houston hitting Jenks if he stays with his fastball.

Morgan Ensberg better loosen up at the plate. With a runner on third and less than two out and the Astros finally ready to tie the game up, Ensberg was blown away by Cotts and his fastball.

Willy Taveras can hit a fastball, but if the Sox give him some curves don’t expect Taveras to be on base too often.

Same goes for Biggio a dead first ball fastball hitter.

Exciting first game with the White Sox looking like the looser more confident team.

More from me as the series goes on.

Marty Lurie

0 comments

1 Anonymous { 10.23.05 at 3:05 pm }

Hi Marty,

I’m sure the Astros wish they hadn’t blown the lead in Game 5 of the NLCS. then they could have had Oswalt pitch in Games 1 and 4 in the World Series.

While one game isn’t enough to draw conclusions (and you can’t disregard the Minute Maid Park factor) I am wondering whether Oswalt will get a chance to pitch more than one game. If the Sox continue to pitch as they have in the postseason, I don’t think this Series will go the distance.

Oakland Sí

2 marty { 10.24.05 at 10:09 am }

White Sox have too much pitching for this short series. Oswalt has a great chance to win game three, but then what?
Taveras is a nice player he is deserving of NL rookie of the year. Swisher could learn a lot by watching how this young man handles himself on the field.

Unfortunate for Lidge but Qualls was the one who needed to throw his sinker but couldn’t to Konerko.

Astros are a different team at home so I fully expect this series to at least go thru Thursday with a decent chance to get back to Chicago.

Weather here in Houston is very nice, 65 degrees and fairly mild.

Marty

3 marty { 10.26.05 at 10:58 am }

The Astros are one loss away from a very pleasant winter vacation.

Not hitting in the clutch will do that to you. Roy O as they call him down here just didn’t have his good stuff. Yet it was unbelievable that no one came to the mound to calm him down during his 11 batter 46 pitch fifth inning when the Sox took the lead 5-4.

The Sox are one tough team emblamtic of the city they represent. Chicago is a tough sports town. The team was accused of choking down the stretch but in reality the way they polished off Cleveland was a sign of things to come.

The Sox stood up to all the criticism and although they don’t hit with any of the great world series teams of the past, they get the job done.

Jon Garland didn’t look great but retired the Astros three innings in a row and left with the 5-4 lead. Bobby Jenks redeemed himself getting out of a tough jam in with first and third and one out.

El Duque a Luis Tiant replica, got out of a first and third, and then a bases loaded jam with amazing pitching.

They talk about the short left field wall in Houston, but if you hit the ball oa line down the right field corner you can get it out more easily than in left. Just ask Geoff Blum who scorched a line drive that got over the wall but looked more like a double off the bat.

The roof was open and the night was beautiful. If the commissioner was so concerned about fan comfort why do these post season games continue to be played at night under rainy and cold conditions.

If Houston wanted the roof closed they shoud have been allowed to close it. It was their decision all year so why intercede now?

Say what you want about AJ Pierzynski but he is having one heckuva post season.

Brandon Backe tonight against Freddy Garcia I was in St. Louis last year when the Red Sox swept the Cards to win their first title since 1918 I have a feeling I’ll see the White Sox first title since 1917 this week too.

Anyway this series has been terrific last nights game was an excellent baseball game with a lot of tense late inning moments.

How about the umpires missing another call. The ball Jason Lane hit came off that wall so hard that I thought it was in play, but no one argued so it seemed like the right call. Replays showed it wasn’t close to being a home run.

I’m pulling for the Astros tonight, sweeps are nice but I’ll take one more game Thursday night.

Marty

4 Anonymous { 09.22.07 at 1:13 pm }

5 Anonymous { 09.22.07 at 1:50 pm }

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