Note: With the 2009 season drawing near, I’ll be publishing an NL Central preview in the morning every day this week with a Pirate preview post each afternoon.
What they did in 2009: 74-88, fifth in the NL Central. 10-5 vs. the Pirates.
How they spent the off-season: Giving out a big contract to Bradon Lyon, trading for Matt Lindstrom, and signing Brett Myers and Pedro Feliz. Does this seem like a good idea to you? Because it really doesn’t to me.
Lineup: Not too many drastic changes from last year; Lee, Berkman, and Pence are dangerous but health is certainly in question for the two old guys. The rest of their lineup is terrible with dead weight like Feliz, Kaz Matsui, someone named Tommy Manzanella, and whoever they decide their starting catcher is (either JR Towles or Humberto Quintero).
Rotation and bullpen: You already know all about Roy Oswalt and Wandy Rodriguez, who are good, and Myers, who’s got talent and injury questions. Bud Norris is worth keeping an eye on, though, after he racked up big strikeout totals in his debut year in 2009 (54 Ks in 55 2/3 innings). Lyon and Lindstrom should be solid enough in the bullpen, but beyond them things could get messy.
What they can expect in 2010: As a Pirate fan and as someone that likes to make fun of Ed Wade for poor decision-making, I want to say that I think the Astros will finish in last place in the Central this year. For some reason, though, they’re on a pretty good run of being better than I expect just about every year, and so now I expect that trend will probably continue in 2010. Their rotation could be actually be quite good if Myers gets healthy and Norris can keep striking guys out. That should help compensate for an offense that’s probably going to be pretty bad once you get beyond the few guys in the heart of the lineup that keep things afloat. I’m sure there will be some hand-waving around a surprising six-game winning streak, a baffling trade for a veteran at some point early in the summer, and in the end the ‘Stros will end up with a win total that’s pretty similar to the one they had in 2009, which will probably be good enough to avoid last place.
Blogs: Astros Country, Farmstros, Crawfish Boxes
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