The overflow crowd was euphoric again a few hours later, cheering Carlos Lee’s grand slam that ended the Houston Astros’ 8-5 win over the Colorado Rockies.
The unforgettable night and the play of hot-hitting rookie center fielder Hunter Pence will stand as the highlights of the season, unless the Astros mount a second-half charge like they have the past three years. And this one will have to top them all.
At 39-50, the Astros have their worst record at the All-Star break since 2000. Despite winning seven of 11 games before the break, Houston is one of only four National League teams still short of 40 victories.
The Astros overcame disappointing first halves to make the playoffs in 2004 and 2005, and almost did it again last season. They were around .500 at the All-Star break each time, but manager Phil Garner remains optimistic that another rally is possible.
“I can only draw upon the past couple of years, when I thought, ‘Look, we don’t have a chance,’ and then, bingo, there we are,” he said.
Even if the Astros put it all together, winning the wild-card race - the path to the playoffs their past two trips - seems remote this time.
The Dodgers hit the break with the NL’s best record among non-division leaders at 49-40 - 10 games better than Houston, which trails the Central-leading Milwaukee Brewers by 10 1/2. The Astros would need a run similar to their 45-30 finish in 2005, when they reached their first World Series.
Their inconsistency suggests it will be difficult to do it again.
Four-time All-Star Lance Berkman and the offense sagged early, averaging two runs during a 10-game losing streak in May. The starting rotation has been equally good and bad - ace Roy Oswalt is 8-5; the rest of the starters are 17-27. Relievers started strong but have struggled lately, just as the offense came to life.
Amazingly, Brad Lidge doesn’t have a save this season after averaging 34 the previous three years. Lidge was taken out of the closer role a week into the season after giving up six runs in two appearances. He pitched well enough to get the job back, but a sore oblique muscle sent him to the disabled list, where he’s been for a month. Lidge was activated on Thursday.
“I’m concerned about the bullpen, and I am concerned about that because I think we’re better than we’ve showed,” Garner said. “We’ve made some mistakes, but we are capable of eliminating them.”
General manager Tim Purpura has hinted that changes are coming. Before the break, he said he was “taking a look at the market” for possible trades before the July 31 deadline.
“We’ve had a lot of talks with clubs, and a lot of it is preliminary,” Purpura said. “A lot of it centers on pitching. That’s the biggest need in the industry right now. You have to weigh out what’s best for your club now versus the future.”
A blockbuster deal seems unlikely. Oswalt, Berkman and Lee have no-trade clauses, and the Astros also aren’t willing to part with Pence, who led the NL with a .342 average at the break.
“I don’t see us trading away the big guys that are here,” Purpura said. “I see us trying to build around the nucleus, as opposed to tearing the nucleus apart.”
The Astros - 15-28 on the road - return from the break with a nine-game trip, starting at the division rival Chicago Cubs today. They play three games against the last-place Washington Nationals before a three-game set with the Pittsburgh Pirates, the team just ahead of them in the division.
Houston has six more games against the Brewers but none until September. Milwaukee has won seven of nine against the Astros.
“We’re going for it,” Garner said. “No one around here has said anything other than we’re going for it and we’re going to try to win. But we have to get to .500 and we have to stay above .500 before we can look beyond that.”
Regardless, the Astros have a looming decision on the 41-year-old Biggio. Garner has hinted that Biggio’s playing time would be reduced after he reached the milestone in order to give Chris Burke his long-awaited chance to prove he can be the everyday second baseman.
But Biggio hit .421 (16-for-38) on the recent homestand and leads the team with 50 runs. Biggio, who meets with Garner before every road trip to discuss his schedule, is hitting .206 on the road.
