News
Byrdak has been dependable in 'pen
Houston (61-65) at St. Louis (74-54), 1:15 p.m. CT
By Brian McTaggart / MLB.com
08/26/09 11:00 PM ET
ST. LOUIS -- Left-hander Tim Byrdak is the only member of the Astros' bullpen that began the season on the roster and didn't wind up on the disabled list at some point during the year. Byrdak, 35, has certainly been the healthiest and perhaps the most consistent member of the Houston 'pen this year. He entered Wednesday with a 1-1 record and a 3.11 ERA in 55 games, putting him four games shy of his career high of 59 set last year. "It's one of those things you don't really think about until the season's over, and we've still got a month left," Byrdak said. "You just go out there and try to bridge the gap to get to LaTroy [Hawkins] and [Jose] Valverde." Byrdak has been used primarily to get left-handers out, but he's pitched well against right-handers, too. Entering Wednesday, he was holding right-handers to a .156 average (14-for-90), while lefties were hitting .203 (15-for-74) against him. As Byrdak watched fellow relievers Chris Sampson, Wesley Wright, Doug Brocail, Geoff Geary, Hawkins and Valverde all go down with injuries, he watched the roles in the bullpen change often while his pretty much stayed the same. "We all kind of got thrown around there a little bit in different aspects," he said. "Lance [Berkman] and I were talking about that the other day. He was asking about the impact it has when a reliever has to go out of his realm and throw three or four [innings]. The bounceback of it gets tough. "You might not feel it right away, but eventually at some point in the season you're going to feel fatigue and stuff and it's something you're going to battle. That's something I catch a break from being a situational lefty. I'm really asked to go only one inning and sometimes two. It's been tough. Hopefully we'll get [Sampson] and Doug and Wesley back for September and go from there." Byrdak, who's pitched in eight Major League seasons since making his debut with Kansas City in 1998, has sort of a new home in Houston, which is an old home. He played in college at Rice, and is glad his career has come full circle. "When I first came up here last year it was akin to a second homecoming, because Houston is where my career took off at Rice," he said. "I know all the people and enjoy the city. I've been around it pretty well, and I'm definitely happy to be back there." Pitching matchupHOU: RHP Brian Moehler (8-9, 5.29 ERA)
Moehler won for the first time in over a month last time out, tossing five-plus innings and giving up two runs on six hits and striking out three against the D-backs. His previous win came on July 20 against the Cardinals, against whom he tossed 6 1/3 innings of two-run ball. He is 1-0 with a 2.77 ERA in two starts against St. Louis this season. STL: RHP Chris Carpenter (14-3, 2.16 ERA)
It's been an amazing season for Carpenter, and it keeps getting better. After barely pitching the past two seasons, he's leading the National League in ERA and finished his last start tied for the lead in wins. He seems to be getting stronger, with his velocity improving even as the season winds down. If he hadn't missed five weeks earlier in the year, he'd be an even stronger Cy Young candidate, but he still has to be in the discussion now. Tidbits
Second baseman Kazuo Matsui entered Wednesday hitting .171 in August (14-for-82). ... Infielder Aaron Boone, who underwent heart surgery in March, was scheduled to start at first base Wednesday night at Triple-A Round Rock before joining the Astros in September. ... Left fielder Carlos Lee entered Wednesday leading the team in batting average (.309), homers (21) and RBIs (80). Tickets
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• KTRH 740, KLAT 1010 (Español) Up next
• Friday: Astros (Yorman Bazardo, 0-0, 4.50) at D-backs (Max Scherzer, 7-8, 4.12), 8:40 p.m. CT
• Saturday: Astros (Bud Norris, 3-2, 5.86) at D-backs (Jon Garland, 7-11, 4.48), 7:10 p.m. CT
• Sunday: Astros (TBD) at D-backs (TBD), 3:10 p.m. CT
Brian McTaggart is a reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.
