29 - 23

Went to a couple of games this weekend, including this gem that ended with a walk-off 7 - 2 double play. I've been watching the replay over and over again, it just amazes me. It also helps make up for Sunday's crappy 15 - 6 loss, in which our two worst relievers gave up 11 runs over two innings. When Nieve came out, I figured we were done, even though we had a two-run lead. After he gave up 5 runs and they replaced him with Borkowski, I just left. Which means that I thankfully got to miss the 6 runs given up by Borks. He was decent in '06, but this year he pretty much guarantees a loss when he's in a game. Amazingly, Oscar Villareal didn't give up any, as he finished out the game. Good for him, I guess, although it only seems to emphasize that he can't pitch well when there's any pressure.

Overall, still, I'm just amazed by how well the team is playing. I wasn't there Friday, but Jose Valverde won over even more fans with his performance that night. Thankfully he was okay after getting hit, as was the umpire that got hit on Sunday. A commenter to a blog at the Houston Chronicle summed up this team's vibe the best:

The vocal leadership of Miggy Tejada,the boyish enthusiam of Hunter Pence,the personality and talent of the Big Puma,the toughness of Brocail and Valverde,the speed and defense of Bourn and Matsui,the consistency of Carlos Lee, the professionalism of the Wise men [our bench calls themselves the five Wise Men] and the patience of Cecial [sic] Cooper make this one of my favorite and most enjoyable Astro teams in my over 40 years of being an Astro fan.

Well said!