[Official] Rangers @ Astros

Castor27 · May 18, 2007

All series talk goes in here. DO NOT GIVE PLAY-BY-PLAY! If you need PBP try Yahoo, ESPN, or Sportsline.

5-18 Robinson Tejeda, RHP (3-3, 4.87) vs. Matt Albers, RHP (1-2, 5.47) 7:05 on KNWS

5-19 Willie Eyre, SHP (1-1, 3.86) vs. Wandy Rodriguez, LHP (1-3, 4.33) 6:05 on FSN

5-20 Brandon McCarthy, RHP (3-4, 6.51) vs. Woody Williams, RHP (1-5, 5.10) 1:05 on FSN

russian88 · May 18, 2007

SWEEP!

JaWindex · May 18, 2007

We should sweep this one...

JeeberD · May 18, 2007

JaWindex said:

We should sweep this one...
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We should, but the Rangers always give us trouble, even when they're really bad...

Buck Turgidson · May 18, 2007

JeeberD said:

We should, but the Rangers always give us trouble, even when they're really bad...
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So what you're saying is, the Rangers always give us trouble.

texanskan · May 18, 2007

We better sweep, the Rangers are 1/2 game better than KC (the worst record in MLB)

Last night sucked but a sweep here would give us I think 7 of 8

JeeberD · May 18, 2007

Buck Turgidson said:

So what you're saying is, the Rangers always give us trouble.
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Heh, indeed...

rrj_gamz · May 18, 2007

WLW...The rangers can hit but I think we're a better club...

Buck Turgidson · May 18, 2007

rrj_gamz said:

WLW
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Yeah, what he said. That TBA guy owns the Astros.

msn · May 18, 2007

Buck Turgidson said:

Yeah, what he said. That TBA guy owns the Astros.
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Sure seems like it! The Astros have been the victims of some spectacular debuts and rookie performances!

RocketManJosh · May 18, 2007

WWW ... but I'd be happy with another series victory

ryan17wagner · May 18, 2007

I have yet to any "Rangers" fans...if I see one, I'll take his picture for all the world to see.

rodrick_98 · May 18, 2007

WWW

here's a nice article from today's DMN on pence

http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/spt/stories/051807dnspotaylor.2dfe498.html

Ex-UTA star takes off as an Astro

Houston's Pence looking forward to series vs. Rangers

HOUSTON – There's a new hero in Clutch City. His name: Hunter Pence.

Maybe you remember him from Arlington High. Or UT-Arlington. No worries if you haven't heard of him. You will.

The kid is that good.

The bow-legged, 6-4, 220-pound Astros center fielder is batting .348 with four home runs and 15 RBIs and owns the city after only 17 major league games.

Yes, the 24-year-old has been waiting for this three-game series against the Rangers all season – and not just because the Silver Boot is one of the most prestigious trophies in sports.

Growing up a few miles from The Ballpark, you figure Pence would've been a huge Rangers fan, but he wasn't. Seems they didn't win enough to earn his loyalty. Hard to believe, isn't it?

His dad, Howard, has cheered for the Rangers for as long as Pence can remember. Even rooted for the Rangers the day the Astros invited his son to the ballpark to watch a game after drafting him. There's no question who the father will be cheering for this time.

Pence, a second-round pick in 2004, treated minor league pitchinglike T-ball. In 330 combined games at each level, he batted .305 with 70 homers and 241 RBIs and had a slugging percentage of .560.

When the offensively-challenged Astros started 9-14 this season, it made sense to promote his big bat.

But he's been so good – he hit a grand slam and banged out seven consecutive hits earlier this week – that veteran manager Phil Garner is already downplaying his success.

"I'm afraid we're going to get into a frenzy here, and the expectations are going to be unattainable," he said. "The kid's playing good. Let him play. We kept saying he's not the savior here."

Too late.

Think Tony Romo last November and multiply it by 10. That's how hot Pence is these days.

But it's not just his talent.

The kid who had a poster of Barry Bonds on his bedroom wall as a kid is the anti-Bonds when it comes to attitude. He represents everything good about rookies and the youthful exuberance they bring to professional sports.

Only a few, though, maintain that innocence throughout their career. Eventually, the trappings of fame and wealth change them.

You can tell Pence loves everything about the game from the way he sprints around the bases after a home run to the way he greeted a group of 25 corporate sponsors less than an hour before Wednesday's game.

He's having fun. So much fun that teammate Carlos Lee told him the other day he might need to drink some milk to calm down. Other teammates teased him about not giving the crowd long enough to cheer before taking a curtain call after a home run Tuesday.

In the clubhouse, Pence's locker is next to Craig Biggio's. The veteran second baseman is a consummate professional, who's nearing 3,000 hits and baseball immortality.

It's no coincidence.

This week, reporters waited about 45 minutes for Pence to eat dinner and lift weights before they could question him after his 3-for-3 performance that included a tying, two-run homer in the eighth. After the interviews, Biggio quietly suggested to Pence that he take care of his media obligations sooner, so reporters could do their jobs.

The next day, Pence answered postgame questions in full uniform.

Pence also has taken Lance Berkman's advice to embrace the moment in pressure situations and rely on his natural ability instead of letting pressure overwhelm him.

The rookie hardly has appeared overwhelmed at any point. His path to the majors, however, hasn't been without a bump or two.

Frankly, Pence probably would've started the season with Houston, but the club's management wanted to make sure he was responsible enough to handle everything that accompanies playing in the big leagues.

In November, he was arrested for driving under the influence while playing in the Arizona Fall League. The Astros did the right thing and removed him from the team until the situation was resolved. Pence eventually was cited for a traffic violation.

There have been so many alcohol-related tragedies in sports that we don't have the space to list them all.

Just a few weeks ago, St. Louis Cardinals pitcher Josh Hancock died in a single-car accident. His blood-alcohol level was nearly twice the legal limit. Alcohol-related motor vehicle crashes kill someone every 31 minutes and injure someone every two minutes, according to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

"It was a blessing. That changed my life in a good way," Pence said. "I totally quit drinking all together because I don't want to ever be in that situation again. I wasn't guilty of drunk driving, but I had a few drinks, and I take full responsibility for the situation. I shouldn't have been driving around at three in the morning.

"It made me realize that everything I do matters. I represent a lot of people – my schools, my colleges, my sponsors, my family, my friends and all the teams I ever played for. I have to make sure I do everything right, because a lot of people look up to me."

All you have to do is listen to his teammates to understand how much they like having him around – not just because he's batting sixth and helping them win games. He reminds them of how much they loved the game before the arbitration hearings, steroids and labor unrest stole their joy.

Like others before him, Pence says it'll never happen to him. Let's pray he's right.

"I'm never going to take this for granted," he said. "Tomorrow, I might not be able to play again. You never know. I get chills thinking about it. I want to enjoy as much of it as I can."

So do we.
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Smokey · May 18, 2007

They're playing the Eyes of Texas at Legends Field. What a joke.

Watch on ESPN2.

rocketfat · May 18, 2007

Smokey said:

They're playing the Eyes of Texas at Legends Field. What a joke.

Watch on ESPN2.
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and he just got taken deep by a single a-er again

RocketManJosh · May 18, 2007

Ugh ... Albers with another poor outing

Mr. Clutch · May 18, 2007

Why did Woody pinch hit?

Cannonball · May 18, 2007

Well, I guess it's an easy decision as to who to send down now when we activate Jennings.

surrender · May 18, 2007

Dear Phil Garner,

FOR ****'S SAKE STOP USING ORLANDO ****ING PALMEIRO

MadMax · May 18, 2007

Cannonball said:

Well, I guess it's an easy decision as to who to send down now when we activate Jennings.
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those were my thoughts exactly! i can't wait to see jennings back in this rotation.

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[Official] Rangers @ Astros

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