On ESPN this morning, they asked this Fact or Fiction question: Prior / Woods are a better starting pair than Pettit / Clemens? I could not hear the audio, but Jayson Stark and Tim Kurkjian both posted Fact. I do not necessarily disagree with this, but I questioned why they did not include Oswalt. Did anyone hear the audio? I am wondering if they said something about the pitching staff as a whole.
"right-handed batters would rather have surgery than bat against Wood" It was Prior/Woods vs. Pettite/Clemens. Oswalt wasn't included, and neither was their other starters
Every day of the week. Wood has the flash, but Oswalt is turning into one of the top pitchers in the major leagues.
So you admit that Pettitte is a number 3 pitcher on this staff getting paid $10MM when this is a team that is supposed to spend responsably. This team better win this year.
Buck, I didn't mean it to sound like you like you specifically argued with me that Pettitte isn't a number three starter on this staff. I just find it hillarious that people think a number three starter is all this team needs to get over the hump. But anyway sorry, that's just for everyone in general.
I would take Oswalt over Wood too. But you guys have to ask yourself if you would take Oswalt over Prior. You are a homer if said yes. The only young pitcher who can even be mentioned in the same breath as Prior is Beckett. Plus, Oswalt maybe injury proned. I think Wood vs. Pettite is a toss-up. Therefore, Cubs do have a better 1-2 than the Astros. But the 'Stros have a better back-end and bullpen, so don't worry too much
Just because he may be slotted in the #3 position doesn't make him a #3 guy. What the Astros needed to get "over the hump" was better starting pitching. With Clemens and Pettitte, they got it, regardless where they end up in the rotation. They also need more consistent hitting. Their current hitters have the ability to do just that, their starters, prior to Clemens and Pettitte, did not. It would have been nice to get a stud CF to replace Biggio, but that simply wasn't going to happen.
Oswalt is comparable to Prior. That's not a homer thing either. Both of them could win the Cy Young. Prior just has more flash.
Typical...Prior is freakin' awesome, but I would take Oswalt over Woods... Also, It's unfair to compare two younger guys vs. older, established, due to the potential factor... BTW, I still love our chances... Go Stros!!!
Exactly. Anyway that does not bother me because we will win the central hands down. Not only that we will win our franchise's first play-off series.
The Astros rotation, if you run Oswalt out their on opening day (as he should be) will consist of a number 1 guy, 3 number 2 guys, and a number 3 guy. Where they actually fall in the rotation is irrelevent.
I didn't mean it to sound like you like you specifically argued with me that Pettitte isn't a number three starter on this staff. I just find it hillarious that people think a number three starter is all this team needs to get over the hump. But anyway sorry, that's just for everyone in general. A #3 starter pitches just as many games as the #1 starter. On many teams, Pettite would be the #1 starter, so who really cares if he's 1, 3, or 5 on this team? He makes us far more likely to win the 30+ games he'll pitch than the pitcher he replaced (Villone?). If he pitches well, he's worth the $10 million. Besides which, since they really came as a package deal, $15 million for Clemens/Pettite is a pretty good deal, in my opinion.
