For each set of games played, we'll go in-depth for one series, and then have an issue of
TWIWBL with news and notes from around the league.
For the opening round of games, it's the
Houston Colt 45's visiting Pittsburgh to play the
Homestead Grays.
Houston is a dark horse pick to make some noise in the league, but like so many teams, there are questions on the mound.
Roy Oswalt was virtually unhittable in Spring Training, but the names
Toad Ramsey and
Ice Box Chamberlain don't exactly strike fear into the hearts of many. But they should score some runs with
Jim Wynn,
Tony Gwynn, and
George Brett setting the stage for
Lance Berkman,
Paul Goldschmidt, and
Jeff Bagwell.
But Homestead may be one of the favorites with a lineup anchored by
Pops Stargell and wunderkid
Josh Gibson. The question is if
Mike Epstein and
Rick Reichardt--both of whom hit well in the Spring--can continue to contribute. The rotation looks good, with
Corey Kluber,
Carlos Zambrano, and
Vean Gregg leading the way.
And then they actually play the games ...
Andrew McCutchen opened the season for the Grays by taking Oswalt 388 feet to left for a HR in his first at-bat. Houston would tie it up in the top of the 3rd on a bloop single to right by Gwynn, but at that point it was clear both pitchers were on their game.
The top of the 5th saw back-to-back doubles by
Grant "HR" Johnson and
Jorge Posada, giving the Colt 45's a 2-1 lead, but an inning later Epstein would tie the game with a groundout, scoring Stargell from 3rd.
A Kluber wild pitch would prove decisive, scoring Johnson from 3rd. That was it: Gwynn would score
Craig Biggio, but
Michael Jackson would slam the door in the 8th and
Brad Lidge would earn the save, giving Houston
an opening day 4-2 win.
Game 2 was close for 7 innings, as Ramsey and Gregg traded zeros, each allowing only 1 run. But
Daniel Hudson relieved Gregg and was torched for 4 runs in 1 inning, The big blow was a 3 run HR from Berkman that traveled nearly 500 feet, and Houston went on to
win 7-1.
Zambrano struggled through 3 innings, giving up 3 runs on 6 hits, with doubles by Goldschmidt and Wynn knocking in the runs.
Stephen Strasburg had no such issues, throwing 6 shutout innings. Each team would add a run in the 8th, but
Houston won again, 4-1.
At this point, the home fans were getting restless. At the least, they wanted to see the Grays score more than 1 run. Which they did--9 of them, in fact. The question is, would it be enough?
It didn't seem so early on, as Houston scored 3 in the 1st and another Berkman HR in the 3rd put the Colt 45's up 4-0. But in the bottom of the 4th, back-to-back doubles by Stargell and
Roberto Clemente scored the Grays' 1st run, and consecutive sacrifice flies brought the score to 4-3.
It stayed that way to the 7th, when Houston finally knocked Homestead starter
Francisco Liriano out of the game, and a Wynn double made the score 5-3. Houston would add 6 more in the 8th, with a 3 run double by Bagwell and a 2 run HR by Wynn accounting for most of the damage.
The Grays would score 2 in the 8th and 4 on the 9th, with a bases-loaded triple by
Davey Johnson the big hit, but it wasn't enough, and
Houston held on for the 11-9 win.
The Grays would finally get their 1st victory of the year in the series finale,
winning 10-5 behind a strong start from
Ray Brown. Stargell and Reichardt each hit HRs, and Clemente chipped in with 3 hits and 3 RBIs.
The strong start from Oswalt was expected, but those from Ramsey and Strasburg were a pleasant surprise for Houston, who were led by
Berkman and
Wynn, who combined for 11 RBI and 3 HRs. Wynn also stole 5 bases in the 5 games.
Clemente started the year red-hot with 9 hits and 5 RBI in the series, but really their issues were on the mound. The starters were mediocre, but the bullpen finished the 5 games with a 9.89 ERA.
Both teams emerged largely unscathed in the opening series: Houston's game 5 starter,
Bret Saberhagen, will miss about a week, with
Dock Ellis or
Scott Erickson likely to get the start when his turn in the rotation comes up again.