The Pecan Park Eagle

“Slip slidin’ away
Slip slidin’ away
You know the nearer your destination
The more you’re slip slidin’ away”

~ Paul Simon

For whatever reason of coincidence or thematic association, Wednesday afternoon’s results at Minute Maid Park today were remindful of that classic old Paul Simon song.

I had to watch it at home with a bad head cold, but it wasn’t any prettier from the unobstructed, high definition, multiple angle coverage provided by the up-and-earnest ROOT television network. My only advantage is that I didn’t have to drive out the Katy Freeway at rush hour when the clock of doom finally struck for certain in the bottom of the 9th.

“Slip slidin’ away,” all right. It sure is.

Throw in “some’s gotta win, some’s gotta lose, Good Time Charlie’s got the blues.”

Somebody has to fold in this tight race to the 2015 MLB playoffs – and why shouldn’t it be the Astros? When a club that has just rallied to capture their first one-run lead in the 7th, why shouldn’t the Astros be the ones to blow it in the 8th by again putting the game in the hands of “all motion/no stuff” reliever Pat Neshek to give up that cruncher David Freese two-out double to left center that made the difference. This was the second game that Neshek has lost for the Astros on this once critical, now critically disappointing home stand.

Now all the Astros have to do is sweep the Rangers in three at home and probably win out or post nothing less than a 5-1 record on their final road trip next week to avoid this season becoming just the latest letdown in our club’s long history of same. And please, we all know – it’s not just Neshek. Someone other than Altuve or Correa has to bring their bats into these games earlier – and in critical scoring situations. – We need to stop giving up 3 to 4 runs in the first inning to clubs like the Angels or Rangers – and then rolling up “three and out” innings until somebody on our side starts a desperation move in the 8th or 9th. – Yes, we need to play each game as though we already understood that it is OK to have good hitting and good pitching in the same game.

C’mon, Astros! ~ Spare us fans from the bitter end that is the foreboding message of the Paul Simon song. We heard it playing Wednesday – and we already know it by heart.

____________________

This entry was posted on September 24, 2015 at 5:09 am and is filed under Uncategorized. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.