The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current, June 18, 2001, Image 3

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Sports
Page 3
THE BATTALION
Astros, Rangers split Lone Star Series
Texas wins Silver Boot trophy hy outscoring Houston 44-28 in six game set
Mark Passwaters
The Battalion
Texas Rangers catcher Ivan Rodriguez
pops up a pitch from Houston Astros
pitcher Wade Miller during Friday night's
ANDY HANCOCK/The Battalion
game at Enron Field as Astros catcher Tony
Eusebio looks on. The Rangers won the
game 1 2-9.
At the beginning of the season,
the ownership of the Texas
Rangers and many of their fans
expected the team to win the
American League tide. If not die
entire league, at least the Ameri
can League’s Western Division.
With a record of 23-42, the
Rangers have not won much of
anything, until now. They are
the proud owners of the Silver
Boot, the prize awarded to the
winners of the Lone Star Series
between the Rangers and the
Houston Astros.
The Rangers did not win
the Boot outright, as the series
was a split. They won it by
outscoring the Astros in six
games, 44-28.
The first three games were
played last weekend at the
Ballpark in Arlington, with the
scene shifting to Houston’s En
ron Lield this weekend. Many
of the Rangers were impressed
with the Astros’ new home.
“It’s great,” said Rangers
outfielder Ruben Sierra. “It’s a
lot different to than the [As
tro] dome.”
The Rangers got a taste of
how the new stadium, nick
named “Homeron,” played on
Lriday night.
Rangers starter Rick Helling
was hammered for eight runs —
seven earned — in five innings.
He gave up three home runs,
two to Astros’ right fielder Moi-
ses AJou.
He got little help from his
friends, as first baseman Rafael
Palmeiro dropped a Lance
Berkman popup one pitch be
fore Alou’s second homer, a
booming shot which cleared the
railroad tracks in left field.
Lortunately for the Rangers,
the Astros were just as awful.
Houston ace Wade Miller was
tagged for seven runs in six in
nings of work, including
‘homers to Lrank Catalanotto
and Palmeiro. Still, Miller was
in line to pick up his eighth win
until the Astros bullpen im
ploded in the eighth inning.
Jay Powell relieved Octavio
Dotel with two men on base
and promptly gave up a two-
run single to Alex Rodriguez.
After an error by first baseman
Jeff Bagwell, Powell gave up
two more runs on singles by
Sierra and Gabe Kapler.
When the carnage was over,
the Rangers had a 12-9 lead
which stayed for the rest of the
game.
As horrid as the pitching was
on Lriday, it was splendid on
Saturday. Astros starter Tony
McKnight — making his first
big league start of the year —
gave up only one run through six
innings, only to be matched by
Rangers starter Doug Davis.
The Astros took a 2 -1 lead in
the eighth on Alou’s RBI sin
gle, which scored Bagwell on a
wild play at the plate. Sierra,
the Rangers right fielder, game
up throwing as Bagwell headed
for home. The ball beat the As
tros first baseman, but he was
able to pirouette around
Rangers catcher Marcus Jensen
and dive onto home plate.
See baseball on Page 6.
Rangers and Astros are losing the arms race
Lone Star Series exposes problems both teams have with pitching, need to make changes soon
T his weekend, the
Houston Astros and
the Texas Rangers
faced off for the right to
claim the Silver Boot as the
winner of the Lone Star Se
ries. The results reinforced
what fans of both teams al
ready know: They need to
give the.boot to most-of their pitching staffs.
Houston’s Enron Lield is located right next to
the city’s old train depot, Union Station. Rarely,
even in the glory days of America’s rail system,
have they seen a train wreck like the Rangers
pitching staff.
At the start of the season, Texas knew they
might have trouble with their pitching depth but
expected big things from Kenny Rogers and
Rick Helling. Rogers has almost been decent,
but is record is a mere 3-3.
Helling is enduring a horrific season. On
j Friday night, he allowed eight runs in five in-
I nings, including the first home run Astros
shortstop Jose Vizcaino had hit in two years —
a span of 546 at-bats. Moises Alou hit two
[ home runs off of Helling fastballs and had a
third pulled back on a great catch by right
I fielder Ruben Sierra. A scout for the Anaheim
I Angels in attendance at the game said,
I “Helling has never had much of a fastball, but
[ he had good location. Now he has no location,
I so he’s roadkill.”
Darren Oliver may have pitched well in his
I victory on Sunday, but American League
I teams are hitting .341 against him. Rookies
I Doug Davis and Ryan Glynn have also had
1 their problems, with records of 2-5 and 1-5
I respectively.
The bullpen also has been awful. They have
1 saved 10 games and blown nine. Their record
I as a whole is an anemic 7-17. Tim Crabtree
I was supposed to be the closer but has failed
miserably. A whole list of “who’s not who” has
spent time getting lit up in the Ranger
bullpen. Where is John Wetteland when he is
really needed?
Texas expected to be able to make up for some
pitching deficiencies with a powerful offense,
much like a slow-pitch softball team. That has
not worked out either. The Rangers are an old
team and their players have started to show their
age all at once.
Alex Rodriguez has been as impressive as
advertised, but 38-year-old third baseman Ken
Caminiti, 40-year-old designated hitter Andres
Galarraga and 38-year-old second baseman
Randy Velarde have all struggled. 36-year-old
Rafael Palmeiro has hit 19 home runs, but is
hitting a mere (for him, at least) .260. Sierra
has resurrected his career, but he is also 35
years old. The situation in Texas — a record of
23-42 — is even worse than owner Tom Hicks’
disaster scenarios.
In many circles, the Astros .500 record is
an even larger disappointment than that of
the Rangers. Once again, the problems start
with pitching. Scott Elarton was the Astros
ace last season, winning 17
games. This season, Elar
ton looks scared on the
mound, afraid to use his 95
mile-an-hour fastball to
challenge hitters.
Shane Reynolds, Hous
ton’s most consistent pitch
er over the past five years,
has also been smacked
around. Jose Lima, who
won 21 games just two years
ago, now does his electric
slide out of the bullpen.
Free agent pickup Kent
Bottenfield may be taking
his batting practice fastball
elsewhere after taking his 2-5 record to the
disabled list.
Fortunately for the Astros, help may be on
the way. Wade Miller has been a pleasant sur
prise with seven wins, and he is only 24. Tony
McKnight won four games last season in a
September Callup and pitched six strong in
nings on Saturday. Roy Oswalt dominated the
AA Texas League last season and may have al
ready become the ace of the Astros’ staff in
only four starts.
The Astros have a ton of talent in the mi
nors, with the defending Texas League Cham
pion Round Rock Express destroying AA with
a record 50 wins in the first half of the season.
The AAA New Orleans Zephyrs are also in
first place, with players like pitcher Tim Red
ding, third baseman Morgan Ensberg and in
fielder Keith Ginter projected by many scouts
to be big leaguers in the making. Some scouts
have claimed that Round Rock’s pitching staff
may be the best at any level of minor league
baseball in the past 15 years. Redding had a
record of 10-2 with a 1.80 earned run average
at Round Rock before being called up to New
Orleans, and could probably move into the As
tros rotation in a matter of weeks.
The Astros have a great amount of young
talent to tap into, they just have to have the
courage to risk calling them up and seeing
what happens. With the likes of Craig Biggio,
Jeff Bagwell, Lance Berkman and Alou already
established in the Houston lineup, the addition
of one or two quality prospects may make
them into a contender.
The Rangers, on the other hand, have an
aging team and no help on the horizon. Hicks
and general manager Doug Melvin either have
the option of suffering through a few average
seasons with young, improving players or suf
fer through a group of aging players on the
down side of their careers. If they do not take a
deep breath and gut the. team — which may in
clude trading catcher Pudge Rodriguez — they
will be getting the boot, silver and otherwise,
for many years to come.
Mark Passwaters is a senior
electrical engineering major.
CHAD MALLAM/The Battalion
ling the fall and spiingse'-
holidays and exam periods :
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Sports in Brief
Goosen, Brooks playoff for championship
Two feet away from claiming the U.S. Open, Relief Goosen
buckled under the stifling pressure and missed a short par putt
on the 1 8th green that tied him with Mark Brooks and set up a
Monday playoff.
Goosen, trying to go wire-to-wire Sunday for his first major
championship, needed only two putts from 12 feet away. In
stead, he rapped the first one 2 feet past the hole, and the par
putt coming back missed badly to the right.
Brooks, from Fort Worth, Texas, earlier three-putted the 1 8th
from 40 feet to make bogey and seemingly blow his chance to
win the U.S. Open.
"I don't know what happened on the second putt," Goosen
said. "It's golf, you know. Tomorrow is another day."
There should have never been a tomorrow in this case. In
stead, the U.S. Open will be decided by an 18-hole playoff, the
first in seven years.
It wasn't quite as wild as Jean Van de Velde taking triple bo
gey to squander the British Open at Carnoustie in 1 999, but it
was no less shocking.
Lost in the drama was Tiger Woods, who was long gone and
his incredible streak of four straight majors ended.
He shot a 69 and finished in a tie for 12th. Asked if it was the
most disappointed he had been after a major in a long time.
Woods said, "Considering I won the last four, yes."
Goosen's three-putt — he had to make a 3-footer for that —
gave him a 71 and left him and Brooks at 276. Brooks closed
with a 70.
It will be the first 1 8-hole playoff in the U.S. Open since 1994,
when Ernie Els defeated Loren Roberts and Colin Montgomerie
at Oakmont.
"I look forward to tomorrow," said Goosen, a soft-spoken
South African. "I'm not worried at all."
Save some sympathy for Stewart Gink.
He was tied for the lead with Goosen at 5 under when they
came to the 18th, where no major champion at Southern Hills
has ever made a par or better.
Gink figured his hopes for an Open victory were doomed
When he missed the green long, chipped to 15 feet and the par
putt just slid by the edge of the cup on the left.
He could have marked, but it's a professional courtesy to let the
likely champion — Goosen looked like a lock — have the final putt.
Gink proceeded to push the 18-inch bogey putt. A few min
utes later, that cost him a spot on the playoff.
Goosen will have a chance to redeem his gaffe, or join a long
list of golfers whose championships slipped away because of
missed short putts — Scott Hoch in the 1989 Masters and Doug
Sanders in the 1970 British Open are the most famous.
With a cool, unflappable demeanor to the end, Goosen
sounded up to the task.
Orioles get revenge on Phillies
Brady Anderson drove in three runs with one of Baltimore's
four homers as the Orioles avoided a series sweep with a 10-7
victory Sunday over the Philadelphia Phillies.
Chris Richard also had three RBIs for the Orioles, who were
outscored 36-23 in the three-game series that featured 18 homers.
jeff Conine, David Segui and Jay Gibbons also homered for
Baltimore.
Baltimore's Jose Mercedes (2-8) pitched past the sixth inning
for the fifth time in eight starts and is 2-3 in that span. He gave
up three runs and eight hits in seven innings, walking three and
striking out seven.
Marlon Anderson, who was 3-for-4 with three RBIs and
two runs scored, was responsible for all three runs surren
dered by Mercedes with a two-run homer — his seventh —
and an RBI single.
Phillies starter Amaury Telemaco (5-3) went just three innings
— allowing six runs, three earned, on five hits and a walk.
Cubs sweep Twins with a 5-4 victory
Kerry Wood won his sixth straight start, and Sammy Sosa
reached 20 homers for the eighth straight season as the Chica
go Cubs completed a three-game sweep of the Minnesota
Twins with a 5-4 victory Sunday.
The Cubs have won 1 3 straight at Wrigley Field — their
longest stretch since winning 14 in a row in 1936 — and have
won 20 of 25 overall.
Wood (7-4) went six innings, allowing two runs on three hits
and three walks. He struck out six.
Ricky Gutierrez homered for the third straight day and Sosa
added a solo shot for the Cubs, who at 41 -25 are a season-best
16 games over .500.
Sosa hit Bob Wells' 0-2 pitch in the seventh over the stands
in left for his 20th homer. It was also Sosa's 1,000th career*
run scored.