For the Houston Astros 2006 was a baseball betting season of near misses
After an up and down regular baseball betting season the Astros poured it on at the end and were so close to the post season they could taste it. However, it was not to be and after some very late baseball betting season heroics and excitement the team ultimately fell short of the playoffs, by one heartbreaking game.
The team closed out the year in blistering fashion going 8-2 over the last ten games of baseball betting year, exactly when they needed to play at their best the most.
But in the end it was all for not as St Louis snuck in to finish the baseball betting season one game ahead of the Astros and we all know that worked out for the Red Birds. In 2006 baseball betting season the Astros were perhaps a bit of a disappointment coming off a playoff year and birth in the baseball betting World Series, MLB betting fans were expecting quite a lot from this team and even pundits thought a year of experience couldn’t hurt this MLB betting team any either.
And on paper this is a pretty solid team with good pitchers and good batters but in the end they just couldn’t put up the runs needed to get into the post season. The Astros finished the 2006 baseball betting campaign with a record of 82-80, not great, but still only one game back of the Cards for the division title. Its winning percentage of .506 was below what most MLB betting experts had predicted and its poor play on the road really affected the Astros’ post season hopes. Houston went 44-37 at home but could only muster a 38-43 record on the road.
The strength of the 2006 baseball betting club was without question the teams pitching staff, even with the mega-sluggers in its batting lineup. The lynch pin to the pitching attack is staff ace Roy Oswalt, one of the best pitchers in baseball, and he’d have to be to beat out superstars like Roger Clements and Andy Petit for the number spot in the rotation. In 2006 baseball betting season, all Oswalt did was keep up his terrific pace and numbers that he’s had throughout this career. He led the league in ERA and was second only to Johan Santana in the entire majors. However, like so many of the other Houston pitchers, he suffered from a lack of run support. And that really was the Achilles heel of this MLB betting team.
The ancient and seemingly ageless Roger Clemens made a cameo for the pitching staff last baseball betting season, playing when felt like it, going to his kids soccer games on other nights. It may seem like a strange situation but it seemed to work for Clemens and the Rockets. His over all baseball betting record was nothing impressive, but he didn’t pitch in all that many games and when he did he got no run support. In fact, for the first twenty MLB betting games he pitched he was almost un-hittable, but he was also averaging less than one run a game in run support. It’s hard to rack many wins like that. Andy Pettite was Andy Pettite, but older. He’s was definitely on the downside of his career in 2006 baseball betting season, but an aging Andy Pettite is still better than most pitchers.
At the plate the batters responsible for the lack of run production were some big time hitters and this only compounded the frustration for the Astros. Future hall of famers Jeff Bagwell and Craig Biggio along with slugger Lance Berkman all failed to create the runs necessary to get into the baseball betting playoffs. Strange but true. Bagwell is now officially retired but he has been battered by injuries the last few baseball betting seasons and hasn’t really been a regular contributor, nor was he in 2006 baseball betting season. Craig Biggio is still the most dependable player in baseball, and perhaps the most underrated of his generation. He will surmount the 3000 hit mark this baseball betting season and hopefully get some of the recognition he is due. Lance Berkman had huge numbers in 2006 baseball betting season smashing 45 homers a .315 batting average and 136 RBIs, good enough for the MVP in most years.
MLB betting expert know that for 2007 baseball betting season the Astros went out and signed slugger Carlos Lee to protect Berkman in the lineup and some pop. Hopefully he’ll provide the missing ingredient to get this team’s run production up and into the playoffs in the coming baseball betting year.