Astros showing improvement of late, but still inconsistent in loss to Dodgers

The story of the year for the Houston Astros is taking the team in about a million different directions it seems.

It was a lovely month of May indeed for the 'Stros indeed, who went 17-11 and catapulted themselves as high as seven games above .500 which seemed to get the team going in a positive direction in 2008. Unfortunately it was followed by a severe case of June Gloom in which the Astros posted a dismal overall record of 10-16 including an eight game losing streak and a physical attack on the Astros' general manager Ed Wade by now-released pitcher Shawn Chacon. On the positive side of things, the Astros showed some resilience and ended the month of June with three consecutive series wins against tough American League opponents, with none bigger than the series with the Boston Red Sox in Houston over this past weekend. The verdict: Houston still has a problem but it's not a constant one. The way that the Astros have played baseball this year can best be described as spotty and streaky. They've shown positive signs but at the same time they've had some pretty awful skids with little light at the end of the tunnel.

The Astros played the second game of a four game series with the visiting Los Angeles Dodgers tonight and their inconsistencies showed blatantly. Astros' starting pitcher Wandy Rodriguez who has been brilliant in recent starts gave up five earned runs over five innings. Rodriguez had trouble with his command and gave up multiple walks, three of which came home to score runs. Before tonight Wandy's earned run average at Minute Maid Park was an impressive 2.64 over the previous twenty-plus starts there. The Dodgers scored a sixth run off of Oscar Villarreal to increase their lead to 6-1 The Astros rallied back to tie the game on a Ty Wigginton three run homer and a Carlos Lee double off the left field wall that sent the home crowd into a frenzy. Unfortunately the Astros could not complete the comeback and win the game, as former Astro Jeff Kent went deep off of Wesley Wright in the top of the eleventh inning. Takashi Saito completed the save for the Dodgers in the bottom of the eleventh, eliminating the Astros in 1-2-3 fashion.

Yes, it certainly seems like the Houston Astros have come out of their funk to some extent, but many fans are probably wondering how long it will be until the 'Stros make another playoff run. It certainly won't occur unless the team pulls itself together enough to play consistent baseball for the remainder of this season, which unfortunately doesn't seem like a great possibility at this point. When the Astros are hitting, the pitching lacks, and when they're pitching well the offense often comes up empty. The playoffs may just have to wait another year or two for this Houston team.