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Inside Baseball Posted: Tuesday August 13, 2002 1:20 PMLed by a makeshift rotation, the Astros quickly climbed into NL Central contention By Jeff Pearlman
In three starts Saarloos was terrible, allowing 17 earned runs in 8 2/3 innings. After being shelled for five runs in two innings against the Rangers on June 29, Houston sent Saarloos (and his 17.65 ERA) to Triple A New Orleans, where he thought he'd spend the rest of the season. "You don't pitch that badly," he says, "and expect another chance in the near future." Yet after going 2-0 with a 2.25 ERA in four appearances with the Zephyrs, Saarloos was summoned back to Houston on July 20, and at week's end he had won five straight starts in playing a key part in the Astros' surprising revival. Through Sunday Houston was three games behind the Cardinals in the National League Central and five games in back of the Dodgers in the wild-card race. As recently as July 26, Houston was a .500 team and trailed St. Louis by seven games, and most of the blame for that lackluster performance was leveled at the starting rotation, even though the Astros' lineup was equally disappointing. (Despite playing in hitter-friendly Minute Maid Park, Houston, through Sunday, was tied for eighth in the league in home runs, with 116.) While righthander Roy Oswalt (13-6, 3.18 ERA) has turned into an ace, the four other pitchers projected in spring training as starters (Shane Reynolds, Wade Miller, Carlos Hernandez and Dave Mlicki) have spent varying amounts of time on the DL. "Honestly, I thought that could kill us," says outfielder Daryle Ward. "How many teams can survive without their frontline guys?" From June 27 through Sunday, however, Houston was the second-hottest team in the majors, putting together a 27-13 run that, coupled with the Cardinals' recent 3-8 slump, thrust the Astros into the division race. The primary reason for the turnaround was a revitalized rotation. Miller recovered from a pinched nerve in his neck and had a 9-3 record with a 4.20 ERA. The two big surprises, though, were Saarloos (5-0, 2.87 ERA in his second stint in the big leagues) and journeyman righthander Pete Munro (2-2, 3.51 ERA in six starts), neither of whom began the year on Houston's 40-man roster. Saarloos has stymied opposing hitters with three pitches -- sinker, slider, changeup -- none of which approach 90 mph but all of which break unpredictably. "The thing I'm doing now is keeping guys off balance," he says. "I realize that I'm not going to blow them away. I just have to keep hitters unsure of what's coming." Against Atlanta last Saturday, his worst outing since being called back, Saarloos picked up the win despite allowing five earned runs in 5 2/3 innings. Considering that he figured to be pitching for the Zephyrs, Saarloos wasn't complaining. "If I get pounded and we win, that's fine with me," he says. "I'm a rookie who's not supposed to be here. I'll just keep my mouth shut and pitch. That's the best I can do." Issue date: August 19, 2002
For more Inside Baseball see this week's issue of Sports Illustrated, on newsstands Wednesday, Aug. 14. Click here to subscribe to SI.
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