by Andrew J. Ferraro
Staff Writer
Prior to the start of the 1997 season, many experts and baseball analysts predicted yet another mediocre season for the Houston Astros. So what else is new?
And although many of these same experts claimed that relief pitching would be the team's biggest weakness, the bullpen has proved to be an exciting complement to the starting rotation.
Through the first 22 games of the season, Houston relievers have a collective ERA of 2.60 (11 earned runs in 48 innings pitched), which ranks third in the National League behind Los Angeles (1.87) and San Francisco (1.98).
The relievers have been called upon 41 times in the first 22 games and converted on all nine save opportunities.
The pen retired 29 of the 40 first batters it faced (73 percent) and allowed only three of the 14 runners it inherited to score.
In other words, they are dependable and are blowing any predictions of sloppiness and disaster right out of the water.
"Right now the starting pitching is good, and good pitching is contagious," reliever Russ Springer said. "It's been fun so far, but the starters are making the difference and giving us the confidence we need to do our job."
Springer was signed by the Astros as a free agent Dec. 30 and made his first appearance for Houston against the Braves on April 3.
So far, Springer is 1-0 on the year, with a 2.16 ERA in 8.1 innings pitched while striking out 13 batters and walking just six.
"I really like this team and I want to win - that's why I came here," Springer said. "Everybody's got a little fire lit in them to win, and when I was a free agent, that's what I looked for in a team."
When the Astros picked up Ramon Garcia last year, they were getting a pitcher who had not pitched in a major-league game since 1991.
Garcia missed the 1994 and 1995 seasons after undergoing arm surgery in 1993.
But so far in 1997, Garcia has a 2-0 record, a 1.98 ERA and is holding the opposition to a .250 batting average.
In a spot start, due to the injury of Sid Fernandez, Garcia beat the St. Louis Cardinals 7-5 for his first win as an Astro.
Another surprise for the Astros relievers has come via the left arm of rookie Tom Martin.
Martin has not allowed a run in his first seven appearances (6 innings pitched) and he picked up his first major league win in relief against the Cardinals on April 4.
Even if the Astros opponents do get past the starting rotation and threaten the middle relievers, the chances of them getting by Houston's two closers, Billy "The Kid" Wagner and John Hudek, are slim to none.
Wagner has not allowed a run in 10 appearances this season (13 innings pitched) and has converted on all five of his save opportunities. Opponents are hitting just .165 against him and he has struck out an amazing 23 batters while walking just four.
Once known as "Hudie and the Blown Save," Hudek has made a tremendous recovery from a rib cage injury suffered midway through the 1995 campaign.
In 1997, almost a year and a half later, Hudek has converted three save opportunities in a row and has a 2.57 ERA in his first seven appearances, holding opposing hitters to a mere .160 batting average.
Although five of the six Astros relievers have an ERA below 3.00, there is a blotch on the near-perfect record of the Houston bullpen.
With an ERA of 10.13 in his first six appearances, right-hander Jose Lima said there is no reason to get concerned and, as soon as he gets another chance, he'll be back in the swing of things.
"It has not been that fun for me down here so far because I have not been pitching enough," Lima said. "But I had that one bad outing in St. Louis, and I have not pitched in 11 days.
"But I cannot complain. I know I'll get my chance down the line."
Lima came to Houston as a part of a nine-player trade with Detroit in December 1996 and was one of the few bright spots on the Tigers pitching staff, winning five of his last six starts of the season.
"If I am wearing my uniform, I am ready to do my job," Lima said. "I just hope they don't give up on me.
"We've got one of the toughest bullpens in baseball right now and right now everything is going great for us. If this keeps up, hopefully we'll get to the playoffs."
And if they win the National League Central division and get to the playoffs, that leaves just one goal left untamed for the Astros, and that's winning it all, the World Series.