So Joe Laponte has an article in the New York Times discussing the Mets, and their upcoming road trip, which starts with four games in Houston tonight.
Laponte:
Their road foes, the Astros and the Pirates, are among the weakest teams in baseball. Manager Jerry Manuel, perhaps anticipating those matchups, had said before Sunday’s game that it was “such a big game for us.”
Okay. We certainly don't expect anyone (besides Nick Cafardo) in the East Coast media to take a look at, you know, statistics when examining the Astros beyond the W-L record. So we'll help - let's compare the Astros and Mets.
vs. NL Central
Mets: 9-10
Astros: 33-24
Against sub-.500 teams
Mets: 23-24
Astros: 31-19
Last 20 games
Mets: 8-12
Astros: 8-12
Last 30 games
Mets: 11-19
Astros: 16-14
Since July 1
Mets: 14-25, .223/.284/.337, 116 runs (3.0/game); 3.9 against, 3.43 ERA/1.35 WHIP
Astros: 20-17, .266/.327/.405, 174 runs (4.7/game); 4.2 against, 3.83 ERA/1.27 WHIP
So obviously you can make any statistic fit your motive, but while the Astros don't have a good overall record, they're at least as good as the Mets since July 1. And the only assault going on in the Astros' clubhouse is between Carlos Lee and Shipley Donuts.
We didn't come out here to play tiddlywinks, son.
-Hal Smith
