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3 Houston Astros

Finally, a full-time closer has emerged to finish what the stellar rotation starts

 

Forget that he was one of the players most responsible for the Astros' edging out the Giants for the National League wild card last season and that he notched his first postseason save in October. A month later Brad Lidge reached a more surprising milestone. "Someone recognized me," says the 28-year-old closer. "When you're a pitcher for the Houston Astros and a stranger notices you in a mall in Colorado, you know things have really changed."

Here's how quickly things changed last year for the righthander from Englewood, Colo.: Through late June he was a little-known middle reliever with two career saves. Then Houston traded Octavio Dotel to Oakland and moved Lidge into the closer's role. By season's end he had emerged as one of the best in the majors, then helped the Astros come within one win of their first World Series. "We all knew Brad had great stuff," says catcher Brad Ausmus. "Did we know he'd turn into the monster he became in just a few months? No."

Lidge converted 29 of 33 save opportunities and set a league record for strikeouts by a reliever (157), while registering the highest rate of strikeouts per nine innings in history (14.93) among pitchers with at least as many innings in a season as he had (942/3). In the playoffs Lidge pitched in seven of Houston's 12 games and threw two or more innings in five of them. In the NL Championship Series he held the Cardinals scoreless for a total of eight innings in four appearances.

"One thing we have going into this year that we didn't have for a good part of last season is a dominant closer," says lefthander Andy Pettitte. "We have a lot of confidence handing the ball to Brad."

Lidge has a wicked slider and a 97-mph fastball, but his development as a pitcher was stunted by injuries. A first-round draft choice out of Notre Dame in 1998, he was regarded as one of the most gifted arms in the Astros' organization, but in each of his first four seasons, through 2001, he finished the year on the disabled list, primarily with arm trouble.

"Brad has always been a full-gonzo guy, going all out, and I think that's hurt him," says general manager Tim Purpura. "I had some knock-down, drag-out fights [with him] because he'd do things we didn't like in his rehab. He'd try to go too fast before letting his body heal. This spring there's a maturity about him. He's pacing himself and being cautious."

Lidge will be counted on to close out games started by what should be a formidable rotation led by Pettitte and righthanders Roger Clemens and Roy Oswalt. "The combination of those three and Brad closing games gives us confidence that we can overcome whatever question marks we have with the offense," says Purpura, who lost centerfielder Carlos Beltran and second baseman Jeff Kent to free agency and won't have rightfielder Lance Berkman back until May as he recovers from surgery to repair a torn ACL.

But there are concerns about the durability of that rotation. Clemens, last year's Cy Young winner, turns 43 in August. Pettitte's sore elbow limited him to 15 starts before he shut down and underwent surgery on Aug. 24. (He'll be ready for Opening Day.) Oswalt was the NL's lone 20-game winner last year despite pitching with a strained rib-cage muscle that required cortisone injections before each start. "My mechanics were off," Oswalt says. "I was wild. I wasn't throwing the ball where I wanted to, mostly because I was protecting the strain."

The way the season ended also took a lot out of Oswalt. Relieving Clemens on three days' rest, he pitched the last two innings of the Astros' 5--2 Game 7 NLCS loss to the Cardinals, giving up one run. "I was mentally drained after the season," says Oswalt. This winter he took two months off from baseball activities, staying at home in Weir, Miss. (pop. 553), with his wife, Nicole, and their newborn daughter, Arlee. Oswalt reported to camp refreshed and feeling stronger than ever.

"To come so close and not make the World Series last year--that was unbelievably tough," he says. "But we've all come back hungry. We know how tough it is to get as far as we did, but we're ready to battle through another year." --A.C.

In Fact

Jeff Bagwell and Craig Biggio have been teammates for 15 years--longer than any other two active players in major North American pro sports.

Enemy Lines

an opposing team's scout sizes up the Astros

"THE ASTROS have had a lousy spring. They've been committing errors in the field and gaffes on the bases. They look like an eight-cylinder engine firing on four and sputtering uphill.... The $64,000 question is where they're going to get offense with Lance Berkman out. They were 11 outs shy of the World Series, and now they're minus Jeff Kent, Carlos Beltran and Berkman. They've lost the heart of their lineup.... I don't see Jeff Bagwell having a 30-home-run season. His power numbers will continue to drop, especially because he's dealing with an arthritic shoulder.... Their four starters--Roy Oswalt, Andy Pettitte, Roger Clemens and Brandon Backe--are as good as it gets. When you have a reigning Cy Young as your Number 3 pitcher, what does that say about your first two? ... [Infield prospect] Chris Burke has been disappointing. I think he'll top out as a utilityman.... In the outfield Jason Lane is miscast as an every-day player. Willy Taveras is a comer who can flat-out fly, but there's nowhere to hide him in the anemic lineup. They need to acquire a run-producing outfield bat."

The Lineup

projected roster with 2004 statistics

Batting Order

2B Biggio

SS Everett

1B Bagwell

RF Berkman

3B Ensberg

LF Lane

C Ausmus

CF Taveras

WILLY TAVERAS (R)*

B-T R

PVR 239

BA .335

HR 2

RBI 27

SB 55

JASON LANE

B-T S-R

PVR 122

BA .272

HR 4

RBI 19

SB 1

LANCE BERKMAN

B-T S-L

PVR 120

BA .316

HR 30

RBI 106

SB 9

ADAM EVERETT

B-T R

PVR 169

BA .273

HR 8

RBI 31

SB 13

CRAIG BIGGIO

B-T R

PVR 131

BA .281

HR 24

RBI 63

SB 7

MORGAN ENSBERG

B-T R

PVR 84

BA .275

HR 10

RBI 66

SB 6

JEFF BAGWELL

B-T R

PVR 65

BA .266

HR 27

RBI 89

SB 6

BRAD AUSMUS

B-T R

PVR 327

BA .248

HR 5

RBI 31

SB 2

BENCH

MIKE LAMB

B-T L-R

PVR 247

BA .288

HR 14

RBI 58

SB 1

JOSE VIZCAINO

B-T S-R

PVR 396

BA .274

HR 3

RBI 33

SB 1

CHRIS BURKE (R)†

B-T R

PVR 283

BA .315

HR 16

RBI 52

SB 37

2004 RECORD

92--70

second in NL Central

MANAGER

Phil Garner

second season with Houston

ROTATION

[originallink:10808631:720496]

329

2

7

0

1.52

5.28

New acquisition (R) Rookie B-T: Bats-throws IPS: Innings pitched per start WHIP: Walks plus hits per inning pitched *Double A stats †Triple A stats

PVR: Player Value Ranking (explanation on page 69)

COLOR PHOTO

TOM DIPACE

LATE HEAT

Bringing a 97-mph fastball and a wicked slider, Lidge set a league record for strikeouts by a reliever.

COLOR PHOTO

DAVID DUROCHIK/SPORTPICS

Lane