3 Houston Astros
 
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