Astros Ready for Takeoff

You can’t spell playoffs without R-O-C-K-E-T. Ok, maybe you can. But only if you throw in letters like P-U-J-O-L-S or T-I-G-E-R-S P-I-T-C-H-I-N-G S-T-A-F-F. In the Houston Astro’s case, though, the playoffs were fading out of the realm of possibility, until 11 a.m. central time when Roger Clemens agreed to play one more year for the Astros.

In today’s era of ASTROnomical (haha, get it) gas prices, Rocket fuel will cost Houston a pretty penny. Something to the tune of $14 or $15 million for the rest of the 2006 season. Clemens, however, will be worth every penny.

Clemens’ impact will extend far beyond every fifth day when he takes the mound to pitch. That’s not to say the Astros don’t need him to pitch every fifth day because they do. Badly. No team is going to the playoffs, much less the World Series, if 3 of their 5 starting pitchers have a combined 20 wins over their respective careers.

But it’s precisely with these 3 young starting pitchers, Wandy Rodriguez, Fernando Nieve, and Taylor Buchholz, that the full impact of Clemens’ presence will begin to be felt. How would you feel if you got a full year to learn from the greatest living practitioner of your respective craft? Just being around Clemens, seeing his manic competitive drive and work ethic, and receiving his advice will be invaluable to all 3 young pitchers.

Beyond that, with these 3 young pitchers, Clemens has something extremely promising to work with. All 3 have major league talent. Rodriguez, with his 6-2 record and 3.95 ERA, is already having a breakthrough season. Buchholz, while erratic, has shown flashes or brilliance throwing a complete game shutout against the Rangers on May 21^st and coming within one out of a complete game shutout against the Pirates on April 22^nd. Nieve, the least polished of the group, has pitched well given that he was slated to be a middle reliever at the beginning of the season.

Clemens may be just what these young pitchers need to take their games to the next level.

It’s not just the young pitchers who will benefit from Clemens return. ‘Um, Mr. Pettite? This is the doctor’s office calling. We’ve found a cure for what’s ailed you so far this season. It cost us $15 million, so you better start pitching like your old self.’

Clemens and Pettite have been best friends ever since they played together in New York, and it’s no secret that the two have fed off each other in the past. Except for mistakes on back to back pitches Tuesday night against the Cardinals, Pettite looked much more like the old Andy Pettite going 6 innings while only giving up 3 runs. He did that knowing only that Clemens was rumored to return to the Astros. Clemens’ will hopefully be the injection that helps Pettite fully return to form.

Without Clemens, the Astros rotation consisted of Roy Oswalt, a struggling Andy Pettite, and 3 inconsistent young pitchers. With Clemens, they have Oswalt, a possibly resurgent Pettite, the greatest pitcher alive, and the final 2 roster spots will be filled by the 2 most consistent of the 3 young pitchers. Not too shabby.

But Clemens’s impact goes beyond the pitching staff. As Bob Uecker so aptly once stated, “Cerrano’s gonna need a rocket up his ass to catch that baby”. Well, the Astros needed a rocket up their ass if they were going to make the playoffs, and what do you know, they got one.

Clemens will provide the team with energy, with hope, with a sense that this team has what it takes to make it back to the World Series and win the damn thing. Don’t forget, with Clemens, this is essentially the same team that made the Fall Classic last year except they’ve added Preston Wilson to the middle to the line-up.

Does signing Clemens guarantee that the Astros will make the play-offs? Absolutely not. They still have significant questions regarding their bullpen, a non-existent bottom of the order, and if either of Berkman’s knee or Oswalt’s hamstring becomes a major problem, the Astros are done.

However, as of 11:01 a.m. central time on Wednesday May 31^st, new hope has been injected back into the Astros’ season. I’m not sure if you can spell playoffs with Clemens, but you sure can’t spell playoffs without him.