Astros turn the corner?

Maybe the 2009 Houston Astros are just slow starters. After only winning 2 of their first 22 Spring Training games (and one of those wins was against Panama), they won 11 of their next 15 to catch Baltimore in the Grapefruit league standings for last place. Similarly, Houston started the regular season 1 and 6, only ahead of the winless Nationals. But the resiliant Astros came storming back, winning back to back games this week against a hapless Pirates team.

Winning consecutive games against Pittsburgh may not seem like much to get excited about, but sometimes you have to rejoice in the small victories. On Wednesday, Mike Hampton threw 6 shutout innings, striking out 8 Pirates, and flashed the form that helped him win 22 games a decade ago, his last season in Houston. Maybe Hampton can cheat time for a couple more months, maybe not, but as Astros fans, sometimes it's best not to look too far ahead (or behind) and just recognize and appreciate great performances when they occur.