Wow, That's a Great Juice Box
9-6 Win at Houston
Now 35-31, 7½ Games Back
This team is just hanging onto my optimism by a thread. After looking horrible in Denver, the Crew finds a way to get up off the mat and finish the roadtrip at a respectable 3-3. Sheets got the support of 3 home runs in the 2nd (4 total in the game) and a lineup that now features Hart in the leadoff spot and Cameron in the 5 spot seems to have found some life. Hart's 3R dinger was his 3rd in two games. So much for not getting RBI opportunities in the leadoff spot. Of course, when Brian Mohler can't even get Sheets out and walks him, your leadoff guy is going to get opportunities to clean the bases.

Added to the 5 HRs they hit in Wednesday's 10-6 win and the Crew is doing its best to channel the Walbangers and take some stress off the pitching staff. Villanueva cooled my "closer of the future" talk a little by giving up a run in 1⅔, but I didn't really hear the situation. It sounds like he came in for Parra in a dicy situation and worked out of it by letting 1 inherited to score and 1 of his own. That'll happen I guess.

However, worry isn't completely out of the picture, with Weeks already on the DL and Hardy getting checked out for a sore shoulder, the infield is looking pretty thin. The Brian Roberts rumor has been floated around, but Melvin denies it. One other thing to note is that Jeff Weaver has officially been released. What does it say about a player that he can't perform acceptable enough at AAA to earn a spot in a thinner than expected rotation?